NEWS: VISUALS: LIFESTYLE:
U OF C RESEARCH GROUP LOOKS INTO AI
SPRING IS HERE
MIHRET’S PODCAST PICKS
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As we approach the end of another academic year, I want to encourage you to take a step back and reflect on your accomplishments and hard work. University life can be a relentless grind and it can be easy to get caught up in the everyday stresses and struggles. Looking back however, all those late-night study sessions and extra hours spent at the library start to add up, and assessing the progress you’ve made can be incredibly motivating.
I urge you to think beyond grades and test scores but to also consider the ways in which you’ve grown a a person. Perhaps you’ve developed a new passion or purpose for your studies, or acquired a new skill or conquered an unforeseen obstacle. Maybe you’ve strengthened previous relationships and developed new ones. Success can be measured in a multitude of ways, and I
urge to you acknowledge yours and use it as momentum for future growth.
The end of the semester is often a very stressful and busy time for students. Between final projects, papers and final exam prep, it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in work. But you are not alone. Your friends, professors and academic advisors are here to help. There is also uncertainty as to what expect for the spring and summer seasons, and for those in their final year of school, uncertainty about what comes after graduation. These feelings are normal and you should take the time to care for yourself while you navigate this chapter.
Tap into your support systems for help — whether it be your friends, professors, academic advisors, or even community members. For students who will be observing Ramadan during this period, consider connecting with campus clubs
and communities.
Another way to reduce stress is to create a study schedule. And if you’re having some troubles creating one by yourself, you might try asking the newly hyped up AI chatbot, ChatGPT You can even use it to help you generate study questions.
Although it can be tempting to start winding down and coasting, I want to emphasize the importance of finishing strong. Let’s not have all our hard work go to waste by slacking in this final stretch. Take advantage of office hours, study groups, or other campus resources so you can best clarify any lingering questions or doubts. You can also check out our article on what (not) to eat during finals season to help fuel your mind.
Remember to not let the pressure consume you. Take small breaks throughout the day, spare a few minutes for stretching and light exercise
and fill yourself up with nutritious meals. Wind down from your study marathons with some rest and relaxation — maybe consider listening to some of Mihret’s Podcast Picks.
These last few weeks of the semester are also a prime opportunity to make the most of your remaining time on campus. Schedule time to reconnect with friends, professors and maybe even attend a campus event. And if you’re a fan of the arts, the Alchemy Festival is one worth checking out.
This year has thrown a lot of challenges at us, but I’m proud of our adversity, strength and determination.
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Acommunity outreach lab
titled the Disability and Sexuality lab at the University of Calgary is looking to promote social change by providing resources to end the silence around disability and sexuality.
Often a taboo topic, many do not discuss sexuality for people with disabilities which can pose significant risks to individuals with disabilities as research assistant Naomi Eastman describes in an interview with the Gauntlet
“We find that because it’s an area of such silence, it’s actually making people with disabilities much more vulnerable to sexual abuse, violence and of being taken advantage of by things like romance scams,” said Eastman. “A lot of our work within the lab is to try and bring attention to that and talk about why it’s important to keep these conversations going.”
Dr. Alan Martino, the lab lead of the research, talked about how the lab is working to
ROBOT TAKEOVER »co-create their resources with various communities
“The lab is really about this idea of collaborating with community. Everything we do is in partnership — so all materials we create come from ideas that we got from service providers, family members or people with disabilities themselves who are telling us what their needs are,” Martino explained. “Another thing that makes us unique is that when people talk about visibility and sexuality they only focus on harm and risks — there’s always the negative
aspects of sexuality. But this lab is about everything related to sexuality, of course addressing those important areas like safety but also the good side of it, which is often left out.”
Eleni Moumos, a research assistant at the lab, touched on how they’re working to mobilize this topic to help educate the community.
“Mobilization is a big thing in our lab. So we’re creating a dictionary that is accessible so that terminology can be simplified and visuals so that everyone can understand these com-
plicated topics,” said Moumos. “A lot of the time it can be really difficult to find resources and it can be complicated and lead you astray. So we really want to create those safe spaces to bring awareness and advocate for topics that need to be talked about more and really mobilizing those ideas.”
Martino notes that this lab has been something he’s been hoping to create for a while and why it’s important to have these conversations.
“It has always been a dream of mine to create a resource hub that would be available to the community with accessible creative material that can be a resource for everyone at any time and hopefully serve as a conversation starter for this topic,” said Martino. “Even in media, I found that there’s so much more conversations about disability sexuality. Now, we have TV shows like As we see it on Amazon Prime or Love on the spectrum on Netflix. It’s amazing to see that the topic is getting more recognition and more people recognizing the
need for this.”
Moumos spoke on how reaching out to Martino really helped her find her place in the lab.
