13 September 2023

One metasurface at a time

Elah Ajene, staff

On the fifth-floor antenna lab of the U of M Engineering and Information Technology Complex sits a shielded room with dark, pyramidal structures covering all the walls and ceilings.

The room, said Puyan Mojabi, professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering, is an anechoic chamber. It is designed to provide an environment free of unwanted electromagnetic waves, a type of radiation that moves through space and forms when an electric and magnetic field are linked. These waves encompass a wide spectrum of frequencies and wavelengths — from radio waves used in wireless communication to X-rays used in medical imaging.

The pyramidal structures on the walls and ceilings absorb electromagnetic waves, Mojabi said. The rest of the room is filled with measurement devices.

Mojabi held up a thin, almost poster-like structure, called a metasurface. The term “metasurface” is derived

from the Greek word “meta,” meaning “beyond.”

“This surface can do things that are beyond regular surfaces,” Mojabi said.

Mojabi’s new research project is part of more than 150 projects being funded by Research Manitoba, three of which are part of grants totalling $346,500 over the course of two years. In total, the university has received $12.5 million in funding awards from different academic organizations.

Mojabi’s project, titled “Reconfigurable Electromagnetic Metasurfaces for Smart Radio Environments,” is attempting to improve wireless communication using metasurfaces.

The engineered surfaces consist of a thin dielectric layer with bits of metal shaped like an uppercase “I.” By altering the dimensions and arrangement of these I-shaped metallic inclusions, these surfaces can achieve a wide range of advanced functions beyond the capabilities of traditional materials.

In a standard wireless communication system, there are

transmitters and receivers, with electromagnetic waves acting as the information carriers between them. However, the environment between these two points is typically uncontrollable, leading to potential data transmission issues that come from different obstacles and interferences.

“We have no control over the environment,” Mojabi said. “Sometimes the environment may block the transmission of data.”

A metallic wall, for example, could block the transmission of electromagnetic waves. In this case, a metasurface could reroute the electromagnetic waves around the obstacle, ensuring seamless connectivity. For this reason, Mojabi is interested in controlling the environment the signals travel through.

“You essentially try to engineer a surface and put it in the environment, in terms of a frame or a poster or things like that, so that it helps the transmission of data,” Mojabi explained.

Cont’d p. 4 / Part >

Manitoba Student Aid a top priority as fee deadline looms

With the U of M fall fee deadline and the Manitoba provincial election only a day apart, Manitoba Student Aid (MSA) is a high priority issue for students in the provincial campaign.

UMSU vice-president advocacy Liam Pittman said that he’s heard from students “over and over again” about the challenges faced when attempting to access Manitoba Student Aid (MSA).

Specifically, Pittman said that the issues raised by students include the amount of time it takes for payments to be received, confusion regarding the merging of Manitoba and federal loan applications and that those who have been granted university awards cannot receive them until their application is approved.

Pittman has personal experience with the MSA office. He noted that he waited over an hour and a half to speak with someone in person at the office. He said that he and other students have not been successful when attempting to speak with someone from MSA over the phone.

When asked what he thought the root of the issue was with MSA, Pittman said that the main concern seems to be staffing shortages.

The Manitoban attempted to phone Manitoba Student

Aid but was not successful in getting through to an employee.

Manitoba New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Wab Kinew and Manitoba Liberal Party leader Dougald Lamont echoed Pittman’s concern of a staffing shortage.

Lamont said that Manitoba currently has a “swiss cheese government that’s full of holes” as the PCs are not filling MSA staff vacancies when employees leave positions. Kinew agreed with the problem of reduced staffing, noting that the MSA does not currently have the “horsepower” to support the student aid system and assistance programs.

In 2023, the provincial government increased the Manitoba maximum student loan benefit to $200 per week, its first increase since the 200506 academic year. Yet, at the same time, tuition has been increased by 10.2 per cent over the past three years alone.

UMSU sees advocating for a tuition freeze as the best path forward for student affordability, meaning that tuition would stay at its current rate each year until further notice.

The NDP, Liberal, and Green parties all have different outlooks on how to best support students and universities financially.

Cont’d p. 3 / Provincial >

eDItOr-IN-CHIeF Gillian Brown editor@themanitoban.com

bUSINeSS mANAGer Dhruv Patel accounts@themanitoban.com

ADVertISING CO-OrDINAtOr Diego Castro ads@themanitoban.com

eDItOrIAL

mANAGING eDItOr Ezra Taves me@themanitoban.com

COpY eDItOr Simon Pensato copy@themanitoban.com

NeWS eDItOr Sarah Cohen news@themanitoban.com

NeWS eDItOr Kyra Campbell news@themanitoban.com

reSeArCH & teCHNOLOGY eDItOr Elah Ajene research@themanitoban.com

COmmeNt eDItOr Jessie Krahn comment@themanitoban.com

ArtS & CULtUre eDItOr Jacob Davis arts@themanitoban.com

SpOrtS eDItOr Grace Anne Paizen sports@themanitoban.com

DeSIGN

DeSIGN eDItOr Taeran An design@themanitoban.com

GrApHICS eDItOr Teegan Gillich graphics@themanitoban.com

AUDIO AND VIDeO

AUDIO eDItOr Harmatpreet Brar audio@themanitoban.com

pHOtO eDItOr Ebunoluwa Akinbo photo@themanitoban.com

VIDeO eDItOr Kennedy Legault video@themanitoban.com

SOCIAL meDIA eDItOr Violet Baker social@themanitoban.com

repOrterS

109 HeLeN GLASS bUILDING UNIVerSItY OF mANItObA WINNIpeG, mb 204. 474. 6535

Correction: The Manitoban wrote the headline of last issue’s letter to the editor, “Letter to U of M president David Benarroch from UMFA.” In the headline, the U of M president was incorrectly referred to as David Benarroch. The president’s name is Michael Benarroch.

