APRIL 05, 2018
2
I SS UE 27, VO L . 27
6
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
8
13
The Sheaf Publishing Society is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.
Should esports be a college sport?
Mental health in a box
is h
ciet
Get some sleep this final-exam season
p ubl
Campus hotel building sees opening success
y
ht e sheaf
ing so
B I G G 0 T H I C K D THH I GEH S A N E E D LL I N IE S N E page#
page 11
LAST CHANCE - ALL WINTER STOCK UP TO 50% OFF | ATTRIDGE306.244.7813 DR. CORNER OF AVE B + 22ND 8TH (IN THESTREET HEART OF RIVERSDALE)
OUTTABOUNDS.CA
NEWS
T H E S H E A F P U B L I S HI NG S OC I E T Y // A P R I L 0 5 , 2 0 1 8
the sheaf
y
NEWS
ciet
p ubl
is h
ing so
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Jessica Klaassen-Wright
editor@thesheaf.com NEWS EDITOR
I SS UE 27 // VO L . 1 0 9
CULTURE EDITOR
Nykole King
Tanner Bayne
news@thesheaf.com
culture@thesheaf.com
SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR
OPINIONS EDITOR
Campus hotel offers shortand long-term lodgings On March 9, a Holiday Inn Express and a Staybridge Suites hotel complex opened on College Drive.
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 PHOTO EDITOR
| J.C. Balicanta Narag
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
Kyra Mazer Emily Klatt Hasith Andrahennadi Momo Tanaka Katherine Fedoroff 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 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. 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
There were no errors brought to our attention in our last issue. If you spot any errors in this issue, please email them to: copy@thesheaf.com.
2 / NEWS
The newly opened campus hotel complex sits on College Drive, just east of the Stadium Parkade.
ANA CRISTINA CAMACHO
Riley Deacon BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Riley Deacon
In November 2013, the University of Saskatchewan announced the signing of a long-term land lease that would allow P.R. Hotels Ltd. and Normandale Holdings Ltd. to build a hotel development near Griffiths Stadium. The project, now completed, is part of the university’s long-term vision for College Quarter. The new building was part of the College Quarter Master Plan, which was approved by the U of S Board of Governors in 2009. This document outlined a plan to improve the College Quarter area by developing dynamic campus spaces. The creation of these College Quarter hotels aims to address the need for temporary and long-term accomodations created by the university’s community. The hotels are located on College Drive beside the Stadium Parkade and are less than a 10-minute walk from the U of S main campus. Jeff Krivoshen, chief operating officer at P.R. Hotels, explains that the hotels’ location has kept them in demand since they opened in early March. “We received our first customers the night of Friday, March 9, and we’ve been in operation for the last [three] weeks,” Krivoshen said. “It’s been very well received — a lot of people are excited to have this hotel on the
campus, on this side of town. It’s centrally located for the east side of town as well as for all the university clientele.” The building is home to two hotel franchises: Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites. Krivoshen explains that each hotel caters to different types of customers, based on the duration of their stay. “We have a Holiday Inn Express that has 123 rooms, which is considered the select service hotel… That hotel is comprised primarily of single, king and two-queen rooms and services both corporate and leisure guests,” Krivoshen said. “The other hotel is a 97-room Staybridge Suites hotel… All of those rooms have a full-sized kitchen in them, so they are basically apartment-style accommodations for long-term or extended-stay guests.” The hotels’ development broke ground in October 2016, after experiencing delays due to problems subdividing the land. Despite setbacks, Krivoshen states that they were able to complete construction in the time allotted. “The construction actually was probably two months ahead of schedule. It went very well, and we timed it when there was some availability within the trades in Saskatoon, so they were able to get it done much quicker than we first anticipated,” Krivoshen said. “Our agreement with the university was
to have it open by March 2018, and we have fulfilled our agreement.” Krivoshen explains that the hotel complex is an important venture, as it shows that the university can use partnerships to develop its land. Preston Crossing is another major product of the university’s work with a private partner. “It’s a strong partnership between the U of S and the private sector,” Krivoshen said. “Obviously, the university isn’t in the hotel business, nor should they be, but they have vast land, and they felt that a hotel is something they wanted, not unlike the partnership they [have] with Harvard Developments for Preston Crossing.” The university attracts a variety of people who need a place to stay while they study, work or visit. For Krivoshen, the hotel development is a practical step for the university, as it addresses the needs of its growing community. “The hotel is something they felt was important to have in close proximity to the university, for all the faculty, students, researchers and people visiting the hospital or the [Saskatoon Cancer Centre]… It’s also a great location for students from outside of town, whose parents and family might want to come visit them occasionally,” Krivoshen said. “I think it’s a logical decision to put a hotel in the U of S.”
APRIL 05, 2018
NEWS
WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F
Experience in Excellence recipient rejects Doug Wilson Award The nominee for the 2018 Doug Wilson Award declined the accolade, citing dissatisfaction with the USSU. TANNER BAYNE CULTURE EDITOR
On March 25, the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union held their annual Experience in Excellence awards event at Louis’ Pub. While the awards sought to celebrate a select group of students and staff, one award nominee declined his award. Leigh Thomas, a thirdyear regional and urban planning student, rejected his nomination for the Pride Centre’s Doug Wilson Award during the event. Thomas says he did so in response to the USSU’s decision to close their Women’s Centre, Help Centre and Pride Centre during the campus-wide protests on March 23 that followed the USSU election results. Thomas, who has been a long-time volunteer at the Pride Centre, says he specifically takes issue with USSU General Manager Caroline Cottrell’s role in the centres’ closures, saying that
Cottrell went into the centres to ask volunteers and centregoers to leave on the day of the closures. “You have to take into account that there were volunteers in the space and other people that needed that space,” Thomas said. “[Cottrell] could have come in and said, ‘You have an hour — you need to vacate.’ Then, we could have decompressed people. She failed in that mutual respect… She had an active role in displacing us. It wasn’t just because she was the messenger.” Thomas feels that the centres were closed during a critical time when they ought to have been open. “[The centres] have their designated roles to offer safe spaces. A lot of places on campus are not safe for a lot of people — for marginalized groups on campus. These spaces are places for people to find peers and community support,” Thomas said. On March 23, posters were placed on the centres’ doors that indicated that the
USSU had closed them after receiving legal advice to do so. The signs encouraged those who required assistance to go to the Student Affairs and Outreach Team or the Student Wellness Centre. For Thomas, this was an ineffective way to redirect students looking for peer support. “[Students] just got kicked out and sent to the Wellness Centre, but the Wellness Centre had no idea what to do or where people should go,” Thomas said. “They were sent off to all these different places and didn’t have a [fixed] location until later on in the day… It was like crisis management — all these people were displaced. We were running around making sure people were okay.” Thomas says he has since filed a complaint concerning Cottrell’s treatment of volunteers with USSU President David D’Eon. At the time of publication, Thomas has not yet received any response from the USSU regarding the complaint or
Riley Deacon On March 23, USSU centres in the Memorial Union Building were closed.
the specific legal reasons as to why the centres were closed during the protests. “We haven’t heard anything, but the centres are open. It would be nice to hear more or to get an apology for those impacted,” Thomas said. “It’s our right to protest. We shouldn’t be kicked out of our safe spaces if we choose to use them. We are undergraduate students — these are our spaces.” According to Thomas, his criticism extends beyond the USSU to the university’s administration as well.
“When the email from the vice-provost came out, we were talking about how it was contradictory,” Thomas said. “It was them talking about our rights, but we were the ones displaced. The institution itself failed. They closed the centres and kicked us out of the safe spaces. They just threw out everything that everyone [has been] working for since the beginning of these movements.” When contacted by the Sheaf, Cottrell declined to comment on the closures of the centres.
