University of Regina 411: Where to find the best cheap lunch and more

Unofficial school motto:

‘Construction Area: Use Alternate Route’

Best place for a nap:

Upstairs in Campion College. The traffic is low, the lights are dim and the couches are soft.

Best cheap lunch:

Food on campus is generally terrible, but Henderson Café provides a reasonably priced break from Subway and pizza

Best hangover breakfast:

Homemade donuts at the Connection Café in Luther college

Favourite watering hole:

The Study—it’s close to campus, and it’s cheap

Perks of living in this town:

The lake is a beautiful place to take a walk, and if you’re a football fan there are plenty of chances to see the Roughriders play at home.

Best place to study:

Find a chair by a window upstairs at the Dr. John Archer Library

Weirdest tradition:

U of R has had two mascots since 1999, when they partnered with the Regina Rams junior football team to compete in the Canada West Conference. The Rams kept their name, but all other athletic teams are still called the Cougars.

Best campus event:

Trivia night every week at the Owl

Best giveaway:

University of Regina students can enter a draw to win a free class, thanks to the Alumni Association

Best live music venue:

The Owl. You don’t even have to leave campus to see great bands from around Canada.

University Insider Report: Taylor MacPherson, 26, English

The University of Regina is a campus in transition. Enrolment numbers are steadily rising (reaching 14,500 students in 2015), but provincial funding has not kept pace with the growth of the student body. As a result, the campus community is fantastic, but several important aspects of student life have been compromised by the lack of funding, including class sizes and the availability of some niche programs.

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

The main campus is a beautiful place to go to school, featuring a striking collection of modernist buildings designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki, famous for his design of the original World Trade Center. Unfortunately, much of the university’s original construction is reaching the end of its lifespan, and infrastructure issues have become common as maintenance is often deferred due to lack of funding. Some older buildings are being updated and aging roofs repaired, but the ongoing construction can sometimes be disruptive—and there is still a lot to do.

Infrastructure issues aside, the U of R is a great campus. Walks around the lake have become a favourite pastime of mine, and the main campus is connected by a series of elevated outdoor walking paths, one of the university’s unique features. The dozens of white rabbits wandering the grassy areas around campus freely never fail to bring a smile to my face.

U of R is home to the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv), which offers some fantastic programs in Indigenous studies, education and languages. I was able to study Cree at FNUniv for two semesters as my language elective, which was a tremendous experience, and one I highly recommend.

The university offers a great variety of unique and interesting courses taught by fantastic professors. As part of my English degree, I have taken classes on the literature of pirates, J.K. Rowling, 18th-century sexualities and early modern horror. For arts majors, the U of R course listings can make you feel like a kid in a candy shop. Another great benefit of the small campus is that word of mouth travels quickly, and students soon learn which profs and classes to seek out, as well as which ones to avoid.

Extras

The university always has plenty going on. There are intramural sports leagues, gaming clubs of every variety and a very active Pride Centre supporting sexual and gender diversity on campus. The U of R has busy international student communities, which allow students a chance to experience everything from a Chinese cooking class to a traditional Dia de los Muertos celebration. The student newspaper, the Carillon, is popular among developing writers (such as myself), and many faculties publish creative writing, poetry and art by U of R students. If you just need a drink after finishing that 20-page research paper, the campus bar hosts weekly trivia nights, as well as shows by local musicians.

Local Vibe

Regina is a fun city, if you know where to go. The campus is located on the city’s southeast edge, far from downtown, but there are convenient bus routes to get you there and back efficiently. Music lovers will appreciate the city’s selection of live concert venues, while moviegoers will enjoy having an IMAX within walking distance of campus.

It’s also definitely worth attending at least one Saskatchewan Roughriders home game at Mosaic Stadium, even if you’re not a football fan. The energy of the crowd is contagious, and you’ll never have a better chance to wear a watermelon as a helmet (a longstanding Saskatchewan tradition).

The Skinny

To keep up on university-sponsored events, check out www.URegina.ca/events. The student newspaper CarillonRegina.com features news, arts, sports and editorials by students, for students.

[widgets_on_pages id=”Education”]