“I feel like a lot of people have asked me about how I got into research. I emailed Alan about my interest in the topic and from there, I felt like we got to understand what my interests were and how they connected with Alan’s so there’s always space for what you’re interested in,” said Moumos.
The lab is always looking for more opportunities to expand and the three encourage students to reach out.
“We’re always seeking to grow and students can share whatever skills they would like to share,” said Martino.
“We have a contact us area on our website that students can reach out from. Maybe tell us a bit about what your interests are and what you’d want to help with — we’d love to help,” Eastman added.
To learn more about the lab and to get involved visit disabilitysexualitylab.com
Theinduction of ChatGPT has ushered in a new discussion surrounding academic integrity in higher education. The artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot was launched in November 2022 and has since been a source of dilemmas and concerns in academic circles.
Through a University of Calgary Teaching and Learning grant from the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, a research group investigates the ethical integration of AI tools into academic settings and how it could enhance the student learning experience.
In a statement to the Gauntlet, principal investigator Dr. Sarah Eaton describes that it is essential
for universities to adapt to this new reality. As an associate professor in the Werklund School of Education specializing in academic integrity, Eaton highlights that this new technology is not something that should be feared.
“I’ve been saying for months that if people are worried about ChatGPT, they’re worried about the wrong thing,” said Eaton. “There are now thousands of apps available to students that use the same or similar technologies as ChatGPT and are available widely on the internet.”
ChatGPT is a machine learning tool created by OpenAI, a private company backed by Microsoft. The software enables users to gain access to a plethora of knowledge. It can answer questions on a variety of topics and generate human-like responses.
Just recently, OpenAI launched
GPT-4 — a more advanced variant with problem-solving capacity that can produce great accuracy. It further surpasses ChatGPT given its advanced reasoning capabilities.
“The launch of GPT-4 changes the game yet again,” said Eaton. “GPT-4 can create more factually accurate content and has been shown to take a variety of tests with a higher success rate than any previous GPT technologies.”
In light of recent technological advancements, Eaton emphasized that working with these new technologies is essential to moving forward.
“We need to learn to work with these technologies, not against them,” she said.
As the technological landscape continues to evolve, Eaton also emphasized the need to ensure that students are well-equipped to han-
dle this transition in the workforce.
“If we want students to graduate from university with the skills they need to succeed in the workforce, knowing how to use AI tools is already an essential skill.
“We need to ensure our students, and our graduates, are ready for
this reality,” said Eaton.
To learn more about the role of AI in learning assessment, the Werklund School of Education is hosting a presentation on June 8 called “Don’t fear the robot: Future-authentic assessment and generative artificial intelligence.”
of EDI among the public.
In an interview with the Gauntlet, Dr. Ghada Sfeir spoke about her goals as the first senior adviser, mentioning the two overarching objectives.
to determine how to support them best.
“I will see what has been said and done previously to then build up, extend and deliver on the institutional commitment,” said Sfeir.
part of the Scarborough Charter signed in 2021. She will work with the academic director on EDI and Black Futures to combat anti-black racism.
Nazeefa Ahmed News Assistant
TheOffice of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI) at the University of Calgary opened a new senior advisor position for anti-racism and racial equity. Expansion of the OEDI is a part of the university leadership’s com-
mitment made after the death of George Floyd in 2020.
The position will be filled by Dr. Ghada Sfeir, a researcher and academic in the field of anti-racism, EDI and cosmopolitanism. She holds a PhD in interdisciplinary graduate studies from the University of Saskatchewan and has worked to advance understanding
“I am committed to be a catalyst for transformation by fostering a collective understanding of what systemic racism is, how it operates, and how we can combat it successfully by taking concrete and intentional actions to deliberation,” said Sfeir. “Another objective is to ensure every student’s right for safe, respectful, and inclusive learning experiences that paves the way for excellence in following their preferred educational pathways, while simultaneously enjoying a height and sense of belonging to the campus community at large.”
Sfeir emphasized that progress toward inclusion requires listening and being aware of past efforts, and conducting a needs assessment with racialized communities
“Therefore, I would like to stress that I am listening and learning and meeting with the campus community. I am reaching out to the faculty and staff to work with them collaboratively through the EDI committees by joining collective efforts and building relationships to enhance students’ experiences and academic achievement.
“It is crucial that I do any assessment through consultations and discussions with racialized and underrepresented students across campus to identify the challenges impacting student experience,” she continued. “Then, we monitor our progress towards our commitment to EDI and racial equity.”
Sfeir’s role includes furthering the university’s commitment as
“My job is definitely a commitment to further this commitment and implement all four of the principles of the Scarborough Charter in order for the black communities to be able to flourish on campus and beyond.”
In her concluding remarks, she encouraged the campus community to reach out to her and engage in furthering the university’s commitment.
