The Sheaf - Jan. 22, 2014

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Checking in on the USSU exec halfway through their term.

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News

22 January, 2015 - The University of Saskatchewan Student Newspaper since 1912.

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Sports

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culture

Basketball teams dominate Regina in weekend action.

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opinions

Art bonds students and city for a fourth year.

Scrubbing gets sexy in Saskatoon.

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As tuition rises, is there a way to help students budget their future more efficiently?

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THE sheaf Editor-in-Chief: Anna-Lilja Dawson, editor@thesheaf.com

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22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

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Opinions Editor: Naomi Zurevinski opinions@thesheaf. com

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Membership in the Society is open to undergraduate students at the U of S, but all members of the U of S community are encouraged to contribute to the newspaper. 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 Sheaf is published weekly during the academic year and monthly from May through August. The Editor-in-Chief has the right to veto any submission deemed unfit for the Society newspaper. In determining this, he/she 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 libelous material.

Corrections There were no errors brought to our attention this week.

If you spot any errors in this week’s issue, email them to copy@thesheaf.com

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USSU among top student unions in freedom of speech: Report ALEXANDER QUON The University of Saskatchewan’s Student Union ranks in the top five student unions in Canada when it comes to advancing and protecting the principles of freedom of speech, according to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.

The JCCF, an Alberta based constitutional law organization founded in 2010, recently released its 2014 Campus Freedom Index. The index is an annual report that according to Michael Kennedy, communications and development coordinator for the JCCF, attempts to “shine the light on universities and student unions who have engaged in unlawful censorship against students, faculty and invited guests.”

The index ranks both student unions and university administrations on their policies and their practices using a graded scale from “A” to “F”, grading each on their own distinct set of standards.

In order for a student union to receive an “A” grade for the policy category it must meet four criteria, which the CFI report indicates as having a commitment to free speech on campus; written policies which expressly protect diversity of opinion, and prevent the student union executive from discriminating against a club on the basis of its beliefs, opinions or philosophy; policies which prohibit discrimination in regards to club certification, club fund-

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ing or room booking; regulations and rules that do not empower elections officers to censor free speech during elections; policies must be in place which restrict the student union’s advocacy on issues related to post-secondary education.

In order for a student union to receive an “A” grade in the practices category it must meet the following criteria: the student union has spoken or acted to support freedom of expression for unpopular opinions and beliefs on campus; the student union has not discriminated against any campus club on the bases of the club’s beliefs, opinions or philosophy during club certification, club funding and resource allocation. For a student union to receive an “F” grade the student union must have actively discriminated against campus clubs due to the club’s beliefs, opinions or philosophies. Grades of “B”, “C” or “D” are awarded in relation to these criteria.

In either section, if the student union only meets three of the four criteria then it will be given a “B” grade. This pattern continues until none of the criteria are met, which results in the student union being given a grade of “F”.

This year the USSU earned a grade of “B” for the policies that they have implemented while earning a “C” for their practices.

There was no change from the grades the USSU earned in the 2013 report.

The U of S administration earned a “C” for both its policies and practices.

Not a single student union in Canada earned an “A” in this year’s report.

While the rankings for the USSU are impressive, president Max FineDay was dismissive of the CFI and said that he pays no attention to these rankings whatsoever.

When asked about the JCCF, FineDay also responded negatively.

“The JCCF has no business here, have no business on how I should be running my student union. Honestly I don’t think they have the best interests of students in mind.”

In an email to the Sheaf, Kennedy revealed what can be done by the USSU in order to improve its grades.

“The USSU can still improve its grades by repealing or at least clarifying what it means when it bans ‘offensive language’ in its space rental and poster policies.

It can also clarify whether it is still imposing unique and discriminatory restrictions on its pro-life club, [U of S Students for Life], to improve its grade for student union practices.”

Despite Kennedy’s concerns, FineDay seems comfortable with the USSU’s current policies.

“We aren’t hearing of any problems that are coming out of this policy. I think the students are very well served by this policy,

certainly a lot more than they were.”

During the four-year period that the CFI has been published, student unions across the country have implemented changes in response to the negative grades they have received. The USSU is one of those organizations.

In 2012, the USSU received an “F” due to the fact that the union had, at the time, “unfettered power to de-ratify a campus club based on its views, opinions, philosophy and expression.”

As a response, the USSU, led by then vice-president operations and finance Steven Heidel, worked in partnership with the JCCF to add a Free Speech Policy to its policy book.

Passed in 2013, the policy states that the USSU would “support and protect the free speech of all parties under its jurisdiction.”

Kennedy mentioned that the Free Speech Policy is “highly commendable.” However, the JCCF still believes that more work can be done throughout Canada.

“The CFI shows that half of Canada’s universities are failing to live up to their missions of fostering the free exchange of ideas on campus,” said Kennedy. “The CFI is informing more students, parents and taxpayers about the state of free speech at Canada’s universities, mobilizing them to promote and defend free speech both on and off the campus.”

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22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

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Working hard or hardly working with the USSU?

Catching up with the executive halfway through their term

KATHERINE FEDOROFF/ PHOTO EDITOR

(Clockwise from top-left) Max Fineday, Jack Saddleback, Elias Nelson and Desirée Steele.

SOMA DALAI It’s half way through the school year and the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union executive is transitioning into the second half of their term as the voices for the undergraduate population — making it the perfect time to check in and find out what they have been doing, what accomplishments they have made and what has become of their campaign promises.

Max FineDay Max FineDay is now serving his second year as president of the USSU. In an email to the Sheaf, he said part of the reason he ran for a second term was to oppose TransformUS, the highly controversial cut-back program that former university president Ilene Busch-Vishniac instituted. FineDay also ran on a platform of pushing the university to create more childcare spaces, creating an open-textbook policy for students and lobbying to keep tuition rates low.

FineDay wrote that seeing TransformUS halted, and senior leadership held to account, was a major accomplishment during his second term as USSU president.

He also said that he was proud of convincing the university to build a new daycare, though there remains work to be done. FineDay wrote that the USSU has achieved some success toward open textbooks by lobbying the province and the university, and cited Professor Eric Michaels as an example of the program’s adoption in his AG 113: Agrifood Issues and Institutions course.

A less well-known plank of FineDay’s platform this year was the implementation of tuition waivers for youth exiting foster care.

“Making our university more accessible for marginalized communities should be a priority for every university in Canada,” FineDay said.

Jack Saddleback Serving as vice-president student affairs, Jack Saddleback said that he will continue to make mental health initiatives a priority and try to create a mental health strategy for the university. Saddleback also said he is working with the USSU Women’s Centre and university administration to create a sexual assault policy.

Saddleback counted the creation of campus childcare spaces, the USSU Indigenous Student

Affairs committee and the USSU International Student Affairs committee as big accomplishments in term one of the school year. Regarding the two new committees, Saddleback wrote that having dedicated voices for these groups within the USSU will help address their unique needs as undergraduate students. After a successful Mental Health Awareness week in November, Saddleback also wrote that he saw positive change created on campus.

“Some ways that I am seeing this change take place is within one on one conversations with students and on our Facebook pages,” Saddleback wrote. “People are feeling it is important for all of us to be aware of our mental health and to reach out to those in need.”

Elias Nelson Coming into the second half of his term as vice-president finance and operations, Elias Nelson’s top priority is budgeting for the 2015–16 academic year. As per his platform, Nelson wrote that he is working to include written and visual supplements in the budget to make the numbers more meaningful to the general student population.

Nelson listed his other two top priorities as revising the campus club’s guide as well as reviewing and revising the campus group insurance policy, which he wrote was already underway.

Nelson wrote that he would also like to address the fact that U-Pass expires before end-ofterm for many professional college students, but acknowledged that time constraints and other limitations may mean this won’t be accomplished by the end of term two.

When asked about his main accomplishments, Nelson wrote that they lay in the work he has done for student groups.

“I have made it a personal policy to work with campus groups to ensure their chances of success when they apply for funding,” he wrote. By creating a “tabling package” that campus groups can book and creating efficiencies in ratification of campus groups by automating procedural steps, Nelson says he has made his job more efficient and effective.

Desirée Steele Writing about the end of TransformUS, vice-president academic Desirée Steele acknowledged

that program prioritization is still a reality at the university — though in a less “draconian” manner. Steele wrote that she has spent much of her first term stressing the need for student engagement with regards to any further academic changes, especially those involving tuition.

“I welcome students to tell me about their experience with this consultation, or lack thereof,” Steele wrote. “This will help inform the USSU’s upcoming report on how tuition conversations went this year and how they can be improved for next.”

With regards to her campaign promise of increasing experiential learning for students of all disciplines, Steele wrote that she was confident the university would meet its goal of increasing these opportunities by 20 per cent. Steele also wrote that she plans to make the university better at promoting existing coops, internships, clinical placements, research opportunities and study-abroad programs to students and increase the types of experiential learning available in colleges which currently lack them.

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NEWS

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

VP Academic lobbies for tuition forecasting Project would give students more perspective on tuition increases

HENRYTYE GLAZEBROOK Senior News Editor The University of Saskatchewan is taking steps to improve students’ experience with tuition rates, but they aren’t enough according to U of S Students’ Union vice-president academic Desirée Steele.

The university Board of Governors announced via press release on Jan. 14 that the 2015–16 academic year will see an on average tuition rate increase of 2.4 per cent across colleges for undergraduate students. Administration has emphasized how the delivery of this news, which comes two months earlier than it has in prior years, will help students in planning for their futures on campus. Steele believes more can be done and is pushing for tuition forecasting to be implemented by the 2016–17 academic year.

The USSU is “putting pressure and encouraging the administration and those relevant to determining tuition rates to take the necessary steps to have that information in place,” Steele said. “Just as we provide an operating forecast and we have an operating forecast out to five years for the entire university, it doesn’t make sense to have a multi-billion dollar budget without having some years in advance planned. We want to see that kind of planning put toward tuition rate increases.”

