The Sheaf October 17th, 2013

Students line up for their share of puppy love.

NEWS 3

THE sheaf

17 October, 2013 • The University of Saskatchewan student newspaper since 1912

U of S team publishes study on treasured Yukon watershead.

NEWS 2

Eurydice updates a mythological classic for the modern age.

CULTURE 11

U of S middle of the pack for freedom of expression on campus’ RAINER KOCSIS

The University of Saskatchewan did neither excellent nor poor when rated in the 2013 Campus Freedom Index, a study that measures the state of free speech rights at Canadian universities.

Implemented by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, the U of S received a “C” for university policies, university practices and student union practices as well as a “B” for student union policies.

The report grades universities and student unions using a five-tier letter scale — “A”, “B”, “C”, “D” and “F” — on their stated policies and their practices.

Each university receives a letter grade for university policies, university practices, student union policies and student union practices.

With a grand total of 180 grades awarded to 45 campuses, only six universities and student unions in Canada received “A” grades. On the other hand, 32 “F” grades were handed out — 13 to universities and 19 to student unions. The study also assigned 19 “B’s”, 80 “C’s” and 43 “D’s”.

In total, 23 campuses earned at least one “F”. More than half of the 45 universities studied have engaged in the censorship of student expression on campus.

“The [U of S] gets poor marks for maintaining policies which indirectly or directly empower university officials to engage in censorship against students based on their views or expression. It lacks policies which protect students against discrimination based on expression,” said Michael Kennedy, coauthor of the study.

“Past incidents of censorship at the hands of the [U of S Students’ Union], such as its treatment of the [U of S] Students for Life, warrant lower grades in the practices section of the USSU report.”

According to the report, the USSU's Table Space Rental Policy, a policy governing the usage of tables in the Arts

CODY SCHUMACHER/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Tunnel, states that the union “reserves the right to decide any point not covered in the above rules and further reserves the right to refuse any booking.” The policy also states that “offensive materials” will not be allowed on group table displays but does not qualify what is considered offensive.

The USSL — a pro-life club — was temporarily denied club status by the USSU in September of 2009 but was reinstated that November. There had been a number of complaints against the USSL in the 2008-9 academic year. The USSU Women’s Centre brought forward a complaint on behalf of an individual who did not feel safe with the pro-life club displaying graphic images without any warning.

However, Kennedy praises the USSU for its free speech policies.

“The USSU earns a solid ‘B’ in the policies section of this year's Campus Freedom Index after it passed a new Free Speech Policy in the winter semester of the 2012-13 year. The Free Speech Policy obliges the USSU to respect free speech rights on campus, to refrain from contentbased censorship and to facilitate the free exchange of ideas,” Kennedy said.

“This is a commendable action on the part of the USSU to make up for past injustices, and it gives students a shield against unlawful censorship by future administrations.”

However, the Campus Freedom Index said the new Free Speech Policy is

Do you grieve celebrity deaths?

OPINIONS 14 somewhat undermined by the USSU Campus Group Policy which states: “In the event that a campus group engages in behaviour that is considered to be … unfit for an inclusive, welcoming and open learning environment, the union reserves the right to take action against said group.

In particular, each student has the right not to be harassed or otherwise made to feel discomfort by another.”

USSU President Max FineDay said he is comfortable with the policies that the union has in place.

FineDay said the USSU policies regarding free speech “ensure that students aren't barraged with offensive images or content that they didn't ask to be exposed to,” adding that these bylaws do not affect a vast majority of student groups.

U of S President Ilene Busch-Vishniac cites safety as her chief concern when it comes to freedom of expression on campus.

The U of S has “two sometimes conflicting principles we hold in great esteem — our responsibility in protecting the safety and well-being of everyone in our community and our firm belief that we must guard free expression of opinions,” Busch-Vishniac said.

“Unless we see a potential threat to safety or a legal line being crossed from expression to hate speech, our policies are likely to permit a speaker or event to proceed. If we perceive a threat to safety, that will always take precedence.”

Taking an average of universities’ policies and practices, the Campus Freedom Index named Carleton University and the University of Ottawa as the worst universities in Canada for free expression.

Both Carleton and Ottawa have actively censored student speech, earning “D”’s for their policies and “F”’s for their practices.

Three student unions received failing grades across the board. The Lakehead University Students’ Union, the University of Victoria Students’ Society and the York Federation of Students all received “F” grades for restricting free speech on campus through both their policies and practices.

Free Speech • continued on 3

2

NEWS

U of S students explore development controversy in Yukon

THE sheaf Editor-in-Chief: HenryTye Glazebrook, editor@thesheaf.com Production Manager: Samantha Braun, layout@thesheaf.com Senior News Editor: Anna-Lilja Dawson, news@thesheaf.com Associate News Editor: Scott Davidson, associatenews@thesheaf.com Photography Editor: Jordan Dumba, photo@thesheaf.com Graphics Editor: Cody Schumacher, graphics@thesheaf.com Culture Editor: Nicholas Kindrachuk, arts@thesheaf.com Sports Editor: Kim Hartwig, sports@thesheaf.com

17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

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Corrections • There were no corrections brought to our attention this week. If you notice any errors in this week’s edition, please forward them to editor@thesheaf.com.

Since January 2013, a group of students and professors from the University of Saskatchewan School of Environment and Sustainability have been studying the land use planning process in the Peel Watershed in the Yukon.

The Peel Watershed covers one sixth of the Yukon’s territory — an area roughly the size of New Brunswick — and has no permanent human settlements.

The group wrote a paper titled “Fixing Land Use Planning the Peel Watershed Before It Really Breaks” which was recently published in Yukon College’s journal Northern Review. The paper focuses on how the Yukon government’s land use planning process in the Peel Watershed has attempted to balance the interest of conservationists, aboriginal groups and industry sectors.

“This has been one of the more contentious regions just because there are so many perspectives on how the region should be used,” said Kiri Staples, a master’s candidate in the School of Environment and Sustainability and the paper’s lead author.

The paper began as a project for a course on decision making in environmental sustainability, but grew into a full-scale academic study at the encouragement of SENS professors M.J. Barnett and Douglas Clark.

Coming from the Yukon’s territorial capital, Whitehorse, Staples feels a personal connection to the Peel Watershed.

“I’ve spent a bit of time in the watershed and in that sense it’s pretty close to my heart and it’s an issue I’m pretty invested in,” Staples said.

“But at the same time, part of writing this paper was putting aside that emotional connection because you want to approach an issue like this as unbiased as possible.”

In their paper, Staples and her colleagues concluded that the Yukon government has failed to take all perspectives into account in the Peel Watershed decision-making process.

The Peel Watershed is used by a number of First Nations, including the Na-Cho Nyak Don and the Vuntut Gwitchin, for traditional activities such as hunting and fishing. Commercial hunting guides also operate in the area.

JURI PEEPRE

The Hart River runs through the Peel Watershed and is one the Yukon’s most isolated rivers.

The area has recently attracted the attention of a growing number of mining and resource extraction companies that have staked their claim to the Peel Watershed’s abundant natural resources. Because many of these companies made their claims before the land use planning process began, their interests must be taken into account in the final plan.

There are currently no active mining operations or oil and gas explorations in the area.

The Peel Watershed is home to some of the most pristine wilderness in Canada and is prized by environmentalists. During the summer of 2011, David Suzuki paddled the entirety of the Hart River through the region.

“The Peel Watershed is often portrayed as environment versus development and that’s a really stark contrast,” Staples said. “I don’t think that portrays the diversity of opinions out there.”

A commission was appointed by the Yukon government in 2004 to consult the public and to gather recommendations for the final land use plan. In July 2011, the commission produced a “final recommended plan” that called for 80 per cent of the region to be protected and for the rest to be developed in a controlled manner.

The four First Nations governments in the region and the territorial government could each choose to accept, modify or reject the commission’s plan.

The initial plan was accepted by all four First Nations’ governments. However, the Yukon government has said it is going to modify the plan but has yet to specify how.

This has led to accusations from regional stakeholders that the Yukon government is not taking the interest of all parties into account equally.

The conclusion of Staples’ paper states that “the focus of our analysis has been on the Yukon government following the submission of the final recommended plan. This emphasis illuminates how, in the absence of sufficient constitutive safeguards, one of the parties involved can fundamentally transform the way decisions are made.”

The paper goes on to recommend that tighter parameters be established around future land use planning processes to ensure that the voices of all stakeholders are given equal importance.

The land use planning process is still ongoing and no decisions have been finalized at this point.

our policies,” LeBlanc said.

The conference begins with a panel discussion on the appropriateness of defining a “religious left” and the ways in which religion can inform humane politics. Other topics include Christianity and anti-imperialism, notions of aboriginal sacredness and a defence of secular socialism.

LeBlanc said he is particularly excited for local psychologist and social activist Nayyar Javed’s presentation on Islam and feminism.

“Part of the cause of feminism is to do away with religious discourse which furthers oppression,” said Leblanc, “But there are ways in which [Islam] and its history has some positive element to teach us.”

LeBlanc added that because there is such a large religious population in Canada building a progressive movement based on secular values alone isolates a large portion of potential supporters.

The conference will also serve as a way of bringing together people from different faiths to work towards a common political goal.

“There have been attempts to bring people together for inter-religious dialogue and to greater understand each others texts and traditions, but not to take that groups towards collective action for humane politics,” LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc was raised as a Mennonite and now attends a Lutheran church. He credits his religious upbringing as the root of many of his progressive social values.

“If you think that religion always leads to negative things, come and say so and have that discussion with us,” LeBlanc said.

The conference is co-hosted by the U of S Socialist Students Association and the Religion and Culture Students’ Society.

Conference links religion and progressive politics

SCOTT DAVIDSON Associate News Editor

Religion meets progressive politics at the University of Saskatchewan’s first Religious Left Conference.

Louis’ Loft will host the inaugural event from Oct. 18 to 20. The conference is free to attend for anyone interested.

The focus of the conference is on the intersection of religion and politics and how they have affected each other throughout history.

