The Sheaf - April 3, 2014

Was your favorite Huskie team victorious?

SPORTS 5

THE sheaf

3 April, 2014 • The University of Saskatchewan student newspaper since 1912

Administration denies commitment to expansion of childcare services.

NEWS 2

Paper Airplanes gives its viewers laughter for nothin’ and flicks for free.

CULTURE 14

How much is too much when it comes to posting selfies on social media?

OPINIONS 17

OPINION

Buzzwords abundant during USSU elections TRAVIS HOMENUK Opinions Editor

The University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union has just completed its elections for the 2014–15 executive, but I’m still wondering what platforms the successful candidates were actually elected on.

Buzzwords are used to impress so it’s no surprise this year’s USSU candidates all embraced certain slogans to create campaigns and to answer questions without ever really telling students what it is that they plan to do.

While I did not attend all of the forums, the ones that I did attend were frustrating in several respects. The primary one being that candidates would be asked a question but would never actually answer it. I know it’s very difficult to give an appropriate answer when you’re asked a question on the spot, but throwing out buzzwords is not what the voting body needs or wants to hear.

Aside from the forums, the only other opportunity there was to hear from candidates was from their videos posted on the USSU website or through their individual Facebook pages.

You’d think that candidates would expand on what they say in their videos when asked questions at forums, but for the most part each candidate had their list of buzzwords that they produced to answer questions.

This made them sound like they had some kind of clue as to what they were planning to do if elected but left many students at these forums without the answers necessary to make an informed decision at the ballot.

Phrases like “progress,” “student voices,” “engagement,” “positive changes,” “better resources” and “accessibility” were thrown around by all of the running candidates, but I still haven’t a clue what any of these words really mean to them. What does it actually mean to have “better resources” for students or increased “accessibility” — as

PASCAL DIMNIK

promoted by both candidates who ran for vice-president operations and finance?

Such words and phrases sound great, but how is it all going to be achieved? Maybe it’s too much to ask that candidates actually do some research into how they would achieve these “positive changes,” but I think that’s a necessity if you want to be taken seriously in the political realm.

A really low moment for me was at the first forum held at Louis’ on March 18.

A student from the audience asked both presidential candidates how they intended to approach Aboriginal engagement,

enrolment and other services on campus.

David Ogunkanmi responded in such a way that allowed him to never actually answer the question.

In response to the question, Ogunkanmi told the forum how he lived with an Aboriginal family when he first came to Canada and how he’s eaten bannock.

He basically told the audience that he’s accepting of Aboriginal students and welcomes them with open arms — but never truly addressed the question.

As an audience member I interpreted his answer as, “I have Aboriginal friends and

that shows I will seek better services for them on campus.” Telling us that you’ve eaten bannock does not mean you know how to address Aboriginal issues on our campus — it only shows that you like bannock. This has absolutely nothing to do with an election.

Elias Nelson said in his video for vice-president operations and finance, “TransformUS: it’s complicated, it’s controversial, it’s a can of worms.” Well, yes, Nelson, TransformUS certainly is all of those things — but what are you going to do about it?

Each candidate probably could have answered most of the questions at the forums with the simple response of, “TransformUS is bad.” That likely would have warranted a tremendous round of applause, later accompanied by a win in the election no doubt.

The fact of the matter is that true voters in a democracy want to hear the plans of their future leaders. They don’t need to hear buzzwords that are essentially empty commentaries meant to impress.

Frankly, all the candidates running for USSU positions in the future should want to engage students, increase communication with them and create positive changes, all the while being an advocate for students’ needs. All of this really shouldn’t have to be said over and over again.

However, some candidates did give worthwhile answers to questions when asked by keen students who care about student governance. I thank all of the candidates for any substantial answers they provided during the course of their campaign.

Next year I hope that USSU candidates will move beyond the obvious and actually challenge themselves to have an actionbased platform. Students want results and actions, not buzzwords to provide a false sense of comfort.

2

NEWS

Admin: no commitment to childcare expansion

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

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Opinions Editor: Travis Homenuk, opinions@thesheaf.com Copy Editor: Tab Rahman, copy@thesheaf.com Web Editor: Carter Bryden, web@thesheaf.com Ad & Business Manager: Shantelle Hrytsak, ads@thesheaf.com Board of Directors: Pete Yee, Jenna Mann, Dan LeBlanc, Rose Lien, Liam Richards Index Photo: Jordan Dumba/Photo Editor Office Numbers: Advertising 966-8688 Editorial 966-8689

The Sheaf is non-profit, incorporated and studentbody funded by way of a direct levy paid by all partand full-time undergraduate students at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). Membership in the Society is open to undergraduate students at the U of S, but all members of the U of S community are encouraged to contribute to the newspaper. Opinions expressed in the Sheaf do not necessarily reflect those of the Sheaf Publishing Society Inc. The Sheaf reserves the right to refuse to accept or print any material deemed unfit for publication, as determined by the Editor-in-Chief. The Sheaf is published weekly during the academic year and monthly from May through August. The Editor-inChief has the right to veto any submission deemed unfit for the Society newspaper. In determining this, he/she will decide if the article or artwork would be of interest to a significant portion of the Society and benefit the welfare of Sheaf readers. The Sheaf will not publish any racist, sexist, homophobic, or libelous material.

Corrections • No corrections were brought to our attention for last week’s edition. If you spot any errors in this issue, please forward them to copy@thesheaf.com

THE sheaf The Sheaf is seeking members for its 2014–15 Board of Directors.

Please direct inquiries to editor@thesheaf.com

SCOTT DAVIDSON Associate News Editor

Following the announcement that the University of Saskatchewan would be reexamining all of its options for childcare expansion, Vice-President Finance and Resources Greg Fowler said they had never made a commitment to a proposed daycare facility next to Souris Hall.

“We never had a previous commitment,” said Fowler in an interview with the StarPhoenix on March 28. “What we had is ‘board one’ approval to proceed with the plan.”

For the project to move forward, Fowler said that ‘board two’ approval must be given by the U of S Board of Governors. In March 2013, the board granted ‘board one’ approval for a steering committee to move forward on the design of and fundraising for the project.

Since the board gave the go-ahead, a steering committee has been exploring various option for a new childcare centre on campus. The committee determined that building a new, 90-spot childcare centre next to Souris Hall in McEown Park was the best option.

Nour Abouhamra, U of S Students’ Union’s outgoing vice-president student affairs, said she doesn’t agree with Fowler’s claim that the university never committed to the centre.

“In order to start planning a project, you have to have support for it. I believe that initially the university had made a commitment to building a new childcare centre and now they’re going back on their word,” Abouhamra said.

Colleen Gerling, the Executive Director of the USSU Childcare Centre, echoed Abouhamra’s sentiments and said she was under the impression that the university’s administration was still behind the project up until a few weeks ago.

“I heard that the top dogs were committed to this,” Gerling said. “When it came out that they were not committed to this and that we couldn’t get the fundraising done because there was no commitment to the location, that was really disappointing to me.”

When the university announced that they would be exploring other options for childcare expansion in early March, both Abouhamra and Gerling were left wondering why the university would put in a year’s worth of work if they were never committed to the project in the first place.

“I just find it really ironic that we were given all this money to do all this and now it’s done and suddenly the university is not committed to it,” Gerling said. “You’ve spent all this money to get to that point and now you’re not committed?

Why would you spent all that money and then not follow through?”

Fowler attributed the delays on the facility to the U of S’ current financial situation. The university is currently facing a projected $44.5 million deficit for the 2015–16 fiscal year. To combat the deficit, the university is making budgetary changes to a number of academic and support service programs through a process known as TransformUS.

JORDAN DUMBA/ PHOTO EDITOR

The R.J. Williams building offers one of the two current childcare facilites at the U of S.

“This comes at a time when we are looking at our budget, our priorities and our responsibilities and there are questions about our core mission and if it’s part of the university’s core mission to address this,” Fowler said.

Gerling said she is worried about the longterm implications of delaying the project. In 2013, the Government of Saskatchewan gave the U of S $1.1 million in capital and operating grants for a new childcare centre. However, the grants were awarded on the condition that the centre be completed by summer 2014. When it became clear this wasn’t going to happen, the U of S asked for and was given an extension until 2015.

“Because we already have this money and we’ve committed to this money, if we turn around and give it back, we’ll probably never see money for childcare on campus again,” Gerling said. “We have to give the government the reassurance that we can be accountable in the future, so it’s going to take time to rebuild that trust and show the government that we’re not backing down from our commitment.”

There are currently two childcare centres on campus — one in the R.J. Williams Building and one in the Education Building. The centres offer a combined 110 childcare spots.

However, with a reported three-year long waiting list for childcare spots on campus, many feel that the U of S isn’t doing enough to accommodate student-parents. Abouhamra said the length of the waiting list is reason enough for the U of S to make providing childcare a priority.

“The promise was made and they’ve been waiting for years for a childcare centre,” she said.

“If it doesn’t go through, there will be a lot of students that are disappointed and students that were thinking about coming here may look at other institutions.”

Gerling said she feels that the Board of Governors doesn’t understand how important providing childcare to students really is. She said she has gained the support of the childcare

centre’s board of directors to extend an open invitation to the university’s Board of Governors to visit the facility and learn why so many members of the campus community feel that providing childcare should be a priority.

“The feeling I get is [the board] just doesn’t know or understand why we need a good facility to make this happen. Maybe it’s their lack of knowledge of what childcare is all about — I don’t know,” Gerling said. “If we offer a tour to them though, maybe they can come and get a better feeling before they make anymore decisions.”

Another university administration decision has added to fears that the U of S is not taking childcare expansion seriously. The elimination of the Associate Vice-President Student Affairs position was announced on March 28. Though a TransformUS taskforce recommended that the position be phased out, these changes were not supposed to be made until May 1 — the beginning of the TransformUS phase wherein these recommendations are put into effect.

David Hannah, who held the position and also acted as head of the childcare expansion steering committee, was regarded as one of the strongest advocates for a new childcare centre on campus.

“I was very upset because Dave was our top advocate. He was the one person that was really pushing for quality childcare,” Gerling said. “He made a real effort to find out what childcare was about and what it meant.”

Fowler said that responsibility for campus childcare will now fall on Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning Patti McDougall.

With the future of childcare on campus unclear and administration’s position on the matter becoming increasingly uncertain, proponents of a new facility are worried about the message the delays are sending to the campus community.

“It’s saying that people with families are not a priority. If they’re a priority, you do everything you can to help them,” Gerling said.

Upgrade your undergrad while you work.

Get a better career without giving up the things that matter most.

With evening and weekend classes, we make it easier to strike a comfortable balance between education, work and home life.

BUSINESS IN THE FRONT STUDY IN THE BACK

14ESB002_MBA Business Print The Sheaf 1/4 page horz (10.2” x 3.85”)

edwardsMBA.ca

EDWARDS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

UNIVERSIT Y OF SASKATCHEWAN

MBA

NEWS

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

3

Concerns raised about new Fortune Minerals refinery TAYLOR BOROWETZ

Fortune Minerals Limited has been approved to construct and operate a refinery approximately 27 kilometers northwest of Saskatoon. Called the Saskatchewan Metals Processing Plant, the refinery is drawing the ire of local community members over fears of water safety.

