January 23, 2020

JANUARY 23, 2020

The Sheaf Publishing Society

VO L . 1 1 1 , I SS UE 1 8 The University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.

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YOUR UNI VE R S I T Y O F SAS K ATC H E WA N ST UDE NT NE WS PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 1 2

Unfazed: A local band paving the way for future young artists These underaged musicians are overcoming the hurdles and making a name for themselves.

Members from SaskInvent, Richard Gauvreau (left), Gavin Bendig, Eric Gerwing and Minh Au (right) pose for a photo in the U of S Engineering Building, with the prosthetic arm their team created, on Jan. 18, 2020. | Victoria Becker/ Photo Editor

U of S innovation group faces a turning point in their growth A multidisciplinary campus club is garnering interest with innovative designs.

J.C. BALICANTA NARAG

COPY EDITOR

The student group SaskInvent is tackling bigger-scale projects, according to their president, Richard Gauvreau.

He says that they have reached a point where their innovations are more than just “cool ideas.”

SaskInvent is a multidisciplinary, student-run organization with a mandate to “[build] innovative biomedical technologies that help people.” With partnerships and a growing list of finished projects under their belt, the group has found success in designing innovative products by fusing together engineering principles and biological sciences.

The campus group was established in 2014 and has grown to 55 members on the team. The members are divided into groups based on the project they are working on, which at the moment includes a hand rehabilitation device and a low-cost, repairable IV pump.

Another primary assignment the team has is a prosthetic arm project, which began after the group was contacted by the granddaugh-

ter of a Saskatchewan farmer, who had lost his arm in a farming accident. “[It’s] a prosthetic for an individual who’s having a tough time using farm equipment,” Gauvreau said. “They would like to use a lot of manual labour, and it’s hard to find a prosthetic that would allow that. A lot of [prosthetics] have very strict requirements on how they’re used.”

Perhaps the most popular project they have finished so far is a 3D model of a brain at the Royal University Hospital.

The model was created to help diagnose a patient’s condition as it is easier to navigate than with 2D prints.

Gauvreau says that the group is looking forward to building on this growth.

“We’ve reached that point where we’ve completed some projects, [and] had multiple demonstrations,” Gauvreau said. “We’re at the point now where we’re being approached for projects, so it’s really nice to have a little bit more scale introduced to what we’re doing.”

Gauvreau is an engineering student, as are most members of SaskInvent. However, the organization’s upcoming collaborations will potential-

ly bring more students from other colleges into the group.

SaskInvent uses concepts such as mechanics and robotics to develop solutions to medical problems, and they hope to add more subject areas to their multidisciplinary approach.

“With our collaboration efforts into things like the [colleges] of medicine and veterinary medicine, we’re hoping to see larger membership rates from those other colleges, but it's really just a learning process as we go through this,” Gauvreau said.

SaskInvent’s growing popularity has brought the group to a turning point. With their size and variety of disciplines represented among members increasing, Gauvreau says the group has reached a new level.

“We’ve had a really big switch from being a very small group to one that has a little bit more interest,” Gauvreau said. “We’re translating from what would be more of an amateur group to something that you would hopefully put on the same level as Huskie Formula Racing or the University of Saskatchewan Space Design Team.”

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Rhythm guitarist Bryson Bolianatz from the band Unfazed. | Supplied/Darain Buzdar

WYATT HENLEY

At a glance: NEWS

HOLLY GILROY

Unfazed is a local band composed of Drew Osborne on drums and brothers Tanner Bolianatz on guitar and vocals, and Bryson Bolianatz on rhythm guitar. They recently moved from Regina to Saskatoon to further pursue music.

Having started their band at a very young age — with their first shows while they were in high school — they have experienced struggles to succeed as underage musicians. The Sheaf sat down with Unfazed to discuss the group’s evolution, past challenges and future goals.

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USSU talks upcoming provincial budget 3

SPORTS & HEALTH

Treats faces most health violations in city 7

CULTURE

Fahrenheit 451 in 2020: The future Ray Bradbury authoured 70 years ago

OPINIONS

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How to maximize our education and personal growth in postsecondary 13

DISTRACTIONS Stuffin’

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NEWS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nykole King editor@thesheaf.com NEWS EDITOR Ana Cristina Camacho news@thesheaf.com SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR VACANT sportshealth@thesheaf.com CULTURE EDITOR Tomilola Ojo culture@thesheaf.com OPINIONS EDITOR Erin Matthews opinions@thesheaf.com STAFF WRITER Noah Callaghan staffwriter@thesheaf.com COPY EDITOR J.C. Balicanta Narag copy@thesheaf.com LAYOUT MANAGER Aqsa Hussain layout@thesheaf.com

AD & BUSINESS MANAGER Shantelle Hrytsak ads@thesheaf.com BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mikaila Ortynsky Laura Chartier Matthew Taylor Sonia Kalburgi Emily Klatt Naomi Zurenvinski

board@thesheaf.com

ADVERTISING (306) 966 8688 EDITORIAL (306) 966 8689 Mission // The mission of the Sheaf is to inform and entertain students by addressing issues relevant to life on campus, in the city or in the province. The newspaper serves as a forum for discussion on a wide range of issues that concern students. Written for students, by students, it provides unique insight into university issues through a student perspective. The staff of editors, photographers and artists collaborate with volunteers as student journalists to create a product relevant to students on the University of Saskatchewan campus.

CAILIN WALKINGTON

Opportunities for wards of the state do not always improve after leaving the system. The University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union is pushing for the Saskatchewan government to address this by offering a tuition waiver.

The USSU called on the Ministry of Education with six requests this year; one of them is to provide free tuition to students who have aged out of the child welfare system in Saskatchewan. The U of S currently has a $100,000 scholarship set aside from its operating budget to finance five students a year coming from foster care. The USSU is pushing to expand this into a province-wide program.

USSU President Regan Ratt-Misponas says that providing these opportunities for students once they age out of the system should be within the responsibilities that the province has to their wards.

“Technically and legally speaking, they are wards of the state, meaning they are literally the children of the province,” Ratt-Misponas said. “That’s where I think the province needs to step in and ensure these children have bright futures ahead of them.”

Foster children are less likely to receive a high school diploma than those who are not in the system therefore they are also less likely to attend university after turning 18.

Ratt-Misponas says that

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OUTREACH DIRECTOR Sophia Lagimodiere outreach@thesheaf.com

The students’ union is pushing to replicate the success of similar programs across Canada.

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WEB EDITOR Minh Au Duong web@thesheaf.com

Province-wide tuition waiver for foster care children among USSU asks

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GRAPHICS EDITOR Shawna Langer graphics@thesheaf.com

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PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Victoria Becker photo@thesheaf.com

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waiving tuition is an obligation that the province has to young people who were in the system.

“I think we have the responsibility to ensure that our children have a place to go after leaving that system,” Ratt­Misponas said.

Post-secondary education ensures a better future for people from foster care, says Ratt-Misponas. He is asking the provincial government to create a program that waives tuition for students at the University of Regina, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology and the U of S. This initiative has reportedly been on the USSU’s radar for quite some time now

since similar programs have seen success in other provinces. The province of British Columbia saw a significant spike in former foster kids seeking a post-secondary education after they implemented the program in 2017.

