March 10, 2011 - A

the

SHEAF

Photo by Pete Yee

Louis’ Talk Show hosts St. Patty’s special • B1

SECTOIN B

Huskies basketball head to nationals • A10

OPINIONS

USSU VP external position eliminated • A2

sports

news

The u of s student newspaper since 1912

What on earth is Anonymous?

• A17 10 march 2011

• volume 102 • issue 26 • www.thesheaf.com

A2 •

NEWS

Editor-in-Chief: Ashleigh Mattern, editor@thesheaf.com Production Manager: Tannara Yelland, layout@thesheaf.com News Editor: Victoria Martinez, news@thesheaf.com Associate News Editor: Kevin Menz, news@thesheaf.com Photography Editor: Pete Yee, photo@thesheaf.com Graphics Editor: Danielle Siemens, graphics@thesheaf.com Arts Editor: Holly Culp, arts@thesheaf.com Sports Editor: Dorian Geiger, sports@thesheaf.com Opinions Editor: Tomas Borsa, opinions@thesheaf.com Copy Editor: Greg Reese, copy@thesheaf.com Web Editor: Ishmael N. Daro, web@thesheaf.com Ad & Business Manager: Shantelle Hrytsak, business@thesheaf.com Contributors: Daryl Hofmann, Eman Bare, Shira Fenyes, Malcolm Radke, Nicole Barrington, Karol Kudyba, Devin R. Heroux, Raisa Pezderic, Darren Dupont, Andy Arguin, Max Cranston, Dustin Harrison, Matt Cheetham, Bryn Becker, Maia Stark, Matthew Stefanson, Adam Slusar, Aren Bergstrom, Aaron Thacker, Eli Gana, Andrea Berry Board of Directors: Jordan Hartshorn (Chair), Chantal Stehwien, Blair Woynarski, Alex MacPherson, Robby Davis

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

Corporation Number #204724 GST Registration Number 104824891 Second Class Mailing Registration. #330336 The Sheaf is printed at Transcontinental Printing Ltd. 838 56th St. Saskatoon, SK Circulation this issue: 5,000

The Sheaf is a non-profit incorporated and student-body funded by way of a direct levy paid by all part- and fulltime undergraduate students at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S).

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

VP external refuses to resign

Collective Coffee on 20th Street is serving up a combination of fine brews and a collective approach to business. For a review of the new kid on the block, see page B5.

Money for nuclear medicine

The federal and provincial governments announced $23 million in funding for research in medical isotopes on March 2.

This sort of research is vital to diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, as the isotopes decay and leave tell-tale trails used for body imaging.

As a cancer treatment, they are used to pinpoint and kill cancerous cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed.

The $23 million will be used to purchase a cyclotron particle accelerator to provide medical isotopes for imaging and a PET-CT scanner to perform imaging.

Each are part of a $30 million project to establish a centre for the study of nuclear medicine and science. The centre will have a focus on nuclear science, materials science and nuclear health science.

A bungled vote, an axed position and a stubborn executive

Farm Credit Canada hosts networking event Blair Shumlich (at the mic) makes his case to students at the special general meeting.

KEVIN MENZ News Editor The vice president external position has been cut, but Blair Shumlich has yet to leave office.

Shumlich initially pushed for the removal of his position, stating he did not have enough work to do.

Students voted to remove the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union position at an undergraduate Special General Meeting March 3.

A mistake by the chair led students to believe that Shumlich’s position was to remain in place.

However, after consultations with the USSU lawyer, it became clear that the position was voted out.

The discussion has now shifted to whether or not Shumlich should leave his position immediately or on May 1, with the rest of the executive.

The initial confusion began when 37 students voted to remove the position and 22 voted to keep it. The chair had stated that in order for the position to be removed, two-thirds of students

REPORT

F R O M

STUDENTS’ COUNCIL

VICTORIA MARTINEZ News Editor March 3, 2011

Photo by Pete Yee

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011

Other SGM happenings The University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union will now be bound by the bylaws to consult a lawyer before posting proposed amendments to the bylaw online.

Previously, the wording did not demand that this be done, though the USSU did have amendments vetted prior to posting them. At the Annual General Meeting, this

photo by Pete Yee

had to vote in favour of removal.

In reality, only a 50 per cent majority was needed.

“It was a mistake of the chair,” said USSU president Chris Stoicheff. “Any amendment to our bylaw does not require a two-thirds majority, according to the Nonprofit Corporations Act. It requires a simple majority. “[Shumlich] had brought this up with the chair immediately at the meeting, but the chair had overruled him and said it was a two-thirds majority,” said Stoicheff.

Student council and other student meetings run on two systems: Robert’s Rules of Order and the Non-profit Corporations Act of Saskatchewan. Normally, said Stoicheff, the two systems align perfectly.

In this case, the systems conflicted — Robert’s Rules of Order stated that the motion required a two-thirds majority while the Non-profit Corporations Act stated that the motion required a 50 per cent majority.

“The chair was working under

Robert’s Rules of Order, but the fact is that the Act governs what we do,” he said. “The Act trumps Robert’s Rules of Order in this case.”

A re-vote will not happen, said Stoicheff, as the USSU’s lawyer believes the 37 to 22 majority vote to be accurate.

“The lawyer thinks that the 37 to 22 vote stands and that the position no longer exists in the sense that the motion that was deemed to have failed because it needed a two-thirds majority has, in fact, passed.”

Many of the other amendments proposed at the SGM did require a two-thirds majority.

“The amendment to the articles of incorporation does require a two-thirds majority,” said Stoicheff, referring to the amendment that changed the required amount of USSU executive members. It was previously five members, but the motion to make the board of directors — which is the executive

became a cause for concern for two students whose amendments were deemed illegal and were not posted publicly.

It was made bylaw-official that the USSU’s board of directors is in fact its executive, as is already the unwritten understanding.

Another amendment was proposed to prevent the executive from independently changing its firing practices, but it did not pass. It remains that the executive protocol policy and the members of council must decide to fire an executive member for them to be removed.

Fair and open elections times for members of council have been extended to include March, to better reflect practice and to facilitate elections without interfering with exams. It passed.

Roman Nahachewsky tried to define pi in the bylaw, again.

Goddammit.

“We were so close to the end,” said chair before calling the motion out of order.

Vice president student affairs Leon Thompson also took the opportunity to shamelessly plug the USSU radio show on CFCR on Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

SGM cont. on A3.

Social Justice Centre The committee met with vice president academic affairs Kelsey Topola, vice president operations and finance Scott Hitchings and president Chris Stoicheff to go over the mandate one final time before releasing their findings.

Debate on the centre will be at council next week.

Farm Credit Canada is hosting a forum March 8 to explore big ideas in the agriculture business.

This year’s speakers include Robert Herjavec of Dragon’s Den, hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser and entrepreneur extraordinaire Darci Lang.

Each speaker lends a unique perspective to the networking event.

Herjavec earned his fortune by launching a technology company in the ’90s, which he sold for $100 million. Wickenheiser brings her unique experience as a three-time Olympic gold winner. And Lang is a full-time speaker with handfuls of business and entrepreneurial excellence awards.

“FCC Forums are an opportunity to learn, inspire big ideas and network with business owners and operators just like you,” reads the FCC website.

Golden arches going silver

According to end of year reports, Subway has replaced McDonald’s as the largest fast food chain worldwide.

Subway’s reports state that in 2010 they had 33,749 stores operating across the globe compared to McDonald’s 32,737.

However, McDonald’s still retains the title of most profitable fast food chain, bringing in over $24 billion in profit (or about 17 billion double cheeseburgers). This easily defeats Subway’s $15 billion profit (about 4.3 billion cold cut trio’s on herb and cheese).

The recent meteoric rise in Subway stores over the last few years is attributed to an increasing global market, comparatively cheap start up costs and the “healthy push” of today’s society.

McDonald’s execs are not worried. They say their focus is more on getting better rather than just getting bigger. This appears to be working for McDonald’s and is clearly much better than Burger King’s strategy of continually sucking.

News •

thesheaf.com/news

A3

University yet to start fundraising for new arts centre

Recent cuts to the arts could prove difficult for the Clarion Project

A centre for artists, both visual and performative, still needs university commitment.

DARYL HOFMANN News Writer

The Clarion Project, a campaign to build a world-class fine and performing arts centre for the University of Saskatchewan, has yet to secure funding.

Former dean of arts and science Jo-Anne Dillon introduced the Clarion Project initiative in the college’s 2008 integrated plan.

Dillon stepped down last month, but incoming dean Peter Stoicheff said the project remains atop the college’s priority list.

“The Clarion is hugely important,” said Stoicheff. “Now is the time. The province is flourishing economically, and so is our city. Also Saskatoon has become recognized as a cultural centre, so for the first time in a long time it really makes sense to have something like this. We want to take advantage of that.”

Currently the fine arts facilities are split between the Murray Building, the Education Building and the John Mitchell Building.

The Clarion Project’s main objective is to construct an allencompassing arts centre on campus, where the departments

SGM cont. from A2.

— consist of four to six members, passed with a two-thirds majority.

A two-thirds majority is also required to impeach a member.

Council will decide this week if it wants to impeach Shumlich.

He is still on the executive even though his position has been removed.

If he does not resign before the next student council meeting and if someone motions to impeach him, councillors will vote on whether or not to remove him immediately.

“That will be up to student council and that will be up to Mr. Shumlich,” said Stoicheff, who did provide his personal opinion on the matter.

“As far as I’m concerned, the motion is that the VP external no longer exists and that the VP external position portfolio is under the president now — or under the VP finances in some cases.

“Nowhere in the motion did it allude or did it say that that would take place as of May 1.”

May 1 is the date in which all executive members’ contracts end.

of music, drama, and art and art history could brush shoulders on a daily basis. It would potentially incorporate digital studios, premier gallery space and house two 300-plus-seat performance venues that could not only be used by the university, but the local arts scene as well.

The cost of the proposed centre has yet to be determined. However, similar projects at Toronto’s York University and Montréal’s Concordia University have seen costs range between $60 and $80 million.

Like all large-scale capital ventures on campus, a steering committee has been created to provide guidance and overall direction to the project.

Chairing the committee is university provost and vice president academic Brett Fairbairn who, along with other various stakeholders, has been working with the dean of arts and science to create an academic vision plan for the project. Fairbairn and Stoicheff hope to take the plan to the University Board of Governors for approval within the year. If granted, the project will push forward its fund-raising agenda.

Shumlich believes he should stay on until May 1.

“I was elected to a full year term and, while I don’t think that this position was necessary, I have started things and I intend on finishing them,” he said, pointing to the last week in March as his busiest of the year — the province releases its budget that week.

“I’ll be doing interviews about the budget and finding out what’s going on with the budget.”

He listed a rise in long-term tuition, the Saskatchewan Scholarship Fund, the new Aboriginal students’ centre and an increase in the university’s operating grant as things he has lobbied for this year that he hopes to see in the budget.

He also pointed out that the transition into a four person executive can’t be achieved instantly. As the USSU moves into the new Place Riel, moving and dividing all his files will be a difficult process, he said.

“It’s work that exists and it’s work that I want to do.”

“The amount of money involved will be large and it takes patient work to come up with the right plan,” Fairbairn admitted. “For a facility like this, it will likely have to be a mixture of government funding and private donors.”

“

I’ve been there a while, and I’ve seen a lot of promises made.

Bart Gazzola

Digital media instructor

According to a recent news release, the provincial government has now invested more than $335 million into Saskatchewan’s postsecondary system since 2008-09, most of which has been directed

supplied

into research and development projects. Major undertakings like the Canadian Light Source, the Academic Health Sciences Project and the International Vaccine Centre have put the U of S on the map as a global leader in scientific research.

Stoicheff has faith that the government will step up to provide financial backing for the arts as well.

“This is the kind of thing that people want to support, so I have no doubt that the province will want to support it,” he said.

“President MacKinnon and many others would like to see a balance between the arts and sciences, and the Clarion represents the perfect opportunity to strike that balance.”

While the Clarion Project would primarily create a new home for students, it would also open doors for independently-run galleries and concert promoters, as collaborative efforts with the arts community are an integral part of the project’s operating plan.

Bart Gazzola is a digital-media instructor at the U of S and an active member of Saskatoon’s art community. He sees a great opportunity for the college and

artist-run centres such as Paved, AKA and Tribe to work off each other. But with the recent severe reduction of sessionals in his department he’s leery of the college’s commitment to the arts.

“I’ve been there a while, and I’ve seen a lot of promises made,” said Gazzola. “The community hasn’t seen the department there for them in some time, so it’s going to require the university to reach out and actually get involved.”

Many of the sessional instructors are some of the most engaged artists in the community, and with the art department unable to continue funding their courses, the future of the Clarion Project and the art department itself appears more uncertain than administration will admit.

“I’d really like the community to be part of the Clarion Project and for sessionals to survive, but that’s not going to happen the way things are now,” said Gazzola.

in town

JOIN DEAN

PETER STOICHEFF AND THE ASSU FOR

FREE PA N C A K E S

A4 • News

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011

Students set to sleep outside

5 Days for the Homeless returns to campus

U of S rethinking flood prevention

Permeable pavement a proposed solution to heavy rain KEVIN MENZ Associate News Editor

5 days for the homeless is a student initiative.

MALCOLM RADKE News Writer Five students from the Edwards School of Business are set to sleep outside next week in an effort to raise awareness of youth homelessness in Saskatoon.

Starting the evening of March 13, these students will stay on campus for the entire week, including five nights outside. With only a sleeping bag in hand, they must rely both on food donations and support from their peers.

“Participants are spending five days outside, giving up the luxuries of life such as a warm bed or a toothbrush so that we can raise awareness about youth at risk,” said project manager Justine Daum.

“The more people who know about the issue, the easier it is to come up with a solution.”

They can’t access the Physical Activity Centre for a shower, nor can they access social networking sites like Facebook during that time.

In a worst-case scenario, they can trade their sleeping bag for food.

The event, known as 5 Days for the Homeless, is a student-run initiative to collect food, clothing and monetary donations to be given to the local non-profit EGADZ. After three successful years on the University of Alberta campus, the

Classifieds ANNOUNCEMENTS

Quiet Lenten Retreat: a meditative day based on the documentary Into Great Silence. Sat. March 12, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the U of S Multi-faith Centre, the historic Rugby Chapel near the corner of College Drive & Wiggins Ave. Cost: $8 students; $15 non students (includes lunch). Registration deadline: Friday, March 10, noon.

