Volume 62 Issue 21

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

issac adelouwa atayero

a&c writer

Janna wood

sports writer

brian palaschuk

web writer

julia peterson contributors matthew thomson, gian anasarias, haley klassen,

Vol. 62

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

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 place 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.

The People’s Friend; the Tyrant’s Foe

The University of Regina Students’ Newspaper Since 1962 March 5 - March 18, 2020 | Volume 62, Issue 21 | carillonregina.com

news

cover

On Feb. 26 Indigenous students invited members of the campus community to a round dance in the AdHum building.

The round dance was in response to the university’s handling of the events surrounding the Woodrow Lloyd lecture.

Tracie Leost and other students spoke about their experiences on campus and the ways in which the university’s actions have affected them.

news

arts

Treatment for depression P.4

Travel restrictions

P.6

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a treatment option for those struggling with alternative methods. The treatment is availble in Regina and is approved by the FDA and Health Canada

The Canadian government has issued a travel advisorys in response to the coronavirus ouutbreak. The University of Regina has also issued travel restrictions.

op-ed

sports

Canadian Women

P.7

This women’s day in a&c we look at a couple (of the many) extrodinary women in Canada. Be they activist, or artist there’s lots to celebrate.

op-ed

photos

cover...................................... jeremy davis news............................................. pixabay news............................................. pixabay a&c.............................................. pixabay sports....................................... sarah hoag op-ed.................................... haley klassen op-ed............................................ pixabay

Curling domination

P.11

Both curling teams came home from the Can. West Championships with glory. The women’s team earing silver and the men bronze.

This university kills

P.15

Editor-in-Chief John Loeppky calls out the blatant ignorance, complacency, and incompetence that plaugues the insitutions governing the university.

Mental health

P.18

Taylor Balfour agrues that a societal failure to tackle serious mental health issues underlines other social ills. She argues her points by examining the media’s treatment of Caroline Flack.

News

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Editor: sara birrell news@carillonregina.com the carillon | March 5 - March 18, 2020

Round dance held to remind administration who they harmed with Clarke invitation Indigenous students disrupt executive meeting in call for solidarity and support marty grande-sherbert staff writer Content notice: This article contains brief discussions of experiences with anti-Indigenous violence.

On Feb. 26, the University of Regina held an executive meeting in the board room of the Administration Humanities building from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. One of the objects on the agenda of that meeting was a letter, signed by 30 U of R faculty, criticizing the administration’s lack of engagement with the Indigenous community of this campus surrounding the events of the Woodrow Lloyd lecture. In words that echoed those spoken at the “We Speak” event at First Nations University several weeks ago, the letter read that there had been a “breakdown of trust and reciprocity” between the university and the communities it is meant to serve. Notably, the letter also read at the bottom that there were at least four faculty members who wanted to sign but could not do so publicly because they feared repercussions that would affect their career.

While this meeting went on, another event was taking place five floors directly below it, in the Ad Hum pit where students gather each day. A public round dance was organized by several students. This included honorary First Nations Student Association member Karlene Pruden from Little Saskatchewan First Nation, and social work third-year Tracie Leost, a Métis woman from Treaty 1, who is also a recipient of the Youth Métis Indspire Award. Indigenous students and their allies were invited to come to the pit for the dance at 2:30 via posters put up around campus that week.

The purpose of the gathering was to “support the students, faculty

members and larger campus community excluded from [the invitation of George Elliott Clarke to the lecture].” There was also a second purpose: to let Indigenous students know that they are not alone while facing systemic racism in post-secondary education, on their own territories.

“Throughout this entire situation [with George Elliott Clarke],” said Leost, “the Indigenous voices on campus have been silenced, ignored, [and] pushed out.” The invitation of George Elliott Clarke should have involved more consultation, her speech argued, as G.E.C. was “not known to the community” on Treaty 4. She added her disappointment at Faculty of Arts dean Dr. Richard Kleer’s apology to G.E.C. (as first reported by CBC), without an apology to the Indigenous community, and said that to speak of a battle between academic freedom and Indigenization is “a slap in the face.”

“We are not playing victims in this situation,” she said, “but if we were, G.E.C. would not be [the victim]. He does not need an apology.”

However, the frustration and momentum behind this event was not by any means only about one incident. There was a clear continuation of an age-old conversation about Indigenous people in settler post-secondary institutions, which Leost said her people “were never meant to enter.” Colonial education was a tool for the killing of Indigenous people and their cultures.

“You walk in these halls, there is no representation of Indigenous people ... you’re forced to defend your existence in the classroom, you’re tokenized, you’re alone ... and at the same time, you’re trying to get an education and hold on to your Indigeneity.”

According to research Leost undertook which earned her the Indpride Award, 45 per cent of Indigenous students experienced racism on their university campuses and 51 per cent said that the classroom was the least safe place for them and their identity.

Describing the Indigenous student’s experience as one of a “less romantic knight in armour,” she said “you have to be bulletproof in these halls.”

Karlene Pruden also spoke, on behalf of the First Nations Student Association, about the realities of anti-Indigenous violence that are brought to light when people such as Pamela George’s killer, who worked with G.E.C., are centered. “Me being here [on Treaty 4 territory] makes me known as a statistic. I get told to be careful ... I get told to aim high, but not too high. I get told to follow my dreams, but not too far from home.” The focus shifted away from administration, the lecture, and its media circus, and toward the Indigenous students’ concerns and their right to be safe and supported on campus.

“We’re occupying space that is rightfully ours,” Leost said. “We deserve better.”

In an online interview with the Carillon, Leost spoke further, encouraging those who spoke about “academic freedom to imagine Indigenous students’ perspective. “Imagine struggling to walk in two worlds ... being away from your family community and culture in attempt to receive an education only to be degraded by the school you ‘belong in.’ Imagine opening social media to find people threatening to shoot you for speaking the truth.

Imagine sitting in a lecture after Colten Boushie was murdered, and having a student look you in the eye and openly tell you “my

daddy would’ve shot you too” ... and having no one defend you.

Imagine what is like to be 12 times more likely to be murdered simply because you are an Indigenous woman. Imagine having to defend your existence while being tokenized in the classroom regularly. That is vilifying.”

Leost also thanked the faculty once more for their support, as well as those on campus who spoke out and came to events like “We Speak” at FNU. “It has been eye-opening and disappointing to watch this university fail to do the right thing ... however, I am extremely appreciative of the larger campus community who have come together to hold the university accountable and continue to show support towards Indigenous students, faculty members and the larger campus community. We have some pretty incredible allies on this campus who we will forever be grateful for. I am proud of the Indigenous students and faculty members who have courageously chosen to stand up and speak up regardless of how difficult it may be.”

When asked what students and the larger campus could do to support Indigenous people throughout their education, Leost said, “Being an ally to me means always supporting but never leading. We could use a lot more of that on campus ... when students see and hear racist and problematic comments made in class or on campus, students have a responsibility to have a conversation with those peers and remind them that kind of behaviour is not okay. It is not up to Indigenous students to do this work alone,” she emphasized, having spoken at the round dance about the intense work Indigenous people do to support their communities, “putting out

fire after fire…. Administration, staff and students can always show up at events to support students…. It is really difficult for us to be on guard 24/7, and it helps knowing others are checking in on us.”

As for whether or not Leost and other organizers felt their message was heard by administration that day, Leost said that she “was told ... the drums were so loud that those in the meeting had to shout to be heard, so they definitely heard us.” She also referred to a comment from Jérôme Melançon, a faculty member: “The drums from the round dance happening below were heard in the meeting room, and Melançon noted it was a good reminder that the university needs to acknowledge the Treaty 4 territory it sits on. [The drum is] the heartbeat, and so if we’re going to talk about reconciliation and Indigenization, we have to continue hearing those voices, he said. But, if we’re referring to whether or not the administration is hearing and listening to our concerns, I think the answer is no ... considering there has been no statement, apology or accountability on behalf of the university, it only further amplifies our message.”

At the end of the round dance, Leost led the students and others gathered in the pit to repeat a prepared affirmation loudly, so it could be heard by the executive meeting. The words were these: “We will not make ourselves smaller to make others more comfortable. We will take up space, we will stand up, we will speak up, and we will fight back.

Always.” She also thanked settler allies for coming to the event, and having “the very uncomfortable conversations” associated with accountability.

“We will not make ourselves smaller to make others more comfortable. We will take up space, we will stand up, we will speak up, and we will fight back.

Always.” – Tracie Leost

Jeremy Davis

Students gathered to call administration to account

March 5 - March 18, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 4

news

How I learned to stop worrying and love the magnet

Brain magnets versus depression sara birrell news editor I have medication-resistant depression, the kind that petulantly refuses to be treated – or to remain treated long – by SSRIs or SNRIs or tricyclics. The past two years have been my longest period without a recurrence since I was a teenager (the rest of those years were spent either trying new medications or else just “winging it,” which I don’t recommend). All of my greatest discoveries happened in those two years, all of my most exciting becomings happened in those two years, but for the past seven or eight months, I’ve been living in a fog. It’s harder this time, because although depression is familiar enough now as to be almost companionate, I have so much more to lose.

Those who have gone through it will know that being treated for depression is, among many, many other things, supremely irritating.

It is an aggravating process of slowly increasing the dosages of medications, waiting to see if they work, and then, when they don’t, tapering back down and restarting the whole process again with a new drug. Sertraline, fluoxetine,

citalopram, venlafaxine. Four to six weeks of building, two to four weeks of waiting, four to six weeks of tapering, repeat. Sometimes they just don’t work. Other times they come with a laundry list of horrendous side effects (depression hurts, Cymbalta can help. But it will also hurt, so you know, roll the dice I guess).

I am impatient. I want more for my life than this Sisyphean task. It is simply not good enough, especially not now, not after I have experienced a real remission and seen how good life can be. So when my psychiatrist suggests one day that instead of another three months of trying a new medication, we put a large magnetic coil on the front left hand side of my skull so it can send electromagnetic pulses into the part of my brain that so often feels empty and dead, I don’t hesitate. Let’s waste this thing.

Dr. Yanbo Zhang, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine, who is not involved in my treatment, said that the procedure my doctor recommended, called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been around since the 80s, in several forms, although it wasn’t

approved by the FDA and Health Canada as a treatment for major depressive disorder until 2005.

