March 19, 2015

THE SHEAF 19 March, 2015 - Your University of Saskatchewan student newspaper since 1912.

Huskie high jumper wins CIS gold. pg. 6

News - 3

Sports - 6

Culture - 11

Opinions - 14

USSU exec candidates outline their campaigns.

A beginner’s guide to selecting a March Madness bracket.

White Ninja comic strip slinks onto the web.

Debate: Should the College of Arts and Science split into two faculties?

2 NEws

5 Days for the Homeless hits the U of S campus

THE SHEAF

TAYLOR BOROWETZ

Editor-in-Chief: Anna-Lilja Dawson, editor@thesheaf.com

Opinions Editor: Naomi Zurevinski opinions@thesheaf.com

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The Sheaf is a non-profit, incorporated and student-body funded partially by way of a direct levy paid by all part- and full-time undergraduate students at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). The remainder of the revenue is generated through advertising. The financial affairs are governed by a Board of Directors, all of whom are students. Membership in the Society is open to undergraduate students at the U of S who 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 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.

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The mission of the Sheaf is to inform and entertain students by addressing those issues that are relevant to life on campus, in the city, or in the province. The newspaper is also meant to be a forum for discussion on a wide range of issues that concern students. Written for students by students, most of the staff (editors, photographers, artists) are student-journalists. With this composition, the Sheaf tries to stay in touch with students on the U of S campus. It offers unique insight to university issues through a student perspective. /thesheaf1912

March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

@thesheaf1912

@thesheaf1912

Corrections In last week’s issue, the article “Male students should care about feminism,” the phrase, “While all men are ciminals,” should have read as: While not all men are criminals, ...

We regret the error.

If you spot any errors in this week’s issue, email them to copy@thesheaf.com

The evening of March 13 was cool and clear, with temperatures around -3 C. Nights like it might seem downright balmy to some, but things are very different for those without a roof over their head.

5 Days for the Homeless is a campaign that has been taking place in Saskatoon to raise funds and awareness for homeless and at-risk youth since 2008. Their vision is “to create a society where all homeless individuals are given the opportunity to rebuild their lives.”

The University of Saskatchewan 5 Days for the Homeless committee collected donations for Saskatoon Downtown Youth Centre — commonly known as EGADZ. According to their website, EGADZ is an organization that empowers at-risk youth while working with family and community planning.

The team campaigned in the Arts Tunnel and did announcements from classroom-to-classroom.

However, for the five volunteers that were chosen participate, life was drastically different.

For five nights from March 8–13, Ryan Luciuk, Ariel Fitzgerald, Victor Valois, Hawa Baloch and Matt Lachica slept outside. They were allowed a pillow, a sleeping bag and the clothes on their backs, as per campaign rules.

Besides their sleeping arrangements, the homeless participants had to adhere to a strict protocol during the week, all while attending their regular classes and other academic responsibilities. The team had to remain on campus from 5 p.m. Sunday until 5 p.m. on Friday, with limited access to facilities to which their student status would usually grant them access.

Showers, for example, were off-limits and washrooms could only be accessed when campus buildings were open.

They had no income and food could only be received through direct donations. Participants were allowed the option to exchange their pillow and sleeping bag for an emergency meal. They lost all of their personal communication media, laptops and cell phones and were to write about their experiences each day.

On the last evening, other committee members who raised $100 for the cause were given the opportunity to sleep outside with the homeless participants and show their support for the cause.

The Sheaf was invited to join them on March 13 for a glimpse of what a homeless youth might experience.

The group bundled up and headed outside around 10:30 p.m. Some donned their sleeping bags and pillows in hand while others carried

CAITLIN TAYLOR

Ariel Fitzgerald accepted donations on behalf of 5 Day for the Homeless in the Arts Tunnel. folded plastic tarps or pushed a shopping cart full of cardboard.

As soon as the supplies had arrived, the teamwork began.

Everyone worked together to spread the cardboard on the rectangle of pavement, then to create a grid of sleeping bags, positioned so there would be no open spaces to lose valuable body heat.

Newspapers were distributed — but not for reading. Copies of the previous week’s Sheaf were to be separated page-by-page and crumpled into clothing or around feet to trap in warm air.

After everyone was settled into their sleeping bags, the tarps were pulled up to around shoulder-level as a final blockade against the cold.

At about 7 a.m. the process was reversed: supplies and belongings were packed up, and participants got ready for class. There was almost no way to tell that over 15 students that attended the U of S that day had just slept outside.

Luciuk said that youth homelessness can often go unnoticed.

“Not necessarily are [homeless people] living on the street,” Luciuk said, but in a state of “invisible homelessness.

“Whether couch-surfing from friend’s house to friend’s house, never really having a secure place to sleep, never knowing where their next meal is going to be, there are more students than we

can think of that are underprivileged," Luciuk said.

These students are trying to further themselves, Luciuk said, but they are constantly being taken back by the disadvantages they have been dealt.

The 5 Days for the Homeless Saskatoon team set a goal of raising $17,000 for EGADZ. As of March 16, their total sat at $17,597, and the committee is still tallying cash donations.

Annie Stadnyk, campaign project manager for 5 Days for the Homeless-Saskatoon, was stunned by the figure.

“That number just overwhelms me,” she said. “It’s actually amazing how quickly dimes and quarters add up.”

Stadnyk also said they received over 120 bags of clothing and non-perishable food that will be donated to EGADZ alongside funds raised.

Money raised during 5 Days for the Homeless goes toward food and supplies, fuels the EGADZ outreach van and helps run their programs. The non-perishable food, clothing and hygiene products that are donated will be distributed among all of the care homes and the EGADZ drop-in centre.

If you would like to help create positive change in the lives of homeless and at-risk youth in Saskatoon, visit egadz.ca to learn about their programs, donate or volunteer.

NEws 3

March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

Meet your 2015 USSU executive candidates With the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union general elections in full swing, candidates for next year’s executive are out campaigning.

This year the president, vice-president academic affairs and vice-president student affairs all RAINER KOCSIS have two candidates in the running while the Associate News Editor vice-president operations and finance has an PHOTOS: KATHERINE FEDOROFF/ PHOTO EDITOR uncontested candidate. Noah Kelleher and Jack Saddleback are the two USSU presidential candidates. The position of vice-president academic affairs has Gabe Senecal and Felipe del Campo in the running. Kehan Fu and Wendy Li are the two candidates in contention for vice-president student affairs. The sole candidate for vice-president operations and finance is Ata Merat.

Each year the Sheaf writes a quiz for executive candidates to measure their general knowledge of the USSU, the U of S, Huskie sports and the Sheaf itself. Each candidate’s quiz score is included along with an outline of their platform.

VP Operations & Finance “I would like to continue the financial success of the USSU. I will look for new ways to support innovation and entrepreneurship among student groups such as supporting installation of a Bitcoin ATM on campus and petitioning the USSU to begin accepting Bitcoin donations. I would like to develop an app to connect students to protective services and Safewalk faster and easier.”

Ata Merat

President

Noah Kelleher

Second year, commerce

Quiz score: 48%

Jack Saddleback Second year, sociology

Third year, electrical engineering

“Eliminate the chance of having two finals on one day and implement a ‘student first’ mentality within the USSU and Board of Governors. Too often are students put on the back burner and only thought of as a revenue generator. [I would] vote no to any budget presented to me that suggests an increase in tuition or student fees and promote greater collaboration between the student body and governance when making crucial decisions.”

Quiz score: 82%

Quiz score: 72%

“As USSU executives, we only have 365 days to create change. Within this timeline I will work to implement my platform points, all of which are feasible.

“First, I will work with our student body and the university to build and implement a mental health strategy. Second, sexual assault is a huge issue across Canada’s post-secondary institutions; we need a sexual assault policy here at the U of S so no one is left in a ‘grey area’ wondering where to go next. Third, I see that the USSU can do better in engaging students on all levels at our university. Lastly, students are passionate about community engagement and I would love for this to not only be fostered but grow.

“I look forward to this election and to hear from you, because this is your USSU.”

VP Academic Affairs VP Student Affairs

Kehan Fu

Third year, political studies

Quiz score: 58%

“I want to revamp Welcome Week to be better in three ways: more immersive experience lasting an entire week from dawn until dusk, more inclusive to allow for international, indigenous, residence and underage students and more integrated to allow for different student groups and bodies to share their cultures and ideas with a larger crowd. “[I want to] revamp the USSU radio show to engage more students with constant guests, music acts and even on-campus segments, and develop the show as an exposé of student culture in Saskatoon, to be viewed also as a weekly podcast segment including both on-air and offair material. All students should have a means to express and act upon their concerns and ideas.

