September 21, 2017

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The Sheaf Publishing Society is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.

the shea Youth want to gig, too

Mole People: What you need to know

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Dog Watch: Catching up with Kyle Siemens

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Entrepreneurial opportunities

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Jessica Klaassen-Wright

editor@thesheaf.com NEWS EDITOR

CULTURE EDITOR

Nykole King

Tanner Bayne

news@thesheaf.com

culture@thesheaf.com

SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

OPINIONS EDITOR

Emily Migchels

Jack Thompson

opinions@thesheaf.com

sportshealth@thesheaf.com

STAFF WRITER

Lyndsay Afseth staffwriter@thesheaf.com COPY EDITOR

| Amanda Slinger

copy@thesheaf.com LAYOUT MANAGER

| Laura Underwood

layout@thesheaf.com Lesia Karalash / Graphics Editor

| Jiem Carlo Narag

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

photo@thesheaf.com GRAPHICS EDITOR

| Lesia Karalash

graphics@thesheaf.com WEB EDITOR

| Jeremy Britz

web@thesheaf.com OUTREACH DIRECTOR

| Victoria Becker

outreach@thesheaf.com AD & BUSINESS MANAGER

| Shantelle Hrytsak

ads@thesheaf.com COVER IMAGE

Lesia Karalash BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kyra Mazer Brent Kobes Emily Klatt Hasith Andrahennadi Momo Tanaka Liam Richards

ADVERTISING (306) 966 8688 EDITORIAL (306) 966 8689

Mission // The mission of the Sheaf is to inform and entertain students by addressing those issues that are relevant to life on campus, in the city or in the province. The newspaper serves as a forum for discussion on a wide range of issues that concern students. Written for students, by students, it provides unique insight to 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.

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 partand 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.

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.

CORRECTIONS

In our Aug. 31 issue, the article “Open textbooks will provide savings for students” incorrectly stated that 24 courses offer open textbooks, but there are actually 25 courses, two of which use the same textbook. The same article also incorrectly stated that open textbooks have saved students almost a million dollars. Open textbooks have saved students about $400,000 this year and $800,000 since the project started.

We apologize for these errors. If you spot any errors in this issue, please email them to: copy@thesheaf.com

2 / NEWS

Campus Entrepreneurs prepare students for their future Campus leaders bring all students together in a team-building entrepreneurial platform.

DAKOTA NORRIS

The University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union and the Graduate Students’ Association are hosting Campus Entrepreneurs, an event which gives students from all fields the opportunity to develop skills invaluable to their professional careers.

Campus Entrepreneurs will be held in Louis’ Pub on Sept.

26 at 2 p.m. and will focus on connecting like-minded students and empowering them to develop their business ideas and strengths together and pursue their ventures as a team.

Raj Nayak, a portfolio manager at Innovation Enterprise, a business media company located on campus, believes that the university could be an excellent resource and motivator for students with entrepreneurial interests, which is why they are working with the USSU and the GSA on Campus Entrepreneurs and additional events in the future.

“We have several students who are thinking of entrepreneurship but not necessarily venturing out in that direction.

This was recognized by the community, and together, we came up with a plan to provide an informal platform to bring these entrepreneurs together,”

Nayak said, in an email to the Sheaf.

Nayak explains that, no matter one’s field of study or skillset, this event will be accessible and beneficial, as it will connect students with people who complement their strengths and with mentors who can help turn entrepreneurial dreams into action.

David D’Eon, president of the USSU, explains that the need for this event is not only appealing to future tycoons, as there are many ambitious students engaged through the not-for-profit sector.

“We tend to think of entrepreneurship as business-minded people, but it can be so much more than that. There are great community organizations run by students, social-justice entrepreneurs and many green initiatives that we don’t see in this light as often,” D’Eon said, in an email to the Sheaf.

This event is one of several others that will be hosted throughout the year, focusing on different aspects of entrepreneurship. Nayak also explains that these events are meant to assist students in developing a cohesive and robust knowledge for later in their careers.

“The amount of business or technological knowledge is irrelevant at this event. If you have an idea and the passion,

you will find the knowledge required to get it to market. This event is just one of those tools to find the resources to turn your idea into a solution for a market,” Nayak said.

Upon registration, students will clarify whether they prefer to be a “founder” or a “co-founder.” A founder is someone who has a business idea to pitch and will prepare a presentation of several minutes for the event in advance.

Co-founders will connect with founders to support their ideas and use their unique skills to build a team.

Faculty and mentors will be in attendance, as they will advise the teams throughout the year regarding how to launch the student-led ideas. Teams will compete against one another for funding to create product prototypes.

Nayak explains that, if students have an appetite for risk and excitement, entrepreneurship may be right for them.

“Some students may not be aware of the excitement associated with entrepreneurship…

The best part about entrepreneurship is, in almost all cases, [that] you are working towards something you believe in,” Nayak said. “I’ve never known an entrepreneur who has come out the other side regretting the experience.”

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Campus briefs JESSICA KLAASSEN-WRIGHT

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Upcoming events

David Hartman Alex Cruder, Brent Gudelot and Christopher Cooper. listed from left to right, work to improve the lives of others through innovation.

Student discontinues degree to pursue online startup A commerce student with an entrepreneurial spirit chooses a business venture over school.

TAYAB SOOMRO

Success stories of college dropouts, from Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg, have enticed students to embrace their passions and creativity in lieu of completing their degrees, and one former University of Saskatchewan student hopes to achieve success with a startup company located in Saskatoon.

Christopher Cooper was majoring in commerce unit the end of the 2017 winter term. When his friends started working on Curbie and approached him in the spring to work for this unique online service in the used-car retail industry, Cooper

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discontinued his second undergraduate degree to pursue the ambitious business venture instead.

Cooper is the creative director at Curbie, which has only been in existence for three months. He is passionate about making the used-automotive retail experience easier for customers and sellers than ever before.

“Curbie sells vehicles online like Amazon sells books, and … what [the creators] wanted to do was they wanted to turn the used-vehicle market on its head and get rid of a lot of the pain points that buying used vehicles right now has,” Cooper said.

Cooper feels that discontinuing his studies was the right decision for him, as earning a degree is not a guarantee for students to work in their desired field of study. While some students may want to continue on with academia, Cooper took the opportunity to fulfill his professional goals instead.

He explains that, because both of his parents are educators, he has a high regard for education, and it was difficult to discontinue his university career.

He convoked with a degree in kinesiology from the U of S in 2011 and then returned to pursue computer science before switching to a major in commerce.

