The Sheaf - February 27, 2014

Move N Soar opens the first Antigravity studio in Saskatchewan.

CULTURE 9

THE sheaf

27 February, 2014 • The University of Saskatchewan student newspaper since 1912

U of S student receives provincial award for entrepreneurship.

NEWS 2

Huskies grapple their way to nine medals at Can West championships.

SPORTS 4

Homophobia in sports is alive and well even with more gay players.

OPINIONS 17

they’ll understand there are significant challenges with the med students’ schedules.”

FineDay said he feels the academic deans of the health sciences colleges are not aware of how much stress their students are under through the semester.

“I’ve had conversations with these students about this and they say, ‘Yeah, I’m stressed out. I’m in one of the busiest colleges and I need a break and my college isn’t recognizing that and that’s disappointing,’” FineDay said.

The College of Nursing was interested in giving their students a break in the fall but FineDay said it was unable to reorganize their schedule in time. Lois Berry, acting dean of the College of Nursing, said she was supportive of the idea.

“We’ve delayed implementation until 2015 simply so we can organize our clinical placements for students and we have to make sure we can still meet all of our required hours for these placements,” Berry said.

Adding a fall reading week was one of FineDay’s main campaign promises during the USSU elections in March 2013.

“Students asked for this,” FineDay said.

“This was one of my most well received campaign platforms. It’s great to see that I could come through on this.”

FineDay added that he sees having a fall semester reading week as something that is imperative to students’ mental health.

According to a report published by the Canadian Organization of University College Health in June 2013 almost 90 per cent of students surveyed said they felt overwhelmed at some point during the school year and nearly 10 per cent said they had serious suicidal thoughts.

“I think it’ll be helpful in terms of retaining students and improving their marks and giving them personal time. If that means reading or working, that’s great. But if they want to go skiing or go on a holiday, that’s up to them to decide what the needs for their mental health are,” FineDay said.

FineDay brought the prospect of a fall term reading week to the university administration soon after taking office in May 2013. Through meetings with the

university registrar, U of S President Ilene Busch-Vishniac and the academic deans of various colleges, FineDay was eventually able to convince university administration of the merit of having a fall term reading week.

In 2011, the U of S began giving students a “reading day” around the November long weekend. Russell Isinger, U of S registrar and director of student services, said having a week-long break in both semesters makes sense.

“Students are concerned about the workload they have and we agreed,” Isinger said.

Fall term reading weeks have begun to be implemented at universities across Canada.

Trent University has had a fall break since 1964. Brock, Western, McMaster and Carleton universities all added a fall term reading week in 2013. FineDay has worked closely with colleagues at the University of Alberta over the past year and said that they have also shown interest in adding a fall reading week.

Fall term reading week planned for next year

SCOTT DAVIDSON Associate News Editor Starting in the 2014–15 school year, most University of Saskatchewan students will be getting a fall term reading week.

The break will be based around the Remembrance Day long weekend and will cover Nov. 10–14 in 2014. To accommodate the schedule change, student orientation and the final exam period will each be one day shorter.

All colleges except medicine, dentistry, nursing and veterinary medicine will include the break in their schedules. U of S Students’ Union President Max FineDay said it is disappointing to see that he was unable to convince all colleges that having a fall term reading week is good for students.

“I had a lot of pushback from those academic deans. I had one dean tell me, ‘It’s a choice between students going skiing for a week or students learning to deal with heart attacks,’” FineDay said. “Hopefully, once they see the benefits in all the other colleges,

CODY SCHUMACHER/GRAPHICS EDITOR

2

NEWS

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Student takes provincial award for entrepreneurship

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: Naomi Zurevinski, arts@thesheaf.com Sports Editor: Kim Hartwig, sports@thesheaf.com

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Corrections • In our last issue, we mistyped a headline as “Standing up for relationship abuse” in place of “Standing up to relationship abuse.” We apologize for any confusion or insult this may have caused. The error has since been corrected online.

• In our last issue’s games and standings column, we incorrectly referred to the University of Alberta’s women’s basketball team as the Golden Bears when they are in fact the Pandas. We apologize for the error.

• If you find any mistakes in this week’s edition, please forward them to copy@thesheaf.com.

RAINER KOCSIS A student from the University of Saskatchewan has been named Saskatchewan’s 2014 Student Entrepreneur Provincial Champion by Enactus Canada — the country’s largest student leadership development organization.

Anastasia Szalasznyj, a fourth-year modern languages student, founded Winter Girl Boots and Accessories in 2013. Her vision was to design and produce a winter boot that was warm but also fashionable.

“Women have no good options for winter footwear. If boots are warm and grippy, they’re frumpy and if they’re stylish, they’re cold and without grip,” Szalasznyj said.

Szalasznyj was inspired to create Winter Girl Boots and Accessories after experiencing 20 cold and slippery Canadian winters.

“If you’re Canadian, you are familiar with one thing: winter,” she said. “I decided to turn winter into my business partner.”

Rather than complain about the cold weather, Szalasznyj saw an opportunity.

With help from mentors Melissa Strom and Tom Allen, Szalasznyj created the Canadian Girl company and set about designing a boot that is stylish, warmly lined and has deeply embedded grips. She found a manufacturer in China to produce the boots, which Szalasznyj describes as “fleecy warm to the soles, with your choice of bling, straps and buckles.”

The boots are made from synthetic leather and come in an array of styles and colors. Customers also have the option of buying detachable accessories that change the look of the boot.

Szalasznyj will showcase her business and personal accomplishments as an entrepreneur at the Enactus Regional Exposition in Calgary on Feb. 28, where she will compete against three other Student Entrepreneur Provincial Champions from Western Canada for the title of regional champion.

If she wins, Szalasznyj will move on to the 2014 Enactus Canada National

Exposition taking place April 28–30 in Calgary. The national champion will receive a $10,000 cash prize and take home the John Dobson Cup. “Receiving the 2014 Student Entrepreneur Championship for Saskatchewan is exciting, encouraging and humbling. It is exciting to win recognition from those who understand and excel in the business world. This recognition reinforces the worth of my business idea,” Szalasznyj said.

“It encourages me in my business venture which addresses a real need in women’s fashion and safety on ice and snow. It is also humbling because I am still a student and still have so much to learn from my fellow entrepreneurs.”

Although Szalasznyj is studying Spanish and Ukrainian, her minor is in entrepreneurship. Alongside over four years of working in a clothing store, these studies gave Szalasznyj the necessary

skills to start her own company.

Szalasznyj loves the challenge of being an entrepreneur, even while juggling many academic and extracurricular commitments.

“Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy, especially while you’re taking full time classes, but starting a business from the ground up is extremely rewarding,” Szalasznyj said. “A year ago, the idea of stylish boots that offered warmth and grip was just an idea in my head. Now it is a reality that is changing people’s lives.”

Szalasznyj always knew that she was going to be an entrepreneur. One of her favorite aspects of business is interacting with the media by giving interviews and developing her company’s online presence. So far, Winter Girl has received over 4,700 likes on Facebook since the end of November of 2013 when the business started up.

SUPPLIED

Anastasia Szalaszyj started her own company to fill a gap in the women’s footwear market where fashionable and practical shoes are sparse.

Refugee law reform begins with grassroots efforts CHELSEA MCMANUS The Fulcrum (University of Ottawa)

Selina elliot

Reading & Signing The Safano Dementia

UPCOMING EVENTS

©

Thursday, February 27, 7:00 pm



Sam mcKegney Launching Masculindians

Conversations about Indigenous Manhood

with guests Louise Bernice Halfe, Robert Alexander Innes, & Adrian Stimson Tuesday, March 4, 7:00 pm

sheaf feb 27, 2014.indd 1

OTTAWA (CUP) — Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, has been instrumental in exposing Canada’s human rights issues — especially his subjects of passion: refugee and immigrant law.

At an event held by the University of Ottawa’s Conflict Studies and Human Rights Students’ Association, Neve spoke about Canada’s policies and rhetoric around refugees.

Neve said the new Designated Countries of Origins list is just one example of “a new, punitive spirit that has seeped into Canadian refugee law.”

This is not just “a trivial bureaucratic matter,” he said. “As a claimant on that list, you will not be allowed to appeal a rejection of your claim. You will never have eligibility for medical and health services.”

In addition to the slashing of the refugee health care program and the mandatory detention with limited ability to seek release for refugees arriving by boat, all demonstrates that “more and more in Canadian refugee and immigration law, the Universal Declaration promise of equality in human rights protection is eroding,” he said.

Neve called Canadians to action, asking

2/19/2014 1:35:58 PM

JULIA RIDDLE/THE FULCRUM

Alex Neve (middle-left) has a passion for immigrant and refugee law.

them to commit to equality, tackle the rhetoric around refugees and put an end to refugee policy that rests on deterrence.

“People who have been displaced, people who are fleeing, people who are seeking a better life are far too often not considered to be free and equal and the governments and society far too readily denigrate their dignity and disregard their rights,” said Neve.

He highlighted his experience conducting research in refugee camps in South Sudan and the Ivory Coast, explaining how in many conflict zones, internally displaced people have become second-class citizens and the best interests of the refugees are not being taken into consideration.

“So much of refugee protection relies on policies and decisions that sideline and disempower refugees themselves,” he said.

According to Neve, students have both the power and the responsibility to take action in protecting refugees. He suggested the best way for students to get involved and take action is to volunteer.

“Volunteer at the women’s shelter down the street or a refugee camp across the world,” he said. “Anything makes a difference.”

Volunteer work provides experience with interpersonal relationships and understanding that students can’t always get from the classroom. Neve said this is necessary because “human rights, at its core, is about the heart.”

Neve’s career with Amnesty International began while studying at Dalhousie University, when he saw a poster for a meeting and was intrigued by the opportunity to take action and help make the world a better place.

He has been a member of the human rights group since the mid ‘80s and took the role of Secretary General in 2000.

Neve has taught law classes as well as authored reports and studies for Amnesty International, parliamentary committees and United Nations human rights bodies.

3 Space Team’s Mars rover a collaborative effort NEWS

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

ERIK LABINE

The challenges facing any prospective Mars colonists are hard to predict, but a team from the University of Saskatchewan is hoping to get a better idea.

The U of S Space Design Team has entered this year’s University Rover Challenge. Held in Hanksville, Utah from May 29–31, the competition has teams building remote-controlled rovers to face a variety of realistic tasks that Mars colonists might have a rover perform.

The rover must be capable of driving over the rough Utah terrain, collecting and delivering equipment as well as gathering surface samples.

USST President Justin Gerein said this may be the toughest year in the contest’s history.

“The fourth challenge is to perform equipment maintenance. This has included wiring or flipping switches in the past,

however this year they are making it more challenging and expecting participants to be able to put together PVC tubing,” Gerein said.

The rover operator will not be able to see the field during the contest, instead having to rely on the rover’s cameras and other sensors.

Adding to the difficulty, this is the USST’s first year participating in the competition. Gerein said many of the competing teams have entered several times already.

While other teams are also first­time entrants, the secretive nature of the contest is adding to the USST’s concerns.

“While we are on the same playing field as these teams, there is limited knowledge of their work,” Gerein said.

“We feel confident and are optimistic in our design. Of course we feel our rover will perform well ... The goal is first to have a rover that works reliably and can

USST

The person controlling the USST’s rover will rely on cameras and sensing devices to guide it.

complete all of the challenges without failure.”

