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WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF THE SAIT STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
VOLUME 88 ISSUE 20
EVERY MONDAY THEWEAL.COM
March 3, 2014
ACAD students punch it old school ..................page 8
It’s never too late—hockey for newbies ........page 5
The new Pope is pretty dope ................................page 11
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March 3, 2014 | theWeal.com NEWS EDITOR Crystal Schick
NEWS WRITER Position available
Campus Centre heater among SAIT’s dysfunctional door issues
A&E EDITOR Inonge Chimwaso
A&E WRITER Husson Zaman
LIFESTYLE EDITOR Yashica Anandani
LIFESTYLE WRITER Krista Conrad
OPINIONS EDITOR Monica Henderson
SPORTS EDITOR Steve Sucha
BRENT CALVER PHOTO
SPORTS WRITER Andrew Halipchuk
PHOTO EDITOR
BY AMANDA SIEBERT WEAL WRITER
If you’ve been wondering what the giant tubing and wire fence at the north entrance of the Campus Centre is, you’re not alone. According to Boris Dragicevic, associate vice president of facilities management and campus expansion at SAIT, the eyesore is in fact a heater that has been installed temporarily to heat the northern portion of the building “until the new permanent roof top heater unit is installed.” “It was not needed previously as the heating system could keep up to the demand,” said Dragicevic. This is the first year that the heater has been installed. The heater costs approxi-
mately $20 per day for gas consumption “on the very cold days.” Dragicevic said that a request was submitted to Facilities Management as part of the yearly deferred maintenance program a few years ago to change the doors altogether. The funding required to change these doors was allocated and according to Dragicevic, the work was performed this past summer and fall. The original swinging doors were identified as a high-maintenance item in the yearly deferred maintenance planning process, which is administered by the facilities management board and operates on a threeyear cycle. However, the automatic doors have proven that they are not a perfect fix either. While the north entrance of
the building is dealing with heating issues, the doors at the east entrance of the Campus Centre have seen issues of their own since September, often failing to open automatically, despite the ‘automatic door’ signage. The doors at the west entrance to the Senator Burns building are also notoriously unreliable. Though other doors receive complaints from time to time, Dragicevic said that none match the extent of the complaints inspired by the doors at the Campus Centre and Senator Burns building. Dragicevic said that the major reason for the inconsistent automatic doors in both the Campus Centre and the Senator Burns building are human error or abuse, or equipment adjustments. While most students may
be able to operate the doors without the automatic function, students with mobility issues have a much more difficult time. “For me, it’s really frustrating because my walker is not the easiest thing to maneuver, and so if the automatic door doesn’t open, I have to back up to go to the other door,” said Kaitlyn Harris, a first-year student in the travel and tourism program who suffers from a mobility issue due to chronic pain. “This often results in me ‘getting in the way’ of other people. [These doors] really need to be fixed so they are fully functioning all the time,” Harris said. Dragicevic did not comment on when the doors will be fixed.
DRUGS Feb 22 At 8:38 p.m., Security received a telephone call from a Begin Tower Residence staff member regarding the suspected
use of illegal drugs in one of the building’s rooms. Security arrived on-scene where they met with the Residence staff member and proceeded to the room. The resident/student
denied smoking marijuana although there was a strong odour of marijuana coming from the room. While doing a visual check of the room, Security found a bong. The bong was seized and the residence staff member informed the student that he would be required to meet with Residence management.
age on the east side of Campus Centre. The individual, who refused to present identification, was issued a trespassing notice and was banned from the premises for one year.
Brent Calver
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Evan Buhler
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Mikaela MacKenzie
ILLUSTRATIONS EDITOR Susan Kim
LAYOUT & GRAPHICS EDITOR Patricia Rye
LAYOUT & GRAPHICS EDITOR Alannah Pohran
WEB MASTER Jennifer Poon
FACT CHECKER Evan Whitmore
SOCIAL MEDIA GURU Jordyn Thomson
COVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION Brent Calver
CONTRIBUTORS
Amanda Siebert, Carys Richards, Alexandra Bessant, Thomas Cruickshank, Amanda Arbuthnot
CORRECTION
In the ‘Venezuelan student learns Canada’s Game’ story in the Feb. 10, 2014 issue of The Weal, student Gustavo Rojas was incorrectly referred to as a volunteer intramural hockey scorekeeper. Direct letters, questions and concerns to:
PUBLICATIONS EDITOR Giselle Wedemire ph. 284-8458 / fax 210-4216
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Heather Setka, Publications Manager ph. 284-8077 / fax 210-4216 Advertising deadlines Bookings Monday @ noon Published every Monday during the academic year by SAITSA (SAIT Students’ Association). The Weal V219, 1301-16 Ave. N.W. Calgary, Alberta T2M 0L4 Fax: 403-210-4216 The Weal serves the SAIT community by promoting student activities, presenting news of interest to its members, and by fostering a learning environment in which members may participate; the newspaper is supported by student fees. The Weal is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Canadian University Press. Contents do not reflect the views of SAIT or SAITSA. Printed direct-to-plate Adobe Acrobat International Web exPress.
