Volume 62 Issue 11

the carillon

62

the staff editor-in-chief

editor@carillonregina.com

The University of Regina Students’ Newspaper Since 1962 November 7 - November 20, 2019 | Volume 62, Issue 11 | carillonregina.com

john loeppky

executive director jacob nelson business@carillonregina.com

cover

production manager jeremy davis production@carillonregina.com advertising manager advertising@carillonregina.com

Settlers have found out, through a nationwide investigation, just how shitty being slowly killed by your water supply is. What’s not being mentioned by said settlers is that Indigenous people have been fighting for safe drinking water for decades with very little care taken by the federal government.

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technical editor frank nordstrom carillontechnical@carillonregina.com multimedia/Graphics editors kate thiessen

sarah carrier morgan ortman multimedia@carillonregina.com graphics@carillonregina.com copy editor hannah senicar copyeditor@carillonregina.com news editor news@carillonregina.com

sara birrell

photos

a&c editor ethan butterfield aandc@carillonregina.com

cover......................... morgan ortman page 2............................. jeremy davis news............... wikimedia commons a&c................................. jeremy davis sports............................. sarah carrier op-ed........................ jason desnomie

sports editor tyler meadows sports@carillonregina.com taylor balfour

distribution manager kyle anderson distribution@carillonregina.com

staff writer

elisabeth sahlmueller marty grande - sherbert

news writer

ben schneider

a&c writer sports writer

Zip

errata

holly worby brian palaschuk

URSU pays

contributors

julia peterson, matt wincherauk, ethan williams, quentin friesen

the paper

227 Riddell Center University of Regina - 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK, Canada S4S 0A2 www.carillonregina.com Ph: (306) 586 8867 Printed by Star Press Inc, Wainwright, AB

The Carillon welcomes contributions.

Correspondence can be mailed, emailed, or dropped off in person. Please include your name, address, and telephone number on all letters to the editor. Only the author’s name, title/position (if applicable) and city will be published. Names may be withheld upon request at the discretion of the Carillon.

Spring’ Awakening

Page 8

The Theatre Department has reach a milestone as the wrap up production on their first musical

sport

Letters should be no more than 350 words, and may be edited for space, clarity, accuracy, and vulgarity. The Carillon is a wholly autonomous organization with no afilliation with the University of Regina Students’ Union.

Funds for student centres and services have been released to the respective insitutions. check out the break down courtesy of URSUs accountants.

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THE CARILLON BOARD OF DIRECTORS Erickka Patmore, Lindsay Holitzki, Maddie Ouelette, Dustin Smith. John Loeppky, Jacob Nelson, and Ethan Butterfield

Page 6

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staff writer

news

op-ed editor op-ed@carillonregina.com

Opinions expressed in the pages of the Carillon are expressly those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Carillon Newspaper Inc. Opinions expressed in advertisements appearing in the Carillon are those of the advertisers, and not necessarily of The Carillon Newspaper Inc. or its staff.

The Carillon is published no less than 11 times each semester during the fall and winter semesters and periodically throughout the summer. The Carillon is published by the Carillon Newspaper Inc., a non-profit organization.

No on campus clinic

Page 12

Brian Palaschuk and John Loeppky breakdown the situation regarding campus medical care.

the manifesto

op-ed

In keeping with our reckless, devil-may-care image, our office has absolutely no concrete information on the Carillon’s formative years readily available.

What follows is the story that’s been passed down from editor to editor for over forty years.

In the late 1950s, the University of Regina planned the construction of several new buildings on the campus grounds. One of these proposed buildlings was a beltower on the academic green. If you look out on the academic green today, the first thing you’ll notice is that it has absolutely nothing resembling a belltower.

The University never got a belltower, but what it did get was the Carillon, a newspaper that serves as a symbolic bell tower on campus, a loud and clear voice belonging to each and every student.

The People’s Friend; the Tyrant’s Foe

Safe drinking water

Page 16

Op-ed editor Taylor Balfour calls for more action to address Canadas failure to secure safe drinking water for Idigenous communitys

in other news

We’re excited to welcome Kyle as our permanent distribution manager.

news

3 Editor: sara birrell news@carillonregina.com the carillon | November 7 - November 20, 2019

Sask. classroom crisis fails to inspire government action

MLA Carla Beck attempt at emergency debate thwarted

ben schneider news writer Two weeks ago Saskatchewan Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) and Education Critic for the Sask. NDP, Carla Beck, introduced a motion for an emergency debate surrounding a crisis in school classrooms across the province that would require the government to take immediate steps toward correcting the problem. Beck’s motion was met with silence from the governing Sask..

Party and was quickly dismissed.

In her proposal, Beck stated, “The purpose of the motion is to bring attention to the crisis in our classrooms. If leave is granted, I would move the following motion: that the Assembly recognizes that the Sask. Party’s underfunding of public education has created a crisis in classrooms and that the Assembly calls upon the Sask.

Party government to take immediate steps to address this critical pressure facing teachers and students when it comes to infrastructure, class size and composition.”

Throughout the month of October and continuing this month, Beck and NDP leader, Ryan Meili, have been holding “Brighter Education Town Halls” across the province, listening to the concerns of those directly involved in schools as well as concerned community members.

Speaking to concerns that have been expressed at these meetings, Beck noted a universal-

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Students suffer

ity in the problems facing the education system in Sask.atchewan.

“Increasing complexity in classrooms is one thing that we’ve heard right across the province, coupled with a lack of resources.

At the same time, the number of supports – be that educational assistants, occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, psychologists, social workers – all of those supports are decreasing and we are seeing, perhaps not surprisingly, things like an increase in mental health concerns both for students and staff in the schools as well as concerns about increased levels of violence.”

“In the larger, growing school divisions, we are also hearing a lot of concern about class size increases and crowding in classrooms. We have schools that are forecast to be over 200 per cent capacity within the next several years. I know that in Regina alone there are 13 of those schools that are forecast to be well over capacity within the next decade.”

“Aging infrastructure is another piece, so you have these dueling concerns on the capital side where you have not only the need for new schools in burgeoning areas, you also have the need to continue to replace some of the schools that are still needed, but are in need of desperate repair.”

“Those who maybe aren’t around schools assume, “well, I had twenty or thirty children in my classroom and it was fine.”

Amongst teachers, amongst parents, there really has been consensus that things have really deteriorated, particularly over the last five years, in our schools. The budget’s getting tighter and the needs [are] growing.”

“We have started using the word crisis – it’s not something that I take lightly. The reason I choose to use that word is because that is the word that we are hearing time and time again from those who are in the classroom.

There are a lot of folks who have been doing more and more with less and less and they’re starting to tell us that they just don’t know how much longer they can continue to do it. We heard in our [Brighter Education] survey [that] over 40 per cent of those surveyed indicate that they’ve seriously considered leaving the profession in recent years.

“It’s terribly concerning when we hear consistent messages around teachers cherishing the moments when they actually get to teach their lesson plan because, so often, they are just putting out fires. These are teachers who have dedicated their lives to the profession.”

“Upwards of 80 and getting to 90 per cent of educational assistants (EAs) [are] stating that they felt that their workload has increased over the last several years. None of those who filled out the survey felt that their workload had decreased in any way.”

Other data from the survey showed that 82 per cent of respondents support a cap on class sizes, 86 percent of EAs say they have more students with additional needs than three years ago and 41 per cent of teachers say that they rarely or never have enough supports to meet the needs of their students. The complete results are available on the Sask. atchewan NDP caucus website.

Beck provided her own assessment of the current government’s inability to prioritize education and those in this sector.

“The premier, when he was vying for the leadership of the Sask. Party made a promise to hire an additional 400 educational assistants. We have thousands of additional students and we only have an additional 46 EAs in our system since he made that promise. We actually have fewer social workers, fewer councillors in our schools, fewer speech and language pathologists.

“The main issue that is a thread through all of this, in every community, is the guilt and the burden that staff are facing, be it teachers or be it educational assistants or be it bus drivers.

They’re going home at the end of the day knowing that they haven’t been able to give what they so desperately want to give the students in their classroom.

“This isn’t a matter of throwing a few dollars in or holding an Education Week and saying nice

things about folks in the classroom – not that those things aren’t important, but this really is a crisis. We have an opportunity with a new decade, a new educational sector plan, an election next year, to really put education on the ballot and have some serious conversations in this province about what it is that we want for our kids.”

Education was a hot topic at the Sask. NDP’s annual convention which was held in Prince Albert from Nov,1-3, as the NDP prepare for next fall’s critical provincial election. In his leader’s address, Meili stated that an NDP government would tackle the perpetual underfunding of schools and cap class sizes for those in kindergarten to grade three, limiting those rooms to have a maximum of 24 students. Meili also mentioned that students needing individual support would be granted such.

“I am so tired of hearing things like ‘this is the best we can do given the budget’ or ‘it’s not so bad, considering.’ We are well past deficiency; we are into the territory now where we are continually ensuring that kids do not have what they need in order to be successful in our schools and the longer we do that, the bigger this problem becomes.”

“It’s terribly concerning when we hear consistent messages around teachers cherishing the moments when they actually get to teach their lesson plan because, so often, they are just putting out fires.” – MLA Carla Beck

November 7 - November 20, 2019

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 4

news

Green Party sees hope for Saskatchewan’s future

Green is the colour but politics is the game

julia peterson contributor With the ever-enduring popularity of Roughriders jerseys in Saskatchewan, people in this province are clearly in the habit of wearing green for any and every occasion. But will they ever get in the habit of voting Green?

October’s federal election saw a clean sweep for the Conservative Party in Saskatchewan, and the Green Party took only 2.5 per cent of the popular vote in the province. Naomi Hunter, the Green Party’s candidate in Regina-Lewvan, is hopeful for her party’s future in the prairies.

Hunter took four per cent of the vote in her riding, which is the best result that any Green Party candidate has ever had in Saskatchewan.

“It’s going to be very hard for people in Saskatchewan to imagine voting for a Green,” said Hunter. “But I’m highly credible, I’m personable, and if I can just meet enough people – keep showing up at events and knocking on those doors – I completely believe even though everybody thinks that the first breakthrough for Green’s on the prairies is going to be in Manitoba, it’s going to be here.”

