December 5, 2019

DECEMBER 05, 2019 VOL.111/ISSUE 15

The sheaf publishing society

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

Holiday Issue

The University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.

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NEWS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nykole King editor@thesheaf.com NEWS EDITOR Ana Cristina Camacho news@thesheaf.com SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR Tanner Michalenko sportshealth@thesheaf.com CULTURE EDITOR Tomilola Ojo culture@thesheaf.com

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University Library cancelling $1.42 million in journal subscription packages Cut packages will still be available through interlibrary loans, just not with immediate access.

OPINIONS EDITOR Erin Matthews opinions@thesheaf.com STAFF WRITER Noah Callaghan staffwriter@thesheaf.com COPY EDITOR J.C. Balicanta Narag copy@thesheaf.com LAYOUT MANAGER Aqsa Hussain layout@thesheaf.com PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Victoria Becker photo@thesheaf.com GRAPHICS EDITOR Shawna Langer graphics@thesheaf.com WEB EDITOR Minh Au Duong web@thesheaf.com OUTREACH DIRECTOR Sophia Lagimodiere outreach@thesheaf.com AD & BUSINESS MANAGER Shantelle Hrytsak ads@thesheaf.com BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mikaila Ortynsky Laura Chartier Matthew Taylor Sonia Kalburgi Emily Klatt

board@thesheaf.com

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

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.

A public computer on the fourth floor of Murray Library on Nov. 28, 2019. | Wyatt Henley

NOAH CALLAGHAN STAFF WRITER

To avoid a collections budget shortfall, the University Library will be cancelling two “big deal” journal subscription packages as of Jan. 1, losing immediate access to 3,684 electronic journals of the 40,000 they currently subscribe to.

The library was reportedly forced to take these actions after recurring deficits caused by unfavourable currency exchange rates and the continual inflation of subscription costs set by five major commercial publishers.

Melissa Just, dean of the University Library, says that the challenges of rising collection costs are universal and cuts like these are a common response to the current state of academic publishing.

“Even if our budget is flat, the buying power we have is reduced by however much inflation is,” said Just. “So every

institution that has a flat budget or a modest increase will have to cancel something to continue to balance the budget.”

The University Library is cancelling their contracts with the publishers Taylor & Francis and Wiley-Blackwell then re-subscribing to individual journal subscriptions. The 171 titles selected to remain after the implementation on Jan. 1 were the most cost-effective.

The library determined which titles are getting the most use and should remain, with input from faculty and graduate students.

Just says that the assessment period following the cuts will be critical to identify the journals that are in demand from faculty and re-subscribe to them with the funds remaining for readjustment.

“The challenge is that the amount of money we have now is very small, so the amount of correction we will be able to do is minimal,” Just said.

These big deals work “like a cable TV deal” where you get a discounted price for subscribing to the entire collection. Licensing for an individual journal has a significantly higher list price set by publishers.

“Publishers are trying to disincentivize us from breaking up these packages,” Just said. “We still had to make tough decisions and we did the best we could on the data we received to identify the ones that were really the most important.”

The University of Saskatchewan is one of the 74 institutions in the Canadian Research Knowledge Network, a consortium that uses the collective bargaining strength of its members to make individual licensing terms more favourable for each library.

Because other Canadian universities will continue to be subscribed to the cut packages, students will still be able

to access them through interlibrary loans despite some wait times.

“I think it’s unfortunate that for some of the content we will no longer have immediate access because I know that can be a barrier for some people, but I’m not concerned about our ability to get our hands on things,” Just said.

Just says that the University Library will continue raising awareness on how a bigger budget will not solve the problem of inflation.

Continuing to pay the annual increases would also not incentivize the big publishers to change their models.

“It feels like we’re almost on the precipice of a complete and total breakdown of the system as it currently exists,” Just said. “We have to start talking about [a] different way to publish and disseminate the research outputs that are happening at universities because the model simply seems unsustainable.”

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

The opinions expressed in the Sheaf do not necessarily reflect those of the Sheaf Publishing Society Inc. The Sheaf reserves the right to refuse to accept or print any material deemed unfit for publication, as determined by the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief has the right to veto any submission deemed unfit for the Society newspaper. In determining this, the Editor-in-Chief will decide if the article or artwork would be of interest to a significant portion of the Society and benefit the welfare of Sheaf readers. The Sheaf will not publish any racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous material.

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NEWS

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Class accommodations on way for students with diagnosed trauma Students with trauma responses can now register with Access and Equity Services.

ANA CRISTINA CAMACHO

NEWS EDITOR

University of Saskatchewan is opening up accommodations to help students experiencing trauma-related responses navigate sensitive course material.

Patti McDougall, viceprovost teaching, learning and student experience, presented a document containing strategies and resources to guide faculty in accommodating students with diagnosed trauma at the University Council meeting on Nov. 21.

Faculty member in the department of English Ann Martin, who McDougall calls “the brains behind this operation,” says that the project began after her department noticed a need to address cases of students with trauma responses in a collaborative way.

“One of our faculty members had had the situation where neither the instructor nor the student had anticipated the kind of response that emerged from one of the texts in the course,” Martin said.

“We realized collectively that there were no guidelines, no resources pulled together accessibly for dealing with such situations.”

The document makes a distinction between diagnosed trauma and discomfort. Martin says that academic freedom was a consideration while they were drafting the strategies since the document is not intended to limit educators’ course content. Instead, it provides alternative methods that delivers content

to reduce harm on some students.

“The point of the university and the point of our academic mission is to engage in all facets of the human condition and human endeavor,” Martin said. “Discomfort is not an excuse for not engaging with an issue — and in fact, often it’s the most uncomfortable issues that we need to engage with if we are to move forward as a society.”

The alternative methods that faculty are advised to use in cases of diagnosed trauma include giving students notice of potentially difficult course materials before they are discussed, allowing a few absences when these discussions are happening, and substituting a limited amount of course material in particular cases, among others.

The strategies were developed by a working group with faculty members from college units such as the College of Law, the College of Education and the departments of psychology and English, as well as staff from Student Learning Services and Access and Equity Services.

Martin says that while the faulty-led initiative was born out of the department of English, it is intended to be applicable to a wide range of disciplines.

“Student responses to course materials will differ depending on the courses in question — they may not arise and in some unit or disciplines,” Martin said. “Were a problem to arise, this gives faculty or educators options.

It’s certainly not enforcing one way of doing something; instead, it’s about options, strategies, suggestions and possibilities.”

The document is based on the U of S’s institutional goal to “create an environment that promotes and supports the health and well-being of all who study and work at our campuses.”

Martin says that a main takeaway from the strategies is that students with diagnosed trauma can register with AES for accomodations.

“That ability to register with AES is a form of selfadvocacy,” Martin said. “It’s very much about supporting student resilience, so that by achieving the outcomes through potentially different methods, the students can be supported to succeed.”

Martin says that the current document will change as students’ needs change. Part of the consultation in the drafting process was with students from the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning, representatives from the U of S Students’ Union and the Graduate Students’ Association. The USSU and GSA will also be involved in bringing awareness to the change, as well as in helping students establish their needs to faculty.

“We’re viewing it as something that's very much in progress,” Martin said. “But at least it signals, I think, the faculty’s commitment to high educational standards, but with also an awareness of student support.”

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NEWS

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University promotes Holiday Hangout to curb isolation The organizers aim to give students a sense of community during the holiday time.

NYKOLE KING

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The bustle at the University of Saskatchewan comes to a standstill during the holidays, making this a potentially hard time for those who do not spend the break with family.

While most campus buildings will be closed, one will be available for students, faculty and staff to help curb their loneliness around Christmas. The GSA Commons are staying open during the holiday break with programming for all ages, regardless of whether or not they celebrate Christmas.

The idea was spearheaded

by Peter Hedley, director of student affairs and services at the U of S, after he and others noticed that some

students lacking a sense of community around the holidays experience a negative impact on their wellbeing.

“Connections support students’ wellbeing at a very dark and cold time of year,” Hedley says, adding that students can feel especially lonely “when [they] feel that everyone else’s with friends and family, and [they] are not.”

Hedley says that he is excited for this new initiative as it is a simple way to bring together the campus community in a way that aligns with the Wellness Strategy, a set of goals to promote wellbeing among students, faculty and staff.

Both the Graduate Students’ Association and the U of S Students’ Union are co-hosting the community event. The organizers see

Mỹ Anh Phan

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the Holiday Hangout as an opportunity for people to make meaningful connections with others on campus.

GSA President Mery Mendoza explains that the holiday break can be different for everyone. While some are unable to get home due to distance or financial strain, others might not want to go home due to strained family relationships.

Students might go from spending all their time studying on campus to suddenly having the university closed for nine days, with many of their friends travelling. The Holiday Hangout means that for four days over the break, these students can go to the GSA Commons for lunch, conversation and activities.

Mendoza highlights that

for new international students who arrive to campus early while the university is closed, the option to attend the Holiday Hangout is a great help. The event is also co-hosted by the International Student and Study Abroad Centre.

“If the university [closes], all the services that we provide here also close, so they don’t have a space to go. And it’s very difficult for them to connect with other people as well because everyone’s gone,” Mendoza said. “There is a huge need for for them to have a place to go spend Christmas.”

Another university program going on during the holiday break is pairing up international students with host families for holiday dinners. The program is being planned by the Faith Leaders

Council, and interested students can sign up on the Student Wellness website before Dec. 13 to participate.

Hedley says the university will also consider hosting community gatherings in the summer, another time outside of the regular academic year when it can get lonelier for students.