The group’s other members come from many different colleges. Engineers, business students, computer scientists and biology majors can all be found rubbing shoulders at the team’s workspace in the Engineering Building.

An engineering student, Gerein said the shared interest in space science, the passion for working on cutting edge technology and the desire to perform well has brought together a team from a variety of disciplines.

“I would say the biggest challenge is not the diversity of team members, but that our team is composed of students. Ultimately, our studies and success in classes has to come before the competition.”

Physiology student Chit Singh said there is a lot of interdisciplinary collaboration involved in the USST’s projects despite the team being primarily composed of engineering and computer science students. The team also has geology, chemistry and toxicology students.

“Although most of its projects usually conform to the aforementioned disciplines, I think students of most colleges would be able to meaningfully participate in the USST,” Singh said.

Singh described his work with Alex Chen, a biology student and member of the USST, as being focused on infrared spectroscopy — a process normally restricted to laboratory conditions. The USST device will be far more compact and mobile than a typical spectropjometer and will be used to detect organic material.

Alex Chen said the USST’s biology crew has been able to apply their in-class skills while working on a compact way to identify life on other planets.

“It’s been a fantastic experience to sit down and finally apply knowledge gained in a real world environment,” Chen said.

USST

Members of the USST working on the rover.

However, Singh and Chen remain skeptical on the topic of colonizing Mars.

“This is a very long term goal and not something that is going to happen in the next decade. If we look at what we’ve done so far, we’ve barely broken the boundaries of Earth in terms of manned space flight.

People have lived on the [International Space Station] for months at a time but they’re never far from home, relative to Mars,” Chen said.

He added that in addition to problems of providing oxygen and growing food, the distance from Earth is an issue all on its own.

“For a person on the ISS, backup supplies are at most a few days away.

If anything happens to you on another planet, it would be months or even years before you would get help of any kind.”

Singh shares this view, saying that establishing a colony on Mars seems futile when explorations of the planet have only just begun — the unmanned rover Curiosity landed on the Red Planet only 18 months ago.

Both of the USST’s biologists seem confident about a future colony on Mars but remain focused on the nearest feat: the competition.

Complaint forces professor to remove dummies ANNA-LILJA DAWSON Senior News Editor

A complaint made to Edwards School of Business has led to a management and marketing professor having to take down his office decor of inflatable dummies and profanity-ridden inspirational posters.

David Williams said he was not surprised when he was asked to remove the dummies and posters from his office because Department Head John Rigby warned him a week beforehand that they needed be removed on the grounds that they are unprofessional and disrespectful.

The inflatable dummies Williams had in his office were his “executive team” that he would use to stand in for him while out for lunch. The posters were meant to be satire of motivational sayings.

“The allegation was that when students came in they would find it odd or disruptive, but nobody’s ever said anything,” Williams said.

For the time being Williams has removed the dummies from his office and

has replaced the posters with photos of Murray Edwards and print outs saying, “Image can not be found.”

“Hopefully that’s not too disruptive,” Williams said of his new posters.

Williams has filed a grievance with the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association and held an online petition to save his inspirational messages that garnered 29 supporters.

The issue could not be discussed in detail in order to protect faculty members’ privacy, said Barb Daigle, associate vicepresident human resources at the U of S. Daigle said when issues regarding harassment arise, the university works toward resolving the matters whether or not the complaint was formal or informal.

“I’m not really sure how this story sort of came to light but what I can tell you is the university has a commitment to providing work and learning environments that are positive, safe spaces free from any kind of discrimination or harassment,” she said.

Although the U of S values diversity, Daigle said it needs to be weighed against

David Williams in his office with his “executive team.” having safe environments on campus.

“I think of just how important it is to get the balance right: the balance

JORDAN DUMBA/ PHOTO EDITOR

of diversity of views and of having a positive and productive work and learning environments for people.”

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4

SPORTS

Canada West Standings Women’s Basketball

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

GP-W-L 22-20-2 22-20-2 22-17-5 22-13-9 22-12-10 22-6-16 22-6-16 22-5-17

Pacific Division 1. UFV 2. UBC 3. Victoria 4. Thompson Rivers 5. UNBC 6. Trinity Western 7. UBC Okanagan 8. Mount Royal

GP-W-L 22-17-5 22-16-6 22-15-7 22-13-9 22-6-16 22-5-17 22-3-19 22-2-20

*Top four teams from each division qualify for crossover playoffs

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

GP-W-L 22-20-2 22-15-7 22-15-7 22-14-8 22-7-15 22-6-16 22-6-16 22-5-17

Pacific Division 1. Victoria 2. UFV 3. Thompson Rivers 4. UBC 5. Trinity Western 6. Mount Royal 7. UNBC 8. UBC Okanagan

GP-W-L 22-19-3 22-17-5 22-13-9 22-11-11 22-10-12 22-9-13 22-5-17 22-4-18

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Nine Huskie wrestlers advance to nationals SCOTT DAVIDSON Associate News Editor

Despite disappointing finishes in the team standings, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies had nine wrestlers qualify for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship during the Canada West finals on Feb. 14 and 15.

The Canada West championship was hosted by the U of S in the Education gym.

In addition to the Huskies, teams from the University of Calgary, University of Alberta, University of Regina and University of Winnipeg also competed.

The tournament was contested in a dual format, meaning teams faced off directly against one another with one wrestler from each weight class going head-to-head.

Annie Monteith, Katie Dutchak, Drew Kuhn, Taylor Follensbee, Shane Johnson, Dylan Bray, Theo Dow, Malcolm Meekins and Andrew Johnson all recorded top three finishes in their divisions and were awarded berths in the CIS championship as a result.

Monteith grabbed the Huskies’ sole gold medal by staying perfect through four matches in the women’s 48-kilogram weight class. She was also awarded the women’s wrestler of the year award for her undefeated campaign this season.

“Annie stepped up this weekend and got a huge win,” said Daniel Olver, the Huskies wrestling interim head coach. “In my mind, she’s the athlete to beat.”

Dutchak, Follensbee, Bray, Dow and Shane Johnson claimed silver medals, while Kuhn, Meekins and Andrew Johnson took bronze.

In one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament, Bray fell to the University

JORDAN DUMBA/ PHOTO EDITOR

Huskie Shane Johnson advanced to nationals after taking silver in his division. of Alberta Golden Bears’ Dylan Williams in a battle of undefeated wrestlers. Bray nearly staged a late comeback but came up short and lost nine to four.

Olver said he was pleased with the performance of those who qualified for nationals.

“Qualifying was the goal I set — to qualify as many athletes as possible and we did that,” Olver said. “We got a lot of things to work on going into [nationals], but once you get there you have a shot at a national championship title and you got to go for it.”

The CIS championship will be held on Feb. 28 and Mar. 1 at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, N.B. In the team standings, the Huskies men

finished fifth and the women finished fourth. The men lost all four of their duals and the women’s sole victory came over the U of W. The U of A claimed first place in both divisions. The Golden Bears — the U of A men’s team — scored 45 points to take the title, beating the second place U of C Dinos by 15 points. The Huskies, who placed fifth, finished with 24 points.

On the women’s side, the U of A Pandas finished with 32 points, edging the U of C Dinos out by a single point to take the team title. The Huskies finished with 22 points.

Wrestlers take to the mat for the CIS championships on Feb. 28 and March 1.

*Top four teams from each division qualify for crossover playoffs

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

GP-W-L-OTL 28-20-5-3 28-18-4-6 28-20-6-2 28-17-7-4 28-11-13-4 28-12-14-7 28-7-16-5 28-7-18-3

*All eight teams advance to playoffs

Huskie Dylan Bray, wearing a mask to protect his broken nose, lost a tough dual to finish second in the 57-kg weight class.

956-7777

Upcoming Huskies Games Men’s Basketball • Feb. 28 in Edmonton at Canada West Final Four vs. University of Alberta Golden Bears at 8:00 p.m.

• March 1 in Edmonton at Canada West Final Four vs. TBD Women’s Basketball • Feb. 28 in Vancouver at Canada West quarter-final vs. University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at 7:00 p.m.

• March 1 in Vancouver at Canada West quarter-final vs. University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at 5:00 p.m.

• March 2 in Vancouver at Canada West quarter-final vs. University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at 2:00 p.m. (if needed)

FOR RESERVATIONS

Women’s Hockey Feb. 28 - March 2 at Canada West final vs. University of Regina Cougars vs. 7:00 p.m.

Track and Field • March 6 - 8 in Edmonton at Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships Wrestling • Feb. 28 - March 1 in Fredericton at Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships

JORDAN DUMBA/ PHOTO EDITOR

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27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

5

Canada wins double golds at Olympics AUSTIN ARVAY The 2014 Sochi Olympics turned out to be quite successful for the red and white.

Canada not only took home a total of 25 medals, including 10 gold, but both the men and women defended their hockey crowns.

The men’s team defeated Sweden 3-0 to win back-to-back gold medals for the first time in 60 years and the women’s team had a heart stopping 3-2 overtime win over the rival American team.

The women were the first to bring home the gold on Feb. 20.

Led by five-time Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser, Canada had an undefeated record going into the final against the United States. Women’s hockey has been in the Olympics since 1998 and this was the fourth time that that US and Canada have met for the gold.

The Americans had a 1-0 lead after two periods and looked poised to win their first gold since the 1998 games. Alexandra Carpenter would score just moments into the third period to make it 2-0 for the US. Time began to wind down on the Canadians and they couldn’t put anything past the American goalie.

With just over three minutes to go, Brianne Jenner threw one at the net and it deflected in off of an American player to cut the lead in half. With momentum on their side and the goalie pulled, MariePhilip Poulin answered Canada’s prayers and tied the game with only 56 seconds left.

The overtime was back and forth before Marie-Philip Poulin scored the golden goal for Canada. This shot extended the team’s win streak to 20 consecutive games at the Olympics, dating back to 2002. The Canadian women’s team has now won four straight gold medals at the Winter Olympics.

The men’s team turned in one of the most dominating tournaments on record.

Canada allowed only three goals in six games — a phenomenal defensive showing every single game that was capped off by a 3-0 rout of the Swedish team in the final.

The Canadian team started the

Team Canada celebrates after coming back from 0-2 down to defeat the Americans and win a fourth consecutive gold medal. tournament off with a 3-1 win over Norway, followed by a 6-0 victory over Austria. They had their first real test agaisnt a tough Finnish team and won 2-1 in overtime. In the medal round they had a surprisingly tough game against Latvia.

Canada outshot the Latvians 59-16 but escaped with just a 2-1 win. Latvian goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis made save after save against a talented Canadian team before Shea Weber scored the game winner late in the third period. He put on one of the greatest individual efforts ever seen in the Olympics by a goaltender.

Canada then went on to beat the Americans 1-0, the lone goal coming from

Jamie Benn booking their ticket to the final.

Jonathon Toews opened the scoring and Canada never looked back. Sidney Crosby had his best game of the tournament and scored the insurance goal to make it 2-0.

Chris Kunitz put the icing on the cake in the third period as Canada claimed gold again.

This is the second time the men’s team has won back-to-back gold medals, the first coming during the 1948 and 1952 games.