Hunter said that her credibility comes from her decades of activism, starting in high school and continuing to this day.

“Talking about the climate crisis and environmental and social justice issues have been my guiding force for my entire life,” she said. “I’m now 46 years old, but if people get ahold of me, I do try to show up at protests and help get petitions signed, and I have started petitions of my own.”

Hunter is also considering running in Saskatchewan’s provincial election next November.

Though the provincial Greens and the federal Greens are separate parties, she said she has been approached to run provincially.

“My concern is, where do I see the Greens making a breakthrough in Saskatchewan?” she said, talking through the factors that will impact her decision.

“Will it be at a provincial level?

Do I have a better chance of being an MLA, or am I better off just continuing to door-knock and reach people at a federal level?”

Historically, left-leaning voters in Saskatchewan have tended to vote for the NDP, who took almost 20 per cent of the province’s votes in the federal election. But Hunter thinks that the Greens

could move provincial politics even further to the left.

“Here in Saskatchewan, we have unique environmental and social issues,” she said. “And the leftist party that mainly speaks for us here in Saskatchewan is the NDP. And they’ve done a good job for many years. But think of what a better job they could do if they had an even stronger leftist voice in Parliament, speaking purely for the poorest members of our society and for the earth.”

The Saskatchewan Green Party has been attracting new voters and volunteers. Regina resident Wendy Phillips, who volunteered for the Green Party in the federal election, said that this year is the first time she ever voted Green.

“I had a friend that started volunteering with the Greens and I decided to come check it out, and I liked what I heard and saw,” she said. “I think the biggest thing right now is the climate crisis.

I hear about it and read about it everywhere on the internet, and then when it comes to our federal politicians, you don’t hear anything. Partway through the election, all of a sudden, the Liberals donned a green logo and represented themselves as being green, and everyone was talking green.

But now that they’re elected, I don’t hear anything about it.”

In a province where so much of the economy is dependent on oil, voting for the Green Party can seem like a particularly tough sell, but Hunter said that the Green Party is planning for a future where the province is able to move beyond oil and into a more sustainable future, both environmentally and economically.

“The oil industry has boomed and bust for years,” she said. “And to those workers [in the oil industry], I sympathize with you [ . . .] But pretending we can go on forever in some kind of industrialist, glamourized concept of the future isn’t realistic anymore.

We knew that we have a limited carbon budget to live with. Companies had the choice to protect their workers, and to protect their profits. But instead they’re just choosing to try going on the way they’ve been going forever. And you know what? If you keep walking into a wall when there’s a door right beside you that you could go through, that’s not progress.”

In the Regina-Wascana riding, which includes the University of Regina and is the voting location for many of the students who live on campus, Green Party can-

Courtesy of the Green Party

A greener future

didate Tamela Friesen received 2.9 per cent of the vote.

With the provincial election coming up next year, and the potential of another federal election because of the minority government, the Green Party candidates are strategizing about how to get out the youth vote and attract young voters to their cause. A 2016 study by Elections Canada found that nearly 30 per cent of eligible voters aged 18 to 24 said they were too busy to vote, and another 33 per cent who said they did not vote because they were not interested in politics.

“I believe so strongly that the youth are the ones most affected by the climate crisis,” Hunter said. “These are who we need to reach – these are the people that can make or break the next election. And I intend to win them over one by one. If I need to go for coffee with every single person attending the University of Regina over this next year, I will make those coffee dates from now until when the next election is held so I can convince them to vote Green.”

“[T]he leftist party that mainly speaks for us here in Saskatchewan is the NDP. And they’ve done a good job for many years. But think of what a better job they could do if they had an even stronger leftist voice in Parliament, speaking purely for the poorest members of our society and for the Earth.” – Naomi Hunter

November 7 - November 20, 2019

news

Healing work of Vera Manuel honoured

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 5

Reading staged in memory of author ben schneider news writer Cohosted event On Friday, Nov. 1, Dr. Michelle Coupal of the Department of English hosted a live-reading of Vera Manuel’s play, Strength of Indian Women, as part of a celebration of a newly-published volume of Manuel’s work.

Dr. Coupal, along with fellow editors Deanna Reder, Joanne Arnott, and Emalene A. Manuel, published a collection of plays, stories and poetry by Vera Manuel entitled, Honouring the Strength of Indian Women earlier this spring. The volume’s purpose is to give voice to Vera Manuel, an artist who was under-published at the height of her career in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Coupal originally planned to do a traditional book launch in Regina; however, the idea shifted slightly upon speaking with her colleague, Deanna Reder, Associate Professor in the Departments of First Nations Studies and English at Simon Fraser University.

“Deanna and I were talking about the possibility of doing a live-reading. She’s read [Strength of Indian Women] aloud in her class and I have in mine as well. It really brings everyone into community by doing that, a community of talking and witnessing. We thought it’d be a great idea to do a live-reading and Emalene and Joanne were both on board with that idea.”

Coupal raised funds from the faculties of Arts and Education as well as the Office of the VP of Research, and the Office of Indigenization, in order to fly in both Manuel and Arnott.

The event was held at La Rotunde in La Cité and, in addition to Coupal, featured the voices of Emalene Manuel (sister to Vera); Dr. Allyson Stevenson of the Department of Politics and International Studies; Dr. Jesse Archibald-Barber of First Nations University of Canada; Joanne Arnott, who is a renowned Métis poet; Pamela Sparvier, administrative assistant at the Office of Indigenization; Dr. Heather Phipps of the Faculty of Education; Jesse Pelletier, senior student at First Nations University of Canada; and Alma Poitras, Faculty of Education Elder-in-Residence.

Elder Poitras offered prayers and an opening smudge for those in attendance as a way to prepare for the healing words and themes within the play. Elder Poitras also sang the beautifully sombre honour song at the play’s end, closing the reading.

Strength of Indian Women follows an Elder, Sousette, and her surrounding family members.

The coming of age of Sousette’s granddaughter sparks a need for the women to acknowledge the role that the Residential School still plays in their lives. Each discuss memories of abuse, loss of innocence, regret, and their ability and inability to express love.

In the tradition of Vera Manuel, the speaking of the words on the page inspire a feeling of empowerment for the reader, allowing the audience to witness the heart and healing happening, not only amongst the characters, but with the readers as well.

Vera Manuel was a Ktunaxa-Secwepemc writer whose work sought to heal cyclical wounds affecting Indigenous families and individuals, stemming from the trauma of Residential Schools. Manuel’s theatrical works helped her to become a dramatherapist, reinforcing her role as a healer. She died in 2010 at the age of 61.

It is often noted that Vera’s observations in her writing were ahead of any national common knowledge surrounding the trauma caused by Residential Schools. Emalene spoke to Vera’s strong understanding of healing practices.

“People were saying, ‘what can we do for First Nations?’ and [Vera] was saying, ‘Create the resources and the space. Move aside, [leave] that space for us to develop our own ways, because we have the answers to our own situation.’”

Turning now to Honouring the Strength of Indian Women as a whole, Emalene and Coupal shared some insight into the volume’s origin.

After teaching Strength of Indian Women as a graduate student, Coupal became increasingly interested in Vera and other work that she had written. Deanna Reder introduced Coupal to several other of Manuel’s scripts which led to the two being put into contact with Vera’s sister, Emalene.

Emalene Manuel was holding on to Vera’s archives and she reflected on the emotional significance of entering into this project. “I didn’t feel quite ready even though it had been a while.

I still hadn’t gone through or even looked at some of the boxes or anything. When I had, over a year or so before, it was quite emotional and so I was kind of keeping it at arm’s length. But I was so excited when [Coupal] called. I just thought, ‘this is the answer to what we’d been hoping for.’”

Joanne Arnott, who was a

Courtesy of the University of Regina

good friend of Vera’s, was welcomed onto the project, bringing with her a volume of poetry that Vera had written. It would be Arnott who would travel to Cranbrook to visit Emalene and look through Vera’s archives. “[Arnott] just went through everything and I just felt totally fine with that; I could just step aside. One day I left the house for the day and I left [Arnott] there.

Vera’s writings were in good hands, her sister poet.”

Coupal explained that the collection does not have a singular readership. “One of the reasons we chose a university press is that we were hoping to get [Honouring the Strength of Indian Women] into the university classrooms

as a start, and into teacher education programs so that it would have a chance of getting into the high school system, which I think it would be fantastic material for.”

The volume was not solely intended for university students and scholars, however. “We also are hoping that it reaches more broadly into communities through some of the events that we’re having because there’s much interest from the general public for new understandings of the Residential School experience and reading about that in a positive and strong way, which is what the wonderful work of Vera is; it’s really intensely healing. We hope [the book] goes across Canada and goes across Turtle Island and

Cohosted event

then gets out to other countries.”

Emalene reflected on the long, healing journey, one that led to unexpected friendships and saw her sister properly honoured.

“That whole process, in the time that it took from that first phone call until it actually got published, it felt like we were really walking closely together, even though we were living in different places.

“We found each other and it’s like a perfect family.”

“There’s much interest from the general public for new understandings of the Residential School experience and reading about that in a positive and strong way, which is what the wonderful work of Vera is.” – Dr. Michelle Coupal

November 7 - November 20, 2019

news

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 6

Funds released to student centres How much and for what? john loeppky editor-in-chief The money earmarked for student centres and services, all $678,242.25 of it, has been dispersed. Below is the data, courtesy of the University of Regina Students’ Union’s accounting department.

The fees paid to FNU, according to Accounting Manager Nicholas Oleynick, go through more complex process to reach students. Oleynick’s statement has been edited for clarity.

“FNU receives all student union fees. Essentially a middle-man. We bill them for 100 per cent of the fees for the PA [Prince Albert] and Saskatoon campuses, and then based on our fee sharing agreement distribute 50 per cent of the fees to said campuses. We bill for 80 per cent of the fees for Regina, as their fee sharing agreement indicates they retain 20 per cent of SU [Student Union] fees.”

“U of R sends the fees collected from FNUniv students to FNUniv Canada, we then bill FNUC for it and distribute to the particular SA [Student Association] in PA and Saskatoon.”

The Carillon has learned that, due to an attempted renegotiation between FNUIV’s Student Association and URSU, the money owed to the Student Union has not been received as required.

FNU students are requesting 100 per cent of the levies.