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THEFT Feb 24 At approximately 3:10 p.m., a SAIT student attended the Security office to report that his cell phone was taken from the library between 1:30 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. The student left his cell phone on a desk while he went upstairs for 15 minutes and when he returned it was gone. The student’s friend, who was also in the library, said that he did not see anyone take the cell phone. The student completed an incident statement and was advised to file a report with Calgary Police Service. TRESPASSING Feb 25 At approximately 7:31 a.m., Security found a homeless individual sleeping in the bike stor-
BREAKING AND ENTERING Feb 25 At approximately 1:10 p.m., Security received an email from a SAIT staff member that a room in the Senator Burns building may have been broken into. Security met with the staff member who explained that the occupant of the suspected room was on leave though his office door was open and his work computer had been used recently. The staff member also stated that some cabinets had been opened and files had been moved around. Security instructed the staff member to contact the office’s occupant in order to gain more information. At approximately 4:19 p.m., the reporting staff member confirmed that the occupant was still on leave and had not been in his office lately. It is undetermined if anything is missing from the office.
theWeal.com | March 3, 2014
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Emergency loan program out of money
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF MORGUE FILE
BY CRYSTAL SCHICK NEWS EDITOR
SAIT Students’ Association (SAITSA)’s Emergency Student Loan Program is temporarily shutdown due to an overwhelming demand for the service. After the loan program’s launch in the beginning of November 2013, SAITSA was flooded with applications from students wanting to borrow money. “We had to shut it down at the start of December, because we just ran out of money,” said Thomas Cruickshank, SAITSA vice-president academic.
The SAITSA Emergency Loan Program was launched as a service to help students who might suddenly find themselves in need of quick cash, and who generally can get by month to month. The interest-free loans were not granted to those wishing to use the money for tuition, but instead, to those needing to pay for life essentials, such as food or rent. The SAITSA organizers of the program realized quickly that the demand for loans greatly outweighed the amount of lendable funds. During the short one-month period that the program was
operational, SAITSA received about 78 loan applications but were only able to give out nine emergency loans. The program had just under $5000 in their fund and each of the nine borrowers were given the maximum interest-free credit of $500. Borrowers in this program have 30 days to get their finances in order before beginning to repay their loan in increments as small as $20 per month. The month-long grace period that borrowers received is over and repayments are now starting to trickle in. The program wasn’t intended as a pilot project, but
was planned to be a permanent installation added to the services offered by SAITSA. Ending it after issuing only nine loans is, “a bit of a disservice to the students that need the help,” said Cruickshank. “I want it to succeed,” he said, which is why he is currently writing a success and failure evaluation report for the program. This report will allow him and his SAITSA vicepresident academic successor to identify any flaws in the programs and to ensure that it is successful next year. Cruickshank said that “this is a step forward” for the program,
regardless of its abrupt closure, because it has identified there is clearly need for an emergency loan program at SAIT. Whether students are in need because they lack financial discipline, they don’t have the necessary financial planning skills, or there is a legitimate problem with students actually getting the appropriate amount of funds they need is a question Cruickshank says needs to be answered. That answer will create direction for the program’s future, allowing SAITSA to better customize programs to financially help the students of SAIT.