Discussions will also examine on how religion can have a progressive impact on politics, such as how the Bahá’i faith emphasizes environmental sustainability.

The Religious Left Conference will include a number of panel discussion and presentations by members of Saskatoon’s religious and secular communities.

CODY SCHUMACHER/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Conference organizer and law student at the U of S Dan LeBlanc said the discussions are meant to challenge accepted notions of how politics and religion interact.

“When we say the intersection of faith and politics always looks like mean-spirited, conservative policies that are against equality, we as the left are giving up a very cogent place for us to exist and to have social change to bring about

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NEWS

17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

3

Students take a break, pet puppies ANNA-LILJA DAWSON Senior News Editor Students flocked to the Bowl on Oct. 9 to take in some canine love.

Put on by the Edwards Business Students’ Society, the outdoor puppy room was the first of its kind at the University of Saskatchewan.

From 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., students lined up to get their share of time with a number of dogs provided for the event by New Hope Dog Rescue.

The dogs ranged in age from four months old to seven years.

Executive Director of New Hope Emily Pickett said the puppy room doubled as an adoption drive and that students were welcome to apply to adopt any of the puppies. At time of print, there have not been any adoptions, however Pickett said that there has been an increase in expressed interest.

Students were admitted into the puppy room after supplying a donation. Suggested donations included cash, postage stamps and office supplies as well as dog food, grooming equipment and dog toys.

Pickett said New Hope received most of the items on the wishlist as well as $1,197.20 in cash.

The money “will go a long way in helping rescue dogs in our program get the vet care they need,” Pickett said.

As part of her election platform, EBSS President Jacey Safnuk said she wanted to have a puppy room on campus. Once elected, Safnuk started working with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine to see how she could make her promise a reality.

Safnuk enrolled in a special class at the WCVM to certify her to handle the puppies.

To get around a university policy that does not allow dogs in select buildings — including Place Riel Student Centre and ESB — Safnuk organized for a tent to be set up in the bowl.

To ensure the dogs brought to campus would be safe and not come into any health threats, they were sheltered in a tent and students had to apply hand sanitizer to their

hands before entering and after leaving the tent.

Puppy rooms started appearing last March when the University of Ottawa began providing a puppy room for its students.

Following suit, universities across Canada and around the world — Bond University and Australian National University in Australia and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland — began hosting their own puppy rooms. The stress relieving rooms spiked in popularity last December when Dalhousie University hosted their first puppy room right in the middle of the busiest time of year for students. The puppy rooms were meant as a de-stressor for students.

To ensure the dogs brought to campus would be safe and not come into any health threats, they were sheltered in a tent and students had to apply hand sanitizer to their hands before entering and after leaving the tent.

Students lined up to play with puppies that were brought to campus by New Hope Dog Rescue.

Last year the possibility of a puppy room was brought to the University Students’ Council at the Dec. 6, 2012 meeting. Then-representative for the WCVM Alyssa Anderson said that puppy rooms are difficult to organize because of the strict regulations that Canadian Council on Animal Care requires.

The CCAC requires students, faculty, staff and senior administrators to be directly responsible for animal care and to have proper education and training when dealing with animals.

Because of the liability issues arising from the CCAC, the University Students’ Council did not proceed with the possibility of hosting a puppy room at that time.

JORDAN DUMBA/ PHOTO EDITOR

Free Speech • continued from 1 To earn an “A” with respect to university policies, the university must have a clear and unequivocal commitment to free speech on campus set out in the university’s mission, vision, statement on academic freedom or other policy documents. The university’s anti-discrimination policies cannot be used to censor unpopular, controversial or politically incorrect speech. There is no prohibition on speech that may be “offensive,” “discriminatory,” “disrespectful,” “inappropriate”, or “creating a negative environment”.

Written policies must also ensure that security fees will not be used as an indirect method to censor controversial or unpopular speech. Anti-disruption policies must ensure that the university will not condone anyone engaging in the obstruction, suppression or interruption of speech with which they disagree.

If three, two or one of the criteria are met, an institution will receive “B”, “C” or “D” grades, respectively. An “F” is given when the university fails to meet any of these criteria.

By earning an “A” for university practices, the institution has acted decisively to permit the expression of unpopular speech on campus by rejecting demands to cancel events or otherwise suppress speech and by providing adequate security to prevent any obstruction, suppression or interruption of the event.

Institutions that receive failing grades for their practices have actively censored student speech by engaging in one or more of the following: imposing security fees on groups because their expression is unpopular; denying equal access to campus spaces, rooms or facilities; imposing special conditions or restrictions on the expression of some groups; cancelling events if protesters might be present; charging students with trespassing based on the content of their peaceful expression or charging students with non-academic misconduct for expressing unpopular opinions on campus.

For student union policies to earn an “A” they must have a stated commitment to free speech on campus set out in their mission, vision or policy documents; written policies which expressly protect diversity of opinion and prevent the student union executive from discriminating against a club on the basis of its beliefs, opinions or philosophy; policies which prohibit discrimination in regards to club certification, club funding and the allocation of resources such as roombooking and space-booking.

The union must also have election rules and regulations that do not empower elections officers to censor speech during elections or referenda; policies which restrict the student union’s advocacy on issues related to post-secondary education

without adopting or promoting formal positions in respect of provincial, federal or international issues.

The same grading scheme as the one used for university policies is used for student union policies.

Student union practices that receive an “A” grade have spoken or acted to support freedom of expression for unpopular opinions and beliefs on campus, have rejected demands to cancel events or have spoken out against university actions that suppress free speech rights.

Regarding campus club certification, club funding and allocation of resources to campus clubs, the student union has not discriminated on the basis of the club’s beliefs, opinions or philosophy.

To earn an “F” grade, the student union has actively discriminated against campus clubs purely on the basis of the club’s beliefs, opinions or philosophy by refusing to certify a proposed club, refusing to provide a club with funding on par with other campus clubs, refusing to provide a club with equal access to resources such as room and space-bookings or imposing other restrictions on clubs based on the content of the club’s expression, beliefs, opinions or philosophy.

The USSU Free Speech Policy “The Student Union will support and protect the free speech of all parties under its jurisdiction. The Student Union will not endeavour to limit or prevent the exercise of free speech on campus and will work to aid those parties whose free speech rights are threatened. The Union further recognizes the fair and reasonable limitations on free expression as stated in the Canadian Charter of rights and Freedoms and the Criminal Code of Canada and pledges not to exercise censorship outside of these legal limits. When members of the Union use speech as a direct attack that has the effect of preventing the lawful exercise of speech by members or invited guests, or interfering with the conduct of authorized University business, the Student Union may intervene.

“The right to free speech is complemented by the right of freedom of association. The right to free speech extends to individuals cooperating in groups. All members have the freedom to communicate in any reasonable way, to hold and advertise meetings, to debate and engage in peaceful assemblies and demonstrations, to organize groups for any lawful activities and to make reasonable use of Student Union facilities.”

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NEWS

News Briefs

University welcomes new dairy facility

John Rayner is the namesake of the facility in honour of his commitment and dedication to agriculture in Saskatchewan. Rayner was the agricultural representative for the Saskatchewan Department of Agriculture in 1914 and responsible for the north-west portion of the settled area of the province.

Rayner was a charter member of the Agriculture Institute of Canada — known then as the Canadian Society of Technical Agriculturists — from which he gained fellowship. He was responsible for the supervision and direction of the Saskatchewan Agricultural Societies Association and the Saskatchewan Horticultural Societies Association during his time as secretary-treasurer for both organizations.

Prairie fruits promising for health, communities

against other fruits.

Potential uses for these fruits include blending them with cereals and pulse crops to create nutrient-rich foods for at-risk populations in Northern Saskatchewan and other global populations.

"Funding for a major project to investigate and further develop these nutritive-rich ingredients is being sought from the recently established Global Institute for Food Security," said Nicholas Low. Professor from the Department of Food and Bioproduct Services Nicholas Low co-authored the study with Richard Green, vice-president of technology at POS Bio-Sciences — a company that develops biological products.

The University of Saskatchewan opened the Rayner Dairy Research and Teaching Facility on Oct. 15.

The new facility features animal handling and teaching areas, research and staff space as well as space for 100 lactating cows. The facility is complete with robotic and parlor milking capabilities for the cows. Feed storage and preparation areas are additional components of the facility. Public access and education on modern agriculture and dairy production will be available through a viewing gallery.

The new facility will host dairy nutrition, animal fertility and health, animal management and feed development based research.

An article published in the Canadian Journal of Plant Science by University of Saskatchewan researchers detailed nutrient-rich prairie fruits.

The buffaloberry, chokecherry and sea buckthorn were all noted as being both high in food potential and dietary fibres. The buffaloberry has a Vitamin C content four times greater than that reported for oranges. Chokecherries reported high levels of anti-oxidants with cardiovascular benefits, anti-inflammatory properties and potential anticarcinogenic properties. Although varying with location and variety, the sea buckthorn has high levels of lipids — fats, oils, waxes and certain vitamins — when compared

U of S lab fights breast cancer and leukemia

Pathology professors Ron Geyer and John DeCoteau are using their patented antibody methods to treat breast cancer and leukemia.

The method consists of growing designer antibodies that target specific cancer cells and molecules. The antibodies are grown billions at a time and are then mixed with cancer cells.

Geyer and DeCoteau are studying how the antibodies stick to the cancer cells. Successful antibodies are injected into patients where they then fight cancer cells and call upon the patient’s immune system to attack.

The use of antibodies to treat cancer is much easier on the patient than other common treatments. Severe side effects are often results of radiation therapy and chemotherapy, while the two methods are not always successful.

The issue Geyer and DeCoteau faced was that they were creating antibodies faster than they could test them.

A $1.7 million grant from Western Economic Diversification and the provincial government as well as $652,860 from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and the Jean Murray Trust Fund provided the two researchers with a larger lab and 15 staff members.

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17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

U of M Students’ Union in hot water with pro-life group

..TANJA../FLICKR

A students group’s display of “offensive materials” has erupted into controversey at the University of Manitoba.

