Volume 62 Issue 15

the carillon the staff

editor-in-chief editor@carillonregina.com

john loeppky

executive director business@carillonregina.com

jacob nelson

production manager production@carillonregina.com

jeremy davis

advertising manager advertising@carillonregina.com

ty cote

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

multimedia@carillonregina.com graphics@carillonregina.com copy editor copyeditor@carillonregina.com

kate thiessen sarah carrier morgan ortman hannah senicar

news editor news@carillonregina.com

sara birrell

a&c editor aandc@carillonregina.com

ethan butterfield

sports editor sports@carillonregina.com

tyler meadows

op-ed editor op-ed@carillonregina.com

taylor balfour

distribution manager distribution@carillonregina.com

kyle anderson

staff writer

elisabeth sahlmueller

staff writer

marty grande - sherbert

news writer

ben schneider

a&c writer

holly worby

sports writer

brian palaschuck

web writer

julia peterson

contributors

haley klassen, austin nygaard

Vol. 62

board of directors

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.

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. land acknowledgement The carillon is written on treaty four territory. As such, the staff recognize that we are living, working, and telling stories on and of Indigenous lands. We recognize that we are on the traditional homelands of the Nakota, Lakota, and Dakota peoples, along with the homeland of the Métis nation. The carillon understands that it is pointless to acknowledge the land on which we work without speaking to our commitment to telling stories and prioritizing voices that further the return of the land to its sacred place in the cultures of those that live here. the manifesto 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.

Erickka Patmore, Lindsay Holitzki, Maddie Ouelette, Dustin Smith. John Loeppky, and Jacob Nelson

The People’s Friend; the Tyrant’s Foe

The University of Regina Students’ Newspaper Since 1962 January 16 - January 22, 2020 | Volume 62, Issue 15 | carillonregina.com

news

cover

Chartwells, purveryors of roaches and rodents, has been accused of preventing a Business Students’ Society event.

In other wholy unsurprising news, there has been another resignation from URSU. Elsewhere, we reported on a solidarity march, gave you a book review, watched some pucks go in nets and balls go in hoops, as well as little chuckle and a comment on war crimes. All fun and games.

news

arts

Campus’ Poor Response P.6

Wet’suwet’en

P.7

A follow up to the the cancelled George Elliott Clarke lecture. We reprint a letter penned to president Vianne Timmons by a concerned student.

On Monday, Jan. 13, protesters in Regina joined the nation-wide solidarity movement for Wet’suwet’en.

P.10

A review of acclaimed director Greta Gerwig’s latest film, an adaption of Little Women.

humour

op-ed

sports

Little Women

photos

cover................................ morgan ortman news...................................... kate thiessen a&c.................................. angel mcdowell sports............................... brian palaschuk op-ed................................ the white house

a note

The carillon would like to acknowledge the death of former staff member John Kapp.

IOC bans protests

P.15

The international Olympic Committee has banned athletes from expressing their freedom of speech on the world stage at the 2020 Tokyo Olymipcs.

War is for cowards

P.16

News editor Sara Birrell tackles weak-minded politicians’ tendency for war.

Take me to Toon Town

P.19

The incredibly talented Haley Klassen lightens our mood with a wonderful pair of comic strips.

News

3

Editor: sara birrell news@carillonregina.com the carillon | January 16 - January 22, 2020

Chartwells limits student society’s access to alcohol Event rescheduled off campus due to food service conflict ben schneider news writer In November of last year, an event being put on by the Hill Business Students’ Society (BSS) was cancelled with little explanation several days before it was supposed to take place.

The event, Turtlenecks & Tanqueray, is a tradition made to pay homage to the Faculty of Business Administration’s beloved instructor, Dwight Heinrichs, celebrating his staple black turtleneck and love of a smooth gin drink.

As it turns out, Chartwells played a role in the event’s cancellation due to an alleged contractual violation around catering and the serving of alcohol.

A member of the BSS who dealt directly with Chartwells and wishes to remain anonymous to avoid any possible repurcussions, provided the Carillon with a detailed account of what transpired.

“The Business Students’ Society [puts] on events called ‘lounge parties’ about five to six times a year. These are small events which happen in the business lounge on the fifth floor of the Education Building and usually have less than 50 people in attendance.”

“The BSS operates the bar for these events. We pay to secure our own liquor permit for the event and these permits are always signed and approved by the faculty, campus security, and the SLGA (Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority).”

“In order to qualify for a liquor permit, we also need to have food served at the event. This food must come from a catering service on campus.” For this particular event, the BSS went with Chartwells as their food provider.

“When I went to the Chartwells office, one of their employees informed me that their exclusive contract with the university

also covers the sale of beverages and, therefore, bartending our own event is in violation of their contract with the university. The employee from Chartwells said to me, ‘I have the contract for this, there is no reason why I would let you do it yourself,’ which is basically saying [Chartwells] would rather lose the money from catering the food portion of the events (since we had to cancel them) than allow us to do the bartending ourselves.”

This BSS member expressed that the Chartwells employee in question was rude and provocative in their meeting.

“He was very combative with me. I went in there and got him to sign the [form]. He had to go run up to an employee and talk to them and he tells me ‘wait here!’

He comes back and started berating me about who’s doing our bartending. I had no idea what he was talking about. We had never had this problem before.

No one had ever mentioned it – no one from campus security, no one from the faculty, no one from either of the catering options had complained. He said that he would like to go do some research and figure it out himself.

I offered to give him my information so that he could contact me to let me know what he finds and he wouldn’t take my information, which I thought was very strange.

My understanding was [that] he wanted to go and figure out if we were doing something wrong, but it didn’t really seem to me that he wanted to work on a solution that was going to be beneficial for each party.

“He was asking prodding questions about what we had been doing and he also took a picture of the security form that I had to get signed too. So he was collecting information and, as far I understood, was building a case.

“Small-scale events like this, across all Canadian student soci-

eties, have kind of been the bread and butter over the last 60, 70 years. Now, all of a sudden, [this conflict] basically makes it so that you can only have large-scale events. You can’t really have small social events because you don’t have the funds coming from alcohol sales [which] these student societies counted on. Losing all the profits from the bar as well as having to pay a bartender would make each event three to four times more expensive for us and ultimately make [lounge events] unfeasible to put on in the future.

“I can’t necessarily speak for other societies, but really, the only people who have the scale to put on the large-scale events are the Business Students Society and URSU itself, so I don’t know what the other societies are going to do.”

“We’re still trying to resolve what, potentially, we’ll be able to do to get student engagement events like this happening again without being able to sell our own alcohol.

Student Affairs has confirmed for the Carillon that Chartwells has no authority over liquor. Campus Security presently sees over liquor dealings. This is detailed in a statement from Pat Patton, Director of the Security & Operations Department, on URSU’s Clubs & Societies page.

It states that: “In some situations, students who have received ‘Serve it Right’ training may be approved to serve under a special occasion permit for small events (proof of certification is required). This would be considered for small gatherings in ‘the lounge.’”

Another anonymous source within the BSS expressed that, “Chartwells is just so expensive with very little to no discounting [offered] to student groups. For societies like ours that collect a levy, this affects us on a lesser scale in comparison to others.

Other societies have run into the issue where they were under the impression or made to believe that Chartwells was the only catering on campus that could be utilized.”

Add this to the list of complaints filed against Chartwells who are continually being critiqued by members of the campus community.

Over the holidays, Chartwells’ inaccessibility was highlighted when they sent out their hours for Dec. 21–Jan. 5. On any given day, there was only one on-campus food provider (either Common Ground or the Global Village) open with hours ranging from 11:30-1:00 & 4:30-6:00, 8:00-3:00, or 8:00-11:00 a.m.

This left Kramer Blvd as the closest alternative for food services.

The current holder of the U of R’s Food Services contract has come under fire for the mislabelling of halal and non-halal meats, repeated incidences of cockroaches, as well as their general inability to provide healthy, affordable meal options which are essential for students who live on campus.

Bettina Welsh, Director of Student Affairs Operations, offered a statement on behalf of Student Affairs and Food Services. Welsh stated that it has been difficult to reach any kind of resolution regarding the matter since the BSS individual has decided to not lodge a formal complaint.

“On behalf of Student Affairs, we really do apologize for any behaviour that was inappropriate [on the part of] Food Services or Chartwells employees.

We just have not been able to talk to [the employee in question] for them to defend themselves.

“If all things are true that I’m hearing, there might have been a miscommunication between the university food services or Chartwells employee and the individual with this form. If there was a

miscommunication, the business school is aware of future processes and I’ve reminded university Food Services or Chartwells what the processes are.”

“We are Student Affairs, students come first and we don’t treat students in a way that makes them feel badly about themselves or badly about organizing an event.”

In regard to the employee that dealt with this particular BSS student, Welsh stated that “the individual that I think this person talked to no longer works for [Chartwells]. My understanding is that he left [of] his own volition.”

Welsh reiterated that the relationship between university Food Services and Chartwells is a complicated one, given the intricacies of how the contract between the two parties works. In short, the university Food Services is managed by Chartwells. This means that Chartwells oversees the staff who belong to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). The university owns the facilities and equipment, but the staff are employees of Chartwells.

Welsh said, “We work closely with [Chartwells] to get them to be a university advocate and to behave in a way that aligns with our values and really be part of the university experience in a positive way.”

Upon an interview request with Welsh, Student Affairs contacted the BSS directly, seeking further details. The BSS then spoke with the Carillon, looking to retract comments made by its members and pull the story.

Turtlenecks & Tanqueray went ahead on Jan, 10 at Chop Steakhouse.

Kate Thiessen

Those pesky food providers are at it again

January 16 - January 22, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 4

news

URSU exec tenders resignation Third in 16 months to leave their post sara birrell news editor Fifty or sixty years ago (or less, who knows) there was a show called Murphy Brown, and one of the running jokes on Murphy Brown was that Murphy never had a receptionist last longer than a few weeks. Some were there for a single episode, others hung in a little longer, but eventually, for whatever reason, Murphy would find herself hunting for a new assistant once more. She hemorrhaged receptionists like, well, like URSU hemorrhages executives.