March 3, 2014 | theWeal.com
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theWeal.com | March 3, 2014
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SPORTS NEWS AND VIEWS FOR THE SAIT COMMUNITY
Cramped athletes’ accommodations means cramped style BY ANDREW HALIPCHUK SPORTS WRITER
The Olympic athletes in Sochi faced uncomfortable accommodations during this year’s winter Olympics, but the SAIT Trojans athletes have had to face these types of adversities in their careers as well. Early last month, just days before the world turned its attention to the 22nd Olympic Winter Games, reports began to surface spreading of the accommodations for the visiting athletes in Sochi, Russia. One photo showed three twin sized beds next to one another with about a foot of space between each
other—not nearly enough space for a person, let alone a buff athlete, to maneuver comfortably. An article on Yahoo.com elaborated on the athletes’ accommodations, stating that the rooms at the Athlete Village would provide one twin size bed, a bedside table, a lamp, a chair, a wardrobe, a wire stand, two bath towels, and a hand towel for each athlete. “In my opinion, the rooms are pretty basic, but the beds and bathrooms were a little small,” said Jacob Edwards, goaltender of the SAIT Trojans men’s hockey team, about Sochi athlete accommodations. “You would think that they would have better living accom-
modations for the Olympics.” Edwards played his junior hockey career in higher-end leagues like the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), during which time he said he “always stayed in nicer accommodations.” The major junior hockey leagues make more money than the lower level leagues like the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), because of the financial support from the team’s fan base, and from lucrative media deals which include radio, online streaming and television broadcasts. This, he said, affects the quality of accommodations available for players when on the road.
“It’s not fair to me, but that’s just the way it is,” said Edwards. “People are more interested in the WHL [Western Hockey League]’s Calgary Hitmen than, say, the AJHL’s [Alberta Junior Hockey League’s] Calgary Canucks.” However, not all Trojans have had great experiences while on road trips like Edwards had in his junior career. Third-year SAIT Trojans women’s volleyball middle Ellen Grundy said that in her athletic travels she has “never seen anything that you would call a disaster,” though her time in Caronport, Sask. stands out as a less than pleasant experience.
Grundy recalled staying in a hotel with old furniture and uncomfortable beds during her road trips to Caronport. Grundy said that it is tough to get the proper rest in a place like Caronport, and how important a good rest is for athletes like the Trojans. “Getting a good rest is very important because your body needs time to recover after a tough match of volleyball,” said Grundy. “Without the proper rest, your body will not have proper energy for the next game. If you are waking up the next day without energy, it takes an extra effort to prepare for your next game.”
hockey school lets old dogs learn new tricks BY CARYS RICHARDS WEAL WRITER
For people like myself, who didn’t grow up playing puck on backyard rinks, Hockey North America (HNA) provides a beginner hockey program for anybody looking to break into our national sport. Growing up, I never learned how to skate or shoot a puck. My childhood sporting events revolved around horses, and I first put on skates in 2012. An avid hockey fan, I finally elected to join the sport I’d enjoyed watching for so many years, but as a raw beginner I wasn’t sure how to go about doing so until I stumbled upon the HNA website. According to the website, members will play more than
5,000 games this season across North America, with more than 1,000 new skaters attending their hockey schools. HNA has leagues in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and offers year-round hockey games for players of all skill levels. In Calgary alone, HNA consists of over 90 teams competing in 14 divisions. My program began in December 2013, and over the last few months, the Nailers —a team I play for—has evolved from a group of strangers thrown together into a true hockey team. “I’ve met people with the same insecurities about their skating ability but nevertheless want a place to play and try to get better,” said Rob Halcrow, captain of the Nailers. Terance Gough, recently
named assistant captain of the Nailers, was looking for a program that would be forgiving of the fact that his skill level was not as good as his knowledge of the game. “I was removed from hockey for 20-plus years but always wanted to get back on the ice,” he said. “This program made that happen.” My program consisted of 15 weekly sessions. The first nine events consisted of practice where we began with skating basics and eventually started learning hockey drills, and a power skating clinic with Rex Tucker, founder of Tucker Hockey. The skill level in the group ranged from raw beginners to competent skaters who lacked the opportunity to play in a real league. For those of us who hadn’t
spent years on the ice, the practices were an opportunity to learn and develop basic skills, and for the more advanced players, it was a chance to get into game shape and improve their hockey skills. My final eight ice times were games against established teams, most of whom were previous participants in the beginner hockey school. My program took place at the North East Sportsplex Society, but games are played throughout the city in various venues. Since our first meeting in December, the overall skill level of my team is now greatly improved. By itself, that’s testament to the success of the program. But more importantly, this shows that our team has bonded and plans to remain together heading into next season, and
the opportunity to be a part of that is truly invaluable to me. “There are people I think that, like me, gave up [hockey] in their teens or weren’t given the chance to play when they were young, and want a place they can play,” said Halcrow. “This league fills the need.” The HNA beginner hockey program is an experience I would recommend to any of my SAIT comrades. For anybody that longs to break into hockey but lacks the experience to compete on an intramural squad, this is a perfect solution. My own experience with the HNA is entirely positive, and it’s a sentiment my teammates share. “I have already been telling people they should lace [their skates] up and join,” said Gough.