“One vice-president isn’t enough to deal with the many issues that are currently being sidelined. I will push for the creation of a student affairs committee including mental health, residence, sexual health, safety, physical health, academic research and community engagement.”

“I want to increase academic awareness and accessibility to USSU services by creating an academic advocacy centre and establishing fixed office hours for the exec. I want to keep promoting tuition consultation in each college. Then, I want to lobby to implement official electronic transcripts. Finally, I want to promote and increase undergraduate research.”

Felipe del Campo

Third year, political studies

Quiz score: 56%

Gabe Senecal Wendy Li

Fourth year, education

Quiz score: 48%

“If elected, I would like to work on three student issues: raising awareness of mental health, getting universal (gender neutral) washrooms in Lower Place Riel and safety for all students on campus.”

Fourth year, regional and urban planning

Quiz score: 86%

“Creating a student bill of rights in conjunction with the university. The university does a poor job of actually letting students know their academic rights; a student bill of rights would solve this problem through repackaging and reorganizing the university’s jumbled policies into a cohesive and clear manner. “[I will] implement a maximum of three midterms in 48 hours. Midterms are a particularly hard time for students, especially considering that midterms, unlike finals, require students to also keep up regular commitments to labs, classes, assignments essays. “[I would implement] three-year tuition forecasting. Students deserve to know what they will be paying down the road in their degree.

“The U of S suffers from a lack of community at times. I will work with the other USSU executives to implement policies and build community. Social activities like a winter welcome week are a great first step.”

March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM 4 NEws Steele thankful for USSU experience, proud to serve students KEIGHLAGH DONOVAN University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union candidate campaigns were announced on March 16. Although Desirée Steele, vice-president of academic affairs for the 2014–15 academic year, will not be returning as an executive, she is no less excited about the electoral race.

Steele has been involved in student politics since her first year in university. In her first year, she was invited to join the St. Thomas More Students’ Union by the then-president and was a representative of the college on University Students’ Council in her second year. This opportunity introduced her to the operations of the USSU, which interested her and increased her awareness surrounding student union activity.

As a fifth-year student and USSU vice-president of academic affairs, Steele reflects on the value of being involved in student politics.

“I have really valued the opportunity to see how our institution works a little bit more from the inside and get an idea of what the values are that guide our institution — both the ones that ideally should guide it and what happens sometimes instead.”

A political studies major, looking at decision-making and how organizations are structured and the chain of command is something that interests Steele. She acknowledges that aside from the meetings, there are several ways executives fill their time and the takeaway from such

experiences differs depending on the person.

“There are of course some expectations and some things that are part of your portfolio,” Steele said, adding that, “The job is what you make it.”

Steele jokes about the lasting effects of her increased popularity since becoming vice-president.

“I am going to take away a lot of meals that have been served for meetings that I had to go to. There is something called the ‘executive 15’, which I think could be in some ways a modest estimate.”

Aside from the additional meals, Steele insists her experience as a USSU executive has also supplemented her academic experience.

“It’s been valuable to see how the skills that I have learned through my degree — largely to do with reading, writing, communications, formulating ideas and arguments — have so much application in the real world and it’s also been healthy for me to find out how much I have yet to learn about these things,” said Steele.

As Steele prepares to reintegrate herself as a full-time student, she will approach this next phase of her academia with an enlightened perspective.

“Having the opportunity to interact with some other students’ union leaders and executives from around the country has definitely given me a sense of what makes us unique and what our strengths are and how they develop specifically from a Saskatchewan context. I’m really proud of how much ownership we take over our future.”

KATHERINE FEDOROFF/ PHOTO EDITOR

Desirée Steele, current vice-president academic affairs for the USSU, thanks students for electing her.

Steele hopes that her platform regarding experiential learning and undergraduate research will continue to be a priority for future executives as the U of S continues to become a research intensive institution.

“As students, we deserve to have the opportunities made for us to engage in research if that is going to be more and more what our institution is about, so we need to be able to participate in that particular learning mission.”

Although initially unknown to Steele, her portfolio included representing students’ interests regarding tuition and fees, which turned out

to be one of the highlights of the term. She realized that there was a gap between how students were supposed to be involved in tuition setting and what was actually happening, which was no student consultation whatsoever.

Steele encourages students to continue making their voices heard either by running for a position on the USSU executive, or casting their vote in the election.

“It is beneficial to each student to see what they want or are into and go and vote for the candidate accordingly. If nothing else, your student fees end up paying their salaries so you should care.”

Looking forward, Steele plans to focus on her studies and hopes to pursue a three-year law degree, though she insists her experience with the USSU will continue to inspire her.

“I want to say thank you to students for actively or tacitly putting their faith in myself and the other executives to represent them, especially to those students who made their voices heard in the various aspects of work that we do here and especially to my committee because I feel blessed to have been able to have done this work. I appreciate the amazing sides of students this university that I have been able to see.”

Temple Grandin speaks to U of S audience Occasion marks creation of new Western College of Veterinary Medicine fund SOMA DALAI Temple Grandin needs no introduction for many, and that was certainly the case for the hundreds of students that packed a lecture theatre from wall-to-wall in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine on March 11.

Temple Grandin is a widely known autistic activist and animal behaviour researcher. She is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University and

has numerous accomplishments to her name, including being the inventor of the “hug box” used to calm autistic children and being named on Time 100 most influential people of 2010.

The college invited Grandin to speak as a way of introducing their new foundation, the Animal Welfare Fund. According to a press release, the fund will “support animal welfare-related initiatives in research, education and public awareness” at the WCVM. Following Grandin’s lecture, Joe

KAYLE NEIS

Temple Grandin lectured at the U of S on the benefits of humane animal treatments in meat and agriculture production.

Stookey, a professor of animal behaviour, said the creation of the Animal Welfare Fund helped mark the 50th anniversary of the WCVM and created opportunities for the public to learn about the college and provide support through donations.

“This is sort of a way the public can participate. They can visit our website, see what we’re doing and they can be sponsors if they’d like to help us with important work on animal welfare and in education as well,” said Stookey.

“We’ve always educated our students but we can sort of put on events like this if we have the right support and we can open it up to the public where they can learn more about animal welfare.”

Stookey’s introduction of Grandin and her work honed in on the subject of animal welfare.

“If it was written, Temple’s mission statement would be to help people and animals. It’s that basic,” he said.

Although Grandin did not speak much about the college’s plans for the fund, she spent nearly an hour highlighting her research into animal behaviour and welfare.

Throughout her speech, Grandin

touched on how autism has given her a different perspective on animals and has allowed her insight into devising humane systems for animal slaughter.

“Animals are sensory based things,” said Grandin. “I want you to get away from words. They’re going to store their memories as pictures, as smells, as auditory files and then those sensations are going to be linked to emotions. You know a lot of people ask me, ‘How does autism help you work with animals?’ Well, I’m a visual thinker. A lot of people with autism are very specific with their thinking.”

Grandin spoke about the innovation of non-slip flooring and other techniques now widely used in the food industry to ensure animals are treated as humanely as possible. In her lecture, Grandin tied in the ideas of humane treatment of animals with sustainability in the meat and agriculture industry. As an example, she likened the current obsession to maximize meat, egg and dairy production with the frenzy amongst early European cathedral builders to build wider and wider churches.

“There was a point where they couldn’t make them any wider or any higher… The thing that people have a hard time seeing is that where do you stop? On what is optimal production instead of maximal.”

Broken keel bones in laying hens, shortened lifespans in dairy cows and almost non-existent immunity in pigs were some of the consequences Grandin outlined of the “maximize rather than optimize” mentality.

Grandin also spoke about the fragility of modern-day agricultural systems with regards to global supply chains. To illustrate her point, she used the example of cows in China being fed Californian hay due to suppliers not wanting to ship empty containers back across the ocean once clothes and electronics are delivered to the United States.

Although the current agricultural system is efficient, Grandin said that the visible fragility is what is spurring change in communities.

“I think this is one of the reasons why people are getting more and more interested in buying local.

I think people deep down inside are a little worried about food.”

Sports 5

March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

U of S competes with the best on national stage AUSTIN ARVAY Sports Editor It was an eventful trip out East for both the women’s and men’s Huskie basketball team as they finished fourth and fifth at their respective national championships.

The men were in Toronto March 11–15 and defeated the University of Windsor Lancers in the fifth-place game, while the women were in Laval, Que. during the same time span and were defeated by the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the bronze medal game.