The USSU is very hopeful about the proposal, according to Ratt-Misponas.

They believe the success in British Columbia in implementing the tuition waiver province-wide can be replicated in Saskatchewan if the province goes ahead with the program.

“If implemented, I think this is a very attainable goal,” Ratt-Misponas said. “If other institutions and an entire province is capable of imple-

menting such a bill, I think the same can be implemented here in a timely manner.”

So far the executive met with Minister of Advanced Education Tina BeaudryMellor once last term to discuss the topic but the USSU will continue to pursue this goal in the new year.

“It is definitely something that we are going to continue to push for,” Ratt-Misponas said. “We would rather that the children of Saskatchewan have the opportunity to come seek post-secondary education rather than falling through the cracks and having to deal with a whole bunch of other issues that may come within their life.”

Land Acknowledgement // The Sheaf acknowledges that our office is built on Treaty Six Territory and the traditional homeland of the Métis.

We pay our respects to the First Nations and Métis ancestors of this place and affirm both the importance of our relationship with Indigenous peoples and students at the U of S and our commitment to recognize and remain accountable for our collective history.

Legal // The Sheaf, published weekly during the academic year and periodically from May through August, is an incorporated non-profit that is, in part, student-body funded by way of a direct levy paid by all part- and full-time undergraduate students at the U of S. The remainder of the revenue is generated through advertising. The financial affairs are governed by a Board of Directors, most of whom are students. Membership in the Sheaf Publishing Society is open to all undergraduate students at the U of S, who are encouraged to contribute to the newspaper. Absolutely no experience is required!

The opinions expressed in the Sheaf do not necessarily reflect those of the Sheaf Publishing Society Inc. The Sheaf reserves the right to refuse to accept or print any material deemed unfit for publication, as determined by the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief has the right to veto any submission deemed unfit for the Society newspaper. In determining this, the Editor-in-Chief 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 libellous material.

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NEWS

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New budget cycle approaches, student union asks for stronger post-secondary funding The last Saskatchewan budget saw cuts to scholarships and left funding flat for advanced education.

ANA CRISTINA CAMACHO

NEWS EDITOR

The new provincial budget cycle is coming up. Ahead of its release in spring, the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union discusses their plans for making the needs of students known to the province.

The students’ union released a USSU Holiday Wish List in December for the government to read. The list contains their priorities in advocating for students this term.

In the Wish List, the USSU asks the government to increase unrestricted institutional funding and eliminate interest on student loans. As for tuition, they ask for them to implement a reasonable and predictable tuition policy and waive tuition for students in foster care.

On the side of scholarships, the students’ union is asking for a subsidy for open educational resources for the Saskatchewan Advantage Scholarships. They are also pushing for scholarships, grants and bursaries for international students.

“Those are the six things that we wish for the government to consider and potentially implement within the budget,” USSU President Regan Ratt-Misponas said.

“We’re going to be doing some more lobbying to ensure that we touch up on each point.”

After the 2019-20 provincial budget was released last March, the former USSU ex-

ecutive expressed their worry about seeing flat funding for post-secondary education for the second year in a row. Ahead of that budget, the former USSU president organized a campaign called InvestInUs to advocate for funding for post-secondary.

However, their activities began less than a month before the budget was tabled and did not achieve great momentum.

Ratt-Misponas says that the current executive was told early in their term to advocate for post-secondary funding.

It is common for the students’ union executive to advocate for this cause year after year.

“We began this process earlier on in the year. Already it was put on my radar to put focus on at the beginning of our term,” Ratt-Misponas said.

So far, the executive has met with the Minister of Advanced Education Tina Beaudry-Mellor in regards to lobbying for these various priorities. As well, the union has met with the university administration throughout the year to discuss the topic.

The executive has also made efforts at the federal level by lobbying with the Undergraduates for Canadian Research-Intensive Universities group.

“UCRU did a lobbying trip and that’s what we are proposing for this year. And we’re working towards organizing a lobby week in Ottawa to really advocate for affordable and accessible education for post-secondary students,” Ratt-Misponas said.

The University of Saskatchewan Bowl on Sep. 24, 2018. | File/ Nadia Ristau

As the budget approaches, the students’ union will keep focusing on advocating for the six priorities mentioned in the USSU Holiday Wish List. Ratt-Misponas says that these six goals are achievable within the budget cycle.

“We’ve done a little bit of research in that and we’re focused again on the six ideas; they can be implemented within the budget,” RattMisponas said.

As of 2019, the province’s budget is back in the black.

The students’ union’s criticism at the time was that the budget was “balanced on the backs of students.” However, Ratt-Misponas is hopeful going into the new cycle and asks the government to address students’ needs. “[There’s] a number of dif-

ferent issues that students face. Within this last year, I’ve heard multiple stories of students having to work two or three jobs in order to make ends meet all the while attending classes, sometimes

up to five classes,” RattMisponas said.

“I’m hoping that we’re able to see some good things come from this budget, but we’ll have to wait and see from what is announced.”

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NEWS

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The university pursues equity, diversity and inclusion with new working group The initiative will identify priorities in promoting equity at the university.

FIZA BALOCH

to be more empathetic.

“The vision is for … the teaching and learning and student experience to be elevated and improved through the equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives,” Trask said.

“No matter who you are, being in an environment that is more equitable, more diverse and that feels more inclusive has more of that sense of belonging that's going to improve an educational experience.”

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priorities are chosen, another set of workshops will take place to plan out how to implement the priorities.

Trask says that although the working group will persist to achieve these goals, the biggest challenge will involve prioritizing select objectives from a wide range of issues that are brought up during meetings. “[We] are inviting as many diverse viewpoints to the table as we can so that we're hearing the potential advantages of each of these directions that we could go in,” Trask said.

Saskatchewan’s demographic, in terms of the proportion of First Nations and Métis people, also reportedly plays a role within the group's priorities. Jackie Ottmann, Vice-Provost of Indigenous Engagement, is the co-chair of the EDI working group.

The U of S plans to implement yearly priorities in the EDI working group.

The group might implement changes starting in September and develop from there with regular assessments of their progress.

The working group’s focus right now is on asking questions to better the U of S’s environment and to encourage individuals at the university

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The University of Saskatchewan is part of the federal Dimensions pilot program for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion groups. The U of S was selected from various universities that applied across Canada.

The EDI working group at the U of S, sponsored and initiated by University President Peter Stoicheff, is an initiative oriented towards a federal goal of creating a diverse environment on campuses to encourage academic and institutional growth. The working group has brought together 16 members with different roles on campus.

“We [work with] an advisory group and that group is specifically recruited to provide a diversity of viewpoints, perspectives and lived experience,” Catherine Trask, a member of the group, said.

“This is the group that is doing most of the planning and the strategizing.”

Trask says that the diversity that the working group aims to foster is beneficial for effective and innovative campuses.

“When folks are [working] in more diverse teams, the collective intelligence is higher and folks come up with

more innovative ideas, more strategies that end up being more successful,” Trask said.

On the other hand, diversity is also important for the university’s fundraising. Trask says that the major funding bodies for scholarly research “are increasing their requirements for diversity and inclusion from research institutions that are submitting applications.”

