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M
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9, 2009
ISSN 1206-3606
P2 Varsity sports P3 Comic conference P3 Privacy course P4 Budget time
The Theatre Department’sgraduating acting class receiveda rare educational opportunity  when the play 
Radiant Boy 
wascommissioned for them.The department has along-standing commitment todeveloping new work throughscript development and variousfaculty research projects; how-ever, this is the first time it hascommissioned a play.The creator, DanielMacdonald, is an award-win-ning playwright and Englishteacher at Miller Comprehen-sive High School. For WesPearce, head of the TheatreDepartment, Macdonald’sbackground was invaluablebecause it contributed to theplay’s success in engaging stu-dents and reflecting what thedepartment wanted to dopedagogically. It also pre-sented the opportunity tosimply try something new.“Even the rehearsal processis a bit different because thereis no precedent,” says Pearce.“There is no established way. As an actor you have tobecome much more givingbecause you are all stumblingthrough the dark together. Noone has a preconceived notionof how this should be, which ismuch different than doingLast summer BhabaniPanigrahy was one of the firstU of R students to benefitfrom the Canadian Interna-tional Development Agency’s(CIDA) Students for Devel-opment program, which pairsCanadian university students with partners in developingcountries for the purpose of building governance capacity.Through the program,Panigrahy – an engineeringgraduate student – returned tohis birthplace of Orissa, Indiato learn more about the plightof its farmers.“Considering that nearly 70 per cent of India still livesin villages, agricultural growth will continue to be the engineof broad-based economicgrowth and development as well as natural resource conser-vation, leave alone food secu-rity and poverty alleviation,”says Panigrahy.“It is quite distressing thatthe farmers feel (they are) at thelowest rung in the social hierar-chy. It will be an important task to bring back the glory and self-respect of the farming commu-nity. There are no policy toolsthat can achieve this directly.However, putting the agricul-ture sector on a better path andresurrecting its importanceacross the sectors will go a long way in making farming arespectable profession.”During his month-longtrip Panigrahy networked withprofessionals at the OrissaUniversity of Agriculture andTechnology (OUAT), theCentral Institute of PlasticsEngineering and Technology (CIPET) and the AgriculturePromotion and InvestmentCorporation of Orissa Ltd.(India).He also met with represen-tatives from various govern-
Play commissioned for graduating class
Hamlet or Lear, where thedirector knows the story youare going to tell and how everyone is going to work together.”Over the last two years,Macdonald was able to crafta piece that challenged eachactor’s individual abilities.Lead actor Kyle Markewich,for example, plays the charac-ter of Geoffrey, who ages froma child to an adult on stage.The other three actors –Kaitlyn Semple, Judy Wenseland Kate Herriot – play theremaining 20 characters in thestory.“It gives them a chance tochange characters very quickly and still make it truthful, hon-est and convincing as an actingexercise, and we haven’t done alot of that,” said Pearce. “We’vehad good character-driven
Publications Mail Agreement #40065347
– continued on page 2– continued on page 2Engineering graduate student Bhabani Panigrahy went toOrissa, India last summer as part of the CanadianInternational Development Agency’s (CIDA) Students forDevelopment program.
India strives forprofitable farming
ment and non-governmentagencies, financial institutions,industry and farmers.“There are numerous stud-ies and proposed models foragricultural development, butI visited farmers and entrepre-neurs with value-added agri-cultural interests to determinetheir needs and perspectives.”He discovered that theissues surrounding the declinein Orissa’s farming sector arecomplex. Youth are leaving thefarms for technology jobs inthe cities and many of theremaining farmers subsist by  working very small plots of land with outdated technology.One of the many placesPanigrahy visited was a small-scale perfume-making opera-tion in the village of 
Your voice is important asthe University of Regina'snew strategic plan isprepared. We seek yourvision for the future of yourUniversity. Please joinPresident Vianne Timmonsand members of thefacilitation team for openconsultations as part of theUniversity of Regina’sStrategic Planning initiative.