“The decision to defer my education and start working with this startup company was difficult, but I feel like it was more in line with my goals that I set for myself… In the end, I hope to work in the tech industry and hope to work in some sort of creative capacity and just hope to make changes and improve people’s lives through tech,” Cooper said.

Cooper believes that practical experience is not necessarily less valuable than formal education, and he explains that he is constantly learning about business while working at the new online company.

“I don’t feel like my education [has] necessarily stopped, because a lot of what I have learned in the last several months working for Curbie — and a lot of what I will learn in the future, too — kind of hits on all facets of the small business, right?

Everything from marketing, to branding, to daily operations, logistics, product procurement, so I am getting a pretty heavy education right now as it is,” Cooper said.

Cooper encourages any student to follow their passion even if they are hesitant, because regardless of their hesitation, some opportunities are too great to pass up.

“If you have a good idea or ... you want to accomplish something, just do it. Don’t be afraid to jump in, and you know, get your feet wet,” Cooper said. “Some of the coolest things out there were just ideas at one point in time, right, and people had to take that risk.”

Sept. 21: Indigenous Students’ Welcome Panel Held from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Common Area of the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre, the Indigenous Students’ Welcome Panel will feature a student-led panel discussion on tips and advice to help new Indigenous students navigate university life. Speakers include Vanessa Johnson, Leigh Thomas, Regan Ratt Misponas and Raquel Lambert.

Sept. 23: Global Health Conference This year’s Global Health Conference is titled “The G Word: Gender and Global Health.” Each conference focuses on raising awareness about important global health issues, and this conference will take place in the Health Sciences Building, E Wing.

Sept. 27: Campus Master Plan event A public open house is set to take place at Louis’ Loft from 4 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 27. All are invited to discuss, learn and participate in the development of the University of Saskatchewan’s forthcoming Campus Master Plan, a plan that will guide how the university grows and develops over the coming decades.

University Students’ Council at a glance

On Sept. 14, the USC held their first meeting of the year in the Roy Romanow Student Council Chamber. All undergraduate students are welcome to these meetings. For the majority of the meeting, the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union executives updated the council on what they have been working on over the summer. Here are the highlights.

David D’Eon, USSU president: • Creating a survey for students to comment on the performance of the USSU. • Continuing conversations on Indigenization and internationalization on campus.

• Working on a tuition-consultation policy to present to university deans.

• Spearheading the Saskatchewan Student Coalition movement.

Deena Kapacila, vice-president operations and finance: • Crafting an alcohol policy for the university.

• Completing a student-group survival guide.

• Working on the campus-club database.

Jessica Quan, vice-president academic affairs: • Promoting the open-textbook initiative.

• Jump starting co-curricular records.

• Working on academic advocacy and streamlining the academic-grievance process.

Crystal Lau, vice-president student affairs: • Sitting on provost advisory committee on sexual and gender issues.

• Crafting policy for pregnant and breastfeeding students.

• Expanding free-menstrual-products campaign.

• Moving forward with plans for Rink in the Bowl project.

Protective Services briefs*

Patrol of bus mall increases: Saskatoon Transit contacted the university to increase patrols of the bus mall due to a high number of private vehicles driving through the zone, as the zone in front of Place Riel is marked for buses only.

Window broken at Stadium Parkade: Approximately 30 minutes past midnight on Sept. 7, a window was broken at the Stadium Parkade. The damage was likely caused by a brick or another large object. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact 306-966-5555.

Theft in Health Sciences Building, B Wing: An unknown individual caused mischief and damage to lockers on the fifth floor of the B Wing in the Health Sciences Building sometime on Sept. 9 or 10. At least one locker was entered, and some contents were stolen. Individuals with information are encouraged to contact 306-966-5555. *Briefs provided by protective services

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Altercation leaves student banned from Saskatoon pub An international student was refused service and escorted out of a pub by the Saskatoon Police Service based on discrimination, Eze says.

NYKOLE KING NEWS EDITOR

On Aug. 24, Nancy Eze and her friends went to Bridges Ale House & Eatery for the weekly Thursday wing night, as they had several times in the past.

However, on this occasion, Eze was denied service and escorted out by the Saskatoon Police Service.

Eze has been banned from the establishment after an altercation with pub staff about improper identification, an incident Eze claims is based on racial discrimination in a video she posted on Facebook.

Eze, a third-year physiology and pharmacology student, explains that after the staff told her she needed government photo identification, she and her friends drove to her residence to retrieve another source of identification. When she returned, the manager, Marc Yuzdepski, denied her service because she did not have Saskatchewan Government Identification.

“I gave him my ID, and then the first thing he says is, ‘Do you have SGI?’ I was like, ‘No, but this is like legal tender you could use,’ and he was like, ‘I can’t take this,’ and he says he’s going to call the cops. That was the first part that came out of his mouth. I was like, ‘What?

This is what I used to get into this country.’ I was shocked. I just blanked out. He said we needed to leave this establishment. I was like, ‘We didn’t do anything wrong. We know our rights,’” Eze said.

Eze believes that, because the manager was not asking other customers for SGI, she was being racially discriminated against. When contacted for comment on the event, pub management said that they do in fact accept passports but claim that Eze was refused service based on her behaviour.

According to a Bridges’ manager, Eze’s inappropriate behaviour and harassment earlier in the night led to their decision to

refuse her service and subsequently to ban her from the bar, permanently. They claim that she called the staff “racist” when she did not have photo identification on her. Eze denies this claim.

The SPS officer arrived and talked to both parties, who gave conflicting accounts of the night. No police report concerning the event was filed, and the students left the pub after talking with the officer. After the incident, staff at Bridges contacted Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority to have Eze permanently barred from re-entering the pub in the future.

A manager at Bridges explained that sometimes, when customers are too

intoxicated and harassing staff, they will be asked to leave.

Typically, customers will return the next day to apologize, which remedies the altercation.

The manager made a point of specifying that customers cannot return the same night, as Eze had done.

After the incident occurred, Eze took to Facebook to express her concerns with the manager, after which she received both positive and negative feedback from users.

“Then I made the Facebook video, and it’s getting so many crazy comments.

Even

people asking, ‘What is racist about it?’” Eze said. “Why would your first decision be to call the cops? It’s not like we’re drunk; it’s not like we’re destroying your property. We’re just sitting there, tired from work, and wanted to eat and leave, and when I didn’t have ID, your first [idea] is to call the cops, because you have the power and you have the control.” or ics

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SPORTS&HEALTH

Huskies women’s soccer team has strong start going into season The Huskies women’s soccer squad made waves as they kicked off their season with excellence.

