The Sheaf - February 6, 2013

Mapping campus crime FEATURE 10&11

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Paying more for pearly whites: USSU council votes on dental fee

McGill university floods after water main bursts

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7 February, 2013 | The University of Saskatchewan student newspaper since 1912

CIS athletics departments slipping Move over, Rocky Horror; there’s a when it comes to hazing, drugs and new worst movie in town. eligibility SPORTS 7 CULTURE 13

Spread the love on Valentine’s Day OPINIONS 17

OPINIONS

Corporate involvement in university governance a disturbing trend

TANNARA YELLAND Opinions Editor The “revolving door” in American politics allows people to move between the private and public sectors and to influence public policy in favour of the businesses with which they are involved. This phenomenon is one of the most universally recognized signs that the American system is corrupted and broken.

Dick Cheney’s political life is a perfect example of the revolving door. He was secretary of defence under George H. W. Bush.

Afterward, Cheney left public service to become chair and CEO of Halliburton, one of the world’s largest oilfield service companies.

When George W. Bush was elected in 2000, Cheney left Halliburton to serve as his vice-president.

Halliburton profited enormously from the privatization of the second Iraq war. In fact, Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and

Root may have defrauded the U.S. government of hundreds of millions of dollars related to one of its Iraq contracts.

Did Cheney’s place first in Halliburton and then Bush’s administration allow him to influence these decisions? Even without hard evidence it stands to reason that it did.

The University of Saskatchewan is (obviously) not the U.S. government. But there is a similarly dangerous pattern developing here of people moving from the private sector to powerful positions in the university. It is a situation that bears close examination.

In the last few weeks, four new members of the U of S Board of Governors have been announced, as has current University Secretary Lea Pennock’s replacement.

Corporate involvement continued on

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raisa pezderic/photo editor & jared beattie/layout editor

With increasing corporate involvement in university affairs, it’s hard to ignore the implications.

NEWS

U of S lecturer to monitor Kenyan elections

KENDRA SCHREINER

Five years ago Bill Rafoss was forced to flee Kenya because of widespread violence following the country’s presidential election. Now he is gearing up to return to the East African nation for the upcoming 2013 election to try to prevent the coercion from happening again.

Rafoss is the former chief investigator of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission and a political studies sessional lecturer at the University of Saskatchewan.

He will arrive in the coastal city of Mombasa in the days leading up to the March 4 vote.

During his stay, Rafoss will monitor polls and investigate electoral scare tactics in the area by taking photos, talking to Kenyan voters and collecting statements alongside the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. If electoral fraud occurs, his work will be used as evidence.

Allegations of tampered numbers and fraudulent voting in the 2007 presidential election lead to deadly tribal clashes that lasted for two months. The violence left 1,100 people dead and over 300,000

displaced.

“Kenya has always been one of the most democratic countries in Africa, so this last election was a deviation from that and now the question is whether they can get back on track and show the world they can be a successful democracy,” Rafoss said of the coming election.

A history of ethnic fighting in Kenya has left the country divided among many tribal lines, both physically and politically. Politicians are trying to calm these tensions ahead of the election.

“They have this slogan called Kenya First, meaning not your tribe first, but the country has to come first,” Rafoss said.

This will be Rafoss’ fifth trip to Africa.

Since the 2007 election Kenya has amended its constitution in an attempt to avoid a repeat of last election’s violence.

But some violence has already begun in the country — months prior to the upcoming election — leaving some fearing the worst.

“I think the odds are pretty good” for violence, Rafoss said. “If there is going to be violence, it’s probably going to happen in [the capital city]

Bill Rafoss and his partner Suzy Xue will arrive in Kenya in March to investiagte the election and the aftermath of the vote.

Nairobi.”

While efforts are being made to avoid violence, there is not much that can be done a month before the election.

“It has to be a long-term education

campaign,” Rafoss said of the steps needed to improve Kenya’s electoral system. “They need to educate the population on how to be a successful democracy.”

Kenyan elections

bob low

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NEWS

| 7 February, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

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struggle to fund the CLS

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Corrections

raisa pezderic/photo editor

The Canadian Foundation for Innovation has agreed to give the Canadian Light Source $67 million to fund 40 per cent of its operating costs over the next four to five years. The CLS must now find additional sources of funding for the remaining 60 per cent of the operating budget — and has about three years to do so.

ANNA-LILJA DAWSON Associate News Editor

The Canadian Light Source — also known as the synchrotron — has lined up $67 million in funding before its upcoming four year budget cycle even begins.

But the search for cash continues.

The CLS confirmed Jan. 22 that it will receive up to 40 per cent, or $67 million, of its operating budget over the next four years from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.

However, the CFI will withdraw some of that funding if the CLS does not manage to secure the remaining 60 per cent of its operating budget by the end of the fiscal cycle.

The fiscal cycle is a four to five We regret these errors. year period that the CLS bases its budget on. The first two to three years are spent securing funding for the current fiscal period while the last year is spent finding funds for the next period. If the CLS does not have all of its funding ensured by the third year, MÉIRA COOK Reading & Signing it may cause problems including postponing needed maintenance The House on and repairs.

Sugarbush Road The announcement comes at Tuesday, February 12, the end of the latest budget phase 8:00 PM as the CLS searches to secure

funding for the next circuit, THE SASKATOON which begins in the 2013-14 HERITAGE fiscal year.

SOCIETY Currently estimated at $40 Launching million, the 2013-14 CLS The Saskatoon operating budget is expected to History Review increase by five per cent each 25TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE year during the four to five years Wednesday, February 13, of the next phase.

7:00 PM The facility’s operating budget covers the costs of maintenance, salaries and power — which is paid by the CLS itself as it is a separate sheaf feb 7, 2013.indd 1 1/27/2013 2:26:13 PM organization from the university.

• Last week the Sheaf incorrectly spelled Simmone Horwitz name “Simmone Horowitz” in an article titled “Rent hike spells trouble for provincial archives.”

• In opinions piece “El Presidente: Who’s to blame for our deficit?” the Sheaf wrote that former university president Peter MacKinnon’s starting salary was $290,000. His salary actually started at $200,000.

• In a photo caption for a story titled “48 frames per second,” the Sheaf referred to frame rate as “screen-rate.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

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Josef Hormes, executive director of the CLS, said the $67 million from the CFI is good news. However, finding the remaining funding for the facility may prove to be difficult.

“The economic situation in Canada is of course not perfect for funding research,” Hormes said. “We are all aware of that and we tried already to cut back our budget to what is necessary to operate the facility without negative impact on our users.”

that they will stay at the table and they will support us,” Hormes said.

Western Economic Diversification Canada, an agency that promotes innovation, industry diversification and business development in Western Canada, may provide up to three million dollars over two years for the facility’s operating budget if the CLS can show that it is committed to strengthening its collaborations with industries

The economic situation in Canada is of course not perfect for funding research... We are all aware of that.

Josef Hormes

Canadian Light Source Executive Director

For the next four years, the CLS will receive $5.6 million per year from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada as well three million dollars a year from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

No agreement has been made in writing yet, but the Saskatchewan government has confirmed it will provide approximately three million dollars for the CLS operating budget in the 2013-14 fiscal year.

“The province is not making a commitment in writing because their budget cycle is year-byyear, but they confirmed verbally

and businesses.

The CLS submitted a proposal to the WEDC on how it will continue to establish long-term relationships with western Canadian businesses in coming years. The facility is currently waiting for the proposal to be accepted.

The CLS currently partners with small businesses by providing subsidized research time through funding received from WEDC. “Those small companies can not really afford to pay for our service because it is an expensive business,” Hormes said.

“We are trying to help those

companies that are creating jobs and that is exactly what [WEDC’s] mission is.”

Securing funding for the operating budget is important not only for the CLS and its own research projects, but also in order to provide a facility for researchers that are not from the U of S. Beamtime at the CLS is valuable to researchers who have to book months to years in advance in order to work on their projects.

Following a failure of the facility’s main cooling plant in October that suspended all research activity at the CLS for over a month, all 15 beamlines are now operational.

The CLS is planning to have seven more beamlines in operation by 2015. The construction of these additional beamlines will be funded in part by the CFI as a capital investment as well as by other universities that are interested in doing research at the facility.

About the CLS: The official opening of the CLS was Oct. 22, 2004. The first light was recorded Dec. 10, 2003.

The CLS is the only synchrotron facility in Canada.

How it works: Electrons are accelerated nearly to the speed of light. Then the electrons are transferred into a closed chamber where banding magnets accelerate and bend the electrons to produce synchrotron light. Using this light, the structure of molecules can be studied.

NEWS

| thesheaf.com | 7 February, 2013 |

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Federal department faces criticism for handling of student loan privacy breach SEAN BRADY — The Omega (Thompson Rivers University) KAMLOOPS (CUP) — Past and present university students affected by the massive student loan privacy breach announced by the federal government in January are organizing online and demanding government accountability.

The breach occurred when a Human Resources and Skills Development Canada computer hard drive went missing in 2012.

HRSDC is a department of the federal government that provides student loans.

“Student loan borrowers affected by the HRSDC privacy breach,” a Facebook group, has nearly 3,000 members claiming their names, social insurance numbers, birth dates and other personal information were lost.

In total, the information for 583,000 Canadians who applied for student loans between 2000 and 2006 has vanished.

The creators of the Facebook group have also launched a website — studentloanprivacybreach.ca — where 250 individuals have signed an open letter to the federal government.

The letter expresses concerns over HRSDC’s latest solution to the breach — an offer of a free fraud alert flag provided by credit bureau Equifax, something HRSDC said normally costs five dollars. The alert monitors for indications of fraud or identity theft for the individuals whose information was lost.

“What HRSDC purchased from Equifax was a unique solution that was designed specifically for this particular incident,” said Alyson Queen, HRSDC communications director. “It’s not the free service. This is added for six years.”