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March 3, 2014 | theWeal.com
BY YASHICA ANANDANI LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Aerial exercises provide new outlook on fitness
Joanne Brownlee, primary instructor at Defy Gravity Fitness, teaches aerial fitness skills that combine yoga, dance and pilates.
YASHICA ANANDANI PHOTO
Providing a new, airborne twist to traditional yoga, aerial fitness is beginning to find its niche in the market of fitness trends. Findings in an article by Wency Leung on the Globe and Mail website define aerial fitness as “the kind of gravity-defying gymnastics made famous by the Quebec performance company Cirque du Soleil.” However, mixing the basic gymnastics of a circus-level performance with airborne yoga can be quite the experience for the fitness lover. Owner and primary instructor at Defy Gravity Fitness Calgary Joanne Brownlee describes her studio’s aerial workouts as a fusion of yoga, pilates, dance, and general fitness that consists of a cardio and body-strengthening component. With a wide range of physical benefits, Brownlee explained that her aerial classes involve a hammock, which is eight yards of a two-way stretch fabric called circus material that is meant to support the body in different poses while suspended in the air. With students inverting their bodies upside down in some of the poses as well as decompressing their backs through a series of stretches in the classes, Brownlee said that blood flow into the spinal muscles is im-
proved as the vertebrae start to gently open up. This results in better concentration and memory, and better blood circulation throughout the body. Aerial fitness also brings about flexibility, balance and improved posture thanks to yoga being incorporated into some of the aerial poses. “When we do an inversion and we are hanging from the material upside down, nothing is touching the ground,” Brownlee said. “So when you’re hanging, you can literally feel your whole back opening up and stretching.” While these classes may seem like a challenge for the inexperienced, Brownlee clarifies that aerial fitness can be just about anyone’s cup of tea. With only one class that accommodates both beginner and advanced aerial students, Brownlee said her classes are open to “somebody that’s never done any fitness [or] a yoga class [who] can come in and get a full benefit of that class by the end of the hour.” Third-year academic upgrading student Satbir Sekhon is fascinated by this exciting new way to stay fit and hopes to try aerial fitness sometime in the future. For someone like herself who isn’t very inclined to lift weights at a gym, she said an aerial work out would be more exciting because “it doesn’t really seem like exercise.”
Nutrition Month Serves up Tasty Ideas for students BY AMANDA ARBUTHNOT WEAL WRITER
Every March, students of nutrition join nutritionists and dietitians to celebrate Nutrition Month. The Dietitians of Canada use this initiative to educate the public on the role nutritious food choices have on our health and overall well-being. This year’s theme, Simply Cook and Enjoy, promotes the message that healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated, and can actually be fun. Me and the students in SAIT’s nutrition for healthy lifestyles program couldn’t agree more with this outlook, and we’re using all of March to show students how they can “simply cook and enjoy” healthy food. Being a college student often means living away from home for the first time and
having to fend for ourselves with little experience in how to do so, especially in front of a stovetop. This makes us susceptible to the lure of pre-cooked meals and fast food, which can be high in calories, fat and salt, and can be lacking in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Thankfully, being a student also means you are surrounded by new people of different backgrounds and cooking skill levels, which means everyone you meet may have something new to teach you. During my first year living in residence for college, I learned more about food from my roommate than I had in all my hours watching the Food Network. My roomie introduced me to pesto and cherry tomatoes, and in return, I taught her the art of the perfect grilled cheese. Rather than being limited by our single hot plate, we embraced the restrictions of a small kitchen without appliances, and once
even made Nanaimo bars in tin foil-lined shoeboxes. The most important thing I learned was that if my friends and I shared our collective talents and knowledge, we had the opportunity to eat far better than when relying on a cafeteria pass. The students of Nutrition for Healthy Lifestyles want to give all SAIT students the knowledge to embrace cooking and revel in the health and lifestyle benefits gained from a balanced and nutritious diet. During March, we will be hosting events throughout the SAIT campus. Each of our weekly booths will feature educational presentations, free food samples, and lots of opportunities for fabulous prizes and gift baskets. We’ll teach you the value of cooking your own food, and student-focused ways to do it. In addition to presentations and prizes, we’ll send you away with free brochures full of nutrition information, including your
own copy of Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide. Nutrition Month booths will be set up each Wednesday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the following locations: March 5: Senator Burns Building March 12: Stan Grad Centre March 19: Johnson-Cobbe Energy Centre March 26: Aldred Centre For some lucky students, there will be classes all month with nutrition flash mobs to bring the food and facts right to you. The message of Simply Cook and Enjoy reminds students that food preparation can be fun, and straightforward. To help you understand this better, here is a simple spaghetti sauce with canned tomatoes inspired by the Dietitians of Canada.