Obviously, I’m being a little unfair here – Murphy Brown went off the air a mere two decades ago – but URSU has indeed seen the resignation of their third executive in less than a year and a half (roughly the equivalent of two seasons of Murphy Brown).

On Jan. 2 (although the campus community was not informed until a press release on Jan. 8), URSU’s Board of Directors accepted the resignation of Vice President Operations and Finance Muhammad Usman Khan. Khan’s resignation comes 14 months after the resignation of former Vice President External Affairs Heather

O’Watch, and 16 months after the resignation of past President Haris Khan.

According to URSU President Victor Oriola, Usman Khan’s resignation was “very amicable resignation and not a resignation birthed out of any controversy or disagreements with execs or the board,” which is a tremendous relief, but also a heartbreaker for anyone who wanted to be treated once again to Jaecy Bells’ most excellent illustration “Another Ruckus.”

“The executives and the board have worked in harmony,” said Oriola.

Oriola confirmed that there would be no by-election until the general election in the spring. In the meantime, Vice President External Affairs Karminder Singh has been appointed the new executive signing authority by the board.

“There are just some circumstances that arise that we cannot control or mitigate for that are beyond us and it is testament to the stability we have this year at the students’ union that a circumstance we could not have possibly foreseen has arisen and we have been able to take it in our strides

Jaecy Bells

Here we go again

and adjust as necessary,” Oriola said.

The student union president added that while there was certainly a “difficulty that comes with having less than the full complement of executives,” URSU is “confident that we will be able to cope between now and the installation of a new VP of Operations and Finance on May 1.” Which I’m sure is true, since they’ve

done this all before.

While performance reviews for all execs are upcoming, Oriola said that Khan had not been asked any questions pertaining to performance before his resignation as the reviews are not yet underway. According to executive attendance reports, Khan only failed to meet the required number of in office hours once, in November 2019. (Someone might

want to check on Singh though, he’s only worked the minimum required total hours expected of executive committee members two of the seven months between May and November). Usman Khan declined to comment for this story.

The first season of Murphy Brown is available for purchase on amazon.ca.

U of R pilots new wait list program

Program extends wait list duration ben schneider news writer As of the winter term, the policy around wait lists has shifted while the university tests out a new timeline. Before this trial, wait lists for courses would expire upon the first day of classes in a given semester. The pilot program looks to extend the life of wait lists by approximately one week, allowing students more flexibility, as per a student affairs email sent campus-wide on Jan. 6.

This means the lists will be held onto until 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 11 The first week or so of classes see a lot of flux as students finalize their schedules and determine which and how many classes they would like to take. When registering for courses for a following semester many weeks prior, a student’s future class-load may seem attainable. In practice however, after getting five separate syllabi, each with varying expectations and outcomes, many students choose to re-evaluate their commitments. Many instructors decide to only start tracking attendance (for those who choose to do so) closer to mid-January because of this constant revolving door. Extending the duration of the wait list means that wait listed students have a greater chance of getting a spot in their desired class.

Without a longer wait list time, many students aren’t able to use the privileges that these lists create during the transitional start of the semester. Longer wait list times are especially essential

for students needing to fill certain requirements for their degree.

Additionally, many students only cancel classes they don’t plan on attending after classes begin.

There is no incentive to drop these classes earlier as the 100 per cent refund period lasts for two weeks after the start of term.

Alixx Davidson, a student in the Faculty of MAP working toward a BFA in visual arts, believes that this change is for the better.

“I think this change of practice makes sense. It seems only fair that if a spot opens up it be offered to someone who‘s been waiting for it. Missing the first class or two is never ideal, but it wouldn’t set you too far behind either and [it] would be worth it if it’s a credit you need for your program. I really don’t see any downsides to this, except that I’m not sure if a single semester would give enough data to accurately represent the impact.”

The university plans to analyze this pilot project upon its completion before making any permanent changes to this policy.

“I’m not sure if a single semester would give enough data to accurately represent the impact.” – Alixx Davidson, MAP Student

Pexels from Pixabay

“For all things good and holy in Campion, please let me get into English 399”

January 16 - January 22, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 5

news

176 civilians pay the price for U.S. drone strike on Soleimani Flight 752 downed by missile

Wikimedia Commons

Rest in power

taylor balfour op-ed editor On Wed. Jan. 8, a Ukrainian airplane crashed in Tehran, killing all 167 passengers and nine crew members onboard. As of Jan. 10, it is reported that 57 Canadians are among the dead (initial reports said there were 63 Canadians on board but that number was lowered as the story developed). Due to the plane’s crash site being located on the outskirts of the capital, many were quick to point the finger at Iran to blame for the disaster.

Conflicts with Iran have heightened since the United States President, Donald Trump, ordered a drone air strike earlier in January. Trump stated that “[the United States] took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war.” It was after this statement, and the country’s violent actions, that the

Ukrainian airplane crashed.

Trump’s drone strike, which was aimed at a Baghdad airport, resulted in the death of an Iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani. Majid Takht Ravanchi, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, was reported CNN to have said that the United States’ action “started a military war” with Iran.

Days after the crash, Iran admitted to having mistakenly shot down the flight. This was after Iran launched missile strikes on an Iraqi air base hosting United States soldiers. After the attack, however, Ravanchi claimed that the strike was not launched with the intent to kill Americans.

Luckily, it did not. Trump reported after the attack that no American soldiers had been killed by the ballistic missile strike. Ravanchi stated when asked about the attack that “the target was chosen in order to show that we are capable of hitting the target where the plan to kill Soleimani

was organized.”

It was days after the ballistic missile strike attack that the Ukrainian airplane was shot down by an Iranian missile.

However, days after the crash and days after public mourning began, Iran announced that they had mistakenly shot down the plane, and that the crash was unintentional. An Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander stated that the crash was a result of his team reacting while on alert for “all-out-war,” according to Global News, and has accepted complete responsibility for the crash.

However, accepting responsibility for the crash does not remove the desperate need for answers faced by the communities struggling with loss. The University of Regina issued a statement in regards to the crash, stating that “the latest information from Universities Canada indicates that Canadian universities lost

47 people, including students, faculty, alumni, and incoming students. Twenty-one Canadian post-secondary institutions have been directly impacted.”

“At this time, it does not appear that any University of Regina students, faculty, or staff were onboard the flight although that information may still be subject to change,” U of R President Vianne Timmons wrote.

“While we may have been fortunate to not be directly affected, we are part of a national university community and we all share in the pain and grief those across the country and beyond are experiencing today.” Timmons concluded her letter with: “Please take care of yourselves and each other.”

On Jan. 12, a vigil was held in Edmonton for the Canadians killed in the tragedy. It was attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who, when addressing the nation on the day of the

tragedy, stated that “the families of the victims and all Canadians want answers. I want answers.

That means closure, accountability and justice.”

The rest of the country stands alongside him in wishing for the truth.

“[T]he families of the victims and all Canadians want answers. I want answers. That means closure, accountability and justice.” – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

January 16 - January 22, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 6

news

Students respond to campus’ lack of action john loeppky editor-in-chief Since the revelation that George Elliott Clarke would not be giving the Woodrow Lloyd lecture for the Faculty of Arts, a number of developments have come to light.

One student, Tracie Leost, sent a pointed letter to the president addressing her concerns with the handling of situation by campus administration. We have decided to print the letter in full as it was presented.

“Dear President and Vice-Chancellor Vianne Timmons, the Office of Indigenization, Paul Dederick and to whom else it may concern, I am writing to you today to address my disappointment and concerns surrounding the George Elliot Clarke lecture and the universities silence and lack of action. I strongly believe that it is important for those involved in this incident to understand the trouble and hurt it has caused students. In light of the lack of action the university took, I am ashamed to say that I am a student here. I am embarrassed by how this academic body failed to handle this situation. I am disappointed that it took Clarke withdrawing from the lecture for this repulsive degradation to stop.

Clarke should have never had the option to withdraw because the university should have cancelled his lecture. More importantly, he should have never been invited in the first place.

For those of you who do not know me, my Indian name is Ogitchida Ikwe (Warrior Woman) my English name is Tracie Leost and I am a social work student here at the University of Regina.

I am a Métis woman from Treaty 1 Territory, the heart and homeland of the Métis Nation. In 2018, I was the recipient of the Métis Youth Indspire Award and next month I will be inducted into the Order of Gabriel Dumont.

Additionally, since 2015 I have been leading global conversation surrounding violence against women. I would like to point out that the platform I have built leading this conversation actively benefits this university. Over the last four years, I have become deeply involved in the Indigenous community here and have worked towards having a campus that is safe and supportive of Indigenous students. You can often find me at the Ta-Tawaw Student Centre or the SUNTEP library studying, interacting, helping and organizing events with my Indigenous peers.

Dr. Timmons has written in support of my academic achievement and activism and can attest that I have embodied our motto “one who serves.” With that in mind, I hope you are not surprised that I am writing to each of you addressing my concerns.

I choose to use “our” and “we” because a piece of this academic body belongs to every student who goes here, myself included. Over the last 4 years, the University of Regina became my home, a place I was proud to

call home. However, home has to be a place where we can feel safe.

Welcoming an award-winning poet on campus who empathizes with a murderer no longer makes myself and others feel safe. Steven Kummerfield defended his actions by saying Pamela George deserved her brutal death because she was an Indian. I am an “Indian” like Pamela George, so are hundreds of other Indigenous students here. I wish you would imagine how we feel. Imagine how it feels having our school refuse to cancel a lecture from a poet who debated reading poetry from a white man who murdered an Indigenous woman, justified it by saying she deserved it because she was an Indian, only served three and a half years of his sentence, changed his name, moved to Mexico City and has the privilege of continuing his life while Pamela George’s was cut short.

When you imagine that I hope it makes you feel sick because I am disgusted. Furthermore, I have a problem with the statement Paul Dederick released stating how academic freedom is welcome on campus so long as it does not “incite hate, discrimination or violence.” What you fail to realize, is welcoming a poet on campus who actively defends a man who murdered an Indigenous woman in this very city only perpetuates violence. I am horrified you felt that having this man on campus was more important than the safety of your Indigenous students, respecting the family of Pamela George and the larger Indigenous community this territory belongs too. I want to vomit just thinking about it. As an Indigenous woman, I have a better chance of being murdered than I do of successfully graduating from this school with my BSW. When you choose to stand with people like George Elliot Clarke and his relationship to Steven Kummerfield/ Stephen Brown; you do not stand in solidarity with me, you stand with those who murder my people.