On Jan. 23, two days before HRSDC began offering fraud

Kenyan elections

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raisa pezderic/photo editor

Student loan borrowers affected by the HRSDC privacy breach are organizing in an effort to demand government accountability.

alerts through Equifax, Canada’s other national credit bureau, TransUnion, also began charging five dollars to enable fraud alerts.

Both bureaus offer credit monitoring services starting at $14.95 per month.

“I can’t afford the $30 to $40 per month in fees for credit monitoring packages from both bureaus,” UBC graduate Nick Hall said. “Those affected should not be [charged] out-of-pocket for the way the government has mishandled their information.”

Amanda Thoy started the Facebook group on Jan. 12, hoping to provide a forum for those affected. The group grew quickly and Thoy struggled to keep up with membership demands.

“We have now become more

of an awareness group speaking out against HRSDC,” Thoy said, asserting the department’s dealings with the public had not been honest. “Many Canadians are still not aware this breach has happened.”

Wende Donaldson, a 2001 graduate of International Complementary Therapy Kikkawa College in Toronto, paid the five-dollar fraud alert fee to Equifax before HRSDC’s announcement. Now she’s attempting to gain reimbursment.

“It’s the principle,” she said.

“Someone needs to be held accountable for this.”

Donaldson waited 76 hours for a supervisor to call. She was told she would receive a call within 24 to 48 hours. When the supervisor finally contacted her,

he said there was nothing he could do. By then, Donaldson said she was angry and asked the supervisor, “How would you feel if this was your information out there?”

Many borrowers are still awaiting promised correspondence from HRSDC containing information on credit protection services offered and further information about what to do next. When one Facebook group member asked the group if anyone had received a letter, not one of the 70 respondents had.

“The letters are going out for everyone for whom we have current contact information,” HRSDC’s Queen said. “The department stopped sending letters for a short period of time, just so that any future letters

that were being sent would have information on the credit protection.”

The department is missing current contact information for one third of those affected, according to Queen.

Meanwhile, the federal government is facing four classaction lawsuits. Bob Buckingham Law in St. John’s, N.L. is among the firms filing a suit.

“The government has 30 days to file a defence to my action and we have 90 days to file the motion to certify,” Buckingham said. “I hope to be quicker than that.”

On Nov. 5, 2012, an HRSDC employee discovered a hard drive containing the personal information of thousands of student loan borrowers was missing. The public was only notified 67 days later and the police were not notified for a month.

“The information [on the hard drive] was compiled for the purposes of a customer satisfaction survey,” Queen said.

“There are now going to be disciplinary measures in place if employees do not follow protocol,” she added, though she was unable to comment on disciplinary measures taken in response to this incident.

The hard drive is still deemed missing, but at this point in HRSDC’s investigation, Queen reaffirmed there is no reason to believe any fraudulent activity has occurred.

HRSDC is asking students to contact them to learn if they have been affected or to arrange credit protection services. Students can call 1-866-885-1866 from within North America or 1-416-5721113 from outside the continent.

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Adding to the tension of the upcoming election are the controversial candidates.

Two politicians indicted by the International Criminal Court for their role in the 2007-08 violence are now running: Uhuru Kenyatta for president and William Ruto as his deputy president.

“If [Kenyatta is] elected, people would move to impeach him. I think it could cause a lot of tension,” Rafoss said. “If he gets elected I would predict all hell is going to break loose.”

Raila Odinga, Kenya’s current prime minister, is leading the polls with a 46 per cent approval rating, while Kenyatta is in second with 40 per cent. Should either candidate not receive over half the vote in the election, there will be a run-off vote between the top two candidates — likely Kenyatta and Odinga — on April 11.

“If Odinga wins this one, I think that will be the status quo and people will accept that....

If there was a sudden change, that may bring about the conflict,” Rafoss predicted.

In case things get hairy, Rafoss already has an escape plan. He will fly to Tanzania, which he called the “back door” of Kenya and leave

Africa from there. The Kenyan Human Rights Council has agreed to provide security for him in Mombasa.

Rafoss’ interest in Africa began while he was studying politics at the U of S. He says reading about the continent wasn’t enough for him and that he wanted to see what was happening first-hand.

“I want to be there to witness history and see what happens and use whatever skills I have in terms of helping out the Kenyans, then also to be able to come back here to the university and be able to speak from firsthand knowledge about what happened there,” Rafoss said.

While Rafoss says Western countries can offer support to Kenyans and guide the people on the processes of democracy, he is careful about imposing his ideas on what is best for the country. He says Westerners need to be careful when presenting potential solutions to Kenya’s electoral problems.

“To a certain extent this is a journey for Africans to figure out,” Rafoss said. “I’m trying to understand how they think and how they work.”

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NEWS

| 7 February, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

Students’ council to vote on jacking dental premium ANNA-LILJA DAWSON Associate News Editor University of Saskatchewan’s undergraduate students’ council will vote on increasing the amount students are charged for dental coverage at its Feb. 14 meeting.

The potential hike comes as the union prepares to see a significant boost in dental claims once a new dental clinic opens in lower Place Riel in the coming months.

Dental coverage currently costs University of Saskatchewan undergraduates $101.57 per year while health coverage costs $136.85.

Full-time undergraduates — students enrolled in at least nine credits per term — are automatically covered through the USSU but can choose to opt out of the plans.

Part-time students are not automatically covered but may enrol in the plans.

The dental plan covers 70 per cent of the costs for exams, cleanings, fillings, tooth removal and 50 per cent of the costs for oral surgery, gum treatments and root canals. The plan does not cover major restorative work like crowns and bridges.

Students can receive an additional 20 per cent of coverage on dental costs if they visit a practice that is a member of the Dental Network, which Campus Dentist is.

Amanda Smytaniuk is the prairies program manager for Student Care, the U of S Students’ Union and the Graduate Students’ Association health and dental plan provider.

Symtaniuk will be on hand at the Feb. 7 student council meeting to

answer any questions that the USSU executive, councillors or students have regarding the expected raises.

Symtaniuk said that the USSU and the GSA should be ready for a 30 per cent increase in claims on dental plans over the next two years and pointed out that the plan’s premium will rise as fees are increased to match rising claims.

The USSU has the option to not

I think taking the more conservative approach in this right now is the smartest way to do this.

Amanda Symtaniuk, prairies program manager for Student Care

increase the dental fee next year, Symtaniuk said, adding that if they choose to hold off on an increase, the union will have to raise the fee by the full 30 per cent the following year in order to compensate for the rising claims.

She recommended that the USSU raise its dental fee by 10 to 15 per cent for the 2013-14 school year.

From Symtaniuk’s experience with other schools, it is expected to take two to three years for claims to level out.

A 10 per cent increase would add $9.27 to the cost of a year-long plan while the 15 per cent increase rings in at $13.91. The health fee will

illuminaut/flickr

Having a dental clinic on campus is a double-edged sword. More students will have better teeth, but it’s going to cost more for everyone.

remain the same.

“I think taking the more conservative approach in this right now is the smartest way to do this because of all of the analysis we’ve done, the impact could be bigger, it could be smaller.” Symtaniuk. “You want to be prepared either way.”

When the University of Waterloo had dentists rent space on campus, the dental plan provided by its students’ union changed drastically.

Over two years, the dental fee

increased by 100 per cent, graduate students were removed from the plan and substantial cuts were made to the plan’s benefits.

Symtaniuk said that although what happened at the U of W is hard to compare with the U of S, the USSU should still prepare students for a spike in claims by gradually increasing the fee.

The USSU bylaw states that any change to a student fee that is greater than $10 must be put to a

referendum. However, student health and dental fees are an exception and may be changed by any amount without going to an undergraduate vote.

Campus Dentist was expected to move into the open bay in lower Place Riel when classes resumed in January but the date has been pushed back to May.

Campus crime report Incidents at the University of Saskatchewan involving Campus Safety from Jan. 28 - Feb. 3 Tickets issued: • 1 Driving an unregistered motor vehicle • 1 Driving while suspended • 1 Unlawfully having window tint on front side windows • 1 No seatbelt • 1 Trespassing Other reports: • Officers attended two medical calls.

• Hit-and-run in Stadium Parkade.

• Three motor vehicle accidents.

• Break and enter into an office in Ellis Hall occurred on Jan. 19 and was reported on Jan. 28.

• Two men were arrested for possession of a controlled substance near Weir Road.

CALGARY, Alberta May 10 – 12, 2013

• Theft of cash from a room in the Spinks Building occurred on Jan. 23 and was reported Jan. 30.

• Theft of $200 from a classroom in the Education Building.

• Campus Safety officers along with members of the Saskatoon Police Service responded to a weapons call at College Quarter on Jan. 30 after someone reported a woman carrying a rifle into a residence. An investigation revealed the weapon was an air rifle, the woman was identified and the weapon removed from residence.

• A man who pulled a fire alarm at Louis’ on Jan. 16 was charged by Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services for an offence under the provincial Fire Prevention Act. The 25-yearold man is not a U of S student.

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NEWS

| thesheaf.com | 7 February, 2013 |

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McGill flooded: Montreal university expecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages ERIN HUDSON — CUP Quebec Bureau Chief MONTREAL (CUP) — Instead of trudging knee-deep through snow this winter, McGill students waded knee-deep through fastmoving flood waters on Jan. 28 when their campus flooded.

Water from the McTavish Reservoir, located just uphill from McGill University, flowed unabated onto campus — and into university buildings — for four hours after the burst water main 48 inches in diameter.

Approximately 80 classes were canceled, 24 classes relocated and 10 laboratories evacuated due to the flood, McGill viceprincipal Michael Di Grappa told media on Jan. 29.

Di Grappa confirmed that McGill had incurred major damages and estimated the time frame for repairs could range anywhere from a few days to a few months.

“We don’t yet know what the dollar amount is but we believe it will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair these damages,” he said. “Right now we’re focusing on reviewing and renewing our normal activities as soon as possible.”

To a question of whether McGill would be prepared to sue the party ultimately responsible for the flood, he responded, “Those would be questions we’ll look at another day.”

Doug Sweet, director of media relations, confirmed that the university intends to file an insurance claim to cover the cost of damages.

