The Sheaf - March 7, 2013

Returning to Tahrir Square

NEWS 3

Sheaf the

.com

MIT architects speak to the U of S about a possible architecture program NEWS 2

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

How the Olympic wrestling dispute is affecting the Huskies

The paleolithic diet promises greater energy for a modern SPORTS 7 lifestyle CULTURE 13

Campus involvement is integral

Why discuss a new program when we can’t afford the current ones?

OPINIONS 15

OPINIONS 16

Huskies fail to repeat as champs

harry du

The Alberta Golden Bears defeated the Huskies in the three-game conference final.

kristen schneider

Engineering students’ society under the magnifying glass In the wake of cancelled elections and new policies, students are left looking for answers ANNA-LILJA DAWSON Associate News Editor The Saskatoon Engineering Students’ Society is under scrutiny from its members after executive elections were cancelled and major changes were made to its election policy.

The SESS represents the

University of Saskatchewan’s entire engineering student body and often hosts events and liaises with the dean.

However, only about 40 per cent of the 1,600 engineering students are dues-paying members and even fewer are regularly active within the society. Engineering students can pay $10 per term to become a member of the SESS at any time except elections.

For the past couple of weeks candidates have been campaigning for next year’s SESS executive positions.

Members of the organization originally voted for next year’s executive on Feb. 14 and 15 but elections were cancelled just hours before the polls closed due to “a misunderstanding of the SESS election rules.” SESS members were notified by email and were informed of a council meeting to be held Feb. 25 to clarify the rules in preparation for a new election.

SESS elections

4

continued on ...>

KEVIN MENZ Editor-in-Chief A Canada West banner won’t be added to Rutherford Rink this season.

The Huskies men’s hockey team lost in the conference championship final March 3. They fell 5-2 to the Alberta Golden Bears in the deciding third game of the Canada West final at Clarke Drake Arena in Edmonton.

The loss followed a 5-0 Alberta win in game one of the series and a 5-4 overtime win by the Huskies in game two.

Dogs captain Brennan Bosch notched a hat trick, including the overtime winner, and an assist in game two to help push the best-ofthree series to a third game.

His performance seemed completely forgotten by the Huskies Sunday night, however, as

Saskatchewan came out flat in the final match.

Alberta took a 3-0 lead early in the game, scoring three goals in just over two minutes midway through the first period.

The Bears first got on the board 10 minutes into the frame on a powerplay when forward Levko Koper shot the puck past Huskies netminder Ryan Holfeld from the top of the circle.

Torrie Dyck added a second Alberta goal only 14 seconds later, while Koper notched his second of the night two minutes after that.

The Huskies elected to pull Holfeld in favour of David Reekie for the second time in the series following the Bears’ third goal.

Huskies hockey

8

continued on ...>

FREE STUDENT SEMINAR - March 16, 2013 EXPLORE PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES at the Park Town Hotel, Saskatoon 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Join us on Saturday, March 16 for a fun-filled day of discussion and inquiry - free of charge. Explore ideas while engaging with leading policy experts and peers. Lunch will be provided.

Topics include: • Renewable energy policies and their impact on agriculture in Canada • Medicare: Is it broken? Can we fix it?

• Aboriginal Canadians in 21st Century Canada

For more information or to register, please visit: www.freestudentseminars.org

2

NEWS

| 7 March, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

Sheaf U of S explores the possibility of the

.com

Editor-in-Chief: Kevin Menz, editor@thesheaf.com Production Manager: Jared Beattie, layout@thesheaf.com Senior News Editor: Daryl Hofmann, news@thesheaf.com Associate News Editor: Anna-Lilja Dawson, associatenews@ thesheaf.com Photography Editor: Raisa Pezderic, photo@thesheaf.com Graphics Editor: Samantha Braun, graphics@thesheaf.com

Culture Editor: Jenna Mann, arts@thesheaf.com Sports Editor: Cole Guenter, sports@thesheaf.com Opinions Editor: Tannara Yelland, opinions@thesheaf.com Copy Editor: Tannara Yelland, copy@thesheaf.com Web Editor: Bryn Becker, web@thesheaf.com Ad & Business Manager: Shantelle Hrytsak, ads@thesheaf.com

an architecture program

Board of Directors: Danielle Siemens, Pete Yee, David Konkin, Ishmael N. Daro, Lewis Casey, Andrew Roebuck Index Photo: Nevedaay/Flickr Editing Assistance: Michael Macleod

Office Numbers: General 966-8688 Advertising 966-8688 Editorial 966-8689

Corporation Number #204724 GST Registration Number 104824891 Second Class Mailing Registration. #330336 The Sheaf is printed at Transcontinental Printing Ltd. 838 56th St. Saskatoon, SK Circulation this issue: 4,500

The Sheaf is a non-profit incorporated and student-body funded by way of a direct levy paid by all part- and full-time undergraduate students at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). Membership in the Society is open to undergraduate students at the U of S, but all members of the U of S community are encouraged to contribute to the newpaper.

Opinions expressed in the Sheaf do not necessarily reflect those of the Sheaf Publishing Society Inc. The Sheaf reserves the right to refuse to accept or print any material deemed unfit for publication, as determined by the Editor-in-Chief. The Sheaf is published weekly during the academic year and monthly from May through August. The Editor-in-Chief has the right to veto any submission deemed unfit for the Society newspaper. In determining this, he/she will decide if the article or artwork would be of interest to a significant portion of the Society and benefit the welfare of Sheaf readers.

The Sheaf will not publish any racist, sexist, homophobic, or libelous material.

Corrections

No corrections were brought to our attention last week.

If you find any errors in this week’s paper, please email copy@thesheaf.com.

raisa pezderic/photo editor

Saskatoon’s northern downtown may see a cultural transformation if the proposed school of architecture is approved and moves into the John Deere Building on Ontario Avenue.

ANNA-LILJA DAWSON Associate News Editor The University of Saskatchewan is hosting a series of lectures and presentations to spread awareness and interest in an architecture program at the school.

The first symposium was held Feb. 28 and March 1. Speakers from architecture programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Manitoba discussed the possible interrelationships an architecture program would have with already existing colleges and areas of study at the U of S. Colin Tennent, the associate vice-president of facilities and management on campus, said almost every program can interact with architecture in some way, be it the fine arts, business, law, public health or engineering.

Professor and head of the department of architecture at MIT Nader Tehrani was the keynote speaker Feb. 28 at the Broadway Theatre. Tennent said the lecture was well-attended by the U of S community and that Tehrani brought

“a fresh idea on the nature of pedagogy in architecture” that could be used at the university.

Tehrani’s visit to the university was brief, but he said the discussions he had with his co-panelists and the questions the U of S community asked were considerate.

The discussion “was about how education in the future is so much more about strategic use of resources, interdisciplinary collaboration and understanding the link between one area of study and another,” Tehrani said.

The second symposium will be held March 7 and 8. It will focus on community involvement and the incorporation of Saskatchewan culture.

Architect Douglas Cardinal will be speaking at the symposium. He designed the Gordon Oakes-Red Bear aboriginal student centre that will be built on campus this year.

The learning experiences and practices associated with architecture programs will be the focus of the third symposium, planned for March 17 and 18.

Saskatchewan is one of the only provinces that does not have a

university architecture program. This has resulted in a massive need for architects in the province, Tennent says.

In 2005, Tennent joined the Saskatchewan Association of Architects. While developing the association’s first strategic plan, it became clear to Tennent and other members that the province is in dire need of an architecture program.

Tennent said the architects in the province are mainly older and aren’t being replaced by younger people.

“We’ve sent our best and brightest away to study and most of them don’t come back,” Tennent said.

“We haven’t been able to replace those individuals because we haven’t had a school.”

As advantageous as an architecture program sounds, many are wondering how the university can justify creating an entire new degree program while other, wellestablished programs face cuts.

Tennent said the university will decide which programs are priorities and believes that the architecture program is a high priority for the province.

He imagines that an architecture

program geared toward the province’s needs would be beneficial throughout Saskatchewan. Tennant gave the example of working with towns’ businesses and communities to help them develop their main streets.

“If the school develops here, it’s got to be unique, it’s got to be relevant, and it’s got to reflect a Saskatchewan or prairie mentality,” Tennent said.

Tennent sees transformation in Saskatoon’s downtown if the architecture program is approved.

The City of Saskatoon has said it would give the 100-year-old John Deere Building on the 300 block of Ontario Avenue to the university to house the architecture school if the university decides to establish the program.

University presence in a city’s downtown provides the energy for a cultural transformation, something that the northern downtown could benefit from, Tennent said.

“The school is going to be the seed for that kind of transformation.”

Tuesdays are HAPPY HOUR 11:30AM - 9PM 7 DAYS A WEEK

THE FUN PLACE TO BE

SUNDAYS - WEDNESDAYS: GAME DAYS WITH PRIZES!

$9.50 SCHOONERS Sunday-Thursday

Triple HAPPY TIMES

Singles $3 Doubles $6 Triples $8 Bar Shots 9pm to Close Sunday to Thursday

LADIES NIGHT

Enter to win prizes including a diamond ring, limo package & bubbly!

THE BEST DRINK SPECIALS NIGHTLY! Join the official Colonial Facebook Page and win prizes!

Come And Join The Fun!

1301 8th Street East

NEWS

| thesheaf.com | 7 March, 2013 |

3

U of S lecturer visits Egypt, Kenya

hossam el-hamalway/flickr

Rubble and burnt vehicles barricade entrances to Tahrir Square where 200 people are protesting against President Mohamed Morsi.

KENDRA SCHREINER Bill Rafoss, the former chief investigator of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, stopped over in Cairo for four days on his way to monitor the presidential elections in Kenya.

Rafoss last visited Tahrir Square in 2010, one year before the popular uprisings that saw President Hosni Mubarak swept from power. Now, three years later, the University

of Saskatchewan political studies sessional lecturer says the country is worse than it was before the revolution.

“Cairo has definitely declined since I was last there in 2010. Cars are getting older, buildings are crumbling, Egyptians seem less happy, many are now unemployed as a result of declining tourism. It is sad and unfortunate to see the current state of affairs,” Rafoss said following his most recent visit.