ANNA-LILJA DAWSON Prairies and Northern Bureau Chief SASKATOON (CUP) — In early October the University of Manitoba Students’ Union came under fire after a motion was proposed to revoke a pro-life group’s club status.

The motion was proposed following complaints that the University of Manitoba Students for a Culture of Life was exposing students to offensive materials, which included photos of aborted fetuses.

UMSCL held a pro-life display in the Curry Place Pedway, a high traffic outdoor area at the U of M, on Sept. 23–25.

“From our perspective, the reception of the display from the students we’ve encountered was as an overall positive one,” UMSCL President Agnus-Mariae Lucas wrote to Canadian University Press.

“We did come across some very upset people, however there were no violent reactions and no one approached us with the impression that they would make formal complaints.”

At the Sept. 23 UMSU council meeting, a motion was put forward by a student at large to revoke the UMSCL’s club status.

Thao Lam, UMSU vice-president of student services, told CUP in an email that the motion was deemed a non-emergency by the council chair and was recommended to the Student Group Promotions and Affairs Committee.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms — a Calgary-based, donationfunded institution — sent a letter on Oct. 2 to UMSU stating that should UMSCL lose their club status, Lucas would press charges and seek a court order that the union cease its discrimination against her and other students.

The JCCF cited the lack of definition for discrimination or harassment in UMSU Policy 2009 as grounds for unsubstantial reasoning for revoking the UMSCL’s status, and referred to the protection all students on the U of M campus have under the Manitoba Human Rights Code in regards to political belief, association and activity.

When reviewing the motion put forward by the student at large, SGPAC referred to UMSU Policy 2009. The policy states that the “UMSU does not condone behaviour that is likely to undermine the dignity, self-esteem or productivity of any of its members or employees and prohibits any form of discrimination or harassment whether it occurs on UMSU property or in conjunction with UMSU-related activities.”

The committee found that UMSU Policy 2009 should be applied broadly and recommended that the motion be defeated.

“The main debate was whether banning the group was an appropriate punishment for violating the policy. It was mutually agreed upon that the consequence of banning the group is more than the offence merits,” Lam wrote to CUP. Lam said the committee found UMSU lacking necessary policy to deal with issues of this kind. In response, SGPAC put forward two motions. One would require the council to meet with university administration “to push for a reconsideration of the review and approval process for public displays” and the second outlined a review and clarification of the policies that govern the revocation of club status and penalization of clubs.

The initial motion was defeated at the Oct. 7 UMSU council meeting, however the two secondary motions put forward by SGPAC passed.

Lucas said in an email to CUP that the UMSCL was notified on Sept. 24 by Jackie Gruber, U of M human rights and equity advisor, that her office had received complaints regarding the display. Lucas was never informed of the nature of the complaints.

The displays shown by UMSCL were large posters depicting historical genocides and aborted fetuses side by side to argue that abortion is a violation of human rights.

In an email to CUP, Lucas wrote that the group had been planning the Genocide Awareness Project since May and had been approved by the U of M in June.

The project is a part of a larger campaign which has been seen on campuses across Canada and in the United States.

In a press release from the UMSCL, JCCF and the Western Campus Life Network following the last council meeting, Vice-President of UMSCL Cara Ginter said that the organization was glad to witness the defeat of the motion to revoke their club status.

“The display was a great opportunity to dialogue with students about the issue of abortion,” Ginter stated in the release.

“We’re looking forward to continuing this conversation over the course of the year, educating our peers about this important human rights issue.”

SPORTS

17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

5

Men’s soccer team retains lead in Prairie Division Women’s soccer team falls to fourth in Canada West

HENRYTYE GLAZEBROOK Editor-in-Chief

After a weekend series that netted them one win and one loss, the University of Saskatchewan men’s soccer team maintains the top position in the Prairie Division of Canadian Interuniversity Sport standings.

The Dogs hosted the University of Victoria Vikes and University of the Fraser Valley Cascades on Oct. 12 and 13, respectively.

The games put the boys at 8-3-1 for the season and clinched them a spot in the playoffs.

The weekend got off to a slow start, with the Huskies coming up even in a 2-2 draw against the Vikes on Saturday.

Third-year striker Brett Levis netted the Huskies’ first goal in the 29th minute, managing to out-maneuver Vikes goalkeeper Elliot Mitrou as he unsuccessfully dove for the save.

Victoria answered only 15 minutes later with a shot from midfielder Cam Hundal, who broke free from the Dogs’ defence to land a shot past Huskies keeper Michal Bandula.

Vikes midfielder Cameron Stokes edged his team into the lead with a goal in the 66th minute. With opposing forward Craig Gorman on the verge of deflecting the ball, Bandula delayed his dive and was unable to get in front of the kick to stop the goal.

Staring down a 2-1 lead for Victoria, Huskies striker Garrett Peters and defender Taylor Evernden launched an attack on an empty Vikes net. Peters shot a pass toward Evernden, who was unable to get ahold of the ball before two of the visiting team’s defenders converged on him.

With the closing moments of the game upon them, the Huskies struck back with a goal from Peters in the 85th minute.

Midfielder Luigi Bekwayo sent a cross towards Peters, who beat the Vikes’ defence

to successfully draw even and push the match into extra time.

Despite chances on net during added time, neither team was able to land another goal.

Bandula stopped seven shots while Mitrou saved five. The visiting team was able to get off 16 shots compared to the Huskies’ 12.

Sunday had the Huskies saying farewell to fifth year players Ryan Contenti, Eoin McFadden and Scott Myrah, who had reached their final years of eligibility, with a 2-0 win over the UFV in the Dogs’ last regular season home game.

After an impressive dribble that outplayed three UFV defenders, Peters passed to Bekwayo who then used the opportunity to net the opening goal with a bottom-right corner shot that beat Cascades keeper Mark Village in the 54th minute.

Cascades midfielder Connor MacMillan aimed to settle the score with a bicycle kick

off a pass from Ethan Collins, but saw his attempt fail as the shot sailed just over the cross bar. Another opportunity for MacMillan was subdued by a diving save from Bandula.

Sliding the ball past the Cascades keeper in the 88th minute, third-year midfielder Bobbi Nicholat landed the Huskies’ second and final goal of the match. The shot came off an effective drive from Peters that saw the striker best the UFV defence and create enough room to successfully vault a pass to Nicholat.

The two keepers tied each other in saves, stopping three shots each. Keeping a solid handle on the ball throughout the game, the Dogs outshot the Cascades 14-10.

The Huskies will next take on the Mount Royal University Cougars in Calgary on Saturday Oct. 19 and Sunday Oct. 20 at Mount Royal University Field Stadium.

KATHERINE FEDOROFF

The Huskies outmaneuvered the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades for a 2-0 win.

Dog Watch: Jenelle Zapski

KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor

Second-year striker Jenelle Zapski has scored many goals in her career with the Huskies women’s soccer team but her first goal will always be her favourite moment.

“You’re so happy you almost feel like you want to cry,” she said. “I’m used to scoring but in this type of league it’s totally different — every goal is so important. You get this crazy feeling because everyone else is just as happy for you when you score.”

Zapski has been making a big impact on the soccer pitch this season. The secondyear kinesiology student leads the team in points scored with six goals through 11 games.

With one game left to play in the regular season Zapski isn’t finished scoring yet.

She hopes to improve upon her previous tally of eight goals in 2012.

“I would like to score ten goals this

season,” Zapski said.

She also led the team in scoring for the 2012 season but is constantly trying to outdo herself.

“I’m not quite satisfied yet,” she said.

I’m always wanting to do better.”

Zapski started playing soccer at the age of four and displayed a competitive nature early on. Since then she’s played for her high school and provincial team before coming to the University of Saskatchewan.

Seeing those around her reach the upper echelon of the sport resonated with Zapski and encouraged her to do the same.

“You want to strive to be the best you can be and [playing for the Huskies] is the highest level you can get in Saskatoon,” she said.

Apart from scoring, Zapski loves the community and the feeling of support that comes with playing for the Huskies.

“Our team is like a second family,” she said.

JORDAN DUMBA/ PHOTO EDITOR

The team suffered their first loss of the season to the Canada West top ranked University of Alberta Pandas on Oct. 5 but found out that same day that they had secured a playoff spot.

“It’s bittersweet,” she said. “We know what we have to improve on and look forward to playoffs now that we have that goal achieved. We played really well too, so it was a tough loss at the same time.”

Despite the loss, Zapski thinks the team has the potential to bounce back and beat their rivals when it really matters.

“Personally, I would like to see us win the Canada West conference and get to nationals,” she said.

Zapski attributes the success of the team this season to its depth of talented players.

Even against strong opponents there are no holes to be exploited.

“Every spot on the field is so solid. Every position is really strong, there are no weak points,” she said.

With strong players at every turn, the team has garnered respect from coaches and teams across the country. The squad has been ranked as high as seventh in the country this season and the players are excited to have their talents recognized.

“We are definitely feeling confident,” Zapski said. “We are really excited to finish off the season. We’re heading into new territory where the team’s never been before.”

As the season winds down and each match has higher stakes, Zapski said she thinks the team will stand apart from the rest of the pack because of the intangibles.

“Everyone is really determined and we’re showing a lot of heart,” she said. “With the conference this year the teams are all so close it comes down to who wants it more.

I think that we’ve definitely shown that and that’s why we’re winning.”

KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s soccer team came away with one win and one loss after a weekend series in British Columbia. The squad is now 7-2-2 on the season and slips to fourth place in the Canada West rankings behind the University of Alberta Pandas, the University of British Columbia Timberwolves and the University of Victoria Vikes.

The team picked up their seventh win on Oct. 11 with a 1-0 victory over the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades.

Fifth-year midfielder Daniela Fuenzalida scored the lone goal and first-year goaltender Kyleigh Vause recorded her second shutout to see the Cascades off.

The Cascades come out strong in the first half and pressured the Huskies defence from the start. Despite being the lower ranked team, the Cascades outshot the Dogs 5-4 in the first half. The Cascade offence kept Vause busy early on as she needed to make two saves to keep the home team off the scoreboard while UFV’s goalkeeper Kayla Klim did not see a shot on net.