Tuition forecasting is a concept which would see the university providing an estimated outline of tuition increases for the coming years. While the timeline of this estimate could vary — Steele offered up five-year cycles and four-year projections, perfect for incoming students planning out a four-year bachelor’s degree, as examples — the proposal would supply students with a level of insight into university projections much greater than what is provided by pushing up the announcement of tuition increases by two months.

Using this model, the university would be able to provide “an estimate of how

Would tuition forecasting be a viable model for the U of S? much tuition would need to increase and that would be delegated to a college level in the year term, with responsibility centred management coming on as a budget model,” Steele said. “But the idea is to improve on the accessibility principle by giving students a better assessment of what their education will cost.”

While tuition forecasting seems like a largely positive concept, it is not without roadblocks that could make it difficult for the university to make it a reality. The U of S funds over 60 per cent of its operating budget through provincial grants — a procedure that many universities across Canada adhere to — and thus could come across difficulty in predicting changes in their budget without knowing what they’ll be awarded in grants.

Steele, however, says that money coming in from the government will not affect the cost of tuition at the U of S.

“Our university administration, unlike that in Regina, has made a clear statement that tuition will not fill up the gaps in an operating budget from shortfalls that they thought the government would give them,” Steele said. “That’s part of why the tuition announcement was two months early this year.

“In order for tuition forecasting to happen, some people would say, ‘We don’t know how much money we’re getting in the grant, so how can we possibly forecast that?’ The university is trying to say that it takes the initiative to set its own tuition rates, so it does have a certain amount of control.”

Steele is enthusiastic that the project will find its footing in time for their proposed implementation deadline.

“We’ve had positive feedback on the idea from those people who deal with the

KAITLIN WONG

numbers themselves, she said. “There’s definitely a lot of details to be worked out, but it’s something that the USSU has decided needs to be feasible, so we’re going to encourage people to make it so.”

In the meanwhile, Steele emphasized the importance of student consultation during the tuition evaluations.

“Student consultation is supposed to happen with students, especially about the accessibility and quality aspects that the U of S uses to set tuition… There were concerted efforts made in different colleges this year, but I also know that there are also gaps and there are definitely improvements to be made,” Steele said.

“I would encourage students who have thoughts on the processes that did or didn’t happen to contact me, send me an email, even a Facebook message.”

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22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

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Blue-blooded arthropods date millions of years U of S researchers publish surprising new findings into early life TAYLOR BOROWETZ University of Saskatchewan researchers hypothesize the blood of some early invertebrates could have actually been a brilliant blue from the copper contained in the blood instead of iron.

Brian Pratt, a palaeontologist and sedimentologist, lead the team and is primarily interested in sedimentary rocks from the Cambrian age — about half a billion years old.

These rocks hold important clues from the beginning of animal evolution.

Fossilization occurs in sedimen-

tary rock and normally only preserves the parts of the organism that were composed of minerals while alive, such as hard shells or skeletons.

Located in the Canadian Rockies, the Burgess Shale Formation is a unique exception. American palaeontologist Charles Walcott found the Burgess Shale in 1922 by accident while searching for fossilized trilobites, an extinct group of marine arthropods.

The shale itself looks like a dark mix of greenish, gray and black rock. It is almost totally unique because the decay of carcasses in the shale stopped prematurely. Rather than leav-

ing no trace, as would usually be expected, soft-bodied organisms and non-mineralized tissues were preserved.

Pratt convinced some of his colleagues who work at the Canadian Light Source to test the composition of some of these unusual fossils, including samples from the Burgess Shale. The samples were imaged using the synchrotrons at the U of S and Stanford University. No other tools could have detected the composition of the fossils on the same level of resolution as a synchrotron because of the size of the samples.

The team chose to focus specifically on Marrella splendens;

KATHERINE FEDOROFF/ PHOTO EDITOR

Brian Pratt and his team used synchotrons at the U of S and Stanford University to study samples such as this one.

a tiny, feathery, bug-like arthropod. An arthropod is an invertebrate with an exoskeleton, segmented body and jointed appendages.

Marrella splendens is a small organism, less than two centimeters in length, but their scientific appeal does not lie in their size. Pratt said half of the Marrella fossils in the Burgess Shale have a dark stain around the edges, head, or thorax and his team has argued that this stain is the remains of the organism’s blood. Pratt’s team hypothesizes that after the organism had died, blood continued to pump out and spill into the surrounding sediment, causing the stain.

The scans showed that there were elevated concentrations of copper in the darkened blood stains. Pratt explains, though there are trace amounts of copper in seawater, along with zinc, iron and other elements, it would have likely been disseminated in the shale as opposed to its concentration in the stain area.

“We think that it is the remnants of hemocyanin,” Pratt said.

Hemocyanin is a protein in blood that uses copper to transport oxygen, as opposed to iron hemoglobin used in our blood.

Both function similarly by binding oxygen to the central atom or the iron or copper. Because of the copper, hemocyanin is a brilliant blue similar to copper sulfate.

Pratt said finding these organisms used hemocyanin would not be surprising, as marine crustaceans and arthropods use it today. For example, hemocyanin is extracted from horseshoe crabs in Chesapeake Bay, Mass. and used to treat bladder tumors.

The novelty of their work lies in the fact that this is the first evidence for invertebrate blood composition to be found in fossil.

Their article, “Evidence for biogenic copper (hemocyanin) in the middle Cambrian arthropod Marrella from the Burgess Shale” is published in PALAIOS and can be accessed through other online journals through the university library website.

KATHERINE FEDOROFF/ PHOTO EDITOR

Palaeontologist and sedimentologist Brian Pratt is leading the project.

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Sports

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

Huskies sweep Cougars in weekend basketball MICHAEL KNIGHT The Huskies weekend basketball games saw both the men’s and women’s teams sweeping their series against the University of Regina Cougars.

The weekend kicked off with the women beating the Cougars 73–56 on Jan. 16. They used big first and third quarters that saw the Huskies outscore the Cougars 41–15. Turnovers proved to be costly for the Cougars as they were sloppy throughout the game.

They turned the ball over 17 times in the loss.

The Huskies capitalized on the turnovers and it proved to be the difference as it resulted in 21 points. The offence was once again firing on all cylinders with five players scoring at least 10 points. Forward Dalyce Emmerson was strong as always, picking up nine rebounds and 10 points.

The following night on Jan. 17, the Dogs showed up with the same intensity and beat their provincial counterparts 63–40. Regina continued their poor play and turned the ball over 24 times. Again, the Huskies took advantage of the change in possession and scored 21 points off turnovers. Leading the scoring was guard Kabree

Howard with 16 points. Howard was 4–9 from three-point range.

With the wins, the Huskies sit on a five-game winning streak and move to a record of 9–3, good for third place in the Pioneer Division.

The women’s team is next in action on Jan. 23 and 24 where they

travel to the University of Manitoba to play the struggling Bisons.

Only three games separate the third through seventh place teams so these will be crucial wins to pick up down the stretch.

The men won their Friday evening game against the Cougars in

a tight 76–72 battle. It was a slow start for the Huskies and they looked shaky at times. Regina used a tight man-to-man defence to hold the Huskies to mainly outside shots. Later in the game, the Dogs were able to wear down the defence and drove more to the

STEPHANIE MAH / GRAPHICS EDITOR

net and got better shots.

Forward Matt Forbes led the charge, going 8–13 from the floor and putting up a game-high 24 points. Not to be outdone, Ben Baker had a unbelievable game, putting up 13 points, eight rebounds, five steals, two assists and two blocks in the win.

In their Saturday night game, the Huskies overcame their shaky play from the previous game to beat the Cougars 88–80. The Huskies fell in a hole early, but powered back on a 14–3 run. Good shooting by the Dogs allowed them to prevent the Cougars from ever taking back the lead. It was a good day shooting for the team, as they shot 53.6 per cent from the field.

Andrew Henry led the Huskies in scoring with 18 points, going 4–7 from beyond the arc, as well as six steals and six assists.

The wins put the Huskies at fifth place in Canada West with an 8–4 record. The men also travel to Manitoba for Jan. 23 and 24 games against the fourth place Bisons.

WIth only eight games left on the schedule and playoff positioning up for grabs, this is an important road trip for the Huskies.

The roadtrip goes to Manitoba with games on Jan. 23 and 24. The women start at 6 p.m. both nights and the men get going at 8 p.m.

Men’s volleyball team picking up steam

Women drop both contests to Regina; Men sweep provincial rival Cougars

AUSTIN ARVAY Sports Editor

KATHERINE FEDOROFF/ PHOTO EDITOR

All though they played well, the women’s team couldn’t come away with a win.

It was a tale of two teams this weekend as the men swept away their provincial rivals while the women dropped both matches to the University of Regina Cougars.

With a pair of convincing wins, the Huskies run their record to 11–7 which puts them in fifth place in the Canada West conference.

The team has rebounded nicely after starting 1–5 out of the gate and have ran the table and gone 10–2 in their last 12 games to sneak back into the playoff picture. Only six games remain on the schedule and Saskatchewan sits just two games ahead of the eighth placed Mount Royal University Cougars. Only the top seven teams qualify for the post-season.

Jan. 16 saw the Dogs make quick work of the Cougars as they took the win 3–0 (25–14, 25–14, 25–10). It was never really close as the Huskies played only their third game of the

year with seven healthy starters. Matthew Busse and Jordan Nowakowski led the attack with 13 and 11 kills respectively. A solid team effort all around was key for the Huskies as they collectively had a 0.458 hitting percentage.

The following night was more of the same as the sweep was completed with another shutout victory. Without ever trailing in the match, the Dogs picked up a dominant 3–0 (25–17, 25–15, 25–22) victory. A lone bright spot for Regina was that Jacques Borgeaud broke the single-game three set school record for digs with 18. On the Huskies’ side, Nowakowski led the charge with 15 kills and Paul Thomson added 11 of his own.

Thomson has now recorded 257 kills on the season, which ranks him fourth in the Canada West.