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.

The Manitoban is an independent and democratic student organization, open to participation from all students. It exists to serve its readers as students and citizens.

The Manitoban is a member of the Canadian University Press, and our journalistic standards can be found on the Manitoban’s website.

The newspaper’s primary mandate is to report fairly and objectively on issues and events of importance and interest to the students of the University of Manitoba, to provide an open forum for the free expression and exchange of opinions and ideas and to stimulate meaningful debate on issues that affect or would otherwise be of interest to the student body and/ or society in general. The Manitoban serves as a training ground for students interested in any aspect of journalism.

Students and other interested parties are invited to contribute to any section of the newspaper. Please contact the appropriate editor for submission guidelines.

The Manitoban reserves the right to edit all submissions and will not publish any material deemed by its Editorial Board to be discriminatory, racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic, ableist or libellous.

Opinions expressed in letters and articles are solely those of the authors. Editorials in the Manitoban are signed and represent the opinions of the writer(s), not necessarily those of the Manitoban staff, Editorial Board or the publisher.

A “volunteer staff” member is defined as a person who has had three volunteer articles, photographs or pieces of art of reasonable length and/ or substance published in the current publishing year of the Manitoban.

VOLUNteerS

VOLUNteer StAFF Bahareh Rashidi, Matthew Merkel

VOLUNteerS Kai HarKare interested in volunteering? email me@themanitoban.com today!

Any individual who qualifies as a volunteer staff member must be voted in by a majority vote at a Manitoban editorial board meeting. Elected representatives and non-students may be excluded from holding votes as volunteer staff members in accordance with the Manitoban Constitution.

All contents are ©2023 and may not be reprinted without the express written permission of the Editor-in-Chief.

International students face housing crisis

Lack of adequate, affordable housing in Winnipeg

Sarah Cohen, staff

Even with a roommate, Suhani Priya, a secondyear international student, is dealing with the costs that come with housing near the U of M. This is a growing reality for many, especially for international students who rely on family back home for financial support.

Rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Winnipeg around the University of Manitoba reaches a low of $1,200 according to one rental website. On top of utilities and other bills, this is becoming increasingly difficult to pay.

International students who are looking for a cheaper place often have to look farther away from the university. For students like Priya, this is a problem. A long commute to campus “costs [students] their time,” she said.

After moving out of the U of M residence, Priya faced many difficulties finding housing. Finding affordable rent was a major issue all around campus. Interpreting property images online is another hur-

dle for international students who try to find apartments before they even book their flight to Winnipeg. Students may see photos of places from when they were originally built, but later find that landlords omit the wear that has accumulated over time.

Priya is once again looking for a new place to live, and she is noticing ads that ask specifically for Indian girls, or girls only. She said this is a concern for men and people of other nationalities who may be seeking housing, but are unable to find any.

UMSU president Tracy Karuhogo highlighted how housing scams and discriminatory landlords frequently target international students. Some of these scams occur when students look for housing before they arrive in Canada. Students may be asked to pay a security deposit before coming to the country only to find that the housing never existed, or that the owner was not who they had paid.

Karuhogo herself faced discrimination while looking for stable housing. She

said during her search, landlords told her that she did not “look like [she] could afford the place.” She said that other international students get this treatment too.

Karuhogo said that landlords take advantage of international students by allowing them to live in a place that is not up to living standards.

UMSU and the International Centre urge international students to arrive in Canada before securing a place to live in order to avoid scams. Karuhogo said the UMSU legal protection program is available for any student who may need legal advice, free of charge.

Karuhogo said UMSU talked with the administration, and that administration agreed that the university needs funding to create residences for students and “student-oriented housing.” According to Karuhogo, that funding would need to come from the government.

In interviews with the Manitoban, leaders of Manitoba’s Green, Liberal and New Democratic parties agreed that the

Provincial parties share how they would make

< Cont’d from front page

Kinew said that if elected his party would focus on making a “significant new investment in scholarships and bursaries,” and that the advantage of this approach is that funding can be targeted toward students with the greatest needs.

When asked about targeting the issue of soaring tuition costs, Kinew said his party is committed to “ensuring that tuition is affordable” but would put initial focus on creating scholarships to combat tuition fees. Due to tuition raises already in effect for this academic year, Kinew said that his party would reassess priorities surrounding tuition for the 2024-25 year.

Lamont said that his party would push for “tuition regulations” limiting tuition increases for Manitoba universities. His party would also focus on grants and bursaries so that students are not relying on loans.

Along with focusing on student funding, the Liberals would look to “properly fund the university of Manitoba and other universities so that they

can provide the high-quality education at a reasonable cost,” said Lamont.

Green party leader Janine Gibson has a different outlook on how students should be supported.

When asked, Gibson did commit to a tuition freeze, but only as a “step towards free education.”

Gibson believes that it is a “culture’s responsibility” to assist anyone who wishes to pursue further education, as it is an investment in students’ futures. To implement free education, Gibson sees following the blueprints of Nordic counties as the best path forward.

Premier Heather Stefanson and Minister of Advanced Education and Training Sarah Guillemard were not available for comment, however, Pittman said in his August report to the UMSU board that in the union’s meeting with Minister Guillemard on Aug. 23, she did not signal either way to considering a tuition freeze.

Pittman’s report read that in the same meeting with Guillemard, the minister said the inaccessibility of MSA is something that the govern-

housing crisis facing students needs to be addressed.