Both Canadians and Egyptians strongly discouraged Rafoss from visiting Tahrir Square because of the current unrest. Two years after the 2011 revolution the area is still blockaded and about 200 people are occupying the square to protest President Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Only a few days after Rafoss left Cairo, violence erupted in the square once again. According to Egyptian state news, police attempted to

remove blockades and protesters reacted violently, throwing petrol bombs. Fifty-five people were arrested.

“The protesters are not happy with the Morsi government,” Rafoss said of the widespread anger and confusion among the people of Egypt.

“They believe that the Muslim Brotherhood is ruling for Muslims only. Others do not know what Morsi and the brotherhood stand for; Morsi has only been in office for [nine] months and his main focus has been on constitutional reform.”

Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood was elected last June and pushed through a constitution in December that many opponents felt favoured Islamists.

The constitution was passed with a majority, but only with a low turnout of 20 per cent of eligible voters.

A parliamentary election is set to take place in April, but many claim Morsi’s election laws have tipped the odds in the Islamists’ favour. An alliance of opposition parties has decided to boycott the elections, hoping to undermine the legitimacy of the vote and then demand a fair election.

“This is a crucial time in Egypt’s history as it struggles to move from

the authoritarian government of Hosni Mubarak to a new, more democratic modern government,” Rafoss said of the protests and upcoming election.

Rafoss is now in Kenya, which is also at a crucial point in its struggle for democracy. Accusations of fraud and cheating in the presidential elections five years ago led to widespread violence, leaving over 1,000 dead and 300,000 displaced.

As Kenyans head to the polls this week, the nation braces for the possibility of more fighting. Rafoss is there to lend a hand, monitoring the elections to ensure they are fair and free.

He fears the election results will lead to violence once again.

“People are very nervous here about the election, some moving their families ‘up country’ to a safer location. There is a heavy police presence here on the coast,” Rafoss said.

Both Egypt and Kenya are at pivotal moments in their political histories. The coming weeks and months will reveal if the countries can hold peaceful elections and become successful examples of democratic reform in Africa.

TransformUS task forces unveiled DARYL HOFMANN Senior News Editor The membership of the two TransformUS task forces that will spend the next several months ranking the school’s academic and administrative programs was announced March 5.

The two task forces will be responsible for prioritizing the university’s programs that are funded by the operating budget, which is projected to run a deficit of $44.5 million by 2016 if no cuts are made.

The Academic Program Transformation Task Force will

review all academic programs, and the Support Service Transformation Task Force will review all administrative support programs. The task forces will submit a report of their analysis

by Nov. 30. The reports will be used to help the university determine which programs should receive additional funding, which should see their funding reduced and which should be melded together.

“We were fortunate to receive 250 nominations in which 227 individuals were nominated,” Busch-Vishniac wrote in the campus-wide email announcement March 5.

“A broad cross-section of the campus community was represented in the nominations, with variety in faculty, staff and students from several different colleges and units. This broad representation has been reflected in the chosen membership of each task force.”

The academic task force consists of 21 members, including Scott J. Adams, an arts and science undergraduate student and Josie Steeves, a PhD student. The rest of the members are all either high-ranking professors or department heads.

The administrative task force has 25 members, including

Mitchell Anderson, an undergraduate from St. Andrew’s College and Jania S. Chilima, a PhD Student from the School of Environment and Sustainability and the Global Institute for Water Security. The rest of the members are all either administrative program directors, project and department managers or highranking faculty.

“The role of these task forces is to rank programs and services with a view to prospective budgetary changes, with these rankings constituting advice to university decision-making bodies,” Busch-Vishniac wrote.

“It will be the role of our

governing bodies, including the Board of Governors, University Council and the Provost’s Committee on Integrated Planning to make final decisions and set an implementation plan.”

The task forces are expected to begin meeting shortly and more information will be released in the coming weeks regarding the criteria that will determine their prioritization processes.

1st Annual Kenderdine Commerative Gala Held by the University of Saskatchewan Biology Club and the Saskatoon SPCA

Friday, March 15th, 2013 5:30pm (Cocktails), 6:30pm (Dinner)

Radisson Hotel

Come commemorate the rich 50 year history behind the Kenderdine Campus site at this elegant black-tie dinner banquet. Live jazz, a silent auction as well as key-note speakers are sure to keep the audience entertained. All proceeds will go to subsidize student studies impacted by the Kenderdine Campus Closure. All community members are warmly welcomed.

For ticket information please contact biology.club@usask.ca

Continuing Scholarships Apply online by June 1 students.usask.ca/awards

4

NEWS

| 7 March, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

Grad student U-Pass approved MICHAEL MACLEOD Graduate students at the University of Saskatchewan voted Feb. 27 to implement a universal bus pass, or U-Pass, for a one-year trial period beginning in September 2013.

After the trial period students will vote on whether or not to keep the pass permanently.

The U-Pass is currently only available to undergraduate students at the U of S. It allows students unlimited transit travel in Saskatoon provided they are carrying their student card and have a validated U-Pass sticker on it.

About 66 per cent of the graduate students’ votes were in favour of the U-Pass, while 32 per cent voted against it and approximately 1.5 per cent abstained.

The new graduate pass will cost students $110.85 per term. This cost is not fixed and will likely increase annually with inflation.

At the moment, graduate students can buy a pass through the city for $78.00 per month.

Undergraduate students at the U of S pay $73.51 per term for the U-Pass.

The price difference between the graduate and undergraduate

SESS elections

U-Passes is due to the number of students subscribing to the pass. With more than five times the number of graduate students on campus, undergraduates can bargain for a better rate than the graduates can.

The graduate student U-Pass will function exactly the same as the undergraduate equivalent, with unlimited fares around the city for the cardholder while the pass is active.

Payments for the U-Pass will be mandatory for all students unless they live outside city limits, live in on-campus residences, are enrolled only in distance education courses or are unable to ride the bus due to a disability.

Because the Graduate Students’ Association and University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union are viewed as two separate entities by the university, the GSA could not join the USSU plan and had to lobby for a separate deal with Saskatoon Transit.

This is not the first time a referendum for a graduate student U-Pass has been held. In 2007, 52 per cent of the voting graduate students elected not to have a U-Pass.

raisa pezderic/photo editor

Graduate students can save hundreds of dollars a year by using their newly approved U-Pass instead of buying monthly bus passes from Saskatoon Transit.

1

continued from

This is the first contested presidential campaign, which is why we were really watching the rules more closely than usual.

Rebecca Steffenson Current SESS President

kristen schneider

The SESS monitors the walls of the Engineering Building closely for poster violations.

In the first round of elections, three of the four presidential candidates were current executive members of the SESS. Two of those three were members of the board of directors, which governs the society.

The latest round of elections began with nominations closing March 5 and campaigning beginning the following day. The new policies will be followed in this election.

Cancelled elections Current president Rebecca Steffenson said that for the past five years the position of president has garnered little interest from candidates.

“This is the first contested presidential campaign, which is why we were really watching the rules more closely than usual,” Steffenson said.

There was a crackdown on what candidates could say during the election. The board of directors found one candidate guilty of

slander for writing “No love for the enemy” on the election banner where candidates had all signed their names. The candidate was given a warning but remained on the ballot.

“As far as we could tell, there was nothing in his campaign that could be considered slander or personal attacks,” said Erin Placatka, a member of SESS. “That was kind of a warning flag that something fishy was going on” with the elections, she said.

The specific violations for cancelling the election have not been made public, Steffenson said.

She wrote in an email that thirdparty campaigning was an issue that the SESS did not know how to deal with so they cancelled the elections in order to have more time to research other groups’ election policies.

Policy reform The day of the council meeting, an email was sent out to SESS members four hours before the

meeting informing them that the society’s policy manual would be updated. The SESS did not abide by their policy of making proposed changes or amendments to their manual available to members a minimum of three school days prior to the council meeting.

The majority of the changes that were passed focused on elections and campaigning. This was why the original elections were cancelled, Steffenson said.

“Having an election this year, it was very apparent that there are some holes in our policy. We decided policy was kind of being broken, but we didn’t have any rules for what to do in the case of if policy was being broken,” Steffenson said. “We decided to call off the elections and do new elections where we have better rules.”

According to the policy changes, the Elections Returning Officer is now the Elections Returning Committee, which consists of a chairperson and up to five other members — of whom one must be a current executive member and one a board member, and three of whom must be graduate engineering students.

The committee is responsible

for organizing, supervising and chairing the elections and election forums. It is also responsible for ensuring that election policies are followed and may reprimand candidates at their discretion.

Although he is supportive of some of the new changes and additions to the SESS policy, member Kyle Weisgarber is critical of the makeup of the new elections committee.

“They’ve taken all of the power that was distributed before, and part of it was to the board of directors who have to make the final decisions, and they encompassed all of that power in one group,” Weisgarber said.

Third-party posters The SESS also monitored its policy on campaign posters closely this year to assure that candidates removed their posters by midnight Feb. 14, the first day of voting.

On the second day of voting, Feb. 15, Placatka received a complaint that her poster supporting a presidential candidate, published on behalf of Engineers Without Borders, had not been taken down before the voting began.

At the time, any third party could publish election-related material as long as it did not advertise on behalf of the candidate or appear in newspapers, handouts or newsletters.

Placatka said the SESS tried to hold the candidate her poster supported responsible — even though he was not involved at all — before telling her that she, personally, was not allowed to publish election-related material during the voting period.

Following the first election, policy was established regarding

situations in which a third party publishes material for or referring to a candidate. The ERC must inform the candidate of the violation. The candidate then has four hours to have the third party remove the material. If the material is not removed, the candidate may face a penalty of disqualification — even if voting has already begun — if the ERC decides that the candidate did not “demonstrate the appropriate effort level to resolve the issue.”

Placatka said these new policies were enforced for her before they were made official and that the SESS is restricting people’s freedom to support candidates.

However, Steffenson maintains that the new policy was created with the society’s best interests in mind.

