JANUARY 17, 2019
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The University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.
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Homeland brings Vaccines save lives reconciliation to Snelgrove
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Hockey teams face off against rivals
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USSU passes Elder-inResidence proposal
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NEWS
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Nykole King
editor@thesheaf.com NEWS EDITOR
CULTURE EDITOR
Tanner Bayne
Cole Chretien
news@thesheaf.com
culture@thesheaf.com
SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR
OPINIONS EDITOR
Jack Thompson sportshealth@thesheaf.com
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A wage war: Students join the fight to raise the provincial minimum wage Usask’s department of economics says that a “slow increase is better” when it comes to changing the provincial minimum wage.
Erin Matthews opinions@thesheaf.com
STAFF WRITER
Ana Cristina Camacho staffwriter@thesheaf.com COPY EDITOR | Amanda Slinger copy@thesheaf.com LAYOUT MANAGER | Kaitlin Wong layout@thesheaf.com PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR | Riley Deacon photo@thesheaf.com GRAPHICS EDITOR | Jaymie Stachyruk graphics@thesheaf.com WEB EDITOR | TBD web@thesheaf.com OUTREACH DIRECTOR | J.C. Balicanta Narag outreach@thesheaf.com AD & BUSINESS MANAGER | Shantelle Hrytsak ads@thesheaf.com COVER IMAGE
Jaymie Stachyruk BOARD OF DIRECTORS Matthew Taylor Mikaila Ortynsky Kayle Neis Emily Klatt
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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
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Riley Deacon / Photo Editor A Fight for 15 information pamphlet is posed in the Arts Tunnel on Jan. 14.
RYCHEL SMITH
Two students have taken to the Arts Tunnel to combat the current wage levels in Saskatchewan. Joining the Fight for 15 movement, the students argue that the current provincial minimum wage is unlivable and should be increased to $15 per hour. Deena Kapacila and Aidan Murphy, both fourth-year political studies students, are organizing the efforts on campus. In addition to tabling in the Arts Tunnel, the pair is working to raise awareness by sending postcards to figures like Don Morgan, the Saskatchewan Minister of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, who is responsible for increases to the provincial minimum wage. These postcards provide a brief summary of the sender’s concerns and aspirations for future changes. Murphy says that the current minimum wage does not address the economic reality for many Saskatchewanians. “A $15 minimum wage will bring a lot of people out of what is a poverty wage, at $11.06 currently, in Saskatchewan,” Murphy said. “That wage simply isn’t a livable wage for people. They can’t afford things like rent, food [and] housing.”
For Murphy, the use of the term “poverty wage” stems from Charles Plante, a sessional instructor at the University of Saskatchewan, who calculated that Saskatoon’s hourly living wage was $16.19 per hour at a rate of 35 work hours per week. While the push for a $15 minimum wage does not quite reach Plante’s suggested living wage, Murphy believes that it will help spark the conversation around the topic and work to promote future changes that will eventually meet this goal. “Raising the minimum wage to be a lot closer to a livable wage … helps the whole province,” Murphy said. “What we have to do then is fight to make sure that everyone knows about this issue … [so] that we can give voice to those 20 per cent of the workers who are making under $15 an hour and [are] just simply not able to afford rent, food and clothes.” While the push for an increased minimum wage has garnered passionate support, concerns have also been raised whenever such propositions gain traction. When asked about such criticisms, Joel Bruneau, the U of S department head of economics, says that “the people who manage to keep their jobs would be better off.”
However, Bruneau also cautions that, if an increase were too high or implemented too suddenly, it would likely drive businesses to reduce the number of available positions, decrease benefits and move “towards increased automation” in order to mitigate losses in revenue. “So long as wages don’t rise too high, job loss should be quite low,” Bruneau said. “A slow increase is better for minimum wage as businesses are more likely to take the hit better.” Bruneau suggests that supporters of the movement “go for $15 but also push for things like job training and initiatives for business to hire young people,” those who he says are statistically more likely to be working in minimum-wage positions. Bruneau says that it is important for advocates of raising the provincial minimum wage to $15 to consider additional measures to help the people who might lose their jobs as a result of the wage increase. “It’s wishful thinking that the increase in wages will grow the economy and create enough jobs to replace those that we’d lose,” Bruneau said. “An increase of the minimum wage will not solve all economic problems, like wage inequality. It’s just one small tool that could be helpful.”
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NEWS
WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F
USSU president’s proposal for an Elder-in-Residence passed unanimously The USC approved a budget of $5,000 to cover an honorarium, materials and supplies. ANA CRISTINA CAMACHO STAFF WRITER
University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union president Rollin Baldhead’s proposal for hiring an Elder-inResidence has been approved. The project is set to run from Jan. 24 to April 12 on a trial basis. University Students’ Council members had many questions to discuss before all voting in favor of the motion. The bulk of the weekly USC meeting was taken up by a presentation on mental-health services by Peter Hedley, director of student affairs and services in the office of the viceprovost, teaching, learning and student experience, but following the presentation, president Baldhead opened the discussion about the USSU Elder proposal. According to the proposal, an Elder-in-Residence will benefit both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students through workshops and personal mentoring with the aim of fostering intercultural and intergenerational connections. The Elder will be at the university once a week, helping in areas ranging from Indigenous student retention rates to the stigma surrounding mental illness and the incorporation of a holistic worldview into curriculums. Baldhead says the project is a proactive step towards the university’s goal of Indigenization. “I think that we need to realize that it’s more than just land claims and recognizing … whose lands we are on,” Baldhead said. “We need to make actual, transparent and meaningful steps towards these words that are placed in front of us.” A project budget of $5,000 was approved at the meeting to cover the Elder’s honorarium and other expenses. USSU general manager Caroline Cottrell said at the meeting that the Elder’s salary will be similar to that of a professor. When the idea was first put forward, it was proposed that the appointed Elder earn a salary of around $30,000, $8,000 of which Baldhead has reportedly already raised
Riley Deacon / Photo Editor USSU president Rollin Baldhead (left) looks over documents while U of S director of student affairs and services Peter Hedley (right) presents at a USC meeting on Jan. 10.