The Huskies broke the deadlock to open the second half. Two minutes in, Erica Hindmarsh brought the ball down the left side of the field and passed to a wide open Fuenzalida in front of the Cascades’ net.

Taking full advantage of the opportunity Fuenzalida blasted the ball past Klim to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.

This time it was the Dogs’ turn to put pressure on the Cascades’ defence as they outshot the home team 7-2 in the second half. Klim made another two saves to keep the score close but the UFV offence could not get past Vause as she made another stop to cement the Huskies a win.

The Dogs’ fortunes were reversed on Oct. 12 when they were shutout 0-1 by the U of V Vikes. Folowing the upset, he Vikes overtook the Huskies in the Canada West ranking.

The lone goal in the match came from the foot of Vikes striker Emma Greig in the fourth minute of play.

Greig headed a pass from Carly Branion-Calles toward the Huskies net but goalkeeper Lisa Evans was there to turn the ball away. The ball flew back to Greig and this time she made no mistake, finding the net to push the Vikes ahead 1-0.

The Huskies had their best chance to score in the 17th minute of the game.

Leanne Mylymok booted a ball from the 18-yard box towards the top corner of the net but Vikes keeper Tanya Jones made a diving one-handed save to keep the home team’s lead intact. The Vikes outshot the Huskies 8-3 in the opening half.

The Vikes continued to pressure the Huskies, putting five shots on net to the Huskies’ three. Evans made key saves to keep the gap at one goal but the Dogs couldn’t best Jones.

Huskies striker Jenelle Zapski challenged the Vikes keeper twice in the fading minutes of the match but saw one of her shots go high while the other was saved by Jones.

The Huskies host the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves on Sunday Oct. 20 at Griffiths Stadium.

6

SPORTS

17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

Men’s hockey team splits series with Bisons

CHRIS ZUK/BISONS SPORT

Huskies goalie Ryan Holfeld made 30 saves to shut out the Manitoba Bisons in a 5-0 triumph.

KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor The University of Saskatchewan men’s hockey team kept an even record after posting one loss and one win in a weekend series against the University of Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg.

The Dogs move to 2-2 on the season and sit in a tie for second place in the Canada West standings with the University of Regina Cougars.

Although the Huskies scored the opening point of the game, the Bisons struck back with four unanswered goals to hand the visiting team their second loss in as many games.

Neither team was able to break through in the first period, despite each having solid scoring opportunities. The netminders for both teams came up big as the Bisons took 14 shots while the Dogs fired six.

Jesse Ross put the Huskies on the board first after he snuck the puck past Bison goalie Joe Caligiuri during a scramble in front of the net. From here the Bison offence would be on display as the home team controlled scoring for the remainder of the game.

Ian Duval scored the first goal for the Bisons when he fired a shot past Huskies goalie Ryan Holfeld during a two-on-one.

Travis Bobbee gave Manitoba a 2-1 lead when he netted a rebound during a power play in the closing minutes of the second period.

Duval beat Holfeld at 8:01 in the third period to score his second goal of the night off a shot to the top corner. He added yet

another goal in the closing minutes of the game, landing a shot in an empty net. This was Duval’s first-ever hat trick during a fiveyear stint with the Bisons.

Manitoba outshot the Huskies 34-29 on the night. Caligiuri made 28 saves while Holfeld made 30.

The Huskies levelled the series against the Bisons with a convincing 5-0 triumph the next night.

Forward Cody Smuk started the impressive scoring night for the Huskies with a goal at 8:04 in the first period. Defenceman Kenton Dulle maneuvered the puck away from the Bisons and passed it to Smuk, who raced down the ice and sent a backhand around Caligiuri for the 1-0 lead.

Eight minutes into the second period Derek Hulak fired a cross-ice pass into the net to add to the Dogs’ lead. Andrew Bailey cushioned the Huskies’ lead when he scooped up Zak Stebner’s deflected shot and put it into the net.

John Lawrence scored the Huskies’ fourth goal of the night on a powerplay at 1:39 in the third period to push the Dogs’ lead to 4-0.

One minute later Josh Roach scored the fifth and final point. Manitoba pulled Caligiuri from net and sent in Deven Dubyk but the deficit was too much for the Bisons to recover from, ending the game 5-0.

Holfeld recorded his first shutout on the season, making 30 saves during the night.

Caligiuri recorded 32 and Dubyk added four.

The Huskies host the University of Alberta Golden Bears on Friday Oct. 18 and Saturday Oct. 19 at Rutherford Rink.

Upcoming Huskies Games Men’s Football Oct. 18 vs. University of Manitoba Bisons at 7 p.m.

• Oct. 26 in Regina vs. University of Regina Cougars at 1 p.m.

Men’s Soccer • Oct. 19 and 20 in Calgary vs. Mount Royal University Cougars at 2:30 p.m.

• Oct. 26 in Winnipeg vs. University of Winnipeg Wesmen at 6:30 p.m.

Women’s Soccer Oct. 20 vs. University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves at 12 p.m.

Men’s Hockey Oct. 18 and 19 vs. University of Alberta Golden Bears at 7 p.m.

Oct. 25 and 26 vs. University of Lethbridge Pronghorns at 7:00 p.m.

Women’s Hockey • Oct. 18 in Calgary vs. University of Alberta Pandas at 7 p.m.

• Oct. 19 in Calgary vs. University of Alberta Pandas at 6 p.m.

• Oct. 25 and 26 in Lethbridge vs. University of Lethbridge Pronghorns at 7:00 p.m.

Women’s hockey team sweeps Bisons

KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor

Coming away with two victories over the visiting University of Manitoba Bisons on Oct. 11 and 12, the University of Saskatchewan women’s hockey team has improved to 3-1-0 on the season and are tied for second place with the University of Alberta Pandas in Canada West rankings.

The Dogs edged the Bisons 3-2 on Oct. 11, holding off a late-game offensive push to secure the win.

Kaitlin Willoughby scored the first goal for the Huskies at 8:52 in the first period off of a blue line to blue line pass from defenceman Hanna McGillivray. Willoughby sprinted down the ice and sent a shot just past the blocker of Bison goalie Dée-Ana Marion to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

Manitoba netted the equalizer at 16:42.

Brenley Anderson’s initial shot was blocked

by Huskies goalie Cassidy Hendricks but Anderson was there to net her own rebound.

The first period ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Bisons grabbed the lead when Amy Lee shot Maggie Litchfield-Medd’s deflected attempt past Hendricks. Manitoba was able to score despite being short-handed on the play.

Willoughby drew the score even at 2-2 with her second goal of the night at 16:31 in the second period.

Cassandra Jorgenson scored the game winning goal for the Huskies at 7:52 in the third period during a power play.

The Dogs had many opportunities on power plays throughout the night, as Manitoba players spent 25 minutes in the box for 11 infractions, but the Huskies were only able to turn the advantage into a goal once.

Despite being constantly outnumbered, the

JORDAN DUMBA/ PHOTO EDITOR

The Huskies powered past the Bisons to improve their record to 3-1-0 early in the season.

Canada West Standings Men’s Football 1. Calgary 2. Saskatchewan 3. Manitoba 4. UBC 5. Regina 6. Alberta

Women’s Soccer GP-W-L 6-6-0 6-4-2 6-3-3 6-3-3 6-2-4 6-0-6

*Top four teams qualify for playoffs

Men’s Volleyball • Oct. 18 and 19 in Vancouver at University of British Columbia Invitational Oct. 26 vs. University of Alberta Golden Bears at 8:00 p.m.

Oct. 27 vs. University of Alberta Golden Bears at 4:00 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball Oct. 26 vs. University of Alberta Pandas at 6:15 p.m.

Oct. 27 vs. University of Alberta Pandas at 2:15 p.m.

Home Game

Bisons continued to pressure the Huskies in their end. Precision goaltending and quick clearing by the Dogs’ defence saw the Bison threat off.

The Bisons outshot the Huskies 27-22 on the night and Hendricks made 25 saves while at the other end of the ice Marion turned away 19 shots.

The second game was also a close affair as the Huskies needed overtime to defeat the Bisons 4-3. Cami Wooster scored the game-winning goal in the opening seconds of added time.

Manitoba scored the only goal of the opening period when Litchfield-Medd fired a slap shot into the left side of the net. The Bisons dominated the first period, outshooting the Dogs 16-5.

The Huskies found their footing in the second period and levelled the score at 1-1 after Kira Bannatyne’s goal. Candace Kook and Jorgenson scored goals within 40 seconds of each other to give the home team a 3-1 advantage heading into the third.

The Bisons responded with two goals of their own in the third period to draw even and send the game into overtime.

Wooster gained possession of the puck at the Huskies blue line 18 seconds in and bolted down the ice. She fired a shot at Marion who blocked the initial shot but Wooster lobbed the rebound over her shoulder. The puck hit the bottom of the cross bar and fell into the net.

Hendricks was kept busy in net as she turned away 28 shots. The Bisons outshot the Huskies for the second time, 31-17.

The Huskies travel to Calgary to take on the University of Alberta Pandas on Friday Oct. 18 and Saturday Oct. 19.