Mad millennials: Student consulting group provides work opportunities A student-run Edwards School of Business consulting firm looks to assist business-oriented students and businesses alike. LYNDSAY AFSETH STAFF WRITER
There are over 150 ratified student clubs at the University of Saskatchewan. Although there is a group for almost any special interest, one U of S student found a lack of opportunity for professional development, so he started the Millennial Advisory Group. MAG is a student group founded by David Verma, a fourth-year finance student, who says he was interested in creating a student group that was set up like a corporation, allowing students to work directly with clients and use the knowledge that they acquire in university to gain work experience. The group is incorporated as a non-profit organization at the moment, and they hope to be ratified as a student group in the next school year. Verma, the current president of MAG, states that he founded the group to fill a vacant business opportunity for students on campus.
“I believe that there’s a lot of really awesome student groups on campus and that each [organization] provides students with an opportunity to improve their university experience,” Verma said. “I found it very difficult to find a group that would add value to my professional development, and that’s why I started MAG.” MAG is an entirely student-run firm, and the group works with clients to provide consulting and advisory services for a number of different business ventures, as Verma explains. “We want to act as an advisor to different management teams. Say a company comes to us and wants us to value a property or value a business that they want to purchase. That’s something that we could potentially help the client with,” Verma said. Verma notes that MAG can help businesses in other areas as well, including financial modelling, market research and customer targeting. However, the type of project de-
Riley Deacon The Millennial Advisory Group executive team, posed on campus.
pends on what the client’s needs are. Verma also explains that his intentions for starting MAG are twofold: to help clients improve their businesses and to provide students with experience that they can apply to their professional endeavours. “Any undergraduate student will be eligible and are going to be encouraged to join,” Verma said. “The application process is going to begin with an interview, followed up by a small research
project on a topic of the applicant’s choice. The reason we structured it this way is so that we can determine if the individual is results-oriented and has the ability to produce quality work.” MAG is currently working on growing their client base, as they want to start an industry and market-research segment of the group. As Verma discusses, they also want to become ratified in the next school year. “Going forward, we have a few main deliverables that
we want to meet, and right now, we’re an incorporated non-profit,” Verma said. “We want to get ratified through either Edwards or the U of S Students’ Union, but we’re still trying to figure out which route we want to take. We have a lot of really cool things that are going to be coming down the pipeline for the 2018 academic year.” For Verma, MAG is an opportunity to further develop a skill set that will help students in the real world. He believes that the group will be beneficial to both clients and students, and he encourages those students who are interested to apply to the group in the next school year. “Students in MAG are going to have an opportunity to work directly with clients [and] get exposure with real projects and initiatives,” Verma said. “I think that, if we’re able to help students apply their knowledge and skills that they’ve gained at the university, that’s going to be a huge value-add.”
NEWS / 3
NEWS
T H E S H E A F P U B L I S HI NG S OC I E T Y // A P R I L 0 5 , 2 0 1 8
I SS UE 27 // VO L . 1 0 9
SUNTEP grad spreads health awareness to university women One 22-year-old SUNTEP graduate is focusing on student health and time management with her online fitness business.
ch yr uk
BIDUSHY SADIKA
Ja
ie ym
a St
956-7777 FOR RESERVATIONS
"Straight Up Saskatchewan Goodness FROM SCRATCH"
Lettuce Wraps, Vietnamese Rolls, Wings, Nachos, Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Beefdip & Hot Beef Sandwiches, Fish & Chips, Burgers, Stir Frys, Pastas, Jambalaya, Thai & Ginger Beef Noodles, Meatloaf, Poulet du Chef, Maple-Glazed Salmon, Steaks, Gourmet Pizzas, Milkshakes, Cappuccinos, Wines by the Glass
Our Famous Delectable Desserts and so much more!
LUNCH and DINNER FEATURES
Weekly pizza Special $9.99 Daily food, draft and drink specials! College and Cumberland
4 / NEWS
Mon - Thurs 11am-1am
Fri & Sat 11am-2am
Sun 11am-11pm
In September 2017, Britt Meyers, a 2017 Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program graduate, started a fitness business to help women manage their physical and mental health while balancing their school work. Renew U Fitness is an online fitness program that supports women aged 18 to 25, as they make and meet nutritional and workout goals. Like the business’s name suggests, Meyers hopes that women will experience a sense of rejuvenation on their path to a healthy body. And, as a past student, Meyers believes she has insight into a successful fitness plan for this demographic. “With university students, a lot of them need help with the accountability factor, so … I do the nutrition guide and the workout, and then I have a private Facebook page to make myself available to them, and then [I] do weekly check-ins,” Meyers said. “So, each week, they will check in with me, and I can alter their plan or help someone with any struggles that they are going through.” Meyers notes that establishing her own brand was not an easy task. Renew U Fitness has required Meyers to balance her career as a teacher with her role as a nutrition and fitness counsellor. Beyond this, Meyers has also faced criti-
cism, with many wondering how students can afford a personal trainer. As a solution to alleviate the financial impact of hiring a personal trainer, Meyers’s services are offered at a 20 per cent discount for students. On top of being understanding toward many students’ economic situations, Meyers aims to be accommodating of their hectic schedules. “It is kind of a priority thing — lots of university students are busy with studying and focusing on school, but they also need to find balance between their own health and school,” Meyers said. “So, you need to realize that your health is important, and in order to do well at school, you need to be healthy yourself.” Meyers is pleased with the affirmative response that Renew U Fitness has garnered. “It’s been pretty positive so far,” Meyers said. “I am young myself — I am only 22 — and a lot of my friends and people from my community have reached out to me to let me know how inspiring I have been to them, so that keeps encouraging me.” Although Renew U Fitness is a relatively new business, Meyers is already looking to expand her services. “I am actually creating a public e-book — and maybe, looking into creating an app — just because I find that’s kind of the way the world is going. The younger generations are very technologically inclined, so I am working on that right now,” Meyers said. Although Meyers recognizes that it is difficult to take time off from studying during the school year, she notes that even a little bit of physical activity goes a long way. “Take time each day, throughout your studies, to get moving. Whether it’s a short fifteen-minute walk or attending a yoga class, make time for yourself,” Meyers said. “When the finals grind begins, we can get very consumed by the books, but we also need to acknowledge our sanity. Staying active has both physical and mental benefits that will allow students to study while striving to be their best self.”
APRIL 05, 2018
WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F
SPORTS&HEALTH
Huskies head coach Scott Flory joins Canadian football’s finest After a prestigious career as a lineman, current Huskies football coach Scott Flory is getting his own place in the football hall of fame.
SPORTS&HEALTH
Sheaf workout: Study break JACK THOMPSON
SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR
Exam season is a busy time for everyone, and while you may be tempted to put off your physical-activity regimen in favour of cramming, you’ll be better off in the long run if you try to fit in whatever activities you can. This week’s workout can be done anywhere that studying might take you. This series requires no extra materials, and you don’t even need a lot of space to perform it in. Try doing each exercise in rapid succession — or at whatever pace suits you best.
1. High knees: 30 seconds
Alan Walker / Supplied
2. Butt kicks: 30 seconds
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame will soon be welcoming one more Huskie.
