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THEMANITOBAN.COM
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UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA
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The Manitoban is the official student newspaper of the University of Manitoba. It is published monthly during the summer and each week of regular classes during the academic year by the Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation.
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Return to in-person means return of in-person clubs
UMSU’s Get Involved campaign to promote student engagement
Maryse Chartier, volunteer
Student clubs, many of which faced challenges over the past two years, are back in-person at the U of M.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sierra Hutchison, the French volunteer engagement assistant coordinator for Let’s Talk Science — a volunteer group, which provides workshops to K-12 students in Winnipeg and surrounding areas — says she was unable to have faceto-face interactions with other members. She fears finding new volunteers will be a challenge.
always does work out, it’s just now that there’s transportation involved I’m not sure it’s going to be as accessible,” she said.
While students have expressed excitement over being back on campus, Hutchison is worried that a lack of
homes,’’ she said.
When addressing these concerns about member recruitment, UMSU vice-president student life Tracy Karuhogo said it is important to get creative with recruitment and club activities.
“Clubs [are] one of the best ways I think any student should start”
— Tracy Karuhogo, UMSU vice-president student life
socialization over the last two years may also lead to issues with recruitment and member commitment.
“We’ve always found a way to find volunteers and it
“A lot of students are just so used to not really leaving the campus or leaving their
“You get to meet other people. You get to improve on your skills, it could be public speaking, it could be project management, it could be planning events”
— Tracy Karuhogo, UMSU vice-president student life
UMSU’s upcoming Get Involved campaign is a prime way Karuhogo plans to get information about student clubs out to students. She explained that during the campaign, running from Sept. 19 to 23, student club executives have the opportunity to promote their organizations to students.
“I’ve been telling clubs, ‘get involved, sign up to be on this campaign because students are waiting for you’ and we see right now that we have over 50 clubs signed up, which is amazing,” she said.
“So many students have been asking me ‘How can I get involved in a club?’ And what I tell them first is on September 22 you’re going to find all these clubs on the quad, 11
a.m. to 1 p.m.”
For the students who are still unsure about joining a club, Karuhogo suggested several reasons you might want to give one a try.
“You get to meet other people. You get to improve on your skills, it could be public speaking, it could be project management, it could be
Graphic images of aborted fetuses met with counter-protest
< Cont’d from front page
In an Instagram post on Thursday, the Women’s Centre called on students to join a peaceful counter-protest.
A crowd of students affiliated with the counter-protest set up directly across from CCBR on Friday and held signs saying ”We are pro choice,” and “Not your body? Not your choice!”
Jessica Gibson, the president of Justice for Women Manitoba, called the group’s use of aborted fetus pictures “inappropriate.”
“I think it’s intended to be shocking and to be upsetting for folks that see it,” she said.
“The people that are going to be most upset by it are people who have either had to make that decision of having an abortion or who have decided against it, and I think that it does more harm seeing the images than it does actually [provoke] thought.”
She argued that seeing these images would be “incred-
ibly triggering and retraumatizing” both for women who have experienced abortion and those who have decided against it.
Several cities, such as Hamilton and Calgary, have passed by-laws in response to such protests, including prohibiting the display of graphic images near schools and forbidding hanging signs on highway overpasses, where pictures of fetuses have been blamed for causing traffic accidents.
Gibson believes that protests that use this kind of imagery shouldn’t be allowed on campus.
UMSU women’s representative Christine Yasay said that the university only received 24 hours’ notice that CCBR would be coming to campus. Executives from UMSU were subsequently informed and vice-president finance and operations Brook Rivard sent an email to Yasay, the Women’s Centre and Justice for Women Manitoba.
“I think it’s intended to be shocking and to be upsetting for folks that see it”
— Jessica Gibson, president of Justice for Women Manitoba
planning events” she said.
“Clubs [are] one of the best ways I think any student should start”
news@themanitoban.com
“So we basically had that Wednesday evening to figure out what to do and you know, it was extremely frustrating just because of the time crunch,” she said.
“I’m very grateful for social media and Instagram because when I made the post, I saw that a lot of involved university students and UMSU executives and other councils reposted it, and we did get quite a decent amount of people on Thursday and Friday even though it was such short notice.”