Planned to be located in the Registered Municipality of Corman Park No. 344, the SMPP will draw water from the Dalmeny aquifer and process extracts of cobalt, bismuth, gold and copper from a mine in the Northwest Territories.

The project was approved by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment in early 2014, which concluded that the risks will be handled and no significant adverse effects on the environment are expected.

Those living in the surrounding area have two key concerns: the effect on the safety and sustainability of nearby groundwater and the potential impact on environmental and human health.

Stated on the Fortune Minerals frequently asked questions page, the plant expects to take 36 cubic meters of water per hour from the Dalmeny Aquifer. The plant will run perpetually, and require 3.15 million litres per year. Around half of this will be pumped back after usage into a deep saline aquifer — the Souris River Formation.

To get there, the injection will have to be well sealed and pumped down through the Dalmeny Aquifer. Fortune states that the risk of leakage to the Dalmeny Aquifer is minimal.

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment has published an Environmental Impact Statement for Fortune Minerals’ SMPP. According to the document there will be a leakage detection system, monitoring wells may be installed and groundwater samples will be collected as well as analyzed each fall for the first five years. Based on the results of this sampling, the frequency of future tests may be reduced.

Besides the water safety issues, nearby residents are concerned with the residual materials and substances that will have to be transported to the plant.

Fortune Minerals states that cyanide is used in “virtually all” gold processing facilities worldwide and that four truckloads will be required each year.

The cyanide will be removed from the wastewater using commercially available technology and will either be recycled or broken down.

The plant will also produce a form of asbestos known as actinolite as well as scorodite, a kind of arsenic. These waste materials will permanently be stored in pits beside the plant.

The Process Residue Storage Facility is designed to provide secure long-term

STEPHANIE MAH

storage for SMPP’s solid waste as well as limit its exposure to air and water.

Estimations indicate that a total of 158,000 tonnes of residue will be produced each year. Assuming a worst-case scenario where the liner leaks and contaminant is allowed to continue to leech, Fortune states that its

You’ll have many accomplishments in your life… hang this one on the wall.

Pre-order your University of Saskatchewan degree frame online by May 30 for pick up at convocation.

To order, please visit usask.ca/bookstore/convocation Questions? Contact Alumni Relations at 306-966-4070

expected movement would be restricted within five meters after 500 years.

Residents are concerned about the research that has been done to support this fact. In the article “Fracture permeability and groundwater flow in clayey till near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan” published in

the Canadian Geotechnical Journal, the Dalmeny site was examined.

The CGJ’s research found that the underground layer of clay above the Dalmeny Aquifer contains horizontal fractures which increase the hydraulic conductivity by two orders of magnitude, meaning that contaminated water can flow downwards 100 times faster than if the clay had not been cracked as Fortune Minerals assumed.

The article also says, “The fractures in the weathered and unweathered till may provide significant pathways for downward contaminant mitigation.” These fractures were not originally taken into consideration.

The Ministry’s Environmental Impact Statement for Fortune Mineral’s project also addresses the state of the original environment.

Under section 6.1.3, “Biological Resources,” the report states that areas which land clearing or agricultural uses have impacted the land are not recommended to have mitigation.

The document recognizes the 6.7 hectares of wetlands within the proposed SMPP area as locally important as it is a prominent hydrological feature, provides habitats and improves water quality. It suggests first to avoid these wetlands if possible, and if not to minimize impacts or compensate. An example of compensation would be the installation of slit fencing around the perimeters to reduce the amount of sediment entering the wetland.

On a blog called Fortune Minerals: Toxic Time Bomb, community members from the Langham area are voicing their opinions on the subject.

Locals have been using the page as a means of voicing their opinions on the project. Steven Derksen said he is worried about possible contamination of the Dalmeny Aquifer as well as the surrounding land and air.

“In my opinion, the risks are too great and Fortune Minerals should not be allowed to set up shop,” Derksen commented.

Multiple meetings have been held on the topic and letters have been sent to many different councilors and elected officials including Saskatoon Mayor Don Atchison.

“We’ve discussed [the project] as a committee before and we are not surprised,” said Ken Crush, chair of the Fortune Minerals Impact Group. “We see our government as into growth and resource development, even though 247 letters were sent from our community to the Department of Environment saying we are not comfortable with this in our community.”

Fortune must apply for rezoning and development permits in order to construct the SMPP. The eight councilors and reeve for the RM of Corman Park will hold a vote to decide whether or not Fortune gets the necessary permits to proceed.

4

NEWS

WANT TO SELL YOUR TEXTS?

BOOKS UNLIMITED 1402 College Drive • 652-0244 (across from campus under the Royal Bank)

Used University Textbooks Taken For Sale on Consignment Buy your texts at reduced prices!

Large selection of used paperbacks!

Regular Hours: Monday to Friday 11am to 5pm Serving Students for almost 40 years!

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Senior admin layoffs tied to TransformUS

ANDREW MARESCHAL

Brett Fairbairn informed the U of S via email of two administrative positions’ elimination.

RAINER KOCSIS Announced via email to University of Saskatchewan community on March 27, the elimination of two associate vice-president positions was influenced by the soon-to-be implemented TransformUS plan.

TransformUS is a program prioritization initiative aimed at lessening the projected $44.5 million deficit for the 2015–16 fiscal year.

University Provost and Vice-President Academic Brett Fairbairn wrote in the email that the associate vice-president development and the associate vice-president student affairs were terminated for financial and organizational reasons.

According to the announcement, the duties associated with these positions have been reassigned to other areas of the Student Enrolment Services Division. The effect of this reorganization will be that responsibility for student services will fall more directly within the Provost’s Office.

The Provost’s announcement came at an unanticipated time, since workforce planning was was already completed in August 2013 and the TransformUS implementation plan is set to be released on April 30 with changes coming into effect May 1. Fairbairn neglected to provide specific reasons behind the sudden restructuring of senior leadership.

“I will basically never talk publicly about individual personnel decisions,” Fairbairn wrote in an email to the Sheaf. “There is a limited amount I can say... I cannot go into any particular reasons.”

Fairbairn stated that the reason for his ambiguity is to respect those who have been affected by his recent decision.

Additionally, Fairbairn noted that these position changes are part of a wider thinking about reorganization of senior administration.

“The pattern and overall impact of the changes will be made clear when we release

the TransformUS implementation plan,” Fairbairn wrote.

According to Fairbairn, these changes were not specifically part of the workforce planning project — a budget-adjustment initiative that ended with a total of 248 jobs terminated.

However, Fairbairn said the university has and always will be making adjustments to its workforce.

“Workforce planning in a general sense refers to a wider way of thinking about and intentionally shaping jobs we have in the university, not necessarily about reductions.”

The Provost’s Committee on Integrated Planning is currently looking at a wider reorganization of senior administration as part of TransformUS. Fairbairn said that while these recent cuts were based on the TransformUS direction, they were not explicitly a part of the TransformUS process.

“The decision to eliminate positions in a case like this is based on financial considerations and consideration of the organizational structure,” Fairbairn wrote.

The vice-presidents’ roles have been temporarily reassigned to other areas.

Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning Patti McDougall will assume leadership for the units within SESD. Supervision for the development function will continue to be provided by Kent Hartshorn as Executive Director of Development.

According to Fairbairn, when positions have been identified for elimination, the overriding consideration is respect for the interests and privacy of affected employees.

“I will want to be quite circumspect about what I say in public about such matters, particularly in the next little while,” Fairbairn wrote. “The university puts a lot of thought and care into how such situations are handled.

There are various ways to proceed, and we aim for the best approach balancing all factors.”

There will be no further changes in SESD at this time.

SPORTS

Huskies Year in Review 3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

5

A HANDMADE MARKET FLOCK & GATHER CRAFT COLLECTIVE PRESENTS

KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor

Women’s hockey: It was a year of firsts for the Huskies women’s hockey team. After finishing second in the Canada West division regular season with an 18–4–6 record, the Dogs continued their superb play in the playoffs to capture their first-ever Canada West title — doing so in style. Facing their provincial rivals, the University of Regina Cougars, in the final the two teams battled for 17 periods over three games before the Huskies emerged victorious.

The championship game, which needed four hours and 53 minutes to be decided, set a record for longest-ever Canada West women’s hockey game. The team went on to win their first-ever Canadian Interuniversity Sport medal after finishing third in the national championship.

This is a young team, meaning this could be a dynasty in the making.

free admission ST. JOSEPH’S PARISH HALL

535 8TH ST. EAST

(CORNER OF BROADWAY + 8TH)

APRIL 25TH & 26TH

Friday 4PM - 10 PM

flockandgather.blogspot.co m

Men’s hockey: After suffering a disappointing loss in the quarter-final round of playoffs, the Dogs returned to the ice ready to play. As the host of the University Cup, the Huskies gave the home crowd something to cheer about.

The Huskies followed up their 3–2 defeat of the McGill University Redmen with a 9–0 trouncing of the University of Windsor Lancers to advance to the final. Waiting for the Huskies in the championship game were division rivals, the University of Alberta Golden Bears. Although the Dogs fell 3-1, fighting their way to a silver medal proved the team’s bite was as big as their bark. The 2014 edition also broke the tournament all-time attendance record, drawing in 41,089 fans over seven games.

Men’s basketball: The Huskies men’s team opened their season by winning nine of their first 10 games and finished the regular season ranked second in the Canada West division with a 15–7 record. A bronze medal in the Canada West playoffs sent the Dogs to the CIS championships after receiving a wildcard berth where the team finished fifth. All of the Huskies’ key players still have eligibility meaning next year could see an even stronger team.

Women’s volleyball: After opening with two wins for the first time since 1998–99, the Huskies women’s volleyball team went on to have one of their best seasons in years. The Dogs finished eighth in Canada West with a 9–13 record and earned major wins over the University of Alberta Golden Bears and the Brandon University Bobcats. With the team only losing one player – fifth-year captain Candace Hueser – the Dogs’ improved play

Lauren Carter with

anne Lazurko

©

UPCOMING EVENTS

Women’s basketball: Going on a tear to open their season, the Huskies women’s basketball team won 11 of their first 12 games. However, it was in playoffs that the Dogs would really shine.

The women downed the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the quarter-finals to advance to the semifinals. The Huskies defeated the University of Regina Cougars 64–52 and the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades 67–56 in the final to claim their third Canada West title in team history. They also finished fifth in the CIS championship.

Saturday 10AM -5 PM

KATHERINE FEDOROFF

Reading & Signing Swarm and Dollybird Thursday, April 3, 7:00 pm



Suzanne north Launching Flying Time

Thursday, April 10, 7:00 pm

hoSted by GaiL bowen

The women’s basketball team won their third Canda West title and finsihed fifth at nationals. should be a mark of good things to come.

