The Silhouette - Feb. 14, 2013 by The Silhouette

IO plays cupid SEE B7

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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McMASTER UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013 VOL. 83 NO. 22

Fall break confirmed at Senate Students to get two days off in first term Anqi Shen Online News Editor

JESSIE LU / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

CONFUCIUS LEAVING MAC After hiring practices by its partners in China prompted a human rights complaint, McMaster University is trying to distance itself from its Confucious Institute by shutting it down this summer. See A4

Marauders play Lakehead twice before playoffs

Here’s another ANDY falls

INDEX

How formidable are the Thunderwolves’ key players? See B1

See C1-C8

Spring Break: How to put a “spring” in your reading week without breaking the bank.

in love

SPRING, B7

Debating Breaks: Are the downsides of lengthy breaks worth the extra stress in the long run? HEAD TO HEAD, A8

Gender Mender: An indepth look at women’s issues and the steps people take to combat them. CAMPUS, A5

Undergraduate students will be getting a three-day break next year from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. The fall break will run from a Thursday to a Saturday, allowing two weekdays off and a test ban on Saturday, Nov. 2. The University Senate unanimously passed the motion for a break Wednesday afternoon. Due to restrictions on the number of instructional days for certain faculties, the number of class days (62) will remain the same. The exam period has been pushed forward two days and shortened by one day, and will run Dec. 6 to 20. MSU president Siobhan Stewart was tearful as she addressed the room before the vote. A fall break was part of her platform when she ran for president early in 2012. “It has been my dream for over a year to have this passed,” said Stewart. “Several times when I’ve talked to students, [I’ve found] they think things can’t change at the University, but this is an opportunity to show that it can.” The pilot will run two academic years in a row beginning in 2013. After the trial, the University will decide whether or not to make the break permanent. The motion came to McMaster’s Senate after passing through Undergraduate Council. The Council had discussed the possibility of introducing a full-week break, but agreed that program accreditation concerns and scheduling issues wouldn’t allow for more than a two-day break. By implementing a break in the fall term, McMaster follows practices of other universities in Ontario, including U of T and Queen’s. Other universities, like Ryerson, Trent and the University of Ottawa, have fall reading weeks. The University of Windsor had a trial reading week in 2009 and decided not to reinstate it the following year.

Publisher suing McMaster and librarian for $3.5 million Libel charges against Dale Askey stem from comments in a 2010 blog post Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor Edwin Mellen Press is formally suing a McMaster librarian, along with the University, for $3.5 million in damages over a libel claim stemming from a 2010 blog post. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice is now trying the case between Dale Askey and McMaster v. Edwin Mellen Press (EMP) for damages due to libel, amounting to $3.5 million. Askey published a series of personal blog posts critiquing the publisher under the title, “The Curious Case of

Edwin Mellen Press” three years ago. In his blog posts, Askey stated that Edwin Mellen Press produces books of low quality and is a “junk publisher” that regularly publishes second-class works which are exorbitantly overpriced. He also claims that the press treats its authors in an unprofessional manner and as a librarian has seen many poorly edited and poorly bound books published by EMP. “I started the blog while teaching in Germany in 2009 to model for students how to use the

medium to spark conversation and share ideas,” said Askey in an email. “I use it primarily to write on a range of issues that relate to libraries, media, and copyright.” Askey was issued legal notice in June 2012 as a result of the alleged defamatory statements. The notice also identifies McMaster University as co-defendant. The plaintiff, EMP claims that by refusing to force Askey to remove his defamatory comments, McMaster has vicariously adopted his defamatory and libelous statements. McMaster spokesperson Gord Arbeau stated that the University stands in full support of Mr. Askey. “The University is very sup-

Askey wrote the post before being hired by McMaster. YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

portive of Mr. Askey. Freedom of speech and academic freedom are foundational principles of this institution.” As of February 8, McMaster issued a statement re-asserting its commitment to academic freedom. McMaster has affirmed, “the right of the academic community to engage in full and unrestricted consideration of any opinion...the University supports the exercise of free speech as a critical social good.” In his posts, Askey emphasized the importance of being critical of publishers and the quality of academic publications which universities purchase. CRITIQUE, A4

the

PRESIDENT’S PAGE Jeff Wyngaarden VP (Finance)