According to Carl Flis, the administration at First Nation’s University will not release the funds to URSU unless their student association signs off. Last year, this sign off came after months of interest were applied.

“It’s at their discretion, we’ve invited them to revisit the agreement for the last two years and they keep saying that, ‘Yeah, love to.’ What we’ve indicated to them is, show us a budget, why do you need more than 20 per cent, where do you plan on spending the money.”

“We never get anything and they just fall off the face of the earth for a year until the next president rolls around.”

FNU’s student association could not be reached for comment.

While Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) negotiation are still ongoing in related to the fees owed, a demand was made by the student body two years ago to have CFS paid in order for the campus to move forward with a referendum to leave, that fee levy is being withheld. The petition to leave the CFS is currently posted

on the front of the URSU front desk.

“We never get anything and they just fall off the face of the earth for a year until the next president rolls around.” – Carl Flis

November 7 - November 20, 2019

news

#TakeBackTPL: A read-in for trans joy

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 7

Community rallies to turf TERFs

marty grande-sherbert staff writer On Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 6 p.m., something happened in front of the Toronto Public Library that local organizer Daniel Sarah Karasik described in a tweet as “a celebration [and] a reclamation.”

That something was a massive “read-in” protest featuring transgender and nonbinary authors, functioning as a community rejection of a transphobic speaker who was being featured at the TPL. The speaker’s name is Meghan Murphy, and she is a wellknown TERF(trans-exclusionary radical feminist.) The term refers to feminists who do not include transgender women in their feminism, and in fact frequently assert that transgender women are men are even somehow detrimental to feminism and women’s rights.

Brief research on statistics of violence against transgender women will indicate, however, that trans women and transfeminine people (particularly Black trans women) are more likely to be the victims of assault, up to and including murder. Renting library space to Murphy and inviting library patrons to listen to her ideas, argued local writer Gwen Benaway in an article for Flare, would “[provide] a publicly funded platform with

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Library locks protesters inside

thoroughly discredited viewpoints that are likely to cause significant harm to an extremely vulnerable community.”

It was not just a small, isolated group of people who opposed the event. Discontent was already well-formed in the community on Oct. 22, when the TPL held a board meeting that was attended by a gathering of trans women and their allies to voice objections.

Megan Jones on Twitter testified that this gathering completely filled the board room and was by majority composed of those who opposed Murphy’s platform. Despite the mass dissent, however, Benaway recounted in Flare that when she spoke at the meeting, she was met with no understanding by board members. “[Allies and I] discovered that the board’s decision [to rent space to Murphy] had already been made before they even heard anyone speak; they were releasing public statements on Twitter while they sat listening to us and eating their catered sandwiches.”

Benaway’s book of poetry, Holy Wild, is the first ever book by a trans woman to win the Governor General’s Literary Award for poetry – making this disregard on the part of the board particularly ironic. She tweeted: “[W]hat a surreal moment to win

the CG award . . . while seeing transphobic tweets calling me a man . . . because I spoke against [a] decision to support transphobia in public libraries.”

The reaction of the board members was greatly out of touch with that of community members like David Morris, who tweeted that Benaway delivered “one of the most powerful deputations [he had] ever seen.” When the read-in protest was proposed at a meeting of the Toronto-based Artists for Climate & Migrant Justice and Indigenous Sovereignty (@acmjis), it quickly took form with the hashtag #TakeBackTPL. The protest was endorsed

by Local 4948 (the TPL’s union), Climate Justice Toronto, Pride Toronto and others, as well as

by Canadian writers and literary magazines.

Since giving space to Murphy demonstrated a lack of regard for the safety and voices of trans women, the strategy of the read-in was to produce another space that celebrated trans and nonbinary people’s contributions to literature. Benaway opened the protest at 6 p.m. with a speech, and it eventually grew to a crowd of approximately 700 supporters, cis and trans – so many that they could not fit inside the building and gathered outside

as well. There were chants of “trans rights are human rights” and “trans joy is real.” Attendees sat to quietly read the books and poetry they had brought – Julia Duchesne tweeted that it was “the first [protest] I’ve ever been to that is half chants and half poetry.” Zoe Whittal, who was also in attendance, tweeted that “next to a kiss-in it’s literally the most happy [she’s] ever been at a protest.”

Those inside the library (including Benaway herself) were effectively trapped inside the TPL by police. The front entrance to the library was being physically blocked by police, leaving protesters inside with the attendees of Murphy’s talk. Duchesne conducted an interview with Benaway after the protest, where she said “the [TPL] should be ashamed of what they’ve done . . . they have turned their library into a paramilitary zone.” The TPL twitter publicly congratulated winners of the Governor General Award while they had one of those winners detained inside their building, as pointed out by Alicia Elliot, another award-winning writer in support.

Police opposition and the refusal of board members to listen, though, did nothing to diminish the joy and love that lingered with many when the protest ended with

a chant of “whose library? Our library!” It is a testament to the support that exists for trans women in Toronto and to trans and nonbinary contributions to literature. This hope is still, however, unfortunately juxtaposed with inevitable backlash from TERFs and the alt-right. Arvin Joaquin tweeted Benaway’s testimony that she received over 500 transphobic comments directed at her as a result of her speech at the TPL board meeting, and she continues to be harassed. Benaway warns that Canadians will have to develop strategies for what she sees as an incoming push of transphobic rhetoric. #TakeBackTPL was a community event, part furious protest and part joyful gathering, asserting the right of the public to feel safe in their own libraries. It was remarkable in its size, but it was no isolated event; the history of trans activism is rich with similar “take-backs” of public spaces where trans people experience violence, and it is a history that will continue as long as these rights are denied.

“[Allies and I] discovered that the board’s decision [to rent space to Murphy] had already been made before they even heard anyone speak; they were releasing public statements on Twitter while they sat listening to us and eating their catered sandwiches.” – Gwen Benaway (For Flare)

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8 Editor: ethan butterfield aandc@carillonregina.com the carillon | November 7 - November 20, 2019

Theatre Department host first musical

Spring’ awakening takes the stage john loeppky editor-in-chief This week the University of Regina Theatre Department opened their new season with a production of Spring Awakening, a musical rooted in German playwright Frank Wedekind’s work of the same name. The play was originally performed in 1906 and the Broadway musical made its debut in 2006.

The show is directed by Media Art and Performance lecturer Art Babayants. He pointed to the timeliness of the themes of the musical as a reason for its staging this season. “[. . .] the most important [reason], is because we’re in Regina and we are in a city that has a lot of potential but refuses to change and values conservatism, and the play written in 1891, a hundred and thirty years ago, seems to be completely relevant to what is happening here right now.

We are facing the same issues of students not getting proper sex education, or just general education about what’s happening to their bodies, what’s happening to their psyche, when they become adolescents. We are facing issues of teenage suicide, teenage pregnancy . . . those issues are not gone even though we are 130 years away from the play.”

Babayants gave credit to student dramaturge Rachel Walliser as the person to ask when prodded for a synopsis of the play, but obliged.

“The level of the play is a conservative German town back at the end of the nineteenth century where fifteen year-olds go to school and where they’re taught the Bible, where they’re learning Latin, they’re learning by wrote, they’re being abused by teachers who have an enormous amount of power and any attempt to ask questions, challenge authority is crushed immediately. Parents follow suit and they do pretty much the same with their children and in that environment we meet a character who is funny, witty, who is not afraid to challenge authority and we see what happens when he starts challenging authority.

Nathan Sgrazzutti, a fourth year business student who plays Melchior, said that the show has “really reignited a flame” for theatre in him.

“It’s been an incredible learning experience for me. The vast majority of people taking part in

Jeremy Davis

this show plan to make a career of their talents in theatre. It’s exciting to work with them and I’m always invigorated by their work ethic and commitment to their performances. It has really reignited a flame in me for theatre.”

Babayants said the show has many benefits for the students involved including exposure to a different style of theatre and its complexity (in this case Germany’s epic theatre), the chance to use a space as expansive as the University of Regina’ Main Stage, and the opportunity to sing with a live band instead of a simple backing rack.

“One [reason] is that it’s excellent material, it’s a fantastic play that was turned into a musical. So, when we work with students we have to choose good quality so that students could learn from us, but they could also learn from the material.”

Babayants pointed to the specificity of the text as a reason for his choice.

“So, the text itself teaches students how to act and how to act with a lot of precision because there is no space, it’s not a Chekov play where there are like five acts and you can screw up in act one and then make things better in act two, and you can still show the subtext, the development of character.”

From a musical perspective, Babayants called the show and production that “changed Broadway” with songs holding the lan-

guage of today’s teens alongside the elevate speech of the dramatic text.

“This musical doesn’t hide this divide, in fact it emphasizes this divide so there’s a lot of theatricality and we have an amazing theatre where we can show this theatricality, so I thought, well, why don’t we do that.”

The show is the first musical to be hosted on the Main Stage by the department and features a live band made possible by the Main Stage’s design, something that Sgrazzutti said is an important milestone for the theatre community in Regina.

“There is a massive musical theatre community for youth in the city and by doing a musical I really think the U of R is finally keying into an incredible opportunity to entice more of our talented youths into remaining home to pursue their theatre education rather than abroad.”

This isn’t the first time that Wedekind’s work has made its way to campus. U of R alumnus Ken McLeod directed an adaptation of Spring’s Awakening undertaken by himself Elizabeth Leavitt, and Jeremiah Munsey in 2006, but Babayants said the two productions are vastly different and the previous show did not factor into his decision to direct this year’s production. Joseph McLellan is a theatre student who took part in both productions.

“Spring’s Awakening was my first U of R production. The di-

Old play, timeless themes, and don’t forget the sex talk

rector, Kenn McLeod, focused a lot of time on group cohesion throughout the rehearsal process, using a variety of drama games to help foster play and trust within the cast [. . .] Spring Awakening the Musical is my final production at the U of R and it is my first musical. The director, Art Babayants, focused rehearsal time on artistic movement and experimentation with technology.

This time around, I have a greater understanding of the production process and have learned acting technique from a number of different instructors. I have the opportunity to incorporate what I have learned throughout my education here at the U of R and beyond into this fall’s production.”

Sgrazzutti also pointed to just how vital the message of the musical is for Regina’s theatregoers.