The women’s first match was a tight one and it was arguably their most exciting game of the season, but ultimately fell 3–2 (25–18, 21–25, 23–25, 25–17, 15–8) to the Cougars. With a 2–1 lead in the match, the Huskies just couldn’t nail down the win and Regina stormed back for a thrilling five set victory on home court. Jenelle Sokoloski had a team high with 14 kills, but it was a balanced attack with

eight different Huskies recording a kill. Jennifer Hauser and Anne Hanbidge chipped in with 14 and 12 digs, respectively in the losing effort. The difference was team hitting percentage as Regina hit 0.226 per cent compared to the Huskies 0.169 per cent.

Game two of the weekend saw the Huskies on the losing end once again to their provincial foes as Regina improved to 6–12 on the season with a 3–0 (25–18, 25–18, 25–18) win. The Dogs started slowly and were never able to recover. Poor first and third sets were the demise of the Huskies as the Cougars were able to set up a strong attack all night. Again, the Cougars had a much more efficient hitting percentage with 0.310 per cent, whereas the Huskies hit at just 0.150 percent. Emily Humbert led the team with seven kills and Hauser had 14 more digs.

The pair of losses drops the squad to 4–14 on the season, which is second last in the Canada West conference.

Both teams will be back in action on Jan. 23 and 24 when the University of Manitoba Bisons come to town. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. for the women and 8 p.m. for the men on both nights.

Sports

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

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Dog Watch: Paul Thomson AUSTIN ARVAY Sports Editor Huskies outside hitter Paul Thomson has been having an excellent season and he has helped the team put their noses in the thick of the playoff race.

Thomson leads the team in kills so far this year and is currently sitting fourth in the conference, but he isn’t concerned about individual stats.

“I didn’t know I was fourth in the conference,” Thomson said. “Volleyball is the epitome of a team sport, so individual stats don’t mean a ton.”

That being said, the team has battled some tough injuries this year. Their Jan. 9 game was the first time the Huskies had played with all seven starters healthy and it showed, as they knocked off the 11–3 Brandon University Bobcats that night. The following weekend on Jan. 16 and 17, they shutout the University of Regina Cougars. With all of them at peak health, it appears the team is now hitting a rhythm.

“Our first half was a little shaky, it wasn’t the same feel on the court from night-tonight but I think we’re getting there,” he said, adding that the matchup against Brandon “wasn’t exactly as solid as we wanted it to be but this weekend was better so hopefully we’ll continue to improve.”

Despite being a forced to be reckoned with on the volleyball court, Thomson stands at 6’6” and nearly used his height to play basketball. It wasn’t until a fluke opportunity that Thomson even considered the game of digs and kills.

“I wasn’t a big volleyball player and in Grade 11, the current [Huskies] girls coach Jason Grieve came down to Assiniboine — where I’m from — and got me and my buddy to play for his club team. I was more of a basketball player and that sparked it for me, playing on a national club team.”

Following high school he joined the U of S volleyball team with one goal in mind: to play at the national level.

“I came to this program six years ago knowing that we were hosting nationals this year. It was one of the big factors why I came,” Thomson said.

With the Huskies slated to host the CIS men’s volleyball championships in Saskatoon this year, Thomson and the rest of the team are in the mindset they can finally win the national title.

“We have the feeling we can win,” he said. “I know I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we had a good shot to win it all.”

Six long years have passed since Thomson’s decision and now he sits in his fifth and final year of Huskie volleyball eligibility. The computer science major has many fond memories of playing on the team, but one match in particular stands out.

“Back in my first year, one of our last games before Christmas was against the University of Alberta and they were ranked near the top and we hadn’t gotten many wins. On the Saturday night, we had one of the closest games I’ve ever been a part of and we ended up beating them in five sets. We were down 13–8 and Alwyn Piche went on a big serving run, it was insanity.”

That was one of just six wins for the squad that year, but since then, the program has improved dramatically. It’s been a long road but Thomson loves the team aspect and how far they have come.

“It has a lot to do with the guys, you form this bond that’s hard to explain with your teammates. You just want to go out and play for each other,” he said. “I have a lot of other interests, but be being able to play for a team and a family has kept me around.”

Although it will be his final year on the court, Thomson still has another year left to finish his degree and is currently doing an internship. However, once he finishes his schooling, he has plans to stray away from the sport for a bit.

“I really want to do some travelling after I’m done and put things on hold for a while.”

JORDAN DUMBA

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Sports

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

T-Birds have Dogs’ number in hockey action KADE GATES Huskies hockey had another less than stellar performance, this time against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds as they dropped three of four games this weekend.

The men’s team split their series in Vancouver running their record to 10–13–1, good for 21 points and sixth in Canada West. Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds improved to 11–9–4 clinching a playoff spot and putting them fourth in the conference and probably earning them a few more votes in the CIS top 10 rankings.

On Jan. 16 in Vancouver, the Huskies marked a huge win as they came back from being down 3–0 in the third period to stun UBC’s record crowd of 3,049. The win also made Huskie coach Dave Adolph the winningest coach in Canada West history, with 387 wins putting him in sole possession of the lead and passing his longtime idol and former University of Alberta coach, Clare Drake.

After the Thunderbirds made the score 3–0 on a David Robinson goal early into the final frame, the Huskies came to life. First, Craig McCallum scored on the power play at 8:46 of the third. Jesse

Ross and Connor Cox also scored to tie the game at three and send it to overtime. In the second overtime, McCallum became the hero when he scored 3:24 into the second overtime to pull off the amazing comeback victory.

The following evening, unfortunately, the Huskies could not carry over the previous evening’s momentum as they were shutout 5–0. Thunderbirds’ forwards Nick Buonassisi, Greg Fraser and Anthony Bardaro lead the way for the T-Birds as each had a goal and an assist. The Dogs could not get anything going as they were outshot 37–22 and took 32 minutes in penalties, compared to just 10 for UBC. The men will be on the road again next weekend as they take on the University of Manitoba Bisons in what will be a pivotal weekend series to determine playoff positioning.

In women’s action, the 10th ranked Huskies lost both games at home against the eighth ranked Thunderbirds. With the losses, the Huskies remain in fifth place in the Canada West at 8–3–7–2 for a total of 32 points, while the Thunderbirds improve to 11–1–4–4, making third place in the CanWest with 39 points.

On the Friday night at Rutherford Rink, the Dogs dropped game one of their weekend series 1–0 to

the Thunderbirds. UBC netminder Samantha Langford made 25 saves as she posted the shutout.

Cassidy Hendricks was brilliant for the Huskies as she stopped 25 of 26 shots only allowing a single goal — a Stephanie Schaupmeyer goal on a scramble — midway through the first period.

Jan. 17 the Huskies again fell to the Thunderbirds 5–1. The Thunderbirds’ Rebecca Unrau opened the scoring early on as she scored just 80 seconds into the game. Early in the second, Alyssa Dobler came in streaking down the wing and fired on T-Birds’ goaltender Danielle Dube generating a rebound that Huskies’ forward Kandace Cook was able to bang home tying the game at 1–1. From then on it was all Thunderbirds as the Huskies couldn’t keep pace with the quick UBC players. Celine Tardif hooked up with Unrau on a beautiful stretch pass to send her in alone and she beat Hendricks to make it 2–1.

The T-Birds’ Tatiana Rafter scored twice in the second to make the score 4–1 after 40 minutes and the Huskies found themselves in penalty trouble late and fell 5–1.

The women will remain at home as they will host the Bisons on Jan. 23 and 24. Manitoba has already clinched a playoff spot

so it will be a tough test for the Dogs.

All games are set for a 7 p.m. puck drop with the women at home

on Jan. 23 and 24 and the men on the road in Winnipeg as the Huskies take on the U of M Bisons.

KATHERINE FEDOROFF/ PHOTO EDITOR

It was a tough weekend for the women as they lost both games to UBC.

We the North: redefining Canadian basketball ALEXANDER QUON A black flag flutters lightly across the dark sky while the crowd chants “let’s go Raptors” in the background. Emblazoned in white letters, static upon the fluttering flag are three simple words “We the North”.

It is a simple yet extremely effective image.

More importantly the new motto has coincided with unprecedented success on the court

for the Raptors’ organization.

Starting with their 2013–14 playoffs “We the North” has been the imagery and the motto upon which the Toronto Raptors have staked a bold rebranding. After the team won their second Atlantic Division title in franchise history and prior to their first playoff game, the campaign was launched to a tremendous fan response. The “We The North” flag become a symbol during the playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets and even though the Raptors

STEPHANIE MAH / GRAPHICS EDITOR

failed to win the seven-game series, it has continued to persist.

“It took a life of its own. It was something people identified with, something people needed,” said Jeffery Da Silva, executive of Sid Lee, the creative team behind the ad in an interview with the Globe and Mail.

Basketball hasn’t always been this way in the frozen North. Canada has long appeared to be the antithesis of a basketball nation.

The disadvantages of a Canadian franchise are well detailed: the winters are far too long; the popularity of hockey means there is a very small audience for basketball; recruiting players to play up North is a struggle at the best of times. If any evidence is needed, one merely has to look at the failure of the Vancouver Grizzlies.

Part of the two-team expansion, which included the Toronto Raptors, in 1995 to the untapped country of Canada, it only took six seasons for the Grizzlies organization to implode. A lockout in the 1998–99 season didn’t help. Poor attendance and a first round draft pick, Steve Francis, who didn’t want to play in Vancouver, contributed to the swift decline and eventual relocation of the franchise to Memphis, Tenn.

Toronto was left as the sole beacon of professional basketball in Canada and since then what has changed?

In the last two years both of the number one picks in the NBA draft have been Canadians.

Before 2013, a Canadian had never been taken as a number one pick. That it has occurred two years in a row is nothing short of remarkable.

Yet Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins are just two of the 15 Canadian names that populate the NBA hardwood.

Vince Carter, the man who helped place the

fledgling Raptors’ organization on the map, has long moved onto greener pastures since his heavily scrutinized departure from Toronto.

Last year the Raptors’ long gestating rebuild kicked into overdrive. They won the Atlantic Division, earned a place in the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and set a franchise record for victories in a single season.

Canada has been going through a basketball renaissance. Toronto can take partial credit for it and while the Raptors may be based out of Toronto, that doesn’t mean the organization has forgotten who their other fans are.