Although the working group at the U of S has a focus on completing requirements provided by funders, Trask notes that there are more goals to achieve than those listed.

“We really wanted as much as possible to make best practices and to give [the] University of Saskatchewan the opportunity to lead when it comes to equity, diversity and inclusion,” Trask said. “So this meant that we needed to think a little more about what all the opportunities are for, not just meeting the bare minimum but doing the best job we can.”

The working group is still in the planning stage. Their process will start with an assessment for select groups on campus, followed by focus groups to talk about experiences involving equity, diversity and inclusion. Once

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Ed itor

U of S innovation group faces a turning point in their growth A multidisciplinary campus club is garnering interest with innovative designs.

J.C. BALICANTA NARAG

COPY EDITOR

Continued from cover The group’s current growth helps with more than just their status. According to Gauvreu, it also helps them obtain the funds to keep growing.

“It helps in terms of funding because we’ve been funding through a lot of fundraisers and collecting money,” Gauvreau said. “We’re doing a lot with very little money, so even small contributions from colleges really helps us scale up.”

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Gauvreau’s experience with SaskInvent has been nothing but awesome. Before he was president, he was a team leader for a couple of projects and he says that “it was so much fun.” He urges students to give the team a try.

“I’d say this has really opened some doors for me,” Gauvreau said. “It’s honestly the members that are a part of the group that really make it what it is… So if people are willing to get involved and just take a little bit of time to get started, it’s way more fun than they think it is.”

Members from SaskInvent, Richard Gauvreau (left), Gavin Bendig, Eric Gerwing and Minh Au (right) pose for a photo in the U of S Engineering Building, with the prosthetic arm their team created, on Jan. 18, 2020. | Victoria Becker/ Photo Editor

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SPORTS&HEALTH

WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F

Tips for keeping your body and budget lean Take advantage of your student status with discounts at gyms across Saskatoon.

Freedom Fitness photographed on Jan. 20, 2020. | Victoria Becker/ Photo Editor

NYKOLE KING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Prioritizing your fitness can be tricky during university between the lack of time and the money to make expensive gym memberships worth it.

Even if you miss that regular rush of endorphins, you might feel guilty for not spending as much time as

possible studying for midterms or working on essays.

Or maybe lack of motivation is the issue.

Either way, it is time to put down the books and find a workout that will add some variety to your routine. Saskatoon now has a good offering of fitness facilities that specialize in activities from parkour to rock climbing — but only a handful have

student discounts for you to snatch up.

There is now a trendy way to sculpt and tone your muscles. By combining elements of ballet, yoga and pilates, Local Barre is a fun, low-impact workout. And it has the best rates by far.

For the first month, students have access to unlimited classes for $95. If you end up enjoying it, you get a 30 per cent discount on their 5-class or 10-class packs, which are $85 and $155, respectively. That works out to $12 or less per class.

Group classes are a great way to motivate you off the couch and pushing through high-intensity interval training. Crew Rowhouse has 45-minute classes to HIIT your whole body — but still going easy on your joints.

Students have a 15 per cent discount on all membership options. They sell classes in packs but be thrifty with

whichever you choose. If you believe you will attend all six classes in one month, opt for that and save yourself $22.

Looking for something to do with that crisp $20 you saved? The drop-in spin classes at Ryde YXE and LifeCYCLE are both under $15.

From a price standpoint, the spin studios are comparable as they both offer 20 per cent student discounts. Why not try both and choose your favourite?

If nothing has caught your attention yet, maybe you are interested in a different type of workout. At Freedom Fitness, some of their classes have a bit of everything: cardio, agility, body-weight exercises and strength training.

They market their programming as “fun workouts, functional fitness.”

Student memberships are $60 a month as long as you sign up for two months minimum. With that, you have

unlimited access to all classes, the weight room, cardio area and sauna. Freedom Fitness also has spin and yoga classes.

For some, these options still might be a bit pricey.

Keep in mind, full-time on campus students pay almost $70 a year in recreation fees to use the Physical Activity Complex.

As a student, you automatically pay those fees so that you have access to over 80 pieces of cardio equipment, free weights and a 40 ft. climbing wall with the Fit Centre.

Not to mention, they have regular yoga, zumba, spin and step classes throughout the week, as well as two swimming pools with scheduled lane swim. It is hard to make excuses why you had no time for the gym this week if you could have easily scheduled a spin class right after physics.

Canadian $500 million class-action lawsuit against Roundup makers follows landmark US cases Future consumer use of glyphosate-based products unpredictable as lawsuits claim chemical causes cancer.

NOAH CALLAGHAN STAFF WRITER

A personal injury law firm in Canada is launching a $500 million class-action lawsuit against the makers of the popular herbicide, Roundup, alleging that exposure to the active chemical ingredient in the product, glyphosate, increases users’ risks of developing rare cancers.

Roundup is the most widely used herbicide in the world.

Multiple lawsuits have been issued against Monsanto, the manufacturer of Roundup. The chemical company was recently absorbed by pharmaceutical giant Bayer in 2018.

With 60 individuals already named as plaintiffs, this is the largest class-action lawsuit against Roundup’s makers in Canada. This will also be a landmark case because the lawsuit is seeking not only financial compensation but “behaviour modification,” incentivizing companies like Monsanto to change how they do business and label their products.

Diamond & Diamond, the law firm launching the case, is alleging that the product’s main chemical, glyphosate,

has increased users’ risk of developing health problems and rare forms of cancer, such as Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The firm claims the lawsuit falls under the legal case of “strict liability” stating that “the company knew or should have known about a product defect and taken the necessary precautions of fixing the issue or warning the public.”

Bayer Canada has stated that it will defend its products and that glyphosate has not been proven to be carcinogenic through years of scientific studies dating back 40 years. However, in 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans,” after reviewing said studies.

This change in tone from the World Health Organization has many consumers considering legal action.

In the United States alone, over 18,000 similar lawsuits have been filed. In the first-ever Roundup cancer trial held in 2018, Monsanto was ordered to pay $78 million by a California jury to a groundskeeper who

regularly used the product and developed severe non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The case led towards two more successful glyphosate lawsuits in California during the spring of 2019. The third case, decided in May, saw a married couple with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma awarded $69 million in punitive damages and $17 million in compensatory damages.

So far, 19 countries around the world have restricted or banned the use of glyphosate-based herbicides.

Most recently, Thailand reported that it will be banning the consumer use of glyphosate by Dec. 1. However, its use in agricultural products will continue.

While glyphosate lawsuits are changing consumers’ accessibility to products worldwide, its future in the agri-food industry could be dependent on more nuanced changes. For instance, Canada is ranked third in the world for herbicide-resistant weeds, which has been a growing issue over the past 30 years.

Aggressive weeds like kochia have evolved a multi-herbicide resistance, and when it invades a crop, it can drastically reduce

Shawna Langer/ Graphics Editor

yields. These super-resistant qualities are spreading, as one survey found that within five years, glyphosate-resistant kochia in southern Alberta rose from five per cent to about half the total population.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency found acceptable levels of glyphosate residue in 29.7 per cent of the 3,188 grains tested. Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency has stated that dietary consumption of glyphosate “is not expected to pose a risk of concern to human health.”