Huzaifa Saeed VP (Education)

Siobhan Stewart President

David Campbell VP (Administration)

#MAKEaBREAK McMaster University approves fall break for October 2013

Siobhan Stewart President president@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 23885

I made it clear in my election campaign last year that I would work towards the establishment of a fall break for the students of McMaster University. Following months of student consultation, including the extensive #MAKEaBREAK survey, focus groups, an online chat

and meetings with students and student groups from across campus, it was made abundantly clear to me that students wanted more time in the busy fall schedule to reflect on their work, visit with family and catch-up on school. The MSU took those thoughts with us through lengthy discussions with University administrators, which resulted in the recommendation by Undergraduate Council that Senate approve a fall break. I am very happy to say that on February 13, the final hurdle was cleared and the Senate of McMaster University approved a two day fall break beginning fall 2013. The fall break will consist of

an additional two days without class or examination, to take place on Thursday, October 31st and Friday, November 1st, with no tests or exams permitted on Saturday, November 2nd. All students from all faculties will receive the same break and there will be no negative impact to the accreditation requirements of any academic program on campus. In 2013, the fall break will take the form of a pilot project, with evaluation to follow. I am very happy to see this initiative come to fruition. It is a testament to the ability to students to shape the environment in which we exist. For me, I think the biggest

take-away from the creation of a fall break is that it illustrates how students working with one another, and collaborating with the University can create dramatic change. I would like to commend McMaster University for its bold action. Moreover, I would like us all to take this opportunity to recognize that when speaking in unison, as we did for #MAKEaBREAK, student voices are loud and undeniable. While this was a part of my presidential campaign, the power and traction it gained was a result of students like you. Great job Mac, we MADE A BREAK!

CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM FOLLOWING MAPS GENERAL MEETING

Jeff Wyngaarden VP (Finance) vpfinance@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 24109

Last week, the McMaster Association of Part-Time Students (MAPS) held its Annual General Meeting, at which a new Board was selected. To be clear, MAPS represents part-time undergraduate students at McMaster University (17 units or less), while the MSU represents full-time undergraduate students (18 or more units). Much controversy has surrounded MAPS since it first became the subject of an audit by the University earlier this year. Questions surrounding MAPS’ spending practices have been raised over the last few months. While there is still a degree of uncertainty concerning the future endeavours of the organization, a few questions have been answered. First, following the audit and the sudden increase in engagement from students, the MSU is optimistic that past oversights will not be repeated. One of the major concerns expressed in the past few months was that financial statements and bylaws were not available for review by MAPS members. With the increased scrutiny by MAPS students, as well as the press, we feel the new Board will respond by making this information available in a timely manner. Second, we are hopeful that MAPS will regain its relevance and importance in the lives of part-time students. The audit and subsequent review of financial practices has sparked a great deal of interest in and concern over how MAPS’ money has been spent. That being said, we are confident that the new Board will critically examine the current practices of the organization and make decisions that are in the best interest of part-time students. Lastly, we are pleased that MAPS has reconstituted its Board. Our view is

that student government is meant to be autonomous and separate from University administration, and blurring the lines between the two makes it difficult, if not impossible, for either to truly fulfill their mandates. MAPS is a student-run organization, and should remain so, with appropriate protocols in place, and the funds and resources being allocated in the manner in which students intended them to be used. Were the MSU to reconstitute its Board of Directors with a University representative, we would lose much of our effectiveness in addressing student concerns with the University. We hope that this does not become the reality for MAPS. A challenge to the autonomy of one student organization can too easily become a challenge to the autonomy of all such groups. A question that I would like to now address is whether a similar situation could develop in the MSU. The answer is a simple but definitive “no”. The MSU maintains stringent measures to ensure financial transparency to our members and the community at large. For example, the MSU operating budget, capital budget, fee breakdown, bylaws and audited financial statements are published annually on both the MSU website and in the Silhouette (on this very page in fact). Moreover, all the aforementioned documents are publicly available through the Vice-President (Finance) upon request. These statements are all reviewed by an elected body of representatives (the Student Representative Assembly, or SRA) annually and monthly budget statements are also distributed for review. Additionally, this information is again distributed to the public via our annual State of the Union document and presentation, highlighting each and every service of the MSU, as well as recapping our budget, audited statements and outlining the fees paid by undergraduate students. Each year, the SRA appoints an external auditor to advise if our accounting procedures are GAAP compliant, review the controls in place and report any discrepancies or (potential) issues. Over the last decade, the MSU has utilized the services of KPMG, as well as Deloitte in this regard. From these reports, the SRA,