MATTHEW JOHNSON
Scott Flory began his post-secondary football career at the University of Saskatchewan in 1994, when he entered the Huskies program as a young man from Regina. From then on, it was history, and the 6-4, 295-lb. offensive guard helped the Huskies win two Vanier Cup championships. Flory credits his experience in the Huskies program for giving him the opportunity to move on to the professional level, and in the 1998 Canadian Football League Draft, the Montreal Alouettes selected Flory 15th overall. “My time as a player with the Huskies was amazing, and I will forever be indebted to Brian Towriss and [the] numerous other coaches and players who shaped the identity of those teams during my time from 1994-98. We were a close-knit group who truly cared for one another, and we loved football,” Flory said, in an email to the Sheaf. After being drafted, Flory was a nine-time league all-star, a two-time winner of the CFL’s Most Outstanding Lineman Award and a three-time Grey Cup champion. The offensive lineman, who played his entire fourteen-year professional career with the Montreal Alouettes, has a resume that speaks for itself, and now, his legacy
will be forever enshrined in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Flory believes his experience as a Huskie provided him with the opportunity to thrive at the professional level. “I took a lot of the lessons and experiences I had as a Huskie into my CFL locker room,” Flory said. “Personally, I matured a lot during those years, and my time as a Huskie made the transition to the professional ranks really smooth.” On March 21 in Winnipeg, Flory was announced as an inductee to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Though many fans may feel it was only a matter of time before Flory’s induction, Flory said that, when he received the call, he felt pure elation on the receiving end. “My thoughts upon receiving the call [were of] shock and amazement — it truly is a humbling experience. When I reflected on all the former teammates and names in the hall of fame, it really blew me away that I am amongst them,” Flory said. Flory and the rest of the 2018 inductees will officially be welcomed into the hall this September. “It hasn’t really sunk in that I am being inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame with all the great players and builders of the sport of football here in Canada. I’m sure the actual ceremony in September will really be emotional,” Flory said.
Flory has had the opportunity to play with many talented players over the span of his career, and arguably, none were more talented than Anthony Calvillo. Calvillo had a profound impact on Flory. “When you’re in the locker room and playing year after year with a lot of the same players, such as Anthony, you maybe don’t recognize or have the perspective to understand how lucky you are,” Flory said. “I was privileged to play 15 years for one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, which is awesome, but in the end, he’s just a great friend. Our families are close, and that means so much to me.” Although Flory is now being recognized in the hall of fame, he’s not done with the game he loves. As head coach of the Huskies, Flory is now faced with the pressure of returning the program to its rightful championship pedigree. “It is an absolute privilege to coach here at the U of S, and I am loving every minute of it. When I first got the call by Brian Towriss about an opportunity to come back and be a part of the staff, I jumped at it,” Flory said. “We moved the whole family back across the country from Montreal to be here because the City of Saskatoon, the university, the province and the Huskies football program mean so much to me.”
3. Jumping jacks: 15 repetitions
4. Squat jumps: 10 repetitions
All graphics by Jaymie Stachyruk
SPORTS & HEALTH / 5
SPORTS&HEALTH
T H E S H E A F P U B L I S HI NG S OC I E T Y // A P R I L 0 5 , 2 0 1 8
I SS UE 27 // VO L . 1 0 9
Is sleep really just for the weak? Many stressed-out students will absorb copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake for last-minute studying, but would their academic results improve if they slept instead?
ra p
hic
s Ed
itor
will lead to better results than cramming and pulling an all-nighter. In addition to lack of sleep, we also often find ourselves drinking greater amounts of caffeine during final-exam season. Whether it be espresso shots or energy drinks, caffeine is a quick and easy tool to keep our minds awake and alert when we can’t find time to sleep while studying. However, while caffeine does boost alertness, cognitive performance and short-term memory for a period of time, this legal drug is highly addictive. If you experience painful headaches when you go a day without coffee, you may have a caffeine addiction. Caffeine addiction is not to be taken lightly, as caffeine withdrawal is now a recognized disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and has dreadful symptoms
/G
Finals are quickly approaching, and we’re all slowly beginning to regret not doing our readings or studying in advance. The limited time we have left to prepare for the impending doom of finals will soon become a hectic mess of sleepless nights, caffeine and confusion. We’ve all pulled allnighters in hopes of cramming a term’s worth of information into one night. Unfortunately, many studies show that sleep deprivation actually leads to decreased performance in cognitive tasks that require critical thinking. Research shows that lack of sleep not only affects a student’s ability to concentrate but also affects their physical, emotional and mental health. It is common to notice a decrease in satisfaction with life in general when we deprive ourselves of sleep. Lack of
sleep has been proven to lead to increased tension, irritability, confusion and feelings of depression and anxiety. Alongside a deflated mood, students who lack sleep also perform worse academically. In a study published by the Journal of American College Health in 1997, researchers found that, while the cognitive performance of sleep‑ deprived research participants was unmistakably worse than those who slept regularly, surprisingly, participants rated their concentration and performance significantly higher than non-sleep-deprived participants. So, it seems that, even though we do worse on our exams when we lack sleep, we think that we are concentrating and performing reasonably. Obviously, this perception is false, but our
as
h
AQSA HUSSAIN
si Le
al ar aK
brains graciously make us believe that we are doing just fine. More recent studies show that, when we have a day filled with intense learning followed by REM sleep, we do significantly better in examinations. This is due to the fact that the REM stage of sleep is essential for integrating new information into our brains. With this research in mind, studying followed by adequate sleep
that extend past headaches to heart problems, nausea, anxiety and more. In general, you should be aware of your caffeine consumption, as it effects your day-to-day sleep. Overall, a cup of coffee or two a day is a common amount for consumption and poses little health risk. In order to ensure your best possible performance on your upcoming finals, consider organizing your study schedule to incorporate a healthy amount sleep. If you can’t do that, at least try to find time for naps. All in all, although we understand that sleep deprivation has negative implications for our academic performance, let’s be honest: we are still going to pull allnighters. To ensure you’re in your healthiest sleep-deprived form, remember to keep hydrated, stay nourished and take breaks — power naps are your friend.
Women need to prioritize resistance training as part of their overall health While some women may not feel that lifting heavy weights is for them, it should be a healthy part of anyone’s fitness routine. FLORENCE SCHEEPERS
Many women now understand that resistance training — lifting weights — is an important part of any workout. However, a lot of people used to think that this type of exercise would give a woman a body type that was perceived as too masculine — and some still do. Nevertheless, resistance training is crucial to promote bone health and increase strength. These areas are key to maintaining a good level of overall health and shouldn’t be avoided. Don’t let the societal norms that attempt to define the ideal female body shape govern your health — you can get great results without committing to becoming a bodybuilder. While endurance training, such as long jogs, is also an important area of fitness, it’s only one piece of a healthy exercise regimen. There are certain areas of your overall wellness that are best improved upon with resistance training, including injury reduction, flexibility and balance.