Still, those seeking to limit their consumption of foods latent with chemical residues

might switch over to organic foods. However, glyphosate is impacting that industry as well.

The first survey of glyphosate’s impact on Saskatchewan’s organic sector found 26 per cent of respondents, most of whom are food producers, had “unintended contact” with the chemical.

Although the chemical is also used in a plethora of generic glyphosate brands, defenders of the herbicide believe that Monsanto has become an easy target because of its association with the product. If the lawsuits against the company continue, other manufacturers could be next.

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SPORTS&HEALTH

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Huskies Athletics update The dogs are dominating the Canada West standings this week.

U of S Huskies hockey player Kennedy Brown chases after the puck against Calgary Dino’s player Brooke Bennett on Jan. 17, 2020. | Yasmine El- Gayed

NYKOLE KING

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Ranked top in the country, the women’s basketball team has been fighting hard to maintain their shining 14-0 season record as they are a month away from the Canada West quarter finals.

Also with a guaranteed spot in the playoffs is the men’s hockey team, who are ranked third in Canada. Besides team ranking, the Huskie athletes are setting career records and playing hard with a month left in the season.

Track and field at the Golden Bear Open For the 60-metre run, Daniele Dyck got second. Courtney Hufsmith earned second in the 600 metre and is ranked sixth nationwide in this event. Jared Welsh who is ranked eighth in Canada for the men’s 1,000 metre came in second for that event.

In the 300-metre event, Kendra Farmer took second in the women’s run with a time of 39.74 seconds, while Jacob Murphy took third in men’s with a 35.39 seconds. Farmer is ranked sixth in Canada and Murphy is ranked 11th.

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In the team events, the women’s 4x400 metre relay won first place with runners Brianna Andrews, Farmer, Leadan Chartier and Hufsmith. They are ranked second in the country, two seconds behind the University of Guelph.

The men’s 4x200 metre relay team also made first. The team is made up of Karson Lehner, Murphy, Michael Akintunde and Kenneth McGovern. They are first in the country, just milliseconds ahead of the Trinity Western University team.

In the heptathlon event, Huskies Masson Altrogge, Brendan Ritchie and Landon Kohle placed fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Ashlyn Mooney made fourth in the women’s pentathlon and is ranked third in the country.

The Huskies were third in both men’s and women’s pole vault with Chartier making 3.7 metres and Scott McKerracher making 4.42 metres. First-year Akintunde received first in men’s long jump with 7.1 metres. In women’s, Farmer made third with 5.6 metres.

In men’s weight throw, Carter Cheveldayoff made third with 15.69 metres while Emmarae

Dale earned fourth in women’s with 14.59 metres. In shot put, Brennan Degenhardt made third with 15.91 metres.

Some of the Huskie athletes will go on to compete again this weekend in the Knights of Columbus Games at the Saskatoon Field House.

Women’s basketball vs. Manitoba Bisons By holding the University of Manitoba Bisons at 43 points in both matches, the Huskies won both games with more than a 30-point margin.

They pulled ahead early in the first game, not letting their opponents catch up at any point and made the most out of their turnovers. By playing hard until the end of the fourth quarter, the Huskies captured 22 points to rack up a total of 74.

Summer Masikewich had a great game on Jan. 18 when she made 11 rebounds and earned 29 points. Vera Crooks squeaked 11 rebounds and eight points during the Jan. 19 game.

The powerhouse that is the Huskies women’s basketball team looks unstoppable. We will find out this weekend whether their streak lasts once they face

their toughest competition, the Calgary Dinos, who are right behind the Huskies in the national ranking.

Almost indistinguishable, the Huskies and the Dinos both have 14-0 season record and 28 points. The Huskies will do whatever they can to maintain their gleaming record, making this game one of the biggest clashes of the season.

The games start at 6 p.m. on Jan. 24 and 5 p.m. on Jan. 25 at the Physical Activity Complex.

Men’s basketball vs. Manitoba Bisons While away at the University of Manitoba, the men split both games with only a thin margin.

Huskies got on the board with 10 points in the first three minutes of the first game, but they were not able to leverage their momentum. The second quarter was neck-and-neck, but by the end of the third quarter the Bisons were outplaying the Huskies just enough to grasp the win with 72-75.

Some star players from last weekend are forward Maxwell Amoafo, who made 10 rebounds and 8 points, and guard JT Robinson, who scored 25

points with an efficient 52.9 per cent field goal percentage and was perfect on the charity stripe.

The Huskies had a redemption in game two. Guards Alexander Dewar and JT Robinson snagged 21 points each. Emmanuel Akintunde’s performance was the most notable with seven rebounds and six free throws. He put 17 points on the board during the game.

With only five seconds left on the clock in overtime, Akintunde’s two-point layup pulled the dogs ahead, winning the game 89-87.

The Huskies are carrying a 10-4 season record going into their face-off against the Calgary Dinos. Their opponents are undefeated with 14 wins under their belt and are ranked first in Canada West.

Women’s hockey vs. Calgary Dinos On the ice at Merlis Belsher, the women’s team earned their fourth consecutive win against the top team in the western conference, the Calgary Dinos.

Stalemate was the name of the first game of the weekend.

A winner could not be determined until defense Leah

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Bohlken scored in the fourth round of the shootout, claiming the first victory of the weekend.

During the second game, forward Kennedy Brown scored a goal in the first period while goaltender Jessica Vance encored her tremendous performance from the night before, keeping the sheet clean for the dogs. Vance’s 40-save weekend not only earned her two shutouts but also moves her up to the second place in the Canada West history for the most shutouts.

The Huskies were able to minimize the gap between them and the Dinos by winning two games, changing their 10-point gap to a six-point gap. Now they have a guaranteed playoff spot in third place of the Canada West standings.

The team heads to the University of British Columbia this weekend. Although the Thunderbirds are in sixth place in Canada West rankings, the Huskies were defeated in both games at home the last time they faced off.

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Men’s hockey vs. Calgary Dinos The men’s team earned two wins during their road games in Calgary. With Levi Cable making the first goal, Jared Dmytriw scoring two in the second period and Carson Stadnyk making the fourth, the dogs won 4-0.

Goaltender Taran Kozun deflected all 35 shots on net in both the Jan. 17 and 18 game. In fact, Kozun even scored a goal in game two during the third period. Stacking up three points, Kohl Bauml and Stadnyk made the first two and Kozun made the last.

The men’s team is hosting the UBC Thunderbirds on Jan. 24 and 25 at Merlis Belsher Place.

Women’s volleyball vs. Winnipeg Wesmen This weekend series was a win and lose situation for the Huskies team with a 3-2 on Jan. 17 and a 2-3 on Jan. 18 against the Wesmen.

It brought them at a tie for fifth with the University of Alberta in Canada West standings.

Second-year Averie Allard

SPORTS&HEALTH

achieved a season high during last weekend’s series, making 16 digs in the first game.

Fourth-year Emily Koshinsky, an outside hitter, made some season highs as well, capturing 18 kills and 15 digs in the first game.

The women’s team are off to Regina to play the Cougars. With their 2-14 record, this should be an easy weekend for the team.