More info: Ursula at 966-8500 or ecum.chap@usask.ca, or www. usask.ca/mfca/ecumenical/.

Sponsored by the Ecumenical Chaplaincy [Anglican, Presbyterian, United].

From stilettos to moccasins: Mon. March 14, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m, Education Students Lounge. Dr. Colleen Dell & Sharon Acoose will

supplied

event expanded to a national level in 2008.

Last year, 10 schools from both eastern and western Canada raised over $180,000 and the entire cause received national media attention.

Building on the success of previous years, the 5 Days for the Homeless Saskatchewan committee is looking to have its biggest donation year yet.

In hopes of achieving this goal, this year’s event will include an Intercollegiate Charity Cup hockey tournament on March 25 and 26.

“Participating in the [tournament] will be a fun and unifying day for students, but we also hope it will be a day of support for the 5 Days campaign,” said marketing manager Erin Lord.

The tournament will feature eight teams — one team per college — battling for intercollegiate bragging rights. Students interested in participating are encouraged to contact their respective student societies.

The five homeless students will be accepting donations across campus from any students looking to support their cause. The 5 Days committee will also have an information and donation booth set up in the Arts Tunnel throughout the week. give a short presentation and show their U-Tube music video about their research into the healing journeys of criminalized aboriginal women in treatment for drug abuse. FREE SOUP & BANNOCK lunch. An Aboriginal Achievement Week event, hosted by the President’s Advisory Council on the Status of Women & the Dept. of Sociology & School of Public Health. More info call 966-8500.

Aboriginal achievement week free movie and lunch: Jim Settee: The Way Home, introduced by the Métis director Jeanne Corrigal.

Thurs. March 17, 11:45 a.m, Global Connections Student Lounge, room 70, Lower Place Riel. Soup & Bannock lunch. Cosponsored by the Ecumenical Chaplaincy [Anglican, Presbyterian, United] & the Multifaith Chaplains Association. More info: Ursula at 966-8500 or ecum. chap@usask.ca, or www.usask.ca/

To prevent flood damage caused by increasingly unpredictable rain seasons, the University of Saskatchewan is looking into more sustainable ways to pave its walk and roadways.

“We have been investigating paving systems that are permeable,” said Colin Tennent, the university’s architecture and associate vice-president of facilities management.

He believes that as construction and the amount of hard surfaces on campus increases, the university will need to find new ways to remove excess rain water.

“

If we have a really big downpour, our system can’t take it.

Wes Polowski

Facility Management Division, U of S

Wes Polowski, assistant manager for the university’s grounds department, said that flooding hasn’t traditionally been a major worry on campus.

“We’ve never really had a whole bunch of flooding on campus,” he said, adding that the university keeps its sewer lines clean and that spring runoff is not a worry because it hauls its snow away.

“They have improved some of the drainage system over the years and it’s only if we have a really big downpour that our system can’t take it,” he said. mfca/ecumenical/.

3 session Lenten study: Jesus for the 21st Century for people who take the Bible seriously but not literally. A small group exploration of a credible Jesus, who is neither kidnapped by the Christian Right nor discarded by the Secular Left. Thursdays, 7-9 p.m., Grosvenor Park United Church lounge (corner of Cumberland & 14th St.) UC lounge. March 10: Who Killed Jesus? March 17: The Atonement; March 24: The Resurrection of Christ. Come for all 3 sessions or just one. Cosponsored by the U of S Ecumenical Chaplaincy [Anglican, Presbyterian, United] & Grosvenor Park UC. More info www.usask.ca/mfca/ecumenical/ EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES K3 Excavating Ltd. is looking for

Pools of water and excess concrete lead to flood damages.

supplied

However, as Tennent pointed out, this drainage system will be forced to take more and more each year as the amount of hard surfaces increase. With less soil to absorb rainwater, flooding becomes more and more likely, leading to the need for more absorptive paths.

Before installing a paving system university-wide, a pilot segment will need to be installed.

The pilot “would test the efficacy of the system, if it works well in our climate and if it makes sense for us from a financial and sustainable point of view,” Tennent explained.

Permeable pavement allows water to move through it and be absorbed by the soil below, preventing water build-up on the surface.

While the university hasn’t specified which type of permeable surface it’s looking into, there are numerous options.

Some types of pavement allow water to run directly through pores in the concrete or asphalt, while others are movable tiles that allow water to be absorbed between each piece.

Tennent was very excited about the prospect of movable tiles.

There are “tremendous mechanized systems that will pick up hundreds of pieces at a go,” he said, “either through suction or some sort of friction.”

This allows for maintenance and construction underneath the surface without the high cost of repaving.

“It just picks them up vertically and moves them off to a sort of staging area and you just go in and do the excavation that you need.”

He emphasized that while they sound promising the university is only investigating these paving options and has not moved to start constructing them.

Campus’s recent construction projects — College Quarter residences and Academic Health Sciences — are building storm water retention ponds to prevent flooding.

“Most of the time it’s just a depression in the landscape that fills up when there is a heavy rain,” said Andrew Wallace, architectural design coordinator for FMD. The ponds would then dry out through evaporation and absorption.

Place Riel, unfortunately, has limited space and is surrounded by concrete surfaces.

“There is not a great opportunity for us to obtain water in ponds in that area,” said Tennent.

The university has also started building green roofs — like the roof on top of the law building — to absorb rain water.

employees to fill the following parttime positions (with the possibility of full-time employment in the summer): road grader operators, wheel loaders, skid steer operators, class 1A and 3A truck drivers and track hoe operators. Fax resumes to 306-477-5078 or phone to inquire at 306-717-0540. K3 Excavating is an equal opportunity employer.

arts. Gain valuable experience and expand your knowledge of contemporary and historical art!

Contact: 966-4571 for more info.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Want experience in Human Services? SARBI needs volunteers Monday thru Friday to provide assistance to survivors of acquired brain injuries in their psychosocial rehabilitation programs. Training provided. Call SARBI at 373-3050.

Website: www.sarbi.ca The Kenderdine Art Gallery, University Art Collection & College Building Art Galleries are seeking volunteers interested in the visual

Canadian Blood Services With every blood donation you make, you save lives. By donating, you share your health and vitality with someone who needs it. To make an appointment for any blood donor clinic, or for more information, donors can contact Canadian Blood Services, toll-free at 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283) Share the Fun! is a new mentality charitable organization that is not specific to a certain cause or charity; whenever there is a worthy cause, we will do our best to support it. To volunteer at future events, book an event, or for more information about this charity, search for the Facebook group: Share the Fun!

Send your classifieds to ads@thesheaf.com. They must be no more than 50 words.

thesheaf.com/news

Petty thefts common on campus Packing up to piss is inconvenient EMAN BARE and VICTORIA MARTINEZ News Writers Natalie Skilliter’s green Lululemon backpack was stolen outside the anatomy lab on the third floor of the health science building Feb. 16. The bag contained a semester’s worth of notes, a Mac laptop, textbooks and other personal items.

Unfortunately, there are no security cameras in that area of the building and there is no way to track who took the bag.

Theft on campus happens a lot more than we think it does. We have all seen those bright orange posters warning students against leaving items unattended around the library, but everyone seems to think that it will not happen to them. This is not the case. In 2010, there were 105 thefts on campus reported to campus security.

Students are advised not to leave items alone on campus.

Leon Thompson, vice president student affairs for the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union, advised students to use the Campus Security services available on campus.

“If students find that something has been stolen from them on campus, they should contact campus security at 966-5555 as well as the city police,” he said, adding that he is also exploring students’ concerns.

“I’ve spoken to a couple of students regarding their concerns, and have followed up with campus safety.”

As students, we all suffer from the same expenses: pricey textbooks, pricey laptops, that venti double shot vanilla latte and, not to mention, tuition. Theft is an unfair financial burden and in the case of stolen bookbags, it puts the victim at risk of failing classes because of the notes that might have been in that stolen backpack.

Campus Security does monitor security cameras on campus in order to minimize theft. However, as we have seen in the case of Skilliter’s backpack, these security cameras are not everywhere. The best thing students can do is not take chances and not leave items unattended.

Jared Brown, the Indigenous

Students’ Council representative at student council, brought similar student concerns to council on Feb. 17.

He had two student complaints about thefts and security in the Murray library, both of major technological items.

He ran into one of those students during midterms at Louis’.

“I saw this guy just pounding beers, and he told me ‘You know what, I was upstairs in the library studying. I went to take a pee, and when I came back my computer was gone, my wallet was gone, my iPod is gone,’ ” said Brown.

“It’s midterms. He’s writing papers, and has nothing.”

Brown felt the thefts were worth examining. Specifically, the lack of security on upper library floors — valuable study space on campus.

“You know we’re failing out students, we really are... students are studying and we’re not safe when we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing. It really pissed me off.”

When he brought his concerns to student’s council, financial constraints were cited.

“The response I got was initially we just don’t have the money.

That’s a cop out. That’s bullshit,” said Brown. “This is a multimillion dollar institution and there’s nothing being done. That’s just apathy.”

He was also told that video cameras would not be effective as theft-deterrents, as they would only catch culprits after the fact and that would-be robbers would wear hoods to disguise their identity.

While he noted his appreciation that the university is taking steps to improve security in other sectors, as with removing no-longerfunctional safety phones, Brown said this is a long-standing problem that the university should address.

“They know about it, they know this is happening. There’s been no steps but a piece of paper — a nice neon piece of paper I might add — that says, ‘Hey guys, watch your stuff.’

“I don’t know if it’s sheer lack of budget, but frankly we just got funding for nuclear research and I bet you damn right there’s some type of security in those plans.”

News • A5

Misconceptions of my faith A women’s interfaith dialogue SHIRA FENYES News Writer On March 16, the University of Saskatchewan will host its first ever Women’s Interfaith Symposium.

The gathering will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in Arts 143 featuring a panel of five religious women from the Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Catholic and Christian faiths.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association organized the event with the Religious Studies Students’ Union.

The event’s intriguing theme, “Misconceptions of our Faith,” will open up a dialogue between the diverse group of women. Bushra Amjad, a member of the Women’s Association sees this exchange between women as important to interfaith understanding.

“This is an opportunity to discuss and recognize the misunderstandings, myths or stereotypes that are out there in each faith,” she said.

Each speaker will focus on a few areas of her faith which she believes to be misinterpreted by mass media.

“This is an attempt to challenge those stereotypes and present the real views, real women that challenge these,” Amjad explained.

The third year student is passionate about this collaboration and believes that it’s a small step

JOURNALISM PRIZE THE MCGEACHY PRIZE IS AWARDED ANNUALLY BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH FOR EXAMPLES OF JOURNALISM PUBLISHED IN ANY FORM (IN THE PRESS, ON RADIO, OR ON TELEVISION) DURING THE PAST YEAR. THE PRIZE IS WORTH $500.00 TO BE SPENT FURTHERING A CAREER IN JOURNALISM, SUCH AS TOWARD TUITION IN A SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM OR IN THE PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT USEFUL IN JOURNALISM. Applicants must submit scripts, tapes, or three or four articles (of at least 500 words each) along with a covering letter to the Department of English, Arts 320. All work will be returned.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: 31 March, 2011

towards “religious harmony.”

The organizers hope to draw a large crowd of women. The speaker series will be followed by a question period, refreshments and a chance to browse display tables.

Men will not be turned away from the event, but the focus will be on female perspectives. The goal is to provide a women-only dialogue between the Saskatoon religious communities.

According to Amjad, this is only the beginning of this inter-religious dialogue.

“These events will continue by addressing different issues that arise within the faiths of community and society,” she explained.

This event will strive to begin a tradition at the U of S — promoting “peace and understanding between the major world religions.”

wThe Women’s Interfaith Symposium will be held on March 16 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Arts 143 at the U of S. The event was organized by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association and the Religious Studies Students’ Association.

CORRECTION In the article “Less than half of Canadians can roll their Rs” in the March 3 issue of the Sheaf, we incorrectly stated that the alveolar trill is a common feature of the Czech language.

In fact, the R in the Czech language is the post-alveolar fricative, which is similar to the rolled R in Roll up the Rim, but is not the same.

A6 • News

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011

2010 warmest year in recorded history UBC professor refutes global-warming deniers NICOLE BARRINGTON News Writer University of British Columbia professor Tom Peterson gave a lecture to a small crowd at the Atrium March 2. He had just finished an interview with CBC radio on the controversies surrounding climate change and was well prepared with a presentation that hit all the right points. Globalwarming deniers didn’t stand a chance.

He focused on how humans affect climate, as well as the political, social and economic consequences of climate change.

The sheer damage humans have done in the past 50 years is astonishing when put into perspective, as Peterson did in his slide show.

“Mother nature has never changed the composition of the atmosphere like humans,” Peterson remarked, as he put up a slide showing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

From 1960 to 2010, the levels increased from 320 parts per million to 390 ppm. Essentially, this means that the products we use, including gas, aerosols and coal, are inhibiting the earth’s ability to cool itself.

This isn’t a new phenomenon.

According to Peterson, scientists predicted the impact of CO2 in the atmosphere as early as the 1820s.

Since the early 19th century, scientists have known that the atmosphere

Dr. Tom Pedersen of PICS.

allows the Earth to retain heat and that carbon dioxide absorbs this heat. Pair those factors with humans producing excess carbon dioxide, the Earth experiences the greenhouse effect.

The last two decades have done more damage than any other period.

“The year 2010 was the warmest year since thermometers were invented,” said Peterson. “Nineteen countries set new records.”

Not only that, but it has been the wettest year globally — and not in a good way. There is four per cent more water in the atmosphere, resulting in what Peterson calls “episodic deluges.” Taking Pakistan as an

supplied

extreme example, about 20 per cent of the country was underwater by the end of September due to deluges.

Peterson also noted the alpine glaciers, which are retreating around the world at an alarming rate. In British Columbia, 11 per cent of the “surface area of ice” had depleted in just 20 years. In Alberta, a quarter of the ice had evaporated in that time.

