The Carillon Volume 66, Issue 13

the carillon

the staff

editor-in-chief holly funk editor@carillonregina.com

executive director vacant business@carillonregina.com

production manager shae sackman production@carillonregina.com

communications amin malakootikhah comms@carillonregina.com

web + advertising manager jaedyn whittal web@carillonregina.com

graphics editor lee lim graphics@carillonregina.com

copy editor emilie wren copyeditor@carillonregina.com

news editor mindy gregory news@carillonregina.com

a&c editor mikayla tallon arts@carillonregina.com

s&h editor kim kaufman sports@carillonregina.com

op-ed editor hammad ali op-ed@carillonregina.com

distribution manager amin malakootikhah distribution@carillonregina.com

staff writer victoria baht

staff writer nazeemah noorally

staff writer maren savarese knopf

news writer shivangi sharma

a&c writer will bright

s&h writer pall agarwal

contributors william bessai-saul, will simon

board of directors holly funk, tayef ahmed, harnisha bhatt, diya patel, mishree patel, and mikayla tallon

the paper

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The Carillon welcomes contributions.

Opinions expressed in the pages of the Carillon are entirely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Carillon Newspaper Inc. Opinions expressed in advertisements appearing in the Carillon are those of the advertisers, and not necessarily of The Carillon Newspaper Inc. or its staff.

The Carillon is published no less than 11 times each semester during the fall and winter semesters and periodically throughout the summer. The Carillon is published by the Carillon Newspaper Inc., a non-profit organization.

land acknowledgement

The Carillon is written on Treaty 4 territory. As such, staff recognize that we are living, working, and telling stories on and of Indigenous lands. We recognize that we are on the traditional homelands of the Cree, Saulteaux, Nakota, Lakota, and Dakota peoples, along with the homeland of the Métis nation. The Carillon understands that it is pointless to acknowledge the land on which we work without demonstrating our commitment to telling stories and prioritizing voices that further the return of this land to its sacred place. the manifesto

In keeping with our reckless, devil-may-care image, our office has absolutely no concrete information on the Carillon’s formative years readily available. What follows is the story that’s been passed down from editor to editor for over sixty years.

In the late 1950s, the University of Regina planned the construction of several new buildings on the campus grounds. One of these proposed buildlings was a belltower on the academic green. If you look out on the academic green today, the first thing you’ll notice is that it has absolutely nothing resembling a belltower.

The University never got a belltower, but what it did get was the Carillon, a newspaper that serves as a symbolic bell tower on campus, a loud and clear voice belonging to each and every student. the people’s friend; the tyrant’s foe

Thank you for picking up this final issue that it’s been a tumultuous year for all both inside and out of our publication and we’re incredibly grateful for the growing student interest and engagement we’ve witnessed these past dozen months. This issue we’re trial running a new feature involving the Carillon’s archives, and if all goes well you’ll have the chance to peek through a themed and curated selection of previously published articles once per month going forward.

We’ll be taking our regularly scheduled publishing break for the holidays over the next few weeks but will still be looking to chat with potential contributors as well as those with story tips, so feel free to reach out anytime if you’re interested in either! Our next pitch list for issue 14 will go live at carillonregina.com/pitch/ on December 31 in the afternoon, and will be published on January 11, 2024. Stay safe folks, and Illegitimi non carborundum

holly funk

recent public seminar at the U of R by Mckenzie Margarethe honed in on queerness in STEM, and will be followed by a

The Gayest Place on Earth

gregory news editor

On November 17, the local 2SLGBTQIA+ in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) group at the University of Regina (U of R) hosted a public seminar by climate activist and social media celebrity, Mckenzie Margarethe. The event recognized the annual International Day of 2SLGBTQIA+ People in STEM on November 18, a day to celebrate the contributions of queer and trans people to STEM fields and highlight the barriers they continue to face.

Margarethe, a marine science communicator with a background in ocean conservation

gy department and the timeslot was for the biology departmental seminar, so I go to those, but even if that had not been a fact, this would have drawn me in because I already follow Mckenzie on different social media platforms. So, it was kind of an opportunity to fan girl a little bit!

And I am a member of the LGBTQ+ community, so having this type of speaker, this type of talk, and the way that it was framed, especially being on the LGBTQ+ in STEM Day, it was an opportunity to have that level of visibility as a person of the community.

“ The University of Regina is going to be hosting a

in STEM

like this

but on a bigger scale.”

and a queer person in STEM, works to increase minority representation, particularly in climate activism. She incorporated her experiences from all these areas in her seminar titled “The Gayest Place on Earth – And Why We Need to Protect It!” with a focus on why the ocean is queer and why it needs protection.

The Carillon chatted with folks in STEM at the U of R about why they were motivated to add this event to their busy calendars, what stood out as important, and how they were inspired. Dana Green (she/her) is a Biology and Ecology PhD Candidate, Erin Ennis (she/her) is a U of R alumna and full-time Biology Technician for the Faculty of Science, and Alicia Postuma (she/they) is a Physics PhD Candidate.

Ennis: I actually have followed Mckenzie for a few years. I really enjoy her content online and the marine science, and then I saw that she was coming to speak during one of our seminars. […] I was very excited to see Mckenzie from that aspect, from enjoying the content that she produces online, and I was always going to go!

Postuma: First and foremost, I am a member of the 2SLGBTQ community in physics. That community is quite underrepresented in the field that I am in and so I do enjoy getting to network with other people in the community and getting to see that representation in STEM.

What aspects of the event stood out to you as important?

within the oceans and saltwater ecosystems, why they’re the gayest place on earth; and arguably, yeah!

A lot of the examples that she gave were ones that I like to talk about in the classroom too, such as the clown fish. [It] is one of my favorite ones, because clown fish, the mating systems for clown fish is that they have one very large female and many males, and the female will lay the eggs and some of the males will fertilize, but when the female dies, a male, the largest male of the group transitions into a female, and becomes full female. […] So, I always throw in Finding Nemo for that one as technically speaking, Marlin would have become Marla!

marginalization in different ways, and it really does add up.

Postuma: The highlights for me were actually the several meet and greets. […] I do think that’s why we have networks and groups on campus because those discussions are very valuable. For me, I think the main thing that I took away was just the feeling of being surrounded by people who kind of get it.

How did the event inspire you, and/or is there anything that you think is important to mention?

Green: It does cause internal reflection, wow! All of these organisms, from fishes to mammals,

and came back in my later twenties and I feel like there is such a difference in visibility of different voices and that we have these sorts of conferences, that we are getting speakers flown in to talk about this.

You never know what the impact will be like for students, and some of that work is not visible, or not as visible. So, even people in different faculties, whether they’re professors or administration, just putting a sign on their door saying that this is a safe space – that can be incredibly welcoming for someone.

Postuma: I appreciated looking around the room at the seminar and seeing just how many people were there, and how

Ennis: So, she started with seeing ourselves, making those little fun connections to the ocean, and then also about queerness in science, just in general, and […] how toxic it can be, even though a lot of progress has been made sometimes there is this sort of veneer of acceptance and understanding, but when it really comes down to brass tacks people are still coming up against a lot of discrimination, lots of silencing, lots of gaslighting, and tokenism as well. She really made these connections from the beginning through her personal experience and then why we should care about the ocean in general.

that have as complex of social systems and relationships arguably that humans do - because there are a lot of marine mammals that have incredibly complex social structures, social interactions, communications. [… I’m] getting too much into the physiology, but the marine mammals’ brains are equally complex as our own.

So, this whole spread of organisms has this literal rainbow of behaviours [and], if that’s what’s happening across the board and not just in our oceans, but in terrestrial systems too, then why do we have this mentality of what is normal for humans? Wouldn’t it be great if we just let everyone be themselves, and not push these mentalities onto folks?

many people looked engaged and were respectful, and all of the Deans were there and were taking notes, the Deans of Science at least. […] I really came out of it feeling a little bit more connected and understood.

This coming May, the University of Regina is going to be hosting a Canada-wide 2SLGBTQ+ in STEM conference, like this seminar but on a bigger scale - a three-day conference with invited talks, student talks, social events - that celebrates and highlights the same kind of diversity and is pushing for inclusion in the same way as this event was.

Why were you personally motivated to attend?

I am going to be the chair of that conference, and Gwen [Dr. Grinyer] is working very closely with me on it, and we have a committee, and this event just really made me extra excited for that. mindy

Green: I am in the biolo-

Green: She [Margarethe] wanted it to be fun, she wanted it to be welcoming, and she wanted it to be inclusive for everyone that was in the room, […] so it started off with talking about how ocean systems and different ecosystems

I would say, personally, after thinking about her presentation, that she was trying to get people to think about this large web. There’s the ocean, there’s all these people who live in coastal communities, they all have their different experiences and identities, and they are experiencing

Ennis: Something that I was thinking about is how moving forward, […] the visibility, the representation, having those conferences being planned. […] I went to university in my early twenties

Is it too much to call for a cease fire?

URSJP activism contrasts with U of R University Council tabling of motion

nazeemah noorally staff writer

In 1997, Nelson Mandela emphasized the interconnectedness of freedom in a speech for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”

This day, observed annually on November 29, was established in 1947 when the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a resolution to partition Palestine

“reaffirmation of our steadfast support for Palestinian human rights and freedom.” To this end, they explain that URSJP’s goal is “to advocate for the freedom of Palestine, […] to advocate for justice, to inform and educate on the current situation, and the history of Palestine.”

On December 2, CBC News reported on the current situation.

More than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s nearly two-month long assault on Palestine. Israeli forces continue to destroy civilians in their single-minded pursuit of the Hamas leaders responsible for the Octo-

names of the murdered Palestinians throughout the week. It was an emotional and heartbreaking process to visually look at the huge banner filled with names of people. People with families, futures, and dreams.”

The November 23 walkout wrapped up with a solemn banner drop, featuring the 5,000+ civilians who lost their lives to the butchery within only 18 days.

Regarding the banner, Abouelela and Sattar stated: “As was said during the walkout, it took us more time to write those names than for them [the Palestinian individuals] to get killed.

into two states. The UN states that the day provides an opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the fact that the question of Palestine remains unresolved.

The Palestinian people have yet to attain their inalienable rights as defined by the General Assembly, namely, the right to self-determination without external interference, the right to national independence and sovereignty, and the right to return to their homes and property, from which they have been displaced.

In prepared written replies to the Carillon, University of Regina Students for Justice in Palestine (URSJP) co-presidents, Batoul Abouelela and Sarah Sattar, discussed the day and the club’s related activism. To them, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People signifies a

ber 7 attack on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed.

The URSJP have been active in raising awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Palestine.

On November 2, they organized a peaceful walkout on campus that garnered significant support from faculty members, staff, and students.

Commitment to advocacy continued with another student walkout for Gaza on November 23. Reflecting on the support for the event, the co-presidents said that “the turnout was solid, attended by students of various backgrounds, united in grief and a shared vision of a free Palestine.”

“We did tabling in Riddell throughout the week, handed out flyers, and spread the word through social media. Many SJP members did the honourable hard work of writing down the

by U of R, stating, “I think the U of R has consistently showed solidarity with the Palestinian people, and it’s been really heartwarming to be in a place where we could openly stand up […] without fearing repercussions.”