with the help of Indigenous community leaders. Baldhead says that the project is being funded by the USSU for now but that the donations could be used to fund the position next year. “It will [be funded] with the budget from the USSU. Unfortunately, with the proposal that I put in with the FSIN, it was too short of a time for the amount of money that was asked for,” Baldhead said. “However, that proposal looks good for next year, and whoever would be the successors for USSU council, it would be on them if they wanted to pursue that.” Assessment of the project has not been determined yet. Cottrell speaks to the difficulty of assessing mental-health resources. “When I was helping put this together, the suicide in engineering was one of the things that went through my head. If we prevent one student from [dying by] suicide, it’s worth every nickel,” Cottrell said. “We will keep
some metrics, but whether they tell the story or not, I don’t know how you quantify value in this.” Despite the project’s short run this term, Cottrell says the next council will probably develop the Elder-inResidence position into a more permanent one. “If it is the will of this coun-
cil to take this forward to next year, I’ll make sure it goes forward,” Cottrell said at the USC meeting. “If this is the right thing to do, we won’t lose it just because it’s for 12 weeks, but we do want to test it a little bit before we commit full on.” An Elder has been chosen for the position, but Bald-
head says that their identity will probably not be disclosed until Jan. 24. The resident Elder will work out of the USSU main office, although Cottrell says that they intend to spend most of their time out in the community, in the USSU centres or giving talks in the International Student and Study Abroad Centre.
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NEWS
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Heywood Yu Skaters glide around the Rink in the Bowl after its grand opening at the University of Saskatchewan campus on Jan. 8, 2018.
Centre ice: USSU opens Rink in the Bowl for its second year The USSU budgeted $1,500 for rink expenses and have hired a rink attendant for its maintenance. TANNER BAYNE NEWS EDITOR
BOARD OF DIRECTORS J OI N T H E S H E A F
2 P OS I T I ONS A V A I L A B L E
H E L P MA K E A ND MA NA GE F I NA NC I A L A ND L E GA L D E C I S I ONS F OR Y OU R S T U D E NT NE WS P A P E R F OR MOR E D E T A I L S OR T O E X P R E S S I NT E R E S T , E MA I L A D S @T H E S H E A F . C OM
On Jan. 8, executive members of the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union announced the reopening of the Rink in the Bowl. Now in its second year of operation, the rink faces criticism of imperfect programming. One of the more than 50 outdoor rinks in Saskatoon, the USSU Rink in the Bowl is distinguished from the rest by its campus locality and services provided. On Wednesdays from 1 until 4 p.m., Culinary Services provides free hot chocolate to skaters on the Rink in the Bowl. Additionally, students who wish to use the Rink in the Bowl are able to rent skates from the Physical Activity Complex free of charge by using their student
cards. Similar to last season, hockey is not permitted on the ice surface. The Rink in the Bowl was a campaign promise of past USSU vice-president student affairs Crystal Lau in the 20172018 union elections. Lau hoped that an ice rink would enhance student well-being and that it would foster a greater sense of campus community. Last academic year, the overall cost of the ice rink was estimated to be $7,100, and the USSU received $10,000 from the U of S President’s Office for the project. This year, the costs for the rink are different as major purchases for the rink, such as boards, were made last year. In the USSU 2018-2019 budget, $1,500 from the Executive Events line was allocated to the ice rink for miscellaneous purchases, like a tarp. Additional-
“There are no people tracking the people who use it and the efficacy of it, so it’s kind of a financial black hole… You could put a smiley face on a snowman in the Bowl, and it would have more of an effect on undergraduate students.” —Liam Roberts*, fourth-year political studies
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ly, the USSU has hired a rink attendant to cover the maintenance of the ice. Although the funding from the last two years suggests overall support for the Rink in the Bowl, the initiative has not been without criticism. Liam Roberts*, a fourth-year political studies student, does not skate and says that the Rink in the Bowl is an instance of USSU programming that fails to reach the broader student body. “In the year since it was created, I have had no utility for it and spend absolutely zero attention [on] it,” Roberts said. “There are no people tracking the people who use it and the efficacy of it, so it’s kind of a financial black hole to whatever degree that it is… You could put a smiley face on a snowman in the Bowl, and it would have more of an effect on undergraduate students.” When asked about the rink’s usage for its first season in 2017-2018 and plans to assess its use in 2019, vice-president student affairs Rose Wu said, in an email to the Sheaf, that use of the rink is not recorded as it is an “open space at all times.” *To respect the privacy of the individual who was interviewed, their name has been changed.
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SPORTS&HEALTH
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SPORTS&HEALTH
Huskies vs. Cougars:
A weekend of provincial rivalry for the hockey teams The games were a complete success for the men’s team, while the women’s team split the weekend with the Cougars. ANA CRISTINA CAMACHO STAFF WRITER
This weekend, the Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams set out to face their provincial rivals, the Regina Cougars, in a home-to-home series — each team played one game at home and one in Regina. The Huskies’ only defeat of the series was the women’s 1-2 loss on Saturday. The women’s team began their weekend with a 4-1 victory at Merlis Belsher Place. The Huskies began the game strong, scoring three of the goals in the first period. After the game, head coach Steve Kook celebrated their win while keeping his eyes on the larger goal. “It’s always good travelling to the second game with a win in your pocket,” Kook said. “One of the things we said in the room is ‘let’s not get too comfortable with our win here — let’s feel good about our game, but let’s make sure that we finish where we started.’” Earlier in the season, the team split the weekend with Regina in the home-to-home series on Oct. 26 and 27. Kook said that, despite the home advantage, the team was hoping to break this trend on Saturday. “For us, right now, in this part of the season, points are really important, so if we come away with a split this weekend, it almost feels like we didn’t do any work,” Kook said. “It’s hard going into their barn. If we are lazy and think we can get away with shortcuts, we are going to be in trouble.” Despite the team’s efforts, the weekend ended with another split. On Saturday, the Cougars turned things around at the Co-operators Centre in Regina — the Huskies scored first, but the Cougars were quick to get even. The Huskies are still one spot ahead of the Cougars in the Canada West standings, but the 2-1 defeat doesn’t put them any closer to hosting a playoff game.
KIMIA BAYATTORK
Get active without getting to the gym Here is a 10-minute bodyweight workout for the days when you can’t hit the gym. This workout is as good as a circuit with 30 seconds of rest in between each set. Do a good number of laps through these exercises, and you’ll drop all your guilt about not getting to the gym.
Squats: 10 repetitions
Riley Deacon / Photo Editor U of S Huskies women’s hockey forward Bailee Bourassa celebrates with her teammates after scoring her fifth goal of the season against the Regina Cougars at Merlis Belsher Place on Jan. 11.
Knee push-ups: 10 repetitions
Seated V-ups: 15 repetitions
Thomas Garchinski U of S men’s hockey forward Wyatt Johnson fights with Regina Cougars forward Corwin Stevely at Merlis Belsher Place on Jan. 12.