Men’s volleyball: After a rocky start, the Huskies used a strong second half of the season to finish fifth in the Canada West division advancing to the post-season. After returning from the mid-season break, the Dogs won six in a row and seven out of ten overall, to finish the regular season with an 11–11 record.

Unfortunately, their up-and-down play cost them in the playoffs where the team fell to the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack in the quarter-finals.

Women’s soccer: Netting 26 goals over 12 games during the regular season, the Huskies women’s hockey team set a new single-season points record. The Dogs’ 8–2–2 record landed them fifth in the Canada West division and sent the team to the playoffs for the second time.

Against a formidable opponent, the reigning CIS champions the Trinity University Spartans, and the Huskies lost 2-0 in the quarter-finals.

Men’s soccer: The Huskies booked their firstever appearance in the CIS championships after finishing second in the Canada West division.

With an 8–5–2 record, the Dogs advanced to the playoffs leading the Prairie division. In the post-season, the Dogs defeated the University of Victoria Vikes in semifinal action before falling to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the Canada West final. The

JORDAN DUMBA/PHOTO EDITOR

The Huskies football team had a solid season, but once again was defeated in the semifinal.

Huskies ran up against tough competition in the national tournament and finished sixth.

Wrestling: Nine of the Huskies wrestling team’s members advanced to the CIS championships after finishing in the top three of their division at the Huskie-hosted Canada West finals. Annie Monteith grabbed the Dogs’ sole gold medal and was named the conference’s most outstanding female wrestler.

Katie Dutchak, Taylor Follensbee, Dylan Bray, Theo Dow and Shane Johnson all claimed silver. Bronze medals went to Drew Kuhn, Malcolm Meekins and Andrew Johnson. Bray and Follensbee went on the earn bronze at nationals.

Cross Country: The Huskies men’s and women’s teams finished seventh in the Canada West division and 17th and 20th respectively at nationals. The top male finisher was Robert Bigsby with a time of 33:00.8 for ninth place in Canada West and 38th in the CIS. Tye Buettner was the top female Huskie who came 22nd in Canada West and 96th in the CIS with a finish of 24:22.3.

Track and Field: Huskie athlete Taryn Suttie picked up gold and set a new CIS championship shot put record with a throw of 16.83 metres at the track and field nationals. Suttie also took home silver in weight throw. Other notable results from the CIS championships were Michelle Young’s gold medal in women’s 60 metre hurdles, Kendrick Hanna taking home the silver in men’s 60 metre hurdles and Lauren Taylor with a bronze medal finish in pentathlon.

Football: Ending on a tough loss in the playoffs, the Huskies football team fell to the University of Manitoba Bisons 37–36 in the Canada West semifinal. The Dogs fought for a 12-point lead with less than 10 minutes of play remaining but failed to close out the win.

The Huskies will look to end their playoff drought next year, since 2007 the team is 1–7 in the post-season. For the 2014–15 season, quarterback Drew Burko should return to the field for his third year with the team along with standout rookie receiver Mitch Hillis.

sheaf apr 3, 2014.indd 1

3/25/2014 2:06:01 PM

with

Available for the month of April only!

Find us on the web: www.thrivemusclehealthandwellness.com

Call in advance for your appointment-­‐

306-­‐ 384-­‐ 7600

Find us at 102- 20th Street West in

THE sheaf Sports! Sports!

Sports! sports@thesheaf.com

6

Hulak lands pro tryout SPORTS

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

AUSTIN ARVAY

Derek Hulak had a season to remember with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies this year. Following the Canadian Interuniversity Sports national championship, he was offered a tryout with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League.

The Texas Stars are the AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League. On March 27, Hulak made his AHL debut — and scored on his first shot.

March 27 has always been a difficult day for Hulak, as it is the day his mother passed away.

“What made [this goal] so special was that it was on the seven-year anniversary of my mom’s passing. Being able to play my first game with my entire family watching was quite the experience,” Hulak said. “When I scored the goal it turned a typically rough day into a pretty exciting one. It was truly an experience I will never forget.”

Hulak’s latest accomplishment is just one of many on his very impressive resumé. He was this year’s Most Valuable Player of the Canada West division and of the CIS national championship. In the 2011–12 season, he led the Dogs in scoring and in the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons for the Saskatoon Blades.

When he was 16 years old, Hulak began his Western Hockey League career with the Regina Pats and played with them for two seasons. However, his mother was battling cancer at the time and he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

Hulak would often make the round trip between Regina and Saskatoon on his days off. Midway through the 2007 season the Pats approached the Blades about trading Hulak closer to home. The deal was arranged shortly after.

Following his mother’s passing in 2007, Hulak remained with the Blades and matured into an exceptional hockey

Derek Hulak had a sensational season with the Huskies, which resulted in him being called to play for the Texas Stars. player. He finished his WHL career with 242 points in 267 games.

Although he was not selected in the NHL draft, Hulak played out the remainder of his junior hockey eligibility with the Blades. He then signed with the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League, but after just 21 games with Tulsa, he joined the U of S Huskies — the rest is history.

Totalling 123 points in just 87 games, Hulak has been the catalyst for the Huskies success all season long — especially at the University Cup. He had four goals and

two assists in the three game tournament to guide the team to the championship game.

Head coach Dave Adolph had very high praise for Hulak, calling him the best player he had ever coached in his 21 seasons with the Huskies. Graduating captain Brennan Bosch told the StarPhoenix, “He’s a heck of a hockey player. Ever since he came to our team he’s led us year in and year out.”

Sadly, Hulak has played his final game with the Huskies hockey team. Suiting up for a single professional game voids his

JORDAN DUMBA/ PHOTO EDITOR

CIS eligibility, meaning he will not be allowed to play in his last eligible year.

The Huskies are sure to miss Hulak’s talent as well as his leadership next season.

Hulak was an alternate captain this season and would have been a front-runner to be the ‘C’ in the fall.

The Texas Stars have already clinched a playoff spot in the AHL, meaning Hulak will get to showcase his skills for a while longer. A strong showing could mean a full time contract with the Stars, and one step closer to playing in the NHL.

Canadian Interuniversity Sport revamps championship format KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor

Starting in the 2014–15 season, men’s and women’s hockey and basketball will see changes to their national tournaments, Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced on March 27.

“These are exciting times for our

organization,” said Pierre Lafontaine, chief executive officer of CIS. “We truly believe these changes will help us take university sport in Canada to the next level and offer our student-athletes and coaches the best platforms to showcase their outstanding talent.”

When it comes time to compete for the men’s and women’s hockey national

Jesus I Trust in You! “Mercy is Love that Seeks to Lessen the Misery of Others” eadmcanada.com

titles in 2015, eight teams will square off instead of the current six. The format of the tournaments will also change from a pool-play to single elimination composed of quarter-finals, semifinals and final.

For the first time since 2004, the men’s tournament will feature a bronze medal game and the women’s will feature a consolation round to determine the fifth place finisher. Both tournaments will continue to take place over four days.

In the 2015 women’s hockey championship, the four regional champions — Canada West, Ontario University Athletics, Réseau du Sport étudiant du Québec, Atlantic University Sport — and the event host will receive a berth into the tournament along with one spot delegated to the OUA. There will also be one wildcard and another additional berth — which is yet to be determined.

On the men’s side, the four regional champions — Canada West, OUA West, OUA East, AUS — and the host team all enter the tournament along with one assigned berth each to Canada West, OUA and AUS. The new tournament formats will be assessed after two years.

The basketball tournament formats will remain the same but will now be played over four days instead of three.

Quarter-final play will now take place on a Thursday and the first round of consolations will begin on Friday. The

JORDAN DUMBA/ PHOTO EDITOR

Changes are forthcoming for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national tournaments.

change allows more flexibility for the scheduling of Saturday’s semifinals.

The four tournaments will be staged simultaneously from March 12–15 in 2015, allowing for a Super Championship Weekend. Fans will be able to take in over 20 hours of university sport over a twoday period through CIS’ broadcasting partners — Sportsnet and Radio-Canada.

7 Fifth-year hockey players look back on season SPORTS

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

KIMBERLEY HARTWIG Sports Editor

Departing fifth-year men’s hockey players — captain Brennan Bosch and forward Andrew Bailey — capped off their final year with the Huskies by winning silver medals at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championships. For both Bosch and Bailey, the highlight of the season was competing for the University Cup in front of a home crowd.

“We were kind of building all year for that tournament,” Bosch said. “Those first couple games were really exciting.”

This was the Huskies’ second and final year hosting the University Cup. With many of the players having already experienced a national tournament, they knew what to expect and what it takes to be successful.

“There’s quite a few of us that were there last year and the year before we were in Fredericton” for the University Cup, Bailey said. “I think we had a better understanding of what we had to do.”

Bailey also attributed the roster of experienced players with providing support for the team.

“I think we had a good older base with our fourth, fifth year guys that have been there a long time and this was their last chance,” he said. “Those are guys that we can lean on.”

During last year’s tournament the Huskies failed to win a game, falling to eventual champions the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds in their opening game. This year the Huskies returned to the University Cup hungry to compete against the country’s best.

JORDAN DUMBA/ PHOTO EDITOR

Fifth year Huskie hockey players have fond memories of their final season.

“I think we felt more pressure last year and there was a lot more expected from us,” Bailey said. “This year I don’t think people gave us a big chance. That goes a long way in relieving some of that pressure so we just went out and played.”

The Dogs came out strong during their opening game on March 21 and defeated the Acadia University Axemen 3–2 with a goal from Derek Hulak with just over two minutes left in regulation time.

“We put ourselves in a spot where we were one win away from giving ourselves the chance to win a national championship,”

Bosch said. “We were definitely really excited for that opportunity.”

The hometown support was something Bosch and all the Huskies appreciated throughout the tournament.

“It seemed like the atmosphere in that building was as good as I’ve seen it since I’ve been around hockey,” Bosch said. “It was a lot of fun to have that crowd behind us, I think it really helped us a lot.”

Although the team gained confidence after winning their first game, neither Bosch nor Bailey were expecting the Huskies to dominate the way they did the following

night. The Huskies defeated the University of Windsor Lancers 9–0 to advance to the final.

“I think everything did go our way on that Saturday night game,” Bosch said. “Not too often do you score nine goals and win the way we did.”

The Huskies played well in the final but fell to the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

Bosch credited the whole team in claiming the silver medal but noted a few key players for their outstanding performances.

“I thought our goalie Ryan Holfeld was really big for us all year,” he said. “He gave us a chance to win every single game we were in. I thought he was one of the stars in the tournament for us as well.”

Bosch also applauded Hulak, who is currently trying out for the American Hockey League’s Texas Stars.

“Every year when we’ve needed a big goal or a big play he’s always been a guy who seems to play better in the big games and he definitely did that again,” he said.

After taking to the ice with the Huskies for the final time, both Bosch and Bailey will miss playing with the Dogs and the sense of community that comes with it.

“I’m going to miss the competitiveness of the hockey,” Bosch said. “Going to the rink every single day with 20 guys trying to accomplish something.”