However, the Carillon asks: is the university doing enough? As an academic and research institution that stands with the motto “As One Who Serves,” and who welcomes students and researchers from all parts of the world, the university leadership should be committed to modeling international activism for its student body, not just allowing it. Rather, what we see here is quite the reverse: the students are actively modeling for the institution.

have been targeted as have media outlets. The siege on Gaza has included road and border closures which impacts movement of individuals and has dire implications for receiving humanitarian aid. The United Nations and the International Criminal Court suggest Israel may be guilty of inciting genocide and committing war crimes.”

The rationale continues: “International aid organizations are predicting a complete collapse of the food systems as access to fuel and supplies has led to widespread hunger and risk of starvation for residents still in Gaza. The combined lack of clean water, shelter, and food demands attention and action of individuals and institu-

“ To be silent in the face of genocide is to support genocide.”

Batoul Abouelela and Sarah Sattar, URSJP written statement

Consider this: a University of Regina Council meeting was called for December 1, in part to decide on an Item for Consideration by Council, titled “Conflict in Gaza.”

The few seconds it takes for a bomb or missile to drop and completely wipe out everything is nothing compared to the hours, days actually, it took for dozens of students to come together and fill that banner up.”

“The fact [is] that these 5,700 names were only from October 7 to October 25, 18 days. […] this is merely a fraction of the current death toll.”

“Naming the injustices for what they are, as it is not merely a conflict or a war, it’s an ongoing genocide and an illegal occupation as stated by Amnesty International and the UN. […] At the end of the day, we must acknowledge that advocating for human rights should not be controversial,” said Abouelela and Sattar.

University of Regina (U of R) staff member Seba AbdulKareem expressed appreciation for the activist platform supported

Submitted on November 17 by Dr. Michelle Stewart, Dr. Simon Granovsky-Larsen, and Dr. Emily Eaton, this was a motion “that Council recommend to the President that the University of Regina join others around the world in making a public statement calling for an immediate cease fire in Gaza.”

Taken from the Council meeting agenda, the rationale for the motion was this: “Gaza is home to over 2 million residents. These residents have been subject to ongoing military action for over one month resulting in the deaths of over 11 thousand civilians. Media reports indicate military action by Israel is targeting ambulances, places of worship, neighborhoods, and water sources. Schools and hospitals have also been targeted where displaced families and individuals had sought refuge from the bombings. Solar and electrical sources

tions around the world.”

However, even with the increasing urgency to publicly join international calls for a cease fire, the U of R Council tabled the motion. According to Robert’s Rules of Order, tabling a motion means that a decision was not reached following debate, and the issue was put aside until a future meeting.

In contrast, when explaining how activism can be supported in our community, Abouelela and Sattar said, “Speak up! Silence is too costly. To be silent in the face of genocide is to support genocide. This is not the time to look away. Talk to your community about Palestine.”

“It is crucial for the university community to first and foremost learn for themselves, then join any larger movements that we facilitate. […] People need to acknowledge that the current situation [in Palestine] is unacceptable, and that every single person on earth has a crucial role to play in advocating for justice.”

Low visibility for SLAC on campus

Free legal services are available for students in Regina (if you look hard enough)

shivangi sharma news writer

Being a student comes with a lot of challenges. Struggles to keep up with assignments, submissions, and term tests combine with the troubles of rising tuition fees and living expenses, all while trying to maintain fair grades. Being a student can also mean having to deal with a plethora of legal issues, especially in the case of international students.

Fortunately, the University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU)

cessibility of such services.

It was concluded in the survey that the creation of Regina SLAC would offer an important resource to students seeking legal assistance. It is also important to note here that the students who participated in the survey also wanted Regina SLAC to operate independently from URSU so that the organization is able to run without what could be seen as interference by URSU.

Therefore, similar to Regina Public Interest Research Group (RPIRG), the Women’s Centre, and UR Pride, Regina SLAC should be moving towards serv-

(Product Designer at Idea), and Ray Cordova (UX Manager at Clockwork).

As per its website, Regina SLAC provides a number of free legal services for the campus community that include direct one-on-one legal support for students regarding work issues, issues related to immigration and study and work permits, and also offers academic advocacy while providing legal advice and support for student organizations.

Lawyers at SLAC aid with legal issues that include, but are not limited to, issues that working students might have with their

legal advice and services, Regina SLAC also operates a legal action team. The legal action team is expected to work directly with students to address and combat any and all systemic issues that a student, or a group of students, might encounter on campus. These issues can be related to, but are not limited to, discrimination, harassment, and oppression. The team also claims to be willing to work with students looking to advocate for policies and structures to make the campus more equitable and accessible. As such, the Regina SLAC is therefore a very useful resource for the university

when you come to the university right after high school, academic misconduct suddenly becomes a big thing. It’s not a huge deal in high school so it’s hard to fully understand what can be considered as plagiarism and academic misconduct. Which is why many [new students] end up accidentally plagiarizing,” said Oshodi.

Kaur also emphasized that the study and work permit assistance would be something that she would want to seek assistance with in the future.

It can be gauged by the students’ responses that the services offered by Regina SLAC are in-

“ The services offered by Regina SLAC are indeed something that students would actively seek, if they were made aware that these services exist to begin with.”

Shivangi Sharma

When we find each other, this could be the beginning of a great partnership.

offers some assistance in navigating law-related issues via the Regina Student Legal Advocacy Centre, also known as Regina SLAC.

Regina SLAC was launched in December 2022 by URSU. Prior to the launch of the service, URSU conducted a survey to recognize the major areas of law that the students needed assistance with. In the survey that was conducted between October 15-25, 2022, 93 per cent voted in the favour of creating the Student Legal Advocacy Centre. Issues regarding employment laws, academic misconduct, tenant-landlord laws, and immigrations laws were identified as a few of the major issues that students would like to have help with. The survey also revealed that two of the prime reasons why students do not seek help with legal issues are financial instability and the inac-

ing the student directly and operating independently of URSU.

The members of the legal team at Regina SLAC include Parveen Sehra (Director of Legal Operations), Chris Clarke, and Ciara McIlwaine. Sehra specializes in administrative law and has over 10 years of experience in the legal industry, including advising students on immigration, academic, and other legal issues at the University of British Columbia and through her practice. Prior to Regina SLAC, she was a director at a national law firm where she led recruitment and professional development for lawyers. Clarke and McIlwaine are lawyers and members of the Two Rivers Legal Professional Corporation.

Other team members include Nadiya Ek (Marketing Coordinator), Peter Vu (Administrative Assistant), Ethan Savette

employers, understanding their rights as an employee, issues regarding rental agreements with landlords as well as understanding legal terms in leases and comprehending tenants’ rights. They also assist with traffic bylaws, family law, and more.

Assistance is also available to international students with issues related to immigration. For instance, students can ask for help with the renewal of study permits, application for work permits, and ask questions about the different pathways available to get permanent residency. Academic advising is also available for students. The lawyers can help students who are facing disciplinary issues related to academic misconduct allegations. Along with this, the team at Regina SLAC can assist with any other legal matter within the scope of legal information.

Along with providing free

community.

However, there is little awareness on campus about the existence of this facility. The Carillon went around campus and spoke to a number of students about Regina SLAC. No students that we spoke with knew that the organization existed. Yet, on being informed of its existence, almost every student recognized its utility and said that they would likely approach the organization regarding a number of issues.

Simran Kaur, a first-year Business student, said that she had no clue that the university offered such services as well. Alexa Oshodi, a first-year Nursing student, gave us a similar response. Both Kaur and Oshodi were pleasantly surprised to learn that the Regina SLAC also helped in cases of academic misconduct.

“I think that is useful to know. Especially as a first-year student,

deed something that students would actively seek if they were made aware that these services exist to begin with. As much as Regina SLAC is working in the goodwill of the campus community, a little more emphasis on the promotion of their services could really help them in doing what they claim to do.

Students can book appointments for seeking the above-mentioned services through the website reginaslac.ca. Any questions about the organization can also be directed to the organization through their email: info@reginaslac.ca

Where the heart is

shivangi sharma news writer

Classes have concluded, submissions are almost over, and final exams shall be the last of our troubles for the Fall 2023 semester. The holiday season that follows is just what the doctor ordered!

Festivities and celebrations are just around the corner and the university community is all set to dive right into the holiday season. The University of Regina hosted a come-and-go winter holiday celebration in the AdHum pit on November 30. Students, faculty, and staff from all over campus joined the event where they decorated the Christmas tree at the pit and enjoyed delicious holiday treats.

They also experienced performances by The University’s Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Melissa Morgan, and graduate conductor, Brianna Levesque. The University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU) collaborated with organizers to promote its Food Security Program for students. Attendees were invited to bring nonperishable food items or cash donations to the event to support URSU’s program.

Some students plan to travel to their families and relatives, while some plan to stay in Regina and enjoy the break with their friends and loved ones in the city.

“I have plans to travel to the states for Christmas. I have family in New York, and my parents and I will be joining them for

MONDAY

Christmas and New Year, and yeah, I am looking forward to it,” said Adam Wood, a secondyear undergraduate student majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

TUESDAY

Lenitta Antony, a third-year Nursing student, is thrilled about hosting a Christmas get-together at her new house this year. “I have a special get together to plan! I can barely wait for the finals to be

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

am (spoken-word) Environmental stories from around the globe Science Unscripted 9:30 – 10 am (spoken-word)

Connection

– 11 am (spoken-word) Get Chatty With Kathy 11 – 11:30 am (spoken-word) A mixed bag of topics Muzyka Ukraine

over. I still have all my Christmas shopping left to do and that is something I enjoy quite a lot. I have been planning to invite my friends over ever since me and my family moved into our new house,

FRIDAY

– 1 pm (spoken-word) Stories from indigenous people in our community East Coast Countdown

(repeat)

and a Christmas get-together seems like the perfect way to do it.”

Students who belong to families who do not celebrate Christmas have different kinds of plans for the days off before the next semester. “I usually stay inside during the break, and we don’t usually travel. I just do lots of puzzles and lots of reading. My family does not traditionally celebrate Christmas, so every year I just come up with something new to cook on the day. Another activity I typically enjoy doing over the holidays is ice skating. I’m excited about that!” said Maria Eugenia, a final year undergraduate student majoring in English.

The trees are up to be lit, the halls are decked, menorahs are ready to be lit, and we are all just ready to put our feet up and revel in the joys of the holidays after a long and crazy semester. As this is the final issue of the Fall semester and more generally of 2023, the Carillon takes the opportunity to wish students the very best luck with final exams.

To everyone, Happy Holidays!

It is apartheid

Open your eyes

originally published march 15, 2012.

The boycott, divest, and sanctions (BDS) movement has come under fire recently. It has, along with its supporters, been described as anti-Semitic. This claim is completely inappropriate and untrue. Unfortunately, opponents of the BDS cannot argue the facts, so the resulting reflex becomes name calling.

This has created an atmosphere of fear. This is a powerful

detained, forced to provide my passport just to cross town, pulled off a bus and interrogated, had my hand broken, and then a machine gun pointed directly in my face – all done to me as a Canadian citizen by the Israeli Army. I cannot even begin to describe the things the Indigenous population has to go through every day. I am no stranger to discrimination, and when I see it, I speak up, regardless of how many friends and family tell me not to.

We cannot live in fear. I have had enough. I will not live on my knees in this country or any other. I will not be bullied into submission and I will not tolerate any

like an organization that is racist. Do you know why? Because it is not.

The Palestinian people who are living in Israel are a popular example of how great things are in Israel for Palestinians. It is true; there are some Palestinians who are well-off. There are voting rights, a Supreme Court judge, and a very good soccer player. What is the problem?