the Board of Directors and MSU staff can take corrective action. However, such action is rarely necessary, due to the excellent performance of the MSU’s accounting team and oversight by staff, particularly the Comptroller and General Manager. In addition, executive pay is reviewed annually by the SRA and posted publicly each year. Total staffing costs are also included in our audited statements for review by the governing body. Lastly, the University will not release funds to the MSU until it has received our independently audited financial statements for the previous fiscal year. In short, with the number of checks

and balances the MSU has in place regarding our financial practices, along with the level of transparency surrounding our budget, financial statements and bylaws, we are confident exposure to a breakdown in financial controls is mitigated. In closing, we offer our congratulations to the MAPS Board on their recent election. We in the MSU will strive to offer them all the help we can in their transition, without diminishing the full-time undergraduate experience. We would like to wish the new MAPS Board all the best in their endeavours in serving part-time undergraduate students at McMaster.

2013 UNDERGRADUATE

spring valedictorian

nominations are here!

Nominations are due by Monday March 4th at 4:30pm at your respective faculty or program office

Nomination forms are available in the MSU Main Office (MUSC 201), or online: www.msumcmaster.ca

late nominations will not be accepted

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN UNTIL MARCH 4 FOR MORE INFORMATION CHECK OUT

www.MSUMCMASTER.CA/ELECTIONS

The President’s Page is sponsored by the McMaster Students Union. It is a space used to communicate with the student body about the projects, goals and agenda of the MSU Board of Directors.

www.msumcmaster.ca

NEWS

News Editors Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma, Boodhoo-Leegsma Julia Redmond and Anqi Shen Section Meeting Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. Contact news@thesil.ca

Thursday, February 14, 2013

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Taking care of business Arrival of Leonard Waverman as new dean marks the end of a tumultuous era at DeGroote School

Julia Redmond Assistant News Editor After a rocky two years, things at the DeGroote school will once again be business as usual. This January, McMaster welcomed Leonard Waverman as Dean at the DeGroote School of Business. The appointment, which was announced last September, marks the end of a two-year period without a permanent leader at the business school. While DeGroote’s previous dean came from a business background, Waverman’s experience is chiefly academic. Waverman, who holds a PhD in Economics from MIT, has over 40 years of university teaching and administration on his resume. Most recently, he served as Dean of the Haskayne School of Business at the University of

Calgary. “It’s an adjustment,” he said of the transition from Calgary. “Each university is so different.” Before working as dean at Calgary, Waverman held positions at the University of Toronto and the prestigious London School of Business in London, England. Over the course of his career, his particular research interests have been in telecommunications and the digital economy. When the Silhouette sat down with Waverman, he was a mere three weeks into his fiveyear term. “I’d be presumptuous to talk about plans [at this point],” he said, emphasizing that establishing a direction for the school would be a community effort. “Really, a dean is just one person.” Even so, the economics professor has a vision for where

DeGroote will go from here. “I think every business school has to search for their independent identity, their DNA,” he explained. “I think we have very good programs at DeGroote, but I don’t think we market ourselves especially well. I think we have to enhance our reputation, and we have to have revenue growth.” He spoke of broadening the school’s reach through public talks by faculty so that people become more familiar with academia and DeGroote breaks away from being an “ivory tower.” McMaster has some damage control to do after the controversy regarding the last dean, Paul Bates, who was reassigned out of his role in 2010. Bates was chosen in 2004 to lead the school because of his industry experience. A 2010 report from a president’s advisory com-

