APRIL 02, 2020
The Sheaf Publishing Society
VO L . 1 1 1 , I SS UE 27 The University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.
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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
Getting the message across: A tight race in uncertain Public health campaigns in the time times: The 2020-21 of COVID-19 USSU election results The goal is to spread the message, not the virus.
–in Sports & Health
While physical distancing postponed the celebrations, the new executive is ready to lead during this crisis. –in News NOAH CALLAGHAN STAFF WRITER
With the campus shut down and physical distancing measures in effect, this year’s election happened mainly online. However, the circumstances did not stop 1,804 students from voting for who they wanted as next year’s executive committee of the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union.
The USSU executive coordinates core services and they speak on behalf of students at the University of Saskatchewan. Every spring, an election is held to determine who will fill the four executive positions. These student leaders are a crucial part of the University Students’ Council, which works in the interest of all U of S undergraduate students. Here is your 2020-21 USSU executive:
President: Autumn LaRose-Smith
A public health message is displayed in front of Oskāyak High School on March 24, 2020 | Erin Matthews/ Opinions Editor
Public health messages have been used to combat disease and alter behaviours for over 150 hundred years. Posters were the medium of choice in the early 20th century, with eye-catching illustrations and pointed messages used to outline health risks. While posters and billboards are still frequently used for the dissemination of public health warnings and messages, a new kind of delivery system is also being implemented — the internet. We are currently experiencing the first major pandemic in the age of social media and platforms from Twitter to Instagram are now participants in the spread of public health campaigns.
The strategies haven’t really changed in the past century, with a mixture of ‘calls to action’ and public shaming, hoping to curtail the behaviour that is responsible for spreading disease. COVID-19 has ushered in new vocabulary and catchphrases, but is the messaging effective enough? Flatten the curve This phrase has only been a part of the zeitgeist since early March, but “flatten the curve” has now become a battle cry for medical professionals and citizens trying to do their part. The curve we need to flatten is the exponential growth of COVID-19 cases, which skyrocket if we do nothing to slow the spread of infection. The more cases of the virus, the higher the curve and risk hitting the ceiling of our healthcare system. When the
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ERIN MATTHEWS OPINIONS EDITOR
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curve gets too high, the system collapses, and becomes overwhelmed with patients. If we flatten the curve, we are not necessarily preventing cases but we are spreading out the number of people who will get sick over a longer period of time. Our hospitals can treat the patients who come in because the influx isn’t as great. People still get sick, but they have access to care that may not be available if everyone gets ill at once. The message appears to be effective. It’s catchy and it can be visualized — an angry red peak being flattened to a blue hill — which helps make it a tangible strategy for many. But the core of the message might have been lost.
Supplied | Autumn LaRose-Smith
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