“I believe Spring Awakening is crucial for a Regina audience as it covers topics that many could consider inappropriate for the stage. Suicide, Mental Health, Teenage Sex, Sexuality and identification . . . all of these topics are ones young people struggle with every day and yet even in today’s society there is heated debate on whether or not these topics should be covered in curriculums at school or even spoken of openly in the home.”

I went to the Saturday evening performance. The singing of the cast pleasantly surprised me.

The live band, hidden behind the set, added a level of depth that

hasn’t been available to previous department productions. Any off key singing was offset by the energy, with the dangling light bulbs (playing equal parts instrument, mic, and for Moritz, dance partner) taking focus away from those parts of the production that were lacking, whether that be because of three different recastings during the run up to the show, or other administrative issues that were seemingly unavoidable. The cast should be proud of their work. The intimacy achieved, in no small part because of the hiring of an intimacy coach, blessed the production with a consensual closeness that wasn’t as fully realized in previous shows with closeness that have seen the Main Stage. Without the note in the program announcing Nathan and Ryan’s late entrance into the case, none would have been the wiser. Word count prevents this local artist from rambling further, but, this production will be remembered as opening the door busting announcement for the new Bachelor of Fine Art’s program in the Theatre Department.

Bachelor’s degrees at the university used to be BFA’s, but the reintroduction of the refocused degree, as current department head William (Bill) Hales wrote in the program, will have renewed focus on the students as artistic “entrepreneur[s].”

“I believe Spring Awakening is crucial for a Regina audience as it covers topics that many could consider inappropriate for the stage. Suicide, Mental Health, Teenage Sex, Sexuality and identification....” – Nathan Sgrazzutti

November 7 - November 20, 2019

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 9

a&c

Into The Wild!

BC band find their way to Regina ethan butterfield a&c editor Once again The Wild! have rolled through Regina on a Canada-wide tour and I was fortunate enough to discuss rock n’ roll music with their lead singer, Dylan Villain.

For those unaware, The Wild! are a band that come from British Columbia and have found some great success. Their EP, GxDxWxB, made some real waves upon release, garnering the hit single, “What About You”, some significant airtime on The Wolf, Regina’s local rock station.

Now, The Wild! are back with a new tune, “Playing with Fire”, which also found its way into the ears of fans as people will most likely notice from its use in the NHL (if you haven’t heard it live). here’s Dylan Villain of The Wild!: So The Wild! recently had a new single that’s been making a lot of waves, “Playing with Fire,” I know the Toronto Maple Leafs have been using it, how do you guys feel about that?

Ah, it’s good man; I mean, it’s always nice to see that with every single release that you put out, that people are still really into your music over the years. We’ve had a lot of success over the years, be it at radio, be it overseas, be it album sales, be it in the NHL. No matter what way people keep finding our music, or people keep sticking along with us throughout the ride of out career over the years, it’s just great to see people still digging it, you know. And the NHL has been really good to us on the last record, but it’s nice to still be working with them on this new stuff.

And because of the single’s success, is there an upcoming album fans can expect?

Right now, we’re just focusing on the two singles that we have out. The first singles that we put out in two years, and they’ve been received really well. They were both our highest numbers upon release for streaming and digital platforms, so people are digging it. That’s really where our focus is right now, is just those two songs.

Now, you guys are just kind of getting into your Canadian “Playing with Fire” tour right now – how’s that been going for the band?

Well, we’ve played four shows, tonight’s [at the time of writing] is the fifth, there’s two

Joelsview Photography

more and six out of those seven are already sold out, so things are going really good on this tour.

That must be a pretty positive experience, to have shows sell out for the band.

Ah, it’s awesome. We love it man, you know. We haven’t been able to tour Canada in the last couple of years as extensively as we normally do because we’ve been spending most of our time in Europe and America. So, to come home and do this tour, sort of our first one back in a while, and have all these dates sell out is a great look man, we’re really stoked. We wouldn’t be able to keep doing things like tour Europe for the last few years and America for the last few years if we didn’t have our fan base here in Canada. So we’re super thankful, super appreciative for everybody that has been coming out to the shows and going crazy with us.

Talking about the singles again, what was the thought process behind putting out new music?

Oh, it was really time, I mean the last record came out 2017, that in itself is a testament to how much time we spent on the road and that’s why [being] in Europe and America for so long [created the wait] because that record may have [been] not so new in Canada, but it’s brand new in other parts of the world. So it creates an opportunity to go spread that music, and that message, and that vibe with your whole band to other parts of the world where they haven’t heard you and that’s just what we did. So, after wrapping several tours in Europe and America, it was just time that we had some new music, so we just went and cut some new singles.

And it’s cool because, nowadays, people are so hungry for content

Slick and stylin’

that, if you release an album, they’re generally asking for a new one in a couple of months, right?

And I know you guys are focused on the Canadian tour right now, but afterwards are you thinking of heading back to Europe or is that too far in the future to think about?

Oh no, we’re definitely going back. We have our dates solidified for 2020 and we’ll be announcing some of them real soon.

So, last question: with The Wild! heading back with these new singles, what’s the crowd reaction like for the band coming back?

Yeah, it’s been really cool man. Like . . . I think really what it is is people, our fan base here in Canada, really watched us explode overseas in Europe, especially this last summer. We’ve played some of the biggest shows we’ve ever played, you know,

festivals of 75, 000 people, 150, 000 people, our own crowds of 17,000. That feeling in itself is amazing, but it’s the people here at home that have been really with us since the start seven years ago. When we first started we were playing to 100 a night, 200 people a night or whatever. Those people watching us get our success overseas has really been cool ‘cause they stick with us through it all. Then when we come back and get to play for them here, having gone through all those experiences and watching the band grow as performers and the show getting bigger and the show getting better and all of that stuff, it’s really exciting for fans. It’s really exciting for us too, ‘cause we love what we do man, we love playing rock n’ roll music.

“ . . . we love what we do man, we love playing rock n’ roll music.” – Dylan Villain

November 7 - November 20, 2019 a&c

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

10

RCMP Museum exhbit draws attention “Black Museum” and macabre memories of the past holly worby a&c writer This October in keeping with the spooky time of year, the RCMP Heritage Centre had an entirely bilingual exhibit they labelled the “Black Museum.” This two week feature was comprised of everything from crime scene evidence to police sketches and was meant to serve the purpose of educating the public historically as well as being an attraction for both locals and tourists who happen to be fans of true crime-themed attractions.

The exhibit was modeled after the original “Black Museum” (more commonly known as the “Crime Museum”) at New Scotland Yard in London, England. The Metropolitan Police in London had started collecting evidence from crime scenes in the late 19th century mainly for studying and educating those studying the relevant topics, and the collection is still growing today. It’s not currently open to the public, but has inspired many like-displays since including the one put on by the RCMP Heritage Centre.

The host for the “Black Museum” was none other than Oliver, a ventriloquist dummy from 1910 who was used in shows for children for decades. In an Oct. 17 interview with CBC News Jodi Ann Eskritt, the current curator, said “Now I can’t verify that it’s true or not, but some of our visitors in the past have said that it feels like his eyes follow you as you move around the exhibit, so that adds to the whole sort of atmosphere.” As someone who visited the exhibit, I can verify without a doubt that Oliver’s presence added to the overall atmosphere and his weathered eyes did seem to follow you around the room, keeping careful watch over visitor’s reactions to each attraction.

Arguably the most intriguing aspect of this exhibit were the various death masks as well as an excerpt from an article by J. R. Abbott on facial identification and how the plaster masks were made. It was at one time believed that criminals had specific facial structures, and that through analyzing the faces of previous criminals we could more accurately find those most likely to commit crimes. There were seven specific visages displayed alongside criminal sketches showing features such as dominant foreheads or thin, pointed noses that were believed to be tell-tale signs of suspicious faces.

The three most alluring masks were those of Posnikoff, Woken, and Kalmanoff, nationally known as the “Bandito Bandits” of 1935, shown alongside a bayonet the bandits used as a weapon in their week-long run from authorities a near-century ago.

Another main attraction to the exhibit was a seemingly or-

dinary piece of rope with a label beside it stating, “This is to certify that this is the noose of the rope used in the execution of John Krafchenko, at Winnipeg on the 9th, July 1914.” Krafchenko, or “Bloody Jack,” was a known bank robber and murderer. Having a labeled artifact from an execution helped bring a heavier, more somber sense to the exhibit. While it’s fascinating to see these objects displayed safely behind glass the events they represent are not to be taken lightly.

For fans of the macabre, the most intriguing object in the room was a bullet set next to a mold of Albert “Mad Trapper” Johnson’s skull. Johnson was accused of stealing from traps in the early 20th century and shot at the officers questioning him about the traps before running for his life. The proceeding chase lasted forty days, and according to Eskritt was the first time the RCMP used an airplane for a manhunt.

The creepy part of this case isn’t what happened before Johnson died in a shootout with the RCMP, it’s what was found out after. “Albert Johnson” was an alias, and a DNA test on the corpse in 2007 showed no known matches.

No one knows why Johnson shot at the inquiring officer or why he ran, and without his true identity we may never know. The bullet displayed beside the skull is a bullet that fell from Johnson’s corpse during an exhumation, and is thought to be from the shootout that led to his death.

Alongside the specific, more famous artifacts were examples of weapons over the past century, such as switchblades and sawedoff shotguns. Mixed in with the classic weapons were a variety of brass knuckles ranging from the classic versions you see in movies to versions with knives incorporated in the ends or screws stuck through the knuckles to maximize damage. There were also professional lockpicking tools even weapons and restraint devices used by authorities and vigilantes alike to apprehend suspects.

A crowd favourite and perhaps the most intricate and educational aspect of the exhibit was a full drug display unit. There was a wide variety of amphetamine tablets, a peyote cactus button, heroin, a poppy, and a variety of marijuana cigarettes and roaches as part of the dozens of drugs on display. There was apprehended paraphernalia as well surrounding the display showing both current and historic methods of drug use.

Between the artifacts, the atmosphere, and Oliver’s eyes tracing your every move, the folks at the RCMP Heritage Centre truly outdid themselves both in variety and accuracy, and I can’t wait to see what they pull out of the vaults next year.