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“I think we have very good programs at DeGroote, but I don’t think we market ourselves especially well. I think we have to enhance our reputation.” Leonard Waverman, Dean of the DeGroote School of Business

mittee on DeGroote explained that “hiring a dean who was successful in the business world … and could serve as a positive external face” was a strategic choice for DeGroote, which was seen to have a low profile in the business world. The same report called the faculty of the school “dysfunctional,” and purported that the en-

YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

vironment included “bullying, harassment, mean-spirited sarcasm, intimidation and disrespect.” While this atmosphere was said to predate Bates, the committee that produced the report alleged that he exacerbated it, and called for the University to “redefine his role” at the school. Bates remains a member of the faculty at DeGroote. He teaches at the Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington, a satellite campus that he helped to establish during his term, as well as serving as Strategy Advisor to the President. The drama at DeGroote in recent years doesn’t faze its new dean, however. “I’ve heard rumours about the previous controversy,” said Waverman. “But I’m really looking at the future of DeGroote, not into the past.”

Black History Month celebrated at McMaster Mel Napeloni Opinions Editor In 1995, the House of Commons officially recognized the month of February as Black History month, and the Senate recognized it 13 years later. The month exists to remember the historical significance of the African diaspora. Kojo Damptey, animateur for Development and Peace and OPIRG board member, spoke alongside Paul Dekar on Feb. 12 in the Institute of Applied Health Sciences about the importance and relevance of Black History month at an organized event called Walk to Freedom. Damptey formulated a workshop to expose what the audience knew of black history and current forms of institutional racism. Upon questioning them, he revealed the audience’s lack of knowledge regarding African leaders and countries. He made several comparisons to the American context such as

how members knew the number of American states but was off the mark regarding the number of African countries. His aim was to promote an African Studies program at McMaster. “The same injustices that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. discussed in 1955 are happening right now,” said Damptey. “Universities across Canada have an African studies program, including Guelph and Toronto. Let’s get this ball rolling.” There is a problem, he noted, when students can easily identify the Engineering building but are oblivious to where Mac’s Indigenous studies program is. When asked where this disparity comes from, Damptey explained that we’ve been raised to celebrate our privilege and accept colonized forms of oppression. “White privilege needs to be discussed more. We need to put our cards on the table.” Paul Dekar, professor of theology and co-founder of the centre for Peace Studies, was the

second speaker of the afternoon. His talk focused primarily on Martin Luther King’s achievements, as he adamantly supported the non-violent approach that King used. Dekar demonstrated this with a 20-minute video on the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. “Martin influenced the pace of change and was a leading figure in raising awareness,” he said. When questioned whether King’s non-violent approach is most effective in shifting political atmospheres, Damptey replied that every black liberation movement had a role to play in increasing awareness and vying for social change. He noted that it’s important to understand their perspective and what context demands. “The Black Panther movement felt that what they did was needed,” he explained. “When you’re under major institutional oppression and are left with no other option, that’s your struggle.”

MEL NAPELONI / OPINIONS EDITOR

Paul Dekar and Kojo Damptey spoke at the Feb. 12 event for Black History Month.

The event drew approximately 30 people. Paul Dekar concluded the event with a 15-minute video of a speech by King in the early stages of the movement. He noted how many of the crowds who gathered weren’t large in numbers but that the

eventual impact was hard-hitting. Ten minutes into his speech, Martin spoke of the social power of struggles experienced by racialized people. “Only when it’s dark can you see the stars,” he said.

CANADIAN CAMPUS NEWS Ronald Leung Silhouette Staff

Ontario teacher’s college applications drop by 50 per cent

Dead ducks sent to Memorial University administration

B.C. Government gives more than $500,000 to trade school

Outcry over million-dollar budget cuts at the U of R intensify

HRSDC under fire for handling of student loan privacy breach

The Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) reports that only 8,199 applications have been filed for teacher’s college in the 2012-2013 cycles, compared to 16,042 in 2007. The University of Windsor has been especially hit hard, with a downward trend starting in 2008 resulting in almost a 75 per cent reduction in applications. The shrinking job opportunities in Ontario for newly-graduated teachers are most likely to blame. Doing parttime supply teaching has become a reality for new teachers while they wait for full-time position opens up.