“We are, as a human species, having an impact that is rapid and severe,” he said. Peterson also acknowledged that because of the melting ice around the world, sea levels are expected to increase anywhere from 59 mm to 100 mm in the next 50 years. This will affect

most of the world’s population, as most people live at or near sea-level.

The melting ice in the arctic could have the most dangerous effect of all.

Glaciers that once inhibited people from crossing the Arctic Ocean by boat are disappearing. These bodies of ice act as mirrors for sunlight and heat, and as they disappear, so does the Earth’s ability to stay cool. These bodies of ice have deteriorated so much in the past five years that a sailboat can now cross the NorthWest passage in the Arctic Ocean.

In order to combat these trends, Peterson suggested that the rest of Canada follow B.C.’s example of carbon-taxing. The basic idea is that the tax will increase by about five per cent a year, causing people to make gradual lifestyle changes, by actions like buying fuel efficient or electric cars. The money collected can be reinvested through infrastructure or lowering other taxes.

Peterson also mentioned the use of ethanol-based fuels as opposed to fossil fuels. However, the corn used to make ethanol requires more water and fertilizers. This run-off is causing dead zones which deplete bodies of water of their oxygen.

This is exactly what happened in 2007 in the U.S. when the Bush Administration created the Energy Independence and Security Act. As a result, an extra 57 billion litres of water are being used every year to grow corn. Worse, the runoff pollutes

the Gulf of Mexico with pesticides and harmful chemicals.

One of the most shocking facts that Peterson displayed in his presentation was the way which grids supply energy in North America. No two provinces in Canada share their produced energy with each other.

Instead, power lines run from each individual province to south of the border.

Peterson believes that if provinces worked together, they could supply Canadians with green energy 100 per cent of the time. Currently, in Alberta 90 per cent of generated energy is produced from coal; in Saskatchewan 60 per cent of generated energy is from coal. Peterson suggested that if British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba created a power grid based on hydroelectricity and wind power, there would be no need for coal energy.

“We are hardly scratching the surface” of potential wind power, said Peterson. Wind blows about one third of the time, but when combined with potential hydropower, there would be no energy shortages whatsoever in Saskatchewan.

Peterson told the audience that “political will and carbon tax” will make this carbon friendly vision a reality. His presentation made it quite clear that there is no other option; as humans we are responsible for the outcome of this planet, whether that outcome is negative or positive.

Manitoban judge claims ‘sex was in the air’

Federal investigation follows lenient sentencing, off-colour comments TANNARA YELLAND CUP Prairies & Northern Bureau Chief The Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Federation of Students has lodged a complaint with the Canadian Judicial Council over sexist remarks made by a Manitoba judge in a recent ruling.

Justice Robert Dewar was presiding over the case of Kenneth Rhodes, who was found guilty of sexual assault. Dewar ignored the Crown’s recommendation that Rhodes be sentenced to at least three years in prison and instead gave him a conditional sentence of two years; meaning Rhodes would serve no jail time.

In addition, Dewar commented that the victim had been wearing a tube top and a lot of makeup, and that “sex was in the air” the night of the assault.

Following Dewar’s comments at

Sexism sucks.

Rhodes’ Feb. 18 sentencing hearing, the CJC has received a number of complaints and there have been protests in front of Winnipeg’s court building.

The protests highlight a widespread loss of confidence in Dewar’s ability to administer justice

WESTGATE BOOKS For all your Literary Needs!

Find us in the Cumberland Square Shopping Centre 1515B 8th Street East

photo by streunna4/Flickr

appropriately, says CFS-Manitoba’s spokesperson Alanna Makinson.

“From the outcry — the public outcry — it’s very, very clear that Manitobans have lost faith in Judge Dewar’s ability to adequately provide justice to victims of sexual assault and just in general,“ she said.

Makinson says her organization lodged its complaint with the CJC because they would like to see Dewar held accountable for his pernicious statements.

“The message that women are responsible for their own victimization and that perpetrators of sexual assault will not be punished for their actions and, frankly, that they’re not to blame for their actions, is incredibly damaging and irresponsible,” she said.

“The message that rape is about control, domination and humiliation, and not about sex, should be the one that is coming across.”

The numbers of individuals and groups lodging complaints against Dewar seem to agree. Even the government of Manitoba plans to lodge a complaint once a transcript of the trial is made available.

“Jennifer Howard, who is the minister of labour and the minister responsible for the status of women,

is going to file a complaint with the CJC,” said Howard’s spokesperson Rachel Morgan. “The complaint is over the words that were used in the sentencing hearing.”

Unlike CFS-Manitoba, the Manitoba government has not yet decided what outcome it would like to see as a result of its complaint.

Morgan said the government would wait “to see what the council decides.”

The council, which has jurisdiction over more than 1,100 judges across Canada, has said it will not comment until after it has ruled on the complaints it receives.

According to the CJC’s web site, most complaints are handled within three months.

Until then, Dewar will be allowed to continue hearing cases. However, he will not hear cases of a sexual nature and he will have a reduced case-load.

Guess What?

The Sheaf is Hiring

382-5252

thesheaf.com/hiring

News • A7

thesheaf.com/news

Amnesty International secretary general on campus The human rights organization celebrates 50 years with speaking tour EMAN BARE News Writer As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Amnesty International, Alex Neve, the organization’s secretary general in Canada, visited the University of Saskatchewan March 2.

His talk focused on the progress Amnesty has made over the years and his personal involvement with the organization.

“

How could we possibly celebrate an anniversary that is about rejoicing with all that has gone terribly wrong with protecting human rights these past five decades?

Alex Neve

Secretary General, Amnesty International

Alex Neve is happy about Amnesty, but not rights violations.

Drawing from his longtime involvement with the group, Neve shared the successes of Amnesty over the past 50 years and how it became one of the most powerful human justice organizations in

supplied

the world. Neve became secretary general in January 2000 and has been an active member since the mid-1980s, working both with the national and international sectors.

In 1961, Peter Benenson — the

founder of Amnesty — was reading a London newspaper on a park bench and came across a piece that angered him.

“Two Portuguese university students were serving jail time for toasting to freedom in a public area,” said Neve.

“This angered [Benenson] not only for its unfairness, but because of the lack of attention it was receiving. He found this article on the 30th page of the newspaper and it was written about very briefly.”

Benenson used his anger to start one of the most well-known global human justice organizations in the world. He wrote a piece for the Observer and told readers, “If these feelings of disgust could be united into common action, something effective could be done.”

His intention was to start a yearlong letter writing campaign to dictators in order to raise awareness of human justice violations across the globe. He wanted everyone to know that they could contribute to change by making their voices heard through letters.

“Many people thought that Benenson’s idea of letter writing was useless and ineffective and even called him a lunatic,” said Neve. No one, not even Benenson, knew how large a movement his idea would spark.

Benenson’s idea appealed to millions and his plan began to spread. Now, half a century later, Amnesty has over 300 million

members and has come to the aid of the citizens of countries facing horrific genocides, such as Rwanda and Sudan. In 1977, the organization was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for its work to stop torture.

Although Amnesty International has had a significant impact on the struggle for human justice, Neve said that there is still a long road ahead.

“How could we possibly celebrate an anniversary that is about rejoicing with all that has gone terribly wrong with protecting human rights these past five decades?” he asked.

Neve called Canada’s treatment of First Nation’s people “one of Canada’s greatest shames,” and urged students to make respect of Indigenous rights an important issue.

Although Canada does carry a reputation of being a “peacekeeping nation,” this country has been the cause of human rights violations. Maher Arar, a CanadianSyrian citizen who was held for two weeks in solitary confinement in the United States without charge, is an example of Canada’s failure to protect the human rights of its citizens.

But as Amnesty steps into the future, the organization’s achievements give them the motivation to continue fighting for human rights across the globe.

For future graduates

Discover Continuum THE CONTINUATION OF AFFORDABLE INSURANCE COVERAGE ONCE YOUR STUDENT PLAN ENDS

An affordable health, dental, vision, and emergency travel assistance insurance Plan designed for students who will be completing their studies this year.

Will you be completing your studies this year?

Once your coverage ends, consider Continuum.

Similar to your student Plan, Continuum offers affordable insurance coverage for you and your family. Students that are covered by the USSU or GSA Health & Dental Plan could benefit from the Continuum Plan without providing proof of good health. Visit the Continuum website for full details on coverage and eligibility.

Comprehensive Coverage

Great Value

Extendable Plan

No Blood Test

No Long Application

No Medical Test

Have a smart phone with a QR code reader? Scan the box above to be directed to the Continuum website.

A8 • News

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011

Local doctor appointed to national public health board Panel consists of rural and cosmopolitan health experts across Canada KAROL KUDYBA News Writer A local medico from Lac La Ronge has been called to the big leagues to help Canadian doctors spread information more effectively and efficiently.

Dr. James Irvine, a University of Saskatchewan professor and provincial medical health officer, has been appointed to the advisory board of the National Collaborating Centres for Public Health Contribution Program. He joins a panel of experts dealing with health problems big and small.

The National Collaborating Centres has six centers across Canada, each focusing on a different area, and is under the jurisdiction of the Public Health Agency of Canada. They are involved in infectious disease research, healthy public policy and Aboriginal and environmental health.

The board meets two to three

Dr. James Irvine in his backyard, Lac La Ronge

times per year in order to check up on the respective centers’ performance.

As an advisor, Irvine will guide the various centers in their development and research, the main goal of which is to facilitate the dissemination of all medical research across Canada in order to

supplied

improve local public policies and practices.

Previously, the NCCPHCP has worked on trying to improve public health ethics; they promote health of groups and populations rather than individuals. The collaboration has worked to prevent the spread of waterborne

diseases in small drinking water systems, like waterfountains, and to create more access to knowledge about bedbugs.

Their programs are meant to work in large cities as well as rural communities and be able to fill in gaps in knowledge across public health networks.

By appointing Irvine, whose practice has been focused in a rural area, the board will hopefully be able to maintain a focus on northern and spreadout communities. The rural perspective helps ensure that any program will not simply be designed to work in large urban centers where health services are easier to obtain.

Irvine obtained his medical degree in 1976 from the U of S and, in addition to being a professor of family medicine, he is an associate member of the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology. In fact, he has so many letters after his name I didn’t have time to research them

all. He is more than qualified for the position.

With an office located in La Ronge, Irvine’s hire continues the NCCPHCP trend to choose advisors from all over Canada and not specifically from large urban centers.

The advisory board’s doctors hail from such varied Canadian communities as Vancouver, Montreal and Peel. The chair of the advisory council, Dr. John Frank, is also the director of the Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy.

For more information on the projects the National Collaborating Centres developed, visit nccph.ca

Study shows gamers not desensitized to violence

Young adults show normal emotional reactions over long term SARAH-TAÏSSIR BENCHARIF The Ryersonian (Ryerson University) TORONTO (CUP) — A recent study at Ryerson University debunked the common assumption that playing violent video games desensitizes gamers to violence, but only for young adult gamers.

Holly Bowen, a co-author of the video game violence study, was relieved by the results.

The study, Bowen’s master’s project, was co-authored by her and psychology professor Julia Spaniol. It examined how chronic exposure to violent video games affected long-term emotional memory. The results show that playing violent video games does not have any impact on emotional memory in young adults.

She originally hypothesized that it would.

“As a scientist, you hope there will be differences because that seems to get publications, and I certainly hypothesized there

would be differences,” said Bowen. “Young adults tend to remember negative information [in general] better than positive.”

To assess how playing games like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty affects responses to negative situations, the researchers studied the video gaming habits of 122 undergraduate students at Ryerson.

The participants were shown 150 images on a computer screen of negative, neutral and positive situations. A positive image might have a mother with her baby; a neutral picture could show a man mowing the lawn; and a negative picture could have a man with a gun to a woman’s head.

An hour later, the participants saw those same images mixed in with 150 randomly inserted new ones. The students had to tell whether or not they’d seen that image before. Finally, the participants completed a questionnaire about their state of emotional arousal in response to

THE SHEAF

the photos.

The study’s results conflicted with previous research in the same field.

A 2004 study by researchers at Iowa State University showed that in both the short and long terms, violent video games increased aggressiveness in young adults.

But Bowen points to a few differences between her study and past studies.

Her study is the first to examine the long-term effects of violent video games based on the real video game-playing habits of participants. Long-term memory is defined as memory after 30 seconds. Past research focused on getting participants to play violent or neutral games — like Tetris — in the lab and assessing their emotional memory afterwards.

It did not measure the effects of chronic video game-playing habits.

“It could be that these effects [from previous research] are short term and don’t persist in the long

term,” said Bowen.

Bowen notes that she would not extend these results to children.

She also said that in the future, it would be useful to increase the time difference between when the participants first saw the images and when they saw them again.

“What can happen is, over a 24-hour period, we tend to forget the more neutral and positive pictures and we seem better at remembering the negative pictures overall. It’s not just in video games,” she said.

Because the majority of psychology students who participated in her study were female, future research could examine if there are any differences in the long-term emotional memory of males and females in response to violent videogames.

Andrew Durham, a third-year child and youth care student, has been playing violent video games since he was in elementary school.

For him, any desensitization to

Considering a career in journalism?

Editorial Staff positions include: News Editor, Associate News Editor, Sports Editor, Opinions Editor, Arts Editor, Copy Editor, Graphics Editor, Photography Editor, Production Manager and Web Editor If you are interested in covering student issues at the University of Saskatchewan, or thinking of a career in journalism (radio, print or television), photography or graphic design, journalism schools look more favourably upon those who have

Name

Where are they now?

- The StarPhoenix

Veronica Rhodes

- Regina Leader-Post

Charles Hamilton

- CBC

David Hutton

- The StarPhoenix

Applications must be received by Tuesday, March 15th @ 3:00 pm

Nicole Lavergne-Smith

- CBC Radio-Canada

Rory MacLean

- The StarPhoenix

Please note: Not all applicants will be granted interviews.

Wendy Gillis

- The Toronto Star

* Some may be asked to volunteer time from May 1, 2011 until August 31, 2011 ** Determined by the Board of Directors

The Sheaf Publishing Society Hiring Committee Room 108 Memorial Union Building 93 Campus Drive Saskatoon, SK S7N5B2

A short list of former Sheaf Editorial Staff Jason Warick

Any undergraduate student may apply for an editorial position. All positions are term positions running from May 1, 2011 until April 30, 2012*. Remuneration for most will start in September of 2011**.