Goalkeeper Carey Price was spectacular over the course of the tournament, recording shutouts in the final two

THE sheaf

ANDY MIAH/FLICKR

games. For his efforts Price was named the tournaments top goaltender. Drew Doughty was unbelievable on defence and was the biggest offensive threat to the opposing team for the first three games.

He also made the tournament all-star team.

In the playoffs, all four of Canada’s lines were rolling and they got offensive and defensive contributions from everyone.

For the majority of all their games, Canada controlled the play and had teams hemmed into their own zone.

The women’s team will look for their fifth consecutive gold while the men will look to make it three in a row in 2018 in South Korea.

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6

SPORTS

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

U of S student headed to the Brier KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor

After being asked to join Steve Laycock and the rest of Team Saskatchewan, Edwards School of Business student Matt Lang is heading to the Brier. Lang will be the fifth man for the team as they compete against the best in Canada from March 1-9 in Kamloops, B.C. Lang competed with two of the other team members in junior curling. After his team lost in the provincial championships — the winner of which advances to the Brier — he was asked to be the fifth man for Team Saskatchewan.

The opportunity to attend one of the most esteemed curling competitions in the world isn’t something Lang is taking lightly. He’s been curling since he was seven years old and knows what a huge opportunity this is.

“This may be considered, other than the Olympics, the biggest curling competition in the world,” he said. “Going to the Brier, you want to be able to soak up the environment.”

Unlike many other curling tournaments — with few spectators and little media coverage — the Brier is one of the biggest sporting events in Canada, drawing thousands of fans and being broadcast across the country. This will be Lang’s first time competing in such a high-stakes event, which is something he plans on using as a learning experience.

“Just being there gives you that sense of what it’s going to take if I go back there in the future — what it takes to make these shots and win these things,” he said.

In order to prepare for these types of events, curlers put in a lot of work on and off the ice. The training teams go through has continually increased over the past years and now includes coaches, physical trainers, sports psychologists and nutritionists.

“You’re starting to see that a lot more with high performance teams. It’s more than just practicing and making your shots,” Lang said. “It’s how you’re

CANADIAN CURLING ASSOCIATION/FLICKR

U of S student Matt Lang (right) competes with fellow Team Saskatchewan members Colton Flasch (left) and Kirk Muyres (middle) at the 2011 Canadian Junior Curling Championships. going to make those shots — especially in high pressure situations like the Brier — how you’re going to deal with these environmental changes.”

Gone is the image of the out of shape, beer drinking curler.

“The misconception is the athletic demand that comes with curling,” Lang said. “Now you have to be physically active and balanced and strong to play this game.”

Lang also played hockey and football growing up but eventually gave them up to focus on curling — something his peers didn’t always understand.

“Growing up it wasn’t the easiest being a curler,” he said. “Kids are always wondering why you’re spending so much time curling. ‘Why aren’t you playing hockey? Why aren’t you spending more time playing football?’ When I’m 20, 30, 40 years old I know I can still be curling and going for these goals. I realized that it’s a sport you have the potential to play your whole life.”

Unlike other sports, curlers have the opportunity to create their own teams, something that can be good or bad.

“The toughest part is finding a team with the same commitment levels and the

same drive to succeed,” he said.

Lang’s determination and dedication to the sport has already gotten him far but he hopes to go even further in the future; he’s gunning to compete in — and win — the biggest events in the world.

“My long term goals always have been to make the Olympics and win the Olympics and to make the Brier, win the Brier and win the World Championships,” he said. “These are obviously very lofty goals but it’s been something that I’ve always aimed for since I started curling.”

Allies join together to support diversity in sport KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor

On Feb. 13, For Love and Sport was held in the Bowl to support diversity within sport. Huskie athletes and staff, professors, community representatives, members of the Indigenous students council and the Pride Centre were all present at the event.

“The reason why we felt this was very important for us to do was to showcase the fact that everyone should be able to play [sports] regardless of their sexual orientation or their gender identity in an environment that is free of discrimination,” said Pride Centre coordinator Jack Saddleback.

The Physical Activity Complex and Huskie athletics have been working with the Pride Centre to support diversity and promote an open and accepting sporting environment.

“We want folks to understand that when they come to the University of Saskatchewan that there is a place for them,” Saddleback said. “If they’re going to be playing sports we want to ensure that there is diversity within” the athletic community.

The event came on the heels of Huskies men’s hockey coach Dave Adolph being handed a two-game suspension for using a homophobic slur in an email. For Love and Sport had already been planned to coincide with the Olympics but took on stronger local relevance after Adolph’s suspension.

“It was an unfortunate event but this also

Members of the U of S community signed a banner to support diversity in sport.

lends itself to a good opportunity to continue our work and to showcase the fact that it’s still needed,” Saddleback said.

Following his suspension, Adolph addressed the discriminatory language that is has become ingrained in the sports vocabulary.

“The words that are often used in hockey, or in sports culture, need to change,” he said in a statement to the press.

Saddleback also sees a need for common motivational words and phrases to change their nature.

“There’s a lot of homophobic slurs tossed

ANNIE BATTISTE

about to ‘encourage’ folks to play harder and be that ultimate athlete when you don’t necessarily need to use discriminatory language to encourage,” he said. “Calling each other different types of slurs is wrong and we should lift each other up as opposed to bringing each other down.”

Along with the language, the stereotypical image of an athlete also serves to exclude those who fall outside of the norm. As more diverse athletes begin to emerge — such as NFL prospect Michael Sam and NBA player Jason Collins — Saddleback believes this image also begins to change.

“I think by them stepping out they are showcasing a real change in the sports landscape and that it is an accepting place,” Saddleback said. “For folks such as Jason Collins to come out … we’re shown that athletes are role models and Jason Collins is just another role model who happens to be gay.”

For Love and Sport follows in the footsteps of other efforts to make sports more inclusive and accepting which Saddleback thinks have been successful in meeting their goals. He hopes the current trend will continue and more athletes will not feel the need to hide who they are.

“I really attribute a lot of the campaigns that have been coming out recently such as the Athlete Ally campaign and the You Can Play campaign to encourage athletes to come out,” he said.

Saddleback is optimistic that the sports community will continue to become even more accepting of diversity. He sees education as fundamental to breaking down the barriers that exist and creating sustainable change within the sports landscape.

“Education is the first step that we need to take,” he said. “Educating each other on the fact that we’re all human, we all have a sexual orientation, we all have a gender identity, we all have a gender expression and we all have the right to be able to play in sport.”

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

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SPORTS

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Men’s basketball sets up clash against Golden Bears Women’s basketball to battle Thunderbirds

KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor

KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor

The Huskies men’s basketball team earned their spot in the Canada West final four after defeating the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack. The Dogs downed the WolfPack 82-68 on Feb. 21 and 8471 on Feb. 23 in the Physical Activity Complex to win series 2-0.

The next challenge for the Dogs will be the number one seed University of Alberta Golden Bears. The Golden Bears earned their spot by defeating the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 2-1 and as the highest ranked team in the tournament will host the final four.

The winner of the semi-final will advance to face either the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades or the University of Victoria Vikes in the Canada West final.

The Golden Bears are coming off an impressive 20-2 season which saw them finish first in the Prairie Division.

Finishing in second with a 15-7 record, the Dogs weren’t far behind — but they did drop two games against the Golden Bears on Feb. 14 and Feb. 15. The Huskies will have to bring their very best to the court if they want to defeat the Golden Bears for the first time this season.

Home court advantage should favour the Golden Bears, who are a perfect 12-0 at home. Hosting the final four should give the team even more incentive to make it to the final and the fans will no doubt be backing the home team. The Dogs have a winning record in away games but will nonetheless be walking into a hostile environment and facing one of the toughest teams in the country.

There isn’t much between the two teams over — the Huskies average just slightly more in overall points than the Golden

A spot in the Canada West semi-final is on the line when the Huskies meet the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Feb. 28 – March 2 in Vancouver, B.C. The two teams met once previously this season on Jan. 11, when the Dogs snuck out a 55-53 win.

The best-of-three series promises a competitive matchup between two top teams in the Canada West division, with the victor advancing to the final four.

It should be a battle right from tip-off as the teams are evenly matched. The Huskies ended the regular season third in the Prairie Division with a 17-5 record while the Thunderbirds finished second in the Pacific Division after going 16-6.

Hosting the Huskies at home will give the Thunderbirds a slight advantage as they are 9-2 on their own court — but the Huskies have a winning 7-5 record away. However, a vocal home crowd could give the Thunderbirds an edge. There’s no doubt that everyone in the gym will be pulling for the home team to advance to the semi-final.

The Huskies offence could trouble the

JOSH SCHAEFER PHOTOGRAPHY

Ben Baker has been a key player for the Huskies this season.

Bears — except when it comes to points allowed per game. The Golden Bears defence only surrenders 68 points per game while the Huskies have been slightly less effective, with their opponents netting 77. Whether the Huskies’ offence is able to consistently break through the Golden Bears’ defence will be the big question that could affect the outcome of the series.

Stephon Lamar and Dadrian Collins will look to lead the Dogs’ offence while Ben Baker and Matt Forbes will look to dominate off the boards. Jordan Baker will be the key player for the Golden Bears as he is the top scorer and rebounder for the team.

Tip off is at 8 p.m. on Feb. 28.

Huskies knocked out of playoffs by WolfPack KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor

The Huskies men’s volleyball team saw their playoff hopes dashed after losing a down-to-the-wire battle against the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack.

The teams faced off in a best-of-three quarter-final matchup in Kamloops, B.C. on February 13-15. The WolfPack squeaked by 2-1 and will face the University of Alberta Golden Bears in the Canada West semi-finals.

The WolfPack took the first match 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 30-28) on Thursday night to gain an early edge in the series.

After securing the first two sets without much trouble, the Dogs gave them a fight in the third. The Huskies jumped out to 13-8 but the WolfPack scored five straight points to tie the score. The teams battled back and forth with neither one able to gain a decisive lead.

ANDREW SNUCINS

The Huskies lost 2-3 to end their postseason,

The Huskies twice held set point at 2423 and 28-27, but the WolfPack were able to fight both off. After tying the score at 28 the WolfPack scored two straight points off a kill and a service ace to seal the match.

Fortunes were reversed the next night with the Dogs winning 3-0 (25-19, 28-26, 25-15) to even the series at 1-1.

The Huskies found themselves in a dogfight after winning the first set. The WolfPack led 17-13 until the Dogs went on a 6-1 run to edge ahead 24-23. The Dogs held two set points at 24-22 but weren’t able to convert on either.

Immediately after the Huskies had to fend off set points down 24-25 and 25-26 and were able to do so thanks to a Paul Thompson kill and a WolfPack error.

At 26-26 a Braden McLean kill gave the Huskies another chance to wrap up the second. A service ace from Emory Wells secured a 2-0 lead for the Dogs.

The Dogs had control of the third from beginning to end and closed out the match after taking the set 25-15.

The teams headed into a must-win match on even terms, but the WolfPack fought back from 1-2 down to win the match 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 16-25, 25-18, 22-20).

After splitting two close sets the Huskies were one set away from victory after winning the third 25-16 but the WolfPack came out strong and took control of the fourth set. With the match level at 2-2 the teams headed into a fifth set to decide who would move on to the semi-finals.