Less invasive than its cousin, electroconvulsive therapy – which Zhang said I might know “from the movies, that looks quite scary” – TMS is typically reserved for people whose major depressive disorder hasn’t responded well to medication and psychotherapy. The general premise is that short, intense bursts of magnetic pulses will stimulate neurons and improve the functioning of the brain. Right now, Saskatchewan is one of only four* provinces that covers the treatment in its general health plan. “Access is limited,” Zhang told me. There are only three machines in Saskatchewan, two in Regina and one in Saskatoon.

The day of my consultation, the psychiatrist who oversees the TMS – different from my regular one – has me watch a three-minute YouTube video about the woman who played Leisl in Sound of Music and had TMS to treat her depression. The doctor is ill and he sneezes into the crook of his elbow while sliding his MacBook across the desk so I can watch and for some reason I think about Ebola.

“I want Liesl’s backyard and her bungalow. Or, perhaps more accurately, I want the kind of functioning brain that leads to backyards and bungalows.” – Sara Birrell

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

TMS can be a treatment for depression that is resistant to medication

In the beginning of the video, Liesl – whose real name is Charmian – is fragile and trembling, like a broken bird. She flips through photo albums from when she was young and happy and twirling in the Alps with Julie Andrews and singing about love with a blonde Nazi named Rolfe. By the end she is pert and smiley, lacing up a pair of clean white running shoes so she can show the interviewer the garden in the backyard of her bungalow. I want Liesl’s backyard and her bungalow. Or, perhaps more accurately, I want the kind of functioning brain that leads to backyards and bungalows.

After the video, the congested doctor gives me a release to sign, which strikes me as funny. TMS has few side effects, the most common of which is headache, although according to Zhang, it can cause seizures in those who already have seizure disorders.

Meanwhile I never had to sign a release for the medications whose potential side effects were intrusive thoughts of suicide, chronic anxiety, insomnia, weight gain, weight loss, sexual dysfunction, kidney damage, and – I cannot stress this enough – compulsive gambling.

During the consultation I am repeatedly asked if I have any metal in my skull, as though a steel plate or bolt in my head might have slipped my mind the first time I was asked. I say no all three times, and they are eventually satisfied that the magnet will not send some errant piece of metal on a catastrophic tear through the soft, pink lobes of my brain.

The Friday before treatment starts, I am assigned a white fabric cap. It is $25 and my only outof-pocket expense. Zhang said that in the provinces where TMS is not covered by the general health plan – that is, everywhere but Alberta*, Saskatchewan, Yukon and Quebec – every session costs $80-100. At twenty to thirty sessions, that’s up to $3000. It’s a stark reminder that even though this country ostensibly has Medicare for all, the quality and kind of treatment you get is largely dependent on where you live.

And in the U.S., it’s even worse. There the average cost for TMS is $12,000 to $15,000.

I’m not sure if that includes the $25 cap. Zhang said that along with limited access, the cost is a large part of why the treatment isn’t offered more frequently, even though it has minimal side effects and about one third of people who receive it experience a full remission. He adds that it’s still cheaper than psychotherapy.

Before I can start, the LPN who administers the treatment, Paul, measures my skull and draws all over the cap with a Sharpie. I want to make a joke about calipers, but I’m afraid he won’t get it, or worse, he’ll get it, but he won’t think it’s funny.

I keep my mouth shut instead and it is a rare win for silence.

At least, I’m silent. Paul likes to talk, and he thinks he’s funny.

This is relatable because I, too,

think that I am funny. Paul thinks I should take up hookah to relax, but he tells me this “as a friend, not a nurse.” Later I will have to scrub my head to get rid of the blooms of ink left behind when the Sharpie bled through my cap.

The Mayo Clinic website says that TMS is painless, but this is a bald lie. There is a painful, staticky hammering above my left eye, like an electrified woodpecker has chosen to roost there. I roll my tongue up so I don’t bite down on it when my jaws clack together from the spasms each of the twenty separate pulses send radiating through my skull. The machine clicks in my left ear. It’s deeply uncomfortable but the treatment only lasts for three minutes. I go into the clinic every day at 9:30 and I am done before 9:40.

Even though I’ve been through this before, and even though I’ve come out on the other side every time, there is still an awful, gut-wrenching terror that this is it – my mind is irreparably broken. It is difficult to keep myself from falling into despair and I don’t always succeed. Allowing a machine to hammer magnetic pulses into the part of my brain that so often feels empty and dead seems farcical. At home, I Google Liesl to see if the treatment worked and find out she died of frontotemporal dementia four years ago. Sometimes I don’t feel anything and sometimes I want to die with such ferocity that it steals my breath.

But I can’t die now, I’ve already committed to the bit.

Instead, I wait and I hope for something I’m not even sure exists. I’m not prepared for the day when something in me flips like a switch in the middle of the afternoon and suddenly I’m breathing again.

I repot my ivies and sing along to “Goodbye Earl,” and when it gets to the part where the girls buy some land and a roadside stand out on highway oneoh-nine, I tear up because it’s so beautiful. One day at treatment Paul tells me that it is like a light has come back on in my eyes and I feel that. Later that evening my friend and I laugh until people stare and I am myself for the first time in months and when I get home I write this paragraph that I hadn’t expected to write when I first started this story three weeks ago.

It’s all routine and unremarkable and unspeakably beautiful and while there’s still far to go, it doesn’t seem like it’s too much to ask that it could stay like this for awhile. *Zhang said that Alberta does not have the treatment, however the province had plans to begin funding TMS in 2019.

As of press time, Alberta Health has not responded to request for comment, and the Government of Saskatchewan has no jurisdictional scans.

March 5 - March 18, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 5

news

Emily Eaton continues to question the university’s stance on private research Professor has her day in court

adeoluwa atayero news writer

Emily Eaton had her day in the court for her ongoing case against the University of Regina on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Eaton took the U of R to court after the university refused to provide her with information she requested about the agency funding oil and gas research at the school. Dan LeBlanc, Eaton’s lawyer, argued at the Regina’s Court of Queen’s Bench that his client’s request is valid because it contains information that would benefit the general populace. According to LeBlanc, citizens are unable to discuss the benefits, or otherwise, of the fossil fuel business on Saskatchewan’s educational system because they do not have adequate information. LeBlanc proposed that freedom of information requests are important to the identity of democracy in the province.

Defending the university was Erin Kleisinger, who stated that the university has refused to change its stance on the case to ensure that the institution’s workspace remains competitive and secure. Kleisinger noted that by revealing the names of the project’s funders, academic freedom could be jeopardized as a result of the project’s controversial nature.

The university, however, did not offer any definition of academic freedom and relied on affidavits

“It is about making progress in the right direction and Dr. Eaton is showing us how to fight for that.” – Adeoluwa Atayero Morgan Ortman

U of R: Academic freedom, but only on their terms

from the Head of Access to Information and the Protection of Privacy, Glenys Sylvestre, Vice President of Research, Kathleen McNutt, and Director for Research, Innovation and Partnerships, Sally Gray.

“We were trying to make the argument that an absence of a robust definition of academic freedom makes it hard to know whether their opinions should be elevated to the status of the law,” said Eaton.

Eaton, who remains unconvinced about the university’s de-

fence, worries that the university’s policy on the issue is sending a dangerous message to the rest of the world. It is particularly a matter of concern to Eaton that despite the plethora of options available to a private institution to carry out a discreet study, they have chosen to do so at a public institution.

“I think the university is maintaining some weak arguments. I hope it was clear to the judge that it is actually the private research that is more harmful to academic freedom.” Eaton said

after her court case.

Granted the busy schedule of the court, the judge will most likely make her final verdict sometime this summer. Regardless of what the verdict turns out to be, Eaton’s act of tenacity has and will continue to inspire students and staff of the university and beyond. Sepase Tersoo-Gwaza, a fourth-year student in the university’s department of geography and environmental studies, is one of those who supports Eaton’s effort.

“I think Dr. Eaton is showing

students a good example to follow by living the passion for her work.

I’ve been privileged to take a class with her, so I am not surprised by her fight for transparency nor her tenacity. She truly walks the talk and that’s the kind of character which brings about progress in the world. It is about making progress in the right direction and Dr. Eaton is showing us how to fight for that.”

March 5 - March 18, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 6

news

Canadian government issues level two travel advisory due to coronavirus

University of Regina also enforces their own travel restrictions

Pixabay

The virus’ unfortunate complications include cases of racism and paranoia.

adeoluwa atayero news writer The Government of Canada has officially issued a level 2 travel advisory in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). The advisory is especially targeted to those who have travelled to South Korea and/or northern Italy, where there have been multiple cases of the virus.

Although risk to University of Regina students is very low, in an official communication sent to the university’s community, Director of Health, Safety and Wellness, Darren Cherwaty, mentioned the different ways the university is being proactive during this time.

“Effective immediately, all travel to these areas (including previously approved travel that has not yet occurred) by faculty, researchers, staff and students that the University is funding or sponsoring will require the Dean’s approval of the COVID-19 Travel Risk Assessment Form and must include a risk mitigation plan that addresses the precautions identified by the Government of Canada. This approval process will be in place until the travel advisories are lifted or updated. Personal travel is at the discretion of the individual, but you are strongly encouraged to pay attention to the travel advisories,” Cherwaty said.

This news follows the university’s January announcement

that it was cancelling all travel to China for the next three months.

The university is not the only body of authority seeking to take precautionary steps against the virus. The Saskatchewan provincial government is also actively preparing for the worst although the risk remains significantly low. As of the time of this publication, there were no confirmed COVID-19 cases in the province.

During a session with media, Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer, discussed the plans being put in place by the provincial government in the event of an outbreak.

“We already plan for that surge every year in winter, but now we have to plan for a surge that may be a bit higher. We all have this fear factor of COVID-19 as a new virus, but if it was to come here, for most of us it would be just a respiratory virus that makes us sick for a few days and then we’re better,” Shahab said.

One possible result of a virus outbreak, however, is a racialized panic about transmission between people, which can result in verbal, and even physical assault. There have been alleged – though not confirmed – cases of verbal assault against students of Asian descent on the university’s campus related to the coronavirus, including a number of rumours of infected students from China. Those claims were proven

unfounded by campus administration. An incident reportedly took place in one of the campus residences over the reading week where a student and their family were verbally assaulted by other students. Victor Oriola, president of University of Regina Students’ Union, had this to say about the incident: “URSU condemns in the strongest terms possible, any discrimination or violence either physically, emotionally, or verbally against any of our members.