I worked with the office of Indigenization to develop the university’s commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation’s Calls to Action. I read the documents, I sat on the panels, I gave my insights and I fought for the best outcome for Indigenous students.

I can assure you, the commitment to reconciliation I fought for was forgotten during this ordeal. Changing street names and doing land acknowledgements means nothing when our school fails to uphold the much-needed relationship with Indigenous peoples. Reconciliation does not exist without a relationship with Indigenous peoples. In light of the GEC lecture, this university has drastically impaired its relationship with Indigenous students and the larger community. It will take more than a released statement and an interview healing process to fix the damage caused by the university. I am glad you are willing to welcome in and hear the concerns of Elders, students, staff and community members; but

know that alone is not enough.

I hope the university rips apart its commitment to the TRC and starts over. It is time this school dedicates serious time, money and effort to ensure Indigenous students are safe and supported on campus because I can assure you they are not. If we can afford a million-dollar sign and to overpay high-level staff then you can afford to do better. There are no excuses when it comes to this.

The office of Indigenization watches students walk in and out of the Ta-Tawaw Student Centre every single day. You have made it clear that not once during this process have you stopped to think about those students, and how your poor choices degrade, dishonour and harm them. Your silence is mortifying. It is mortifying to think about all the times your staff came into the Ta-Tawaw Student Centre over lunch to talk with students, and then allowed this to occur. That deserves a better explanation than “we failed to balance Indigenization and academic freedom.” More importantly, Indigenous students and Pamela George’s family deserve a heartfelt apology over this betrayal. Pamela George is alumni to us, I cannot fathom how her own university allowed this injustice to occur. Furthermore, Dr. Timmons, I like to think we have created a little legacy here. I received the 2018 Métis Youth Indspire Award and you received the 2019 Indspire Education award. I wonder if at any other university, have two members received the highest honour bestowed upon Indigenous people two years in a row? I think that is a pretty big deal and makes our university look great. I also think that distinction comes with responsibility and pressure.

The responsibility to do better and the pressure to always act in the best interests of our Nations. In light of this ordeal, our Nations have been failed; and we need to do better.

I am a first-generation university student; in the spring of 2021, I will become a first-generation university graduate. Walking in two worlds while navigating post-secondary has not been easy and breaking the barriers that have been historically stacked against my people has been very challenging. However, my ancestors resisted genocide so that I could succeed. Being here means that I will actively fight for what Indigenous people have always deserved. Even when that means denying an award-winning poet the opportunity to perpetuate violence in the spaces Indigenous students occupy. As horrible as it feels, I refuse to be uncomfortable as an Indigenous student here; my Elders taught me better than that.

So instead, I will make space. I will make space for me, for other students and for this institution to do better. I will hold you accountable for that.

I hope you break the silence, acknowledge your wrongdoing and start to do what is right for Indigenous students and this academic body.

Marsii for your time, Ogitchida Ikwe Tracie Leost In an interview on Jan. 13, Timmons said that the university was committed to reconciliation, pointing towards the campus’ support of an upcoming feast hosted at First Nations’ University of Canada on Jan. 23 and the discussions she’s had with students since Clarke withdrew “I have consulted with the national truth and reconciliation ambassador, commissioner from the Missing and Murdered Women’s Taskforce, local chiefs, [the campus’] Indigenous Advisory Circle,[I] consulted with concerned faculty and staff, so all last week, basically, I was doing consultations.”

Timmons said she has conversed with one via email and invited her to come and see her, and “dropped by” the Ta-Tawâw Centre but said that only one student was there and that she spoke with them.

When asked if she felt the campus had followed their own guide to implementing the truth and reconciliation commission of Canada’s Calls to Action – a document that is not publicly available on the university’s website despite the use of Cree in the title of the university’s strategic plan – Timmons said that the entire experience would be a learning one for the campus.

“I made a commitment that any reference to Indigenization, we would set up a process so that we will have input from our Indigenous colleagues on campus. We have purchased the Four Seasons Program for Reconciliation, for our students, so that they can take it.”

The program is an online course that the campus has licensed for five years. The president also gave a personal response to the statement of the Ta-Tawâw Centre released on Jan. 3.

“Our office did not have an official response to that. I’m appreciative that the Ta-Tawâw Centre is supporting students during this difficult time and that’s their job, and I’m glad to see that stepped up to do so.”

When asked about whether staff and students not protected by academic freedom could feel comfortable addressing these issues with campus leadership, Timmons gave no concrete assurances, saying that her email was open to those who have concerns. During the interview she stressed repeatedly what she felt was a lack of time to address the issues at hand.

“All I know is that things happened very quickly and as soon as I was able to I got involved, but I didn’t really get intimately involved until early January and once George Clarke withdrew, that happened on the Friday, on the Monday I had a meeting with community leaders, so I moved as quickly as possible to try to figure out a path forward.”

Timmons characterized the

events as a “learning journey” especially when confronted with a phrase from the aforementioned guide: “We at the University must own our past and recognize how this past informs our present in in an effort to repair.”

“Well, I think that’s a learning journey that we’re on and I think owning our past and having our past define our present, we’re going to be doing that for a long time . . . and I think the outcomes that are coming out of this lecture series scenario are going to help with that, for sure.”

A number of figures on campus, including Timmons, have pointed to the concept of academic freedom as a reason for not rescinding the invitation to Clarke. It was a position she reiterated during the interview.

“There’s principles that the academy has survived from for centuries and one of them is academic freedom, but I think we’re at a stage of evolution where we have new principles now that we have to figure out, that guide us, and one of them is the whole area of truth and reconciliation and indigenization.”

Timmons did acknowledge that academic freedom requires revisiting in the campus context “We have to figure out how that works together with academic freedom and it’s a learning for an institution that’s been around for hundreds of years . . . We have to look at: which principles do we hold dear and which ones are we going to have to redefine.”

Timmons said that she laid out her plan at the Indigenous Advisory Circle meeting on Jan. 9.

“When I met with [the] Indigenous Advisory Circle I said my priority was connecting with the George family and moving forward supporting the event on January twenty-third and then after that we would have some discussions about where to go forward.”

Morgan Ortman

January 16 - January 22, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |7

news

Solidarity march held to support the Wet’suwet’en nation Regina rallies on the Albert Bridge for Indigenous sovereignty

“It’s been 50 years, I shouldn’t have to keep doing this shit.”

– Sue Delanger

Julia Peterson

We, the people, will never be defeated

marty grande-sherbert staff writer On Jan. 4, the Wet’suwet’en Nation’s hereditary chiefs of all five clans rejected a British Columbia Supreme Court ruling from days earlier by issuing an eviction notice to Coastal Gas Link (CGL), which has been building a pipeline on unceded Wet’suwet’en land for ten years. The ruling was an injunction for CGL, which permitted the “forced removal of people and structures” in order to build the pipeline. The Unistoten camp of the Wet’suwet’en, which stands on that hereditary territory (or yintah), and now additionally serves as a place of community learning and healing for land and water defenders, remains under attack.

According to a statement on the Unistoten camp’s website, “[s] ince obtaining the initial interim injunction order, CGL has bulldozed through our territories and destroyed our archaeological sites, while private security firms and RCMP have interfered with the constitutionally protected rights of Wet’suwet’en people to access our lands for hunting, trapping, and ceremony.” The statement adds that CGL has faced no legal repercussions for these actions.

Now, with the new injunction in place, CGL is again emboldened to disregard the eviction order from the hereditary chiefs, with the blessing and aid of the Canadian state.

On January 13, RCMP established an “exclusion zone” or

blockade around the Unistoten site, which prevents media from entering the area as well as Wet’suwet’en clan members. This is a repeat of what was done in January of 2019, when there was a militarized raid on the Unistoten camp and several camp residents were arrested. The raid in 2019 forcibly removed Indigenous peoples from their traditional territories, and as such, was a violation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP), which is now law in British Columbia.

The January injunction is a ruling which contradicts other rulings and laws, also outlined on the Unistoten camp website: first, a previous ruling which acknowledges that Wet’suwet’en territory is unceded, and that Canada has no jurisdiction there. Second, Wet’suwet’en traditional law, which maintains that the hereditary chiefs have jurisdiction over the land. CGL and the Canadian state have defended their actions with reference to the elected chiefs and council who do support the pipeline. However, according to Judith Sayers at the University of Victoria in an article for The Tyee, the elected chiefs and council “never had the jurisdiction to deal with the land.” Sayers asserts that the hereditary chiefs and Wet’suwet’en law must be respected as full and legitimate forms of governance; it is “not a ‘belief ’ or ‘point of view.’” UNDRIP, in fact, also asserts the right for Indigenous self-governance.

On Jan. 13, the same day

as the exclusion zone was established, a solidarity rally took place in Regina at the Albert Street bridge. Despite the fact that an extreme cold warning was in effect, approximately 20 people turned out carrying signs and banners with slogans like “LAND BACK,” “NO TRESSPASSING,” “FREE, PRIOR AND INFORMED CONSENT,” and “EVICT CGL.” The rally walked up and down the bridge and then into the street, forming a soft blockade and stopping traffic for several minutes.

The rally was a response to the Wet’suwet’en Nation’s call for “A Week of Solidarity,” from Jan. 7-12, in response to the injunction. There were speakers present who stood in the cold and spoke about the need for showing support with Wet’suwet’en to the world, and the importance of Indigenous sovereignty’s relationship with climate action. One of these speakers was Sue Delanger, an educator and organizer originally from Treaty 8 who has visited the Unistoten camp several times and organized for at least 50 years. Delanger took part in a phone interview for the Carillon an hour before the rally. In the interview, she expressed a sentiment she repeated on the streets: that real solidarity means continuing to follow and support the attack on Wet’suwet’en people beyond just a single rally.