“Wellness, particularly mental health, is about connection and community,” Hedley said. “And a lot of students at any time of year, they may actually lack that connection with other people, and that makes them really vulnerable and we need to keep an eye out for students.”

The GSA Commons will be open on Dec. 25, 27, 30 and 31 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Anyone interested in attending can register online.

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NEWS

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USSU Indigenous Knowledge Keeper brings lifetime of experiences to position Cultural leader Joseph Naytowhow works at helping and healing the campus community through traditional knowledge.

NOAH CALLAGHAN STAFF WRITER

Throughout Joseph Naytowhow’s lengthy career as a Cree musician, actor, storyteller and educator, he has accumulated a range of skills and knowledge that he is applying while in the Indigenous Knowledge Keeper position.

Naytowhow, a renowned interdisciplinary artist from the Sturgeon Lake First Nations Band, says the proposal to fill the position in the 2019-20 academic year appealed to him because of his history with the campus community and his time as a student before graduating from the College of Education.

Naytowhow feels like he has reached a balanced and healthy point in his life, and he is ready to be a helper to people.

“I feel like I can provide that guidance that students need individually or collectively,” Naytowhow said. “I can help them through what I’ve gone through because I have a good story to tell and it’s a story of healing, childhood struggle and survival.”

The position, first titled “Elder-in-Residence,” was established by the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union in January, with two-spirit Métis filmmaker

Elder Marjorie Beaucage filling the role for its first term.

Naytowhow says the life experiences he relies on to fill the Indigenous Knowledge Keeper position are both the good and the bad, which include his experiences as a survivor of Canada’s residential school system.

“It seems like that’s one of the areas that I think hasn’t really been known by Canadians in general, including in the university, so I’ve drawn on that as well even though it’s a typical story,” Naytowhow said.

“Shared sparingly, as I feel it’s a difficult experience and not too many people know that story, but I know it well.”

The logo for USSU’s strategic goals for the year, “The Path Forward,” is a medicine wheel featuring the colours used ceremonially in Naytowhow’s community. He requested permission from his lodge to use the colours to help represent the USSU’s goals and the university as a whole.

“Those colours are actually quite suitable because they represent the four directions which are all the things being studied at the university,” Naytowhow said. “Imagine if everyone in the whole university in all their different faculties made a really big circle,

they would all fit in one of those directions.”

This year, Naytowhow has co-ordinated pipe ceremonies and attended University Council meetings. He has also taken part in discussions on missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada.

Naytowhow says it can be difficult to raise awareness about the violence in Indigenous communities because this issue “has its roots in the trauma of this country.”

“It was a challenging discussion but a good one to have and it was more spontaneous,” Naythowhow said.

“Sometimes it’s trickier when it’s coming right from your truth — those are the hardest stories to share.”

Naytowhow admits that helping Indigenous and non-Indigenous students through personal troubles can be a challenge, but prayer, smudging and certain medicines help “calm the mind” and bring people clarity.

“I can take them to ceremonies where they can bring themselves back to balance in the way I was raised and you know it works,” Naytowhow said.

Naytowhow says it is great to see Indigenization being taken seriously and to be a part of decolonizing academia. His plans for the new

Supplied by James Page

year include offering drop-in services to students and organizing more presentations.

“We need some connection to the Indigenous world because of the [historical] relationship that we have here,”

Naytowhow said. “A way to enter into that spiritual world or spirit connection is through something as simple as acknowledging something greater than ourselves through a smudge.”

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NEWS / 5

SPORTS&HEALTH

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Huskies mid-season report The 2019-20 season has reached the halfway point, so how are they making out?

TANNER MICHALENKO SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

As the Huskies take the month of December off for final exams and the holiday season, there is no better time than now to check in with the status of each team.

The Huskie teams are in good or great shape across the board.

With over 108 Canada West championships and 26 national titles earned throughout its 108year history, a program with this level of historical excellence is expected to uphold its tradition year in and year out as a top program in Canada.

With this in mind, let yourself procrastinate final exam studies and get acquainted with each teams’ positioning in an ultra-competitive Canada West conference.

Men’s hockey

In his 27th consecutive season at head coach, Dave Adolph has the Huskies tied for second place in the conference with 11 wins and five losses. Four of their five losses came in the opening four games of the season, and now they have won 11 of their last 12, including eight straight.

The leading scorer for the Huskies is rookie forward Jared Dmytriw, who is a top 10 scorer in the conference with 14 points in 16 games played. The former Vancouver Giant is second in the conference among all rookie skaters.

The 2018-19 U Sports goaltender of the year, Taran Kozun, is giving the Huskies a good chance to win each time he starts between the pipes. Kozun’s 2.33 goals-against-average is third in the conference while he holds the most wins among all goalies with nine.

Women’s hockey

Winners of their last three straight games, head coach Steve Kook has his Huskies heading into the break on a positive note in his 13th season at the helm.

Saskatchewan is just one point behind the first-place University of Calgary Dinos and are well on their way to qualifying for the six-team playoff.

In their lone matchup this season, the Huskies swept the Dinos on the road in October.

Fourth-year forward Bailee Bourassa is a top-five scorer in the conference with 13 points in 16 games played. Bourassa has been the most active shooter in the conference as well, recording 71 shots on goal so far.

Fourth-year goalie Jessica Vance has recorded three shutouts so far this season, climbing the record books with 18 in her career which gives her sole possession of third all-time in Canada West history. She is now just one shutout away from moving into a tie for second-place alltime.

Leah Bohlken | Supplied by GetMyPhoto.ca/Huskie Athletics

Men’s basketball

In his ninth season as the official head coach of the program, Barry Rawlyk’s Huskies are in the thick of things in a tightly packed Canada West conference. Saskatchewan is tied for sixth place heading into the holiday break with six wins and two losses. The top 12 teams will battle it out come playoff time.

Fifth-year guard JT Robinson leads the Huskies in scoring with 18.8 points per game, eighthmost in the conference. Robinson is scoring with good efficiency, shooting 47.5 per cent from the floor. Second-year guard Alexander Dewar is not far behind Robinson’s production with 17.4 points per game on a fantastic 53 per cent shooting percentage.

Emily Koshinsky | Supplied by GetMyPhoto.ca/Huskie Athletics

Second-year forward Kessler Bishop is grabbing 9.3 rebounds per game while blocking 1.1 shots per game, the fifth and sixth marks in the conference, respectively.

Women’s basketball

The number one ranked team in the country, led by head coach Lisa Thomaidis in her 21st season, is perfect.

Seriously though, they have not lost a game yet this year head-

ing into the holiday break. Tied for first in the conference, the team looks to earn their fourth Canada West title in the past five seasons and hopefully grab their first national championship since 2016.

Fourth-year forward Summer Masikewich is leading the team with 15.6 points per game on 50 per cent shooting. Fifth-year guard Sabine Dukate is second in team scoring with 14.4 points per game on 48.4 per cent shooting.

Men’s volleyball

Kessler Bishop | Supplied by GetMyPhoto.ca/Huskie Athletics

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Losing their last three of four games, the sky is not falling for first-year head coach Sean McKay and the Huskies who are still in a good position to make the eight-team Canada West playoffs currently sitting in fifth place.

Third-year outside hitter Dylan Mortensen, the former Canada West rookie of the year, has recorded the most kills in the conference with 177 through 12 matches played. Fourth-year setter Connor Gavlas is of great assistance to Mortensen and the team as a whole, recording the second-most assists in the conference with 389.

Women’s volleyball

In his fifth season as the head coach, Mark Dodds’ Huskies team is tied for fourth in the conference with eight wins and four losses. The top eight teams will qualify for playoffs.

Saskatchewan is the only team to defeat the number one ranked team in the country, the Trinity Western University Spartans.

That is no feat to be taken lightly.

Fourth-year outside hitter Emily Koshinsky leads the team with 149 kills, which is seventh-most in the conference. Second-year setter Averie Allard is third in the conference for assists with 410.

Wrestling

For the first time in program history, the Huskies women’s wrestling team is the number one ranked team in the country. The men’s team is third in the country.

Huskies fans can expect head coach Daniel Olver to get the most out of both the men’s and women’s teams heading into the Canada West championship on Feb. 7 and 8, followed by the U Sports championship on Feb 21 and 22.

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SPORTS&HEALTH

Photo story: The present and future of hockey A collection of photos by Heywood Yu.

U of S Huskies forward Bailee Bourassa skates with three fans during the post-game skate at Merlis Belsher Place on Nov. 30, 2019. Bourassa leads the Huskies with points in the midseason, recording 13 points with seven goals and six assists. | Heywood Yu

University of Saskatchewan Huskies student trainer Maija Kuan, middle, reacts as Huskies forward Emma Nutter, right, gives a fan a gift during the post-game skate at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon, SK on Nov. 30, 2019. | Heywood Yu

U of S Huskies forward Brooklyn Haubrich, who is in her final year of captaincy, is surrounded by fans during the post-game skate at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon, SK on Nov. 30, 2019. | Heywood Yu

U of S Huskies goaltender Jessica Vance holds an autograph sheet during the post-game skate at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon, SK on Nov. 30, 2019. During the game against the University of Mount Royal Cougars, Vance recorded her 18th career shutout, moving her into third all-time in Canada West history. | Heywood Yu

U of S Huskies forward Courtney Cormack interacts with a fan during the post-game skate at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon, SK on Nov. 30, 2019. | Heywood Yu

U of S Huskies forward Shyan Elias plays tag with fans during the post-game skate at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon, SK on Nov. 30, 2019. | Heywood Yu

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SPORTS&HEALTH

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Happy, healthy holidays Are holiday preparation diets causing more harm than good?

