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NEWS
URSU won’t take any bull
by Cassie Hawrysh
(read)
Fugu fights pain
by Ashley Martin
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Burst advertisers’ bubble
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Iranian students struggle for rights
by Jeanette Stewart
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Come home for the holidays
by Jeanette Stewart
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FEATURES
Dogs abroad
World Dog Agility Championships
by Caitlin Davenport
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SPORTS
Cougars chase the Bobcats out of town
by Chris Jaster
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Eyes on Sports
Sports is a waste of time
by Matthew Obrigewitsch
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Fit as a Fiddle
Nutrients – making the body work
by Julie Folk
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Cougars come up short against nemesis
by Sydney Dundas
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Fans get their money’s worth
by Chris Jaster
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My most memorable sports experience
Fond memories of a father
by Greg Urbanoski
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ARTS
Depp’s Finding Neverland a magical journey
by Steven Kiser
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What he wants to be remembered for
by Kent Farago
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Singles Bar
Actors, Coldplay apprentices and Shania enter the bar
by Dan MacRae
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Halo 2.0
by Matthew Obrigewitsch
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Umbrella’s out, it’s Death From Above
by Dan MacRae
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COMMENTARY
Making people miserable
Editorial
by Matt Barton
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Heaven in Alberta?
Commentary
by Emily Elias
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Confessions of a Freshman
Help me, I’m being super-sized!
by Amy O’Teri
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You can take my hand but not my name
by Kelly Brownlee
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The Good Fight
Escapism in the post-progressive age
by Justin Ludwig
(read)
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URSU won’t take any bull
by Cassie Hawrysh
the Carillon
URSU and the Pump butt heads
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Bikini-clad female students are being sexually exploited at a Regina bar in a mechanical bull-riding contest with tuition money as the prize, said the University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU).
The Pump Roadhouse is currently hosting a weekly Thursday night competition dubbed “Bikini Bull-Riding Competition.” Management at the Pump said, however, that it is just clean fun and no one is forcing the women to ride the bull.
The contest itself is open to both women and men who compete in their specific gender categories but requires the girls to wear any combination of a bra, bikini top, shorts, jeans or bikini bottoms, whereas the guys may wear whatever they want.
The contest itself entails riding the mechanical bull three consecutive times. The first two attempts are timed and the third is judged based on artistic performance, skill and amount of fan support.
“It’s really just a fun, laid-back promotion that is based on skill and creativity,” said Scott Olafson, one of The Pump’s managers. Subsequently, no matter how contestants score in the third round, the final winner will be the one who scored the best time.
“Given the sexual nature of the conditions of the female contest, the intentions of the Pump Roadhouse are quite obvious,” explained Charla Vall, the URSU Women’s Director. “The sexually exploitive nature of the competition is not lost on anyone.”
The Pump is offering women $1,200 toward tuition or $1,000 cash if they’re not university students. The top prize for male contestants is Pump gift certificates. Olafson explained the difference.
“This bull-riding challenge started two months ago and was geared for women. Prizes are less for men because we didn’t budget for a male category. We’ve only got so much money to run a promotion for so long.”
Vall and URSU strongly rejected this explanation.
“We place education in a highly valued area in society but The Pump is exploiting women to increase their profits,” Vall said. “It is a choice that the women make for themselves but the fact is that the prize is appealing and tuition fees are so high, so this may be some women’s only resort—to have to lower themselves to pay for their education.”
When asked how he felt about some of the negative feedback this contest was getting, Olafson said, “This promotion has been very successful and has had great feedback in general. We have no intentions of stopping this promotion until it runs its course, which is the semi-finals and finals on Wednesday and Thursday, November 24 and 25 of Agribition Week.”
Olafson did stress, however, “This is not a strip show and in the rules it is defined that women and men will be disqualified and asked to leave the bar if they push the limits of good taste.”
“We are very concerned that students are being targeted and that they may resort to participating in this sort of event as a means of paying for their education. The Pump isn’t doing women a favour. Events such as this distract students from more legitimate and admirable ways of coping with rising tuition costs,” said Vall.
URSU hopes that students will see this competition from their point of view and choose not to participate.
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