The Manitoban contacted the office of Manitoba Premier and leader of the Progressive Conservative party Heather Stefanson for an interview, but received no response.

Dougald Lamont, leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, said, “there are way too many loopholes that allow landlords to just hike rent.”

Wab Kinew, leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party, also said that he sees rent as an issue for university students in Manitoba.

Kinew said that, should his party win the upcoming elec-

tion, they would look at renters tax cuts and “housing stock” as possible solutions.

Janine Gibson, leader of the Green Party of Manitoba said that “[relying] on the private sector to support our international students is just not working.”

She said that providing housing for international students that is “reasonable financially and [meets] space requirements” needs to be supported by the government.

news@themanitoban.com

university more affordable for students

ment is looking into, specifically regarding the website and its functionality.

In response, UMSU expressed that it would appreciate a consultation during process so that student concerns could be addressed.

Regardless of three provin-

cial parties showing no sign of committing to a tuition freeze, UMSU believes that the best course of action is to continue pushing for a tuition freeze while simultaneously calling on the provincial government to increase funding for universities so that there is no

drop in the quality of education and services.

news@themanitoban.com

Research & Technology

Part of 150+ newly funded projects, seeks to improve wireless communication

< Cont’d from front page

This approach enables the environment to adapt to our communication needs, and can offer benefits such as higher data rates and even enhanced security in wireless communication.

Mojabi’s project explores how metasurfaces may be reconfigured.

“Reconfigurability means it can change its operation.” He explained.

While most designs are fixed in functionality, metasurfaces offer transformative capabilities. Mojabi’s goal is to develop metasurfaces capable of dynamically adapting to different tasks, akin to the versatile operation of electric transformers — a device that transmits electric energy from one circuit to another.

“In electric transformers, we have a systematic method that changes one voltage to another voltage,” Mojabi said. “I was always looking for something that can do the same thing for electromagnetic waves.”

Mojabi sees metasurfaces as similar to transformers designed for electromagnetic waves. By changing the configuration of the metallic inclusions on metasurfaces, these surfaces can perform multiple operations, catering to the specific needs of each moment.

“It’s a systematic procedure that, you give it an electromagnetic wave and it gives you what you desire,” he said.

While enhancing wireless communication remains a primary focus for Mojabi, metasurfaces have other potential applications such as performing imaging. By incorporating reconfigurable metasurfaces into imaging systems, it becomes possible to adapt the energy focus in real time.

“Imagine you go to an electromagnetic-based imaging system and you want to image, for example, [the] human body or any other thing,” Mojabi said.

“You can make the imaging system reconfigurable to what’s really needed, because you can always get a prelim-

inary image, and then you reconfigure the environment to focus the energy more in the direction that you need.”

This application could be invaluable in medical imaging, where precise targeting of suspicious regions can greatly enhance diagnostic accuracy.

Ultimately, Mojabi believes that his project, through the use of metasurfaces, could

mark a pivotal shift in wireless communication and electromagnetic applications by enabling the environment itself to adapt and optimize communication.

“The environment in wireless communication is typically uncontrollable, but now, if you place these strategically in the environment, you can make the environment controllable,” he said.

For this reason, it is referred to as a smart radio environment.

“Now the environment can adapt itself to the need of the people in the environment.”

research@themanitoban.com

Pumpkin and spice and everything nice

A southern Californian’s perspective on fall

Being raised in the outskirts of Los Angeles, deep in the heart of Southern California, I was deprived of actual seasons until I moved to Winnipeg.

In California, we have what we call the “wet season” and the “dry season.” Basically, the period from May until early November most years is sweltering with breath-taking, dry heat. Meanwhile mid-November through to April brings rain and sweater weather.

Seasons were just one of the reasons I moved up north. Now I get to experience a distinct summer, a winter with snow and a spring where colours replace the white and brown of winter.

However, I had no idea what fall would bring.

Before living in Winnipeg year-round, I was under the impression that fall would merely be the season when school came and nothing more — but no. Fall is now autumn to me. And autumn is by far the best.

Going into my second autumn here in Winnipeg, my absolute excitement for the season is exploding out of me. We’ve arrived at the time of year where the air is crisp and the sun is warm, the weather where you need a jacket but can still comfortably exist outside.

My wardrobe is slowly shifting into an array of dark green, burnt umber, and beige. My Birkenstocks are out and my Blundstones are in. My summer clothes are finding their way to hibernation. Everyone looks good in these colours and there is no way you can disagree with me.

And with my outside clothing expression firmly rooted the autumn world, my home is beginning to match. Strung from my ceiling to my floor are orange and red leaves, pumpkin decor on every possible surface and an apple pie scent plugged into the wall. There is nothing better than autumnal decorations. It’s time for my inner suburban mom to shine.

More than the clothes or the colours, autumn arriving means pumpkin spice is in season.

I think we can all agree that we’ve each been through a time in our lives where we severely disagreed with everything pumpkin spice. I remember driving to school one August morning in grade 11, absolutely livid that Star-

bucks was releasing its fall menu. But not liking pumpkin spice flavour is something that you can change about yourself. Whether you go to Star-

eat these things at any point in the year, but the joy of eating warm nutmeggy foods is particularly exquisite during autumn.

Above all, autumn means it’s Gilmore Girls season.

which feels complete and comforting.

bucks, Tim Hortons, Degrees or wherever you get your coffee fill, just try it.