SHAWNA LANGER GRAPHICS EDITOR

With exam stress and the holiday season quickly approaching, a common theme keeps reappearing through social media posts and casual conversations — diets.

December is already overwhelming with the expectation of being pleasant with family members at gatherings. Turning the month into a diet craze can add one more thing to your list of stressors.

While being mindful of your nutrition is important to lead a healthy lifestyle, misguided dieting behaviours often result in

weight regain and could escalate to disordered eating.

Some people might take up restrictive diets before their holiday feasts in an attempt to save up for all those sweet and savoury foods. While this may seem like an option to curb the holiday weight gain, it could potentially lead to more weight gain than no diet at all.

Restricting specific types of food is not sustainable for longterm dietary changes and often leads to overeating due to increased cravings of restricted foods. Preventing yourself from enjoying foods by putting them on a forbidden pedestal is not ideal. That strategy can make you

even more obsessed with the idea of being allowed to eat them once you have given yourself permission.

Similarly, if you consider the holiday season as a time to eat anything freely but are planning a new year’s resolution of removing certain foods from your diet, you are more likely to indulge in larger amounts of these foods in preparation for the upcoming restriction.

Restrictive eating is a slippery slope that can have the opposite effect dieters want.

Intuitive eating is an alternative that may prove to be more effective for weight maintenance and overall well-being. A common

misconception with non-diet approaches is that if you are not dieting, you are binging and do not care what you eat — but that is not the case.

This mindful way of eating is dependant on the body’s internal hunger and fullness cues — eating for physical reasons rather than emotional reasons and giving yourself permission to eat anything. While this may sound like a food free-for-all, this type of eating takes practice and is more complicated than what it may seem to be on the surface.

It is not about eating everything and anything in sight because you have allowed yourself to — it is about listening to your

body and figuring out what it truly needs. It can be useful to note how you feel physically, emotionally and mentally after eating certain types or amounts of food.

Using these body and mind cues can help to determine what foods make you feel good or bad.

The healthiest way to go about holiday meals is to grant yourself permission to eat, be happy and not focus so much on the food. You do not need to remove foods from your diet for certain amounts of time to be healthier this holiday season.

Holidays are supposed to be about much more than food, so let them be more and let yourself be joyful.

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CULTURE

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How to shop green this holiday season The holidays don’t have to be stressful for you or the planet.

HOPE N.S. JEFFERY

There are so many ways to shop this holiday season while still being kind to the planet and to your wallet.

One of the best things you can do is shop local. Not only will your gift be unique but you’ll let small business owners everywhere do a little happy dance every time they see a new order come in. I know I do! I run my own business where I create recycled custom jewelry and accessories, so I know the importance of supporting local.

Often times, small businesses will be open to customization or changing little things about their products to make you happy, but when you buy from a big box store, what you see is what you get.

Why be one of the millions when you can be one in a million? Shopping small is fantastic because you are helping

someone in your community pay for their child’s first ballet class or their university expenses, not some random millionaire who is buying their fifth car.

You don’t have to plan ahead and scour the internet months in advance to find the perfect gift and worry about it arriving on time. Brick and mortar stores are great places to find local goods and sustainable products.

Fortunately, we have a couple of great stores right here in town. In Saskatoon, you can find some unique items in stores like Joyne Collective Marketplace and SaskMade Marketplace.

Craft Markets are also amazing places to find some incredible pieces. Although most of them happen in November, there are a few left that will be happening in early December for those who like to start their shopping then.

Some of these markets are

the upcoming Mistletoe Market at Yay! Thai on Dec. 13 to 14 and St. Mary’s Christmas Market at St. Mary’s Parish on Dec. 14. There is even the Etsy SK’s Saskatoon Winter Market on Dec. 14 headed up by some local Etsy artists.

Here are some Instagram handles of great local businesses you can shop from this holiday season that can help you keep your money local and help the Earth through many of their great upcycled or reusable products: 1. Handmade sewn and padded reusable snack bags @munchkitsyxe 2. Polymer clay earrings and beautiful bracelets @k.elevendesigns 3. Beaded bracelets with $5 from each bracelet going to the humane society @_beadsforacause 4. Scrunchies from a local young business - @bowdownyxe 5. Stylish consignment clothing - @instlye_apparel_

6. Planner stickers for all your planner needs @Busylizzieplans 7. Custom hair accessories at affordable prices @thehairclipgurl 8. Hand-cut wooden signs and decor - @saskatoonchic 9. Fun and functional children’s activity boxes from a young entrepreneur @busyboxshop 10. All-natural lip balms from locally sourced beeswax in biodegradable packaging @willowstreetbees 11. A reusable alternative to saran wrap made with beeswax and cloth - @wrapgodyqr But also keep in mind that not all gifts have to be storebought or purchased through artists — you can make your own gifts. There are many fun DIYs on Pinterest and simple knitting crafts to try. You can even bake something special, or you re-gift items you have received in the past.

The benefits of shopping lo-

cal or DIY-ing gifts are endless.

Not only do you get a more unique and personalized gift, you support business owners that might be your neighbours or people you see in the street instead of faceless corporations.

This holiday season, choose the local, greener option.

Hope N.S. Jeffery is a student at the University of Saskatchewan and owns and operates Hopeful By Hope. Her products can be found on Etsy and Instagram.

Shawna Langer/ Graphics Editor

Album review: Neighborhood by Rhymestone is a fresh, local punk release The record features chaotic vocals and a promising diversity of sound.

WYATT HENLEY

HOLLY GILROY

On their debut album Neighborhood, Rymestone provides a solid base of raw punk instrumentals with energetic vocals and various influences. Rymestone’s sound demonstrates a developing versatility and is poised to grow in an exciting and modern direction.

Founded in 2018, this Prince Albert band includes members Emma Jean Anderson on vocals and guitar, Jordy Balicki on bass and Ian Dickson on drums. Describing their genre as post-punk, Rymestone seeks to join a canon of artists in the genre such as Joy Division, The Cure and Talking Heads.

Although the album features the driving bass and wavering vocals that characterize the genre, Rymestone’s heavy instrumentals tend towards a classic analogue punk sound, forgoing the synthesized sound of many archetypal post-punk albums.

Rymestone is at their best when experimenting, and their most compelling songs feature a dynamic interplay of elements. The standout tracks such as Robotic and Okay’over are characterized by their ebb and flow, creating a mood that draws the listener in.

That said, Rymestone’s more straightforward songs do create a mood of their own.

Though some of the songs blend together and might not lend well to listening to at home by yourself, a live performance would bring the electric energy needed to elevate their sound.

The band’s melodic sound was carried by Anderson’s vocals, which pierced through the mix of punk instruments.

The vocals played into the experimental aspect, adding texture by contorting different vowels and sounds. This, combined with the use of echo and reverb effects, makes for an interesting listen and a firm vocally-driven album.

Although the vocals are front and centre of Rhymestone’s sound, the instrumentation surrounding them provided a consistent rhyth-

mic framework.

Balicki’s bass takes a prominent role with its growling tone and this complements the vigorous drumming of Dickson. The guitar took many forms throughout the album — at times it was melodic and at other points, it was gritty and droning. In any case, it always sounded balanced within the band’s sound.

On one of the albums standout songs, Robotic, Rymestone takes on a less punk sound and delivers a heavy and plodding tune reminiscent of metal pioneers, Black Sabbath. The groovy bass runs and syncopated drumming set up a raw and powerful foundation for the track.

Anderson’s vocals take a lighter turn on the track, contrasting with the heavy guitar.

This break from the vocal intensity stands out against the dramatic and rough style featured on most of the album.

The technique with which Anderson’s vocals flash from the delicate highs into a full blown yell is one of the most powerful and dynamic moments on the album.

In contrast with the heavy

Artwork by Jonathan Harrison-Kendrick

grooves of Robotic, songs like Betty and Sorta Mellow take a more punk, and almost surfrock tone. Betty, one of the catchiest songs on the album, features a melodic bassline and guitar that jangles through the track with an upbeat energy.

Anderson’s vocals are very expressive on the track, starting the song with a spoken section, then continuing with a more melodic sound. The track features a subtle effect on the vocals, giving them a somewhat vintage tone throughout.

Near the end of the album, Rymestone delivers rich imagery on Okay’over, a track that rolls with a sort of downbeat paranoia. Anderson’s takes a less frenetic approach

throughout the verses, using her voice to tell a story that intrigues the listener. The song flares up momentarily, then drops back into the plodding groove each verse.

Overall, Rymestone delivers an energetic and dramatic blend of hard-hitting tunes, some being a more ambitious structure and some taking more of a narrative stance.

With the many different sounds Rymestone features throughout the album, it will be interesting to see which style dominates and becomes their staple as they move forward.

Rymestone’s debut album Neighborhood can be found on Spotify or on their website rymestone.com.

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The Yol Piok story: Football, family and survival Huskies football wide receiver opens up on his lifetime of struggles and triumph.

TANNER MICHALENKO SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

From the outside looking in, you would never guess the trials and tribulations that Yol Piok has been through.

As a first-generation immigrant from Sudan, his childhood in Regina is not what you would expect from a student athlete competing at the highest level of football in Canadian university sport.

“I remember vividly running out to [my brother] and seeing his face with blood everywhere.

At four years old, you don’t really comprehend what’s going on,” Piok said.