“It’s very important also that we all have this collective understanding that any work on anti-racism is a shared responsibility,” said Sfeir. “It is our responsibility and the responsibility of the students as well to keep our environment safe, respectful and inclusive. And so I’m hoping that we’ll have most of them, if not all of them on board.”
Startingon April 1, 2023, British Columbia will be the first province in Canada to offer full coverage for prescription contraceptives, including oral hormone pills, intrauterine devices (IUDs), contraceptive injections, subdermal implants, as well as the morning after pill — the government calling it a win for both healthcare and gender equity. This decision is coming after a United Way task force found that Canadian women are disproportionately impacted by period poverty and the affordability of reproductive health serving as an added barrier they face on top of other systemic issues like wage inequality.
“Not being able to access period supplies can negatively affect people’s ability to go about their day-to-day activities,” said Nicholas Simons, minister of social development and poverty reduction, who is also an advocate for free menstrual products amidst an ever-rising cost of living crisis within the province.
Until 2015, Canadian women were forced to pay an additional sales tax on menstrual products, many referring to it as the tampon tax, due to such products being labelled non-essential, whereas other products such as ChapStick were considered to be basic necessities. The move to offer free contraceptives highlights issues that are even larger — the intersections of poverty and sexual assault, domestic violence, and access to abortion clinics in rural Canadian regions.
It is no secret that women who are unhoused face disproportionate levels of sexual violence compared to women who are unhoused. The nature of assault does not consider the consent of the woman, nor does it consider the necessary precautions taken by two consenting people to engage in safe sexual intercourse. Thus, there exists a higher risk of pregnancy for a woman who already experiences financial
barriers of access limiting her access to a home, let alone afford contraception. Women find themselves paying $20 a month for oral contraceptives and — if they are not covered by private or provincial health insurance — around $80–$360 for IUDs. Unhoused women should not have to choose between food and contraception.
Homeless Hub also reports that Indigenous women are overrepresented within this demographic, adding a racialized element to who is able to access what should be a human right but is, rather, a privilege. Abortion, while technically free in Canada, has been found to cost up to $1000 across regions in Canada, when considering administrative fees and at what stage of pregnancy the procedure is being conducted. The rest of Canada following suit with British Columbia by providing free contraception would help vulnerable women and relieve an exhausted foster care system that is overrepresented racially — more than half of children in foster care are Indigenous — attempting to end
the cycle of poverty that so many experience.
Unhoused women, however, are also not the only beneficiaries of free contraception as some women that require birth control the most are those attempting to flee situations of domestic violence within the home. Situations of domestic violence are complex and every woman’s circumstances are different with respect to culture as well as their relationship with their abuser and his family. They may fear that having a child against their consent with their abuser would permanently link them together or also create a harmful environment for this said child as well. Some women lack the agency of having a private life or the ability to leave the house and be financially independent, so it would be incredibly difficult to hide contraceptive pills, pregnancy or an abortion. British Columbia offering free and undetectable IUDs will be life-changing for these women and only make their lives easier as they attempt to navigate the cycle of abuse.
Access to safe abortion clinics
in rural areas of Canada continues to be an issue and access to contraception and the morning-after pill is the solution. There are only three abortion clinics in Alberta — two in Calgary and one in Edmonton — leaving anyone who does not live in an urban centre with a high cost of travel and time off of work for something that they should not have to disclose to their employers. Increased funding to ensure that contraceptives are free and accessible to rural women would solve the issue of limited access to abortion and supply issues in rural pharmacies, which often run out of their stock of IUDs over the course of a year.
At the end of the day, this measure helps all and hurts none. Most recently, the Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) and their leader, Rachel Notley, have promised to cover the cost of contraceptives for Albertans if elected. At the same time, access to reproductive rights and safe contraception are met with swift and vitriolic opposition in Alberta from pro-life groups such as the Alberta March For Life As-
sociation, which plans on hosting a rally on May 11, 2023.
“Undoubtedly we are against abortion even as we are against murder and all other injustices against human life, although the wilful and deliberate killing of the unborn is the most egregious,” a statement on their website reads. “More than this, however, we are for the celebration of life, irrespective of its stage of development, appearance, or cognitive state, because all human beings have inherent and inviolable dignity that neither a state nor an authority confers and cannot retract.”
Ironic statements about the inherent and inviolable dignity of human beings fail to consider the autonomous decisions a woman can make about her own health and safety, including if carrying a pregnancy to term is a health risk. Despite abortion being legal and British Columbia being the first province in what many hope to be a sweeping trend for greater access to contraception, disarray and misinformation persist. We hope that this new measure is a catalyst for change in Canada.
India’s caste system is a millennia-old system of social stratification that continues to remain strong in the region, being the cause of hiring discrimination, marital barriers and even mob violence. As a result of immigration, attitudes supporting the caste system have also trickled into countries such as Canada and the United States. A system created to uphold a hierarchical division of labour, the caste system has been heavily criticized for perpetuating discrimination against those deemed as “lower caste.” Falling at the bottom of this hierarchy is the Dalit community, which faces bias and harm because of this classification.