Wikipedia Commons

RCMP Museum continues conflicted legacy

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

November 7 - November 20, 2019 a&c

11

Test Your Poison impacts Canada-wide Testing kits available as drug use rises holly worby a&c writer We’ve known for years, decades maybe, that abstinence-only education is ineffective. It’s been tested in multiple cultures, time periods, cohorts, and topics with the support of millions of dollars. You need only look so far as Saskatchewan’s STI rates for chlamydia and gonorrhea – second only to Manitoba out of all our country’s provinces according to Statistics Canada, and rising steadily in all age groups – to see that abstinence education does not solve problems.

Abstinence-only education is used in much more than sexual education (or the lack thereof); it’s often used in addiction recovery programs. While the cold-turkey approach can work for some, the journey to sobriety cannot be found through a cookie-cutter approach to treatment. The harsh truth is that there will always be people who try illegal drugs, and without proper knowledge and education on what they’re taking and how to take it the chances of a worst-case scenario increase dramatically.

Organizations like AIDS Saskatoon and Test Your Poison are

able to fill an incredible void here.

In late August of this year AIDS Saskatoon was approved for a safe injection site by Health Canada.

Safe injection sites have been proven to help those recovering from opioid and meth addictions, while also playing a part in lowering STI rates because injections occur safely and needle sharing, a main cause of STI transmission, doesn’t occur.

While safe injection sites are a necessity for addicts and those in relapse, it won’t be on the radar of casual users who partake at events like music festivals. Test Your Poison is a Canadian-based website focused on harm reduction where people can order drug identification and purity kits.

The identification kits test for the presence of the drug being tested and are available for everything from cannabinoids to fentanyl to MDMA. The purity kits are available for cocaine, heroin, and MDMA. The latter kits are a necessity in this day and age where people can’t be certain that what they’re buying hasn’t been cut with something toxic.

Some dealers cut their products to increase profit margins, which can result in everything from a bad trip to a fatality depending on what they mixed in.

One of Test Your Poison’s best

Pxhere

selling testing kits is their Cocaine Cutting Agents test, which is able to identify the most common and dangerous cutting agents.

Levamisole, a drug used to deworm livestock, is just one of the many agents this test can pick up.

While levamisole can come in handy with heifers, it drastically lowers the white blood cell count in humans leaving those who’ve ingested it susceptible to countless infections. In 2009 the DEA reported that 70 per cent of co-

caine entering the USA contained levamisole, and according to Test Your Poison’s information section that number has risen upwards of 80 per cent in the past decade.

While these two organizations alone won’t be able to help every case that’s fallen between the cracks, they will have an incredible impact both short and long term by helping individuals in the moment and opening doors for more like-organizations so we as a province and country can

Quite vile

help people in the ways they’ll respond to best rather than ostracizing individuals when they don’t fit inside our culture’s cookie-cutter fixes.

Terminator: Dark Fate Review It’ll be back . . . again . . . and again holly worby a&c writer If you feel that the war between man and machines has been going on for way too long, then you’re absolutely right. In what is now the sixth film in this never-ending story of human misery, a fresh new cast of characters have been thrown into another sticky situation that needs to be resolved with death. It’s a Terminator movie people, not Citizen Kane, or A Clockwork Orange, although it does make more sense than the latter (yeah, look at these hot takes) There’s nothing particularly special about Terminator: Dark Fate other than the fact that it, once again, features a veteran (and still badass) Linda Hamilton.

However, here’s the immediate problem with Dark Fate for people who either have seen the film, or are on the fence and looking for feedback, the character of Grace (portrayed by Mackenzie Davis) feels really unnecessary to the film. This isn’t to say she’s a bad character, Davis does a wonderful job in making us care about Grace’s struggles and personality.

It’s just that none of that seems to matter in the long run. Yeah (spoilers ahead), Grace has a personal connection with the new “only hope for the future” character (played by Natalia Reyes)

because the apocalypse is really hard and sharing is caring.

Grace’s character is pretty unnecessary to most of the film. She fills the role of protector, which is something that Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger end up doing anyway. Watching the film, feels like Grace is in the movie simply for the sake of being there. Even some of the dialogue between her and Hamilton feels forced.

Speaking of nitpicking, Dark Fate feels like a $185 million dollar Terminator 3 reboot. It’s like James Cameron said to the director, “Listen, I’m an amazing director, and I know what I’m talking about, and this is how we do Terminator 3, right.” Except, instead of doing it right, they did it a little bit better but still included subplots that don’t get a lot/ any payoff. The plot itself is fairly straightforward, but it’s almost a little too fast, almost as if to say “yeah, you’ve seen this film before five times” and then chooses to focus on character drama as if anybody in the audience was even remotely interested in that.

Now, going back and doing a complete 180 into positive territory, Linda Hamilton is fantastic in this and doesn’t miss a beat from her time away from the franchise.

Even the now overused and “totally there for marketing purposes” line of “I’ll be back” gets new life from Hamilton’s ability to just

InsominaCuredHere (Flicker)

Rise of the Machines

not give a crap in the best way.

The funny thing is, I can say the exact same thing about Arnold in his role as the T-800, the man just seems to hit all the same notes that he did in Terminator 2.

This is where I’ll give Dark Fate a thumbs up, it does feel like a sequel to T2, and heck, I’ll even

go as far to say that it’s a good sequel. Of course, this is when the older leads (Hamilton and Schwarzenegger) get back together and make it feel like T2 again.

The newer parts of Dark Fate, such as the plot, the machines, the characters, they are all things that feel like they’d be featured in

a newer, worse Terminator film (Genisys anyone?) The film is a welcome entry into the franchise, but it’s also one where two thirds of it doesn’t need to exist I know one thing for certain though I’ll be shocked if they’re back.

sports

12 Editor: tyler meadows sports@carillonregina.com the carillon | November 7 - November 20, 2019

Campus still without medical clinic

Health services not expected until the spring brian palaschuk sports writer & john loeppky editor-in-chief The University of Regina has been without a medical clinic since June 2019. In not renewing the clinic’s lease, campus administration made the University of Regina one of the only universities of its size without physician support. Dean of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Harold Reimer, said that the decision was made before Alliance took over from the previous leaseholder.

“In short, their lease was up.

So, that contract goes back almost 15 years and some form of Alliance Health, different companies [. . .] and a number of years ago when Alliance was coming, the university made a decision that we would not renew the lease when it was completed.”

Dean of Nursing, david Gregory said that the version of the clinic decided upon by campus is one focused on the work of nursing practitioners, despite the negative effects faced by the student population.

“So, we’re aware that moving the clinic off campus would be somewhat of a burden for students and staff so we’re looking at a clinic on campus, managed by nurse practitioners who are faculty members in our faculty [nursing] and that’s for the clinic proper.”

“And then, we’re also looking at involving as many disciplines as possible to engage in what Alliance didn’t engage in and that is health promotion and prevention on campus. So, we want to establish peer-to-peer groups of students and faculty. So, for example, one of the focal areas could be mental heath and wellbeing and for sure we want to talk about sexually transmitted infections and all kinds of stuff that would be of interest to fostering the health of students on campus. So, actually I think you’re going to see, eventually, much more programming for the campus community than what was present before.”

Reimer said that the clinic will only offer “basic services” and Gregory said that the timeline for the opening of the clinic is still unclear.

We’ve yet to determine what the programming will be but you’ll see that the clinic will be

Sarah Carrier

Health clinic moves off campus as lease not renewed

open and available to the student population.”

Reimer said that the clinic, unlike Alliance across the street, will not offer doctors as part of its offerings.

“There won’t be any physicians on campus, but in large part nurse practitioners can handle most things that physicians are able to deal with, particularly with this population. Our students are generally healthy individuals, they’re not typically sick or aging, and that sort of thing.”

Reimer said that Alliance “took their lab with them” and that the campus cannot afford to replace the x-ray machine that was also removed as it was not owned by the University of Regina.

Gregory could not provide a specific opening date, and said, “predicting opening times of clinics and so on is fraught with difficulties, but I think our best estimate would be spring or early summer of 2020.”

Gregory also noted that the clinic may have to move from its previous location in order for it to be used more.

“I think one of the principles is for the clinic to be in a high student traffic area, right, and I

think where the clinic was previously was very difficult to find and a lot of people didn’t even know that the clinic was on campus. So, whatever happens, I think there’s a commitment to try to find some space that will maximize student access.”

The clinic’s previous location, across from the second floor gym area in the Centre for Kinesiology, Health, and Sport, is now filled with faculty staff as they await the renovations of their area on the first floor. The decision to move the clinic would be made by the campus’ space allocation committee.

Reimer clarified the current use of the space, some of which is being used for a physical therapy that, at the time of the interview, was set to begin in late November.

“That space that Alliance occupied, or part of it, is being used by us temporarily because our main office area, where we have been is being renovated. So, we’re all up there, our whole academic operation and our ancillary operation is housed out of that space right now and when we get back into downstairs then a determination is yet to be made where our health programming will operate out of, whether it will stay in part

of that space or if it will move to another location in the building, but we haven’t been given any notice.”

Reimer said he “wish he knew” what was going to happen in the short and long-term.

Unlike Alliance Health, whose services were open to the public, Gregory said the new iteration will be limited to students at the beginning.

“So, we’re going to start off strictly for students and after about a year in operation we’ll evaluate whether we can expand the services to the entire campus.”

Gregory pointed to how many out of town and international students could be serviced by the clinic, and said that “fifteen to seventeen hundred Indigenous students” could be served by the currently non-existent space.

The University of Regina sent out an email in early June detailing the move, but the process has been slow moving. With the current timeline given, the campus will go without medical services for an entire school year.

“The University, through the Faculty of Nursing, is currently in the process of establishing a primary health care drop-in/appointment clinic focusing primar-

ily on the needs of our students.

The clinic is expected to open this fall and although the location and hours of operation are not yet finalized will provide services five days a week, Monday to Friday.

The new clinic will ensure we meet the needs of students and also help address the professional practice requirements of nursing faculty (nurse practitioners) and students who need to maintain practice while teaching and/or studying. In addition to the nurse practitioner clinic, the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies, through the Dr. Paul Schwann Centre for Health and Human Performance, will contract with individuals for the delivery of allied health-related services (i.e., physiotherapists, chiropractors, athletic therapists, etc.) to address the needs of our students, student athletes and the campus community.”