Piok’s second-oldest brother was struck by a car right in front of their three-bedroom townhouse packed with nine family members, seven of them being under the age of 13. Piok said he does not know how his brother didn’t die — he thanks God that his brother survived the nearly fatal accident.

Without properly dealing with the trauma as a youth, Piok repressed the memory into the back of his brain, saying “The same thing happens with being

broke and living in poverty, you don’t really notice it or process it,” Piok said.

Piok says there would be stretches of time growing up when he did not see his parents at all. His mother often worked three jobs, and if mom or dad were not at work, it was obvious that they were exhausted from trying to make ends meet.

“In grade seven or eight is when I started to notice how depressed I actually was,” Piok said, noting that while he was approaching high school, he always told his peers that he was “just tired all the time.”

In grade nine, Piok’s dad moved back home to Sudan to pursue better work opportunities, where the Pioks had emigrated from in 2000. During the time his father was 7,000 miles away, Piok’s older brother got into trouble with the law and was sentenced to five years in prison while Yok was in grade eight.

“It was crazy. At this point, I had to step up,” said Piok, who knew he needed to help out the family financially right away. He was one of the middle children, so he felt responsibility as an elder to his younger siblings.

Piok picked up part-time jobs to juggle on top of high school football practices during the week. He worked a paper route before finding a job at McDonald’s. Without access to a vehicle, he walked 45 minutes just to work an evening shift.

Growing up, Piok says that he and his siblings had to look out for each other and raise one another. Conditioned in this way of living, Piok did not realize how hard his life had actually been until he left home in Regina for the University of Saskatchewan.

Fortunately, during his junior and senior high school years, Piok was able to excel on the football field. Looking back, Piok struggles to explain this as he knows his depression was winning the battle on most days.

In grade 11, he was named to the 2013 Team Saskatchewan roster and was named an all-star in the Canada Cup during that year.

“It was pretty hype,” Piok said with a smile. His mom had forgone a mortgage payment to allow him to pursue this opportunity.

During his senior year, Piok felt the pressure to perform to

the best of his abilities given his family’s investment into his passion. He says that he vomited before every game. “At the time, I thought it was just nerves. But now, I know that it was really bad anxiety,” Piok said.

Piok played well in grade 12.

His offensive co-ordinator on Team Saskatchewan was also the recruiting co-ordinator for the Huskies during that time.

During a recruiting visit, the Huskies gave Piok the choice to pick a restaurant where they would meet and grab a bite together. He chose the burger and fries restaurant Five Guys because he had never been there and “in my mind, Five Guys is expensive,” Piok said.

Shortly after, Piok found out that a close friend, also being recruited by Saskatchewan, met with team officials at a steakhouse. “I didn’t know I had that kind of choice,” Piok said while laughing it off.

Piok felt that he could trust the Huskies, he got the impression that they were down to earth from the first impression.

But the University of Alberta was also recruiting Piok. Following a visit to the Golden Bears

campus, Piok stopped in Saskatoon to attend a Huskies football game.

“I was hooked. As soon as I saw them come out of the dog, I was like, ‘sign me up,’" Piok said, recognizing that the team atmosphere on the sideline was enough for him to make his decision.

His first year as a Huskie was spent red-shirting, meaning that he would not be on the team’s active roster, in turn, saving a year of playing eligibility to be used later on in his career as a more mature student athlete.

This allowed Piok to focus on physically preparing himself for his first year of Canada West competition for the following season. But like many naïve firstyear university students, Piok ignored his mental health.

In 2015, Piok earned a spot on the team and injuries to veteran players catapulted him into a prominent role. In his very first start at wide receiver, Piok caught a touchdown.

After that season, Piok’s father had returned from Sudan. The decision to leave Canada while Piok was in grade nine had not worked out as the family had hoped.

“You never know with thirdworld countries. All of a sudden, boom, they break out in a civil war,” Piok said, referring to the Sudanese civil war that is still active today.

Just as his dad returned, Piok’s strenuous schedule as a student-athlete was wearing him down.

“You realize how financially hard it is to be a student athlete,”

“ U of S Huskies receiver Yol Piok walks on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of the U Sports football action against the University of Calgary Dinos at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon, SK on Sept. 27, 2019. | Heywood Yu

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I sat there thinking, ‘Well, I’m not doing any of this anymore.’

Yol Piok poses for a photo in the U of S Thorvaldson tunnel in 2017. | Victoria Becker/ Photo Editor

Piok said, noting that football players have to give the team sometimes up to 40 hours of their time each week.

“From August to November, you have that on top of four or five classes,” Piok said. “So you don’t really have an opportunity to work.”

The continuous cycle of football and classes had caused Piok’s mind to be all over the place.

“I’m not complaining at all, but it caused that same personality hijacking where you don’t really feel like yourself or really want to do anything,” Piok said.

Piok says that his first three playing seasons — from 2015 to 2017 — all meshed together as one long year. He simply endured the grind without appreciating the moments in front of him.

In January 2018, Piok was struggling with finances. At this time, he was paying his landlord in cheques but he noticed that the cheques were not being cashed.

“So I had the bright idea to start [spending] my rent money,” Piok said, explaining that he would spend money intended for rent on other expenses.

More than two months later, this strategy blew up in Piok’s face. On April 5, 2018, his landlord texted him explaining that the cheques did not cash and he needed the rent money right away.

“I sat there thinking, ‘Well, I’m not doing any of this anymore,’” said Piok, who had already suf-

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fered through a lifetime of struggles, financial and otherwise, dating back to the first memories he had as a child.

“Everything hit me at once,” Piok said, too ashamed to ask his mom for the outstanding rent money. Looking back, he realizes, “I have tons of friends I could have asked and they would have one thousand per cent helped me out... I feel like I put a price on my life at that point.”

“It was at the point where it was like, man, if football wasn’t bringing me joy, if school was not helping me, my life was pointless,” Piok said.

Like many others who reach their own personal breaking point, Piok reflects back on his journey and identifies many opportunities he had to pursue professional help.

“There were so many points where I’m like, I could’ve got help here, I could’ve got help there, could’ve done this there,” Piok said, explaining that while he was living his life in a consistent state of fear, he was not thinking straight.

That night on April 5, Piok attempted to take his own life.

Before attempting, Piok told himself that if he wakes up the next morning, there is obviously some reason that he is on this planet.

Miraculously, he woke up the next morning.

Huskies head coach Scott Flory was there for Piok while he admitted himself to the hospital the day following day of his attempt.

“All I could do was be there as a supportive figure and make sure he got the best help possible,” Flory said.

Piok tried to come back to football that season, but he was not feeling right while going through the first week of training camp and enough was enough. By the end of that week, he informed Flory he needed to sit out for the season.

“He apologized to me, that was just ridiculous. Come on, what are you going to apologize for? There’s nothing that he ever needed to apologize for,” Flory said.

Flory said that the team held responsibility in Piok’s personal guilt, “I’m sorry we couldn’t help you more. I’m sorry we couldn’t discover this sooner.”

During this time, Piok was a team captain. Flory says there was no doubt that the Huskies were losing a great locker room presence and key contributor to the team, “but I wanted to make sure that he was okay and every decision was made with his best interest in mind.”

Piok says that it was hard to step away from the game that had become such a vital part of his identity.

That year in 2018, the Huskies captured the Canada West conference title, the Hardy Cup Championship, for the first since 2006.

“People always ask, ‘It must have been hard to watch them without you?’” Piok said, explaining that while the team won their battles on the field, Piok was simultaneously win-

“

ning his battle off the field.

Piok did not want to be a distraction for his teammates during a season that he believed was promising for the team. He stepped aside so they could focus solely on football while he could focus on his goal of “making sure there’s a better me.”

Throughout this season, Flory would check in with Piok regularly.

“Actually looking him in the eye and saying, ‘How are you doing? Are you okay?’” Flory said, recognizing that with a locker room of around 90 student athletes, it is difficult to gauge the lives of each individual.

“A lot of times it is so superficial. It is hard for young men to be able to be vulnerable and put themselves out there,” Flory said.

After spending the year going through countless counselling sessions and re-establishing relationships with family and close friends, Piok felt ready to come back to training camp in preparation for the 2019 season.

Flory says he was very honest with Piok before the season, telling him that he had to earn the trust of everyone inside the Huskies’ locker room, “starting from ground zero.”

“He started from being a fifth-string wideout, he kept working, he didn’t complain, he did all the right things, his quality of play improved and he earned his spot as a starter,” Flory said.

After a year of hiatus, Piok climbed the depth chart to start

for the team in their 2019 season opener.

“When he came back, he has been the most appreciative athlete that we’ve had,” Flory said.

“Before every game, he gives each coach a hug and tells you that he loves you. It’s an unbelievable sense of gratitude and joy that he has.”

“As a coach, you can’t help but smile when you see and feel how much of an impact [football] has on his life,” Flory said.

In the season opener on the road in Winnipeg, Piok did his usual pre-game routine of a hug with every coach. This time though, he forgot to hug Flory.

“Yol! Yol!” Piok says Flory yelled out to him, “You forgot to hug me!”

Piok could not believe he had forgotten to hug someone who had been there from his rock bottom.

“Man, I’ve worked my butt off to get to this point and this man has been there for every single step of it,” Piok said.

During the game, Piok caught a touchdown pass and fall to his knees, raising both hands towards the sky, “giving all glory to God.” His teammates rushed to embrace him, many of whom aware of his mental battles off the field.

“It was the greatest feeling,” Piok said.

All the memories of his setbacks and road to recovery had opened the floodgates of emotion.