Though one student was filmed being swept downhill in flood waters, no injuries were reported.

The McGill Daily, one of the university’s student newspapers, wrote that a group of engineering students constructed a dam to protect the entrance of one of the engineering buildings.

Since Monday night, the heart of McGill’s campus has been cordoned off as response teams worked all night to clear away ice and debris and pump water out of affected buildings. So far the university has reported five buildings are closed due to damages including the university’s student services and administration buildings.

Major events like McGill’s start-of-term networking event where students gather information on extracurricular student groups and clubs were forced to reschedule.

Though forced to reschedule the event, Josh Redel, president of the Student Society of McGill University, knows the student union got lucky with no damages to the building, which is located in one of Monday’s main floodways.

“There’s undergraduate labs that have been flooded... the Service Point is shut down

as well as the James Admin building, which are core to the functioning of services for students at the university,” Redel said.

This is third time in the past four years that breaks to the reservoir’s water mains have caused flooding. In 2009, a 42inch main burst, followed by a 16-inch main in September 2011.

“We can’t keep having repeat [flooding] — it damages everything. It’s dangerous for people, it impacts the services the SSMU can offer, it impacts the services the university can offer,” Redel said. “I sit on space committees at all levels of the university and I’d imagine this is going to come up very soon.

“The flood theoretically shouldn’t have taken place if there were proper infrastructures in place around the reservoir area,” he added.

The reservoir holds 37 million gallons of drinking water and has been undergoing a $16.4-million renovation since October to update its tank and water mains, which are reported to be over a century old.

—with files from Laurent Bastien Corbeil (The McGill Daily)

photos: erin hudson/canadian university press

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Sheaf

| 7 February, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

the

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IS HIRING FOR NEXT YEAR If you are interested in covering student issues at the U of S, or thinking of a career in journalism (radio, print or television), photography or graphic design, journalism schools look more favourably upon those who have dedicated time working on a student newspaper. Apply for one of the 12 paid staff positions.

Editorial Staff positions include:

Editor-in-Chief, News Editor, Associate News Editor, Arts Editor, Opinions Editor, Sports Editor, Photography Editor, Graphics Editor, Graphic Designer, Copy Editor and Web Editor.

Submit your rĂŠsumĂŠ and cover letter together in a sealed envelope to: Hiring Committee The Sheaf Publishing Society Room 108 Memorial Union Building 93 Campus Drive Saskatoon, SK S7N5B2

Editor-in-Chief applications must be received by Wednesday, February 27th @ 3:00 pm

Applications for all other positions must be received by Wednesday, March 13th @ 3:00 pm

Any undergraduate student may apply for an editorial position. All positions are term positions running from May 1, 2013 until April 30, 2014 *.

Remuneration for most will start in September of 2013 ** .

* Some may be asked to volunteer time from May 1, 2013 until August 31, 2013

** Determined by the Board of Directors

SPORTS

| thesheaf.com | 7 February, 2013 |

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CIS failing to monitor athletic violations WRAY PERKIN — The Argosy (Mount Allison University) SACKVILLE (CUP) — Canadian Interuniversity Sport introduced the league’s new CEO Jan. 31 at a press conference in Toronto.

The former CEO and coach of Swimming Canada Pierre Lafontaine will fill the position and the league is hopeful he can change the trend set by several large-scale issues the CIS has dealt with over the past few years regarding hazing, steroids and player eligibility.

These issues have raised huge controversy recently, and the league as well as its schools have had to impose harsh sanctions on the teams involved. Although the schools usually administer the punishment, it often comes down to a lack of team supervision by the athletics departments that allow these problems to continue.

In 2005, the CIS was rocked by news of a McGill Redmen football team hazing ritual when a rookie athlete alleged he was sexually assaulted with a broomstick. With just three games remaining in that season’s schedule, the university cancelled the team’s remaining games. In addition, the league imposed sanctions including a multi-year ban that prevented McGill from appearing in any televised games.

The Redmen have endured tough times since then, including four winless seasons.

Apparently the Dalhousie

Tigers womens’ hockey team didn’t learn from McGill’s mistakes, and this year had the entire second half of their season cancelled by the school after news went public of humiliating and intimidating hazing at a rookie initiation party. The school suspended all but the five rookie players on the team, and subsequently cancelled all remaining games. Only time will tell if the Tigers’ future will become as bleak as McGill’s.

The Waterloo Warriors football team are still trying to recover from their steroid scandal that saw them suspended for the entirety of the 2010 season. After one player was arrested for trafficking steroids, the school called for the entire team to be tested. Nine players tested positive and the season was suspended.

The CIS offered players from the squad who did not test positive the opportunity to transfer to other schools and play immediately, without having to wait for a year as per normal transfer requirements.

As expected, many players did transfer, and Waterloo has since only won two games in the last two seasons.

Player eligibility has become a recent issue as well for the CIS. In this season alone, Bishop’s and Concordia football teams and University of Prince Edward Island, St. Francis Xavier, Winnipeg, Montreal and McGill men’s soccer teams have had to

forfeit games due to ineligible players.

Of course last season it was the University of British Columbia football squad who, after a 6-2 regular season record and a trip to the Canada West championship game, admitted to having used an ineligible player.

Disclosure resulted in UBC forfeiting all their wins and the 2011 season is now officially listed as 0-8 for the team.

York women’s volleyball team also played with an ineligible athlete last season. They had finished first in their division during the regular season and were set to host the championship tournament, but because they used an ineligible player in their quarter-final victory, the playoff win was forfeited and York lost its right to host the championship.

Using ineligible players should be easy for an athletics department to prevent. These departments monitor the grades and eligibility of the athletes, so allowing an unqualified athlete to dress for games is inexcusable, unless the department didn’t know about it and the team’s coaching staff made the decision. While preventing the use of steroids and hazing is further from the control

leo reynold/flickr

raisa pezderic/photo editor

CIS athletics departments need to take a closer look at player violations like the one that forced the league to remove all of the UBC football team’s wins in 2011.

of the athletics department, there should still be policies for the teams to follow so these issues can be avoided.

With the events of recent years, and especially on the heels of the Dalhousie hazing incident, I

expect and hope that schools and athletic departments across the country will crack down on their sports teams so that next year the CIS can have a sanction-free season.

Treading powder: learning how to snowshoe JANIS RIISE Much like a child stumbling around in their parents’ running shoes, learning to snowshoe takes practice and the ability to laugh at yourself.

First you have to put them on.

Balancing yourself on one foot, you must slide your other foot into the straps and tighten down the binding that holds it in place. This requires some dexterity to work with the straps — gloves will make putting the snowshoes on easier than wearing mittens.

The famed footwear is wide and easy to fall over in if you are not paying close attention to where you put your foot when you’re walking. Even though the oversized shoe creates the surface area needed to keep you from sinking into the snow, getting used to the wide stance takes some time and you will likely fall in the snow a few times as you attempt to find your footing. Don’t worry though, because unlike on cross-country skis or snowboards, getting back up on your feet after you fall is relatively easy to do.

To enjoy snowshoeing here on the prairies, all you really need to do is pick an open place and try them out. Parks and football fields are ideal places to practice.

In Saskatoon, snowshoes can be rented or purchased at several outlets and many enthusiasts take to the snow of Diefenbaker Park or one of the many golf courses in

and around the city.

It can be a great group activity as well, but remember to give yourself some extra room if you’re walking single file down a trail.

When one person loses their balance, the whole group may soon look like a line of falling dominos.

Today’s snowshoes have evolved from the wood and rawhide models of the past to the more stylish snowshoes that are commonly made with aluminum frames and synthetic decking.

While snowshoes do make it easier to walk through deep snow, it can also be a challenging physical activity. Walking in snowshoes strengthens the thighs and increases coordination. Many people even speed up the pace and go jogging in the winter footwear.

So if you’re stuck in the wintertime slouch, get off your butt and try out this fun and physical mode of transportation while the snow is still falling.

thegiantvermin/flickr

These kind of iconic-looking wooden snowshoes have been replaced in outdoor shops with the aluminum-framed models.

8

SPORTS

| 7 February, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

Women’s hockey team nabs final playoff spot COLE GUENTER Sports Editor The Huskies women’s hockey squad snatched up the sixth and final Canada West post-season spot on Feb. 2.

It wasn’t a solo effort, however.

After the Huskies women’s hockey team dismantled the first-place Calgary Dinos 2-1 on Feb. 1, the Dogs needed another win or a Lethbridge Pronghorns loss on Feb. 2 to ensure a playoff slot.

“To beat the Dinos in the Friday game was huge for our team’s confidence,” veteran forward Danny Stone said. “It really shows that when we all show up to the rink ready to play as a team, we are a threat to any other team in the league.”

But the Dogs could not beat the Dinos twice in the weekend. Luckily for them the Mount Royal Cougars downed Lethbridge 4-2 on Saturday, Feb. 2. The Pronghorns loss widened the gap between sixth-place Saskatchewan and seventh-place Lethbridge by more than the four points Lethbridge could possibly gain in their final week of play.

While driving home from their game in Calgary, the Huskies women were waiting to hear the final score of the Mount RoyalLethbridge match to know if the Dogs had secured a playoff berth.

“When we found out, it was pretty exciting. Everyone stood up and cheered a little bit,” forward Sara Greschner said.

As fate would have it, the Dogs and Pronghorns are set to do battle in the final week of the regular season. The Huskies can pull themselves up to fifth spot if they win and Manitoba loses to Regina Feb. 8 and 9. Meanwhile Lethbridge wil be playing for pride and will try to spoil Saskatchewan’s chances of improving in the standings.

The Dogs’ disappointing start

to the season that included only one win in nine games, makes the playoff berth even more impressive.

It was in the second-half of the season that the Dogs were able to find their stride and turn their season around. In the seven games following their losing streak, Saskatchewan won five games in regulation time and picked up a single point in the other two matches by losing in overtime.

“I wouldn’t say we started the season poorly. It definitely didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but with such a young team we had a lot of learning to do, especially learning how to win,” Stone said.