Our campus is an accommodating and inclusive space, and discrimination has no place on our campus.”

The U of R, however, is not an anomaly when it comes to cases of racism, fear and discrimination as it relates to the virus. Universities all over North America are dealing with issues of racism and misinformation, whether it is fake social media posts claiming that students of Ryerson University in Toronto have been admitted because of the virus or a student of McMaster University going into self-isolation because of display of coronavirus-like symptoms. The same is the case in the U.S., where students at the University of California, Santa Barbara started a petition to suspend classes and there have been multiple reports of aggression against some Asian students.

These blatant examples of racism

have reminded some of the Sinophobia shown during the Sars outbreak of the mid 2000s.

While navigating the murky waters of a potential pandemic is no walk in the park, a case can be made that these educational institutions can do more to show and provide support for their Asian students during this time. Racism related to coronavirus is a widespread problem that has fuelled an increase in anti-Chinese posts and comments on social media.

Ziyang Zeo Li, a third-year student from the U of R’s Department of Psychology, says that while he has not personally experienced any racism as a result of the virus, he has experienced instances where students ask him about information related to the virus (Editor’s note: please save your questions about coronavirus for your doctor, or for Dr. Google). Li also said that many of his friends have experienced racist encounters spurring from the virus and also noted that the cancellation of the Chinese New Year festivities should have been handled better.

“I do not think the school has done enough to show support to the Asian students in the face of the coronavirus. They have made announcements, but it did not help that much. There should be info sessions or maybe even posters around campus, but they have not done anything about it. We

even had to cancel Chinese New Year night because of rumours around campus which was very bad,” Li said.

Other racialized students, however, are making a point to stand with their Asian friends during this trying time. One of those students is film’s Victoria Angya.

“It is unfortunate that the outbreak of the coronavirus has unwittingly served as an avenue for racism against Chinese students. As a Nigerian, I remember the vitriol that we were subjected to during the Ebola crisis and that makes me even more empathetic.

People need to be educated and sensitized on both the virus and racism and remember that every student belongs here but racism doesn’t.”

During this time, it is critical to remain grounded with the facts and to refrain from sharing any information that is not from a verified source. Symptoms of the virus include fever, runny nose, cough, headaches and sore throats. The virus has also been reported to mostly affect elderly people or those who are likewise immunocompromised. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 2.4 per cent of the 75,465 reported cases as of February 20 were detected in people 18 years of age or under.

“People need to be educated and sensitized on both the virus and racism and remember that every student belongs here but racism doesn’t.” – Victor Angya

Arts & Culture

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Editor: ethan butterfield aandc@carillonregina.com the carillon | March 5 - March 18, 2020

Canadian women making moves in art & activism Have you heard their names? janna wood a&c writer International Women’s Day is fast approaching, and Canadians have much to be proud of this year. Canadian women and girls continue to lead in the steady struggle toward universal gender equality in our nation and abroad – what’s more, we’re doing it with a level of persistence and passion that’s impossible to deny. As we look forward to the annual celebrations (and protests) on March 8, it’s only right that we take a closer look at them.

Autumn Peltier stood unshakingly behind a black podium, microphone poised and audience attentive as she glanced down at her speech. Taking in the 15-yearold’s composure, one might assume she was speaking to friends and fellow classmates from her Wiikwemkoong First Nation high school on Manitoulin Island, but Peltier is no ordinary Ontario teen. September, 2019 found her at New York City’s United Nations (U.N.) headquarters, greeting over 400 international attendees and nearly 10,000 livestream viewers worldwide first in French, then Ojibwe, then English. Her easy self-assurance comes as no surprise to those familiar with her activist journey: since first addressing the 0U.N in 2018, her profile as an internationally recognized water defender continues to grow.

“I’m not happy with the decisions you’ve made for my people,” the Anishinaabe teen reports telling Justin Trudeau at the 2017 meeting of the Assembly of First Nations, while gifting him a traditional copper water vessel on behalf of her people.

“I understand that,” the Prime Minister allegedly responded.

But Peltier is growing up, and patience for political understanding without action is wearing thin among supporters of her message.

“We can’t eat money or drink oil,” she reminds us, and she’s not the only youth taking elder generations to task. In January of this year, the three-time International Children’s Peace Prize nominee joined other environmental activists Greta Thunberg, Natasha Mwansa, and Salvador Gomez-Colon at Davos to remind international leaders of what our youngest generations cannot forget: the threat posed by climate change is real, it’s urgent, and

Pixabay

Women’s day events mean looking at youth and their movement

Canada is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the globe. If you didn’t before, now you know: Maclean’s Magazine got it right this year. Ashinibek Nation’s adolescent Chief Water Commissioner has earned her top spot in their list of Canadians to watch in 2020 – and, undoubtedly, in the years to come as well.

“Let’s get on the same page everyone (accents or not): Maitreyi /my-tray-yee/.”

This (much appreciated) pinned post greets me below a charming duet of photos as I scour Maitreyi Ramakrishnan’s Twitter profile. In one, she smiles widely as though mid-laugh. In the other, Michael Scott (of The Office, as played by Steve Carell) stares into the middle-distance, face arranged in an all-too-familiar expression of resigned miff. If not for the shout-outs from boss and pal Mindy Kaling, or the retweeted articles boasting the 18-year-old Mississaugan’s name, Ramakrishnan’s feed might read like any other’s. But, seemingly overnight, the young poster of GIFs, music videos, and political activist content has become the subject of much anticipatory Hol-

lywood buzz.

Hand-picked out of 15,000 hopefuls by Kaling herself, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan scored the starring role of 15-year-old Devi in Never Have I Ever, a semi-autobiographical 10-episode series based on Kaling’s upbringing.

Set to drop on Netflix sometime this year, the recent high school graduate answered a social media-based casting call for South Asian women at the urging of her best friend.

“I do owe her big time for helping me out,” the young Tamil-Canadian told Elle Canada.

Although the pressure of being plucked from anonymity and thrust into Hollywood fame can hardly be fathomed by those outside the spotlight, Ramakrishnan remains determined to stay grounded in authenticity. On her nerves throughout the audition process, she remarks, “I kept reminding myself to be true to who I am. That’s what made them like me in the first place ... now, whenever I doubt myself, I remember they picked me for a reason, so I must be doing something right.”

If such strength of character seems surprising for a woman

of her age, one has only to scroll through her social media to discover the places where this tenacious spirit was honed. The young actress lent her voice to social and civic causes long before lending her voice to exclusive Netflix scripts. Ramakrishnan participated in April 2019’s Student Walk-out protest, voicing her dissatisfaction with Doug Ford’s cuts to education alongside students across Ontario. In November of the same year, she encouraged readers of Brown Girl Magazine to “do their civic duty” by staying abreast of political issues and most importantly, to vote, calling the power of the ballot “that one teardrop that can start a whole storm.”

The journey to self-confidence is often fraught for any teen, let alone one whose previous acting experience consists solely of high school drama class, plays, and musicals. Yet, despite growing up without many female South Asian stars to look up to, Ramakrishnan is determined to expand diversity in media representation as she dreams of her future in entertainment.

“You don’t see what you want

in the media or in the world in general, you should go out there and be that change and take up that space,” she asserts in an interview with CBC last summer.”Go after your dreams. Don’t stop for anyone.”

This weekend, let’s remember to raise our glasses, our ballots, our signs, and our voices to the power of ordinary Canadian women who do extraordinary things. May we love them, may we support them, and may we be them.

“As we look forward to the annual celebrations (and protests) on March 8, it’s only right that we take a closer look at them.” – Janna Wood

March 5 - March 18, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

arts & culture

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“Hell Yes I Can!” Entrepreneur Krista Bannan Celebrates one year of Be Nice Yoga Co.

Yoga studio brings peace to the Queen City

janna wood a&c writer When I first call Krista Bannan, it’s a Friday night. I know from stalking her social media that she’s just recently returned from Cuba and I cross my fingers, praying she picks up the phone. Later on, we laugh about her bleary, clearly-just-woke-up response to my call.

“I was like, was that a dream?

I had no clue, I was so out to lunch”.

It’s precisely this ultra approachable, no-pretense vibe that initially drew me to Krista’s yoga studio. (That, and her intentionally accessible pricing-- Be Nice Yoga Co. stands for reducing accesibility barriers wherever possible).

A serene little space tucked inside an eclectic 8th Avenue building, the design of the Be Nice studio feels, to me, like a deep breath in and out. A vintage west-facing window offers magnificent views of Regina’s city sprawl by day, breathtaking Saskatchewan sunsets by night.

Exposed brick meets clean white walls, the high wood-paneled ceilings a beautiful canvas for any roving eyes during savasana.

Courtesy of Krista Bannan

Bannan brings a wealth of experience to her studio

It is here, on Saturday, March 7, that Krista will host her muchloved business’s first birthday party. I called her that Monday to get the full details – from how she got here and what she’s learned, to exactly what kind of cookies she’s getting catered for the event.

We spoke for a truly wonderful hour (four times longer than I’d anticipated – oops!) [Editor’s Note: Better than being four times shorter], but alas, I’ve cut it down to the essentials for brevity’s sake. Should that audio never see the light of day, I’ll summarize my take-aways here: This woman seriously rocks.

As a longtime hobby- yogi, I love exploring the myriad yoga practices our Queen City has to offer. At Krista’s studio, however, I feel most at home. The environment she cultivates with each Be Nice Yoga class holds space for all bodies at all levels of experience.

The calm seems so effortless that I had to ask-- had she been raised this way? Had she ever been a yoga newbie, a spiritual skeptic?

“Honestly I’ve been really quirky & different my whole life.

I just didn’t know how to channel that energy, but I always did

unconventional things. I wasn’t into sports, I was into more artsy sort of stuff. So I always had that underlying energy about myself. [But] it wasn’t until 2013 that I actually saw a doctor-- I was struggling with panic attacks and anxiety and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. He actually recommended I incorporate some spiritual practice and yoga into my life. He was like I don’t feel like you need medication, I don’t think you need intensive therapy, I think you just need to slow down a little bit.”

Laughing, she admitted that at first she thought he was “a quack”. “ I was like, are you serious?

I come here for help and you just tell me to go, right? But I obviously needed that in my life and I look back now and it’s like, I can only imagine the state I’d be in if I didn’t take that advice. I’m just so grateful for that doctor. I’ll never forget that advice.