“Tears of joy are better than tears of sorrow.”

When he came back, he has been the most appreciative athlete that we’ve had.

– Scott Flory, Head Coach

”

Supplied by GetMyPhoto.ca/Huskie Athletics

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“Be a man”: Peer Health holds event to raise awareness for men’s mental health In Canada, men are three times more likely than women to take their life.

CAMERON HEO

The amount of discussion surrounding men’s mental health has always been deficient. This exact lack of dialogue causes many men to tightly restrict and police their emotions.

The reason for this is that men tend to not communicate their emotions. Though the feeling is there, the physical expression of that emotion is often not.

Peer Health hosted an event where five men volunteered to share their journeys with mental health and the disadvantages they discovered in keeping their feelings contained.

Roha Shahzad organized the event because she witnessed the mental struggles of an acquaintance.

“Instead of being open and leaning on loved ones during this time, he began to push them away when they tried to help. He also began relying on alcohol to numb his pain,” Shahzad said.

The first panelist was Mark Hammer, an undergraduate student at the University of Saskatchewan. As a child, he was constantly told to “be a man,” which suggests that men should be “tough” simply because their gender calls for it.

The ‘be a man’ mentality is the problem with the current state of men’s mental health. Hammer’s constant suppression of his feelings turned him into a heavy drinker in his teenage years

but all of this changed after he opened up, joined a twelve-step program and found support in the people around him.

Murray Drew, a U of S Agriculture and Bioresources professor, was also a panelist. At the age of 16, he was hospitalized for depression and even his sisters were not aware of this until years later.

Drew’s goal goes beyond the programs we have for mental health outside of class — he wants to change the environment inside of the classroom.

He often tries to connect with students as best as he can due to his belief that “community is absolutely essential.”

The third panelist, Devan Moxley Teigob, is a mental health nurse who spoke on the social barriers stopping men from sharing their emotions.

“It is way more reflective of our inability to share than it is our suffering,” Teigob said. In order to combat this, he wants people to hear themselves and each other.

Huskie football player, David Solie, was always passionate about sports in high school. He used it as an escape. The issues arose when he broke his clavicle and was unable to play sports in 12th grade.

At first, he did not want to accept that he was suffering from depression and anxiety, so much so that he even stopped taking his medication. Once he realized that people were willing to listen

to him, he could finally open up and start heading down the right path.

“I realized it doesn’t matter who people want you to be; it’s about who you want to become,” Solie said.

The last to speak was Thomas Saretsky, a teacher at Holy Cross High School. He also suffers from depression and described the mental illness as “an unwelcome house guest who doesn’t take kindly to eviction notices.”

His point was that depression is not necessarily constant, it comes and goes and has “pockets of peace and joy.” He also added that if someone you know has suffered or is suffering from depression, the best thing you can do is believe them.

Though he was unable to make the event, Tyler Smith, a survivor of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, sent in a couple of videos to talk about mental health.

“Growing up, I was a guy who really didn’t want to show weakness,” Smith said.

He hopes for people to put their mental health first so that they can move forward in life.

“One thing has become clear to me: the world is in good hands. That’s what’s going to make a change for mental health; you guys get it,” Hammer said.

The importance and impact of mental health affects every person regardless of gender. Society is certainly moving closer to having that view on it.

Panelists sit listening to a speaker address the topic of men's mental health. | Cameron Heo

Saskatoon’s Bridge City Bicycle Co-op is making the old new again This local initiative is fixing up old bikes and promoting cycling throughout the city.

NYKOLE KING

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

If you are considering buying a bicycle, you might have noticed that the price tag can range anywhere from $300 to $900. Considering that the same chunk of change can go to tuition or rent, you might be wondering if there are other options.

For seven years, the Bridge City Bicycle Co-op has been getting Saskatoon to cycle in the most affordable way possible — some of their bikes cost around $20.

With the help of volunteers, the organization opens their shop up two days a week to upcycle bike parts and maintain bikes. Stan Yu is a long-standing board member of BCBC, who became a member in its first year.

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“[BCBC has] already come a long way. Last year through our programming, we had about 500 bicycles that came through our shop back into the community to be reused in some way, shape or form,” Yu said.

BCBC had humble beginnings with just one toolbox at the farmer’s market and a mandate to provide people access to a bicycle and educate them on how to repair it. They then received a call from Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op in Riversdale, a group that had a bike program that needed some love.

Since then, the co-op has grown exponentially — last year they had 650 BCBC members.

Because they are a co-operative, anyone can become a member by either paying an annual price or volunteering.

“What we can offer is a very

affordable used bicycle — at a fraction of the price for a new one — that will work, whether it is that you know when you’re studying, you want to bike during the summer months or during the year, winter biking as well,” Yu said.

The organization wants cycling to be accessible to all. Yu says that cycling culture is quite male-dominated so they made an effort to diversify it.

“These two female volunteers took it upon themselves to say, ‘What if we carved out a night specifically for women… that’s led by women, trans and femme volunteers for women, trans and femme members.’ And yeah, they’ve been doing this by semi-monthly, every month for three years now,” Yu said.

For international students, the bike co-op has flexible options

Bikes sit chained to the bikestand in front of the U of S Physics building on Sept.

7, 2019. | Victoria Becker/ Photo Editor

regardless of whether they want to work on bikes in their shop or buy and return when their stay is over.

“It just creates a different, more affordable option for students on campus. Especially since knowing that depending on where you live actually cycling to campus is very convenient,” Yu said.

While reflecting on his time with BCBC, Yu says that one of the most rewarding things about the organization is how people help one another.

“A Syrian youth that started volunteering with us, and he was helping an Indigenous senior … [who] was saying... ‘I can’t fix this one part on the bike,’ and the Syr-

ian youth just raised his hands like ‘I know,’” Yu said. “They just started working together. And in spite of language barriers, they’re sharing wrenches.”

After finishing their New To You Used Bike Sale, the bike coop is now gearing up for winter biking and able to help people get started if they are interested.

“We definitely encourage folks to come on down and ask any questions that they have about winter biking, as well as check out some of these winter frames,” Yu said. “For folks that want to try it for the very first time … you can have a winter bike to give it a try and see if you like it or not.”

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Featured locals of the month: The Local Group This quartet is fixing to bring back bluegrass for the youngins.

JESSICA MROSKE

The term bluegrass is often not synonymous with youthful passion. This group of young people are determined to change the misrepresentations surrounding the genre of music that sparks their passion and they call themselves The Local Group.

With three of the band’s four members attending high school together and playing together for about four years, it’s no wonder that the group is known for their onstage chemistry and collective co-ordination. With Ethan Peters on double bass, Justin Vilchez on mandolin, Elliot Dillabough on guitar and Jaxon Lalonde on banjo, there is no limit to the talent of the individuals that compose the band.

“We’re not truly a bluegrass band, we’re sort of a folk, bluegrass old-time-country hybrid,” Lalonde said.

The band itself walks the fine line between embracing the traditional significance and in-

tention of the genre while also striving for innovation and connection with younger listeners as their audience tends to be older.

The band seeks inspiration from many sources in terms of what they choose to play.

“Some of our original [songs] are kind of punk-influenced,” Lalonde stated when asked about their upcoming album release scheduled for early next year.

While they respect the threads of traditional bluegrass culture, they also individually listen to many genres and take inspiration from them.

“We like to take songs that are traditionally maybe not bluegrass tunes. You do a lot of covers and you put your own twist on it,” Vilchez said.

Sonically, the band offers a refreshingly modern “Beatles-esque” approach to the merger of lyricism and melody. The band is an advocate for any song that, in the traditional bluegrass fashion, matches seemingly sad lyrics with any form of an upbeat tempo.

In regard to this phenomenon, Vilchez states that “the lyrics are kind of like voice tempted in some kind of sadness, but the music responding to the lyrics is always quite upbeat.”

The band promises to keep this musical tradition very much alive on some of the tracks on their upcoming album. “Drive and energy” are the two most important factors in their creative processes.

The Local Group has taken a more simplistic approach when recording their latest album, saying that they didn’t want to deviate too far from the sounds of their live shows.

“It’s just like as we would play live… I mean, it's professionally done, but it’s a recording of a show,” Lalonde said.

In a genre so deeply dictated by traditional musical technicalities, it’s a wonder that the band remains so creative.

They view the deeply technical lens of bluegrass as an accessory to creativity and not a hindrance.

“I think technicality and

The Local Group poses for a photograph with their instruments at the U of S on Nov. 25, 2019. | Riley Deacon

creativity go hand-in-hand,” Lalonde stated when describing this dilemma. He argued that the technically challenging aspect of bluegrass is what gives it a life of its own.

Technical tools such as improvisation and complex rhythms act as tools to help create a larger artistic picture.

One of their biggest goals is to reintroduce youth to bluegrass. The passion the band feels for the genre is inspiring

in itself and they hope that young people see the applicability of bluegrass to their own lives.

The future of both bluegrass and The Local group looks very bright within Saskatoon’s increasingly varying community.

The Local Group will be playing at The Bassment on Jan. 24, 2020. For more information, find them on social media at The Local Group SK.

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Why are women so captivated by true crime?

The true crime narratives seem to hit home for us.

AMBER ADRIAN JACKSON

I have been absolutely fascinated by the true crime genre for as long as I can remember, but I had never thought about why. This nonfiction genre is far-reaching and encompasses many mediums. There are books like I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, podcasts like My Favourite Murder and a plethora of tv series you can stream on Netflix.