You think you’ve seen every part of fall there is to see, that pumpkin spice can (and should) infiltrate every bit of society, and then there’s the food. Autumn is traditionally the harvest season. While I don’t like pumpkin pie, I will never turn down a pumpkin loaf, a gooey cinnamon bun or an apple crisp. Autumn means the food is plentiful and delicious. Sure, you could

Set in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Conn., the small-town New England-based Gilmore girls truly personify the feeling of autumn — books, big sweaters, Luke’s coffee and all. There is nothing more “autumn” than Gilmore Girls Sure, again, you can watch the show at any time of year, but it only feels festive at the beginning of autumn. As the show progresses in tandem with autumn, you get to watch Rory Gilmore go from Chilton Preparatory School to Yale,

There is truly no counter-argument that the whole-body fuzzy feeling that washes over you when “ Where You Lead, I Will Follow” by Carole King plays behind the Gilmore Girls opening sequence is the epitome of autumn.

I cannot wait for the day that overnight, all the leaves on all the trees are painted yellow and orange, and it truly feels like autumn in the air.

You see, autumn means that life gets to slow down. It means that the time of year to enjoy friends and family has arrived. I could go on and on about various foods and decor, but truly what makes autumn my favourite season is the feeling that comes with it.

Autumn is like a giant

hug. Autumn is comfort and warmth. We give summer too much credit. Even though fall has not truly begun until Sept. 23, autumn feels like it’s over as soon as it ends. Too quickly the weather goes from 30-degree days, to leaves changing, and then to the cold, colourless abyss of Winnipeg winter. So, start appreciating the season in its entirety, even before it begins on paper. We’re lucky to have it.

If you don’t love autumn, start loving it, because it is beyond the best season.

editor@themanitoban.com

time for my inner suburban mom to shine

Noisy neighbourhoods and the quiet we crave Insufferable

sounds signal deep-seated problems in environment

Noise ruins my life.

All of the windows in my apartment face the back of a shopping complex. Sometimes there’s yelling as someone careens out the back exit with their shoplifting spoils. Adding to this hellish symphony is a loudspeaker that the complex’s 24-hour security uses to yell at dumpster divers.

The area is cacophonous at night after a snowstorm when the plows come through to clear a path for semis on their morning deliveries, and then there’s a racket every morning when semi-trucks haul in more random merchandise destined to become garbage.

And then there’s my neighbours.

For two years, one of my neighbours had a finnicky baby, and she would walk him up and down the hallway as he screamed. I share a bedroom wall with another suite where, until recently, three to five people seemed to always congregate to shout at each other and set off alarms at five in the morning. Recently a new group moved into the other neighbouring suite. These neighbours are keen on playing wub-wubz-inducing rave music at two o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon. Occasionally, one person down the hall blasts Rihanna.

I’ve turned to sound studies to make sense of noise through different seasons in my life. Theorist R. Murray Schafer — one of the pioneers of the field — once wrote, “Noise pollution results when a man does not listen carefully. Noises are the sounds we have learned to ignore.” In other words, Schafer wants readers to think about their soundscapes and all the sounds that comprise them rather than lumping sounds into a general category.

That may be a tantalizing hook for a reader versed in literary studies who has access to quiet spaces and wants a new pathway into reading Middlemarch. For me, it reads twerpishly pedantic. Noise seems definitionally to be sound that is un-ignorable or difficult to ignore. No amount of mindful contemplation will make the loudspeaker aimed at a dumpster outside my window any less annoying when I’m jolted awake by it at two in the morning.

If I approach Schafer’s writing more charitably, I can see a productive line of questioning buried in the practice

of thinking carefully about sound, even for people who don’t care to write long and indulgent monographs about bird calls. Remember all the noises I described hearing just from my apartment. Isn’t my complex’s exposure to them indicative of something?

Our soundscapes affect our quality of life, and my building has the soundproofing of a pile of foodstuff-covered toothpicks.

The Narwhal ran an article earlier this year about the combination of environmental pollutants — both chemical and sonic — that impact residents of Point Douglas.

Residents of the community describe being worn out from not only air pollution, but also by noise from nearby

industrial sites and railroads. Although residents can appreciate sounds like crickets and a breeze when the noise quiets down, near-constant clamour does not lend to appreciating those moments.

Ceaseless sound seems to specifically affect low-income neighbourhoods, and silence seems to be something money can buy. This isn’t a problem that’s restricted to Winnipeg. A 2018 study of noise pollution in London found a connection between reduced noise from transport — like roads or railroads — and higher income. Generally, neighbourhoods that are exposed to more noise tend to be marginalized communities. One 2017 study examining noise exposure in the United States found that neighbourhoods with higher proportions of racialized and low socioeconomic status residents had higher rates of outdoor noise exposure, not that this was anything new at the time.

The study’s authors noted that urban noise surveys from as far back as the ’70s indicated higher socioeconomic status correlated with living in a quieter neighbourhoods, meaning fewer vehicle-related noises and even less of other people’s

voices.

While Winnipeg’s bylaws set restrictions on when individual people are allowed to make certain levels of noise, there are no rules about what developers and landlords ought to do to mute sounds between units or between a unit and the outside world.

Manitoba law requires landlords to investigate when tenants complain about their neighbours causing disturbances, but there is no obligation under provincial law for landlords or developers to proactively, rather than reactively, reduce sound.

Why should property owners and lawmakers think about noise, though? A nowten-year-old study published in the Lancet found that noise hurts health. Not only is persistent noise annoying, it can cause manifest cardiovascular diseases, lower cognition in children and cause sleep disturbances.

doors. They’re so wide that a draft wafts through them in the winter time, which means the heat I’m paying Manitoba Hydro for is probably being lost.

There is no soundproofing between units in my apartment complex, and that has allowed me to hear that some of my neighbours do not have the privacy that I do. I get an entire bedroom to myself, but my neighbours have no quiet place for their early morning debates or colicky babies.