The Huskies will rely on Stone and fifth-year players Megan Frohaug, Shelby Davey and Cara Wooster for points as well as leadership as the young team enters playoffs. Team captain Wooster has 29 points in 26 games and is tied for second in the conference scoring race.

This season the team has only two fourth-year players on the team and one of them, Wooster’s twin sister, Cami Wooster, is uncertain if she will return for another academic year. The prospect of next year’s crop lacking more veterans than this season is forcing some of the younger athletes to jump into more influential roles already.

“I’m definitely going to have to step up as a leader,” said Greschner who has seven goals and six assists in her second year. “For the rookies this year I try to give them the experience that I would have wanted when I came onto the team.”

Greschner and the rest of the Huskies now have one final week to prepare before they face the pressure of playoff elimination and attempt to prove that they are the best team in the conference.

The Dogs host Lethbridge Feb. 8 and 9 at Rutherford Rink. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

raisa pezderic/photo editor

Team captain Cara Wooster leads the Huskies in points and will need to continue her strong play into the playoffs.

Canada West Standings Women’s Volleyball W-L 1. UBC - x 19-1 2. TWU - x 18-2 3. Alberta - x 14-6 4. Mount Royal 14-6 5. UBC Okanagan 13-7 6. Manitoba 10-10 7. Calgary 9-11 8. Brandon 8-12 9. Winnipeg 7-13 10. Regina 5-15 11. Saskatchewan 3-17 12. TRU 0-20 *Top seven teams qualify for playoffs

Men’s Volleyball

W-L 1. Alberta - xy 19-1 2. TWU - x 15-5 3. Saskatchewan - x 14-6 4. Manitoba - x 13-7 5. UBC - x 13-7 6. Brandon - x 11-9 7. Winnipeg 10-10 8. Mount Royal 8-12 9. TRU 7-13 10. Calgary 6-14 11. Regina 2-18 12. UBC Okanagan 2-18 *Top seven teams qualify for playoffs

Women’s Hockey

Men’s Hockey

W-L-OL 1. Calgary - xy 21-4-1 2. Regina - x 16-7-3 3. UBC - x 15-7-4 4. Alberta - x 16-9-1 5. Manitoba - x 10-11-5 6. Saskatchewan -x 10-12-4 7. Lethbridge 8-15-3 8. Mount Royal 8-15-3 *Top six teams qualify for playoffs

W-L-OL 1. Alberta - xy 21-4-1 2. Manitoba - x 16-6-4 3. Saskatchewan - x 17-8-1 4. Calgary - x 16-10-0 5. UBC - x 14-9-3 6. Regina - x 12-11-3 7. Mount Royal 6-18-2 8. Lethbridge 2-21-3 *Top six teams qualify for playoffs

Women’s Basketball

Men’s Basketball

Prairie Division 1. Calgary - x 2. Regina - x 3. Saskatchewan 4. Lethbridge 5. Alberta 6. Winnipeg 7. Manitoba 8. Brandon

W-L 15-3 15-3 11-7 10-8 10-8 6-13 2-17 0-18

Prairie Division 1. Alberta 2. Saskatchewan 3. Manitoba 4. Calgary 5. Winnipeg 6. Lethbridge 7. Regina 8. Brandon

Pacific Division Pacific Division 15-3 1. UFV - x 1. UBC - x 14-4 2. UBC - x 2. Victoria - x 14-5 3. TRU - x 3. UFV - x 13-5 4. Victoria - x 4. TWU - x 6-12 5. UNBC 5. TRU 5-13 6. TWU 6. UNBC 5-13 7. Mount Royal 7. Mount Royal 8. UBC Okanagan 5-14 8. UBC Okanagan *Top four teams in each division qualify for crossover playoffs x - Clinched playoff spot

y - Clinched first place

W-L 14-4 13-5 13-6 11-7 11-8 9-9 6-12 4-14 16-2 13-5 10-8 9-9 6-13 5-13 3-15 3-16

Upcoming Huskies games Men’s Hockey

Men’s Basketball

• Feb. 8 & 9 at Lethbridge Pronghorns • Feb. 15-17 - Canada West quarter finals

• Feb. 8 & 9 at Manitoba Bisons Feb. 15 & 16 vs. Alberta Golden Bears @ 8 p.m.

Women’s Hockey Feb. 8 & 9 vs. Lethbridge Pronghorns @ 7 p.m.

• Feb. 15-17 - Canada West quarter finals

Women’s Basketball • Feb. 8 & 9 at Manitoba Bisons Feb. 15 & 16 vs. Alberta Pandas @ 6:15 p.m.

Track & Field

Men’s Volleyball

• Feb. 8 & 9 at Regina Cougars

Feb. 8 & 9 vs. Manitoba Bisons @ 8 p.m.

• Feb. 15-17 - Canada West semifinals

Wrestling

Women’s Volleyball Feb. 8 & 9 vs. Manitoba Bisons @ 6:15 p.m. *Ineligible to make playoffs

• Feb. 15 & 16 at Alberta Canada West Championship - Home Game

SPORTS

| thesheaf.com | 7 February, 2013 |

9

Dog Watch: Matthew Forbes

calvin so

COLE GUENTER Sports Editor After Huskies men’s basketball forward Matthew Forbes was anything but eager to bask in the limelight after scoring 70 points in a weekend series against the visiting Winnipeg Wesmen Feb. 1 and 2.

“We got two [wins] and that’s what we wanted to do on the weekend,” Forbes said, putting the team’s goals ahead of his outstanding personal

accomplishments.

“I’m not big on individual stuff but it’s a good feeling,” he said of his performance that garnered him Canada West athlete of the week honours.

Now in his second year with the team, Forbes has started in every game for the Dogs this year and averages 18.2 points per game. He also has made the most free throws in the conference this year with 88.

Forbes is in arts and science but plans to transfer into kinesiology next year. He wants to complete a

combined kinesiology-education degree.

The youngest of four boys, Forbes said playing against each other in sports was always a competitive atmosphere.

“When I played with my brother I dislocated his jaw in basketball practice,” Forbes said with a slight grin. “A couple elbows might have been thrown here and there, and his face might have been somewhere it shouldn’t have been... but who’s counting?”

And standing at 6-6 and 229

pounds, even though he was younger he could still keep up with his brothers .

Forbes said his siblings were all very athletic, but that each seemed to enjoy different sports.

Likewise, he found his own way into basketball.

“Everyone played their own sport,” Forbes said of his brothers.

“The oldest one played hockey, the next one was a speed skater and the next one played football.”

Forbes also played hockey and football during high school, but after being named Saskatchewan’s top high school basketball prospect in 2011, and leading his high school team, the Lumsden Devils, to a 4A provincial championship in his senior year, he knew he was destined to play basketball.

The power forward from Regina Beach, Sask. signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Saskatchewan while he was still in grade 12.

Forbes said that while leaving Regina Beach behind for Saskatoon was the best decision for his career, he loves where he grew up and is a self-proclaimed “beach boy for life.”

Forbes enjoys getting to play against the Regina Cougars in the season, because the history he has with some of the guys makes it fun to banter back and forth on the court.

He doesn’t consider himself

superstitious, but rather a creature of routine.

“I tie my shoes probably four times every time I play basketball.

I just like my shoes tight, even if I’m cutting off my circulation.

“Before every game I eat supper, then I have a nap, then leave the girl’s [basketball] game three minutes before halftime and go shower to wake myself up,” Forbes said.

With such a hectic schedule, Forbes says sleep is crucial for him and that when the team goes on the road, he and his roommate Patrick Burns are always asleep early in the hotels. Forbes said his favourite perk of being a secondyear is the full-size bed he gets on road trips.

“The veteran players get more room and the rookies have to sleep on the cots. About halfway through last year I graduated from the cots,” Forbes laughed.

Despite his scheduled routine on the court, he is much more lax when it comes to his social life.

“Wherever the wind takes me I go. If I have time, the wind blows me somewhere,” he said. “I have fun doing whatever.”

Your next chance to see Forbes play is Feb. 15 when the Huskies men’s basketball squad hosts Alberta in the final weekend of the regular season.

TransformUS requires the active participation of the campus community to nominate members to the Academic Program Transformation Task Force and the Support Service Transformation Task Force.

Nominations are due February 13 at 12 pm

PRESENTED BY

For more information or to submit a nomination, please visit usask.ca/finances

universitycup.ca huskies.usask.ca

www.usask.ca

10

FEATURE

University improves crime alerts KEVIN MENZ Editor-in-Chief The University of Saskatchewan has learned from past mistakes.

Campus Safety sent an email notification to the campus community the morning of Jan. 16 following a sexual assault that reportedly took place late the night before at the Luther Residence at the north end of campus.

The email described the alleged assailant as a caucasian male in his late 50s, five-foot-nine to six feet tall with brown hair and brown eyes, thick eyebrows and large hands. The StarPhoenix reported that the assailant and the victim had met several times before the incident, which remains under investigation by the Saskatoon Police Service.

The prompt campuswide announcement marked a reversal from the school’s handling of a sexual assault last year.

Last February the university was criticized by the campus community for informing the public of a sexual assault at the McEown Park residence six weeks after the incident occurred. The backlash sparked several reforms to the university’s communications procedures.

Ivan Muzychka, the university’s associate vice-president of communications, said the university discussed the event with several members of the campus community.

“The university committed to reporting crime more proactively to the campus community — especially violent incidents and assaults, sexual assaults,” Muzychka said.

When a sexual assault occurred last May near a parking lot off Seminary Crescent, the campus community was informed of the incident the next day.

Last week Campus Safety informed the community of a reported sighting of a “longbarrelled shot gun.” After reviewing surveillance footage from a Spruce Hall residence, Campus Safety sent an email clarifying that the gun was actually an air rifle.

Campus Safety immediately followed the notification up with a second email when the woman spotted holding the gun contacted officers.

Campus Safety spokesperson Harold Shiffman says the university is modelling its new communications system after American universities, and pointed to the Clery Act as the university’s example.