As departing captain, Bosch attributes much of the team’s success to the overall strength and depth of the team.

“We’ve got a bunch of leaders on our team,” he said. “I had a great group of guys around me this year to help out.”

March Madness Final Four teams set for semifinals

AUSTIN ARVAY

Another weekend of games has sent 12 more teams home for the season, leaving the Final Four standing.

The University of Florida Gators, University of Wisconsin Badgers, University of Connecticut Huskies and the University of Kentucky Wildcats all emerged victorious from their respective regions.

The top ranked Gators beat the University of California Los Angeles Bruins and then in the quarter-finals ended the University of Dayton’s miraculous run. The Dayton Flyers defeated three higher ranked teams on their way to the Elite Eight.

During most of the first half of the game, the competition was tight until the Gators’ depth began to show. By halftime Florida was leading 38–24 and was in complete control.

Cruising to a 62–52 win, the Gators sent themselves through to the semifinal.

The Wisconsin Badgers were a two seed and easily beat the Baylor Bears to advance to the quarter-finals where they were set to meet the first seeded University of Arizona Wildcats.

The game was an instant classic as Wisconsin tied the game with just seconds left on the clock. The Badgers went on to win in overtime by a margin of one point — 64–63 — and punch their ticket to the Final Four.

After an up-and-down season, the Kentucky Wildcats found themselves as an eighth seed in the tournament. In the second round they upset the Wichita State Shockers, who were the first seed in the midwest region and undefeated on the season.

In the third round the Wildcats knocked off the defending champion Louisville Cardinals by a score of 74–69. Kentucky then played last year’s runner-up, the Michigan Wolverines, and gave them all they could handle.

Point guard Aaron Harrison hit a threepointer with two seconds left in the game to give Kentucky a three point lead and sending the crowd into a frenzy. The eighth seeded Wildcats now continue their remarkable stretch, finding themselves in the Final Four.

The Connecticut Huskies have had a similar

The field for the Final Four is set with the Wisconsin Badgers, Florida Gators, Connecticut Huskies and Kentucky Wildcats. season to Kentucky. They had a strong second half but still found themselves as a seven seed in the tournament. In the first round they faced the St. Joes Hawks, and were nearly defeated.

The Huskies erased a 10-point deficit and squeaked out an 89–81 overtime win.

Connecticut’s win over the Hawks was just the beginning, as they upset the second seeded Villanova Wildcats in the second round and

then third seeded Iowa State Cyclones and moved on to the quarter-finals. Taking down tournament favorite Michigan State Spartans, the Huskies came away with an intense 60–54 victory, taking the fianl spot in the Final Four.

This is only the fourth time since 1980 that two teams seeded sixth or lower have made the Final Four in the same tournament.

The top ranked Gators will now take on the

TONI HOLMES / FLICKR

underdog Huskies in the first semifinal. The second semifinal will see the Badgers face the Wildcats. The winners will play each other in the national championship.

The games are being held in Dallas at Cowboys Stadium. The semifinals will take place on April 5 and the final game is on April 7.

8

SPORTS

Blue Jays look to end playoff drought AUSTIN ARVAY

The Toronto Blue Jays enter another season of baseball after a promising 2013 campaign that ended in an ugly fashion. The 2014 roster appears to have a lot of Jays return to a nearly identical team to the one that went 74–88 last year.

The one positive aspect of last season’s major failure is that expectations have been reduced and fans are expecting far less of Canada’s only professional baseball team.

Pitching was the Blue Jays Achilles’ heel in 2013 as they had one of the worst starting rotations in the majors with only two pitchers claiming over 10 wins. The rotation has been slightly changed however, R.A. Dickey returns as the Jays’ ace starting pitcher.

Pitcher Josh Johnson joined the San Diego Padres over the winter. Drew Hutchison, who missed all of last season due to injuries, will replace him. Mark Buehrle and Brandon Morrow return from last year’s team, aiming for better results after a rough 2013 season. The fifth and final starter will be Dustin McGowan who pitched in the minors last year.

The incoming pitching rotation is going to force the offence to carry the Blue Jays to the playoffs.

The Blue Jays offence lives and dies by the one-two punch of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. The two combined for over 60 home runs and nearly 200 runs scored. Both are coming off injury plagued seasons, but when Encarnacion and Bautista are healthy they are two of the very best players in the MLB. Jose Reyes, Brett Lawrie and Melky Cabrera represent the next tier of talent on the Jays roster and are a great supporting cast for the star players. They will need great contributions from all facets of their offence to have a chance of challenging in the exceptionally difficult American League East division.

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

The toughest part of the Blue Jays’ 2014 season will be playing 19 games against their division rivals — the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Rays and the Orioles — all of whom had winning records last season. The Jays will have to play exceptionally well against these teams to have any shot at the playoffs. However, in all likelihood, this will be another season where the Jays finish in last place in the AL East.

Knowing that the Jays will probably be hard

pressed to make the playoffs, this is a perfect year to see what the future holds for the team.

There are a few Blue Jays prospects to look out for this season. Aaron Sanchez is a young pitcher who throws hard but at times lacks control of his pitches. Another young pitcher, Marcus Stroman, is also expected to make his debut with the Blue Jays in 2014.

Overall, the Blue Jays look as though they will have a tough season ahead of them. They need

to stay healthy and hope for one of the main AL East opponents to falter.

The Jays have not made the playoffs since 1993 and it looks as if the lengthy drought will continue. They need big contributions from Bautista, Encarnacion and Hutchison to contend in the highly competitive AL East division.

The Blue Jays began their season on March 31 and will continue to play all through the summer.

The Blue Jays haven’t made the playoffs since 1993 and appear to have a tough season ahead of them.

KEITH ALLISON / FLIICKR

THE sheaf Like sports? Volunteer for us! sports@thesheaf.com

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

CULTURE 9 Rap puts South Chicago on the map, at a cost 3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

SCOTT DAVIDSON Associate News Editor

Regional styles have played an important role in the development of rap music in the United States. The traditional players have been the east coast, west coast and the south, but Chicago’s “drill” scene is the latest emerging hotspot.

Emerging on the heels of the trap music trend of previous years, Chicago’s newest style of rap rose to international prominence in mid-2012 with the success of rapper Chief Keef’s single “I Don’t Like.” The song was a hit in Chicago but attracted even more attention after it was remixed by Kanye West for his Cruel Summer compilation album. The success of “I Don’t Like” paved the way for more Chicago drill rappers to rise to fame.

Though not the first rap artists to emerge from Chicago — West and Lupe Fiasco being others — Keef and groups such as Glory Boyz Entertainment represent a changing of the guard in the city’s rap scene.

While Fiasco is known for his socially conscious lyrics and West for his experimental style, drill rap is characterized by dark, grimey beats, heavy bass and unflinchingly graphic lyrics about violence and crime that plague the city’s south side.

Chicago’s south side — a poor district with a history of racial segregation — has become notorious in recent years for its increasing levels of gun and gang violence. Because of this, the city has become known as “Chiraq” among locals.

The name stems from statistics that show the city’s murder rate is comparable to the number of American deaths in Iraq over the past decade.

SCREENSHOT

Chief Keef and Lil Reese (left to right) captured in the music video for their song “Traffic.”

In 2013 alone, the city recorded 415 homicides — the lowest number since 1965.

The very name “drill music” reflects these violent themes. “Drilling” is local slang that refers to gang-related actions.

Thus drill music is more than a subgenre of rap for the artists — it’s a representation of their surroundings, their upbringing and for some, their day-to-day lives.

Many of the scene’s most prominent artists including Keef and Lil Reese have demonstrated that they have deep ties to the gang violence that plagues Chicago.

In early 2013, 16-year-old Chicago rapper Lil Jojo released a song on YouTube in which he attacked Keef, Reese and other members of the GBE record label as frauds.

In response, Reese exchanged insults with Jojo on Twitter. The argument, which included references to gangs both rappers are thought to be associated with,

escalated into a face-to-face confrontation where Reese can be heard heard in a video saying “I’mma kill you” several times.

Hours later Jojo was shot and killed.

Keef responded to the news on Twitter with two haunting messages — one of which simply read, “Hahahahahaha” and another which said “It’s sad cuz Jojo wanted to be jus[t] like us.” Though the murder remains unsolved both Jojo’s brother and mother blamed Keef, a GBE associate of Reese’s, for ordering the shooting.

Keef has had his own troubles with the law. In 2011 at age 16, Keef flashed a handgun at a police officer and ended up spending time in juvenile detention.

A year later, Keef served another two months in detention for a parole violation after a Pitchfork video feature showed him at a gun range with the magazine’s editors.

Despite the continued success of

Chicago’s drill scene, some critics claim the music glorifies the city’s street violence and gang problems.

“Chief Keef scares me. Not him specifically, but just the culture he represents. The murder rate in Chicago is skyrocketing and you see who’s doing it and who’s perpetuating it — they all look like Chief Keef,” said Fiasco in an interview with a Baltimore-based radio station in 2012.

Further fuelling the controversy are artists like 13-year-old Lil Mouse, whose often-graphic lyrics also contain references to the Gangsta Disciples — a notorious Chicago street gang. Youth involvement with gangs such as the GD has become an increasingly visible issue in recent years. As a result, rappers like Mouse have become the poster children of what many perceive to be a major social problem.

Even with the criticisms, the drill scene doesn’t appear to be slowing down as several of its biggest artists have signed record deals with major labels.

Keef signed a $6 million, three album deal with Interscope Records in 2012 and released his major label debut Finally Rich that December. Reese and GBE affiliate Lil Durk signed with Def Jam records in 2012, but are yet to release albums on the label.

The group’s producer Young Chop also signed a deal with Warner Brothers Records and has produced tracks for big names such as Juicy J, Gucci Mane and Wiz Khalifa.

With more and more drill rappers being signed by major labels everyday, 2014 is set to be a big year for Chicago rap.

FREE MASSAGES, SNACKS, REFRESHMENTS, HEALTH DISPLAYS, & SWAG EACH DAY FROM 12:00 - 3:00

Throughout exams, take time to de-stress with some of St. John Ambulance’s wonderful Therapy Dog volunteers!

Schedule one-on-one time with a therapy dog April 9th from 11:30 - 1:30 Contact rita.hanoski@usask.ca for an appointment in Place Riel OR Share group time with 5 therapy dogs April 10th & 11th from 11:30 - 1:30 Convocation Hall in the Peter MacKinnon/Administration Building

Medium Monday

Large Tuesday

X-Large Wednesday

$16.95

$19.95

$24.95

ANY 2 FOR 1 ORIGINAL 2-TOPPING * campus hotline 306-242-1310

www.familypizza.ca

10

FEATURE

Undergraduates vote in new U

Jack Saddleback, Desirée Steele, Max FineDay and Elias Nelson (left to right) were announced on March 27 as the USSU’s incoming executive.