For the past 15 years, approximately 50 ducks have lived on the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) campus. Local community members have fed the ducks during the winter, until MUN administration posted signs discouraging feeding due to an alleged rat infestation problem. Biology professor Ian Jones noticed duck carcasses appearing on the outskirts of the pond. He voiced his concerns, but without receiving a serious response he opted to send two dead ducks directly to the Administration. Jones has said he will contact the SPCA if no further action is taken.

The B.C. government has donated over half a million dollars to the University of the Fraser Valley in support of their Trades and Technology Centre (TTC). New equipment will give students more hands-on experience and will upgrade their skills to be more compatible with potential employers. This donation comes after several pledges by the B.C. government, including $1.5 million to three other B.C. universities and $113 million to the Emily Carr University of Art and Design for a campus makeover.

The University of Regina is facing multi-million dollar cuts and students have expressed their concern at the lack of transparency with the Academic Review process (ARP) that plays an instrumental part of determining what gets scaled back. Concerned students have formed the Students Against Austerity, a group that also encompasses the University of Saskatchewan, also facing multi-million dollar budget cuts. Students and faculty are most concerned about the liberal arts, the department widely believed to be on the chopping block first.

After a major security breach on Nov. 5, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has just introduced credit monitoring services starting at $14.95 a month. This service is targeted for those affected by the breach but students have argued that, “those affected should not be out of pocket for the way the government has mishandled their information.” One-third of those affected by the breach have still not been contacted because contact information is still missing.

S A4 NEWS

Thursday, February 14, 2013

McMaster to close Confucius Institute this summer Anqi Shen Online News Editor McMaster University will not renew its agreement to host a Confucius Institute when its current contract expires on July 31. A statement released by the University suggests it wants to distance itself from hiring practices by its partners at the Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU): “Concerns were raised that the hiring decisions in China did not reflect the normal hiring practices of the University. Numerous discussions were held with BLCU officials to consider possible solutions but a satisfactory resolution could not be found.” The hiring discrepancy is related to a human rights complaint filed in 2012 by a former professor teaching in McMaster’s Confucius Institute. Sonia Zhao, a professor dispatched to McMaster by the BLCU, quit her job and applied for refugee status in Canada. Zhao claims she was discriminated against because her contract stipulated she was not allowed to practice Falun Gong, a belief and practice that is illegal in China. Zhao filed a complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal in May 2012. Her legal counsel will meet with McMaster lawyers on Thursday as part of the mediation stage. In the complaint, she said that McMaster University bears some responsibility because it “was giving legitimization to discrimination” by allowing the employment contract to be used. Joel Chipkar, a spokesperson for the Falun Gong Association of Canada, said a letter was sent on behalf of the Association to the University in October 2011. The

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“Concerns were raised that the hiring decisions in China did not reflect the normal hiring practices of the university.” McMaster University, Office of Public Relations

letter, obtained by The Silhouette, asks the University to intervene by “demanding” that the Institute “retract its discriminatory policy against Falun Gong.” The Association has been following Zhao’s case and is working with Zhao’s legal counsel. Chipkar said the Association is “encouraged that McMaster has taken a stand against human rights violations in Canada.” “It is still just a statement,” said Chipkar. “We still have a lot to discuss.” Confucius Institutes have a presence around the world as a means of promoting learning about Chinese language and culture. The headquarters for the institutes is Hanban, part of the Chinese Ministry of Education. In Canada, there are nine Confucius Institutes. McMaster’s Confucius Institute offers language courses in Mandarin and two “Introduction to Chinese Civilization and Culture” courses. The director of McMaster’s Institute has declined comment on the situation. According to its statement, the University is “looking at options to gauge ongoing community interest in Chinese language courses at the postsecondary level.”

Critique central to academic freedom

THE SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Askey, who works as a library administrator in Mills Library, is being sued for libel.