Submit your résumé and cover letter together in a sealed envelope to:

violence that does exist is not just from video games.

“I think the media in general desensitized society to violence,” he said.

But he did concede that “violent video games are a lot different now than they were 10 to 15 years ago. There’s more violence, gore, profanity.”

He also noticed that ratings have changed; violent video games are now being marketed as less violent than they really are to make room for even more violent games at the top of the scale.

But he’ll keep on playing.

“It’s almost like living in a little bit of a fantasy and arriving back to the real world,” he said.

thesheaf.com/news

Civil rights report calls for G20 public inquiry

News • A9

CCLA, NUPGE release 60-page review of November 2010 public hearings EMMA GODMERE CUP Ottawa Bureau Chief OTTAWA (CUP) — Civil rights advocates are calling for a public inquiry into the handling of security during the G20 protests in Toronto last June, according to a recent report.

Entitled “Breach of the Peace,” the report was published by The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the National Union of Public and General Employees on Feb. 28. It discussed the actions of police in dealing with protesters and non-protesting civilians at the summit, where more than 1,100 people were detained or arrested.

The report drew information and testimonies from public hearings held last November over three days in Toronto and Montreal.

“

Why are they afraid of the truth?

Olivia Chow

NDP MP

“What Canadians witnessed during the G20 Summit last June in Toronto was a sad and dark moment in Canada’s history,” James Clancy, NUPGE national president, wrote in the report’s forward. “The largest mass arrests in Canadian history were carried out with a flagrant disregard for human rights and civil liberties as well as the basic rule of law.”

The 60-page report was divided into specific sections that pinpointed the police’s pre-summit infiltration of protest groups, random searches, arrests and the Eastern Avenue detention centre, among others, as incidents and issues of particular importance.

The report included testimonies on all topics from more than 60 citizens who witnessed and were involved in the incidents.

“The planning, organizing and delivery of security during the G20 Summit fell short of the standards

Just a tiny bit of the destruction the G20 left in its wake.

set out in the Charter [of Rights and Freedoms],” read the report.

“While there were many instances of professional, courteous and respectful policing, there were also an alarming number of incidents where members of the public were stopped, detained, searched, arrested and subjected to police force arbitrarily, unnecessarily and illegally.”

NDP MP Olivia Chow, who represents a riding in Toronto, was present at the press conference for the release of the report.

“The three cornerstones for democracy are the freedom of speech, freedom to assemble and civilian oversight of the police — and those were violated,” she told Canadian University Press. “And to date we have no idea ultimately who’s responsible and who really should be accountable, and none of those questions have been answered.”

Both the federal and provincial governments, however, seem

reluctant to launch a public inquiry for various reasons.

“Specific bodies do exist to handle complaints regarding the conduct of the police,” Conservative MP Dave MacKenzie, parliamentary secretary to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, said in question period on Feb. 28. “As has been said many times before, we encourage anyone who has a complaint to direct their concerns to the appropriate body.”

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said he felt a public inquiry wasn’t required, as several other reviews are already taking place.

“I think that’s a lot of expertise and independent perspective and I think that’s going to do a really good job,” he told reporters on Feb. 28.

While the report acknowledges the ongoing work of other independent investigations, even suggesting the inclusion of other

reviews’ findings in its proposed instructions for an inquiry, the CCLA and NUPGE ultimately recommend a joint federalprovincial public inquiry, as “the lingering questions in the wake of the G20 necessitate a broader, systemic response to what was a systemic failure.”

The report suggests the public inquiry examine several specific incidents that occurred during the G20 protests, including the absence of authorities during the more extreme acts of vandalism that occurred on June 26; the protest breakup at Queen’s Park, a designated demonstration site, on June 26; the arrests and actions that occurred at the University of Toronto graduate students’ union building and at Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue on June 27; and the conditions at the Eastern Avenue detention centre.

“Without the inquiry, then my question to both the Harper Conservatives and the McGuinty

photo by Michael Thibault/The Ubyssey

Liberals is: What do they have to hide?” asked Chow. “Why are they afraid of the truth?”

Chow also emphasized that a public inquiry would allow the government to make further amends and ensure similar actions won’t happen again.

“I think that once we have the public inquiry, get to the bottom of who did what to whom and who’s responsible, then the second part is to establish policies, change the law in a way or make sure that the law is being enforced properly, so that this kind of massive violation of people’s civil rights won’t again occur,” she said.

“I think those people that have been traumatized during the G20 deserve an apology so they feel that their voices have finally been heard,” she continued. “If not, there’s just no justice to it all and people are just shocked by what happened.”

“Did you know that U of S students have a greater sense of belonging than students at other universities?”

Speak up.

Have your say by filling out a student survey.

Student surveys are an important way for your voice to be heard. Survey results have a direct and lasting effect on things like class offerings, residences, food services, clubs and your overall university experience.

Watch your inbox this term for survey invitations and take the chance to tell us what you think.

www.usask.ca/ip/surveys

A10 •

Sports

Both Huskies men’s and women’s basketball teams have had impeccable seasons and are poised to be serious contenders at the upcoming CIS Final Eight national basketball championships. The Sheaf will be providing on-site coverage of the men’s Final Eight in Halifax, N.S., March 11 to 13 and women’s Final Eight in Windsor, Ont., March 18 to 20. Check thesheaf.com/sports for live coverage and updates during the championships.

DEVIN R. HEROUX Sports Writer It was a frenzied weekend of basketball for the Huskies men’s and women’s basketball teams — neither disappointed.

While the women were busy taking care of business at home, securing their second Canada West title in school history, the men were on the West coast at UBC locking up another trip to nationals. Both teams accomplished their feats in dramatic fashion.

If you weren’t at the Physical Activity Complex Saturday night you missed a memorable night; over 2,000 spectators filled the PAC to watch the Huskies win a thrilling Canada West Final. The Huskies beat their provincial rivals, the University of Regina Cougars, 77-74 to secure their place at Nationals.

University of Saskatchewan President Peter MacKinnon was

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011

Huskies hoops heading to nationals Huskies seniors carry the Canada West championship trophy.

leading the calls of support, seated right behind the Huskies bench.

Students had bells, whistles and horns. The usually reserved confines of the gym now resembled a madhouse. The atmosphere was electric, rabid and palpable.

And the game delivered non-stop entertainment.

Early on the teams traded scores, racing back and forth and feeding off the emotion of the crowd. As the teams approached halftime Regina had momentum on their side thanks in part to the strong play of Gabrielle Gheyessen and Lindsay Ledingham. The two combined for 33 Cougar points. While the game started with high intensity it slowed to a grind late into the first half. The usually sharp-shooting Huskies were missing routine shots and found themselves down 32-30 at halftime.

Knowing they would need a heroic second half to overcome a first half deficit, the Huskies key

players rose to the occasion down the stretch. Led by veteran players Marci Kiselyk, Kim Tulloch, Jill Humbert and Katie Miyazaki, who were all double-digit scorers, the team in green and white made their charge. But as time expired to end the third quarter a buzzer beater three-point shot by Regina’s Joanna Zalesiak gave Regina a 56-53 lead heading to the final frame; it also shocked everyone in attendance.

The fourth quarter was the most riveting basketball I’ve ever seen. Just when it looked like the Cougars were poised to pull off the upset the Huskies would make key shots. Just when it looked like the Huskies would cruise to the win late in the game, the Cougars would step up. And with just 1:03 left in the game, the Huskies Tulloch hit a three-point that put the Dogs up for good, 73-70. The scene that ensued after that was spine tingling.

The crowd rose spontaneously, and stayed there for the agonizing

photo by Pete Yee

last minute of the game. They were so whipped into a frenzy it was hard to hear the person beside you.

When the game ended fans rushed the court; it was how university basketball should be played. The excitement was contagious.

“This is the highlight of my coaching career here,” said head coach Lisa Thomaidis. “This crowd was great and I couldn’t be more proud of my team right now.”

Just a night earlier the Huskies men’s team was in search of a win at the Canada West Final Four to secure a berth to Nationals. The defending champions were in tough, though, going up against the upstart Trinity Western Spartans. While the two offensive foes struggled to find their tempo all game, it made for a remarkable finish. Down as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, it looked as though the Huskies were all but done. But much like last year’s Cinderella story run, they found a way to win.

Led by Jamelle Barrett and Rejean Chabot down the stretch, the Huskies erased a 10-point deficit with four minutes remaining; a buzzer-beating shot by Barrett with 1.8 seconds left gave the Huskies an improbable 80-78 win. After the game Barrett couldn’t say enough about how the team came together.

“I love this gym. I wasn’t here last year but you get the sense that the guys feel there’s something magic that happens here,” said Barrett. “We just have to keep focused on the ultimate goal.”

The Huskies now head to Halifax for the National Championship ranked No. 3 in the nation. They open in defence of their title Friday night against Dalhousie University.

The women’s team will no doubt be ranked No. 1 in the country when they head to Nationals two weeks from now.

I said it before and I’ll say it again, this is the best basketball program in the country.

Interested in volunteering?

There are only four issues of the Sheaf left this school year.

Europe: Have You Done It? $200 Europe Air Credit Exclusively with Contiki Holidays.

Come in or call today.

University of Saskatchewan, Place Riel

travelcuts.com 306.975.3722

Get a $200 air credit when you book any Contiki Budget and Camping Tours 10 days or longer or any Superior Europe Tour 12 days or longer. Must be booked Feb 14- Mar 31, 2011 for travel any time before Dec 31, 2011. Air must be booked with Contiki Holidays. $200 deposit required at time of booking for Contiki land tour. Airfare payment terms may vary according to airline booking terms. Not combinable with any offer or discount. Some restrictions may apply. See travelcuts. com for details. ON–4499356/4499372 | BC–33127/34799/34798 | QC–7002238 | Canadian owned.

Volunteering is a great way to add some volunteer experience to your resume.

Help yourself get a summer job by helping us!

thesheaf.com/ volunteer

Sports • A11

thesheaf.com/sports

Dogs stuffed again

U of S volleyball programs always rebuilding

ADVANCING ABORIGINAL NURSING STUDENTS Working towards balanced, healthy, aboriginal communities in Saskatchewan by increasing the number of Aboriginal Peoples in the healing careers is the vision of the Native Access Program for Nursing (NAPN).

For 25 years, NAPN has been making a difference in the lives of aboriginal students enrolled in nursing at the University of Saskatchewan. The program was established in 1985 to meet the specific academic and personal needs of aboriginal students.

NAPN provides a wide array of services that support students academically and personally.

Dogs Ben Bourgeois and Geoff Zerr overlook a battle at the net. photo by Raisa Pezderic

DORIAN GEIGER Sports Editor The nets and volleyballs property of the Huskies volleyball teams have again become collectors of dust until the dawn of next season.

In what has become a trend within the U of S volleyball program, the Huskies men’s and women’s teams have once more bowed out of Canada West playoff contention.

While the Huskies men’s and women’s basketball teams enjoy CIS championship runs in Halifax and Windsor in coming weeks, the volleyball contingents at the U of S will be cleaning out the cobwebs in their lockers.

It’s been a better part of a decade since either the Huskies men’s or women’s teams attained playoff status and both teams have remained in a perpetual state of rebuilding. Yes, the Green and White’s volleyball program has been in shambles for eons.

The men’s and women’s squads concluded their Canada West campaigns with dismal 3-15 and 2-16 records, respectively. The Huskies have been mingling in the basement of the Canada West for so long it would be surprising if they remember what the light of day feels like. Aside from Huskies women’s soccer, the men’s and women’s volleyball teams are the only Huskies contingents denied the taste of postseason action in 2010-11. Even then, Huskies women’s soccer finished up with a 7-6 record — one that still trumps the combined wins of the Huskies men’s and women’s teams in 201011.

Losing hasn’t always been the Huskies legacy, however. In fact, the men’s volleyball team is the most decorated Huskies team in the history of U of S athletic tradition.

The Huskies men’s team has appeared in 17 CIS championships, totalling an impressive 11 medals and winning 10 Canada West championships in the course of their existence. The Huskies women’s team has a remarkable

history too; they captured seven Canada West titles from 1979 to 1992 (with the exception of 1984-85) and at least two Huskies were named to the Canada West all-star team each year during this impressive streak.

So it begs the question: What exactly has gone on in recent years to put the Huskies volleyball program in the sad position it is presently in? Is it coaching? Player recruitment? Or the program itself?

Under the guidance of head coach Brian Gavlas, the Huskies have amassed a 173-103 record, one that doesn’t speak full volume to the present state of program. In his nearly 20 years of coaching the Huskies, Gavlas has led the team through spectacular times and rocky patches. Gavlas likely isn’t a huge part of the Dogs’ woes given his winning resume in past years.

It may be a different case for the women’s Huskies. After Leslie Irie assumed the reigns of the team in 1997, she’s mounted an unimpressive 86158 record. Compared to the previous coach Mark Tenant, who compiled a 232-140 during his leadership of the team from 1972-1997, Irie has failed to live up to her predecessor’s legacy.

Despite leading previous teams to conference championships and winning a CIS coach of the year award, Irie has not been a galvanizing force on the Huskies sidelines.

And it’s not like these teams haven’t been privy to exceptional players either; Mark Dodds, Shannon Usher and Alwyn Piche — all provincial prodigies at one point in time — have graced the Huskies with their presence. And a plethora of other home grown players are continually recruited by more prominent varsity volleyball programs across the country.

Despite the lacklustre state of the Huskies men’s and women’s volleyball programs, given the influx of student athletes each year, it is only a matter of time before the Dogs regain their status at the top of the Canada West food chain.

• Academic and career advising • Access to Elders and culturally appropriate counselling • Advocacy – childcare, housing, funding concerns • Tutoring, mentorship, computer, and internet access • Leadership opportunities “Our approach is to connect with every student in first year and begin fostering a relationship with them,” says Trudy Unger, NAPN advisor, Saskatoon. “This has proven to be key in assisting students achieve academic success.

The result has been an increasing number of aboriginal students who graduate from the nursing program,” she adds.

The students who come to NAPN for help require more than a program that provides services to them. Bev McBeth, RN, NAPN advisor, Regina explains, “NAPN is a community. We build this community through a variety of activities – both social and academic.”