LYNDSAY AFSETH STAFF WRITER

The University of Saskatchewan women’s soccer team started their season off during the Canada West opening weekend, where they won their first game against Winnipeg and lost to Manitoba in their second.

In their first game of the season, against the Winnipeg Wesmen, the Huskies took a 3-2 victory, a good start to the season despite losing their second game against the Manitoba Bisons 2-3 the next day. In their two games played on Sept. 16 and 17, the team came out with victories of 3-0 against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack and 5-0 against the Heat, of the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus.

Kyleigh Vause, a fifth-year education student and goalkeeper for the team, expresses her thoughts

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SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

about opening weekend.

“Not our best start to the season, but we got a win on the road, which is super exciting for us, and there’s lots of room to grow from here,” Vause said.

The Huskies have a strong team this season with 30 total players, nine of whom are rookies. Midfielder Megan Ripplinger started out the opening weekend with three goals and two assists, which landed her U Sports Female Athlete of the Week for week two of the season.

The team is also strong in terms of veterans, with Vause as goalkeeper, who had seven saves on opening weekend. Striker Leesa Eggum and midfielder Rebecca Weckworth have also started the season out strong, with Eggum scoring two goals in the game against Thompson Rivers on Sept. 16 and Weckworth, who was Huskie Athlete of the Week in October 2016, with six shots

on goal in the first few games of the season.

The team is coming off their most successful year, having finished third in Canada West and having competed in the national championship for the first time in history, so the morale on the team is up.

Jerson Barandica-Hamilton, head coach for the U of S wom-

en’s soccer team, speaks on the upcoming season.

“We’ve had a long and strenuous pre-season, but it’s been good.

The girls are getting comfortable with each other, and we have a really strong senior group and a lot of young players, who are coming into our program and understanding what our standards and our style of play is… They’ve meshed really well, and we’re excited to see what the season has for us coming off our most successful season,” Barandica-Hamilton said.

The team has many strengths and is currently working on perfecting their weaknesses in practice. Barandica-Hamilton discusses the team’s strengths going into the season.

“We have lots of speed, lots of creativity and lots of different types of players, which adds depth to our

team,” Barandica-Hamilton said.

“If one thing or one quality is not working, we can always rely on a different player, or a second or third player, so we’re very unpredictable in terms of our style of play.”

Full-back Jacqueline Altrogge, a first-year health studies student, says the team’s greatest strength going into this season is the midfield.

“We have really good seniority in the midfield, and I think they’re definitely going to be a success,” Altrogge said.

With a total of 13 goals in their first four games, the Huskies’ women’s soccer team is looking good heading into the season.

Their next games will be two home games: one on Sept. 23 against the Lethbridge Pronghorns and the other on Sept. 24 against the Calgary Dinos.

Emily Sutherland The Huskies women’s soccer team performed incredibly well in their early season.

DOG WATCH Veteran quarterback Kyle Siemens has brought recent success to the Huskies and shares his experience and discusses the season ahead.

MATTHEW JOHNSON

Entering the season, the Huskies football program was filled with question marks, as a fresh coaching staff rang in a new era at the University of Saskatchewan. However, one position that wasn’t in question was quarterback.

Kyle Siemens returned for his fourth year in kinesiology and with the Huskies, this being his second year as starting quarterback. He was a standout performer in 2016, as the Huskies starter under centre, and he led the team to a 5-3 record, falling short of the Hardy Cup after losing to the University of Calgary in the Canada West semi-final.

The Huskies are aiming for a better result this season, and under Marcus Crandell, new offensive co-ordinator and former Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback, Siemens has excelled so far in the 2017 campaign.

Siemens, who graduated from Aden Bowman Collegiate in 2012, has taken a long road to get to this point in his career. After setting the single-season record for completions and passing yards in Saskatoon high school football, Siemens chose the Canadian Junior

Football League route and journeyed south to join the Regina Thunder.

“I remember coming out of high school unsure what I was going to do, and the Thunder provided me the opportunity to keep playing football,” Siemens said.

Siemens believes his decision to join the Thunder helped him immensely as a player.

“Looking back, those were some good years. Just being able to get some experience and to win a national championship with them, that was a pretty unique experience and one that not a lot of people get to say they were a part of,” Siemens said.

When Siemens decided to make the transition to the U Sports level and was evaluating his options, one school stood above the rest.

“As a Saskatoon kid, it’s always been in the back of my mind [that] maybe this would be something I could do one day. I’ve been pretty fortunate to be able to have this opportunity,” Siemens said.

After spending his first one and a half seasons with the Huskies as backup to the previous starting quarterback, Drew Burko, Siemens got his chance to run the offence near the tail end of his sec-

ond year. He was named the starter for a week-seven clash against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and ran away with the opportunity, setting a Huskies record for 44 completed passes in that game and tallying up 520 yards with three touchdowns.

Siemens has been a constant under centre for this program since his record-breaking debut that will go down for the ages as one of the best single-game performances by a Huskies quarterback.

Siemens has gotten off to a dominant start in 2017, leading the nation with nine touchdowns and averaging 345 yards through the air per game. On top of that, the quarterback was recognized by the Canada West conference, when he was named the offensive player of week two after a five-touchdown performance against the Alberta Golden Bears in the Huskies homecoming game.

After a bit of a bump in the road against the Thunderbirds in week three, Siemens and company will look to get back to their winning ways in a big game against the conference-leading Dinos in Calgary.

“We know we’re going to be facing

Kyle Siemens Electric Umbrella / Supplied

some good competition in the coming weeks, but we feel like, if you’re going to be the best, you gotta play the best.

We’re looking forward to the challenge,” Siemens said.

Sitting at 2-1, the team is wellpositioned to return to the playoffs this season.

“We all feel we’re a pretty good football team,” Siemens said. “We all [have] the confidence, not only in ourselves but in each other and also in the coaching staff, to put us into some good positions.”

Siemens and the Huskies will host the Regina Rams on Sept. 29 in the annual Support the Troops game at Griffiths Stadium.

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Hackers wanted: Local hackathon offers experience and networking opportunity Med.Hack(+) will bring together two complementary professions to solve problems in the medical industry: technology and medicine.

GABRIEL SIRIANY LINARES

Med.Hack(+) is a design competition in which individuals with diverse educations and professions come together to develop technologies that could potentially solve healthcare problems. They organize this event each year as an opportunity for students to not only work on solutions but also make connections for their career.