The weekend was a complete success for the men’s team. The Huskies dominated the Cougar’s home game, winning 7-1 at the Co-operators Centre. Nearing the end of the third period, high tensions between the rivals turned into a brawl, leading to 45 minutes in penalties. Tensions also ran high in the second game of the series — Saturday’s match at Merlis Belsher saw a total of 96 penalty minutes. The Huskies dominated the game, finishing off the series with a 5-1 victory. Head coach Dave Adolph says the game saw some positives, like the contribution of the rookies, but that there’s still work to be done. “Layne Young has been coming on for the last month
and a half. We finally got an opportunity to play him, and he got rewarded — I think it’s really important to get our young guys going,” Adolph said. “Moving forward, we need to get some production out of that power play. We have a difficult stretch ahead.” The men’s team remains first in the Canada West standings, with a record of 17-3-0 and a playoff spot secured. The Cougars are currently last in the conference. Both Huskies teams will face the Lethbridge Horns next weekend — the men’s team in Lethbridge and the women’s team at home. Both teams are ahead of the Horns in the conference standings and have won all their games against them this season.
Mountain climbers: 30 repetitions
All graphics by Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor
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SPORTS&HEALTH
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Can you handle the heat? Looking at hot yoga Hot yoga turns up the heat on a popular exercise. HOPE N.S. JEFFERY
Missing the heat of summer? Or maybe you are looking for a fun new way to get active this winter. Give hot yoga a go! Hot yoga can be very beneficial to your body for a lot of different reasons. Similar to regular yoga and Bikram yoga, hot yoga can increase your flexibility. The heat allows you to expedite your stretching process because your muscles stay warm, expanding and contracting to greater extents, leaving you with a smaller chance of causing injury. The 40-degree-Celsius heat also causes you to sweat heavily. Because of this high temperature, it is recommended that you come to the classes well hydrated. Anyone with asthma, cardiovascular diseases, back pain,
low blood pressure or diabetes should be closely monitored during a hot yoga session as the high temperatures can potentially pose health risks. If you fall under any of these categories, I would strongly recommend you ask your doctor before participating in hot or warm yoga. Those who are pregnant should also be very careful as anything that affects the mother can also affect the child. For example, pregnant women are generally advised to avoid saunas and hot tubs as they do not want to bring their core temperature up too high, which can cause complications with the pregnancy. If you take the necessary precautions and ensure that you are well hydrated, hot yoga can play a part in keeping your heart healthy. Frequent exercise can help to lower your blood
pressure, which can, in turn, lower your chance of heart disease. Hot yoga can become a part of your exercise schedule, and while it may be relaxing in nature, the poses require — and build — a fair amount of strength. Now that we have gone over physical health, let’s take a look at how hot yoga can boost your mental health. Hot yoga promotes mindfulness and tranquillity. If you allow time for yourself, you can clear your head and elevate your mood. When you sweat for a prolonged period of time, endorphins are boosted, which allows you to feel more relaxed. After reading all of this, you might be questioning what the main differences are between regular yoga, Bikram yoga and hot yoga. Regular yoga is simply a physical and mental practice that originated in India thou-
Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor
sands of years ago. It usually takes place in a large open room at room temperature. Bikram yoga is more structured. It was created by a man by the name of Bikram Choudhury and incorporates 26 set poses, which are each performed two times in a 90-minute class. Bikram yoga is similar to hot yoga as it takes place in a room heated to around 40 degrees Celsius with about 40 per cent humidity. Hot yoga differs as it is more of a linked practice,
meaning that it flows from one position to the next more fluidly but still has similar temperatures to Bikram yoga. So if this sounds like something that would interest you, I would recommend checking out Modo Yoga on First Avenue North or Hot Yoga on 20th as they have some fantastic reviews, and maybe, I’ll see you there! If hot yoga sounds a little too hot, Hot Yoga on 20th has warm classes as well, which are slightly cooler than hot yoga.
Huskies track hosts Canada West in the first meet of 2019 The Huskies had multiple solid performances in their annual Sled Dog Open.
Riley Deacon / Photo Editor University of Saskatchewan Huskies long-distance runner Courtney Hufsmith competes in the Senior Women 3000m race during the Sled Dog Open in the Saskatoon Field House on Jan. 11.
JACK THOMPSON
SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR
The Huskies track and field squad hosted some of their Western rivals in the Saskatoon Field House on Jan. 11 and 12 in their first event of 2019. With championships on the horizon, this event is critical for placements and getting a chance at both conference and national titles. For the women’s squad, these championships mean defending the conference title they won
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last season. With conference finals taking place in February, there is little time left for the Huskies to prepare for the biggest competition of the year. Going into the weekend, Jason Reindl, head coach for both the men’s and women’s teams, notes the fierce competition they faced. “We’ve got [the universities of] Calgary, Alberta and Regina here this weekend as our main competitors across the majority of events,” Reindl said. “Canada West is always extremely strong as a conference within the coun-
try, so we know we’re going to get some top-notch competition from a number of athletes and teams that are here this weekend.” Despite the tough competition from within their conference, the Huskies achieved a hefty amount of success on the weekend. In terms of hardware, the Dogs left the weekend with a total of 22 medals, nine of which were first-place finishes. The women’s squad lived up to last season’s Canada West champion title — taking six of the gold medals for themselves.
Riley Deacon / Photo Editor Julianne Labach leads a pack of competitors during the Sled Dog Open at the Saskatoon Field House Senior Women’s 1000m race on Jan. 11.
The men’s team put up a solid showing as well with three golds of their own. Julieanne Labach had a standout performance as she secured gold in both the 600- and 1000metre races — the two distances she medaled in during last year’s national championship. These medals earned her the title of female athlete of the meet — a solid start to the season, defending her title as reigning Canada West Outstanding Track Performer of the Year.
On the men’s side of the meet, Brennan Degenhardt’s 15.72-metre shot put both secured him the gold at the meet and placed him second nationally as well as eighth in Huskies history. An event where both halves of the Huskies squad saw success was the 4x400-metre relay as both teams came away with gold-medal times. The next meet for the Huskies will be the Golden Bear Open held in Edmonton on Jan. 18 and 19.
CULTURE
WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F
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CULTURE
Young artists work towards reconciliation in Homeland art show A high school art show at the Snelgrove delves into reconciliation by exploring Indigenous knowledge and connections to the land.
EVENTS T H U R S
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THE CREATOR’S GAME: A TALK BY DR. ALLAN DOWNEY @ GORDON OAKES RED BEAR STUDENT CENTRE, 11:30 A.M.