Men’s volleyball vs. Winnipeg Wesmen The team was met with a similar fate as the women’s team, winning on Jan. 17 with 3-1 and losing the Jan. 18 match 1-3.

The Wesmen are placed fifth in the Canada West standings while the dogs are in seventh place with eight games won and eight games lost.

Fourth-year setter CJ Gavlas moved past Cole Hintz’s career record, capturing 2591 career assists.

The dogs will recoup before heading off to Calgary to face off with the Mount Royal Cougars next weekend.

Campus food vendor Treats faces the most health violations in Saskatoon The restaurant owner claims the corporation is stalling renovations needed to resolve remaining infractions.

NOAH CALLAGHAN STAFF WRITER

The franchise located in Lower Place Riel amassed 79 infractions over a three-year period, but public inspection reports show that Treats has been addressing the government’s concerns.

CBC Saskatoon recently published a story investigating the Saskatchewan government’s decision to not fine any restaurants in the province in favour of educating business owners. Since 2017, 31,700 health violations have been issued in the province.

In the article, Li Zhang, the owner of the campus Treats locale since 2014, is reported saying that most of the issues have been addressed. Zhang claims the remaining violations could only be resolved by renovating the restaurant, which the Davis Group, owners of the Treats franchise, has reportedly been putting off.

The Sheaf attempted to contact Zhang but he was unavailable for an interview.

The smartphone app Tomati, which shows a restaurant’s health violations and a ranking out of 100, gave Treats a score of zero.

Tomati ranked 22 other Saskatoon restaurants the health score of zero, but Treats also has the most health violations in the city.

Comparatively, the Little Saigon 2 restaurant in Regina had the most infractions in the province with 118 violations. Its owner also claimed financial barriers were preventing addressing some of the issues outlined by health inspectors.

The average Tomati health score for the five other businesses in Lower Place Riel is 90. Louis’ has the second lowest rating on campus with a score of 42 and has been issued 24 health violations since 2017 but got no infractions on its Nov. 13, 2019 inspection.

With Louis’ and Treats both showing improvement, based on the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health’s public inspection reports, this approach to educate restaurateurs instead of fining them could actually be an effective way to improve health standards.

The SMH inspectors issue notices when they observe an infraction of Saskatchewan’s Public Eating Establishment Standards or The Food Safety Regulations. In 2017, Treats accumulated 10 infractions during two routine and two follow-up inspections.

Treats’ worst year on record for being in “non-compliance” with health standards was 2018 when it received 51 violations in nine inspections. In the Sept. 19 inspection alone, the restaurant

had 14 infractions, more than in the entirety of 2017.

Although Treats still received 18 infractions in 2019, the reports show that the restaurant made significant improvements.

Throughout 2019, Treats did address the majority of the issues, as Zhang stated to CBC, and only two infractions were reported during their most recent inspection held on December 3.

The first of these remaining issues has been a recurring infraction for Treats, first identified in September 2018, and accounts for nine of their total violations. Inspectors report that “Walls in the rooms where food is prepared, packaged, stored or received are not easily cleaned, durable, impervious, light in colour, smooth, non-toxic, and non-corrosive.”

Treats’ recurring violation of having improper “Finishing Materials” could be what Zhang was referring to when discussing the need for renovations to address the remaining concerns. However, the Sheaf was not able to confirm Zhang’s statement about the Davis Group’s complacency towards doing the proposed renovation.

The other remaining infraction is “Manual Dishwashing” and refers to non-compliance to the appropriate 3-step manual

A student reads the menu at Treats in the U of S food court of lower level Place Riel on Jan. 20, 2020. | Victoria Becker/ Photo Editor

dishwashing method. Possible reasons could be that Treats is either not following this method or lacks a proper sink with three separate basins, which could also be resolved by renovating.

The University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union are the proprietors of Lower Place Riel.

They declined to discuss their contract with Treats based on confidentiality reasons, but they provided a prepared statement.

“The USSU is aware of the situation involving Treats and

continues to work with the head office and the franchisee to address any outstanding issues.

Our students’ well-being is our primary concern, and we maintain constant contact with all our tenants to ensure they adhere to the food safety policy,” the USSU said.

Treats’ lease term in Lower Place Riel reportedly expires in 2021. Whether the franchise will complete the renovations before the end date of the contract or choose to renew its lease with the USSU, is still unknown.

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Fahrenheit 451 in 2020: The future Ray Bradbury authored 70 years ago The book that predicted AirPods, wall-sized televisions, robotic dogs and our technologically driven reality.

NOAH CALLAGHAN STAFF WRITER

When people want to evaluate problems facing society, they often reference predictions made in great dystopian literature. Whether it be the surveillance-state of George Orwell’s 1984 or the society controlled by pleasure in Aldous Huxly’s Brave New World.

Ray Bradbury’s sciencefiction novel Fahrenheit 451 is often left out of these discussions even though aspects of our contemporary culture share many similarities to this author’s vision of the future.

Fahrenheit 451, first published in 1953 during a period of heightened social tension caused by the Cold War, told the story of a future in which firemen go to homes and start fires to burn books that have been banned by the state.

Although society is far from reaching such extremes, it is revealed to the novel’s protagonist, fireman Guy Montag, that certain books weren’t banned for any political reason but because people’s preference for new technological forms of media made reading and critical thinking obsolete.

Certainly one can draw parallels between living in the media-driven “Information Age” where binge-watching Netflix is socially acceptable and the desires of Montag’s wife Mildred. She is a character obsessed with endlessly watching shows in her parlour that consists of three wall-sized interactive televisions that make up almost the entirety of the room.

While worldwide media consumption continues to rise and is rapidly evolving with internet streaming and socialmedia, actually creating a room of wall televisions is closer than ever before. Recently, Samsung announced its new microLED television literally named “The Wall” featuring a ginormous 292-inch screen size.

But wall-sized televisions are

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not Mildred’s only way of consuming media. She also tunes out the world by plugging her ears with thimble sized radios which Montag describes as “little seashells.” Since Apple released AirPods in 2016, wireless earbuds have grown to such degrees of popularity that they are now a regular sight and a perfect symbol of our media driven lives.

Following its publication, Bradbury described Fahrenheit 451 as “writing a story of prediction,” and it is impressive how well he understood in what direction society was headed over the next seven decades. Whether he believed it or not, today's streets are filled with human beings with “seashell thimble-radios” whispering in their ears.

Perhaps one of the most imaginative predictions Bradbury made was the increased role that robotics would have in our lives. The book includes a memorable “mechanical hound” that the firemen use mostly for entertainment but also to hunt down Montag once he challenges the status quo and begins reading books.

Although machines being used by emergency workers in the field might seem far fetched, it is a future that we are already living in. Last fall, American robotics company Boston Dynamics began selling the first-generation of its semi-autonomous robot dog named Spot.

Spot is capable of climbing stairs, avoiding obstacles and can even wander around a room like a Roomba while surveying and creating a 3D map of that space. A robotic arm can be attached to it for manipulating objects to complete tasks like opening doors and grabbing items.