Discovering trust, she says, was exactly what she needed.

Trusting that everything will be okay, even if it seems impossible at the moment. Trusting that a greater purpose and a plan is at

work, even if one never fully understands what the plan entails.

As a self- identified Type-A person, she confesses that letting go of control was incredibly challenging at first. Her voice deepens slightly, vocal cords seeming to relax as she remembers the feeling of epiphany.

“That was ultimately the most freeing reality I’ve ever experienced.”

In addition to this weekend’s anniversary, Be Nice Yoga Co. recently announced a collaboration with the Cornwall Centre. Each week in March, Krista will lead up to 30 participants in free Wellness Wednesday yoga classes over the lunch hour. Mall-goers are encouraged to bring a mat and a water bottle, leaving behind the mental and physical strains of the workweek through an enjoyable 45-minute practice. Participants can look forward to returning to the grind with a refreshed state of mind and a looser, happier body.

The timing could not be more perfect, either. As she looks forward to hosting three free classes at the event this weekend (some spots still available as of Monday evening!), Be Nice Yoga Co. can

proudly offer Reginians a total of seven free classes this month.

For a small business owner committed to accessibility, one could almost call it serendipity – except, as 100% of the company’s staff, she has earned every second of success that 2020 has brought so far.

At Be Nice Yoga’s one year celebration this weekend, two other local businesses will be providing refreshments as students new and old stretch, socialize, and enter to win one month of unlimited yoga – a pass valued at $88. With stacks of ridiculously decadent cookies baked by Our Spot Cafe to munch and bottles of Good Spirit Kombucha on tap, all are welcome to ring in a brand-new year of yoga with Krista this Saturday at Be Nice Yoga Co. Class schedules, sign ups, and more can be found at beniceyogaco.com

“As a longtime hobby- yogi, I love exploring the myriad yoga practices our Queen City has to offer.” – Janna Wood

March 5 - March 18, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

arts & culture

9

Photography as therapy Images for the soul

ethan butterfield a&c editor Photography has been a new form of therapy that I never knew I needed: the ability to go out and just take a photo, to freeze a moment in time so that exists in one singular space is something that goes beyond writing a short story, or taking in a film. There’s just something so surreal about it.

Photography as an art form holds so many unique perspectives, but as a type of mental health care treatment, it does so much to calm the storm that is typically going off in my brain at any given time.

Before getting into my recent love/discovery of the therapeutic aspects of photography, let me just preface it by saying that 2020 hasn’t been the year I thought it would be. It’s been filled with ups and downs and, for the most part, feels like it’s just getting back at me for not having as miserable a year as I could’ve in 2019. As I’ve mentioned before in previous articles, life can get really hard sometimes. There are things this year (a year only two months in, by the by) that I wish I could do over, but we press on. Don’t let your demons win. As soon as they take over, they take over.

And what have I done to combat these demons? The wonderful art of photography. Recently, as

Ethan Butterfield

Our A & C editor is a man of many talents

I’m sure all of my friends have noticed, I’ve started to share more and more of my photos up on the Facebooks. This isn’t some sort of “look at me” move by any stretch.

No, this is me being able to control aspects of my life that have gotten out of control. As I mentioned before, the ability to freeze a moment in time is something that goes beyond other forms of art, as it allows you to show your own unique perspective on any number of subjects. And that per-

spective is yours, and yours alone.

No one can take that away from you.

I love the way that you can make lights dance, shadows play, and make everything seem so much more impactful than at the initial glance. It’s a beautiful type of therapy in that regard as it allows you to be creative, with the only limit being what you wish to shoot. It’s also less expensive then most therapies as all you need is a camera, that’s it. “But I can’t

afford a camera,” you might say.

Have no fear: your phone is here!

Your photos don’t have to be professional grade; the mere experience of taking a photo can help with where your mind is at.

In short, photography has been working wonders for my mental health and creativity. I hope that anyone out there that wishes to try it finds the same type of success. Again, whether it be through a actual therapy or different creative means, please take

of yourself. You’re important and your mental health is important.

Talking about it is just the first step though, it’s the actions that truly make for change. My editor would like to remind you that we accept paid photo submissions for our graphics page. So, if you need a little extra motivation, there it is!

Three games that have caused me to withdraw from society for weeks A hobby built to last, forever… and ever marty grande-sherbert staff writer

We are nearing only a few weeks until the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2020. Many of us have been waiting for this game for literally years since New Leaf, and are absolutely starved for it – when I was watching the new trailer and saw that you could use a ladder, I made a sound that I don’t think a human will ever be able to recreate. Needless to say, that bastard Tom Nook has done it again, and on March 20 it’s likely that many of you won’t see or hear from me for several months.

I’ll say this now: I have not died or fallen ill, I am simply playing Animal Crossing. It will be like I’ve entered the matrix.

I know this because it’s happened before. It happened when New Leaf dropped, too. It also happened after the release of some other games, games that weren’t Animal Crossing, but that were just completely immersive dopamine machines in the same way. As a person with AD(H)D, I have a particular tendency to do something called hyperfocus, where I’m incredibly attentive and driven to do one task without even pausing to eat or sleep. This can happen with anything, but it often happens to me with games.

So which games give me that matrix feeling?

Keep in mind that these are technically game recommenda-

Julia Dima

Back when the carillon had a projector and some spare time

tions, but they are also warnings-do not start these games before you have a final or an assignment due, or if you have work early the next morning. Unless you have really good self-control, in which case... quit flexing.

Game number one: Stardew Valley. I don’t know what it is about having a virtual farm.

There’s so much to keep track of, so many things to do, such a wide variety of goals you can set for yourself, and also just such a relaxing atmosphere despite all the work you’re doing. I have over 300 hours of gameplay in my main file, and this one-developer indie game only costs about twenty dollars – which is incredible

when you consider that most of Nintendo’s sell for eighty. Most of my time in there is spent fishing, making extremely high-quality goat cheese, and using the sewing machine to make myself more overalls. Also, kissing my wife Penny, whom I would die for.

Game two: Moonlighter.

This is another indie game that’s very inexpensive and is actually on sale on the eShop right now, so I recommend checking it out.

This game is like two extremely engaging games smushed together – by day, you play as a shopkeeper selling items to townspeople, setting your own prices and trying to keep your stock diversified. But by night, you have to

gather those same items by going into dungeons and fighting monsters. This game completely sucks me in because I always get so caught up in one half of the game that I forget about the other half and get excited all over again.

Lastly: Cook, Serve, Delicious 2. I’m featuring this game because there’s going to be a third installment in the series coming out soon (with bubble tea as one of the recipes... finally). Basically, it’s a chef simulator, but it goes at an incredibly fast pace. I cannot be interrupted while playing this because my thumbs have to move at an inhuman speed as I process customers’ orders and cook them by pressing the right buttons in

the right sequence – once you get “in the zone” though, it’s like meditating. A strange calm comes over you. Also, there are just a lot of really fun missions to complete and different restaurants’ menus to try out.

So if you have about thirty dollars to spend on games and can’t wait until March 20 to go into a video game coma, or if you’re looking for an Animal Crossing alternative that will give you the same high, try some of these.

Because despite capitalism’s obsession with productivity and functionality, we should consider it a kind of success to have fun for fun’s own sake.

March 5 - March 18, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

arts & culture

10

Another Woman’s Husband review A one-and-done novel

elisabeth sahlmueller staff writer Another Woman’s Husband, released in 2017 by historical fiction novelist Gill Paul, centres around love, friendship, mystery and betrayal, creatively linking together the past and the present. Through the alternating perspectives of Rachel and Mary, the two female protagonists, this novel provides readers with a glimpse into the lives of these two completely different women. Despite my strong admiration and respect towards Gill Paul and her writing style, unfortunately, and I hate to say this, but Another Woman’s Husband was a disappointing read, especially in comparison to some of her other novels.

Chapter one begins in the summer of 1997 with Rachel, who is on a romantic getaway in Paris with her boyfriend, Alex.

One night while heading back to their hotel after having dinner out, the taxi they are riding in is stopped by an accident. Rachel and Alex are shocked when they discover that the victims of the crash are Princess Diana, her boyfriend, Dodi Al-Fayed, her bodyguard and driver and they are even more shocked when they hear hours later that Princess Diana did not survive. Once back home in Brighton, England, more problems arise when Rachel discovers that her vintage clothing store, Forgotten Dreams has been broken into and all of the till’s money, along with the majority of more expensive clothing and jewelry, has been stolen. Angry and crushed by what has happened, Rachel desperately tries to fix the damages and purchase more items in order to maintain her store and avoid financial ruin.

At the same time, Rachel and Alex cannot easily forget the tragic event they encountered in Paris. While Rachel is caught up with concern for how Diana may have felt, Alex quickly becomes caught up in the circumstances surrounding the crash. Motivated by the belief that the crash and Diana’s death may not have been purely accidental, Alex decides to make a documentary film. Unfortunately, Alex’s project turns into an obsession, creating a major rift in their relationship and when a surprising event occurs, their relationship is tested even further.

Chapter two switches to Mary’s perspective, which begins in the summer of 1911. That summer while at Miss Charlotte Noland’s Summer Camp for Girls, Mary meets Bessiewallis (Wallis) and the two instantly become “honorary sisters,” promising to be “friend[s] for life, always and forever, until the very end of time.” As the years pass, no matter the distance, Mary and Wallis remain best friends sharing secrets, experiences and always making time to spend together.

However, their friendship begins to deteriorate and appear more one-sided as they get older.

Throughout Mary’s life she experiences numerous hardships and

Pixabay

Our resident reviewer is back at it again

difficulties, including the inability to conceive a child, personal injuries, a sick mother and a husband with a drinking problem. Unfortunately, despite Mary’s willingness to help and support Wallis whenever she runs into problems, or is having a tough time, Wallis is never there for Mary in the same way.

Their friendship becomes even more strained when Wallis becomes involved with Ernest, one of Mary’s dearest and closest married friends. Not only does Mary become angry at Wallis for breaking up Ernest’s marriage, but also for marrying the man whom she feels is better suited for her. Mary’s anger towards Wallis increases years later when Wallis becomes involved with Prince Edward and begins to ignore Ernest. Unsurprisingly, Mary eventually becomes tired of Wallis’ selfishness and always being a loyal friend and finally decides to pursue her own happiness. Unfortunately, her actions result in an unforgivable betrayal, forever destroying their former friendship Although Another Woman’s Husband is an interesting story, there were some factors which contributed to my overall unenjoyment.