6 / SPORTS & HEALTH
Knee injuries, which can often be attributed to muscle weaknesses and imbalances, are very common in active women. Female basketball players are 3.5 times more likely to suffer a severe knee injury than men. A common finding is that those who exhibit a valgus knee position — or the knee caving inwards while standing and moving — may experience more knee pain, and in some cases, tears in the ligaments of the knee. Lifting weights with proper form — like lunges done while keeping the knee above the toes and exercises that emphasise reducing the valgus knee position — ensures proper knee position in sports and other physical activities. Women who play sports should incorporate plyometric work, such as jump training and strength training, into their exercise programs to reduce their risk of injury. Resistance training also promotes healthy bones. Osteoporosis is a reduction of bone density, resulting in fragile bones and fractures. After age 30 — when bone mass
has grown to its peak — bone density starts to decrease with age for both men and women. Unfortunately, women over 50 are at the greatest risk of osteoporosis and are four times more likely to get it than men. However, certain exercises at any age can help to prevent this bone-density loss. For example, running, jumping and other high-impact exercises can reduce the loss of bone density, but those exercises might not be appropriate for beginners or older adults. Walking alone doesn’t cut it, whereas resistance training is prescribed for maintaining bone-density health. Not only are weightbearing exercises safe but they can also increase balance and coordination, thus reducing falls. Bone density increases at the site in which the activity occurs, so working all the major muscles helps to ensure healthy bones in the whole body. In order to get the benefits, the weights need to be heavy enough to affect bone density. This means using a weight that
the lifter can only lift around eight times before breaking form. However, a person can just use their own body weight if adding more weight hinders their ability to perform the desired number of reps before breaking form. While high-rep, low-weight exercise does have its place, it should not come at the expense of low-rep, high-weight lifting. Multiple sets can be done in a workout session to ensure results. Indeed, according to a study on bone mass in post-menopausal women, those who performed workouts lifting a weight eight
times for three sets had a higher bone density than those who lifted a weight 20 times for three sets. Keep this in mind when you begin to lift weights, and try to gauge what weight is best for you by finding your eight-rep maximum in order to promote not only an increase in strength but good bone density in the long run. Remember, it’s important for women to learn to incorporate heavy-resistance training into their workout programs, for health and sport, so don’t let resistance training be reserved just for men and bodybuilders.
SormZD / Flickr Don’t be afraid to move a little further down the weight rack.
CULTURE
WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F
APRIL 05, 2018
CULTURE
The Netflix Queer Eye reboot rethinks reality TV
EVENTS T H U R S
05
Queer Eye positively reinvents masculinity, while simultaneously furthering unchecked consumerism as a suitable means to achieve reinvention.
MY WORK IN THE SENATE ON INDIGENOUS WOMEN: A TALK BY SENATOR LILLIAN E. DYCK @ GORDON OAKES RED BEAR STUDENT CENTRE, 3:00 P.M.
EMPIRE RECORDS ONE-TIME SCREENING AND CFCR MEMBERSHIP DRIVE @ THE BROADWAY THEATRE, 7:00 P.M.
MANA BAR TRIVIA: HARRY POTTER 2 @ MANA BAR, 7:00 P.M.
KARAOKE THURSDAY @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 9:00 P.M. F R I
06
THE BRONX WITH NO PARENTS @ LOUIS’ PUB, 7:00 P.M.
MELODIC VISIONS FROM THE HEART @ PAVED ARTS, 7:30 P.M
BEST F(R)IENDS AND THE ROOM DOUBLE FEATURE @ THE ROXY THEATRE, 9:30 P.M.
HOLY HUM WITH LIBRARY VOICES @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 10:00 P.M.
S A T
07
THE WIZARD OF OZ @ REMAI MODERN, 1:00 P.M.
RUSSIAN CIRCLES WITH KING WOMAN @ LOUIS’ PUB, 7:00 P.M.
AN EVENING WITH SLOAN @ THE BROADWAY THEATRE, 8:00 P.M.
THE CLASSY CHASSYS WITH APOLLO SUNS AND ELLEN FROESE @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 10:00 P.M.
08
THE FOURTH ANNUAL CFCR & AMIGOS RECORD FAIR @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 11:30 A.M.
LYDIA’S REUNION @ CAPITOL MUSIC CLUB, 3:00 P.M.
SUNDAY NIGHT ACOUSTIC JAM @ BUDS ON BROADWAY, 8:00 P.M.
m
ie
St ac
hy ru
k
S U N
Ja
KIRSTEN SAMSON
Students are obsessing over one new Netflix series, Queer Eye, which presents a wholesome take on your typical reality television show by approaching the stereotypical southern social conservative with five — hella sexy — gay men. The show itself follows a group of queer men — dubbed the Fab Five — who embark on a mission to help another man find his confidence in each episode. Each of the Fab Five has their own respective responsibility: fashion, personal grooming, food, interior design and culture. Each southern candidate who is nominted receives a total makeover of his closet, hair, cooking, home and attitude. Although the idea seems basic and reeks of Stacey and Clinton from What Not to Wear, the show’s ability to go beyond someone’s outer appearance offers a much more holistic approach to confidence. The men who are made over always find an aspect of themselves that they did not
know they could access — whether that be by finding the confidence to ask their crush out, learning how to embrace their feminine qualities or coming out to their family. Netflix has been known to create a form of art that embraces the uniqueness of contemporary Western culture, and this series is no different. Queer Eye offers a different take on masculinity that discards our restrictive cultural beliefs about what it is to be a “real” man. The Fab Five take participants on a myriad of excursions where they learn how to moisturize, create a healthy snack or participate in activities like dancing. The greatest value of the show is its ability to deconstruct toxic masculinity. In learning how to engage in practices that are traditionally viewed as feminine, the men who participate in the show are able to partake in forms of self-care that are typically reserved for women. In a social climate where men are punished for expressing traditionally feminine traits — such as emotion — Queer Eye shows men that rejecting hyper-masculinity is healthy. Despite the great strengths
KARAOKE NIGHT
y
of the series, Western neoliberal economics nearly soils the progress that Queer Eye appears to make. The participants are taught how to dress themselves, but this process — with the exception of a single episode that brings a father of six to Target — brings the men to fancy boutiques with a price tag that no viewer wants to imagine. Most episodes require that the men take themselves or their loved ones on extravagant — and expensive — excursions that the average American would likely struggle to afford. While Queer Eye presents a refreshing take on what it means to be a man and how masculinity can function in Western democracies, it also serves as a reminder that deconstructing social norms comes at quite a cost. In this manner, the series inadvertently describes the ideal man as someone who can afford a closet full of boutique clothing, a bi-weekly trip to the barber and private dance classes. For the low investment of your entire bank account, you too can learn how to properly deconstruct masculinity and be a true man.
@ FLINT SALOON, 9:00 P.M.
M O N
09
SASKATOON TOWN HALL ON CLIMATE CHANGE @ ST. THOMAS WESLEY UNITED CHURCH, 6:00 P.M.
LINOCUT EVENING WORKSHOP @ VOID GALLERY, 6:30 P.M.
JEN LANE AND GEOFF SMITH @ CAPITOL MUSIC CLUB, 7:00 P.M.
VIDEO GAME MONDAY @ LOUIS’ PUB, 7:00 P.M.
T U E S
10
RAWLCO RADIO FREE ADMISSION EVENING @ REMAI MODERN, 6:00 P.M.
TOONIE TUESDAY @ LOUIS’ PUB, 7:00 P.M. VILLAIN OF THE STORY, DEADSHIPS AND WE GAVE IT HELL @ BLACK CAT TAVERN, 9:00 P.M. GRIEVES WITH MOUSE POWELL @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 10:00 P.M.
W E D
11
SPEED SCRABBLE TOURNAMENT FOR LITERACY @ LOUIS’ LOFT, 3:00 P.M.
WING WEDNESDAY @ LOUIS’ PUB, 5:00 P.M.
NESS GENERATION 2018 AUDITIONS @ THE UNDERGROUND CAFE, 6:00 P.M.
MULLIGRUB, TOAM AND ANNA HAVERSTOCK @ BLACK CAT TAVERN, 8:30 P.M.
UNTIL APRIL 9
OUTSIDE IN @ THE BROADWAY THEATRE
UNTIL APRIL 12
THE DEATH OF STALIN @ THE ROXY THEATRE
CULTURE / 7
FEATURE
T H E S H E A F P U B L I S HI NG S OC I E T Y // A P R I L 0 5 , 2 0 1 8
I SS UE 27 // VO L . 1 0 9
GETTING SCHOOLED: A look at academic support for pro gamers JACK THOMPSON
SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR
Will there be supports in place for those who want success in the classroom as well as on the virtual battlefield?