HENRYTYE GLAZEBROOK Editor-in-Chief From seven possible candidates, University of Saskatchewan undergraduates have chosen four students to represent them as members of the U of S Students’ Union in the roles of president, vice-president academic affairs, vice-president student affairs and vice-president operations and finance.

Coming off of his first term in the position, Max FineDay will continue on as USSU president for the 2014–15 academic year. His election marks the first time that a president has held office for two consecutive years since Gavin Gardner held office from 2004–06.

In his campaign, FineDay ran on a platform pushing for solutions for on-campus childcare, student based action on tuition rates, implementing a tuition waiver for youth exiting foster care, working toward a stronger voice for the Association of College Presidents — which includes all colleges as well as the Indigenous Students’ Council and the International Undergraduate Students’ Association — and being a voice for students during TransformUS. To be implemented on May 1, TransformUS is a program prioritization process intended to minimize a projected 2015–16 deficit of $44.5 million by deciding which academic programs and support services should receive increased or decreased funding, be reorganized, cut or remain as-is.

FineDay hopes to achieve his goals by highlighting the student narrative.

“It’s all about telling our story. We’ve made great gains this year because we told the story of what’s going on with students,” FineDay wrote in an email to the Sheaf. “If it’s about unaffordability, inaccessibility, a specific vision for post-secondary in Saskatchewan or having a strong union, we need to be able to tell the story of students to admin, the province and Saskatchewan —

that’s how you get results.”

FineDay wrote that he chose to run for a second term because he felt he had made commitments to students that went uncompleted in his first year, including finishing his recent advancements toward an open textbook policy, and he hoped to follow through on those.

With one full year as president already behind him, FineDay believes that his prior experience will help him ease the remaining incoming executive’s transition into their new roles and build a stronger USSU for the student body.

I am more than humbled to know that the university community celebrates me for me — sees my experience, sees my skills and sees me as an individual who can do the job regardless of my gender identity, sexual orientation or whatever relationship I’m in.

Jack Saddleback

Vice-President Student Affairs

“I have a better sense of the job. It’s funny, in talking with past presidents about the job they all say, ‘You don’t really know what you’re doing until October’ — and that’s true,” FineDay wrote. “A second term gives the opportunity to hit the ground running on day one and students are going to benefit from that.”

Taking over as vice-president student affairs, Jack Saddleback has spent the last two

years as the USSU Pride Centre Coordinator.

Enjoying his time as a representative for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities, Saddleback looks forward to taking on a similar role in a larger capacity for the entire undergraduate class.

“I find my experience within my past role as the Pride Centre Coordinator is going to add to the USSU because I’ve been able to look at all aspects of students’ lives and celebrate them, affirm them and advocate for students regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Saddleback said. “Being able to do this on a larger scale is just epic.”

Saddleback has spent much of his time as an advocate for LGBTQ rights and believes that this experience has made him an ideal candidate to represent undergraduate students as a member of the USSU executive.

“I’ve been working with students in regards to their academic and non-academic lives, getting them involved in different social justice issues, getting them involved in community building initiatives,” Saddleback said, adding that pushing for LGBTQ rights is a battle that affects everyone.

“It isn’t just affecting the queer community, it affects all communities. Getting these rights for gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation, we are going to be able to get rights for all people. It isn’t just for one community; it’s for all.”

Saddleback campaigned on a fourfold platform that included encouraging intercollegiate communication, promoting community on campus to achieve a balanced student experience, making the student voice heard in all levels of the university and enhancing student services through collaborative efforts.

Seeing a degree of redundancies in communication, Saddleback used Mental Health Awareness Week as an example of how he hopes to have student services work together in order to improve their overall output. Saddleback believes that by

promoting collaboration between the USSU Health Centre, the Peer Health Mentors, mental health-focused student services and the Mental Health Commission of Canada — with which he works as a member of its youth council — during the event’s planning and execution, the four bodies could more strongly and efficiently spread awareness of mental health on campus.

Aside from further developing Mental Health Awareness Week, Saddleback listed sustainability initiatives such as a composting or a community garden as well as engaging students to take a more active hand in on-and-off campus voting as goals he hopes to achieve during his time in office.

As the first openly two-spirited — a term that acknowledges the historical acceptance of LGBTQ people in First Nations’ cultures — and transgender member of the USSU executive, Saddleback credited the undergraduate student body for disregarding sexual orientation in choosing a leader based on merit alone.

“I am more than humbled to know that the university community celebrates me for me — sees my experience, sees my skills and sees me as an individual who can do the job regardless of my gender identity, sexual orientation or whatever relationship I’m in.”

In her new position as vice-president academic affairs, Desirée Steele said her experience as an active member of the St. Thomas More Students’ Union, her passion for student politics and her boldness as key characteristics that make her a strong member of the USSU executive.

Having spent the last three years involved with STMSU — acting as president for the 2013–14 academic year — Steele views her time with the college as having benefits and drawbacks as she prepares to take over as vice-president academic affairs.

“It’s a fairly small college, so in this case it allows for a lot of different avenues for engagement across the college decisionmaking structure and I’ve been privileged to

11

USSU executive 3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

KATHERINE FEDOROFF

be a part of those things. That’s given me a lot of experience,” Steele said. “However I also realize that that experience is in one college, and … for any student getting involved in representing all undergraduate student there’s a huge learning curve in terms of what other students experiences have been and will continue to be.”

Regardless of what your portfolio is coming in, the USSU executive has some serious work to do in terms of communicating what we do and why students should care.

Desirée Steele

Vice-President Academic Affairs

Steele believes that increased and open communication between the USSU executive and the undergraduate body will encourage students to take a greater interest in what the union can do for them and why it is important to the campus community.

With voter turnout sitting at 19.2 per cent this year, Steele hopes to foster dialogue with the campus through projects such as an update to the USSU website.

“Regardless of what your portfolio is coming in, the USSU executive has some serious work to do in terms of communicating what we do and why students should care,” Steele said. “A lot of students I talked to when I was campaigning didn’t have a clue there was an election going on … That’s a problem we have to address.”

With a heavy interest in experiential learning initiatives such as practicums, internships, co-ops, hands-on research, fieldbased study, community involved learning and study abroads, Steele is aiming to use her

time in office to promote such programs as valuable means of bolstering the university academic experience.

Having previously run for 2013–14 executive, Elias Nelson has earned the undergraduate vote and will act as vicepresident operations and finance for the upcoming year.

After spending the 2012–13 academic year as president of the Arts and Science Student Union, Nelson aims to use this experience with the campus as he strives for increased discussion between the undergraduate body, student groups and the USSU. “If the executive is very personable and trusted and has good leadership, that will help,” Nelson said. “But it’s a matter of … positive exposure and making clear that the USSU is here to benefit them and we’re not just rent seekers in the market taking their student fees and spending them on our own salaries.”

Looking forward, Nelson sees maintaining and supporting relationships with student groups as vital in achieving his goals.

“Student groups are important because they’re local; they have their feet on the ground in their constituencies and they know the issues that affect their students best,” Nelson said. “If we work with student groups, that can build a strong communication network with an effective information flow between the USSU and them.”

With TransformUS less than a month away, Nelson believes that this communicative effort will ensure that the USSU most accurately represents undergraduate students’ interests moving into the new academic year.

“I’m going to have to listen — like the rest of the executive — ­ and hear what we need to get our feet on the ground, communicate … with students and student groups and make sure we say the right things,” Nelson said. “If our voice is strong and we’re saying the wrong things, it means nothing.”

University of Saskatchewan

Discover More

with St. Thomas More College with

Over 200 Arts & Science class options open to all U of S students !

“I appreciate STM’s community atmosphere and the smaller class sizes that provide students with an engaging learning environment.”

Gabriela, STMSU President

Now Open - New 20,000 sq. ft. addition with over 350 new student spaces incorporating advanced classroom technology.

Class Options in the following:

Plus other Program Majors & Minors

• Anthropology • Economics • Archaeology • History • Catholic Studies • Interdisciplinary Studies • Religious Studies • Classics, Medieval & Renais.

• Philosophy • Political Studies • Psychology • Sociology

• English • French • Spanish • Ukrainian

12

CULTURE

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Supermodel a shadow of Foster the People’s previous glory AMY STEPHENS

After an arduous two-and-a-half year wait, Foster the People have finally released their second album Supermodel to their eager fans only to disappoint.

The pressure of one-upping the band’s chart topping debut album Torches must have been extreme, which poses the question — where does this album stand in comparison to the first?

Supermodel scores a 6.5 on my quality scale. Though a good album overall, there is no way to compare it to the band’s previous work. Recogized for its cheery, fast-paced sound, Torches was unlike anything many listeners had heard before. It is safe to say that Supermodel has an incredibly different feel and a completely new effect on the listener because of it.

Lead singer Mark Foster has expressed

concern that fans may brush aside the band’s new work due to the mainstream popularity of their previous hit single “Pumped Up Kicks.” Though it may have brought the band into the limelight, Foster the People seems determined not to become a one-hitwonder. Supermodel will definitely weed out the true fans from those that just have different dubstep remixes of “Pumped Up Kicks” in their iTunes libraries.

Mark Foster’s experimental vocal range on the band’s new album Supermodel is sure to make dedicated fans swoon.

mymuseummatters

FOCKA’S / FLICKR

The band’s sophomore release is a concept album that gets rid of the simple, feel-good tracks found on Torches and replaces them with some startlingly angry pieces. The album is rumoured to be a negative outlook on consumerism and popular culture, making it the perfect comeback to the radio frenzy created by “Pumped Up Kicks”.

This new slate of songs has a way of luring the listener in. “Are You What You Want to Be” is perfect as the first track on the album as it is the most upbeat. But it is also subtly hinting at the monstrosity that of capitalism with lyrics such as “I wait for revolution.”

The slow soothing sound of the guitar at the beginning of “Ask Yourself” almost makes you want to check to be certain that you are listening to the right band. The electronic sound that Foster the People was previously known for eventually slides in, although not as boldly portrayed as the song’s acoustic rhythm.

Foster shows off a wildly different singing style in “Fire Escape,” making it a standout track on the album while displaying that same beautiful acoustic sound. “Best Friend” is another gem as it brings listeners back to the days of disco pants, afros and roller rinks with its high-pitched vocals and psychedelic trumpet solos.

Despite the obvious stand-out tracks, the album is a little sloppy. A few songs seem to be more space fillers than anything else.

The strange lyrical mess found throughout Torches worked in the band’s favour then but is a bit off the mark this time around.

The harmonized theme doesn’t make up for the combination of every genre imaginable, contradicting the feeling of unity that the band was aiming for.

Supermodel’s saving grace lies in the quality of a handful of standout tracks, so be sure to put this album on shuffle to avoid getting lost in the jarring mixture of genres and sounds.

Preserving Saskatchewan’s past for 65 years.

Celebrate our anniversary Sunday, April 6th and pay only 65¢ admission!