Each team dug in and fought for the win, trading set points along the way. The WolfPack were able to fall over the finish line after the Huskies committed two errors from 20-20.

The Huskies are set to host the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men’s volleyball championship in 2015, guaranteeing them a playoff berth.

Thunderbirds if the team is able to get an early lead. The Dogs are the fifth highest scoring team in the country, averaging 71.5 points per game while the Thunderbirds sit in tenth with 66.7.

In terms of shooting, the two teams are fairly even. Over the season the Huskies have netted 43.2 per cent of their field goal attempts while the Thunderbirds have been successful 41.6 per cent of the time. Another area where the Dogs will have a slight advantage is in the paint, with rebounds favouring the Huskies 41.5 per game to 37.2 for the Thunderbirds.

The Huskies’ lineup boasts the fourth highest scorer in the country in Dallas Emmerson, who averages 19 points a game. Emmerson is also incredibly tough off the boards, averaging just shy of 12 rebounds a game — the second highest in the country. The Huskies will also look to Kiera Lyons and Kabree Howard when the teams clash.

The top scorer for the Thunderbirds is Kris Young who cashes in 17 points a game. Harleen Sidhu is just behind Young, averaging 16 points per game. Sidhu and Young are also the top rebounders on the team, averaging nine and seven respectively.

Tipoff is at 7 p.m. on Friday, 5 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday if necessary.

Women’s hockey team punches championship ticket KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor

After a 2-1 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, the Huskies women’s hockey team will have a chance to play for the Canada West championship. The Huskies will host the best-of-three championship series on Feb. 28 - March 2 at Rutherford Rink.

Standing in the Huskies’ way will be the University of Regina Cougars, who upset the University of Alberta Pandas in the other semifinal. The winner will advance to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship held at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, N.B. during March 13-16.

Leading the head-to-head 3-1, the Dogs have gotten the better of the Cougars during the regular season. The Huskies should also be the more confident team, coming off five wins to finish the regular season while the Cougars ended with five losses.

Based on the regular season results, the Huskies are the favourites but the Cougars have already upset the number one ranked Pandas and will want to take home the title just as much as the Huskies.

Playing on familiar ice should favour the Dogs, who are 11-3 at home while the Cougars are 5-9 away. A boisterous home crowd could also help propel the Huskies to victory.

The Dogs have routinely had a higher scoring offence, averaging 2.5 goals per game while the Cougars net only 1.6. Defensively the Huskies have also been the stronger team, allowing

JOSH SCHAEFER PHOTOGRAPHY

The Huskies are hoping to make history.

only 1.6 goals against them per game while the Cougars surrender 2.2.

Boasting two of the top scorers in the league, Cami Wooster and Sara Greschner — who have scored 15 and 13 goals respectively — the Huskies will look to get on the board early. The goaltending duo of Karen Lefsrud and Cassidy Hendricks have been tough in net all year, turning away 93 per cent of shots and should be a frustrating obstacle for the Cougars’ offence.

The Cougars lineup does not have the same offensive firepower as the Huskies. Meghan Sherven is the team’s top scorer with six goals and the Cougars have only scored 46 points over the course of the season compared the Dogs’ 70.

In net the Cougars’ goaltenders Toni Ross and Jennifer Schmidt have been equally effective with a save percentage of 93.

If the Huskies are able to maintain their form, they could bring home the Canada West championship banner for the first time.

Puck drops at 7 p.m. on Feb. 28 and March 1 and, if necessary, March 2.

Men’s hockey stumbles against Thunderbirds KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor

The men’s hockey team will have a month to mull over their loss to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the quarter-final round of the Canada West championship.

The next time the Huskies take to the ice will be when they host the University Cup on March 20-23. As hosts, the Huskies are guaranteed a berth into the national championship.

The number three Huskies and number six Thunderbirds faced off at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon from Feb. 21-23 in a three game series. The Thunderbirds advanced 2-1 and will play the University of Alberta Golden Bears for a spot in the final.

The Huskies had won three out of the four games the two teams had played against each other this season, but it was the Thunderbirds who came to the ice with a purpose, taking the opening game 5-0.

After a scoreless first period the Thunderbirds were on the board at the end of the second period when Geordie Wudrick scored at 19:11. The Thunderbirds’ offence began to roll in the third

period with Wudrick scoring again less than a minute in. The Thunderbirds scored three more times in the period to cap off the 5-0 win.

The series was level at one apiece after the Dogs came back to win the next game 5-2, sending the series into a deciding third match.

The Huskies earned an early 2-0 lead with goals from Kendall McFaull and Craig McCallum. Each team scored twice in the second period, maintaining the Dogs’ two goal lead. Huskie Chad Suer tallied the final goal of the night to seal the 5-2 win.

With a 6-4 triumph on Sunday, the Thunderbirds booked their ticket into the semifinal.

The Huskies led 3-2 after the first period but the Thunderbirds took over the lead with two unanswered goals. The Thunderbirds extended their lead to 5-3 in the third but the Huskies pulled within one after a goal from Jesse Ross.

The Huskies wouldn’t come any closer and an insurance goal at 10:31 for the Thunderbirds cemented the victory.

The University Cup begins March 20 at the Credit Union Centre.

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Move N Soar takes fitness to a new level

Move N Soar’s Antigravity studio presents exciting fitness opportunities and programs.

NAOMI ZUREVINSKI Culture Editor Move N Soar is a fitness, dance and aerial arts studio that opened in September 2013 offering a variety of specialized fitness programs. Located in Market Mall, it is also the first Antigravity studio to open in Saskatchewan and the only place that offers Antigravity training in all of Canada.

“Antigravity is basically making yoga accessible to all. You use a hammock that stretches out to ten feet long. We have a big apparatus so we have 20 hammocks,” said co-owner Kelly Duncalfe-Baker.

The format allows people to go deeper into yoga poses and try things that they wouldn’t normally be capable of on land because the hammock fully supports your body weight.

Duncalfe-Baker first encountered Antigravity in Thailand while completing a month-long training course. Move N Soar offers Antigravity Restorative, which places the hammock one foot off the ground, and Antigravity Fundamentals, which has the hammock at hip-height. The hammock allows for simple inversions while incorporating elements of pilates, calisthenics and dance.

There are huge health benefits to Antigravity including core strength, increased muscular flexibility and the decompression of the spine because the hammock is there to support the movements and reduce impact.

“Doing sit-ups in a hammock when you’re teeter-tottering is unbelievably hard,” said Duncalfe-Baker.

Originally Antigravity was used by professional gymnasts but Move N Soar has made it accessible to everyone.

“A lot of people meet [Antigravity] with fear because of the thought of being off the ground. There are different levels for those people who are afraid of heights,” Duncalfe-Baker said.

In addition to fitness training, DuncalfeBaker received instruction as a dancer at La Danse School of Dance in Saskatoon.

She then attended the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for four years, the Alberta Ballet Company for two years, the Sheridan College of Performing Arts in Ontario and spent seven years dancing professionally on cruise ships.

After dancing professionally, DuncalfeBaker heard about Zumba and became a certified instructor. She was the first person to implement Zumba in the city.

Zumba is a dance-based fitness class that uses both music and movement inspired by various styles of Latin American dance.

SUPPLIED

“People didn’t have a clue what [Zumba] was,” Duncalfe-Baker said. “They were calling it Zamba, Zinga — no one could even pronounce it, and so I started doing free demos everywhere.”

“At the beginning everyone was like, ‘I don’t dance!’ so once we got over that stigma, the more people tried it, the more they came and it wasn’t just dancers.

It’s dance-based, but it’s more of a fun workout,” she said.

Duncalfe-Baker soon began teaching Zumba classes at Motion Fitness, the University of Saskatchewan, YMCA, YWCA and running her own classes as well.

After organizing a fitness business through rented space, Duncalfe-Baker decided that she wanted to have it all in one location. That’s when she was joined by partner Yuki Miyaoka Block and the two opened Move N Soar this past fall.

Duncalfe-Baker said her dance training has played a huge role in her career.

“Dance helps with my classes, it lets me do my own choreography for Zumba and it’s about performing too.”

Move N Soar offers different programs in Zumba, conditioning, yoga, Aerial Hoop, Aerial Silk and Booty Barre.

Alternate fitness like this makes certain art forms more focused and available to a wider audience.

“Aerial Silk uses 18 feet of material.

You learn conditioning, you learn to climb it,” Duncalfe-Baker said. “It’s basically taking Cirque du Soleil and making it accessible to everyone.”

Booty Barre is a standard ballet class with a modern twist for those who have always wanted to try other dance forms.

“It’s less disciplined than a traditional ballet class. The same moves are used to popular music with the addition of weights, resistance bands and balls,” Duncalfe-Baker said. “It’s very modern ballet.”

Move N Soar focuses on keeping their training and certification top-notch, often sending instructors to complete training outside of Canada.

“Between Yuki and I, we’ve trained in Canada, the USA, Australia, Thailand and in Europe. We’re always staying on top of fitness trends and always looking at new certifications,” Duncalfe-Baker said.

“Our training is very extensive and I think when you’re dealing with peoples’ bodies it should be.”

Visit Move N Soar in Market Mall at 2325 Preston Ave. South and check out movensoar.com or their Facebook page for more information on classes, scheduling and upcoming events.

CULTURE

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FEATURE

NEWS

Young adults perfect fit for neknominations ANNA-LILJA DAWSON Senior News Editor The tendency of young adults to feel invulnerable mixed with the power of social media has led to Neknominations taking the world by storm, leaving a few casualties in its wake.

Originating in Australia, neknominations started out as a seemingly harmless internet dare — downing a pint of beer in one go before challenging two friends to do the same within 24 hours, all while filming the feat then uploading it to the internet.

However, the challenge quickly escalated to nominees consuming greater amounts of alcohol or of greater potencies while partaking in increasingly dangerous behavior.

British media has attributed neknominations to the deaths of three young men in the United Kingdom — Isaac Richardson, Stephen Brooks and Bradley Eames — and two men from Ireland — Jonny Byrne and Ross Cummings.

All but Brooks, who was 29, were between the ages of 19 and 22.

Richardson collapsed at the hostel where he was working after drinking a lethal combination of whisky, vodka, wine and beer.

Brooks died in his sleep after drinking a pint of vodka while Eames was found dead four days after he drank two pints of tea infused gin.

Cummings’ roommates found him dead after a night of drinking where he had participated in a neknomination and Byrne drowned in a river after drinking a pint of beer and jumping off a bridge for his nomination.

Patti McDougall, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Saskatchewan said between late adolescence and mid-twenties young adults are in a phase of life where they often experience “perceptions of invulnerability” and lack concern for future outcomes. The two together make for what McDougall calls a “potent combination.”

However, McDougall said that research has shown that this age group is quite capable of appraising risk and it’s only when young adults find themselves among their peers or friends that their ability to properly judge situations decreases substantially.

“Feeling like you’re invulnerable, not caring about the consequences and putting someone in with a group of friends all of a sudden, you’ll set aside reason,” she said.

On top of these three factors, McDougall noted that alcohol and drugs immediately affect a person’s judgement.

Risky behaviour and drinking are nothing new, McDougall said. The new aspect to these activities is the way that people are posting them on the internet, often using social media, for all the world to see.

McDougall said opening up to the public creates an entirely new setting with neknominations where the act now transcends the privacy of being among close friends.