Medical technology is widely used to treat disease and diagnose patients, and the hackathon, which runs from Sept. 22-24, will see University of Saskatchewan students working alongside health-care, technology and business specialists. The event will take place in the Atrium and the Concourse at Innovation Place

to create potential solutions to current problems with healthcare systems through the innovative use of technology.

Adam McInnes, MD, a second-year graduate student in biomedical engineering and cochair of Med.Hack(+), discusses his goals for the hackathon.

“One [goal] is to get a lot of people to attend. And I am still hopeful that, somewhere along the way, we are going to break our 150 people [goal]… And the second goal is that, hopefully, some of these ideas can go forward to do something…

Every year, I am hopeful that we see not only solutions being developed but that something actually happens with these solutions,” McInnes said.

The hackathon brings together people with different skills and skill levels. Anyone who thinks they can collaborate and contribute to technological

developments is welcome to participate. Registration can be done through the event’s website, medhack.ca. Just as members of the One Health spectrum are needed, so are engineers, students with legal experience, software specialists, business specialists and marketing specialists.

McInnes reinforces this idea of mutual collaboration and complementation.

“We need people who can mentor people. We need people who know how to build stuff, people who know what the problems are and people who know how to take these ideas and turn them into something [tangible],” McInnes said.

Although this event is open to the general public, Med. Hack(+) encourages university students to participate because of the experiences and skills they will gain, a fact McInnes

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explains further.

“We think there are a lot of values and a lot of opportunities for [students]…

Here’s an alternative to get some real-world experience, put yourself out there in front of potential employers and show you actually have some experience in taking what you’ve learned and putting [it] into a real-world application,” McInnes said.

Certainly, the hackathon will benefit participants, but some students may still hesitate to take part if they doubt their knowledge and skills, an issue that McInnes addresses.

“You may not think you know a lot. You may not think you can contribute much, but you’d be surprised what skills you have and what you can actually achieve, if you put your mind to it,” McInnes said.

“Here’s an opportunity to connect with people outside your own profession and figure out how your skills complement theirs, how you can all work together to drive innovation in health care. You are gaining experience [and] you are learning how to work with people.”

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According to McInnes, the participation of students in the competition shows the value of the advances made at the U of S and in the province in general. “[The hackathon is] helping to grow the community and to show what we can do here at the U of S,” McInnes said. “We have the ambition, we have the capabilities here in Saskatchewan to do amazing things. These kinds of hackathons help to create the presence or … demonstrate the mentality of what we are really capable of doing here in Saskatchewan.”

With these hackathons, McInnes advocates for technological advances in medicine that can be made from connections between the fields of medicine and technology.

“We need a way to connect health-care professionals with people who understand technology and help drive that innovation as we go forward, so that we can make these medical advances.”

Yoga in the modern day: My experience at Prairie Love Festival When a health trend reaches the mainstream, commodification soon follows. When it comes to yoga, though, does this help or hinder its goals?

FLORENCE SCHEEPERS

While only coming to the West a little more than 100 years ago during the late 19th century, yoga is probably at least 5,000 years old and was born in India.

Since its development, yoga has transformed into the various styles recognized today.

As yoga becomes more mainstream, it’s challenging to find a practice where one can be enriched by the philosophy, master the skills and engage in meditation, without feeling the effects of the controversy that surrounds it. This controversy is often focused on whether yoga is truly a healthy practice or just a trend.

As yoga has become more popular in the Western world, it has been labelled a form of religious worship, first practiced by devout Hindus. Discussion persists about whether appropriation of a traditional practice is helpful or harmful to the Hindu people, whose culture it came from.

In addition to the question of cultural appropriation, the majority of yoga marketing I see is generally targeted toward women who are white, middle class and thin, which sends the message that it is reserved for a certain group of people.

6 / SPORTS & HEALTH

Further, yoga has become a large industry — with clothing brands, ultra-grip mats, essential oils, crystals and singing bowls — and one wonders who is really profiting from these health and wellness services.

Despite the problematic yoga industry, there is extensive research on yoga’s health benefits. Medical and mental-health journals have conducted studies on how yoga improves depression and anxiety, mobility, posture and fitness. Health experts promote yoga as a safe and effective practice for those needing to improve their health.

However, there is also some debate on whether yoga is safe for all to practice, as there have been cases of serious back injuries. And yet, amidst all this controversy, I found a safe space place, where I could explore yoga in a way that felt right for me.

In Birds Hill Provincial Park, Manitoba, 30 km from Winnipeg, there is an annual yoga festival called the Prairie Love Festival. The attendees, vendors and organizers are all Manitoba locals. Workshop leaders are not just yoga teachers but also university professors, athletic therapists, health and wellness coaches and studio owners.

The nearby campgrounds provide cheap accommodation, but there is also a host hotel along with shuttle services.

My experience at Prairie Love was that it best represents modern-day Canadian

Mary Sarcauga

yoga. The teachers were open to admitting that they will always remain students and will continue to learn and practice yoga with the utmost respect to its origins. The class and workshop leaders have taken elements from their personal lives and cultures, both what they’ve been taught and have learned through self-study, to create a practice that they believe will heal others.

As a yoga teacher myself, the material I learned was priceless, and the opportunities to connect with other instructors made it a worthy trip. It also reminded me to continue studying why I practice yoga rather than just following what others have done. My own personal practice also improved dramatically over the three days of the festival.

The primary goal of the Prairie Love

team is to build community. The vendors and instructors value open communication, ethical and sustainable behaviours, and acceptance of others. Everything sold there was either homemade, recycled, Canadian-made or all of the above.

In the same way that health and wellness is for everyone, yoga should be accessible to all who want it. It is important to think critically, question the reasoning behind practices and support what you believe is right.

For those starting out, you may find that shopping around for a local studio with values that match your own is more worthwhile than attending a three-day festival. However, for those who want to take their practice a step further, and for teachers looking for inspiration, Prairie Love has it all.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

CULTURE Local non-profit makes music more accessible Take Something and Run is helping Saskatoon youth play gigs and break into the local music scene.