This rebrand isn’t just about reaching out to Toronto sports fans but, according to Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president Tim Leiweke, also about building a nationwide fan base.

“We are a team that suddenly people are rallying around and are excited about. And by the way, all of our guys love playing for Canada and we’re it. We’ve got 35 million people.

No one has 35 million people in their marketplace,” Leiweke told Gregory Strong in an interview.

By all accounts the organizations plan is working.

With a great season — the Raptors are currently ruling the roost in the Atlantic Division and sitting at a respectable third in the Eastern conference — the players seem to enjoy being in Toronto and an organization that has at every turn in the last few years allowed the Raptors to succeed, everything is beginning to look up for Canada’s sole major league basketball franchise.

Now if we could only get ESPN to pay attention to Kyle Lowry and the Raptors instead of the LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers we’d be in business.

Sports

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

Canada West Standings Women’s Hockey

Men’s Hockey

W-L-OL 1. Alberta 1. Alberta 14-6-0 2. Manitoba 2. Calgary 14-5-1 3. UBC 3. Mount Royal 12-4-4 4. Calgary 4. UBC 11-5-4 5. Saskatchewan 5. Manitoba 11-7-2 6. Regina 6. Saskatchewan 10-8-2 7. Mount Royal 7. Regina 4-14-3 8. Lethbridge 8. Lethbridge 4-16-0 *Top six teams qualify for playoffs

W-L-OL 21-3-0 16-8-0 15-8-1 11-9-4 12-12-0 10-13-1 7-15-2 4-20-0

Women’s Basketball

men’s Basketball

Pioneers Division 1. Alberta 2. Saskatchewan 3. UBC 4. Regina 5. Calgary 6. Victoria 7. Winnipeg 8. Trinity Western 9. Lethbridge 10. Brandon 11. Manitoba

W-L 11-2 9-3 9-3 10-4 8-5 6-6 6-6 4-8 4-10 3-11 1-13

Pioneers Division 1. Calgary 2. Victoria 3. Saskatchewan 4. Manitoba 5. UBC 6. Alberta 7. Regina 8. Winnipeg 9. Lethbridge 10. Trinity Western 11. Brandon

W-L 10-3 9-3 8-4 9-5 7-5 7-6 7-7 6-6 6-8 1-11 1-13

Explorers Division 1. Thompson Rivers 2. MacEwan 3. UFV 4. Mount Royal 5. UBC Okanagan 6. UNBC

W-L 11-1 10-2 6-6 4-8 4-8 1-11

Explorers Division 1. UFV 2. Thompson Rivers 3. Mount Royal 4. UNBC 5. MacEwan 6. UBC Okanagan

W-L 12-0 7-5 6-6 5-7 4-8 2-10

*Top 7 teams from Pioneer and top 3 from Explorers qualify for playoffs

Women’s Volleyball 1. UBC Okanagan 2. Alberta 3. Trinity Western 4. Calgary 5. Brandon 6. UBC 7. Manitoba 8. MacEwan 9. Winnipeg 10. Thompson Rivers 11. Regina 12. Saskatchewan

W-L 16-4 14-4 14-4 12-8 11-7 10-8 9-9 7-11 7-11 7-13 6-12 4-14

Men’s Volleyball 1. Alberta 2. Brandon 3. Trinity Western 4. Winnipeg 5. Saskatchewan 6. Manitoba 7. UBC 8. Mount Royal 9. Thompson Rivers 10. Calgary 11. UBC Okanagan 12. Regina

W-L 16-2 14-4 14-4 12-6 11-7 10-8 10-8 9-9 9-11 8-12 6-14 1-17

*Top seven teams qualify for playoffs

Upcoming Games Men’s Hockey

Men’s Basketball

• Jan. 23 & 24 at Manitoba Bisons @ 7 p.m.

Jan. 23 & 24 at Manitoba Bisons @ 8 p.m.

Women’s Hockey

Women’s Basketball

Jan. 23 & 24 vs. Manitoba Bisons @ 7 p.m.

Jan. 23 & 24 at Manitoba Bisons @ 6:15 p.m.

Men’s Volleyball

Track and Field

• Jan. 23 & 24 vs. Manitoba Bisons @ 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 23 & 24 at the Sled Dog Open

Women’s Volleyball

Wrestling

• Jan. 23 & 24 vs. Manitoba Bisons @ 6 p.m.

No meet scheduled - Home Game

THE sheaf

Visit us online @ thesheaf.com

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22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

A call to arms Idle No More message still resounds across the country

SOMA DALAI Sylvia McAdam and Jessica Gordon are remarkable women.

They, with intrepid co-founders Nina Wilson and Sheelah Mclean, created Idle No More in 2012 to protest Bill C-45, the Harper government’s omnibus budget bill. Amongst other things, the bill aimed to amend the Navigable Waters Protection Act, reducing environmental protection for waterways across Canada. The movement’s largely indigenous followers marched, rallied and peacefully blockaded for months all over Canada, dominating national and international headlines.

Ultimately, Bill C-45 was passed, but Idle No More is still widely seen as a game-changer within Canada regarding indigenous issues due to the youth of the movement and its’ use of social media.

Since 2012, the four founders of Idle No More have spoken at the United Nations, been named among the top 100 leading global thinkers by Foreign Policy Magazine and internationally hailed for their advocacy for the environment and for indigenous peoples.

Three years later, the Sheaf caught up with McAdam and Gordon to talk about their lives, the mission and lasting impacts of Idle No More and whether the movement has plans for the near future.

McAdam grew up on Whitefish Lake reserve in Treaty Six territory. Neither she, her parents, nor her grandparents attended residential schools — a fate they avoided by going into hiding — and McAdam grew up with a loving family, immersed in her culture and speaking Cree.

Although her family managed to avoid residential schools, they were victims of Department of Indian Affairs’ notorious “sugar beet policy”. These policies were put in place to use indigenous peoples as forced labour in the sugar beet fields of northern Saskatchewan and Alberta. McAdam remembers starting work there when she was five.

“We were forced to work there and I never had a full year of elementary [school],” McAdam said. “The year that I graduated from high school, I insisted on staying to graduate with my class. So it’s kind of interesting that I ever made it to law school.”

In contrast to McAdam, Gordon attended Lebret Indian Residential School.

“Life growing up in the cities was what one may expect: racism, marginalization and facing many obstacles,” Gordon wrote in an email to the Sheaf. “I was blessed with having supportive and loving parents and protective sisters. A sense of belonging and loyalty to my people is something I would credit to coming out with a good sense of wellbeing.”

One of Gordon’s grandparents fought in the Second World War and spent time during it as a prisoner of war. His inspiration and hearing stories from her mother about the treaties and her ancestors, impacted Gordon growing up, instilling in her a passion for social justice.

“You can say it is in my blood to protect our people and do what is right,” Gordon wrote, describing how her great-grandfather became leader of the Allied Bands in the early 1900s to protest the Soldier Settlement Act — an act that distributed land to indigenous veterans through a method many deemed unfair.

McAdam had a similar message about what led her to founding Idle No More. When she was born, her grandmother told her parents that she would accomplish great things on behalf of her people.

This pronouncement, in turn, encouraged McAdam to educate herself and immerse herself in the legal aspects of treaty rights.

Law school was the logical step for McAdam after she had almost finished raising her seven children.

“I dragged them all through law school with me,” McAdam said wryly, adding that law school changed her by informing her about the historical bases for indigenous oppression.

Law school “was an incredibly, incredibly life-changing time in my life because I was raised in a treaty understanding that indigenous people own this land,” McAdam said. “And when I went into law school, I learned about the Doctrine of Discovery and the underlying title and really struggled with it because there’s no basis in law for it, but Canada still uses it to assert title to indigenous lands. So I still struggle with that. I still really struggle with it.”

McAdam said that it was by going to law school that she gained the vocabulary and analysis skills to begin challenging the problems that some Canadian laws, including Bill C-45, are creating amongst indigenous people.

“Canada cannot continue to function on the myth and the lie that the Doctrine of Discovery gives them title to

indigenous lands in violation of treaty, in violation of indigenous sovereignty” McAdam stated. “And that’s what’s happening right now.”

When Idle No More began, both McAdam and Gordon said that they were disappointed with the media coverage, saying it was biased against them and refused to take the movement seriously. McAdam in particular had strong words.

“I knew Saskatoon to be racist, my experience has always been that the racism is really bad here, but it was more in our faces when Idle No More really became public,” she explained. “If you look at the media, for instance, during that time we were called ‘idiots banging on drums,’” referencing a Sun News editorial that had indeed called protesters “jokers banging on drums” and called for them to be arrested.

Gordon concurred with McAdam’s assessment.

“After seeing a couple articles that were taken out of context or strategically placed, I found it very difficult to speak to any media after a while.”

However, both Gordon and McAdam went on to say that despite their disillusionment with the media, the positives of Idle No More’s impact outweighed any negatives.

“The positive is that Idle No More has changed the political and social landscape today,” said McAdam.

“Even at the university — and at my job here — we’re decolonizing and indigenizing.”

Although McAdam recognizes Idle No More has made a difference, she refuses the notion that it brought truly new ideas to the forefront.

“Idle No More has been called different things over the generations over the years since Europeans came to our lands. So it’s not a new resistance… it’s been called many things. And I think over the years activists, environmentalists, indigenous land defenders, human defenders, have planted seeds all over the place, and for some reason Idle No More sparked all of those.

For some reason, it was at the right time. And I don’t take responsibility for

Feature

that at all. All four of us ladies would quickly tell you that we were just a voice. There was thousands of other voices out there, but for some reason that time it worked.”

When asked about how Idle No More affected them personally, Gordon wrote primarily about how it increased the sense of community amongst indigenous activists.

“Idle No More now is something that many of our people can use as a support and feel they belong to. They are no longer alone in making things right.”

McAdam answered the question from more an individual perspective.

“I’ll never be the same again,” she said. “I feel like I’m wearing a different pair of glasses because I don’t see the world the same any more. I now recognize the typologies of genocide. I recognize how this government blocks people from seeing the violation of the environment, treaties, indigenous sovereignty, even democracy. And we’re seeing that more and more. Non-indigenous people are starting to see that more and more.”