An UMSU Instagram post on Thursday affirmed the union’s support for a pregnant person’s right to choose.
“UMSU, a union meant to support our student body and protect them from harm wherever we see it, cannot sit idly by when some attempt to shame our students for making personal choices about their own lives and futures,” the post read.
The university posted large signs near the protest warning students that they may be exposed to graphic images.
Gibson said that she wished the university had done more to warn students about the protest and the triggering material they could be exposed to.
“It felt like it was mostly our organization, UMSU posted some stuff, the Women’s Centre did some great stuff too, but the university itself, I didn’t see anything.”
news@themanitoban.com
photo / Ebunoluwa Akinbo / staff
photo / Ebunoluwa Akinbo / staff
It is irresponsible to romanticize university
An education is a privilege, please check yours before claiming to be a victim
Matthew Merkel, staff
The weekend before the beginning of school, I was talking with my sister and her boyfriend about how disappointing my university experience has been thus far. The majority of my three years enrolled as a student at the University of Manitoba were spent learning online.
My university experience was not what I had imagined it would be. The movies had made it look much more exciting, and parties at universities and colleges below the border looked bigger and way more fun.
After spending much of her twenties inside the walls of the U of M, my sister could not wrap her head around the fact that I did not know most of my classmates, had primarily learned from home and had never bought food from most of the vendors on campus.
Her boyfriend, a former Bison basketball player, interjected that he had not done any of those things either.
He explained that his favourite memories from being at university had taken place at the Investors Group Athletic Centre. On campus, he had only ever hung out at The Hub (now the VW Social Club), and had mostly partied at the club and at teammates’ houses.
Even though they had attended the U of M around the same time, their experiences were vastly different. However, they both had fond memories of their time at the U of M.
After thinking of that con-
versation and spending nearly a week at school, I now look at my time as a student very differently.
The differing experiences of my sister and her boyfriend showed me that a positive university experience looks different for each person.
For my studious sister, countless hours spent studying and sharing coffee with friends on campus was the highlight of her time at the U of M, while her boyfriend’s best memories of university were spent in the gym shooting hoops.
When I reflect on what my fondest memories of being a student have been, I think of studying at my neighbourhood Tim Hortons, rushing to work out in between classes at my local gym and photographing the downtown area for projects.
My friends and I have explored all corners of Winnipeg’s nightlife, undertaken numerous camping adventures and made countless other memories off campus.
My university experience has taught me more about myself and the community I live in than I could have ever imagined.
Although it has not been what I imagined it to be, I am happy to say that my time at the U of M has helped shape me into who I am today.
This is not to say that it was easy though. I lost family during the pandemic, had run-ins with police and experienced racism. Many of the people I love suffered during the pan-
demic. I fear that they will never recover.
The past few years have left me exhausted mentally and physically. However, I do not have the energy left to hold onto anger or regret over what I may have “missed out on.”
I can confidently say that I am a much more fulfilled person walking the tunnels this fall than I was in 2020.
Also, I now know that many aspects of college life are not all that they are cracked up to be.
A culture of elitism, racism and misogyny hide under a thin cloak of frats and football games, while nostalgia-driven marketing campaigns present an inaccurate portrayal of a past that was devoid of conflicts and barriers.
So far, my university experience has allowed me to cultivate lifelong friendships, discover new passions and nearly complete a degree. I am safe, financially stable and healthy. This is a luxury that many people around the world, and especially in my own province, do not have.
It would be irresponsible for me to feel bad for myself knowing that I could walk back on campus every day and potentially do something meaningful, a privilege thousands of Manitobans cannot and will not ever be able to access.
The Lost Expressionist found
Recently discovered photographs commemorate life in rural Manitoba
Lindsay
Inglis, volunteer
While not a known name in the history of Manitoban art, Nick Yudell was an experimental photographer from Modern who is now getting some recognition. His story and photographs went largely unrecognized until earlier this year, when The Lost Expressionist opened at the Manitoban Museum.
The exhibition runs until Dec. 18, and displays Yudell’s posthumously printed photographs.