True crime, more specifically the real life stories that focus on murders and abductions, have captivated audiences for years. And I think I may know why.

The theory comes from a true crime episode of the podcast, Say More. Poet and co-host Olivia Gatwood puts forward the idea that women consume true crime because it could happen to them.

Many women not only can empathize with the victims, but can see themselves reflected in their faces and habits. Many women also grow up being warned of the dangers of back alleys and strangers. Hearing this, I knew it was right. I listen to true crime and I too try to learn how to avoid the same fate as the victims.

If you type “missing woman” into Google, the results will inevitably show articles and images of those who have disappeared. They are often young, attractive white

women. The most notorious murderers, such as Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripper and Gary Ridgeway, have all preyed on young white women.

There is this common narrative misconception of ‘the white woman murdered by a stranger.’

In reality, people of colour are much more likely to go missing than white people in the United States, where most of these true crime stories come from. But these stories don’t get the same amount of traction. Prolific serial killer Samuel Little claims he murdered 90 individuals, with the majority of his victims being black women.

Or what about Canada’s infamous serial killer Robert Pickton, who claims to have murdered 49 women on his pig farm in Port Coquitlam, B.C. Many of Pickton’s victims were Indigenous women.

There are other limitations to the commonly-reported statistics. They don’t often include other factors, such as gender identity or sexual orientation. Samuel Little claims that one of his first victims was a young black trans woman and her body was never recovered.

The myth of stranger murder is also inaccurate. Women are statistically more likely to be killed by an intimate partner than by any other type of offender.

Misrepresentations by the

Nykole King/ Editor-in-Chief

genre aside, why are so many fascinated by such a morbid and tragic genre? I can think of one reason: control. Knowing how other women have been victimized and avoiding those things makes us feel safe and in control.

But maybe it is not about control. Is it possible that we are also fascinated with being confronted with our own mortality? Or are we trying to prepare for what we feel is the inevitable attack?

When I first moved to the city, I started talking on the phone while walking home at night. I believed that surely, if I was speaking to someone, then I was safe. Then I learned about the murder of Dru Sjodin, an American woman who was chosen by her attacker because she was on the phone.

It’s been speculated that she was distracted by her conversation, making her an easy target. I haven’t talked on the phone on a walk home since.

I listen to true crime podcasts or watch videos on the subject and I find that I take note of what made the victim vulnerable. I know how women become victimized and how killers get away with their crime, and I think this makes me feel safer. I don’t think that this is an uncommon experience, but it is an illusory one.

Some women do everything right and still fall victim to violence. You can take all the notes in the world and it may not help you survive.

True crime has changed how I approach and vet the men I meet. I have accumulated a list of red flags that I look for in men in my life and in the lives of my friends. So perhaps true crime does provide women some sort of control in that we know what to look for. Maybe it helps us spot the danger, especially if we listen to true crime stories involving intimate partner violence.

I have one red flag test when

it comes to men. If a man ever casually mentions a fascination with men like Ted Bundy or Charles Manson, or even Sid Vicious, I ask him why. If he talks about their psychology and their lives, he’s probably okay.

If he talks about their crimes or refers to them with any sort of hero-worship, I run. This should not need to be said, but we see violent men idolized violent men over and over again — fictional and real — from Tyler Durden to Donald Trump, who has been vocal in his violent treatment towards women with comments such as “Grab her by the pussy” and has faced no repercussions.

This is my litmus test. Listening to true crime may not protect us from crime, but listening to those close to us talk about true crime might.

In this way, the genre could still provide us the control and safety we are looking for.

How to stay sane while you are home for the holidays The Sheaf’s guide to surviving your family.

THE SHEAF

Flickr / Roebot

14 / OPINIONS

For many, the holiday season can invoke a lot of emotions and while the time is usually one of food and fun, it can also be an anxiety fueled part of year. Spending extended periods with your family can be a blessing or a curse.

Did you die during that particularly brutal final exam and end up in the bad place?

If you fall into the I’ve-beenhere-for-a-day-and-havehad-enough-family-time camp, then this Sheaf guide is for you.

“Go for ‘a walk’ with your cousins before family din-

ner.” This cryptic tip is open to interpretation. What you do on that walk is up to you.

Get some air, if ya know what we mean.

“Have tea and watch you favourite Christmas movie.”

Spend some wholesome time with your family and pour a cuppa of chamomile to soothe your nerves. Sub tea for a Hot Toddy — bourbon, lemon, honey and hot water — and you really have this on lock.

“Hide under the table where all the food is.” Not sure why your food would be under the table, but hey, traditions are traditions and we aren’t going to question anything. No food table? Any

thing with four legs and a covering would do. Try the guest bed.

“Stay in your room, avoid everyone and only come down for dinner.” Nostalgic for your emo teenage years?

Relive them over break and hide out from your family.

Bonus points if you wear all black to dinner and brood at the dinner table.

“Find something to do.

Bake elaborate desserts for presents and for Christmas dinner so that you have a legit sounding excuse to disappear.” Nothing says I love my family like stress-baking away your feelings of despair.

Continued on to next page

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How to stay sane while you are home for the holidays

Looking for Term 2 classes?

Consider the following International Studies and Political Studies options! A complete list of course offerings is available online.

The Sheaf’s guide to surviving your family.

IS 110 (01) Global Issues with David York

IS 201 (W02) Global Citizenship, Cultures and

Continued from the previous page

TR 10:00 - 11:20 am

ONLINE

IS 202 (02) Global Experiential and Cultural

IS 212 (02) International Studies and Conflict

Learning with Dr. Martin Gaal and Dr. Joe Garcea

with David York

TBA

MWF 12:30 - 1:20 pm

IS 402 (02) International Development

POLS 111 (02) Democratic Citizenship in

with Dr. Martin Gaal

Canada with David York

W 1:30 - 4:20 pm

TR 1:00 - 2:20 pm

POLS 111 (62) Democratic Citizenship in Canada with Dr. David McGrane

POLS 112 (W02) Justice and Injustice in Politics and Law with Dr. Kirsten Fisher

TR 8:30 - 9:50 am

ONLINE

POLS 112 (01) Justice and Injustice in Politics and Law with Dr. Martin Gaal

POLS 112 (62) Justice and Injustice in Politics and Law with David York

MWF 10:30 - 11:20 am

MWF 8:30 - 9:50 am

POLS 221 (02) Global Indigenous Politics

POLS 222 (02) Indigenous Governance and

with Dr. Matthew Mitchell

Politics with Kathy Walker

TR 1:00 - 2:20 pm

MWF 11:30 - 12:20 pm

POLS 236 (W02) History of Political Theory

POLS 237 (02) Modern Political Theory

with Dr. Neil Hibbert ONLINE

with Dr. Neil Hibbert TR 11:30 am - 12:50 pm

POLS 328 (02) Public Policy Analysis

POLS 383 (02) Career Internship

with Stephanie Ortynsky TR 10:00 - 11:20 am

with Dr. Joe Garcea

POLS 384 (02) Aboriginal Administrative

POLS 112 (W02) Justice and Injustice in

Internship with Dr. Joe Garcea TBA

Politics and Law with Dr. Kirsten Fisher ONLINE

POLS 422 (W02) First Nations Governance with Danette Starblanket

POLS 431 (02) Contemporary Political Theory with Dr. Kirsten Fisher

ONLINE

T 1:00 - 3:50 pm

“Wrap presents in another room, insisting nobody come in and bother you because they can’t see the unwrapped presents. Avoid the human.” Grab some wrapping paper and ribbon, lock the door — or wedge a chair under the doorknob like the good old days — and throw on some Netflix. For a better experience, smuggle in some of those stress-baked cookies.

“Talk about your incarcerated relatives notable absence without acknowledging that they are convicted criminals.” Nothing puts the fun back in dysfunctional quite like awkward dinner conversations where we all skirt around the family secrets.

“Use the three strikes rule.

Give them the benefit of the doubt if they say two problematic things. Wait until the third time to initiate debate. Pull out those receipts.”

Offend me twice, shame on you. Offend me three times and I am coming out swing-

ing. Drop the eggnog, Uncle Al, it’s time to atone for your ignorance.

“Schedule one night to hang out with old high school friends, but don’t commit to hang out with them until you are positive they aren’t in any pyramid schemes. Check their social media thoroughly.” At the first sign of any Younique, Young Living, Monat sales pitch, they are as good as ghosted. Fill the void by watching the pros slay in On Becoming A God in Central Florida.

“Find one cousin you know would help keep your sanity and isolate yourself for the whole holiday.” There is nothing quite like solidarity while in the trenches.

And last but not least, “follow the 3D principle” — not a multi-level marketing scheme, we swear — “of dealing with nosy relatives: Deaf, Deflect, Deny”.

You’ve trained all year for this. Make it through the family time and secure yourself some sanity. You deserve it after this semester from hell.

Coexistence with Dr. Martin Gaal

TBA

The Department of Political Studies offers the following programs and certificates DEGREES: · Political Studies Degree (contact Dr. Joseph Garcea joe.garcea@usask.ca) · International Studies Degree (contact Dr. Colleen Bell colleen.bell@usask.ca) CERTIFICATES: · Global Studies Certificate (contact Dr. Martin Gaal martin.gaal@usask.ca) · Indigenous Governance Certificate (contact Kathy Walker kathy.walker@usask.ca) · Politics and Law Certificate (contact Dr. Kirsten Fisher kirsten.fisher@usask.ca) Students can complete any of these certificates during any stage in their undergraduate studies:

Email outreach@thesheaf.com for more information

· At the same time as they are pursuing any degree or certificate in any College · Prior to commencing a degree or certificate in any College · After completing a degree or certificate in any College UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN

College of Arts and Science DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL STUDIES ARTSANDSCIENCE.USASK.CA

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OPINIONS

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Sustainable gift-giving options for the holiday season You can make people and the planet happy this year.

