the carillon the staff
editor-in-chief editor@carillonregina.com
holly funk
executive director business@carillonregina.com
jacob nelson
production manager production@carillonregina.com
morgan ortman
advertising manager advertising@carillonregina.com
ty cote
technical editor tech@carillonregina.com
shae sackman
multimedia/graphics editors multimedia@carillonregina.com graphics@carillonregina.com
sarah carrier rooky jedege
copy editor copyeditor@carillonregina.com
aurel dumont
news editor news@carillonregina.com
sara birrell
a&c editor aandc@carillonregina.com
hannah eiserman
sports editor sports@carillonregina.com
vacant
op-ed editor op-ed@carillonregina.com
sarah nakonechny
distribution manager distribution@carillonregina.com staff writer
vacant hammad ali
staff writer
staff writer
news writer
gillian massie amina salah
vacant
a&c writer
jorah bright
sports writer
victoria baht
contributors sonali currie, mandy friesen, emily lints and halyna mihalik
vol. 64
board of directors holly funk, lindsay holitzki, joseph holoein,, dustin smith, jacob nelson and honourary members hammad ali, cassandra byblow, morgan ortman
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 sixty 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 October 21 - October 27, 2021 | Volume 64, Issue 8 | carillonregina.com
news
Thanks for tuning in to the Carillon once again - we’re excited for you to pour through this issue! Everything from video game history, poetry nights, a local tent community, and rights for those who menstruate are included, with hot takes on Sask QR codes and Squid Game to boot. We’re very happy to introduce a new staff member, Amina Salah, who has articles in A&C and Op-Ed this week. Our Op-Ed section was absolutely overtaken with articles written by student contributors this issue (we love to see it), so make sure you give those a gander to stay up-to-date on what fellow students and Saskatchewanians are experiencing.
Camp Marjorie
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After popping up in Pepsi Park early October, Camp Marjorie has grown into a community of over 30 tents, once again highlighting our need for proper public housing.
ESA poetry night
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A poetry night put on by The Penny University and the English Students Association includes recitations, interpretations, and collaboration.
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Trans and non-binary erasure exposed in Broadway’s take on Jagged Little Pill alongside a disregard for the health and well-being of those involved.
op-ed
op-ed
sports
Problematic Little Pill
Holly Funk Editor-in-chief
photos
cover......................................sarah carrier news...............................edward patterson a&c................................hannah eiserman a&c............................wikipedia commons sports...................................arthur images op-ed.......................................eliott rayna op-ed.................................markus winkler
End of a Bear-a
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Cougars softball player Kat Bear talks off-season maintenance, future plans after her last season at the U of R, and what sets this team apart.
Personal time
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Emily Lints expresses her troubles acclimating to the pressures of being more social after a year of so much me-time.
Registration stress
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With the switch back to in-person classes next semester, Halyna Mihalik is scrambling to get things in order as an out-of-province student.
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editor: sara birrell news@carillonregina.com the carillon | oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
Camp Marjorie is a community, not a nuisance Tent cities have unwarranted stigma
gillian massie staff writer
“I’m not encouraging people to walk through the threshold of tents because this is someone’s front yard,” said Camp Marjorie volunteer Alyshia Johnson. “You wouldn’t want someone to do that on your front yard.” Johnson was speaking at a distance from the main encampment, which has grown from a single tent before Thanksgiving to more than three dozen, all clustered around a central screen tent where goods donated by community members have been collected. With the failed roll-out of the Saskatchewan Income Support program, which has led to drastically reduced income and left people choosing between paying rent and buying food, many landlords have evicted individuals who cannot pay rent. As the months grow colder, it is inhumane to have individuals sleeping in cold temperatures. Regina’s own tent city has been set up in Pepsi Park to combat the cold weather, although advocates and some members of Regina’s city council stress that the tents are far from an adequate solution to the humanitarian crisis that is homelessness. Still, despite being inadequate, Camp Marjorie has been a place of hope for many individuals who have been outed on the streets. Residents are making the best of the circumstances by keeping their space neat and organized. Beside one tent, a pair of boots sit outside so as not to track in dirt. Right beside it, a Tim Horton’s coffee cup is used as an ashtray to collect cigarette butts. It is a tent city, and it is also a home for many individuals. Volunteers and residents alike are trying to create a com-
munity where everyone is seen as an equal. “We are trying to pave a way for a community that has no hierarchies,” said Johnson. “People come here and ask who’s in charge, and we all look around at each other because it is such a hard question to answer. We all just work together, and we don’t need titles to do that.” Tent cities can be seen as unorthodox and obscure, but they are a small community of individuals who are trying to live and survive. “It’s kind of modern anarchy, in a sense, and people are peaceful and good,” said volunteer Justyn Chaykowski. “I would equate Camp Marjorie to a good city in that sense that the moral code is kind of just based on the camaraderie.” Like many small commu-
tunity to remember her, we will try our best not to wear black.” Also like a community, there is someone that is a representative for the community. This community member acts as the unofficial Mayor of Camp Marjorie. Liam, whose name has been changed to a pseudonym so he is not identified as the currently acting official representing the people of the community. “Everybody at Camp Marjorie knows Liam,” said Chaykowski. “They know where Liam’s tent is and they respect Liam, even people from outside of the community that may come into the community.” Chaykowski talked about a particular instance where Liam resolved a situation where someone who was not a part of the
sponsible for much, but certainly not all, of the homelessness in the city, came into effect at the end of August and has proven to have disastrous effects. SIS’s predecessor, the Saskatchewan Assistance Program, paid rent directly to landlords. SIS was designed to make citizens more “self-sufficient,” sending them the payment directly. However, because SIS has also significantly reduced the dollar amount of the entitlements individuals receive, and because utility bills and food prices have risen sharply over the past two years, many people found themselves in a situation where they had to choose between paying rent and feeding themselves. Johnson explains her frustration with the system: “I would just encourage them to have a system
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It’s kind of modern anarchy, in a sense, and people are peaceful and good. I would equate Camp Marjorie to a good city in that sense that the moral code is kind of just based on the camaraderie. – Justin Chaykowski
nities, they get their name from someone who is significant to their community. Camp Marjorie was named after Vivian Marjorie, who chose to go by the middle name she shared with her mother. Marjorie spent lots of time in at the Friendship Centre, she was known for being incredibly kind to everyone around. She passed away on October 6, at age 60 due to an overdose. She was a mother to children both living and dead, including one child who is currently missing. “She did not like the color black,” said Johnson. “We know that when we do have the oppor-
camp came to take some of the donated goods without permission. Instead of taking them all away, Liam came to an agreement with the individual who only took what they needed instead. With many more evictions taking place, many more people are trying to reach sanctuary at Camp Marjorie. However, given the high number of individuals being affected by the failed SIS rollout, they are slowly accepting more residents while also trying to find hotel rooms or warmer venues for residents. The Saskatchewan Income Support program, which is re-
that doesn’t deal with everybody on a case-by-case basis, because that is not working.” The system also requires internet access, which many of the residents do not have. “[Residents] are without phones and technology,” continues Johnson, “just getting people signed into the program, it is so easy to take for granted that you don’t know where a certain place is [you can just Google it].” Residents aren’t able to do that without smart phones, and even if they did have phones, “you need to take into account when you have a phone, you need electric-
ity, and we don’t have that in a park.” Although there is currently an unofficial agreement between the city and the encampment that the encampment will not be torn down, the threat of state violence against encampment residents is real. This past summer saw people living peacefully in tent cities in Halifax, Vancouver, and Toronto have their tents and belongings destroyed by police officers and some residents and their allies were assaulted and arrested by cops. Mayor Sandra Masters has said that there is only to be two weeks to relocate all the residents of Camp Marjorie. Johnson said that in the event that Camp Marjorie is dismantled without ensuring everyone is housed, “People that are here are going to go back to sheds, they are going to go back to benches, they are going to go back to pavement, they are going to go back to essentially nothing.” Chaykowski expands on the Government of Saskatchewan’s lack of action towards housing Camp Marjorie’s residents and how they are opting for more actions of performative reconciliation. Many of the residents of Camp Marjorie are Indigenous. “These statues are supposed to be put up as a memorial of what had happened after the reconciliation has been completed,” said Chaykowski. “If you want to start having real truth and reconciliation, making up for what we’ve done, then the funds that were going to go to that statue should immediately be pulled out and put into getting these people [housed].” Without a solution to the housing crisis, Camp Marjorie continues to grow. While conditions are far from ideal, there is a greater consciousness to the camp than meets the eye. Edward Patterson via Unsplash
Community is community.
oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon | 4
news
URFA reaffiliates with Saskatchewan Federation of Labour Faculty Association disaffiliated in 2019
hammad ali staff writer On September 29, the University of Regina Faculty Association (URFA) issued a press release through their website stating that they are re-affiliating with the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL). The press release mentioned that through this renewed affiliation, URFA members will be able to access education and training opportunities, resources, and also be a part of the broader labour movement in the province. No mention was made of why this affiliation had temporarily been suspended, for how long, and why the decision to re-affiliate was made. As mentioned on their website, the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association is also affiliated with the SFL. Further, websites of similar associations in other universities in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia indicate that they are also affiliated with their corresponding provincial federations of labour. We wanted to find out why URFA was not affiliated in the past for some time, and what prompted the decision to enter an affiliation once more. We reached out to Ellen Paulley, Communications Officer with URFA, with some questions about the SFL, as well as questions about the current challenges and priorities for the association. Is it common for faculty associations across Canadian schools in other provinces to be affiliated with the provincial federations of labour?