Like the mechanical hound used by the firemen in Fahrenheit 451, Spot was leased to the Massachusetts State Police Department by Boston Dynamics for 90 days to test the robots’ capabilities in the field. Re-

Flickr | RA.AZ

mote controlled robots can be deployed in situations where bombs or dangerous individuals are suspected to protect human lives.

Dystopian literature is made great when it matures like a fine wine, aging into a relevant

reference point for reflecting on the present issues facing our society and outlining a future we could be headed towards.

While Bradbury’s predictions were hardly prophetic, and we certainly do not live in a world where books are burned

such as in Fahrenheit 451, the novel’s ideas are relevant to our technologically driven and media-saturated world. And since the book ends in nuclear warfare, maybe it’s best if not all of Bradbury’s predictions come true.

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Unfazed: A local band paving the way for future young artists These underaged musicians are overcoming the hurdles and making a name for themselves.

WYATT HENLEY

HOLLY GILROY

Continued from cover Although Unfazed is still a young band, they have put in years of work to develop a mature sound. The group created a flag for their band before knowing how to play, and they have evolved into a powerful blend of fuzzy garage-rock guitars, metal influenced percussion and truly captivating lyrics.

Unfazed expressed the challenges of securing venues on tour and at home, but perseverance is what helped them cultivate the attitude that is the foundation of the band’s success. They told some stories of rejections and expressed genuine gratefulness for those who have supported them.

In Regina, the band saw immense support from the tightly-knit music community.

Tanner expressed his gratitude for venues such as The Ex-

change, which aims to promote young artists.

“We were blessed with The Exchange, and we really figured out the dynamic of how things worked in Regina,” said Tanner.

“It was really, really handy.”

Saskatoon on the other hand has posed to be more challenging for the group.

“When we were on tour, we couldn’t find a place here to play at all because so much of it is 19+ venues, so we just did it in a house,” said Osborne.

With a lack of viable venues in the city, the band has been searching for increasingly creative opportunities. When attempting to organize a New Year’s show, Unfazed was rejected by a warehouse space, they considered renting out house garages but ended up not being able to secure a venue for the night.

As usual, the band expressed an attitude of positivity, noting that they are always on the lookout for unique and eye-catching spaces to play.

On the rare occasion that the band is offered a gig at a 19+ venue, there are strict rules re-

garding the performance.

During their recent tour, Unfazed played a venue in Calgary where the 18-year-old Bolianatz brothers were allowed in but 17-year-old Osborne was required to enter 30 seconds before and leave 30 seconds after the set, having no choice but to sit in the van for the rest of the evening. In spite of this, he expressed gratitude for getting to play.

“Bottom line is, I just want to play shows, so if I have to sit in a van for three hours every night, goddamn it I will. We still get to play.”

Since coming to Saskatoon, the band has been trying to book a show. After contacting the Underground Cafe, they had their first show in the city on Jan. 10. Delivering a high energy and engaging set, the band immediately established themselves as a strong force in the Saskatoon rock community.

Unfazed went on to talk about their future and the community they are going to try and create.

Growing up in the mu-

Unfazed | Darain Buzdar

sic community as an underage band, they know the frustrations of being looked down upon. They aim to avoid this with other young artists that they come across and create a community in which all musicians feel accepted and validated.

The theme of their last album, Home Is Where It Smells Like Nothing, coincided with their recent move to Saskatoon, captivating the feeling of establishing a new home. They talked about their band feeling like a family and hope to create a community around them in

which everyone feels the same way.

“It was just this big message of inclusivity, and that’s a really big pivotal point in the message our band came together with,” Tanner said. “Above all else, we’re playing music for everyone and that’s what it should be about.”

Unfazed is excited as they are currently booking a spring tour across Canada. The band is sure to make a large impact in the music community both through the music they put out and the way they interact with other musicians.

Student debt and movies about college living: Where do they intersect?

Is pop culture portraying college life accurately?

TOMILOLA OJO CULTURE EDITOR

Tuition is higher than it has ever been before. Student debt is so rampant that we see ghosts of it reflected in the media we consume.

On Netflix original Hello! My Twenties, we see Jinmyung working three jobs and taking breaks in between semesters to afford school, rent and bills. However, this is just a subplot in a show talking about other aspects of college life such as roommates, relationships and growing up.

When you think about movie set in college and university, money troubles and stressing about the rent aren’t the first things that come to mind. These movies usually don’t deal with the harsher realities of student living, which might give potential college goers the wrong idea about it.

The truth about college life

is that, despite what you see in the movies, it’s not all partying and fun extracurriculars.

With the price of tuition as expensive as it is, if regular students partied as much as students in movies did, they wouldn’t be able to afford to stay in college. Tuition prices in Canada have risen an average of 3.1 per cent every year and in 2019, it rose by 3.4 percent at the University of Saskatchewan.

We see phantoms of more serious financial issues students face regarding college.

It comes up in movies like Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird where Christine falls out with her mother after applying for financial aid to attend the expensive New York art school her mother cannot afford.

However, there aren’t many movies out there that fully mirror the complexities of the cost of college.

The precarious balance

between just getting by and drowning in debt is one that students are so familiar with that people are now creating content based on paying off student debt.

Game shows like Paid Off with Michael Torpey bases its entire premise on paying off peoples’ student loans. We see YouTubers like David Dobrik gifting his friends their entire student loan amount and giving away $20,000 to one very lucky student. Paid Off even has the well-meant but slightly weird tagline of, “I know it’s not everything, but I hope it helps take off some of the pressure.”

Though the tagline is a bit of a joke, it does acknowledge the very serious issue of the stress brought on by student loan debt.

On the Netflix original show Sex Education, we see highschool athlete Jackson Marchetti put under enour-

Shawna Langer/ Graphics Editor

mous strain by his mother to excel at swimming so he can gain a scholarship for postsecondary. This culminates in him self-harming to get out of swimming practice when it gets too much for him to handle.

This may be an extreme case but the connection between mental wellbeing and student debt is one that isn’t talked about enough. Though there has been little research done on the connection between student loans and mental health in Canada, American studies at UCLA found that student loan debt

was correlated with worse levels of mental health.

Despite the whirlwind of issues surrounding student debt, no feasible solutions seem to be rising and media hasn’t offered any ideas, either. Apart from Paid Off, that is.

However, we can find some coping mechanisms. We can try to laugh about it as musical comedy Avenue Q does, or sing about it like Khalid does in Young, Dumb and Broke, or even try and comfort ourselves with the ubiquitous broke student struggle meal, ramen.

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January retrospect: 2020 is shaping up to be one hell of a decade With the events of the last three weeks, this year appears to be on a terrifying trajectory.

ERIN MATTHEWS OPINIONS EDITOR

So far, each day of 2020 has brought us surreal news and impactful world events. If the momentum keeps up, it’s looking like this year will bring about some historic incidents.

In any case, it will likely be a memorable year.

Australia is burning

During the dying days of 2019 and the fresh hours of the new year, images of a fire-ravaged continent started to trickle across the social media. The sky was blood red and hazy, and hundreds of people were shown stranded on a beach waiting for the bushfires to catch up with them.

Emerging from this chaos was a man in ski goggles and bandana, holding a cigarette in his hand while filming himself from a boat in the middle of a bay. It was like a scene from a dystopian film. An image of a young blond child sitting in a boat with a mask over his face was circulating shortly after.