CAMI KAYTOR

Shiny, new items are nice at first, but putting more thought into the gifts we give can reduce our environmental impact while providing just as meaningful things to our friends and family. To be honest, I don’t love the holiday season.

There are parts of it I enjoy — like getting together with family and how the whole world seems to take a break just for a day to appreciate all the good things — but what I don’t particularly enjoy is the overexaggerated consumerism and emphasis on gift-giving.

Personally, I give people gifts when it makes sense to like when they mention that they need or want something and I happen to find or have it.

I can fulfill a need and make them happy while doing it. I never understood the artificially created reasons to give people presents.

In my family, I usually get a few things I actually wanted and then a whole pile of filler that is so wasteful and serves no purpose to me. I can’t tell you how many toothbrushes I have. I get so many every Christmas that I don’t have

enough time to use them up during the year.

However, if you wish to indulge in senseless gift-giving once a year, I’d like to offer some insight into giving gifts that reduce environmental impact while maintaining sentimental value, gifts that won’t just end up in piles at the back of your great-aunt’s closet for the foreseeable future.

Start by giving experiences, like vacations, tickets to concerts or shows or planned outings. Not only do these require very little in physical resources, but they also leave people with good memories which they will inevitably associate with whoever gave them the opportunity.

I know upcycling or regifting things you already own can be frowned upon. Instead, try making something new from things you already own.

A personal favorite of mine is cross stitch. It is super easy to do and you end up with really good looking, personalized works of art people can keep.

Shopping second hand is a great choice. You may have to widen the time frame of your search, but I suggest keeping a list on your phone of things to keep an eye out for. You may find them when casually

browsing and can manage to save them until Christmas.

If you need to purchase new, try focusing on ethical brands. These brands focus on local supply and distribution, sustainable practices, and supporting workers through fair wages and safe practices.

They may be more costly upfront but do tend to be higher quality. The intention behind purchasing fewer, nicer things for people also usually comes across as more genuine.

Of course, you can also consider how you give the gifts.

Buying fancy bags, tissue paper and ribbons may not seem like much, but it does add up when the whole family gets together. Consider making the bag part of the gift itself, or buying paper or otherwise easy to recycle bags.

When it comes to people giving gifts to you, I’ve resorted to making an “anti-wishlist” — things I’ve noticed I keep getting but never really want or use. The main gift, which has true thought and effort put into it, is enough for me.

Whatever you choose to wrap up this holiday season, consider giving intentional gifts with thought put into what goes into their creation and what comes out of them.

Shawna Langer/ Graphics Editor

Ask me what I want for Christmas Why must we bother with the perfect gift?

KRISTINE JONES A. DEL SOCORRO

Christmas is right around the corner and so is the obligatory cue to participate into the kind of hustle and bustle that only occur during the holiday season. Who could blame us? Christmas lights, decorations, festivities, food and music are everywhere.

The temptation is simply too much not to give in to singing All I Want for Christmas Is You while wearing a Santa hat.

Blanketed by the winter’s snow, it could almost pass for the picturesque of a snow globe, but we live in Saskatoon, so it’s more like a brutally cold winter wonderland.

However, on the other side of this Hallmark card worthy scene exists an entirely different world. The ugly side of the season.

So why are we still giving ourselves another thing to

16 / OPINIONS

worry about? Why do we torture ourselves with the number one problem that exists in this trying time? And if you have to ask what the what the issue is well — here it goes: buying presents.

There is the ‘I have so many things to do before my distant relatives arrive for Christmas’ and ‘oh shit I have to write finals on top of it’ vibe that comes with December.

For every person that you have on your list to give a present to, how many times will you go over a million ideas just to find a gift that will be “absolutely perfect”?

How many scenarios will run over your head on how they will react — will they like it?

Is it too much? I overdid it, didn’t I? On top of that, you actually don’t know whether this person will love their gift or not.

There is a 50 per cent chance that your person is trying to keep a happy face so you don’t

realize that you just poured your money down the drain.

This awkward situation could be avoided if we can all just communicate.

Honestly, this whole ordeal is just a rollercoaster of stress and anxiety, which we absolutely don’t need more of at this time of year. To solve this, I encourage you to ask the person you’re buying for what they actually want — or need — for Christmas.

Of course, the same goes for you when someone wants to know what you want — just be honest and tell them. Obviously, you’re not going to ask for keys to a brand new car or the latest Apple phone — I mean, unless you were. If that was the case, then please take a moment to contemplate your ridiculous expectations.

Not to be a Grinch, but there is a fine line between knowing what you want versus being greedy.

Are you stuck on what’s

reasonable to ask for? There’s always cash. Who doesn’t love cash? It’s an easy and hassle free gift! There are always personal items or hygiene products like a nice fragrance or a beard kit, that could make a good gift. Do you want some entertainment memberships like Disney+ or the Remai Modern? Gift cards to your favourite store are also great.

The sky’s the limit and you

will never run out of options.

There are more positive outcomes — aside from a happy gift recipient — by asking someone what they want.

This is a chance to combat companies who stamp their costly price tag all over their nauseating holiday-themed products and a way to avoid a gift being tossed to the nearest donation bin. Really, it’s a win-win situation.

Shawna Langer/ Graphics Editor

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A very pagan Christmas?

The celebration of the 'birth of Christ' has some very heathen traditions.

ERIN MATTHEWS OPINIONS EDITOR

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and the air is heavy with festive tidings of joy. Sleigh bells ring, are ya listenin’? While this Christian holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the origins of the celebration are rooted in pagan festivals and traditions.

In the ancient world, Christianity was a small, insignificant sect of people scattered across the globe. The Roman Empire, the once brutal pagan giant, adopted the religious movement over several decades. In 313 CE, the practice of Christianity was legalized in Rome. By 380 CE it was adopted as the official religion of the Empire.

The winter solstice, the longest night of the year, was a time of celebration in many pagan cultures across the world and in

Rome they celebrated Saturnalia, a festival for the God Saturn.

In the pagan empire, Saturnalia fell between Dec. 17 and 23, and when the Romans converted to Christianity, their winter celebration was altered as well.

Saturnalia was a time of giftgiving and singing, and Romans decorated their houses with greenery and red berries. These traditions, deeply rooted in the empire’s culture, continued on with its adoption of Christanity, becoming traditions of modern day Christmas.

Of course we know that Christanity didn’t stop in Rome but spread across the world.

Christian missionaries found that when pagan communities converted to the religion they often continued with their pagan traditions and festivals.

Many of these were absorbed as Christian tradition over hundreds of years.

Oh Christmas Tree? European pagans and Romans can be credited for their use.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly? Holly was the sacred plant of the God Saturn and were used in his festival to honour him.

Saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus under the mistletoe last night? The plant was sacred to the Norse and Celtic pagans and have origins with the druids of Europe. They were symbols of peace and joy.

Speaking of Santa Claus, jolly old St. Nicholas can’t possibly be pagan right? St. Nicholas was a bishop from what is now modern day Turkey, who had a reputation for gift-giving and was adopted as “father christmas” or “Pere Noel” after the 16th century. He is a man with many names, leaving gifts in stockings and shoes for children to find.

The image of Santa Claus that we are familiar with today is the product of the “God of Marketing”, and was the creation of

Coca-Cola for their 1930 advertisement campaigns. But Santa Claus also has some deeply pagan origins. Odin, another man of many names, is a well-known god in Germanic paganism, which spanned across Europe and Scandinavia.

One of Odin’s names is Yule Father, and during the winter solstice children would place their boots near the chimneys and fire holes and wait for Odin to come with gifts. The boots would be filled with straw for Odin’s eight-legged horse, Slepnir, whom Odin rode during the night of the Wild Hunt — Dec. 21.

Christmas has a rich folklore in places like Italy, where the old woman Befan, also known as the Christmas Witch, delivers gifts to children. In Austrian and Barvarian lore, Frau Perchta would visit houses, leaving silver coins for those who had behaved and worked hard over the year. If you were guilty of slacking on your duties, Frau

Perchta would cut you open, remove your innards and replace them with straw and stones.

In Finland, Joulupukki, also known as the Yule Goat, would visit houses — demanding gifts and leftovers. Today, he drops off presents after politely ringing the doorbell.

Iceland is a country that was settled by Vikings in 874 AD and by 1000 AD, Christianity was adopted by the Icelandic settlers as the official religion.

But Iceland’s Christmas folklore remains rich and dark. The major players include Gryla, a giantess who eats misbehaving children, and The Yule cat, a large black cat who stalks Iceland on Christmas, looking to eat children who haven’t received new clothes. So thank your aunt for that ugly sweater you get this Christmas.

While Christmas may be a Christian holiday, it is one that is dressed up in the pagan clothes of the cultures it absorbed throughout the millennia.

Ana Cristina Camacho/ News Editor

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Paris of the Prairies: Making the Paris Agreement a reality at the U of S A planetary emergency.

THE MEMBERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW 444

Climate change is the greatest challenge of our generation. Each day seems to deliver a new warning about our planetary emergency.

The World Meteorological Organization reports that the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide — the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming — rose to 407.8 parts per million in 2018, the highest concentration observed in approximately four million years.