ENTERTAINING EVERY SECOND @ AKA ARTIST RUN CENTRE, 8:00 P.M.
SHIVERING STRINGS SASKATOON: CANADIAN FIDDLE REVUE @ THE BASSMENT, 8:00 P.M.
AMIGOS KARAOKE @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 9:00 P.M.
F R I
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LORDS OF CHAOS EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW SCREENING @ THE BROADWAY THEATRE, 7:00 P.M.
FORGET WINNETOU DOCUMENTARY SCREENING @ PAVED ARTS, 8:00 P.M.
WRONG JOHNSONS @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 8:00 P.M. TOMBSTONE TOMMY AND JOLIE BLUE: PICKUPS & PIL TOUR KICK-OFF @ BLACK CAT TAVERN, 9:30 P.M.
S A T
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GRAND OPENING OF NEW MAKERSPACE LOCATION @ 209 AVENUE D SOUTH, 7:00 P.M.
MOCK WEDDING 2019 @ PRAIRIELAND PARK, 7:30 P.M.
THE JERRY CANS WPTN TEASER SHOW @ THE BROADWAY THEATRE, 8:00 P.M.
VON JUMBO, MOON TAN, AND SILENCE KIT @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 9:00 P.M.
S U N
Riley Deacon / Photo Editor Works of art created by Holy Cross High School students hang on display for the Homeland art show in the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery at the University of Saskatchewan on Jan. 10.
AMBER ADRIAN JACKSON
Homeland, an art show put on by students from Bishop James Mahoney and Holy Cross High School, was held at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery on from Jan. 7 to 11. As part of the show, students worked with Métis artist Leah Dorion, exploring the power of Indigenous knowledge and connections to the land around Saskatoon. Walking into this exhibit, I knew very little about it. In fact, all I knew was that it was focused on reconciliation. Had I known that every piece in the exhibit was created by high school students, I may have gone in with much lower expectations. This is not to say that high school students can’t be talented, only that it seems unlikely that entire grade 11 and 12 classes would be made up of such phenomenal artists. Well, in this exhibit, that seemed to be exactly the case. Every single piece displayed belonged in a gallery. Teachers Roberta Ross and Ann Donald worked together in an effort to receive a McDowell Foundation grant to be able to join forces with Dorion for this project, ac-
cording to teacher Roberta Ross. As part of the project, the students went on outings and learned about reconciliation and Indigenous knowledge. The point of the project was to help these youths understand the history of the land, which was then incorporated into their art. For example, after learning of the important role that willow sticks played as a building material to some First Nations peoples, the students had to create sculptures to represent what home means to them while implementing willows sticks into the pieces. The interesting thing about this show is the perspective. The classes involved in the show were made up of immigrant students, Indigenous students and settler students, and these different perspectives were visible in the art. There is also a certain vulnerability in the in the artwork itself. Many of the pieces were very moving, and the sentiment behind them was often clear, even without the explanation given on some of the works. While every student was given the same assignments, they each made something different and uniquely
their own. Throughout the exhibit, there were themes of family, home, oppression, colonialism and identity. The art in the gallery was made with a variety of different methods and mediums. There were sculptures, paintings, pencil drawings and mixed-media works. This created a very visually interesting and dynamic exhibit. The art was grouped by medium or project, but even these groups were still aesthetically diverse. Homeland was an excellent opportunity for both the Snelgrove and the students involved. It is fantastic that the gallery provided a platform for the topic of reconciliation. For young students to have the chance not only to explore their artistic capabilities and work with a professional artist but also to have their creations displayed in a gallery is incredible. This experience will likely lead to more artistic endeavours in these students’ futures. It is important to foster a strong sense of creativity in young people, and it is likely that at least one student discovered a passion for art through this experiment. Beyond that, it is important that everyone is informed on the topic of reconciliation.
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SCOTIABANK SOMETHING ON SUNDAYS @ REMAI MODERN, 1:00 P.M.
FOR WOMEN, BY WOMEN ALBUM RELEASE, POTLUCK & COMMUNITY STAGE @ PAVED ARTS, 4:30 P.M. KARAOKE NIGHT @ FLINT SALOON, 9:00 P.M. TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE @ UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN OBSERVATORY, 9:30 P.M.
M O N
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DEAD AT SEA: A MURDER MYSTERY PARTY @ MANA BAR, 6:30 P.M.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL GROUP 33 MEETING @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 7:00 P.M.
GAMES NIGHT @ LOUIS’ PUB, 7:00 P.M. GREY’S ANATOMY TRIVIA @ HUDSONS CANADA’S PUB, 7:30 P.M.
T U E S
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CONNECTR WEBSITE LAUNCH @ THE BROADWAY THEATRE, 10:00 A.M.
ART APPRECIATION — WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? ART AND FORM @ REMAI MODERN, 7:00 P.M.
100% TUESDAYS @ LOUIS’ PUB, 8:00 P.M. OPEN STAGE @ CAPITOL MUSIC CLUB, 8:00 P.M.
W E D
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DIERKS BENTLEY BURNING MAN TOUR @ SASKTEL CENTRE, 7:00 P.M.
DEL BARBER @ THE BASSMENT, 8:00 P.M.
WE AIN’T TERRORISTS @ THE BROADWAY THEATRE, 8:00 P.M.
YONATAN GAT WITH THE FAPS @ BLACK CAT TAVERN, 9:30 P.M.