“The Dalit community, which is supposed to be the lowest caste, is the most hierarchically oppressed group, relegated to the most ‘unclean’ caste-based occupations,” said Prachi Patankar, an anti-caste feminist and panellist for the University of Calgary’s
Panel on Dalit-Bahujan Feminist Knowledges and Praxis. “This is why the Dalit communities are also classified as untouchable.”
Today, caste-based discrimination, and specifically the idea of untouchability, is technically illegal in India. However, attitudes that uphold this hierarchy and the discriminatory behaviours and actions that accompany it are ever-present. Patankar’s explanation of the continued strong presence of caste-based discrimination rests on the fact that this system is deep-rooted and internalized within people who benefit from the hierarchical system.
“The reason the caste-based system is so brilliantly oppressive in some ways is that each caste and each sub-caste is committed to keeping it alive [and] is committed to keeping it growing, because it is ingrained within people that your worth and your survival is dependent on subjugation of the cast below,” she said.
Attending school in Canada, many of us have briefly learn-
ed about the caste system in a high school social studies class. However, the harms of this system, especially to individuals in the Dalit community, are rarely discussed. With South Asians making up a large portion of the visible minority population in Canada, and India especially being a main source of immigrants, it is crucial to recognize and tackle the biases that accompany them.
“When people from India are coming to countries like Canada [and] coming to countries like the United States, it’s only a given that people will carry that caste-based understanding and caste prejudices with them,” said Patankar. “Most of the people who have come to Canada have been people who have come from the dominant castes. This is also because [they have] had access to academic institutions [...] that send people to the United States or Canada, to be able to get jobs and to be able to have access to the institutions in North America as well.”
The deep-rootedness of this
caste system is seen when Canadians use casteist terms nonchalantly, without knowing the harm they are perpetuating. A young Ontario university student, Gurpreet Singh, detailed his run-in with caste-based discrimination in 2022 to CBC and claims to face more discrimination from Indians in Canada than in his home in India. Singh, who belongs to the Dalit community, recalled his peers asking for his last name to identify his caste and using derogatory caste-based slurs against him.
Patankar also highlighted that a major method to uphold the caste system is through marriage, which plays upon internalized caste discrimination. Canada is no exception to this. The Samast Brahman Society of Canada is a private matchmaking Facebook group with over 4,000 members that caters to only the Brahmin caste — largely considered to be at the top of the caste hierarchy. This group has been accused of further promoting casteism.
In explaining the caste-based
discriminatory attitudes in North America, Patankar said that “as more and more people have come from India and South Asia to North America who are from non-dominant caste categories, people who have come here before, are threatened.”
As a result of growing awareness about caste-based discrimination, many jurisdictions in Canada and the United States are pushing for an official recognition and ban on discrimination on the basis of caste. Last month, the Toronto District School Board became the first school board in Canada to ask the Ontario Human Rights Commission to address caste oppression and ban this form of discrimination. The Seattle City Council also recognized caste oppression, with some British Columbians pushing for a similar decision to be reached in their province. While there are still many more actions that must be taken to protect those subjected to caste-based discrimination, these strides provide hope for more just treatment.
Weknow time on Earth is based on the rotation of the planet around the Sun, but would that be the same for telling time on the Moon? The European Space Agency (ESA) has brought attention to lunar timekeeping considering the dozens of lunar missions planned in the coming years.
“Throughout human history, exploration has actually been a key driver of improved timekeeping and geodetic reference models,” said ESA’s Moonlight Navigation Manager Javier Ventura-Traveset in a statement. “It is certainly an exciting time to do that now for the moon.”
The missions planned include building bases and habitats, which is why the ESA has been highlighting the importance of a standard clock for the Moon. Previous missions have all operated on their own timescale, using antennas to keep
their clock synchronized with the Earth, based on the country of the mission’s origin. Giving the Moon its own time zone would have navigational and guidance benefits.
“We agreed on the importance and urgency of defining a common lunar reference time which is internationally accepted and towards which all lunar systems and users may refer to,” said Pietro Giordano, a system navigation engineer at the ESA. “A joint international ef-
fort is now being launched towards achieving this.”
A lunar time zone has also been in discussion within NASA as well as the 25th anniversary of the International Space Station (ISS) approaches. It currently operates on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), where the time difference is split among NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and partnering international agencies. However, the distance between the Moon and
the Earth means that coordinating those clocks is difficult, resulting in a one-second delay.
“The experience of this success can be re-used for the technical long-term lunar systems to come, even though stable timekeeping on the Moon will throw up its own unique challenges — such as taking into account the fact that time passes at a different rate there due to the Moon’s specific gravity and velocity effects,” said Jörg Hahn, an advisor at the ESA for lunar timekeeping.