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Chris Boychuk was inspired to become a nurse by his grandmother and the nurses who provided care to his brother.

Chris Boychuk is a third year nursing student at the College of Nursing. He is well-known to the advisors at NAPN as an outstanding and dedicated student.

“He has a bright future with tremendous career possibilities in nursing,” says Rhonda Goodtrack, RN, and NAPN advisor.

“Go for it!”

Chris Boychuck, nursing student, Saskatoon

1. What inspired you to choose nursing?

My grandmother worked in home health care and was very close to her clients. My brother Mike had cancer while still in high school; he went through a terrible ordeal.

The nurses and other health care professionals treated Mike from a holistic perspective. I aspire to be like my grandmother and the nurses who provided my brother with constant and diligent care.

2. What difference has the services and people of NAPN made to your university career? Future nursing career?

The support and guidance from NAPN has made a world of difference to my education and future. Through NAPN, I have been able to participate in presentations to high school students, mentor at a NAPN Health Science Summer Camp, attend a national health conference, and provide tutoring services.

3. What advice would you give to First Nations or Métis high school students?

Go for it! If you want to go to university and think, “I can’t do it”, just know that you can do it! Speak to a guidance or career counsellor for advice. You can go as far in life as you want to - you just need to take that first step and try.

NAPN Team: Heather Cote-Soop, Regina Rhonda Goodtrack, RN, Saskatoon Bev McBeth, RN, Regina Trudy Unger, Saskatoon Shannon Wood, Saskatoon

www.usask.ca/nursing College of Nursing

The new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) begins in September 2011.

A12 • Sports

Buzzer sounds on Huskies men’s hockey season

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011

Dogs fall to Dinos in Calgary at the Canada West semi-finals DARREN DUPONT Sports Writer The Huskies men’s hockey crew saw their season come to an end on March 4 following a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Dinos in the third and deciding game of their Canada West semi-final playoff series.

For the second straight season the Huskies exit the Canada West playoffs in the semi-final. A year ago it was the Manitoba Bisons knocking off the hockey Dogs in three games and this year it’s the Dinos.

The Huskies’ season was up and down. The team got off to a so-so start taking an 8-6 record into the break but were hot out of the gate in 2011 going 8-1 in their first nine games to start the new year. New Christmas additions Matt Delahey and Derek Hulak appeared to fit into the line-up perfectly and the team was cruising. Their hot play had many in the conference picking the Huskies as

the team to beat down the stretch.

The Huskies’ five game winning streak was met by disaster. The team suffered three straight losses and only one win in their last five games heading into the post season as they fell from second to third in the Canada West standing, losing home ice advantage in the process.

Although the Huskies won three of four meetings with Calgary during the regular season it was the Dinos who took two of three when it mattered most.

“In Canada West, when you only get a three game series, you don’t have a lot of time to recover from things,” commented Huskies’ second year forward Brennan Bosch. “That first game I thought we played a real strong second period. [We] were all over them and kind of took the game away. Then we just had a little let down for maybe a couple of minutes and they kind of buried us. If we could have hung on and [won] that

[first game] I think that would have been a big turning point in the series and in a quick series those things are really important.”

Calgary took game one of the series on March 4 by a score of 4-2, scoring three goals in 1:29 midway through the third period to take a quick 1-0 series lead. The Huskies would bounce back with a 3-2 win in game two on March 5 before dropping the third and deciding game a night later to end their season.

The Huskies boast a strong group of returning players heading into next season, including the teams’ top five leading scorers from this season. The team’s top line should remain intact with Steven DaSilva, Kyle Bortis and captain Kyle Ross all eligible to return to the team in the fall.

Saying goodbye will be fifth year forward Jason Wagar. While Wagar is the Huskies’ only fifth year player, it is expected that both forward Steven Gillen and defenceman Matt Swaby

won’t be back next year either as the two are set to graduate from the U of S this spring. Swaby and Gillen aside, only Ross and defenceman Jesse Zetariuk will be in their final year of eligibility next season giving the Huskies a very bright future looking forward.

“We’ve had a lot of the same guys for the last two years,” noted Bosch, “and we’ve had pretty disappointing ends (to our season) the last two years where we felt we had teams that definitely could do some damage and we just haven’t got it done so we just have to realize that it takes a lot and it’s pretty tough to win in the playoffs.

“I think it starts in the regular season. You can’t let games slip and you have to situate yourself in the best spot possible.”

Head coach Dave Adolph has positioned this team to contend for the next several years and with the University of Saskatchewan hosting

the University Cup in 2013 and 2014 this team has the talent to make a serious run at a championship the next three seasons and beyond.

A total of 15 players from this year’s roster will still be eligible to return when the Huskies host the second of two University Cups in 2014, including both goaltenders David Reekie and Ryan Holfeld.

For the present day Huskies it will be a summer wondering what could have been but also one of optimism, thinking about what this team could accomplish in 2011-12 with such a large core of the team returning in the fall.

“It’s pretty tough to pinpoint [what went wrong]. You knew the guys wanted it this year after the way it ended last year but we’ve got to find an extra little effort or timely goals to get us past this point that we’re struggling with right now.”

NFL lockout likely won’t impact CFL

Seven-day extension added to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement ANDY ARGUIN AND MAX CRANSTON Sports Writers With an NFL lockout on the horizon, dread is spreading amongst the league’s owners and players; however, speculation has CFL fans south of the border crossing their fingers in anticipation of the return of high-profile athletes who have since made the departure to the big show.

NFL owners and players have agreed to a seven-day extension of their collective bargaining agreement.

This essentially means more time for negotiations in discussing a new collective bargaining agreement before the owners will lock out the players.

The new deadline is March 11 and there still remains hope for a normal

season. While this leaves room for cautious optimism, the odds of an agreement being reached by the end of the period are low.

There are several reasons for the looming lockout scenario — and they all revolve around money. From TV contracts to player salaries, the NFL is worth big bucks. The Green Bay Packers are the only publicly owned team and they are the only team to disclose their financial statements.

The players union wants all teams to disclose their profit and loss statements, while the owners don’t think they should.

The conundrum raises the question of the extent of impact a potential NFL lockout will have on the CFL. CFL’s outstanding Canadian, Andy Fantuz, signed an NFL contract with

the Chicago Bears. Fantuz was one of the Riders’ best players last year, and a big part of their success. If the 2011 NFL season is played, Fantuz would be a part of the Bears organization.

If released, he likely wouldn’t be available until September, nor would he be able to fill his spot on the Roughriders.

Fantuz is following a lifelong dream; he is trying to crack the roster in the biggest football league in the world — and an untimely lockout could leave the big guy with nowhere to go.

NFL players affected by the lockout would

Interested in a two year course‐based Integrated Master of Education degree in CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION or in LIFE LONG LEARNING? Blended delivery M.Ed. cohorts combine an online class per term with summer classes taken in intensive Summer Institutes of 2-3 weeks.

Beginning Summer 2011: M.Ed. Critical Environmental Education Cohort Core themes include the intersections of social justice and environmental issues; local and global issues; identity, culture, history, and place; literature and the arts; anti-oppressive and experiential education. Intended for those interested in a wide range of formal and non-formal educational areas such as K-12 and adult education, policy, leadership, health, and community organizing. The Summer Institutes have a different focus each summer: Anti-racism Education July 4-22 2011, Place and Socio-ecological Pedagogy in 2012 and Ecology and Wisdom in 2013. http://www.usask.ca/education/efdt/critical-enviro-cohort/index.php Beginning Fall 2011: M.Ed. Lifelong Learning Cohort Learning themes integrate the rich complexities of adult learning emphasizing the holistic, critical, contextual, transformative and practical nature of adult learning theory and practice. The cohort will appeal to those with interests in education, health, social work, and justice. The cohort begins with an online course in Fall 2011. Intensive two-week face-to-face institutes occur in the summer of 2012 and 2013. http://www.usask.ca/education/efdt/lifelong-learning/ Admission for the M.Ed. requires a four year undergraduate degree. Current graduate students may take summer institutes or online classes with permission of their graduate program.

For registration or admission questions, please contact Robert Regnier (Graduate Coordinator) by email at robert.regnier@usask.ca or edfdt.gradsecretary@usask.ca or by telephone (306) 966-7514 http://www.usask.ca/education/efdt/integrated-med/index.html

College of Education

Integrated MED Department of Educational Foundations

essentially have the year off. There would not be many players coming across the 49th parallel to play up north. The risk of injury is great in any football league, and there would certainly not be a great monetary reason for players to join the CFL. As well, players would need to commit to two years in the CFL, the pending NFL lockout will only last a year (if this happens at all).

An average career in the NFL is only a few years (three to four years), and thus a single-year lockout can have a massive impact on a player’s potential field time. Another option is for players to join the UFL, but that league looks like a sinkhole for money with losses over 80 million through two years of operations.

NFL cont. on .A17

Sports • A13

thesheaf.com/sports

Leaving the business behind A look at why athletes who crossed the border into the NCAA came back Ian Turner The Ubyssey (University of British Columbia) VANCOUVER (CUP) — Go to the States or stay close to home? Big Ten Conference or Canada West? Packed stadiums or parent-only crowds?

A possible full-ride scholarship or a summer spent babysitting to pay tuition?

Such questions filled Megan Heise’s head when she was in Grade 12. As a top-flight field hockey recruit, she eventually narrowed her decision down to the University of Iowa or the University of Victoria.

Most of her college-bound teammates from Chilliwack, B.C., would go on to play at the University of Victoria, but at 18 years old, Heise was seeking excitement — the kind of excitement the island outpost just didn’t offer.

“I went [to Iowa] because I wanted the experience,” Heise said. “I didn’t want to pass up the experience and not see what it was like because I’ve always been big into athletics.

Everybody there is super enthusiastic about sports and that is the kind of atmosphere I wanted to be a part of.”

An arranged visit to Iowa’s athletic department proved to be the tipping point for Heise.

“I got to go to an Iowa versus Iowa State football game, which was the most unreal thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Since they don’t have professional sports in Iowa, college football is the way of life,” Heise explained. “It was a big school rivalry. I remember people running through the streets saying, ‘We’re going to beat State.’

“I’d been to UBC games and there was barely anyone in the stands, and in the States, you’re a celebrity.

We got first-class treatment on my initial visit. It was unreal. Everything was Iowa, Iowa, Iowa. It was like a college movie and I wanted to have it.”

A similar sentiment drove former UBC baseball pitcher Jordan Anderson down south to Central Arizona College from Burlington, Ont. “I knew I didn’t want to stay in Canada because I wanted to play baseball at a competitive school... I really had no desire to stay in Canada.

One still has that mentality that you have to go to the States to get noticed,” Anderson said.

“When I came down here, we had four or five guys that were drafted right out of high school, which is a lot more than most Division I schools. I wanted to play professional baseball.”

Anderson’s professional aspirations wore his body out, however. At Arizona, he threw every day as part of his four-and-a-half hour daily training regimen. The intensity was too much for his arm, which lead to a season-ending injury. With his dreams of reaching the big leagues seemingly all but over, he had a change of heart.

“I went to UBC because, at that point, I knew I really didn’t have a shot at going on to play professionally and UBC is a great academic school,” he explained. “I knew I needed to get some sort of education and even then, if something went right, I would have still had a shot to go on and play professionally. [UBC] had two guys drafted last year.”

But Anderson found baseball training at UBC to be no less

NCAA football.

demanding than at Arizona. After getting injured again while with the Thunderbirds, he opted to hang up his mitt for good.

Anderson’s experience, where teams from both the U.S. and Canada train equally rigorously, was the exception amongst those interviewed.

Kelly Kurisu, a current UBC Thunderbirds offensive lineman, found the athletic routine far more demanding down south while playing at Western Washington University, before the program was cancelled because of the multimillion-dollar financial burden of fielding a Division II football team.

He explained that in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, with big scholarships come a greater responsibility to the team.

“They do expect you to be a lot more involved with the football program. Since they’re giving you money, they can expect that — up here, a lot of the guys on the team aren’t getting any money so the coaches are more lax, saying, ‘Well, okay, you don’t exactly have to do this. You don’t have to come to that’,” Kurisu said.

“You’re here at this time. You got to do this at this time. It doesn’t matter what else is going on. We’re paying you.”

Kurisu estimated UBC football trains about 90 minutes less per day than WWU’s now defunct program did.

During UBC men’s hockey forward Tyler Ruel’s freshman year at Wayne State, the school chose to end funding for the ice hockey team because of the program’s high financial costs. Without a palatable scholarship offer, Ruel came back to Canada, where he enrolled at UBC. “The education you get at UBC, I feel, is a lot better than what you get at most universities in the U.S. I feel there is definitely more of an emphasis on academics here,” Ruel said.

“I find that at UBC you have to earn your grades a little bit more. I feel some of the classes down there could not really be a school class.”

For Heise, it was a similar experience of slack academics.

“It was just pointless — I’d go sit there and twiddle my thumbs. I never had any schoolwork... on my first paper at Iowa, I got an A+ on it and I was like, ‘Oh, a 100-person class and my T.A. just told me I got the top mark in the class.’ That was scary.”

Anderson, perhaps, had the easiest time of the group.

“I was told what was going to be on my exam beforehand. I’m sure other students weren’t told, but I think that comes down to a school decision,” he said. “If the school wants to allow that to happen, then

photo by Josh Curran — The Ubyssey (UBC)

they can allow that to happen. I highly doubt that’s going on at Stanford.”

Most others said they were pushed through the academic requirements to ensure they meet the NCAA’s academic criteria to be eligible to play.

The easier academic requirements of schools that put a greater emphasis on athletics are not entirely due to the NCAA. Among one of the top 30 universities, UBC has a higher reputation academically than many schools in America. But the large monetary sums they spend on fielding teams also factor into their less academically rigorous programs.

With large budgets, high attendance rates and professionalcalibre facilities, the coaches are under a lot of pressure to justify their costs, which can quickly suck the fun

out of the sport for eager individuals.

After one year at Virginia’s West Liberty University, backup Thunderbird quarterback Ryley Wright went north in search of a football program with a team-first mentality.

“If you go down there, say something happens to your arm or shoulder and you’re out for training camp, or you might have been a second-string guy and they might have been hyping you up. As soon as you’re hurt or out and you’re not in their plan, you’re not in their plans,” Wright said.