McAdam said that the biggest challenge facing her now is overcoming the “willful ignorance” of people when it comes to legal, political and environmental issues.

She pointed out that indigenous students on reserves receive only a fraction of the funding that other students receive and questioned why the Harper government attempted to remedy that through the highly controversial 2014 Education Act rather than simply increasing funding. She questioned why indigenous bands and re-

serves had to frequently go to court to prove ownership over land or natural resources, while the same onus was rarely put on the government. Most of all, she pointed out that without input or challenges from other Canadians, there was little hope of change for indigenous peoples.

“It’s a huge task to question and to be aware of what’s going on,” McAdam acknowledged. “It’s a huge thing, and many people perhaps feel overwhelmed.”

But when asked if she herself ever felt overwhelmed by advocacy, her answer was unequivocal: “Some days. But, what am I going to say to my children, or my grandchildren when they ask me, ‘What did you do to stop it.’ Am I going to say, ‘Oh, well I was feeling overwhelmed?’ Would that be sufficient an answer? I don’t think so.”

While neither McAdam nor Gordon had anything to say about Idle No More rallies planned for the near future, they emphasized that what

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occurred in the winter of 2012 was not a stand-alone event, but another step in a centuries-long process of indigenous resistance to colonization.

When asked about the most important thing they wished non-indigenous people knew about First Nations people or culture, Gordon said the most important thing she wished non-indigenous people to know about First Nations people or culture is that indigenous peoples, and movements such as Idle No More, are not going away anytime soon.

“Our long history of confronting forces that seek to destroy the land and our people doesn’t come from a place of bitterness or hate, it comes from a love for all people and land,” she wrote. “We have had many things done to us as a people but yet we continue to fight for one another, the land and water.

We have had a lot of things done to us [as a] people but yet we remain, there is something inherent and that won’t die.”

McAdam’s answer was blunt.

“Our lands have been stolen. And that theft is still going on. They need to know that. That there’s a myth and a lie being perpetuated by the colonizing state that we ceded and surrendered our lands and that’s not true. That the Doctrine of Discovery gives the colonizing state underlying title when that’s a myth and a lie,” she said. “And once you begin to uncover that, you’ll understand that the poverty of my people is not their fault. And I think people need to understand the treaties. It’s too late for talk. It’s time for action.”

STEPHANIE MAH / GRAPHICS EDITOR

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Culture

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

We The Artists: a night of art and theatre

LEFT: KENTON DOUPE

RIGHT: VIVIAN YOUNIKHA

In addition to art pieces like Kenton Doupe’s and Vivian Younkha’s, We The Artists will feature the dramatic arts, spoken word poetry and music at its event this year.

TAB RAHMAN Copy Editor At a time where it seems that the fine arts are being battered with financial cuts on all sides, We The Artists brings student and community artists together to showcase them through diverse pieces, music and plays.

We The Artists is a collaboration between the University of Saskatchewan’s fine arts departments of music, drama and visual arts.

Though very different mediums of artistic expression, the three heads of the respective students’ unions come together to plan a showcase of student and community talent for a wider audience and promote awareness of the importance of the fine arts to the U of S and the greater Saskatoon community.

The first step in bridging the gap between emerging artists and the rest of the community was to bring the event on campus to Louis’ Pub. “We’re trying to bring the community to campus,” said Jenna Berenbaum, We The Artists board member and president of the Drama Students Association. “We’re trying to reach post-grads, alumni and people in the community that don’t immerse themselves in the arts as much.”

Another unique feature of this year’s event is the scene slam, where members of all three communities will collaborate on putting on a oneact play with the audience’s participation. Drama students have selected two playwrights who will have an hour to write a play that incorporates a pre-selected prop created by visual artist students and music that will be selected and played by music students. Audience members will then be picked to read the play out loud as it is acted out.

In addition to the scene slam, the drama students will present scenes

from published plays and original spoken word pieces.

“We’re trying to incorporate pieces that mostly students have written and produced,” Berenbaum said.

The music department will be showcasing a variety of musical talent including saxophones and clarinets, a duet with a guitar and marimba and an operetta from Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. There will also be a much anticipated barbershop quartet with the Association of Student Musician’s very own president, Justin La, singing tenor.

Visual artists need not fear, as they play an equally important role in the event. We The Artists organizers picked Louis’ because it allows for a distinct way of separately showcasing all the artistic mediums without one overpowering the other. Event goers can enjoy student and community artists’ variety of pieces — including animation, graphic arts and photography — in a gallery-like space without interrupting the performances on stage.

“There’s also going to be a double bass and piano playing during the art viewing,” said La, which is a nice representation of what We The Artists is about.

“It’s a collaboration between art, drama and music,” said La. “Before this initiative, there was no collaboration between the different departments — we didn’t even know each other existed.”

La points out that art as a whole is moving towards a more interdisciplinary and multi-faceted direction and We The Artists is a natural outcome of artists wanting to collaborate together across mediums.

“It’s also a good way to showcase all the talent at the university,” said La. The board members of We The Artists decided that this year they were going to be donating proceeds to the Saskatoon Community Youth Arts Programming, a charitable organization that provides at-risk youth in Saskatoon graphic and visual arts training. When asked why they picked SCYAP and not some-

thing related to music or drama, both Berenbaum and La emphasised the importance of all art, not just their respective mediums, in the community.

“Supporting visual art in the community is just as important supporting drama, so I feel like it’s a fair trade,” said Berenbaum.

La had a similar sentiment, saying that We The Artists will try to donate to various artistic charities that they feel need it.

“All art is important and kids should have the opportunity to express themselves through all art,” added La. “It’s called ‘We The Artists’ not ‘I The Artist’. It’s all about collaboration and seeing what comes out of it.”

We The Artists takes place on Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. at Louis’ Pub. Tickets are $7 for students and $10 for non-students and can be purchased in the Arts Tunnel or online at picatix. com/wta. For further information, check out the We The Artists Facebook page, or email them at wta.usask@gmail.com

Upcoming events Thursday jan. 22

Friday jan.23

Madchild with Demrick at Capitol Music Club

Jack Semple Band at Acronyms with Mario the Bassment LePage at Amigos

SWITCH Benefit Throwback Thursday Show at Amigos at Louis’ Pub Cantina DJ Weatherboy at Capitol Music Club Firing at the Sky with Me the Guts and Autopilot at Vangelis

Saturday jan. 24

Sunday JAN.25

Affiance, Phinehas and Kingdom of Giants at Rock Things We Never Did Bottom at Vangelis The Bluegrass Condition One and Brunch at Bon Temps Paul Kuzbik at Capitol Music Club Poetry Slam with Mona Moussa at the Apollo Cruz at Bon Woods Alehouse Temps

Monday JAN.26

Tuesday JAN. 27

Wednesday JAN. 28

Death From Above Heidi Monroe at Bon 1979, Metz and PS I Temps Love You at O’Brians Event Centre Aaron Pritchett at O’Brians Hot Club Saskatoon at Bon Temps

Comedy Night: Lars Callieou with host Kelly Taylor at Capitol Music Club

Monday Jam at Louis’ Pub

West Coast Swing at Louis’ Loft

Fiddle Feast at the Bassment

Culture

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

13

The Marvel cinematic universe and the resurgent comic book movie ALEXANDER QUON Despite being snatched right out of Marvel’s recent trailer for AntMan, fans of the company’s work might struggle with finding relevance in the line, “Second chances don’t come around all that often.”

Ant-Man is just one of 11 films that Marvel has in production.

You heard me right — Kevin Feige, Marvel Studio’s president, has confirmed that the production company has a slate of movies planned for the silver screen until 2021. It is ironic that Hank Pym’s line could apply as much to Marvel Studios as it does to Scott Lang (Paul Rudd),

in this year’s Ant-Man. With today’s superhero films being guaranteed blockbusters, it is almost inconceivable to the average movie goer that it wasn’t long ago that Marvel and superhero films in general were avoided like the plague.

Marvel’s idea to create a universe of interconnected movies can be pointed to as one reason for the resurgence in superhero films’ popularity. Since the release of Iron Man in 2008, Marvel has been on a roll, pumping out films that have been both critically and financially successful. All of the movies in Marvel’s cinematic universe — except the severely underappreciated The

Incredible Hulk — have placed in the top 200 of all-time box office revenue in Canada and the United States.

What is most remarkable about Marvel’s success has been their ability to succeed with what is typically considered B-level characters in comic books. Even Iron Man wasn’t expected to succeed like it did — but then again, hindsight is 20/20.

There is a reason that the film rights to X-men, Spiderman, Daredevil and The Fantastic Four were snapped up or bought long by studios such as Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox before Marvel attempted to make their own films. Those brands are known quantities with a

large pre-existing audience.

However, Marvel has been able to find success even without their marquee franchises. Now backed by tremendous star power — thank you Robert Downey Jr. — The Walt Disney Company and lots of source material to draw upon, Marvel hasn’t shown any signs of stopping.

Even the most die-hard comic book fan would have been hard pressed to identify The Guardians of the Galaxy before Marvel announced the movie. Despite being a film whose major feature was an anthropomorphic racoon, The Guardians of the Galaxy was still able to make over $750 million worldwide. That shouldn’t be taken as

STEPHANIE MAH / GRAPHICS EDITOR

an insult to the movie though — it was one of my favourite films of last year — but more of a statement on how audiences will watch anything as long as the Marvel logo is stuck in front of it.

Marvel’s success has prompted other studios to try their hand at creating a cinematic universe.

There has been talk that Universal Studios was attempting to reboot their classic movie monsters into a connected universe with the recently released Dracula Untold. DC and Warner Brothers are trying to compete with Marvel Studios, as they have plans to release a universe that will bring together Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman into a larger film comparable to the Justice League: Part One. Now is a good time to be a comic book fan. Marvel and DC are no longer just fighting for your reading time but for your movie experience as well. As the old saying goes, competition breeds excellence and that means we as consumers can come out on top.