A
s esports increase in popularity, their visibility outside of the gaming world increases, and they begin to occupy the same avenues as traditional sports. Indeed, the professional-gaming population has grown significantly in the past few decades, and the lifestyle of professional gamers has changed along with the industry. At the collegiate level, there is now more organization and support for competitive esports than ever before. Support for esports in universities began in 2014 when Robert Morris University Illinois, in Chicago, began supporting a League of Legends team with scholarships. In the four years that have passed, over 50 programs have followed suit, and while the competitive esports scene is primarily based in the United States, there has been some Canadian growth as well. The importance of scholarships for competitive gaming at the collegiate level is fairly obvious. Many key opportunities for ambitious gamers come during young adulthood, and they are often presented as a choice between two absolutes: whether to go to school or pursue your gaming career. In 2017, the Sheaf even published a story showcasing one student’s decision to pursue competitive gaming over attending university. More support structures for competitive gamers would give more esports athletes the opportunity to make foundational career moves while also meeting the demands of an academic degree at the same time. Incentives to stay in school while pursuing competitive gaming would give esports athletes the same credential opportunities and back-up plans that the typical varsity athlete has today. Currently, the majority of collegiate gaming in North America is taking place in the U.S., but moves are being made to expand the esports scene here in Canada. The University of British Columbia eSports Association is currently working to secure their own scholarships,
8 / FEATURE
and the University of Toronto recently created the Victor Xin Scholarship in eSports, which will award money to a student in the school’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering who has both an interest in esports and a 3.5 GPA. In terms of official university esports programs in Canada, there are only two. St. Clair College in Windsor, Ont., and Lambton College in Sarnia, Ont., each have their own varsity teams. St. Clair College provides support for seven games in total, with competitive teams for Super Smash Bros. — both Melee and for Wii U — Overwatch, League of Legends, Rocket League, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Hearthstone. Lambton College, however, only supports the basics in terms of esports: CS:GO, Overwatch and LoL. When comparing the sheer number of programs in each country, the U.S. scene appears to be much further ahead in collegiate esports than those of us living north of the border. But, it’s not for lack of skill — the UBC eSports Association took the uLoL Campus series two years in a row, in 2015 and 2016, and Canada is home to a number of proficient esports athletes — including greats such as Michael “shroud” Grzesiek and Damon “Karma” Barlow.
The Canadian realm of collegiate esports may not be booming yet, but it should be viewed as a somewhat untapped market. This is not to say that esports have no home in Canada yet — or even Saskatoon — rather, plenty of players currently compete, but the university connection has yet to be fully realized. SKL eSports, a local company that hosts esports events in Saskatchewan, has been slowly expanding the competitive scene here in Saskatoon as well as across Western Canada. The company currently features Smash Bros., LoL, Hearthstone and a recently launched league for Overwatch. As participation in local esports increases, the potential for money-making opportunities does as well. The monetization of esports is one obvious benefit for post-secondary institutions that support these programs, but the process for turning a profit is quite different than the standard systems for traditional sports. Generally, a traditional stadium sport — like football, hockey or soccer — makes income from ticket, concession and apparel sales. Applying the traditional-college-sports model to esports may not be the most successful route to take. While it would be incorrect to say that there is no interest in viewing esports in a stadium, the main draw comes from online views — directly contrasting college sport, which often focuses on the in-person experience despite the developments to streaming services for the Canada West Universities Athletics Association in the past year. However, this service runs on a pay-per-view or subscription basis — something that is uncommon in esports, where almost all events are streamed live for free on Twitch.tv — and with the emphasis on streaming over the in-person experience in esports, it seems that the current framework for college sports, which employs paid-streaming services and focuses on the in-person experience, doesn’t necessarily support a shift into esports.
APRIL 05, 2018
WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F
FEATURE
Key opportunities for ambitious gamers come during young adulthood, and they are often presented as a choice between two absolutes.
It’s clear that there is potential for more Canadian universities to provide supports and resources for esports at the collegiate level, but the lack of an existing framework for this development could explain some of the apparent hesitation. However, there are real benefits for universities that exist outside of direct monetization — one being that it could get more students in through the door. Academic support for esports athletes could lead to an increase in the number of athletes who get degrees, and while this is an obvious asset for the athletes themselves — given that they experience the same plights of injury and relevancy that traditional athletes do in their careers — this should be viewed as an asset to the universities as well. Having an esports team is attractive to potential fans as well as potential pros. More prospective esports athletes who view university as a means to get their careers rolling will mean more students enrolling in these universities, and with the current lack of programs supporting esports, any university that does provide for these athletes is going to stand out as a more attractive option. An esports program makes a great recruiting point for both domestic- and international-student prospects. A support system for gaming in academia would no doubt create a more positive experience for competitive gamers as well. The Huskies program supports its athletes by creating a culture of academic success with specific study halls and scholarship incentives to maintain a certain grade level. One of the more interesting aspects of competitive gaming is the variety of ways in which athletes can market their skills. Streaming on Twitch and/or creating Youtube content out of gameplay are two marketing mechanisms that seem to come naturally when one is already gaming for extended periods, and each meth-
od can be made into a revenue stream. A parallel to streaming revenue does not really exist for traditional college athletes. When an athlete is drafted onto a professional sports team, there is payment, but there isn’t much of a market for traditional post-secondary athletes to convert their sports skills into money. In addition to this, esports tournaments often feature cash prizes, which is simply not the norm in traditional sports — let alone collegiate sports — which brings up the issue of the financial agency of athletes. The lack of financial incentives for university athletes in general, aside from scholarships, is a contentious topic — especially in the U.S., where college athletes help their school teams bring in a fortune but have little control over their own profits. Of course, athletes are incentivized and rewarded with scholarships, but the argument that there’s an imbalance still exists if athletes are bringing in money but have no agency over it, and seeing an esports athlete’s potential for revenue could add some heat to the fire in this debate. A counter argument to this point is that collegiate athletes technically aren’t professionals and that, by avoiding high paycheques, the focus remains on academics. It will certainly take more time to see what the norm becomes for collegiate esports — but with direct cash prizes already established, it will be interesting to see how things develop and whether players on collegiate-esports teams will be rewarded for winning tournaments or at all. Overall, the esports scene will continue to grow, regardless of whether universities set up official programs. However, whether or not the next generation of gaming’s finest will get degrees will likely come down to what foundations are created in the next few years, to support attaining a degree while climbing the ladder to stardom.
All graphics by Jaymie Stachryuk
FEATURE / 9
CULTURE
T H E S H E A F P U B L I S HI NG S OC I E T Y // A P R I L 0 5 , 2 0 1 8
I SS UE 27 // VO L . 1 0 9
Spring sounds: The best albums of the year — so far A comprehensive round up of some lyrically impressive must-listen-to albums released in 2018. Listen online at thesheaf.com
COLE CHRETIEN
While the year might only be four months in, there have already been many albums released — with more than a few that are worthy of your attention. For your convenience, the Sheaf has compiled a list of the best sounds of the season. First up is Titus Andronicus’ collection of off-kilter Americana, titled A Productive Cough. Following 2015’s overly ambitious rock-opera, A Most Lamentable Tragedy, punk-rock visionary Patrick Stickles has returned with a series of stripped-down folk ballads. The album sees Stick-
les working with a larger list of collaborators than usual, but his lyricism and songwriting is as personal as it has ever been. Titus Andronicus’s origins as a punk band have been relegated to the lyrical content of these songs. One of the album’s best tracks, “Crass Tattoo,” is a nostalgic folk hymn, sung
by Megg Farrell, that recalls the importance of a first tattoo. Stickles’s lyrics describe his dedication to Crass — the uncompromisingly anarchist British punk legends — elevating his chosen sigil from fandom to life purpose. A Productive Cough shows signs of growth from the fa-
WANT TO SELL YOUR TEXTS?