An extremely tough matchup with the Carleton University Ravens wasn’t exactly the start to the tournament the men were looking for.

The four-time defending national champs came out hot and before the Huskies could blink, it was 28–10.

Another big second quarter by the Ravens had them out in front 40–18 at half-time. Great shooting, excellent rebounding and some good team defence allowed Carleton to control the pace of the game and the Huskies couldn’t settle into any rhythm on offence.

The second half wasn’t much different and the Ravens walked away victorious with a 90–50 win. Ben Baker was the lone bright spot for the Dogs as he continued his strong play from the conference tournament with an 11 point, seven rebound and six assist game.

Carleton proceeded to roll through the tournament and finished off the incredible five-peat with wins over the University of Victoria Vikes and the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

Game two went a little more according to plan as the Atlantic University Sport champion Dalhousie University Tigers were knocked off at the hands of the eighth seeded Huskies. The victory came in large part to a massive game from Evan Ostertag as he had 32 points, four rebounds and four assists in the contest. Trailing by seven at the half, Saskatchewan’s size and depth allowed them to take over in the final 20 minutes.

They had a 12–3 advantage on the offensive glass and a 25–8 edge in the total rebounds in the second half, which set up many second chance points and limited Dalhousie’s offence. In the fourth frame, it was all Huskies as they outscored the Tigers 25–8 en route to a 90–79 win.

With the win, they advanced to the consolation final.

On March 14, the second seeded Lancers and Huskies did battle with Dadrian Collins proving to be the hero in his final CIS game as the Dogs took the consolation final by a score of 99–94. The Williamsburg, Va. native had 29 points and eight rebounds — including a clutch three-pointer with 38 seconds left to seal the victory. A very solid defensive effort held the Ontario University Athletics silver medalists to just 40 per cent shooting in the game. Also playing in his final game was Baker and he didn’t disappoint, nearly collecting a triple-double, with 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The fifth-place finish at nationals was the second straight for the men’s team.

On the women’s side, Saskatchewan entered as the fourth seeded team and they lived up to the billing in the quarter-finals. In an exciting back-and-forth game, the Dogs would come out on top with a 70–63 victory over their conference rivals, the University of Alberta Pandas. Riley Humbert was the offensive

catalyst on this night as she poured in 23 points on 5–7 shooting from beyond the arc and paced the Dogs’ attack all night. Defensively, they held Saskia van Ginhoven and Jessilyn Fairbanks to just 25 points combined, which was a huge key to the win.

That would set up a semifinal date with the four-time reigning national champions, the Lancers, on March 14, with the winner advancing to the national championship game. Much like the men and their matchup with Carleton, the Lancers were just a better team and overpowered the Huskies with a 75–61 win. The score makes it seem a little closer than it

was, as the lead was 25 points at one point in the fourth. Guard Laura Dally did everything in her power to get the Huskies a win, as she had 22 points in the losing cause. Korissa Williams was too much to handle on this night as she recorded 24 points and 12 rebounds in the decisive win.

Windsor moved on and defeated the McGill University Martlets 60–47 in the final to secure their fifth straight title and cement their CIS legacy. Williams finished her CIS career with five national championships.

From there, the Huskies turned their attention to the bronze medal game where they took on a familiar

foe, the Thunderbirds, who just one week prior stole the Canada West title from Huskies with a 68–67 win.

From the beginning, it didn’t look as though the Huskies’ heads were in it as they shot just 34 per cent from the field and committed 13 turnovers.

Kris Young was the T-birds hero last time these teams met and she was huge again this time around, with 25 points in the game. Dally was magnificent once again with 21 points, while Kelsey Trulsrud tallied a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. The fourth place finish at nationals was the second straight for the women’s team.

YAN DOUBLET

Laura Dally (#11) was a big contributor over the weekend, recording 22 and 21 points in the Huskies’ final two games at nationals.

6 Sports

March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

Track and field team snags four medals at nationals AUSTIN ARVAY Sports Editor At the Canadian Interuniversity Sport track and field championships in Windsor, On. the University of Saskatchewan team earned three individual medals and one team medal to cap off the 2014–15 season.

Women’s high jump gold medalist Lauren Taylor earned the Huskies’ top performance at the competition. Not to be outdone, the fifthyear Taylor ended her CIS career on a high note as she shattered her personal best with the winning leap measured at 1.82 metres.

“My old [personal best] was 1.72 metres, so to jump that much higher doesn’t happen very often. It was definitely surprising, usually a new [personal best] is only one or two centimeters,” Taylor said of her gold medal win.

It was a long and grueling weekend for the graduating Huskie as her boyfriend was in the hospital while she was away. With him in her thoughts, she competed hard in the pentathlon but just missed the podium and wound up in fourth. Two short days later, she was crowned the top high jumper in the CIS. “It was a lot to process. My

boyfriend had surgery the day before the pent [March 11] so I was stressed out from that and pentathlons are always an emotional roller coaster. Each event is separate,” Taylor said. “I started out with a [personal best] in hurdles and it got harder from there. So it was a lot to process going from lows to highs, to lows to highs.”

With the final jumps of her CIS career ultimately earning her a gold medal, Taylor was definitely proud of her hard work paying off.

“It feels so fulfilling [and] validating more than anything. I’ve put so much into training and to see it all come together is nice,” she said.

Although the gold medal is exactly what she hoped for at the championships, it isn’t exactly what Taylor will remember most about her time with the Huskie athletics program.

“It’s definitely going to be up there but that was only one moment. The actual training and being at the track all day every day is going to stick with you,” Taylor said. “I really, really enjoyed training and the people I trained with and bonding with the team and the coaches.”

Looking at the rest of the Huskies’ performances, on March 12 on day one of competition, the Dogs earned two medals and the women’s team sat tied for second place with 19 points. The first piece of hardware came courtesy of Olena Olenick, as she won a silver medal in women’s weight throw. Fresh off of a Canada West gold, Olenick

took second place with a throw of 17.45 metres. Also on the opening day of competition, third-year Astrid Nyame earned a bronze in women’s pentathlon with a score of 3,787. Of the five events, she won the hurdles portion and finished second in long jump en route to the third place finish. Last year’s bronze medallist, Taylor, was a mere 100 points away from reclaiming that medal, but took fourth place with 3,687 points.

Day two of the meet saw no medals coming Saskatchewan’s way, but two great performances would fall just short of the podium. Nyame was back at it on March 13 and this time would finish fourth in the 60 metres hurdles, with a time of 8.52.

Second-year Graham Black, who won gold at the CanWest championships in the 300 metre sprint, also went home with a fourth place finish after he posted a time of 34.72 in the 300 metre final.

The third and final day on March 14 saw the Huskies take home two more medals. The 4x200 metre relay team consisting of Lenny Williams, Jared Olson, Garrett Peters and Black picked up a bronze medal clocking in with a time of 1:28.93.

Alternate runner Kieran Johnston ran in the qualifying heats and will also earn a bronze medal with the team.

When all was said and done, the women’s team finished sixth with 39 points and the men wound up in 17th after tallying just 13 points over the course of the weekend.

KATHERINE FEDOROFF/ PHOTO EDITOR

Lauren Taylor poses with the CIS gold medal she earned in high jump after a personal best jump of 1.82 metres.

Bracketology for dummies KADE GATES It’s that time of year again: the snow is melting, the temperature’s rising and winter parkas are being traded in for spring coats.

It’s March ­— and along with the changing seasons comes another great thing: March Madness.

Every season, 68 of the top college basketball teams in the United States compete in a single

elimination tournament to crown the national champion. Millions of brackets are filled out with the hope of picking a perfect bracket, though rarely even one person can pick the first round correctly.

While I will not guarantee that my tips will give you a formula for the perfect bracket, I will say that these are time tested methods to at least give you a chance to win the Sheaf pool, or your own bracket challenge.

JEREMY BRITZ

First tip: Never pick a number 16 seed over a number one seed.

Alright we get it: “Someday it’s going to happen and I’ll get the last laugh.” You’re right, someday it will, but not this year. If you absolutely have to pick one because you insist on being “that guy,” then I suggest the Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers.

The Chanticleers return their five top scorers from a team that gave 2014 number one seed University of Virginia Cavaliers fans heart attacks last year. However, don’t expect them to beat a senior-laden University of Wisconsin Badgers.

Tip two: Take at least one 12th seeded team over a fifth seed. It happens every year, in fact last year only one number five seed survived the first round. The Stephen F. Austin University Lumberjacks and their suffocating defence are a trendy pick again this year.

