Today@Dal

From CBC.ca, September 19:

Tattoo exposure didn't dissuade Dalhousie University from using one of its tattooed faculty members, Chris Helland, in promotional materials in 2007.

Helland, an expert on religion on the internet who got his first tattoo when he was 18, became a poster boy for the school's "Discover the Unexpected" ad campaign, which featured the sociology professor with his sleeves rolled up to display the intricate panorama etched on his arms.

"There was this perception that tattoos are associated with deviant behaviour, and that's a very biased and Eurocentric perspective," Helland said. "But as a sociologist of religion, I'm very fascinated by sacred or religious tattooing, the rituals and the different belief systems associated with it."

The 45-year-old academic noted that all his tattoos can be concealed if he wears a long-sleeved shirt with a collar.

Read the rest of the story at CBC.ca. (Photo CBC)