BOOKS UNLIMITED 1402 College Drive • 652-0244 (across from campus under the Royal Bank)
Used University Textbooks Taken For Sale on Consignment Buy your texts at reduced prices! L arge selection of used paperbacks!
Regular Hours: Monday to Friday, 11am to 5 pm booksunlimited.ca Serving Students for over 40 years! 10 / CULTURE
mously temperamental rocker who once gleefully sang about throwing up under streetlights and relighting tossed-off cigarette butts. On this outing, it looks like the band is finally crawling out from under the shadow of their beloved second LP, The Monitor. It also includes a goofy, go-for-broke cover of a Bob Dylan song — so your mileage may vary. Soccer Mommy’s Clean is another of the best albums of the year so far. A product of Nashville singer-songwriter Sophie Allison, the album combines contemporary country influences with the heavy distortion of 90s alt-rock. The melancholic suburban love songs on Clean sound like the work of a songwriter operating just outside of Nashville’s pop-country machine. Allison utilizes the soft-loud dynamic prominent in the grunge movement to make music that the Pixies would be proud of, while subtly incorporating country-western influences. The end result is inventive and irresistible. Each song on the album works as a lyrically ambitious power-pop throwback. In a music scene that’s slowly been accepting more grunge revival projects, Soccer Mommy stands above the rest because of her ability to effortlessly cycle between quiet reflection and intense guitar riffs. Clean is an excellent offering by a talented young songwriter in a niche all of her own. Smell Smoke, a new release from Boston art-rock duo Vundabar, creates catharsis within the framework of postpunk and new-wave music. The songwriting process for the album was inspired by lead singer Brandon Hagen’s experience caring for a physically ill loved one. Smell Smoke deals with illness, capitalism, death, love and how our conceptions of self can be shattered by uncontrollable circumstances. Despite these heavy themes, Vundabar’s music is actually a lot of fun. The songs on this album are fast, insightful and
inventive, and the two-piece band sounds like a mathier, more technically accomplished Antics-era Interpol. The album’s opening track, “Acetone,” is a perfect encapsulation of the band’s sound — mixing introspective lyrics, machine-gun snares and a guitar riff that lands somewhere between a funeral dirge and a celebratory march. Vundabar wears their influences on their sleeves here, with lyrics that reference the short-lived art-punk band Mission of Burma. Much like Burma, they know how to mix fun, inventive rock music with complicated political and philosophical themes. Amongst all of the meditations on death, Vundabar manages to make an album that sounds positively jubilant about the prospects of existential angst. Finally, Edinburgh-based experimental trio Young Fathers returns with Cocoa Sugar, a powerful genre-defying work. Cocoa Sugar owes its greatest debts to hip-hop and R&B, but it also includes post-punk and gospel influences and a healthy dose of the avant-garde. Cocoa Sugar starts as a collection of battle-ready, gothic gospels before it borrows from the sonic palette of Death Grips’ misunderstood but rewarding Government Plates for the track “Wire.” It’s a truly unexpected track on an album already bursting at the seams with ideas. There are also hints of Joy Division and Frank Ocean elsewhere on the album. Despite being completely unmoored by genre conventions, Young Fathers has created some remarkably accessible music for this record. In what is essentially a hip-hop album, the band chooses to use pop structures, but what they do within those simple structures is impressive. Young Fathers’ latest is a sweeping, apocalyptic collection of creative pop songs. With the better part of a calendar still left, 2018 is shaping up to be a great year for new music.
APRIL 05, 2018
CULTURE
WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F
Breaking my ink seal with a ‘Get Whatcha Get’ tattoo After years of avoiding ink, a capsule machine helped me find a design that I love — sorry, Mom. TANNER BAYNE CULTURE EDITOR
J.C. Balicanta Narag / Photo Editor Aaron Garand works as a tattoo artist at Ink Addiction on Circle Drive North.
in the traditional American style, without knowing what it will look like. The premise for one of Ink Addiction’s Get Whatcha Get tattoos is simple — you pay a flat $100 to retrieve a small, pre-drawn flash piece from a
J.C. Balicanta Narag / Photo Editor The stenciling process for a Get Whatcha Get tattoo.
capsule machine. If you’re not satisfied with the design — after all, it’s going to be on you forever — you can shell out an extra $20 to have another crank at the machine. Simple, right? I’ll admit, I was very nearly nauseated while I waited for my name to be called. At one point, I even inquired about the chance that I would have to get a penis tattooed on me. In response, I was given a coffee and told, in jest, that the designs were all penis themed. In an attempt to appease my obviously fraught mind, I was offered an extra chance at the Get Whatcha Get machine at no cost, but I decided not to go for it. I mean, what’s the point of biting the bullet and getting a random tattoo if you don’t take the first thing you get? Besides, I was enamored with the design that came out. Although I booked my appointment ahead of time, clients can drop by for a Get Whatcha Get tattoo during their artist’s walk-in times or when they have a spare hour. Aaron Garand, the artist that did my tattoo, has worked at Ink Addiction for the last three years, and he says that, although the hype around Get Whatcha Get tattoos has lessened, he still enjoys doing them. “It’s slowed down a lot. When it first started, it was like
wildfire — I was doing like 10 a week,” Garand said. “If I’ve got time, I still like to do them. They only take around an hour, so you can find time to fit them in.” Garand estimates that the shop has done over 800 Get Whatcha Get tattoos since they started offering them in September 2017. Because he has tattooed the pre-drawn designs on a number of clients, he doesn’t believe that there’s anything particularly stupid or reckless about me getting a Get Whatcha Get design for my first tattoo. “I don’t think it’s stupid. We’re only putting cool shit in there — it’s all classics,” Garand said. “For the most part, it’s stuff that we want to do. It’s a good way to get people in.” Now that it’s done, and I have a baby in a flower zapped on me forever, I have few regrets about the experience. Had I booked the piece the conventional way, I would likely have paid more than twice the amount. I’m more than pleased with the process and the tattoo — I only wish I’d done it sooner. To see more examples of Ink Addiction Tattoo’s Get Watcha Get pieces, check out their Instagram page @inkaddictionsaskatoon. Garand’s Instagram handle is @aarongarand.
COMING EVENTS follow us
©
Gail Bowen
Saskatoon Launch
Sleuth: Gail Bowen on Writing Mysteries Wednesday, April 11, 7 pm
photo © Madeleine Bowen-Diaz
My mom — like many other 50-something-year-olds — has some pretty harsh things to say about tattoos. Although I’m a grown-ass man and her points are from the perspective of a baby boomer, I’ve found it difficult to shake her warnings. I’m almost 22, so I’ve been eligible to get a tattoo for quite some time now. Like many other millennials, I’ve spent countless hours fantasizing about my tattoo plans. However, the mental hurdle that is getting my first tattoo — the obsession over the perfect design and my mom’s insidious comments about employers who won’t hire ink aficionados — has long prevented me from pulling the trigger on getting inked. So, I decided to remove myself from the process — and from my mom’s warnings — by getting a Get Whatcha Get tattoo. Since September 2017, Ink Addiction Tattoos has offered clients who are indecisive, daring or somewhat daft the opportunity to get a flash tattoo
alice Kuipers
A Special Tea Party Book Launch
Polly Diamond and the Magic Book Sunday, April 22, 2:30 pm
CULTURE / 11 3/26/2018 4:20:04 PM
sheaf apr 5 to may x, 2018.indd 1
OPINIONS
T H E S H E A F P U B L I S HI NG S OC I E T Y // A P R I L 0 5 , 2 0 1 8
I SS UE 27 // VO L . 1 0 9
OPINIONS
Take your Timbits, Toonies and toques — leave me Scott and Tessa Put aside your divisive idols and icons, and focus on our truest treasures: Canada’s ice-dancing sweethearts, Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue.