In order for readers to become completely immersed into a story, it needs to have good, strong characters whom readers can relate to, or at least sympathize with. Unfortunately, this aspect was missing from the novel, as I found it difficult to be drawn into either Rachel, or Mary’s story. In my opinion, both were weak female protagonists, especially when it came to satisfying the people closest to them. For example, Rachel always helps Alex by getting him a drink when he gets home and traveling to Paris to help him, but it never seems like the same level of support is reciprocated. Additionally, until near the end, Mary seems painfully naive about the true nature of Wallis’ personality. As a result, when Mary betrays Wallis,

I surprisingly somehow felt more sympathy for Wallis, than satisfied

by Mary’s attainment of her own personal happiness.

Another thing that added to my lack of enjoyment was the incorporation of too many fashion details. Even though this information is important to Rachel’s character, for individuals, like myself with very little fashion knowledge, these details are confusing and uninteresting.

Lastly, while many of Paul’s previous books had a great connection between the protagonists, that wasn’t the case in this novel.

Although Rachel is connected to

Princess Diana after witnessing her tragic car crash, the connection between Mary, Wallis and Princess Diana was somewhat weak because it was based only on the notion that Princess Diana visited Villa Windsor (Wallis’ former home after she became Duchess via her marriage to Prince Edward) hours before her death.

While this novel elaborates on the reason for Princess Diana’s visit, the real reason remains unknown.

Additionally, although Wallis met and liked Prince Charles, it’s uncertain whether her and her and Princess Diana ever met.

Similar to her other novels,

Another Woman’s Husband was well researched, with historical facts woven into the novel, such as the characters of Mary (Kirk) and Wallis (Warfield), who did exist and were friends, the grief society felt following Princess Diana’s death, as well as the curiosity and controversy surrounding the circumstances of her crash.

Despite not enjoying this book, I still look forward to reading more Gill Paul novels and encourage others to check them out as well. Gill Paul is a skilled historical fiction novelist and one bad book doesn’t change my opinion of her, or her writing.

The Creator’s Game lacrosse, Identity & Indigenous Nationhood

7:00 pm | luther AuDitorium | u of reginA

tuesday 17 march with

Dr. AllAn Downey DAkelh (nAk’AzDli whut’en)

mcmAster university

Free parking in Lot s 8 and 13 M + Z

uregina.ca/arts/public-lec tures/stapleford-lecture.ht ml The game of lacrosse has been a central element of North American Indigenous cultures for centuries. With the introduction of non-Indigenous players in the 1840s, the game was stripped of its original cultural and ceremonial significance, reframed instead to exemplify Victorian Anglo values. Dr. Downey will explore the role lacrosse has played at the centre of Indigenous forms of resistance to residential school experiences, as a site of pan-Indigenous political mobilization, and as an important venue for articulating Indigenous sovereignty on the world stage.

the 2020 stapleford lecture

Sports

11

Editor: tyler meadows sports@carillonregina.com the carillon | March 5 - March 18, 2020

Curling teams slide into U Sports Championships

“You really don’t have to look much further than Saskatchewan to see the rich history of women’s curling and I really strive to represent that history”

brian palaschuk sports writer While most of the high-draw sports on campus have faced playoff elimination, the University of Regina’s men’s and women’s curling teams have been quietly dominant. While they never garner the hoopla of some of the other teams, dominance has become a norm for the group who came home with silver (women) and bronze (men) medals at the Canada West championships. Sarah Hoag, who plays second on the women’s team talked about their early season success.

“We were happy with the way our weekend went. We’ve got two rookies on our team who are doing phenomenal, our lead and our third, and they are both learning as they go but they brought a unique perspective to Canada West. Although they are rookies for the university team, they have a lot of experience in juniors and in women’s.”

Hoag also has a lot of experience. She has represented Saskatchewan on numerous occasions, including at the under 18 International competition in 2016, the Curling Canada Nationals in 2017, and the under 21 competition in 2019. However,

Courtesy of Sarah Hoag

U of R curling snags a couple of medals

Hoag now has her sights set on senior competition.

“The Scotties has always been my goal; I’m working towards that and, past that, the Olympics. You really don’t have to look much further than Saskatchewan to see the rich history of women’s curling and I really strive to represent that history.”

In preparation for that goal, Hoag trains five to six days a week. This training incorporates practice games, throwing rocks, technical work, as well as cross-training in the gym.

“Cross-training is definitely involved; we have to hit the gym. You want to put as much weight as possible on the broom and good sweeping is essentially planking on the broom, so that’s part of it.”

Hoag began curling at a young age, as she has come from a long line of curlers, going back three generations. Over the years she has curled out of Gravelbourg, Maryfield, Bengough and Saskatoon, but the Callie Curling Club in Regina is now her home.

I asked Hoag what parts of curling she loves the most.

“The comradery that comes with the game. Curling is one of

those sports where you even get together with the opposition after the game. I love that about curling. Another thing about curling is that it incorporates strategy and athleticism.”

“Even if you are the better team technique wise or athletically, you can still lose games based on strategy – you have to be both brains and brawn. You can play it at any age, and I think that there is a really nice community built by that.”

Although senior women’s curling is the ultimate goal for Hoag, right now she is focused on preparing for U Sports Championships with the varsity team.

“I absolutely love the varsity aspect of the sport.”

The U of R curling club has a long history of success. They won the women’s U Sports championship in 2010 and team Saskatchewan for this year’s Brier features three former Cougar athletes.

Hoag attributes this to the U of R’s great developmental system.

“We’ve got a new program set up at the U of R where we have a development team that’s going with our varsity team and we’ve actually brought them along with us to various bonspiels

to expose them. Most of them are first-years, but they will be taking positions of athletes aging out at some point.”

Hoag was one of these athletes.

“In my first year I didn’t make the varsity team, but I was still involved and engaged in the varsity program.”

That early struggle is in the rear-view for Hoag now, and as a third year, she is now one of the leaders heading into U Sports.

This experience and poise are evident in her process-oriented outlook.

“We are really just looking to put our best foot forward at Nationals. I think we are just going to try and represent the University of Regina the best we can and the Callie Curling club the best we can. We will go out and play to our fullest potential.”

While Hoag has a leadership role off the ice, on the ice she plays a different position.

“On the university team I play second and that’s my new favorite. You are a front-end player, so you are not involved in strategy, but you are involved in every other aspect of the game. You have to sweep every rock other than

the ones that you throw, and you are engaged in calling.”

For those unfamiliar with curling, there are four positions: skip, third, second and lead. They are named in order of when they throw the rocks, with the lead throwing first and the skip last. The skip is responsible for “calling” the game; they lead the strategy. The third then supports the skip, while the second and lead are more responsible for the sweeping. Teamwork is crucial for success, and Hoag credits her strong teammates for her ability to succeed in the sport.

“I have been very fortunate that the teams I have played on have had four extremely good and committed curlers.”

Curling is an integral part of Saskatchewan’s sporting history, and it really exemplifies the community-mindedness of the province. It is a sport that you can compete in for your entire life, and it is a sport where you can curl at weekend rec leagues or compete for your Olympic dreams. Hoag gives the sport a final endorsement that can’t be beat.

“I love curling. Curling is my life.”

“The comradery that comes with the game. Curling is one of those sports where you even get together with the opposition after the game. I love that about curling…” – Sarah Hoag

March 5 - March 18, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 12

sports

Taking the plunge for Special Olympics Saskatchewan

Bravery and generosity from the U of R community elisabeth sahlmueller staff writer

Last Tuesday 44 brave students, staff, faculty and other members from the University of Regina community plunged into a bin with ice cold water. While this may sound like a crazy thing to do, especially considering the frigid weather during our Saskatchewan winters, these actions were not based on craziness. Instead, these 44 individuals were participating in the fourth annual Special Olympics Saskatchewan Polar Bear Plunge. This annual fundraising event involves people willingly jumping into a large bin full of ice cold water in order to not only support, but also raise money for Special Olympics Saskatchewan.

According to Jeff Zerr, the event’s key organizer, inspiration for the Polar Bear Plunge came from the idea that these types of events are “held worldwide.” Special Olympics Saskatchewan felt that a Polar Bear Plunge fundraiser would be a fun way for Saskatchewan residents to “embrace the cold winter months,” while at the same time raising awareness, support and money for a worthy cause.

“Special Olympics Saskatchewan is dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals with an intellectual disability through sport.

[This organization opens people’s] hearts and minds towards people with intellectual disabilities and creates more inclusive communities.”

This year’s Polar Bear Plunge event involved two separate dates.

The first was held at Victoria Square Mall on Feb. 17. Over the course of three separate jumps, held at 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 p.m., 60 brave individuals (and I do stress brave, since the weather was below -20 degrees) took the plunge. Funds were also raised by selling tickets for a 50/50 raffle, which raised $2,075. Collectively, this one day raised $24,540.

The second event took place at the University of Regina, in the outside space between the Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport and Wakpā Tower. Even though the weather was slightly warmer at around -8 degrees, the water was still incredibly cold, as I was told by the multiple individuals who were brave enough to plunge. Luckily, plungers were able to warm up afterwards with a soak in the hot tub and some free hot chocolate provided by volunteers from Sask. Apprenticeship. Medical staff were also present with extra oxygen and a defibrillator to provide medical attention in case there were any health problems, especially in regard to “hypothermia or cardiac issues,” which they listed as their top two biggest health concerns at this type of event.

After an opening speech by Dylan Morin and Pat Patton, the director of the University of Regina’s Security and Operations Department, the plungers were kick-started by Harold Reimer, celebrity plunger and the Dean

of Kinesiology and Health Studies. Throughout the afternoon, 43 others, either individually or in groups, plunged. The final plunge began with the second celebrity plunger, Bob Maltmann, head coach of the U of R women’s soccer team.

Two groups of student plungers included the Ice Cold Peers, seven engineering students who are also members of the Engineering Students Society, as well as five kinesiology students, Holden Norie, Carter Hiebert, Tanner Entam, Skyler Barnesky and Ben Berger, who together raised $290 from personal donations. Additionally, it was also great to see the Student Union President, Victor Oriola, come out as a participant plunger.