The problem with time on the Moon is that Moon clocks would run faster than their Earth equivalent due to their lower gravitational force, adding about 56 microseconds to each day.
“This will be quite a challenge on a planetary surface where in the equatorial region each day is 29.5 days long, including freezing fortnight-long lunar nights with the whole of Earth just a small blue circle in the sky,” said a member of
the Moonlight Management Team for the ESA’s Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration, Bernhard Hufenbach. “But having established a working time system for the moon, we can do the same for other planetary destinations.”
Another major debate is whether or not the time zone should be decided on by a single agency or as a collaboration between multiple different ones. A solution posed was a lunar version of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, which defines units of measurement on Earth.
This discussion was first opened last November at the ESA’s ESTEC meeting. It was part of the larger “LunaNet” one — an effort to expand the network of lunar travel to aid with navigation, detection and information, and research endeavours. This would allow communication between the two planets to be on a need-be basis, as opposed to the current model of scheduled network communication.
For over a decade now the University of Calgary’s School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) has been showcasing student work from all disciplines — music, dance and drama. The 2023 season of the Alchemy Festival is no different.
Initially, the Taking Flight Festival focused on drama performances, but things changed after the drama department joined the SCPA
“We had a conversation about the fact that we had student activity and student-driven activity from across all of our disciplines and it would be really interesting to figure out what would happen with a festival that would bring all of those activities together,” said SCPA director Bruce Barton.
The Taking Flight Festival was then rebranded as the Alchemy Festival which encourages performances from all disciplines.
“Many people will be drawn to a drama performance,” said
Barton. “If you are familiar with drama, then look really closely at the dance and look really closely at the music. There is a really rich selection of music. There are so many recitals and there are so many ensembles — it is almost a mini-festival of its own.”
Since the Alchemy Festival encourages student work in performances from all disciplines, the festival also encourages interdisciplinary performances. If each discipline lived on its own, the SCPA would be quite insular. However, within the SCPA, the disciplines live together all year long and that is exactly what is reflected in a lot of the performances at the Alchemy Festival — from performances that happen to be interdisciplinary to specifically interdisciplinary performances.
For example, Semiosis is a large-scale interdisciplinary performance driven by music students and dance students about the experience that one has with sound but also the experience that one has with physical movement.
“The one thing that I do oversee from beginning to end is the interdisciplinary stream. So, I am very excited to see what those students have gotten up to,” said Barton.
Yet the focus of the Alchemy Festival throughout all performances from any discipline is ultimately the fact that these performances are not driven by the course work of faculty members like the rest of the 2023 season but driven by the work of students. Hence, the name of the festival references the magical process in which raw materials turn into really fine metals like the dedication of students in their work over the years that turn into their final performances.
“The festival plays an important part in the development of the artists within the school because the festival is particularly that moment when the work that they individually have created over the years is meeting the audience,” said Barton.
For example, the choreographic and directorial work
driven by senior-level dance majors in Dance@Night is all the work from over the years culminating in their final performances as they become choreographers — even if they have only been working on these individual performances just over this year.
“I am always super excited to see the final dance performances because you get to see these artists in a way you do not throughout the other four years,” said Barton.
Although the performances
are driven by the work of students, some students are still working with faculty members or mentors. For example, Catalyst is a dance performance choreographed by a professional choreographer with students.
From being driven by student work from all disciplines but with the help of many, the Alchemy Festival, as Barton says, has “a self-forming energy.” To experience the energy for yourself from March 23 to April 5, you can find more information on the SCPA website.
blown.
The game opened with a first-period Cougar score. In the second period, the Dinos scored two goals but were soon matched by the Cougars with a 3–2 score. It all came down to the third period when the Dinos were able to make a desperation goal to send it to overtime. The first overtime was marked by their commitment and the tension in the air as the two teams were not able to score throughout the whole game. However, the second one saw Sean Strange score a season-changing three-on-three comeback goal to win the game.
will wave on their banner for generations to come.
Anotherseason for the University of Calgary Dinos men’s hockey came to a close this weekend at the national quarter-finals as the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers took them down in a 4–2 series. An incredible display of resilience and strength that ultimately culminated in a memorable six games. Now that the season is truly over, it is time to look back at the sensational rise of a team that will be talked about for a very long time.
The Dinos began their season as any other would. The team was ready to break the ice and the expectations were higher than ever for such a young squad. Big names that proved themselves as star players in the prior seasons were expected great things from the start. One of these names was the soon-to-be legendary, Carl Stankowski — a goalie that had fans amazed with his magic-like skills to avoid the opposing teams from scoring. The puck seemed to simply appear in his hands every time it was shot.