GROWING in a

DIFFERENT Direction

General Academic Assembly (GAA) The president’s state of the university address President Ilene Busch-Vishniac, chair of the GAA, invites you to attend the annual meeting of the GAA, where she will give her report on the state of the university. This event is open to all faculty, staff and students.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9 NOON CONVOCATION HALL

We are proud of where we have been and excited about where we are going!

1-800-363-6345 www.wdm.ca VISIT OUR 4 UNIQUE LOCATIONS:

Moose Jaw • North Battleford • Saskatoon • Yorkton

Members of the GAA include the president as chair, members of faculty, elected students, deans, executive directors of schools, vice-presidents, the university secretary and the registrar.

For more information, visit usask.ca/secretariat

CULTURE

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Upcoming Events Thursday April 3

• Bend Sinister with guests at Vangelis • Big Dave McLean at Amigos • Fourth Annual High School Big Band Nights at The Bassment • Latin Dance Night at Louis’ • MUDMEN at Rock Bottom

Friday April 4

• Bastard Poetry with Quiltin Heavens at Amigos • The Kin at Louis’ • Kings of Leon with Local Natives at Credit Union Centre • Piano Fridays with David Fong at The Bassment • Sabrina Weeks and Swing Cat Bounce at Vangelis

Saturday April 5

• Black Thunder, The Jump Off and The Marching Martian Marshmellotrons at the Underground Café • Dreary and Izzy by Tara Beagan at Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company • Kenny vs. Spenny vs.

Canada at Louis’ • Purdy Bird with Jake Ian at Vangelis • Slates with These Estates at Amigos • Steve Miller Band at Credit Union Centre

Sunday April 6

13

Stop Kiss tackles the stigma of same-sex relationships BRADEN HURSH

Diana Son’s Stop Kiss is a beautifully awkward play revolving around a friendship that gradually evolves into love, bringing the issue of the stigmatization of same-sex attraction to the forefront. It is the fifth show of Live Five’s 10th season and is produced

by Embrace Theatre at The Refinery.

Now living in New York City, Sara (Angela Kemp) has recently moved from St. Louis to teach elementary school in the Bronx and meets Callie (Jenna-Lee Hyde) through a friend of a friend. Callie has been in New York for 11 years and works as a traffic reporter. Both actresses are University of Saskatchewan drama department alumni.

The two are brought together as Sara seeks out an animal-friendly apartment and Callie happens to own one. Their friendship quickly grows when Callie encourages Sara visit her pet anytime and teaches her the ways of life in the big city.

Taking place in Callie’s apartment, the play works on alternating storylines where the budding friendship and love of Callie and Sara is starkly contrasted with the scenes following a terrible attack on the two outside the apartment.

Audience members undergo extreme emotional shifts as one scene will have the two friends sharing a bottle of wine and laughing while the next scene will shift to Callie being forced to retell how the two women were assaulted by a man in the park. The actors are able to transition from friendly conversation to tears of frustration and anger in the short time it takes to change the scene setting.

The play shows the two women pursuing a type of love that neither have ever experienced. The fear of losing a friend if the feelings aren’t reciprocated and the lingering stigma surrounding same-sex relationships creates tension between the two women.

The stress in their situation increases as both have past lovers appear in the play.

George (Jaron Francis) is Callie’s recurring casual hook-up of many years who simply sees her as a convenient fall-back option when needed. Peter (Chris Donlevy) is Sara’s ex-boyfriend and the main reason for her fleeing St. Louis to start fresh. He arrives in New York after the assault and blames Callie for Sara’s injuries.

Stop Kiss deals with its difficult subject matter in an honest and straight-forward manner. Sara and Callie are blamed for the attack on the basis that they are two

BRAD PROUDLOVE

There’s nothing like splitting a bottle of red wine to mark the beginning of a friendship. beautiful women who shouldn’t have been in a park at night. This victim blaming is described as “gay-bashing” and occurs throughout the play. Instead of focusing on the horrific attack that leaves the two women traumatized, people seem more fixated on asking why they were out so late.

The set of Stop Kiss is designed for fast transitions between several locations, including Callie’s apartment, a doctor’s office, an interrogation room, a coffee shop and a park. By using multi-purpose props, adjustable walls, a curtain and practiced teamwork, the scene changes are both efficient and believable. These smooth transformations make for a life-like and unified viewing experience that deeply

invests the audience in the storyline.

Following the play are discussions with members of various Saskatoon-based groups on how the subject matter of Stop Kiss can be applied to social issues in Saskatoon. Members from the Avenue Community Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity, the YWCA Crisis Shelter and Residence, the U of S Students’ Union pride and women’s centres will be presented for these discussions.

Tickets are $18.50 and can be purchased through Live Five’s website or by calling (306) 653-5191. Stop Kiss runs from March 27 to 30 and April 3 to 6. The audience is encouraged to stay for the discussion.

• Stop Kiss by Diana Son at The Refinery (last night)

Monday April 7

• Brett Balon Trio with Gillian Snider at Bon Temps Café • Scene Slam at Louis’ • Steve Brockley at Village Guitar & Amp Co.

Tuesday April 8

• The Head and the Heart with Basia Bulat at O’Brians Event Centre • House Party 6: End of Class Bash at Louis’

Wednesday April 9

• Bronze Sculpture and Modern Contemporary Art Exhibition at Delta Bessborough Stop Kiss challenges the taboo of same-sex relationships in a charming and engaging way.

BRAD PROUDLOVE

14

CULTURE

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Web series Paper Airplanes soars onto the big screen MADISON TAYLOR A unique production written, directed and performed entirely by University of Saskatchewan students, Paper Airplanes finally made its big screen debut at the Broadway Theatre on April 1 after much local and national media hype.

This original web series was created using a team-based manufacturing model and chronicles the stories of four groups of university students as they attempt to navigate their way through the baffling and often terrifying maze that is adult life.

Paper Airplanes was initially created as a project for the media studies course “Creating for the 21st Century Screen” offered through the Digital Culture and New Media minor at the U of S. The team members were Thomas Bazin, Jacqueline Block, Andrew Hartman, Sarah Grummett, Dalton Mainil, Paul Panko, Christian Singh, Christina Sitkowski, Tyler Spink, Brandon Spink and Devin Wesnoski.

This dynamic group of 11 students collaborated on a 90-page script in which each individual took on a minimum of four production roles including directing, screenwriting, advertising and filming. This resulted in a creative and youthful presentation made and marketed exclusively for current and previous survivors of university life.

Despite the fact that many members of the project are new to the world of filmmaking, the series has received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback in the artistic and journalistic communities. In addition to an interview with Global Saskatoon and an article in the StarPhoenix, the series has received attention from major Canadian news publications such as the Vancouver Sun and the Ottawa Citizen.

The Broadway Theatre, known and loved for its support of aspiring independent

artists, was the ideal venue for the freshfaced filmmakers to share their work in Saskatoon.

“A lot of us had never made a movie before, especially not a feature-length film,” production manager Andrew Hartman said.

“Now we’re going to be watching this on a theatre screen and that’s just mindblowing.”

The cast of Paper Airplanes is made up of a collection of upper-year drama students who contribute to an absorbing performance that is highly relatable to those pursuing post-secondary education.

The actors capture the ups and downs of academic and social life in a realistic way, attempting to shed some light on the often dark struggles common to young-adults.

“It has a lot of tear-wrenching moments, but it also has a lot of belly-laughter moments,” Hartman said. “We like to call it a dramedy.”

Paper Airplanes is not just film series; it represents an opportunity for talented young actors, writers and filmmakers to showcase their ideas in a fresh and innovative manner. Giving students the chance to participate in unique artistic projects such as this allows them to polish their skills in preparation for future career plans — perhaps even inspiring them to consider taking an entirely new path.

“Before this class I never intended to pursue film,” Hartman said. “But now I know it is something I want to do.”

It was well worth the trip to Broadway Avenue to support such a devoted and gifted group of students and share in the experience of seeing their months of hard work come to life. The laughter and heartache portrayed in Paper Airplanes is sure to charm both current university students and alumni.

The entire web series will be released for free online viewing at vimeo.com/ channels/paperairplanesseries.

LARRY BAUMAN

Paper Airplanes student members each took on multiple roles in the production of the series.

The series was filmed exclusively on the University of Saskatchewan campus.

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

Health Sciences Bookstore

now open

Stop by our new location on the main floor of E Wing to shop our collection of health sciences reference books, materials and supplies.

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.

usask.ca/bookstore

THE sheaf www.cnfs.ca

www.medecine.uOttawa.ca

We want YOU to write for Culture. culture@thesheaf.com

LARRY BAUMAN

CULTURE

15

Duck Duck Goose is worth a gander 3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

KATLYNN BALDERSTONE

Just east of Broadway Avenue on 10th Street East, Duck Duck Goose uses quality over quantity to provide a warm and friendly dining experience.

Duck Duck Goose defines itself as a tapas bar — “tapas” being a form of Spanish cuisine comprised of several small dishes and appetizers.

It is meant to encourage conversation instead of being focused on a single large meal — and sure enough, my friend and I conversed when we went for dinner.

As you pass through the entrance, the thick grey curtain separating it from the dining area moves aside to show a cozy but densely packed space. Everyone is talking and enjoying themselves and the servers are busy but happy to hand over the bundle of papers comprising the menu and offer you a drink.

There are a wide variety of beers and wines as well as several cocktails one can choose from.

My friend ordered a whiskey sour that was not on the menu and received it right away. Later on we shared a raspberry and vodka cocktail that was very enjoyable. Not being one to drink regularly, I ordered the in-house ginger ale — highly recommended for anyone who wants to feel fancy without needing alcohol to do so!

The service was prompt with the exception of one dish. If you are seated at a side or corner table, service will be slower but the staff does make a point of circling around every couple of minutes.

I started off by ordering the bacon-wrapped dates with pomegranate molasses. The cooking process reduced the sweetness to be less overpowering and the bacon complemented the dish nicely. Even so, it was rich enough to almost be a dessert instead of an appetizer.

Having tried them before, my friend recommended the lamb meatballs with spicy tomato sauce which did not disappoint. There

was a hint of spice but the flavour was very balanced. I only wished that there was more — or at least that I had asked for some bread to soak up the remaining sauce once the three meatballs were consumed.

I tried the vacellas calamari. It was cooked perfectly with a nice crunch to the batter and a bed of arugula to offset the paprika with which it was accented. Though new to the menu this dish has already been met with

Duck Duck Goose serves up a mean chevre cheese platter.

St. Thomas More College

A New Look - New Inspiring Choices ! with

All you can eat Buffet Pasta Pizza,

Salad Station, Hot Sandwich,

Stir-fry , Meat Carving Station, Assorted Sides.

Dessert, Coffee, Fountain Drinks

And much, much MORE !

Just $9.75

20,000 sq. ft. addition with over 350 new student Now Open - NewStart Your Day Right! spaces incorporating advanced classroom technology.

We serve Breakfast from 8:00 am until 10:30 am.

• Anthropology • Archaeology • Catholic Studies

high demand — and for good reason.

These are only a handful of the dishes available however. If you were planning a nice evening out I would also recommend items such as the chevre cheese or charcuterie plates, or the specialty poutine with truffled fries and duck gravy.