Well, Arabs make up 20 per cent of the total population in Israel. Approximately 70 per cent live in crippling poverty. They cannot get out to vote as they cannot leave the shanty shacks they are forced to live in.

ian dirt roads, subject to several checks and delays. This makes a 15-minute trip to the store a daylong affair. The roads I traveled on just to go from Bethlehem to Ramallah traveled up and down a mountain road called Fire Road, a name the road earned from all the flamed-out cars that fell off the cliff. From Fire Road, we merged onto Death Road. You can guess why it has this name. My favourite part, however, was when the extremists in the settlement camps would shoot at the house where I was sleeping. I slept on the floor for two weeks as bullets flew through my window. Gaza is a disaster. It is an

from respected authors such as Ilan Pappe, Noam Chomsky, and Edward Said.

These are just some of the reasons that I have chosen to join the BDS movement. It is the most effective tool we have.

How do we know it is working? Take a look around.

There is a reason why the people of this movement are being slandered without proof.

There is a reason our students’ union is denounced in Parliament for not wanting our students’ dollars invested in companies that produce weapons that enable occupation, genocide, oppression, and apartheid to exist.

tool of repression and I expect to catch flack for this article. Why write about this subject if you know you will be called names, or worse? As an answer, please allow me to start with my experience being born Christian Orthodox, Palestinian, Irish, and a bunch of other ethnic backgrounds in Regina, Canada.

I have felt true discrimination. As a small child, I answered the phone only to have the voice on the other end threaten to murder my parents and then kill me. I was five years old. This was not the last time it would happen to me. In my travels to the occupied Palestinian territories I have been

more half-truths. This is why we need to talk about what is going on in this campus and what the BDS movement really is.

The BDS movement is comprised of many people from all faiths and backgrounds. This includes working groups such as the San Francisco-based Jewish Voice for Peace and Israeli BDS organization Boycott!, just to name two. This is not about race or religion. This is about Israelis, Palestinians, and other peace-focused people who want to create a strong peace by removing the occupation. That is the issue here – occupation. This hardly sounds

Why are they in these adverse conditions? They cannot move to a new home because they are not allowed to. In fact, walls are built around these shanty towns so they are not visible. As well, the water infrastructure they are allowed to use is so polluted that to drink it would surely make you sick, if not kill you.

Because of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the territory resembles Swiss cheese rather than a country. There are two road systems: one is paved, avoids cliffs, and safely gets the settlers around checkpoints to their destination; the other is made up of Palestin-

open-air prison with limited resources since the Israeli government controls what goes in and out. This is a population that has been aggressively bombed due to air raids that have invoked the response of rockets fired into Israel. This amounts to a sad cycle of violence created by and maintained through occupation and oppression. Though the size constraints of this article will not allow us to explore these themes in more detail, information is readily available through human rights organizations inside and outside Israel, and writings on the history of the region are available

In the BDS, I can speak for myself without the threat of being labeled and marginalized. This brings me to my final request: please stop telling people you speak for me. You speak for the Israeli government, not for its people. 65 per cent of Israelis –regardless of race and religion –want peace. The BDS movement helps us put pressure on all governments to comply with international law and enter into real discourse about how to fix this mess.

In my travels to the occupied Palestinian territories I have been detained, forced to provide my passport just to cross town, pulled off a bus and interrogated, had my hand broken, and then a machine gun pointed directly in my face – all done to me as a Canadian citizen by the Israeli Army.”

Shaadie Musleh

Justice, not hate

Israeli Apartheid Week comes to a close in Regina

taouba khelifa contributor, 2011

originally published march 24, 2011.

I don’t want to coexist! I want to exist as a human being! And justice will take care of the rest!”

These were the words of poet Remi Kanazi on March 16, as he addressed his Regina audience. Kanazi was one of three Palestinian guest speakers this month for Regina’s first Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW).

IAW was established in Toronto seven years ago, and has now become an annual international event that takes place in more than 40 cities across the world. Over the course of two and a half weeks, students at the University of Regina and the Regina community at large were invited to attend film screenings and guest lectures raising awareness about the conflict occurring in the Israeli-Palestinian, which organizers say involves continuous injustice and human rights violations against the Palestinian people.

“The whole purpose and meaning behind Israeli Apartheid Week is not to talk about going against the [Jewish people] or the faith. It has everything to do with Israeli apartheid and their apartheid policies, meaning the wall they’re building, the separation, and the [displaced] refugees,” explained Palestinian student Jameel Rashid.

IAW organizers Brian Gor-

don, John Mailhot, and Carmen Rollins agree.

“It’s important to remember that ‘apartheid’ is a legal definition, it’s not a subjective [one],” said Mailhot. “It’s when one group of people physically or otherwise dominates [and segregates] another group of people within the geographic area.” By legal terms, this defines the struggle in Palestine.

To put it into perspective, Rashid explained, the occupation and colonization of Palestine can be compared to the Canadian government’s ill treatment of Indigenous people. Much like Indigenous people, Palestinians have been displaced from their own land. With their homes demolished, and their rights taken, many Palestinians end up living in segregated villages or refugee camps. The struggle is a daily battle of survival for the Palestinians.

IAW paves a way for the facts to be told as they are, without making excuses for the injustices. It is a direct force going against the occupation and oppressive nature of the Israeli government, and its policies towards the Palestinian people. And the movement is not solely Palestinian.

“It’s not just the Palestinians who are raising the awareness, but there are other people who are supporting them” IAW organizer Rollins said.

Gordon agrees, recalling that many people had come up to him asking if he was Palestinian, and why he was supporting this cause.

“What was important for us

is the idea of global solidarity,” he said. “Just because we had not had those exact same experiences, does not mean we can’t work and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

University administrations and the government have denounced IAW labeling it as offensive, unfair, and disrespectful to Canadian society. Federal Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff has even gone

Mailhot, Rollins, and Rashid could not agree more. However, others have criticized IAW, seeing it less as a declaration of global solidarity and more as an inflammatory gesture.

In Canada, for instance, IAW has received much criticism.

The bid to recognise Palestine

so far as to call the week a “dangerous cocktail of ignorance and intolerance”.

In response to the criticisms and allegations, Gordon emphasizes that IAW does not advocate for either hatred or violence.

“[It’s about] educating peo-

ple in Canada to what is actually going on, because they don’t think of it like that. The picture we are painted in the mainstream media is that this is a war. And it’s just not. We have to make the point that apartheid is apartheid, wherever it occurs…we want to make people aware that this is … segregation.”

Rashid and Gordon both stress this fundamental aspect of IAW – to critically look at the oppressive Israeli policies against the Palestinians, and put a stop to discrimination.

“In the end we aren’t attacking individual people, [but] it’s the government. Israeli Apartheid Week is all about the government policy, it’s not about [an Israeli individual] but about what your government represents, in your name,” Rashid points out.

Overall this is the message that IAW’s organizers echo. The movement claims members from the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths. And many who’ve protested the conditions in Palestine and been killed for their efforts – from the men and women who were attacked and killed on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, to Rachel Corrie, Tom Hurndall, Tristan Anderson, and other human rights activists, to the many ordinary Palestinians who’ve been the victims of violence – have come from diverse backgrounds.

Canada’s position to vote against the recognition of Palestine in the UN has many feeling ashamed

originally published december 6, 2012.

A historic bid to recognise the right of Palestine as a non-member observer state in the United Nations took place on Friday Nov. 30, giving Palestinians a certain degree of statehood recognition, similar to the recognition given to the Vatican.

138 countries, over twothirds of the UN’s member states, voted in favour of recognising the state of Palestine. Canada, the United States, Israel, and six other countries voted against the recognition. Palestine applied to be recognised as a full UN member state in Sept. 2011, but its recognition was vetoed by the UN Security Council.

Here at home, the Regina Solidarity Group, an organization of students and community members whose aim is to engage and support anti-colonial struggles in Canada and around the world, were disappointed in Canada’s stance in the UN bid, stating that Canada’s decision was shameful.

Valerie Zink, a member of the Regina Solidarity Group, stated that countries like the U.S. and Canada, and the mainstream media in these countries, are strong

allies of Israel, and have “strategic interests in the region.” Zink went on to say that often, “anyone who dares to challenge the official narrative that we’re hearing from the Canadian government or from mainstream media with respect to Palestine” is often threatened.

Despite this, Zink says the solidarity movement towards recognising Palestinian rights is growing nationally, despite the Canadian government’s lack of support on the issue.

“Given the failure of the Canadian government and [their] failure on the world stage to have any public influence, I think it’s up to us to increase the pressure from a community level to a national level through grassroots organizing through our campuses, in our workplaces, in our churches and mosques and synagogues and what have you,” she said. “And we’re seeing increases in number, in hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, becoming more and more involved in the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.”

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a global movement that was issued in 2005 by the Palestinian civil society, call-

ing the international community to campaign against the Israeli government through BDS, until Israel obeys international law, and recognises the right of Palestinians in the region.

According to the BDS movement website, the goals of these campaigns are to end Israel’s “occupation and colonization of all Arab lands” that have been occupied since 1967, to ensure Palestinian citizens have the same rights as Israeli citizens, and to protect the rights of Palestinian refugees and allow them to return to their homes.

In February of last year, the University of Regina’s Students’ Union passed a motion in support of the Palestinian civil society’s call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions. Zink believes that this is a step in the right direction, and by continuing to support the BDS campaign, and strive to implement it on campus, Canadians can move towards the non-violent resistance and support of the Palestinian state.

kristen mcewan news writer, 2012

Apartheid doesn’t exist?

Guest professor Alan Dowty chats with the Carillon about his research and work in the ‘Arab-Israel’ conflict

michael chmielewski contributor, 2013

originally published march 28, 2013.

Alan Dowty, professor emeritus from the University of Notre Dame, came to the University of Regina (U of R) on March 21 as part of his Western Canadian speaking tour on the topic of “The Fourth Stage of the Arab-Israeli Conflict.”

Dowty’s lecture in Regina was hosted by the Canadian International Council, the Political Science Students’ Association, and the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

The lecture presented an overview of what Dowty calls the “Arab-Israel conflict,” which he sees as having four distinct stages.

“First from [the] 1880s until the formation of Israel in 1948.

[The second] an inter-state conflict between the new state of Israel and the neighboring Arab states…[This] gradually gave way to [the third,] in which the Palestinians reemerged as a major party opposite Israel in the 80s and 90s.” The last stage, said Dowty, has been taking place since the turn of the century – a shift in the power balance of the region, as opposition groups in Palestine emerge.

Publishing widely on both international relations and this conflict, Dowty has not fallen into some of the same dire straits some of his fellow scholars share.

Most notably is the case of professor Norman Finkelstein, a polemic writer on the conflict. His book, The Holocaust Industry, which explores his “reflections on the exploitation of Jewish suffering,” caused much outrage leading to his subsequent tenure denial at DePaul University.

When asked about Finkelstein’s case, Dowty himself said he hadn’t felt any repression when he spoke about the conflict.

“I think if you write scholarly articles or books, and they are judged by scholarly standards, then that shouldn’t enter into it. I certainly have not had [repercussions],” Dowty said.

Another famous book on this topic, The Israel Lobby and U.S Foreign Policy, written by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, which had been endorsed by Osama Bin Laden, also garnered a lot of criticism that affected the authors’ lives.

At a lecture in Montreal in 2008, Mearsheimer pointed out that Finkelstein was denied tenure because of his views. Mearsheimer added that he and Walt did not get into as much trouble specifically because they had ten-

ure at their respective institutions.

According to Dowty, however, The Israel Lobby and U.S Foreign Policy was flawed.