The New York Times published a story that included a photograph of a kangaroo hopping through a neighbourhood on fire — the skeleton of a flaming house behind his silhouette with a lonely mailbox in foreground.

In the first few days of January, the animal death toll has reached a staggering 500 million. Nearly half a billion animals are thought to have died in the inferno. To illustrate this point, a gruesome image of a joey began to circulate. The baby kangaroo is seen clinging to a barbed wire fence, incinerated by the fire it could not escape.

Iran–US relations

It was reported that on Jan. 2, only days into the newly christened decade, the United States had bombed Baghdad airport, targeting and killing General Qasem Soleimani.

Tensions were elevated after the attack, leading to Iran’s retaliation on US army bases in Iraq.

Canada and the international community were caught in the crossfire shortly after, with the eventual admission of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 being accidentally shot down over Iran airspace, the same evening as the mis-

10 / OPINIONS

siles were launched.

Was this all started as a way to shift the spotlight from the following day’s impeachment hearings?

Mystery illness in China

In the first days of the year, reports began to emerge from Wuhan, China, that dozens of people had been hospitalized with pneumonia of unknown origin. All patients had visited a fish market located in the land-locked city. Like the opening scene of the movie Contagion, people began to worry that this could be the beginning days of a new pandemic.

International fears of a SARS-like illness started to circulate among anxious speculation. The SARS outbreak of 2003 began in China and traveled across the globe — heavily affecting Asia and making its way to Canada. It was the first instance of a never before seen virus that was transmitted from bats to civet cats and then finally to humans in an open market.

SARS has been ruled out in this case, but the mysterious illness is thought to be another new virus from the same family. There has been confirmed reports of human to human transmission in families and news of the illness spreading to Japan, Thailand and the United States. Our understanding of the virus and illness is limited at this time.

With the speed of how these events are unfolding, this story may have radically changed by time of publication.

Fillipino volcano

The rumbling of the Taal volcano began a few weeks ago, as it began its eruption in the Philippines. Approximately 500,000 residents were asked to evacuate the immediate area around the mountain.

Watchful eyes are trained to the volcano, waiting for more activity.

Betelguese, Betelguese, Betelguese

It’s been speculated that a star in the constellation of Orion may be dying. Betelguese is a red supergiant that has been fading in the recent months, gaining the attention of astronomers.

A recent burst of gravitational waves close to the star

Shawna Langer/ Graphics Editor

had the scientific community buzzing. These waves are usually connected to an event, but the star still remains intact.

If Betelgeuse was to explode — or go supernova — it would be as bright as the moon and visible during the day. Orion itself would look quite a bit different in the night sky.

It’s likely that this won’t happen in our lifetime, but this new and strange activity in our galaxy is drawing all kinds of buzz.

Hot oceans, frozen prairie

Our oceans reached record temperatures in 2019 — a sobering statement in a paper that was released in the new year. The study of our oceans is an illustration of our climate’s growing extremes.

Meanwhile, the second full week of January brought

with it a massive snow storm that blanketed unprepared Vancouverites and deposited an other wordly cold to Saskatchewan. With a windchill reaching -52 Celsius on the morning of Jan. 15, the Saskatoon air felt a mere 9 degrees warmer than the average day on Mars.

What’s going on in Russia?

On Jan. 15, Russia announced the resignation of government officials which follows on the heels of a constitutional change enacted by President Valdimir Putin. It seems that Putin is at it again — “strengthening” democracy by changing the constitution to stay in power for life.

Perhaps once the year has stretched on we will have 20/20 hindsight into these rapid fire events of the last few weeks.

Until then, we can only watch it all unfold with a critical eye.

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A dangerous influence: Advice from Goop or the ‘Gram can be bad for your health The snake oil of celebrities and social media influencers are making us ill.

ERIN MATTHEWS OPINIONS EDITOR

In the past decade, wellness brands have altered our notion of health and have given power to the idea that we have some kind of control over our bodies. Unfortunately, this line of thinking can and does have radical consequences.

While our diet and lifestyle can have a major influence on our health, much of that is quite limited. We can’t change back the clocks on aging or avoid all disease by sprinkling a little turmeric into our morning smoothie or switching to an extremely restrictive routine of diet and meditation.

Biology is complex and it is clear that we don’t grasp even a basic understanding of it.

Chemicals are bad, organic is good, go raw vegan! No wait, your body works best when you hit ketosis. Avoid the flu shot, no, hell, avoid all vaccines — remember rule number one, chemicals are bad. Use this rose quartz roller ball for those bags under your eyes, dry brush your skin to release toxins and take this elderberry syrup to avoid that cold that’s going around.

Bad science is rampant in our oversaturated culture, and health pseudoscience appears to be king of this domain. Instagram seems to cultivate this trend as it is saturated with holistic health microbloggers, integrative wellness counselors and truth seekers.

The influence of influencers — whether it is a bona-fide celebrity or some social media guru with 20k followers — is far reaching, unchecked and sometimes quite harmful.

In 2008, Gwyneth Paltrow, who was just coming off an acting hiatus, launched her wellness company Goop.

Originally a lifestyle e-news letter, the entity expanded into a holistic megabrand that continues to maintain momentum despite controversies.

Shawna Langer/ Graphics Editor

Goop has been criticized by scientists, law professors, doctors and watchdogs for its misleading and oftentimes dangerous claims. It sells items ranging from vitamins and supplements to feminine and cosmic health.

Before a 2018 lawsuit, the company sold some pretty bizarre things, including the now-infamous Jade egg, a stone that was said to balance hormones and prevent uterus-related issues if placed inside your vagina. Goop settled the suit for $125,000 and pulled the egg from its e-store.

And despite the on-going controversy, Paltrow’s company reportedly made $250 million that same year as Goop’s influence keeps growing. Netflix announced it was bringing The Goop Lab to its streaming platform — introducing the wellness empire to new potential marks.

The official trailer shows some disturbing topics like energy healing — complete with spiritual exorcisms — and psychic mediums alongside potentially harmful health treatments with misleading wellness claims.

Vocal opponents pointing out dangerous pseudoscience of major marketing campaigns are a positive light in a quagmire of misinformation. But what about the social media platforms and e-businesses of everyday influencers that don’t see the same scrutiny?

It’s the age of hustling, and more people than ever are trying to make a name for themselves or, at the very least, maintain a paycheck.

Instagram is rife with people sharing their holistic journey with others, dishing out misguided and dubious advice and sometimes even profiting off of these claims.

Truth fighters are “educating” people on the dangers of vaccines and promoting natural alternatives. People on healing journeys tell their audience biological fallacies — like how we all have cancer cells lurking in us and by balancing our bodies we can cope in toxic environments and curb illnesses. This is complete science fiction.

The error in many of these pseudoscience health claims is a misunderstanding of biology and interpretation of science. There is always a grain of truth — cancer cells are our own cells that have developed mutations, making them “go rogue,” but cancer does not lurk inside us all and we can not fight it through detoxing.

When reading health claims from holistic practitioners and washed up celebrities, it’s best to do so with a heavy dose of skepticism.