“What we’re doing is not necessarily trying to control the third party, but making sure that the candidates are doing what they can to uphold our constitution and policy.”

At their discretion The SESS policy manual defines character defamation as “any mention of other candidates’ abilities and/or relationships, individual members of the society or the society in general, or students of the College of Engineering on a general or individual basis.”

The ERC may reprimand a candidate at their discretion.

Placatka said this new policy is confusing for members because of how it limits election discussions.

“It sounds like the policies restrict either party from voicing an opinion in the election and trying to discuss that with other people in the college.”

NEWS

| thesheaf.com | 7 March, 2013 |

5

Energy-efficient phones could provide fall detection services for aging Canadians AMARA JANSSENS — The Peak (Simon Fraser University) BURNABY, B.C. (CUP) — Computer science associate professor Alexandra Fedorova has received $442,000 for smartphone development over the next three years.

Fedorova and her team, working out of Simon Fraser University, were awarded the funding by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

According to Fedorova’s proposal, smart phones are increasingly available to people all over the world, “with over one billion users projected by 2013.”

She says mobile technology could have social benefits.

Fedorova’s team has recognized that the use of smartphones in health care could reduce costs: phones could be used to automate certain tasks that paid employees conduct now.

“The advantage of this device is it can do a lot of things, like measure your heart rate or detect if you’re falling, if you’re unstable, if you’re off balance. It can help you navigate,” Fedorova said, “and it’s with you all the time.”

raisa pezderic/photo editor

Improving smartphone technology may open up possibilities for health care apps that millions of people could benefit from.

Smartphones with highly sensitive applications for healthcare providers may be able to automatically take records.

In order for applications to work in this capacity, though, smartphones need to be operational for 24 hours a day rather than the nine hours — at best — they last today. To

combat this challenge, her team will study where smartphones expend their power and energy.

“The main culprits right now are radio, wi-fi or cellular radio and central processing unit and screen,” Fedorova said. “We want to understand how to manage these components better so they don’t use as much energy

Campus crime report Incidents at the University of Saskatchewan involving Campus Safety from Feb. 25 - Mar. 4 Infractions issued: • 1 Being intoxicated in a public place • 3 Use electronic device while driving

• 1 Driving with an obstructed windshield • 1 Trespassing • 1 Alcohol in a motor vehicle • 1 Consume alcohol in a public place • 1 Disobey stop sign Other reports: • An assault was reported in Luther Residences between two people known to one another on Feb 26. Saskatoon police were called to investigate and a male was charged with assault in relation to this matter.

• A vehicle in U Lot was damaged when the side mirror was knocked off.

MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING

We want to hear from you!

Residents, tenants, building managers, and building owners are encouraged to provide their comments on a Multi-Unit Residential Recycling program. This program would be for condominiums, apartments, townhouses and other residential dwellings not currently receiving individual black garbage cart service from the City.

MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING INFORMATIONAL OPEN HOUSE

• 2 Disobey traffic sign • 2 Operate an unregistered vehicle

as they are using now.”

Fedorova further explained that the algorithms that decide when an application can “go in a low-power state” are not very well-tuned. It is proving challenging for her team to finely tune these algorithms, as certain applications need to stay on longer than others.

• At 10 p.m. on Feb. 27, Campus Safety and Saskatoon police responded to a complaint of a male looking into a window at Birch Hall. The male was described as in his mid20s with dark hair, wearing a winter jacket with red design on the shoulders and arms, and dark pants. The male fled after the complainant saw him. A police canine track was attempted with negative results. Police reported attending a similar call around the same time in the 300 block of Clarence Avenue as well.

• An iPhone was reported stolen from Room 41 in Edwards School of Business. The incident occurred on Feb 28.

• A theft complaint from a room in Seager Wheeler was received involving a small amount of cash and a piece of jewelry.

• Graffiti tags reported in a washroom in the Edwards School of Business.

According to Fedorova, the algorithms need to be “very dynamic,” and must allow for “cooperation between the system and the application.”

Another area her team will research with the grant is how to allow for “fall detection algorithms” in smartphones.

This would help Canada’s aging population, who are likely to injure themselves due to falling.

These fall detection algorithms would use the phone’s accelerometer to perceive if the user has or is falling. The phone could then automatically call for emergency or medical services to assist. However, this would require reworking the current systems used in smartphones, to detect slight accelerometer variations.

Through redesigning the system, a myriad of potential health-care applications could be developed.

“We are not designing the applications,” Fedorova said.

“We are more interested in redesigning the system to work well for those applications.”

City staff and representatives from Cosmopolitan Industries will be present to share information, answer questions and collect your comments.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013 Cosmo Civic Centre 3130 Laurier Drive 2pm – 4pm and 7pm – 9pm (come and go) Wednesday, March 13, 2013 Canadian National Institute for the Blind 1705 McKercher Drive 2pm – 4pm and 7pm – 9pm (come and go)

MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING INFORMATION LINE Provide your comments by calling our Multi-Unit Residential Recycling information line at 306 955-8900 between March 5 and 26 from 9am to 9pm.

ONLINE MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING FORUM & FEEDBACK FORM Between March 5 and 26, visit saskatoon.ca and click on “M” for Multi-Unit Residential Recycling for information and to provide your comments.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THESE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS: Visit Saskatoon.ca and click on “M” for Multi-Unit Residential Recycling, or contact Mr. Kelly Goyer at 306 975-2487 or kelly.goyer@saskatoon.ca

6

| 7 March, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

Sheaf the

.com

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, 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 11 paid staff positions at the Sheaf.

Editorial Staff positions include:

Editor-in-Chief, Production Manager (layout designer), News Editor, Associate News Editor, Opinions Editor, Culture Editor, Sports Editor, Photography Editor, Graphics Editor, Copy Editor and Web Editor.

Submit your resumĂŠ 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

Applications for all positions excluding Editor-in-Chief must be received by Wednesday, March 13th @ 3:00 pm

The deadline for Editor-in-Chief applications has been extended to Wednesday, March 20th @ 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 March, 2013 |

7

Huskies wrestle to eight national medals COLE GUENTER Sports Editor

The Huskies wrestling squad grappled for eight medals at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport wrestling championships March 1-3 at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont. Fifth-year wrestlers Ryan Myrfield, Landon Squires and Koren Pitkethly were all wrestling for a national title in their respective weight divisions on the final day of the event, but each were defeated in their final bout and had to settle for second spot on the podium.

For Myrfield, who was wrestling in the men’s 72-kilogram weight class, the silver medal was bittersweet. It marked his fourth appearance in the final bout, but the first time he has lost the goldmedal match.

Both Squires’ silver medal in the men’s 90-kilogram class and Pitkethly’s silver in the women’s 59-kilogram division matched the wrestlers’ outcomes from last year.

Also adding a silver medal to the team count was third-year, 57-kilogram wrestler Dylan Bray.

This was the first time Bray has cracked the elusive podium after just missing it in both of the past two seasons by placing fourth and fifth.

Natasha Kramble finished her university career by taking the bronze medal in the women’s 48-kilogram division for the third consecutive year.

“It’s always nice to get on the podium and I feel like I did wrestle really well, but after three years you kind of wish your medal could be a different colour... especially with it being my fifth year.”

She was also honoured by the CIS with the female studentathlete community service award.

The award recognizes Kramble’s volunteer work as a youth-group church leader, as a member of Athletes in Action in Saskatoon and with several charities.

Huskies Hannah Franson and Taylor Follensbee added bronze medals in the women’s 55- and 72-kilogram weight classes, respectively, while Samson Swan equalled the feat on the men’s 130-kilogram side.

As a team, Brock University, from St. Catharine’s, Ont.,

raisa pezderic/photo editor

The Dogs’ Landon Squires earned his second consecutive silver medal at the national university wrestling championships March 3.

won the women’s side with a dominating 54-point tally. The Huskies women’s team finished unexpectedly high, placing fourth out of 14 squads with a total of 29 points.

“That was amazing for us,”

said Kramble, the women’s team captain. “We were only ranked fourth out of five in Canada West... and then when we went to the CIS competition we placed fourth out of everybody.

“We got a lot more points than

we were expecting, [more] than anyone was expecting us to get.”

The Huskies men finished the weekend in fifth place as the Alberta Golden Bears took home the men’s national banner.

Graduating Huskies worried for future of Olympic wrestling COLE GUENTER Sports Editor The Huskies will lose wrestlers Ryan Myrfield, Landon Squires, Koren Pitkethly and Natasha Kramble to graduation next year.

While most of them will be staying on with the Huskies program as members of the Saskatoon Wrestling Club, a group that trains with the Dogs, some want to go further and represent Canada at the Olympic Games.

That dream, however, is at risk.

On Feb. 12 the International Olympic Committee executive board recommended the removal of both freestyle and GrecoRoman wrestling, the only two types of wrestling currently in the Olympics, from the internationally recognized games.

Huskies men’s team captain and three-time CIS champion Ryan Myrfield said the team was stunned by the news of the IOC’s recommendation.

“We were all kind of in shock; it was hard to tell exactly what was happening. No one could believe that it could even come to that,” Myrfield said.

In May the IOC will decide whether or not to ratify the recommendation. If it is ratified, wrestling will be up against karate, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding, wushu, squash and baseball in a battle to see which sport can best lobby the IOC for the one available spot at the 2020 Olympic Games.

“With wrestling there is no professional league, so if you want to wrestle after university, the Olympics is the pinnacle,” said fifth-year wrestler Natasha Kramble. “So it’s a little bit disappointing to find out that [the

sport] is in jeopardy.”

The IOC claimed its recommendation is based on a report that looked at television ratings, ticket sales, anti-doping policy, global participation and popularity.

The recommendation has stirred the wrestling community around the world. Many are upset at the IOC’s executive board for even considering axing a sport that has such Olympic history.

“We are one of the original sports in the Olympics... so I don’t see how they could drop it and include something new that is just [a] fad,” Myrfield said.

Others in the wrestling community pointed to more recent evidence to counter the IOC’s report, citing that wrestling’s popularity has remained high enough to sell out tickets to events in all of the Olympics since 1996.