“I happen to think that that particular book was not very carefully done. I mean, there are many flaws with it from a scholarly point of view. [The book was] designed to attract publicity and notice in a very dramatic way,” he said.

Dowty’s lecture came only a few days after Israel Apartheid Week had ended at the U of R.

“I find the analogy [of apartheid] sort of extremely inappropriate…I think anybody who sees Israel as an apartheid state either doesn’t know much about South Africa, or much about Israel or both,” he said.

The United Nations definition of apartheid is “inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them.”

However, according to the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa, a 15-month based research and exhaustive review of Israeli policies found that Israel’s laws and policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories “fit the definition of apartheid. Israeli law conveys privileges to

The Harper-Israel love affair

U of R student and professor offer their take

originally published january 21, 2014.

Canada’s newly appointed ambassador to Israel, Vivian Bercovici, is another bold step for the country’s Conservative government. While Canada’s unwavering support of Israel comes as no surprise, the question being raised is, what does this mean for peace talks?

The appointment came shortly before Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s first visit to the Middle East, where he plans on meeting with both Palestinian and Israeli leaders.

Bercovici is a Toronto-based lawyer, as well as a columnist for the Toronto Star. She is a strong supporter of the Israeli cause, and highly critical of the right to a Palestinian state.

Despite this, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, stated during a press conference that Bercovici would serve the country well in her new role. Many are skeptical as to how critical she will be as the new ambassador.

Questions are being raised amongst Canadian political analysts and politicians alike as to how appropriate Bercovici is for the role. The NDP foreign affairs critic stated in an interview with the National Post that he questioned whether she was the best person for the role, considering the sensitivity of the issue.

Openly criticizing the Arab and Muslim world in her columns could cause strain with the Palestinian Authority.

Although appointing someone with a more diplomatic ap-

the many Jewish-Canadians who do not support Israel? Farney says they are not the Conservative government’s targets.

Jewish settlers and disadvantages Palestinians in the same territory on the basis of their respective identities. A policy of apartheid is especially indicated by Israel’s demarcation of geographic ‘reserves’ in the West Bank, to which Palestinian residence is confined and which Palestinians cannot

Black Homelands delineated by the South African government, while White South Africans enjoyed freedom of movement and full civil rights in the rest of the country.”

Despite this, Dowty argues that apartheid does not exist in Israel.

leave without a permit. The system is very similar to the policy of ‘Grand Apartheid’ in Apartheid South Africa, in which Black South Africans were confined to

“There’s nothing vaguely comparable to South Africa there, which is where the term apartheid comes from…in Israel itself, it simply doesn’t apply.”

It is unknown whether Canada is interested in any sort of a peace plan between Palestine and Israel. When asked where Canada stood in terms of illegal Israeli settlements in regions of

“We do not have the capacity to be Israel’s biggest supporter in terms of funding, but we are certainly their strongest.”

proach as the new ambassador to Israel would have stirred much less controversy, political studies professor Jim Farney suggests that openly supporting Israel is in the best interest of the Conservative Government.

“If you look at some swing ridings in the GTA, the Jewish community represents a swing vote. This is a way for the Conservatives, who have traditionally not done well at all in that community, to signal that they care.”

But what does this mean for

“The Jewish people who do not support Israel are unlikely to ever support the Conservatives, and from an electoral perspective, who cares, right?”

Debra Schubert, a Canadian woman of Jewish descent, could not agree more. “Her background does not really coincide with working towards a peaceful resolution, especially since she is writing anti-Islamic rhetoric in the newspaper,” said Debra Schubert, a Canadian of Jewish descent who is also an active member of Students Against Israeli Apartheid.

Palestine, Minister Baird replied by stating that Canada would not condemn the process, and only support it.

It is these settlements, however, that caused the Palestinian Authority to walk away from the last peace talks. The Palestinian government and international law views these settlements as being illegal as well as destructive to the Palestinian state.

“Canadian foreign policies usually try to take a more balanced approach,” said Farney.

This past year, the European Union, Teachers Union of Ireland, as well as the American Student Association all endorsed a boycott of Israel and its illegal settlements. Although the controversy surrounding Israel is growing rapidly in the international community, it seems evident that the Canadian governments’ support is only getting stronger.

As peace talks resume this January, with the help of American Senator John Kerry, it is questionable how successful they will be considering Israel’s recent announcement of settlement expansion. In a conflict where the main issue is a land dispute, expanding illegal settlements does not make peace any more likely. Additionally, Canada appointing an ambassador that openly discredits the Palestinian government, Palestinians’ right to land, and writes biased columns endorsing one government over the other will not help either.

Canada needs to return to its former diplomatic self, and leave their love affair for Israel out of politics.

eman bare news writer, 2014

Rally at U of R to protest relationships with Israeli institutions

Press release rules out controversial arrangement with Hebrew U, and study tour

michael chmielewski editor-in-chief, 2014

originally published august 11, 2014.

A group of local concerned students, faculty, and community members under the banner of “Coalition for a Free Palestine” held a rally at the University of Regina (U of R) today. Those on campus saw upwards of 50 people start the rally in the Riddell Centre, and then move to Dean of Business Andrew Gaudes’ office, eventually ending the rally on the 5th floor of Administration Humanities, in front of the President’s office.

The office was closed during the rally. There was nobody from the Administration available to give comment right away (see press release below). Gaudes was also out of his office, with the

the Carillon broke, click here (carillonregina.com/a-blatantdisregard-of-ethics/).

Valerie Zink, one of the Coalition’s organizers, said that “The partnership with Hebrew University was the one that was in the most advanced stage of development. Dean Andrew Gaudes has made statements to the media that the partnership is no longer being pursued. To me it’s obvious that is because of the growing public opposition. However there are still five universities that are being considered for a study tour as part of Israel’s MBA public safety.”

The Coalition was also concerned about a potential study tour that would have been in both Jerusalem and Ramallah.

The Administration and Andrew Gaudes released a statement today ruling out both the partnership with Hebrew

with representatives from the group that held the rally. It was a collegial discussion, and I appreciated their input. Although our University has had discussions with Israeli institutions in the past, I am aware of no current or ongoing talks.”

Members of the Coalition and other concerned faculty are meeting with Dean Gaudes on August 12 to discuss the ethical framework as well as partnering with institutions.

The Carillon will have more on this story as it develops.

*UPDATED August 11, 2014, 11:35 a.m.

Below is the full Press Release sent to the Carillon by Senior Communications Strategist of the U of R Dale Johnson. The document is written by Andrew Gaudes, the Dean of Business. We are posting it because of demand, and to provide clarity to

Faculty of Business office door firmly locked.

The Coalition to Free Palestine is concerned with the U of R partnering with Israeli institutions, which the U of R has been recently pursuing, specifically with Hebrew University. Any talks of a relationship with Hebrew University seem to have stopped now.

Dean Gaudes told the Carillon here (carillonregina. com/conference-called-for-u-ofrs-involvement-with-israel/) that “we do not have any relationship with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. We have explored it as having courses being delivered with our students in it; that’s been in the past that we explored that. We have found nothing that is consistent with what we want to deliver with our MBA Public Safety, and we don’t think we’re going to see one.”

The Carillon has tried to reach Hebrew University to comment, but no one has been made available for an interview yet.

For the initial story that

University and the study tour.

The release, signed by Gaudes, says “we did have some preliminary discussions about our students being able to take courses for credit at Hebrew University. Although these talks were undertaken in good faith, we are no longer pursuing such an arrangement, as the course content offered by Hebrew University did not meet our program needs.”

“We are also no longer pursuing a study tour in the region.”

It goes on, saying that “It is critical to note, however, that even if either of these options had been pursued further, subsequent approval of the agreement would have included faculty input, collegial votes, and consideration of the concerns expressed, particularly those pertaining to the safety of our students.”

Provost Thomas Chase, who was in meetings during the rally, met with organizers later. He said, in the same release, ”This afternoon I had a good meeting

specialization in public safety management, but it is not a joint venture with any other institution. This specialization is in response to requests from the community for strengthening administrative leadership capacity among middle managers and executives in the RCMP, Police, Fire, and other Emergency Services organizations in Canada. The program is being developed so that all courses may be delivered by our University on our campus.

Developing such a program includes a multi-layer approval process with many opportunities for offering input or expressing concerns. Creating a new graduate program at the University of Regina requires approval at the faculty level, followed by approval at the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR). Once these approvals are in place, FGSR

our readers. The following text is copied verbatim from the email sent out earlier today. No edits have been made:

A statement from the Dean of Business Administration

I am writing to clear up some misconceptions on our University’s relationship with Hebrew University in Israel.

A few details need to be absolutely clear to all parties:

1. The safety of our students is our first priority.

2. There is no partnership or any type of formal relationship between the University of Regina and Hebrew University in Israel.

3. The Faculty of Business Administration has never had any plans to create a joint MBA specialization in public safety management with any other university.

4. There are no current or planned discussions with Israeli universities.

The Kenneth Levene Graduate School of Business, within the Faculty of Business Administration, is currently developing a new MBA

of this MOU, we did have some preliminary discussions about our students being able to take courses for credit at Hebrew University. Although these talks were undertaken in good faith, we are no longer pursuing such an arrangement, as the course content offered by Hebrew University did not meet our program needs. We are also no longer pursuing a study tour in the region. It is critical to note, however, that even if either of these options had been pursued further, subsequent approval of the agreement would have included faculty input, collegial votes, and consideration of the concerns expressed, particularly those pertaining to the safety of our students.

The intent of any of our study abroad opportunities is to enable our students to benefit from seeing the world from different vantage

“ Although our University has had discussions with Israeli institutions in the past, I am aware of no current or ongoing talks. ”

Provost Thomas Chase

must recommend the program to Executive of Council for their recommendation to the highest academic decision making body, the University of Regina Senate, for final program approval. Only after approval at each of these stages are we able to offer the program to prospective students.

As a Faculty, we are continuously exploring educational opportunities for our students to study abroad. Discussions of this nature are constant and ongoing. As a University we do not agree with a blanket exclusion of Israeli institutions from these types of conversations. The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), the national body representing 97 universities and colleges in Canada, takes a similar position. In fact, in July 2013 the AUCC signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Association of University Heads, Israel (AUH) aimed at increased collaboration on research and teaching. The AUH includes Hebrew University.

In keeping with the spirit

points, enriching their academic experience, and enabling them to make better, informed decisions as they become senior managers. Our strong belief is that hearing from a multitude of perspectives will make our graduates better leaders.

We also appreciate the multitude of perspectives on our campus and the dialogue that has taken place over our discussions with Hebrew University. We recognize the right of students and faculty members to speak freely and critically about new and existing program offerings. Free and open debate makes us all stronger. As we endeavor to strengthen the student experience in the Faculty of Business Administration, we will remain cognizant of the concerns expressed on this particular issue and remain committed to consulting thoroughly and collegially on decisions of this nature in the future.

Sincerely,

Dr. Andrew Gaudes Dean and Professor of Business Administration

Mohammed Abu Khedir

The effects Israel’s recent military incursion has had on one family

eman bare contributor, 2014

originally published september 4, 2014.

This summer marked an escalation in violence that ravaged the Middle East, claiming thousands of lives and injuring so many more. From the terror of ISIS, now IS, to the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli settlers, and the call for violence and revenge from Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, the Middle East claimed headline after headline.

The story of one young boy in Gaza deserves to be told, not because his life is more valuable than any other Palestinian, or Israeli, but because of the manner in which he was brutally killed and the way the Israeli government, as well as media outlets around the world, handled his death.