I would recommend connecting with the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour and/or Canadian Labour Congress for more information about faculty associations and affiliations with provincial federations of labour. Note that as mentioned, a number of other associations, including the U of S, are in fact affiliated with the appropriate bodies in their province. How long has it been since URFA was last affiliated with the SFL?
iated-organization resources for support should job action or lock out occur. Together with other affiliates and members of the SFL, URFA is pleased to be part of the collective voice of workers in the province. The 2019 URFA Executive Committee had made the decision to temporarily suspend payment of member dues for the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. What are the most important priorities for URFA to currently pursue? How
makes the world a better place. How does URFA feel about the way the current semester and the gradual re-opening of campus is working? URFA is monitoring the evolving return to campuses. We are listening to URFA members about their experiences and are committed to advocating for safe, healthy and secure working and teaching conditions for URFA members. What is on the URFA
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By rejoining the SFL, URFA members will gain access to education and training programs offered by the organization; have a representative on SFL’s Executive Council, and have access to SFL and affiliated-organization resources for support should job action or lock out occur. – Ellen Pauley
Since 2019. Why was the past affiliation not continued, and what led to current re-affiliation? URFA’s purpose of promoting solidarity with the labour movement aligns well with that of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, which strives to improve working conditions for social and economic justice for all. By rejoining the SFL, URFA members will gain access to education and training programs offered by the organization; have a representative on SFL’s Executive Council, and have access to SFL and affil-
will the affiliation with SFL help these priorities? URFA’s priorities are guided by our 2021-2026 Strategic Plan. The activities we undertake are designed to support our vision, mission, values and strategic directives. Our vision is that URFA members are diverse, engaged, and secure in their employment and physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health. In an environment of academic freedom, freedom of expression, collegiality and respect, they drive a culture of teaching, research, and community engagement that
agenda as we approach the Winter 2022 semester and possibly a more substantial return to campus? The health and safety of URFA members and the Campion College, First Nations University of Canada, Luther College, and University of Regina students and communities is of the utmost importance to URFA. As we explore a potential more widespread return to the campuses, URFA emphasizes the importance of a safe campus environment. We call on the University of Regina and the federated col-
leges to ensure that any faculty and staff will not be required to return to work if they feel unsafe. URFA expects that the University of Regina and the federated colleges will process any faculty or administrative, professional or technical staff member requests for workplace accommodations according to the provisions outlined in the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code. URFA members’ working and teaching environment is the learning environment for students at the University of Regina. We’d like to share with the students that URFA is also preparing to enter negotiations for three of our bargaining units, whose collective agreements have expired this year. The bargaining units include First Nations University of Canada Administrative, Professional and Technical members; University of Regina Academic members; and University of Regina Administrative, Professional and Technical members. Anything else you feel the student body should know? URFA recognizes that the working, teaching and learning environments for staff, faculty and students are interconnected. We support a healthy, safe and encouraging work and learning environment for everyone at Campion College, First Nations University of Canada, Luther College and the University of Regina. As the next generation of innovators, creators and scholars, students have the power and potential to shape the world into a better place. We can’t wait to see what our students achieve!
Morgan Ortman
How does this affect ME!?
arts & culture
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editor: hannah eiserman aandc@carillonregina.com the carillon | oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
Experience video game history at the Science Centre
Sask Science Centre’s new exhibition takes you on a quest through the evolution of video games jorah bright arts writer
Jorah Bright
In recent years, video games have grown in popularity, with several movie adaptations being made from them. They’ve grown in graphic design, looking more realistic every year; and they’ve grown in time to complete. Many games can take up to 50 hours – just to complete the main storyline. The storyline of video games as an activity and industry is even longer. The Game Changers exhibit at the Saskatchewan Science Center focuses on the history of video games. It showcases how the technology has grown and changed, and how the stories have as well. It showcases over 120 different video games over the years. I started playing video games as a child, and this exhibit felt like magic. Gaming is near and dear to my heart and gave me a love for storytelling that I will always carry with me. Game Changers showcases the history of something so important to me, something that was before my time, and proves that it will still be here long after my time, and long after I’m too busy to play games every night. According to the exhibit itself, “Game Changers explores the re-
more immersive storylines and gameplay. Another sign that spoke about early storytelling highlighted Police Quest: In Pursuit of a Death Angel from 1987, and how the storyline was relatable and realistic. The next area I went to focused on the characters themselves. It recognized that characters drive the story: they’re what people connect with and what can make a game so special and beloved by the player. The exhibit highlighted four characters and their evolution throughout this area: Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series, Mario from Super Mario Bros., Link from the Legend of Zelda, and Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell. After that was a section on the settings of games. Video games are known for having large expansive worlds, with open-world games as a popular subgenre. They started with real places, places that we as the player could see and relate to. One of which was Assassin’s Creed Unity, which takes place in France (as a side note: does anyone else remember that Tumblr post about the kid who could navigate the streets of Rome from playing Assassin’s Creed? Or that guy who knew his way around L.A. from playing Grand Theft Auto V?) The other was L.A. Noire, which makes
son, first-person, side-scrolling, and top-down. In third person, they showed Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, World of Warcraft, and Need for Speed. First-person had Call of Duty, Doom, and Unreal. Sidescrollers and top-down perspective were grouped together and had Limbo, SimCity, 1947, Boulder Dash, and Shovel Knight. The exhibit showed different genres of games. In the adventure category, they noted The Legend of Zelda, Tomb Raider, and Ultima. For role-playing games, it was Dungeons & Dragons, World of Warcraft, and Dragon Age: Origins. The Sims was shown in the simulation games category alongside Railroad Tycoon and Microsoft Flight Simulator. Casual games was the biggest category with Solitaire, Words with Friends, Farmville, and Bejeweled as the highlighted games. Finally, they showed strategy games and used Sid Meier’s Civilization and Starcraft as the only examples. Game Changers took note of the adaptations made in the video game industry to increase accessibility for gamers with their section on video-less video games, stating that they were “originally created for people with a visual impairment.” They showed three games: A Blind Legend, Shades of Doom, and Papa Sangre II, and had an audio
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Game Changers showcases the history of something so important to me, something that was before my time, and proves that it will still be here long after my time, and long after I’m too busy to play games every night. – Jorah Bright
Jorah Bright
Jorrah Bright
lationship between a designer’s aspirations, a player’s expectations, and the ever-expanding limit of technology – and how storytelling, gameplay, graphics and audio are ultimately combined to create compelling gaming experiences.” The exhibit starts by talking about games without a story. These games – Pong, Spacewar I, and Tennis for 2 – are from the 70s, 60s, and 50s respectively. They’re simple games, but they laid the foundation for games to come. It was in that section that I played the first game available, Space Invaders, from 1978. The next available game was Donkey Kong from 1981, with the sign mentioning it as a leap into 8-Bit games. From this point, there’s more freedom in what part of the exhibit you can go to. I moved on to A Great Yarn: Following the Threads of Story, which talked about the move from arcades to at-home consoles. Now, you’re able to save your game, allowing for a more intricate storyline to be in place. The exhibit showcased Baldur’s Gate and Half-Life, both PC games from 1998, and detailed how they both moved toward longer and
another appearance later on in the exhibit, and as you would expect, takes place in Los Angeles. The last one they highlighted isn’t exactly a familiar area, but an iconic fictional space: the Wild West in Red Dead Redemption. Then it talked about the fantasy worlds of Final Fantasy, Ultima, and Dragon Age: Origins. The world of Dragon Age is so expansive that it has books and comics dedicated to the many stories that can be told due to the size and complex history of Thedas. Returning to L.A. Noire, the next area I saw was about graphics and realism. It talks about motion capture, which is now one of the most popular ways to showcase emotion on animated faces. L.A. Noire, which came out in 2011, used a 32-camera set up to capture every detail of the human face and to be able to re-create micro-expressions for one of the game’s primary functions: identifying if someone is lying. The other game they showed was FIFA 15, and how sports games use mo-cap to recreate the athletic moves required for soccer. In addition to graphics, there were sections on four different types of perspective: third-per-
device for guests to listen to what the games sound like. There were 17 total playable games including the original Tetris, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Pac-Man. Super Mario 64 was available on a giant N64 controller and was incredibly difficult, but endlessly fun. They had several videos of video game professionals talking about what they do. The art directors of Final Fantasy VII and Saints Row IV, Kristofer Eggleston and Maru Ferreira respectively, talked about how important art is to a game and Ferreira noted how it can help the player connect with the character and their visual identity. Mac Walter from Bioware talked about storytelling and how “the player should have ownership and that they’re driving the story” and “making sure there are consequences to [the player’s] choices.” There’s a lot to see and do at the Game Changers exhibit and I highly encourage you to check it out and learn about the history and the evolution of video games. Game Changers will be at the Saskatchewan Science Center from October 6th, 2021, to January 9th, 2022.
oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon |
arts & culture
6
Poetry Night at The Penny
The ESA holds an intimate, collaborative (and their first-ever) poetry night
hannah eiserman arts editor On October 13, a delightfully dreary night straight out of the works of Edgar Allen Poe, a group of students gathered in The Penny University Bookstore for a Poetry Night, hosted by the University’s English Students Association (ESA). ESA co-presidents Breane McCormick and Emily Lints have wanted to host a poetry night since they came into their positions, but lockdown and social gathering rules prevented them from doing so. This time, “[a]fter booking the event[,] we made sure the COVID-19 restrictions would allow us to host it without problem,” McCormick says. New rules regarding proof of vaccination for public events and a small cohort of poets meant that we were able to gather safely for the evening. McCormick said the copresidents “knew of ” the bookstore, and “thought it would be a perfect fit for [their] poetry night.” Like other ESA events, the Poetry Night was promoted by the Department of English to students and to the rest of campus on the ESA’s social media. McCormick, the chairperson of the evening, began by opening the floor to anyone who had come prepared with poems to read. Students Laura Gillis, Sydney McWilliams, and Daniel Kemp took the stage one by one to read a couple of their pieces. Gillis kicked us off
Hannah Eiserman
That purple door in The Penny apparently connects to the yoga studio next door and not Narnia. Disappointing.
with two poems, one fittingly entitled “Bookstore Guy”; McWilliams recited two poems from memory, which suitably impressed the gathering; and Kemp, who moved here from South Africa this year, read us the first and second poems he wrote in Canada. McCormick then led the group in composing some new pieces based on writing prompts.
the pandemic. After everyone had a chance to read their work aloud, McCormick offered a second round of prompts. This time, we were given a slip with four words and the task to construct a poem using each one. Some prompts were “compromise, wild, pages, and clock” and “sunflowers, camera, charity, and muddy.” Once we had all read
phrasing marks instead of line breaks for two reasons: one being space on the physical page, and the other to cluster the threads of ideas accordingly. Plus, isn’t it just so aesthetically pleasing? Feel free to construct your own poems with the prompts we used: there should be something for every writer to work with. And maybe you can even bring your work to the next
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Especially for us bookish, writerly people, getting out in this way can be really intimidating. But it’s important to remember that this is what your student groups are for! – Hannah Eiserman
The first set of prompts were about specific subjects, including “a package you weren’t expecting,” “an abandoned house,” and “how it feels when you don’t belong.” Even the owner and operator of The Penny University, Annabel Townsend, joined in on the writing and reading with a poem on the subject of being “homesick.” She presented a lovely interpretation of the theme as what staying “home sick” means to us as we cope with wave after wave of
again, we decided it would be a fun exercise to construct a collaborative, communal poem. The words we were given were “fix, broken, rebellious, and pride.” Our composition was entitled “a murder,” given our subject of crows and war (a fun fact: a group of crows is called a murder!). Everyone had a role in deciding the content of the poem, but I got the fun editorial task of assigning phrasing and line breaks! I chose to style our work with
ESA Poetry Night! McCormick notes that planning the event was lots of fun, and the ESA hopes to host another one this winter – hopefully with a workshop component! If you’re thinking you’d like to get involved with the next one, she also says they are open in terms of form and content. “We’re really just looking forward to hearing all types of poetry,” McCormick says, “whether it’s spoken word, freeverse, or a more structured type
like a sonnet.” Especially for us bookish, writerly people, getting out in this way can be really intimidating. But it’s important to remember that this is what your student groups are for! Groups like the ESA make it incredibly easy to connect with likeminded people and make some friends! Hitting the books is important, but a major part of the university experience is meeting people. McCormick encourages students “not to be intimidated to approach or even email campus groups.” She says that “all the groups are really welcoming to students who want to get involved and are probably looking for people to fill roles” as well. Even if you’re not an English student, you’re still welcome at ESA events. And if you’re looking for something more specific to your own interests, our campus likely has a group for you! You can look them up on the URSU website Clubs and Societies page. If you want to check out what else the ESA has to offer, they are hosting a Game Night at The Lazy Owl on October 27 from 6:30 to 8:00. They are also hosting a Reading Retreat at Arlington Beach Camp from November 6 to 7. If you’re interested, McCormick says that registration for both of these events will be opening on their social media: @esa_regina. They can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Our group-composed, truly wacky poem about a crow war.
oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon |
arts & culture
7
We need to talk about Jagged Little Pill
Musical receives Tony Award accolades despite transphobia, glaring mistreatment of cast
jorah bright arts writer Content warning: substance abuse, transphobia, and sexual assault. In what seems to be a recurring series of mine, we need to talk about the Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill (JLP) and transphobia. Jagged Little Pill is a jukebox musical using the music of Alanis Morissette. It premiered on Broadway in 2019 and received 15 nominations during the most recent Tony Awards. The story follows the Healy family as each character deals with their own struggles, including opium addiction, trauma from a past rape, and discovering their sexuality. In the original pre-Broadway run of Jagged Little Pill in 2018, one of the characters, Jo, was non-binary. They were played by Lauren Patten, a cis woman. In this early edition, Jo’s gender was evident. They were referred to with they/them pronouns; there was an entire scene of Jo and their mother talking about them being non-binary, and more. They never said outright that Jo was non-binary, but they never needed to: it was clear and noted by critics in early reviews. But, by the time JLP made it to Broadway, things had changed. The creators of the show entirely erased the fact that Jo was nonbinary. It was just gone. And not only was it erased from the musical, Patten herself was erasing the nonbinary representation by denying Jo’s gender in the 2018 run. When Patten was asked about Jo using they/them pronouns in early versions of the show, she denied it, saying “Jo never was writ-
ten as anything other than cis.” Furthermore, she deleted everything she had previously posted on social media about Jo being nonbinary and her support of it. In mid-September 2021, despite the issue being brought up as early as April 2021, JLP issued a statement and apology. But, back in April when the initial discussion was being brought up, Jagged Little Pill tweeted “Jo wasn’t written as non-binary,” in part of a larger statement about the development of Jo as a character. We know that
ic Christian Lewis wrote about the episode, “JLP is perpetuating nonbinary erasure, an act which not only denies needed trans representation but can have dire consequences. Lack of representation has a direct relationship to violence against trans people.” The newer statement from September was met with negative reviews from the queer theatre community. Many believed they only put out this apology because the Tony Awards were right about to happen. This statement includ-
denied their trans-ness. Zie has been fighting for trans rights on Broadway and said that zie was gaslighted while working at JLP. In September, at the time of the JLP’s second statement, Menas posted on hir Instagram story, saying “trans people are still being used & abused. Don’t let an empty “apology” fool you.” The story doesn’t end there. At the 74th Annual Tony Awards on September 26, 2021, Lauren Patten won the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured
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Patten continues to erase Jo’s being non-binary in the original run, saying that it was her choice to refer to Jo with they/them pronouns and that she wasn’t confirming that Jo was non-binary when she was doing that. – Jorah Bright
this isn’t true, because it’s textually clear that they were originally written as non-binary. This made people upset, as it should. During this time in April, JLP created a four-part series called “Wake Up: Why Social Responsibility in Theatre Matters.” In the second episode, they talk about gender expression and sexuality in the show. In this episode, they double down on Jo not being written as a non-binary character. Moreover, Patten continues to erase Jo’s being non-binary in the original run, saying that it was her choice to refer to Jo with they/them pronouns and that she wasn’t confirming that Jo was non-binary when she was doing that. Freelance theatre crit-
ed actions they were going to take in the future. Lewis stated, “JLP had so long to apologize + make positive changes, but they stayed silent, erased the nonbinary character, and gaslit us. Here they offer a slight apology *only when forced*, continue gaslighting, and make no promises to change anything. Not good enough,” Iris Menas, a nonbinary actor who understudied for Jo, had been calling out JLP since April. Zie had been tweeting about the issues, stating at one point in a tweet that zie had PTSD from working at JLP. Zie has been reposting tweets onto hir Instagram about the situation and how JLP shouldn’t have cast a cis person for the role of Jo and then
Actress in a Musical. A cis woman was given an award for telling a non-binary story and then denying that story. In regard to this, Menas said “cis actors coopting trans identities for awards & clout = violence against the *very community* you claim to support.” Additionally, just before the Tony Awards, on September 24, 2021, a statement was posted by nonbinary actor Nora Schell about their treatment while at JLP. In their statement on Twitter, Schell said “I was heavily pressured and eventually asked to wait to get NECESSARY surgery to remove polyps from my vagina. I was told the show couldn’t afford such a blow, it would be too much of a detriment to the preview pro-
cess if I took the 3-4 days I needed for the surgery.” They shared with stage management that they were diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome experiencing anemia from blood loss due to the PCOS, all to no avail. Schell tried to get an emergency appointment with their doctor, and the higher-ups told them “to push through.” In September of 2019, Schell collapsed while at JLP. After collapsing, Schell spoke to their doctor who told them they needed emergency surgery, and when they spoke with the creative team, the creative team had no idea about Schell’s medical emergency or the previously given information about their PCOS. Schell was told to wait and got the surgery a month later. Immediately after the surgery, management told Schell that they needed to start working again and stop taking personal days. It hit a point where Schell’s doctor “could not ethically continue to operate on me if I remained in a work environment that would ask me negate my medical needs.” JLP let a Black non-binary cast member come close to death before allowing them to get surgery. The consequences of this have been lasting and Schell still deals with them two years later. Jagged Little Pill has a history of mistreating non-binary actors, non-binary characters, and gaslighting people when things don’t go their way. Despite all that, they won two Tony Awards and most recently a Grammy. Broadway has a history of erasing non-binary and trans characters and experiences, and JLP is no different.