Clearly, quiet is a privilege only some people can pay for. Lacking reprieve from your annoying neighbours, the sound of industry outside your bedroom window, or anything else Schafer urges us not to learn to ignore is a matter of social justice. My neighbours should be allowed to make noise, I should be allowed peace and quiet, and we should all have the power to shape our soundscapes.

Soundproofing often goes hand in hand with other benefits. Units’ doors are thin in my complex, and there are wide gaps between the floor and the comment@themanitoban.com

UMSU STREET PARTY

– FEATURING –

Come join us Friday, September 15th @ 9pm for the LIVE CONCERT HEADPHONE DISCO PHOTO BOOTH

PERFORMANCES BY MÉLISSA VALES + DJ THE KAPTAIN

SILENT HEADPHONE DISCO WITH DJ OSKY + DJ NISH

BOARDGAMES + TAP ROOM VIBES

Presenting Sponsor

Purchase your tickets today!

Profit margins on pharmaceuticals at GPA’s pose problems

UMSU should not profit from the sale of essential medications

Kai HarKare, volunteer

GPA’s is a major convenience for U of M students at the Fort Garry campus. We rely on its presence to fulfil many of our needs, whether they be in the form of food, coffee or even medicines.

However, the store poses a moral dilemma — should a shop run by UMSU profit from the sale of medicines to students? While there are arguments to be made in favour of both sides, I think the student union should not profit from the sale of medicines

Some pharmaceuticals at GPA’s are sold at a higher mark-up than they are at competing chains. A 22-pack of Always menstrual pads that might set you back $4.48 at an off-campus store like Giant Tiger could cost up to $6.49 at GPA’s.

Such markups aren’t restricted to just menstrual products, they extend to other essential personal care items and sexual wellness goods. At GPA’s, 24-packs of Advil tablets cost $8.99 compared to $5.97 at Walmart. Trojan

pleasure packs of condoms are priced $4.89 at GPA’s and $3.99 on Amazon.

Why is this happening? One explanation might be that these markups are convenience fees. Located on the Fort Garry campus, GPA s saves students a trip off-campus

But there’s also a catch for students living on campus GPA’s isn’t merely a convenient option. Often, it’s the only feasible option. Off-campus shopping can require a 20-minute-plus bus journey, which is not only time-consuming, but can also be challenging to fit into a student’s packed schedule.

So while these markups might be justifiable because GPA’s offers convenience, that justification is deeply flawed. It’s one thing to pay a premium for convenience, it’s another when that “convenience” is your only accessible source of essentials. The lack of options is important to consider when the primary clientele consists of students, many of whom are already struggling with tuition fees, accommodation costs and other expenses.

There is the possibility that operational costs lead to elevated prices. That is completely understandable, but the student union ought to hold itself to a higher standard and try its best to keep the prices as low as possible in the context of essential needs, including pharmaceuticals and sanitary products.

While the union does have operational expenses, it’s essential to remember that one of its goals is “providing a foundation on the basis of academia, lifestyle, and wellbeing through student groups, health awareness, and encouragement of scholastic optimization.”

I am calling for reconsideration and revaluation. I urge UMSU to reconsider its pricing strategy. They can likely afford to make less profit on medications, as GPA’s brought in $217,000 dollars in revenue in the 2022-23 year

In my opinion, the ramifications of such high prices are multifaceted For instance, these prices can contribute to financial strain. Students, especially those who

are self-financed or depend on limited financial aid, may find these inflated prices burdensome.

High prices might deter students from buying essential medications. The increased price of condoms could deter students from engaging in safe sex on campus.

Discovering such markups corrodes the trust that students place in the student union. It’s disheartening to think that the student union, which should prioritize our well-being, might be taking advantage of our needs.

dent union truly aims to nurture and support its students, revisiting the convenience store’s pricing strategy is not just recommended – it’s imperative.

As members of the union, we should try to do our best to ensure that the union is profitable and financially sustainable, but I don’t believe pharmaceuticals should be monetized. After all, safeguarding our health and well-being should never come at a marked-up price

This issue is about ethics, responsibility and the core values that a student union should uphold. If our stucomment@themanitoban.com

Disco Elysium and the problem of capitalist production

The woes around would-be sequel to acclaimed game

Sometimes we grow attached to art because it speaks to our values, and it hurts when we find out the history behind that art doesn’t align with our image of it.

The critically acclaimed Disco Elysium is a 2019 role-playing video game from Estonian game studio ZA/UM. You play as an amnesiac alcoholic middle-aged cop at rock bottom with no redeeming qualities to his name. The character is in similar company among the rest of the game’s roster of cutthroats, thieves, thugs, villainous industrialists and Machiavellian union bosses.

Disco Elysium’s creators famously shouted out Marx and Engels during their acceptance speech at the Game Awards, but the game is not preachy about its politics. Each person and perspective in the game is flawed, and none are spared from criticism.

The game’s real villains are those who enrich themselves on the suffering of marginalized people. At the same time, self-righteous university stu-

dents waxing philosophical about their super niche version of communism are portrayed for what they are — ineffectual.

Because Disco Elysium was so particularly funny and thought provoking, beautiful and grimy, its upcoming sequel has been highly anticipated. Unfortunately, it seems the game may not see the light of day. The details around what exactly is going wrong with the production of Disco Elysium 2 are hazy and stuffed with hearsay. From what I can glean, the lead writer of the first game, Robert Kurvitz, is at loggerheads with ZA/UM CEO Ilmar Kompus.