The death toll in Gaza during the six-week siege was over 2,000 lives, mostly civilians, with thousands more injured.

the right to have his story told, so that we can understand that there are thousands of others like him, who have been killed because of an oppressive state employing illegal settlements and blockades.

In June I interviewed the cousin of Mohammed Abu Khedir and Tariq Khedir. Mohammed was kidnapped, beaten, and set on fire by Israeli settlers, where as Tariq, Mohammed’s younger cousin from the United States, was beaten by Israeli police while he was visiting his family in Gaza. The reason this story is being written now is because of how emotionally exhausting the thought of transcribing this interview was.

What would you do if your younger cousin was burned alive, and your other little cousin beaten to an unrecognizable state? These thoughts sat with me for weeks and months, and I could not escape the thoughts that we as Canadians, particularly our government, were dehumanizing Palestinians to the extent that we were blaming them for their own deaths.

onization and apartheid. This is the aftermath of Mohammed’s death on his family and the updates on his trial as told by his cousin, Wedad, whose name was changed at her request to protect her identity.

“The situation in Gaza is unbearable to watch, it’s unbearable to see what’s going on there. It’s like watching someone shoot fish in a barrel. They are surrounded, there is no way for people to come in and aid them and all [the Israelis] are doing is bombarding them. They have no defense. They have homemade rockets. “

“I believe that we will never truly get justice for Mohammed. To begin with, [Israeli authorities] never tell us what’s going on. They never give us any information that we can hold onto, or be comforted with. If a child is killed here in the U.S., you know the names of the killers and what is going on. [The Israeli government] doesn’t release any information and when they do, it’s little trickles that you can barely understand. They told us that there were six suspects that had collaborated and three that

that the other three were minors, and therefore they were going to be more lenient with them and now they are trying to give them a way out.”

“It’s blatant racism. It’s blatant favoritism of an Israeli suspect over a Palestinian. If a Palestinian had even come close to something of what had happened to my cousin, they would be killed. Look as far as the three Israeli settler boys…those boys… we don’t even know what happened in their kidnapping and death. And what did they do for them? For the suspects, they completely demolished their homes. They say that Israel is a democracy...in America, if someone was guilty of a kidnapping or murder, would they demolish their home? No. Do they get rid of their entire family? No. But in Israel, they demolished the entire home of people they had suspected [of a crime], because they were Hamas members and therefore they were the ones who had committed the crime.”

“Now, for my cousin, for those men that they had caught

because that means ‘go ahead, do what you want to Palestinians, they don’t have the same rights… their blood isn’t as valuable as an Israeli Jew. So if you want to murder them, if you want to abduct them…go ahead.’”

“I’ve said it from the beginning, the Israeli government as well as the army leaders were calling for vengeance [after the Israeli settler’s bodies were found], they were enticing the crowds, they continued to call for vengeance. The people went into a frenzy. The Israeli people started rioting on the streets and called for ‘Death to Arabs.’ They said that they would make our month of Ramadan, our holiest month, into a bloody month. And they did. They ruined our holy month for us.”

Although a ceasefire has been reached, and it seems life will return to normal for Israelis and Palestinians, one must ask: are we normalizing occupation by allowing things to return to how they were before the uprising in Palestine/Israel? In the political warfare of the Middle East,

“ “...I could not escape the thoughts that we as Canadians, particularly our government, were dehumanizing Palestinians to the extent that we were blaming them for their own deaths.”

Eman Bare

Mohammed Abu Khedir was 16 years old when he was killed. Let’s understand what that means: he was in grade 10, he was younger than every U of R student, he was a son, a brother, a cousin, and a young boy with dreams. He had the right to live. He has

We are responsible, because we choose ignorance. Our understanding of history is so temporary and short that we cannot truly understand any conflict. We blame the oppressed instead of the oppressor and we justify col-

had actually abducted and killed him. They said they had let three of the six go because they did not commit the killings, they conspired but they had not actually done the killing. So they just let them go free, so then they told us

in conspiring and committing the abduction…they are not going to erase their houses or bulldoze their houses. We don’t even know who they are, they want to keep it as quiet as possible and that sends the worst kind of message

are we turning a blind eye to justice and deciding some deserve it more than others? For too many families in Israel and Palestine, like the family of Mohammed Khedir, life will never return to normal.

arts & culture

Dealing with death: Lauren the Mortician

It’s time to talk about Lauren the Mortician

will bright a&c writer

Lauren the Mortician, or @lovee. miss.lauren on TikTok, is an influencer and content creator who talks about death and dying on her social media pages. Her content began to get popular through her videos responding to videos of parents using different baby, toddler, or child products with their kids. Lauren would respond

On October 17, Lauren made a statement on her public Facebook account allegedly directed at another creator. This creator is Jamie Grayson, a child passenger safety technician (CPST). The statement was following videos both creators made in regards to a specific car seat that had the capability of swiveling to the side.

Lauren said no safety-wise, and Jamie said yes. Since Jamie disagreed with Lauren,

when they link these products CONVENIENTLY in their bio for you to purchase so they make commissions and gain financially from that? Never having used the product with a physical baby on a day to day basis? Nah… me neither. Just checking…”

The wording of this post makes it appear as though Lauren is trying to make Jamie out to be a creep because he is not a parent but has car seats in his home. Lauren continued to speak

ren.

People found a video that Lauren titled “Post Doctors office routine With my kids” where she refers to vaccines as “pokey sticks” and states that she gives her children a detox bath after vaccines. People online saw this as being anti-vaccine and she started being called an anti-vaxxer.

On October 19, she stitched the creator @thepedipals, two pediatricians in a video that was discussing Lauren’s doctor’s office routine video. In this stitch she starts by saying, “Another pediatrician bullying moms online.” In that video, she says that she has a science degree so she knows about vaccines. She also says that she is not anti-vax.

The next thing people dug up on Lauren was on her Instagram. On Instagram, Lauren was following a creator called @ conservativeant; a far-right, homophobic, and transphobic influencer.

She was also liking his posts containing homophobic and transphobic content. In a now-deleted video from October 23, Lauren said that yes, she did engage with that content, but @conservativeant is pro-2SLGBTQIA+.

She also said that she can’t be homophobic because she’s bisexual. Some of the content that Lauren interacted with on @ conservativeant’s page was content on Kyle Rittenhouse that approved of Rittenhouse’s actions. Next, people brought into question her experience as a mortician, which she claims to be. A user on TikTok claimed that while Lauren’s father does own a funeral home, he told this user that Lauren never worked in the funeral industry except for

accident,” as if she had done so herself.

When these claims began to surface, Lauren posted a video on October 26 of her speaking on the phone with her father who owns a funeral home. Her father states that Lauren is licensed, worked for more than a year, practiced mortuary science, and she worked as a funeral director.

Not everyone in the comments took this at face value. Many said that they were unconvinced by Lauren’s father. And that was it, for a little while.

One of the creators discussing Lauren was @caffinatedkitti. Lauren sent the police to Kitti’s home for a wellness check, which Kitti states she feels was a doxxing threat.

It started with copyright strikes against Kitti’s content with Lauren in it, which led to an email from Lauren’s legal counsel to Kitti. Then, the wellness check followed by an email from Jeanette Braun, Lauren’s attorney, accusing Kitti of stalking and harassing Lauren and telling Kitti she must post a public apology to Lauren.

Kitti uploaded a video on November 25 discussing what happened with Lauren, Braun, and the wellness check. On November 30, Lauren posted an explanation video about what happened with Kitti and a little bit about everything else.

She claims that people have been posting lies about her online. She says that in the last two months the bullying, harassing, and stalking online has been non-stop, to the extent that other people might kill themselves after experiencing it.

She says that all of it start-

“ On Instagram, Lauren was following a creator called @conservativeant; a far-right, homophobic, and transphobic influencer.”

giving her advice and opinion as a mortician and a mom on the items.

This led to a series called ‘the Morbid Minute’ where Lauren would test baby products to see how safe they were. She currently has 2.5 million TikTok followers and 69.1 million likes on TikTok. Her calling card was people in the comments of other creators’ videos tagging her and saying ‘Beetlejuice,’ which she then began using as the intro to her TikToks.

But, not everything good always lasts.

Lauren’s fans were in Jamie’s comments telling him that he was wrong and Lauren was right.

Lauren’s post on Facebook read: “Honest Q: Would you take BABY PRODUCT ADVICE from a man who has no children… has 12-15 strollers inside their living room… also attempts to give baby wearing/baby carrier product recommendations, car seat recs AND high chair recommendations to actual mothers?

You know… just wondering? Hypothetically and all. Cause I sure the fuck wouldn’t. ESPECIALLY

poorly about someone – allegedly Jamie – though she never states his name. However, all signs are pointing in Jamie’s direction. She went on the “Dumb Blonde” podcast and said that Jamie had started a hate campaign against her after she blocked him. She continues to talk about how she is a mother and invalidates Jamie’s ability to do his job as a CPST because he doesn’t have kids. That podcast episode has since been deleted.

Following this event, people started digging deeper into Lau-

her internship. This user claims that their statement has been confirmed by another funeral director that attended school with Lauren.

TikTok creator @bekahdayy (Bekah Day) claims that she has spoken with a previous co-worker of Lauren who told Day no mortician would ever be there to inform a family about a death, like Lauren has claimed on her page many, many times. In a video from April 18, 2023, Lauren outright says, “We notify your family that you’ve passed in an

ed because of what she liked on Instagram, but she does not support some of the messages in the content. Lauren says that Kitti attempted to blackmail Braun. She says that Kitti’s content was abnormal and that’s why she called the wellness check.

The very next day Lauren’s content was back to normal, posting a video about her upcoming surgery.

Music for the soul: X-Ray Records

Regina’s very own record store has a lot to give to the community

vicortia baht staff writer

X-Ray Records has been an independent, locally-owned record shop in Regina since 1987. The store used to be owned by Dave Kuzenko. Kuzenko originally opened X-Ray Records back in 1987 as “Record on Wheels.”

As the business moved along, Kuzenko changed the name to X-Ray Records and moved from a chain to a locally-owned store. Over the years, X-Ray Records has been on the move and has called several locations home. They used to be down in a basement on 11th Avenue, then on Dewdney Avenue, and then they used to be on the second floor of 1810 Smith Street before moving to where they are now on the main floor.

X-Ray Records is a store that has been around in Regina for years and has been handed down by Kuzenko to Noah Biegler, who started working there in 2015.

X-Ray Records seems like a great place to stop in to check out the latest or the oldest music, dig through the bins and find what you are looking for, or to have a chat with Biegler himself or the community.

Biegler stated that “Regina has an amazing music community,” and appears to be happy to be a part of it and to help serve others. Now that X-Ray Records has moved into the main floor, Biegler feels the location is better for space, foot traffic, and more accessible to the customers.

However, X-Ray Records is more than just a store. X-Ray Records is highly important to Biegler and was highly important to Kuzenko as well. Biegler started and wanted to own the store because “Regina needs an independent record store. People come here to chill and talk and hang out. It is more of a community than a store.”

“This is one of the oldest independent record stores in Regina,” explained Biegler. “The community is all about loyal customers. People used to come in here, talk with [Kuzenko], and hang out and talk about music, Blue Jays, everything.”

“Now, people are starting to do that here with me, which I love,” said Biegler. “It is a great community because it spans anywhere from people who are super young to in their seventies, and the people all love music and love vinyl.”