The Clery Act, named after Lehigh University student, Jeanne Clery, who was raped and murdered in her residence in 1986, requires post-secondary schools across the U.S. to inform students, faculty and staff immediately about crime on or near their campus.

Shiffman says Lehigh University didn’t inform the public about Clery’s death “for a long period of time.”

“It went to their supreme court and they said, ‘You are a university, you have to report it.’ ” The U of S launched USafe, a text messaging and emailing service that alerts subscribers of situations of immediate danger on campus, shortly after receiving criticisms for their six-week delay in informing the public of a sexual assault.

“If we believe there is an immediate threat to campus safety — and that could be a tornado, or the classic example we use is ‘The tiger in the Bowl’ — we want something to go out very quickly,” Muzychka said.

“If there is a reported assault or a sexual assault that occurs on the campus or even near the campus, we will issue a campus alert to let the community know that this has happened,” he added. “If there is no immediate threat, we can put it out as a campus notification” through PAWS or through email.

Shiffman said Campus Safety recently launched a crime log to balance alerting the community of reported crimes and not overdoing notifications.

“Obviously we can’t notify students of everything that happened — it will be like crying wolf,” Shiffman said.

The log, which dates back to Jan. 1 of this year, lists all reported crimes on campus, where the crimes occurred, at what times they occurred, when they were reported as well as the reported crime’s case number.

| 7 February, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

11

| thesheaf.com | 7 February, 2013 |

Crime hotspots on campus

2007-2012

Locations with the highest amount of reported crimes

1

2

Place Riel

MUB/Louis’

Total Crimes: 123

4

Sask. Hall

Total Crimes: 98

5

Total Crimes: 77

7

Seager Wheeler

Total Crimes: 63

Arts

Total Crimes: 69

8

Thorvaldson

Total Crimes: 56

3

PAC

Total Crimes: 94

6

Lot 1

Total Crimes: 66

9

Health Sciences

Total Crimes: 55

Breakdown of crimes The number of crimes listed is a sum of all reported offences at a specific building or location on the U of S campus. Those crimes include: •Sexual Assault •Robbery •Aggravated Assault •Break and Enter •Moral* •Drunk Driving •Trespassing

•Theft •Car Theft •Assault •Fraud •Drug Related •Alcohol & Gambling •Driving Infractions

• Stolen Property • Mischief • Weapons • Harassment • Disturbance *Moral crimes include public indecency and public display of pornography.

For an interactive breakdown of campus crime go to thesheaf.com/crime

bryn becker/web editor

jared beattie/layout editor

CULTURE Ni No Kuni, a whimsical return to the classic RPG 12

| 7 February, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

JENNA MANN Culture Editor Japanese animation giant Studio Ghibli has taken a page from Disney’s book and stepped into the world of video games.

The Japanese animation studio, alongside video game company Level-5, celebrated its Western release of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch on PlayStation 3 Jan. 22.

Studio Ghibli is best known for its beautiful animation in such Hayao Miyazaki films as My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away. Though Miyazaki founded the studio in 1985 he was not directly involved in Ni No Kuni.

Level-5 is known for the games Dragon Quest, Dark Cloud and the Professor Layton series. Together, the two created a beautifully designed adventure role-playing game.

Like Disney and video game developer Square Enix’s release of Kingdom Hearts in 2002, Ni No Kuni is a joint venture of animation and video game giants.

Though the game action starts slow, the graphics draw you in.

Almost seamlessly blended, the mixture of animation and liveaction gameplay remind you of the whimsical worlds Studio Ghibli is famous for.

Oliver, the game’s main character, is a young boy growing up and causing trouble

supplied

Oliver and his familiar, Mitey, prepare for battle.

in his home town. The story begins with the sudden death of Oliver’s mother, who suffers a heart attack following a traumatic event. Distraught and alone, Oliver cries in his study and his tears awaken Drippy — a stuffed animal his mom made for him who turns out to be lord of the fairies in another dimension.

Drippy enlists Oliver’s help to fight a powerful force in a world that mirrors Oliver’s own, promising in return to revive Oliver’s mother. They retrieve a spell book from Oliver’s fireplace and Oliver quickly progresses as a magician.

What’s nice about Ni No Kuni is that the spells Oliver learns aren’t just meant for battle. The spells are also used to complete trials, travel between worlds, interact with the environment and unlock treasures. Also, as you become more powerful, weaker enemies will run away rather than engaging in battle with you.

This is nice because it allows the player to avoid tedious battles.

The game is meant for all ages, which at some points is an annoyance to more experienced gamers. For instance, being told to press X at several obvious points in the game or shown how

to walk becomes a bit tedious.

I held on because the previews showed promise and as a fan of Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki’s brand of storytelling, I hoped to be impressed.

Ni No Kuni picks up after the first five hours of gameplay, with increasingly difficult boss battles. The fighting style is a mix of Kingdom Hearts and the Pokémon games. Not only can you battle as your protagonist— Oliver and secondary characters Esther and Swaine— but also with their “familiars.”

Familiars are similar to Pokémon in that they evolve

throughout the game and you collect them along the way.

Feeding your familiars treats will help them gain stats, and each familiar has a favourite snack.

If you figure out which snack it is, feeding it to your familiar will increase stats faster and help your character bond with its pet.

Like Kingdom Hearts, your party gains health and mana from bubbles dropped by enemies or thrown at the party from Drippy on the sidelines. The fighting style of Ni No Kuni is a mixture of attacks, item use, and spells. The player can only control one character at a time but all of the characters and familiars are available to swap in and out during battle. The fighting style is live action and in normal difficulty, can at times be challenging.

Ni No Kuni is charming but lacks any real challenge in its initial stages. The plot isn’t altogether original but the amazing graphics and standard RPG gameplay are enough to capture the attention of any nostalgic anime or RPG fan.

Although I wasn’t blown away, I’ll go as far as to say it’s the best RPG I’ve played since Final Fantasy X. 7/10 big-fat thumbs up.

CULTURE

| thesheaf.com | 7 February, 2013 |

13

A viewer’s guide to the worst movie ever: The Room

supplied

Two characters passing around the pigskin, talking about life and stuff.

MICHAEL MACLEOD Every once in awhile a film will come along and change how movies are viewed. The Room is one of those films.

A brilliant example of how not to make a movie, The Room combines horrible acting, a dull soundtrack, incomprehensible editing, hack writing and directing that makes Uwe Boll look like Martin Scorsese.

Why is it still being shown in theatres if it is so bad, you ask?

Watchability.

Audiences across North America sit enthralled as this disaster of a film plays out before them, and man is it fun.

Like a burning cruise liner filled with clowns about to hit an iceberg filled with TNT, you can’t look away from this nightmare once it

starts. A viewing of The Room is not your typical night out at the movies. It is more like a midnight screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show than a megaplex film. In this interactive experience the audience revels in the incompetence and awfulness on display.

And much like the Rocky Horror classic, The Room has its own little traditions that are easy to follow and genuinely fun.

Viewings of The Room require audience members to show up with a few props and a fun attitude.

Bring a healthy disregard for the film and either a metric fuck-tonne of plastic spoons or a football.

The plastic spoons are a tool used to make fun of the film’s use of framed pictures of spoons to decorate sets. When one of these pictures is visible, feel free to throw your spoons at the screen

while yelling, “Spoons!” at the top of your lungs. All rows in the theatre can do this, as plastic spoons, while they don’t always fly well, won’t cause too much damage if you accidently wing one at the back of the person’s head in front of you.

Another tradition audiences take part in is cheering during shots of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Room repeatedly uses stock footage of San Francisco to remind the audience where the movie takes place. One of these stock images is a tracking shot of the bridge that moves from one end to the other.

After the first shot of the bridge, it is customary for the audience to cheer on the camera and encourage it to reach the end of the bridge.

One thing to watch out for is the camera shifting out of focus. Every time this happens, yell, “Focus!”

And feel free to curse the director of photography, Todd Barron, when his name pops up during the credits.

Sometimes, though, when the shots are in focus but the scenes are particularly agonizing to sit through — say during one of the many unnecessarily long, boring love scenes that seem to never end — The Room would actually be more enjoyable to watch if the shots were blurry. When this happens, yell, “Unfocus!” lest your eyes melt out of your skull.

These are also good opportunities to visit the lobby, stretch, go to the bathroom, anything other than watch what is on screen for the next ten minutes.

One of the most important traditions related to The Room is playing catch. Throughout the film various characters are shown

tossing a football around while having personal or philosophical discussions, as if it was the basis for some kind of cult. Feel free to engage in this activity whenever it appears on screen. Who knows?

Maybe you too will achieve enlightenment.

There are many more small traditions and activities associated with this film that you can research if you feel so inclined. This article is just a very basic primer.

Screenings of The Room are unforgettable and some of the best times one can have at a theatre.

Just please, never try the scotchka (scotch and vodka) mixed in the film: it tastes bad and encourages outrageous behavior.

The Roxy Theatre is screening The Room Feb. 15 at midnight.

14

CULTURE

| 7 February, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

The skinny on fats AMY JANZEN In our ever-changing society I find it difficult to keep up with what is supposed to be ‘good’ and what is ‘bad.’

In particular, which types of fat are good for you and which are bad.

Straight up, fats have a bad reputation. They have had a bad name for years. It’s gotten to a point now that anything containing more than a gram or two of fat is considered evil.

This attitude is not unfounded.

A diet high in fat can be the breeding ground for heart disease. I am, however, of the belief that anything that naturally tastes as good as coconut oil, butter or cashews can’t be that bad for me.

Determined as I am to prove that not all fats are created equal, I set to research. I enlisted the help of Noelle Tourney, an accredited dietitian with a bachelor’s in nutrition from the U of S and who found Noelle Tourney Nutrition and Wellness Consulting.

When I asked Tourney a series of questions based on my theory that a little fat goes a long way, she replied that what she typically tells her clients is that there are three classifications of fats: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” Sounds delightful.