Jina Bae
EMILY MIGCHELS OPINIONS EDITOR
Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue saved my life. Well, not really — not at all — but they make me a little more happy to live it. I can’t really explain why, but they make me feel proud to be Canadian — whatever that means. When trying to define Canada, we’re quick to grasp for any heartwarming and seemingly unproblematic symbol — like
the Tragically Hip, ketchup chips or Roll Up the Rim to Win. If we’re going to continue by this standard, allow me to make a case for the induction of Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue into the celebrated ranks of things we tout as representative of our national identity. I wasn’t entirely set on my positive opinion until Moir and Virtue’s final performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. In my opinion, there was nothing more gut-wrenching — and I think this was surely felt across
the nation by at least a few people — than the first chords of “Long Time Running” with the pair’s graceful, calculated and meticulously synchronized opening moves. I don’t even really like the Tragically Hip, but I think there’s this phenomenon wherein, if you combine a number of popular Canadian elements, you get a result that prompts a sentimental response — like, for example, when the CBC took another stab at Anne of Green Gables as a broadcast series and used the song “Ahead by a Century” in its opening credits. Wait — maybe I do like the Tragically Hip. Regardless, there are so few good things for me to cling to in this era of second-hand Trumpism, broken justice systems and food insecurity. In 2016, professor of education and sociology Cynthia Miller-Idriss explained in an
article in The New York Times that national symbols have significance because they evoke emotional attachments and crystallize identities — they help people feel connected to something beyond their immediate family and community. Is that connection bad? I don’t think so. If we have at least a few things we can all agree to like that make us feel good about ourselves and connected to one another on some level, we can be happy, right? I think Moir and Virtue are excellent candidates for this kind of representation. Theirs is a heartfelt, passionate and work-hard-to-get-what-youwant kind of story. They are a champion ice-dancing team, having won three Olympic gold medals — one in 2010 and two in 2018. The 2017-18 competitive season marked their 20th year as ice-dancing partners, having begun as young children in London, Ont.
They just do what they’re good at and keep the rest of their business to themselves. They’re effectively sponsored by their Canadian-ness, so they stand as national points of pride with the word Canada already stitched across their jackets. Moir and Virtue are easy to love, easy to identify with and easy to want the best for. If we can all agree on that, then we’ve got something to start talking about — we have a commonality — and I’d like to think that, in some small way, it will bring us all closer together. Of course, I’m a sucker for anything that makes my heart feel mushy, but the neutrality of Moir and Virtue’s essence as national symbols is also quite attractive. I only associate them with their sport, their public appeal and their fabulous matching costumes — I don’t have to think about much else with them. It’s their simplicity that will unite us, I’m sure.
Let’s take a self-portrait: The rise of the selfie addiction If you take a self-portrait for every occasion, then selfie addiction has likely affected you. BIDUSHY SADIKA
Selfie culture is not a bad thing when you want to capture the amazing memories you’ve made in your life. However, if you often think about taking a selfie in serious situations, you should be critical and consider that your selfie addiction may be going too far. The current trend of the selfie began when smartphones entered the market. Today, you can see an iPhone or an Android attached to almost everyone. Trust me, I am one of those people who is deeply influenced by selfie culture. I can’t wait to buy an iPhone 10 for its portrait feature, which allows you to capture your own image just like a professional camera would. I love taking selfies, and I confess that I am quite addicted. I like to share the best moments of my life on Facebook and In-
12 / OPINIONS
stagram. Sometimes, I wonder if people think that I am bragging by posting my selfies on social-networking sites. A lot of my friends mock me for publicizing too much, but I don’t care because I am sharing my happiness. The question is, should I care? Think about this — when we are sharing our happiness, another person on our friend list may be unhappy because of unfortunate events in their own life. For example, when we go to an expensive restaurant and post selfies with our delicious food, do we stop to think that someone viewing it might not be able to afford the same meal? Selfie culture is in danger of becoming all-consuming — it prevents us from realizing that a lot of situations might not be suitable for documentation. I’ve seen people posting selfies from funerals or in cemeteries. This makes me frustrated because I
realize that selfie addiction is taking away people’s sensitivity and rationality. The selfie trend is also making people self-obsessed. People do their best to appear perfect, in a way that abides by ideal social standards. Women, myself included, may try to look skinny and pale, whereas men may try to look macho. In our selfies, we portray our lives like fairy tales — the epitome of perfection — full of joy, peace and happiness. The reality is that we are not perfect — we don’t always look the way society wants us to look, and our lives are not always how we want them to be, but this does not reduce our worth to society. When we portray ourselves as perfect human beings, with fairytale lives, others may become more aware of what they lack. Selfies are good because they allow us to share our feelings with others — but honestly, we
Riley Deacon With the rise of the smartphone, selfies have become a part of everyday life.
should draw a line between selfie culture and reality. Often, I think that I shouldn’t broadcast my life too much, because after all, there is something called privacy. Also, we should be sensitive to other people’s feelings and life circumstances. I am not saying you should stop taking selfies altogether, but
be aware of the world around you, and always be critical of the possibility of selfie addiction. Moreover, if you want to take a selfie, be your real self. Show the world who you are — not who they want you to be. And, when you want to post a selfie on social media, ask yourself if the situation is appropriate.
APRIL 05, 2018
WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F
OPINIONS
Courage Box program helps you take control of your mental wellness A U of S student has created a subscription service designed to maximize mental-health strategies. ANA CRISTINA CAMACHO
Courage Box is a self-help service for people living with mental illness, particularly anxiety and depression. The subscription-based box is a flexible resource designed to fit easily into anyone’s schedule. Shawn Clouthier, a third-year women’s and gender studies student, created it for people affected by mental illness who struggle to access care. I’ll admit, when I first found out about Courage Box, I didn’t really understand its purpose. I thought it was a weird way to address an issue like mental illness, which might be best left to medical professionals. It wasn’t until after doing more research into Clouthier’s reasons for creating the service that I understood that I was looking at it from the wrong point of view. Courage Box was developed in consultation with mental-health professionals, but Clouthier is very clear that
it’s not meant to replace their services. Courage Box deliveries should not replace therapy and won’t include medication, but rather, the subscription program is a resource for people to turn to when they aren’t able to access those services or for supplemental assistance. The Courage Box website states that “it is a service developed in an attempt to fill the gaps present in mental-health care.” There are many reasons why someone experiencing mental illness may not have access to professional services. It’s one thing to overcome stigma and reach out for help, but people still have to deal with long waiting lists for medical attention and countless other people trying to invalidate their illness. Clouthier experienced all of these barriers before coming up with the idea for Courage Box. They wanted the service to be accessible, free of stress and easy to fit into anyone’s schedule.