Alliance could not be reached for comment.

“There won’t be any physicians on campus, but in large part nurse practitioners can handle most things that physicians are able to deal with, particularly with this population. Our students are generally healthy individuals, they’re not typically sick or aging, and that sort of thing.” – Dr. Harold Reimer

November 7 - November 20, 2019

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

sports

Bye week breakdown

13

Cougars head to Manitoba for reading week brian palaschuk sports writer Women’s hockey As the Cougar basketball teams begin their 2019-2020 campaigns, volleyball and hockey take their bye weeks after a fast and furious start to the new campaign. For hockey, the first break marks almost one third of the season, and a good time to look at where the teams are trending heading toward the new-year and the ultimate goal of Canada West playoffs.

The women’s hockey team is 2-6 in their first eight games of the season and are currently last place in Canada West. While the team graduated leading scorer Emma Waldenberger, they maintain a good chunk of their starters from last season, including captain Jaycee Magwood. Last year, the Cougars opened 4-4, so they are short of the pace that was set in 2019-2020. Magwood leads the team with five points in her first eight games and is tied for second place in Canada West with five goals. In spite of her individual success, for the captain, the season opener has been far from perfect.

“I think that there is definitely room for improvement with our group. We have had a couple good comeback games, but I think that we will need to be more consistent with our game play moving forward.”

Despite the slow start, it is not time to hit the panic button just yet. There are still 20 games left in the season, and while the team is in last place for now, they are only three wins behind third place. For Magwood, although the need to win is immediate, she thinks her team can still make a big push toward Canada West playoffs.

“With our season being so short, we will need to be a more consistent group and really push to get as many points in a weekend that we can. The league is usually very close so we will need to focus on finishing on the chances we get and doing what we can to keep the puck out of our net.”

With the bye week this week, the Cougar women will have a chance to get more rest than they have yet this season. Especially after a travel loaded pre-season.

For Magwood, this might be the break the team needs to get back into the hunt.

“We have played some tough teams to start the year so I think the bye week will definitely help our team moving forward. We have been able to focus on some of the smaller details in our game this past week and it is nice to be able to rest and refocus going into Manitoba next weekend.”

Part of this push has to come from the top of the roster, and this is something Magwood takes upon her own shoulders.

“I have had many great leaders in the past and I have learned a lot from them. This year we

have a pretty young team, so I think that it is especially important for the leaders on our team to help set the standards in the dressing room but also lead with their game play on the ice.”

Men’s hockey The Cougar men’s hockey team has struggled perennially.

The team has finished last in each of the last four seasons, and their last playoff berth was in 20122013. This year’s roster looked to break that trend, playing close games against the dominant Dinos and Huskies in the preseason.

However, so far, the results have instead been more of the same.

The team sits with a 1-7 record for last in Canada West, with their only win coming against the UBC Thunderbirds.

Although their start to 20192020 is on par with abominable seasons of the past, the team has showed some signs of change early in the season. Against Lethbridge the team scored four unanswered goals in the third period to bring the game into contention but ended up losing 7-5. They have shown the ability to play periods of hockey on par with the best of Canada West but have been unable to put many full games together.

Goaltending has also been another strength for the Cougars.

Despite facing 147 shots, many of them quality chances, Braden Holtby has allowed only 14 goals against, good for a .905 save percentage. Backup Curtis Meger also has a respectable .839, with both games he came in being against dominant opponents.

Should the team in front of them be able to minimize chances, these are goalies who could steal some games for the Cougars.

The major issue for the Cougars is their offence. Although the scoring depth is there, with nine different Cougars scoring in the first eight games, the team is lacking production on the top end.

Leading scorer Connor Chaulk paces the team with five points but is far outside of the Canada West top 20. Second-year Tanner Campbell leads the team with three goals, already ahead of his season total of two from last year.

If more Cougars can find their offensive touch then it will help a team that is badly lacking. The team’s 15 goals are still 6 behind next to last UBC and Lethbridge.

Coming off of the bye week the team will play fifth-ranked Manitoba, a team they beat in the preseason. This is a great opportunity for the Cougars to pick up their first 2-0 weekend and get back into the playoff hunt as they are only two wins behind sixth place Lethbridge.

Volleyball Women’s volleyball is another team who has struggled early on compared to 2018-2019. In a long preseason, the young team went 1-11, a far cry from the 8-4 record they posted in 2018-2019. Part of

Nathan McCarville with manipulation by Sarah Carrier

This is such a look forward that these photos are from the past

this comes from the team filling a lot of holes. The Cougars lost a few key pieces from last year’s roster including Taylor Ungar, and athlete of the year Satomi Togawa. The regular season opened slightly better than the pre-season, with the Cougars splitting 1-1 against UBC Okanagan, but the team proceeded to get swept 0-2

by MacEwan the next weekend.

Even worse, both losses came 0-3.

For Emma Matheson, although the start hasn’t been perfect, her outlook remains positive.

“We had a strong start to the season with a win over UBCO and have found things we need to work on in every game. We are a developing team and we are working on consistency of performance and emotions which has been improving in every game. Otherwise, we are doing a good job at finding ways to work through adversity and are making improvements every day.”

While it is good to improve and stay positive, that doesn’t always get you into the win column, something Matheson understands well.

“Our goal for the next two games is to come out with two wins against Manitoba. We are looking to be more aggressive all around, but especially with our serving and attacking. By being aggressive and following our game plan we will have a huge opportunity against this team.”

Like the other Cougar teams, volleyball has been going nonstop since mid-September, so the bye-week brings a welcomed rest. However, for Matheson, the bye-week also represents a great opportunity to get some quality practice time in.

“We have been competing since our pre-season started in September and have a long season to go, so it is great to have time to recharge and rest our bodies. It also gives us a bit more time to work on ourselves in practice as well as time to work on our game plan against the opposition.”

Part of this practice is continuing to adjust to the new roster and learning to fill the holes left by graduations. For Matheson, team environment plays a big role in getting over that hump.

“Although we had some graduating players, we are still keeping our goals high. The transition has been pretty smooth because we have a great team dynamic off the court, which makes things on the court that much better.”

The Cougars will have to continue improving if they want to add upon a great 2018-2019 season, where the team went all the way to the Canada West quarterfinals, posting a dominant 16-8 record along the way.

All three of these Cougar teams are in action Nov. 8 and 9 against the University of Manitoba Bisons. The women’s hockey team will make the trek to Winnipeg, while volleyball and men’s hockey will defend the CKHS in Regina.

November 7 - November 20, 2019

sports

Cougars stumble out of the gate

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Cougars struggle for oxygen as they go down O2 (0-2) tyler meadows sports editor The University of Regina men’s basketball team took on the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday, Nov 1 in their home opener, and again on Saturday. The men lost both of the games and fell to 0-2 on the season.

The first game on Friday was tough, UBC took the lead early in the first quarter and didn’t really look back, with the final score somewhat flattering the U of R, 72-83. Very similar to the women, it seemed like the men were struggling to put the biscuit in the basket as they shot 33 per cent from the field and 20 per cent from 3, while allowing UBC to score 46 points in the paint. Josiah Thomas led the team with 24 and Carter Millar added a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.

Unfortunately for the Cougars, the rest of the team just couldn’t knock down shots as no one finished above 50 per cent shooting except for Thomas.

One positive for the Cougars is that their defense created a lot of turnovers, which led to 17 points. However, containing both Jadon Cohee and Grant Shepard, who dropped 24 and 19 points

respectively on a combined 15-20 shooting from the field and 3-4 behind the arc, proved impossible. Those two Thunderbirds outscored the entire starting lineup for the Cougars by 13 points, which really speaks to the talent disparity.

In the second game the Cougars came undone in the fourth quarter as they carried a seven point lead into the final frame and ended up losing 71-82. The Cougars did a better job on defense through the first three quarters, holding UBC to 31 per cent shooting, but let the Thunderbirds nail five of six from three point land in the fourth to fall just short. In contrast the Cougars shot 1-9 in the quarter and basketball is a make or miss game.

Carter Millar had another excellent game with 17 and 8, and the starters rebounded from a poor performance the night before, but the bench didn’t provide the same scoring punch they did the night before. The five starters for UBC all scored in double digits and were 11-25 from 3, which really helped them steal a win from the home team.

The team is in Calgary next week to take on Mount Royal on Nov. 7 and 8. You can watch them live on Canadawest.tv

Bison sports

Cougars lose to Bisons

“ Very similar to the women, it seemed like the men were struggling to put the biscuit in the basket as they shot 33 per cent from the field and 20 per cent from 3, while allowing UBC to score 46 points in the paint.” – Tyler Meadows tyler meadows sports editor The season didn’t start off on the right foot for the Cougars as the UBC Thunderbirds strolled in for a two game sweep Game one was a close one throughout, UBC and Regina traded punches all night long with the Cougars seemingly not able to get over the hump that the Thunderbirds built up.

In the fourth quarter, UBC went on a late run to finally pull away with the game ending 58-70.

The Cougars struggled offensively shooting 35 per cent from the field and 21 per cent from 3, also missing 7 free throws.

For the Cougars Emily Dewey and Michaela Kleisinger led the way with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Both of them shot 13-24 combined and were the only consistent scorers on the evening. The team’s offense looked very good throughout the night as they consistently got open looks, but just couldn’t execute their shots at the rate they needed to.

The Cougars competed hard on defense but could never get multiple defensive stops in a row when they needed it most. Jessica Hanson and Keylyn Filewich were a handful for the Cougars as they dropped 38 of the Thunderbirds 70 points, while shooting an effi-

Tyler Meadows

cient 16-29 from the field and 3-3 from beyond the arc.

The second game went about the same as the first, with Regina jumping out quickly and taking the lead, but UBC quickly struck back with an 11-1 run and led for the rest of the game. The Cougars almost looked to run out of a bit of steam on the first weekend as they got beat on the boards with

UBC grabbing 48 total, 1 with 14 offensive boards leading to 15 second chance-points, while the Cougars can only muster up 3.