EVENTS INDIGENOUS STUDENTS’ WELCOME PANEL @ GORDON OAKES RED BEAR BUILDING

KACY & CLAYTON WITH RECORDS BY PRAIRIE TO PINE @ AMIGOS

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT @ YWCA

plied

S up eS Tak

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THE SIPS

GUNNER & SMITH WITH TWIN VOICES AND RAY ELLIOT @ CAPITOL MUSIC CLUB

THE FRETLESS @ THE BASSMENT YOUNG JAMES WITH OLD MAN GRANT AND GUESTS @ VANGELIS

AUSTRA WITH ELA MINUS @ CAPITOL MUSIC CLUB

KUNG FU VAMPIRE @ AMIGOS OSCAR’S HOLLOW @ PRAIRIE INK

PAINT NIGHT — PURPLE TREE IN MOONLIGHT

F R I

22 S A T

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WORD ON THE STREET @ BROADWAY AVENUE

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PAINT NIGHT — UNDER THE PALM TREES

M O N

@ CLARK’S CROSSING BREW PUB

VIDEO GAME MONDAYS @ LOUIS’ PUB

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PETUNIA AND THE VIPERS @ AMIGOS

T U E S

@ FIONN MACCOOL’S

TOONIE TUESDAYS @ LOUIS’ PUB

WING WEDNESDAY @ LOUIS’ PUB

g hi et om

T H U R S

WITH ORNAMENT & CRIME AND ALIVE IN TUCSON @ VANGELIS

WILDERNESS OF MANITOBA @ VANGELIS

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Booking shows and finding venues can often be difficult for musicians under the legal drinking age, but a local organization seeks to help by making Saskatoon’s music scene more accessible.

Take Something and Run was established by Robbie Hynes in 2014 as a way to promote local young talent. The organization recently obtained non-profit certification and is sponsored by the City of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Lotteries and CFCR. The organization is currently run by Andrew Magwood-Dufour and Declan Hills — two Saskatonian musicians.

The Sheaf sat down with Andrew Magwood-Dufour, TSAR financial director and first-year student at the University of Saskatchewan, and Christian Pollock, TSAR outreach volunteer and third-year political studies student, who explained that the goal of the organization is to help musicians and visual artists under the age of 21 gain recognition in Saskatoon. “[We’re] definitely focused on the 15-21 [age] bracket. In addition to music, we promote visual art by way of posters, and we’re trying to expand that over time,” Magwood-Dufour said.

Pollock identifies some of the problems that artists in this age range face from his time performing in the Saskatoon independent music scene.

“I wanted to be a part of [TSAR], because I had an appreciation for how difficult it could be to navigate the music scene in Saskatoon before you’re 19… Being under age, finding venues [and] finding other bands to play with … it can be hard,” Pollock said.

The live showcases originally took place in the now defunct Beaumont Records but have more recently moved to the Riversdale-located Underground Café.

“The Underground is a great venue. It’s licensed, but it also has one of the broadest ranges of non-alcoholic options,” Magwood-Dufour said.

“And it’s got lots of space, so we can put on full bands, anything from folk to metal.”

TSAR also hopes to improve the overall Saskatoon music scene by supplying young artists with the necessary experience to continue their craft.

“People who are young will be a few steps ahead from where they were a few years ago, because they’ll know how to get shows [and] they’ll know how to communicate with other bands and what the norms are in this scene,” Pollock said. “Even in terms

of recording and making albums and things like that, I think our organization can play a big role.”

One of the goals for the organization is to promote a diverse array of musicians.

“As much as possible, we want new bands with men and women and gender nonconforming people. We want LGBTQ acts, we want Indigenous artists… A big part of maintaining that diversity is just trying to bring in new artists,” Magwood-Dufour said.

TSAR also hopes to branch out to other cities in the future.

“We’ve been lucky enough to have a good working relationship with some bands from Prince Albert… Expanding to other cities is definitely something we’re keeping our eye on,” Magwood-Dufour said. “We brought three bands down from PA to come play with us, too, and that’s really good for establishing a broader musical scope than just Saskatoon.”

Regarding future growth, Magwood-Dufour is optimistic about the group’s new non-profit certification.

“This next time around, it looks like we’ll be applying for grants [ourselves]… To say we’re going to build our own steam is incredibly valuable, and I think [it] will open a lot of doors for us,” Magwood-Dufour said.

For Pollock, radio has potential as another viable way to engage and promote young artists.

“A short show on the radio, where we talk about the local scene [and play] some of our artists, who have just released EPs and albums, would be super cool,” Pollock said.

TSAR is hosting a showcase featuring Poetic Junction, The Local Group and Alien to the Ignorant at the Underground Café on Sept. 28.

You can find Take Something and Run on Facebook or Instagram at @tsar_sask.

an d

COLE CHRETIEN

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ARTWORK BY BEV WILDEMAN AND CHRIS MACCLURE @ COLLECTOR’S CHOICE ART GALLERY

SEPT 19-30

PUMPKIN FESTIVAL @ BLACK FOX FARM AND DISTILLERY

SEPT 23-24

CAMPUS PRIDE WEEK

SEPT 25-30

@ MULTIPLE U OF S CAMPUS LOCATIONS

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SHEAF SPECIAL REPORT

THE MOLE PEOPLE AMONG US A network of hidden tunnels beneath campus reveals a people’s history that no one expected.

“Mole people exist.

They’re in our classes and our computer labs. They even use the library.”

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— Torrence Fisher, fourth-year anthropology

UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN — An incident that occurred during routine road construction near the Education Building last week

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the Sheaf

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the Sheaf has even tried our hand at the Sheaf

diverse — and I decided right then and there nev-

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Sheaf surworking to date and catalogue the crude etchings

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extensive due to structural concerns — have also Lesia Karalash / Graphics Editor

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FEATURE

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SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

TIME, TRIAL AND TUITION: MOLE STUDENTS CALL TO ACTION AFTER DECADES OF NEGLECT -

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tention to their struggles -

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trust — Brad Wall used to -

Mole students’ rallies are scheduled on Oct. 6, 7 and 8 in the Bowl. For more information, visit www. molestudentsspeak.org or follow the action on twitter @molestudentzspeak Lesia Karalash / Graphics Editor

YOU CAN MOVE LIKE A MOLE PERSON TOO! While most of the tunnels underneath the U of S campus are now off limits to non-mole people, there are still plenty of tunnels accessible to the public connecting most classroom buildings.

Original graphic by Stephanie Mah with alterations by Emily Migchels

MOLE PERSON FACTS • • •

A recent Sheaf survey, asking students if they are a mole person, found that a staggering 17 per cent of the student population who participated do in fact identify as creatures of the deep.

Over three-quarters of all campus meal plans sold go to the sentient mole population.