The Lumberjacks were seeded 12th last year and upset the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams and this year they draw a University of Utah Utes team that has lost four of their last seven games. The University of Wyoming Cowboys and the University of Buffalo Bulls

are also decent choices.

Tip three: What have you done for me lately? I can tell you that the Eastern Washington University Eagles is a good upset pick because they feature the nation’s leading scorer, Tyler Harvey, in addition they have great secondary scoring options in Venky Jois and Drew Brandon, but what it comes down to is are they hot right now? For example, the Oklahoma State University Cowboys have lost six of their last seven games, not exactly the trend you want going in to a single elimination tournament.

Tip four: Don’t pick all four number one seeds to go to the Final Four. Seriously? Do you play with the bumpers up at the bowling alley too? Upsets are bound to happen in the next few weeks and number one seeds are definitely not exempt. Only once since 1979 have all four first seeded teams made the Final Four.

Tip five: Take the Gonzaga University Bulldogs to the Final Four.

Although Gonzaga never makes it through the first weekend of the tournament, this is the year that changes. Lead by the Canadian duo of Kyle Wiltjer and Kevin

Pangos, the Zags lead the country in field goal percentage and for the first time in recent memory, they have a true lockdown defender in Gary Bell Jr. The Zags have been able to win games both with their defence in low scoring games and with their offence in high scoring shootouts.

Last tip: Just take Kentucky.

Don’t be the hero tough guy. The Kentucky University Wildcats are 34–0 and have made some of the best teams in the country look like toddlers. Kentucky is beating teams by an average of 20.8 points a game and could have as many as eight players drafted in to the NBA at season’s end. The number two seed in Kentucky’s region is the University of Kansas Jayhawks, a team they beat by 32 earlier this year. I rest my case.

Regardless of who you pick or what your system is for making your picks, I believe there is nothing better than spending the rest of March yelling at the television and cheering your picks to win it all in the pursuit of bragging rights and possibly a University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union gift card.

Culture 7

March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

Elizabeth Arden (neé Florence Nightingale Graham), 1939 (b/w photo) / Creator(s): Fisher, Alan, photographer / [Public domain], via Library of Congress

Saddleback hopes to encourage discussion with weekly radio show

KATHERINE FEDOROFF/ PHOTO EDITOR

Jack Saddleback is pleased to be bringing campus news to the Saskatoon community with his show USSU on the Air.

EMILY KLATT University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union vice-president student affairs Jack Saddleback manages to connect with listeners in an increasingly digital age through his weekly radio show, USSU on the Air. Saddleback’s platform when he ran for vice-president student affairs last year was to bring a balanced student experience to the university by ensuring that students’ voices are heard. USSU on the Air has been the perfect way for him to achieve this goal.

The half-hour show is broadcast every Tuesday at 7 p.m. on CFCR 90.5 FM, Saskatoon’s community radio station.

Each week, Saddleback brings important U of S issues to both the student body and the wider Saskatoon community.

USSU on the Air is an extension of a now defunct campus radio station that used to broadcast from the basement of Place Riel. Originally funded by both the USSU and the U of S, it was unable to be sustained when the university pulled its funding.

“The radio show had to be given over to the Saskatoon community,” said Saddleback. “Even at the time Saskatoon was coming to the radio show and running programs, helping out the USSU in that regard… we had to give it over to the community, but we stayed on.”

Even though USSU on the Air is no longer solely produced by the student union, it still retains its focus on student issues and ideas. Saddleback has also brought his own touch to the show during his time as host.

“I always try to think about what’s hot on campus right now… what’s really engaging, but also what’s really meaningful to students,” he said.

Saddleback has covered many topics ranging from TransformUS — the cost-cutting initiative

undertaken at the U of S from 2013–14 — to administrative changes and Aboriginal youth entrepreneur programs.

The show provides a unique way of connecting to the wider Saskatoon community and to an audience that might not necessarily hear about student issues any other way.

“As much as [the show] is for student issues, it gives us the ability and opportunity to reach out to Saskatoon and let them know what’s happening on campus,” said Saddleback. “If there are issues that are going to be affecting Saskatoon, then they should know about it.”

USSU on the Air isn’t just about Saddleback — it’s about the listeners. There are many ways for students to get involved and interact with the show. Those wishing to talk about certain issues and events can contact Saddleback and may be a guest on the show to discuss said topic. The public can also tweet their questions to @ussuexec and have them answered on-air.

For those that think they might want to get more involved with radio, CFCR provides many volunteer opportunities for helping out around the station, pitching show ideas and reaching out to the Saskatoon community at large. Eventually, volunteers can even work their way up to hosting their own shows.

Saddleback hopes that his show has a positive impact on the community, both university and otherwise.

“We want students to have discussions with one another about issues and to think critically about the things the university is doing, things that the USSU is doing and things that the student body is doing,” said Saddleback.

Turn your dials to 90.5 FM every Tuesday to listen to USSU on the Air at 7 p.m. Contact Saddleback at vpstudentaffairs@ussu.ca to pitch topics that you are interested in hearing discussed.

“ Our only limitations are those which we set up in our own minds, or permit others to establish for us.” › Elizabeth Arden: Self-Made Maven In a time when women dare not wear make-up or run their own businesses, Elizabeth daringly did both. She was not a trained chemist, yet she pioneered the concept of scientifically formulating cosmetics. She was not a business graduate, yet she created a global empire. Curiosity and drive were her teachers; the world, her classroom.

We think Elizabeth would have simply adored AU, giving people all over the world the chance to make their mark, on their terms,in their time. Beautiful.

open. online. everywhere.

Learn more at business.athabascau.ca

9 8

Abortion stigma

MONICA GORDON The stigmatization of women who abort a pregnancy is both unfair and widespread. In Canada today, women are forced into silence when they choose abortion, as a direct result of the stigma.

Most of us are familiar with the expectations and stereotypes surrounding women who’ve had abortions. They’re expected to be apologetic, contrite and embarrassed about their choice. At best, they’re stereotyped as irresponsible and at worst, they’re portrayed as heartless sluts who just want consequence-free sex.

Women who have an abortion are placed in a deviant outgroup and face potential ostracism should others find out what they have done.

The best way to fully understand abortion stigma is to look at it through the eyes of a woman who’s experienced it.

A woman, refered to as Sarah to protect her privacy, had an abortion in 2006. After an incident with a broken condom, she found herself pregnant and went to see her doctor to schedule an abortion. At the time, Sarah was recently divorced and found the choice to be an obvious one.

“I didn’t have the means to raise nor provide for a fourth child as a single mother,” Sarah said.

Almost immediately after the procedure, Sarah found out just what it meant to be a woman who has had an abortion. She asked a friend who identified as pro-choice to accompany her to the hospital for support. After they left the hospital, Sarah was shocked and hurt when her friend started casually disparaging women who were “stupid enough” to have unplanned pregnancies and made rude comments about women who got abortions.

“She implied that abortion was something that ‘good girls’ from respectable families just didn’t do,” Sarah said.

Sarah had encountered this attitude before

in her social group.

“Abortion was treated as if it were a dirty word,” Sarah said. “If it came up, the conversation was abruptly redirected. There is no doubt in my mind that if my abortion became public knowledge in my community, I would be avoided and gossiped about.”

Sarah therefore kept her abortion a secret.

While encountering judgmental attitudes makes her feel isolated and depressed, Sarah stands by her decision.

“I don’t regret having an abortion, it was definitely the right choice for me,” Sarah said. “It seems unfair that I have to conceal this fact to avoid being judged as a bad person.”

Remarkably, Sarah emphasized that she’s never felt guilty about the abortion itself — the only negative feelings she experienced were a result of stigmatization.

Abortion stigma manifests itself in women as anxiety, isolation and a fear of discovery. On a community level, reactions include shunning and condemnation, while on a cultural level harmful stereotypes are created about these women. Abortion stigma is everywhere and it has concrete harms for Canadian women.

If we want to help these women, we first need to understand where abortion stigma comes from.

In the article “Conceptualizing Abortion Stigma” published by the academic journal Culture, Health & Sexuality, researchers from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands outlined several ways that choosing to have an abortion challenges widely-held assumptions about the essence of femininity.

Abortion stigma is believed to originate in the rejection of what is described as “ideal womanhood.” According to traditional gender roles, the ideal woman is nurturing, sexually chaste and obedient. She is often defined by motherhood, which is portrayed as the ultimate achievement for women. By having an abortion, a woman threatens these beliefs by saying that not only is motherhood less important than other aspects of her life, but that she will only become a mother if it is her choice.

