University of Regina: Student life on campus

Best place for a nap: Upper floors of the Dr. John Archer Library
Best cheap lunch: Henderson Café
Best hangover breakfast: Fast Break featuring Smoke’s Poutinerie
Favourite campus food: Spinach dip at the Owl
Favourite watering hole: The Owl
Perks of living in this town: No traffic
Where to live: Cathedral neighbourhood
Best place to study: Dr. John Archer Library
Worst place to study: Dr. William Riddell Centre
Coolest elective: Photojournalism
Best campus event: Welcome Week
Best live music venue: Artesian on 13th
Weirdest tradition: Stopping in the middle of the hallway to chat
Best spectator sport: Football
Unofficial school motto: ‘Check out our cool new sign’
Official school motto: ‘Realize. It starts with you.’
Best place to live: Hillsdale neighbourhood
Most notorious bus route: The whole system
Most original social event: Sex Toy Bingo
Best cultural event: Beading and Cree language lessons at the First Nations University

PROFILE: University of Regina | Regina, Sask. | Founded 1974

University Insider: Caitlin Taylor, 24, Journalism

If the University of Regina was a person, it would seem polite, clean, but a bit dull. But spend a little time together and you’ll discover some unexpected quirks. For one, the fully-fledged French-language university, La Cité, is an unexpected bilingual oasis in this mostly monolingual province. The First Nations University of Canada, glistening against the bald prairie that lies beyond, is the most stunning piece of architecture on campus—except maybe the university’s million-dollar entrance sign. The controversy over that sign motivated otherwise lethargic students.

Roam the halls and it’s likely you’ll find bulletin boards plastered with posters. Social justice conferences, paleontology parties and jiu-jitsu lessons are a few of the options available here. Despite our size—a modest 15,000 students—we’re a diverse group. Nowhere is this more evident than the bustling Dr. William Riddell Centre. Here, students can grab a coffee, visit the dentist or pick up a copy of the university’s student newspaper, the Carillon.

At the risk of sounding clichéd, the best thing about the University of Regina is the stellar people who study here. Our cozy campus, with its quirks and controversies, only serves to bring us closer together.

Extras
The U of R is serious about health—in every sense of the word. Signing up for counselling services is a breeze—students often wait less than a week for their first appointment. The Campus Dentist and Aspen Medical Centre are both easily accessible. However, the fitness centre is cramped and located precariously close to the running track. Recreation Services makes up for this by offering top-notch weekly fitness classes to all students for a small fee.

Local Vibe
Some would say that the best thing about studying in Regina is the lack of big-city distractions. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find a thriving art scene that rivals bigger centres like Edmonton and Winnipeg. Regina boasts a number of solid music venues, art galleries and many, many restaurants. People joke that Saskatchewanians eat out because there is nothing else to do, but I would argue that we dine out often and with great enthusiasm because we can—the list of quality eats seems to grow longer and longer each year.

The Skinny
For the best list of upcoming events in Regina, Prairie Dog magazine (prairiedogmag.com/events) has you covered.

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