Wikipedia Commons
A poster for Jagged Little Pill that looks like it was made with Microsoft Paint in 2013.
oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon |
arts & culture
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TV show review: The West Wing
Considering the most presidential of office TV shows almost 15 years after its last episode
hammad ali staff writer Movies and TV shows about the typical day-to-day workings of an office space abound, and it makes sense that some are more interesting than others. Such shows exist across diverse genres, from comedy/mockumentary to police procedurals. One such show, off the air for nearly two decades now, is The West Wing. This is where I must concede that, while technically there is nothing wrong with mentioning The West Wing as a TV show about the day in the life of an office staff, to do so runs the risk of missing a crucial factor. And that is even before I take into consideration the facts that The West Wing has been ranked among the best television shows of all time by several publications, received two Peabody Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a staggering 26 Primetime Emmy Awards. In fact, The West Wing won the award for Outstanding Drama Series for four of the seven years it was on the air. What is so special about a show about the daily lives of office staff? It so happens that the office that is referred to as the “West Wing” is located inside the White House. The employees whose lives we follow are the lawyers, speechwriters, campaign managers and of course, the Chief of Staff and fictional Pres-
Francois Pichard via Flickr
You think the hair’s bad? Let’s get into the plot.
ident of the United States Josiah Bartlett, played by Martin Sheen. Sheen plays a Democrat president who is a liberal academic with multiple accolades like a tenured professorship and a Nobel Prize in Economics to his name. In hindsight, his character is clearly based heavily on a mix of Bill Clinton and possibly Al Gore. It should be mentioned here that even as an ardent fan of the show, it did get hard at times to stomach the notion of this super-
human individual who has been an economist, professor, governor of a state, and is also a wealth of trivia about pretty much any topic in the world. While the argument can be made that we should not be expecting realism from a TV show, I find it a little unfortunate that the show writers felt the need to depict the president as someone this extraordinarily talented and seemingly flawless. Except that’s not quite true: Bartlett does have his share of flaws, but it’s best not
to divulge them here so readers can better enjoy their journey through seven years of life in the White House, with his competent and committed staff and one national or international situation to deal with after another. Exceedingly well-written, the show also doesn’t shy away from being brutally realistic in depicting the real business of governing. The polling for national approval, the frequent meetings with the opposition to broker deals, the
ways in which each side often essentially blackmails the other into accepting deals are all featured. Often, the main drama in an entire episode is the White House attempting to either do damage control on or leverage a moment when a staff or cabinet member says or does something that is guaranteed to rouse some special interest lobby like tobacco, guns, or Christian Evangelists. At least in this sense, the show is realistic – perhaps enough so to justify the cynicism we often feel about the political process. Despite the accolades and the lasting legacy, The West Wing does have its limitations. For one, the overarching theme of the show often calls upon the viewer to buy into the notion of American exceptionalism, and the notion that the US president is somehow head and shoulders above his counterparts all around the world. While it cannot be denied that the USA is a global leader, it would also be nice to be able to watch a show without the oft-occurring reminder of how it is the self-proclaimed greatest democracy/the new world/the land of the free. Of course, the show went off the air in 2007, so maybe the writers can be excused of this. Even with this minor hindrance, The West Wing remains a wonderful show if you love drama, politics, and brilliant storytelling!
Squid Game and capitalism
Netflix’s newest cash-grab paradoxically critiques capitalism amina salah staff writer Warning: contains spoilers. Squid Game is a South Korean dystopian survival series that is available on the popular streaming platform Netflix. It was written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, and stars Lee Byunghun, Jung Ho-yeon, Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryoung. It was released on Netflix on September 17, 2021. Squid Game is a survival game show that features a contest where 456 people from different walks of life play children’s games in order to win money. All of these
people are in deep debts that they struggle to pay. The players who do not win the games are essentially disqualified in a brutal way: they are killed. The gag here is that the last person standing wins ₩45.6 billion, which is over $46.6 million CAD. The protagonist, Seong Gihun, is a divorced man who is in debt and struggles to pay child support. One day, while on the subway, he is invited to play some games for a chance to win money. He accepts the offer and is then taken to a secret location where the games are being hosted. He becomes one of 456 players who are fighting for the same cash prize he wants. There’s also a front man who ensures things are
running in order; he’s seen wearing a unique black mask. In the first episode, there is a revelation that states that each death in the games adds more money to the grand prize. In order to survive, Gi-hun realizes that he must team up with the other players including one player named Sang-woo, an old friend of his. What makes Squid Game fascinating is that at its core, it’s a criticism of capitalism. Squid Game shows viewers how desperate the players are to win the prize cash. These players all suffer from socioeconomic poverty or loss, with one of them being an immigrant named Ali whose boss refuses to give him months of paycheques. As a result, he fights his way
through in order to win the money he never received. The reality is that Squid Game reveals that capitalism is a game that we all participate in. The viewers are the rich – the top 1% of humanity. In the show, the VIPS are made up of wealthy people who watch the players struggle for survival; it’s simply entertainment for them. In the end, the last man standing, Gihun, finds out that one of the players was actually a wealthy man who orchestrated the games out of pure boredom. He wanted to entertain himself and his wealthy friends, the VIPS. The desperation capitalism creates means that people die trying to evade the debts that they
owe. It forces people to risk their lives just for the mere chance that they might win the large cash prize and have their debts paid off. This is a reality that many can relate to. Squid Game mirrors and reflects the fast paced capitalist world we all live in. In order to survive, we must play the capitalist game of catch up. For the characters of Squid Game, the most efficient way to catch up is a life-or-death tournament of children’s games. Squid Game showcases the truth: that the system of capitalism does indeed produce inequality. More importantly, this inequality stems from the exploitation of those who cannot afford to keep up with it. Youngkyu Park via Netflix
Sneak peak of university job fairs in 2045.
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editor: vacant sports@carillonregina.com the carillon | oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
Interview with Cougars women’s rugby
Foster and Quangtakoune talk gameplay, current endeavours, and what makes it all feel worth it
victoria baht sports writer The University of Regina Rugby team has just started their season recently playing against the Bobcats, and played against Brandon this past weekend. I wanted to teach you about the game and the coaches that teach the Cougars team, Juliana Foster and Soutchai Quangtakoune. For the readers that may not know how the game of rugby works, can you please describe the game for our readers? Foster states “Rugby union is a team sport with 15 players a side. The object of the game is to move the ball forward by either running forward and passing backward or kicking the ball down the field to get to your opponents in goal area to score a ‘try.’ The Try must be scored by putting downward pressure on the ball in the in-goal area. A try is worth 5 points and the conversion is worth 2 points.” There are two ways you can play Rugby: one is known as playing 7’s and another is playing 15’s. Can you explain the main differences between the games? Quangtakoune and Foster together stated that “The difference between 7s and 15s is the number of players on the pitch and the amount of time in the game. 7s is a 7-minute half with 7 players and 15s is 40-minute halves with 15 players a side.” How long have you been playing Rugby for and what is your favourite position and why? Foster stated “I have been playing rugby for about 29 years. My favourite position is 13, which is the outside centre. That is what you call a back. There are forwards and backs. The position of
Alison Fisher
For a team this on fire, it’s never too cold for shorts.