“What’s new for me is the profile increases and the danger increases alongside of that,” she said.

More often seeing men participate in neknominations, McDougall attributes this trend to males on average valuing dominance, being more competitive than females and having their social structures organized in a hierarchy from a very early age.

Impulsivity is another factor where McDougall said people acting on a whim are not thinking clearly and do not have a good sense of judgement.

On the other hand, females can be equally competitive but usually in other domains than men, McDougall said.

Second-year law student Meghan Vanderkuur said neknominations have been going around her peer group and that everyone — men and women alike — have been participating in a responsible manner.

“I think everyone kind of kept it under

control from what I saw. I think some people tried to make their videos a little unique but it never seemed like a real challenge in terms of outdrinking another person,” Vanderkuur said.

Vanderkuur did her neknomination with a friend — sitting on his shoulders drinking a beer.

She said having friends present made her more comfortable while doing the nomination.

Vanderkuur’s video is not widely available on the internet because she has restricted privacy settings on Facebook. She said she only did the

nomination because she was sure of being able to control who would see the video.

Carly Dineen, another law student, said her friends aren’t taking neknominations seriously and just use them for a good time. For Dineen’s nomination, she stood on a speaker and drank a beer.

“We aren’t taking the game seriously. Theres nothing on the line if you don’t one up someone or if you don’t participate at all,” Dineen said.

Although being in a group can be comforting,

McDougall said peer activities often influence what an individual will do — especially if they think it is normal.

“It’s a concern when we watch these kinds of things that are shocking because they’re so dangerous and so over the top; it’s a concern when we get desensitized. It’s just like watching violence on TV, right? If we get desensitized and then that can affect our own behaviour as well and that keeps escalating,” McDougall said.

STEPHANIE MAH

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27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

OPINIONS

Neknominations symbolize our collective stupidity TRAVIS HOMENUK Opinions Editor Just when you think our generation couldn’t get any more ridiculous, it does: cue neknominations.

I’ll be the party pooper and dump all over this internet craze if it gets people to stop participating in this foolish online drinking game that has already claimed the lives of five boys: Ross Cummins and Jonny Byrne of Ireland as well as Stephen Brooks, Bradley Eames and Isaac Richardson of the United Kingdom.

The popular drinking game apparently started in Australia and became notable through varying forms of social media in early January 2014. Over the last few weeks neknominations have infiltrated many Facebook newsfeeds in North America as the game gains more momentum.

This is how it works: one or more people will record themselves chugging some kind of alcoholic beverage — it started with beers in Australia — and at the end of the video the consumers nominate one or multiple people to continue this game.

In most cases, however, the game gets kicked up a notch by the new nominee. If the first person chugs one beer, the next might drink two beers or else the stakes get raised in some other way. Maybe the beer is consumed from an old shoe or it’s mixed with something gross.

I’ve watched videos of neknominations that have involved a plethora of different activities. Whether nominees chug obscene amounts of booze, drink blood, run around naked in the snow or jump off a bridge to impress their friends, there is apparently no limit to what a neknomination might constitute.

Congratulations everyone, we’re officially idiots.

Drinking games in general are stupid — there are really no ifs, ands, ors or buts about it. The idea behind most drinking games is to indulge until you’re wasted. It’s all about getting drunk and doing it fast.

I’d guess that many university students have participated in drinking games before, but the neknomination game surely takes the prize for being the dumbest one yet — especially because of the direct and indirect messages it perpetuates.

It seems that social media can be just as strong as advertisements in the sense that if one friend starts doing something, everyone else is bound to jump on the bandwagon at some point.

I’ve seen posts online from Facebook stating that they won’t shut down neknominations because these videos are not seen as content that is directly harmful. Meanwhile, Facebook’s definition of harmful can be summarized as something that directly inflicts emotional distress on a specific, private individual.

Angry parents who’ve come home to see their children passed out from participating have been quick to argue that nominating someone is certainly a form of bullying. It’s a dare and dares can easily be considered bullying if the circumstances fit.

It might be a weak argument to say that nominating someone to chug a beer is bullying but there is still an argument there to be made.

Bullying is often described as using superior strength or influence to intimidate someone, typically to force another person to do what the bully wants. So really, neknominating someone is a means of bullying them into drinking alcohol, more often than not in dangerous amounts or under unsafe circumstances.

In one instance, Keiren Hunter’s mother came home to find him passed out on the couch covered in his own vomit after drinking a large

amount of assorted alcoholic beverages. She later posted a picture of Hunter on Facebook as a way to raise awareness over this terrible activity.

I’m reminded of Jeane Kilbourne’s Killing Us Softly series of films on the way through which media presents female bodies in advertisements and other platforms. While Kilbourne’s focus is primarily on the female body, more and more gender and feminist critics are analyzing masculinity in the same way. Interestingly enough, many of the outlandish participants for neknominations are males.

Since boys and men easily make up the bulk of the most obscene neknominees, what does this say about masculinity in our culture as perpetuated through social media?

Is the neknomination craze really just a game, or is it a way for people — men and women alike — to prove their worth to their peers through this bullying tactic that is supposed to be funny?

If we rely on gender theorists such as Judith Butler, Eve Sedgwick or Michael Kimmel, and accept the idea that gender is a performance — that it is something socially constructed and enacted time and time again — it becomes relatable to look at neknominations as a means for individuals to participate in the hegemonic discourses of their age and gender demographics. In this case, that discourse relies heavily on binge drinking.

If males continuously neknominate other males, consuming alcohol and video taping it becomes something that is associated with being a man — or at least as something that is involved with the masculine culture.

In Michael Kimmel’s critical essay, “Masculinity as Homophobia: Fear, Shame, and Silence in the Construction of Gender Identity,” he states, “Manhood is neither static nor timeless; it is historical. Manhood is not the manifestation of an inner essence; it is socially constructed.”

If nominating someone to drink gives the nominee some kind of social standing within a masculine culture because they’ve been essentially bullied into completing the task, what then happens to those who fail? In this context, there actually is no form of acceptable failure. Apparently, participants either complete the task, pass out, get sick or, sadly, die trying.

Michael Kimmel states that “[men] are under the constant careful scrutiny of other men …

Manhood is demonstrated for other men’s approval.” So really, the male participants in neknominations are doing so to impress other men — and perhaps to impress themselves along the way.

Women participating might be doing so under a male gaze. At least, I haven’t come across many neknominations of females nominating other females under such extreme conditions as seen between men, but perhaps I haven’t watched enough videos. These neknominations produce a culture that is hyper-masculine as defined by binge drinking and careless stunts.

After all, the reported deaths have all been males.

My fear with respect to neknominations is that others will continue to die because of the pressure to perform the task as nominated.

Don’t be a victim of this form of bullying, nor a perpetrator of it. Proving your worth doesn’t ever need to come from polishing off a bottle of booze or conducting a dangerous activity.

I hope this craze disappears in due time, especially because it’s so harmful on emotional, physical and psychological levels to everyone.

We are failing ourselves as men and women if we continue to support such alarming and potentially dangerous behaviors on social media.

U N I V E R S I T Y O F S A S K ATC H E WA N

C A MP US BO O KSTO R E

FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 8 We’re doing some spring cleaning.

Get great deals at the main bookstore while they last. Sale items include a selection of general reference books, textbooks and new titles.

usask.ca/bookstore

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CULTURE

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

A Tribe Called Red gives voice to culture NAOMI ZUREVINSKI Culture Editor

It’s been an eventful year for Ottawa-based trio A Tribe Called Red. After releasing their latest album Nation II Nation this past May, the band began an international tour that carried over into 2014 which included a stop in Saskatoon on Feb. 19.

“Saskatoon is a regular stop of ours; we have a lot of fans here,” said Bear Witness, one of the three members of A Tribe Called Red. The group formed after the three DJs hosted a monthly nightclub together, the Electric Pow Wow in Ottawa. They realized they had something different to offer and eventually created the band. Witness is one of the three founding members, joined by DJ Shub and DJ NDN. “There’s three of us in the group, so the influences are a wide range of stuff. We all bring something and I think that’s what makes the group so strong,” Witness said.

A Tribe Called Red mixes traditional powwow and dance music to produce an incredibly unique sound. The group has also added some new elements — including hoop dancers — into their performance for the tour.

The release of Nation II Nation marked a change in music for the artists as well.

“The first album was really more of a compilation of songs that we put out over a period of two years,” Witness said.

“With Nation II Nation we sat down with the intent of making an album over a few months.”

The band signed on with record label Tribal Spirits to produce Nation II Nation and the company encouraged them to remix anything from its existing catalogue.

“It made a difference working with this

DJ NDN, DJ Shub and Bear Witness of A Tribe Called Red mix powwow and dance music. collection of recorded music already,” Witness said.

Beyond music, A Tribe Called Red offers stimulating performances for their fans.

“We operate a little differently than a lot of DJs,” Witness said. “With us, it’s three DJs and we all play at the same time. We operate more like a band, passing the mix back and forth quickly and cutting on top of each other.”

Witness also emphasized the important role the crowd plays in translating their music into a show.

“The energy we have on the stage is really reflecting the energy of the crowd.”

A Tribe Called Red received five nominations and four awards this past year at the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards. The response from the community

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has been both substantial and inspiring for the group.

“It’s been amazing to watch how our music has been owned by the Indigenous community really quickly. If we weren’t getting that support from our home community then we wouldn’t be able to take our music across the world, ” Witness said.

“Watching that happen so rapidly in the Indigenous community makes us see that there is a real want for this, a real need for this and we’ve created something to represent them and they’ve accepted that.”

While their music incorporates traditional Indigenous elements, A Tribe Called Red has been able to expand to other audiences as well.

“What came as an even bigger surprise to us was to watch non-Indigenous people

come and enjoy what we were doing with powwow music, because that wasn’t something that we expected at all,” Witness said. “It’s been amazing to watch.”

The group toured across North America and parts of Europe last year, and has plans to continue touring the globe with Nation II Nation.

“When we first went over [to Europe] we questioned it and asked ourselves why we were doing it. We were at the airport having this conversation and we started getting tweets and messages from fans who were saying, ‘Alright guys, go over there and show them who we are,’” Witness said.

“It’s this idea that they were looking at us as ambassadors for who we are as Indigenous people.”

A Tribe Called Red has opened doors for cultural expression but the biggest part of this tour has been just putting the sound out to the public. Witness offered some advice to other aspiring Indigenous artists looking to break into the spotlight.

“Just go out and do it. Actual inspiration is only a small part of it. Talent again, small part of it,” Witness said. “But the biggest thing you can do as an artist is just getting out in the world and putting your 100 per cent into it.”

The band has started working on their third album and will continue to do so while they tour this year. A Tribe Called Red has already experienced enormous success, but Witness makes sure to stay grounded.

“There’s so much happening right now and there’s not a lot of time to stop and think about it,” Witness said. “Things are getting bigger and bigger, but you still just take it one day at a time.”

Visit atribecalledred.com for information on the band, tour dates and a free download of their first album.

CULTURE

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

13

Circling identity in Saskatoon Girls BRADEN HURSH

Saskatoon author Michael Cuthbertson’s first novel Saskatoon Girls is a coming-ofage story about growing up and self-identity, taking the reader on a journey through maturity and the search for a perfect partner.