“I pick wisely with my protests,” Delanger said when introducing her work, which focuses mainly on self-sufficient commu-

nities. “To me, is a protest just talking to ‘the converted’ . . . or is it something that’s getting a real message across?” She says that the rally on Monday is a good example of organizing that has a direct and loud message: no more attacks on Wet’suwet’en people or their lands. “Canada needs to see that people are saying no to the attack on the Wet’suwet’en nation . . . that we’re watching.” She recalled her time in the Amazon and Peru as Indigenous people there also faced intense violence, and said that solidarity actions or statements of solidarity from around the world make land and water defenders feel less isolated and alone in the face of deep challenges.

It is a fight she is deeply familiar with; Delanger moved to Regina from Treaty 8 in 1975, when a Canadian uranium company “violently removed” her community because of their private interests. She spent much of her early time in Treaty 4 territory sending appeals to the government, the old-fashioned way with written letters, and was told that “legally, they were trespassing, and morally, they weren’t.”

Because of this, Delanger says, Wet’suwet’en solidarity is close to her heart. She has been told by friends that she should make a protest sign that says: “It’s been 50 years, I shouldn’t have to keep doing this shit.”

Of the time she spent at the Unistoten camp, Delanger recounted two examples of times when she encountered confronta-

tions that threatened the safety of the yintah. The first was when the camp was just starting to rebuild the territory and built a house on the camp – and overnight, that house had suddenly been burnt down. The second time, she was driving back with others to the camp at night when a strange truck tried to run them off the road. Those who defend the land and water on Wet’suwet’en land, for the sake of not just their territory but the Earth, face threats on multiple levels from interpersonal to institutional.

Delanger had an advisory tale about the urgency of responding to solidarity calls which can be summarized as “not being a bunch of ducks.” The story is that there was a meeting full of ducks where the birds are taught to fly, how wonderful and freeing flying will be, how flying will improve all of their lives, and how important it is that ducks fly from now on. Then, as soon as the meeting is over, the ducks get up and walk home. Deciding to fly instead of walk when it comes to the attack on Wet’suwet’en land can start with a visit to the Unistoten camp website, where they have posted a “solidarity toolkit” for anyone looking to speak up.

Arts & Culture

8

Editor: ethan butterfield aandc@carillonregina.com the carillon | January 16 - January 22, 2020

McDowell exhibits at Art Gallery of Regina Former art store manager’s exhibit explores themes of death and dying

john loeppky editor-in-chief Angel McDowell, local artist and former manager of the arts store on campus, has a showcase exhibition running at the Art Gallery of Regina named From the Antique.

The showcase, which she was invited to participate in as a member of the gallery, centres around tones of death and dying. The display is available to view from Jan. 6th to Feb. 29th.

McDowell is both a writer and an artist who explores identity, abandonment, and loss. Her first book of poetry, Cemetery Music, was published by Nightingale and Sparrow Press and is available on Amazon.

Angel says the impetus for the work was one of her favourite poems, by the romantic poet Christina Rosetti.

“From the Antique is a poem

by Christina Rossetti and it’s my favourite poem, it’s all about death and dying. So some of the images are titled with lines from

courtesy of Angel McDowell

From the Antique shows Jan. 6 – Feb. 29

her poem, and most of my work, whether it’s writing or art is sort of about death, and dying, and identity, and abandonment, and the things that are lost when we die.”

The artist says she’s inspired by her want to collect things other held dear.

“I’ve been collecting old photographs and vintage clothing for years, and I’ve always wondered about the identity of those people that gone before us. So, in doing From the Antique, I took my vintage items and turned them into artwork to explore the connection between creating and collecting, knowing that the items that I created from my collection will go on to be collected by someone else.”

McDowell says she has a close relationship with the gallery as a patron and a member.

“They’ve been following my work since I’ve retired, and since I’ve retired from the university, I’ve become fairly involved in

the art community. As I want to be involved, I’m not one for big groups, I’m more of a loner, so I like to create my work and show it in a safe space that is really supportive of their artists, and I feel like the Art Gallery of Regina meets all my criteria as an artist.

They’ve been wonderful.”

McDowell says the difference between her poetry and her visual work is that her writing involves a lighter element.

“The artwork that’s in that book is more whimsical. In the book, I’m looking at my conflicting feelings between death and dying and I use found word poetry in my work.”

McDowell created cyanotype prints as part of the exhibition, a technique she picked up in conversation with other local artists.

So the prints I’ve been interested in for a few years, and no one was teaching it at the U of R, so nobody was really doing it . . .

But I began to explore the prints and I really liked the ghostly effect of it. I thought that it really spoke to my aesthetic and what I wanted to say about the spiritual realm, that it sort of translates very well. So, what it is, is they used photo chemicals, so you coat your paper– in the dark because they are photosensitive – then you lay your images, then you expose it to light. So I just used the sun, but I also do have a light exposure unit so I can print in winter if I want to.

For the smaller works, McDowell used photo transfers to create what she calls a “ghostly effect.”

“In the smaller prints, I lay photo transfers, so I took old photos from my collection, and I printed them on a transparency, and because I talk about identity in my work or the lack of identity and the loss of identity, I cut the heads off of the people and so just the images of their clothing

is printed. So, I layer the transparency on with lace and other things to illustrate what I was trying to say, and then again exposed it to the sun. So you get a really neat, multi-layered ghostly effect and you can really play with the images, they feel like they’re drifting almost. I really, really like that process and I feel it works well for me with what I’m trying to say, for sure.”

A full biography of the artist, opening hours, and information on the art gallery’s current website.

So, in doing From the Antique, I took my vintage items and turned them into artwork to explore the connection between creating and collecting, knowing that the items that I created from my collection will go on to be collected by someone else.” – Angel McDowell

January 16 - January 22, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

arts & culture

9

Is there a link between artistry and addiction?

Scientists say no, but one dead philosopher says yes

ethan butterfield a&c editor For those that haven’t heard of the “27 Club,” it’s not a group you should ever find yourself wanting to be a part of. The name itself is in reference to the tragic passing of several artists (primarily musicians) that all have one thing in common: they were only 27 years of age. Some of these artists include Janis Joplin, Ron “Pigpen” McKeman (founding member of The Grateful Dead), Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson (primary leader of Canned Heat), Kristen Pfaff (bass guitarist for Hole), and Kurt Cobain.

Much like the 27 Club itself, there is a similarity between all of the aforementioned artists themselves. All of them passed away from a drug overdose, with the exception being Kurt Cobain (although one could argue that heroin was reason for Cobain’s death, being a prime factor in the lead up to his suicide). These examples are what led to the main point that I’m trying to emphasis in that there is some sort of link between artistry and addiction, or rather (to be more general) a link between creativity and addiction.

Ethan Butterfield

A pint a day keeps the creativity away

In an interview that was done

by Scientific American, neuroscientist David Linden of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said there was not direct link between addiction and creativity, stating that it’s more genetics-based: “Genetic variants make for a low-functioning dopamine system . . . if you carry those variants, you are more likely to be more risk-taking, novelty-seeking and compulsive. None of which are explicitly creative, but they are things that get to creativity. So novelty-seeking might be a spur to creativity. Risk-taking might lead you to go more out on a limb. If you’re compulsive, you might be more motivated to get your art, science idea or novel out into the world.”

As well, the list doesn’t stop with musicians, several famous writers and actors have also passed away due to issues with addiction. But does this mean that the creativity which spawns from creators is backed by their addictions? Well, following what David Linden mentioned, not at all. It’s

due to, and this is just one example, by the ability to go out on the limb and try new things which may lead to addictive habits.

Certain others didn’t believe so however; hell, Nietzche himself back in the day thought that the creativity and addiction went hand-in-hand, with the exact quote being, “For art to exist, for any sort of aesthetic activity to exist, a certain physiological precondition is indispensable: intoxication.”

Now, moving from others’ thoughts on this subject to my own, do I agree with either Linden or Nietchze? Honestly, I’m inclined to agree with a neuroscientist than I am a dead philosopher.

Without continuous dodging of the question though, no, I don’t believe there is a link between addiction and creativity, nor do I believe that creatives are more likely to get addicted. What I do believe is that creatives are more likely to cope with their issues through the use of drugs.

“How is that different?” I may hear you ask. Well, being addicted to a substance because

you’re creative is one thing, but being addicted to a substance because you want to be creative is another issue entirely, or because you (again) need to cope with a lack of creativity. We are all told we’re unique in this life (or at least that’s what I assume), so when there hits a point where you, as a creator, aren’t able to create anymore, then one option you might end up doing is coping through addictive substances. Rather than seeking help based on personal needs (perhaps due to issues with upbringing or the like), people would instead use addiction as a vice.

This is just one answer however, to a significantly large question. Can this question really be answered in one article? No..

Creatives are an important part of the community, whether you choose to believe it or not. Let’s make the best path possible for them so that can do what they love, instead of coping with the fact that they can’t do that.

To sum up, creativity and addiction may not be the most pressing issue at the mo-

ment, but it is an issue all the same. It’s something that should be analyzed on a deeper level by people who are vastly more qualified than I am to analyze it. In reading this article, keep it in the back of your mind.

“.... If you’re compulsive, you might be more motivated to get your art, science idea or novel out into the world.” – David Linden

January 16 - January 22, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

arts & culture

10

Little Women delights Gerwig gets it right hannah senicar copy editor Following the success of her critically-acclaimed solo directorial debut, Ladybird (2017), Greta Gerwig’s Little Women surpasses expectations, delivering a tender yet courageous adaptation that honours the Louisa May Alcott classic. Gerwig’s contemporary restructuring of the story – organizing vignettes thematically in favour of the two-part chronological narrative of the novel – emphasizes life’s inherent unpredictability, immediately indicating how quickly expectations for the future can be subverted.

The film specifically ruminates on what it is to grow up a woman in a male-dominated world, a question as timely in the year 2020 as it was in the 1860s (in fact, substitute “woman” with “anyone who isn’t a white, cis, straight male,” and find it doubly important).

Set during the American Civil War, Little Women centres around the four March sisters: Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and Amy (Florence Pugh) as they navigate their demanding, pastoral youths. Having lost a great portion of their financial means, and with their father (Bob Odenkirk) serving as a pastor in the Union Army, they and their mother (Laura Dern) attempt to make the most of the situation; the girls engage in follies with their rambunctious neighbour, Laurie (Timothée Chalamet), and the ensemble cast brings great vitality to the domestic setting, offering a sibling dynamic that is at once charming and incredibly believable.