From rags to riches
The season started a bit on the rough side as the team suffered an inaugural back-to-back defeat at the hands of the University of Alberta Pandas with a 0–2 and
4–3 loss respectively. With this said, the team still looked connected. The main reason behind this loss could be attributed to the fact that they could have given a bit more on both defence and their transition game. Overall, nothing but pointers on the coaches’ notes.
The next few games came and the Dinos were able to take five victories in an eight-game stretch. A good mark that was about to be challenged by an atrocious blowout loss that shook the core of the young team. The loss came at the hands of the Mount Royal University Cougars, the same team they got their first victory out of. The game was a 7–2 loss that
marked a chapter in the book of our Crowchild Classic rivals. A match that started as pretty much tied with a goal a piece, came down to the last period in which the Cougars scored four times to send the Dinos home. But when at the bottom there is only one way to go.
The following game was at the Father David Bauer arena, still against the Cougars to complete the back-to-back weekend games. This time around, the home advantage and the yearning to make up for the loss gave the Dinos the wake-up call they needed to fight until the very last whistle was
“Having that never-quit attitude, relentless effort, we drew a few penalties and got some momentum, once we got those two power-play goals we just kept going from there,” said Strange in an interview with the Dinos.
Strange had no idea how much these words would mean to the team. The Dinos tapped into this mentality and became the most feared ruler on the ice, winning every game there was to win until the end of the season. An incredible, once-in-a-lifetime, 23 games stretch. This impressive feat included a win at the Crowchild Classic against the Cougars, the last team to beat them in the season. The Dinos closed the regular season with a 25–3–0 conference record. A golden standard that
The team advanced as a favourite and was ready to take control of the postseason. The Canada West playoff started off with a matchup against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the semifinals. That was our first loss in the postseason and it came in the first game of the series against them. However, the Dinos were yet to show their teeth and won the two other games for a combined 10 goals against three Huskies goals across the two other games.
The final was against the University of Alberta Golden Bears again — a fitting conclusion to this season. The Dinos ended up winning the first game and losing the second one in overtime. Everything relied on the third. Luckily, the Dinos were able to make the most of it and won a tight game by a single goal when they scored two goals in the third. The Dinos officially became Canada West champions and skated the ice in one beautiful display of finally celebrating all of their hard work.
Although their national run was short-lived, the Dinos have a season to be remembered by. A season to be used to elevate future Dinos for a long time.
Tocelebrate Women’s History Month, I am choosing to embrace the nerdy part of me that revels in fandom. I invite you to join me with this month’s podcast picks.
This is not your average mythology podcast. Hosted by Liv Albert — a Canadian 30-something millennial with a penchant for cursing and a feminist attitude — the stories are deeply researched, thoroughly told, and they don’t hold back on the details that have been sugar-coated and treated with kid gloves over the millennia. Myths of the ancient world are examined through a modern intersectional feminist lens, focusing where possible on amplifying the voices of women, trans and non-binary people.
Hosted by Marisa Tandon, You Are What You Love asks people
FUNGI FUN-GUY »the question, “What piece of media changed who you are as a person?” Guests from different backgrounds answer the question as they gush over some of their favourite pieces of media and how it has affected their lives. Discussed media include Bo Burnham live, Dungeons & Dragons, Green Day, Twilight, and more. If you would like to listen to adults with proper jobs and lives become absolute nerds for an hour, this is the per-
fect show for you.
Dashboard Diaries
In this incredibly nerdy podcast, long-time Tumblr user Lauren Shippen and long-time user-slash-Tumblr-employee Cherokee McAnelly dive deep into our favorite fandom site. Twice a month they talk about trending topics, share new ships, and forecast upcoming fandoms. Because Tumblr culture is very
niche, this is the perfect podcast for anyone who is curious about this strange ecosystem or just confused by the inside jokes that sometimes make it to Twitter.
The Fic List
It’s like a book club, but for fanfiction. Every episode, hosts Erin and Alan pick a fanfiction tag and explain it then read, recap and rate fanfic under that tag. They cover a multitude of fandoms and
fanfics of varying lengths. The discussions are hilarious, but they don’t mock or make fun of fanfiction itself, which is a refreshing take. The update schedule is inconsistent, but there is quite a backlog to get through until the next episode drops. They have excellent taste, and maybe you will discover a new fandom to join.
Potterless/The Newest Olympian
And now, the only male-created podcasts on the list, Potterlessand The Newest Olympian. Created by the same person, both shows follow Mike Schubert, a grown man reading the HarryPotter and Percy Jackson books for the very first time as an adult. Every week Schubert is joined by fans of the series as he recaps the chapter or section, and they discuss their thoughts. It’s like a virtual book club hosted by a comedian. While Potterless has finished airing, The Newest Olympian is still ongoing, and if you need an excuse to (re) read Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, definitely try these two.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers to HBO’s The Last of Us
The Last of Us, is a series that has swept the world faster than any cordyceps fungus ever could. Famous for not only contributing to our childhoods as we played the games, but for making us cry well into our adulthood with a brilliantly simple love story. The series and the games are here to show us just how much we can fall and get back up. Even when reduced to the very last of us, hope is human nature. To celebrate this franchise, here’s a list of the five best moments that were unique in the series and in the games.