What’s more, the 2012 London Olympic Games saw 71 different countries represented in wrestling.

Another 100 countries actively compete in other international competitions, making it one of the most highly practiced sports in the world.

Kramble says so many people participate in wrestling because it doesn’t require expensive equipment, making it affordable and practical for people to compete in countries where athletes receive little funding for Olympic training.

“Some sports, like tennis, you need to be extremely wealthy” to train for, she said. For example, “to compete in the modern pentathlon you need to have access to a horse and a gun.

“Wrestling is pretty much for everyone, and I don’t know why you’d want to make the Olympics less attainable for anyone.”

Kramble is one of the handful of Huskie athletes who have plans to compete at the Canadian Olympic trials for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“With the season I’ve had this year, I’ve been doing really well and I don’t think it makes sense to quit while you’re still improving,” said Kramble, who has placed in the top three in her weight class at the last three university nationals.

Myrfield also intends to continue wrestling despite his university eligibility having expired, and says he has dreamed of representing Canada in the Olympics since he was in grade school.

“It has always been my goal to make the senior national team and go to the Olympics,” Myrfield said.

“That’s what I’ve been dreaming about since I was in elementary school, when I first started” wrestling.

The opportunity to make it to the Olympics is still available for these Huskies since the IOC’s decision will not affect the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Myrfield will be 26 years old in 2016, he understands that it is probably his best chance to compete on the biggest stage in sports but is concerned about younger wrestlers and their future dreams.

“If it’s gone from the Olympics, that’s a goal that so many young kids aren’t going to have anymore.

It could potentially kill the sport.”

The possibility of a Huskie athlete going to the Olympics seems even more attainable with the help of former Huskies wrestler and now assistant coach Jeff Adamson. Adamson won the Canadian 84-kilogram Olympic

supplied

Huskies assistant coach Jeff Adamson (right) represented Canada at the international Olympic trials for the London Olympic Games.

trials for the London Olympic Games. However, at the three international Olympic qualifiers, only the top eight wrestlers in his weight class were granted spots in the 2012 games. Adamson finished outside of those top positions.

After getting so close to the competition, Adamson knows what it takes to train for the Olympics and is unsure if he wants to do it again for 2016.

“I really want to take my time in deciding whether I’m going to shoot for Brazil or not because it’s a big commitment in terms of training and time,” Adamson said, adding that the lack of national funding for his training would require him to balance wrestling and a job.

He understands that no final decisions have been made about wrestling’s Olympic future, but admits if the IOC removed wrestling by 2020, it would likely persuade him to push for a spot at the last Olympic Games wrestling would be in.

Despite the looming possibility of losing wrestling as an Olympic sport in 2020, the wrestling community remains optimistic that the IOC recommendation will be overturned.

“Ever since the decision

came out there has been such a public outcry about it, I don’t see how it can go through,” said Myrfield, who is confident that the IOC executive board will hear wrestlers’ voices.

Adamson feels the IOC’s recommendation to cut wrestling has actually increased people’s interest in the sport.

“The good thing that has come out of this is that with them recommending that [wrestling] be taken out of 2020, it has gotten so many people, who never really cared about wrestling, excited about wrestling again,” Adamson said.

Adding to Adamson’s confidence is the fact that all three countries still being considered to host the 2020 Olympic Games — Japan, Turkey and Spain — have a vested interest in ensuring the sport is kept around. Japan won six wrestling medals, including four golds, at the London Games while Turkey and Spain also each found a spot on the wrestling podium in 2012.

“I think there could be a positive spin being that it’s back in public discussion,” Adamson said. “It has created awareness of how important the sport is not just to North America but worldwide.”

8

SPORTS

| 7 March, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

Dog Watch: Amanda Banks REBEKAH LESKO

“I just love running.”

It’s as simple as that for Huskies veteran middle-distance runner Amanda Banks, who will travel with the Dogs track and field squad to the national championships in Edmonton March 7-9.

Her impressive showing at the Canada West track and field championships Feb. 22 and 23 was highlighted by a gold and a silver medal in the 1000- and 4x800-metre relay races, respectively. The medals add to an already impressive university track record, including conference all-star mentions in each of her first three seasons and an array of medals.

Now Banks hopes to carry that momentum to the national meet, where she will compete in four events — the 600- and 1000-metre individual races and the 4x400- and 4x800-metre relays.

Banks says that while preparing for team races isn’t the same as preparing for individual races, she enjoys both events. She added that the group dynamic is a great motivator.

Huskies hockey

She even credits her teammates for helping her excel in solo events.

“Everyone thinks of track as an individual thing,” she said, “but we push one another all the time and I couldn’t do it without my team.”

Hailing from the small town of Kyle, Sask., Banks says her life revolved around sports when she was growing up.

“I always loved to run. I did cross-country and track in high school, but being from a small town, track wasn’t the main event you would do,” Banks said, explaining that she also competed in volleyball, basketball and badminton.

“Then we had a coach that came and she used to be with the Huskies, actually on the track team,” Banks said. “She got us more interested in track and told me to pursue it in university.”

That former coach, Toni Bochek, inspired Banks and ignited her passion for running — though Banks is quick to point out that she was also highly influenced by her parents, who were both proponents of track and field.

Her cousin, Karla Gabruch,

also competes in throwing events for the Huskies.

Currently in her fourth year of business, Banks is majoring in accounting. She keeps herself busy between school and training by playing the different sports she grew up loving, hanging out with her track teammates and cheering on the other Huskies

sports teams.

In preparation for a race, she’s not one for superstitions, though she does like to stick to the same routine. Keeping focused with music and both mental and physical preparation, Banks warms up with 45 minutes of jogging and stretching.

“Then I’ll go and run as hard

as I can” in the race, Banks said.

This type of all-out attitude is the driving force for an athlete looking to bring home some hardware from the Canadian university sport national championships.

Hickmott one-timed the puck at the net as Reekie slid across to stop it. He stopped the shot, but the ensuing rebound found Alberta forward Kruise Reddick’s stick and Reddick fired the puck into the open net to give the Golden Bears a 4-0 lead.

The Huskies came out strong in the third period but Alberta goalie Kurtis Mucha was too much.

Mucha, who had played more than 335 minutes without allowing a goal prior to game two of the

series, appeared back on track for another shutout. He was especially problematic for Huskies forward Andrew Bailey, stuffing him twice early in the frame.

Alberta recorded its fifth goal of the game halfway through the third period and the game looked as if it would repeat game one’s score until the Huskies finally got on the board. Bosch was able to solve Mucha with just seven minutes remaining in the game.

He fired the puck across the goal-

line following a scramble in front of the Alberta crease. Kenton Dulle added a second goal for Saskatchewan just minutes later, but it was too little too late.

Mucha stopped 23 of 25 shots in the game while Holfeld saved 8 of 11 and Reekie turned away 20 of 22.

In the last 17 years only the Huskies or Golden Bears have won the Canada West title, and with this year’s victory Alberta has now claimed the trophy 12 of those

17 years. The win also marked Alberta’s 50th Canada West championship in team history.

The two teams may meet again March 14-17 as Alberta will travel to Saskatoon for the CIS University Cup. The Huskies, as hosts of the national championship, are given an automatic berth into the tournament.

jordan dumba

1

continued from

Reekie was able to hold off Alberta for the rest of the period, stopping two quick shots just seconds after entering the crease and making a highlight reel save as Koper looked for a hat trick late in the frame.

Reekie’s strong play continued in the second period, but it wasn’t enough stop the Bears’ attack.

Midway through the frame on an Alberta powerplay, Koper fed a pass from behind the net to teammate Jordan Hickmott.

harry du

Huskies captain Brennan Bosch did all he could to help his team in the championship series. He tallied six points in three games, including a hat trick and overtime winner in game two.

achievement

MARCH 11-15•2013 | thesheaf.com | 7 March, 2013 |

week

9

aboriginal aboriginal

achievement achievement •

MARCH 11-15 2013 MARCH 11-15•week

week

2013

Week at a Glance Monday Pipe Ceremony TIME: 8:30 – 9:30 am LOCATION: Native Law Centre

Hot Breakfast TIME: 9:30 – 10:30 am LOCATION: Aboriginal Students’ Centre

Aboriginal Women in Leadership Panel

Tuesday

aboriginal Wednesday

Thursday

achievement

Jigging and Fiddling Workshop

Significance of the Drum Workshop

Conversational Cree Workshop

week

LOCATION: Roy Romanow MARCH 11-15•2013Student Council Chamber

TIME: 10 am LOCATION: Education Student Lounge

TIME: 10 am LOCATION: Education Student Lounge

TIME: 10 am

Reconciliation Discussion with OTC

Native Spirituality 101 (and soup and bannock)

Dispelling the Myths Panel

TIME: 10 am LOCATION: Roy Romanow Student Council Chamber

TIME: 11:30 am LOCATION: Convocation Hall

TIME: 12 pm LOCATION: Aboriginal Students’ Centre

TIME: 10 – 11:30 am LOCATION: Graduate (GSA) Commons

Aboriginal Graduate Presentation and Lunch

Signing Ceremony with The Office of Treaty Commissioner

TIME: 11 am LOCATION: Graduate (GSA) Commons

TIME: 1:30 pm LOCATION: Room 241, Arts Building

Flag Raising Ceremony

Aboriginal Symbols: What makes sense for the U of S?

TIME: 12 – 1:30 pm LOCATION: Place Riel

Love Stories for Mother Earth: Artistic Responses to Idle No More

TIME: 11:30 am LOCATION: Atrium, Agriculture Building

TIME: 3 pm LOCATION: Aboriginal Students’ Centre

Aboriginal Symbols: What makes sense for the U of S?

Baking Bannock with Bob Badger

Walking Together: Students Share Stories of their Educational Journeys

For more information, call (306) 966-6607

Aboriginal Arts Festival TIME: 6 pm LOCATION: Louis’

A discussion with faculty and staff.