Emily Dewey led the Cougars again with 15 points and Macaela Crone, Avery Pearce, and Faith Reid chipped in with 10, 9, and 8 respectively. Once again Kelylyn Filewich dominated for the Thunderbirds with 22 points, on

Extra passes didn’t equal extra points for the Cougars

11-17 shooting, and 10 rebounds, while Jessica Hanson and Hailey Counsell scored 13 a piece.

The Cougars lost a lot of offensive scoring since last year, so the Cougars are relying on a full team effort to pick up the load. Though their offense created open looks, those looks need to be capitalized on in order for this team (or any team for that matter) to do well.

The Cougars are on the road this weekend in Calgary taking on Mount Royal on Nov. 7 and 8. Catch it live on CanadaWest.tv

November 7 - November 20, 2019

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sports

Cougars send four to Kingston for cross-country national championship

Wind, rain or snow, the Cougars will be on the prowl brian palashuck sports writer Four Cougars are headed to Kingston to compete at the U-Sports Championships for cross country. The small but mighty bunch will consist of Matthew Johnson, Kaelen Kolb, Kaylee Tymo, and Sarah Novakowski. Notably, the team will run without Canada West rookie of the year and top Canada West finisher Ron Maclean, who will sit out the competition out to begin preparations for the 2020 indoor season. Although it was a tough decision not to race, Maclean considers his inaugural cross-country season a success.

“I was super happy with it.

Before that I’d never ran 10k, so I was a little nervous to run the 10k, but (our coach) Bevin told us all to go out conservative and save it for the last half of the race, and I felt notably strong on the second half.”

On being named rookie of the year, for Maclean it was just an afterthought, but a sweet one, nonetheless.

“Getting rookie of the year was just the cherry on top. It was in the back of my mind in the last 2k, but I didn’t know who a rookie was and who was not, so I was just trying to reel in as many guys as possible.”

Coming into a new team as a Canadian Junior Champion can be a lot of pressure, something Maclean can attest to.

“I didn’t feel like there was any pressure from the coaches, but I did feel a little bit of pres-

Courtesy of David Moll / University of Calgary Athletics

sure in my first year running for the University and running as a Cougar.”

Despite cheering from back in Regina, Maclean thinks that the Cross-Country squad will continue to make waves in Kingston.

“All four of them are really gritty runners so I think no matter what they are gonna (sic) go out and give it their all.”

Although Maclean will not be in Kingston, another rookie is headed there to represent the

green and gold, Sarah Novakowski, who has big goals for the final meet of the season.

“I am very excited to race against tough competitors, who will push me to accomplish the best race I can. Though we only have a small team of only four runners going to U Sports Cross Country Nationals, our team is dedicated and determined.”

While the Cougars do not have enough athletes to field teams at the competition, they will be looking for strong individ-

Courtesy of David Moll / University of Alberta Athletics

ual performances from their four athletes.

After U Sports Nationals on November 9 the team will begin the indoor season. Their first

tune up will be the Cougars intra-squad competition on Nov, 23.

Courtesy of David Moll / University of Alberta Athletics

“I am very excited to race against tough competitors, who will push me to accomplish the best race I can. Though we only have a small team of only four runners going to U Sports Cross Country Nationals, our team is dedicated and determined.” – Sarah Novakowski

op-ed

16 Editor: taylor balfor op-ed@carillonregina.com the carillon | November 7 - November 20, 2019

The water crisis in First Nation communities needs to end EIC’s Note: During a week when a national investigation, coordinated through journalism departments and the Concordia Institute for Investigative Journalism, found rampant lead issues in water supplies across the country we think it’s important to print about underserved communites who have been facing this issue for decades.

When the Neskantaga First Nation in Ontario issued a state of emergency a few weeks ago regarding the state of their “drinking” water, to say I was horrified was an understatement. I was, and still am, absolutely heartbroken.

But I became even more so when I learned that, for the Neskantaga First Nation in specific, this has been a problem for them for the past 25 years.

The boil water advisory has been in place since 1995, and generations of families in these communities have grown up needing to boil water before drinking it.

Grandparents have needed to watch their children and grandchildren create safe drinking water because the government refuses to do it for them. This is still happening in Canada in 2019.

The current state of emergency however, was issued when the community’s water pump broke down and began pushing unfiltered water into community taps in September. The Neskantaga then submitted an emergency evacuation request to Indigenous Services Canada which was denied. It was then that the community issued their state of emergency.

Their community holds 188 residents.

Prior to this declaration, the water, while filtered, was still unsafe for drinking. Any time anyone in their community

Jason Desnomie

needed water, they were required to boil it beforehand. Imagine the current state of the community with unfiltered water being brought forward to the taps in their homes.

As Canadians, we should be absolutely horrified. Reserves in our country still do not have access to clean drinking water in 2019. In the midst of all our conversations surrounding reconciliation and growth, as a country we are still refusing to give reserves a basic human right: drinking water.

I am horrified, I am embarrassed, and I am angry. And you should be too.

The passing federal election makes this an even more heart wrenching and infuriating cause. The leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, Jagmeet

Singh, vowed to end the water boiling advisories in First Nation communities while he was campaigning. Singh went as far as challenging a reporter who questioned the amount of money he would be dedicating to the cause if he was elected. He said, “why is that even a question?”

I am truly horrified for the state of our country. We should not need to fight and argue for fellow Canadians to have clean drinking water. It shouldn’t be an argument. Hell, it shouldn’t even be a debate.

The fact that I even need to write this article feels as though I’m living in a dystopian world.

I shouldn’t be writing this article. I shouldn’t be sharing an opinion on why

people having clean drinking water is a necessity. I shouldn’t need to make a case to the people we have placed in power to protect the very people that put them there in the first place.

I shouldn’t need to be typing this, because if you need negotiation to giving people a human right, you’re the worst type of person.

taylor balfour op-ed editor

The love-hate relationship with being a sessional Arriving for your first class as a sessional lecturer is a weird experience. On one hand, it’s something that, as a university student, I have done a dozen times before: showing up for the first day of class and getting ready to go over the syllabus with the hopes that you can get out early.

But on the other hand, everyone is staring at you to start class.

It’s especially amusing when you open the door and as you walk down the aisle you can hear whispers of, “is he really the professor?” and “how old is he?” Not exactly something that you can dwell on, though; it’s time to get to work. Class to lead, young minds to teach.

It’s been somewhat of a love-hate relationship as a sessional lecturer so far. I currently work for both the University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan as a member of their distance education units. For the U of R, I teach out of Yorkton (Parkland College) and for the U of S I teach in Melfort (Cumberland College).

The level of elation that I felt after being contacted about getting a position with both universities was special, followed by some harsh realizations.

Teaching in Yorkton at 10 a.m. meant getting up at 5 a.m. in order to have enough time to make the three-and-a-half-hour commute from Saskatoon. Even Melfort, while significantly closer, would result in a two-hour commute, not to mention driving home after an exhaustive three-hour lecture for both classes.

These days are exhausting, but they’re worth it. The students are solid for first years, the staff at the colleges are always

willing to help, and even the drives aren’t that bad once you get used to them.

So, where’s the hate part of this relationship? Sure, it’s fair to say that no one actually enjoys marking, but the hate is my weekly struggle to not let my procrastinating student ways seep back into my life as a professor (success has been limited). And being on the road for 11+ hours a week is never ideal, especially when you have a loving partner and precious puppies at home waiting, as Patrick does for SpongeBob under his rock, for you to get home. None of these aspects of the job leave me with an overwhelming sense of dread like the one when I remember that I could have none of this next semester.

Job security is a worry for all of us, but it’s especially dreadful as a sessional knowing that you could be out a job with little to no warning. Submit as many applications as you can for sessional positions, but it just might not matter if classes have to get cut, or the department just isn’t offering the same number of classes in the winter semester.

The worst of all is finally landing a sessional position and teaching a university class – something that I’ve wanted since I realized it might be feasible in my undergrad – and having that taken away despite my best efforts. What do you do when the thing that you’ve wanted for so long is given to you, only for it to be taken away in just a few short months?

As of right now, I don’t know if I will have a sessional position next semester.

Everything that I have heard from both colleges has been positive, and applica-

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tions have already been sent out for any position that has been posted. However, as I sit down to finally mark these English 100 midterms that have been sitting on my desk, the pessimistic part of my brain tells me that there’s a good chance I won’t be doing this again four months from now.

I’m not sure what the solution is. I just know that the system we have right now feels designed to inflict the most anxiety

possible. If you know of any open positions, please let me know. Or if you have dog photos, also let me know. Both are important.

matt wincherauk former editor-in-chief

November 7 - November 20, 2019 op-ed

Lowering the voting age

Over the course of the past year, there has been a significant increase in youth activism, especially concerning environmental issues. Due to the influence of inspirational Swedish teenager, Greta Thunberg, youth all over the world, including those in Canada, have began pressuring their governments to not only take action to improve the problematic environmental situation, but also to consider the environment in future political policy making.

Unfortunately, the power of the Canadian youth is somewhat limited because they lack the opportunity to contribute fully to our country’s political atmosphere.

Although some people believe that 18 is an appropriate age for an individual to be granted the right to vote, I strongly disagree. In my opinion, lowering the voting age to 16 should be considered because not only would it be beneficial, but it also makes sense based on various legal, political, educational and social factors.

At the time of Canada’s first Federal Election, only 21 year old male citizens who owned a certain amount of property could vote [EIC’s note, not to mention the disenfranchisement of racialized and minority communities]. Since then, there have been a few significant changes in voting restrictions. For example, in 1918 women gained the right to vote. Later in 1970, the voting age restriction was lowered by three years from 21 to 18.

While these were major changes, which likely generated a great deal of controversy at the time, I think the time has once again come to consider making even more.

In Canadian society, the age of 16 comes with numerous legal rights, including driving, operating farm equipment, enrolling in the armed forces, and having paid employment – all elements that come with significant responsibility. Similarly, voting in an election calls for a lot of responsibility. If 16-year-olds can successfully manage to handle these other rights, they should also be able to cast a vote.

Another legal aspect is that once an individual has a job, they have to pay taxes and therefore should have the right to know and decide how that money is being spent by their government.

Additionally, according to article twelve of the United Nations Rights of the Children, every child has the right to express their views on issues that affect them. In my opinion, this is exactly what the point of voting is since individuals cast a ballot for the politician, or political party whom they believe will bring about the best changes, or improvement in areas that matter to them.