Saoirse Ronan is a standout as boyish and temperamental Jo, who functions as a fictionalized version of Alcott in this film even more so than in the novel. Pugh brings delightful range and humour to the character of Amy, doing the youngest March justice in both youth and maturity. Chalamet likewise masters Laurie’s whimsical and impulsive character and, while Dern and the rest of the cast were all excellently suited to their parts, I would be remiss not to highlight Meryl Streep’s fantastic portrayal of crusty-yet-caring Aunt March.

Far from mere background music, Alexandre Desplat’s score is almost a character of its own, swelling over the film’s atmospheric scenes. Steady piano melodies escort enchanting and sometimes hectic string orchestration, seeming to reflect little Beth’s role as the March family’s quiet, yet consistent, conscience to great emotional effect. The film also features a diverse and rich colour palette, which nicely accompanies the story’s frequent changes in time and mood.

Gerwig’s contemporary take on Little Women leans into the novel’s feminist message, emphasizing and contextualizing the role of marriage as an “economic proposition,” and adding a metanarrative that pays homage to

Alcott’s personal views and writing career. The product is a film as rousing as it is affirming. Little Women is a visually sumptuous, emotionally abundant adaptation that only further distinguishes Greta Gerwig as a masterful writer and director.

“The film specifically ruminates on what it is to grow up a woman in a male-dominated world, a question as timely in the year 2020 as it was in the 1860s (in fact, substitute “woman” with “anyone who isn’t a white, cis, straight male,” and find it doubly important).” – Hannah Senicar Wikimedia Commons

Little Women thrust into the spotlight

January 16 - January 22, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

arts & culture

11

The Lost Daughter elisabeth sahlmueller staff writer Historical fiction novelist Gill Paul’s latest novel, The Lost Daughter, released just last year, is a thrilling and captivating story of love, loss, perseverance and discovery.

Covering roughly 90 years, the Lost Daughter centres around the lives of its two female protagonists, Maria, the third eldest Romanov daughter, who miraculously survives after the rest of her family is executed, and Australian resident Val, who is not only determined to move on from her abusive partner Tony, but also discover the truth behind her parents’ unclear past. Told through the alternate perspectives of these two women, Gill Paul’s the Lost Daughter is a novel rich in historical detail and emotion, which quickly and easily draws readers in, maintaining their attention right until the surprising and unexpected conclusion.

After a brief and haunting prologue which foreshadows the tragic end of the royal Romanov family, the novel flashes back to three months earlier, beginning chapter one from Maria’s point of view. At 18, Maria is an innocent young girl, unaware of life’s hardships and dilemmas, having only known privilege and luxury because of her families’ prestigious status. However this changes after Maria’s family is put under house arrest, first in their home at the Alexander palace and now in a house in the town of Ekaterinburg. Although Maria is grateful to be with her family, she hates the bleak environment. Every day she longs for the freedom she previously had and dreams of falling in love and getting married, naively believing that her family will soon be sent further away into exile.

Less than two months later, Maria’s naive beliefs are proven wrong when she witnesses her parents, siblings and close family servants being killed. Believed to be dead by her murderers, Maria is loaded onto a truck along with the others who have been killed and driven to an isolated forest area where all the bodies are to be disposed of. However, when Peter, a familiar guard from the Ekaterinburg house, notices that Maria is still miraculously alive, he makes a serious decision that forever changes their lives.

Over the next couple of months, the two attempt to get as far away from Ekaterinburg as possible in order to be safe. With only themselves to rely on, Maria and Peter are forced to figure out how to survive, which presents its fair share of challenges. Even more difficult however, is moving

on and letting go of the past. Maria still desperately clings to the belief that her older sister Tatianna also survived and can’t give up her family’s jewels, a decision that results in severe consequences.

Chapter eight flashes forward 55 years, shifting to the perspective of Val Scott, the novel’s second protagonist, providing the first glimpse into her troubled life. At 35, Val thought she had moved on from the pain, loss and bad memories of childhood.

However, her past re-emerges after she receives a surprise phone call from the nurse at her father’s care home. Although Val hasn’t spoken to her estranged father in the past eighteen years, she reluctantly agrees to visit, curious to learn whether there is any truth, or genuine concern behind the alarming statements, “I didn’t mean to kill her. There’s so much blood,” which he keeps repeating.

Unfortunately for Val, her visit is a disappointment since she learns nothing and shrugs off his comments as simply “just repeating something he heard.” Two months later, Val’s father passes, leaving her the sole inheritor of his home and possessions. Despite Val’s desire to quickly sell the home and put the past behind her, this proves to be impossible.

While looking through the items in her father’s home, Val’s curiosity regarding her past is reignited when she comes across old letters from her mother, and a bag of Russian antiques including an unopenable jewellery box, and a Kodak autographic camera with undeveloped film inside. This discovery begins Val’s long and difficult journey to unravel the secrets of her past, one which leads her towards unexpected truth, love and family along the way.

As the novel progresses, both Maria and Val experience hardship, pain, joy, heartbreak, love and loss. In the process, they learn how to move on with their life and let go of the past, opening themselves up to new possibilities and relationships and by the end, it becomes clear just how completely intertwined their lives actually are.

While much of the novel is fictional, Paul has impressively managed to weave in many historically accurate details, such as Maria’s personality and character, the Romanov execution, the events in Russia and the places Val visits, in order to create a very captivating and unique story. Within the historical record, Maria has been described as an intellectual, beautiful, friendly, flirtatious, physically strong and outgoing and this is exactly how she is depicted throughout the

Via Gil Paul

It’s reviewing season

entire book. The Romanov execution part was written based off the accounts of the men who witnessed and participated and the tough and brutal experiences of life in Stalinist Russia, including the siege of Leningrad in World War II, was based on known information, as well as the diaries and memories of survivors. Additionally, even though the second protagonist is fictional, the places she visits and events occurring are historically based.

Although the mainstream belief is that the entire Romanov family, along with four of their servants, were killed on the evening of July 16, 1918, some historians have suggested that because there

have been problems with identifying all the bodies, one member somehow survived. Paul’s novel alludes to this possibility, not only presenting Maria as an ordinary girl whose only life error was “being born into the wrong family at the wrong time,” but also provides one creative outlook on what Maria’s life may have been like if she had survived that tragic night.

Despite being a bit lengthy, The Lost Daughter is another must read novel from Gill Paul, which is not only historically-based and beautifully written, but also extremely difficult to put down.

“Despite being a bit lengthy, the Lost Daughter is another ‘must read’ author from Gill Paul, which is not only historically-based and beautifully written, but also extremely difficult to put down.”

– Elisabeth Sahlmueller

Sports

12

Editor: tyler meadows sports@carillonregina.com the carillon | January 16 - January 22, 2020

Cougar women’s hockey continue winning ways at UBC

Jane Kish stops 56 shots on the way to a Cougars shutout record. brian palaschuk sports writer In 2020 the Cougars have been on the hunt. After catching the Pronghorns in Lethbridge last weekend, they continued a dominant road trip in UBC. The Cougars sunk their teeth into the Thunderbirds, sweeping them 2-0, largely due to strong goaltending and penalty killing. This weekend’s performances extended the team’s record to 10-10, leapfrogging the Thunderbirds, Pronghorns, and Bisons for fifth place in Canada West and into playoff position.

On Friday it was the Jane Kish show. The Cougars’ outstanding netminder had perhaps her best game of the season, stopping 34 of 34 shots to keep the Cougars in the game. She was also the team’s best penalty killer; the Cougars had trouble staying out of the box, taking ten penalties. Led by Kish, the Cougars PK was fantastic, going 10 for 10. Her counterpart for the Thunderbirds, Tory Micklash, didn’t face as much action, seeing only 13 shots, but was solid for two periods. That is, until Cougar Julia Kulbida was able to solve her for the game-winner halfway through the third period. Kish’s fourth shutout of the season tied a team record stretching back to 2003.

On Saturday, the Cougars came out hard and played a much closer game. They limited penalty kill time, taking just three minors. The difference again came at even-strength when Chelsea Hallson put one past Micklash in the second period. Paige Hubbard and Jordan Kulbida got insurance markers late in the third to stymie the Thunderbirds’ hopes. Kish stopped all 18 shots she faced, making it 52 on the weekend. She snapped the Cougars’ single season shutout record at five as well as the career mark at thirteen. Notably, the Cougars also went 13 for 13 on the penalty kill on the weekend, a key to their success.

Their offence also continues to heat up. Captain Jaycee Magwood added to her team-high 15 points, good for seventh in Canada West, and Kulbida has charged into the scoring race as well. The third-year forward has scored in three of her last four games, sneaking into the Canada West top-ten with seven goals in the season. The sniper also

Brian Palaschuk

U of R women’s hockey making a playoff push

boasts an excellent 16.7 per cent shooting percentage, among the leagues best for shooters with over 20 shots. For Kulbida, the team’s effort this weekend was a big one.

“The team’s performance has been great; everyone is giving their full effort and we are working very well as a team. We knew coming into UBC this past weekend we needed 6 points and it wasn’t going to be easy, but we battled through as a team and had a huge success.”

She also pointed to the performance of Kish as instrumental in their recent hot streak.

“Jane had a great weekend; she was making some huge saves in order to keep us in the game and everyone’s positive energy was outstanding.”

“From the first day we got back after Christmas the team has been mentally and physically prepared for all practices before heading into the new year. Everyone on the team has bought into our systems and accepted their roles. We have been focusing on staying positive through the games no matter the outcome and everyone is contributing in their own way and that very im-

portant for us as a team moving forward.”

Despite this positive approach, the team has been feeling the pressure.

“I think knowing that we needed to start winning more games here in the new year to make sure we have a playoff spot really helped our team realize that we needed to step it up. We are rolling the lines and each line is setting the other lines up for success which is huge, my line mates (Lilla and Merissa) and I have been working really well together and hope to continue doing so moving forward.”

As for Kulbida’s role in the team’s success, the sniper doesn’t put much emphasis in the individual accolades.