In order to participate, individuals had to pay a minimum $40 registration fee. However, as I quickly found out, many student participants took up their own fundraising initiatives, including second year kinesiology student, Haley McGrath, who raised $385 from a simple Facebook post, which was shared among various family members and friends.

A similar situation occurred with Campion students, third-year Sydney Salymka and fourth-year Danielle Graff, who together raised around $165 through a combination of funds from Campion’s Peer Ministry and personal donations.

When asked what motivated their involvement in this fundraising event, many participants expressed an interest in wanting to help out and support a good cause. According to the group of kinesiology students, they wanted “to [both] raise money and awareness for Special Olympics and support all the Saskatchewan Special Olympic athletes who attend the U of R.” For McGrath, this event was brought to her attention by one of her professors in class and at that time she thought “I could do that!” which ultimately encour-

Elisabeth Sahlmueller

Fourth annual polar bear plunge raises funds for Special Olympics

aged her to become involved.

Oriola expressed how “it is important for the student union to show its support for these types of events.”

In addition to the enthusiastic participation of the plungers, this event was also aided by a great deal of volunteers. Some of these volunteers included seven RBC employees, who were there to help out with the registration table and guide people. As one volunteer explained, “it is important to participate and show as much support as possible for community events, especially those which are for a good cause.”

It is also important to ac-

knowledge that this event would not have been possible without the help and support of various “tremendous sponsors.” As Zerr explained, Loraas provided … the plunge bin, Paradise Leisurescapes installed a customized pool liner [inside] the bin, [as well as an] on site hot tub for the participants to warm up after taking the plunge and Icon Scaffolding provided the platform for the plungers to [jump off of].”

By the end of the second day, $9,300 was raised and Zerr was pleased by the “great response [received from the] new location.”

Thanks to everyone who par-

ticipated in, volunteered at, or sponsored this year’s fourth annual Special Olympics Saskatchewan Polar Bear Plunge roughly $33,840 was raised for Special Olympics Saskatchewan. “All of these funds “will stay in Saskatchewan” and provide “low to no cost year-round programming for … over 1,200 [Saskatchewan] Special Olympic athletes,” confirmed Zerr.

March 5 - March 18, 2020

sports

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

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Carter Millar: resilient All-Star Carter is working on his game to improve his All-Star status

tyler meadows sports editor I sat down with Carter Millar this week and talked about his AllStar season, his team this year, the tough playoff loss, and what he is working on to prepare for next season.

Tyler: Obviously congrats on being named second team All-Star, what does that mean to you especially given the context of your back injury a couple years ago?

Carter: It definitely feels very rewarding. It’s nice to be recognized for the work that I put in and the season I had, but at the end of the day I want to be at Nationals this weekend. So, it’s definitely nice and a confidence booster going into the offseason and into next season.

Tyler: How would you summarize your season in your words?

Carter: As a team, biggest loss was by 11 and we played against seven out of the top 10 teams in the country. So, our season was full of top 10 teams, we should have won a couple of those games, and lost a couple against teams we should have beat, but that’s just how the ball bounces sometimes. Overall the season was very positive, we have always been a middle of the pack team and our goal was to be a top four team, but if we won one more game, we would have been

University of Regina Athletics

Second team All-Star Carter Millar(13)

fifth or sixth, one game was the difference. It was unfortunate and a bit unlucky, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.

Tyler: Your team plays a very egalitarian style, do you still feel pressure to lead or do you take a different approach to it?

Carter: No, I’ve never really felt like I have to score in this moment. It’s definitely a personal mindset for me and the way that I’ve played from the very beginning; I go with the flow, but my flow is a little more looking to score first and pass second. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m go-

ing to shoot a bad shot, it might mean I’m going to take it to the point where it could be a bad shot but that’s when I pass it. Also with my rebounding I get three or four offensive rebounds a game and when you get offensive rebounds it’s in a position to score or, if not to score, in a position to get fouled so that adds on a couple points.

Tyler: Were you feeling 100 per cent for that playoff game?

Carter: Ah no it was feeling pretty bad. I was a step behind and I felt good enough to give it a go but I was definitely held back because of it. The only reason I

played was because it was playoffs.

Tyler: I was going to say I give you 100 per cent credit for playing, I knew that was the only reason you played, because it was playoffs.

Carter: I had to play and I had to give it a shot.

Tyler: What are your priorities going into the offseason?

Carter: I would say the first thing is conditioning, there were points where I felt I was getting too tired. I would say lateral quickness, because I am a bit of a liability on defense, when

there is a quicker guard that I get switched on, maybe accidentally or in transition I want to be able to stick with that guy and not be a liability. And offensively just staying consistent from the free throw line and consistency from three. Lastly, just having a few goto moves where I know that when I’m in certain positions I can consistently make that shot.

U of R dance team heads to Guelph for University Dance Challenge look spaghetti arms, this is my dance space

brian palaschuk sports writer The of U of R’s dance team is headed to Guelph, Ontario for the University Dance Challenge.

While varsity dance does not have an official U Sport National competition, the Terpischore Dance Challenge fills that role for the varsity dance community. The competition features 22 teams from across Canada, and also offers development opportunities from renowned choreographer, Mia Michaels. For Tea Scheske, a first-year Cougar dancer, it is an incredible opportunity.

“I am really excited; I think it’ll be a good opportunity to see people from all over the world and see how they work as a team and compared to what we do and see how we can improve and work to be the best we can be.”

Scheske did studio dance growing up, but joined the Cougars as a way to continue her dancing career through university. This is something she enjoys largely because of the community aspect.

“You have a lot more opportunities to enjoy your time and make more friends. [It’s good] to be a part of a team with people who enjoy it as much as you do, but also have fun.”

Heading into the competition, Scheske is not putting too

pixabay

It’s time to dance

much pressure on herself or her team.

“I think our goals are to work together to do the best that we can on stage and just be there together. We want to work together as a team and build relationships.”

Compared to studio competition, varsity dance goes fast and furious. With a short season, from September to April, teams start preparing their dances much earlier and have a short window to polish them. This is part of the

challenge for one of the team’s coaches, Ashley Bernstein.

“We pretty much start comparing right in November. We start creating the dances just a little bit earlier than other teams do.”

For competition, like any sport there are rules and regulations; routines need to have certain amounts of people, and time limits as well as genre specific movements. The U of R dance team competes in all five of the

major categories: tap, ballet, jazz, baton twirling, and hip hop. The competition is a competitive challenge for Bernstein’s dancers, who compete against athletes who dance full-time.

“Whenever we go out east, we know it’s going to be hard. A lot of these girls are training in dance, that’s what they’re going to school for, whereas our girls are going to school for education, nursing and a bunch of other things. We kind of feel like we are

an underdog going in, but it’s really awesome for the girls to see the talent out there and strive to push themselves.”

The Cougars will be in action March 13-15.

March 5 - March 18, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 14

sports

Campus group fighting to grow esports U of R Smash Club seeks to smash the competition

brian palaschuk sports writer Gathered in the Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport on Saturday Feb. 29 were 80 eager players for one of the University’s most popular esports events, the U of R Smash Club’s monthly tournament. The U of R Smash Club’s monthly tournaments are a sight to behold: players compete in front of countless vintage televisions hooked up to Game Cubes, Nintendo Switches and other consoles. The competitions feature players from Saskatoon as well as Winnipeg who make the trip down for the event. Current president of the club and U of R actuarial science student Paul Bellerive talks about the competition on the weekend.

“A total of 80 people came; that’s a little above average for us.

We actually had one in January where we got 100 people to come, including a bunch of people from Manitoba which is pretty exciting.”

Smash Club is the largest esports organization on campus.

They post a steady roster of 3050 players for their weekly events and host about 80 players at their monthly weekend tournaments.

These tournaments feature numerous brackets and prize money

Wikimedia Commons

E-Sports is a growing worldwide phenomenon

– $200 for this weekend’s champion of the largest bracket.

The club predominantly focuses on Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. series, particularly the newest game Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch and the ever-popular Smash Bros Melee on the Nintendo Game Cube. This week’s tournament also featured competitions in other fighting games such as Tekken as well as Pokémon. Bellerive says that the club welcomes casual players as

well as some of the most competitive players in the province.

“There’s definitely a lot of competitive people. There’s some people at the club who, even though they are students and are quite busy, can compete.”

One of these players is Luke “LukeDuke” Basnicki, who is currently ranked sixth in the Saskatchewan competitive rankings.

The club has grown tremendously in recent years. With attendance doubling in the last year

alone, but for Bellerive, there is still room for the club to grow.

“We’ve always talked about a future of the club as esports become [bigger]: can we become a varsity club at the university, or can we branch out and become the esports club at the university?

Bellerive explains why Smash club and esports clubs in general are important to campus life.

“The community of smash exists everywhere and I think it brings a sense of welcoming and

familiarity to people who are coming from other places, a community they can be a part of that maybe they already were a part of.”

“I think it’s just important to have clubs for anything you are passionate about. I think it’s important to be able to express whatever passion you have and meet like-minded people and play with them.”

How the university could improve our health

Stop serving slop john loeppky editor-in-chief

If a Cougar or Ram athlete lives on campus then the biggest danger to their health isn’t the chance of a concussion, the mental health strains of being an athlete and an academic, or the ice that tends to pile up on campus in the winter months. The largest pitfall for those on campus is a lack of affordable and heatlhy food.

There are items such as the Good Food box – check out web writer Julia Peterson’s recipe online for a good opportunity to take advantage of the program – but a campus where Coca-Cola is cheaper than milk isn’t one that’s ready to have a serious conversation about students’ health.

During reading week, no Chartwell’s food outlets (outside of the overpriced grocery store imitator that is the C-Store) were open past 6:30 p.m. and the campus-wide email announcing these hours wasn’t sent until the break had started. The grocery store outlet costs three times as much for regular items. A (faulty) argument can be made that the convenience of student housing means the harsh increase in cost is justified. However, a campus who prices poor students out of healthy food options in the name of justified convenience while also removing the only medical supports available is one that lacks a distinct sense of care.

Beyond the steadfast refusal to accept healthy alternatives that

Kate Thiessen

The Riddell Centre, home of rodents and bad burgers

was the close-but-no-cigar switch away from Chartwell’s, Student Affairs, as of press time, still has not signed their agreement with Chartwell’s. Rumours continue to swirl of more health violations in relations to non-halal food being labelled as such (the Carillon has yet to confirm these), but those who wish to look at the violations that have plagued the entire campus in previous years that aren’t of the religious variety, check out http://healthinspections.saskatchewan.ca/.

