Opinion pitches!

Hey everyone! Here are the pitches for this week. I also want to remind everyone that if you ever read something you disagree with in the opinion section, you're more than welcome to write a response to it. I want to make sure The Gateway remains a platform for dissent and differing opinions, so it's super cool when two opinion articles disagree with each other. Just reply to this email if you want to pick up any of these pitches, or if you want any more information about these stories. And as always, if you have an idea for an article, feel free to send it my way. Articles are due Friday at 5pm. 

SU elections are coming soon 

One of the biggest jobs of the Gateway is to cover SU elections, since we're the only news source that can! This is a really cool opportunity to get involved with student politics, meet lots of interesting people across campus, and do some super-cool, hard-hitting journalism.   If you're interested, but worried you don't know anything about the SU, fear not! Sofia (the News Editor) and I will be going over some SU basics with everyone, and giving you all the background you need. You're also welcome to come with us to Student Council sessions in the lead-up to elections! There's free food and we have fun group chats where we meme and have a good time. Here are the dates for the next few council sessions: 

• Tuesday February 6th 

• Tuesday February 13th

Council is held at 6pm in Council Chambers, right next to Van Vliet. If you don't know where that is/are afraid to go alone, never hesitate to email or text me 

(587-437-8583

) and I will show you the ropes. 

Gateway hiring is coming soon 

If you're interested in working at the Gateway next year, now's the time to start thinking about applying! I cannot recommend it enough. I'm super happy to talk to you in detail about the Opinion Editor position, or any of the other jobs at the Gateway, so feel free to reach out if you have any questions or want more information. 

Student Events Initiative & Myer Horowitz renovations

An upcoming referendum will allow students to vote on a $16.50 per semester fee to fund the Student Events Initiative (SEI) which includes renovations to the Myer Horowitz theatre and the Student Union Building, as well as funding for various events and programming. You can read more about the proposal here. This is a proposal that will impact every student at the U of A in a pretty major way, whether you think the fee is unnecessary or will bring value to lots of programs on campus. That means it's a really important topic to write about, so I really want someone to pick this one up! 

UASU Got This It campaign & inclusivity in elections

You may remember the Identity Matters research done by the SU in the fall, which identified some of the ways in which race, gender, and age impact students' experiences both running for and serving in governance roles. The UASU Got This campaign aims to encourage students from marginalized groups to run in the upcoming SU elections. You can see "you got this" posters around campus, and the next phase of the campaign involves tabling. What do you think should be done to increase the diversity of candidates in campus elections? Is the UASU Got This campaign working? What kind of barriers do you think still exist? 

UASU Cares wellness services website

The SU built a website called UASU Cares, intended to be centralized collection of a variety of services that could be useful for students in need. The website is an aggregation of resources regarding a multitude of issues, including mental and physical health, academic support, sexual violence, and student involvement. The website has received some criticism, including the fact that when you Google "UASU Cares" you can't actually find the website (although you can find this helpful Gateway article about it!) Is this a useful service? Are there things missing from the website that you think should be there? Do you think students will use the UASU Cares website? 

Edmonton vet says declawing cats is inhumane and should be banned 

Nova Scotia will ban the practice starting in March, and Karen Marsden thinks Alberta should follow suit. In BC, 10,000 people have signed a petition in support of a ban in their own province. 

Enrolment of autistic kids in Edmonton public schools is rapidly increasing

According to this article, between 2004 and 2017, the number of Edmonton students on the autism spectrum increased from 207 to 1344. With this increase, what should parents/teachers/administrators be doing to ensure that these kids have the support that they need?

People living on reserves in Canada still don't have adequate infrastructure

This is hardly a new issue, but concerns about things like housing and access to running water on reserves are making the news again this week. This article paints a particularly heartbreaking picture of what it's like on the Cold Lake First Nation, where, according to census data, about half of the houses require major repairs. 

Danielle Smith criticizes the Women's March & many aspects of modern feminism

After this set of tweets from Sonia Kont about the marches, and this response from Alberta's Minister for the Status of Women, Danielle Smith (former leader of the Alberta Wildrose Party) wrote this article, which addresses everything from the march itself, to the Aziz Ansari exposé published by Babe, to a general assessment of the modern feminist movement. Here are some of the major points made in her article: 

• the Women's Marches are inherently political (ie anti-Trump and pro-Democrat) and their purpose is to get more Democratic candidates elected in the 2018 midterm elections 

• pro-life women are made to feel unwelcome in the marches 

• we should be focused on countries where women "wear niqabs," are "given female genital mutilation," or are "forbidden from driving," but criticizing those countries is seen as "culturally insensitive"

• the Time's Up movement has become "an all-purpose smear campaign on men" 

• there are explanations for the pay gap that "go beyond gender"

• criticisms of the Pussyhats for being racist and transphobic are "ridiculous" and "silly" 

There is a lot happening here, and a lot to write about! 

Should city counsellors get paid parental leave?

City Council approved the Parental Leave Bylaw today, giving councillors 26 weeks of paid parental leave. Is this important progress for making Council a more inclusive, progressive, feminist place? Or is it a problem to have elected representatives taking such long breaks from their jobs? 

The Gateway Presents! 

As you may already know, every second Friday from 5:30-6:30pm, CJSR airs a segment of our radio show, The Gateway Presents. Each segment includes an Opinion piece where two people debate on a hot-button issue. Along with pitching Opinion stories for the website or the magazine, please also feel free to pitch me content for The Gateway Presents! Whether you know someone who'd be interested in debating on the show, you have a topic you'd like to see presented, or you'd like to produce a segment all by yourself, let me know and we'll make it happen. 

Shorter segments

Don't have time to write a whole 500-word article this week but still want to write something? Write one of these! They're about 200-300 words and a really good time. - Burlap Sack: Rant about something that bothers you! - Marble Pedestal: Rant about something you love! - Adulting 101: Either tell us how to do something adult (how to use an iron, how actually make food, etc.) or tell us about a time you failed to do something adult (like that time you put the red sock in with the whites and now everything is pink).