CONTINUED FROM A1

He re-iterated that in his role as a librarian and given limited university library budgets, it is important for universities to be selective in what they purchase. Lingua Franca, a noted American magazine, was also taken to court by EMP in 1993 for libel and asked for $15 million in damages. The magazine referred to EMP as, ““a quasi-vanity press cunningly disguised as an academic publishing house.” EMP lost the case. Concerns have arisen that this case represents a significant threat to academic freedom on campuses. An online petition on Change.org has elicited over 1000 signatures in support of Askey and McMaster, asking for the case to be dropped. On Feb. 11, The McMaster Faculty Association also issued a statement urging McMaster to offer its member, Askey, all “necessary support, including financial assistance, in dealing with this

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“[McMaster will offer] all necessary support, including financial assistance, in dealing with this threat to [Askey], our institution and to the wider academic community.” The McMaster Faculty Association, in a statement issued on Feb. 11

threat to him, our institution and to the wider academic community.” Arbeau noted that because Askey’s comments were made on a personal blog and while he was not an employee of McMaster, his case is a unique one. McMaster has chosen to act in support but “is responsible for its own defence and the costs borne from that as a co-defendant.”

Thursday, February 14, 2013

NEWS A5

ENDIESSRUES Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor Trigger warning: This story examines women’s experiences with sexual assault and how women are advocating for a safer environment for students. Names have been changed or abbreviated in order to protect student privacy. Some experiences simply can’t be understood by looking at the stats. Statistics Canada estimates that less than one out of 10 sexual assaults will come to the attention of the police and overall, actual victimization is much higher than official statistics. In 2012, McMaster Campus Security reported three sexual assaults, but if national statistics are any indication, this number could be a gross underestimate of the total number of sexual assaults experienced by Mac students. The Silhouette spoke with several individuals associated with advocacy efforts, as well as survivors of sexual assault. Their stories reflected how sexual assault is largely unacknowledged among students and the university community. A., a woman involved with social justice on campus, explained how her own peer group saw rape as something that happens and should be addressed.

A campus story that goes untold But she explained attitudes among the general student body varied: “people are horrified by rape and sexual assault. But no one wants to label it. And it something that needs to be spoken about but isn’t.” While events like SlutWalk have tried to build mainstream awareness about “slut shaming” and victim-blaming, students often still face an alienating and stigmatizing environment on campus among their peers. Survivors interviewed reported that rape jokes were prevalent in their peer groups and that they would commonly be accused of exaggerating their experience or told that it “wasn’t a big deal” or that they were “just drunk.” Sarah, a sexual assault survivor, emphasized how common victim blaming is among students. “Questions such as, ‘why was she walking home alone in the first place?’, ‘was she drunk? ‘ or ‘was she wearing a skanky outfit?’ come to mind immediately. Victim blaming is never okay and it’s very hurtful for me to hear comments like that.” Others suggested that the stigma has been perpetuated in the reporting process and discrimination occurs through the entire legal system. A. explained how criminal law unfairly classifies sexual as-

sault by levels. These levels place unequivocal emphasis on certain types of assault while negating others. “I haven’t yet seen an approach within the law that is appropriate. It’s a hierarchy of hurt. Being raped isn’t a simple thing, [it’s not something] you can put levels on. [Categorization] doesn’t put emphasis on a lifetime of pain.” Similarly, Sarah expressed her disgust at how the legal system approached survivors and their experiences. “One of the big problems is that when an officer is dealing with sexual assault they tend to ask questions such as, ‘were you drunk?’, ‘did you make advances on your own?’ and ‘did you say no clearly’, which lead to the victim feeling like they themselves are on the stand for the crime. That is not okay.” Jyssika, QSCC Co-ordinator, also described how security concerns remain a huge issue on campus. “We have measures in place like SWHAT and the red emergency posts on campus. But places where we’re most susceptible, like coming out of labs at night or secluded spaces in the library, we have nothing.” While the people interviewed spoke from different perspectives, they all concluded that access to resources remains limited for

students. Sarah described how she did not seek help for one of her assaults because she feared being judged and as a result became depressed and has a diagnosed anxiety disorder. “As a survivor I know what it feel like to feel unsafe going to a regular health centre, so I 100 per cent support a woman and trans* centre on campus.” Jyssika described how QSCC operated one of the few consistent “safe spaces” on campus. She emphasized how a safe space for anyone who has experienced sexual violence would provide a specific and much needed forum for outreach and a channel to connect survivors with resources. “To the young men of the McMaster community: We do not think that every single one of you are out there to sexually assault us but there is absolutely no way for us to tell the difference when we first meet you. So next time a female doesn’t respond to your ‘Hello’ on the street, especially after dark, instead of calling her a ‘bitch’ or saying she is rude, take into account that she does have the right to not say anything to you if she doesn’t want to,” concluded Sarah. While survivor’s stories remain only partially told, a willingness and commitment to open up campus dialogue seems apparent.