The infection and the way it spreads
This is one of the most
famous ones. The way that the infection was spreading in the games was explicitly told as the jump of the fungus from insects to humans. It was also obvious that it travelled through spores that the fungus would breathe into the atmosphere. In the series, it’s much more subtle. It had its start in a huge flour factory in Jakarta, Indonesia as the writers thought that it might be too hard to believe that the spores wouldn’t be able to just take over every space in the world.
The bloater’s hellish introduction
Everyone who’s played the game knows the chills you get when you see this massive zombie survive every bullet you shoot at him. The bloater’s first game appearance came while Joel and Ellie were travelling with Bill and they managed to barely escape the encounter
alive. In the series, the monster first appears on a rampage against Kathleen’s forces.
Tess’ last goodbye
Tess is one of the most unforgettable characters. The person that changed Joel’s mind and made him swear that he would take Ellie to where she needed to be taken has two very different storylines in the two mediums. In the games, Tess gets her heroic moment as a last stand against some firefly guards before she is finally taken down. In the series, Tess blows herself up in an explosion after a kiss from an infected — almost as if he recognized her as another as she is forced to look into a mirror of what she might have turned into.
Bill and Frank’s relationship
The development of Bill and Frank’s romance is one of the absolute highlights of the ser-
ies. While in the game we never get to see the two together, the series holds nothing back and develops one of the most beautiful love stories.
Ellie tries to cure Sam
One of the biggest gut punches of the series was this scene in which Ellie tries to cure Sam
with her blood. The soothing hope is revealed to be nothing more than an illusion as the little boy still wakes up a zombie and Ellie has to watch Sam’s death at the hands of his own brother. Truly a testament to how these kids are being forced to grow up in a world that seems devoid of hope.
Andrew Allison Volunteer
There have been at least 21 anti-LGBTQ+ protests in Calgary in 2023, which have hopefully seen their climax with the arrest of Pastor Derek Scott Reimer for causing a disturbance and mischief in what Calgary Police are calling a “hate-motivated crime.” The protest Reimer was involved in led to the cancellation of the planned Reading with Royalty drag storytime event and another protest led to the cancellation of the Chinook Blast’s Drag On Ice event.
To combat these protests, the “Safe and Inclusive Access Bylaw” was passed last week with a 10–5 vote by Calgary City Council. The bylaw would ban “specified protest,” that is, “an expression of objection or disapproval towards an idea or action related to race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical disability,
mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status or sexual orientation by any means, including graphic, verbal, or written means,” within one hundred metres of libraries and recreational centres. The reason for the one-hundredmetre rule is straightforward and understandable. Calgary’s chief bylaw officer, Ryan Pleckaitis, explained that it was determined that with a one hundred metre boundary around these venues, those seeking to attend the events would be able to park and enter the building without having to face protestors.
Perhaps the passing of such a bylaw marks a change in the political era for Calgary. The city, and the province of Alberta generally, is not exactly known for its progressive political leadership. Indeed, Gondek’s election seemed to be a surprise with her being the apparent underdog to conservative opponent Jero -
my Farkas. Of course, it is also possible that this progressive change is but a blip in Calgary’s otherwise conservative streak of politics. It was not too long ago that the conservative giant, Ralph Klein, headed up 716 Macleod Trail.
If this is the case, then there may be reason to worry about the municipal government’s ability to pass a law like the Safe and Inclusive Access Bylaw. Today, those seeking to defend LGBTQ+ events control the government and are the ones inside the library while those who would have these events stopped are on the outside. But tomorrow, the story might not be the same. Suppose that we had a conservative city council who wanted the Calgary Public Libraries to put on a Christian reading group for children. In there, children were taught that homosexuality was wrong and that pre-marital sex was morally impermissible. Wouldn’t this
be a time when we would want to be able to protest at the location where the reading group was taking place? Wouldn’t this be a good time to make sure that parents bringing their children to such an event would have to face our criticisms directly? If such a future did arise, the City Council would not have to do anything to keep us out. If the Safe and Inclusive Access Bylaw were still in place, such a protest would already be illegal within one hundred metres of a library, as disapproval towards an idea or religious belief falls under “specified protest.”
My point is not to target the hypocrisy of the City Council; to say that they would have been opposed to restricting pro-LGBTQ+ protests while happily allowing the ones we’ve seen this year. Instead, I want to point out what it would mean to think of this as being a legitimate move by governments. If we saw ourselves facing anti-LGBTQ+ read-
ing groups and we wanted to protest, on what grounds could we complain if the city restricted us from doing so in the very spot where the hateful reading groups were being held?