Having an abortion also suggests that a woman had sex that was intended to be for pleasure, not procreation. Even in Canada, negative opinions about women having

non-marital, non-procreative sex are preva- anti-abortion organization, groups such as lent, as demonstrated by the continued exis- Campaign Life Coalition of Canada (CLCC) have tence of “slut” in our vocabulary. treated this book as an authoritative source By choosing an abortion, a woman is when claiming abortion causes breast cancer. unequivocally saying that her opinion about Another myth is that abortion is psychologbeing pregnant is not only relevant, but instead ically damaging to women. For example, on the most important factor at play. The woman their Facebook page in January, the Saskatchwho has an abortion undermines the ideal of ewan Pro-Life Association described abortion the nurturing and passive woman by not meek- as something that kills a woman “emotionally ly accepting her unwanted pregnancy. and spiritually,” and CLCC has claimed that A lot of these beliefs are blatantly sexist. It’s abortion causes post-traumatic stress disor2015 — most Canadians will tell you that they der. While these certainly try to make abortion don’t think a woman must be maternal, unas- sound scary, the American Psychological Assosertive and sexually chaste to be a good per- ciation has repeatedly emphasized that severe son. Nevertheless, sexism still exists in Canada negative reactions after abortion are rare and and abortion stigma thrives. abortion doesn’t pose a mental-health risk.

While abortion stigma may sprout out of In some cases, groups don’t even bother to sexist beliefs, there’s more to it than that. Many find an angle — they simply portray abortion actions which defy tradition — like a woman as wildly dangerous and “never safe.” To hear keeping her maiden name despite marriage the anti-abortion movement tell it, you would — aren’t stigmatized on nearly the same lev- think abortion was unique amongst medical el as abortion. So why is abortion stigma so procedures for having typical surgical risks. pervasive?

Besides this, characteristics of an abortion There has been an anti-abortion movement that aren’t dangerous are portrayed as such. in Canada for over 30 years now. Abortion stig- A fairly common refrain is that abortion is a ma couldn’t have grown nearly this large with- “blind” procedure. While this is true, ultraout a deliberate effort to cultivate it and nurtur- sounds now allow doctors to see what they’re ing stigma is a process that the anti-abortion doing. Never mind that many blind procemovement has perfected. dures, such as uterine fibroid removal, rarely There are three main methods used to grow result in complications. this stigma. The simplest of these is associating Besides increasing stigma, this misinforabortion with things seen as scary, namely the mation seems to serve another purpose — it many dubious claims of supposed side-effects allows anti-abortion groups to position themof abortion. selves as protecting women from abortion.

The list of myths surrounding abortion is Apparently we’re not supposed to notice that ridiculously long. For the sake of brevity, only the bogeyman they’re trying to defend women some of the most egregious will be discussed from is one they made up. here. The worst Misinformation offender is the is only the beginmyth that abortion ning. Most of the increases a womstigmatization is an’s risk for breast much less overt cancer. Despite — as demonstratthe fact that the ed by a particular Canadian Cancer trend in anti-aborSociety, American tion images and Cancer Society and literature. FetusNational Cancer es are described Institute all mainin very emotiontain that abortion al language and and breast cancer sometimes there aren’t connected, are images in which the anti-abortion the fetus looks susmovement still piciously mature ACCORDING TO A STUDY IN SOCIOLOGICAL SCIENCE insists they are, for that point in often citing quesgestation. While it tionable sources. isn’t surprising that An example of this is the book Women’s a movement that worships the fetus would Health After Abortion, published by the deVe- portray it in a warm light, this isn’t an accident. ber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research. The second method, romanticizing the fetus, Despite the fact that the book was authored is very intentional. by a history professor and a child psycholoThe Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform’s gy professor and published by an explicitly initiative, “End the Killing,” explicitly instructs

Sacrificing women in the name of the pre-born child anti-abortion activists to emphasize “the humanity and personhood of the pre-born and the inhumanity of abortion” through conversation and graphic images. At the 2014 symposium held by the National Campus Life Network, student activists were similarly encouraged to “humanize the pre-born child and dehumanize abortion.”

So, what does that look like when carried out?

One tactic is to use language to romanticize the fetus. Despite “fetus,” “embryo,” and “zygote” being medically accurate terms, you will almost never hear an antiabortion activist use them. Instead, you see the creation of names such as “pre-born child,” a term used exclusively by the anti-abortion movement in hopes of generating emotional attachment to the fetus.

There are antiabortion groups that will try to humanize a first-trimester fetus by ascribing it characteristics of a third-trimester fetus, such as the ability to feel pain. In other cases, trivial milestones, such as a fetus growing fingernails at 10 weeks gestation, are treated as the epitome of that which makes us human.

Images are also used to humanize the fetus, often with an ironic side-effect. These particular images almost always show the fetus either in-utero or through the transparent abdomen of the woman. In the images, the woman is either completely erased from the picture or reduced to her reproductive organs. The cost of humanizing the fetus is the dehumanization of the pregnant woman.

At the same time, abortion is described in extremely barbaric language. An example of this is the Saskatchewan Pro-life Association referring to abortion as a procedure that “dismembers, decapitates, and disembowels pre-born babies” in January on Facebook.

Portraying abortion as barbaric is also done using pictures. The anti-abortion movement is notorious for using gory images of allegedly aborted fetuses. “Allegedly,” simply because accusations have been made in the past that images are edited to look more disturbing and that some photos are of miscarried fetuses, not aborted ones.

All of this positioning increases stigma in a very simple way: by romanticizing the fetus and casting abortion as a depraved act. The woman

who gets an abortion goes from being seen as a deviant to a murderer.

Unsurprisingly, calling women murderers hasn’t been great for publicity. In the last few years the movement has shifted away from the stereotype of the angry clinic protester. The final and most deceptive method of perpetuating stigma is the movement’s new “pro-woman” narrative.

In the first part of this narrative, women who get abortions are simply good girls who were tricked by our “culture of death” into making a horrible mistake. Emphasis is placed on how confused, pitiful and witless these women are. The narrative portrays them as passive figures who were acted on by an evil force, which strips them of the agency they asserted by getting an abortion in the first place.

This new narrative also extends to motherhood.

Simon Fraser University Lifeline, an affiliate of the National Campus Life Network, has a banner on their campus which features a radiant mother looking down at a smiling baby next to the statement, “You’ll never regret loving this much.” Groups like Life Canada emphasize the “beauty of motherhood.” Others even go so far as to suggest that an unplanned child could never be a “burden” or an “inconvenience,” but only ever a wonderful gift.

The “pro-woman” narrative also says some telling things about femininity. The CLCC provides their reasoning behind abortion causing post-traumatic stress: a woman’s “very femininity is connected to, and defined by, the potential for motherhood. At some level, the destruction of a pregnancy is felt as a deprivation; an act of violence against herself.”

According to the CLCC, PTSD is why abortion is a “traumatic experience” for most women.

Another anti-abortion organization, Silent No More, appears to share this view and devotes itself to presenting emotional devastation as the typical reaction of women who get abortions.

If this narrative tells us anything, it’s that the anti-abortion movement is obsessed with ideal womanhood. They see motherhood as so wonderful that no woman in her right mind could reject it. Furthermore, because a woman is defined by her ability to have children, to deny herself a pregnancy must lead

9

to an emotional breakdown. The movement it ethical, or even particularly redeemable, but therefore sees itself as “pro-woman” because it does make things a little easier to underthe woman who gets an abortion is seen as a stand. victim in need of protection.

However, while the stigma is grown and In this line of thinking, the idea of a woman cared for by the anti-abortion movement, who’s okay with her abortion, who willingly they don’t have a monopoly on it. As intendrejects motherhood and who takes owner- ed, the stigma has bled over into mainstream ship of her decision is so counterintuitive that narratives surrounding abortion. Even those it’s completely unimaginable. Through exclu- who don’t identify as anti-abortion sometimes sion, the narrative casts the woman who isn’t hold stigmatizing beliefs. Take the common emotionally devastated as a dysfunctional or pro-choice defence that abortion is a very difdefective woman. ficult decision for a woman to make. Where The narrative gets even more problematic does this leave women like Sarah, who found though. On the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical abortion to be the obvious choice?