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A new meaning for V-day McMaster joins the one Billion Rising movement

“Be a man” Anqi Shen Online News Editor Carlos Andres Gomez travelled nearly 800 km to Hamilton Monday night to speak about a confrontation outside a New York nightclub that changed his life. “We have to start with our own story,” said Gomez, a spoken word poet known to tackle societal definitions of masculinity. At TwelvEighty, Gomez addressed students and community members about some of the territory he covers in his latest book, Man Up: Breaking the Code of Manhood. Gomez spoke about pressure he felt to be a jock in middle school and high school in New York City. He said his concept of what it means to “be a man” reached a turning point one night outside a club when a man he’d accidentally bumped into wanted to fight him. “I couldn’t figure out why two men were willing to die over nothing,” he said. Gomez also described his

emotional response—what he’d tried to disguise as an “allergic reaction”—to poetry the first time he heard it. A former social worker and inner city public school teacher, Gomez now performs spoken word poetry around the world. “At 16 I was building myself up to be this perfect man,” said Gomez during his speech. “I realized, maybe everything I’ve been doing to be a man has been totally incongruous to what I am.” Gomez describes his work as being about “reimagining what it means to carry a banner of identity.” “The one-sided version of manhood I was given feeds into violence between men, violence against women and homophobic violence.” he said. The goal of Gomez’s performances is to prompt people to break away from gender stereotypes. “There’s a tremendous power and responsibility that comes with being on the stage. I want to make sure I’m talking about things with high stakes.”

Julia Redmond Assistant News Editor It’s simple math, really. There are about six billion people on the earth, half of whom are women. And according to a report from the United Nations Development Fund for Women, one in three women will experience some form of sexual violence or harassment in her lifetime. Activist Eve Ensler did the math. And because one billion women in the world would be affected, she decided it was time to do something about it. Ensler, who wrote the controversial play The Vagina Monologues, is the founder of V-Day, a global day of activism on Feb. 14 to end violence against women. 2013 marks the fifteenth anniversary of V-Day and will see the launch of her newest project, called One Billion Rising (OBR). OBR is designed to be an international phenomenon that will involve groups of women occupying public spaces and dancing. Upon hearing about the movement, McMaster activists wanted to get in on the action. “Not only is this to raise awareness, but it’s to celebrate women and girls,” explained TJ Jamieson, fourth-year nursing student and project director

at Feminist Alliance McMaster (FAM). The McMaster event, which will take place in the MUSC Atrium in the afternoon of Feb. 14, will feature Zumba and belly dancing lessons, a flash mob, and an evening dance party. “We didn’t want to be doom and gloom,” Jamieson said. “Obviously [sexual assault] is a very stoic subject, but we also wanted to include that women are amazing.” The event will be hosted in collaboration between FAM and I Am Woman, a newly formed women’s interest group on campus that identifies itself as a “communicative link” between the variety of women’s campaigns. Hamilton’s own YWCA and Sexual Assault Centre for the Hamilton Area (SACHA) are also partners in organizing. While the event is focused on women, people of all gender identies are encouraged to attend. “We are hoping for a lot of people to show up,” said Faiza Shafaqat, president of I Am Woman. Shafaqat, a third-year biopsych student, joked that “instead of sitting at home and eating chocolate by myself, I’ll be supporting this and raising awareness about violence against women.” She added that the feedback they have gotten so far has been “amazingly positive.” OBR is not without its critics, however. Feminist activists from outside North America have called the international move-