JAN. 9FEB. 7
EMPTY SPACES THROUGH MY EYES
JAN. 10-20
MONDAY NIGHT
@ SASKATOON PUBLIC LIBRARY
@ THE REFINERY
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FEATURE
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Vexed and vulnerable:
The age-old vaccine debate is detrimental to our health Vaccines save countless lives each year, but many are still hesitant to roll up their sleeves. ERIN MATTHEWS OPINIONS EDITOR
There is perhaps no topic more contested than that of vaccination, despite having been in practice for more than 200 years. There is a constant drone of conflicting opinions in the media with clashes between those in favour of vaccination and of those who are opposed. The story of vaccines goes back to 1796 when Edward Jenner, a rural physician, famously illustrated the link between cowpox — which caused a minor skin affliction in those who worked closely with cattle — and one of the most deadly illnesses of history, smallpox. According to folk knowledge at the time, those infected with cowpox would be spared from the horrors of smallpox. Jenner was intrigued and tested this theory by modifying the practice of inoculation — which was already a common practice in Africa, China and India — with cowpox. Previously, smallpox scabs or fluid from pustules were rubbed into broken skin, which often led to a milder form of the disease and protected the individuals against a severe infection. Jenner first used cowpox material, pushing it under the skin with a needle. He then repeated the procedure with smallpox to test the reported protective effect. The boy Jenner inoculated was spared from a smallpox infection. This was the very first vaccine trial, and it proved to be one of modern medicine’s greatest successes, eventually leading to the disease being wiped from the face of the Earth. While the eradication of smallpox was declared in the 1980s — a feat made possible through intense vaccination campaigns — it still is estimated to have killed about 300 million people in the 20th century alone. While smallpox is the only disease we have successfully eradicated, it is one of many vaccine-preventable illnesses. Diseases like polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps, yellow fever, chicken pox, tetanus and influenza can cause severe illness, chronic complications, and in some cases, risk of death. However, we have the ability to protect ourselves and others against them. And yet, 2018 saw skyrocketing measles outbreaks in the United States and Europe. Measles was declared eliminated from the US back in 2000 but has returned as vaccination rates declined over the past two decades. According to a 2018 article by CBC, Saskatchewan’s high vaccination rates are keeping children safe in the province. Numbers show that 87 per cent of preschool-aged children are up to date on their vaccinations. We need these high rates of vaccination to ensure significant herd immunity within the population. Herd immunity refers to the protection offered to those who cannot be effectively vaccinated — such as the very young, the very old and those with compromised immune systems — by those in the population who have been immunized. If the majority of those within the population have been vaccinated, there is less chance that the microbe that causes the disease can circulate. If the pathogens aren’t circulating, then there is less of a chance that susceptible people will get sick. When it comes to the measles, we need a 95 per cent
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Wellcome Collection / Supplied A Gloucester smallpox epidemic patient is treated in 1896.
vaccination rate to achieve herd immunity, yet rates continue to drop in many wealthy countries. The anti-vaccine movement and its champions — known colloquially as anti-vaxxers — seemed to appear in the populace after a fraudulent paper was published 20 years ago by the now infamous Andrew Wakefield. Wakefield was stripped of his medical licence and the paper was retracted when the data was found to be falsified. Yet, Wakefield lingers to this day, spreading his message with documentaries. But Wakefield and his followers were not the first to raise arguments against vaccination. The Anti-Vaccination League of America held its first meeting in New York in 1882 to protest smallpox vaccination campaigns. It appears that anti-vaccine attitudes have existed since the procedure’s incep-
tion and continue to hold fast as we enter into 2019. While our vaccination rates are high, Saskatchewan is still seeing outbreaks of disease among unvaccinated children. Starting in October 2018, a whooping cough outbreak — an illness caused by pertussis bacteria — occurred in communities north of Saskatoon. Of the 24 reported cases, over half affected children under five years of age. The majority of children in this cluster were not up to date with their vaccinations. Whooping cough can cause serious illness and respiratory distress in children and infants, leading to hospitalization in severe cases, and it isn’t the only vaccine-preventable illness we’ve seen in the province this year. The 2018-2019 influenza season has hit particularly hard with 13,796 individuals testing positive for influenza in Canada.
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FEATURE
Wellcome Collection / Supplied An etching by Charles Williams in 1802 depicts a monster being fed baskets of infants and excreting them with horns.
In Saskatchewan, influenza has killed three unvaccinated preschool-aged children since the beginning of December, according to a news story published by CBC on Jan. 9, 2019. A two-year-old girl from Wollaston Lake was the first preschool-age casualty of the virus in the province, after succumbing to respiratory complications in early December. As far as provincial numbers go, over 1,988 people have been diagnosed with influenza this season and 14 people have been admitted to intensive-care units. The major strain at play here is the H1N1 virus — made infamous by the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic that saw an estimated 500 million people infected. While this year’s influenza season has packed a punch, the vaccine should give you protection against the circulating viruses. By mid-December 2018, more than 280,000 doses of the vaccine had been administered in Saskatchewan. High vaccination rates are encouraging in a province where vaccine research and development are booming. The University of Saskatchewan is home to a world-renowned vaccine-research institute called the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization - International Vaccine Centre, or VIDO-InterVac. VIDO-InterVac has a long history on campus and was originally founded as the Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization in 1975. VIDO-InterVac has now grown to be one of the top vaccine-research institutes in the world, having expanded into human infectious diseases in 2003. The Sheaf sat down with Dr. Sylvia van den Hurk, professor in biochemistry, microbiology and immu-
nology at the U of S and program manager of the viral pathogenesis and vaccine development group at VIDO-InterVac. Van den Hurk is now seeing a vaccine that she and the VIDO-InterVac team developed for respiratory syncytial virus go into the first stages of clinical trials. “It’s a very important area of research,” van den Hurk said. “Vaccines have probably saved more human lives than all other interventions combined. So it’s a particularly satisfying area to do research in, specifically if your research ends up going into a clinical trial and your vaccine candidate has a potential to make it.” RSV is a virus that causes respiratory infections that can be extraordinarily detrimental to infants, especially those who were born premature. “In very young infants, the virus moves down into the lung, specifically the bronchioles [or] the small airways,” van den Hurk said. “[There is] an influx of immune cells, production of mucus, [etc.], so these small bronchioles clog up, and these infants have a hard time breathing.” Many infants need to be hospitalized and placed on ventilators to help them breathe. Van den Hurk has been working on a vaccine for RSV for about 10 years. The vaccine van den Hurk and her team have developed is called a subunit vaccine. It consists of an antigen, a component from the RSV virus, and a series of adjuvants, substances that help to stimulate the immune system. “Vaccine development takes decades, even once we go into a Phase I clinical trial,” van den Hurk said. “There are many people working on RSV
vaccine development, and we are slowly making progress.” Now that the vaccine is on the way to a Phase I clinical trial, it will still be up to five years before it rolls out onto the market — if the trials are successful. When asked about vaccine hesitancy, van den Hurk explains why she thinks people might shy away from vaccination. “Wakefield really set in motion a very serious anti-vaccine movement… But the people do see a needle, and they do get an injection, and that is unpleasant,” van den Hurk said. Along with fear and discomfort, van den Hurk notes that people may not have access to health care, may forget to keep up with their vaccination schedules or simply may not understand the severity of the diseases that vaccines prevent. “People really, in this day and age, have never experienced the devastating effects of, for example, polio. In the 1940s and 1950s, a lot of people ended up in iron lungs due to paralysis. They have never seen the devastating effects of smallpox, plague, you name it. Yes, you hear about it, but you simply do not realize the severity any more,” van den Hurk said. Vaccines have been one of medicine’s most valuable contributions to society, saving countless lives for hundreds of years and pushing deadly diseases to the fringes of our minds. However, in the past few years, we have seen a decline in vaccination rates leading to a resurgence of preventable illnesses that hit vulnerable people, like children, the hardest. This increased spread of disease is a side effect of under-vaccination, and as we are beginning to witness, it can quickly spin out of control.