Men’s Soccer Prairie Division 1. Saskatchewan 2. Alberta 3. Calgary 4. Winnipeg 5. Mount Royal 6. Lethbridge

GP-W-L-T 12-8-3-1 11-6-3-2 11-6-4-1 12-3-6-3 11-3-7-1 11-2-8-1

Pacific Division 1. UBC 2. Victoria 3. UFV 4. Trinity Western 5. UNBC

GP-W-L-T 12-11-1-0 10-6-3-1 12-4-7-1 10-3-6-1 10-2-6-2

*Top three teams from each division qualify for playoffs

1. Alberta 2. UBC 3. Victoria 4. Saskatchewan 5. Trinity Western 6. Calgary 7. Regina 8. UFV 9. Mount Royal 10. Manitoba 11. UNBC 12. Winnipeg 13. Lethbridge

Women’s Hockey GP-W-L-T 10-8-0-2 10-7-0-3 10-8-2-0 11-7-2-2 10-6-1-3 11-5-4-2 11-4-5-2 10-3-4-3 10-3-6-1 10-1-5-4 10-1-7-2 10-1-9-0 11-0-9-2

*Top six teams from each division qualify for playoffs

1. Regina 2. Alberta 3. Saskatchewan 4. UBC 5. Lethbridge 6. Calgary 7. Manitoba 8. Mount Royal

GP-W-L-OTL 4-4-0-0 4-3-1-0 4-3-1-0 4-2-1-1 4-1-1-2 4-1-2-1 4-1-2-1 4-1-3-0

*Top eight teams from each division qualify for playoffs

Men’s Hockey 1. Alberta 2. Calgary 3. Regina 4. Saskatchewan 5. Manitoba 6. Mount Royal 7. Lethbridge 8. UBC

GP-W-L-OTL 4-4-0-0 4-4-0-0 4-2-2-0 4-2-2-0 4-1-3-0 4-1-3-0 2-0-2-0 2-0-2-0

*Top eight teams from each division qualify for playoffs

SPORTS

17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

October 10 - 19, 2013

Show starts at 8pm

For Ticket Information: 306-966-5188 or www.art.usask.ca/drama/greystone U of S Campus Student $15

John Mitchell Building

Senior $17

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

118 Science Place

Adult $20 November 20 - 30, 2013

March 19 - 29, 2014

Better Living

Our Country’s Good

by George F. Walker directed by Natasha Martina

by Timberlake Wertenbaker directed by Pamela Haig Bartley

7

8

FEATURE

IT IS TIME TO VALUE OPINION JILLIAN BORROWMAN With financial issues at the University of Saskatchewan being highlighted on a daily basis, it’s no surprise that critics are quick to attack the arts, questioning the validity of such degrees.

It would seem that departments like drama are limiting progress here on campus. The inconsequential research of those non-academics from the John Mitchell Building (yes, they have their own building!) discredits all other research that comes out of this fine academic institution. The solution? Wipe the campus clean of these so-called artists in order to move forward with utility. Because that is what universities are, right? Factories devised to take in money and churn out practical manpower for the work force.

Funny, I was under the impression that universities were houses of higher-learning.

It seems to me that a university offers a well-rounded scope of natural and social sciences, arts and humanities in order to produce freethinking and contributing members of society.

Maybe it seems idealistic, but I really did think that this was what I signed up for when I enrolled at the U of S. Unfortunately, I become more and more aware that not everyone has this philosophy.

Across campus, people are quick to write-off the drama department, not giving it the recognition it deserves for the role it plays in higher education. It is no less credible of a degree than one obtained from any other undergraduate program.

Just like any other bachelor degree, a Bachelor of Fine Arts is an excellent stepping-stone for further education or real-world application. Not every student graduating with a BFA in Acting will become an actor, but then again not every student with a Bachelor of Arts in Political MIKE TREMBLAY

Letters to the Editor Misplaced humour feature?

Dear Editor, I wanted to congratulate the Sheaf on subtly extending the Humour section of this week’s issue, since Ashu M. G. Solo’s wonderfully ironic letter regarding the department of drama is obviously a spillover from page 15.

As a satirical piece, it worked so effectively

to remind us how the TransformUS process could be misused; that is, used as a divisive and counterproductive process that pits department against department, college against college and colleague against colleague.

It’s the letter’s parodic nature that makes such points so striking. To what end, indeed, could we presume to use the laughingly vague criteria that Solo suggests in those references to “worth,” “consequence” and “importance”?

The dismissive tone of the letter is a remarkably insightful gambit on Solo’s part, especially given the increasing prominence of inter-and-multi-disciplinarity in terms of funding, institutional support and research outcomes.

As Solo obviously knows, researchers and instructors from different fields are being encouraged to join together in order to explore complex issues through complex approaches.

Drama — with its emphasis on embodied knowledge and the fusing of kinetic and intellectual experience; its highly analytical approach to human movement and textual interpretation and its focused study of the implications of voice, body language and rhetorical strategies — represents a discipline that has broad applications both within the academic realm and beyond.

My own research, especially on the scholarship of teaching and learning, borrows heavily from its methodologies and its techniques are integral to understanding and thus critiquing the self-presentation of politicians, business leaders, media figures and even academic administrators.

And of course this is the argument implied through the letter-writer’s masterful manipulation of a role that is so obviously untenable. Knowing full well that the department of drama’s graduates are not just internationally acclaimed for their work, but also embedded in Saskatchewan’s own impressive artistic landscape; knowing that homegrown theatre, music, and visual art contribute beyond measure to a vital city and a vital regional identity and, above all, knowing the financial benefits that arise from a vibrant theatre scene that is indivisible from the world-class instructors at the University of Saskatchewan, Solo’s clever soliloquy reveals just how productive the department of drama’s teaching, research and artistic practice has been for the community — and will continue to be.

Yours in appreciation, Dr. Ann Martin

Mr. Solo’s Letter to the Editor It is rare that I can actually say I am genuinely shocked and appalled, but it has happened and the Sheaf is responsible.

How dare you publish a letter that says the drama department at the University of Saskatchewan should be scrapped. As the editors of this newspaper, it is your job to decide what is worthy of publication and what isn’t. By deciding to put this letter in your newspaper, you are validating the opinion of someone who is obviously very misguided and has nothing to give to the community but hurtful remarks.

First of all — and this should be obvious to you — you are running a student newspaper. You are students providing news for the rest of those studying on the U of S campus. By publishing this article, you are alienating a large portion of your readers. Firstly, the drama students and staff of the department. Secondly, students in the other artistic disciplines. Thirdly, anyone on campus with an iota of sense. Congratulations on offending a goodly portion of your target audience. This is self-destructive behaviour and it is not very healthy.

The content of the letter, as mentioned above, is hurtful and fairly ridiculous. This is obvious to any person of sense. Nonetheless, I suspect I should go into them because since you were foolish enough to publish this letter in the first place, then you probably don’t see why it is so offensive.

The drama department is very much an academic pursuit worthy of being present at a university. The arts have great worth — they allow us to express what it is to be human, deal with social issues and connect with other people.

I don’t think anyone would argue that studying Shakespeare is not a valid academic pursuit. Yet that is one of the many things this article has said is unworthy of academic study. For Mr. Solo to claim otherwise shows that he is shortsighted and foolish. I feel sorry for him. I feel even greater pity those of you responsible for publishing this letter. Glancing across your list of editors, I’m a little incredulous that none of the many people involved with the Sheaf comprehended how bad an idea it was to publish this letter.

9

17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

THE ARTS Studies will become a politician nor will every student with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics become a mathematician.

That just isn’t the way degrees work.

Theatre promotes critical thinking while encouraging creativity. Drama classes allow students to exercise personal understanding and presentation. These are vital skills and values which can be applied in everyday life as well as toward a student’s specific degree program.

When a fear of public speaking is one of the most common fears in North America and when many degree programs require presentations at conferences and colloquiums, how can a class such as drama be considered non-practical?

There is a reason that students in every degree program are required to take electives from a variety of departments.

The point of a university education is to broaden our scope so we can become socially conscious members of society.

Theatre helps to do this on campus and, yes, out there in the real world too.

Drama provides a democratic opportunity for discussion about real issues and events. It influences our lives and the way we look at our values and choices. What else can so easily bring together a group of complete strangers to laugh, cry and breathe as a collective?

Before you leap to judgments of the value and importance that the drama department provides, enroll yourself in a class. At the very least sit down and watch a show put on by the department. If you approach theatre and drama studies with an open mind you can truly appreciate their worth.

The drama department contributes to the community through the plays they produce and by teaching the actors who will be involved in Saskatoon’s community in the future as actors and teachers. The department runs a drama camp over the summer for children. It’s a great program and learning drama teaches one valuable skills like public speaking.

Saying the drama department is useless pretty much invalidates the entire arts half of the College of Arts and Science. This particularly includes the department of music, all of which would argue that singing is indeed a valid way of getting a degree.

Which brings me to a related point: Mr. Solo is clearly a person without the ability to understand others. He doesn’t seem to comprehend that a degree different from his can be equally valid and also difficult and worthy of study. I received two degrees from the university, both from the College of Arts and Science. I am still able to appreciate the difficulty that is involved in areas of study I know nothing about.

Furthermore, anyone who has seen more than a few of the movies Hollywood that produces every year would know that there are some really bad movies and really bad actors in Hollywood.

Clearly acting does, in fact, take hard work, practice and training.

I am truly ashamed of the Sheaf and its staff. I don’t know what possessed you to think publishing this letter was a good idea. It has no basis in fact and is merely hateful and insulting.

It is the kind of hurtful commentary that does no one any good. Letters to the editor have value when they open discussion. This letter insults the entire drama community, the music department (in passing), and the arts community by proxy. You should be ashamed of yourselves for allowing such an awful thing to be printed in your paper.

The arts are important. The drama department is valuable, as are the degrees it gives to graduates. People like Mr. Solo and the editing staff of the Sheaf are the ones who are devaluing the integrity and reputation of the U of S.

In response to Ashu Solo's letter last week,

Alyssa Thompson

Miranda Hughes, 3rd year drama major

Many claims made in Ashu Solo’s letter from last week are simply not true. Firstly, most actors (especially successful ones) that perform either for television or stage have had extensive training. While it is true that many actors choose schools that are not affiliated with universities, such as the Vancouver Film School or the Canadian College of Performing Arts, many choose to get degrees in drama from universities such as the University of Alberta or the University of Toronto — not to mention Yale, Harvard or Columbia down in the United States.

Many acting students, like myself, choose to get degrees because they believe in the importance of a well-rounded education.

I look forward to my many electives that have nothing to do with my major because they broaden my understanding of the world around me and of who I am. That is the point of a university degree. What would truly lessen the worth of any degree would be the narrowing of studies.

Taking the arts off campus would take away the chance for creative thought, understanding the human condition in a practical way, a place to interact with important texts in our western tradition such as Shakespeare and a place to explore new traditions and other cultures.

Where else but drama do we get a chance to actually try to step into the shoes of another human being? Where else do we get the chance to bring history to new life?