Open Consultation withthe General Community:
Wednesday, March 18, 20097 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.Main Floor Lecture HallResearch and InnovationCentre (next to Lab Building)
Open Consultation withthe University Community:
Monday, March 23, 200912 Noon to 1:15 p.m.Administration-Humanities PitTo find out more, andto complete a StrategicPlanning survey, please visit
http://www.uregina.ca/ home/strategic/ 
INVITATION
Theatre Department actors (L to R) Kaitlyn Semple, Kate Herriot, Kyle Markewich and JudyWensel rehearse a scene from
Radiant Boy 
, a new play by local playwright DanielMacdonald, which runs Wednesday, March 11 through Saturday, March 14.
 
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 Writ Large
is written by campus leaders and is intended to challenge readers to engage with and learn about the various ‘parts’ that make up the wider University of Reginacommunity and connect us to the world. If you have a topic suggestion for 
Writ Large,
 please e-mail Uof R.Report@uregina.ca and include your contact information. Please  put “U of R Report” in the e-mail subject line.
Director of Communications:Paul CornsManager of Internal Communications:Therese Stecyk Communications Officer:Shanan SorochynskiPhotography:U of R Photography DepartmentBhabani Panigrahy Distribution:Natalie Tomczak 
The
U of R Report 
is published by External Relations, Communications, at theUniversity of Regina.The newspaper is sent to all departments of the University of Regina and federated colleges as well as some elected officials, news media andCanadian universities. It can be found on the web at www.uregina.ca (click on“News & Events” and select the link for
U of R Report 
). We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please send them toUofR.Report@uregina.ca, and include
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in the e-mail subject line.Contents may be reprinted with permission and appropriate credit to the U of R.
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Promoting responsible management of the world’s forests
WritLarge
Jordan McFarlenStudent athleteMen’s basketball team
– from page 1
Play 
plays where they’ve had greatstory arcs and characters havegrown. But, multiple charac-ters in an ensemble is some-thing a lot of playwrights dothese days, so it’s important tobe able to do that as well – tobe able to change charactermid-stream, mid-sentence andbecome another charactercompletely.” Actor Judy Wensel hasappreciated the challenge of multiple roles.“We first met these charac-ters nearly a year ago – at ourfirst table read,” explained Wensel. “So, we have had theopportunity to witness theirdevelopment as Dan has writ-ten them over the last severalmonths. In a way it’s like we’vebeen with these characterstheir entire lives. There arelayers built into our characters,because we have known somany different versions of them through each draft of theplay.”Commissioning a new play also provided the advan-tage of having the playwright work with the actors, offeringcommentary and the flexibility to change a scene if it wasn’t working well.“Being apart of this work-shop process is the best thingthat has come out of fourthyear so far,” said Markewich.“It is very different from thenormal rehearsal processbecause the writer is in theroom, and especially withDan, you are able to discussand talk about the reasoningbehind the writing. Sometimesin that process Dan and therest of us will begin to seethings that will not work out,and so he will go away andchange them. I am glad tohave been a part of it, as it issomething to the left of what I will encounter in a typicalrehearsal situation, and beinginvolved in anything differentand new is wonderful in my final year.”Macdonald’s flexibility in writing the play added to stu-dents’ learning experience.“I think everyone feelsquite valued and impressedthat Daniel is willing to takethose ideas and see how they  work and where they go,” saidPearce. “That takes a certainopenness because you are notreally working alone. Play- wrights tend to work alone alot, and showing work is hard when it’s not finished and youknow it’s not where it shouldbe. So, to be able to take thatfeedback and make something with it is a really great oppor-tunity for students – not only to see that their ideas some-times get incorporated butalso that openness as an artistis really important.”
Radiant Boy 
opens on Wednesday, March 11 andplays until Saturday, March14. All performances start at7:30 p.m. in the University Theatre in the RiddellCentre.