Kurvitz and other leading creators of the first game have all left the company. Kompus claims each creator was fired for workplace misconduct, and that Kurvitz was specifically fired for allegedly creating a toxic and misogynistic work environment. Kurvitz reportedly wants a commanding share of the Disco Elysium Intellectual Property (IP), while Kompus had his controlling share of the company frozen on suspicion of fraud

last year.

While I cannot guess exactly what prompted so many of the creative leads to walk away from the production of Disco Elysium 2 to the point that the game’s future is looking shaky, there is a sad irony in the fact that people who made a game exploring communist theory seem to be at the centre of labour rights and ownership disputes.

IP rights do not in reality represent the amount of labour the rights holder put into a work. Rather, IP holders essentially gain veto power over whether or not a work is reproduced or, and in some cases, whether or not it is produced at all. It seems like, as ZA/UM gained more investors, the company did not have any protections in place to prevent individuals in non-creative roles from gaining authority over the production of their IP.

As the developers had more resources at their disposal for making a game on a grander scale, they didn’t seem to have stopgaps in place to ensure they were restructuring the company in accordance with

the creators’ anti-capitalist politics.

ZA/UM touts itself as being a Living Wage Employer — case sensitive — but doing the bare minimum and providing better than starvation wages clearly wasn’t enough to guard against misogyny or market forces impinging on the company’s stability.

unhealthy and unjustly stratified organization should be top of mind. If it turns out that Kurvitz really was creating irony upon ironies, just like everyone was for themselves in the world of Disco Elysium, nobody wins for playing the game.

For those of us who hope to build a better world, trying to hold back from creating an comment@themanitoban.com

Diversions

STR8TS

SUDOKU

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column, and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely. In Straights, like Sudoku, no single number 1 to 9 can repeat in any row or column. But rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. Each compartment must form a “straight.” A straight is a set of numbers with no gaps but it can be in any order, eg [7,6,9,8]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how “straights” are formed.

Medium

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely. For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org for Sudoku and www.str8ts.com for Str8ts.

If you like Str8ts and other puzzles, check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store.

How to beat Str8ts –

Like Sudoku, no single number 1 to 9 can repeat in any row or column. But... rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments Each compartment must form a straighta set of numbers with no gaps but it can be in any order, eg [7,6,9,8]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’ are formed.

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 for

If you like Str8ts and other puzzles, check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store.

Go big or gourd home: TV and film to romanticize fall

Film and television full of autumnal aesthetics for your viewing pleasure

Jacob Davis, staff

The season of knitted sweaters and pumpkin spice flavours is nearly upon us, and what better way to reacclimate to fall than with some cinema?

While Halloween is one of the major contributors to the autumnal aesthetic and atmosphere, this list provides potential viewers with a diverse range of film and television that does not narrowly fit into the descriptor of Halloween or horror. Stay tuned for a spookier list in October.

Light some candles, pull out your favourite throws and dive into these haunting, heartbreaking, hilarious and occasionally Halloween-adjacent film and television recommendations.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

In this film, the titular Mr. Fox is drawn back into a life of crime, outwitting and robbing inept farmers despite their attempts at retaliation.

Wes Anderson is a master of the autumnal colour palette. He creates this with an array of yellows, reds, oranges and browns that contribute to an atmosphere so vividly seasonal that one can almost smell the film’s “Red Remarkable” apples from the screen. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a vibrant love letter to the fall season, emphasizing rich scenery, bountiful vegetation and charming characters.

Dead Poets Society (1989)

This recommendation is a double whammy of fall and dark academia aesthetics.

Dead Poets Society is a moving, beautiful and bittersweet film about a teacher who irreversibly changes the lives of his students at a distinguished boarding school.

While the second half of this film is set in winter, the first half features beautiful academic buildings amid fallen leaves and the setting sun. You can expect plenty of cardigans, sweater vests, plaid and poetry, as well as the urge to cry by the end of the film.

Knives Out (2019)

Knives Out is a murder mystery revolving around the death of a patriarch from an eccentric family. It is entertaining, hilarious and keeps audiences guessing until the very end, but honestly, Chris Evans in that white cable-knit sweater is the top reason I put it on this list. His character in the film is perfectly smug and stylish, and caused everyone to become infatuated with his gorgeous iconic knit when the film was released.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

This visually stunning film is a traditional rewatch for me during this time of year. A hobbit from the Shire sets out with a group of companions on a journey to destroy the One Ring and save Middle-earth.

While it is equally fitting for summer as it is for autumn, J.R.R. Tolkien’s interpretation of fall leaps from the pages of his novel and onto the screen in Peter Jackson’s film adaptation. Specifically, the film’s depiction of Rivendell comes

to mind, with tall trees covered in orange leaves, beautiful arched bridges and architecture providing viewers with a sense of comfort and wonder.

Twin Peaks (1990-91)

If a list of fictional smalltowns that perfectly encapsulate the autumn season exists, the town of Twin Peaks from the television series of the same name would certainly be at the top. With it’s towering douglas firs, 90’s saddle shoes and autumn coloured sweaters at their best alongside haunting ambient music by Angelo Badalamenti, Twin Peaks invites you to lose yourself within its scenery and intoxicating mysteries waiting at its centre.

An FBI agent investigates the murder of a popular young woman in Twin Peaks, a small and eccentric town where nothing is what it seems. David Lynch and Mark Frost’s series Twin Peaks changed television. It’s a dreamy, ridiculous, beautiful and horrifying back-to-school drama that is simultaneously serious and absurd.

Gilmore Girls (2000-07)

Set in Stars Hollow, Conn., Gilmore Girls focuses on a single mother and her relationship with her academically overachieving daughter. The show is something you that can get invested in for the drama, but it is equally excellent background accompaniment while studying , cleaning, putting up Halloween decorations or making a cup

Dive into these haunting, heartbreaking, hilarious and occasionally Halloween-adjacent film and television recommendations

of coffee. It’s like a television version of the lo-fi study beats girl.