Spaghetti Sauce (Adapted from the Dietitians of Canada)
Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 2 cloves garlic chopped 1/2 yellow onion chopped 1 can (28 fl oz) low-sodium tomatoes Black pepper to season Small handful of fresh basil Heat the oil in a mediumsized pot and lightly sauté garlic and onions until soft. Add the low-sodium canned tomatoes and simmer. Season with black pepper and basil, and serve. Need more information? Look out for posters and recipe cards planted all around SAIT or follow the nutrition students on Twitter at @NutritionSait.
theWeal.com | March 3, 2014
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CULTURE FOR THE SAIT COMMUNITY
ACAD student brings an artistic flare to fashion BY ALEXANDRA BESSANT WEAL WRITER
Anyone can shop for the trendiest clothes, but what sets a fashionista’s wardrobe apart from the rest is her stylish creativity shown through her outfits. After finishing up her classes for the day, second-year visual communications student Emily Kumick sat down with The Weal at the Campus Centre. Donning a cute and simple outfit, Kumick wore a light teal sweater with floral print lettering, and matching floral jeans. She humbly shared her own personal influences for her sense of style and her view on the fashion world. The Weal: What personal style do you aim for? Emily Kumick: Artistic, since I am artistic and I have always been interested in different patterns and colours, especially pastels. I personally love space and floral [patterns], but ACAD has for sure been an influence [on] my style. TW: In what ways has ACAD influenced your style? Kumick: At ACAD, it’s much more relaxed on what you wear, so you can wear anything you want. Before, I was always worried about patterns not matching, but now it doesn’t matter anymore. I can wear whatever I want without worry. TW: What does your style say about you? Kumick: I have been
Got style? If you’re fashion forward or have a unique flair, The Weal wants to hear from you! To volunteer for A SAIT Style feature, tweet us at @theWeal
ALEXANDRA BESSANT PHOTO
told I looked really preppy, but now I am definitely told that I look artistic because my outfits are little out there. But nowadays, almost everyone is a little out there. TW: How does your style differ from others? Kumick: I am very experimental. I see that I can actually have a lot more choices for outfits by trying to mix and match, and go for something unique. TW: Do you prefer online shopping or not? Kumick: I don’t have a credit card, so I basically can’t online shop. I go to Bluenotes in Deerfoot [Mall], but it doesn’t have the same stuff [as] in Bluenotes at Cross Iron Mills. TW: Do you prefer expensive shopping or bargain shopping? Kumick: The stores that I go to are very cheap. I even go to a lot of liquidation stores like Value Village, and I totally find
stuff there that I can easily spend $500 on elsewhere but I only paid $3 [for it at Value Village]. TW: What is something that you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing? Kumick: There [are] a couple [of] things. I don’t think I would ever wear overalls. Also, neon, because it’s a bit too much for me. I don’t think I would want to wear muumuus ever. TW: What style advice would you give to other people? Kumick: Try to even things out. Do not wear baggy shirts and baggy pants together. Balance it out by wearing a top that is baggy with pants that are tight, or vice versa. Sometimes both tight tops and bottoms work. Also, be very conscious of what you’re showing. If certain clothing doesn’t match your body type, then just don’t wear it. You look more appealing to your body type by accommodating for it.