Here at the University of Saskatchewan, we have a wonderful drama department full of professors dedicated to shaping students not only into working artists, but people who are fully aware of themselves and of others. Their research is about the human condition — physically, mentally and emotionally. I’d call that pretty important.

10

CULTURE

17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

11

CULTURE

17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

Eurydice makes a classic myth sing NICHOLAS KINDRACHUK Culture Editor

The Greystone Theatre’s modern production of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth delivers chills and laughs within a heartbeat of each other.

Simply called Eurydice, the play follows the title character (Ciara Richardson) to her death and beyond, where she finds herself in the underworld with little to no understanding of how she arrived there. Upon finding her Father, who goes unnamed, she begins to remember her life with his help.

Before her death, the story is of two illfated lovers — a familiar thread in greek mythology — Eurydice and her husband Orpheus (Robert Grier at the reviewed showing, though he alternates nights with Jesse Fulcher Gagnon), who is known as the greatest musician in the world. Eurydice is quite the opposite and is fascinated by books and philosophy. It often seems as if her husband lost to a symphony in his mind as she tries to talk with him.

While the two have a seemingly dysfunctional relationship based more on poetic language than actual emotion, they do share a certain bond.

There is much tragedy to follow, though Eurydice excels at making the darkness feel like less of a burden on its audience.

The way this is achieved is through an excellent cast of characters that makes the production feel diverse and always interesting. The leads Eurydice and Orpheus carry the play along well, showing emotional depth alongside a youthful playfulness akin to Romeo and Juliet.

Many times, however, the secondary characters steal the scenes with an unexpected sense of dark humor that feels right at home here.

The character known only as Interesting Man is not featured nearly enough, as every scene he is in finds an odd balance between eerie and hilarious. From his fixation on self-described “interesting people” to his phase as a young tricycle riding lord of the underworld, he’s truly an unforgettable character that makes the audience perk up whenever he appears.

The underworld is inhabited by three characters known as the stones: Loud Stone (Mikael Steponchev), Little Stone (Jenna Berenbaum) and Big Stone (Kashtin Moen).

The characters are meant to display and reinforce the rules of hell, setting an example for newcomers, but what they end up becoming are outside viewers to the events happening before them with over-the-top reactions that bring as much dread as they do laughter.

A large focus of the play lands on Eurydice and her Father (Torien Cafferata) rekindling a bond that feels forgotten since her his passing.

The connection between a daughter and father is hard to replicate, especially considering the actors are close in age, but Richardson and Cafferata play the parts expertly. Cafferata, in particular, fully encompasses the with a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge and a series of cheesy jokes.

One of the most important and memorable aspects of the play is the musical accompanyment. Music is an important

part of the Orpheus myth as he is known as the greatest composer ever, but in the context of the play it also establishes an uncompromising atmosphere.

The sound design done by Ivan Kolosnjaji and Kody Manson establishes a weighty mood with plenty of mysterious creaks and rattles alongside incredible instrumentation from both electric and acoustic guitars.

The only weakness is that the play opens

with a slow scene that’s played somewhat awkwardly, but things quickly pick up momentum and the production becomes riveting and often hilarious. Eurydice should not be missed.

Eurydice is playing now at the Greystone Theatre at the John Mitchell building until Oct. 19. Tickets are available at the door or online at arts.usask.ca/drama/greystone/ tickets.php for $20 or $15 for students.

baked bread and fire-roasted pizzas are just a few of the mouth-watering options available to customers. Il Secondo also grills a mean panini, plates up a fabulous salad and ladles out delectable soup.

True to their European mentors, the cooks recognize that the best accessory to a charming bistro is a steaming mug of specialty coffee.

Capable of brewing anything from a tea latte to the classic espresso shot, Il Secondo offers a selection to satisfy every set of taste buds.

As a newcomer to Il Secondo, I was

initially dumbfounded by the menu of tantalizingly delicious foods, each sounding more palatable than the last. After much internal debate and vacant staring at the menu and servers, I chose the pizza prosciutto e funghi, a cappuccino and a loaf of rosemary sourdough bread as a take-home prize.

The smell of fresh basil and mozzarella was so overwhelming that I barely managed to resist the urge to dive into the pizza facefirst. The flames of the traditional stone oven toasted the light crust to perfection, providing

just the right amount of satisfactory crunch.

If that wasn’t enough to send me into peals of ecstasy, the generous toppings of mushrooms and thinly sliced prosciutto certainly did the trick.

Thoroughly sedated by a glorious bellyful of food washed down with a foamy, wonderfully smooth cappuccino, I waddled home to tear into the loaf of bread that called so invitingly from its bakery wrappings.

The first slice of rosemary sourdough was akin to a religious experience. Doughy and delicious, the scent and softness alone were enough to reduce me to the drooling desperation of Pavlov’s dog.

For lovers of all things hearty and glutenfilled, Il Secondo is culinary heaven. It is fully worth the potentially lengthy trek to the Broadway location. Be prepared for some vulture-like hovering however, as the place is nearly always fit to burst with customers — which is when the take-out option becomes particularly appealing.

Whether the food is enjoyed in the pleasant bistro-style ambience of the restaurant itself or in the comfort of your own home, Christie’s Il Secondo is a flavor that your taste buds will not forgive you for missing.

GORD WALDNER/ THE STARPHOENIX

One of the more character heavy scenes in Eurydice.

Il Secondo offers a taste of Italy in the prairies MADISON TAYLOR

With the quaint feel of a small Italian bistro and a taste possessing all the comforts of home, Christie’s Il Secondo is truly a culinary dream.

Tucked away on a side street just beyond the lively bustle of Broadway Avenue, Il Secondo boasts a cozy venue with a bright, welcoming café setting where the servers are just as warm as its atmosphere.

And the food — oh, the food. Freshly

katoon 15 Years in Sas

Ken McGooGan

A glance at some of the freshly baked goods Il Secondo has to offer.

JORDAN DUMBA/ PHOTO EDITOR

upcoming events

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Speaking & Signing 50 Canadians Who Changed the World Sunday, October 20, 1:00 pM



Robin esRocK

Speaking & Signing The Great Canadian Bucket List Monday, October 21, 7:00 pM

sheaf oct 17, 2013 alt15.indd 1

10/8/2013 4:13:53 PM

12

CULTURE Allyson Reigh shows off with her solo debut NICHOLAS KINDRACHUK Culture Editor Former University of Saskatchewan student Allyson Reigh breaks the musical mould with her first solo release, Letters.

Reigh is a bluesy folk singer with a stunner of a voice. On this five song EP she is looking to not only show that asset off, but to display her musical diversity as well. Each song is completely different from the last, with a vast array of influences from genres and other artists.

If there’s one thing that each track does have in common it’s that they are beautifully composed and mixed into absolute pleasures for the ear. Each song feels as though a great deal of effort was put into them, with layers of instrumentation that makes each track wholly memorable.

While this is her first solo outing, Reigh has been making music for some time now, beginning with piano lessons in high school and continuing on to become a part of the Greystone singers. Once she found that music could be more than a hobby, Reigh collaborated with her good friend Mike Bauche to create the band Mike and Ally and release their album, The Field & The Sea. Now that she is working on her own project and is the sole creative force behind her music, Reigh has stepped up the production values considerably by hiring producer Ross Nykiforuk and recording in a more formal set up at Glenross Studios. The effort is immediately noticeable and can be easily heard in the clear and lush musicianship as well as Reigh’s own crisp vocals.

Much of the inspiration for Reigh’s songwriting comes from her experience travelling, especially her time spent in Montreal as well as studying abroad in Finland and Cuba.

“I don’t want to say it’s a big city album,” Reigh said. “It’s more of a broadening my horizons album.

“Since I concentrated a recent part of my life to being in Montreal, I was able to meet and be influenced by a number of great musicians as well as ones from Saskatoon.”

Another key inspiration from her personal life are her past relationships and

Upcoming Events Thursday Oct. 17 • Deer Tick at Louis’ • David Francey at The Bassment • Hands Across the Bridge at Friendship Park • Wil October at Village Guitar & Amp

Friday Oct. 18

SUPPLIED

experiences. While she may not confront them directly, the emotional scars that have been felt through those times play a key part in Reigh’s songwriting. A lot of the songs are very personal, making the release a nerve-wracking one — but also an emotional release for Reigh.

“These are the most honest songs I’ve ever written, so I’m kind of nervous to put it out there, but also really happy,” commented Reigh.

It’s clear from listening to her past work that Reigh is not only enthusiastic about what she is creating but is developing into a strong and unique artist.

“I like to think of it as a mid 20’s album because that’s the time when I wrote it,” Reigh said. “You’re trying all these different things with all of the sounds, figuring out what you want to do — sort of a metaphor for my life.”

It’ll be a tough choice to figure what direction she’d like to go from here, as each song gives the impression that she’s an expert of her craft.

After the release party, Reigh plans to do small tours of the country, heading West in November, coming back to Saskatchewan over December and heading East for the spring. Reigh is already excited to get a feel for new venues and relishes the chance to show off her music. Any who can should get out to experience one of Saskatchewan’s great talents.

Raleigh celebrates the completion of Letters with a performance and album release party Oct. 18 at Village Guitar & Amp. Tickets are available now through the event venue directly. For more information about Reigh and her upcoming tour visit facebook.com/allysonreighmusic.

Switch in Time looks to give local nightlife some needed flair NICHOLAS KINDRACHUK Culture Editor On Oct. 26 the University of Saskatchewan Jazz Ensemble will be jiving through town with a swing show made for dancing the night away.

Professor Dean McNeil leads the ensemble and will be playing three sets at the Cosmo Senior Centre. The theme will be 1920’s, so all the potential city-slickers out there are encouraged to dress appropriately and have their time to shine on the dance floor.

Switch in Time presents a nice change of pace for the ensemble from their regular, more formal performances. A dance show lets the band feed off the crowd reactions and feel a totally different type of energy than they’re accustomed to.