– from page 1
India
Berhampur. The traditionalmethods the company uses tomake its products require it tospend approximately $200 toproduce $250 worth of perfume.“This is simply not practi-cal for the industry or its workers,” says Panigrahy. “If the industry could afford toimplement current coolingtechnology, a substantialincrease in production wouldresult as the labourers couldspend more time on other pro-cessing steps. As this new tech-nology will be expensive, theindustry requires some assis-tance in the form of loans ordevelopment aid.”The Orissa government ishelping the agriculture sectorby implementing new policiesto promote commercial agri-culture, the agro-industry andthe food processing industry,says Panigrahy. Some of theincentives it is providinginclude capital investmentsubsidies and sales tax exemp-tions. Money is also beingspent to develop organicfarming.Panigrahy hopes thatOrissa can work withSaskatchewan to transfer tech-nologies, create collaborationsand build new industries inIndia. As a fourth-year member of the University of Reginamen’s basketball team and a student in the Faculty of Education, I have been fortunate enough to experiencemany of the wonders that are involved with participatingin Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). The experiencehas allowed me to see first hand the many positive thingsthat sport can bring to a university campus and localcommunity. After playing basketball competitively in high school,I was recruited to play for the U of R Cougars. Thismeant the opportunity to continue playing the sport thatI love at a high level while working toward a degree.Growing up I always viewed the U of R athletes as rolemodels and now I have the opportunity to fill that samerole for others.For those who are not familiar with the CIS, it is theathletic association under which all Canadian university athletic teams participate. The CIS is split into fourregions: Canada West, Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic. This allows student-athletes from across thecountry to compete in the best athletic facilities ournation has to offer while studying at the finest academicinstitutions.Participation in the CIS is a privilege for student-athletes. They embody the values of the university andrealize their role as ambassadors of the school when com-peting across the country and interacting in the commu-nity. Participation also means being respectful and hard working, as well as understanding the importance of balancing education and sport.Most importantly the CIS is about community.In the community athletes are positive role models tothe youth who look up to them. Athletes and coachesoften visit local schools to promote physical activity andhealthy living. Personally, I find the school visits are very enjoyable. Recently I was able to spend some time with alocal elementary school basketball player who has cerebralpalsy. After giving him some advice on improving his jump shot, we talked about teamwork and its importancenot only in sport but in life. Interactions such as this play a powerful role in the CIS experience.Participation in the CIS is also about competing infront of family, friends, fellow students, staff, and mem-bers of the local community. The sport allows for peopleto get together and support athletes who are playing forthe love of the game and not for monetary gains. Gamesand competitions become community events where allfans come together in support of their local team, school,and city.The CIS experience is one that I enjoy immensely.It has allowed me to travel to many different parts of ourcountry and to connect with some extraordinary people.Sport is just one aspect of the university experience but avery enjoyable and exciting aspect for many.
Small-scale operations such as this perfume-makingcompany are one of the ways people in the village of Berhampur, India make a living. Top: Separating liquid fromkewda flowers. Bottom: Attaching the top of a perfume potto its base using low-tech methods.
 
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Visual Arts professor GailChin and French professorSylvain Rheault have organizedthe city’s first academic confer-ence about comics to show how these works have evolvedfar past the peanut butter-covered books most adultsremember loving as children.The shift in the perceptionof comics started in the 1980s with work such as ArtSpiegelman’s
Maus 
, a comicthat told the story of theauthor’s parents surviving theHolocaust. It received an exhi-bition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York anda Pulitzer Prize in 1982.“That was a revelation –that comics had the same worth as a literary book,” saidRheault, who teaches a courseabout comics in the FrenchDepartment. “Literature cantell you a lot about the cultureof the people and even more so with comics because it’s notonly the content that is con-nected but also the visualaspect of art.”Chin agrees and seescomics as an integral part of the visual culture of Asia.She felt that not includingthem in her Asian art history course would mean neglectinga prominent part of its history.“In Japan, the comic wasnever just a child’s art in the way it was in North Americaand Europe,” explained Chin.“The word ‘manga’ dates back to the 19th century. An artistnamed Hoausai coined theterm. It means comical pic-tures. Comics in Asia weren’toriginally for children.Hoausai’s comical drawings were meant for adults.”