“I want what’s best for the team and it’s always great when you can help your team get on the board. Everyone is contributing to the team success in their own way and we wouldn’t be able to accomplish what we have in the past few weekends without everyone doing their role.”

So, what’s next for the redhot Cougars?

“Everyone is excited to be

back in the playoffs again, but we want to keep moving forward and continue to keep winning and moving up in the standings.

We just need to continue playing consistent hockey and focusing on our own team and control the things that we can control.”

Their next test will come at home on January 17-18 against the fourth-place Mount Royal University. This battle of the Cougars will decide the holder of fourth place in Canada West, as the teams boast matching 1010 records. It will also be the U of R’s first test against top of the table team’s in 2020 and as the playoff race heats up, it should get intense. While the Cougars penalty-kill has been fantastic, playing shorthanded for thirty-minutes is no way to win hockey games and staying disciplined will be a key against a tough Mount Royal team. For Kulbida, she is looking for more of the same.

“This upcoming weekend we just need to be consistent throughout three periods and continue playing our game and trusting in our teammates and coaches. We need to keep the bench positive and hopefully we will be able to

get another six points this weekend.”

“Everyone is excited to be back in the playoffs again, but we want to keep moving forward and continue to keep winning and moving up in the standings…” – Julia Kulbida

January 16 - January 22, 2020

sports

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

13

Overtime thriller moves cougar men into playoff position Brandon Holtby stops 41 of 42 shots

“We gotta make playoffs. That’s the goal. I think that’s number one and I think for the next games we just have to keep the same mindset and keep doing what we’re doing.”

– Brandon Holtby

Brian Palaschuk

U of R men’s hockey team making a run at the Playoffs

brian palaschuk sports writer The Cougar men’s hockey team is on the verge of something that hasn’t happened since the 20122013 season: They are in playoff position. After winning just three games in the calendar year of 2019, the Cougars have been dominant in 2020. Beginning the year with a sweep of the Lethbridge Pronghorns, the men continued a strong homestand Jan. 10-11, trouncing the UBC Thunderbirds to extend their winning steak to four.

On Friday night the Cougars put on a terrific performance in front of a home crowd of 200 at the Co-operators Center. Scott Mickoski opened the scoring early in the first on an outside shot for his second as a U of R Cougar. The Cougars continued that momentum a few minutes later when captain Tristan Frei banged home a rebound courtesy of Turner Ripplinger. These high-effort goals have been the bread and-butter of the Cougars’ success and this weekend was no exception. At the end of the first, the Thunderbirds were able to get one back as a quick shot from Matt Revel snuck through Holtby on the short side to bring the game within one.

The Cougars of 2019 might have coughed up the lead

after that change in momentum, but not the Cougars of 2020. In the second period they poured it on, getting two quick goals from Mickoski and Ben Duperreault.

UBC tried to amp up their physicality to push the Cougars off their game, but the home team was having none of it. Feisty Mike Eskra took a roughing minor on the back of a cheap shot from Kyle Becker but drew a penalty of his own. This is the kind of response that good teams make, and the Cougars were looking like a good team on Friday night.

Goalie Brandon Holtby did his job, stopping 14 of 16 shots and the Cougars extended their win streak to three.

After the fireworks at the end of Friday, Saturday was positioned to be a barn burner. 364 fans came out for the Saturday afternoon action and it didn’t disappoint. Both teams came out of the gate flying and the Cougars quickly racked up a couple of penalties but were able to hold their ground on the penalty kill.

Jerret Smith solved Brandon Holtby at even strength by picking up a rebound with four minutes left in the first to give the Thunderbirds a lead that lasted until the end of the second. Landon Peel had a beautiful finish on a breakaway pass from Ty Barnstable to bring the game to a tie that would last for the rest of regulation. In

the first overtime, Connor Chaulk was awarded a penalty shot but rang it off the post. The game was then decided in a 3 on 3 second overtime period where Brennan Riddle scored the game-winner.

Not to be lost in the forward’s heroics is the performance of Regina-born goaltender Brandon Holtby. The Leboldus High School alumnus stopped 41 shots and improved his save percentage in Canada West competition to 0.921. Holtby has been a huge part of the Cougars success all season long, posting a 6-7 record, which includes all six of the Cougars wins. For Holtby, the team’s recent success is the result of hard work and resilience.

“The past couple months our team has been playing really well together. I feel like we stick together better than in past years when we get down a goal and when other teams come at us harder that’s promising to see” Holtby says the biggest change in the Cougars since the beginning of the winning streak has been their approach.

“I think attitude for the most part. Everyone likes each other and everyone’s having fun. It’s a great group of guys I think that’s going hand in hand with putting in the work at practice.”

However, for Holtby, there is no secret formula to the team’s success.

“I don’t think we’ve changed anything. Going into the break we played U of A, U of S, and U of C and I think we played all three of those top end teams strong.

Even though we didn’t get a lot of points or wins to show we were going into the break feeling good about ourselves.”

While the team hasn’t changed anything major, they have certainly been getting much better, and Holtby is no exception.

For the third-year netminder, being able to play week in and week out has been a great experience.

“It’s something new for me because I didn’t play WHL or anything like that, so the fact I’ve been able to do it has been awesome.”

Part of Holtby’s excellence is his consistency. Something that he speaks to not just for himself, but for the whole Cougars roster.

“We are very structured, and we have been playing really good defensively which makes it really easy for me.”

He is also quick to share the responsibility for his great numbers.

“I can’t take all the credit; that’s on the team.”

One of these teammates that is making a big difference is Christmas break acquisition Tanner Nagel. Nagel has added three points in just four games since joining the Cougars, and Holtby

speaks highly of the new player.

“Getting Nags is huge, I actually played with him in Tisdale and you could see it from the first game he played with us. We love to have him here. He’s a hard worker, he’s a good kid, and I think he’s going to be huge going forward for us.”

Holtby also talks about the leadership group, starting with the captain Frei. With a team leading eleven points, he is a force both on the ice and in the locker room.

“If there’s one guy who cares more than anybody else its Freisy.

He just brings a positive outlook on everything no matter what the situation and I think guys feed off of that.”

With the Cougars now in playoff position, for Holtby the next step is clear.

“We got to make playoffs.

That’s the goal. I think that’s number one and I think for the next games we just have to keep the same mindset and keep doing what we’re doing.”

Their next challenge comes against the fourth-ranked Mount Royal Cougars Jan. 17-18.

January 16 - January 22, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 14

sports

Cougars basketball goes 4-0 A basketball war that you learn about MEOW!

tyler meadows sports editor The Cougars continued their playoff push this weekend with a home matchup against the Brandon Bobcats. The Bobcats came into Regina featuring one of the weakest teams in Canada West so both Cougar teams found it imperative to get a sweep and continue to establish themselves as playoff teams.

The Cougar women absolutely destroyed Brandon in both games. Winning 91-48 in the first game, the women took a small lead into the half before burying the Brandon team in the second half. Michaela Kleisinger was brilliant recording her third triple-double of the season with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. Even more amazing, she shot 80 per cent from the field and only had one turnover. Even against weak competition this level of play is what should be expected of Kleisinger as the team needs her to play at a high level to move forward in the playoffs.

Alexi Rowden, Faith Reid, Micaela Crone, and Ella Farthing all had double-digit efforts chipping into the blowout. Rowden also collected a double-double with 14 rebounds along with playing solid defence recording a block and a steal.

In the second game the Cougars used a strong first half to blow out the Bobcats once again.

The Cougars jumped out to a 2911 lead and leaned on their halfcourt defence to get the win. On Friday Brandon turned the ball over quite a bit but cut it down in the second game so the Cougars forced Brandon to shoot 30 per cent from the field. On offence

the Cougars used a well-balanced attack, having six players score in double figures and Rowden, Kleisinger, and Zoe Hartmann getting double-digit rebounds as well. The Cougars played a really great game moving the ball well and competing hard on defence.

Adam Jones who was at the games this weekend had this to say about the team’s effort.

“The ladies played super well against a clearly weaker opponent, but those are the games that you must win. The Canada West division is so competitive and the ladies have not had a full squad really this whole year, so it really shows that they are a playoff team and if they can play at a high level against the top end competition like U of S, they could surprise some people.”

Jones is highly optimistic of the teams chances and loves what coach Taylor brings to the table.

“Coach Taylor is excellent, he has high expectations of the girls, but he is also fair to them and I think he does his best to put players in the right positon to succeed. I thought he could have played his bench a bit more but he is working with a limited bench already so you understand he is working with whatever he can.”

The Cougars have a bye next week so will not have any games to keep you entertained, while they prepare for the Manitoba Bisons on the road.

The men got a bit more of a fight from the Bobcats, but ultimately beat them 94-82 on Friday night. After the first quarter it really wasn’t much of a game as the Cougars took complete control.

They got most of their offence from 3 players: Greishe Clerjuste, Carter Millar, and Brayden Kuski

Ben Berger

U of R defends Home Court

scoring 22, 20, and 18 respectively. Thankfully for the U of R they hard three scorers compared to the efforts of Haashim Wallace and Anthony Tsegakele who ran the offence for the Bobcats with 31 and 25. Wallace also had active hands on defence swiping 7 steals! The Cougars really did their damage from behind the 3-point line, knocking down 13: nearly half of their field goals.

In the second game the men almost blew it as they carried a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter. It was a strange ending; kind of ugly to watch, frankly, but at the end of the day the men got the W. Carter Millar continued his strong play with another double-double 21 and 11, while Clerjuste and Arinze Emeka-Anyakwo scored 14 and 10, but the Cougars had a well balanced offence getting chip ins from nearly

everyone. Jaleel Webb and Tsegakele led the Bobcats with 25 and 18. Sam Hillis scored what would be the game winner with a couple of free throws with over two minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

From there it was all defence and missed shots as the Cougars won 79-78.

Emily Thompson watched the men keenly this weekend and has this to say about the sweep.

“The first game I thought the guys played really well, they were knocking down shots competing hard on defense and really took the Bobcats out of the game from the first quarter on. I was super disappointed in their 4th quarter effort in the second game though.