The band has a large array of songs in their repertoire, from classics like Billy Haley and the Comets to Norah Jones. In fact, the ensemble has over 100 songs in their song books and will be using the event as an opportunity to play many of them for the first time.

“It is very common for working musicians to see the music they will be playing for the first time on stage or in the recording studio. So having to perform this music accurately with little-to-no rehearsal is a learning experience and the band always comes out sounding even better than we did before,” said ensemble member and head of organizing committee Marc Holt.

The ensemble itself is well versed in playing a variety of shows and styles and has recently played at The Bassment and the

17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

• The Sheaf beer night at The Hose and Hydrant • Allyson Reigh at Village Guitar & Amp • Kalle Mattson at Vangelis Tavern • Pigeon Park at The Fez • Religious Left Conference at Louis’ Loft • Orange Goblin at Amigos

Saturday Oct. 19 • October Sky at The Fez • Richelle Andre at Prairie Ink Restaurant • Jeffery Straker at TCU Place • Savage Henry and the Infamous One Pounders at Amigos

Sunday Oct. 20 • Heaven’s Basement at Louis’

Monday Oct. 21 • Word View at Affinity Gallery UNIVERISTY OF SASKATCHEWAN MUSIC DEPARTMENT

The U of S Jazz Ensemble is ready to make you groove all night Saskatoon Jazz Festival. McNeil is a veteran of performing at any kind of setting and especially enjoys playing at dances where he can feed off the crowd and decide just what song to perform next.

The 1920’s was also the original timeframe for when swing music was at its height of popularity and Holt was quick to acknowledge that the event draws its name and style from music it puts on display. “‘Switch in Time’ is a song recorded by the Count Basie Orchestra and the title just felt good with this type of event and the theme came with it.”

Attendees should be ready to experience a fresh feeling, as Saskatoon does not have

much to offer for dancing of this kind. It will be an exciting new atmosphere, even for those who have no idea how to swing dance and is a great opportunity to break away from the synthesizers and fist pumps that make up the local dance scene.

The event will also feature a cash bar and, for those who are perhaps a little shy when it comes to the dance floor, the brilliance of a live band dance is that it can just as easily be a captivating concert.

Tickets for the show at Cosmo Snior Centre can be purchased now from Saskatoon Academy of Music or from members of the ensemble.

Tuesday Oct. 22 • Lecture on Regenerative Medicine at Delta Bessborough

Wednesday Oct. 23 • Craig Ferguson at TCU Place

OPINIONS

17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

We shouldn’t be afraid to talk about mental illness ALEXANDER QUON

When a person is talking about being healthy they don’t just mean physically. So how is it that mental health is often left out of the discussion?

Dealing with depression or any form of mental illness isn’t something that anyone has to do alone. The first step to dealing with an issue is admitting that you have one. The second step is talk to someone about what and how you’re feeling. It can be as simple as talking to a friend or a family member. If an individual needs more help they can talk to a therapist, but the most important thing is that they talk to someone.

Unfortunately, that’s the barrier many people face. Those suffering from a mental illness are often too scared to admit, not just to themselves, but also to their close family members, their loved ones and their friends that they’re facing something that they cannot deal with on their own.

I have dealt with depression since my diagnosis in 2010 and I still deal with it today, yet I often avoid talking about it. It’s not because I’m scared of admitting it to myself — I’ve done that and I got help for it — but because I know people will judge me simply because I have an illness that they may not understand.

A well-adjusted human being wouldn’t look down on a person for having cancer, nor would they judge a person for having a heart attack. So it seems unusual that the level of

respect afforded to people suffering from physical ailments is often not applied to those who are afflicted with mental illnesses.

Our society stigmatizes mental illness in such a way that it can stop a person from admitting they need help. We characterize individuals who go through mood swings as “bipolar” and we describe those who suffer from other mental illnesses as “dangers to themselves and others.”

If a person is brave enough to admit that they are sick and that they need help, for some reason they are often not greeted with open arms but instead face the harsh reality that others will now handle them with a sense of wariness and distrust.

The fact of the matter is that mental illness is just that — an illness. It can be treated through medication and counseling. A person can become better.

I know that to some mental illness is a topic that is controversial or off limits. Whether that’s because people misunderstand the root of the issue or fear what they don’t fully comprehend, it is an issue that needs to be discussed and solved.

In 2012, the Canadian Community Health Survey found that 17 per cent of Canadians over the age of 15 perceived themselves as having needed mental health care in the previous year. That’s around 4.9 million people in Canada that either need help or are receiving it already.

What we are doing isn’t enough, though, as nearly 4,000 individuals decide to take their

13

Letter to the Editor

Do more research before publishing articles about health

CODY SCHUMACHER/GRAPHICS EDITOR

life every year in Canada.

In a society where we have the ability to facilitate a conversation between individuals located thousands of kilometers apart, and where we can all but wipe a disease from the face of the earth, you’d think a simple conversation on mental health issues would be an easy task.

It’s not simple. But it should be and it can be, as long as we find the strength to get these conversations going.

The Canadian Community Health Survey had 25,100 respondents of 15 years of age and older between January and December of 2012. Full-time members of the Canadian Forces, the institutionalized population, people living on-reserve and on other aboriginal settlements were excluded.

In your article entitled My gluten-free cupcake is healthy, right? the following was written about those who are celiac: "In severe cases, one morsel of gluten can cause a serious autoimmune response in the small intestine, producing inflammation. From there, chain reactions of very uncomfortable symptoms occur such as bloating, heartburn, constipation or stomach cramping."

Your article implies that there are nonsevere cases of celiac disease. In reality, all cases of celiac disease are equally severe and this was not made clear in the wording of your article.

Also, the 'uncomfortable symptoms' are just that, uncomfortable symptoms.

You fail to mention that those who have untreated Celiac disease can have serious medical problems like anemia, osteoporosis, migraines, depression and so forth.

If you want to run an article about gluten free eating, that is fine. It's an interesting topic of discussion. But leave discussions of Celiac disease out of things if you do not know enough about the subject to describe it accurately.

Alyssa Thompson

An open-textbook policy is a must MAX FINEDAY

After tuition, food, and rent, textbooks are the next biggest expense for students. Every year students shell out roughly $1,200 for textbooks, but what do we get out of it?

I’ve been listening to students since launching my campaign for President of the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union in March 2013, and what I’ve heard is that they feel like they are being ripped off after buying their textbooks — and rightly so. The system we have now doesn’t work.

Students generally aren’t rolling in the dough when they come to university and, to be frank, don’t have money to waste.

But so often this is what happens: we buy a $400 textbook and read one chapter for the class for which the textbook was supposedly needed. Students are fed up.

That’s why this year the USSU is focusing on real solutions for reducing the cost of textbooks that work for students, faculty and government. We need to take the business of knowledge distribution into the 21st century and that’s why I’m proposing an opentextbook program be brought to the U of S. Open-textbook programs allow textbooks to be put online for students and professors to access for free. That’s right — free!

These textbooks are published under creative commons licenses, which means that professors can add content that is more relevant to their classes, or take things out that don’t make sense for the classes they’re teaching without breaking traditional copyright laws.

No more Ontario-centric examples for our Saskatchewan classrooms. A calculus text that is regularly $200 could be under $30 — if not free — for a printed copy under an opentextbook program. This will collectively save students hundreds of thousands of dollars and allow for more local content to be taught in U of S classes. This is a win-win for everybody.

If you think this is too idealistic or will never happen, think again. Many jurisdictions in the U.S. already have open-textbook programs, including California, Washington and Utah. Closer to home, the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education

announced that it would make free online textbooks available for the 40 most popular courses in the province — a first in Canada.

We buy a $400 textbook and read one chapter for the class for which the textbook was supposedly needed. Students are fed up.

The U of S has a unique moment here to show goodwill towards students who are becoming increasingly skeptical of administration and government alike in this climate of austerity.

TransformUS is coming and it likely won’t be something many are going to appreciate.

Students need to see in the coming months, while programs are being evaluated and positions terminated, that the university and provincial government are committed to looking for ways to not only save the university money but also save students money.

Our university and Saskatchewan as a province can be leaders in accessible education. But to convince them, they need to hear from students.

From Oct. 21–25 the USSU will be hosting #DontGougeUs — a week long event to show the government and administration that the current textbook system isn’t working and that there are alternatives out there. Opentextbooks are a worthwhile endeavor.

But for administration or government to listen, the USSU needs student support.

We’re going to have a petition asking the provincial government to work with the university to implement an open-textbook program. As such, the USSU will be asking you what you’d do with the money you usually spend on textbooks if we had the program here and encouraging you to tweet #DontGougeUs, call and email professors, deans, the provincial government and the president of the U of S. B.C. has done all the heavy lifting — there are open-textbooks in fine arts, natural

sciences, humanities and social sciences that could be implemented next semester if professors chose to incorporate them into their classes. And with the help of government and administration we can develop textbooks for agriculture, engineering, education and any other college or major.

Students are not being unreasonable here. We can do better for students and I’m certainly committed to this policy. It’s sensible and would have a very real impact in the lives of students from all demographics.

Having the university and province take students seriously is the ultimate challenge we face.

We can all agree with the U of S’s Third Integrated Plan when it says “we envision our university to be one of Canada’s most distinguished,” but we need to take the right

MIKE TREMBLAY

steps forward.

I think we can be one of Canada’s most distinguished universities and implementing an open-textbook program is the first step in getting there.

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OPINIONS

Don’t tell me who to grieve 17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

FATUMA ADAR

It’s disheartening when people try to tell you who you can mourn for and how to mourn.

When I heard the news of Cory Monteith’s death I found myself slightly apprehensive about saying something. I didn’t know where this apprehension was coming from, but our good old friend the Internet was quick to remind me.

While Gleeks were distraught in their postings, others put up the routine memes about how ridiculous it is to mourn a celebrity.

You’d see a picture of the celebrity’s face alongside a horrific picture of common citizens that have died amidst the world’s current issues like war, natural disasters or starvation — all to tell you that you’re an idiot for mourning the late Monteith.