“I don’t want to bash what happened down there, but it’s a business. If you’re not doing exactly what they say, you’re kind of a wash off. When I came up here I felt instantly that the coaches cared. That was big for me. I wanted to play for someone who was big on character and who also wanted to have a relationship with you off the field.”

Fitting into a business plan is tough. Current UBC basketball guard Doug Plumb found that out as a young 17-year-old in Minnesota.

When Plumb’s father went to the U.S. for employment, Plumb tagged along in the hope of elevating his game. After making the varsity team in Grade 10, he chose to play collegiate ball in the States, thinking, “It was America or bust.”

At Minnesota State University, he didn’t have much opportunity, as he was a 17-year-old on a team comprised of 23-year-olds, many of whom were considered top Division

II players. Without playing time and with most of his family still in Pitt Meadows, B.C., Plumb wanted to come home because he had lost his confidence.

“It seems like a business down there,” he said.

“Your coach will recruit over you if he sees something he doesn’t like.

If you lose your confidence because you’re not getting playing time, you don’t have the support network to stay positive because your family isn’t in town.”

After a year at Minnesota State University, Plumb came north again and played two years for the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades before transferring to UBC. Like Plumb, Anderson sees the benefits of the NCAA: Increased exposure — some games are aired on local channels — and better competition.

Ruel was more ambivalent.

“I’m an NCAA guy, so I’m very pro-NCAA,” Ruel said. “I really think it would get the UBC name out there. You know, if you’re playing down south, there’s a lot more coverage on TV of college hockey, especially Division I. Division III, I’d feel a little bit more skeptical about.”

But he said that some of his current teammates wouldn’t be able to play NCAA hockey because, unlike the CIS, individuals who played junior hockey cannot subsequently play in the NCAA. “It’d suck to see my teammates not being able to continue their education.”

A FEDERAL ELECTION?

ARE YOU READY TO VOTE? Some university students had trouble voting in the last federal election, because of new requirements for identifying themselves.

So be ready! If you are a Canadian citizen over 18 years of age, you have the right to vote.

Elections Canada requires you to identify yourself with id showing your residence.

One piece of identification is enough if it is original (not a copy), it has your photo, name and address, and it has been issued by a government agency.

In Saskatchewan, our most common acceptable document is a driver’s license.

If you don’t have such a document, then you must have two pieces of identification. One has to have your address. The documents must be original.

ġ Examples of acceptable documents with your name: health card, a student card or a Canadian passport.

ġ Examples of acceptable documents showing your residence: an

original untility bill or a statement from your university residence or band confirming where you live.

For more information, go to Elections Canada’s website: www.elections.ca Or see www.denisekouri.ca (Go to the For voters tab.)

Be prepared. Don’t lose your right to vote!

A message from:

Denise Kouri Saskatoon-Humboldt NDP www.denisekouri.ca

Authorized by the official agent for the candidate.

A14 •

opinions

Excuse me, which way to the men’s room?

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011

Parliamentary confusion over ‘gender’ and ‘sex’ highlights need for legal protection of transpeople DUSTIN HARRISON Opinions Writer

Hopefully these signs become more common.

photo by Laura Crossett/Fiickr

This past February, the House of Commons passed C-389, a private member’s bill introduced by Bill Siksay, the MP for Burnaby-Douglas, B.C., that proposed the addition of the terms “gender identity” and “gender expression” to the sections of the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code, which outline prohibited grounds of discrimination and what constitutes a hate crime. Preexisting grounds of discrimination include race, religion, sex, age and disability.

In Siksay’s own words when

INTELLIGENT SOLUTIONS

Why SIAST?

• High grad employment rate

• Affordable tuition • Small class sizes

• $1M+ in scholarships • Instructors with real-world

• Degree laddering and experience transfer credit options

SIAST Technology programs Program

Type

Building Systems Technician Computer Systems Technology Electronics Technician

Certificate Regina August 2011 Diploma Saskatoon August 2011 Certificate Regina August 2011

Saskatoon September 2011

SIAST grads get jobs.

Apply now.

(467-4278)

TE-11-002 - The Sheaf/The Carillon - 5.05” x 10.3”

Location Start Date

facebook.com/SIAST

twitter.com/SIAST Youtube.com/SIASTtv

introducing it, the bill “would give transsexual and transgender Canadians direct access to the protections provided for in the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code of Canada that they so urgently need.”

Although Stephen Harper and most of the Conservative MPs ultimately voted against the bill, during debate no one stood to oppose the bill on any ideological or principled grounds and the bill passed through committee quickly without any amendments being made. The only opposition that did arise came out of MPs taking issue that the bill was vague — as it did not explicitly define “gender identity” and “gender expression” — and unnecessary, as they felt the current versions of the legislation in consideration were sufficient in providing protection for transsexual persons.

While MPs managed to keep any alarmist reactions to a minimum, others did not feel so inclined. Spokespersons from groups such as the Institute for Canadian Values, the Campaign Life Coalition, and REAL Women all came forward with claims that girls’ bathrooms and change rooms would be turned into hotspots for pedophiles should the bill be passed.

Siksay addressed this concern by reassuring people that the bill “would not change criminal and other sanctions that exist for assault, sexual assault, pedophilia, indecency, harassment, exhibitionism or voyeurism,” and that such reactionary commentary implied “that transpeople are somehow criminal by nature, an idea that is patently false.” A quick perusal of my girlfriend’s Criminal Behaviour textbook confirmed that “there is no single profile that encompasses a majority of sex offenders.”

She even highlighted it for studying, so you know it must be true.

Having passed in the House of Commons, the bill now is being debated in the Senate. If — and that’s a big if — it passes there and is given Royal Assent, it will officially become law.

Now, I’ll save you the drudgery of addressing the concerns raised

by MPs about the semantics and legalese of the two documents the bill amends, as I assume most of you reading this are not going into law and really don’t care. Instead, let’s turn to the basic question behind all of this: Are gender identity and expression legitimate grounds of discrimination that should be defended against?

Here, I readily admit that I am torn. On the one hand, I agree that no one should ever be discriminated against because of gender — even if it means mixed bathrooms and men finally learning that women fart just as much as we do, and women learning that men almost never wash their hands. Male, female, other — who cares? We’re all just people in the end.

But, on the other hand, I’ve never been sexually assaulted,

nor to my knowledge has anyone that I am closely associated with, so it’s easy to be glib about these things. On top of that, I can’t help but admit that while Shirley Manson may been fine with boys in the girls’ room and girls in the men’s room, I imagine most Canadians would be opposed to this, even if they did like singing to Garbage back in the ’90s.

Would you be fine with adult men changing next to your 11-year-old daughter or sister?

Even if it is solely out of taboo and social convention, I find it hard to imagine that many of you could answer in the affirmative without cringing a bit first, if you’re able to answer it positively at all.

“

Even the parliamentarians that were arguing for a greater understanding of gender outside of sex in debating this bill were using the terms transgender and transsexual interchangeably.

However, beyond the semantics of legislation and shared bathrooms being icky, I feel there is a more fundamental problem that needs to be addressed here.

As a society we do not have a very good common understanding of gender. If I were to ask what the difference between gender and sex is, some of you would reply that there is none and some of you would distinguish the two, both sides claiming their answer to be obvious, universal and incontestable. The former may say that we are what we are, regardless of how we feel about it, and the latter that gender is part of a person’s identity and sex is a biological characteristic.

Even the parliamentarians that were arguing for a greater understanding of gender outside of sex in debating this bill were using the terms transgender and transsexual interchangeably.

Until we have a reasoned, open discussion and come to a consensus on what the terms male, female, sex and gender mean and enshrine our conclusion in a legally-binding official document, I fear that those of us outside the traditional binary system of gender identification will remain with very little legal protection against discrimination and hate crimes.

Opinions • A15

thesheaf.com/opinions

How to grow a moustache Lessons from my father KAROL KUDYBA Opinions Writer With a deadline in a day, Opinions Editor Tomas Borsa told me that he needed 500 words for his section and that I could write about anything that I wanted to, which generally is a huge mistake.

But then I remembered an article that I didn’t have time to write last November, when facial hair was running wild and my upper lip looked like someone doused a peach with a bottle of Rogaine. I blame my mother; I take after her side of the family.

But while I can’t grow a moustache, thanks to my father, I do know what it means to have a great one.

A great moustache is one which can encompass all the biggest moments in one’s life, in one way or another. My dad started growing his right after high school. By the time he started university, it had gotten so thick that it helped land him a part in the school rendition of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure.

As he stood on stage, playing the role of Lucio so well that he was complimented by the Archbishop of Saskatoon, my mother spotted him

That is a real man’s moustache.

supplied

I really, really love pie

I will be absolutely honest: I love pie.

It’s probably my favourite dessert, and as horrible as it is to admit, I’ve occasionally used it as a main course, too.

I’m not sure exactly why I adore pie as much as I do. It could be the flaky crusts, the variety of fillings or just the fact that it’s triangular, but pie is simply awesome.

My love affair with this wondrous dessert begins at an early age. It was Thanksgiving and after my first bite I was in heaven — and, like Oliver, begged for more. Ever since then, pumpkin has unmistakably been my favourite kind of pie. The combination of holiday spirit and the deliciousness of the pumpkin filling mixed with ice cream envelops you in a myriad of emotions as you feel both excitement and guilt at ingesting unneeded calories.

Until a few years ago, I saved pumpkin pie as a Christmas or Thanksgiving ritual. It added a special and unique association that was to be anticipated and then savoured. When I moved out and started shopping for myself a few years ago I discovered that not only was I now the master of the grocery list, but if I felt like picking up a pie once a week it was no one’s damn business but my own.

And if I want a slice of pie at two in the morning after writing an English essay and trying to concoct a brilliant thesis argument, I’m going to take it.

Lemon meringue and Key lime rank second and third on my hierarchy of pies for a simple reason, — they are both very sweet and if they’re eaten too frequently, you’ll get sick in no time. The best thing

to do is save them for celebratory occasions such as new jobs, good grades, birthdays or just every couple of weeks.

My favourite spots in the city for pie are McNally Robinson’s Prairie Ink and Mulberry’s downtown.

Mulberry’s, while having quite a nice selection of different pies, probably makes the best lemon meringue in the city that I have tasted. There is something about the flaky crust that is infused with the fluffy lemony zest that makes hanging downtown for the bus almost worthwhile.

Prairie Ink, on the other hand, is a perfect stop in between buying books to sit down at table alone or with a group of friends and enjoy good conversations or plunge into a book while eating a slice of their exquisite Key lime pie. While it’s a little expensive, it’s the perfect occasional treat. I have hooked many friends on this particular pie and never has anyone walked away disappointed.

Now, you may ask, where do I stand on cakes? I like cake but I do not love it. I enjoy Black Forest cake and usually have it for my birthday but I accept cake as something for either a birthday or wedding, while pie is something I can enjoy any day of the year. Cake is something I save for special occasions.

For the record, I do not love every kind of pie; I stick with my favourites because they work for me. Nothing against other people’s favourites like apple, cherry or rhubarb, but I have had bad experiences with those and like most foods it depends on the baker. There can be alarmingly good homemade apple pie on the rare occasion but there can also be awful store bought, pre-packaged crap that ruins the whole experience.

But on those rare nights when my mom has pestered him just the right amount to make him think that going out was really his idea, he’ll walk out of the bathroom with his face freshly smooth and the edges of his moustache styled just like the day they were married, and my mom’s face will light up because she knows she’ll be able to convince him to dance for at least a song or two.

Most importantly though — and this is where a lot of people falter — great moustaches don’t let things like a first date or a job interview get in the way of their existence.

Ten years ago, when my dad had his heart attack and spent three months recovering in the ICU, it never left his face. In fact, one of the things he asked for the next day was a pack of razors so he could make sure to trim it at least once a week. It’s almost like great moustaches have an innate sense of self preservation.

So no, I can’t grow a moustache. I can’t even come close. But because of my dad, I know what it takes to keep one. It takes commitment.

More than a month, more than an NHL playoff run. It needs to be there so long that it becomes the first way that people describe you, and you’re no longer yourself without it.

Winston’s English Pub & Grill

But not in the American Pie sense Matt Cheetham Opinions Writer

for the first time.

She had been in the audience, and it was her icebreaker when she saw him in the STM library the next day.

When they got married a few years later, not only did he still have the moustache, but he had convinced all of his groomsmen to grow musketeer style facial hair with him.

To have a really great moustache, it needs to be there for so long that you can’t be recognized without it.

In 24 years, I’ve only ever seen my father twice without a moustache.

The first time I was three, and it scared me so much that I grabbed my mother’s leg and wouldn’t let him get near me. He just wasn’t my dad anymore.

The second time was on a trip to Paris, though in truth I don’t remember much about it. Somehow my mother never seems to pull that photo album out from the shelf — the pictures just don’t look right.

When a person has really good facial hair, you can start to tell their mood just by its condition. When my dad’s beard starts getting a bit unkempt, the loose ends of his moustache blending in with the hair around it, you can tell that it’s going to be a night where he wants to be left alone to play another 100 games of solitaire on his computer.

Winston’s Legendary Import Friday’s Start at 4PM...

Join us for a Sociable at Winston’s this weekend ...

Over 120 Imported Beer from around the world on sale ... have you tried: • Peaches & Cream Fruit Ale • Monty Python’s Holy Grail Ale • Marsten’s Oyster Stout • Golden Pheasant • Young’s Double Chololate • Well’s John Bull Ale • Kozel Lager

Book Your Table’s Today 374-PINT (7468)

Winston’s has 50 Taps!

Lots of new on tap coming.

• Cobblestone Stout • Sam Adam’s!

• Konig Ludwig • Grolshe • Warthog Ale

All Winston’s 2 ounce Martini’s are $6 all night Friday

Saskatoon’s Biggest St Pat’s Party!

Come on Down for our Annual Shamrock Shaker!

• Two Levels of Partying • Awesome Drink Features • And Ton’s of Green Beer and Guinness!

$5 Appetizers 4-6 PM Friday’s!

Book your parties with us today! ● ● ● ●

Staff Parties Birthday’s Fundraisers Going Aways

Call 374-7468

Every Friday and Saturday Churchill’s Cellar is Open!