Not only do people of all ages come down and chat with Biegler, but people who crave and look for different music genres come and look for some vinyl.

“For music, basically we have everything. We can go from the craziest metal, like Darkthrone, all the way to Taylor Swift or country, like Luke Bryan, with everything between like jazz, blues, and electronic music,” said Biegler.

“Now I am starting to categorize by genre order, by alphabet in certain sections. He [Kuzenko] had a very special way to organize. It was all in his brain, but he knew exactly where everything was. Nobody else did but him.”

Well, that sounds very special and, based on what we have been told by Biegler, X-Ray Records was very important to Dave. Knowing how the store is organized, by memory, takes talent.

Many people may not know what is so special about listening to vinyl records. What makes this more of an experience compared to listening to music on your phone? Biegler describes it as “the warmth of the record, it is a warm sound and more of a pure sound.”

“The thing about the records is that you get to hold the artwork

in your hand instead of staring at a screen,” he said. “Having a physical copy is a lot cooler than holding a phone screen. It is more of an intimate, more involved feeling. I can choose to throw headphones on and do things. But with a record, I can put it on and chill and appreciate the music and the sound. The whole process of putting the needle onto the record, flipping it around to the other side. People love that stuff.”

One of the biggest parts of record collecting is making an outing of it, at least according to Biegler. “People can find what they want to find here. There is always something for everybody, we have over 4,000 records in the store right now. There is something for everybody and their music taste.”

“We constantly get new shipments every week of new records and releases,” added Biegler. “I also do special orders as well. If it is not here, I can order it in, as long as it is on print on vinyl. Our records are all sealed from the factory; they are re-pressing and re-printing about everything in music right now.”

“Definitely don’t touch the playing surface,” he said. “Hold it by either the edge, or the middle where the hole is, where there are no tracks. Use some good inner and outer sleeves. Outer sleeves are the ones that go over the artwork, the inner sleeves are where the record is held. I personally use the non-static ones, scratch-free, made up of rice paper. Static and records do not mix well.”

Biegler added that “Caring for your vinyl is like caring for your tattoos. There are many ways to tell you how to take care of it. But there is no set answer. It is based on beliefs and personal preference.”

Another thing that is based on personal preference is the record player. X-Ray Records does not have any for sale yet, but they are hoping to soon. They have recently launched their online store and website at xrayrecords.ca.

It looks like X-Ray Records has all that you need to get into record keeping or to keep on doing it. They have tips and tricks on how to make the sound more “pure” as Biegler stated.

“ Regina needs an independent record store. People come here to chill and talk and hang out. It is more of a community than a store.”

Noah Biegler

Tune up your playlists for this Christmas

What are the best songs to listen to this Christmas? Read on to find out!

will bright a&c writer

Every Christmas, something my family can never completely agree on is the music. We all have completely different music tastes that clash when it comes time for us to listen to music all together. And I’m sure we’re not the only ones.

Here I present to you my ultimate Christmas playlist, meant to be entirely neutral for everyone in the family to enjoy. It has chill vibes for eating Christmas dinner, opening presents, or decorating around the house.

The playlist has no set order, so feel free to shuffle.

“Next Christmas” - Stella Cole

I discovered Stella Cole through TikTok and you’ll be blown away by her voice. It sounds like Judy Garland was reborn. Her voice is smooth and welcoming.

It’ll be a hit with your grandparents. Plus, it’s not the same Christmas song you hear over and over again.

“Christmas Dreaming”Stella Cole

For the only double artist on this playlist, here’s another Cole. It’s got the same vibes as “Next Christmas” and suits the playlist well.

“Hallelujah” - Pentatonix

This is the only song on the playlist with religious undertones

(more like overtones for this song), but it’s such a beautiful arrangement when it’s sung by Pentatonix that I couldn’t keep it out. This song is for the Gen X Moms, because if they’re anything like mine, they love Pentatonix. And religious undertones.

“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” - Glee Cast Songs from Glee aren’t always bad, I promise. This one’s a little bit more upbeat and fun, a song to keep the drive going when you’ve already wrapped ten presents and there’s ten more yet.

“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” - Martina McBride

If you don’t like Martina, you’re lying to me and yourself. This song is for parents back in small town Saskatchewan who listen exclusively to country and for the kids going home for Christmas who hate country and need a nice middle ground.

“Winter Wonderland”Laufey

This is probably the second most repetitive song on this playlist. When you’re listening to Christmas music, sometimes those songs are so repetitive and you just need some new words to break up the monotony. This is not that song, but Laufey is a beautiful singer.

“Feliz Navidad” - The Tenors

Now this is the most repetitive song on the playlist. I included it

because I recently saw a TikTok saying that it’s one of the most well-known Christmas songs across the world. The Tenors’ version of the song is not only well-sung but it fits the vibe of the playlist.

“Christmas Tree Farm”Taylor Swift

I am a simple person. I see a Taylor Swift Christmas song that I’ve never seen anywhere else, I put it on my Christmas playlist. Merry Christmas, Swifties.

“Dominick the Donkey (the Italian Christmas Donkey)” - Lou Monte

Odds are, you don’t know this song. But, in my house, it is the only Christmas song we’ve ever all agreed on. It’s silly, it’s a little bit stupid, but most importantly, it’s fun. This is the song that everyone stops to sing along to, because there needs to be at least one.

“White Christmas” - George Ezra

There isn’t much to say about this song except that it’s exactly the vibes I’m aiming for.

“The Christmas Song” - Celine Dion & David Foster

This is truly the ultimate Christmas background song. I could write an essay with this in the background and not get distracted.

“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” - Hannah Waddlingham & the London Gay Men’s Chorus

The Saskatchewan Dream

Deck the boughs with holiday jams.

This song has a bit of cheering at the beginning because it’s recorded from a live performance, but if you’ve never heard Hannah Waddlingham, you are missing out. You might recognize her as Rebecca from Ted Lasso or the Septa who rang the bell and yelled ‘shame’ in Game of Thrones, but before that she was on the West End, and it shows.

“‘Zat You, Santa Claus?”

- Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem

A song for the kids, straight

What will every young Saskatchewanian in 2043 dream of?

Everyone has heard of the American Dream. Nuclear family, a cat, a dog, a nice house in a culde-sac, a nice car, and a stable job. Well, get ready for the Saskatchewan Dream now that we’re nearing the end of 2043!

First: a single bedroom apartment to live in alone. Now this apartment has got it all: a bed, a fridge, an oven, a microwave, a dining table, and even some chairs.

I know, I know, does it have a dishwasher? Maybe! But probably not.

That would make it cost more than 50 per cent of the paycheck you get each month (you silly goose, you, expecting so much from a landlord).

Hell (if you’re lucky), that single bedroom apartment even has the utilities and parking spot included in the rent!

Next: that paycheck you’re living off of is stable and doesn’t need to fully go towards the things you need to live. You’ve even got a little extra to save or invest with! The job itself isn’t all that exciting (but at least you’ve got one). Plus, it’s paying for your (oh-so extravagant) lifestyle, right?

Third: this one isn’t a requirement, but it’s nice to have if you can afford it and aren’t allergic to it. A pet.

Someone to keep us tied to

this plane of existence and keep us coming back to the apartment from work everyday. I know, how exciting (or a poor money and time management decision, depending on who you ask)!

Fourth: if you’re really lucky, maybe you can get in a healthy and happy relationship with someone. Maybe someone of the same gender or even multiple someones (scandalous, I know!),

vehicle and you don’t owe any money on it! If you do, it’s at least affordable on that stable paycheck of yours.

And last, but definitely not least… Earth is a livable planet (what the actual fuck is a “fire season”). Wild, I know, right? Everybody worked together and we actually managed to reverse climate change to bring us back to when seasons were seasons, in the right

A typical day in the Saskatchewan Dream of 2043, or hopeful satire? You decide!

if you’re into that. Doesn’t have to be romantic, though, so don’t worry about that.

Fifth: you have your own

months, so we’re going to keep it that way.

I mean, come on, who really thought things were normal, you

know? “Fire season.” That’s not a thing! There’s spring, there’s summer, there’s autumn, and there’s winter. Do you see a “fire season” in any of that? No! Because it’s not normal or good that there were flowers blooming in Antarctica in 2023!

I digress, since there are also some small details to go over.

One: groceries aren’t so expensive anymore. Now there is money to spend on other things, like going to the movies, the bar, or a road trip over the summer! Getting pretty extravagant up in here, eh?

Two: education has greatly improved. After the last couple elections, there have been major changes to the education system, including better pay and protections for teachers (who thought treating the people who teach the next generation poorly was a good idea?).

This improved the retention of teachers and quality of teaching, so now Canada and Saskatchewan’s future workers are better prepared to enter the workforce.

Three: housing is more affordable, which means there are less houseless people. Regulations were put in place to stop the usage of MAiD as a round-about way to lower rates of houselessness (if you think killing houseless people is the solution, you have some

from the Muppets soundtrack. “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” - Josh Groban

I have a reputation in my family for only liking Christmas music by Josh Groban, and I’m right because this song is incredible. I would be betraying myself if there was no Josh Groban on this playlist.

Give my Christmas playlist a shot, try it out with your family, and enjoy the holidays!

baggage to unpack).

These next two are big ones when it comes to improving the quality of life for a lot of people in Saskatchewan, also population growth and retention.

The end of harassment, -isms, and -phobias (asking a lot of Saskatchewanians it seems, but a person can hope). For example: racism, homophobia, classism, sexism, transphobia, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism.

It was amazing really, how quickly people realized that being against people who don’t think, look, and act like you or believe in the same things was a really weird and incorrect way of thinking.

The second thing was the increase in things to do in Saskatchewan and the nightlife! So many different things started popping up that you could do at night with friends without having to spend any money.

In 2023 I’m sure this all felt unreachable, and in some cases impossible to ask of Saskatchewanians, but with some hard work and teamwork, we got to where we needed to be for this to be the dream!

mikayla tallon a&c editor

sports & health

Removing barriers to contraception

Manitoba is making prescription contraception more accessible

pall agarwal s&h writer

Reproductive healthcare in any nation is a public health priority, as it shapes the overall well-being of its citizens. Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system reflects the commitment to its residents’ health and claims to ensure that basic healthcare is accessible to all. Contributing to this commitment, it was announced on November 21, 2023 by the Manitoba NDP that birth control would soon become free and accessible to all Manitobans with a prescription.

face barriers to accessing birth control, putting them at higher risk of unplanned pregnancy. Removing barriers will give women, trans men and non-binary people greater control of their lives, improve their health outcomes and reduce overall costs to the healthcare system

Dr. Omolayo Fafudiye, medical director and founder of the Layo Centre, a clinic that focuses on reproductive health and contraception stated in an interview with Winnpeg’s CityNews that “women should have a say if this is what they want and removing the barrier of cost is paramount, we can no longer assume that

er and child.

This plan, when implemented, will increase access to birth control for rural and lower-income individuals. Lorie English, Executive Director of West Central Women’s Resource Centre, told CityNews, “Folks who live outside the city, for example, where there aren’t a lot of social service agencies, where they might not be able to be connected […] to free birth control. To know that can now be sought from any medical clinic, any family doctor, it really does increase everyone’s access. So, it’s a win-win on all sides.”

The Manitoba NDP announced that their commitment

This bold move to equalize women’s healthcare follows the footsteps of that of British Columbia, the first province in Canada to make most contraceptives free. This policy focuses on prescription birth control, and excludes cervical caps, condoms, diaphragms, birth control patches, rings, and sponges. This program is a step toward aligning with the values of free healthcare, and has created a ripple-effect across other provinces.

