THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN’S MAIN CAMPUS IS SITUATED ON TREATY 6 TERRITORY AND THE HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS.

THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN’S MAIN CAMPUS IS SITUATED ON TREATY 6 TERRITORY AND THE HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS.

Opinions

  • By March 23, 2012

    In the mid-1980s at the height of the AIDS scare, nations around the world banned blood donations from gay men.

    Almost 30 years later, though, we live in a very different world. We now know how the virus spreads and how to safeguard against infection. Testing has been refined such that certain types of tests, namely Nucleic Acid Tests, can detect HIV within two to three weeks. There is no need for the kind of blanket donor ban that focuses on a person’s innate characteristics, like sexuality, rather than how safe his or her behaviours are.

    Simply put, people’s sexual orientations have no bearing on whether or not they are likely to have HIV.

  • Real vs. fake environmentalism: we’re too quick to label things eco-friendly

    By March 23, 2012

    I truly care about saving the planet. But like most people, I don’t like listening to environmentalists. They tend to sound hostile towards humanity. Deep down, some probably want to say we’re all murderers, killing Mother Earth by living in a highly-industrialized world.

    They may be right. But it’s a closed issue that the Earth is screwed and our fossil-fuel age is largely to blame. Even people who don’t give a shit understand we can’t pollute the Earth so much if we wish to preserve it for the younglings.

  • Quit slut-shaming: society holds a double standard on who can express their sexuality

    By March 22, 2012

    “That girl is such a slut.” It’s a common phrase to describe women and it’s one that needs to stop.

    It may seem harmless at first, just something said after one too many drinks, but what lies beneath is a fear and resentment of female sexuality. In the simplest terms it’s an example of slut-shaming.

  • A call to positive action: what can we learn from the aftermath of Kony 2012

    By March 21, 2012

    No one could have missed the explosion of Kony 2012 this month, and certainly no one could have missed the controversy it created, resulting in many a heated argument had over smoking keyboards and furrowed brows.

    The popular consensus, as it is with all such debates, is that the cynics must be of infinitely superior wisdom and all those who were naively inspired to be a part of change in their generation must be simple-minded and use words such as “like” and “totally” as every second word in their everyday speech.

  • Life after graduation: is university still relevant?

    By March 17, 2012

    March is a nerve-wracking time to be in university. It’s also a time we start thinking about the summer, jobs and real life. How unpleasant. It makes me wonder, if I can’t get a job after university, is there a point to being here? Is university too removed from real life? Is it irrelevant?

  • Starbucks, Tim Hortons and my conflicted heart

    By March 16, 2012

    If you are a coffee addict you almost certainly call yourself either a Starbucks person or a Tim Hortons person. There is no middle ground. When you’re addicted to caffeine, coffee shop loyalty is like a religious affiliation. To me, saying you like both Starbucks and Tim Hortons is like saying you are a Christian and a Muslim.

    Now, as a Starbucks man, I have once or twice been harassed for drinking Starbucks. In return, I ask people how they can honestly prefer Tim Hortons, given that their coffee is flavourless and maybe one step above the coffee at Chinese restaurants.

  • Lingerie Football League foes are missing the point: sexuality has a place in sports, but must be accompanied with respect

    By March 15, 2012

    As a feminist who promotes positive sexuality, I have a particular interest in people’s responses to the Lingerie Football League. Most of my female friends are against the league; they feel that it is degrading to women and ridicules female athletes. When I ask my male friends how they feel about the league, the most common answer is a cautious, “That depends, how do you feel about the league?”

  • USSU leak was a big mistake: the VP, council, and the Sheaf share the blame in the Ferwerda affair

    By March 14, 2012

    Once again, students are arguing about the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union. Private information came to light in the Sheaf’s March 8 edition, which used anonymous sources to report both the complaint and the decision by University Students’ Council to not inform students of the matter.

    There are three separate parties involved in the affair that need to be addressed: Ferwerda, council and the Sheaf. To quote an old East Indian tale, “Though each was partly in the right, all were in the wrong.”