St. Thomas More was extremely claustrophobic, and the decision not to build a tunnel to the STM building was made in respect to his sensitivities.

Disclaimer: The content of this feature is speculative and almost entirely satirical.

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CULTURE

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contrast the cheese. Mixing in some of those tasty herbs from your garden or cupboard can also make excellent variations, like basil butter.

Lesia K aralas

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phics

Editor

Breads, spreads

and Emmental cheese: Five easy ways to improve your grilled cheese

The Sheaf is here for starving students, with a manual to revamp your grilled-cheese game.

JORDAN STOVRA

Students everywhere know the struggles of making a regular old grilled-cheese sandwich feel new and interesting, but even when funds are low, quality grilled cheese can be a viable meal option for anyone.

There are four main compo-

nents to the grilled cheese: the buttery crust, the bread, the cheese and the texture. Any changes to these main elements will kickstart your way to creating a new and improved grilled cheese.

Need some ideas? The Sheaf always has your back. Here are five tips to improve your grilledcheese game.

Add flavour to your butter: The spread for your bread can completely change your creation. Before spreading the butter — or whatever you use — on the bread, try cracking some black pepper on it. If you’re feeling especially adventurous, try mixing sriracha into it as well!

Pepper and sriracha both add new flavour profiles that can

Try different textures: Half the cheesy battle is about the feel of the sandwich. While the traditional texture of a grilled-cheese sandwich is near and dear to most people’s hearts, changing it up with the addition of something crunchy — like almonds — can add the pizzazz you’re looking for. One of the easiest ways you can do this is to add everyone’s favourite swine product — bacon. The crackling texture of bacon changes the overall texture and taste of the grilled-cheese sammie.

Change your cheeses: This cannot be stressed enough.

The melty, stringy nature that the cheese gets is iconic, and changing this element will only improve your grilled-cheese experience. The familiarity of mild American cheddar or American marbled cheese is great, but why not try something from a new group of cheeses? Some of these include high-moisture cheeses — such as Gouda — soft cow’s-milk cheeses — such as Brie — and alpine cheeses, like Gruyère or Emmental.

If you are worried about spending too much on the variety of cheese, you can go to most delis, and they will have a number of cheap pre-sliced cheeses.

These can come in packages of

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varying sizes, which can last for the creation of a great number of your gourmet grilled cheeses.

Try a new bread: Some people forget to switch up their bready base. A good way to find different and delicious bread is to go and support your local bakery or farmer’s market. At either of these places, there is undoubtedly some dude in a plaid shirt who woke up that 3:30 in the morning to bake a wide variety of artisanal breads, which are all but calling your name. This baker might try to hook you on a bread with a fruity element, and this is always a good place to start.

Whether it be a walnutcurrant bread or a loaf of the finest apple-beer flax bread, the bread that you choose is crucial. Not only will it inform the grilled cheese’s texture, but it will also impact the overall flavour that your sandwich will have.

Add a third element: Don’t be afraid to experiment! Whether it be fruit, cured meats or vegetables, there are many items that you can add to create a different texture and flavour profile within your sandwich. For instance, pepper salami and some hot peppers can make your regular grilled cheese into a superb one.

When you add just one new element to your grilled cheese, the complementing flavours can make for a completely new sandwich experience.

OPINION:

HOUSE PARTY SPLITS HAIRS EMILY MIGCHELS OPINIONS EDITOR

Louis’ House Party events are a staple in the University of Saskatchewan’s social scene, but this year’s inaugural bash might have missed its mark.

While the House Party typically spans from Louis’ Loft to the basement pub in the Memorial Union Building, this year, doors remained closed to the upper level.

The night felt, well, a little dead. Turn out was substantial, but nothing compared to the previous party life. What kept students away?

The night’s main attraction was comedy act Randy and Mr. Lahey, of Trailer Park Boys fame. Their act was divisive and featured some culturally appropriative, and really, just-plain-racist remarks.

Comedy on campuses is a contentious matter, with arguments for free speech often outweighing the it’s worth considering, in the aftermath of this event, whether or not it’s really worth it to give acts like this space and time in an institution that should support and protect its student body.

10 / CULTURE

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

306-664-6464

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search comfort cab to download our new app

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CULTURE

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USASK autumn attire TANNER BAYNE CULTURE EDITOR

Sonia Kalburgi, second-year business

Usask’s Vicki Mowat becomes Sask. NDP’s newest member In a shift from campus character to public persona, Vicki Mowat wins Saskatoon-Fairview.

CANUTE ROSAASEN

RW&CO. Tommy Dynamite

RW&CO.

Friend’s closet

Josh Brand, fifth-year philosophy Monoprix AMI

Vintage Birks

A.P.C. Fjällräven

Adidas Stan Smith

Justine Dalgarno, first-year commerce

Vintage Adidas Baseball

lululemon athletica Camper sneakers

All photos by: Jiem Carlo Narag / Photo Editor

12 / CULTURE

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The shifting political sands in Saskatchewan now have large implications for at least one person at the University of Saskatchewan. The Saskatoon-Fairview by-election has provided former university faculty member Vicki Mowat with a New Democratic Party seat in the provincial legislature.

Mowat has a long past with the U of S, as she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology from our Prairie university. More recently, she has been a sessional lecturer, before moving on to work as an executive associate to the associate dean of Aboriginal affairs.

On Sept. 7, Mowat won what anybody would call a landslide victory in the Saskatoon-Fairview by-election. With 60.3 per cent of the vote cast in her favour, Mowat almost doubled the vote count of her nearest competitor, Cameron Scott of the Saskatchewan Party.

Mowat is a member of the almost-perpetual-underdog party, the Saskatchewan NDP. Her victory raises the number of seats held by the NDP to 12, reducing the seat count of the dominant Sask. Party from 49 to 48.

Many students on campus only hold hazy recollections of an era before Brad Wall and vague memories of the last NDP dynasty, led by Lorne Calvert — and prior to that, Roy Romanow. This dynasty ended in 2007, which marked the beginning of a decade of Sask. Party dominance.

The Sask. Party emerged from the 2016 provincial election with 51 seats to the NDP’s 10, making the Sask. Party the only centre-right party to form three consecutive governments in Saskatchewan’s history.

Mowat’s seat in the legislature is the product of a by-election initiated after the withdrawal of Jennifer Campeau, who narrowly beat Mowat in the 2016 general election. A similar situation occurred earlier in the year in the Saskatoon-Meewasin riding, which yielded another NDP seat to the hands of Ryan Meili.