In her opinion ugly fats should

you as a machine/flickr

wendalicious/flickr

commercially-fried foods contain trans fats. If these are a part of your diet and you want to avoid trans fats, you should probably ditch them.

The bad fats, or saturated fats, are those that are typically found in animal products like meat (excluding fish), dairy products and coconut, palm and palm kernel oils.

“Saturated fat has been shown to raise LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol level,” Tourney said. However, by choosing meat and dairy products with less fat, you can limit the amount of saturated fat in your diet.

Though coconut oil contains saturated fats, recent research suggests that coconut oil can actually be benificial to your

overall health.

“Our bodies metabolize the fat from coconuts differently because it is high in something called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are more easily processed by our bodies because they are transported directly from the intestines to the liver, where they are burned as fuel,” Tourney said.

“This has given coconut oil the reputation of promoting weight loss. Unfortunately, there are few studies done on coconut oil and weight loss and significant benefits have not yet been seen,” she said. Coconut oil is also known to contain antioxidants and other nutrients.

The lesson here is that not all saturated fats are created

Healthy polyunsaturated fats can be found in avocados.

be avoided, bad fats should be consumed lightly and good fats should be made a part of your daily eating habits.

The ugly fats she’s referring to are trans fats. “Most trans fat is made from a chemical process known as ‘partial hydrogenation,’” Tourney said.

“This is when liquid oil is made into solid fat.”

What makes trans fats so bad for you is that trans fats have been proven to raise LDL (lowdensity lipoprotein) and lower HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels.

“Low-HDL and high-LDL are both risk factors for heart disease,” Tourney said. Most foods including but not limited to pastries, convenience foods and

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equal, and some may actually be beneficial to you. That said, Tourney notes that saturated fats should be kept to less than 10 per cent of your caloric intake, so save the butter for when you really want it.

As far as the ‘good’ fats are concerned, Tourney recommends polyunsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats are particularly good as they are found to reduce the risk of heart disease and lower LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol levels. These fats can be found in vegetable and olive oils as well as fats from fish, nuts and avocados. Fatty fish such as herring, salmon and trout, nuts like cashews, pecans and almonds, as well as seeds all contain polyunsaturated fats and should be a part of your diet.

Although it’s unwise to gorge on a bag of almonds, no matter how good the fat is for you, a little fat can go a long way in terms of your health. Just as long as your fat comes from natural products rather than a chemically manufactured ingredient such as hydrogenated margarine. Keep it simple. Nature knows how to feed us.

Chia seed coconut almond butter Ingredients • 2 ½ cups raw almonds • 2 tbsp coconut oil • ¼ tsp salt • 1 tbsp vanilla extract • 2 tbsp chia seeds Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 300 F. Place a single layer of almonds on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring the almonds halfway through.

2. Let almonds cool for a few minutes before placing them in a food processor with the coconut oil, salt and vanilla extract. Process for 15-20 minutes or until almond butter is smooth. Scrape the sides down regularly as you are make the almond butter.

3. Transfer into a glass jar and stir in the chia seeds. When the chia seeds encounter liquid they break into a sort of jelly and mix nicely.

4. Store in a sealed container in the fridge or at room temperature.

Garlic tilapia Ingredients • 4 tilapia fillets • 4 garlic cloves, minced or thinly sliced • 5 tbsp butter (avoid margarine or choose olive oil for a more heart-healthy ingredient) • salt and pepper • fresh parsley, chopped • lemons, sliced for serving.

3. Saute the garlic for a few minutes then place fish into the skillet and allow the bottom sides to sear.

4. Turn fish after three or four minutes.

Tilapia cooks quickly.

Directions

5. Garlic should brown but not burn. If the fish still isn’t done and the garlic is cooking too quickly, try to scoop it up and place on top of the fish, away from the direct heat.

1. Season fillets to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon slices.

2. Heat skillet at medium heat. Melt butter.

CULTURE 15 Review: Sora’s Scorpion Moon

| thesheaf.com | 7 February, 2013 |

Jian Ghomeshi tries to stand out in 1982 MEGHAN O’NEIL — The Aquinian (St. Thomas University) FREDERICTON (CUP) — In 1982, Jian Ghomeshi put on pointy boots, picked up purple eyeliner and went through countless bottles of hair gel hoping to fit in with the cool kids.

In spite of a fortunate change in Ghomeshi’s fashion sense, the host and co-creator of CBC’s cultural affairs show, Q, said he hasn’t entirely overcome his teenage insecurities.

“If you take a position in favour of gay marriage, or against a war, or for funding to the arts, there’s going to be people who don’t like that,” said Ghomeshi over the phone from his Toronto office.

“Sometimes that can send me right back to the kid who wanted to fit in, but it doesn’t ever prevent me from making my case. So I think that’s always been in me.”

Ghomeshi’s “somewhat naive” 14-year-old voice takes readers through one pivotal year of his teens in 1982, which hit bookstores in September.

Of Iranian descent, Ghomeshi was born in London, England before moving to Thornhill, Ontario, a white-bread suburb of Toronto, when he was seven. He wanted nothing more than to be like his idol, David Bowie. This was seemingly impossible because of his olive skin and, as he puts it, “industrial-sized” nose.

He includes the word “nose” 18 times in 278 pages. They aren’t all references to his own nose, but to noses in general. For Ghomeshi, noses are an impossible-to-ignore, defining feature for a young immigrant.

“It was very obvious I was different from others, and there was this real desire for acceptance and wanting to fit in, but having said that, I’ve also, from a young age… I did have a critical mind.”

That inquisitive nature has helped earn him a national audience that’s spilled over the American border. Q airs on CBC Radio One, CBC Television and Public Radio International.

Q is the highest-rated show in the late morning time slot in CBC history and enjoys the largest national audience of any cultural affairs program. Ghomeshi’s smooth voice first greeted listeners over the airwaves on Q in 2007.

Since then, he has conducted a range of high-profile interviews from politicians like Al Gore, to musical icons like Paul McCartney and Leonard Cohen, not to mention

supplied

KATLYNN BALDERSTONE

ariane colenbrander/flickr

Jian Ghomeshi speaks to a live audience.

an infamous on-air interview with Billy Bob Thornton.

“On a visceral level, music always affected me. I can listen to some of that now, whether it’s the Clash, or Bowie or Dépêche Mode, music of that period, it’ll set me back there right away. It’s such a trigger for me, and it’s been such an important part of my life and obviously continues to be.”

1982 is told in 12 tales, each appropriately titled with a song and musicians ranging from the Clash, Rush, Culture Club and of course, Bowie.

At the time, New Wave was emerging, experimenting with electronic sounds. Ghomeshi tried desperately to be a New Waver, which meant looking like you didn’t try. This proved difficult.

He hung around the theatre room

at his high school and eventually became part of its coveted theatre troupe. He also formed a few bands and was in the vocal group.

Despite his desire to fit in, he was constantly putting himself in situations to stand out.

Ghomeshi bought tickets to an alternative music festival outside Toronto, The Police Picnic. This is where the book forms its spine.

“It’s a major coming-of-age moment. It all kind of comes to a head.”

Ghomeshi recounts discovering his new favourite band, Talking Heads, inviting a girl who looked like David Bowie and letting go of the one thing that was holding him to childhood — his red and blue Adidas bag.

“Here I’m dealing with trying to impress this blonde cool girl — I’m

Upcoming Events 10

Sunday

Tonight It’s Poetry at Lydia’s Ice Cycle at the Saskatoon Farmer’s Market

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Monday

Synaptic Monday at Vangelis

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Tuesday

Open Stage at Lydia’s The Once at the Bassment

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Wednesday

Open Mic Night at the Fez Sheaf Volunteer Appreciation Shindig at Louis’

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younger than everyone else at this amazing music festival that’s all about the music that’s such a trigger for me… All of that’s happening on one day and it was pretty epic.”

His parents are still not used to their son on such a public platform and profile. In the book, his mother compares him to the white neighbour’s children, and his father never could understand the passion he had for music and theatre.

Ghomeshi dedicated the book to them and gave them a copy before publication.

“It can be really annoying and difficult for them, even though I think they are ultimately proud of me,” he said. “Given their druthers, they would prefer that there would be a book called ‘How I Became Successful in Medicine and Also Engineering, by Jian Ghomeshi.’ ”

Thursday

Dean Brody at the Odeon Event Centre Eric Church at Credit Union Centre Hardwell at Tequila Theo Brown at Bud’s on Broadway

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Over the last decade, Albertaraised singer Sora has made a strong showing with two albums and an EP. The success of her Celtic influenced melodies and narrative lyrics only continues on her third album Scorpion Moon, slated for release Feb. 28.

There is a great deal to enjoy on this album, but the vocals stand out most. Sora’s voice is strong, clear and melodious through all 11 tracks. There’s very little in terms of editing, allowing the simpleyet-beautiful tones of her vocals to shine through. Accompanying Sora is a small instrumental group that engrosses the listener without being overbearing or overwhelming her.

The music is calm and flowing; it will help to relax you on a quiet night. Each song has a strong narrative presence, with Sora taking inspiration from various folk and fairy tales like “Rapunzel.” Each track’s instrumentals strongly complement the narrative and mood of each song.

As a whole, Scorpion Moon works well. Each song flows into the next, continuing themes of fantasy and wonder as they are explored in Sora’s lyrics. Standout tracks are hard to pick out, but there is enough variety to keep the listener’s interest thanks to change-ups in the instrumentals. For instance, the transition from the track “Hold” and its deep strings to “Piper” and its more prominent percussion is subtle, but done with enough care so that the switch from one song to the next does not cause the album to lose momentum.

Ultimately, the album is a narrative about the forces that shape us and the choices that must be made in order to stand on one’s own.

Sora’s Scorpion Moon is a slow album, to be sure, and one that may not be your cup of tea if you prefer more energetic songs. But for those looking for a collection of sweet and soulful melodies, you can’t go wrong with this collection.