TIME: 3 pm LOCATION: Aboriginal 2013 Students’ Centre

MARCH 11-15•

TIME: 12 pm LOCATION: Room 1E80, Agriculture Building

TIME: 6 – 8 pm LOCATION: Room 263, Arts Building

TIME: 1 pm LOCATION: Convocation Hall

achievement A discussion with Aboriginal students.

TIME: 1:30 – 5:30 pm LOCATION: Neatby-Timlin Theatre

CHEP Food Bingo

USSU Speakers Series

aboriginal

Pizza and a Chat with the College of Agriculture and Bioresources

TIME: 3 – 5 pm LOCATION: Marquis Hall

USSU Speaker Series: Joseph Boyden

week

For more information, call (306) 966-6607

ISC Banquet TIME: 6 pm LOCATION: Dakota Dunes Casino

Unpacking the Past, Engaging the Present, and Building Towards an Anti-Oppressive Future Conference TIME: 10 am LOCATION: Room 1004, Education Building

Aboriginal Pre-Health/Health Science Role Model Session TIME: 11:30 am LOCATION: Lower MUMPS, Health Science

Aboriginal Symposium: Taking Stock TIME: 9 am – 4:30 pm LOCATION: Education Gym ¡Expo and poster display 9 am (runs all day) ¡Speech by President Busch-Vishniac 9:30 am ¡Launch of Community Engagement Map 10:30 am ¡Graduate poster competition 10:30 am ¡Feast 12 pm ¡Round Dance 2 pm

ITEP Annual Round Dance

TIME: 1 pm LOCATION: Room146, Arts Building

TIME: 6 pm LOCATION: Education Gym

Two-Spirited: Our Aboriginal Identities and Queer Identities TIME: 2:30 pm

Friday

Major sponsors:

LOCATION: Room146, Arts

Building

EVERYONE WELCOME! For the most up-to-date event information, visit:

aboriginal.usask.ca

10

CULTURE

| 7 March, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

Tegan and Sara plunge into pop ALANA WILLERTON — The Gateway (University of Alberta) EDMONTON (CUP) — “I’m not embarrassed about pop music. I fucking love pop music.”

Sara Quin isn’t afraid to say she likes pop music, but apparently a lot of people are. One half of Canadian indie duo Tegan and Sara, she is referring to those who’ve turned up their noses at the group’s recent dive into the world of pop music on Heartthrob, their seventh studio album.

While much of the reaction from critics and listeners has been positive, there are still skeptics who doubt the twins’ decision to merge into the mainstream music scene after being the indie darlings of Canada for so long.

“To me, the idea that pop music is vapid and shallow — I just think that’s such bullshit,” Sara said. “I grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s where pop music meant everything. It meant U2, it meant Björk, it meant Madonna, it meant Depeche Mode.

It was what sold out stadiums and arenas. That’s what I cut my teeth on and that’s the world that I wished I could be a part of.

“I don’t want to spend the rest of my life and career thinking, ‘Well, I was totally relegated to the fringe because it was cooler or because I was gay’ or whatever. I want to be able to set my goal as high as anybody and not feel like somehow that is reductive to my art.”

But for some it goes deeper than

just a fear of what new sounds and musical styles will bring. Pointing to what she sees as a distinct display of sexism within the industry, Sara feels that being involved in pop music is only part of the problem for some people, and that gender is the common factor among those who are criticized for their mainstream stylings.

While she and sister Tegan have not experienced much blatant sexism throughout their years playing together, she knows it’s been present on a subtler level in a way that can’t be denied.

“I was actually just reading a really interesting statement that the artist Grimes wrote on her website about liking Mariah Carey and about how no serious man who likes music has ever responded when she said that... without dismay or without laughing at her,” Sara said.

“I just thought to myself, it’s totally true. There’s a real elitism and snobbery around mainstream music, and to me, it’s not a fluke that a lot of the stuff that people turn their nose up at in the pop world is women. People like Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Kesha, Kylie Minogue, Pink — all of these women are absolutely astounding; they’re like forces of nature. They are so skillful, their vocals are amazing and they just put it all out on the line.

“I don’t understand why that has less value than, like, Grizzly Bear or the Dirty Projectors. I just don’t understand it.”

Tegan and Sara aren’t ashamed to call their seventh studio album Heartthrob a pop album.

And while skeptics question the power and seriousness of pop, that doesn’t mean their doubts are justified. Tegan and Sara know the security that a niche market and audience can bring. Pop stars, on the other hand, are at the mercy of the masses, and the competitive genre brings with it different risks.

Thankfully for Tegan and Sara, their risk on Heartthrob appears to be paying off. Their single “Closer” has been rising up the charts for weeks, and a change in sound after all these years comes as a breath of fresh air. But, as Sara knows all too well, it is impossible to make everyone happy.

“We’ve always struggled with anything that even seems marginally

purposeful,” Sara acknowledged.

“Even from the beginning, where as far as I’m concerned, our records sound totally obscure and indie rock, people would say, ‘Ugh, this is so manufactured — it’s like a major label’s dream come true.’ And I would be like, ‘Are you fucking kidding me? We sold 40,000 copies of that thing. We are not a marketing dream come true.’ Most of the time the marketing people are like, ‘What the fuck are we going to do with you two?’ ” But now, with their new direction firm in hand and feeling confident in the decision, the pair has left what others think behind them. And while some will always remain cynical of pop music, Tegan and Sara have

drake lelane/flickr

done their best to put their heads down and power through, paying little mind to their critics.

“I just thought to myself, ‘We’re just going to have prove this in the long run,’ ” Sara said. “So we’ve been working our asses off and trying to just make music and connect with people, and also challenge ourselves and not be afraid that if we try to be more mainstream or more accessible that that means we’re playing their game and that’s a bad thing.

“Of course we’re playing their game. If I wear a fucking paper bag over my head and make unlistenable music, I’m still playing a game — it’s just for someone else.”

CULTURE

| thesheaf.com | 7 March, 2013 |

11

Hafsa Lodi’s modern twist to Islamic fashion NICOLE SCHMIDT — The Eyeopener (Ryerson University) TORONTO (CUP) — Hafsa Lodi began taking sewing lessons when she was nine years old.

At the time, she never imagined that one day she would have her own clothing label. But now, more than a decade later, Lodi has achieved just that.

An international student currently enrolled in Ryerson’s journalism program, Lodi leads a double life. She flies into Toronto each September and immerses herself in the world of journalism. Then, each April, she flies back home to Dubai and focuses her attention on clothing design.

When she first started school, she tried to do both at the same time. But managing a clothing line while taking on a full course load proved to be overwhelming.

“It would have been hard” doing both, Lodi said. “During the school year, I sketched out stuff as I thought of it, but other than that, I wasn’t really doing anything else with it.”

Her designs are catered toward the Muslim population, inspired by the silhouette of an abaya — a loose-fitting, robe-like garment traditionally worn by some Islamic women.

Lodi says she wanted to give Muslim women more options

hafsa lodi

An outfit from Hafsa Lodi’s 2013 spring/summer collection, Bedouin Ballerina.

by creating pieces that both balance modesty with style and incorporate international trends and colour.

“Typical Middle Eastern [garb] is all black head-to-toe,” Lodi says. “But I’m trying to give [these women] more use to that image with colour and embellishments.”

As a result, her designs often include floor-length dresses, jumpsuits, long-sleeve shirts and items that can be easily layered.

It all started during the summer of 2011. Lodi was experimenting with clothing design by creating pieces for friends and family.

“I just started buying fabrics and making clothes,” she says.

Lodi’s inspiration is eyecatching prints. Whenever she sees a fabric she likes, she pictures its potential to be made into something different.

“By the end of summer, I made around 30 dresses and thought, ‘What do I do from here?’ ” The positive feedback she was receiving from everyone who saw her designs pushed her forward.

Lodi began talking to store owners in Dubai to see if they would be interested in selling her clothing.

She was a hit right away. The first boutique she approached, O-Concept, agreed to stock her first collection.

A launch event was held to introduce the Hafsa Lodi Label, and things began to pick up from there.

After designing her second collection, she wanted to expand her client base. Lodi approached S*uce, another boutique with three different branches. They soon began to sell her clothing as well.

Since Lodi completed her last semester of school in December, she is now back in Dubai full-

TRAVELODGE HOTEL 9:30AM - 4PM

ONE DAY ONLY

CAREER FAIR

DON’T MISS IT

Sheaf the

PRESENTED BY

.com

Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. facebook.com/thesheaf1912 @thesheaf1912

universitycup.ca huskies.usask.ca

time. Her new spring/summer collection, Bedouin Ballerina, was released in early February.

Now that Lodi has finished and revealed her new collection, she wants to focus on pursuing journalism.

One of her articles regarding international media coverage of honour killings was featured in the Ryerson Review of Journalism, a magazine published by Ryerson students twice a year.

“I’d love to try and do both,” Lodi said of her two career goals.

12

CULTURE

| 7 March, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

Essay structure for the unorganized mind TIM APPLEBEES I’m an English student at the University of Saskatchewan, and I hate writing essays.

The parts of essay-writing I enjoy are the moments when you come up with your thesis, or when you’ve written enough material to solidify the bullshit you just wrote.

Yet it feels like essays are all I ever do.

I procrastinate: I have even begun an essay a week after its due date. I do not recommend doing this.

I procrastinate because it’s really hard to get excited about the work.

I’m sure most professors feel the same way about marking papers that are poorly written and based on topics they recycle every other year.

March is a hectic time for essaywriting and major projects, so whether you have all the time in the world and plan to finish your schoolwork early or whether you are going to struggle to meet your deadlines, the following advice should help simplify the essaywriting process.

Consider coming up with your own topic If you choose to write on one of the topics your professor provides, you will have a whole classroom of peers to compete with. Coming up with a new topic will set your essay apart from the others and, hopefully, allow you to work on a topic you find interesting.

Writing a thesis and structuring your essay I’m sure you’ve been given the same handout many times — either in high school or on your first day of classes each year — outlining the basic structure of an essay. I don’t want to bore you with that again, but for those who have a

samantha braun/graphics editor

tendency to lose notes, here’s a refresher: Your thesis statement is the main argument of your essay. It ties your paper together and should be concise and clearly stated.