URSU often draws my ire,

but their tender for the food service contract modelled an opportunity for student engagement, student jobs, and the removal of the prison food provider that appeared to temporarily lay off many of its lower level employees during the winter reading week.

Chartwell’s has seen many of a firing and resignation since they almost lost in the contract talks last year. How they returned is a mystery to everyone outside of student affairs, but the question remains: why do campus figures like Harold Reimer refuse to ac-

knowledge that students can’t be toyed with just because they are more likely to be healthy than their aging counterparts. Going in a different direction, like establishing a nursing clinic, would mean a tangible step forward if it had actually, you know, happened. Instead, any commitment to student health is mired in bureaucracy that undoubtedly will lead to long and drawn out consultancy projects that do little more than worsen our diets and piss us students off beyond repair.

I think I’ve finally figured out

why we don’t have a nutritionist program. For KHS to offer such a program, they’d have to actually look at the diabolical food being offered to students daily.

Op-ed

15

Editor: taylor balfour op-ed@carillonregina.com the carillon | March 5 - March 18, 2020

This university is trying to kill us all

haley klassen

I was going to save this article for when I ride into the sunset in three weeks or so with an aching back, crippling student loans (different from the thing that actually makes me crippled), and a simmering despise for any Regina number with 585 in it. After two degrees and many stories filed, here’s my conclusion: we cannot trust the university’s administration to do what’s best for students, and we can’t trust the students’ union to do what’s best for us either.

Last year, we came within one bold leadership choice of a strike that would have actually pushed the administration to do something other than pile onto students.

URFA was preparing to hole themselves up in the Q Nightclub while a number of their professors complained about how many emails were being sent. Our student union leaders of the last few years proved themselves to be remarkably anti-union for people paid $28,000 for the privilege of not showing up to work, making the space unsafe for a number of marginalized folks, and negating much of the great work done by permanent staff.

The U of R, in defending the choice to bring George Elliott Clarke to campus, cited academic freedom. That same basic right has been systematically denied to other campus figures like Emily Eaton and Patricia Elliot. Freedom, unless it changes the status quo. This university refused to settle a lawsuit related to a quadriplegic-creating accident in the pool that they were deemed repeatedly to be at fault for. The sad part?

It’s the same old stories repeating themselves from a decade ago.

When I came to campus, the RIC 119’s main door was not accessible. Fun fact, it still isn’t. Not only have old builds continued to be inaccessible to those of us

who wheel to class, but new builds such as the refurbished grad studies office also don’t have a way for wheelchair users to get in easily. I’ve tried to have meetings with admin, I’ve been invited to tour to the campus – to no avail. The recent equity, inclusivity, and diversity initiative saw students turned away at the door because the work is, “only for researchers.” The campus has no staff interpreters but is willing to put out a video called “You Belong Here” and yes I’m angry that I ended up in it without understanding the implications of the persistent lack of giving-a-shit by those paid almost half a million to care.

If this administration cared they would stop showing up to events to insist that they have apologized, they would not react angrily when phoned to be questioned on vandalism they claim to know nothing about when it comes to FNU, they would fight for those in the Ta-Tawaw Centre from speaking their truth to power rather than shifting their office to a new AVP and sowing new divisions. This university’s power structure is proving to be everything it claims to not be – it’s racist, ableist, classist, and dangerously ignorant.

When it comes to URSU, here’s an excerpt from a board discussion on a recent article where I asked if the issues of UOttawa and Ryerson could happen here.

This is straight from our president’s mouth, even if he did spend his preceding breaths defending our right to exist: “[…] the reasonable expectation of the Carillon is to write blog pieces about the students’ union every week, every two weeks, but there is a lot of important work that we do that does not get highlighted and generally hasn’t been highlighted. But then when engagement is not what it could pos-

sibly be. But then they go around saying ‘engagement is terrible, just terrible – why aren’t you guys doing something?’ Well, we are doing this stuff. You’re just not writing about it. It is, I suppose, my axe to grind, at least by way of this article.”

Apparently, the fact that the student union cannot get anyone to show up to events is our fault. I don’t believe that journalism should be driven by clicks, but I will share that we just had a record two months in terms of website traffic (forty thousand views a month for those curious), we have more and more of our staff feeling ready to freelance outside of their work here, and we have reported on subjects (like the coop negotiations and the Clarke lecture) in a way that other local media outlets can’t or won’t.

We have an ongoing partnership with Briarpatch Magazine, we have a scholarship on the books for $1,500 a year, we have doubled salaries over my tenure, we have started paying contributors for their work – something no other student newspaper in Canada is currently doing. This blame shifting makes me inclined to cover the election less, not more. Why? Because fools rush in where angels fear to tread. I’d feel bad for whoever takes these positions next if not for the fact that, if the job gets too hard, they need not worry about showing up to face the music.

I would also like to point out that it is the perpetual issue of the student union that its leaders tend to make claims about what they have achieved while conveniently ignoring that much of the work is done by permanent staff who have to answer, at least in part, to elected officials who do not show up to work and seek to take all of the credit. Our union has done some good

things recently, the summer U-pass will be instituted thanks to the work of Neil Middlemiss, our fees are going towards a sexual health outreach coordinator because of the failings of the university’s ability to respond to violence, and staff who are willing to move towards that are those who should be given credit.

Carl Flis’ willingness to let me ask him questions or Kathryn Boyce’s ask the advocate column in this paper deserve a ton more praise than an elected body that secretly changes health providers – whether that switch is reasonable (all signs, in my opinion point to it being a sensible decision done in the wrong way – i.e. with zero student input.) One URSU staff member even went so far as to claim that our writer was paid by student care for the coverage of the debacle. A student union board that tried to disallow our reporter from covering a recent meeting because they didn’t want their funding deliberations to be public is one to be wary of, at best.

A fellow student journalist said recently that student politics can only be treated, never cured. I’m afraid it’s much more insidious than that. Our campus is rotten to the core and it’s my hope that this place can survive in spite of its leadership. We certainly won’t succeed because of them – as students, faculty, or staff.

john loeppky editor-in-chief

“When I came to campus, the RIC 119’s main door was not accessible. Fun fact, it still isn’t.”

– John Loeppky

March 5 - March 18, 2020

op-ed

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Tickets are tools in class warfare Both arrests and tickets function as tools in the class war, and in the ongoing assertion of white supremacy in this country.

The violence of arrests may be more readily obvious – the physical manhandling of the bodies of those who are poor and often racialized, the imposition of the state in the day to day life of the criminalized individual, the sometimes lethal violence of incarceration – but ticketing has a similar power to bring those who receive them to their knees.

Tickets allow the wealthy to break the law for a fee. If you are rich, a $500 ticket – or a $500 per hour lawyer – for speeding, or noise violations, or distracted driving, means nothing. But for someone who is already struggling financially, that kind of unexpected cost can shake your life to its foundations.

There’s “fine option,” of course, where you can work off the cost of your ticket by labouring for minimum wage at one of several pre-approved not-for-profits, but people who are short on money are often also short on that other valuable resource, time.

If you’re a single mom who got a $580 distracted driving ticket for eating while you drove from one minimum wage job to another, you don’t have the money to pay for a babysitter for your kids while you work off your fine, nor do you have the roughly 50 hours it will take you to work it off by washing windows for minimum wage.

Ticketing allows municipalities to reap cash benefits from those with money while exploiting the time and labour of poor people under the guise of community building.

By having folks work off their fines at not-

Jeremy Davis

for-profits like Salvation Army and the YMCA, instead of working directly for the municipality, the city is able to pass off what is very close to being forced labour as something beneficial to the community.

One could argue that by turning labour done for not-for-profits and charities into a punishment, we are actually stigmatizing that work and making it less likely that people will choose to do it.

The reality is that the solution to many of the problems that ticketing targets is simply creating a better society. If you don’t want people to loiter and urinate in

public (both ticketable offenses), make sure they are housed and have access to public facilities.

If you don’t want people to drive unsafe vehicles, or eat in their cars, ensure that public transit is affordable, accessible, and effective, and that people don’t have to live out of their vehicles. You could also make the cost of a ticket proportional to someone’s income so the poor aren’t unfairly disadvantaged; however, this is still only treating a symptom of the problem and should only be looked at as a bridge solution on the way to building better com-

munities.

We need to look at why we penalize the behaviours that we do, and what can be done besides imposing financial and time burdens on those who engage in them.

sara birrell news editor

Reasons not to call 911? I can think of a few Earlier this year, the Saskatchewan RCMP released their annual list of “worst emergency calls,” a shaming tactic intended to get people to be more mindful of how they use this emergency service. One caller wanted to report that their fiancé was not helping with their wedding planning, while another wanted to know if throwing a pickle at someone would get them arrested.

Given that many RCMP communication centres across Canada are understaffed – some by over 50 per cent, as per a 2018 report by CBC – it is understandable that the RCMP would like to have fewer people tying up their phone lines. However, the “reasons to not call 911” campaign, in its current format, is leaning into mockery while masking two serious issues – some issues that sound like “non-emergencies” may be very serious, and there should be more, better, and better-known alternatives to calling 911 when you need help.

One of the calls on this year’s ‘list stuck out to me because, depending on the context, it may not have been an entirely foolish call. Specifically, someone had called 911 asking them to pick up their medication because they could not get in contact with their pharmacy.

Now, I understand that this made it on the list because 911 is not, generally, a delivery service. However, I can easily envision a scenario where this was a reasonable call to make. If you are a person who can’t go without your medication, urgently needs a prescription refill, doesn’t have a local support network of family or friends who could pick it up for you, and can’t get in touch with your pharmacy – do you have many better options?

And even if this particular caller wasn’t in a truly urgent situation, presenting that reason for calling as unequivocally foolish and unnecessary means that a person who

actually does need help accessing medication might think twice about asking for it until their situation gets much worse.

When I lived in a small town, I know I helped many friends refill their medications when they were too ill to make it to the pharmacy or otherwise could not go themselves. I do worry that “having a friend who likes long bike rides and is willing to go 30 minutes out of her way to pick up prescriptions” was the best solution here, because something so necessary as access to medication should not be dependent on having friends who live nearby – not everybody does.