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Books to get you through the winter apocalypse Check out these dystopian sci-fi novels to escape your winter blues. HOPE N.S. JEFFERY
In Canada, the middle of winter can feel like the apocalypse. For those of you who enjoy reading, I have a few books to offer to you that relate to that post-apocalyptic feeling. That way, you won’t
feel like you are the only one struggling to make it through these tough, cold months. The first novel to pick up is Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari. It tells the story of a teenage girl fighting her way through the world after a terrible disease wipes out most of the population and her fight against the
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people trying to eradicate all life left behind after the event. Our next dystopian book is called The Loners, and it comes from a series called Quarantine by Lex Thomas where — you guessed it — people are quarantined. The thing is that these people aren’t in a hospital or somewhere else where you would assume people under quarantine would be. After a deadly disease affects an entire school and kills everyone over the age of 18, the government seals all the students in their schools. Gangs begin to form, and David Thorpe realizes that he and his brother are the only ones left to fend for themselves.
They struggle through normal teenage drama. Between girls and hunting down epilepsy medication for David’s younger brother, this three-book series is a great action-filled read with plenty of relatable events. Now, have you ever thought about what it would be like to have a superpower? Maybe, that has been one of your “super” interesting questions in a “get to know you” game. I’m sure the characters in the Gone series by Michael Grant weren’t expecting to actually obtain weird mutations or superpowers. In the opening novel, every adult disappears in the blink of an eye and so does all technological communication except old-fashioned faceto-face talking. Fights break out among the survivors, and they become increasingly dangerous as their powers develop and they grow stronger. But it isn’t only the adolescents that strange things happen to — animals start to mutate and become dangerous as well. Which adolescent will figure out what is happening before they all vanish?
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The last book is less dystopian and more along the lines of science fiction and alternate dimensions. Undercurrent is a book you won’t be able to read over multiple sessions because you’ll be too hooked to put it down. Paul Blackwell keeps the reader’s attention by piling on new mysteries and questions for the reader and the main character, Callum Harris, to explore. One second, he’s going over a waterfall, and the next, his best friend is trying to smother him to death in his hospital bed. His best friend isn’t the only one who wants him dead, either. His parents seem to have him mixed up with his amazing sports star of a brother — but they are still calling him by the same name. Strange things are happening, and it is up to him to figure out what exactly is going on. Science fiction has a way of helping us make sense of our lives and paralleling our own experiences. Compared to this list of light dystopian and apocalyptic reads, maybe your gripes about cold weather and midterms will feel smaller in comparison.
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Riley Deacon / Photo Editor Daylight cuts through a small window on the third floor of the University of Saskatchewan Murray Library on Jan. 14.
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Winterruption 2019 brings live music and performances to Saskatoon Don’t miss out with this guide to Saskatoon’s biggest arts festival of the season. COLE CHRETIEN CULTURE EDITOR
The Broadway Theatre’s Winterruption series is back again for another city-wide takeover of Saskatoon’s art scene. With the sheer number of events offered, it can be difficult to navigate what’s worth seeing, so here’s a quick rundown of everything going on. The four-day festival kicks off on Jan. 23, featuring live comedy with a side of social commentary at the Broadway Theatre and music from an avant-garde legend and some local cult heroes at Black Cat Tavern. We Ain’t Terrorists is a standup show from Canadian comedians Dave Merheje and Ali Hassan. The duo offers two unique viewpoints — Merheje is Lebanese-Christian and Hassan is Pakistani-Muslim — with the goal of using jokes to combat prejudice. We Ain’t Terrorists should be of interest to fans of progressive comedy. That same night, experimental psych-rock musician Yonatan Gat will be just down the street at Black Cat Tavern, sharing the stage with Saskatoon’s own punk favourites The Faps. This show promises to be a must-see for fans of noisy experimental music — maybe bring some earplugs if you plan on standing up front. We take tinnitus seriously here at the Sheaf. On Jan. 24, you can catch Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq at Persephone Theatre with a reading from her new novel Split Tooth and a liveperformance afterwards. Tagaq has built a reputation on combining traditional Inuit performances with punk-rock influences and advocating for Indigenous food sovereignty. Three other concerts will be occurring that night as well — Black Cat will be hosting the shimmering indie-electronica of Toronto five-piece Bernice, blues musician Terra Lightfoot
will be at Amigos Cantina with local opener Ellen Froese, and anthemic pop-artist Sarah MacDougall will be at the Bassment with support from Taylor Jade. If you’re looking for something else, there will be non-musical performances as well. Canadian comedy veterans Cathy Jones and Bruce McCulloch will be splitting the stage at the Broadway Theatre while RuPaul’s Drag Race season-eight winner, Bob the Drag Queen, will be performing the first of three nights at Louis’ Pub. Jan. 25 is set to be one of the busier nights with a youth music showcase from Take Something and Run at the Refinery, a set from indie singersongwriter Begonia at Amigos and a screening of Jazz biopic Born to be Blue followed by a live performance by soundtrack composer David Braid at the Broadway Theatre. For the final day of Winterruption, fast-food comedy podcast Doughboys will be recording a live episode at the Persephone. While the theme of the show hasn’t been announced yet, the idea of a bunch of people showing up to one of Saskatoon’s premier venues to hear a scathing takedown of Boston Pizza is pretty great. On the same night, local pop-infused indie-rock band Too Soon Monsoon will be headlining the Refinery and Efrim Manuel Menuck — known for his work with Godspeed You! Black Emperor — will be at Amigos. You can also catch Stories In Time… An Indigenous Encounter — a presentation of traditional Indigenous song and dance — at the Broadway Theatre. Winterruption is looking exceptionally strong this year with a variety of art and entertainment for all different tastes. Regardless of what you’re into, this year’s Winterruption offers enough choices to get you out of the house in the middle of the Saskatchewan winter season.
Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor
fill a gap in your program Athabasca University has over 850 courses to choose from to meet your needs and courses start every month. AU has over 6,600 transfer agreements around the world (including with this institution).