Come on Down and Party on Two levels in Winston’s And Churchill’s Underground Cellar! www.winstonspub.ca

A16 • Opinions

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011

Advice by Andy

With Dr. Andrew Rothchild, MA, DSW, D.Phil, PsyD First of all, great name.

Second, decent car, bro.

Third, the car ain’t your issue.

While at first it may seem like you are upset over being mocked for your car, the actual reason that you’re feeling frustrated is that you feel inadequate. What you have to remember is it’s only a car. I mean, if I felt bad about having to park my ’73 Carrera* next to my neighbour’s mint Gallardo Spyder I would probably go crazy. But I don’t.

You know why? Because I have self confidence.

It’s not the car that makes the man, or the suit or even your totally-bitchin’ wine cellar. It’s the man that makes the man. And let me tell you what the most important part about being a man is: confidence, bro. All you need to do is show a little backbone, stand up proudly and say, “Hey! My car may suck but that doesn’t mean I do!”

Now, I’m sure you’re asking yourself, “What if I don’t have anything to feel confident about?” My response to that: Get something! If you aren’t tough, start scrapping (but not scrapbooking). If you aren’t smart, read a book (or just listen to a podcast).

If you aren’t funny, quit quoting Family Guy. If you are none of the above, get jacked.

It may take some effort, but

Dear Dr. Andy, I’m currently in my third year of university, I’m 23 and am the proud owner of a ’95 Cavalier.

Owning an older car has never really bothered me, because I was just happy to have wheels.

However, I’m really starting to get frustrated with my friends making fun of my old ’whip.

Whenever I drive anywhere they sarcastically applaud or otherwise beak me for my crappy ride. I want to tell them that their behaviour is hurtful, but I’m sure that doing so would only lead to more mockery. What should I do?

— My Cavalier Is Still Better Than Cleveland’s Dear My Cavalier Is Still Better Than Cleveland’s,

2828 Sheaf ad-4-FA.pdf

1

2/25/11

soon you will be feeling more confident about yourself.

If after attempting all of these measures you still aren’t comfortable with yourself, there is one last solution.

Step 1: Get a Hotmail account.

Step 2: Wait two to three minutes.

Step 3: Open a few of the 300 male enhancement emails you have now received.

Step 4: Order them all. In six to eight weeks you’ll feel great, having added several inches to your confidence. And your penis. *Yeah I know, old school. But hey, that’s the way this doctor kicks it.

Dear Dr. Andy, My girlfriend and I have been seeing each other for about three years. We have a very loving and open relationship, and I think she may be the one.

The one snag in our relationship is our differing views on premarital sex. While she thinks that the idea of saving ourselves is limiting our intimacy with each other, I think it is wrong to sample before you buy, so to speak.

How can we reach some sort of agreement over the boundaries of sex?

— Committed and Chaste

Dear Committed and Chaste, There are plenty of reasons why you might believe in saving sex for marriage, but I’ll assume from your pen name that this is at least partially a result of a religious upbringing. Let me first point out that the issue of premarital sex really only comes up a handful of times in the Old Testament, and is pretty much glossed over in the New Testament.

Everyone knows the OT is basically just a lengthy, dull prologue written during a time period when stoning was en vogue, so it’s probably best to take it with a grain of salt (and a sheepskin condom).

The quickest recourse to your intimacy predicament is simply to accept that your girlfriend is right, you’re wrong and your ass is about to get dumped faster than a wheelbarrow full of rubble on an adulterer’s head if you don’t stop being such a prude little Jesuit.

There are few things as awesome as bumping uglies with a totally smokin’ babe, and Jesus doesn’t really mind when, how or at what

Do you have a relationship, family, or workrelated problem you’d like to ask Dr. Andy? Do you floss daily? Do you regularly solicit sexual favours from strangers? Send questions to doctorandy@thesheaf.com

11:25 AM

Win $5,000 for your business S A SKA TC HEW AN YOUNG PRO FESSIO NALS AND ENTREPRENEURS ( SYPE) & EN T ER P RISE SASKATCHEWAN PRESENT

A N A WA R D F OR E N T RE P RE N E URIAL E X C E LLE N CE

The winner—chosen by SYPE and your Facebook votes—will demonstrate unique or innovative approaches to customer and employee relations, and overall business growth. Entrants must be under 35 and the majority shareholder in a business in Saskatchewan, operating for at least 3 months.

To learn more, visit facebook.com/SYPEVolta

time of the day you do it. After all, Genesis 1:28 instructs you to “be fruitful and multiply” — so unless you hate Jesus, you’d probably better start having as much sex as possible, as soon as possible.

Having said that, just because you’re a missionary doesn’t mean you have to stick to missionary; God was a pretty creative and resourceful fella, and you owe it to him to glorify his majesty by being similarly creative and resourceful in your soon-to-be sex life. I’m an ordained Anglican minister, so take it from me — nowhere in the Bible does it say “Thou shalt not try bondage,” or “Thou shalt not buy flavoured lube.”

If you’re still not convinced that full-blown, raunchy sex is totally cool with J.C., there are other avenues to explore. Have you ever heard of pegging? How about auto-erotic asphyxiation? Neither of these is explicitly forbidden in any of the Gospels, and both would offer a spicy, Solomonic flair to your budding scriptural sex life!

thesheaf.com/opinions

A brief history of Anonymous

Opinions • A17

How the rise of one online community has permanently changed the landscape of social media BRYN BECKER Opinions Writer In late 2003 Anonymous emerged, still dripping, from the primordial soup of the Internet.

A faceless and chaotic horde of subversive youth, Anonymous was fueled by remarkable creativity, untapped talent and a perpetual state of boredom. They lurked in the obscure depths of what was, at the time, a niche online subculture.

Their early exploits ranged from harmless to cruel, hilarious to creepy — but they were for the most part restricted to a tightly knit realm of online forums and imageboards. In those early days one would be hardpressed to associate Anonymous with activism, or any other kind of coherent positive social action.

Now, more than seven years later, the teenagers that once thrived on crashing Habbo Hotel parties have grown up, and the new Anonymous has matured both physically and ideologically.

Their metamorphosis has been quite remarkable. It’s like watching a caterpillar becoming a butterfly — except the caterpillar is into lolcats, rickrolling and tentacle porn, and the butterfly is a vehement defender of human rights with aspirations of activism on a global scale.

The 21st century saw the emergence of new forms of human interaction on a scale unlike anything we’ve ever encountered before. As of 2011 there are almost two billion people online. The globalization of information via the Internet has enabled like-minded individuals nearly anywhere on the planet to come together and share opinions and form bonds. Whether their opinions are on politics, world news, religion, sports, anime, video games or anything else, the connections established by these people have the potential to become as meaningful and substantial as those formed in real life.

Anonymous is a strong example of what happens when an online community of like-minded individuals decides to take up a cause and run with it. What’s especially intriguing in this case is that at some point between Chocolate Rain and the global financial crisis, Anonymous decided to throw off its ill-fitting black hat and step into the ring on the

NFL cont. from A12.

The NFL lockout can be compared with another bargaining agreement gone awry — the NHL lockout in 2004. The lockout lasted an entire season, but ended up working out favourably for the league. Upon returning to the ice, the NHL boasted higher attendance numbers and a renewed look at a 100-year-old game.

The situation is somewhat different, as the NHL does not have the same fan base nor income the NFL has.

During the lockout, NHL players signed contracts in other leagues — Russia’s KHL for instance.

Players were able to hone their skills overseas, while still making enough to put food on the table (and drive Porsches).

In the past, the NFL has gone through trade disputes and strikes. In 1982, the NFL had a strike that lasted 57 days — it was about revenues and player salaries. The NFL tried and failed to organize “all-star” games,

For the record, we totally love Anonymous. There — asses covered.

side of the “good guys.” That’s not to say they’ve completely abandoned some of their more questionable practices, but for the most part Anonymous has become a benevolent entity.

They first entered the public eye in 2008 during “Project Chanology,” which spawned global protests against Scientology followed by a number of web-based attacks that brought down Scientology websites.

Since then Anonymous has moved on to a number of arguably wellintentioned causes, from supporting the file-sharing movement to the 2009 Iranian election. But it wasn’t until 2010 and the rise of Wikileaks that the full scope of Anonymous’ influence was recognized.

In a response to a number of large organizations severing their financial ties with Wikileaks — PayPal, Amazon, MasterCard and Visa, among others — Anonymous launched attacks on their websites, ultimately bringing down the homepages of both MasterCard and Visa. Recently, during the ongoing but there were not many all-stars because of the risk of injury and lack of health insurance. In 1987, a one-week strike led to the NFL using replacement players which ended up being a farcical fiasco. With today’s salaries and NFL’s gigantic income (Forbes listed it over $6 billion in 2006), the idea of replacements in 2011 doesn’t seem feasible.

It’s possible that contracts will be put in place for the players in the NFL. Gaging the popularity and ludicrous amount of money the NFL makes every year, it would be in their best interest to settle disputes and continue with a normal season. The lockout favoured the NHL because of rule changes and availability of cash (for contracts). The NFL has a large fan base and income to sustain its current trend. The NFLPA should settle small disputes and get on with more grid-iron — realistically that would be best for the league and its players.

crises and revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa, Anonymous has declared its support of the Egyptian, Tunisian and Libyan people, taking down websites and propaganda portals run by those governments.

And already this year Anonymous has been engaged with the insidious Westboro Baptist Church (although there is a reason to believe that the initial reports of aggression toward the WBC by Anonymous were fabricated by the church itself) as well as the technology security firm HBGary, who foolishly challenged Anonymous on their own turf. Now, through “AnonNews,” Anonymous regularly publishes press releases and open letters addressed to potential targets.

This level of hacktivism is a significant departure from Anonymous’s cruder, more humble beginnings. Keep in mind that they began as unregistered members of a community designed to facilitate an unstructured discussion of video games, anime and porn (and all the

photo by Fearless Tall Dude Killer/Flickr

bizarre combinations of the three).

While they have retained much of what they stood for seven years ago, the current public face of Anonymous is a product of the massive influx of mainstream exposure experienced by many online communities and social networks over the latter half of the last decade.

Major news networks worldwide now integrate Twitter feeds, Facebook comments and YouTube videos into their daily news cycles.

As Anonymous grew more ambitious, its influence permeated these other social networks. Inevitably, like other elements of formerly underground online subculture, the faceless horde found itself in the spotlight of the mainstream media. If the spotlight has had any effect on Anonymous, aside from swelling their ranks, it’s that they seem to be holding themselves to a higher moral standard — at least in the public eye.

It’s their potent ability to influence real world events that has changed the way people view Anonymous.

Now that the public has had a taste of

LSAT MCAT GMAT GRE Preparation Seminars • Complete 30-Hour Seminars • Convenient Weekend Schedule • Proven Test-Taking Strategies • Experienced Course Instructors • Comprehensive Study Materials • Simulated Practice Exams • Limited Class Size • Free Repeat Policy • Personal Tutoring Available • Thousands of Satisfied Students

OXFORD SEMINARS 1-800-269-6719 604-683-3430 www.oxfordseminars.ca

what an organized online community is capable of when it materializes in the real world, the landscape of social media has been irrevocably changed.

Gone are the days of dismissing online entities as insubstantial or unimportant.

Anonymous has set an important precedent by actively engaging real issues on a global scale. They have repeatedly demonstrated that a formidable contingent of the world’s youth can coalesce into a cohesive and subversive international entity, by harnessing the combined strengths of the Internet and social media. Because of this, future online communities will face fewer boundaries when establishing a more tangible and legitimate real-world presence.

As we move further into the 21st century it will be interesting to see how Anonymous and other online communities will evolve, and how they will integrate themselves even more into the fabric of our digital age.

HEAVY LIFTERS

Moving & Delivery Two experienced, friendly

movers available for $80 per hour Licensed, insured and fully equipped.

• No move too big or too small • Short notice is not a problem • Student discount available

For more details, call Shayne at 270-9343 available 24/7 Please ensure to mention this ad, to be entitled to the student discount

A18 • Opinions

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011

Media polling a toxic addiction

Constant, lazy sampling offers nothing of worth to political discourse ERIC MERKLEY The Cord (Wilfrid Laurier University) WATERLOO, Ont. (CUP) — Another day passes and another federal poll is published along with endless speculation by the “experts” about what it may mean for the timing of the next election. It has become the same routine day after day, week after week.

It has gotten so bad that pollsters are beginning to bicker amongst themselves over the implications the media’s poll addiction is having on democratic discourse in this country.

Pollsters like Allan Gregg and André Turcotte have warned that making conclusions about public opinion based on polling is faulty.

The principle of random selection is violated as phone polls skew disproportionately to the elderly, rural and less educated Canadians on top of plummeting response rates.

I don’t share the pollsters’ concerns on accuracy, at least for simple survey designs based on vote choice. Pollsters have been accurate in predicting elections by making corrections for the response bias they know exists.

They miss the main point: Media

obsession with polls and election speculation is crowding out debate on actual relevant issues and forcing parties to chase the polls.

Why does the media insist on continual focus on the “horse race”? I think this is because the mainstream media is horrendously biased. And by biased I don’t mean ideologically, but simply biased towards laziness and journalistic shortcuts. There is an increasingly intense 24-hour news cycle.

Traditional news outlets are under more competitive pressure than ever before, particularly from new media sources.

This encourages them to churn out content quickly with no focus on quality or importance of the product. Gone are the days of quality journalism and in-depth reporting.

It’s a lot easier to spit out verbatim political party talking points or craft a template story around the most recent poll.

This becomes even more evident given how the press sensationalizes each poll that comes out regardless of whether the results are actually newsworthy. If one political party gains three points from the previous week’s poll it’s considered “momentum” — yet in actual fact

it simply lies within the margin of error and means absolutely nothing.

Most polls taken in the past two years have shown a consistently deadlocked political landscape that fluctuates around a mean. Yet that doesn’t stop the media obsession with weekly polling.

The media’s practice of putting polls on pedestals has also altered how poll results are treated. The reality is that most Canadians do not have well-formed views on political issues for perfectly rational reasons.