Marvel has found success within their cinematic universe and so have movie-goers, as they’ve found a film franchise that produces consistently watchable films — a rarity in the age of sequels that only serves as unfulfilled promises of what could have been.

The next Marvel film, Avengers: Age of Ultron, lands in theatres on May 1.

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM 14 Culture New Decemberists album finds beauty in a dark time

MADISON TAYLOR Culture Editor

FLICKR / KIM LEVENE

Decemberists’ lead singer Colin Meloy deals with grief in the band’s newest LP.

Stepping inside the discography of The Decemberists is much like flipping through old photo albums and aching for a time that has long since past.

With their special cocktail of one part sorrow and one part hope, The Decemberists are an emotional force to be reckoned with. The Portland, Ore. quintet quietly stepped into the music scene in 2002 with their first LP Castaways and Cutouts and have been making quite the racket since.

With albums in their arsenal such as The Crane Wife (2006)

and their most recent The King Is Dead (2011), it’s no surprise that their Jan. 20 release is a standout effort.

Combining their token nostalgic sound with a touch of genre-dabbling, What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World takes more risks than any of their previous releases. The Decemberists didn’t set out to please a wide audience, but it seems they have finally grown comfortable with the enormity of their fan base and are willing to take chances — especially with songs such as “12-17-12”, a sombre meditation on the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.

This heavy-handed subject matter is only the tip of the iceberg. What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World quickly proves itself to be the group’s most socially and self-aware album to date. The LP dives into sensitive topics head first, placing much of its focus on grief and personal struggle.

In “Make You Better” singer Colin Meloy rifts through the emotional debris of a breakup as he laments “We’re not so starry-eyed anymore/ Like the perfect paramour you were in your letters.” In “Lake Song”, the listener is thrown into the depths of nostalgia and wrestles with bittersweet memories of adolescence.

Not all the songs on What A Terrible, What A Beautiful World deal strictly with sadness and regret. One of the star tracks on the album in terms of sheer uniqueness is “Philomena.”

With an almost doo-wop feel and cheery beat, this track is a much-needed break from the melancholy attitude of much of the rest of the LP. “Till The Water Is All Gone”

and “Easy Come, Easy Go” are striking selections with their melodic guitar intros and southern sound. “Anti-Summersong” stands out as well as a tonguein-cheek response to the track “Summersong”, found on The Crane Wife. The cool autumn after a long and hot summer, “Anti-Summersong” is a somewhat bitter resignation that all good things must come to an end with its lyrics “I’m not goin’ on just a-singin’ that ol’ summersong/ So long, farewell, we’re gone.”

The Decemberists prove themselves to be jacks-of-alltrades when it comes to genre in What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World with their daring blend of southern folk twang, upbeat rock and acoustic indie.

Though the shift from sound to sound may give the album a bit more of a scattered feel than their previous cohesive albums, The Decemberists’ willingness to experiment a bit on this LP is refreshing.

This juxtaposition of jubilant and heartbreaking tracks acts as a perfect reflection of the album’s title. What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World invites its listeners to find the beauty amidst the darkness that so often envelops humanity.

The end track, “A Beginning Song”, sums this up perfectly with its closing lyrics “Bright light, bright light/ It’s all around me.” The Decemberists have come to terms with the tragedy that the album’s previous tracks dealt with and that modern society is so often surrounded by.

They are choosing instead to focus on the greener pastures that lay on the other side and hope that their listeners follow suit.

Save the Children Canada The Saskatoon Branch is seeking Student Volunteers.

Please come to the first meeting of the year on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Edwards Family Centre on 4th Avenue North, across from Saskatoon Funeral Home. A light lunch will be served.

Donations of time and/or baking items are requested for the following fundraising event: Valentine’s Day Bake Sale Date: Saturday, February 14, 2015 5 Place: Market Mall (near Safeway) Time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

For more information, please contact Dr. Mel Hosain at 373-9877 or, preferably the Branch Chair at marci.macomber@gmail.com

Culture

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

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Are multimedia books really the future?

MADISON TAYLOR Culture Editor With the rising popularity of e-book platforms such as the Kindle and Kobo, the next generation of readers will likely favour digital copies over print.

In a time when young consumers gain the bulk of their information from instant access to short and snappy online articles, a 900page Tolstoy novel isn’t exactly an appealing addition to the class syllabus. It’s nearly impossible to get students to sit still in class let alone get them to be interested in reading.

“There are the endless stories about the novel being dead, that the end of reading is imminent,” said Canadian author Kate Pullinger in an interview with Maclean’s Magazine. “This is not a view I would subscribe to because I do think that human beings have a fundamental desire to tell and be told stories.”

Pullinger and British-Canadian multimedia writer Chris Joseph may have found a way to save the integrity of the traditional novel by combining it with the

best parts of the modern e-book.

Their collaborative digital work Inanimate Alice could very well be the future of reading. Directed and written by Pullinger and Joseph and produced by Ian Harper, the book is a multimodal work of fiction that follows the story of eight-year-old Alice and her travels with her parents and imaginary friend Brad. The series released its first online episode in 2005 and is expected to have a total of 10 segments that unfold Alice’s life from childhood to adulthood.

Inanimate Alice uses a blend of text, sound and images in an

interactive manner that engages the minds of its viewer. This hands-on form of reading is quickly becoming popular worldwide for young students and has been incorporated into the education curricula of schools in the United States, Australia and even Saskatoon’s Catholic school system.

Krista Berzolla and Lauren Willey, middle-school teachers in the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division, began using Inanimate Alice as an educational tool in their classrooms last fall.

Though the digital book has become ingrained in the educa-

STEPHANIE MAH / GRAPHICS EDITOR

tional systems in other countries, Berzolla and Willey are some of the first Canadian instructors to take interest in it. This may be because its combination of vivid visuals and interactive storytelling make it seem more like a video game than an actual book, which lowers its pedagogic value to those with more traditional approaches to teaching.

Though Inanimate Alice may not be widely popular in Canada yet, it has been translated into several different languages — including Japanese — and has been awarded best website by the American Association of School Librarians. The website wasn’t initially intended to be a literacy tool, but Pullinger and Joseph’s work is proving to be an effective tool for getting young students to enjoy reading.

Inanimate Alice’s sixth episode will be released this year. Readers have travelled with her from China to Italy, Russia and her home country of England, learning to problem-solve and even avoid peer pressure along the way.

Pullinger and Joseph aren’t alone in their embracement of multimedia books. Digital publishing houses such as Vook have been popping up across the world over the past few years, combining text, video and social media to put their own modern

spin on literacy.

Even the University of Saskatchewan libraries offer e-textbooks as a resource for students, some of which are available free of charge. The U of S also has plans to introduce an open-textbook program in the future that can be accessed online on both computers and mobile devices.

With elementary schools, secondary schools and the U of S rapidly decreasing their use of print books, the future of reading as we know it is uncertain. Between White Cat Book Company closing its doors on Dec. 31, 2014 and the potential shutting down of Westgate Books this June, now certainly isn’t the golden age for the print novel in Saskatoon.

However, multimedia books such as Inanimate Alice propose a new direction for literature that stays true to its roots. In a traditional educational system, students with learning disabilities, such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder and dyslexia, often struggle to keep up and find it difficult to become engaged in reading.

Authors such as Pullinger hope to fix this issue by making reading a fun and interactive experience for the next generation. Digital books won’t be the death of the print novel, they’re just a reminder that it’s due for a revival.

synced across multiple devices.

The formatting and sharing options are exceptional and would benefit anyone trying to succeed at their studious endeavours.

just scrolling through all your online notifications trying to deal with them all when you realize you’ve wasted three hours?

IFTTT will fix this in a jiffy. The app automates tasks on your phone without you having to do a thing.

You simply alter the settings so when something happens on the internet involving you at any level, the app will deal with it accordingly whether that is a ring, a text or push notification.

Staying organized on your phone SCOTT GLAYSHER The Cord (Wilfrid Laurier University)

Smartphones and their many distractions don’t always have to be the enemy of a productive student.

Here’s a list of apps that will turn your smartphone into an organizational weapon. All of these apps are available for Android and iOS.

You can schedule the posts for months in advance right down to the minute, which can really boost your online presence. This app is made more for someone juggling a few different social media platforms. That being said, you can get detailed metrics on online activity such as clicks, retweets, likes, comments, shares, mentions and more.

Evernote This is a cool app that you can use across multiple platforms.

It helps students who get too distracted on their laptops and don’t function well with pen and paper for note taking. It also allows users to take and upload notes, pictures, audio and video snippets and carefully organize them into notebooks that can be

If This Then That One of the biggest time wasters holding students back from ultimate productivity is internet nonsense. Have you ever been

Any.do This app is a must for all chronic to-do list makers. It makes organizing tasks easy, which is the first step to anyone’s productivity. These tasks and to-do points can be organized according to time, date, theme or priority. This app obviously runs off a touch interface so you can easily drag and drop tasks into various categories on top of marking them as completed. Nothing can replace the classic student planner, but if you prefer having to-do lists on your phone then this app is for you.

Buffer Buffer will be a big hit for all you social media lovers. It allows you to send out tweets, Facebook messages, Instagram photos and a bunch of other online content.

STEPHANIE MAH / GRAPHICS EDITOR

Vlingo This app is used on all phone operating systems but seems to work best on the Blackberry, and is the only one on this list that is available on Blackberry World. It is essentially like having a mini “you” in your phone.

As if your phone didn’t describe you enough already, now it can have fast and accurate voice recognition technology mixed with the capability to listen to what you say. Vlingo allows you to say anything you want done on your phone. You can fire off a text, tweet or email simply by speaking. This is a great feature for quickly connecting with people, businesses and activities so that you can get things done while on the go.

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Opinions

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

Time to consider Putin’s character ELLIOT CHO

In order to respond effectively to the situation in Russia, we must acknowledge that both the country and its leader are drastically different from what we are familiar with here in Canada.

Russia operates under a completely different system and treating Vladimir Putin as one of us has done little but encourage him to keep his own way of doing things. We must co-ordinate our strategy of creating a realistic and practical solution to the crisis while being aware of what kind of

man Putin is.