Jake Patterson, the protagonist, walks through early adulthood trying to find the ideal girl. Set largely in Saskatoon and briefly in Nelson, B.C. Saskatoon Girls proves that love cannot be forced and does not necessarily make sense.

“Usually it took me two minutes to fall madly in love with any nice, cute-faced girl I met,” Patterson claims early into the novel.

Throughout the book, the main character proves his own words true by dropping headover-heels five times — and failing in each endeavour.

For Saskatoon readers, the setting of the novel can be quite humorous as Cuthbertson substitutes the real names of bars, restaurants and stores the main character frequents for fictional ones.

Watching bands play at “Hermano’s Pub,” buying drugs in the three-level bar called “Bianca’s” on Broadway and working at a massive two-level bookstore on Eighth Street called “Pennworthy’s Bookstore” strongly resemble Amigo’s, Lydia’s, and McNally Robinson in Saskatoon. I even attended the same Mother Mother concert in 2011 at The Odeon as the main character and bartend at the same Irish pub he drank at beforehand.

It’s safe to say that “Jake Patterson” is a pseudonym for the author, Cuthbertson.

Being both the author and main character

of a story is an interesting challenge as the narration can become far too focused at times on the author himself.

The main character, who narrates in the first-person, is honest with both himself and the reader regarding what he truly thinks and desires in a partner. The main character’s “dream girl” is described in the smallest detail –– whether it’s personality, attitude, appearance, style, bra-size or simply “tapability.” The fact that the “dream girl” cannot exist does not seem to creep into the narrator’s thoughts.

The problems faced by Jake Patterson in Saskatoon Girls are entirely of his own making: getting kicked out of his house due to drug abuse, losing a great woman by cheating on her, falling in love with any girl who is nice to him and trying to live a life based on 1960s hippy ideals that lead him right back to his parent’s basement.

Nearly every page of the novel includes either “I smoked a joint,” “I smoked another cigarette” or “then I got loaded.”

It is incredibly difficult to sympathize with a character of such extreme privilege that continuously screws himself over. If this is meant to be a coming-of-age story than the main character should have actually learned something, but Jake Patterson does not change at all.

Saskatoon Girls was self-published by Cuthbertson and the finished product of the novel is quite physically beautiful, with cover illustrations done by Yonina Rollack.

Self-publishing a novel is an extremely brave endeavour and imaginably there must be extreme difficulties that come along with

Michael Cuthbertson self-published his first novel Saskatoon Girls. it. Yet one cannot help but feel that this novel may have been rushed to the press before a final edit, as there are spelling and punctuation errors interspersed throughout the story as a whole.

Perhaps the most obvious error occurs when a female character says, “Miiike, I have a boyfriend,” to the main character. The author’s name is Mike, but the protagonist’s name is supposed to be Jake, which reflects the semi-autobiographical tone of the novel overall.

Saskatoon Girls is a novel about

ANDREW MARESCHAL

an intelligent university student who continuously repeats the same mistakes. The greatest strength of the novel is undoubtedly the character dialogue, which makes the reader feel like they are sitting in on a real conversation.

The downfall of this story lies in the repetition of similar events that become exhausting at times. Although repetition is arguably common in a life that has become an endless cycle of work, smoke, drink, mope and sleep.

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CULTURE

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Fifty Shades of the Blues MADISON TAYLOR

The annual Saskatoon Blues Festival invites you to take a step back in time to the golden age of urban blues. From Feb. 24 – March 2 seasoned blues veterans and rookies alike can enjoy the smooth, finger-snapping tunes of artists from across the globe, courtesy of the Saskatoon Blues Society.

The kickoff for this fabulous seven day event took place on Feb. 24 at Bud’s on Broadway. Studebaker John and his effortlessly cool crew shook the floorboards of the smoky bar room with an electric sequence of slide-guitar riffs, vibrant harmonica accents and raw vocals.

Studebaker’s performance captured the soul of his blues-fed Chicago roots, delivering the same energetic sound he has been known for since his debut as Studebaker John and the Hawks in the 70s.

Despite the fact that the show took place on a Monday evening, the band’s catchy rhythm demanded countless rounds of swing dancing — and even more rounds of beer. The crowd-pleasing success of Studebaker’s show bodes well for the remainder of the festival, which will continue to paint the town blue into early March.

The annual festival is coming to a venue near you, hosting a new event almost daily this week at locations throughout our fine city.

1O’Brians Event Centre and the Park Town Hotel will be showcasing the performances of the 14 remaining main acts, including the likes of the Blue Mules, Omar & the Howlers, Kat Danser, the Neil

Roston Trio, Michael Jerome Browne, the Silver Screen Scoundrels and Carolyn Wonderland.

These artists represent everything along the spectrum of blues from the soulful to the guttural, dishing out beats that are sure to have their audiences swaying and waving their lighters on the dance floor.

Founded in 2001, the Saskatoon Blues Society was created with a dream in mind — to spread the love of the blues across Saskatchewan and Canada as a whole.

Over the past decade the success of their annual festival has grown immensely, quickly becoming an important fixture in the artistic community. Due to the efforts of local businesses, both aspiring musicians and avid fans are able to move and groove with the brightest stars of the Canadian blues scene.

The Blues Society also offers workshops and camps to Saskatoon’s elementary and high school students in an effort to teach them more about the music they are so passionate about.

Performances and lessons are both available in these seminars, giving students the opportunity to learn about the history of the genre or even try their hand at certain instruments, like bass guitar.

Delivering the rockin’ blues to the people of Saskatoon for over ten years now, the Saskatoon Blues Festival is a colourful and valuable addition to the cultural and artistic scene of the city. Even if you don’t consider yourself a die-hard blues fan, it is worth the price of admission to experience the genre that inspired such contemporary bands as the Black Keys and the White Stripes.

Love Death Immortality displays a group determined to make some of the freshest electronic soundscapes to date.

For their second major release, The Glitch Mob moved away from the more subdued movements that went with their 2010 release Drink the Sea. There have been a handful of singles and EPs floating around since then, but fans have been craving a new full-length album.

While they don’t have to wait any longer, expectations should be tapered accordingly. With this second LP The Glitch Mob shows a desire for that same epic sensation with a different style.

Love Death Immortality is ramped up to an exciting degree right from the very beginning with “Mind of a Beast.” The

song kicks off with a synthesizer humm that is catchier than most songs on the radio. Orchestrated chaos drapes over the track as the synthesizers and drums swirl and intertwine in so many unique ways it’s nearly overwhelming.

The following song “Our Demons” presents a more pop influenced sound with guest vocalist Aja Volkman — also featured on “I Need My Memory Back” — adding her intense and emotional vocals to an already stunning track.

By this far in it’s clear that The Glitch Mob wants you to forget all about dubstep.

There’s no wobble bass here, but the drops into sheer electronic bliss filled with live instrumentation is enough to make any fan of electronic music fall to their knees in ecstasy.

What further cements this style is the

The Glitch Mob provides fans with a new electronic sound.

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Thursday Feb. 27

• Flat Black Plastic at Amigos • Goo Goo Dolls with Autumns Cannon at Credit Union Centre • Latin Dance Night at Louis’ • Morgan Davis with Kat Danser at Park Town Hotel • Omar and the Howlers with The Blues Mules at O’Brians Event Centre • Solids with Pandas in Japan at Vangelis

Friday Feb. 28 LINAS ABUKAUSKAS

Studebaker John opened this year’s Blues Festival on Monday night.

If kicking back in the company of good people and even better music seems like a chill way to spend an evening, be sure to check out one of the upcoming shows in the festival’s electrifying lineup.

Tickets for the Saskatoon Blues Festival can be purchased at Long & McQuade, McNally Robinson, St. John’s Music, Cherry Insurance or online at saskatoonbluessociety.ca. Main stage tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door.

Frantic beauty on The Glitch Mob’s latest NICHOLAS KINDRACHUK

Upcoming Events

mayhem of the third track, “Skullclub.’’

Once it lets loose its deep synthesizer hook with a robotic voice saying, “We are the wild ones,” prepare to lose yourself to beats and synths that are too infectious for their own good.

However, this new release also presents an issue for fans of Drink the Sea. While The Glitch Mob’s last album had a distinct feeling of electronic and hip-hop influences, Love Death Immortality has all but abandoned that sound. The group is reaching for a far more straightforward style of electronic music — one that is clearly meant to be played with the volume turned to 11 at clubs around the world.

This evolution is a disappointment in some ways, but if you can look away from their past releases and accept their aim with this LP it’s hard not to enjoy hearing them outshine almost every other producer in their genre.

Another important aspect that Love Death Immortality does take from Drink the Sea is an incredible attention to detail. No matter what sound The Glitch Mob strives for, an absorbing landscape of drums, synthesizers and vocals will always be present.

“Skytoucher” is a perfect example of the symphony of sounds that The Glitch Mob are tackling. Beginning with sweat inducing pounding drums and stomping into thumping synthesizers, everything explodes into a synthetic bliss with the drums and keys coming together in low tones that are simply divine.

With an incredible ability to match their detailed production to a club influenced style, Love Death Immortality proves once more why The Glitch Mob is one of the most exciting hybrids in the electronic music scene.

• Friends of Foes with Silent Sea at Amigos • Lucky Pederson, Tommy Castro and the Painkillers with Neil Roston Trio at O’Brians Event Centre • Vocal Jazz Series: Broadway Unplugged at The Bassment • Wearable Art Exhibit at the Saskatchewan Craft Council (first day)

Saturday March 1

• Fast Eddie’s Blues Jam at Vangelis • Fruteland Jackson with The Silver Screen Scoundrels at Park Town Hotel • Piano Series David Braid’s Octagon Chamber at The Bassment • Puttin’ On The Foil at Rock Bottom • Rah Rah with Foam Lake and Sydney York at Amigos • The Twisters with Carolyn Wonderland at O’Brians Event Centre

Sunday March 2

• Pack A.D. with Pandas in Japan at Amigos

Monday March 3

• Brent Butt at TCU Place • Tebey with Mackenzie Porter at Louis’

Tuesday March 4

• Annual Dave DeBrou Lecture in History at Frances Morrison Library • Old Man Luedecke with Jordie Lane at The Bassment • Toonie Tuesdays at Louis’

Wednesday March 5

• Reunir featuring Circle of Voices at Studio 914

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27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Personal Credits Notice

If you received a Common Experience Payment, you could get $3,000 in Personal Credits for educational programs and services.

The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.

The healing continues.

Since 2007, almost 80,000 former students have received a Common Experience Payment (“CEP”) as part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. CEP recipients are now eligible to receive non-cash Personal Credits of up to $3,000, for either themselves or certain family members, for educational programs and services.

What are Personal Credits? Personal Credits may be used for a wide range of educational programs and services, including those provided by universities, colleges, trade or training schools, Indigenous Institutions of Higher Learning, or which relate to literacy or trades, as well as programs and services related to Aboriginal identities, histories, cultures or languages.

the terms and conditions. Personal Credits of multiple CEP recipients can be combined to support a group learning activity.

How can I get Personal Credits? Each CEP recipient will be mailed an Acknowledgement Form. If you do not receive an Acknowledgement Form by the end of January 2014, please call 1-866-343-1858. Completed Acknowledgement Forms should be returned as soon as possible and must be postmarked no later than October 31, 2014.