Thesis statements are usually found at the end of your introductory paragraph. This opening paragraph should first broadly introduce your topic, then focus on what you plan to argue — your thesis. Narrow down the topic by briefly listing ideas that will back your argument before writing your thesis. These ideas will serve as jumping-off points for the remainder of the essay.

Your next few paragraphs should go through each supporting idea.

Start with just one of the points from your introduction when writing your first supporting paragraph and discuss how the idea backs your thesis statement. This

should usually take around 250300 words — roughly — before leading into your next supporting paragraph. Now repeat this process through the body of your essay.

By the time you reach your final supporting paragraph, you should have already set up a strong argument for your thesis. However, your final supporting paragraph should be the strongest defence of your thesis.

Your conclusion is the easiest paragraph to write. Sum up the supporting arguments you made and emphasize how they back your thesis.

Proofreading Pick up a copy of The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White for help with grammar and composition. This book is invaluable for English majors

and anyone who wants to write effectively. Plus it’s a great tool in the trenches when you need to double-check anything you’re unsure of while writing.

There are also websites that you can employ to check your writing for obvious mistakes. One example is writersdiet.com. These sites are not perfect. Generally you will paste a section of 500 or so words into a textbox and the program will analyze the text for you.

Bibliography or Works Cited This is my least favourite part of writing an essay. No matter how I have structured my works cited in the past, I lose marks on it — even if I follow the Rules and Guidelines for Essays handbook to a T. Discovering “Son of Citation

Machine” has made my academic career a lot easier.

Citationmachine.net takes a book’s ISBN — International Standard Book Number — and structures the bibliographical entry for you into MLA, APA, Chicago or Turabian style. The site can also do this for journal articles, websites, podcasts or any other source you’ve used in your essay because, apart from an ISBN submission form, it also allows you to submit other publishing information on the source.

For instance, if you’d like to cite a lecture or talk, it asks you for the speaker’s name, the talk’s title, the event title and sponsor, the talk’s location and the city and date it took place. It even asks for a descriptive label of the presentation; it asks if the talk was an address, a speech or a keynote speech, a lecture or a reading.

Once you’ve submitted all the information, the site spits out an appropriate citation.

Just make sure to double check Son of Citation Machine’s final result with the style book your professor recommends.

Talk to your professor Some professors want you to have one point and spend the entire essay proving it. Others want to see a discussion that reflects all sides of the argument — including points that might disprove your original thesis, because they are interested in having you think critically on the topic. Having this discussion with your professor is important, so try to do it before the date your assignment is due.

Most importantly, be patient with yourself for the first few paragraphs. Once you’ve started you’ll feel like you’ve accomplished something. This sense of accomplishment will motivate you to continue writing.

Eyes International 116 Idylwyld Drive N Saskatoon, SK. Phone: (306) 934-4545

Now OPEN Dr. Joe Zheng New Optometrist (fluent in Mandarin)

Ask us about our Student Discount on Eye Exams Call today to arrange an exam (306) 651-3511 116 Idylwyld Dr. N Unit C

At Eyes International our licensed opticians are dedicated to meeting your eyewear needs.

It’s our job to help you continue to experience the joy of seeing.

Ask us about our Student Discount on glasses and contact lenses.

Call us today to arrange your eye exam (306) 934-4545

CULTURE

| thesheaf.com | 7 March, 2013 |

13

My week on the caveman diet AMY JANZEN Nicknamed the “caveman diet,” the paleolithic diet is based on what our ancestors consumed from about 2.5 million years ago to about 10,000 years ago.

When I first heard about the paleo diet a few years ago, I passed it off as just another fad, and in essence it is. It retains the restrictive “eat this, not that” mentality that is common among fad diets.

Strict diets can be difficult to maintain as time passes. However, after hearing people exclaim about the way they simply “felt better” on the caveman plan, I realized that what this “fad diet” really promoted was simplicity.

Grains and legumes are recent inclusions to the human diet and the premise behind the paleo diet is that our bodies have not yet evolved to digest grains, potatoes or legumes. Nutrient inhibitors found in these foods, like phytic acid, prevent essential minerals in the intestine from being absorbed. Including these foods in your diet can cause not only obesity, lethargy and acne, but also increase your risk of heart disease and cancer.

Promoting locally grown foods and organic meats is a simple solution to the confusing food industry. While following a strict diet that negates grains, potatoes and legumes doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, it has been proven to increase mental alertness, energy and stamina, build muscle and reduce bloat, acne and excess body fat.

Reading about other people’s positive results with the diet made me want to try it. Although experts suggest dedicating a month to the diet to help cleanse your body of the shit you’ve been consuming for years, I had just a week to dedicate to paleo for this article.

What’s allowed As with all diets, there are foods you are allowed to eat and foods you aren’t. The paleo diet, however, makes it pretty simple.

All meat, fish and eggs are allowed, but as with any reasonable diet, those low in fat and sodium are encouraged. What is typically stressed is the use of organically fed or grain-fed animals, since animals weren’t farmed in the paleolithic era.

You should include large amounts of vegetables since many vitamins and minerals come from vegetables. Root vegetables such as carrots and turnips are encouraged and intake of these should be increased for most people.

Fruits, especially berries, are encouraged. Logically, anything that was easy to pick or attain by our distant ancestors is crucial to the paleo diet.

Fats are endorsed, especially coconut oil, olive oil and avocado oil because they have amazing benefits for your skin, hair and digestive tract. However, if you’re trying to lose weight and are fairly inactive, use fat in moderation.

What you should avoid Grains and grain-like foods should be avoided completely.

Fortunately there are alternative options if you are like me and absolutely have to eat pizza.

Alternative crusts can be made out of spinach or cauliflower.

Starchy vegetables such as potatoes and sweet potatoes aren’t endorsed and should be cut out.

Legumes should also be avoided and all beans should be eliminated.

Since peanuts are considered a legume, they too are excluded from the diet.

Refined sweeteners like sugar cane, white sugar, brown sugar, refined maple syrup and refined honey are all off limits. Include local, organic honey or unrefined maple syrup instead.

Of course “junk food,” including pop (even diet pop) and anything that contains hydrogenated oils or refined, iodized salt must be avoided.

These are crap for you and are proven causes of a list of chronic degenerative diseases.

My experience

Spinach Pizza Crust

The first day or two on the diet, I was relatively more hungry than I was on a carb-enriched diet. But my overall feelings of sluggishness and bloat diminished throughout the week.

Admittedly, I went into the diet somewhat unprepared. I was unable to sustain it, succumbing to the bread fairly early.

What I gathered from my experience is that we need to be more conscious of what we eat.

Plan your meals and include foods that are locally grown. Include foods that you would find in nature rather than prepared in a warehouse and shipped across the country or world.

Of course, I’m not an expert. I definitely recommend researching and preparing for the diet if you plan on making the switch.

Ingredients • 2 cups of frozen spinach (defrosted) • 1 egg • 1 cup of a (combined) mixture of mozzarella and parmesan • 1 teaspoon of salt • 1 teaspoon of pepper

stephanie mah

Upcoming Events 10

Sunday

Karaoke Sundays at Diva’s Sambatoon at the Bassment Tonight It’s Poetry at Lydia’s

11

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 218 C (425 F) and layer a pizza pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a blender, food processor or magic bullet, blend spinach until it is the consistency of baby food. Drain excess water and add other ingredients. Mix until properly blended.

3. Spread the mixture evenly over the parchment paper and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the edges are brown.

4. Add your pizza toppings and bake until the cheese is melted.

Monday

USSU Film Festival at Louis’ Synaptic Monday at Vangelis

12

Tuesday

Open Stage at Lydia’s Alex Cuba at the Bassment

13

Wednesday

The Price is Right Live at TCU Place Open Mic Night at the Fez Hollywood Undead at the Odeon

7

Thursday

Astroboy, GreasyDC and Shithawk at Vangelis Hayes Carll at the Bassment

8

Friday

Diamond Rings at Louis’ Gays Gone GaGa at 302 Lounge and Discotheque Slow Down Molasses, Wasted Cathedral and Little Criminals at Amigos The Wizards at Vangelis Whiskey Songs at the Fez

for the week of March 7 - 13

9

Saturday

Rana and the Russians at TCU Place The Browns, Cricket and Herd of Wasters at Vangelis New Country Rehab with Massey and the Fergusons at Amigos Blood Feast at the Broadway Theatre Sly Business at Tequila Night Club

14

OPINIONS

| 7 March, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

I solemnly swear...

Letter to the Editor:

racineur/flickr

Kids probably wrote this, so why are you scared of saying something they’re writing on your goddam house?

Why cursing in front of kids shouldn’t be verboten NATALIE SERAFINI — The Other Press (Douglas College) NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. (CUP) — When I first met my nephew, there were a lot of things I worried about. I worried I would drop the precious bundle because I had no idea how to hold a baby. I worried I had a rare genetic disorder that would cause me to drop the baby every time I tried to hold him.

More than these entirely rational concerns, though, I was especially worried that I would slip-up and drop an F-bomb in front of my infant nephew.

So I confess, I worry about swearing in front of kids. Yet I can’t think of a reason why the cleanliness of my speech should be a concern around children.

What are we trying to protect?

Perhaps it’s due to the innocence we see in them. The innocence that allows kids to believe in

Santa Claus and the universal understanding that nothing should pierce, stab or crush the delicate exoskeleton of that dream.

Let’s assume it’s innocence that we’re trying to preserve when we swap out our typical curse words for “fudge” and “sherbet.” Hearing swear words doesn’t tear children out of childhood and set them on the path toward a hard knock life.

Kids aren’t born with an innate understanding of what those words mean, so uttering a few choice syllables isn’t going to open a veritable Pandora’s box of hardship, and it likely won’t give them a case of Tourette Syndrome, either. It’s difficult to see how the utterance of a few words would mar a child’s innocence, so I’m hesitant to give that explanation full credibility.

Instead, perhaps the concern is in ensuring that the child’s vocabulary is suitably broad. It wouldn’t be good if the child were to use swear words to

describe everything, or peppered every sentence with curses.