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March 3, 2014 | theWeal.com
typewriters challenge students’ way of thinking
BRENT CALVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
BY INONGE CHIMWASO A&E EDITOR
Computers, tablets and phones, have caused some people to write automatically and unthinkingly because of the convenient use of autocorrect, backspace and spellcheck. But ACAD instructor Derek Beaulieu is determined to make his English 214 Creative Writing class stop and think about the actual mechanics of writing by requiring them to use typewriters. “Every time you strike a key on a typewriter, the imprint that you place on that page is effectively permanent,” Beaulieu said. “Which means that every decision you have to make on a typewriter is slower and that’s
exactly the kind of attention that the literary arts need.” Beaulieu introduced the use of portable manual typewriters to his English 214 Creative Writing class at the beginning of the 2014 Winter semester in January. He believes that when writing on a computer, the writer doesn’t have to be married to any idea they place on the page because it can easily be changed. Because writing on a typewriter can “physically affect the page,” his students are forced to think about what they want to type before pressing each key. The work that goes into correcting a mistake when using a typewriter essentially forces students to pay attention to their craft, as well as their thoughts.
Other than getting students to stop and think about their writing, Beaulieu says writing on a typewriter also has the ability to inspire the creative mind. “[Typewriters] smell like oil, they make great noises, they clack and they ding and you actually get involved in that romantic notion of what it means to be a writer.” According to Beaulieu, Calgary is renowned internationally for having one of the best writing communities in the world. For this reason, he wants his students to be “aware of the strength and breadth of what we’ve got going on here.” Outside of the classroom, students are asked to write on their typewriters in public
places such as coffee shops, cafes, and on Calgary Transit. Writing in public brings attention to a writer’s craft, while also making him or her part of Calgary’s strong writing community, said Beaulieu. While Beaulieu’s students may be immersing themselves into Calgary’s writing community, the Calgary community has also contributed to Beaulieu’s creative writing class. In order for the class to be possible, 45 portable manual typewriters of all makes and models where donated to ACAD by various businesses around Calgary such as bookstores. “Suddenly this course, which was just a creative writ-
ing course for the students at ACAD, has turned into something that the entire city has been involved with and it’s been a blast,” he said. According to Beaulieu, many students have expressed their excitement about using typewriters, while others have found it to be a challenge. “Students have said that they find it frustrating, absolutely, because it’s really pushing them in terms of how they write,” he explained. “But there are students who have found it very generative because they’re able to look at writing in a way they didn’t look at it before. “Overall, students seem to be really engaged and that is kind of wonderful.”
Province agrees to help fund film industry in southern Alberta HUSSON ZAMAN A&E WRITER
The Calgary film industry has finally received financial
backing from the Provincial government to go ahead and start the construction of a $20 million film studio. This news was confirmed in
a press conference that took place on campus in the Stan Grand Centre on Tuesday, Feb. 4, and it was seen as a step forward for Alberta. “This move forward is good for the industry and good for Alberta,” said Minister of Culture Heather Klimchuk at the press conference. SAIT film and video production instructor Philip Letourneau explained that the film studio is something that was a long time coming, and will be good for Calgary’s film industry. “It’s been an ongoing dream for the past 30 years to have a sound stage and a production studio available for both the local film scene and for people coming from out of town,” he said. Letourneau said the final piece that fell into place for the film studio was receiving the financial commitment of $5 million from the Province. The reason for that commitment was that a group from the film industry commissioned a consulting firm and did a feasibility analysis to show that the film studio would be a financially
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beneficial investment for the province. “All the stars aligned and it came out that it was going to be economically feasible,” said Letourneau. “With that cooperative partnership with the provincial government and the private industry, everyone was able to come to the table with enough [money] to actually make it happen.” Calgary’s film and television industry has brought in over $400 million in revenue over the last four years, and Letourneau predicts the media culture of the city will become stronger with the new film studio. “It’s a venue for future employment in the city,” he said. Letourneau explained that future SAIT film and video grads, as well as those who are
already working in the industry, will be the ones first in line for more year-round employment. About 80 per cent of the video and film production that takes place in Alberta is conducted in Calgary, and according to Letourneau, the indoor aspect of the new film studio will allow more film possibilities to arise through all the seasons, including the slower winters, in Calgary. “It’s going to allow more people to work in the industry to work more consistently, and that will lead to more cultural activity in the city.” Alongside the benefits the film studio will provide for the culture and the employment of Calgarians, the benefits for SAIT students and graduates will be plentiful. “It will likely mean more practicum opportunities and entry-level employment for students, and of course, more job placements upon graduation,” said Letourneau. The film studio is set for construction to begin in summer 2015 and it will be built by the Calgary Economic Development, at a location that has yet to be decided on.