The fictional town of Stars Hollow feels like it’s consistently in autumn. The 2000s sweaters, wool skirts and local coffee shops are an homage to autumn nostalgia, providing a backdrop for Rory Gilmore’s adolescent growing pains. Another contestant for media with the best knit sweaters, this series features a lot of fashion inspiration.

Over the Garden Wall (2014)

Two brothers lost in an odd and mysterious land try to find their way home in this riveting miniseries. A vague

description for this show is pivotal because going into it without any prior knowledge as possible is the best way to watch it.

If you’re looking for something with an aesthetically pleasing autumnal atmosphere, a dash of eerie folklore, old time animation inspiration and turn of the 20th century American harvest backdrop, this is it. An absolute must-see in September to get in the mood for fall, and that’s a “rock fact!”

arts@themanitoban.com

Bisons football falls short of comeback

Herd lose starting QB Tachinski at end of first half against Alberta

Grace Anne paizen, staff

The Bisons football team was on the road this weekend, taking on the University of Alberta Golden Bears at Foote Field in Edmonton.

The herd started off strong, recording the opening touchdown of the game in the first quarter a few plays after Bisons defensive back Jarrett Alcaraz picked off Golden Bear quarterback Eli Hetlinger before running it back to midfield.

After Bison quarterback Jackson Tachinski called his own number and completed passes to receivers Michael O’Shea Jr. and De Shawn Le Jour, the herd’s drive was aided by a flag against the Golden Bears for unsportsmanlike conduct. The drive was aided again with a late hit on Tachinski after he had rumbled for a first down.

The Bisons went up 7-0 on Alberta moments later when running back Noah Anderson scampered six yards into the end zone for the touchdown.

The lead ended on the Golden Bears next drive, who opened the second quarter with a touchdown. However, on Alberta’s next possession, defensive back Jake Nitychoruk recovered a Golden Bears forced fumble by teammate linebacker Markos Bockru, but shortly after the Bisons had the ball punched out and Alberta recovered.

The Golden Bears went on to dominate the second quarter with two more touchdowns, entering halftime with a 21-7 lead over Manitoba.

Worse than being down by two possessions, the Bisons

lost their starting quarterback at the end of the first half when Tachinski’s non-throwing arm was injured while being taken down on a blitz. His timeline to return to the team is unknown at time of publication.

Although the Golden Bears dominated the third quarter with three field goals, the herd started a comeback with quarterback Sawyer Thiessen at the gun. Marching down the field in the dying minutes of the third quarter after a second interception off Hetlinger this time by linebacker Isaac Dokken — the Bisons began the fourth quarter with kicker Vinny De Rosa scoring a field goal, cutting the lead to 30-10.

After Alberta put up

another major in its first possession in the fourth, increasing its lead to 37-10, Thiessen used receiver AK Gassama’s speed for a huge fourth quarter 16-yard play.

When the drive stalled, the Golden Bears once again kept the Bisons on the field as De Rosa was roughed while punting for the second week in a row.

Thiessen seized this opportunity by handing off to running backs Breydon Stubbs and Vaughan Lloyd, the latter running the ball 33 yards for the Bisons’ second major of the night.

In fact, the herd’s defence and special teams had a huge fourth quarter, with Anderson recovering the herd’s onside kick shortly after its major.

However, a flag on the play forced Manitoba to re-kick.

On special teams, O’Shea Jr. ran a Golden Bear field goal attempt off a Bison defensive line tip the entire field for a Bisons touchdown, only to have it negated by another flag.

Although the herd put up a huge fourth quarter on paper, penalties would negate its comeback, with the game ending 37-16 for Alberta.

The Bisons start the season 0-2, losing their starting quarterback in the process. However, despite losing Tachinski in the first half of the game, they never gave up in the second half.

most interceptions so far this season with five.

Gassama had 41 yards receiving, Stubbs rushed for 34 yards, Lloyd rushed for 53 yards and Stephen Adamopoulos registered nine tackles. Thiessen threw for a respectable 63 yards and the herd recorded a sack, courtesy of linebacker Nick Thomas.

The next game for the herd is on the road again against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, after which the team will return home to host the University of Regina Rams, who the herd beat 26-7 in the pre-season.

The herd also comes out of this weekend holding Canada West conference record for sports@themanitoban.com

Sports teams’ schedules

M Bisons — Women’s Soccer

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

M Bisons — Football

of M Bisons — Golf

Two strong starts, but Bisons drop both games

Tough finishes to women’s soccer road trip

The Bisons women’s soccer team headed to Saskatchewan this weekend, with games against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday and the University of Regina Cougars on Sunday.

The herd made its first stop in Saskatoon, Sask. to battle the Huskies in a nail-biter at Griffiths Stadium.

The score was 0-0 going into minute 85 of play when Huskies midfielder Hailey Weber tucked the ball behind goalkeeper Karina Bagi off a Huskies corner kick by midfielder Jade Houmphanh. The Huskies held on to win the game with the late goal.

Three yellow cards were handed out: one to Huskies defender Kieran McKercher, and two to the Bisons against forward Janelle Chomini and Bagi, as she ran out of the box in the 77th minute to defend her goal.

Saskatchewan also had more shots in the game with 18 overall and seven on net, while the Bisons had 10 shots overall with four shots on goal — one from Chomini, one from captain Jessica Tsai and two from fellow midfielder Taryn Cabak.