13 is for the smaller faster player. It is a great position to score from.” Quangtakoune stated states she has been playing since she was 15 years old. Her favourite position is “would have to be scrumhalf because you are everywhere on the pitch, being able to distribute the ball and watch what your teammates can do with it to score, and you are ultimately the decision maker. I like that…but my heart is always with the forwards.” If there was one position that you think is a highlight/main component to the game, what would it be? Foster states “I would say that
have you played for that have stood out with your passion for Rugby? Foster has played for many teams. “I started with the Breakers rugby club in Regina. I have played for Saskatchewan at many provincial tournaments, and I had played for Canada for 10 years. I now play (sort of) for the team I coach the Rage Rugby Team.” The team that stood out most to Quangtakoune was “honestly, probably the first time I stepped on the pitch at practice with the Breakers as a naïve teenager looking for something totally different than what I was used to playing.” What is a highlight that you have reached with any
How long have you been coaching the Cougars for? Foster has been coaching the rugby team since 2011 and Quangtakoune joined her in 2012. What is your goal for the Cougars this upcoming season now that you guys are back to playing after a season off because of Covid-19? Foster’s goal is to “for this season is to get the girls back in shape. When I say shape, not only physically but mentally. It was a huge lay off and for the most part they have not been around the game for over a year. Some of the girls have not played in three years.”
“
Everyone on the pitch contributes to the game but if I had to choose (a highlight), it would be scrumhalf for the same reasons I mentioned above. They distribute the ball and make the decisions of who to give the ball to. – Soutchai Quangtakoune
the half backs are the main components. They are like the quarter backs. The scrumhalf (9) leads the forwards and the flyhalf (10) leads the backs.” Quangtakoune states “Everyone on the pitch contributes to the game but if I had to choose (a highlight), it would be scrumhalf for the same reasons I mentioned above. They distribute the ball and make the decisions of who to give the ball to, forwards or backs. They are like the “quarterbacks” of the team.” What previous teams
team while playing that make you a proud Rugby player? Foster states she had the experience of “In my first year of playing provincial, I was long listed for Canada. I was named player of the week in my first ever tournament for Canada. Scored 3 tries against France.” Quangtakoune stated she “I would have to say my biggest highlight would be winning a city and provincial championship with my two daughters playing on the pitch with me. Rage Women’s Rugby!”
Quangtakoune stated her goal is the same every year. “Every year, my goal for the girls would be to see growth in their abilities as leaders on and off the pitch and to win games of course!” Can you describe one of your most successful moments when coaching the Cougars or another team? Foster stated “One of my most successful moments was when I was coaching a high school team and a student came up to me to thank me. She said she really enjoyed playing and
I made it fun for her. If I wasn’t here doing this for her, she probably would be off doing...let’s just say illegal things. It makes you feel good to be able to help and support young minds.” Quangtakoune stated “Cougar team 2019 in L.A. Majority of our players were rookies and/ or first time starting. First game we won and it was the best feeling seeing the girls play together as a team and putting everything we taught them on the pitch.” What is the most difficult part of coaching and what is the number one highlight of coaching? Julie says her most difficult part of coaching is “Time. Being able to be a part of a team and also having a family that needs you as well. The highlight is seeing the am put together what I teach them on the field. As I have said to them, I give them the tools, ‘now go use them.’” For Quangtakoune, “the most difficult part is seeing the girls leave the game after university or even a season. Watching the girls give it their all on the pitch and the results just wasn’t what they expected. And lastly, watching one of them get injured and is out for the season. The highlight… they become like my daughters; I see them grow up, mature and eventually go off on their own. Proud mama!” So, there are the insights of Foster and Quangtakoune. They told you their highlights, some jokes, and some heart-to-heart moments, exactly what it is like on the rugby pitch! You create not only a team, but a family, and they and I have experienced it firsthand!
oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon | 10
sports
Bear shares on four years with Cougars softball While the season may be over the lessons will carry on – the game’s not over yet victoria baht sports writer This past weekend, the University of Regina softball team finished their 2021 season with a final game against Ottawa and a win in the ball diamond. Now that the season has ended, some players have officially ended their Cougars careers. The Carillon interviewed one such player, Kat Bear, who just completed her fourth year playing with the cougars in Center Field position. Can you tell us about your position and the importance of the position for the game? “I play Center Field; it’s positioned right behind second base in the middle of the outfield between left and right field. The role of a center fielder is to oversee the entire outfield and outfielders. It requires you to have a strong arm and excellent range to throw balls from the outfield into the infield as quickly and precisely as possible.” What is your favourite part about said position? “My favourite part about playing center field is being able to see everything that goes on. Being in the middle of the field, it feels like I get to experience every play. Another close favourite is being involved with our pitchers; I make the pitchers involve me in every single out by giving hand signals. For example, for one out, we would hold up one finger and tap it on our head. Sharing those moments with them during an exciting game was special to me.”
What are some top workouts/training sessions that you have done in the past that you think have helped you most? “During the winter months, the team carries out winter training to remain conditioned and to work on more of the finer skills. We would work on glove work, bat path on the tees, and overall conditioning with continuous reps, reps on the tee and front toss. Then, in the spring and summer when most of us leave to go back home, we are given a summer workout program. Coming
into the season well-conditioned is what has helped me the most. I do this by following our summer conditioning program.” What are 3 main reasons you enjoy playing for the Cougars specifically? “The program is focused on culture, meaning our veteran players pass down the team values, attitudes, and behaviours that our team has developed over the years; it’s how we work together within our short, intense season in hopes to achieve the same goal, whether it’s a bid for the next upcoming season or
to win a national championship. Our program is different because we stray away from the ‘me’ and ‘I’ to the ‘we.’ We do ‘whatever it takes for the team and for each other.’ We really are a family. Lastly, the coaching staff. We are beyond lucky to have the coaching staff that we do. Our coaches are unpaid volunteers who commit to our team for not only our six weeks of practice every day and travel every weekend, but for an entire year of fundraising, organizing, and off-season training. Our coaching staff never fails to push us, not only to become betArthur Images
If only graduation photos came out this good.
ter ball players, but as people.” You just recently finished your final game with the Cougars, and possibly the last game of your softball career; where else do you plan on going with the game? “I may have finished my final game with the Cougars, but I can honestly say that this won’t stop me from playing the sport I love. I plan on competing in the 2022 Canadian Native Fastball Championships in Prince George, BC. I will continue to coach softball to share my passion with younger generations, and who knows what else the future has in store for me.” What is a great memory you have over your years playing with the Cougars? “Over the past four years, it’s nearly impossible for me to say just one great memory. Two moments that stand out for me are when we became national champions in 2018 & 2019. Those two games and moments were two surreal and amazing experiences.” How did the overall Cougars season go this year? Are you happy with the overall result? “Our season this year was full of learning and continuous growth. We added 12 new players to the roster with only 6 veteran players. We saw improvement throughout the season and the future looks bright for the program as we have entered a new era. Regardless of the outcome this season, I will always be proud to be a Cougar.”
Sporty Queers series: Billie Jean King Slamming misogynists back from whence they came since ‘43 gillian massie staff writer
Jonathan Exley via Flickr
Famed tennis player or the therapist your mom booked you with for next Thursday?
Breaking sexual orientation barriers within sports has been increasingly more common, and representation in sports brings the refreshing and interesting inclusion of a broader audience. In all areas of life, someone had to challenge the status quo and break down barriers to make more inclusive areas. With all major changes comes conflict – Billie Jean King’s legacy in tennis is no different. With 39 grand slam titles, she is truly a force to be reckoned with, but this did not stop her from being a spectacle in the media and in the world of sport. In the midst of the wage gap in the second wave of the feminist movement, King was the spokesperson for her own movement “equal play for equal pay,” challenging the Wimbledon Grand Slam prize reward. King and eight other women eventually signed a contract to launch their own campaign outside of the World Tennis Organization. All of these women were tired of facing sexual discrimination on the court, in meeting rooms, and in the eye of the general public.