Born in Winnipeg in 1916, Yudell was the youngest son of Russian Jewish immigrants. He and his father moved to Morden, Man. two years later to live with his aunt and uncle after the death of his mother.
He received his first camera in 1928 and became fascinated by photography, experimenting with double exposure, lighting and camera angles.
Yudell enlisted with the Royal Air Force and was deployed in 1942. Sadly, in 1943 he was killed in action during a mission in North Africa.
Luckily, Yudell’s photo negatives were preserved by his cousin who he lived with, Milton Rabinovitch — the father of the exhibition’s curator, Celia Rabinovitch.
The exhibition includes his box of negatives with archival records of the people in each photo, as well as when and where it was taken.
Next to the box are Yudell’s collections of Popular Photography and Minicam. These magazines demonstrate the dedication Yudell had toward his photography.
Entering the exhibition, visitors are greeted by a wall of self-portraits.
As an artist who was previously lost to the history of Manitoban art, these portraits act as a long-overdue introduction. They start with Yudell’s self-portrait from 1931 and end with his last self-portrait from 1940, which he took after he enlisted.
Throughout these nine years of photographs, visitors
can see Yudell grow and mature both as a human being and as an artist.
In his final self-portrait he displays the persona of an artist instead of a soldier. Rather than dressing in uniform or sitting formally, Yudell is in his everyday clothes, laid back in a chair and staring at the viewer with a cigarette in hand.
Celia Rabinovitch has categorized the photos into sections that include place, play, people and invention. These photographs commemorate rural life in the 1930s, documenting where Yudell spent his time and who he spent it with.
Perhaps the most delightful images in The Lost Expressionist are exhibited in the “Play” section. These photographs capture moments of pure joy and happiness during the Great Depression.
In this section, rather than focus on the hardships of his time, Yudell chose to capture moments of pleasure in the everyday. Yudell photographed his friends dressed up, fooling around and simply enjoying each other’s company.
The exhibition acts as a
time capsule of Manitoba in the 1930s. Seen through the eyes of Yudell, the collection is simultaneously personal, and yet, familiar.
The photographs capture a young man’s excitement for a life that was unfairly cut short
The Lost Expressionist is on display at the Manitoba Museum until Dec. 18, 2022.
arts@themanitoban.com
The photographs capture a young man ’s excitement for a life that was unfairly cut short
Local hearts exhibiting local art
A unique bike-in art gallery and community space is popping up Sept. 17
Alex Braun, staff
The art world can often be an intimidating, unwelcoming space. Our imagined world of pure white gallery spaces and wealthy, pretentious patrons isn’t exactly one that exudes warmth.
But local art. local hearts. is taking art back to the streets — or paths — by creating a friendly, safe communal space in the great outdoors. Specifically, on a bike path near the heart of our city.
Organized by Grace Alcaraz and textile artist Louis Stevens with support from the Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub (WRENCH)’s Wheels of Courage program, the pop-up gallery will feature displays from many local artists, including some who are exhibiting their work for the first time.
Stevens said the decision to set up the gallery on a bike trail came from a lifelong love of exploring our city’s paths and that he wanted to promote them as a concept.
“Some of them are just in really weird spots, or there’s not a lot of things around them or people just don’t know about them, or don’t
know that you can get from place to place on these, on a few of the trails,” he said.
“So, I thought it would be a cool thing to make a destination and make somewhere people can adventure to, and try to just explore Winnipeg’s trails a bit more.”
The trail where local art. local hearts. will be set up is of special importance to Stevens. Growing up, it was a direct link from his neighbourhood to the Forks and downtown.
Aside from that, he also feels that it is a trail of exemplary quality, and that “it ended up being chosen just because it’s so beautiful. It’s a gravel trail, it’s right behind the train tracks but it’s overlooking the river.”
Once the idea had sprouted and the trail had been chosen, Stevens and Alcaraz put out an open call for art submissions and were overwhelmed by the response they received.
At the pop-up, art will be displayed in a tent as well as in the surrounding field.
“There’s going to be some textile work, there’s painting, there’s drawings, there’s digital work, there’s going to be some photographers, some
photo / provided
prints there,” Stevens said. “It’s awesome, the variety is incredible.”