There are people who are dying right now because of things they can’t control and you’re sobbing to Finn Hudson’s cover of Stand By Me? You must be a terrible person that doesn’t care about real people but only the shiny lives of the citizens of Tinsel Town that made the coffins they must now lay in.

The entire concept is total bullshit.

Some people have it in their head that grief is a finite thing, something that we can’t simply feel but rather are in charge of distributing wisely. Apparently grieving Monteith, or any celebrity for that matter, just proves that we are a society fully immersed in pop culture and disillusioned to other happenings in the world.

When I saw the Facebook posts that tried to make the news of his death an opportunity to highlight the supposed issues in our generation’s mindset, I couldn’t help but feel

EVA RINALDI CELEBRITY AND LIVE MUSIC/FLICKR

Monteith passed away July 13, 2013.

slightly bad for our society. Don’t tell me who I can and cannot grieve.

On Oct. 10 the Glee tribute episode dedicated to Cory Monteith, who formerly played Finn Hudson, aired. Controversy once again started as some people who viewed the promo thought that the makers of Glee went too far. The word “exploitation” was being mindlessly tossed around in regards to asking the cast for raw and sincere performances when it came to this episode.

Setting aside the business of contracts and whatever happens behind the big red curtain that is Hollywood productions, the cast members wanted the Finn tribute episode and subsequently decided to continue the show.

They got the idea for a tribute episode itself from a memorial that they held on set for Monteith shortly after his death.

“I feel like, for me personally, I’ve lost two people: Cory and Finn,” said Lea Michele, who was dating Monteith as well as playing Finn’s love interest. Fans of Glee and Monteith shared this sentiment and were looking to the tribute episode as closure for a tragedy that they were both so close to yet detached from.

The episode was exactly as Michele herself described it — very therapeutic. Having watched the show for very many years, there were so many things creator Ryan Murphy could have done if dramatizing was his goal.

There was no mention of how Finn had died nor was there even a funeral scene. As heartbreaking as the episode was, a lot of showmanship and theatricality was sacrificed in respect to Monteith’s passing.

The episode was set a month after Finn’s death. By doing so the show evaded what would have been a request from the actors to bring up how they felt immediately after hearing about the death of Monteith. This episode was a way to process the death together — a bridge between the people who knew him in flesh and those who knew him only through a screen.

In the episode the glee club’s nemesis Sue Sylvester addresses the Finn memorial held on school grounds as a “self-serving spectacle of our sadness.” I immediately connected this phrase to attitudes of those who think it’s silly to mourn a celebrity to the degree the world took Monteith’s death.

The only way that I can think of justifying how I felt after the death of Monteith is the same way I justified how I felt when Aaliyah, Princess Diana or Heath Ledger died — I don’t justify it. I don’t sit at home wondering which deaths in Hollywood will hurt me the

most. It simply happens and either I feel sad or I don’t. My emotions are not tied to your scale of appropriate grieving that shows that only the most globally affecting tragedies are allowed to shake me.

There is no way that we can all move through life and not have some sort of tie to a celebrity. As long as we have music that we listen to, movies that we watch and politicians we support, these people that live on the side where the grass is rumored to be greener do have an impact on us.

We cannot start comparing deaths to each other because at the end of the day death is still death. What’s simply a news headline to me might be years of therapy for someone else. An emotional response is not something someone can choose to switch on and off. I’m tired of tragedies on social media becoming pissing contests for those who can’t take one freaking moment to put themselves in the other person’s shoes.

Glee as a show has its flaws but sometimes the ridiculousness of the program was enough to happily take me away from my own impending reality. Monteith was a part of that. When he tweeted about being in Saskatoon, I fangirled hard. When I saw that the last thing he ever tweeted about was Sharknado, I got teary-eyed.

I took it personal because it was personal.

Hearing the circumstances of his death wasn’t enough to shed me from the sadness.

The grieving of celebrity deaths is never done in vain. It is a worldwide broadcast that reminds you that his or her talents are gone.

Even if someone spends their life trying to be immortalized, no one lives forever.

This is how I feel and there’s nothing I can do to change it.

We’ve gotta keep religion and civic events separated MATTHEW CHILLIAK

The separation of church and state has become a contentious issue lately in Saskatoon, revolving around the degree to which our city officially recognizes and promotes religious messages and images.

Should governments officially promote religion in their daily messages and events, or should our political institutions be completely secular and remain religiously neutral?

At issue are two situations, one involving a Christian prayer said by a city councillor at an official city event and another involving the display of “Merry Christmas” on city operated public buses. Both situations have been debated in city council and presented to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.

While the SHRC has dismissed the complaint regarding the city’s “Merry Christmas” message on buses, they have listened to the issues about prayers at city events, recommending that the city has three options: say no to prayers, observe a moment of silence or include a non-religious prayer.

While there are many who believe that prayer and religion should remain in our political institutions, this is not the way forward in developing an inclusive and progressive society that encourages and accepts all people regardless of their religious affiliations. The separation of church and state is a fundamental premise of a free society.

Some — including Mayor Don Atchison — argue that Saskatoon is a city founded by Christian traditions and that removing these Christian traditions from our political institutions would be a restriction on the freedom of religion.

Atchison has suggested that to restrict official city events and messages from being religiously natured would be akin to the highly restrictive potential legislation in Quebec, which would ban individuals from wearing visible religious symbols while working in public government services. Like most things Atchison says, he is either intentionally misleading or carelessly uninformed in this comparison.

CODY SCHUMACHER/GRAPHICS EDITOR

The Quebec ban is one that would affect an individual who is not an elected official from exercising their freedom to exercise their religion. This situation is different from the situation here in Saskatoon in that ours is not one involving individual citizens and their rights but one where the political institution and its agents are making religious statements while officially representing the city.

No one is proposing or seeking a ban on an individual’s religious expression. Mayor Atchison and anyone who wishes to should be more than welcome to continue exercising their freedom of religious expression, so long as they aren’t acting in any official capacity for the city.

Hell, Atchison could buy every bus ad in the city with him dressed as Santa Claus saying “Merry Christmas” and that would be fine — so long as he does so as Atchison the citizen, not Atchison the mayor.

Much of the opposition to removing religion — especially the Christian religion — from our political institutions revolves around xenophobic

and outdated views on who is pushing for this change and what their motives are.

One only needs to scroll down an online comment section of any news piece on this subject to find expressions of immigrant bashing. “Go back home” and “Keep Sharia out of Saskatoon” are not uncommon statements to find when discussing this topic.

Another common line among those in favour of religion in political institutions is that if “we” (as in white Christians) were to ever go to where “they” (as in non-white immigrants) came from we would be expected to abide by the rules of that country.

Again, this fails in assuming that immigrants are those behind the push for greater separation of religion and political institutions. This argument usually is focused on countries which have significant influence of Islamic traditions, such as Saudi Arabia or Iran.

It is argued that since these countries may not be the most welcoming to Christian westerners, Canada should be just as unwelcoming back.

Ignoring the fact that many immigrants may be trying to escape the dogmatic religious theocracies they left behind. This type of thinking leads to a dash to the bottom for how our society treats minority immigrants.

I like to believe that we set the standards for how we behave higher than the worst practices out there. Instead of saying “look how bad it is over there; let’s copy that” we should be saying “look how bad it is over there; let’s be better.”

Atchison has claimed that he favours a prayer that includes everyone. How this inclusion would even be logistically possible is beyond reason.

While it may be better than merely rejecting all but a Christian prayer, to include everyone in prayer seems unlikely.

We live in a world where there are thousands of religions, and even more individual points of view on matters of spirituality. The notion of a non-religious prayer is in itself a confounding proposition. The very act of praying recognizes that there is a belief in a deity, which itself is something that not all believe in.

Would there be a religion roll-call to ensure that all in attendance are included in prayer?

Would there be an attendance threshold to be set which must be met to have one’s religion included? How would an atheist be included in such a prayer? Would prayers be allowed if they were from people whose religious views include discrimination and hate towards certain segments of the population? Would homophobes be allowed to pray the gay away at civic events?

These are all questions that would need to be addressed and which would probably lead to even more quarrelling.

We live in a multicultural Canada. We welcome people into Canada regardless of their religion, be it Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, Atheism, Agnosticism or the countless other religious points of view that exist.

In order to ensure that all feel welcomed and accepted (as they should) we need to ensure that our political institutions remain religiously neutral and do not endorse any specific religious viewpoint.

HUMOUR

17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com

15

Campus Chat Whatcha eatin’ there?

A goat cheese panini.

Lasagna.

Kianna Mofazzali

Old Dutch Popcorn Twists.

Thisa Phan

Saria Khalid

Apparently it’s gluten free pumpkin loaf.

Jared Beattie

Crossword

Fake News

Escaped turkey goes on a murderous rampage Tragedy struck the town of Yellow Grass, Sk. over the weekend when a wild turkey pecked to death a woman about to partake in a blind date over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Wilhelmina Jenson was set to meet her online boyfriend Marty Banger at Main Street Bar and Grill Sunday night, though she never showed up for the date.

Moments before arriving at her destination, a turkey from Paradise Leisure Farms attacked and pecked Jenson to death.

“I’d been talking to Willy for over three months now and I was excited to meet her in person. I heard people screaming outside, and by the time I got to Willy she was dead as a doornail,” Banger said. “Now I’ll never find true love.”

The turkey had been missing for two days prior to the attack. The whole town of Yellow

Grass had been searching for the bandit bird to no avail.

After wiping away his tears, Banger made it his Thanksgiving goal to find the murderous bird and kill the fowl beast.

After a short ride around town on his tandem bike with his buddy Rod, the pair found the bird pecking at two senior citizens who were moments away from succombing to a terrible fate.

“Luckily I carry a shotgun with me at all times,” Banger said. “Rod distracted it while I shot that bugger right through the heart.”

The town of Yellow Grass can relax now that this terrifying bird has been put to rest.

“I hope that Willy rests easy now that her killer is dead,” banger said. “It’ll make a mighty fine dinner in about four hours.”

VISIT THESHEAF.COM/CROSSWORD FOR WEEKLY ANSWERS.

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BACKPAGE

17 October, 2013 • thesheaf.com