The United Nations Environment Programme’s 2019 emissions report states that global GHG emissions must decline by 7.6 per cent each year starting in 2020 if the world hopes to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. But in 2018, global GHG emissions increased by 3.4 per cent.

Writing last week in the journal Nature, leading climate scientists warned that we’re dangerously close to triggering several irreversible tipping points in the Earth’s climate system — including the loss of the Amazon rainforest and the West Antarctic ice sheet.

Making matters worse, neither national nor international environmental laws have stemmed the tide of rising emissions and related climatic changes, including increasing nutrient pollution, ocean acidification and biodiversity loss.

Other governance actors like cities, non-governmental organizations and universities are stepping up to help close the gap between political rhetoric and policy reality.

Inspired by the University of California’s efforts to become carbon-neutral, our course on environmental law set out this semester to examine how to decarbonize the University of Saskatchewan.

Here’s what we’ve learned.

The university the world needs In 2012, the University of Saskatchewan committed to reduce its GHG emissions by 20 per cent below its 20062007 level by 2020. Regrettably, the university won’t meet its goal. And since 2007, its emissions have increased by 7.8 per cent.

18 / OPINIONS

Institutional GHG emissions are typically measured using three scopes. Scope one emissions are an institution’s direct emissions from sources it controls, whereas scope two are the indirect emissions from the electricity it purchases. And scope three emissions are all of its other indirect emissions, including from purchased goods and services, solid waste disposal and its members’ business travel and daily commuting.

The U of S’s scope one emissions arise from its consumption of natural gas and fuel for heating and cooling buildings, and from the animals and fertilizer it uses for agriculture. These emissions account for approximately 37 per cent of the university’s total.

Scope two emissions — amounting to approximately 52 per cent of the university’s total — arise from purchasing electricity from the provincial utility’s grid, which is largely powered by the planet’s most carbon-intensive energy source, coal.

Scope three emissions comprise the remainder, though it’s important to add that the university currently measures only a fraction of these emissions because they don’t include daily employee and student commuting.

Despite these unsustainable practices, the university intends to continue to grow by adding more students and more buildings. That means more natural gas, more coalbased electricity, more travel, more solid waste and more GHG emissions.

The good news is that the university recently embarked on a new sustainability planning process. During our course on environmental law, we immersed ourselves in cutting-edge climate science and policy research, and we learned a number of important lessons that should drive the university’s efforts to become a zero-carbon institution.

Equally important, we had the privilege of learning from Indigenous knowledgekeepers, and we remain humbled by their wisdom. During an afternoon of land-based

The Environmental Law 444 class poses for a photo as they visit the university's Heating Plant on Oct. 8, 2019. | Glenn Wright

learning, Bob Badger, a Saulteaux cultural advisor, taught us the Saulteaux principle of way-way-ni-ka-binsoosayin, or “watch your next step.”

As the university envisions its future in relation to the land and waters of Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis, we can think of no more important lesson.

Paris of the Prairies To make the Paris Agreement a reality at the U of S, our next step must be away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy. While a number of universities have spent millions on naturalgas-fueled combined-heatand-power plants, or CHP, the U of S must not follow this step backwards.

CHP delivers marginal improvements in energy efficiency, and made sense when the world hoped that natural gas might be a “bridge fuel” to transition from coal to renewable energy. But we’ve learned that natural gas supply chains emit far more methane — a GHG approximately 30 times more heat-trapping than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period — than previously estimated. Natural gas may be the GHG equivalent of coal.

Moreover, econometric modeling shows that CHP’s cost efficiencies disappear under a high fossil-fuel price scenario, a scenario likely to materialize sooner rather than later.

So what should be the university’s next step? So-

lar energy. Our city’s motto is “Saskatoon Shines,” and the university already has five solar-array projects. It’s time to step it up and begin the modular implementation of utility-scale solar power generation like Arizona State University.

Over the past decade, ASU has installed 174,664 photovoltaic panels and 8,652 concentrator photovoltaic modules for a total generation capacity of 53 megawatts, enough to power 53,000 homes.

The U of S can further innovate by investing in agrivoltaics, the co-location of solar energy and food production.

The university should also explore generating biogas from solid waste to replace natural gas as well as establishing a micro-grid to produce electricity from multiple sources of renewable energy.

Meanwhile, we need to rethink how we work and study. That means changing how we commute by improving car-pooling, public transit and bike sharing. It also means changing what we eat — going vegan for two-thirds of meals lowers food-related emissions by 60 per cent — and reducing waste. We also need to reconsider whether we really need to fly to conferences and competitions.

Unlike most courses, ours doesn’t end with a test, and we still have much to learn as our project continues. We want to hear from you, the

university’s most important stakeholders.

What steps should the university take to decarbonize?

Make your voice heard by completing our brief survey: https://www.surveymonkey. ca/r/parisoftheprairies.

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A critical comparison of eggnogs old and new

Holiday Crossword

KIENAN ASHTON

Is there any substance on this earth more perfect than eggnog?

The answer is no — but we all know this already. Right from the beginning of the holiday season, this delectable substance becomes available on the shelves of any half-decent grocery store.

There is an issue, however. The discerning eggnog enthusiast, known occasionally as a “noghead,” will face the same dilemma every year: which eggnog to buy? Some have their favourites already, others are willing to buy anything labelled nog, others still are willing only to drink nog they themselves have concocted.

Regardless of your stance, the following review should put the debate to rest.

Today I shall review some of the most common store-buyable nogs. Six eggnogs enter, only one can win. Please note that I will not review any non-dairy eggnogs as these are not real eggnog.

Don’t @ me.

The Modern Nogs (Dairyland Original Eggnog vs. Beatrice Premium Eggnog) For the first category, we’re looking at Modern Nogs. These are nogs that are probably more water than dairy and have ingredients like “disodium phosphate” and “modified milk ingredients.”

They were probably brewed in a lab but I’ll be damned if they don’t taste good.

Dairyland Original Eggnog is a personal favourite, it’s the default eggnog as far as this eggnog puritan is concerned.

This Dairyland staple has a nice consistency — buttery with a hint of rum flavour, although its nutmeg profile is somewhat lacking. Overall, I would recommend Dairyland Original Eggnog to the average eggnog user. It’s especially good for beginners.

Beatrice Premium Eggnog is not too dissimilar from Dairyland Original. It has a slightly stronger nutmeg taste, but this does not compensate for what I find to be a general lack of quality in most Beatrice dairy products. Beatrice Premium is better than no eggnog at all, but not as good as Dairyland.

Winner of Modern Nogs is — Dairyland Original Eggnog!

The Traditional Nogs (Dairyland Classic Eggnog vs. Lucerne Holiday Eggnog) Traditional Nogs more closely resemble the nogs of old, although they are sure to still contain some more modern food science innovations.

Dairyland Classic Eggnog is essentially Dairyland Original Eggnog but with more actual dairy. It tastes much like its cousin, although the added creaminess is immediately apparent.

Lucerne Eggnog is a fine example of a proper traditional nog.

There is a strong nutmeg profile and a beautiful creaminess which is why it beats out Dairyland’s entry.

Lucerne Holiday Eggnog takes the cake in this traditional nog-off!

Across

4. Ocyrhoe, the sailor’s curse 8. Scrambled gum.

10. Half-human, half-bird 11. Folding art 14. Cutting 15. Russian emperor 16. Half a Cha-cha 18. After finals season 19. Alternative to gin or vodka 20. Cambodia’s neighbour 21. Max and 649 23. “Scared” the other R 27. Soda and Pop 28. The night before a holiday 30. Flow stopper, of a sort (plural)

Down

1. One’s jargon 24. After vous 2. Rice cake 25. Intersections, not cross 3. Russian alcoholic spirit 26. Curtain 5. Sculler’s blade 27. Comic sans 6. Armada 29. Blind forest, game 7. Sanctified 8. Kiss me under 9. Grander than grand 10. Seven dwarves, not Dopey 12. Oxidized metal 13. Rag or a fish?

17. Cow disease or a horse part?

18. Sacred plant of the Druids 20. Origin, household god 22. The in-between

Flavoured Nogs (President’s Choice Rich & Creamy Chocolate Eggnog vs. President’s Choice Rich & Creamy Candy Cane Eggnog) Flavoured nogs are an abomination — for the most part, at least.

President’s Choice Rich & Creamy Chocolate Eggnog is the worst liquid I’ve ever willingly ingested. It tastes nothing of eggnog. It is essentially chocolate milk with a hint of cinnamon.

The PC Rich & Creamy Candy Cane Eggnog is an interesting take on eggnog — and it’s certainly better than their chocolate garbage.

PC Rich & Creamy Candy Cane Eggnog trumps the Flavoured Nog round!

At the end of the day, everyone has different preferences and will have to test the waters to find their one true nog.

In my books, however, the ultimate winner is Lucerne’s Holiday Eggnog. Dairyland’s Original Eggnog is still great, but I prefer a traditional nog and Lucerne really delivered with a creamy, nutmeg-ey, and well-rounded eggnog.

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TERM 1 REVIEW USSU approved

Executive attended over

Sponsored

870

$23500 in funding

meetings

Place Riel hosted over student events

20

saving them

$1500 89

80

table bookings

student events

ratified student groups

148

79%

picked up their U-Pass

2%

Louis’ and Louis’ Loft hosted

opted out

72 student events

saving them

saving student groups

$8900

Food Centre

140 1096

Fresh Market customers

emergency hampers

$19500 Women’s Centre

886 visitors Pride Centre

1058 visitors

Help Centre

634 visitors 8694 exams sent