Reform’s website, there is an open letter writAbortion stigma is often more immediate ten by one of the co-founders, Stephanie Gray, than that. I’ve witnessed students on this camdefending the use of graphic images by the pus drop their voices to discuss an abortion anti-abortion movement. In this letter, Gray, and I’ve heard “she’s had an abortion” used who’s been described as “Canada’s premier as conclusive proof that another woman isn’t pro-life apologist,” says that “bad feelings fol- someone you’d want to associate with. low from bad behavior for those with functionWhat we have to ask ourselves is what are ing consciences.” these narratives doing to women? What happens In the anti-abortion narrative, this has seri- when we let people try to manipulate others into ous implications for the woman who isn’t seeing something they did as morally equivalent wracked by guilt for having an abortion. Not to murder? What happens when we’re so apaonly is she a defective woman and a murderer, thetic to the plight of these women that silence she’s now a sociopath without a conscience. and isolation become their safest options? Are Small wonder so many women choose to keep they really so worthless to us that we’re going to their abortions a secret. allow them to be sacrificed in the name of the It should be stressed that this form of stig- “pre-born child?” matization doesn’t necessarily result from conWhether or not access to abortion is sometempt for the unrepentant woman. It seems thing you support, you owe it to these women that lately we’re all prepared to assume mali- to critically examine any biases you might have cious intent on behalf of anti-abortion groups. against them. It isn’t fair of us to make the price While some do abhor women who get abor- of an abortion condemnation and isolation. That tions, we need to remember that many activ- any woman must resign herself to this is no lonists honestly see themselves as “pro-woman.” ger acceptable.

It’s shortcomings in their reasoning — their According to research done by Dr. Wendy inability to conceive of a woman who deviates Norman, a professor at the University of British from traditional Columbia, one in femininity — that t hr e e Ca na d i a n lead them to perwomen will have petuate the stigan abortion in her ma, not intentional lifetime. These cruelty. Obviously, women are our their good intensisters, our mothers tions don’t mitiand our friends. gate the damage They make the they’re doing, but dean’s list, volunteer as a good friend at homeless shelters once told me, “nevand sing in the er assume malice shower. The woman when stupidity will who has an abortion suffice.” is a complex human As far as restricbeing, not some tions in Canada two-dimensional ACCORDING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA’S go, there isn’t a lot stereotype. All she FACULTY OF MEDICINE standing between wanted was a better abortion and the life for herself — woman who wants one. Given this, for those who are we to hold that against her? who see abortion as morally equivalent to Whoever she is, whatever her reasons are, she murder, stigmatization is a course of action is entitled to a safe procedure and she deserves that logically follows. This by no means makes better than this.

INFOGRAPHICS BY: STEPHANIE MAH / GRAPHICS EDITOR

March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM 10 Culture BFA student Jordan Bulgis explores psychology and the abstract MACKENZIE PARADZIK Jordan Bulgis combines his interest in both drawing and painting in order to create something tangible from his abstract ideas and thoughts.

Bulgis is a fine arts student at the University of Saskatchewan who will be unveiling his graduating exhibition at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery on March 30.

His show Complex Elements deals with the experiences that shape a person’s identity.

“I also deal with the interaction between how we affect our environment and how our environment affects us,” Bulgis said.

“The show is all portraiture. It’s a figure that is painted into an abstract, ambiguous environment and the reason I did that is to kind of suggest to the idea that you are part of your environment and experiences [and] you affect those same environments in return.”

Bulgis’ show consists of eight pieces of art, both paintings and drawings, which add a level of depth to his show that truly sets him apart.

“All of these pieces are of people that I am friends with or have some sort of a relationship with. We meet up and do a photo shoot, but I don’t direct them in it at all. They just come and I set up chairs so they can stand or sit or do whatever they want.

We just sit and talk about whatever they want to talk about, to sort of create an environment,” said Bulgis. “Your environment has shaped who you are and how you represent yourself so it was important not to direct them, to let it be as natural as possible.”

Bulgis is consistent in keeping his paintings large as a means to draw the audience in and create

an environment where they can interact with the pieces.

“I think it was important in this show to make the pieces large so when you set it up and you have a large figure, it creates a sense of power in the piece and forces the viewer to work with it,” said Bulgis.

The people featured in Bulgis’ paintings face outward towards the viewer in order to make the viewer feel as though they are interacting personally with the piece.

The process Bulgis takes in creating all of these pieces has taken many months, with each individual piece created over a few weeks. In creating the art for the show, his methods change as he tries new ways to bring life to his vision.

“The paintings and drawings kind of influence each other, so the paintings have gone into the same direction where I work on the figure and the abstract at the same time,” he said. “It’s a lot of adding things and removing things and erasing certain areas. Hopefully it will kind of create that connection between that ambiguous environment and the figure represented in it.”

While his inspiration for the pieces is easier for him to interpret, Bulgis is very open to how others want to perceive his show.

“When looking more into this idea, you get into how your brain works because you are taking in all this sensory information from your world and interpreting it in your own way,” he said. “A lot of what you see visually is your brain just filling in things from memory. There is a strong tie between what you take in and what you create in your own mind.”

Bulgis provokes the viewer’s

mind with his abstract ideas and causes them to pause and think about what they are seeing.

“If you are dealing with the individual, then who are you as

an individual? Are you a brain?

Some people believe in a soul.

There is more and more to think about, and that is what I really want people to confront when

they come see my show,” said Bulgis.

Bulgis’ exhibition Complex Elements runs March 30 to April 2 at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery.

KATHERINE FEDOROFF / PHOTO EDITOR

Jordan Bulgis showcases his larger-than-life portraits.

Upcoming events Thursday March 19 Friday March 20

Saturday March 21 Sunday March 22

Monday March 23

Throwback Thursday The Real McKenzies, at Louis’ Pub Isotopes, Savage Henry and The Jeffery Straker CD Infamous One Release at the Pounders at Amigos Bassment Cquel, Quiltin Songwriters Heavens and Sunset Circle featuring Slow Kids at Vangelis Leaves at Vangelis U of S Wind Orchestra at St. Joseph High School

Electric Six and The Mandevilles at Amigos

Open Mic Monday at Three String Fretless Louis’ Pub at Bon Temps Café

West Coast Swing at Louis’ Loft

The Lost Keys at Bon Geoff Smith, Owls Temps Café

By Nature and Worst Days Down at the Underground Café

Jazz Jam at the Bassment

Graduating BFA shows at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery

BC Read at Bon Temps Café Howard Cable at Third Avenue Church Royal Red Brigade, Herd Of Wasters and Me The Guts at Vangelis Marcha Marcha Marcha and The Sofa Kings at Village Guitar U of S Jazz Ensemble at Quance Theatre

Bluegrass Brunch at Bon Temps Café

Tuesday March 24

7 Days That Transformed the World: The Day Mandela Was Released at the Hose

Wednesday March 25

Maroon 5 at the SaskTel Centre Literature Matters Talk at Grace-Westminster United Church

Culture 11 U of S research takes flight in SongbirdSOS documentary March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

MADISON TAYLOR Culture Editor The world may have lost half of the songbirds that filled its skies just 40 years ago. SongbirdSOS hopes to shed light on the destructive forces that impact these songbird habitats.

SongbirdSOS, a documentary which will be airing on CBC’s The Nature of Things on March 19, is directed by Su Rynard and produced by Joanne Jackson and Diane Woods. The trio hope to bring awareness to the disappearance of songbird species through this beautifully shot and thought-provoking film.

SongbirdSOS explores research and perspectives on avian migration and habitats from specialists around the globe and will feature a uniquely prairie outlook on the issue from Christy Morrissey, an ecotoxicologist and assistant professor of biology at the University of Saskatchewan.

Morrissey’s field of study lies chiefly in the impact of insecticides and pesticides on prairie wetlands.

“I’m often looking at the impacts of various contaminants,” said Morrissey. “Not just pesticides, but many endocrine-disrupting chemicals and industrial pollutants’ effects on bird migration specifically.”

Roughly 21 million acres of canola are planted in the prairies every year and almost every plant is treated with neonicotinoids, a chemical that affects insects’ nervous systems and causes paralysis and death. These chemicals are widely used by North American farmers as a quick and convenient way to keep insects away from their crops, and have been linked to the death of honeybees.

“One of the key issues right now is agriculture and how it’s done in Canada, specifically in Saskatchewan and the Prairies,” said Morrissey. “We’re moving towards using chemicals on all fields all the time through the use of feed treatments. The key things we need to evaluate are how much of the fields need to be treated with insecticides and other chemicals based on pest problems rather than convenience.”

Birds often absorb a toxic amount of these pesticides by consuming the seeds of chemically treated plants. The chemicals are also water-soluble and

may be seeping into the wetlands, disrupting the food chain by killing the insects that prairie songbirds rely on as a food source.