theWeal.com | March 3, 2014
9
Study gives students a united voice
BY THOMAS CRUICKSHANK SAITSA VP ACADEMIC
Welcome to March! Again I greet you at the half way point in the semester. This time with great news from the world of “STUDENT POLITICS”! The news recently has been awash with many announcements in regards to
students, from IGNITE to research funding. So starting locally we have the IGNITE r eport which was released earlier in February. This was a game changing event. For the first time in recent memory, students across the entire province agreed on a research project and completed it. Leading a massive part of the charge was our very own Vice President External, Kenneth Taylor. The scope of this project was massive. It captured what students are saying about their post secondary education and the challenges students think may come in the future. The data gathered by this project will help the student movement for many years to come. This is truly an exciting time for student collaboration. But let’s think a bit bigger.
Recently the federal government has been making a lot of noise it regards to post-secondary. First of all, on February third, the federal government announced that everyone who comes into Canada on a visa will automatically be considered for a multiple entry visas. This will allow international students the freedom to travel back home for their long breaks without having to reapply for a visa every time. This will lighten the mental health load that these students face on daily basis. When this was announced, I was literally jumping for joy. I actually told conservative MPs that this was a good idea. And seeing it finally come through is just awesome. But WAIT! There’s more! The federal government just announced that they are look-
ing at eliminating the vehicle limit on student loans. This is also awesome! The removal of this would allow people who work, have kids, have bills to pay to keep their car and not get any penalties on their student loans. This is another thing I advocated on with the VP External while in Ottawa. I was particularly jazzed about this. Finally there was something announced recently that concerns any student that will apply for fund for a project. The federal government just announced that there will be new funding for research done at the college and polytechnic level. This is particular good news for SAIT as we were specifically named the Best research college in Canada last year. I do not know where this came from but it was great to hear regardless.
Seeing the fruits of your labor on such a grand scale is such an amazing thing to see. You feel proud to your very core. To know that you have help not only the students around you but the students to follow makes you really believe in yourself and the student movement as a whole. But that all from me, see y’all next month.
The Executive Corner is a weekly column series written and submitted by members of the SAITSA Students’ Executive Council. This content is unedited by The Weal’s staff.
WATERPOLOOZA A FUN, RECREATIONAL WATER POLO TOURNAMENT Sunday March 9, 2014 6:30PM-10:00PM SAIT POOL PRIZES! Open to all SAIT and ACAD students Register a team at imleagues.com Prizes Registration Deadline: March 5
sait.ca/recreation
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March 3, 2014 | theWeal.com
theWeal.com | March 3, 2014
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Pope Francis as their Person of the Year in 2013. Unfortunately, because of the Pope’s several radical statements, he’s become susceptible to satire over the past few months. An online article originally published by Diversity Chronicle called ‘Pope Francis condemns racism and declares that “all religions are true” at historic Third Vatican Council’ swept the Internet, stunning everyone who read it. People worldwide were shocked to read quotes apparently uttered by the Pope himself, claiming that, “The church no longer believes in a literal hell where people suffer.” A quick Google search of the article brings you to Hoax-Slayer.com, a widely-accredited Internet myth buster website that has been uncovering the truth in Internet hoaxes like chainmail threats since 2003. Hoax-Slayer.com delved into
AT IO
Pope Francis is probably the hippest thing to hit the Vatican since sliced Holy bread. Just the fact that he has a Twitter account may indicate that the Vatican and the Catholic Church may be on the brink of a grand sweep of modernization. One of the most famous, seemingly progressive statements he’s made all year is possibly the one he made when approached by reporters last June, asking about the existence of gay priests within the Vatican. “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?” said Pope Francis, according to The Advocate, the United States’ longestrunning Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) rights magazine. It’s important to note that
the Pope isn’t explicitly saying it’s 100 per cent A-OK in the eyes of the Church to be gay. He’s only saying it’s not his place to judge those people— implying that there may still be reason to judge them. However, it’s equally important to note that he may be the first Pope to acknowledge to the media that someone can be gay and follow God at the same time, also while implying that someone is gay, and doesn’t choose to be. Plus, though he can’t exactly rewrite scripture that condemns homosexuality, he may have made tons of Catholics question whether it is their place to judge someone’s sexual orientation, perhaps igniting an overall change of attitude in a good portion of the Church and its followers. Because of this statement, and several others made by the Pope, both The Advocate and Time Magazine honoured
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BY MONICA HENDERSON OPINIONS EDITOR
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The new pope is dope
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the article and site in question and found that there is in fact no Third Vatican Council and that most original content published by the Diversity Chronicle blog is satirical. So, sorry to the atheists, progressive Catholics, and many more—it isn’t your lucky day. Pope Francis may not be quite as liberal as satirical publications have made him out to be, especially since he still supports many traditional values,
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such as the idea that there is no room for women at the Vatican. But taking selfies with teenagers, sneaking out of the Vatican to visit with the homeless, Tweeting, and not judging gays is more liberal behaviour than we’ve seen from any Pope in modern times. Perhaps these actions by Pope Francis are indicating small steps in change, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.