“You can go to the resources when you have the time or the energy. If you are not feeling like it one day, you don’t have to reschedule an appointment — you can just put it down for the day and just return to it later,” Clouthier said. “It’s less threatening than having to go out and try [to] fight for resources, which we often have to do.” The service consists of a monthly box designed around a theme of mental wellness. Past themes include self-discovery and cognitive-behavioural therapy. Boxes about art therapy, healthy eating and modern mysticism are in the works. Each box comes with supplies and connects to online instructions for themed activities. Ideally, subscribers will try out different mental-health strategies each month and learn which activities work for them. “We are hoping that people will spend that month practicing that strategy — to see if
it has an effect, if it helps, or maybe it has no effect. Different things work for different people,” Clouthier said. “The aim is to expose people to a lot of different strategies, so they can figure out what works for them, and to do it in a way that’s accessible.” Courage Box is a reminder that mental-health care is broader and more complex than we sometimes realize. There are many gaps in the services available to those experiencing mental illness, and it is good to have a resource like Courage Box to fill them in. Clouthier gives subscribers the tools and strategies to take care of themselves, independent from the help that they may or may not have access to. “It’s not about what’s in the box. It’s not the ingredients — it’s how you use them,” Clouthier said. “I think that it’s a really empowering way to help yourself, to learn strategies on your own and take control of your own recovery.”
Oliver Barrett Mental health is important.
The stigma around mental illness still exists, but services like Courage Box help mitigate it. It’s good to have resources with minimal barriers that are available to anyone looking for help, as we do for most other illnesses. Courage Box is delivered monthly to student subscribers through the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union Help Centre. If you are looking for a way to take care of your mental wellness, why not give it a try?
PRESENTS
JOB FAIR May 3rd, 2018 • 10 am - 3 pm •
35 22nd St. E. Register at www.sods.sk.ca 306-653-4464
OPINIONS / 13
OPINIONS
T H E S H E A F P U B L I S HI NG S OC I E T Y // A P R I L 0 5 , 2 0 1 8
I SS UE 27 // VO L . 1 0 9
This is your brain on finals: How exams affect your grey matter Is your skull mate prepared for the influx of information during finals season?
14 / OPINIONS
St ac
As finals approach, a familiar crushing sensation of impending doom is settling over the undergraduate body. The Sheaf is here to help you understand your brain during finals and maybe help improve your test-taking abilities. We all have unique coping mechanisms to survive those first three weeks in April when the snow melts along with our hopes and dreams. Procrastination is a cherished pastime for many and I too love wasting my days with Netflix and bubble baths — until the deadlines come crashing down on me. One of the exam strategies that undergraduate students often employ is the cherished all-nighter. Some stressing students choose to drown their sorrow and panic with caffeine, while attempting to cram a semester’s worth of information into their brains in just a few hours’ time. Others have a more lax approach to finals season — a friend of mine once hooked up with someone the night before an exam. The next morning, he announced to his date that he had a final to write, and fumbling with his pants, dashed out the door. This is a method reserved only for the bravest among us. Clearly, some tactics are better than others. Whether you are an organized student who crafts flashcards three months
hy ru k
ERIN MATTHEWS
Ja
in advance or one who is searching for a crumpled page smeared in inky, undecipherable notes, you can always improve your study habits. It might be good to start by understanding the abyss where facts and equations go to die: your brain. Inside its squishy pink folds lie a series of strange structures that are critical to your test-taking abilities. The hippocampus plays a crucial role in learning and memory. It lights up in fantas-
tic bursts of neuronal fireworks, while you sit in that horribly uncomfortable wooden chair trying to regurgitate the stages of mitosis. You could look at the hippocampus as an important relay circuit for your memories — illuminating the cherished information you seek. Also closely linked to memory is the almond-shaped amygdala. It oversees a lot of emotional data — especially fear. Nothing gets a person’s heart rate up quite like a final
ie ym
exam, and this stress can have unique implications for your memory. Research shows that undergoing a little stress when forming new memories helps those suckers get consolidated. The brain likes continuity. If you learned how to conjugate verbs while stressing at your desk, then your amygdala may have a better chance of digging up that information when you really need it. The key is moderation — a little stress goes a long way, while too much stress
will be detrimental to your memory. Last semester, a USask Confessions post told the tale of one student who enjoyed some carnal activities with recorded lectures playing as a soundtrack. Don’t do that — for many reasons. There is no way your brain is holding on to any of the information introduced while it is being flooded with waves of pleasure. Keep the sensual and the scholarly domains separate — your sex life deserves better. Lastly, don’t cram. I impart this wisdom to you while attempting to learn a semester’s worth of biochemistry in two weeks. We all do it, but we really shouldn’t. Memorization won’t do you any favours, as any facts you retain long enough for the exam will evaporate into the ether soon after. The human brain works best when it can use associations to recall information from its dark depths, so understanding is key. If you truly comprehend the information, you are going to be able to draw on those associations to dig up even the most concealed data. Hopefully, you’re a little wiser after this quick and dirty look at the dynamic between your brain and final exams. We can avoid the cyclical trap of procrastination and panic by taking time for comprehension and building up those associations. Sprinkle in a dash of fear, but try to keep it from boiling over. Appreciate your brain, and it will return the favour.
APRIL 05, 2018
DISTRACTIONS
WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F
Campus coffee-chain location looted, now only serving warm milk ARTS TUNNEL — Following a series of attempted break-ins believed to be related, beverage bandits beguiled one popular campus coffee business on Wednesday evening, leaving its shelves shockingly low on stock. Managers are optimistic and are choosing to go about business as usual, despite being unable to meet consumer demands until supplies are restored. According to a report from campus security, thieves made away with over $900 in ground coffee, pastries and packaged servings of butter. Surprisingly, the cash was left untouched, and all business
earnings are accounted for. Clark Ginter was the first employee to discover the aftermath of the robbery when he arrived for his shift on Thursday morning. Although he says it was disheartening to see his workplace in disarray, he immediately saw the destruction as an opportunity to test out a unique new business venture. “Milk. Warm milk. People love the stuff,” Ginter said. Ginter is a fourth-year student in the Edwards School of Business and a morning manager at the coffee-chain location. He says he has been developing a model for a
warm-milk bar since he was eight years old. “My mother used to give [warm milk] to me in a big cup before bed,” Ginter said. “It always brings me great joy — I know there’s got to be more people out there who are crazy about the stuff.” Ginter says the coffee-chain location will be serving warm milk only until Monday, April 16 when a new shipment of stock is scheduled to arrive. Customers can still order from the regular menu and will be charged as such, but they will only collect cups or bowls of warm milk at the receiving counter.
Aries:
Try not to hold any more grudges — especially against yourself.
Taurus: “Sweet Caroline (bah, bah, bah)” Gemini: You might consider applying for a summer job in a remote location, or you might not.
Cancer: It’s not a good time to try new things in bed. Leo: The sun’s alignment with the Earth favours you to
take a leap of faith this month. Finals? Might as well wing it.
Virgo: You were feeling scattered last month and
probably downloaded several time-management and scheduling apps. Just pick one and stick with it.
Libra: The ones you love will always let you down. Scorpio: You will be visited by three estranged exlovers.
Sagittarius: You’ve got a short temper, so you might
as well own it. For the next few weeks, there are many minor inconveniences and petty grievances in store for you.
Capricorn:
Although new hobbies seem attractive right now, don’t forget about all the other projects that you abandoned upon initiation.
Aquarius: You shouldn’t pay someone to write your term papers for you. Mike T.
Pisces: Procrastination is a thief of time.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Jessica Klaassen-Wright xkcd.com
DISTRACTIONS / 15
BACKPAGE
STAY CONNECTED! Facebook
facebook.com/theUSSU
YouTube
@USSUExec
youtube.com/ussucommunications
USSU News
words.usask.ca/ussu
Instagram @ussuexec
DOORS AT 7PM
BEST OF
LUCK ON YOUR EXAMS! FROM YOUR USSU EXECUTIVE