It couldn’t be on democratic grounds. For today, we said that it was legitimate for a democratically elected government to enact such a bylaw.
Today, LGBTQ+ voices are being heard inside the library and those protesting those voices are on the outside. But it is not unreasonable to think that the opposite could be true in the near future. Where we stand today — what we tell governments are legitimate today — will determine what opportunities we have in the future. When we say that the Safe and Inclusive Access Bylaw is legitimate, we open the door to LGBTQ+ voices being silenced in places where we need them most, like within one hundred metres of an anti-LGBTQ+ Christian reading group.
Having a balanced eating schedule during finals season is imperative to the functioning and performance of students. So, in hopes of leading by example, here’s a list of things I eat in a day when I have finals.
Breakfast
Because I spend most of the early hours of the morning diligently studying, I don’t wake up early enough for breakfast. So, we’re gonna skip this meal.
Snack
Staying hydrated is so important, especially when you’re busy. So I make sure to fill up my water bottle at the beginning of the day — and then promptly leave it in the kitchen and forget about it for the rest of the day.
Lunch
I usually like to go for a light lunch when I’m studying. Since I’ve vowed to spend my day at
the TFDL until I finish studying all the lectures that I skipped after writing the midterm, I will be on campus. But, I don’t really like most of the food options on campus, so I will probably end up eating Korean BBQ and I will immediately pass out from the sheer amount of energy deficit I put my body through to digest all that fatty meat and rice.
Snack
Because I fell asleep earlier, I will have to settle for coffee for my afternoon snack. The caffeine, mixed with my already debilitating anxiety, will lead to a massive emotional breakdown in the middle of the sixth floor of the TFDL. If you saw me there — no you didn’t.
Dinner
Being a student in the middle of exam season means I haven’t done groceries in a while — and that hardly has to do with the fact that it’s the middle of exam season. I will settle for a pack of instant ramen noodles. I’ll want to fry an egg for a bit of protein,
but the float test will fail me since I haven’t bought new eggs since December.
Second Dinner
All this studying and stress will inevitably make me hungry again, so I will need a second
dinner. This time I really don’t have anything left in the kitchen, so Domino’s delivery has to do.
Third Dinner
At this point, it’s 3 a.m, I have cried at least six times since I
woke up for the day and nothing is going as planned. I will have another two — four — slices of pizza.
I wish you all a happy finals season. May you be better fed than I will during these trying times.
when you’re a kid was an alright way to pass the time, but that doesn’t mean you should base your finances on it.
Cancer (June 21–July 22)
Catfishing: We’ve all swiped right on some people that we regret, but did you seriously not have any doubts when they asked you for ten $50 Apple gift cards?
Leo (July 23–August 22)
Logan Jaspers Head Hoax ExpertRememberthe saying “a fool and his money are soon parted” or something? Yeah, well, that proverb has staying power for good reason. And hey, we all make mistakes.
Aries (March 21–April 19)
CRA robo-calls: I guess there is something admirable about wanting to pay more taxes — you are liv-
ing proof that the education system needs the funding, after all.
Taurus (April 20–May 20)
The Nigerian Prince: You’re in luck — next time you go to visit your grandparents, you’ll have the perfect conversation starter, since I’m pretty sure they fell for this one too.
Gemini (May 21–June 20)
Ponzi scheme: Playing hot potato
Timeshares: Look, if you wanted a nice dinner or to go on vacation, you realize you could have just paid for that directly, right?
Virgo (August 23–September 22)
Sketchy ads: Your browser history is a wasteland, completely uninhabitable for human life. Please clear it.
Libra (September 23–October 22)
Phishing emails: The way I see it, the scammer was doing you a favour — by giving up your password to your Twitter account, you now have no excuse not to quit!
Scorpio (October 23–November 21)
Overly-friendly mysterious texts: Hate to be the one to break it to you, but that person you’ve been texting who just so happened to “accidentally” text the wrong person but turned out to be friendly… they’re not actually interested in being your friend.
Sagittarius (November 22–December 21)
Cryptocurrency: Well, it could be worse. Just buy the dip, I’m sure the line will go up again. And hey, it’s not the end of the world — you could’ve bought an NFT or something.
Capricorn (December 22–January 19)
NFTs: Ooh, yikes. This one is pretty much indefensible. Please tell me
you at least didn’t buy one of the ridiculous ape ones?
Aquarius (January 20–February 18)
Astroturfing: For future reference, Amazon users with the username “NotA_CorporateMarketer94” are probably not the most reliable reviewers of a given product.
Pisces (February 19–March 20)
Pyramid schemes: Think of it this way — you now have a great reason to go on Facebook and reconnect with that old friend of yours from high school who you’ve been missing lately. I’m sure they’ll love whatever you’re selling.