They looked like they had already won the game and got a bit complacent on defense. Basketball is a game of runs and they really needed to clamp down on defense

against an inferior opponent, but I’m so thankful they got out of there with the win.”

Thompson is excited about the team making the playoffs and hopes the men can move up in the standings.

“I think this could be one of the more well-rounded teams we have had in a while, Carter is playing exceptionally well. He is a walking double-double. If the guys can make their 3-pointers they can compete with anyone, but they need to be hitting those shots against the best in the west, which will obviously be a lot tougher.”

The Cougar men will also be on a bye this weekend and will play the Bisons on the road next week.

Track and field impresses at first annual Sanderson Classic U of R track team win multiple medals this past weekend brian palaschuk sports writer The University of Regina track and field team is beginning to wind up their indoor season.

They competed at the first annual Sanderson Classic at a brand-new track at the University of Saskatchewan. The meet, which ran Jan. 10-11, featured many Canada West teams who were trying out the new surface in advance of the Canada West Championships, which U of S will be hosting on Feb. 21-22.

The team had many topthree finishes, led by Canada West cross-country rookie of the year Ron Maclean, who won both the 1000m and 1500m races. Thomas Heidl added another win in the men’s 60m hurdles, and the U of R also got a top finish on the women’s side from reigning U Sports rookie of the year, Joely Welburn. The second-year jumper led a podium sweep in the long jump where she was joined by fellow Cougars Allyson Edwards and Erika Stockhorst. Kaila Nai-

gum finished third place in the 1500m run and Stockhorst added another third-place finish in the triple jump. On the men’s side, Ret Brailsford grabbed third in the 600m, and Brayden Mytopher finished just behind Maclean in the 1500m. In the jumping events the Cougars were strong as well, where Scott Joseph and Logan Fettes combined for a two-three finish in the triple jump.

The meet was a success for the Cougars overall. They put up over 20 top-twelve U Sports ranked performances, which is the cut-off for U Sports qualifying. Although it is still early in the season, for Maclean that was a big success.

“The team did really good this weekend. Everyone was racing with grit which was exciting to watch.”

In Maclean’s own races, the highlight was a competitive 1000m run.

“It was my season opener, so I wasn’t really sure what kind of shape I was in. It was one of the most aggressive races I’ve been

U of R Athletics

U of R track team win multiple medals this past weekend

in. In those 1k’s everyone is so evenly matched, and you’re also bunched together.”

The stacked field included the 2019 Canada West gold medalist, the University of Manitoba’s Simon Berube as well as bronze medalist, the U of S’ Jared Walsh; it was a trial by fire for the rookie.

“I ended up being boxed for most of that race, which was a little nerve wracking but with about

two laps to go I saw McBride and Mytopher go up to the front. I got out of the box at 300 to go and ran as fast as I could. Berube was catching me over the home stretch but I was able to hold on.”

Maclean was also impressed by his teammates, particularly Heidl’s dominant 60m hurdles.

“He ran like a tenth of a second off U Sports auto qualifying and he beat a previous U Sports

Champ. It was an impressive run.”

The team competes again Jan. 17-18 at the Golden Bear Open in Edmoton, on the way to the Canada West Championships.

January 16 - January 22, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 15

sports

Protests banned in Tokyo 2020 Olympics for “harmony” – but whose?

IOC puts ethics in question marty grande-sherbert staff writer

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission introduced a new rule to the Olympic Charter, the document that outlines the principles and rules of the Olympic Games, in Sept. 2019. This “Rule 50,” which promotes “political neutrality” of the Olympic games, effectively prohibits any athlete or other Olympic figure from engaging in demonstration or protest during Olympic events.

In the Rule 50 guidelines, the IOC outlines their definition of “protests” or “demonstrations,” which they say are distinct from “expressions of opinion.”

A demonstration or protest, they say, can mean any display of political views through armbands or signage, any political gesture such as a bent knee or raised fist, as well as any refusal to comply with the Olympic protocol at medal ceremonies. Neutrality is a theme in the guidelines, and the IOC says “it is important, on both a personal and a global level, that we keep the venues, the Olympic Village and the podium neutral and free from any form of political, religious or ethnic demonstrations.”

The IOC adds that if there is no “political neutrality” in the Olympics, “the life’s work of the athletes around us could be tarnished,” and that “[w]hen an individual makes their grievances, however legitimate, more important than the feelings of their competitors . . .the unity and harmony . . . of sport and human accomplishment are diminished.” In short, it seems that the IOC Athletes’ Commission feels

that “political, religious or ethnic demonstrations” detract from the “true, neutral” spirit of the Olympic Games.

However, these feelings do not reflect those of all athletes; many have spoken out against the statement and its infringement on freedom of expression. Megan Rapinoe, a women’s soccer player who famously knelt during the national anthem in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, posted this statement on her Instagram: “So much being done about the protests [at sporting events]. So little being done about what we are protesting about. We will not be silenced.”

For Americans, kneeling during the anthem or at a medal ceremony is strongly associated with protesting the Trump presidency and its racist violence against Black Americans and migrants. The specific references to kneeling and raising fists in Rule 50 do not go unnoticed to these protesters, who have already faced much harassment in the media because of how they have used their platform for social justice.

Nor does Rule 50 go unnoticed for the government or people of South Korea, who months before this IOC statement directly asked the Japanese government to ban the imperialist, colonial “rising sun” flag from being flown at Olympic venues – and were told that it would not be banned. Rule 50 applies to athletes, coaches and trainers during Olympic events, but it does not serve to prevent the far right in Japan from using colonial imagery as they attend the games. Such a display would certainly, as the IOC says, “dis-

public domain

Are those rings or zeroes

rupt” the Olympics for Koreans, who still carry the effects of colonialism.

It should, in fact, be seriously considered whether it makes any sense at all to claim that sport is “fundamentally neutral” or “apolitical,” especially when it comes to the Olympics. We are talking here about an event that is founded on nationalist pride, where nations begin by displaying their flags and national anthems are played at every medal ceremony.

In what way is this not “political messaging”? Should we not, if we are actually concerned about a “neutral” event, consider the “political messages” put forward by countries such as Canada which were founded on violence against Indigenous peoples? It is clear that these are not the “political” issues covered by Rule 50, and that there is selectivity in all

concerns of “political neutrality” where the comfort of some is placed above the safety or dignity of others.

Miranda Biletski (@MirandaBiletski), a Paralympian from Regina, tweeted about the IOC’s statement and her frustration: “I still believe sport has an insanely valuable place in society. But I’ve also been on the receiving end of profit over safety numerous times.

It’s hard to love organizations that don’t care about athlete welfare.”

Indeed, truly caring for athletes and their hard work should mean allowing athletes to express injustices that threaten their lives and the lives of those in their communities. Gwen Berry, an American hammer thrower who raised her fist during the Pan Am games, expressed a similar sentiment. She said in an interview with Yahoo Sports that Rule 50 is “a form of

control . . . it’s kind of like silencing us at the biggest moment of our lives.”

The Olympics, while they may create a period of international unity and celebration of human achievement, are too easily an instrument of oppression as long as they aid in concealing and turning a blind eye to injustice.

The IOC says violations of Rule 50 will be dealt with on a caseby-case basis. As Rapinoe says, protesters “will not be silenced” by the IOC, and no doubt those with strong convictions will still express themselves in Tokyo.

Op-ed

16

Editor: taylor balfour op-ed@carillonregina.com the carillon | January 16 - January 22, 2020

Politicians who start wars aren’t leaders; they’re cowards “The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles; the master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, and the subject class has had nothing to gain and all to lose – including their lives.” – Eugene Debs Like much of the world, I learned who Quassem Soleimani was only after the Iranian general was assassinated by the United States. Like most people, I really had no idea if he was, as CNBC said, “the world’s biggest bad guy” (although I was quite certain this could not be true, as a hasty Google search confirmed that yes, Henry Kissinger continues to live and breathe, somehow defying both death and the Hague) or if he was a fierce, anti-imperialist warrior who had done more than anyone to defeat terror in the region.

But although, I didn’t know who Soleimani was, like most of the world, when I heard that the top general of Iran’s Quds Force – which is considered a terrorist organization by Canada, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, but which appears to me (a Canadian humanities major who has never served in the Armed Forces and does not respect institutional authority) to be an elite murder squad no different from the elite murder squads every other country refers to as their “special forces” or some variation thereof – had been taken out by a missile while en route to an official meeting with the Prime Minister of Iraq, my first thought was “oh fuck.”

I don’t know the rules of war (although I know it is, above all else, a business), nor do I know the ins and outs of foreign affairs. What I do know is that to use a drone to drop a missile on the top military commander of another nation while he’s on the way to an official meeting with the Prime Minister of a sovereign state is, in layman’s terms, not good.

In the more technical parlance of Iranian-American affairs expert Reza Marashi, “you don’t do it.” I don’t know the rules of war – though I know that this is not yet a war – but I know that the ripples created by this thoughtlessly thrown stone will create disturbances beyond my comprehension. They will radiate out much farther than the myopic fool who ordered it thrown can see.

I’m old enough to remember the invasion of Iraq in 2003 (don’t do the math in your head). I remember watching Ari Fleischer feed the press propaganda about WMDs with a dead-eyed conviction that former Press Secretary Sean Spicer should have taken note of. I remember the “Axis of Evil” speech, written by the Atlantic’s David Frum, then speechwriter for George W. Bush (though I did not know that then) which eased the way for the endless war in Iraq. I remember that the press ate it whole. I remember being very young and very skeptical of the establishment line. I remember knowing that people would die.

And now 17 years have passed and I am grown and I am once again watching Ari Fleischer, now a talking head, feed the press propaganda and I am once again watching the press eat it whole. I remember how George W. Bush, war-criminal-turned-elder-statesman, lied about weapons of mass destruction and how those lies were relayed uncritically to the people, and now I am watching the press repeat the White House line that Soleimani had planned four attacks on U.S. embassies uncritically to the people.

I am watching a (somewhat) repentant David Frum, miraculously born-again as

a Clinton voter and never-Trump-er, talk now about the lessons learned from the war he mongered, welcomed back to the fold, his work as a propagandist forgiven, and by many (most?), even forgotten.

