Day in the life: Renee McBeth

When people ask Renee McBeth what she does for a living, she often gives the same answer.

“I tell people I’m an organizer,’’ she says with a laugh. “I depend on post-it notes and to-do lists.”

Indeed, as someone who holds dual positions at UVic’s Faculty of Law, her daily balancing act requires a high degree of prioritization and time management.

Since August 2010, McBeth has worked as the coordinator of the Consortium on Democratic Constitutionalism (DEMCON)—a group that promotes scholarly exchange and collaboration on questions of constitutional theory, design and practice. McBeth handles the communications, promotions and bookings for all of the major conferences hosted by DEMCON.

She is also the lead administrator of an annual six-part seminar series of the faculties of law, humanities, and social sciences—the Victoria Colloquium in Social, Political and Legal Theory. The series invites world-class theorists to present their current research at UVic, promoting exchange among faculty and students in a “pre-seminar” and then the main seminar itself. 

And in 2012, McBeth assumed the role of coordinator for the faculty’s Indigenous Law Research Clinic—an initiative that partners with communities to research different areas of Indigenous law.

On the day of her interview with The Ring, McBeth was in the throes of planning a workshop for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission taking place in Edmonton later that week. These final preparations—filled with far more than post-its and to-do lists—gave proof to McBeth’s busy schedule.

Though the majority of her time is split between communications and coordinating the logistics of research projects and events, McBeth isn’t afraid to tackle spontaneous projects when the need arises. “Last Friday I helped weave cedar bark mats for the Indigenous law student graduation,” she says. “And I’ll be doing more weaving this afternoon for hat bands that will be used at the ceremony.”

McBeth came to UVic to do graduate work after earning her BA from the University of Western Ontario. After completing her MA, the transition from student to staff was almost immediate.

“I always worked while in school and I got hired in this job a week before I defended my master’s,” says McBeth.

She even credits her university experience for inspiring her initial interest in the DEMCON job. “I love critical thinking in a community of people who are trying to deal with social and political issues,” explains McBeth. “My favourite part of the job is the space I am given to help initiate creative projects that connect with those issues.”

Perhaps the best example of this exercise in creativity is the graphic novel recently presented by the Indigenous Law Research Clinic. The book, Mikomosis and the Wetiko, was the brainchild of McBeth and Prof. Val Napoleon. It tells the story of Mikomosis—a great hunter of the Nehiyaw (Cree) people who was charged with murder in 1878.

To date, the reception to the graphic novel has been stupendous.

“The UVic Bookstore has been selling out and we’ve been asked to provide more copies about six times,” says McBeth. “We’ve had people take it to Spain, France and Belgium, and it’s being used in law schools and high schools across Canada.”

Though McBeth is quick to describe herself as an organizer first and foremost, it is obvious that her creative flare and passion for social and political issues underlie every post-it note and to-do list.