Friday

Hairdu Records Launch Party at Louis’ Castle River and Little Criminals at Amigo’s Bron at Meg’s The No-No’s sing a dirge: RIP Penny at the Association Jeunesse Fransaskoise

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Saturday

Despise You, The Wake, Rehashed and Narcissistic at Amigo’s POPS Series: At the Movies at TCU Place Smile and Pretend EP Release Show at Rouge Gallery Morgan Childs Quartet at the Bassment Drawing Marathon at the University of Saskatchewan

for the week of February 7 - 13

OPINIONS You’re probably not having sex with an expert 16

ELIZABETH HAMES — The Ubyssey (University of British Columbia) VANCOUVER (CUP) — There is a perception among high school seniors and undergrads, fueled by movies and TV shows, that anyone having regular sex is swimming in orgasms and euphoric sex hangovers. But in the non-romcom world I like to call “reality,” sexual encounters during one’s teens and early adulthood are often awkward, uncomfortable and forgettable.

Thus on university campuses most students do not have an impressively long sexual history. On average, Canadians trade in their V-card at around 17 years of age, and less than a third of teens between the ages of 15 and 17 have ever had sex, according to Statistics Canada. But by the time teens reach college age at 18 to 19 years old, about two thirds report having had sex at least once. Those numbers spike dramatically as students enter young adulthood: approximately 80 per cent of 20to 24-year-olds have had sex.

All these numbers suggest that the majority of students lose their virginity during their undergrad. So unless you’ve been in a relationship for a while or you’re sleeping with someone significantly older, you’re probably not having sex with an expert.

That said, there’s a way to achieve sexual gratification with even the greenest of undergrads: tell them what you want, and be specific.

Unless you’re having sex with a complete sociopath, most people get pretty turned on by a partner who can describe in explicit detail how they want to be fucked — especially during a heated bout of foreplay. Moreover, sharing your own desires with your partner can encourage them to reciprocate, effectively making the experience all the more enjoyable for both (or all) of you.

A 2011 study entitled “On the Relationship Among Social Anxiety, Intimacy, Sexual Communication and Sexual Satisfaction in Young Couples” confirms this. Self-reported data from 115 undergraduates showed that “being able to openly communicate with one’s partner is important for the development of intimacy... and sexual satisfaction.”

The study, which explored the effects of social anxiety on sexual satisfaction, concluded that talking openly with partners about “sexual topics” is the key to better sex for even the shyest of bedmates. As an added bonus, those who overcome their bashfulness in the bedroom may also find that their anxiety in other social situations is eased, say the study’s authors.

These conversations don’t necessarily have to include dirty talk, although that kind of language is certainly acceptable. It can be as scientific or as erotic as you want, but the most important thing is to be clear. Ambiguity may lead your partner astray and could cause some very awkward moments.

It’s also important to understand that sexual expertise is quite a sensitive topic for most young people; everyone wants to be a sexual champion, though few are. Choose your words carefully to make sure you don’t sound accusatory or disappointed.

Precise phrases like “I like it when you touch my __” or “it feels

good when you do ‘x’ with your ‘y’ ” are a lot more effective than “ew, that’s so irritating” or “I’m never going to come if you keep doing that.” And although it can be tempting to slap someone who’s poking your sexy parts like an elevator dashboard, try to restrain yourself.

For some people, even saying the words “stroke” or “lick” out loud can be anxietyinducing. But remember, you can always show if you can’t tell. Demonstrate on yourself the way you want to be touched, or alternatively, guide their hand with your own.

And finally, keep in mind that it’s nearly impossible to teach someone a subject you know nothing about. Take some time during study breaks to fool around solo and learn what areas of your body are most pleasureinducing.

| 7 February, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

... unless you’re having sex with me!

ISHMAEL N. DARO There’s a perception among sex columnists like Elizabeth Hames that young people are sexually inexperienced and therefore need to be “open” and “communicative” in order to enjoy themselves in the bedroom.

What nonsense!

This sort of “people should communicate more” tripe is hardly new from the sex advice-industrial complex. After all, those column inches don’t fill themselves. Bigshot writers like Hames, living in exotic cities like “Vancouver,” need to keep telling us that we don’t know what we’re doing in the sack in order to justify their six-figure salaries and their gold-plated yachts. But the hard truth is that there’s absolutely no need to talk to your partner about her likes and dislikes if you already know everything there is to know about sex — like I do!

Now, I don’t want this to come off as hubris. There are probably plenty of virgins (read: losers) out there who couldn’t sex their way out of a wet paper bag, but it should be obvious by my confident tone

that I am not one of them. Nope. I pretty much know all the sex moves and have used many of them on real, live women. So don’t tell me to talk to my partner, Ms. Hames, because there’s nothing she could tell me that I don’t already know. (For the sake of this article, assume everything applies equally to men. I mean, I’m not gay but I’d probably be great at that too.)

According to Statistics Canada figures, most people don’t lose their virginities until their undergrads, which would imply that college students are still figuring things out while in college. This is supposed to convince us to talk to our sexual partners and to “be specific” about what we want.

Yeah, OK. But what if you’re a Level 17 Fucklord by the time you’re old enough to drive? I already know what the ladies want, and the only statistics I need are the many notches on my belt. Yup, there’s probably like eight notches there — unless that doesn’t sound like a lot. In that case, just double it times five.

Whatever, I don’t need to be good with numbers because I’m always knee-deep in sex-having. Sorry if that offends you, but that’s just me. I’m super offensive because I’m super cool, which is probably related to me having so much sex all the time.

If being offensive about sex is a crime, then I guess you can put me on some kind of “sex offenders” list. It would probably just get me laid even more (if that’s even possible).

I pretty much know all the sex moves and have used many of them on real, live women.

So anyway, I felt compelled to write a column to try to counter some of the dangerous claims being run in this paper.

(1) I have definitely had sex.

(2) I’m good at it.

(3) Don’t believe anything you read about me on the internet, because that’s just written by cyber bullies who are mad at my good sex skills.

I hope this has cleared some things up. I have to get back to my threesome now, which is a sex thing you probably haven’t heard of.

samantha braun/graphics editor

OPINIONS

| thesheaf.com | 7 February, 2013 |

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Let’s be inclusive this Valentine’s Day TRAVIS HOMENUK Last year on Valentine’s Day there was a post on the “Stupid Things Overheard at the U of S” Facebook page that warmed the hearts of the nearly 1,000 students who ‘liked’ it.

The writer described seeing two men in the library exchange flowers and a kiss.

Personally, I can’t think of a better post to see on Valentine’s Day. With that precious day of love and mushy gushy stuff fast approaching, I want to remind all of the Sheaf’s readers that we are all deserving of love and are allowed to express our love for one another, regardless of what our sexual orientations might be.

I’m gay, and it’s taken me a long time to write those words in my journal, let alone to publish them in a public document.

Indeed: I’m here, and I’m queer, so get used to it.

It wasn’t until last year I realized that I could do this: I can be gay and still be the person I am and the person I am going to become. I don’t have to change my beliefs or conform to stereotypes just because I happen to be attracted to men. Being gay is a part of who I am, but it does not encompass my whole identity.

For me, all it took — after years of wondering, online conversations, selfanalysis, lies and denial — was one date with a nice guy to set me straight. Pardon the pun. I knew I was gay for a long time before this particular nerve-wracking interaction, but it was the date itself that propelled me to come out to friends and family.

Coming out wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be; in fact, it was amazing. I haven’t dealt with any negativity, which I know is rare.

Most of my family and friends already knew, which I’m sure happens in many cases. It’s not like I was bringing home girls to Christmas dinner.

In fact, I didn’t even have to formally tell my mom. Moms often just know these things. I said, “Mom, I have to tell you something,” and she just hugged me. That was a hug I’ll never forget. I think she’s just happy she’ll never have to lose me to another woman!

My family and friends have been beyond supportive and since I came out we’re able to be lighthearted and frank. I’m having discussions about sexuality that I never

thought I would.

If you’re gay — or think your sexual orientation falls outside the heteronormative — don’t be afraid of who you are. Don’t join a convent or try to convince yourself you’re straight. It’s not worth your time.

I said, “Mom, I have to tell you something,” and she just hugged me. That was a hug I’ll never forget. I think she’s just happy she’ll never have to lose me to another woman!

LGBTTQQIIA

Letter to the Editor: I have to hand it to you. Your Jan. 24 coverage of the financial apocalypse at the University of Saskatchewan was nothing short of excellent. It was incisive, factual and comprehensive, delving into several issues that the administration and On Campus News have either glossed over or ignored. Kudos to you, one and all, Sheaf!

A few thoughts and reflections: RE: “MacKinnon and Florizone still on payroll” (aka ‘the Take’) There’s an old adage that is particularly apt in this instance — you can steal more money with a briefcase than you can with a gun. Florizone and MacKinnon should be congratulated (lol). Nancy Hopkins and the Board of Governors, who cut the deal with these gentlemen, deserve a couple swift kicks.

There are good people in this world who will restore your faith in humanity and help you along the way. Be patient, try to be wise and wait for a good egg to come along and sweep you off your feet! Trust me.

Waiting until you’re absolutely ready to come out is the best advice I can give.

RE: “Students left out of TransformUS task forces, plan to storm council meeting” Regardless how administration or the Board of Governors choose to package or to label it — program prioritization, integrated planning or its nifty new moniker, “TransformUS” — this process is, in pith and substance, a workforce adjustment policy.

By its very nature, this process is a top-down exercise mandated and implemented exclusively by the administration.

Anyone on the U of S payroll who brings his or her lunch will henceforth be considered an optimist.

— R Fleming

donovan thorimbert

Basically, if people love you already, they aren’t going to stop loving you because your sexuality doesn’t conform to societal expectations. If anything, they are going to love and appreciate you more because you have the courage to come out.

And if — for some terrible reason — they can’t accept you the way you are, then they aren’t worth having in your life. I promise.

After I told my stepmother I was gay, she lovingly said, “Travis, I hope you can be a role model for people like you,” and that’s what I’ve tried to do since that conversation. That’s what I want to do with this article.