How do I redeem my Personal Credits? Once approved, you will be sent a personalized Redemption Form for each individual using Personal Credits at each educational entity or group. Once the How much are Personal Credits?

Form is received, provide it to the Adequate funds are available for each CEP recipients have the option of educational entity or group listed.

CEP recipient to receive up to $3,000 sharing their Personal Credits with The educational entity or group must in Personal Credits, depending on certain family members, such as: then complete and mail back the your approved educational expenses.

Redemption Form postmarked no • Spouses • Children Which educational entities and later than December 1, 2014.

• Grandchildren • Siblings groups are included? A list of What happens to unused Personal approved educational entities and groups has been jointly developed by Canada, the Credits? The value of unused Personal Credits will Assembly of First Nations and Inuit representatives. If be transferred to the National Indian Brotherhood an educational entity or group is not on the list, please Trust Fund and Inuvialuit Education Foundation for educational programs. consult the website for more information.

Will I receive a cheque? No. Cheques will be issued directly to the educational entity or group providing the service.

Who can use Personal Credits? CEP recipients can use the full amount themselves or give part or all of their Personal Credits to certain family members such as a spouse, child, grandchild or sibling, as defined in

For more information, including how Personal Credits can be redeemed by certain family members of CEP recipients that are deceased, visit www.residentialschoolsettlement.ca or call 1-866-343-1858.

The IRS Crisis Line (1-866-925-4419) provides immediate and culturally appropriate counselling support to former students who are experiencing distress.

1-866-343-1858 • www.residentialschoolsettlement.ca

16

OPINIONS

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Let’s talk about mental health TAB RAHMAN Copy Editor

Mental illness affects about 20 per cent of Canadians at some point in their lifetime.

Even though the dialogue about mental health has certainly gotten better, there is still a lot of work to be done in regards to the stigma surrounding it.

27 per cent of Canadians surveyed admitted to being fearful of people who suffer from severe mental illness, according to the Canadian Medical Association. 58 per cent also admitted that they would rather not have to deal with anyone with any sort of mental illness if at all possible.

With statistics like these, it is no wonder that people are still reluctant to admit to having any sort of mental disorder. As a result, many of these people suffer from their mental disorders in silence.

This likely leads to the fact that one in five people suffering from mental illness don’t actually get the help they need, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. This is very unfortunate as the CMHA also says that 80 per cent of people that get help for their mental illness are able to get back to regular activities in their lives.

Why am I spewing all of these statistics at you? Because students are the most likely group to deal with mental illnesses in silence.

Statistics Canada says that teenagers and young adults ages 15-24 experience the highest frequency of mental health disorders in Canada and most of them go undiagnosed.

One in four young adults ages 18-24 suffer from mental illness. This means of the 21,000 students studying on the U of S campus, over 5,000 of us are statistically likely to be dealing with some sort of mental disorder.

I am one of those people. I have been

diagnosed with depression and an anxiety disorder this past year, but my doctor told me that I have probably been dealing with this since I was 16 years old. Only after half a decade of suffering in silence and thinking that I could push through all of this have I been able get the professional help I’ve always needed.

There are days where I physically cannot get out of bed. My joints hurt, my body aches, my mind doesn’t work and there is no willpower for me to do anything. My mind tells me that there is no point in leaving my bed because I am not smart enough or talented enough to achieve anything.

Then the anxiety kicks in. What if I go outside and a car runs over me? Or I make it to my class but screw up my assignment?

Weeks worth of hard work down the drain. Or what if I accidentally got one question wrong on my French exam? There goes my grade for the semester.

These sound like minor worries to most people — things that type A people worry about and are not likely to happen — but to my brain these are as likely to occur as the earth going around the sun. These examples may as well be a sure thing if I get out of bed — and I’m not even that type A personality!

I grew up within the context of a very traditional South Asian family. To them, there was no such thing as mental illness. If you couldn’t get out of bed, that was laziness. If you were worried about not succeeding on that exam, you didn’t study hard enough.

Medication for depression was a definite nono, as you could “get addicted” and “not be normal without them.”

I essentially had to choose between taking care of my mental health and my family — and I am not the first, nor the last person to do so. I am writing this article not because I

feel like my story is unique, or even important in the grand scheme of things, but because I feel as if discussing personal experiences in regards to mental illness is a vital thing to do.

People should no longer have to deal with their mental illnesses in silence, feel ashamed or think that they are broken.

Because 24 per cent of youth die as a result of suicide, we should all try to understand the severity of mental illnesses. This number is a sad statistic that needs to be changed, and being empathetic towards people that deal with mental

How’s your mental health?

illnesses is a strong first step toward changing it.

Our campus has a very capable counseling center located on the third floor of Place Riel, people that were trained to help deal with these situations. In addition, there are many resources on the CMHA website helping with understanding, coping and helping others deal with mental illness. Don’t be afraid to start a discussion or seek help if you feel you need it.

SANDER VAN DER WEL

The roots of Euromaidan are beyond politics ELLIOT CHO

The Euromaidan protests in Ukraine are not simply a conflict of interest between the people and the regime; they are a people struggle for dignity.

I am not Ukrainian, but over the years I have developed a great interest in the Ukraine’s history and politics. Though I have many reasons on why I have become so interested in Ukraine, one of my major motivations is the history of imperialism that has sucked the blood out of the country for centuries.

This is nothing strange for me as I am a person who grew up in South Korea hearing the stories of my forefathers and mothers suffering the same consequences as those in Ukraine.

Right now there is an ongoing democratization movement referred to as Euromaidan in Ukraine. The movement began during last November when Ukraine’s president, Viktor Yanukovych, announced that he would not sign a free trade agreement with the European Union.

He and his associates would rather take a deal from Russia which promised them

Protestors in Ukraine speak out against the country’s current leadership.

BLU-NEWS.ORG

cheaper gas prices and easy money in the sum of a C$15 billion dollar loan.

What the people of Ukraine wanted to see was for Yanukovych to sign the agreement with the EU because it would create positive changes within Ukraine. It would have brought on good governance, fair market practices, social justice and democracy for the country’s people.

Many Ukrainians likewise wanted to see former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko released from prison because she was sentenced without having a fair trial.

To understand why Ukrainians are so upset about their government, it is important to go over how the country’s history has led to the current protests.

Since their independence from the former Soviet Union, Ukrainian society has been dominated by oligarchs — uber-rich individuals who made enormous profit by becoming private owners of state-owned corporations after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union.

In contemporary Ukraine, these oligarchs own everything from factories, businesses and even news media. Worse yet, they have a tendency to support politicians who would maintain the status quo.

The oligarchs want presidents like Viktor Yanukovych. As a politician Yanukovych has a long history of doing things that are far from democratic. In 2004, Yanukovych and his supporters tried to win the election by cheating — even stooping as low as dropping acid into ballot boxes.

Oddly enough, Yanukovych somehow managed to win the presidential election in 2010. But rather than keeping his

promise to fight corruption with cruelty he himself has been the beneficiary of the corrupted system still in place in Ukraine.

According to der Spiegel, a German newsource, Yanukovych used “a circuitous route involving companies in Vienna and London” to become a private owner of “Mezhgorye” — the luxury estate that used to be state property.

Furthermore, his son, a trained dentist, became one of the wealthiest businessmen in eastern Ukraine shortly after his father became the president.

What the EU wanted from the Ukrainian government was to make a genuine effort to reform itself so that Ukraine could finally have good governance and fair economic systems that would be at least similar to what EU members have.

Unfortunately, Yanukovych represents the interest of oligarchs in Ukraine who preferred Russia’s offer because it is not asking them to make any reforms.

The Ukrainian people have had enough of this regime. They are tired of the reign of nefarious elites and want to live in a country where they can be free.

Ukrainians do not want to be slaves to a corrupt regime headed by an individual, passing a draconian law that oppresses freedom of speech. Yanukovych has even allowed riot police and government-hired thugs to go out to the streets and terrorize people.

Hopefully the Ukrainian government will soon come their senses regarding these aforementioned issues. In the meantime, it’s no surprise that Ukrainians have had no choice but to fight fire with fire.

OPINIONS

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

17

Homophobia in sports continues SAMSON SWAN

In a time where there is growing support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer rights and equality, the sports world has some catching up to do. While there is work being done by a number of athletes to support the LGBTQ community, homophobia is still a prevalent issue in the culture of sports.

Take the example of Michael Sam, Missouri defensive end and current NFL draft prospect who would become the first openly gay player in the NFL. In an ideal world, this wouldn't be an issue for NFL owners and players. Despite the support that Sam has received for his brave actions, some NFL personnel are saying that this could affect his draft stock.

In an anonymous interview with Sports Illustrated, one NFL executive stated "I don't think football is ready for [an openly gay player] just yet. In the coming decade or two, it's going to be acceptable, but at this point in time it's still a man'sman game. To call somebody a [gay slur] is still so commonplace. It'd chemically imbalance an NFL locker room and meeting room."

Former New York Jets head coach Herm Edwards also said that Sam would be “bringing baggage into the locker room.”

With NFL personnel making anonymous statements on how Sam's sexual orientation will hinder his ability to have success in the league, this suggests that the problem could be even bigger than it seems. Clearly there are some people affiliated with the NFL that are not ready to accept an openly

gay teammate or employee.

The prevalence of homophobia in the NFL can be further highlighted by looking back at former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe who has alleged that he lost his job largely due to the Management and Coaching Staff's displeasure with his activism and advocacy for gay rights.

The attitudes of players such as former Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk, who has publicly spoken out in opposition to gay marriage, shows the potential for hostility that Sam needs to be prepared for coming into the league.

Though he will undoubtedly have to deal with hostility and opposition in the NFL, Sam will also have plenty of support coming into the league. There has been substantial public support for Sam via Twitter by current and former players including Deion Sanders, Kurt Warner and 2014 Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith.

Despite all this support, it's clear that Sam's road to success in the NFL will be more difficult now that he is openly gay.

But perhaps there could be a silver lining.

His coming out will make things that much easier for other athletes who are in fear of coming out because of how it might affect their relationship with teammates and coaches — or their athletic careers in general.

Sam's decision to be himself and live with the consequences will support others looking to do the same thing. The consequences remain to be seen, but hopefully Michael Sam can move the sports world one step closer to acceptance.

Another major step forward in the sports

Jason Collins, left, is an openly gay NBA player. world learning to embrace homosexuality is the Brooklyn Nets' signing of Jason Collins to a 10-day contract.

Collins is the first openly gay man to play in the NBA. While Collins came out at the conclusion of last season, he was a free agent and wasn't signed until Feb. 23. Hopefully, Sam and Collins are just the beginning of a much needed change in sports — the elimination of homophobia.

As an athlete myself, I've seen a lot of change in terms of combating homophobia in sports. That being said, there are still times when I hear homophobic slurs in the locker room or at competitions. With that

JOSHUA8/FLICKR

kind of hidden, private atmosphere people might think that their comments aren't hurtful because a gay person isn't hearing them.

In sports if we publicly support LGBT athletes but privately use insensitive homophobic language, we are not doing anything to remove homophobia from sports culture. If we want to promote acceptance, and remove homophobia from sports altogether, it's up to athletes, coaches and fans to stand up against it.

This might seem like a lofty goal but it is attainable if we change our actions and words.