They risked their careers knowing that they could have been ousted for defying executive higher-ups and could face potential public backlash. While public backlash did arise, the original nine sparked much in the public’s eye by speaking on what everyone was thinking – the wage gap was utterly unethical. Not only did King put her life on full blast for depiction, but she also partook in the most widely watched televised tennis match – the Battle of the Sexes in 1973 – where she took on ex-tennis player Bobby Riggs. Riggs’ campaign showed that he was not against the most misogynistic treatment towards King, making snotty comments challenging her femineity. He even went as far as to show up the day of the match with a jumpsuit that had the words “Sugar Daddy” embellished on the back. While King faced horrific actions of misogyny and intimidation from Riggs and the World Tennis Association, she still held herself in a professional manner and did not stoop to such childish tactics. Not only did King speak to the benefits of professionalism, she demonstrated how such bully-
ing tactics only made Riggs look worse. When Riggs could not get a reaction out of King, he would try harder, making him look even worse in the process. The Battle of the Sexes gave King an astronomical benefit when she destroyed Riggs at the Houston Astrodome. With over 30, 000 fans sitting on the edge of their seats and over 50 million viewers watching in the United States, it was made plain that Riggs could not put his money where his mouth was. King proceeded to be a positive feminist figure, and that alone earned her many enemies who wanted to get back at her; in 1981, she was outed as a lesbian without her consent, which contributed to her later making a safer space for teens and young adults to come out in. Gay rights activism highly relies on many queer allies to help them feel safe. While Billie Jean King’s own sexual preference was outed, she has made many efforts in creating a more progressive and safe society that accepts anyone’s sexual orientation. Many of these efforts have contributed to incredibly role-model like behaviour for many young tennis players.
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editor: sarah nakonechny op-ed@carillonregina.com the carillon | oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
Moving from fast fashion to thrifting
Fast fashion has won out over sustainable shopping, but thrift stores are still fighting Fast fashion is one of the leading sources to economic growth in our world today. It is essentially cheap clothing inspired by the current trends on the runways, whether it is New York or Milan Fashion Week. The catch here is that it is much cheaper to buy in comparison to high fashion brands like Gucci or Fendi. A Gucci bag can range from $1,000 to $10,000. One can purchase a similar bag from fast fashion brands such as H&M or Zara for a significantly reduced price. The reason why fast fashion is a global powerhouse is due to the demand from consumers. There is a high supply, as well as high demand, which is interesting to see. It is important to differentiate between fast fashion clothing and counterfeits. Fast fashion is made up of knock offs which are completely legal. Counterfeits, on the other hand, copy the brand completely. Knockoffs are just a resemblance of the original piece of clothing. If you go into a store like H&M, you will find cheap clothing. However, if you go into the same store the next day, you’ll find that there are brand new styles of clothing that are different to what you might have seen the day before. What makes fast fashion interesting to explore is that it has more seasons. Traditional high fashion is categorized into four seasons in two different groups, these being Spring/Summer as well as Fall/Winter. According to Sara Lepley of Business Insider, the fast fashion industry goes through 52 micro seasons in a year. This is due to the reality that trends change rapidly in the world of fashion. Every season at Fashion Week reveals new trends to which fast fashion brands must play catch up, thus recreating popular pieces. The other side of fast fashion reveals a reality in which sustainability is seen as an empowering tool to help people as well as brands reduce the ways they affect the
environment. Many believe that if everyone simply stopped shopping at fast fashion brands, the damage would be healed. This is not the case. The other side of fast fashion and sustainability showcases a world that promotes overconsumption. It is harder to shop sustainably in 2021 because shopping sustainably is a privilege. Sustainable and ethically sourced brands charge more for their products because sourcing materials is not cheap, and they also must pay their workers a living wage. It is com-
classes. According to Time Magazine’s Olivia B. Waxman, thrift stores are a $14.4 billion industry today. The rising prices of thrifting are a result of an economic phenomena that has existed since the start of time. Thrifting has become a trend, which has simultaneously led to a high demand for it, resulting in rising prices. This makes it hard on those who depend on thrift stores as a means of survival as they simply cannot keep up with the increasing prices. For the longest time, there was stigma
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It is harder to shop sustainably in 2021 because shopping sustainably is a privilege. – Amina Salah
mon knowledge that fast fashion brands do not pay their workers livable wages in their factories. Thrifting is one of the ways in which many people shop. However, it is important to emphasize that a lot of people who thrift do not do it to seem “cool” or “trendy” simply because it is seen as an aesthetic today – others thrift to promote sustainability. For a lot of low-income families, thrifting is the only way they can find clothing and products that are affordable to them based on their budget. This is almost impossible today due to the rising prices of thrift stores. Thrifting today has undergone gentrification, because it is seen as a quirky practice to find vintage clothing by people from middle and upper
when it came to thrifting, because people were purchasing used items. While the stigma is gone today, it has been replaced with gentrification and rising prices. According to the 2020 Resale Report by ThredUp and GlobalData, thrifting and the secondhand market is predicted to rise to be a $64 billion industry by 2024. The report states that this will not just include thrift stores such as Goodwill and Salvation Army, but also includes independent stores. Terry Nguyen states that thrifting will essentially lead to a decline in fast fashion; while this is a good thing, it seems much harder to visualize, as fast fashion is a large industry with stores in person and online. The bigger problem is the reality that most clothes donated to thrift stores end
up in landfills, leading to an even bigger problem: clothes that are not sold are often sold to developing countries or burned in landfills. In 2017, the Eileen Mac-Arthur Foundation emphasized the harsh reality that about 87 per cent of fabrics utilized for clothing end up in landfills. As a response to the problems critics have pointed out regarding fast fashion, many brands have established initiatives that promote sustainability. The same way skincare and beauty companies greenwash their products, fast fashion brands also green-wash their clothing in order to make the public believe that they are truly sustainable. Green-washing is a concept in which corporations portray themselves as eco- friendly when they are far from it. Upon further inspection, one can clearly see that fast fashion brands are just using buzz words to appeal to the general public. H&M is famous for their recycling bins. The appeal here is that if a customer brings in their used clothes to recycle, they can then get a discount on their next purchase. The irony lies in the fact that H&M wants to reward the public for recycling by giving them discounts on their next purchases, making people buy even more clothes. The other side of fast fashion thus leads to a never-ending cycle filled with overconsumption, gentrification of thrift stores, and rising prices that low-income families are unable to keep up with. The other side of sustainability mirrors a harrowing world surrounded by green-washing and environmental degradation.
amina salah staff writer Waldemar Brandt via Unsplash
You won’t find any apple-bottom jeans in here.
oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
op-ed
carillonregina.com | the carillon |
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Fear of missing out on personal time
The need to socialize is taking over; the fear of missing out has only increased As I write this article closer to midnight than I would care to admit, I realize that this will not be an informational piece on “How to Succeed” post-COVID in university. We’re all just continuing to figure it out step-by-step. The stress of COVID has turned swiftly from “I feel unproductive in quarantine” to “I feel overwhelmed out of quarantine.” I find that, personally, the stress of everyday life is also added onto my academic stress. During quarantine, someone could focus explicitly on chores or other household tasks; now there is pressure to leave the house and become “more productive” with your time. Now, people expect me to leave my house and socialize – which went from taboo to being required a little too fast for me. “But you’re missing out! Your friends won’t like you anymore!” my anxiety attempts to shout at me as my brain counters with “Just stay home and focus on yourself ! You have too much to do!” While this was an issue in time management pre-COVID, now it seems to have turned into motivation management. I do find myself with a heavier workload, thus
creating less opportunities to see friends. However, I also seem to lack the motivation that I once had to go out after a long day. I find myself wanting to curl up for my millionth rewatch of Gilmore Girls instead. This is because, pre-COVID, I was balancing myself between the social, the academic, and the personal in a more equal way. Once COVID hit, I had to emphasize the personal more than ever, as I was left solely in my own company. Once school started up again, I had to emphasize academics even more than usual as online classes require more self-discipline. While I wouldn’t say “post-COVID,” this world is certainly “post-quarantine” - leading to gatherings of friends, bars reopening, and dates being had. However, I was still used to my 60/40 split between academic and personal time. How was I supposed to add a third variable back in? I’ve been left scrambling to justify experiences to myself while also competing with narratives of “you should be home studying” running through my head. This is not just my experience, but that of many students across the country. Statistics Canada states that “Since COVID, those aged 15 to 24
reported the greatest declines in mental health – 20 percentage point reductions from 60 per cent (2019, pre-COVID) to 40 per cent (July 2020) of those reporting excellent or very good mental health.” At first, I was very excited to get out and meet new people and see my friends again. However, I still was putting pressure on myself to take care of my home duties and my school duties, all at the same time as I was asked to put extra emphasis on my social life. This, of course, leads to the dreaded word: BURNOUT! Before someone might have asked me “how many papers did you have due this week?” to evaluate how burnt out I am. Now they could ask “how many social obligations did you fulfill this week?” and garner the same response. One thing that we are always taught in school is to manage your time and make sure that you prioritize. But when society starts to put more emphasis on social lives than you previously did on school, how do you manage? The key is that, honestly, you don’t. Not every week will look the same, not every friend hangout has to be an entire evening. Fit it in where you can – and if
you can’t? Don’t worry about it. It is not your responsibility to be the “fun fulfillment” in other people’s lives. If you need a stress-free night of friends and pizza? Text someone. If you need a night alone to cry and watch sappy Hallmark movies months before Christmas? Cancel on someone. Don’t feel the need to be more social than you ever have been just because the opportunity has presented itself after a long time. You want to be the person who parties every weekend now that the clubs are open? Go ahead, but don’t have a fear of missing out on experiences just because you missed out on some during quarantine. The opportunities for socialization will keep appearing, they aren’t just limited to your time at university. You never have to feel like you have your life 100 per cent under control; I know I don’t. We’re surviving, hopefully, the end of a pandemic. Cut yourself, and others, some slack.