I remember, and I watch, and I am angry. I am angry at these men (and the annals of foreign policy are almost exclusively populated by men) who devote their lives to sowing the seeds of war and are revered (or at least listened to) as brilliant tacticians and analysts, leaders with everything on the line, when they are actually cowards and liars and fools who play with the lives of others while sipping spritzers in the green room at CNN or over the meals they expense to the taxpayer.

They make wars that send their stocks surging while sparing their families. They affect looks of concern and deep concentration and they speak with measured words that come from deep in their chests but the truth is that the reality of war and the anguish and grief that it brings are as distant and unknowable to them as the depths of the sea.

And I am angry at the media, only a few of whom seem to have fully internalized the lessons of 2003 – that if the media doesn’t do its job, if they do not push until it hurts, leaders will lie, and people will die.

As someone who is now, in some small capacity, a member of the news media, I cannot fathom this lethal obsequiousness, this taking a pay cheque from an outlet while serving as a comms person for the government.

I don’t know the rules of war, but I know that it was Iraqis who paid – and continue to pay – for the lies of the Bush administration and the cowardice of the media who failed to stand up to him. It will be Iranians who pay for the assassination of Soleimani.

It will be civilians, like the passengers on Flight 752, whose perfectly ordinary and absolutely miraculous lives will be seized by the handful and paid as a toll so these men who understand less than even I do about the price of a war can continue to play their games. It will be the service men and women, many of them poor, many of them racialized, who will pay, who have always paid.

Fuck.

“I am angry at these men who devote their lives to sowing the seeds of war and are revered as brilliant tacticians and analysts, leaders with everything on the line, when they are actually cowards and liars and fools who play with the lives of others.” – Sara Birrell

sara birrell news editor

Courtesy of the White House

January 16 - January 22, 2020

op-ed

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

Kardashians promoting eating disorder culture Earlier in the month, Khloe Kardashian faced backlash thanks to an image she shared on social media promoting the brand Flat Tummy. This is a corporation known for various products to, you guessed it, give its users a “flat tummy,” and its primary targets are women.

The brand is notable for products such as an appetite suppressant lollipop that aim to “keep you in check” from your cravings, meal replacement shakes that are “packed with all the best things a babe could ask for” and “140 calories or less” and “detox” teas that are to “cleanse your system, support metabolism and reduce your bloating.”

Unsurprisingly, this brand has garnered a great deal of backlash from many eating disorder survivors. An anorexia survivor and Twitter user, Sophie Vershbow, posted a picture of one of Flat Tummy’s ads reading “Got cravings? Girl, tell them to #suckit” by stating: “Hey Twitter, let’s use our power for good by guilting @FlatTummyCo into taking down their Times Square billboard advertising appetite suppressants. Love, a former-anorexic teenage girl.”

This tweet, and this billboard, were posted 2018. Now, kicking off 2020, we have Khloe Kardashian promoting the brand for their “meal replacement shakes.”

This isn’t the first time the Kardashians have been caught up in such a controversy.

Also in 2018, Kim Kardashian posted on Instagram about Flat Tummy’s “literally unreal” appetite suppressant lollipops. At the time, Kim had three children, two of whom are girls.

I shouldn’t need to explain why these famous names marketing such beauty products is dangerous, but I will.

Everyone in Hollywood is gorgeous.

Hollywood prides itself on having the stereotypical formula for what makes a person “beautiful,” that being pale skin, slim figure, perfect skin, no wrinkles, and not a hair on their body apart from their head.

While an unnatural view of beauty, it has become the predominant beauty standard of recent years.

For the Kardashians specifically, they’ve been under public scrutiny countless times for trying to sell their manufactured bodies as “all natural” and suggesting that, in order to achieve their level of beauty, one needs to indulge in the products they profit off of by advertising.

In an article written for Medium, Ezinne Ukoha writes about the TV show Revenge Body With Khloe Kardashian how “the offensiveness of [the show] has to be the selling points of how motivated contenders misguidedly view the show’s star as the ideal blueprint for what they should strive for.”

“She literally stole her body parts, and keeps shelling out bundles of dough to sustain the shape that she absolutely didn’t earn in the expensive workout facilities that are paid to lie on her behalf.”

Now don’t get me wrong, if anyone wants to get plastic surgery, good on you.

Do you. Where I have a problem is when influential celebrities attempt to sell the idea to impressionable young minds that their bodies are “naturally” the way that they look and that, in order to achieve such a look, women need to subject themselves to the dangerous weight-loss and body-shaping tricks and hacks.

Selling a manufactured body as natural, and convincing people to give you money in order to achieve your same standard capitalizing off of societal “beauty norms” is sick and twisted. The Kardashians have been guilty of such a crime for years, and that’s that.

taylor balfour op-ed editor

“Selling a manufactured body as natural, and convincing people to give you money in order to achieve your same standard capitalizing off of societal “beauty norms” is sick and twisted.” – Taylor Balfour

17

January 16 - January 22, 2020

op-ed

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |18

Frozen 2 focuses on positive and influential gender empowerment

Elaine Smith Via Flickr

Growing up, fairy tales were a major part of my childhood. Now that I’m older, and still do enjoy fairy tales, I’ve come to realize that there is one problem evident in older Disney ones: many, if not all, of these films revolve around a similar plot, involving a “weak” female in some type of distress who not only needs a man to save/rescue her, but whose biggest focus seems to be on romantic love and the quest to marry “Prince Charming.”

Although these are enjoyable and entertaining stories full of wonder, excitement, imagination, and discovery, they also unfortunately portray incredibly heightened and unrealistic stereotypical gender roles. As a result, it’s extremely exciting when Disney releases a film such as Frozen 2, which not only includes two strong independent female protagonists, but also shifts the focus towards family and self-love rather than romantic love.

Even though people were impressed by Frozen’s captivating and unique storyline, which offered a creative twist on the classic fairy tale, there has been much more excitement and enthusiasm surrounding its sequel, and for good reason. Frozen 2 powerfully challenges the stereotypical gender roles that are commonly portrayed in fairy tales and in the process, sends a positive message to the younger generation.

Almost three months ago Frozen 2 was released and within this short amount of time, the film has already gained incredibly positive reviews regarding its interesting plot line and realistic animation. However, its emphasis on gender empowerment has gained the most attention, which is unsurprising considering the portrayal of gender within Frozen 2 differs greatly from usual fairy tale conventions.

Although classic fairy tales centre around romantic love that involves the female protagonist being romantically in-

terested in one individual, this situation is not the case in Frozen 2. Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) is not at all focused on or interested in romantic love. Instead, she is determined to learn about her background and discover who she is and where her powers originate. The end goal of her quest is about self-discovery, not finding “Prince Charming.” Additionally, despite Elsa’s interactions with various male characters during the film, at no point does she consider romance.

For the other female protagonist, Queen Elsa’s sister Anna (Kirsten Bell), romance also does not seem to be a major focus. At numerous times during the film, Anna’s beau, Kristoff (Jonathon Groff), attempts to propose to her. Unfortunately for Kristoff, not only are these moments always interrupted, but Anna also seems oblivious, giving more attention to her sister’s situation, rather than to Kristoff’s efforts.

It is also rather refreshing to see Elsa and Anna portrayed as strong, independent women. Instead of waiting around for a man’s help, as is normally the case in Disney fairy tales, they are fearless, heading straight into the unknown, willing and prepared to fight whatever danger awaits them. As a result, their success is due to their own efforts, with only minor help from male characters.

These scenarios demonstrate a significant deal of female empowerment and contain a very positive message for young girls: that it is okay for women to be strong, independent and uninterested in romantic love. When young girls watch this film, they realize that there is nothing wrong with working for their own success, and that being female in no way limits skills or capabilities. Young girls are also shown that oftentimes there are other things in life that are just as, if not more, important than romantic love. Unfortunately, this message

has never, or at least very limitedly, been expressed in a Disney fairy tale until now.

Additionally, Frozen 2 challenges the very rigid depiction of male characters in previous Disney fairy tale films in two explicit ways. Firstly, the male lead is always regarded as the hero who dramatically saves the day, or at least the girl. However, in Frozen 2, this scenario is not the case for Kristoff.

In one scene with an intense battle involving Anna, even though Kristoff comes to help, he doesn’t try to take over.

Instead, he offers his support in whatever way is needed by saying, “I’m here, what do you need?” This simple line is incredibly impressive because not only does it break away from the usual fairy tale conventions, but it also shows that men don’t always have to be the hero. Girls are just as capable at saving the day.

Secondly, although Kristoff’s offer of support to Anna is quite revolutionary (especially for a Disney fairy tale), even more impressive is how his emotions are embraced. At one point in the film, Kristoff wonders if Anna and his relationship is meant to be, since it seems as if fate keep negatively intervening. This results in his beautiful but powerful 1980s rock ballad “Into the Woods” with lyrics such as, “When did I become the one who’s always chasing your heart?” “Where am I, if we’re not together . . . forever?” and “Wondering if you’re still the one,” Kristoff expresses love, confusion and a sense of feeling lost and alone.

This new emphasis on a man’s emotion is extremely beneficial. Boys are often taught that “real men don’t talk about their emotions.” Unfortunately, these ideas are reinforced in mainstream media, including previous Disney fairy tale films which gloss over or simply ignore a male character’s deeper emotions. However, Frozen 2 chal-

lenges this very unrealistic and toxic perception of masculinity, showing boys that it is okay to have, acknowledge and express their emotions.

Frozen 2 is a powerful film with its unique and unconventional, but incredibly positive demonstrations of gender. While it’s sad that it has taken so long to change these rigid gender perceptions in Disney fairy tale films, hopefully future fairy tale films from Disney will learn from Frozen 2’s example, in order to create movies which also have a significant and positive influence on the younger generation.

elisabeth sahlmueller staff writer

“Young girls are also shown that oftentimes there are other things in life that are just as, if not more, important than romantic love.” – Elisabeth Sahlmueller

Humour

19

Editor: taylor balfour humour@carillonregina.com the carillon | January 16 - January 22, 2020

graphics

20

Editors: sarah carrier, morgan ortman, kate thiessen graphics@carillonregina.com the carillon | January 16 - January 22, 2020