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Reframing OPINIONS ADHD: Finding empowerment in disorder Beyond the labels of learning disability and mental disorder, ADHD brains pioneer positive proficiencies. ASHLYNN WEISBERG
As someone who lives with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, the following is a pretty typical morning for me: Wait, did I turn off the coffee pot? Where’s my phone? Have you seen my glasses? Oh shoot, I’m late for school. Great, the car needs gas. I forgot to make a lunch. Seriously, where is my phone? Okay, remember to breathe. ADHD is categorized as a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts attention, executive functions, organization and emotional regulation. There are four main regions of the brain affected by ADHD: (1) the frontal cortex, which controls executive functions like planning and foresight, (2) the limbic system, which is responsible for emotional regulation, (3) the basal ganglia, which controls movement, cognition and learning, and (4) the reticular activating system, which controls the sleep-wake cycle. Additionally, ADHD brains are often deficient in the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine. If you’re like me and not keen on scientific terminology, all of the jargon is simply to say that ADHD brains are structurally and functionally different than “neurotypical” brains.
Affecting approximately 5 to 8 per cent of the global population, ADHD is categorized by three primary characteristics: (1) inattention, (2) impulsivity and (3) hyperactivity. If left untreated, ADHD is a highly disruptive disorder impacting personal relationships, academic and interpersonal success, and sense of self — essentially, every aspect of one’s life. Now, what I’ve given you here is basically the textbook definition of ADHD. The issue with this definition is that it frames ADHD as the sum of solely negative parts. The problem is that ADHD affects the entire structure of the brain, and the brain is the epicentre of the person meaning that, for ADHD to be the sum of negative parts, people who have ADHD must also be, as a whole, the sum of negative parts. What a bummer, huh? This negative framing of ADHD is often both internalized by and projected onto people with ADHD, leading to low levels of self-esteem. This can also lead to the development of other mental-health issues such as anxiety, mood disorders and obsessivecompulsive disorder. For Isaac Driscoll, a thirdyear education student, growing up undiagnosed served as a hindrance to his own self-esteem.
Just imagine the possibilities if we constructed ADHD to be understood as a contribution rather than a deficit, emphasizing our exceptional abilities to create, emote and make a difference with our innovative thinking patterns. 12 / OPINIONS
Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor
“I was diagnosed with ADHD in my 20s. My whole life, I knew I was different from everyone else, and I often felt inadequate,” Driscoll said. The feeling of being different from others was echoed by other folks with ADHD, including fourth-year education student Kira Toews. “Until I was properly diagnosed, I thought it was just me. I thought there was something wrong with me, and I would ask myself, ‘Why can’t I be like everybody else?’” Toews said. Often, when we are diagnosed with ADHD, we are told that we have — and ultimately, we are — a problem in need of correction, and this is emphasized in the diagnostic criteria that focus solely on the negative “symptoms” of ADHD. Just imagine the possibilities if we constructed ADHD to be understood as a contribution rather than a deficit, emphasizing our exception-
al abilities to create, emote and make a difference with our innovative thinking patterns. ADHD doesn’t just have negative effects — there are also substantial benefits that are often referred to as ADHD “superpowers.” These enhanced abilities include exceptional problem solving, creativity and innovative thinking, advanced capacity for compassion and empathy. Those with ADHD can also possess unique memory and astute observation skills, the ability to hyperfocus, energy and a childlike zest for life, and highly resilient levels of perseverance — among other traits. For Toews, she says the biggest contribution of people with ADHD to the world is their increased capacity for creativity and empathy. And Meg Land — a fourthyear Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program, or SUNTEP, student — explains that she
sees more positive aspects to her ADHD than negative. “It’s an advantage in that it makes people more interesting and creative. I think the only negative to ADHD is how people see it and how we have to navigate things because of those views,” Land said. There is a massive difference between telling an adult or a child that they are broken or that they are exceptional. This difference is not only pivotal for folks who have ADHD in their construction of self but also important for those who don’t have ADHD as it allows them to understand an existence that is different from their own experience. The positives that come with ADHD are the passion, empathy, creativity, innovation, spontaneity, the ability to feel fully and love greatly, and the sheer colourful uniqueness of it all. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, not for a second.
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Grass-fed or lab-grown: A look at the future of meat production With environmentalism issues in mind, will the benefits of lab-grown meat outweigh the benefits of modern agriculture? DARIAN LIVINGSTONE
Unless you have vegetarian habits, you probably enjoy barbecue burgers on weekends with friends. But most meat eaters don’t like to think about the unfortunate reality of how that steak came to be. Soon, you won’t need to have that philosophical debate. Before long, consumers will be able to savour a smokey burger dripping with barbecue sauce without a guilty conscience by eating laboratory-grown meat. Scientists have been labouring since 1995 to make synthetic meat. If the environmentalists who believe that cows have a dire effect on our environment get their way, it may be our only option in the future. Laboratory meat is created by extracting a muscle sample from an animal, so technicians can collect stem cells. These stem cells are cultured on a petri dish where they grow and differentiate, eventually bulking to form muscle tissue. One sample from a cow can yield up to 80,000 quarter pounders, claims Mosa Meats. Traditional red meat is a great
source of protein, vitamins and minerals. However, observational studies show that there is a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and death associated with red meat. Cultured or lab-grown meat can be further altered for specific nutritional outcomes to contain less saturated fats, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Sounds like we should all make the change and opt for healthier protein, right? The cost of producing cultured meats is astonishing. In 2013, the first lab-grown quarter pounder cost USD 325,000. The price has dropped since then, and currently, Future Meat Technologies markets a price of USD 363 per pound, projecting they will be able to cut costs to between USD 2.30 and USD 4.50 per pound by 2020. Obviously, there are numerous controversies surrounding lab-grown meat. Unsurprisingly, the most resistance stems from agriculture stakeholders. Debates have erupted surrounding which products can use the term “meat,” and CBC reports that the United States beef, poultry, pork and lamb industries are moving to claim ownership of the term.
Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor
Danielle Beck, director of government affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, has a problem with the term “clean meat” coined by scientists, arguing that it implies that conventional meat is dirty. Lab-grown meat is meant to be a quality protein source that eliminates the need to farm and butcher livestock. Although the thought of eating animal protein without harming animals sounds utopian, the method used for gathering stem cells is an invasive and painful technique. Additionally, the agar on which the cells are grown is supplemented with fetal bovine serum, extracted from an unborn calf at a slaughterhouse. To environmentalists, “clean
meat” means a lighter environmental footprint. Laboratory companies believe if more people gravitate towards a product that is nutritionally similar to traditional meat, it could significantly reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions currently produced by about one billion ruminating cows around the world. However, the United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that, in 2016, agriculture accounted for only 9 per cent of GHG emissions, whereas commercial and residential, at 11 per cent, and transportation, at 28 per cent, together accounted for 39 per cent of emissions. Furthermore, developing cells must be kept at body tem-
perature, ranging from 37 to 41 degrees Celsius, so substantial heating and electrical costs are attributed to the process. Both of these energy sources rely heavily on fossil fuels, another bane to environmentalism. Although extensive livestock systems — where animals are kept free range — have been viewed as negatively impacting the environment, there are numerous advantages as well. Extensive livestock production is paramount to sustaining rangeland health, providing further biodiversity and enhancing soil fertility by recycling nutrients. There is no doubt that labgrown meat is one of the most interesting recent scientific accomplishments. It offers another protein source for those who aren’t comfortable eating traditional animal products and has the potential to reduce GHG emissions. In time, the importance of cultured meat may grow as pressure on the food supply increases. But the benefits of agriculture cannot be ignored. No matter how research proceeds, conventional agriculture will continue to remain fundamentally important.
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Moriah Wilson / Supplied New York Times investigative journalist Susanne Craig speaks in Calgary at NASH 81.
Student storytelling:
Do university papers stack up against big media? As much as I hate to admit it, the Sheaf isn’t on the cutting edge of student journalism. NYKOLE KING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Professional-development conferences are typically meant to leave you feeling more confident than when you first arrived. But after NASH — an annual student journalism conference — I am preoccupied with thoughts about how other papers do it better. NASH is a long-standing tradition, now in its 81st iteration — which was subtitled with the theme “Refine” this year. The session topics emphasized the need to build our capacity to report on public institutions, workplace accidents and climate change, among other journalism fundamentals, to improve the way in which we report on our communities. Of course, we don’t go to NASH for self-congratulatory pats on
14 / OPINIONS
the back for all of our successful stories. We go to learn from industry professionals who encourage and teach us to report on the stories that we think are beyond our competency level. As writers, it seems daunting to jump into journalism — especially when there seems to be so much you don’t know when you’re first starting out — but the best way to get over that fear is to engage in it wholeheartedly. The Sheaf has the incredible privilege to be a student-owned and -operated paper, and that comes with the freedom to take risks and try new things. At the conference, Sheaf delegates were able to network with other upand-coming journalists, swap best practices and see how different student papers stack up against others. And even if the Sheaf isn’t on the cutting edge of student journalism, we’re not far behind either.
From covering student protests to holding the university accountable for financial decisions, our editors and contributors are pushing the limits on what they thought they were capable of reporting on as students. Before you can be cutting edge in your industry, you need to build up that capacity and confidence. The most valuable thing that I learned at NASH was that student journalists are real journalists. Sure, our comfort levels with sensitive subjects are lower than a professional reporter’s comfort level would be, and we will inevitably make mistakes along with way, but we don’t have to stick to covering safer topics because of that. The Signal at the University of King’s College School of Journalism reportedly has the most reporters in their newsroom compared to the daily papers in Halifax. And as
some Canadian newsrooms are shrinking, student papers are covering local stories on court cases and city hall. Student journalists are in a unique position, because even though they have one foot in the door of the industry, they aren’t taken as seriously as actual reporters. At the end of the day, those thoughts will only limit your work as much as you let it. For someone like Susanne Craig, an investigative journalist with The New York Times and keynote speaker at NASH, there is a learning curve that you have to face head on. She went from contributing at the Gauntlet, the independent student publication at the University of Calgary, to eventually reporting on the intersection of politics, money and government for some of the biggest newspapers in Canada and the United States. If you are an aspiring jour-
nalist, you are doing yourself a disservice if you passively wait around for opportunities to fall in your lap. A journalism degree isn’t required, as long as you can prove your aptitude, but you need to develop a portfolio and actually get writing first. You have to go outside your comfort zone, attend those conferences and evaluate where you are and how much you need to improve your work. Now’s the time to do it before leaving the safe embrace of post-secondary education. While I recognize that journalism may not be everyone’s thing, I hope that you can still identify at least in part with this sentiment. Maybe, you have your own version of NASH that you attend and a Susanne Craig of your own to look up to — and if you don’t, now is the time to find what you are passionate about and try your hand at it.
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DISTRACTIONS
CROSSWORD
Crossword by J.C. Balicanta Narag
This week’s crossword was, in part, inspired by the feature article about vaccinations on pages 8 and 9. Give it a read for helpful hints. ACROSS 1. Singular, see 12 down 5. Rough lava flow 6. Half of cha-cha 8. Scrambled, drapes 9. Heard it through the Bovine 11. Spell K 14. Ancient Incan sun god 15. F.R.I.E.N.D.S. or The Simpsons 16. A little off 17. Iconic 1950s toy 18. Sounds like Auntie Jen 20. Daytime opera shows 22. Yellowfin tuna 24. Glandular fever 26. Worship the ivory idol 27. Pus-filled pock mark 28. Abbreviated Human Resources 29. Strong, vibrant
#albumoftheweek:
Blood Bank By Bon Iver Tanner Bayne
DOWN 1. Not similar 2. Computer-aided design 3. Hear the knot 4. Than, homophone 5. Writing style 6. Small humans 7. _____ & Science 8. Distrustfulness 10. The “strangling angel” 12. Substance of attenuated virus 13. Survivor idol 15. Eradicated 19. Repeating 21. At another time, again 22. Skin in the winter 23. Pronoun, she 25. Sea, or so we hear 26. Nonexistence kneel?
At long last, the Sheaf is back with 2019’s inaugural album of the week — kind of. At this point, 2019 has been rather unimpressive on the new album front, so we’re turning our eyes (and ears) a decade back to a 2009 classic. After all, why should old albums be forgotten and never brought to mind? After taking the aural world by storm in flurry of falsetto, folk and flannel in 2007 with For Emma, Forever Ago, Justin Vernon returned to the sonic foreground in January 2009 with Blood Bank, his somber sophomore EP under the moniker Bon Iver. This four-song-long work is distinguished from its folky predecessor through its vocal focus — “Woods” was even sampled by Kanye in 2010 — and provides the basis for Vernon’s genre-defining albums to follow. Ten years on, Blood Bank harkens back to a simpler time, when plaid was aplenty and your favourite artists were more likely to have beards than ink on their faces. Ah, the days gone by.
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