emily lints contributor
Eliott Reyna via Unsplash
The guys have no idea what the girls are laughing at, but they’re going to smile anyways.
Challenges in building student communities online It’s a difficult task to support the students who have never heard of you Being a student leader is oftentimes a tricky task to navigate. From interacting with faculty members to supporting students as we all move through different parts of our degrees, there is always something that can be done to help grow the communities present at the university. To sound wonderfully optimistic, an ideal world where all the events held are successful and each conversation had leads to meaningful relationships being formed, and that the way in which support needs to be facilitated not only for other students but also between the board members is clear and distinct, is a world I wish we could live in. Now, back to reality and how difficult it is trying to navigate the things that we as student leaders would like to accomplish along with how horrendously tiring it is trying to get the same, or at least similar, results in a completely remote setting. Some organizations took this time to go through some major changes, whether that was restructuring, updating logos, or changing the focus that they want to take moving forward. But after doing all of that, where do you go from there? You have all these new pretty graphics and fresh ideas for moving forward, and you are stuck trying to reach people through a screen. Not only are you trying to reach them through the screen, but you now have to make them as excited about what you are doing as you are. How many emails are you really willing to send out until you lose your own enthusiasm? I know you might be thinking “that
doesn’t seem as hard as you are making it out to be. People must be wanting to do things.” Trust me, it is difficult to reach them in time before their Zoom battery finally runs out. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is being unable to interact and connect with the new students who have started in the last two years. There are first- and second-year students who have never seen campus, let alone heard about the student groups and programs that are available for them to be involved with. This poses a new issue, as we are now drawing from roughly half of the undergraduate student population regarding programming, events, and
any media outreach that is done, while trying to determine how to find the other half. Losing out on the opportunity to engage with a large portion of students makes it difficult to feel as though you are doing meaningful work or contributing in a way that is useful and wanted. Having a smaller audience intensifies the feeling that the work being done is not useful or wanted. With events now needing to be held primarily on Zoom, seeing the participant number in the bottom of the screen can be very disheartening. Everyone is forced to stare at their computer and phone screens for absurd amounts of time, meaning that they do not want to log in to Wes Hicks via Unsplash
Concentrating more on the pets that take over Zoom calls than the people themselves.
yet another Zoom call. As well, this Zoom call comes with different expectations – if you are logging into an event on Zoom, there is the expectation that you are more likely to have your camera on and have your microphone on to interact rather than posting in the chat, as it should be “more natural.” All of this makes it hard for people to want to engage, and as a result makes it increasingly difficult for the boards holding the events to push to continue doing so. Staring at a blank screen with a handful of names and talking to the void is a challenge that can become tiring. As a result, we have landed in an endless cycle of things being hard to facilitate without feedback, and being unable to get adequate feedback as we are unable to facilitate reaching out to people to start that dialogue. For now, we must continue to move forward in reaching out to people and provide some forgiveness for ourselves if things do not work out as well as we hoped. It is not an easy time to be a student leader, and it is not an easy time to be a student at all. Looking towards winter, we can be hopeful that connecting with other students will be easier and that the desire to socialize and attend events will continue to rise. Connecting is hard at the best of times – it is even harder now.
sarah nakonechny op-ed editor
oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon |
op-ed
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Stress of early registration
Stress and uncertainty alongside a glimmer of hope for normal life Much to the surprise of University of Regina students, upon checking our emails in the past couple of weeks it had been announced that course registration for the upcoming winter semester will be pushed forward by an entire month. Registration in previous years began in November, much closer to the end of the fall semester. This year, course registration opened at the beginning of October, only a month into the new academic year and a full month ahead of schedule. Having course registration begin so close to the winter semester allowed for administration to have completely finalized details on course dates, times, and locations. Now with COVID, there is another important element to prepare for – whether courses will be delivered remotely, in person, or as a hi-flex option. It may be too early to decide how classes should be offered until we see improvements in our COVID numbers. Anxiety is rising with course selection starting earlier this year. If covid cases are as high as ever, how can the school ensure a safe transition back to the campus environment? If cases continue as they are, it may be safer to continue remote learning, but it’s still too early to say which will be the better option. Personally, I find the situation to be worrisome. When planning for course registration it appears that four out of the five classes I’m registered for will be offered in person. As someone who doesn’t live in Regina yet, this means big changes coming my way, and soon. I will be moving to a city where I don’t know anyone and am unfamiliar with my way around. If the campus closed again, it would be a very difficult time alone in a new city. If COVID cases continue rising as they are now, the courses
Behnam Nourouzi via Unsplash
Just because you fill in your calendar doesn’t mean you have your life together.
we are choosing may be changed back to online before the winter semester begins. However, the University of Regina has put in place many safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID and ensure everyone is able to make this transition a safe one. Masks are mandatory at the campus and must be always worn, and you must show proof of vaccination. If you aren’t vaccinated for any reason, the school will be conducting regular COVID tests and requiring negative results for those unvaccinated to be present on campus grounds. In a certain way, the earlier registration does benefit me as it provides an ex-
tra month for me to find an apartment in preparation for the second semester. There are many kids from my classes who come from out of town, so I’m certain the administration took this into account when making their decision. Furthermore, many students have most likely widened their work or volunteer schedules due to the flexibility of asynchronous learning. This way, students are offered ample amounts of time to reorganize their schedules and provide adequate notice to the other places that they are committed to. If things go smoothly with the return of students to campus, this could be
a turning point for the mental health of many students and staff. The isolation of online school has felt suffocating at times. I’m already in my second year, and still haven’t managed to make a friend due to the detached setting of zoom classes and asynchronous learning, which has been incredibly lonely. Not only that but asking for help on an assignment means emailing back and forth multiple times with your professor instead of them being able to explain any question you may have in person. For a lot of students, their grades may see vast improvements. This means that now more than ever, there needs to be a strong community presence within the University of Regina. There are two years of students who may have never stepped foot on campus, so there will be quite a big transition period. But having classes in person and perhaps even some clubs will help students meet one another and bring back a strong sense of community. Campus life starting back up again brings with it an air of excitement. We can only hope that the administration has not spoken too soon, and that courses will be able to be delivered safely in person as planned. Choosing courses so soon leaves the opportunity for many things to change on a dime making the experience stressful for all involved. However, hopefully seeing the chance to be in person among your peers will provide people the motivation they need to keep pushing through to the end of the year.
halyna mihalik contributor
Inconsistencies in Sask QR code checks
The government may have mandated QR codes, but nobody was prepared to implement Since October 1, the people of Saskatchewan are expected to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated to access a variety of businesses and services. While there is a list of places that are exempt as they are deemed essential services, this requirement has been received well by many as being essential to public health and safety. At the same time, no small number of people are concerned that this represents an overreach by the provincial government. While I do not agree with the latter, it can be emphasized that even if the government did not get this done, many private businesses likely would have done so anyway. Nevertheless, the government did act. True to their standards ever since the beginning of the pandemic though, they only did so in a manner than leaves much to be desired. Firstly, the list of places that are exempted from requiring a proof of vaccination made little sense to me. Why are restaurants supposed to check for one, but not hotels? In what way is my staying for one meal a potential public health risk, but if I am staying multiple days and nights, sleeping in a hotel bed, and using other hotel facilities, all is well? I certainly hope that hotels require such proof through their own initiative. The last thing we need is an outbreak in a hotel during a busy weekend when all rooms are booked. If I recall correctly, the policy about having to provide proof of vaccination was announced on September 15, to come into effect October 1. This means that the people of this province had around two weeks to create an online SaskHealth account
and obtain the document which included their vaccine information and QR code. Two weeks is already cutting it close, and it certainly was not helped by the excruciatingly slow and roundabout process of creating an online account. On top of this, the SHA announced that the machine-readable QR codes would take some more time to be made available online. I had to try four times before successfully obtaining the two-page document, with the QR code on the first page and the same information in a human-readable table on the second. During one of these four attempts, I saw an error message that I had not seen in the last decade – one about how
the server is unable to handle the number of requests it is currently getting. Based on the experience in my day job, I can tell you this is a problem that could have been foreseen and solved by spending at most a couple of hundred dollars. When the government tells a province of a million people that they will need to go online and obtain a document and gives them roughly two weeks to do so, the government better invest in some server infrastructure for the kind of demands they just set themselves up for. I did obtain the document eventually. I put it on my phone and walked into a restaurant, head held high. When asked Markus Winkler via Unsplash
So you’re scared of being tracked, but you have your phone with you everywhere you go... I see...