The pride flag should fly all year TRAVIS HOMENUK Opinions Editor

The pride flag is a well-known symbol of solidarity for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer community, so why isn’t it flying at buildings of all levels of Canadian government throughout entire year?

Saskatoon city council voted in favour of raising the pride flag at City Hall on Feb. 10 in response to anti-gay laws in Russia, which happens to be the host country of this year’s Winter Olympics. Saskatoon followed other cities in Canada who were also making this symbolic gesture.

That said, the notion to raise the pride flag in Saskatoon is only due to Russia’s stance on LGBTQ issues. While this is a positive move, it sparks other questions for inquiry.

Why is it that LGBTQ issues primarily only come to the forefront of the news when they appear in a negative context?

Pride Week takes place once a year in many major centres across the globe and arguably is the only permissible time that gay pride gets to be highlighted as something positive in many communities.

The rest of the year it seems that LGBTQ communities are more likely to be defending their rights, regardless of what the circumstances might be. As a result, the pride flags tend to fly only when oppression is in the air.

Even on our own University of Saskatchewan campus, Huskies men’s hockey coach Dave Adolph voluntarily outed himself as someone who used gay slang in an email. While I appreciate that Adolph dealt with his mistake honorably, the issue of using gay slang was only illuminated because of something negative that had happened.

RHEA LONSDALE

Perhaps it takes these kinds of mistakes to create positive changes in any situation and context, but I refuse to accept the idea that something bad has to happen in order for us all to learn and change constructively. Good results can come from good circumstances too.

I’d rather live in a world that celebrates gay pride 365 days of the year because being a part of the LGBTQ community is something awesome. Being gay is an honour and don’t you forget it.

I don’t want to see the City of Saskatoon or our Canadian government raise their pride flags only when defending gay rights becomes an issue. We are better than that.

We are prouder than that.

Keeping the pride flag raised at every level of Canadian government all year would demonstrate that we as Canadians are proud of our LGBTQ communities, in good times and in times of turmoil. We’re not just proud when we need to be; we’re

proud all the time.

After all, Canada is a leader in many regards the world over. Perhaps if we show our gay pride throughout the year, other countries will follow suit. How wonderful would it be for tourists of Canada to visit cities with pride flags flying high?

Imagine what kind of message that would send.

And really, it is just a flag. But it’s a flag that symbolizes the rights of those who are often identified as “different,” seeing as how members of LGBTQ communities fall outside the hegemonic ideal of having a heterosexual sexual orientation. If you don’t think it’s necessary for pride flags to fly at all times, maybe reevaluate how homophobic many people still are.

In fact, it’s ironic that pride flags have gone up all over the country because of apparent homophobia is Russia, when I’m sure homophobia exists in our own city.

Of course it’s important that Canada

take a stand against a Russian government that doesn’t support LGBTQ rights, but it’s also important for Canada to continuously support it’s own LGBTQ community throughout the whole year.

Mayor Don Atchison argues that Saskatoon has an “open and embracing and inclusive community,” according to an interview in the StarPhoenix, but where has Mayor Atchison been at all of Saskatoon’s Pride Week festivities since he’s been mayor? One more reason to keep the pride flag flying high — it might add some color to the view from Mayor Atchison’s office.

While Canada supports its LGBTQ community on paper — legalizing gay marriage in 2005 — what appears on paper isn’t always what’s executed in practice.

At least as Canadians we have the laws in place to protect us all.

If our own elected mayor doesn’t attend the one pride parade per year, I’d think that there are others within our “inclusive” community of Saskatoon that have similar attitudes. Even if Atchison is positive toward the LGBTQ community, his inaction sends a message that is more often than not interpreted negatively.

While leading a parade full of rainbow flags, drag queens and condom-filled treat bags might not be for everyone, I’d hope that someone in a leadership position like Mayor Don would at least come and watch the event take place.

So yes, I think it’s amazing that as a country and city we are showing our own protest against Russia’s anti-gay laws by raising our pride flag at city hall. But I also believe we should keep our pride flags flying to show our continuous support for our own LGBTQ community.

18 OPINIONS Native studies should be a requirement for ESB

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Should Edwards School of Business follow colleges like the College of Education in requiring students to take native studies?

J.D. BELL Aboriginal recruitment, retention and awareness are goals across our entire campus and within every faculty. However, I believe native studies classes need to be made a requirement within my faculty: Edwards School of Business.

I am a new student to ESB, having recently transferred from the University of Regina. From the moment I arrived at our university I have been encouraged by the Aboriginal initiatives our university is pursuing — so let’s keep the momentum going.

In Edwards, students learn about the demographic shift that will take place before 2050, when the Aboriginal population is projected to become the majority in our province.

We are taught that Aboriginal Peoples will become major economic players provincially and nationally.

The importance of this shift will have on our business community is stressed to our first year and transfer commerce students. Our faculty also stresses the need for the inclusion of Aboriginal Peoples in the business community.

Edwards graduates are being trained to become business leaders and with each year that passes our province is expected to see our Aboriginal population grow in absolute and relative size.

With less than four per cent of Edwards students self-declaring as Aboriginal, I’ve realized the need for the faculty to shift its approach to Aboriginal awareness.

Currently, first year and transfer students are required to take COMM 119 — which touches

JORDAN DUMBA/ PHOTO EDITOR

on Aboriginal issues — coupled with the occasional Aboriginal guest speaker that holds a statistically insignificant amount of weight or importance in a commerce degree.

There is a great disparity that exists between two issues that should be in perfect alignment: the expressed importance of Aboriginal awareness by Edwards’ educators and the academic importance placed on Aboriginal education.

While faculty, staff and administrator’s words express a great deal of importance towards Aboriginal topics, these issues have virtually zero weight in a commerce degree.

Thus, it’s easy to understand why Aboriginal commerce students perceive these words as mere lip service.

The ineffective model used to increase our student body’s knowledge of issues faced

by Aboriginals is failing to achieve any real awareness.

Working as our Aboriginal Students’ Centre’s Leadership and Career-Building Ambassador, being an executive member of the Aboriginal Business Students’ Society and my experience being part of an Aboriginal Student Leadership Group has provided me a vast number of unique opportunities to meeting hundreds of students across our campus. In doing so, I’ve gathered input from a diverse pool of students who are studying everything from agriculture to engineering and to discuss policy initiatives with some of our university’s decision-makers.

From these conversations as well as my experiences — recent and not-so-recent — one idea stands out from the rest: native studies needs to be a requirement for all commerce degrees within the Edwards School of Business.

Our university’s College of Education students are required to take six credit hours of native studies classes, which is understandable since these students will soon be responsible for educating Aboriginal children.

Similarly, our future business leaders are going to be managing an increasing number of Aboriginal workers. Yet our commerce students receive less than five hours of dedicated and relevant education regarding Canada’s history with Aboriginal Peoples and how it affects Aboriginals today. That is less than 0.5 per cent of the total class hours within the overall frame of commerce degrees.

The relevance and effectiveness of Edwards’ current model to build Aboriginal knowledge and awareness in our faculty is questionable at best.

With Aboriginal students in Edwards becoming increasingly aware of this educational deficit, other disparities within our faculty become increasingly apparent.

Aboriginal business students who believe our faculty actually values “respect for racial and cultural differences,” as noted on the ESB website, are now questioning our faculty’s once beautiful, inspiring and eloquent mission statement: “The Edwards School of Business develops business professionals to build nations.”

If Edwards develops business professionals to build nations without bridging the knowledge deficit our commerce students all possess, how can we reasonably expect our business leaders in-training to be able to help rebuild our country’s First Nations relations?

Where do our First Nations People fit into the college’s mission? How can we reasonably

expect our future business leaders to truly understand our Aboriginal communities?

We hear our instructors constantly stressing the importance of Aboriginal enrollment in commerce, participation and representation in the workforce and we learn of statistics related to these issues. Aboriginal business students, as well as the Aboriginal Business Students’ Society, recognize the need for our faculty to mandate six credit hours of Native Studies for all commerce degrees.

Edwards School of Business needs to be doing more to educate graduates and our future business leaders on Aboriginal culture and history.

The current strategy to raise awareness of Aboriginal issues with our commerce students is ineffective and this outdated model needs to be replaced with quantitative education There is an understanding from faculty that our Aboriginal population will play an important role in our economy and business community.

However, this task may be impossible without our future business leaders having a minimum six credit hours — or more — of native studies education at our post-secondary level.

Without our future leaders expanding their understanding of Aboriginal history, how can we reasonably expect our future business community to understand Aboriginals as a people?

I emplore Edwards School of Business to mandate a minimum standard of native studies classes to ensure our graduates are properly prepared for the challenges they will face in their careers.

which is being held from Feb. 26 to 28.

Why should graduate students consider voting “yes” for the GSA U-Pass again?

The first reason is convenience.

Secondly, graduate students should vote in favour of the U-Pass because it is affordable. Without a universal bus pass, taking transit to the university can be very expensive.

If you take the bus occasionally, you would only have to make four round-trips (to the university and back) per month during the academic year in order to make the U-Pass fee worthwhile.

Thirdly, a vote in favour of a graduate

student U-Pass is a vote in favour of efficiency and improvement of transit services. With a larger ridership and overall clientele base, the city and Saskatoon Transit will have the mandate they need in order to expand and improve services.

The City of Saskatoon is already working on a new rapid transit strategy which will include major areas such as the university. Thus, students can expect to see improvements in public transit in the very near future.

Finally, graduate students should vote “yes” for the U-Pass because it is an

environmentally friendly initiative.

We should keep in mind that bus services, which are of great benefit to the student population, are also a social and economic good which depend on the levying of fees in a universal manner. A “yes” vote this week is therefore a vote in favour of convenient, affordable, efficient and green transportation for all of the university’s graduate students.

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, In Feb. 2013, University of Saskatchewan graduate students participated in a referendum that ratified a one-year trial period for the U-Pass.

The trial period continues to be a great success, with over 66 per cent of eligible students making use of the U-Pass during the first term alone.

But if graduate students want to continue to take advantage of this convenient, affordable, efficient and green service, they will have to vote again in favour of the U-Pass in this week’s referendum

Sincerely, Dustin McNichol, on behalf of the Yes on Graduate U-Pass Committee

HUMOUR

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com

19

Campus Chat If you could have one skill, what would it be?

A pro figure skater because they are graceful athletes.

Cecily MacPherson

A break dancer so I could get down anywhere.

Lynelle Schmidt

Kent Remple

To teleport through time and space because then you could do anything.

Mitchell Lee

MIKE T.

XKCD.COM

Super strength because I love the Hulk.

DAN

La

médecine, un choix d’avenir Étudier à l’Université d’Ottawa un programme francophone de médecine un environnement bilingue un programme innovateur où la technologie fait partie intégrante de la formation des places réservées pour les étudiants de l’Atlantique, de l’Ouest et des Territoires un appui financier pour retourner faire certains stages pratiques chez-vous

places réservées au programme francophone demédecine

À l’Université d’Ottawa, le Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS) contribue à offrir un accès accru à des programmes d’études dans le domaine de la santé, aux francophones issus des collectivités en situation minoritaire.

www.cnfs.ca

www.medecine.uOttawa.ca

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BACKPAGE

27 February, 2014 • thesheaf.com