The Sheaf reached Mowat for comment on her win and her take on the larger operation of Saskatchewan as a whole, and she acknowledges her roots at the U of S in relation to her new position in the legislature.

“Part of me feels as though I really represent working people,” Mowat said. “Obviously, I was a student as well at the U of S, so part of me feels the responsibility to represent students and staff members.”

Recently, the Sask. Party’s austerity budget has led to cuts across a wide number of provincial expenditures, including a 5.6 per cent cut to the university’s base funding. The students aren’t the only ones who are agitated over these cuts.

“It’s so frustrating that we’ve had record revenues in this province for the past 10 years, and this is where we’re at… I cannot imagine how that decision-making process takes place,” Mowat said.

Additionally, Mowat shares what actions she will undertake as MLA. “If we want to talk about

what an NDP government would look like, we absolutely would have to start by opening the books to look at all these things, making sure that all our priorities are in place,” Mowat said.

Mowat believes that she noticed a change in the political climate in Saskatoon during her door-to-door campaign before the by-election.

“Public opinion had shifted quite a bit since the 2016 election… You can tell people are quite frustrated,” Mowat said.

Given the recent controversies with the Sask. Party’s budget and Brad Wall’s subsequent resignation, Mowat is confident of what the NDP can offer to all Saskatchewanians.

“There is a lot of energy in our party right now, a lot of people working very hard,” Mowat said.

Certainly, it is an interesting time in Saskatchewan’s political scene.

Mowat will be at the Usask NDP annual general meeting in the Campus Club Space, in Room 220 of Place Riel, on Sept.

28.

Saskatchewan NDP / Supplied Vicki Mowat is the 12th Saskatchewan New Democratic Party MLA.

OPINIONS

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

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

OPINIONS

Aries: Love is in the air this week, Aries, but be wary of that special human who caught your eye in BIO 120. The waxing crescent moon forebodes a time that might reveal they’re actually a werewolf.

Taurus: Now would be a good time to phone someone you love and tell them that you’re planning an elaborate heist.

Gemini: The stars say it’s time book an appointment

with your dentist, Gemini. The importance of dental health is easy to overlook, and it is always a good time to start thinking about your future.

Cancer:

Consider trying a dance class this week!

Someone told me you looked really weird at their cousin’s wedding, and I’m just watching out for you.

Michaela DeMong DSS is an invaluable service, and it’s about more than ability.

Is it time for DSS to take a new name?

The term “disability” is going out of vogue, so maybe it’s time to rebrand our services for students.

LIAM DELPARTE

Disability Services for Students is an advocacy body at the University of Saskatchewan that aims to provide accommodation for students who have learning and medical difficulties in an effort to remove barriers and improve access to higher education.

As discourse begins to shift on the limiting and perhaps problematic nature of the term “disability,” it may be time for DSS to start looking for another name.

What is wrong with the word disability?

First, the very nature of the word disabled is negative. Dis, a Latin prefix meaning “apart” or “away,” is used in English to indicate negation and difference. The word disability also assumes a normal, “able” opposite and centres the discussion of barriers faced by those with disabilities on difference.

Unfortunately, there is no real consensus on an alternative term. “Differently abled” gets used a lot, though it still places emphasis on difference. “Human variation” is another more inclusive alternative.

Secondly, disability is a social problem, not an individual one. In a world where people with disabilities do not face structural barriers to their success, they are not disabled. When a person in a wheelchair utilizes a ramp, they are enabled, not disabled. Barriers can be ei-

ther physical, attitudinal or organizational.

A physical barrier would be an elevated door without a ramp for wheelchair access or a gymnasium exam with hundreds of distractions for those with ADHD. Attitudinal barriers occur where disability is seen as a burden — for example, jealousy of someone being granted extra time on a final.

Organizational barriers occur when, in response to a need for accommodation, nothing is done — like a professor refusing to grant an extension or receive late assignments.

DSS is centred on empowering students in these situations, so shouldn’t their name reflect that over the students ability?

Lastly, many people who utilize the services that DSS offers do not identify as disabled.

For example, many people who have anxiety and/or depression do not view themselves as “disabled,” despite being qualified for DSS accommodation. We’re asking students to take on disability as a label, so students who do not identify as such may not utilize services aimed at improving their learning outcomes.

At the U of S, students of varying ability face many different barriers to their success. Asserting the term “disability” as an official label can be harmful and counterproductive. DSS is an invaluable tool for taking down these barriers, but perhaps carrying a name that contributes to that reality is something worth considering.

Leo: It’s probably time you took a hard look at yourself

and really measured your successes against your failures.

Growth takes reflection, and it’s best to get that out of the way before the unforgiving cold of winter.

Virgo: Cancel that Tinder date, if it’s making you

nervous. Love is a temporal illusion, and it is safest to find comfort in solace, anyway.

Libra: Sept. 23 marks the beginning of your season,

Libra, and there’s no time like the present to brush up on some banal topics of conversation. Take a gander at the history of feudalism, and see if you can draw any parallels to the blatant exploitation of human labour in the free market today.

Scorpio: It’s finally time to buy Julia Child’s Mastering

the Art of French Cooking in hardcover, so you can use it as a surface on which to roll the most tasteful joints, after you entirely scorch your Moules à la Marinière on the first try.

Sagittarius: Listen to that album your dad says

shaped his young adult life, so you have something to make fun of him for at Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Capricorn: Whatever you’ve been meaning to do, do it.

Aquarius: You might have been feeling anxious or

worn out lately. Don’t worry about it too much — at some point in your life, you felt at ease, and it will happen again as long as you’re patient and take good care of yourself.

Pisces: Your ability to listen will guide you this month,

so make sure you do not use Q-tips to clear your ears, because you risk pushing wax further into the ear canal and potentially damaging your eardrum.

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OPINIONS

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Sharing is caring in the Library of Things With the help of community leaders, Saskatoon is becoming a city of sustainability and sharing.

BAILEY CHRISTOPHERSON

Who? The Library of Things.

What? Lending and borrowing items.

When? Online, anytime, or inside from 12 to 5 p.m.

Where? The Better Good basement.

Why? Because sharing is caring and reusing is fun!

Have you ever found yourself in need of a blender, drill or camping stove but not wanted to deal with the excess cost and waste of owning such an object? Well, the Library of Things can solve all of your household-item-related woes!

