Sixteen Saint Mary's students spent Reading Week in Belfast, Northern Ireland working in local schools to teach children there about resolving conflict peacefully. The students, members of the Saint Mary's University Conflict Resolution Society, are the fifth group to travel from Nova Scotia to Belfast to work in Catholic, Protestant and integrated schools in the city. In the past violent conflict riddled Northern Ireland. Students visited elementary schools surrounded by barbed wire and bulletproof glass and visited one school that could easily be described as a fortress (ASK Jeff) remnants of a much more violent time in the city's history. The worst violence of the conflict may be over but it lies under the surface for the people of Belfast.

This is my last issue as an employee of The Journal. I, like many other students, am weeks away from graduation and beginning to feel a mix of nostalgia and excitement. On one hand I am sad to leave Saint Mary's as it has become my home over the past four years. But at the same time I am excited to take what I have learned during my time as a SMUdent and see how I can apply it in the “real” world.

If you are leaving Halifax for good in the coming weeks, or just have some extra stuff lying around you no longer need, don't throw it away! Reusable items, such as clothes, books, furniture and dishes are just some of the items students toss in the trash every year. Rather than throw away perfectly good items, donate them to the SMUES/Net Impact Dump & Run Sale. The annual event aims to divert reusable goods from landfills.

Close to 200 students came together Saturday night for SMUSA's 44th Annual Charter Day Award Ceremony. The ceremony is held so SMUSA can recognize the students and employees who contributed to the organization's successes over the previous year.

When people expect rapid feedback on their work, they do better, but expect the worst. That is the result of a recent study by PhD student Keri Kettle of the University of Alberta. "The shorter you have to wait, the closer and more tangible is the possibility of disappointment," said the Alberta School of Business student. "Potential disappointment is a powerful motivator. To avoid it, you lower your expectations and focus on performing better." Over 200 students participated in the study, some being told they would be getting feedback within the week, and the other group being told the feedback would take about a month. The students with the rapidly approaching mark scored better on the same task, yet they were more pessimistic about how well they did."When the possibility of disappointment is more imminent, you're more motivated to avoid it," Kettle found, "You do everything in your power to avoid disappointment, so you lower your expectations and raise your performance." Perhaps having faster marking on student projects could globally improve marks here at SMU. Kettle stated that this also has high bearing for those in supervisory roles: “It is important I give feedback right away irrespective of the content of the feedback...in order to get the best performance.”