The introduction of both Manitoba and British Columbia’s free prescription contraception makes it accessible to minoritized and low-income people in communities that are without birth control and other family planning options. The Manitoba NDP stated: “Many young Manitobans

every patient will have a private plan.”

This step not only reflects the importance given to the equity of gender-based healthcare in Canada, but also the idea that contraception could be more accessible by removing costs. Contraception is the best option to prevent unintended pregnancies, so making it accessible will encourage people to use it.

According to Guttmacher Institute, between 2015 and 2019 there were a total of 570,000 pregnancies every year. “Of these, 265,000 pregnancies were unintended and 97,500 ended in abortion.” Making contraceptives accessible to all would help lower the number of unintentional pregnancies, the number of abortions necessary, and improve the health outcomes of the moth-

being implemented in countries like Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Scandinavian countries. There is a similar plan in France, where residents aged 25 and over can get reimbursed.

The normalization of accessible, free contraceptives may also have an impact on the normalization of the conversation about sexual and reproductive health, and the likelihood that sex education would be done appropriately, in a non-judgmental manner. The idea to make contraceptives accessible may make the youth curious about it, encouraging them to learn more about it and use it

down the road.” This could be a stepping stone to a nation-wide revolution in the conversation of contraceptives.

Free contraceptives are just one of the steps towards making healthcare more accessible and legitimately helpful to people with a uterus. As the world continues to evolve day-to-day, there is still research being done into implementing programs like these. Since the program is free, there may be unforeseen cuts and shifts in other budgets to fund the program.

Other provinces, like Ontario, are researching and watching British Columbia and Manitoba

“ Removing barriers will give women, trans men and non-binary people greater control of their lives, improve their health outcomes and reduce overall costs to the healthcare system.”

includes oral contraceptives, the morning-after pill, copper and hormonal intrauterine devices also known as IUDs, and hormonal contraceptive injections. The commitment does not include condoms, however. Instead, students can get free condoms at the Rainbow Pride Centre at the University of Manitoba and other sexual health-promoting organizations across the province.

As much as introducing nocost contraceptives seems to be a good plan, there is also a side that is unexplored. Publicly funding contraceptives would require a larger healthcare budget, which could mean an increase in taxes to cover the cost. This, in turn, could raise the amount of sales tax paid by taxpayers, leading some to disapprove of the plan by default. However, this plan is

properly as required.

This would increase awareness and access among the younger generations. Besides supporting those who may otherwise struggles to afford this part of healthcare, this plan would also be able to support teens and young adults in preventing unintended and potentially unwanted or harmful pregnancies.

Introducing free contraceptives in Manitoba is only going to send waves across the nation, such as in Ontario, where a plan to launch a similar program is being explored. London West’s MPP Peggy Sattler said in a recent media release: “We know from the research that [free contraceptives] is an investment that actually saves money by reducing all those healthcare costs associated with unwanted pregnancies

to see how the program turns out. If the program is successful, it may encourage more provinces to implement similar programs. The research also includes strategically deciding the specifics of the contraceptives to be provided for free as well as planning out the finances and budget to make it accessible for all.

Manitoba has yet to release its guidelines and procedures to access free contraceptives. This plan seems bold and progressive, and may create a ripple effect across North America. This program may be the start of nations considering better quality and more inclusive programs to improve their residents’ quality of life, and the quality future generations will inherit.

Is all of Saskatchewan getting free counselling?

Before we jump to conclusions…

kimberley kaufman s&h editor

Some people are concerned that the expansion of the rapid access counselling services through Family Services Saskatchewan is neglecting the northern half of Saskatchewan due to racial discrimination. The northern half of the province’s population is predominantly Indigenous so, at first glance, it may appear that the government bodies that are funding this expansion are being intentionally discriminatory.

However, there are multiple factors to consider in this issue. First, the healthcare in the northern half of Saskatchewan is not solely regulated by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA). This contrasts the claim on their website that they “are responsible for the delivery of safe, high quality [sic] health care for the entire province.” It is the Athabascan Health Authority (AHA) that regulates the provision of healthcare services in the northernmost areas of Saskatchewan.

The SHA was formed from the 12 regional health authorities in Saskatchewan in 2017. However, the AHA is, presumably, still responsible for the northernmost communities, because of the 1996 “‘Unanimous Members Agreement’ [that] was signed at Black Lake to confirm that the Athabasca First Nations Bands and provincial communities would jointly administer health services in the Athabasca region,” as stated on

the AHA home website.

Additionally, the SHA’s website describes the Athabascan health facility as “not owned or operated by the Saskatchewan Health Authority. [… it] is governed by the Athabasca Health Authority.” This suggests that the AHA operates independently of the SHA.

northern regions. However, this does not mean that the northern regions of Saskatchewan lack complete access to counselling.

Family Services Saskatchewan offers in-person and online counselling services at counsellingconnectsask.ca. In-person locations have been increased to 20-plus communities in southern

Saskatchewan that are within the SHA’s scope are villages. There is unlikely to be enough properly trained staff, or a great enough population, for a new counselling centre to be established in such rural areas.

Also, Saskatchewan’s healthcare sector is experiencing staffing shortages for even established

On the AHA website, they say that they provide services for the “Black Lake Denesųłiné First Nation, the Fond Du Lac Denesųłiné First Nation, Stony Rapids, Uranium City, and Camsell Portage.”

With this in mind, the $1.7 million dollars put towards expanding Family Services Saskatchewan’s rapid counselling services, which are funded by the SHA, would not extend to the

Saskatchewan. However, online counselling is not restricted to specific regions of the province. Since this counselling is offered at no charge, it would be accessible to rural northern communities that have access to the internet.

While it is understandable to want in-person counselling expanded across the entirety of Saskatchewan, several barriers to service make this difficult. Most of the communities in northern

healthcare centres. This shortage is in the process of being addressed by the Government of Saskatchewan’s Health Human Resources Action Plan, b ut it is still impacting the quality of Saskatchewan’s healthcare services (this was talked about in Volume 66 Issue 11, so head to carillonregina.com to read that article) .

Additionally, the further expansion of Family Services Saskatchewan would likely require

Regina to host the 2025 Vanier Cup

excited, the Cup is coming to town!

Saturday, November 25, 2023 brought the announcement of one of Regina’s most exciting opportunities, the hosting of the 2025 Vanier Cup. U SPORTS announced that the 2025 Canadian national university football championship will be held at Mosaic Stadium.

The Vanier Cup was created in 1965, and held in Toronto, Ontario until 2003. After the 2003 championship, other major cities could bid to host the great championship. Having held it just once in the past, the Vanier Cup will be back in Saskatchewan in 2025.

The news of the Vanier Cup being held in Regina was shared by Jeff Keshen, the President and Vice Chancellor of University of Regina, in an email to all the students. This email read, “When we host the event, it will mark the 25th anniversary of our own University of Regina Rams appearing in the championship, as well as the 60th anniversary of the Vanier Cup itself.”

Keshen encouraged all students to be a part of this huge news by attending and volunteering in the coming months for this “high-profile national event. […] Let’s once again show the entire country why Saskatchewan is

known as the volunteer capital of Canada.”

Lisette Johnson-Stapley, U SPORTS’ chief sport officer, said in a statement: “We are confident fans from all over will want to converge on Regina for this milestone event. The city is known for its enthusiasm for football and deeply engaged fan base, which solidifies Regina’s status as a city where football plays a significant and beloved role in the community’s sport culture.”

Regina is a great place to host the Cup. Not only does Regina have a huge and enthusiastic fan base that supports the local Regina Rams and the provincial Saskatchewan Roughriders, but the community is very involved in events. Many of Regina’s events are run by volunteers, and the Vanier Cup will be too. Mosaic Stadium has an average capacity of 33,000 people, with a maximum capacity of 40,000. Since so many people from all over

the consent and cooperation of the AHA. So far, there has been no news about whether this is a possible option for the SHA and AHA to provide greater access to mental health counselling in the north.

For now, though, the AHA manages the northernmost communities’ healthcare. The Government of Saskatchewan’s website lists several AHA-managed treatment centres that offer mental health services. These locations are the Hatchet Lake Health Centre, Black Lake Health Clinic, and the Fond Du Lac Health Centre.

Whether the AHA is adequately funded to provide quality counselling is an entirely different issue. An interview done by Kristen McEwen with Dr. Sara Dungavell on December 6, 2021, said it was not adequately funded. In this interview, Dungavell said “We’re constantly short, constantly having to go to other places to find mental health services. I think that has certainly been a strong highlight of what’s happening.”

There is insufficient information available on whether funding has increased in the past two years, but Dungavell described this issue as a chronic one that existed even before the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unlikely that mental health supports in the northernmost communities have seen an increase in funding, but expanding free online counselling services is a step in the right direction.

Western Canada will be traveling to Regina to cheer on this event, Mosaic Stadium is an appropriate place to host it.

The Vanier Cup will be a great opportunity for the City of Regina and Tourism Regina to show off the city and its many unique experiences and businesses. Regina made its last appearance in the Cup in 2000, so it will be encouraging for everyone to see how the home team’s performance has improved.

Residents of Saskatchewan have come together in the past for great events like the Grey Cup. It was an overwhelming response of volunteers and support, even though the event took 1,200 volunteers and 3 years of planning to bring it all together. A high-profile event like the Vanier Cup will certainly require similar hard work and, based on past support, Regina should expect a great turnout of volunteers and attendees.

The residents of Saskatchewan are determined folk. They can, and will, show up for a football game even in the nastiest of weather. The Grey Cup is a great example of this. Even in the cold, residents showed up to celebrate and be a part of the great event. This shows the city’s residents’ love for football and their teams.

The Vanier Cup has yet to see what Regina is going to bring to the event. As the residents anticipate this wait, the organizing committee has yet to relay more information. Vanier Cup – here it comes!

pall agarwall s&h writer

Ehrlo Sport ventures to make sports accessible to all

Community sport leagues are there to make sure everyone can be involved

kimberley

kaufman s&h editor

For youth, sports are an exciting way to make friends and have fun. For parents, getting your child onto a sports team and keeping them there can be a nightmare, especially if your child is just there for the fun. This dilemma is what makes community sports leagues like the ones run by the Ehrlo Sport Venture Program (Sport Venture) so valuable.

Sport Venture is a community outreach program provided by the non-profit organization Ranch Ehrlo. It offers five recreational sports leagues for youth aged six to 16, and has opportunities for everyone else to get involved.

Gloria Patrick, the Program Manager for Sport Venture, shared why it is important that youth get the opportunity to get involved with sports. She said,

have access to sport or wouldn’t be playing without our program.”

Their league registration is free, and there are multiple ways to register. Registration for the leagues is open about a month prior to the start of the season, and can be done online, over-thephone, or in person. Since there are waivers that must be signed by a parent or guardian, it is recommended that players are registered online or in-person.

However, if a parent or guardian cannot access the internet or register in-person, Patrick said they could register over-thephone and sign the waiver at the first opportunity, including the first in-person practice.

Sport Venture leagues get their sports equipment from their “equipment lending library,” primarily stocked by donations.

“Our main location on 5th Avenue has an equipment lending library. So, just like you could go to the library to get a book, you can

item is used in a seasonal sport, such as hockey, the lending period can be extended.