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Wilbur Sargunaraj Musical Storytime

How to Be a Simple Superstar Saturday, Jan. 25, 1 pm

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Saskatoon Launch

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featuring guest reader Valerie Korinek Thursday, January 30, 7 pm

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The weight of academia: When is it all too much?

We may need to look at our solutions to mental health issues on campus from a different angle.

FIZA BALOCH

Samantha Langer

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In a recent article on mental health in Saskatchewan universities, CBC indicated that students are increasingly reporting distress that exceeds this population growth. Mental health is an issue that needs to be addressed by these institutions and soon.

The article also notes that the mental health issues challenging today’s student body are different from those of the past, with factors such as politics, social media and busier schedules to blame. Because the set of challenges we face today are different from those of the past, it’s natural that the solutions should be suited to our specific set of needs as well.

But where do these solutions come from? How do we decide which are the most worthwhile and which aren’t? Questions like these may seem complicated, but they lead to opportunities for improvement.

A vital component for progress is to assess the issue from multiple angles, particularly how classes are being delivered. The way that subjects are being taught is not from a viewpoint that heavily considers students’ mental health.

While this is not a one-size-fits-all solution, one approach that can minimize the stress that erodes our mental health is for faculty and students to create realistic plans for success. If a student isn’t doing well, it may seem logical to have them do more problems or spend extra time focusing on the difficult area.

However, it’s a tremendous effort for most students to even add an extra block into their calendar. This additional work may cause undue stress and anxiety in students that are already struggling with their mental health.

Students should not have to choose between their mental health or their studies. I plan out my day and all of a sudden, I have to pull an extra three hours out of thin air because I couldn’t demonstrate my understanding of a subject. Of course, we must work hard to

overcome challenges, but emphasising students’ strengths — rather than focusing on their weaknesses — is a more effective motivator.

Effective communication and feedback between faculty and students on topics like mental health can have incredibly beneficial results, especially when this feedback is implemented by both parties.

Although it may not seem like it, most profs want you to succeed.

When students come to university, they often do so with hopes of a brighter future while obtaining a good degree. Many of us are studying towards degrees in subjects that spark an interest in us, a passion that we’re looking to use in a field where we can contribute our skills.

But sometimes we are overwhelmed with the pressure to succeed, and destructive habits may occur as a result of students that have to choose schoolwork over well-being.

Passion seems motivating enough on its own, but when schoolwork, jobs, volunteering, extracurriculars — and a plethora of other responsibilities and commitments are added to the equation — the weight simply becomes too much to bear If a university environment encourages students to do well academically while having time to do things they love, students will develop healthy habits that teach them that life is more than exams and deadlines and may lessen the pressure faced by students.

At the end of the day, a university’s ultimate goal is to shape nervous and lost first years into professionals that can make the world a better place. This is achievable if we help students meet their personal goals and succeed while focusing on the unique mental health needs of our campus community.

If we structure our curriculum and exams in a way that is deeply considerate of our current set of challenges, we are already one step closer to being the university the world needs.

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Post-secondary: How to maximize our education and personal growth With the world at our fingertips, why must one push for continuing education?

KRISTINE JONES A. DEL SOCORRO

Students share a common goal when attending an academic institution: obtain a certificate of recognition and seek a stable career — or so I thought.

As I carry on with the next “chapter of my life” — a phrase I’ve heard one too many times after my high school graduation — I have gained and learned from many experiences.

Don’t fret. I am not here to deliver information that you have come across from either orientation day or the latest edition of the first year handbook.

The schedule of my very first term looked something like this: five classes, two labs, study time, a part-time job and volunteering, and don’t forget to add in the commute time. Sleep was very much needed, but with that kind of schedule, it may as well be called an option.

Unfortunately, it was unsustainable. By the fifth week of my first term in university, I wanted to drop out. Seriously. All I could ask myself is, what’s it for? My efforts did not seem to sum up into something fruitful. I had lost my focus.

Every time that I faced challenges in my academic endeav-

The U of S Education Library photographed on Jan. 20, 2020. | Victoria Becker/ Photo Editor

ours, the same question would arise: what’s it all for? I decided to do a little bit of soul searching to reframe my mindset and to clarify my goals. Something that I should have prioritized before the beginning of the first term.

Lesson learned.

I asked myself the next, more important question: who am I doing this for?

Am I pursuing what I think my parents expect of me or is this particular degree something

Vinyl at the U of S Education Library photographed on Jan. 20, 2020. | Victoria Becker/ Photo Editor

I am passionate about? Upon answering that question, I immediately switched my degree and replaced my classes for the following term with ones that I knew I would be interested in.

I re-adjusted other areas of my life as well such as moving back with my parents to ease the financial burden, prioritizing my health, being mindful of my thoughts and choosing the people who are right for me.

The discomfort and anxieties that I combatted every single day gradually ceased. I still have moments of inconveniences and uncertainties. Those are normal — I would argue to be necessary even. But rather than seeing these moments as the end, I now see them only as temporary setbacks that I know I can quickly resolve. Armed with this realization, I am now grateful and hopeful of what’s to come.

This is a reality that many students face at some point in their career. We are bombarded with the responsibilities of our academics that everything else

in life comes second place. Truly, it feels like we realize what is important when the end is near.

We sacrifice the relationships we value, our hobbies and interests and our well-being. And for what? A six figure salary and a void within that nothing can seem to fill? It doesn’t have to be that way. All it takes is self-awareness and the willingness to change to be the best version of you. Five words I live by: live life with no regrets.

Don’t wait until after your degree to pursue the life you want for yourself when you can start today by altering your path to fit your passions.

So far, my stay here at the University of Saskatchewan has been enjoyable. Not only did I find my true passion, I was able to find myself within all the adversities I faced. I discovered clubs I look forward to attending and many friendly faces have now become some of my best friends.

Perhaps there is more value in that annual $10,000 tuition fee after all.

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Kienan’s Nourishment Reviews: Stove Top Turkey Stuffing Stuffing. The illustrious fluffy stuff you stuff in your gut. Now that the Christmas season is over, my local Extra Foods (perhaps one of the last on Earth) has put their Kraft Stove Top turkey stuffing on sale.

KIENAN ASHTON

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For only $0.97 a box, Stove Top stuffing has made up the majority of my diet since the holidays. The stuffing never seems to stop flowing. Last week, I purchased what I thought were their last four boxes only to discover the shelf completely restocked and still on sale.

Now, my mother’s stuffing is objectively the best stuffing that has ever been made, however, conventional holiday stuffing requires a turkey to actually be stuffed.

As a student, I have neither the time nor the money to constantly be roasting turkeys, so I find myself needing an alternative way to put this yummy bread substance inside my stomach. Hence, I eat Stove Top. Now for the review.

Pros: It tastes like warm bread (there are actually other flavours in there too, which is a nice little bonus).

Extra Foods practically pays you to buy it.

It’s easier to make than Kraft Dinner.

Cons: Never as good as homemade stuffing, especially that which has been properly stuffed in a bird.

Even on the best days, the texture of Stove Top can only be described as wet and mushy.

Conclusion:

Just buy it. Stove Top is stupendous, stellar, stunning, stuffing.

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