As a not-so-wealthy student, I know that I’ve often cursed the heavens for my sad bank statement when wanting to purchase the latest and greatest kitchenware or tools. Why must I be plagued with a kitchen addiction? I have always wanted a KitchenAid mixer.

As I tend to be quite passionate about sustainability and my own environmental impact, my dedication to tools and gadgets is really senseless. The downside of these fabulous items is that they often remain tucked

away in the cupboards, collecting dust in between their intermittent usage. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to temporarily have one of these desirable items without having to pay an aggressive price or collect more clutter?

The Better Good on Broadway Avenue has started a thrifty new initiative called the Library of Things. How does it work, you ask? Well, the Library of Things is exactly as self-explanatory as it sounds.

Similar to the way you borrow books from a regular library, this library lends out items like mixers, drills, tools, camping gear and so much more!

Meg Dorwart, a volunteer who helped start up the Library, was excited to explain how it functions. She says that, basically, you need only a membership — which is obtained online with your email address — and then you are free to reserve and borrow items to your heart’s content. No fuss, no muss.

The Library is easily accessible as well. Simply walk into the store anytime on Saturdays from 12 to 5 p.m., head to the basement and take a gander at all there is to offer. There are also some cozy seats and good

company as you peruse the selection.

If you want to pick out your goodies beforehand, the Library’s website offers photos and descriptions of rentable items that you can reserve in advance and pick up during the Library’s hours.

See? Easy as pie. This is a great incentive to reduce costs, produce less waste and help out others who might really need to use that juicer you have sitting up in the cupboard — which hasn’t even been taken out of the box yet, because your aunt gave it to you for Christmas and

you feel too guilty to just get rid of it, so it sits there, relentlessly, as a constant reminder of your neglect.

Did you just ask how to become involved? It’s easy. All the items in the Library are donated, and donating is just as easy as borrowing! Consider de-cluttering your home of its less-used items — perhaps a really nice KitchenAid mixer — and helping out your neighbours with your cared-for goods. You can simply send a quick message to the Library to see if your item is needed.

Don’t fret if you regret donat-

Zac Walters The Library of Things has the tools you need to build a birdhouse or bake a cake.

LYNDSAY AFSETH STAFF WRITER

Jina Bae

Class schedule blues: Should you drop a class?

There’s more to life than grades and credits — sometimes you have to take action for your mental health.

14 / OPINIONS

ing something — the Library of Things will happily return your item to you if you no longer wish to lend it out. If you lack items to donate, your time is just as precious as your donations. Consider taking a shift or two in the space — there’s cool people involved already, just waiting for your company.

It’s easy and brilliant.

You can contact the Library of Things for more information on volunteering and what they need more of — or just to say hello — on Facebook, by email at libraryofthingsyxe@gmail.com or on Twitter @LOTYXE.

University can be tough, especially when you aren’t sure what you want to get out of it yet. Ideally, your university experience should be enjoyable, and that sometimes means you have to drop a class or two.

Though the act of dropping classes gets a bad reputation, the reality is that sometimes it is necessary for your mental health or for your success in university. Although the deadline for a full tuition refund has now passed, the withdrawal deadline for this semester is not until Nov. 15. That means you’ve got loads of time to exit before a dropped class means an academic penalty.

This year, for single-term classes, if you withdraw before Sept. 26, you will be able to get back 75 per cent of your tuition in monetary credit toward further classes — between Sept. 26 and Oct. 3 you will get 50 per cent back.

For classes that are multi-term, Oct. 3 is the last day to withdraw and receive a tuition credit of 75 per cent. Oct. 18 is the last day to withdraw and receive a tuition credit of 50 per cent.

I have definitely withdrawn from a class at 50 per cent tuition credit, because sometimes you just have to cut your losses. If your sanity depends on it, it will be worth it. It is better to have a W — or withdrawal — on your tran-

script and 50 per cent of your tuition back than a failing mark and none of your money.

It was my very first semester of university, and I remember staying up all night in a panic about an early assignment that I didn’t understand how to do.

It was a huge class with an unapproachable professor, and I was way out of my league. I dropped that class and got 50 per cent back, and that allowed me to focus on doing better in my remaining classes.

There is no doubt that if I had stayed in that class, I would have failed and probably done much worse in all my other classes, too. Believe me, failing marks will come back to bite you when you decide you want to go back to get your master’s and have to re-take all those heart-breaking classes again.

If you feel like you need to drop a class, go to the registration tab in PAWS, and it will have all the information you need. You can also make an appointment to talk to an academic advisor about any questions you have regarding your schedule. They are super helpful, and you will feel way better about your time at university after speaking to one.

Sure, nobody wants to drop classes because of the perception that doing so is giving up, but the truth is, sometimes you just won’t benefit from sticking it out — especially, if this is your first year of university, and you don’t know which direction you want to take yet.

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

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

DISTRACTIONS

EFFORTS TO OVERTHROW MOLE KING IN FULL FORCE BLAKE JÄRVINEN Mole Person Correspondent

PYTHON WING, SEC B56 — A small fire broke out in the second-level food-storage cave on the evening of Sept. 19. Officials have not yet found evidence of foul play, but many speculate that the incident was an act of

arson staged by a rebel group aiming to overthrow the rule of the Mole King. Disenchanted members of the University of Saskatchewan Socialist Students’ Association arrived in the Mole Kingdom last winter, after their action above ground didn’t really amount to anything.

Branding themselves now as the

Socialist Mole Society, they have been hosting regular public meetings to facilitate conversations about the Loamson monarchy and its so-called tyrannical reign. Support for their cause is mounting. Royal officers ask that anyone with information about this incident please come forward.

#PHOTO OF THE WEEK

7.5/10.43 Hello, friends. Live long and perspire. Today we cover a “Deep Fried Meme.” These memes are typically oversaturated, until they resemble that $4.99 tempura shrimp you thought was a good idea, but after eight shots of tequila, really wasn’t — toxic and the void. This meme references older people’s inability to relate to younger generations — much like Will Smith trying to make a hit EDM song while rapidly approaching 50. It’s a semidank meme that I would rate at 7.5 out of 10.43.

David Hartman xkcd.com

#albumoftheweek:

american dream

by LCD Soundsystem

You didn’t know your heart could break quite like this. Well-balanced and interesting, american dream

by LCD Soundsystem ebbs and flows like the tears you cried over your middle-school crush. The late David Bowie is credited for partly pushing this baby into the world, and it’s exactly what you’d hope that would entail. Check out “emotional haircut” to hear echos of the Spiders from Mars.

DISTRACTIONS / 15

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