Their responses on surveys therefore can be wildly skewed by things as subtle as the question ordering of a survey to word choice of the question. Studies using panel data have shown that individual respondents tend to answer a question one way one week and another way the next. This fact is masked to a degree by stability in aggregate results. It gives an illusion of a crystallization of public opinion.

The media, however, treats each poll as a snapshot of a concrete public opinion on any given issue.

This hems political parties into backing the position supposedly taken by the polled public, which to the media is the “right” position to take. Parties begin to chase the

Application Deadline: May

1

Master of Science

supplied

force the media to acknowledge the limitations of their methodology as a condition of its use. And they need to stop simply feeding an addiction with no worry of the consequences.

Pollsters sell surveys to the media like drug dealers sell crack to addicts. They need to stop.

As for the media, Turcotte suggests they “should really consider what is the basis for [their] addiction and maybe enter a 10-step program.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Farewell high heels On bunionettes and aging ASHLEIGH MATTERN Editor-in-Chief

in Management

“As a graduate student, the U of L offered me contacts and experiences I would not have received at a larger institution. The one-on-one interaction with professors, small class sizes and constant exchange with faculty are great advantages.”

Ilona Berth MSc (Mgt) student

Are you looking for something a little different than a traditional MBA? The University of Lethbridge offers an exciting proven alternative to the traditional MBA. The Master of Science in Management program offers: • Excellent funding opportunities • Personal workspace • Small class sizes • Rigorous research training • Excellent preparation for a PhD • Supportive cohort experience Learn in the U of L’s state-of-the-art facility – Markin Hall opened in 2010.

Stimulate your intellectual curiosity and launch a career in business or academia.

To apply, visit: www.ulethbridge.ca/graduatestudies Contact us for more information about funding opportunities.

Ph: (403) 380-1819 msc.management@uleth.ca www.ulethbridge.ca/graduatestudies

Msc_Mgt_student_newspapers_6x9_2011.indd 1

polls when crafting policy. We see this time and again with the current federal government.

We also see the consistent mainstream media behaviour to be critical of any party that is offside with so-called public opinion. The media needs to stop treating polls as the sole measure in judging a policy.

The polling industry is being cheapened by this behaviour. They are no longer engaged in research or thorough analysis of public opinion on the issues. The industry needs to be upfront with the public and

11-03-02 2:47 PM

My body is falling apart.

I have patellofemoral pain syndrome in my knees, tendinitis in my shoulders, my hair is turning grey, I’ve developed rosacea, and now, I have a bunionette on my foot. Gross.

Go ahead and roll your eyes, those of you who are older than me. I know you’ve been dealing with this kind of thing for years. But it’s all new to me and it sucks.

Everything on my list is a small annoyance. If I do yoga, my knees and shoulders are fine. I don’t mind the grey, and I could always dye it if I wanted to. Rosacea is pretty much just sensitive skin and I can treat it with a cheap face cream.

But now I have to deal with this damn bunionette. Yes, I’m writing an article about a bunionette.

Basically, a bunionette, or a tailor’s bunion, looks like a small bump on the outside of your foot, and what it means is that the last bone on your foot has tilted outwards while your pinkie toe has tilted inwards. If it happens on your big toe side, it’s a bunion.

The worst part about it is that I can’t wear about 15 of the 21 shoes I own.

I have a little obsession with shoes.

Where I get this from, I don’t know; my mom has pointed out on more than one occasion that I didn’t learn it from her.

I have eight pairs of boots, two pairs of high heels, six flats, three sandals and two runners, and I love them all. If I made more money, I would have even more pairs of shoes, and I would still love all of them.

And now I can’t wear them.

Instead, I have to make an appointment with a podiatrist for orthotics.

Can’t wear ‘em.

photo by UggBoyUggGirl/Flickr

The word “orthotics” brings up visions of ugly, clunky shoes and braces. In reality, I doubt what I’ll be prescribed will go that far; probably just inserts and a warning to avoid high heels. But somehow, I can’t see a pair of orthotically correct shoes satisfying my craving for a beautiful new pair of shoes.

My boyfriend thinks I’m crazy to wear high heels, wondering why I bother when they just hurt my feet.

There’s something powerful about wearing a pair of kick-ass highheeled boots. I’m taller and they make a satisfying sound when they strike the ground. A pair of new shoes can transform a tired outfit or change an outfit from day to night wear. They can even be works of art.

Will I be able to find shoes I love that don’t turn my foot into some twisted, mutant-looking thing?

(Trust me, don’t search for images of bunions.) I’m sure I will.

Bodies change. Just as I learned to adapt to my changing body as an awkward teenager, I’m learning to adapt to my body as I age. I’m only 25, so I realize I can look forward to years and years more of awkward changes, not to mention the kinds of changes that come along with child birth.

For now, though, these changes still take me by surprise, and I can’t help but feel a little sad for all those shoes I’ll never be able to wear.

Opinions • A19

thesheaf.com/opinions

Time to stage an Intervention on shows like Intervention Popular portrayals of disability and mental health profit from myths and misconceptions TOMAS BORSA Opinions Editor Being a luddite, I have proudly held out against updating to digital cable and/or Netflix for as long as possible. And until recently, my channel selection included peculiar omissions of 10, 28, 35 and 45.

Without access to premium channels like HBO or the Oprah Network, I frequently find myself settling upon quasi-informative offerings from Discovery Channel, or if I’m really up for some riveting entertainment, Spike. Did you know that someone once died of a brain aneurysm as a result of blowing a vuvuzela too loudly?

But here’s a synopsis of a show I recently came across on TLC: “Jen gives a presentation at a conference in Galveston. Bill goes along, hoping to spend some time with his wife.”

From this description, I couldn’t see what viewership, apart from the terminally indecisive or backgroundnoise embracing, this could possibly appeal to. What made this show even remotely marketable?

Well, you see, it was an episode of Little Couple, a show that follows the relatively mundane day-to-day life of a married couple — both of whom have dwarfism.

Turn to TLC or A&E on any given weeknight and you’ll find a line-up of similar shows including Hoarders, Heavy, My Strange Addiction, Intervention, Ton of Love and Little People, Big World. The shows can be neatly divided into two categories:

Admittedly, this is kinda strange.

those involving physical limitations, and those involving psychological disorders.

Shows in the former broadcast the challenges which people come up against in their daily lives due to some form of physical limitation or

Ignatieff loves America

Exposing the Liberal leader’s true colours GREG REESE Copy Editor Michael Ignatieff is back… but for how long? And where the hell was he all this time?

Well, he was in the belly of the beast. That’s right; he was wallowing in the bowels of the big, angry, intolerant, capitalist beast to the south: the United States of America. Apparently, he liked it too. Had a good ol’ time drinking Budweiser, eating freedom fries and smoking cheap cigarettes, no doubt. He was the boss of Boston, the mascot of Massachusetts, the hero of Harvard.

I would just like to take this time to thank the Conservative party of Canada for exposing this two-timing “Canadian” for what he is: a friend of America and thus a foe of our home and native land. The Conservative party’s attack ads are great for exposing the Liberal leader for what he truly is: a Yankee-doodle and an intellectual dandy. I’m just glad that we have a Prime Minister that hates the States, like the rest of us. Yup... we sure hate the States.

The only thing is, if we hate the States so much why is our government aping the policies of the U.S. government? And

why is it that the Conservative party, who clearly hate the U.S. (like any good Canadian should), leading the way? Why is the Harper government (apparently they don’t want to be called the “Government of Canada”) piling money into defence spending while cutting $26 million to crime prevention? Why build huge, American-style prisons? And why, while with the Reform Party, did Harper include an explicitly pro-American clause in their constitution?

The truth is I like America, too. Just like Stephen Harper, I was not telling the whole truth. I was being disingenuous, fibbing, talking out both sides of my mouth, telling tall tales and yanking your chain.

Of course, I suspect that Harper and I like America for different reasons. I like American music; Harper prefers British Invasion.

I like The Big Lebowski; he’s a Raising Arizona guy. I like American Gothic; he’s more of a non-fiction dude. Oh, and I like freedom, while he prefers incarceration.

Anyway, it’s pretty clear that Harper loves America, maybe even as much as Ignatieff and I do. Hard to say. But what is clear is that Harper loves spinning a yarn even more.

supplied

abnormality, be it dwarfism, morbid obesity or substance dependence.

Shows in the latter category broadcast the experiences of individuals with Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, mood disorders and

so on.

And all do so in the most crass and voyeuristic fashion imaginable.

Take for example Little Couple, a show I soon found to be every bit as unentertaining as it is condescending.

The sole defining feature of this show is that the subjects are small — and thus it is assumed that they are terminally pitted against the odds, triumphant heroes and heroines deserving of our admiration and sympathy.

In the other category, the domain of shows like Intervention, My Strange Addiction and Hoarders, the disorders themselves are not externally visible — and this seems to make us all the more comfortable in passively adminstering advice or sympathy.

(That is not to say that the signs and symptoms of these disorders are invisible — admittedly, eating half a roll of toilet paper a day or finding a kitten’s corpse under a pile of debris in your kitchen is not, by conventional standards, particularly “normal”).

An individual is usually labeled “disabled” if he/she has a physical, emotional or sensory impairment which limits their participation in day-to-day tasks or interpersonal interaction. Images of disability, like those on primetime TLC and A&E, perpetuate negative stereotypes and pander to the misinformed belief of non-disabled audiences that a disabled person is dissatisfied with his/her quality of life, is seeking pity or requires assistance.

Further, shows of this sort disguise the damaging belief that the best a

person with a physical limitation can hope for is a next-to-normal life, earned through hard work, determination and the occasional helping hand from the more ablebodied around them. This rigid — if subversive — definition of normality does not allow for the natural range of difference in human form.

Every one of these shows follows the same script and has the same end goal. Like spectators at a circus, the audience is given 44 minutes to ogle the parade of “freaks,” in hopes of leaving them more self-assured and inspired to tackle the comparatively minute challenges in their own life.

While some of these shows attempt to instill at least a basic sense of empathy, they do so in a manner which defines their subjects as little more than tragic heroes or living, breathing disabilities.

And we should remember that portrayals of mental health and physical disability can have a powerful influence on people’s reallife perceptions — especially when they are being broadcast on primetime television.

A20 • Opinions CAMPUS CHAT

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011 what is the worst way to die?

“Anticipating the fact that you are about to die.”

-Mary Panteluk

“Drowning.”

“Being slowly tortured.”

“Falling into the sarlacc pit.”

-Justin Fieber

-Kaylyn Bassett

-Boba Fett

FAKE NEWS OF THE WEEK USSU Executive to be renamed

Following the lead of Prime Minster Stephen Harper, USSU Executive President Chris Stoicheff has announced that effective immediately, the Univeristy of Saskatchewan Student’s Union is to be referred to as “The Stoicheff regime.”

Late last year, a communiqué was sent to public servants indicating that when used in federal communications, “Government of Canada” should be replaced by the words “Harper Government.” President Stoicheff clarified that, “While we at the USSU do not have public servants, per se, I like to think of the student body as a sort of de facto serfdom, so it’s only fitting that we embrace the same model.”

The USSU has not commented on rumours that it may also attempt to pass a motion which would introduce a tithe system on students beginning in September 2011.

Taosists embrace ‘more inclusive terminology’

Recognizing that the term creates “an outdated, artificial binary of opposites,” Taoist adherents have begun to refer to the taijitu — colloquially known as “yin and yang” — with a greater variety and arrangement of prefixes to better represent a “multitude of spiritual orientations” including yang-yin, yin-yin-yang, yin-yang-yang, yin-yang/yin-yang, and yinyang as valid and natural spiritual identities.

Taoism bases much of its thinking on observing the natural world and the manner in which it operates, drawing upon such pairings as cold and hot, still and moving, or masculine and feminine. However, as He-Peng Liang, a practicing Taoist scholar points out, “in this modern age, we must recognize that the traditional model is outdated. Not all yins are attracted to yangs, and not all yangs are attracted to yins.”

Pro-feminist organizations have also pointed out that the traditional placement of yin in front of yang re-affirms the patriarchal order and systematically subordinates the yang into a position of assumed inferiority.

Straight talk With Dale Judd Dale Judd is a concerned parent of two U of S students. As the Sheaf is a studentrun newspaper, Dale’s views are intended to provide an alternative perspective on current events on and around campus, and do not reflect those of the Sheaf.

Hey folks, Dale here.

Holy Moses is she ever heatin’ up with sports action, eh? I ain’t one to get behind them Canadiens too often, but this weekend I seen some of those boys chuckin’ gloves better ‘n I seen in a long time.

Plus, the Timmies Brier just got goin’ and it looks like the boys in green ‘er gonna have a real good shot at takin’ ‘er, so a guy’s gonna have a damn busy week of maxin’ and relaxin’, as the kids say.

Speakin’ of sports, thing I heard is that some

of these lady-students of yours pulled off a win over the weekend, too. Not sure if it was in ringette or basketball or what, but in any case, it’s lady-sports so it doesn’t matter that much.

Alls I know is now those poor girls gotta fly out East fer their championships and risk eatin’ some of them sea-lobsters or pickin’ up one of them goddamn downhomer accents.

Ask me, a better use of them funds would be fer gettin’ a knitting league goin’ like we got in Esterhazy. You got yer speed round, yer best scarf, yer best socks and yer seniors category.

An’ heck — after they’re good ‘n done, the ladies can sell ‘em off and treat themsleves to a set of new bakin’ sheets!

Reason I feel fer them girls so much is a guy’s gotta do some travelin’ of his own. Next week I’m headin’ ‘er West to the land of gitch slingin’ inbreds fer another of these pinko playparties (or conferences, as they call ‘em).

There goes a perfectly good weekend of catchin’ up on ‘chel and tryin’ the wife’s new buttertart recipe.

Kiss Winter Goodbye

Vide co

SAVE Up To 50% on Fall & Winter 2010 Clothing & Gear

ntest!

A Do yo re you 18 about u have s -24 year s o smok ing? Wmething to old? what e want to say you’re h Share think ear your t i ng! ho conte st for ughts in ou r vide iPod a a chance o nd ot t o w in an her g reat p rizes

www .letsta lktobaCheck out cco.ca

FROMTHEFEETUP.CA

Conte st l s es See w clo ebsite April 15, 2 0 f and p or contest 11. ru rize in forma les tion.

www.letstalktobacco.ca