The creationism/Evolution debate How arguing about our past is influencing our future BY AMANDA SIEBERT WEAL WRITER
On Feb. 4, creationist Ken Ham and Bill Nye ‘The Science Guy’ attempted to answer the question, “Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern, scientific era?” Ham (president of Answers in Genesis, a Christian apologetics ministry) and Nye (everyone’s favourite T.V. science geek) went brain-to-brain at Ham’s Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky. in front of an audience of 800. The debate was also available for live stream via Answers in Genesis’ website, and can still be found on YouTube. Nye presented his information with humour, grace, and humility, while an arrogant Ham
frequently stumbled over words and danced around questions that he preferred not to address. While most of the debate consisted of Nye pitting scientific data (read: hundreds of thousands of years of layered snow ice in the Antarctic, 6,800-yearold trees in California, layered rock in the Grand Canyon) against Ham’s tales of animals marching two-by-two onto a 450foot wooden ark built by eight people who lived nowhere near the ocean, the more troubling part of the debate came when Ham challenged the semantics of the word ‘science.’ Sidewinding the real topic of the debate, Ham attempted to redefine the connotations of the word by suggesting that there are in fact, two varieties of sci-
ence that need to be separated: observational science and historical science. Nye argued that there was no differentiation made between historical and observational science in the history of, well, science. (And, let’s face it, do you really think you’re going to win an arguement with ‘The Science Guy’ about what science is?) Nye answered questions like ‘Where does human consciousness come from?’ and ‘How did the first atoms come to be?’ with an almost excited ‘I don’t know,’ rejoicing in the fact that science allows us to embrace the continued search for answers. Ham, however, literally responded to the same questions with the condescending line, “Mr. Nye, there’s a book out
there…” while waving around the Bible. While Nye stood by science and allowed for room to change his mind in the future if new evidence ever arose to prove the stories of the bible, Ham wouldn’t budge, and insisted that the educational model in public schools be changed to teach creationism instead of evolution. By suggesting that the entire human race change the way youth are educated based on a book translated from language to language over thousands of years, you are effectively telling people to step back into time instead of moving forward. Science allows us to continue to explore the possibility for more conclusive answers, so
why shouldn’t we? Should we believe the religious teachings of one ancient book that depicts the stories of one small portion of the world, or should we believe the studies and research published by thousands from all over the world? We can choose to believe in scientific fact, or we can attach ourselves to a completely unscientific system that is plagued with doubt and inexplicable situations. Accepting the fact that some things in nature are counterintuitive, instead of claiming that we already have the answers and are content to teach these beliefs as history, allows for greater innovation and opportunity to learn more about the planet and the universe as we know it.
Staff photographer Mikaela MacKenzie and Photo Editor Brent Calver ask the SAIT campus:
“What’s the weirdest fitness trend that you’ve heard of?”
“Prancercise!”
“Parkour—my buddies do it, they
“That crazy vibrating machine
“The banana diet—a Japanese
“The eight-hour diet. You can
“The Shake Weight–the commer-
jump off walls and stuff. It’s like
that you stand on.”
diet where you eat bananas for
only eat every eight hours to lose
cial was funny as hell.”
breakfast and lunch and whatever
weight.”
doing gymnastics off a wall.”
for supper. Pretty sure it doesn’t work.” Centaine Tyler, second-year
Justin Makasiar, first-year busi-
Brendan Olson, second-year busi-
Mary-Kim Vo, first-year dental
Jeremiah Jimenez, first-year busi-
Tim Ho, first-year information
journalism arts student
ness administration student
ness administration student
assistance student
ness administration student
technology student
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March 3, 2014 | theWeal.com