“Any foreigner who goesto Japan knows that on all thesubways what the salarymanand the middle-aged house- wives are reading are generally comics. Even if it’s a housewifekind of magazine, with recipesand things like that, there isusually a comic section.”One thing Chin likesabout comics is the diversity of the subject matter. Whilethere are comics about super-heroes, there are many moreabout social problems, thepolitical underground andpeople’s everyday lives. Oneof her favourites is a Japaneseseries called OL or OfficeLady.“They are done with women in mind,” explainsChin. “For example, a lot of them are romances versus vio-lence. And I’m interested inthem because they tell you somuch about Japanese women.So that’s what I try to collect whenever I go to Japan. I try to get them from the trainkiosk.”The inspiration to hold anacademic conference aboutcomics came from
Harry Potter and the Meeting of the QueenCity Muggles 
, a one-day confer-ence held last May.“We owe a big debt to[English professors] Susan Johnston and Marcel DeCostebecause they organized it andthey were really pioneers in what they do,” said Rheault.“They wanted to bring togetherthe general public with the aca-demics and that is the formula we are copying. Without theirexploration, the conference weare doing now would not be.”The Conference onComics will be held May 2 andis sponsored by the Faculty of  Arts and the Faculty of Fine Arts, in association with theHumanities Research Instituteand the Centre for ContinuingEducation.For more information,contact Gail Chin by telephoneat (306) 585-5515 or email at
 gail.chin@uregina.ca
University employees areencouraged to take a freeonline course offered by Saskatchewan Justice to famil-iarize themselves with theProvince’s privacy legislation.There are a number of scenarios where this kind of training can be useful. Is italright, for example, for a pro-fessor to ask students inter-ested in participating in aproject to add their name,U of R student number andphone number to a sign-upsheet that, for the sake of con-venience, the professor hasposted on his or her officedoor? What does a staff memberdo in a situation where a par-ent, concerned about how their son or daughter is doingat university, phones theRegistrar’s Office or theadministration, asking forinformation?Should a faculty memberrequest a student file to helpthem prepare a letter of refer-ence for that student who isapplying to grad school?In all three examples –even with the best of inten-tions – the people involvedare bumping up against theprovisions of the Province’sLocal Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. In each caseinformation that is consideredpersonal under the legislationis being shared publicly,explains Annette Revet,University Secretary and theperson designated by theUniversity’s Board of Governors to administer thelegislation on campus.“In the example of theconcerned parent, anemployee could be steppingover the line even by confirm-ing that a student is attendingthe university,” Revet states.“If that seems a bit extreme,it may be, but that’s why it isimportant to understand thelaw. We are so diverse,” sheobserves. “We have personalinformation on two-year-oldsin day care to elderly clientsattending the SchwannCentre. We’re not like a K-to-12 school.”Revet is concerned thatemployees who are not famil-iar with the limits in the legis-lation may be overly restric-tive or be uneasy about whatto do when a situation arisesthat requires releasing per-sonal information. For thisreason she welcomes the newsthat Saskatchewan Justice hasstarted offering this freeonline course for employees who need to know moreabout how to comply withthe law or who need a quick refresher.The course is broken intomodules and explains differ-ent aspects of the legislation.This gives users the option of stopping at any time andresuming the course againlater. Revet estimates that ittakes about 90 minutes tocomplete the entire course.Employees can also pro-vide their feedback on anassessment page, and thenprint it as a record of havingcompleted the course. As anincentive, every employee who completes the courseby March 31 can have theirname entered to win a U of R gift basket of prizes.Because the course is anoverview it may not answer
Employees encouraged totake online privacy course
(L to R) Comic conference organizers Sylvain Rheault and Gail Chin peek out from behindsome of their favourite comic books.University Secretary Annette Revet serves as a resourcefor empoyees with questions about privacy issues andrequests for information.
every question people have,Revet adds.“If responding to arequest for information thatdoesn’t feel right, or you’reunsure of, trust your instinctsand give me a call,” Revetadvises. “I will allay yourfears, and we’ll look furtherinto the request. TheUniversity has a good rela-tionship with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner,so we can go there for moreadvice.”The online course can beaccessed by scrolling to thebottom of the web page
http://www.justice.gov.sk.ca/  privacyLAC 
. Links to theLocal Authority Freedom onInformation and Protection of Privacy Act and the University of Regina’s information andprivacy policy are availablethrough the University Secretariat website at:
www.uregina.ca/presoff/secretary  /privacy.shtml 
If you have any questionsabout the course or theUniversity’s information andprotection of privacy policy contact Revet at 585-5545.
Comics worthy of academic attention
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