But when a child learns a new word, do they apply it to every single situation and sentence?

I’m sure some kids do, but it’s not guaranteed that an obscenity will become their new favourite word — especially if parents calm down and stop worrying about their kids getting overly attached to a swear word.

Kids frequently only become fascinated by things that carry some mystique or that are taboo. If one doesn’t assign impropriety and illicitness to the words, a child will likely forget that they even heard a curse word.

And if the concern is with expanding the child’s vocabulary, the easy solution to that is to expand your own vocabulary and not swear in every sentence. That doesn’t mean never swearing — sometimes “fudge” or “sherbet” don’t quite address the enormity of a situation — but choosing to be strategic and effective.

There are certain things kids should be protected from: polio, murderers and drugs, alcohol, cigarettes; life- and quality of life-threatening forces that go under the parenting guidelines as “to avoid.”

Language is not one of the things kids should be protected from.

Language is powerful, and rather than ignoring the existence of words, maybe it’s better to teach kids to understand their significance.

There will be a few rogue rascals walking around the grocery store shouting their favourite new curses, but generally speaking, the kids won’t care about their newfound knowledge.

Parents should be teaching their kids to have an arsenal of words at their disposal, even if that means emphasizing the sparse use of some words.

I am a bit disappointed in last week’s edition of the Sheaf.

While reading the issue I counted that eight of 20 articles were on sports, and three of 20 were on movies. This gives me the impression that the Sheaf feels the university is a sports-based institution.

On campus, we have a myriad of professors doing research. We have the CLS and VIDO. There is definitely not a lack of content from these areas, but they are underrepresented. Students on campus, by the nature of being students, have an interest in what our professors pursue. History, chemistry, biology, physics, languages/linguistics, biomedical sciences, biochemistry and literature are examples of topics that could supplant the overflow of sports articles with relevant and practical material.

Articles could be incorporated that discuss opportunities available, such as student exchanges and study abroad that first years would not hear about otherwise. (Such as the physics exchange we have/had with Germany.)

Perhaps the people currently writing for the Sheaf are not comfortable in discussing the sciences or the languages, which is understandable. I am a biochemistry major, I’ve taken several languages (German, Japanese, French, some Russian) in first and some in second year courses, and the topics can be complicated and far reaching.

I personally believe the Sheaf should be a medium to inspire and assist students at the U of S, by exposing them to ideas they might not encounter elsewhere and igniting interests in topics unknown to themselves.

Thanks, Joshua Pickering

Fat discrimination must stop Why it’s okay to be fat.

No, really, it’s okay!

DAN LEROY — The Fulcrum (University of Ottawa) OTTAWA (CUP) — We’re all fat.

At least that’s what mainstream media would like us to believe, bombarding us with images of size-two models and men with eight-packs in commercials asking us to pay for a gym membership.

But was it always this way?

The fat acceptance movement actually began in the 1960s, as with so many other social justice movements. In recent years, “fat studies” as a sociological and political discipline has emerged

in campuses across Canada, and it seems, by a confluence of articles on the topic, that it won’t just whittle away, no matter how hard we try to diet.

But before you ditch that treadmill for a bag of Cheetos, we should look into whether this movement is even healthy — for more than our waistlines.

From a political and moral standpoint, I would think that most people could embrace this movement. Almost every woman I have ever known worried about her weight and believed her size played a disproportionate part in how the world saw her.

Men can’t be left out, either; increasingly, men are affected

by the same eating disorders that used to be associated with only women.

A whopping one per cent of the population have been treated for bulimia, and the number for anorexia is just slightly below this, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent numbers.

These are only the people who are affected so severely they enter treatment.

There are likely more who are similarly affected, bolstering Canada’s 20 per cent mental illness rate. With these rates of body-related mental illness, how can it be unhealthy to take the stigma out of different body shapes?

The counter-argument is that if we accept bigger people — maybe even to the point of obesity, as some fat acceptance activists push for — then we could be hurting them by our very act of acceptance. This is evidenced by the negative health implications of overeating.

While this train of thought is not completely bogus, it is seriously limited.

Many overweight people are heavier due to a genetic disposition. No matter how much “will-power” they have or hours they spend on the Stairmaster, they remain the same weight.

The idea that by “accepting diversity in body weight” we’re

doing more harm than good can be used far too easily as a cover for condemnation to those with a higher body mass index.

The nature of a social movement is just that: social.

Most people in society act differently with their closest of friends than with their acquaintances and less-intimate friends. By this logic, it would seem that it shouldn’t be difficult for us to accept all those regardless of physical or mental predisposition.

While encouraging those closest to us to aspire to physical and mental health is good, being bigger shouldn’t be a big, fat deal.

OPINIONS

| thesheaf.com | 7 March, 2013 |

Getting involved on campus helps you succeed and help others at the same time KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Every year campus clubs set up booths in Place Riel to recruit new members, positions open up in the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union and college student unions, and other organizations and the many centres on campus seek volunteers.

Joining a campus club, running for a student union position or helping out at a centre are just some of the numerous ways for students to get involved in campus, but often students forgo these opportunities.

Extracurricular involvement is a hugely important part of the student experience, which is why universities offer so many different ways to get involved.

The university is a community and students should take advantage of what this community has to offer.

One of the greatest aspects of university is the diversity among students. Students come from different countries and cultural

backgrounds and have different interests. The university setting offers students the chance to interact with and get to know people that they may have otherwise never had the pleasure of meeting.

But making new friends can be intimidating. By joining a campus club or group, students can make the process easier on themselves. Whether students wish to connect with other people in their major or with people who share a common interest, there are countless opportunities to network on campus.

Getting involved in university activities and groups also brings new opportunities. It is amazing how many jobs, friends and experiences people can find because of who they know and what they do during school.

Universities are full of chances for students to succeed, and of people who wish to see students do just that. The easiest way to see this

in action is to find something on campus in which to get involved.

By finding your niche on campus and participating, you can directly impact the university community. Student government is the prime example of this, but even if that is not your cup of tea, other organizations on campus create change as well. Student societies plan events and outings for their members, volunteers at the university centres help individual students and sports teams bring fans together. Every organization on campus adds to the community and gives students the chance to create a smaller community that is connected to and can influence a larger one.

Rarely is such a diverse group of people brought together in one space. But students often stick with their established circles and grow reluctant to branch out, whether this be in terms of meeting new people or trying new things. This is wasting what the university has

15

uwgb admissions/flickr

Are you involved in campus activities? Then YOU ROCK too!

to offer.

The student experience is not meant to be lived from the sidelines. The more involved students are, the more they gain from their time in school.

Whether it be making new friends,

discovering new opportunities or directly impacting campus, there are many great reasons for students to become active in the university experience.

Really, there are no good reasons not to become involved.

Why we need We Day FATUMA ADAR

samantha braun/graphics editor

SaSkatchewan Book awardS ShortliSt readingS

©

upcoming events

Every light in Credit Union Centre was turned off and I could barely see the outline of my own hands as Molly Burke spoke into her mic.

Burke said darkness was her reality.

She was speaking at Saskatchewan’s first We Day, an annual event held across Canada by the charity Free the Children.

The day, held on Feb. 27 this year, is meant to inform youth about global issues and inspire them to make a change. A few friends and I volunteered for the event and can definitely say it was an experience none of us will soon forget.

Burke has been blind since she was 14. She told the audience that she was bullied in high school, and shared one particularly enduring story that has stuck with her.

When she was a teenager in high school she was asked by the popular kids to meet on school

Join us for a twoday reading event to celebrate books that have been shortlisted for a Saskatchewan Book Award!

sheaf mar 7, 2013.indd 1

Sunday, March 10, 2:00 pm and Monday, March 11, 7:00 pm

2/24/2013 4:32:53 PM

grounds. At the time, Burke had a broken ankle and was using crutches to get around. She waited for the kids where they asked her to meet and, as she sat on the ground, heard the sound of her crutches being taken and smashed against the bark of a tree as well as the echoing laughter of the culprits.

As Burke told the audience this story, she asked us to relive the experience of that day with her in a moment of silence — or seven seconds, to be exact.

The idea that people can be so selfish and apathetic is something we have all come to accept.

In that stadium, as I was hearing about all the worst parts of Burke’s life, I came to realize that I was immersed at that very moment in all the best parts of the world.

15,000 kids were in the CUC with me that day because they, like all of us, acknowledge that this world isn’t perfect, and they want to make it better for both their future and ours.

Each seat in the arena was filled by someone who set out to make a difference both locally and internationally.

As a volunteer, I was asked to tell students that in each of their goody bags on their seats there was a necklace in the shape of a water droplet that they should wear.

During a performance by One Drop, a part of the Cirque du Soleil foundation, each necklace began glowing in the dark arena.

The water drops were a reflection of a current Free the Children campaign in which pennies, now out of commission in Canada, can be collected in bags and donated to any RBC branch. Each bag of pennies will then be used to supply one person with water for the rest of his or her life.

Each one of those glowing drops that hung around our necks was our pledge to give back to a world that has given us so much.

At We Day, Free The Children founders Craig and Mark

Kielburger impressed upon attendees that each of us can make a difference — though their message was best exemplified by the event’s performers.

We Day included performances from entertainers like Hedley, Shawn Desmond and Karl Wolf, and speeches from Martin Sheen as well as Aislinn Paul and Luke Bilyk from Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Yet even among those big names, crowd favourites were rising stars Lil JaXe and Sydney BrouillardCoil.

JaXe, a 13-year-old boy who has blown away celebrities like Drake with his talents, has a severe stutter that actually disappears when he raps.

Brouillard-Coil, a 12-year-old girl who wants to become the next prime minister because she sees the issues this world is facing, is unfaltering in her belief that she can make both Canada and the world a better place.

16

OPINIONS

| 7 March, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

Bad timing for school of architecture TRAVIS HOMENUK These truly are exciting times.

Spring is fast approaching, the school year is coming to a close, and the University of Saskatchewan has decided to look into offering a program for architectural education.

