Fall Break Week Set for 2014-15 COLLEEN MACPHERSON
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February 28, 2014 Volume 21, Issue 12 Publication Mail Agreement #40065156 ON CAMPUS NEWS [email protected] news.usask.ca IN THE CLUB As University Club manager for the past 25 years, Donna Cram has gotten to know the U of S community over lunch, dinner and other special occasions like weddings and anniversaries. Fabulous food, great wine and all the relationships she has made over the years are the reasons Cram said she has one of the best jobs on campus. Read the full story on page 5. KRIS FOSTER Fall break week set for 2014-15 COLLEEN MACPHERSON Thanks to the agreement of most “gave students a mental and colleges and some judicious Because we can’t reduce the number of academic break. Now, almost rejigging of the schedule, the teaching days in the term, there had to be a all of our classes are single term University of Saskatchewan will so a break seems as logical for be providing students with a fall trade off with the exam schedule. the first term as it does for the break in term one of the 2014-15 Russell Isinger second. The pressure is equal in academic year. both terms.” The idea of matching the The only colleges that will February break with one in the student interest and found 67.85 will come from the final exam not participate are dentistry, fall was first proposed by the per cent of the 6,469 students period. The final day of classes medicine which includes University of Saskatchewan who responded felt a fall break in the term will move to Dec. physical therapy, nursing and Students’ Union executive would support their academic 5 from Dec. 3, and final exams veterinary medicine. Isinger in the fall of 2013, explained success. That motivated Isinger will be compressed into a period said the particular schedules Russell Isinger, registrar and to “crunch the numbers” to see from the day after the last day of and clinical requirement of director of student services in if a week off could be found classes to Dec. 23. Fifteen days these colleges make it difficult to the Student and Enrolment without a reduction in teaching for finals is “more than suffi- include a fall break but nursing Services Division (SESD). days between September and cient,” said Isinger. Every effort will consider participating in Discussions were held with the final exam period. will be made to not schedule Isinger 2015. associate deans of all colleges In the end, it proved exams on either the first or the More and more universities and with the University possible. The break is scheduled last day of the defined period Labour Day falls on Sept. 6 or in Canada are recognizing the Students’ Council but the for Nov. 10-14, incorporating “but because we can’t reduce the 7, classes will start in the week need to provide students with a academic calendar for 2014-15 the Remembrance Day statutory number of teaching days in the prior in order to accommodate fall break, said Isinger, “and we was approved by Council’s holiday. The fall break day, Oct. term, there had to be a trade off the fall break. felt we needed to get in step with Academic Programs Committee 10, will be eliminated in favour with the exam schedule.” The February break was that trend.” late last year without a fall break. of a full week break, and orien- Scheduling exams on instituted many years ago The Academic Programs Isinger pointed out however, tation for new students will be Sundays, an idea included in when the majority of univer- Committee has approved an there was strong support on all reduced to one day from two, the discussions and the student sity classes went for an entire amendment to the 2014-15 fronts to pursue the option. making the first day of classes survey, is not currently being year, he said. Most major calendar implementing the In December, SESD Sept. 3 instead of Sept. 4. considered. assignments were due in the changes needed to allow for a conducted a survey to gauge The additional two days Isinger added that when second term and the week off fall break week. INSIDE IN THE VALLEY 6 MAN WITH BROOM 8 2 February 28, 2014 DANCE STEPS Delvin Kanewiyakiho, an educator, dancer and the First Nations cultural leader for Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, was on campus recently for a half-day workshop to teach the basics of the hoop dance and its history. The workshop, entitled Dancing Particles: Introduction to Indigenous Dance, was organized as part of the Aboriginal Student Achievement Program but also included senior movement students from the Department of Drama. COLLEEN MACPHERSON Bringing humanities to the OR LANA HAIGHT Walking into the office of the ities Program, launched in the Department of Surgery, it’s fall, aims to involve surgeons, hard to miss the paintings and residents and medical students sculptures, not to mention the in art, music, literature and enthusiasm of department head philosophy. Dr. Ivar Mendez. “Having an understanding “This oil painting is called of philosophy, of expressions of The Brain Flower. It was done the mind or poetry will sensitize by one of my patients who you to see that a person is not had Parkinson’s disease,” said only a liver or a lung but this Mendez, gesturing to a four-foot individual is poetry, is music, is by six-foot painting. philosophy. There is this added “He wanted to express what dimension that this is not just was going on in his brain. It is my patient but a human being a picture of something that is who has tremendous potential,” Dr. Francis Christian, director of Dr. Ivar Mendez with a painting of the brain by Mi’kmaq LANA HAIGHT beautiful and colourful, but at said Mendez. Surgical Humanities Program artist Alan Syliboy. the same time, there are some Surgeons, residents, students, disruptions. These parts are surgical nurses and others don’t think they have time for can, however, find time for best attended grand rounds. He shrunk and there’s degeneration involved in surgery are being them anymore, said Dr. Francis these essential pursuits, which spoke to us about the impor- of cells.” encouraged to re-connect with Christian, the director of the make us better doctors and tance of story telling and The artwork in the reception their creative selves as artists, Surgical Humanities Program. better human beings. Some of narrative as well as the creative area and in Mendez’s own office writers and musicians. Many “It’s a fallacy that doctors the greatest scientists and even process,” said Christian. are physical reminders of a new surgeons give up these interests have no time for anything else. surgeons have been great artists It’s the creative process emphasis within the depart- soon after they begin their It’s a matter of prioritizing our as well,” said Christian, who has involved in sculpting that ment. The Surgical Human- medical training because they time. We are very busy. We published a novel as well as a Mendez said is invaluable to him collection of poems. as a surgeon. A central component of “Doing bronze sculpture the program will be a quarterly has given me the added skills journal available in print and of being able to see objects in online that will showcase three dimensions. When I look the talents of surgical team at the human brain and I have members. The multi-mediato remove a brain tumor in the journal will publish written middle of the three-dimen- works as well as digital reproduc- sional structure, it allows me to Review of tions of paintings, photographs, conceptualize that tumor better. sculptures and musical numbers. Not only that, the skills and the Submissions for the inaugural dexterity that I use in sculpture Vice-President Research issue are still being accepted. and removing a tumor comple- The first event sponsored ment each other,” said Mendez. by the Surgical Humanities While medical humanities In accordance with the board-approved Search body of the email. Every email submission will be Program was a huge success, programs are common at other and Review Procedures for Senior Administrators, acknowledged by return email to confirm the said Christian. Surgery grand universities, the University of a committee has been established to review authenticity of the author’s identity. rounds, typically a time when Saskatchewan is the first in Dr. Karen Chad, Vice-President Research. The a surgeon explores and presents Canada to offer such a program. review committee invites members of the All submissions received through this process a specific surgical topic to For Mendez, who arrived at the university community to provide feedback will be considered by the review committee other surgeons, residents and U of S in June with the vision of on Dr. Chad’s performance. in raw form. All identifying information will be medical students, departed incorporating the humanities removed to protect the confidentiality of the Submissions can be made by letter or email. from tradition in January when into the Department of Surgery, respondents when the feedback is shared with Respondents are encouraged to use the Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi it’s an opportunity to put his the incumbent. framework of accountabilities (expectations) and winner of the Man Booker stamp on the department and and competencies (skills) from the position Prize, joined rounds and read influence a new generation of Please make your confidential submission profile to provide feedback, although the review from his book 101 Letters to a surgeons.