Though the RCMP does recommend calling 311 instead of 911 for non-life-threatening emergencies, the fact remains that 911 is still a much better known place to call for help, and I would hope the RCMP would rather have too many false positives (people calling 911 who do not need urgent help) than false negatives (people not calling 911 who do need urgent help).

Mocking reasons that people call 911, especially for context-ambiguous calls, risks increasing the rate of people who need help not getting it.

The other issue masked by a list like this one is that there are many excellent reasons to not call 911 – for example, if you are afraid of having armed police getting involved. Particularly if you are a member of a visible minority or in a vulnerable situation, calling 911 can carry a risk to your own life and safety.

For example, a document obtained by The Globe and Mail last year showed that more than one-third of people shot to death by RCMP officers from 2007 to 2017 were Indigenous. A 2015 survey found that the majority of people in their sample who were experiencing intimate partner

Piqsels

violence were afraid to call the police, because they were scared that they would not be believed or that their abuser would face only minor consequences, and the situation would only become worse for them in the end.

In cases like these, alternatives to calling 911 – like community-based programs and crisis lines – can allow people to get the help they need without the potential of sending armed authority figures into the situation.

One Indigenous-specific crisis support is the Inuit & First Nations Hope for Wellness Line (1-855-242- 3310, with service in Inuktitut, Cree, Ojibway, English and French), and here in Regina, people experiencing intimate partner violence or anoth-

er crises can call the Mobile Crisis Helpline at 306-757- 0127.

There are many excellent reasons to not call 911. There are also plenty of less obvious reasons to call on emergency services for help. With the greatest sympathy to overworked dispatchers doing an incredibly challenging job, campaigns like this are not the way to go.

julia peterson web writer

March 5 - March 18, 2020

op-ed

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

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Let’s rant about ableism

Pixabay

Ableism is a very real thing. I should know, I’ve experienced a fair bit of it during my short life. Beyond the odd talking point or half-hearted attempt to seem woke or sympathetic, it feels like hardly anyone speaks about it or has bothered to explore its presence in our every-day lives. The thing is, much like racism, sexism, or any other negative ‘ism’ you can think of, it’s often hard to spot and can seem practically non-existent. However, I regretfully assure you that, for those of us living with a disability everyday, ableism is alive and well.

When most people think of ableism, I would venture to guess they envision a scene where a person in a wheelchair is being verbally harassed by a group of asshats, or a person in crutches begin gawked and laughed at by a group of evil teenagers.

While, yes, these sorts of blatant and cruel-hearted acts do occur, in reality they’re by far the exception rather than the rule many ham-fisted afterschool specials would have us buy into. The more common forms of ableism are often subtle, and sometimes they come from a place of goodwill, but, trust me, at times they can be just as condescending and insulting as being called a cripple by the neighbourhood jock.

In my experience, people often speak to you differently when they know you’re disabled. For example, during high school we had a counsellor who met with about ten students, myself included, individually

at least once a week. I can still remember her tone of voice when she talked to me: just a smidge slower than normal, emphasizing every other syllable, with a slight undercurrent of pity.

She was speaking to me, or at least a pre-conceived notion of me, rather than with me. She wasn’t trying to see who I was; she was gawking at what I was. It’s a lot like how a bad nurse speaks to an emergency patient, supposedly kind and reassuring yet distractingly synthetic, impersonal, and slightly judgmental.

This kind of de-personalization is damaging and annoying, but with time and experience you learn to deal with it. Other forms of ableism, though, are a bit more consequential. Now, despite all the talk of affirmative action every company seems to espouse nowadays, the truth is far less nice.

For instance, during my year off following high school graduation, I must’ve sent a resume out to every single business and company within a fifty-mile radius of my hometown. Not a single one ever responded. Keep in mind, these weren’t nice office jobs or anything of the sort, they were all entry-level, zero-experience-required type of gigs. After five months of unemployment, I started to wonder what the hell was wrong with me and took a good long look at my resume.

Somewhere between the ‘Prior Experience’ and ‘Contacts’ sections, I made it clear that I was a person with a disabil-

ity, and then suddenly it all clicked. After consulting with an employment agency, I removed this bit from my resume and promptly sent the new version to a local business that I had already applied to.

Within three days they called me in for an interview and I was hired, essentially confirming my suspicion. Now, I can’t say for certain that I was being rejected because of my disability, however, when you apply to a dozen businesses all claiming to be desperate for full-time workers, only then for that same business to hire some 14 year old part-time, well, forgive me for thinking something screwy is going on.

Since then, I have yet to disclose my disability when applying for a job, as the employment agency advised me. Why that’s necessary, I don’t know, but, if I had to guess, when an employer see the disabled on a resume, I imagine their thoughts go to every popular stereotype/misconception, good or bad, and then decide having a disabled employee would be too much of a hassle.

The feeling of walking into a room where the people present know about your disability versus one where they’re ignorant is at times almost night and day. I began to notice these sorts of changes when I was a kid, and ever since then I can’t help enjoy these little moments the same way as when I see a parking ticked glued to my windshield.

People tend to stare at you longer, they

become quieter, and sometimes they even point at you, as if saying, “Dude, look at that disabled guy!” When they talk to you there’s a slight edge of condescension in their voice, like you’re a hapless child or braindead mongoloid that for some inexplicable reason has managed to survive this long. They’re not seeing you as a person, they’re seeing you as a label and everything that comes with it.

This shouldn’t have to be said, but having a disability doesn’t mean you’re less of a person, or that your life is defined exclusively by it. They’re nothing wrong with it, there’s nothing strange or glamourous about it, it just is what it is. We’re individuals just like you, me, Conway Twitty, or anyone else. Some are smart, some are assholes, some are nice, some are white, black, LGBTQ+, poor, rich, tall, short, hairy – you get the picture. So, please, whoever’s reading this, don’t try to see people through categories or labels instead as the complex enigmas that they are.

And, in case you’re really wondering, no, I don’t get a free parking spot anywhere; no, I don’t get any tax exemptions; and no, my life really isn’t any more or less hard than yours.

matthew thomson contributor

“She was speaking to me, or at least a pre-conceived notion of me, rather than with me.”

– Matthew Thomson

March 5 - March 18, 2020

op-ed

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |18

Why supporting mental health helps everyone and everything

Pixabay

Crime is a mental health issue. Homelessness is a mental health issue. Poverty, drug use, alcohol abuse, everything. Everything is a mental health issue, because everything ties back to inadequate mental health care services.

Mental health seeps into every facet of our lives, and it should. It is, quite literally, the baseline of our life. So, why is it that believing a lot of society’s problems stem from a lack of adequate mental health care services is seen as unreasonable? Ideas like this are the reason that, for some reason, mental illness has been stigmatized and supports and services have been limited, if offered at all.

This can be seen, quite plainly, with people like Caroline Flack: a woman who was failed by the world, her mind, and a lack of mental health care.

Flack was the host of the reality TV show Love Island from it’s 2015 premiere until Dec 2019. Her departure from the show was due to her being arrested after pleading not guilty to assaulting her boyfriend. CNN reports that “she was out on bail awaiting trial scheduled for March” when she passed away.

She was found dead in her home in mid-February. Her death has been ruled as a suicide. Not surprisingly, before her death tabloids were despicable toward her. When she began to spiral because of it, they only attacked her more.

CNN also reported that she’d been attacked by media organizations “for dating

a 17-year-old Harry Styles while she was 31” and that her assault allegations going public resulted in articles about her “on an almost daily basis.”

They also reported that her mental health began to deteriorate with the added amounts of negative attention, saying that “after she was charged, a front page of the Daily Star newspaper branded her “Caroline Smack,” while The Sun published and then deleted a story about a “’brutal’ Valentine Day’s card mocking her assault case.”

At every turn, Flack was attacked. At every sign that she was struggling, that she was losing grip, that she needed support, the hate train against her hyped up and resulted in her lashing out further.

Is it a coincidence that after sexist public scrutiny for years she’d begin to slip up? And how, whenever the media reared against her, she would make an even bigger mistake? No. It isn’t a coincidence. It’s one of the biggest, most repeated mistakes of our generation: blatantly ignoring real mental health concerns because we don’t know how to deal with it, or mocking it publicly because it’s “funny.” This treatment always comes back to stigma.

Flack, being in the television spotlight, would pass through the barrier that many middle-class workers who struggle from mental health face: a lack of funding to acquire medication, counselling, or other forms of support. Having the money to assist with something doesn’t, howev-

er, actually help the problem. What helps is knowing that the money being given to establishments offering to support you will actually support you.

Flack is an example of a woman who was suffering through a mental health spiral, and nobody in her life thought that her violence, distraught nature, or vulnerability had to do with her declining mental state.

People didn’t think to offer her support, instead they sought to villainize her even further, profiting off of her misery.

Because, for some reason, we still view mental health as a public tool for mockery, not a genuine health concern that requires assistance. Unfortunately, the sad state of our mental health care services is exactly that; it’s about making profit instead of making a difference.

Similar to this, in a case that’s closer to home, a lack of adequate mental health care due to financial restraints is in part why Chazz Petrella, a 12-year-old boy from Ontario, committed suicide in 2016.

The child regularly talked about how he “couldn’t shut his brain off”, and all methods the Petrella family tried either didn’t work, or were too expensive to allow regular treatment.

The family also openly discussed how Chazz had been in “almost a dozen agencies ... in the last few years of his life” but that the boy “never received a thorough psychiatric evaluation or diagnosis”.

Drugs, alcohol, abuse, suicide, homelessness, all stem back to a lack of ade-

quate health care. I’m not arguing that these problems would completely vanish if health care was more widely affordable and accessible, I’m arguing that many of the struggles we face today as a society would be less prominent and less influential.

Because if mental health was prioritized and as affordable as physical health treatments were, I doubt we’d be facing half the problems we are today. The world would be focused on health and on the value of keeping everyone safe, opposed to what it is now: a competition to see who can make the most money off of those who are struggling.

taylor balfour op-ed editor

“The sad state of our mental health care services is exactly that; it’s about making profit instead of making a difference.” – Taylor Balfour

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Editors: sarah carrier, morgan ortman, kate thiessen graphics@carillonregina.com the carillon | March 5 - March 18, 2020

Gian Anasarias

March 5 - March 18, 2020

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carillonregina.com | The Carillon |20