Patrick explained the difference in values between professional, or paid leagues, and community leagues, saying, “There’s an ideology, or framework, that talks about sport development versus sport for development. So sport development, […] is really about the sport developing the best athlete. […] So, we’re on the opposite side, we’re very focused on that sport for development. And so although we do play games, we’ll bring teams together in tournaments, we’re not about winning and losing. Oftentimes, we don’t even keep score. So really, it’s just about equal access to play.”

Patrick said that Sport Venture focuses on how to use sport as a way to build meaningful relationships with kids, and create a safe space for them to learn and grow their skills using sports. She

partnered with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Rider alumni. We’ll have the cheerleaders out, […] and just have a celebration to kick the league off,” said Patrick.

Now Sport Venture is preparing for the upcoming hockey season. Registration is open now until January 2024. Patrick noted that hockey, in particular, is a sport that presents many barriers to playing because of the costs of equipment. Ehrlo Sport Venture opens hockey registration early so their players can come in and be fitted for their equipment, which comes from the lending library.

The Outdoor Hockey League (OHL) is offered at eight different locations, totalling sixteen teams. “We have jerseys for all of our teams too, and we get gifted time at the Co-operators [Centre] so we get to play our games indoors. So, every week we’d practice outdoors, but then on Tuesday nights we get to go and play in the Co-operators,”

munity, and the volunteers. She said, “We have different tiered volunteers. […] A tier one volunteer would be somebody from the community who doesn’t have an association or affiliation with Sport Venture. So, it might be a student, [… or] it might be a former athlete who wants to give back to the community.”

Anyone can volunteer with Sport Venture, and Patrick said that the staff do their best to make the volunteer experience easy. “We have a little bit of a volunteer application and process, just to do a bit of screening and due diligence, but we try to make it easy for our volunteers. We come with a program plan, we come with all the equipment, we ensure that we have everything we need to support our volunteers. So really, they just need to show up with a positive attitude, ready to go and interact and build that positive mentorship [with] our youth.”

“Go

“...although we do play games, we’ll bring teams together in tournaments, we’re not about winning and losing. Oftentimes, we don’t even keep score. So really, it’s just about equal access to play.”

Gloria Patrick

“We know that there’s so many benefits from being involved in sport, and so we want to be able to offer that to all youth.”

“Sometimes there’s barriers that are in place that limit access to sport, whether that’s a financial barrier, transportation barrier, or equipment and league fees,” Patrick said. At Sport Venture, they have various supports in place to mitigate these barriers. They seem to be working, as Patrick said that they have “statistics from surveys where parents indicated nine out of ten [players] wouldn’t

rent out equipment from us for free and anyone can come in and use that service,” said Patrick.

Patrick said that the equipment lending library is “always accepting donations,” and that donated equipment does not have to be for a specific sport or age group. “We have anything from basketballs and tennis rackets and skates, or cross country skis, […] volleyball knee pads, soccer cleats; things that people might need in order to play.” The equipment is usually borrowed for a period of 30 days, but if the

also described how providing this space can be rewarding for everyone involved, saying, “it’s a really special thing when you can help kids feel good about trying something new, to help build friendships, build their listening and teamwork skills, […] help them build their self efficacy to build their confidence.”

Sport Venture runs five recreational leagues throughout the year: Baseball, Soccer, Basketball, Football, and Hockey. They recently wrapped up their football season at Mosaic Stadium. “We

said Patrick.

The Regina Pats are also involved during the hockey season.

“Their CEO is actually one of our coaches, and so every year we’ll have Pats players come out and help out at some of our sessions. We’ve [also] been able to go out and play during an intermission at a Pats game,” Patrick said.

Sport Venture is a great opportunity for the community to get involved with. Each sports team is assigned a staff ambassador, who coordinates the team with the sport manager, the com-

The Ehrlo Sport Venture Program does its best to reduce barriers to youth involvement in play and sports, and encourages the community to get involved. This could be donating unused equipment to the lending library, or volunteering with the upcoming hockey teams. Either way, Sport Venture believes that “everyone should have the right to play.”

op-ed

Stop

paying so much attention!

We need to budget our attention just like we budget everything else

Last week, I wrote about how there is a cultural shift taking place all around us where everyone is impatient, operating only at the surface level, and always wanting or needing fresh stimulus. Gone are the days of sitting down with one book and spending an entire afternoon lost in it.

Now, if a social media post takes more than thirty seconds to read, we scroll past to the next one. In fact, it is interesting how the bulk of social media has moved to videos as opposed to text, possibly out of the need to capture attention in ways plain old text cannot.

To me, this is all a problem. I am a graduate student in Computer Science, and an editor for the Carillon. I also involve myself in several volunteering efforts. All of these are things that enrich my life, but only at the cost of making demands on my attention and time. For several months, if not years now, I have felt that our culture of short attention spans, the constant need to be entertained, and the growing inability to do something unpleasant in the short term is affecting me. It inhibits me from doing good work, from feeling calm and centered, and even keeps me from enjoying really high-quality entertainment.

Over this past summer, I picked up a series of books by one author, all eventually related to the same topic – how to regain mastery of our minds and attention spans in a world where that has stopped being a priority. The author is Cal Newport, a Computer Science professor at Georgetown University and a strong advocate of what he calls the deep life and digital minimalism.

If you read his books in order of publication, it tells the story of an individual who wanted to do truly great work (when a graduate student at MIT), and realized how such work needs long hours of focus, constant cognitive development, and a level of mindfulness that is fast disappearing from our culture. This helped foster the development of his latter books, which provide a deep and hard analysis of how we arrived at this junction in time, and how it is affecting, and will continue to affect unless checked, our ability to do hard things and gain lucrative skills.

But Newport is not just some doomsday alarmist. While he spends a lot of time talking about the challenges, his focus is always on the solutions. He interviews a wide spectrum of people, from farmers to musicians, from fellow professors to comedians, to find the common thread that binds people who have, to paraphrase one of his book titles, become so good that they cannot be ignored.

Based on all these conversations, and

in a manner amusingly reflecting his training in mathematical sciences, Newport goes on to list some properties of a deep, focused life and how one can lead such a life. I will attempt here to give what comes down to a summary of his entire body of work, but bear in mind this would be poor replacement for the books. In fact, the irony is that an attempt to glean his philosophy from one article would be a great example of the culture of shallow, quick, and easy we are trying to avoid.

For Cal Newport, the pursuit of a deep and focused life has two major

spent scrolling social media for hours and not having experienced any growth from that investment of time. Personally, I love this perspective. I can vouch that spending an hour reading a classic, or watching a movie masterpiece, is exponentially more rewarding for my mental health than an hour spent scrolling any social media.

Newport then adds that while we should be convinced of the superiority of such a life, the pursuit of it keeps getting harder with each year. This is because all around us are traps that lure us into lowering our awareness and mindfulness. Social

ever. He concedes we cannot go back to a world without email. He merely suggests that we be more mindful and intentional with our use of it, and not let it become a lazy pattern meant to get something off our desk so we can once again check our social media.

reasons. From a monetary value perspective, developing skills to do the things most others cannot do places one in a position where they can sell their skills for the best prices. Newport argues that such skills are only attainable when we learn sustained focus on difficult things, pushing past the initial discomfort and the desire to simply switch off and seek entertainment. To provide a concrete example, learning to write computer programs is a hard skill with a steep learning curve, and is not easy for someone who needs frequent stimulus in the form of social media or YouTube.

Money considerations aside, Newport also believes that a deep life, spent learning hard things and thinking deep thoughts, is a far richer one than one

media professionals are engaged in stateof-the-art research on how to capture our attention, keeping us stuck in their products and spending more and more time. Newport cautions that any effort at improving mindfulness at the individual level is only doomed to failure, because none of us can outwit an entire industry vying for our attention.

He recommends a shift in culture, where we reduce, if not eliminate, social media, which actively pulls our attention instead of being just a passive tool. He also cautions that the apparent ease of communication enabled by email has resulted in more frequent but lower quality communication, as well as unreasonable demands on our focus. Newport is no Luddite, how-

In order to prioritize deep and hard things, and slowly reduce our unhealthy relationship with social media and the internet, Cal Newport makes several suggestions. I will not repeat them all here, both for space considerations and the desire that readers seek out his original work. However, since this past summer, I have made some changes and have felt a lot less frazzled. These involve making it just a little harder to mindlessly consume entertainment and social media.

For me, this has been as simple as removing these apps from my phone. Now if I want to check something, I have to intentionally use a browser and sign in. In addition, I now have a plan to fill the pockets of time no longer taken up by mindless scrolling. I carry a book with me, or just sit there for some time, relaxed in the knowledge that not having fresh content to consume for a few minutes will not cause me harm. It can have a wonderful calming effect, this choice to slow down, do less, and be bored. I recommend it to everyone!

“In fact, the irony is that an attempt to glean his philosophy from one article would be a great example of the culture of shallow, quick, and easy we are trying to avoid.”

The wonders of the public library

Public library branches have an edge over campus spots

Libraries are great for study sessions, group meetings to discuss presentations, or just as a location to borrow devices and get comfortable. With nine different locations across the city, Regina Public Library (RPL) offers great spaces to explore and make your new ultimate study spot.

The first step to enjoying the RPL and all of its many offerings is to get yourself a library card. There are two options for holding a card. You can either have a shortterm library account or a long-term library account. This card is your key to borrowing materials, from books to music and movies, even musical instruments, attending programs provided by the library, or using some of their many other services such as digitization and 3D printing. You can see how to obtain a library card and check out all the other services by visiting the RPL website at reginalibrary.ca or chatting with librarians at a branch.

My favourite RPL locations are Sherwood Village and Regent Place. I like these two locations because they are in the north end of the city, closer to where I live. This is one of the main reasons why I enjoy studying at the RPL locations more than at the university. Not only are they close, but most of the RPL locations also offer free parking to visitors. Branches are conveniently

located in common public areas, including some near shopping centres or community centres, accessible by foot, by bike, bus, or by car. Just note that if you’re planning on going to Central Library by car, you might have to pay for parking by meter as it’s located in the downtown core.

RPL has a wide array of services available to the public, as mentioned above. Most importantly the libraries provide access to free computer stations, and anyone can use the computers for up to two hours per day. Certain locations even have laptops that can be used up to four hours per day, but must remain within the library. For more details and conditions of usage and access, you can check out the RPL website under Computer Access.

RPL locations also offer printing and scanning services. Printing costs fifteen cents per page for black and white and forty cents per page for colour pages. While those prices are a few cents more than on campus, they also allow scanning items for free as long as saved on a USB or sent to an email, something that does cost you on campus. If you have any questions or need assistance there is also always staff on site who can help you print and scan your items. Check their website under printing and scanning for rates and details.

Certain RPL branches also have room bookings available to the public. This can be a great option for when a group of students want to get together and study. You

can look at which rooms are available on their website under Room Bookings.

Not only does the library offer all these great services, they also have great seating arrangements that are comfortable and easy to access. Are you a person who enjoys sitting at a desk with your laptop and just typing away, or do you like to sprawl out all over a table and let your mind wander, or sit on a couch, or read your book on the floor? All of these options are available at all library locations!

Based on personal experience, the different library branches are quiet and not as busy as it can get at the university, which is another bonus. You can choose to set up here for a full day of work and get a lot done. With all libraries having access to power for you to plug in your device, public washrooms, water fountains, convenient locations, and amazing services, you cannot go wrong. Further, depending on your location, you may be able to go for a walk outside, grab a coffee or a bite to eat, and return to work after the perfect brain break all ready to resume study grind mode!

Libraries are always so calming because people who love books do not get on your nerves as much.