In addition to the wide assortment of visual art, the space will also feature a chillout area with picnic blankets and an open mic area with a guitar. There will also be a second tent set up for minor bike repairs.
“If anybody has a flat tire or needs their brakes adjusted or something like that, we’ll have all the tools set up for them to
keep going on their journey,” he added.
In addition to drawing attention to Winnipeg’s bike trails and giving local artists an opportunity to showcase their work, Stevens hopes that the event will create a feeling of community and build connections between new artists too.
When finalizing the name for the event, Stevens recalled Alcaraz’s argument for including local hearts.
“She said something really great,” he said. “You can’t have art without hearts, without love, and without the community.”
The local art. local hearts. pop-up gallery runs on Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A map of the trail is available on their Instagram, @localartlocalhearts
arts@themanitoban.com
It’s good to be back
Now that school is back in session, it’s time to reflect
Ebunoluwa Akinbo, staff
R
esuming school in person after two and a half years of learning online means different things to different people. For some, it means getting to see their friends again and make new friends, and for others it’s the fact that they get to learn and interact with classmates.
Personally, I had no idea who my classmates were when I resumed classes at the University of Manitoba in 2021. We all had to learn on Zoom, and not everyone was interested in turning their camera on when we had classes, or even in breakout rooms for discussion.
Resuming in person and hearing some names I could remember from online classes felt quite interesting. When we introduced ourselves in one of my first classes back on
campus, my professor remembered me, and we both agreed that it was great to finally meet each other in person. I had imagined what she looked like from my Zoom classes, but she looked absolutely different from my thoughts. She was taller than I thought.
Outside of the classroom, I got to see more and more layers of campus life. The bus stops get so crowded, and the bus gets so full that I just get ready to stay standing when I board one. The fashion sense of students is spectacular. I see friends catching up, and of course there are the people who just sit in the cool weather to read a book.
I’m happy to be back at school experiencing campus life in person. features@themanitoban.com
Maya Turner breaks glass ceiling
Bisons kicker first female to score points in U Sports football game
Gillian Brown, staff
Coming from the soccer field after years in the game, 20-year-old Maya Turner knew how to kick a ball.
“I played soccer my whole life, through my first year of university and the start of my second year, but I just got burned out and I just had to quit,” she said, “but I’d always loved football as a sport.”
“I’d always wanted to try to kick a football, but I never really got around to it. But when I quit soccer, I just thought I’d try it out.”
After trying out for Loyola University’s club team in Chicago, her goal, in her words, was “to see what I could do with the ball from there.”
This season, Turner is Bisons Football’s newest kicker. While she isn’t the first female player to have played on the team — that title belonging to Reina Iizuka, who in 2018 was the first female ever to be on a U Sports football roster — Turner is a further example of how Bison women continue to break glass ceilings on the football field.
After pulling off a 25-yard field goal in a pre-season game against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, Turner is the first-ever female player to score points in a U Sports football game.
“Being on the football team and playing football is just so much more fun than I’d ever had playing a sport,” she said, “the team environment is just really supportive and inclusive.”
Winnipeg sports teams’ schedules
“Everyone
on the team loves the game, and is having a lot of fun.”
Hailing from Minnesota, Turner had been preparing for her role since early 2022 by working on her skills and contacting coaches, one of whom was Bison football head coach Brian Dobie, who was interested in meeting her in-person.
“When I went on my visit here, I just knew this was the place where I wanted to be,” she said.
Now that she’s at the U of M, Turner has enrolled in the school of art majoring in graphic design and she plans to stay here for at least the next four years.
Her plan now is to “just keep playing football here and see where that can take me,” she said.
“I’d love to play football for as long as I can.”
While Turner had always loved football, she never really thought it was an option for her. After she quit soccer, she thought, “I have nothing to lose, why not just try it?”
After following her dreams and accomplishing her goals, Turner wants other girls to know that they can do the same.
“If you want to play football and you want to play football in university, then that’s what you should do, and there’s a way to do it if that’s what you want to do,” she said.
“If you want it enough then there’s nothing stopping you, and don’t let being a girl deter you from your dreams.”