Saturday mornings also allow patrons to check out the brunch menu, featuring items like greek yogurt parfait, latkes with salmon and

Make it your own•• Philosophy Political Studies

• Economics

Fresh:

• Psychology • Sociology

Build your own Salad & Sandwich options.

• English • French • Spanish • Ukrainian

Combos:

Create Soup, Salad & Sandwich combinations Hours of Operation: September to April Monday to Friday 8am - 5pm. : May to August Monday to Friday 8am - 3pm.

Corner of Bottomley & College Drive

scrambled eggs, or the Serrano ham and date panini.

Tapas is meant for sharing so don’t feel limited to what is put down in front of you. Fun and friendly if you have some cash to spare, Duck Duck Goose is a great way to share good times and good food with your loved ones.

Visit Duck Duck Goose at 616 10th Street East Monday to Friday from 4 p.m. to midnight, and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight.

KATHERINE FEDOROFF

16

OPINIONS

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

Travel for yourself, not for social media RENATA KISIN

On any given day, the breakdown of my Facebook newsfeed looks something like this: 10 per cent witty status updates, 20 per cent interesting links, 30 per cent Buzzfeed quiz results and 40 per cent travel updates from friends who are out exploring the world, often accompanied by a handful of photos from their adventures.

The same can be said for other avenues of social media as well. Photographs of dreamlike beaches and fantasy-like sunsets inhabit Instagram. Every second Snapchat notification seems to open to a drunken video of another hostel party filled with sunburnt Brits and rambunctious Aussies.

Seeing the world through my smartphone or laptop screen leads me to beg the question: if you don’t Facebook, Instagram, Tweet or Snapchat your travels every step of the way, is it really travelling?

To be clear, I admittedly wish I was the one exploring ancient ruins or enjoying a fancy drink on the beach. But this isn’t about jealousy. I’m not hating on people who are making the world their oyster while I’m stuck here in this weather trying to complete assignments and finals. This is about travelling for yourself and the sake of travelling versus travelling to rub it in everyone else’s faces that you are halfway across the world and having the time of your life.

As cliché as it may sound, travelling is a great way to discover yourself and to develop as an individual. Going to a place where you know absolutely no one and are a complete unknown gives you the opportunity to try new things, make mistakes, meet people and truly live in the moment.

Wine at the Eiffel Tower!!!

STEPHANIE MAH

Being thrown into a completely different culture teaches you valuable lessons about being independent, compassionate and open-minded. Yet technology seems to be both thwarting and altering this very experience.

We hear a lot about seizing the moment and making the most out of everyday — after all, we are the YOLO generation — but a lot of that is lost when we are too concerned with making sure we record

every beach day, adventurous hike and hostel beer pong tournament.

Travelling should be about exploration, discovery and experiencing different things. It shouldn’t be about living everything through the camera on your smartphone just so you can show your friends back home. And I’m not talking sappy “Wish you were here!” moments, but rather blatantly bragging about how cool your life is on your worldly adventures

and are no longer able to support terrorist organizations — that’s the reason why we entered the country in the first place, isn’t it?

In reality, the Taliban continue to operate in the south of the country. The drone strikes on insurgent targets around the AfghanPakistani border seem to suggest another reality as well.

However, does Afghanistan have a chance at more peaceful and stable future? Perhaps the right foundations have been laid with the help of foreign forces. Maybe we haven’t failed to rebuild Afghanistan — instead some of the groundwork has been laid and with the right conditions and time, Afghanistan will be able to develop into a peaceful and stable country.

The war has been costly: 158 Canadian soldiers lost their lives and thousands more have been left physically and psychologically

wounded. For the Afghan civilian population, the death toll is even higher, in the tens of thousands. Canada has spent $20 billion on the war so far and has pledged to continue financing the country’s future operations.

Firuz Rahimi, an Afghan-Canadian studying political science at the University of Saskatchewan, moved from Afghanistan to Iran in 1996, and to Canada with his family in 2001. Rahimi and his family have made regular trips back to Afghanistan and stay in touch with relatives as well.

In the early 1970s, after four decades of rule under a monarchy, King Zahir was removed from power. By the end of the decade the Soviet Union launched an allout invasion of the country that would last a decade and claim the lives of more than one million Afghans.

After the withdrawal of Soviet forces, Afghanistan fell into a civil war. By 1996, the Taliban had gained control of much of the country with the north being controlled by the Afghan Northern Alliance, which was made up of mostly ethnic minority groups including Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras — who were often victims of massacres under the Taliban rule.

Fighting between these two major factions continued until NATO and allied forces invaded the country with the intent of dismantling the Taliban regime. The Taliban was believed to have supported and harbored al-Qaida in the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

Rahimi’s view relates to the improvement in rights and protection of women and of minority groups in the past 12 years under foreign occupation and the democratically elected government. Afghans do not want to see the Taliban take power again for fear of the oppression and violence they faced under the regime in the past.

The general feeling Rahimi has received from back home is that ethnic divisions are

while the rest of us are trying to find the right balance between school, work and play.

I’ll admit that I enjoy taking pictures and sharing stories on Facebook when I travel, but there is a limit. Once I begin to feel like I am right there beside them, even from the comforts of my homework-ridden life, I can’t help but feel like their travel intentions were skewed somewhere along the way.

When this is done, travelling becomes less about enjoying and learning and more focused on boasting about your experiences. Posting occasional updates and funny anecdotes is acceptable and even enjoyable to your friends and followers.

However, uploading 20 pictures a day of the same thing and Snapchatting your every move is a bit excessive — and quite frankly, it’s annoying.

I’m a firm believer that travelling is one of the best things a person can do for themselves — especially while you’re young and without any job or relationship commitments.

While taking advantage of this, make sure to keep your level of showing off to a minimum — or at least to a respectable level. After all, you didn’t pay a thousand dollars to fly halfway across the world for my enjoyment — you did it for yourself.

Get lost trying to find your hostel, spend a day rafting and getting sunburnt and swap travel stories with new friends over cheap drinks. Revel in the moment because once it’s gone, it becomes a memory — a memory that I can’t wait to hear you share in person once you get home.

What does the future hold for Afghanistan?

GRAEME MARK

Canada withdrew the last of its troops from Afghanistan in March 2014, but after 12 years of military engagement has Canada really achieved the mission it set out to accomplish?

It seems as though it has not. From an outside view, the war looks like a spectacular failure. Afghanistan appears nothing like a modern western democratic country with equal rights for all. This proves that implementing a liberal democracy is very difficult. Looking at what the Canadian forces did in Afghanistan can give a clearer picture to the success or failure of the mission.

With the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan it would seem that the war has been won and the country rebuilt. The Taliban regime has been toppled from power

ISAGMEDIA / FLICKR

The Canadian forces withdrew the last of their troops from Afghanistan in March 2014.

decreasing while the desire for peace and stability is on the rise. Meanwhile, minority groups will have less influence on the now democratic government.

Rahimi remains cautious because the country is largely reliant on both security and financial aid from foreign forces. With the continued withdrawal of these forces, the security responsibilities are being transferred to the under equipped and under trained Afghan National Army and police force.

Rahimi questions the ability of the Afghan forces to provide security and stability for the country — a task that NATO and allied forces have been unable to accomplish in the past 12 years, despire their capabilities.

The majority of Afghanistan is Pashtun — the ethnic group that almost exclusively made up the Taliban — and will be strongly represented in any future Afghan government, which raises concerns for the future of minority groups within the country’s borders who do not have the numbers to gain a large influence in the government.

Future peace in Afghanistan will be dependent on a great number of variables, including the stability of Pakistan.

After 12 years of occupation by Canadian and allied forces, the future of Afghanistan is still unclear. Perhaps the only thing that has been made clear after 12 years of military occupation is that we still do not have the means to create a western liberal democracy in a country that is vastly different than ours in both traditions and values.

It seems that 12 years of occupation isn’t a long enough time to develop a country as peaceful and stable as Canada but maybe we should remember the many years of trial and error it took for the west to develop the liberal democracy that we seem to think is the apex of all civilization.

OPINIONS

17

When narcissism goes too far 3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

NAOMI ZUREVINSKI Culture Editor

A 19-year-old British teen’s obsession with taking pictures of himself hit a dangerous point when he attempted suicide after failing to take the “perfect selfie.”

This situation reveals that our society is incredibly self-absorbed and conceited — issues that are heightened by both social media and selfies. Basing self-confidence and selfacceptance on short-lived social media highs is nothing but dangerous.

Daniel Bowman stated that he would spend up to 10 hours a day trying to attain the perfect photo of himself on his iPhone. This caused him to drop out of school due to the time commitment of his obsession. Prior to his suicide attempt, he had not left the house in six months.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Bowman, “I was constantly in search of taking the perfect selfie and when I realized I couldn’t, I wanted to die.”

His mother intervened in the suicide attempt, the climax of a four-year-long infatuation with taking selfies that began when Bowman was 15. He reported compulsive urges to leave class and cancel on friends so that he could perfect his photos, edit them and wait nervously for likes on Instagram and Facebook.

While this is an extreme case of self-obsession and vanity it is unfortunately easy to believe that this could occur in our society.

I’m a fan of Instagram. I use it frequently and I’m definitely not complaining when I see likes on one of my photos. Instagram and Facebook are great ways for everyone and their dog to stay connected, but they are regrettably used as a tool to scream, “Wow, look how great my life is!”

I can plead guilty to all of the following: look how great my lunch is, look how great the South Saskatchewan river looks right now, look how great my new hair looks, look how

cute this dress is on me, etc.

I am not obsessed with Instagram and Facebook, but I do check both of them daily.

It can be a huge distraction and a waste of time when you consider the time devoted to scrolling through and editing photos. At best, it’s a fun social media tool to keep up to date with everyone you know. At worst, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Becoming obsessed with selfies is dangerous to one’s mental health and sense of selfconfidence. Bowman’s addiction accumulated in taking over 200 selfies daily and produced intense feelings of self-loathing, based upon the number of likes he either did or did not receive.

Bowman was diagnosed with having obsessive compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder. The psychiatrist from the hospital where Bowman was treated also said that addictions to taking selfies have become so common that it is now being recognized as a mental illness with a high suicide rate.

Unfortunately, social media promotes external validation of appearances in many ways. What’s attractive by societal definition forces people to morph and alter their appearances to fit the mold.

If you don’t have the acceptance of your peers, the attention of a significant other or at least 11 Instagram likes — well, you better do whatever it takes to attain those.

The idea of external validation brings to mind the latest Facebook trend — the make-up free selfie.

This trend was originally a cancer research initiative in the United Kingdom but has now gone viral. Women are applauded for being “brave” and for baring their natural faces. While the original purpose did bring in mass revenue for cancer research — the equivalent of over $3.6 billion was raised in the first 48 hours — most make-up free selfies posted don’t have any mention of cancer research anymore.