The university is spending much of March hosting discussions on a possible architecture program at the school. Isn’t it great that the U of S can still explore new options for colleges and programs while there’s a projected deficit of $44.5 million by 2016 and as the health sciences building is being “scaled back”? Give me a break.

Talk about poor timing, right?

While 50 university staff members have lost their jobs in recent months, the cuts have only just begun. Perhaps an architecture school is feasible in the future, but initiating talks about it at this point seems in bad taste.

Here’s a thought for school administrators: don’t introduce

cody schumacher

new programs if the ones already in place cannot be maintained.

Maybe all this architecture school talk is a public relations stunt in more ways than one.

If administrators can prove the future here still holds promise by introducing new programs — even if only hypothetically — all the

students, staff and faculty upset about job and program cuts on campus might forget about their frustrations.

Administrators might also want to seduce arts students — those lovers of literature, human nature and the theatrical and visual arts — into other colleges that are more

practical. I mean, you can’t really get a job with just a bachelor of arts, can you?

Programs with more immediate benefits to the economy, like the applied sciences and architecture, are often the ones for which funding and support is provided before it is allocated to arts programs.

A great minor for a potential student of architecture would be a language of some kind, since many architects work throughout the globe for international companies.

But oh, dang! Those programs have experienced cuts too.

An architecture program at the U of S would be wonderful. The discipline invites collaboration between numerous subject areas.

Students from art, engineering, environmental sciences and mathematics could all benefit from a school of architecture. Indeed, architects are few and far between in Saskatchewan, so it might be wise to begin educating them here.

But this only makes sense if

we have the money, the buildings and the staff to make the program a success. With those caveats in place, there are obviously severe issues with timing when it comes to launching discussions about this college right now.

I’m curious as to how the U of S prioritizes its new program initiatives. Why is the potential for a school of architecture being publicized while there’s definite desire for a college of speech pathology from linguistics students?

Naturally, there isn’t enough money for everything everyone wants, but it seems to me in this case, there is no money at all. We have certainly been led to believe that there are severe financial issues on campus.

I hope that one day a school of architecture does exist in Saskatoon, but I also hope the U of S is able to maintain all of its other programs and colleges in the interim.

Sexism in disguys ROMA ILNYCKYJ —The Other Press (Douglas College) NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. (CUP) — One blustery day last year, my boyfriend and I whipped into a restaurant for lunch. We both had our hoods on and scarves pulled up to our ears. The host greeted us with an enthusiastic “Hi ladies!”

When she realized that Brian was not, in fact, a “lady,” she sputtered a red-faced apology that continued until she brought us to our table.

Sadly, if she had said “Hi guys!” instead, she wouldn’t have given it a second thought. Few people do.

The tendency to address mixedgender groups with the word “guys” is so pervasive in our speech that it’s almost inaudible. And that’s a problem.

The general argument in defence of “guys” as a catch-all term is that the word has evolved to a point where, when used to address a group, its meaning is no longer exclusive to males. We have communally adopted this term because English is sorely lacking

in a second-person plural pronoun (in other words, there’s no plural “you”).

The problem with this is that “you guys” is a false generic; “guy” means “male,” not “person.”

“You guys” is a gendered term masquerading as an equalizer and it erases the female presence within a group. Gender theorists Sherryl Kleinman, Matthew Ezzell and A. Corey Frost point this out masterfully in the paper, “Reclaiming Critical Analysis: The Social Harms of ‘Bitch.’ ” Erin McKean, founder of the online dictionary Wordnik, dismisses the complaints against “you guys” as a case of “peevology,” the study of things that annoy people. She says the phrase “may simply make some women feel overlooked or ignored.”

That’s not it at all. It’s not about being annoyed or feeling personally ignored. It’s about why we, as an English-speaking society, have decided that the only possible solution to our lack of a plural “you” is to grab a specifically male

term and apply it to the whole. The entrenched use of “you guys” is one more indication that while we’ve made great progress toward gender equality, we often still default to the male, and in ways that an be difficult to detect.

We are well on our way to ridding English of exclusionary terms like “chairman,” and we’ve rejected the use of “he” to refer to unspecified people. Yet “you guys” thrives, largely because people like McKean argue that it’s easier to keep using it than to find an alternative.

Simply put, that is lazy.

Alternatives abound. Some of my favourites are “folks” and “friends,” but if you find those to be too cutesy or familiar, my suggestion is to stay simple and go with “you all.”

What do you all think about this?

It works! And for those who feel that “you all” is too dangerously close to “y’all,” I suggest you either enunciate or research why this beleaguered syllable has such a bad reputation (it has a lot to do with classism and racism, but that’s a

stephanie mah

different discussion).

I get a range of reactions to my crusade against over-guying. Often, people say they agree with me but don’t know what to say instead.

It’s a popular topic on gender and language blogs, so I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. But I also see a lot of eye rolls. I hear “lighten up” and “stop being so sensitive” frequently. I’m

accused of being the “word police.”

Sometimes there’s simply a sigh, accompanied by, “They’re just words.”

Yes, they’re just words. So I challenge you — I dare you — next time you see a mixed-gender group of friends, wave and say “Hi ladies!” Watch what impact your words have.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS.

IMMIGRATE TO CANADA PERMANENTLY. The Canadian Experience Class program offers foreign graduates with Canadian work experience the opportunity to apply and stay in Canada permanently. Visit immigration.gc.ca/cec for more details and see if you’re eligible.

ÉTUDIANTS ÉTRANGERS.

IMMIGREZ EN PERMANENCE AU CANADA. Le programme de la catégorie de l’expérience canadienne offre aux diplômés étrangers ayant une expérience de travail au Canada la possibilité de faire une demande en vue d’habiter en permanence au Canada. Visitez le site immigration.gc.ca/cec pour en savoir plus et pour voir si vous êtes admissible.

| thesheaf.com | 7 March, 2013 |

HUMOUR

17

Campus Chat If you could pick any cartoon character to run the country, which would you pick? Why?

Woody. Then Mufasa. He everyone’s got a already knows Naomi Zurevinski how to run the friend. show... if he was alive.

Kylie Carr

FAKE NEWS OF THE WEEK

Forestry Farm welcomes Nelson, B.C. hippies The Saskatoon of a class field Forestry Farm trip. She said it welcomed its was amazing to spring visitors see hippies “in this week, and it real life and not looks like they’re just on TV.” here to stay.

Her favourite Hippies from part was watching Nelson, B.C., the beatniks in set up tents in a drum circle, one of the zoo’s though she empty enclosures cautioned future Monday, and the visitors to not get walkways around too close to the the enclosure enclosure. were opened “Ziggy tried to to the public steal my bag of Wednesday. trail mix!” Fraser “We’re said. “He kept very excited screaming about to welcome some economic four hippies to system of social the Saskatoon equality or Forestry Farm something.”

Park and Zoo,” This is the zoo spokesperson first time the John Zachary Saskatoon sallycreates/flickr Saskatoon Forestry Farm’s newest acquisition Ocean Breeze is Forestry Farm said. “I’d like still a bit on edge in his new home. to thank the has welcomed wonderful zoo in flower children.

Nelson, B.C. that loaned Feather, Ziggy, Zachary said that Feather, Ziggy, Ocean Ocean Breeze and Rainbow to us.”

Breeze and Rainbow are expected to stay at He said the four flower children, who the Saskatoon zoo until mid-August or until brought their guitars, had a bit of trouble they find a job. adjusting to the zoo on the first day but that “They’ll most likely stay longer than once the walkway around their enclosure we expect, knowing how hippies are,” was opened to the public, the four appeared Zachary said, noting that there’s “no chance to be in their element. in hell” the beatniks find a job and that the “Feather loves yelling things about hippies will likely push their welcome until 9/11 being an inside job to passersby, and Saskatoon’s first snowfall.

Rainbow is always telling old men to open “Once we get snow, I can guarantee their mind,” Zachary said. “It was really they’ll be back in Nelson.” nice to see them so comfortable.”

Eight-year-old Jill Fraser visited the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Wednesday as part

CatDog. You get Tinker Bell. the best of both She’s sassy worlds. Amara Haywood and she’ll get things done.

Ellen May-Melin

18

COMICS

| 7 March, 2013 | thesheaf.com |

cup.ca

smbc-comics.com

dan smolinski

saidthesquid.blogspot.com

snowybear.zenfolio.com

smbc-comics.com

OPINIONS

| thesheaf.com | 7 March, 2013 |

19

Unlimited Texting in Canada and the U.S. Join over 75,000 customers on our best plan ever.

It’s here to stay!

Ultimate 65 Plan $65/mo.

UNLIMITED Canada-wide data with no data overage charges • UNLIMITED calling to over 600,000 SaskTel wireless customers anytime, anywhere in Canada • UNLIMITED local calling any time of day • UNLIMITED picture and video messaging • UNLIMITED text messaging in Canada and the U.S. • And more!

•

Samsung Ativ S

Ask us for details. Some conditions apply.

Bundle & Save! | Visit a SaskTel Authorized Dealer or SaskTel Store | sasktel.com | 1-800-SASKTEL Plan is available to new and existing customers on a monthly, one, two or three-year term. Device subject to availability. Tethered Data can be added to the Ultimate 65 Plan upon request.

All SaskTel Data plans are subject to the SaskTel Fair Use Policy. Visit sasktel.com/fairuse for information. Unlimited calling included to all SaskTel Wireless customers within Canada.

Unlimited local calling included to all Wireless and Wireline numbers in local area. 150 long distance minutes for calls placed and received in Canada to anywhere in Canada or the U.S. are included, additional minutes are charged at 25¢/min (U.S. roaming charges extra). Premium text messaging not included. Text messages sent from any location within or outside Canada to a customer of an International wireless carrier will be charged at 20¢ per message in addition to regular text messaging rates. 911 fee of 83¢ applies to each device. A one-time $25 fee applies to all activations on the SaskTel network. © 2013 Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. is a trademark of Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. and/or its related entities used with permission. Screen images simulated.

13STEL059_Ultimate 65 Print – Wolf 5 columns x 215 lines (10” x 15.25”) U of S - The Sheaf

20

OPINIONS

| 7 March, 2013 | thesheaf.com |