Russian military aircrafts have continued to invade European airspace and the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine has sacrificed thousands of lives in the occupied territories. Letting Putin get whatever he wants or engaging in a full-scale economic and military confrontation with Russia is not a plausible option.

British historian Martin Sixsmith and author of Russia: A 1,000-year Chronicle of the Wild East, suggests that understanding Russia’s tradition of authoritarianism can help understand its puzzling behavior.

FLICKR / GLOBAL PANORAMA

Vladimir Putin continues Russia’s history of authoritarian regimes.

In his book, he mentions the Russian phrase “silnaya ruka” which translates to “strong hand.” It is a metaphor referring to the strong leadership of an authoritarian leader in Russia.

Silnaya ruka may be the reason that Sixsmith ends his book by arguing that the idea that postSoviet Russia would be “like us” is misleading.

Past Russian rulers — including Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, and Joseph Stalin — have exemplified the tradition of authoritarianism. This long history of authoritarianism is what distinguishes Russia from the West, in that the leader’s interests often influence their policies.

Putin is the successor of a tradition that believes in control and order, not in open dialogue or democracy. He has successfully installed the idea inside Russian peoples’ minds that Russia is better off under silnaya ruka. Russia’s improved economic performance over the last decade has helped his effort to convince his country that the rule of silnaya ruka is superior to democracy.

For years, both Western leaders and Russians have mistaken Putin for a reliable business partner. A recent episode of CBC’s The Fifth Estate interviewed a number of

Russian dissidents living in exile.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was once the richest man in Russia, admits that he had also mistaken Putin’s character. He thought Putin would welcome a free market economy, open and fair business practices, transparency and good governance. Putin instead sent him to prison on falsified charges of tax evasion.

Khodorkovsky’s testimony suggests that the Western leaders need to be fully aware of the simple fact that Putin is not a team player. Over the years, Putin has demonstrated that he will not do what others want him to unless it is in his interest to do so. Western leaders need to be aware that what they believe to be an effective measure in curtailing Russia’s ad-hoc foreign policy may lack teeth in convincing Putin to make a wise decision.

What is more dangerous is that the economic sanctions and drop in oil prices have cornered Putin into an uncomfortable spot. If Russia’s economy continues to decline, it will upset many Russians including powerful oligarchs.

Reaching a truce with Ukraine and the West is also difficult because the far-right nationalists — who call for more direct involvement in eastern Ukraine — would turn

their backs on Putin. Therefore, we must not rule out the possibility that Putin or the separatists would do something erratic, hoping that it would discourage the West’s effort in assisting Ukraine.

If Russia’s aggression in Eastern Europe has proven one thing, it’s that Putin is not a rational actor.

Nor can we pretend that Russia would behave as a respectful, responsible member of the international community.

The most important fact is that Putin would do whatever is necessary to keep his power and do everything possible to protect his position as silnaya ruka. Perhaps this is why he is reluctant to de-escalate the situation — because he does not want to be perceived as a weak leader.

In 2015 we must tread carefully. A full-scale economic or military confrontation with Russia would be catastrophic. However, it would be a grave mistake to assume that Putin has learned his lesson and compromise with him for a temporary solution to the crisis. If we do, the same type of conflict in Ukraine could occur elsewhere in Europe. We need to formulate a new strategy for a realistic and practical solution to the crisis with an understanding of what kind of man Putin is.

that anger towards the underlying problem of misogyny. It saw supporters — and I include myself in this group — grow frustrated, lose sight of the goal and nearly give up, seemingly dooming us to a cycle of one step forward, two steps backward.

Activists of the past rallied against the problems they saw in their world and while we still see many problems persisting today, we are looking at society through a lens our ancestors created. Just as feminism was born out of the acknowledgement and awareness of the mistreatment of women, egalitarianism begins by recognizing the premise that inequality is our current starting point.

Let me be clear: I am not pushing for an end to the feminist movement. I am concerned that we are stuck because we have become too quick to jump into a cause without fully understanding what it is about.

As a result, we have also become quick to criticize others for misinterpreting the original intentions of said cause.

Our current, conflicting definitions of feminism are losing the momentum necessary to bring about success, due to misunderstandings among its own defenders. Egalitarianism provides something of a fresh start, as it is less scathed by the burden of its own past and as a result, capable of being more inclusive.

We should not take for granted how far we have come, lest we forget how far we still have to go.

The cultural conversation hinges on our ability to communicate effectively, honestly and fairly. Achieving equality depends on us being able to step outside of our own perspectives and listen to voices that prejudice has silenced.

Egalitarianism provides a more hopeful future SAMUEL RAFUSE This year calls for a new approach to equality and treatment of both genders. While 2014 saw a lot of strides for and against feminism, it’s time to set this approach aside and move towards a brighter future for all.

Egalitarianism, the idea that everyone should be treated equally, is not a new idea but is growing in popularity. The current generation is by far the most aware of gender and sexual politics, but our awareness has also become a stumbling block in the effort to establish a system of respect as various groups — like those who consider themselves feminists — struggle to unite due to their differences.

Offering the next logical step in having a conversation, egalitarianism steers us towards understanding each other’s perspectives. To create a balance between idealism and pragmatic solutions, we must combine our

knowledge of current cultural trends with the long suffering patience rooted in memories of past activists who have paved the way for us.

In order to open up a dialogue about equality, we have to acknowledge the uncomfortable fact that throughout history the mistreatment of women and minorities has been constant across societies.

The exploitation of minorities universally perpetuates itself as far back as we can trace history.

In order to move forward, we need to know where we are coming from. As George Santayana’s saying goes: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Although 2014’s increasingly self-aware and self-critical society saw great strides for feminism and civil rights, it also saw backlash in the form of events such as Gamersgate, terrible acts of violence and great civil unrest. It saw feminists become angry with each other instead of directing

It’s time to move into 2015 by taking a stand for egalitarianism.

KYRA MAZER

opinions

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

17

Slacktivism: it’s the least we can do ZACH TENNENT

FLICKR / BEN LEDBETTER

Citizens of France show solidariy for the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack.

Freedom of the press after Charlie Hebdo EMILY KLATT Very few people in North America knew or cared about the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo before the horrific attacks on Jan. 7. But in the aftermath of the tragedy, Charlie Hebdo has become part of our everyday discussions — and so has freedom of speech.

Unfortunately, focusing all of our attention on freedom of speech doesn’t actually help the discussion surrounding the shootings at Charlie Hebdo. In fact, it detracts from the most important point — the loss of human lives.

The coverage surrounding Charlie Hebdo and the right to free speech has been somewhat polarizing. A lot of questions are floating around concerning whether the publication crossed a line in publishing cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

Many commentators have defended the magazine for pushing the boundaries of free speech. Other sources, including the New York Times and our very own CBC, refuse to reprint the cartoons, stating that they do not want to offend anyone further.

Some people — including Pope Francis and cofounder of Charlie Hebdo Henri Roussel — say that the magazine went too far, regardless of freedom of speech. All of this is good discussion, but it does not help nor justify what happened. It creates more division in the midst of a tragedy. Let’s be clear — killing is never justified, whether you agree or disagree with Charlie Hebdo.

Keep in mind that not all those who died did so in the name of “free speech.” Among the victims was a caretaker at Charlie Hebdo, three police officers and four hostages taken at a kosher supermarket. Did any of these individuals contribute to any of the

controversial satire that was the motivation for these attacks? No, they probably didn’t — but tragedy does not discriminate.

Unfortunately, media attention does.

When we center the bulk of our discussion on freedom of speech, we ignore the value of other victims of the massacre. Their memory should not be overlooked in the journalistic debate.

It seems like we remember the dead more for what they represent to us rather than simply as lives that are lost too soon. In the wake of tragedy, it’s only natural that we try to make sense of what has happened in terms of a larger context.

Sometimes though, this is a privilege for those far removed from the horror of the tragedy.

It’s easy for most of us to talk about what Charlie Hebdo means for free speech because we don’t live with the horror of losing a loved one to such a senseless act of violence. While I cannot speak for the friends and family of the victims, I know they must be in unimaginable pain. Is it fair for us to martyr their loved ones for the sake of our own understanding? If we only see the victims for what they represent to us, then the true value of their lives is lost.

I’m not saying that freedom of speech isn’t important; it is one of the most crucial institutions of a fair and liberal society. It’s a conversation that we need to have — but it shouldn’t be the only conversation. The upswing in open communication since the shootings has been a productive outcome of a horrendous situation and I’m thankful for it. However, open conversation doesn’t change what has happened. Free speech — though increasingly threatened — will survive. In the end, 17 people are dead and we still need to live with that.

I am mourning the loss of life, regardless of my right to publish an editorial about it.

Perpetuating a lack of awareness and understanding of current events, slacktivism is built on the misguided idea that pulling your weight and getting involved takes no effort.

In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris on Jan. 7, social media erupted with shows of sympathy for those slain and in support of free speech. The hashtag #jesuischarlie, which translates to “I am Charlie” from French, became one of the most popular hashtags in Twitter history.

However, the popularity of #jesuischarlie sends out mixed messages. On the surface, it’s reassuring to see such interest and investment in contemporary global issues at the forefront of social media. On the other hand, one does have to recognize that in the grand scheme of things, using a hashtag or sharing a picture is a relatively hollow act.

I call the logic of slacktivism misguided because while acts like online sharing show that you agree with it can be gratifying and maybe even mildly effective, they are not equal to seriously campaigning for change. Nor are they demonstrative that one completely understands the issue at hand. This is where slacktivism sells a false — albeit comforting — bill of goods.

These kinds of social media campaigns bring hashtags and retweets to the front of public consciousness, but it’s not like they really bring out the issues. We can’t get the same education from reading a tweet or sharing a picture that we could get from reading a newspaper article or watching the news.

This is why slacktivism can be dangerous.

Although it allows us to easily feel engaged in response to important causes, it also allows us to hastily feel like we’ve already done our part, preventing us from further familiarizing ourselves with the issues at hand.