The Bisons also only had

one corner in the game compared to the Huskies 11, with their final corner going in for the lone goal.

The herd’s silver lining in the loss came courtesy of its goalkeeper. With Bagi’s six saves in the game against the Huskies, she reached third overall in saves in Bisons soccer program history with 168 saves, and has now recorded 174 saves after the second game of the weekend.

The Bisons had another strong start against the Cougars at University of Regina Field. Cabak scored out of the gate in the seventh minute of the game with a fantastic pass from forward Camila Goldsztein.

The herd held off the Cougars until just before halftime when Cougars midfielder Allyson Schneider scored for Regina in the 42nd minute after Bisons defender Ava Memka was called for a foul

until midway through the second half, when the Cougars scored two unanswered goals within 10 minutes, the first by Enns and the second by midfielder Kirsten Koellmel. The Bisons ultimately lost 3-1.

utes of the game.

This game, Manitoba led with three corner kicks compared to Regina’s two, but unfortunately couldn’t capitalize on them.

on Cougars forward Peyton Enns in the box, leading to a penalty shot. Schneider took the shot, and the teams went into halftime tied 1-1.

The defensive battle continued between the two teams

Once again three yellow cards were handed out, one each to Bison defenders Breyanna Johnston-Krulicki and Shannon Lee and one to Cougars defender Sierra Kolodziej, this time all within the dying min-

The Bisons had nine shots throughout the match, including five shots on goal, one by defender Evelyn Lekivetz, one by forward Tabata Bravo, two courtesy of captain Tsai and of course one by Cabak with the goal. The Cougars registered 11 shots with nine shots on net, including the three goals.

ing home with a 1-5 record to defend its home turf next weekend in two prime-time games, the first against the University of North British Columbia Timberwolves on Friday and the second against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on Saturday.

The herd will be headsports@themanitoban.com

The herd’s silver lining in the loss came courtesy of its goalkeeper

Get to know your Bisons: Trent Robertson Golf team veteran

Growing up in South Africa, Bison golfer Trent Robertson was lucky enough to experience outdoor sports year-round because of the country’s warm climate.

“The winter doesn’t really exist,” Robertson said, “like, you still get some cold months where you get close to zero [Celsius] but you’re able to pretty much do everything you do here [in Manitoba] in the summer pretty much all year round.”

Robertson “played everything” from cricket to soccer to rugby and of course, golf, but the first prominent sport of his youth was actually motocross.

“I actually just happened to play golf when I wasn’t in school — like on school holidays — and I just really enjoyed it because I could just get dropped off at the course and just play every day,” Robertson explained.

Immigrating to Canada with his father and brother in 2017, Robertson stuck with golf because it was the sport with the best opportunities in his new home.

“When I moved here, usually those sports that I played back home don’t really translate to North America, like cricket [and] rugby, so I was just like, ‘I may as well just keep playing golf,’” Robertson said.

Robertson’s journey to becoming a part of the Bisons golf team partially came about due to immigration problems that sprung up after he had received offers from post-secondary schools in the United States. Former Bisons golf team head coach and co-founder of the University of Manitoba golf program Garth Goodbranson recruited Robertson to the herd.

“I had a bunch of friends

who played too on the team, so I just stayed at home and played, and I’ve obviously loved it,” Robertson said, adding that he is “very happy with the way it’s worked out.”

One of the veterans on the golf team, Robertson played at the 2023 Canadian University Championship this last May at the FireRock Golf Club in London, Ont. Robertson helped the herd make the cut into the weekend, a first for the Bisons since 2018.

The team finished tenth overall at nationals and Robertson finished the tournament individually tied for 39th place and shooting eight birdies over the three-day

tournament.

“It was a really cool experience and probably my favourite memory as a Bison so far,” Robertson said. “You play against all the best schools,

Invitational the first weekend of September, hosted by Augsburg University in Minnesota. While the team finished in a respectable seventh place in the 12-team tournament, Robertson finished tied for 18th overall with a fantastic +9, shooting 74 and 79 in the two-days on the par 72 Majestic Oaks Golf Course.

stroke count from 77 to 76 on day two of the tournament at the par 71 course.

Robertson is impressed with the young guys on the team after they finished this year’s Augsburg tournament well, and has big goals for himself this season.

“I would love to get us back to nationals,” Robertson said, “that’s always the goal.”

“The way I look at it is, if the team gets back to nationals, I probably did something good personally on the golf course.”

However, the biggest goal Robertson has set is winning a tournament.

“I would love to win a tournament,” Robertson said. “It’s been a while since we won a team event and a few of us have come close.”

The herd will have ample opportunity this season for a tournament win, with three tournaments remaining before the CanWest Championships.

As for life after hanging up the U Sports golf cleats, Robertson hopes he leaves the Bisons in a good, competitive place and would like to become a golf coach.

“I’ve always wanted to coach golf,” Robertson explained. “It’s something I always go back and forth on — whether I would do it as a career or not.”

Golf coach or not, Robertson has every intention of continuing to play the links.

“I’ll definitely keep playing,” Robertson said. “I just love competing.”

and you play against schools that golf 10 months of the year.”

“You’ve been on grass for like three weeks and suddenly you’re at a national championship.”

The golf team’s first tournament of the fall was a fantastic outing at the Augsburg

In fact, Robertson has always held steady numbers over his career with the golf team. In his 2022 appearance in the Canada West (CanWest) Championships at the Cordova Bay Golf Course in Victoria, B.C. last October, Robertson shot +11, good enough to tie for 19th overall, and decreased his sports@themanitoban.com

“You’ve been on grass for like three weeks and suddenly you’re at a national championship”

— Trent Robertson, Bisons golf team veteran