What started out as an honest initiative turned

into another selfie that you want to attain likes on — hopefully your followers embrace your bare face. I’ve seen this trend altered in several ways from videos explaining self-love, to women posting faces with full make-up claiming that their made up face is what makes them feel good and shows who they are. I’ve even seen some guys get in on the trend as well.

Why is posting a selfie of yourself with no make-up courageous and on par with revealing who you truly are? Posting make-up less selfies and attaining likes on your photos is not selflove. It’s external validation, which is both fleeting and fake. You’re no better if you have 120 likes versus 30 and being unable to take a perfect photo is a disturbing and sad reason to end your life.

If your sense of self-worth and value as a human being is entirely dependent on social media outlets, then I can guarantee you are going to have many personal issues. An occasional confidence boost from an attractive photo doesn’t do harm, but relying on outside sources to affirm your appearance and level of self-acceptance is nothing but damaging to a person. If posting a make-up free selfie was a monumental moment for you I suggest walking out the door au natural a little more often.

The bulk of what all of this reveals is that our society is narcissistic — nothing new. Don’t go deleting your Instagram account, but do remember that there is a limit to everything.

When it comes to selfies, sometimes less really is more.

viewers and readers want to see is what female characters do in similar situations.

Divergent by Veronica Roth highlights this idea of choice. Tris Prior (played by Shailene Woodley in the movie) has to choose between factions to align with and is not the first character forced to make a series of choices while learning about themselves.

Choice is a main theme in young adult fiction because it is marketed to people who are at the peak of their decisionmaking life. For women, it is inspiring to read and watch these stories of girls having to go through the same changes while holding their ground alongside the boys.

I watched Divergent opening night and am a huge fan of the book series.

However — like any avid reader — I was apprehensive about how they would portray the characters — especially Tris.

My apprehension was caused by how film production companies seem to believe that there are only two ways to go about directing a main female character.

Either she is the Bella Swan-equivalent finding herself in many damsel-in-distress circumstances or the girl is as close to Xena: Warrior Princess as you can get without outright plagarizing. The warrior princess archetype has the character embody nothing but stereotypical masculine traits, showing that the only way you can make a girl look badass is to portray her as just another male character.

One of my favourite things about Divergent — along with other young adult

novels — is that it emphasizes that female characters are just girls. Yes, some of them are jaded and rough around the edges, but you would be too if you lived in a postapocalyptic world.

Tris learns to be strong and smart which allows her to be just as complex as the other male characters. If the movie industry keeps buying rights to young adult novels and doesn’t deliver complexly developed heroines, they won’t get an avid fan base.

I know Twilight may seem like the exception, but both the book series and the movie franchise had a very specific audience — that happened to be a very large one as well.

I can take my dad to The Hunger Games or Divergent and he’ll genuinely engage in a conversation about the film after. This is because characters with substance don’t have an age range, gender specifications or a particular marketable audience. If that were the case, the only people who would like the Harry Potter series would be 11 year-olds born in the early ’90s.

Young adult novels provide more than a high concept story with love triangles, dystopian worlds and a multimilliondollar box office jackpot.

The most well written characters are forced to overcome the same struggles as anyone of a similar age. Their circumstances may be extraordinary, but the issues addressed run parallel with those surrounding teens — especially today’s young females.

Female heroines leading the box office may be the best chance we get to portray strong women as deciders of their own fate. Influences like that shouldn’t be glossed over as just a trend.

STEPHANIE MAH

Pop culture is better with strong women FATUMA ADAR

Strong female characters should not be overlooked as merely a trend as they are essential in young adult fiction and the box office successes of the last few years.

I am an unapologetic reader of young adult fiction. For those of you who are unfamiliar, young adult fiction is the genre used to classify books marketed towards teens and adults in their early 20s.

Pop culture has immersed itself in the world of young adult fiction, especially at the box office. Films like Twilight, The Hunger Games and the soon-to-bereleased The Fault In Our Stars were all based on wildly popular young adult novels. The most recent box office success based on a young adult novel is the postapocalyptic movie Divergent.

But being best selling young adult novels-turned-movies is not all that these stories have in common. They also all have a female protagonist around which the story.

Many people dismiss this phenomenon of female protagonists as simply another box office trend. However, if we were to say that this trend started with Bella Swan of the Twilight saga in 2008 and is still going strong with Tris Prior in Divergent, that’s a really long time for a pop culture trend.

So what is it about these female characters that causes us to flock to either the bookshelves or the big screen?

Many people would argue that Bella Swan is no Katniss Everdeen — and I think therein lies the answer. These characters are put in extraordinary circumstances and adventures that have been dominated by male characters in the past. What both

SCREENSHOT FROM DIVERGENT

Tris Prior, the protagonist in Divergent, overcomes challenges while making tough choices.

18

OPINIONS

Pro-life considers both woman and child

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

KATRINA BURNS

The pro-life position is often perceived to be all about the fetus. While there may be some individuals within the pro-life movement who think that way, the vast majority of us — including those who sit at the Students for Life table in the Arts Tunnel — see a much bigger picture.

When I spoke with some of the volunteers at the pro-choice table — who were all lovely people — there was a lot that we agreed on. At the end of the conversation, one of them made the observation that I sounded very “pro-woman” — a comment I agree with.

A lot of individuals who stop to talk to us at our table inevitably ask the hard questions about the life of the mother, rape and poverty. They often leave satisfied that we are empathetic human beings who do in fact care about the woman, not just about her unborn child.

My heart breaks for women confronted with an unplanned or crisis pregnancy that they feel they cannot handle and it breaks all the more for women who are violated in the latter case through rape and sexual assault.

These women have been the victims of a heinous crime and the offender deserves to be in prison. I can’t imagine being in their shoes and I have no doubt that when rape results in pregnancy it is accompanied by feelings of resentment and anger.

The pro-life approach aims to eliminate the crisis, not the child. Abortion does not undo the rape. Instead it adds another crisis for the woman to deal with. A woman in

KATHERINE FEDOROFF

The pro-life stance promotes solidarity for women through presenting concerns for both the woman and her unborn child. this situation needs our utmost compassion and support as she works through the trauma of the rape, her pregnancy and whichever option she chooses after the birth. As a club, we aim to support women by directing them to resources for the mother and the child.

Abortion is a procedure that can have a multitude of grave effects on the health and well-being of a woman. These effects are often shrugged off as a myth, but research suggests otherwise. No medical procedure is without risks and it would be absurd to suggest that something as invasive as an

abortion would be the exception to that.

The deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research offers a comprehensive look at the health implications related to abortion. Their book Women’s Health After Abortion, written by Elizabeth RingCassidy and Ian Gentles, includes the possible after-effects of abortion. Some of these are an increased risk of suicide, psychiatric problems, breast cancer and pre-term births in subsequent pregnancies.

I would not wish any of these risks on any woman.

Women should, at the very least, be

Canada. In the 2011 Canadian election, only 38.8 per cent of citizens between the ages of 18 and 24 voted, a small increase from 37.4 per cent in 2008, but not anything to boast about.

These low numbers are often attributed to a lack of political interest among youth and in many cases, a lack of knowledge about political parties. Academics have noted that many youth feel less attached to political parties and have taken to demonstrations or protests as their civic duties as an alternative to voting.

Perhaps what is keeping the youth out of

politics is the idea behind the criticism of Obama’s video — that those in office should only be involved in activities that hold a certain amount of “dignity.”

Political decisions seem foreign to us younger demographics, as they have little effect on our day-to-day lives. If we did want to make a change, the miles of bureaucratic bullshit we would have to wade through is so indefinite that we don’t even bother stepping in. Why should we vote in a political system that doesn’t try to engage us or to hear what we have to say?

Taking a new approach to communicate

informed of these and other risks associated with abortion so as to make a fully informed choice, as they would for any other medical procedure.

I truly believe that carrying an infant to term — either to mother or to be mothered by another — is in the best interest of any woman. I further trust that it is in the best interest of the other human in question — the pre-born child.

The question of whether or not the mother’s life is in danger is inevitable. In these cases we must always remember that there are two lives we must work to save.

There is a difference between prescribing an abortion when a mother’s health is at risk and prescribing treatment that may as a side-effect terminate the life of the fetus. Medical attention striving to save both lives, even when it fails to save the life of the child, is certainly not morally objectionable in the same way that open heart surgery resulting in a death on the operating table is not.

The pro-life position is naturally and fundamentally pro-child — the pre-born is human too. Just like the women who sit at the pro-choice table, I am pro-woman and support a woman’s right to choose.

I respect every human’s right to choose pertaining to any aspect of their life.

However, an individual’s freedom to choose ends where it infringes upon the rights or property of another. The right to life is a fundamental human right and choosing abortion infringes upon that right of the pre-born child.

Obama smart to go on Between Two Ferns CHELSEA MCMANUS The Fulcrum (University of Ottawa)

OTTAWA (CUP) — On March 11, President Barack Obama joined the ranks of Justin Bieber, James Franco and Jennifer Lawrence as a guest on the web show Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis.

The Canadian government should follow in Obama’s steps and figure out how to better engage young voters, connecting with them on a different level.

While this was likely a nice break from the president’s routine interviews and a good public relations move, the appearance served a much more important purpose — to promote Obamacare to the American youth.

Many criticized the video was but taking a new approach to communicating with youth is a necessary step in order to uphold the democratic process.

The president was able to show off his comedic side by taking a few jabs at Galifianakis before getting into his plug for Obamacare and the healthcare.gov website.

The video has reached more than 20 million views, making it one of the most viewed interviews in the series. More impressive however, is that the interview accomplished its goal in driving traffic to healthcare.gov.

The Republican party wasn’t amused, calling it a waste of the president’s time.

Some called it undignified and a distraction from real political issues. Republican Congressman Randy Weber accused the president over Twitter, “Instead of playing celebrity, our President should be working on fixing his failed takeover of health care.”

Despite what critics say, the video was a move in the right direction for the president’s communication strategy. In the 2012 election, 41.2 per cent of people aged 18–24 voted, down from 49 per cent in 2008. With fewer than half of American youths engaging in political activity, it seems as though whatever tactic was used didn’t work.

Things aren’t looking much better in

with the public is an important way to reach potential voters in an age where very few people are engaging in politics through traditional forms of media, like through television and newspapers.

I would love to see Justin Trudeau interviewed by George Stroumboulopoulos or Rick Mercer on YouTube and I would pay money to see Stephen Harper on a show like Obama. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s in the cards — but for now, let’s applaud the politicians who are willing to try something new and leave our criticism for those who are holding on to their positional “dignity.”

Should Canadian politicians follow in Obama’s footsteps and take a different approach when connecting with potential voters?

JACK SLOAN / FLICKR

HUMOUR

19

Campus Chat

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com

If you could hypnotize someone, what would you make them do?

Make them dance.

Make them write my exams.

Catherine Goyette

Make them cook for me.

Enaya Safi

DAN

XKCD.COM

Ben Johnson

Make them spill their darkest secrets.

Janelle Dyck

20

BACKPAGE

3 April, 2014 • thesheaf.com