Why is slacktivism so appealing anyway? I think that we all want to seem informed and opinionated when it comes to current events, even when we’re not. In slacktivism, we get to feel like we have our fingers on the pulse of society and are completely up to date. But that can then lead us to confuse what we do both with being fully informed and with bringing about substantial change.

On social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, we get the chance to present ourselves as whoever we want to be. Presumably, most

people don’t want to come across as ignorant in regards to what’s going on in the world.

Small acts of online slacktivism are then an easy way to indicate that we keep an ear to current events, even if in truth we don’t.

At the same time — when it seems that nothing happens until it’s Facebook official — taking part in these kinds of social media movements online instead of getting involved through other means lets us do our part right where everyone can see it. A good deed is its own reward, but recognition is pretty great too; I can’t help but think of George Costanza on Seinfeld taking his money back out of the tip jar when he realizes no one saw him put it in to begin with.

As #jesuischarlie can show us, no one can predict what kinds of sentiments can be paired with these hashtags, especially when they become worldwide trending topics. This can have very negative consequences for social movements. For example, while there is no strictly defined mission statement regarding what exactly #jesuischarlie is supposed to mean, it would ostensibly signify support for freedom of speech and tribute to those who were killed at Charlie Hebdo.

However, a good deal of the uses have been attached to blatantly racist and Islamophobic hate speech — something that France and Canada both have laws against, mind you.

Evidently the meaning has come to be a bit muddled. This is a key example of slacktivism perpetuating ignorance as the result of a lack of genuine understanding.

When I take part in slacktivist causes on Facebook or elsewhere online, I find myself wondering if I’m even making some kind of difference and I often conclude that I’m really not. It would be wrong for me to think that tweeting #jesuischarlie means that I’m passionately rallying for change or to think that it means I’m actually even truly involved in the cause. To put it bluntly, it seems that when it comes to slacktivism, most of the time it's the least we can do and that’s why we do it.

I do have to acknowledge that, when compared to some of the more ridiculous hashtags and trends that take off on social media, trending topics like #jesuischarlie are still doing a comparative good in the world. But it doesn’t end there — actions speak louder than hashtags. Slacktivism may be an appealing starting point, but when we take part in it we shouldn’t mistake it for anything more substantial than what it really is.

VALENTINA CALA / FLICKR

The Charlie Hebdo shooting has brought mass support from across the world.

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Opinions

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

Understanding the relationship between terrorism and Islam FIRUZ RAHIMI The struggle between reformist and conservative Muslims is the context in which Islamic terrorism must be understood before generalizations are made.

Though all Muslims shouldn’t be painted as terrorists, it is also important to note that Islamic terrorists are still Muslims — just a minority that follow a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.

This fundamentalism is the backdrop to the violence waged in the name of Islam and represents the

conservative forces that are corroding Islam.

Following any attack carried out by an Islamic group, a common response is that these groups are not “real” Muslims or they are extremists. We saw this recently following shootings in Paris on Jan. 7 where 12 people were gunned down at the Charlie Hebdo offices.

But the claim that these attackers are not real Muslims or that they are extremists is part of an intellectually lazy way of thinking. It is the product of our hyper-politically correct culture that enshrines a commitment

STEPHANIE MAH / GRAPHICS EDITOR

to not offending anyone. Basically, it isolates all Islamic terrorists into one category and leaves another category for all of the other moderate and peaceful Muslims. This is a shallow level of analysis that — although true — fails to produce a crucial distinction about Islam that is necessary to understand the nature of Islamic terrorism.

Islam is the world’s second-largest religion with 1.6 billion followers.

Practiced in a variety of ways, Islam has a large diversity in its followers, with the two major denominations being Sunnis and Shiites, each with their own subdivisions.

The related theology of two subdivisions within Sunni Islam — Wahhabism and Salafism — are fundamentalist forms of Islam that emerged in the 18th century and are predominantly responsible for the carnage we see today around the world.

Salafism advocates a puritanical interpretation of Islam by promoting a utopian vision of a pan-Islamic empire that resembles that of the 13th century Islamic empire. Wahhabism is an ultra-conservative form of Salafism and can be more readily tied to Islamic terrorism around the world due to it’s more radicalized nature.

In the contemporary context, fundamentalist Islam has been at the genesis of groups like al-Qaida, the Taliban and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. This form of Islam is inherently incompatible with modern

society because it promotes a fascist, expansionist conception of society that conflicts with liberal democratic principles of individualism, pluralism and secularism.

Fundamentalist Islam promotes a national identity formed around Sunni Islam. However, this vision is predicated on the assumption that all Muslims are Sunnis.

It should be noted that there are peaceful Muslims who practice fundamentalist Islam. However, the unfortunate reality is that this division of Islam also has the capacity to produce violent groups seen around the world.

When Islamic terrorism occurs that can be traced back to fundamentalist Islam, the perpetrators are often described as extremist rather than fundamentalist Muslims. This seems insignificant, but there is a crucial difference between the two terms. “Extremist” is generally accurate, however it is also vague. This vagueness has the damaging effect of stopping the analysis before two important conclusions.

Firstly, fundamentalist Islam — the primary engine to Islamic terrorism — is also widely practiced in many Middle Eastern countries.

Secondly, fundamentalist Islam is not detrimental only to the West; this brand of Islam also antagonizes other minority Islamic sects such as Shiites.

By dispensing with the term ex-

tremist, we can avoid marginalizing Muslim groups that would otherwise be allies in the fight against fundamentalist Islam. Specificity allows for the discussion to focus on the Wahhabist and Salafist groups and avoids demonizing other sects that oppose the conservatism of fundamentalist Islam.

A broader issue that affects Muslims is the struggle between conservative and reformist Muslims. However, if Islam is to survive in modern society, then the reformists must ensure that Islam can evolve.

A relevant parallel is the constitutional making of a country. A general rule for creating an effective constitution is striking a balance between rigidity and flexibility. Too rigid and it will become irrelevant with time. Too flexible and it becomes a body of regular laws.

Islam’s issue in today’s world is striking a delicate balance of rigidity and flexibility. Whereas the fundamentalists cling to an ideology of strict conservatism, reformists are witnessing the changing world and realizing that Islam needs more flexibility.

The path to peaceful coexistence lies in a form of Islam that is able to embrace liberal traditions of pluralism and secularism. Whereas reformist Muslims have reached this conclusion, conservative forces refuse to and are thereby holding Islam back.

Dirty Business needs to clean up their act MEGAN FEDORCHUK Dirty Business owner Emily Kempin has been receiving a lot of publicity recently thanks to a risqué business model — or should I say, business models.

But the necessity of such a service has no value in Saskatoon — for both practicality and entertainment.

Dirty Business is the first lingerie-clad cleaning service to be offered in Saskatoon. Services are provided at $200 per hour, for a minimum of two hours and payment must be made in cold, hard cash upon arrival. Following this exchange, two women will proceed to not only scrub your house to its squeakiest of cleans but will do so while wearing next to nothing.

Kempin has made it clear that the services provided are strictly cleaning-related — no touching or sexual acts. As an added element of safety, Dirty Business employs bodyguards who can either stand in the rooms or wait outside, depending on how comfortable the women working feel.

In a recent Huffington Post Alberta publication, Kempin reported that she was busiest over the Christmas season, as many gifted the service to friends and new homeowners. Only now in the new year has she experienced

a slow in calls. Even more impressive is the long line of ladies looking for employment, many of which are ex-exotic dancers who want work that is “a little bit out of the limelight of dancing.”

Is this a service that Saskatoon really needs? The lingerie-clad cleaning service is about as necessary as any form of semi-nude entertainment — not at all. With necessity out of the question, we look at the service’s true entertainment value.

While you may engage in a bit of conversation, the majority of the time you would probably awkwardly glance at half-naked strangers while they rummage around your personal belongings.

Clients are also able to take as many pictures as they so choose.

While using anything more than a standard smartphone camera will probably only label you as creepy, the permitting of photos is a huge fault from a business standpoint. By allowing photos to be taken, clients who are interested more in the entertainment value than the cleaning services will be less likely to use this service again as they now have a permanent keepsake.

Therefore, even the entertainment value has its weak points. If Dirty Business’ cleaning service is not necessary and the entertainment aspects are flawed, then

does it really have a place in Saskatoon?

I am not discounting the business strategy altogether. After all, the novelty service could make for great gag-gifts or bachelor parties.

However, I wonder how long the business can stay afloat with the current limitations in place. For example, perhaps shortening down the two-hour minimum would make the service a more viable option for bachelor parties, or not allowing clients to take pictures could encourage repeat customers.

Either way, Dirty Business needs to get it together.

There are too many competitors in the realm of cleaning services, so practicality is out of the question. Necessity, as previously discussed, is an obvious no. I’m sorry, Kempin and company. It’s not personal, just dirty business.

STEPHANIE MAH / GRAPHICS EDITOR

Humour

22 January, 2015 - THESHEAF.COM

19

Campus Chat What do you eat to make yourself feel better?

A nice slice of cheddar cheese.

Anna-lilja Dawson

Fruit Gushers.

Poutine. Always.

A protein shake.

Josh Ross

Noor Mah

Seemab Asif

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EATS Campus Club Week EVERYBODY Navigating Student Hunger January 26-30, 2015

January 28, 2015 North Concourse, Upper Place Riel • 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

A sample of over 120 possible groups will be in the Tunnel during the week.

For more information visit: www.ussu.ca/studentgroups

Saskatoon Friendship Inn

Speed Friending

January 27, 2015

6

4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Louis’ Loft

UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN STUDENTS’ UNION

SPEAKER SERIES PRESENTS: Dr. Robert-Falcon Ouellette February 4, 2015 Emmanual St. Chad at 2:30pm

Can Aboriginal Worldviews Thrive in University?

Convocation Hall at 6:00pm

USSU Aboriginal Achievement Week Lecture: Stories of Aboriginal Leadership.

Everyone Welcome. Free to attend.

For more details visit, ussu.ca/events

Recognize Professors or Teaching Assistants who demonstrate teaching excellence at the U of S.

Nominations open January 26, 2015 Nomination forms are available at www.ussu.ca