There are hundreds of species of songbirds in Saskatchewan, but Morrissey’s field of study is primarily concerned with birds that are impacted the most, such as swallows and swifts, by the decline in insects cause by pesticides.

“That’s the group that seems to be declining most rapidly in Canada and across North America,” said Morrissey. “The common thread between them is not where they live and not their breeding biology or where they winter, but rather that they eat insects. That’s why we’re studying that group and of course why we’re studying pesticides and in particular insecticides that are designed to kill insects.”

SongbirdSOS urges its viewers to consider the effects of pollutants on the environment and become aware of ways in which they can contribute to the conservation of bird habitats.

Morrissey believes that people can get involved in this issue simply by becoming more knowledgeable about where their food comes from. Students in particular are more likely to buy cheap produce than the more expensive produce

that is farmed without the overuse of pesticides.

“I think students should become aware of where their food comes from and should be asking questions about that,” said Morrissey.

“What the origin is of their food, how it’s grown, where it’s grown and what kind of impact having cheap produce is having on the environment.”

SongbirdSOS hopes to open people’s eyes to the world of the birds that we often take for granted.

Though we may be enchanted by the beauty of their song, the vast

majority of us can’t even imagine that there may be a day when their voices fall silent.

Songbirds “are an indicator of what’s happening around the world in terms of environmental change. They’re a visible signal to the problems that are occurring.

People should take notice of their environment and what the birds are telling us,” said Morrissey.

SongbirdSOS will be airing on CBC at 8 p.m. on March 19. Visit their website at songbirdsos.com for more information or to donate to their Indiegogo campaign.

CHRISSY CZAJKOWSKI

Animated series White Ninja has roots in the Sheaf SAMUEL RAFUSE White Ninja, Kent Earle and Scott Bevan’s absurdist comic strip that ran in the Sheaf for four years, is now being resurrected on the popular video messaging app Vine.

Vine is launching White Ninja as its very first serialized project.

Two Vancouver-based production companies, North of Now Films and Whiskaye Films, will produce the series.

White Ninja is about the day-today life of the titular character and his random interactions with the environment around him, often including turtles, peanuts and innocent bystanders subjected to his intellectually skewed and outbursts of comedic insanity.

The character of White Ninja is not a definite protagonist in the traditional sense, but his characteristics change to fit the circumstances. He may be young, old, big, small, single, married, lightly funny or darkly ironic depending on what makes for the best joke.

Sometimes he has arms and legs and sometimes he doesn’t. Very rarely does he act like an actual ninja.

The comic strip initially began “because I was trying to impress a girl. It didn’t work, but rather than refine my pick up skills, I refined the comic strip,” said Bevan.

Bevan explained that the simplicity of the comic, which is stripped down only to the most needed details, was a stylistic choice made due to laziness.

“Basically if a detail was unnecessary for the story or joke to move forward, I wasn’t interested in drawing it,” he said.

White Ninja is white simply because it took too long to colour him in, but somehow even that adds to the comedy. Bevan’s self-deprecating humour can be seen in his attention to finding unexpected payoffs and unique punchlines for all of the over 1,300 comics in the archive.

Tyler Funk, executive producer of the series at North of Now Films, is a long time reader and fan of White Ninja. He said the attitude of the comic was what initially attracted him to it.

“I think so many people connected with the tone, it’s so fun and never felt cliché. It always felt fresh. You never know what you’d expect,” said Funk.

When asked to explain how White Ninja would adapt from a printed comic strip to the animated Vine series, Funk said that the transition was actually quite seamless.

“It’s a really interesting new platform. For me it was a natural, perfect translation,” Funk said. “The comic can take little moments from the world of absurdism, of

humour. It’s perfect for the Vine format.”

Bevan also noted that the animated series has a life of its own.

“Adding a voice to the character changes everything. The pitch, inflection, pacing [and] tone have the power to destroy an old joke.

On the flip side, those same variables could elevate the humour to new levels,” he said.

Paramount to understanding the comic is the acceptance of the contradictions and inconsistencies that are its most distinguishing feature. Fans of other comics

like Mummy Comics or Cyanide & Happiness will find similar things to love about White Ninja. Readers don’t have a problem with the chaotic nature of White Ninja’s adventures, as evidenced by the comic’s original website which was receiving upwards of 23,000 views per day before going on hiatus prior to its resurrection as a series.

“It’s something magical. It just connects with you,” said Funk. “It’s so funny. The fact that you can’t make sense of why it’s so funny is what is so magical about what [Bevan and Earle] have created.”

White Ninja is an inspiration to many students and artists alike and its success is a heartwarming story. Bevan’s advice to students trying to follow their own dreams was honest and humble.

“Be lucky,” he said. “Try to be in the right place at the right time.

Have a whole bunch of dreams, just in case.”

As White Ninja can testify, inspiration can come from the strangest of places.

You can watch a trailer for the White Ninja web series on its website at whiteninjaseries.com.

WHITE NINJA COMICS

12 Opinions

March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

Male, female-only hours at the PAC NAOMI ZUREVINSKI Opinions Editor While going to the gym should not be an intimidating experience, it often is. Creating a female-only and male-only time slot at the Physical Activity Complex at the University of Saskatchewan would help to alleviate some of the dread that comes with working out.

To be a female at the gym is problematic for a few reasons. While not all females may feel this way, it is common that females stay out of weight-lifting areas and only stick to the cardio and floor-space sections of the gym.

Reasons for this may vary, but it is most likely that females feel uncomfortable venturing into the mainly male-dominated weight areas. It is rare to see a female in these parts of the PAC — and if there is a female, she usually looks like she is already experienced with weights.

This leaves no room for newcomers of any sex to feel welcome in weight-training areas. It can take a while to figure out how weight machines work and adjusting them to fit your body is not always easy

or clear-cut. Besides concerns of looking like a rookie, some females may be embarrassed by the amount of weight — or lack there of — that they are able to lift. Comfortability aside, the fact that these machines are often hogged by males leaves them largely inaccessible to females.

On the other hand, males who are looking to try something new or get started with weight training may also feel uncomfortable in front of females. While this doesn’t alleviate the comparison and competition that may result from students of the same sex working out together, it would deal with intimidation from both sexes being in the gym at the same time.

Another major concern for some females is the sexualization that can happen in a student gym setting.

Obviously not all males are sexually aggressive, but due to the nature of tight work-out attire, unwanted sexual attention can often be an issue. I have heard from female friends that this is a source of anxiety and having separate gym times may help ease some of this apprehension.

While separate gym times could happen at various times in the week, the PAC could still be open to everyone when these specific times are not being offered. This way, those who don’t feel intimidated or uncomfortable by the presence of another sex, or those who don’t

identify with either sex, can still have the option of working out alongside everyone.

The idea of having women’s only gym times was actually proposed in the beginning of March by two law students at McGill University.

Naturally, the idea was met with resistance, including a petition and concerns that all students should be treated equally.

If equality is the concern, then

the real consideration is that there should be male and female-only gym times. It is not only females that have to deal with feeling uncomfortable at the gym, this undoubtedly happens to all students.

Many gyms in Saskatoon do have a women-only section. I am unaware of any that have a similar area designated for males only, but the women-only section at the gym I belong to is always full. Clearly there

FLICKR /NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY

The Physical Activity Complex should have both women-only and men-only workout times.

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is something to be said about the ladies wanting their own gym space.

However in the name of equality, it is important that a women-only time slot be matched by a similar one for males. No student should be denied the opportunity to go to the gym simply because they feel uncomfortable, but at the same time, if one group is going to have a privileged gym time, so should the other.

Opinions 13

March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

Professors cheat too

University staff should be held to the same standards as students JUSTIN DALLAIRE The Fulcrum (University of Ottawa) Ottawa (CUP) — Students are all too familiar with warnings against plagiarism, but when it comes to professors, they too should be held to the same standards with no exceptions.

“Beware of plagiarism!” reads many universities’ official handouts on academic fraud. “It’s easy, it’s tempting… but it can be very costly!”

It’s a warning that all students have heard before. But what about professors, arguably the most distinguished members of any university? If you give them the chance, do they not bend the rules? And if they are caught committing academic fraud, do they get expelled?

More often than you think, the answer is no. Last year alone, three different cases revealed the difference in the way plagiarism is handled when the perpetrators are university staff.

In April 2014, assistant professor Vanessa Ryan from Brown University was caught for having plagiarized materials more than 30 times in her 2012 book Thinking Without Thinking in the Victorian Novel. According to the Brown Daily Herald, Ryan called the incidents

of plagiarism “inadvertent errors of attribution,” even though lengthy passages were used verbatim from the original source without quotation marks.