I know we live in a largely accepting society, but it never hurts to have this reminder every once in awhile: it’s okay to be different. In fact, being different is awesome.

And so, with Valentine’s Day looming, I want to spread the love a bit early this year. I want to thank every person who has ever supported a friend or family member regardless of the circumstances.

I must give special acknowledgements to my own friends and family, and particularly to the straight men in my life who’ve pledged to physically fight those who give me a hard time about being gay. I don’t condone violence, but the sentiment there is remarkably sweet, don’t you think?

If you have been a friend to someone who’s a minority, who is going through a personal crisis or who just needs to vent, thank you. You are the ones who make people like me feel comfortable in our own skins. You are the friends who love and appreciate us no matter what happens. You are the individuals who make our world a better, more tolerant place.

Thank you, from the bottom of my big gay heart. Thank you.

And if you happen to see a boy holding hands with another boy — or whatever the combination might be — just smile and think about how far we’ve come, and how far we have yet to go.

Whether you identify as straight, bisexual, homosexual, lesbian, transgender, transsexual, questioning, queer, intersex, intergender or asexual, remember that we all deserve love and happiness. Never forget that.

Let this Valentine’s Day be an example of supreme inclusivity so that we can apply and practice it the whole year through.

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OPINIONS

| 7 February, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

Generation Jobless KIMBERLEY HARTWIG A generation ago, a university degree virtually guaranteed a job.

This does not hold true today.

For many recent graduates a university degree is nothing more than a very expensive piece of paper. The unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 is close to 15 per cent — double the rate of the general population. When university grads actually do find a job, they often find themselves working in areas unrelated to their field of study or in positions they are overqualified for.

The CBC documentary Generation Jobless, which aired Jan. 31, examines why university graduates are having trouble finding employment. One theory centres on the organization — or lack thereof –— of the education system. Canada is an outlier for not having a national body for post-secondary education. This leads to the Canadian education system lacking a national focus and overall goal. This also causes the university system to be very fragmented and leads to dissociation among individual universities.

This is one of the reasons why transferring between universities within Canada causes so much trouble for many students.

Compare this with the Erasmus Programme in Europe that allows students to easily move through many different countries and institutions while studying, and it becomes clear that the Canadian system lacks a cohesive strategy.

This piecemeal approach to

education extends to the void between university and the working world. Increasingly, students are finding themselves unprepared to meet the demands of employers. While there are numerous jobs available in one field, there are extreme shortages in others.

One area in which there is an over-abundance of new graduates and a shortage of job openings is education. Every year in Ontario there are over 11,000 new teachers but only 4,600 teachers retire. This trend persists across the country.

However, universities keep pumping out graduates and overenrolling in fields that do not have enough openings for the number of students who will graduate with those qualifications.

Why are universities letting in more students than there are jobs available? The result of this policy is students graduating with large amounts of debt and no foreseeable steady job on the horizon.

There needs to be more communication between professional disciplines, universities and the general population so students are aware of the realities of their chosen fields.

Although dim job prospects should not stop students from following their passions, it is important that they are able to make informed decisions when choosing what to study.

The delay between education and career has led media to call our age group the “lost generation” — a generation that is overeducated but underemployed.

Young people face many

Corporate involvement

joshuaseye/flickr

Even time-honoured traditions like scouring the wanted ads are outdated for today’s struggling youth.

challenges, including the everchanging workplace, but there is no evidence these challenges are insurmountable. Resourcefulness and adaptability are necessary to find new solutions, and by having to find success with less than ideal conditions, our generation will develop these skills.

Yes, the workplace is shifting,

and jobs may not look like they did 20 years ago, but the world doesn’t look like it did 20 years ago, either.

Things change and people adapt.

This generation may take time to find its footing because of the changing relationship between education and career. But we are preparing an example for generations to come.

Please sir, may I have some more?

The Global Institute for Food Security tackles the wrong problem MATT CHILLIAK Unless you have been living under a rock you probably know our school has a money problem to the tune of a projected $44.5-million budgetary shortfall.

My interest was naturally piqued when I heard that the province and PotashCorp will fork over $50 million to the University of Saskatchewan. The move was announced on Dec. 12 of last year.

“Hooray!” I thought, naively believing that this would perhaps mean a temporary fix for the university’s budget problems.

Perhaps they could even save the doomed Kenderdine Campus that is of such value to our science and fine arts departments.

My optimism was quickly crushed when I found out that this huge donation from the province and PotashCorp isn’t going to protect the U of S from moving into the red, but is tied to establishing the Global Institute for Food Security.

GIFS is touted by university President Ilene Busch-Vishniac, Premier Brad Wall and PotashCorp CEO Bill Doyle as the way to fix what they claim is a global food shortage.

However, the source of the global hunger problem is not one

oxfam international/flickr

People living on arid land like this don’t need technology, they need a fairer distribution of the food we’ve already got.

of production. The world produces more than enough food. The problem is one of distribution.

The current global system of commodity distribution produces massive inequality in how much food ends up where. Wealthy nations receive much more than they need and impoverished nations do not receive nearly enough. The saddest part is that much of the food we in wealthy nations receive winds up going to waste.

Why will this agricultural research centre receive $50 million to solve a “problem” when the source of that problem — global wealth inequality — is already

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continued from

known and all too often ignored?

Perhaps it has something to do with money, as these things often do.

Agricultural research and the developments it spawns produce bigger crops here in Saskatchewan, and this means more profit for the province.

Wall hinted at this economic motivation when he said, “Advancing Saskatchewan’s agricultural advantage allows us to significantly increase the global food supply... while building the next economy, an innovation economy, here at home.”

Money and prestige for both the university and the province are the

crux of why budget problems are on the back burner.

While the GIFS website talks about “improving agricultural trade practices and policies,” it doesn’t tell us how these improvements will be brought about, or what they might look like.

Our university rewards departments that produce financial benefits. In Wall and Doyle’s eyes, the arts, humanities and basic science departments just don’t pay off like solving the world’s hunger problem does. And Busch-Vishniac is all too happy to agree with them if it means a brand new $50-million facility on her campus.

The four new board members are Grant Isaac, Lee Ahenakew, Kathryn Ford and David Dubé.

Isaac works at Cameco and Ahenakew is employed at BHP Billiton, which tried to mount a hostile takeover of PotashCorp in 2012. Ford has practiced law in Saskatoon since 1977 and owns her own firm. Dubé is the CEO of Concorde Group, a property and business management company in Saskatoon.

Pennock’s replacement will be Elizabeth Williamson, who currently works at Cameco.

Dubé, Isaac and Williamson are problematic appointees because of their financial ties to the university.

Cameco has been a generous donor to the U of S, and Dubé has made donations to the Huskies football team totalling in excess of $1 million.

I know if I had donated over $1 million to an organization I would probably feel some entitlement to direct its operation, whether I realized it or not.

The university’s Board of Governors makes major financial decisions on campus. Allowing people and companies that clearly have a personal stake in the university’s financial situation to direct the university is an affront to the university’s independence.

Overlap between the public and private sectors is necessary to some extent, especially at this level. Having someone who works in the private sector sit on the university’s board is not in and of itself dangerous. However, a public institution — which the U of S is — is very different from a corporation, especially where finances are concerned.

Corporations are run with the explicit goal of making money.

Public institutions are not.

Public institutions provide services that can best be dispensed if people are not concerned with also bringing in profit. Things like building roads and educating the country’s young are too important to mix with profitability, because profit will inevitably take the front seat. It is worth questioning how a board filled with corporateminded people may play into the administration’s current push for “prioritization” of programs and services on campus.

Program prioritization visionary Robert C. Dickeson, on whose model the “TransformUS” initiative is based, advocates a distinctly cutthroat, corporate approach to university management, and individuals from the private sector will likely see the merits thereof.

It is possible that Isaac, Williamson and even Dubé have only the university’s best interests at heart. It’s almost certain they think they do. But they are trained to think in terms of profitability. When there are millions of dollars at stake, which there are for Cameco and Dubé, they understandably have strong motivation to ensure the university is moving in a direction they are happy with.

Private investment is a necessity with our current post-secondary funding model, but that doesn’t mean the university should accept private parties directing its priorities.

HUMOUR

| thesheaf.com | 7 February, 2013 |

Campus Chat

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What is your ideal Valentine’s Day date?

A concert!

Mara Selanders

Something outside, like a hike or skating.

Kyla Johnson

Chilling at home with good food. I’m really busy usually.

Anthony Cao

Why don’t you call me and find out?

Paul Herrem

FAKE NEWS

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bumped my fist against hers,” Franklin said. “I was acting on pure instinct.”

Reached the next day for comment, Kauffman said she knew exactly what Franklin was doing.

“I should have known he’d turn out to be a pussy,” she said. “He always dates girls that treat him like shit, when I’m right in front of him, sitting through all these consolation Die Hard marathons whenever they dump him.

“He better put out soon if he wants a quality girl like me to stick around.”

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“I mean, she’s practically my sister!”

“At one point she started coiling his hair around her finger and mumbling about carpe diem,” said Josh Hutchins, a close friend of the pair. “It was hard to watch.”

That was when Kauffman started leaning in, face outstretched, lips puckered.

With time running out and few options left at his disposal, Franklin did what world-class athletes have been doing for centuries: he improvised.

“I juked left for the nearest pitcher, chugged it and let out a loud belch as I

IS YOUR BIRTHDAY COMING SOON?

smbc-comics.com

In a moment of “supreme clarity,” as he recalled it, University of Saskatchewan student Travis Franklin has invented what he’s coined “the bro zone” — and may have single-handedly revolutionized the dating scene.

Finding himself cornered by Jane Kauffman — who has harboured a thinly veiled crush on him for years — at Louis’ Dollar Beers on Tuesday, Franklin quickly found himself running out of options.

“It’s not that Jane’s unattractive or dumb or anything,” Franklin said. “It’s just that I’ve known her for so long.

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| 7 February, 2013 | thesheaf.com |