On the political side, allowing 16-yearolds the right to vote not only makes sense, but would also positively alter the political environment. People often refer to youth as being “the future,” and this phrase is most relevant when it comes to an election. It is the youth (16-25), rather than the older generation of the population which will be the most affected by the events of an election and the policies that follow. As a result, it is only fair that 16-year-olds are allowed to participate in and vote in an election.

Additionally, if more people in this age category participate in politics, it will

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directly change both the issues that are being discussed, and how these issues are discussed within the political sphere. Attention will be given to issues like education and the environment which are commonly ignored and overlooked by the older electorate. Younger voters will also make politics more interesting and easier to understand, which would be a major benefit for everyone, especially since many people complain that politics is difficult to grasp.

There are also educational reasons why 16-year-olds should be allowed to vote.

At 16, individuals are still in school, which in a way increases the potential for them to be a more knowledgeable voter than those who are older. In addition to learning about politics from TV, the internet, and their family and friends, 16-year-olds can also gain valuable political knowledge as part of their education, regarding how the election process works, and how and why it is important to vote on issues that matter to them.

Lastly, giving 16-year-olds the right to vote is strongly supported by social factors as well. Despite the decrease in political engagement from the older generations of society, this is not the case with the younger generations (16 to 25).

In the most recent Federal Elections, there has been a significant rise in the amount of young voters. For example, the percentage of voters 18-24 rose from 38.8% in the 2011 federal election to 57.1% in 2015. Although the voters in this age group from our past election haven’t yet been calculated, it is likely this amount has once again increased based on the convenience of five days of advanced voting with 101 stations set up in 88 districts.

This increase in young voters emphasizes that younger individuals want to get involved and have a voice in the political climate of the country. If voting was lowered to 16 years of age, I strongly believe that this amount of young voters would continue to increase.

Voting is also perceived as a lifelong habit. If people start voting at an early age, it will likely become something that they continue to do throughout their life. This situation would be a major benefit because give it would allow democracy to continue without worrying about a potential decline in political involvement and engagement.

Throughout the world, a handful of countries, including six German states, Austria and Scotland, have all lowered their voting age to 16. I think it’s time for

Canada to follow their example.

16-year-olds have demonstrated that they are knowledgeable and care enough about what was going on the world to take action. Therefore, why not give them a political voice?

elisabeth sahlmueller staff writer

“Why not give [16-year-olds] a political voice in the matters that will most affect their future?”

– Elisabeth Sahlmueller

November 7 - November 20, 2019

op-ed

We still need journalism

Perhaps you’re the arts undergrad who’s waning between areas of study; you haven’t quite nailed down what you want to explore, or who you want to be “when you grow up.”

Maybe you’re the history major who has a curiosity about the world but you aren’t sure what kind of job you’ll get after graduation, or you could be the English major who enjoys exploring topics indepth, but you haven’t found the industry or job that fulfills you.

Or, maybe you find yourself loving the idea of spending your days enveloped in the world of news or current affairs.

No, I’m not here to crap all over the other programs you could, or have, taken.

I’m not here to tell you it’s not worth getting an everyday BA because you’ll never get a job.

I’m only here to ask: have you considered journalism?

Seriously. I’m not trying to be the J-School Mormon on your doorstep asking if you have time for a conversation about converting to the religion of journalism.

It’s just that journalism seems to be a career that’s often passed by. And who could blame people for that?

The long hours, the stressful situations, the not-so-satisfactory pay cheque.

And with the additional anti-media rhetoric from political figures, such as Donald Trump, who would possibly want to go into

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such a career?

The numbers of people entering journalism seem to reflect that thinking. Last April, the School of Journalism here at the U of R graduated seven undergraduate students. In April, it’s expected that nine undergrads will graduate – a slight increase.

Now, I know there are other undergraduate programs at the U of R that have only a few students that graduate from them each year. But as little as five years ago – and almost every year prior since its inaugural class in 1981 – the School of Journalism was graduating as many as 25 students per spring – its capacity for the number of students it accepts each year.

Now the school has dropped its entrance exam and interview process – one of the only undergrad programs, if not the only one at the U of R that required students to complete that process before getting in – and has opened up some of its classes to students who aren’t necessarily pursuing a degree in the field.

It’s a move that I applaud. Journalism represents the public’s interest. So why should the public have to jump through hoops to get into a field that represents them so that they can represent others?

I understand the world needs credible, hard-working journalists and those entry requirements ensure that, but it’s great to see the school open its doors to more stu-

dents, especially those who might be great future journalists, but struggle in exam or interview situations.

So now that it’s more open and available, why do it?

It’s a rewarding career. Coming off six months of interning in the field, I’ve learned it really is fun to investigate a story you’ve always wanted to cover or chase after people (not physically, of course) to get their opinion on something, or get assigned to go find out about a breaking event. You get to be nosy about things and you know what? In this profession, that’s a good thing.

Yes, it’s rigorous. You might not have to take the online exam or have a sit-down interview with one of the school’s professors to get in, but once you’re in, the assignments take time, effort and attention. So much so that you’ll miss meals; you might even miss sleep – but then again, what university degree doesn’t come with some toil and personal sacrifice?

But is it worth it? Well, I still have another semester to go (which I hear is the toughest yet) but after the first year and two internships, I’d say so.

Still not convinced? Why not take a class or two to gauge what it’s like. Take the photojournalism class, for instance. You’ll get an idea of how to shoot for news and you’ll be assigned to shoot actual news and sports events throughout the semester.

Or take Journalism 100. It’s a class for

students not yet in the J-School who get an understanding of journalism and what being a student in the J-School is like. Each week features a guest speaker who is either in the industry or was a student in the program. You’ll get to hear from someone who battled – uh, I mean worked – their way through the school to get to where they are.

Yes, the industry is changing. Yes there is negative rhetoric toward the profession.

Yes, it is hard work. But it’s fun work and it’s work that is still needed today. It’s a phrase I often hear from people who hear I study journalism: “It’s still a worthy profession.”

ethan williams contributor

“Coming off six months of interning in the field, I’ve learned it really is fun to investigate a story you’ve always wanted to cover.” – Ethan Williams

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November 7 - November 20, 2019

op-ed

I completely understand that many of you don’t like Justin Trudeau, since he doesn’t always seem to consider prairie interests when developing his political policies, but how could you vote for a conservative candidate in this past federal election?

Do you honestly believe that Andrew Scheer would be a better individual to govern our country? Did you vote Conservative simply because Scheer is from Saskatchewan, or did you strategically vote Conservative with the hope of removing Trudeau from office?

To be clear, I am not a fan of Trudeau and don’t support all of his decisions and policies, including not pursuing electoral reform. However, I would much rather have Trudeau as prime minister than a conservative leader like Scheer.

I have followed this election and its outcome very closely through the news and the Canadian satirical TV show This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Through all of this, I have seen and heard enough unflattering info and horrible behaviour exhibited from Scheer to convince me that he is not someone who deserves to govern our country.

I don’t know how many of you have kept up with the election coverage, but I am sure that if many of you had, you likely would have voted differently.

I will admit that Trudeau has acted improperly and inconsiderately in the past, especially with his blackface scandal, but at least when asked about it, Trudeau acknowledged what he did was wrong and apologized, which is more than can be said about Scheer.

Throughout Scheer’s campaign, his main method for gaining support was not by outlining any solid or detailed plans for improvement, but rather by putting Trudeau down and consistently presenting himself as a direct contrast. I understand that politics can be dirty and messy, but maybe more time should be spent on developing a strong political platform, rather than putting down your political opponent.

In the aftermath of this election, it has come out that an individual was hired by the Conservative party to create false and negative ads about Trudeau, which were based on lies. However, when asked by news reporters about the situation, Scheer consistently avoids the question, indirectly answering, “we don’t make comments on any contracts that may, or may not have existed.” As Mark Critch stated on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, “this is only something guilty people say.” There either was a contract, or there wasn’t.

Unfortunately, this is not the only thing that Scheer refuses to be honest about. He also lied about his previous work experience as an insurance broker. This statement is a major embellishment, since the reality is that Scheer was simply a clerk selling license plates in an insurance office.

While I used to think that Trudeau was a poor public speaker, always muttering “umm,” Scheer is ten times worse.

Not only does he fail to actually answer the questions he’s been asked, but he also has extreme difficulty speaking French – an important skill for a leader of a bilingual country like Canada. Additionally, Scheer is not a great debater because he is unable to argue his points clearly or calmly.

I don’t know about all of you Saskatchewanians, but transparency, honesty, levelheadedness and strong public debating skills are qualities that I not only want, but expect in an individual who is running for prime minister.

Despite all of Scheer’s negative qualities, the Conservatives still managed to gain so much support from our province, winning all 14 ridings, which is something I am unable to comprehend. How could you, the people of our province, vote for a

party whose leader displays such poor behaviour and actions, especially when there is a better alternative in the New Democratic Party?

Although the NDP may have been a bit over ambitious in their one-year approach to setting up pharmacare, their political platform demonstrated plans to address and improve some major problems affecting Saskatchewan residents including increasing the low provincial minimum wage, eliminating high tuition fees and interest on student loans and extending health coverage for pharmaceuticals.

Additionally, the NDP has strong leadership with Jagmeet Singh, who is someone I would actually trust to govern this country. Singh is honest, genuine, level-headed, a great public speaker and promotes his party by outlining their improvement plans, rather than putting down his political opponents.

With all this in mind, why not vote NDP? I realize that historically only the Liberals and Conservatives have held governing power in Canada, but that doesn’t mean that it has to stay this way forever. There are other political parties, and they should be given a chance to show what they are capable of, especially since we have seen what Conservative and Liberal prime ministers have done and neither have brought results everyone is pleased with.

Dear Saskatchewanians, about the election . . .

Canada Summer Games 2017

For future elections, I sincerely hope that people vote for the party who will best work toward solving and improving the issues that affect them. Politics shouldn’t always be something to complain about, but rather something that exists to improve our country for the better. However, how can

we expect politicians to act according to this concept if we can’t even consider this when we cast our ballot?

elisabeth sahlmueller staff writer

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20 Editors: sarah carrier, kate thiessen and morgan ortman graphics@carillonregina.com the carillon | November 7 - November 20, 2019