to provide proof of vaccination, I opened the file. The staff member scanned the QR code, and all the necessary information popped up. This person even cross-referenced the name with my photo ID. All was well, I placed my order, and thought that maybe the initial jitters of this proof of vaccination business are over. As I soon found out though, not all businesses are being as mindful. See, the QR code needs to be scanned by the relevant SHA app. The next time I was at a restaurant, the staff member asked me for proof. When I held it out for her, she looked at the QR code and nodded me in. Did you get that part? She just looked at it, with her bare eyes! Eyes that I am sure cannot read QR codes, let alone then interface with the SHA app to verify all the information. But maybe I am wrong. Maybe what I am concerned about was a somewhat lackadaisical human-robot equipped to read QR codes and go online all in less time than it takes me to say “Here you g-…” I guess I will never find out. However, I am now once again deciding to forego restaurants until I can be sure they are scanning QR codes and matching the name with a photo ID. Either that, or news that a certain restaurant has secretly been employing cyborgs…
hammad ali staff writer
oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon |14
op-ed
If you can’t handle menstruation, you are the problem
Stop treating our hygiene products as though this is a choice we are making Bleeding: a fact of life for roughly half of us, and we accept it, sometimes bleeding through pants at school or work. “Menstrual Equity in Canada: What is happening in Public Policy” was a Zoom meeting held on October 5 to connect people across Canada in discussions of the related efforts taking place across the country. It was hosted by the organizations Changing the Flow and Days for Girls Canada. Advocates for menstrual equity are looking to capitalize on campaign promises made in the recent federal election. The Liberals promised to provide free tampons and pads in federally regulated workplaces, and to establish a $25 million Menstrual Equity Fund for women’s shelters, not-forprofits, community-based organizations, and youth-led organizations to make menstrual products available to vulnerable people. I know what to do when you don’t have period products. You pray that you have toilet paper. I also know that toilet paper does not work well, and you exist in a state of constant anxiety about a leak until you find something better - meaning you tend to avoid situations where you may not be able to take care of your needs, and those needs are more pressing without proper products. That translates into academic, athletic, and professional inequities. Therefore, I find the proposed Menstrual Equity Fund for not-for-profits and community-based organizations to be an important step towards equity for the most vulnerable Canadians. There was also consensus in the aforementioned Zoom discussion that free tampons and pads in federally regulated workplaces was more valuable as role modeling for other organizations than in providing for an actual need among federally employed workers. Period products need to be available free of charge through all local authorities, education providers,
and businesses with public restrooms. In recognition of this, the Scottish Parliament enacted the Period Products Free Provision Act in January 2021. It is the first country in the world to provide free period products to all who need them. In a smaller Canadian step, the Ontario government recently announced a partnership with Shopper’s Drug Mart to supply a total of six million free period products annually for the province’s schools. As critics have pointed out, while a positive step, it still falls short of fulfilling the need. In Canada, menstrual equity has been an excruciatingly slow process. From the years of effort to finally change the classification of menstrual products
from luxury to essential and remove the GST in 2016, to the governments of British Columbia and Nova Scotia providing free period products to students in public education in 2019. This is partly due to any decision-making about providing free period products in public restrooms ending up on the desk of a non-bleeder. They dominate the power positions. The non-bleeders tend to say things like: “Why should we offer free period products when we have to pay for razors? That is something my body does naturally, and I have to pay for it.” Really? Are we going there? Here is my answer. Step one: remove all toilet paper from public washrooms. Step two: folNatracare via Unsplash
More luxury products for people who don’t menstrate to decide we’re not worthy of.
lowing your business luncheon, realize that you forgot to carry your personal stash of toilet paper today (and it’s too late). Step three: walk around for the rest of the afternoon hoping that no one will notice. Step four: they will notice. Step five: recommend that all public washrooms henceforth be supplied with free toilet paper. Period care is not an issue on the same level as razors. Societal expectations regarding shaving habits can be changed, but menstruation carries on regardless. Another common objection to free period products in public restrooms is that people will take all the free products offered. Again: toilet paper. People tend to take only what they need. Period products are just as necessary to people with periods as toilet paper is to all of us. Stop penalizing people with periods for a natural consequence of the reproductive cycle that supports human survival. It should be a priority to support our comfort and dignity in ways that accommodate our full participation in our communities. Menstrual equity is not just about making period products more accessible. It is about addressing the stigma that surrounds menstruation in our society. The goal is that by re-educating ourselves to view menstruation as a neutral bodily function and/or a source of pride, we will enable the self-care, critical thinking and informed decision-making necessary to a healthy relationship with one’s body. This is my hope for the future. The Liberals’ promise is an important step toward this goal. As a society, we need to advocate for public policy that works toward achieving respectful and supportive communities.
mandy friesen contributor
Canadian fall customs through a different lens The norms we follow for these few weeks are both wonderful and confusing Fall is a beautiful season in North America, and more so for the maple-leaf country of Canada. The changing of colours in the leaves from green to golden has an unexplainable charm and warmth to it. While there are numerous traditions and celebrations around this time of the year in Canada, here is my take on what these fall norms mean to someone who is an immigrant to Canada experiencing them. For a person new to this country, it takes quite a bit of practice to start using the term fall instead of autumn. The term fall is more common to North America than it is to the rest of the world. The confusion surrounding the terminology gets sorted as newcomers engage in day-to-day conversations. With time they adapt to which months comprise fall and how fall gradually leads to winter. It is a tricky time for dressing up, as it is neither as warm as in summer nor freezing
like in winter. For their first fall in Canada, many individuals are fooled by the sunny weather and clear skies, and they dress like it is summer in the morning only to scamper back into their apartments for a warmer piece of clothing. Fall allows people to wear everything that they thought would be too hot for summer, and so it turns out to be an incredible time for fashionistas. For some countries, pumpkin is consumed as a vegetable or soup on a regular basis. Other references of the usage of the pumpkin would be Hollywood Halloween films. It is interesting to immigrants to see Canadians be so excited about pumpkin and its flavours in an entirely different way. It does not take long though for newcomers to get hooked on pumpkin pies, pumpkin-flavoured coffee, and pumpkin puree yoghurt among many other pumpkin flavoured options. It is a wonderful Canadian tradition to
come together and celebrate Thanksgiving. While many cultures around the globe have gestures and traditions to be thankful, there isn’t an entire day dedicated to it. Halloween too is a fun time for many newcomers to Canada, as it is like witnessing Hollywood’s Halloween films in real life. These celebrations are also an opportunity for immigrants to gradually participate and assimilate in Canadian society. The significance of the Orange Shirt Day and its slogan, Every Child Matters, has touched people living coast-to-coast. It is a day that has raised awareness and support from all sections of the society. For immigrants, it is an excellent way to familiarize themselves about the history behind this movement, what it is, and the relevance it will hold for them moving forward in the future. No one knows exactly when the leaves will turn orange and how quickly they may
disappear with a strong gust of wind. For people witnessing their first fall, there is child-like happiness in clicking photos with an orange background. It is quite a bit of work to find that beautiful fall-themed tree in the neighbourhood. This perfectly orange-leaved landscape in Regina lasts about a fortnight before they drop to the ground, making it even more exciting to be a part of while you can. While everyone has their favourite season and reason behind it, fall would be a strong contender in that category. It is a distinct season with its colours and feel, and above all a subtle expansion of the summer-like feel, before winter starts creeping in. Although it may be fast and fleeting, it is certainly a season for everyone to enjoy.
sonali currie contributor Sonali Currie
graphics
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editors: sarah carrier, rooky jegede graphics@carillonregina.com the carillon | oct 21 - oct 27, 2021