In the end, a review committee deemed Ryan’s mistakes unintentional and as punishment, she later was named associate dean of the university’s graduate school.

In May 2014, Matthew C. Whitaker, a history professor from Arizona State University, was accused of plagiarism for a second time.

Despite being a multiple offender on this front, the university eventually decided not to pursue punitive action, regardless of massive protests from students and professors alike at the university.

Another case was made public in November 2014 and this time a little closer to home. Former University of Regina engineering student Arjun Paul accused professor Shahid Azam of having plagiarized passages from his master’s thesis.

Even though a CBC investigative team found that as much as 24 per cent of the article had been plagiarized, Azam insists he wrote most of Paul’s thesis himself. Despite Azam’s claims, his publisher decided to retract the plagiarized article.

But the school? Nothing so far.

How can this be? What would have been done to a student who

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had committed similar errors in judgment? He or she would have certainly been treated as having committed a crime of the highest order, punishable by death of reputation or banishment from the land of academia. So why is an erring professor offered clemency when it comes to plagiarism?

In an article for CBC News, professor Benson Honig of McMaster University’s business school said this double standard is a matter of administrations trying to save face.

“My observation is the institutions have much more interest in

pursuing student ethical violations than faculty violations because the faculty violations reflect on their institution,” said Honig. But doesn’t a university’s reputation also suffer when it tolerates academic fraud from its staff?

These examples of professor plagiarism reflect a larger lack of transparency and accountability on behalf of post-secondary institutions. Most of us will have seen the “Beware of Plagiarism!” document and its contents are widely discussed on university campuses.

As an academic policy, plagiarism

is included in syllabuses given to students at the beginning of each class. But there exists no specific regulations for staff regarding plagiarism at many universities, nor is there a set disciplinary process for professors who are caught cheating.

The problem, in other words, is acting as though professors are beyond reproach, when in reality they too will occasionally break the rules. If and when they do, there’s no reason that the cost of plagiarism should be any less than it is for students.

REMI YUAN / FULCRUM

If a professor is accused of plagiarism, they should receive the same warning and consequences that are dolled out to university students.

Guy Vanderhaeghe

Award-Winning Author/Playwright, St. Thomas More Scholar.

Book Reading & Reception Friday, March 27th Doors 7pm - Reading 7:30pm St. Thomas More College Atrium

Bestselling author Guy Vanderhaeghe will read from his soon to be released new book of fiction Daddy Lenin and Other Stories (McClelland & Stewart) that captures his talent as a story teller and insightful observer of the human condition.

Monday, March 30, 7 pm

stmcollege.ca sheaf mar 19, 2015.indd 1

3/10/2015 3:40:05 PM

14 Opinions

March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

Time to part ways for the The College of Arts and College of Arts and Science Science is better together CHELSEA POWRIE The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Arts and Science should break up in favour of creating two separate colleges. The division would help with building community and student identity while also increasing the attention given to each department.

Not only does its existing four-stream structure make for a college with inherently conflicting overall goals, but the student experience suffers from a lack of community feeling. Breaking up the college into two smaller faculties comprised of disciplines with more in common would help focus the vision of the administration for each, while letting students feel they share an identity with their peers.

As it exists now, the College of Arts and Science subdivides itself by program type into the categories of science, humanities, social sciences and fine arts. Dean Peter Stoicheff and three vice-deans are responsible for the previously outlined subdivisions. Humanities and fine arts are grouped together at this level of administration. According to past college annual reports, the role of the dean is to focus on the “strategic vision” and “external relations,” while leaving “divisional decision-making” to the vice-deans.

Already, this seems complicated. First off, how is a dean with control over disciplines varying from molecular biochemistry to medieval poetry supposed to hone a specific “strategic vision,” let alone cultivate “external relations” which benefit everyone?

Stoicheff holds undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in English. His background is impressive and certainly makes him an ideal candidate for heading a college of arts.

But whether he is also the best man to plan for the growth and nurturing of a collection of top-notch bachelor of science programs is another matter entirely.

A natural division would be to separate the programs which offer bachelors of arts and bachelors of science. Arts and sciences is the only college at the U of S currently awarding more than one type of degree and they are programs with high enrollment.

Of the 20,289 students reported as enrolled at the U of S in the February 2015 “enrolment snapshot,” 8,670 of them are in the College of Arts and Sciences — a staggering 42 per cent.

Other examples of the larger colleges, such as the College of Agriculture and Bioresources with roughly 1,000 students, don’t even come close to comparing.

These numbers quantify the near impossibility of creating a unique campus experience across the whole college. That is without taking into account the breadth of subject matter under the umbrella of arts and sciences.

According to the college’s website, it provides “approximately half” of U of S undergraduate classes, in a total of 60 subject areas. Hoping that such a large student population with this amount of variation in topics of study will cultivate a community identity is a waste of time.

Splitting the college would mean these students could experience similar levels of community feeling as those in other disciplines.

While the colleges would still be large, it would feel a lot more feasible to have a college identity than it currently does. As it stands within the College of Arts and Science, small disciplines are the most common source of community for students, such as geology or history students. If arts and sciences were their own colleges with their own undergraduate student societies, students could more easily interact outside of their major, promoting interdisciplinary growth and innovation.

The university would need to put in a little work to reach the goal of creating separate college communities — it wouldn’t be as easy as slicing down the middle and slapping on new labels. Events like a “College of Arts Week,” with displays on different programs in Place Riel and mixer events, as well as a slew of them for the sciences, would go a long way in creating a student identity within the new divisions.

At its inception, the College of Arts and Sciences served only 70 students. Steady growth throughout the U of S’ 108-year history has left this number in the dust. The combined college is now an obsolete model, and dividing it into more manageable chunks with common goals would improve both administration and the student experience.

TAB RAHMAN Copy Editor The College of Arts and Science should remain one college. Splitting into two separate colleges would create structural problems, ineffectiveness and take away from the diversity of student options.

If the College of Arts and Science was to separate into two colleges, where exactly would the lines be drawn? Obviously, programs like fine arts would go under the college of arts and hard sciences like biology and chemistry would be in the college of science, but what about areas like interactive system design, which is a bachelor of arts and science program? This program combines psychology, computer science and art and art history courses. There is no clear way to split a program like that in half.

Secondly, students can get a unique combination of interdisciplinary degrees only possible with arts and science functioning as one college.

I am a biochemistry major with a minor in political studies. At any other university this would have been a bureaucratic nightmare but at the University of Saskatchewan, it is as simple as picking my classes. The variety within the College of Arts and Science allows students to have this flexibility when choosing their majors and minors. Other universities, like McGill University, offer some special programs for students to do this; however, at the U of S there is no worry of finding loopholes to work your way around.

Having the College of Arts and Science combined also allows students of all different educational backgrounds to work together and learn from each other. A broader range of subjects helps students become more well rounded in their post-secondary education.

The College of Arts and Science provides a degree of openness that fosters a

whole new branch of learning that cannot be seen as detrimental in any way. The more dimensions that a student can learn from, the more diverse their education will be and the more prepared they’ll be for anything else that comes their way after university.

The Arts and Science Student Union is also a way that students from different backgrounds can come together for a united goal. Differing specialties enables the ASSU to excel at doing a multitude of things for a student union, where most others would feel out of their element in some way.

This applies to other student groups as well; with the huge range of people that come through the College of Arts and Science, other clubs or groups get to have members with related interests from all kinds of different backgrounds. The variety of people that can now be associated within these groups is a layer of complexity that can offer so many different and exciting dynamics that are exclusive to the College of Arts and Science.

Together, students get a totally unique experience filled with varieties of people to make connections with and learn in totally new ways. If separated, the college becomes like any other college — the chances of isolation with hardly any overlap would increase. Students wouldn’t be able to get those same privileges of taking vastly different majors or minors, and programs like interactive system design likely wouldn’t even exist.

A separated college would offer a hugely stunted program when compared to what is currently offered. When it comes down to it, you can make the experience of being an arts and science student anything you want. The college is ultimately customizable and can cater to a huge range of interests like no other. That fact alone shows that it would be a mistake to cause such an unnecessary separation.

STEPHANIE MAH / GRAPHICS EDITOR

March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

CAMPUS CHAT

What was the last text message you sent?

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“Wanna go for green beers?”

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My last one was “Amigos?”

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The word “anus.”

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Last week’s solution

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March 19, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

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