ment “imperialist” for its alleged theme of the superiority of Western culture. And even at McMaster itself, there has been some criticism. “People deeply involved in the feminist movement can be a little bit condescending towards this event because it’s dancing—you know, what can that do against violence against women?” said Amy Hutchison, second-year math and stats student and president of FAM. “But my response and the response I’ve heard from others is that you also have to have fun.” The choice of dance as the medium for the event is not only for the fun of it, though; Ensler and the movement’s proponents wanted to highlight the use of dance as a creative form of protest, as well as a means of healing for women affected by sexual violence. Hutchinson and her co-organizers hope that participants will gain a sense of global connection, as well as a positive relationship with activism. “No one’s saying that you have to stop violence against women, as if after February 14, when people dance, there will be no violence,” she said. “Women need a chance to come together and see that one billion of us all supporting each other and dancing [is a good thing], and dance is a really expressive and artistic way to show that.”

EDITORIAL

Executive Editor Sam Colbert Email thesil@thesil.ca Phone 905.525.9140 x22052 General Meeting Mondays at 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

A6 S ONTARIO PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE POLICY PAPER

Don’t be 22 and broke to our very own sex magazine. to the models and contributors, and to shec and qscc. to satire. to grandma spurek. to spring training.

to falling behind on the harlem shake. how will we go on? to the other spec. how many more front page stories and editorials until we’re sufficiently impressed that you can print information someone mailed to you? i just hope you got everything right.

to adrian emmanuel’s video interview with us getting three times more views than any other one candidate.

to benedict the quitter. (ouch.)

to bring your mom to work day at the sil.

to no issue next week. maybe i’ll clean our darkroom-turnedkitchen.

to amanda’s mini heart-shaped pies. delicious and adorable.

to downton abbey references i don’t get.

to blue cheese plus feet.

The Silhouette McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

Colleges and skilled trades aren’t bad bets for high school grads, so be sure you’re going to university for the right reasons

Sam Colbert Executive Editor I had a friend in high school named Jack. His grades were good; he got mid- to high-80s in most of his classes. His teachers (and I) encouraged him to apply to university. But he didn’t. He didn’t apply to college either. After he graduated, he started work with his brother at a contracting company. I had another friend, Ben. His grade 12 average was in the mid-70s. He applied to a few schools, and was accepted to a liberal arts program at Western. Ben failed out of third year and didn’t go back. He now lives with his parents, has $8,000 in student debt and is looking for work. Jack just made a down payment on a house. Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives released a policy paper on Tuesday that called for high school students to consider alternatives to university. It pointed out that more students

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Meeting Times

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News Thursdays @ 4:30 p.m. Opinions Wednesdays @ 2:30 p.m. Sports Fridays @ 2 p.m. InsideOut Tuesdays @ 2:30 p.m. ANDY Tuesdays @ 3:30 p.m. Photos/Illustrations Fridays @ 1:30 p.m.

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Write Us Opinions: Up to 600 words Letters: 100 to 300 words Submit via email by 12:00 p.m. the Tuesday before publication.

Legal The Silhouette welcomes letters to the editor in person at MUSC B110, or by email at thesil@thesil.ca. Please include name, address and telephone number for verification only. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters and opinion articles. Opinions expressed in The Silhouette are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers or the University. The Silhouette is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the McMaster Students Union. The Silhouette Board of Publications acts as an intermediary between the editorial board, the McMaster community and the McMaster Students Union. Grievances regarding The Silhouette may be forwarded in writing to: McMaster Students Union, McMaster University Student Centre, Room 201, L8S 4S4, Attn: The Silhouette Board of Publications. The Board will consider all submissions and make recommendations accordingly.

enter college after completing at least some post-secondary education elsewhere than students who enter college immediately after high school. “We need to encourage students to seek the least expensive and most employable programs first and foremost,” it said. In other words, forget the Liberal Party’s “If you get the grades, you get to go” slogan. If you don’t like big class sizes, theory-based classes or major student debt loads, maybe you shouldn’t go to university. This is not to discount the good work being done by advocacy groups to improve undergraduate teaching and boost experiential education. Nor is it to disregard the important criticisms of the PC paper’s statements on student loan incentives, which are now being addressed by students unions (and by contributor Jeff Doucet in this week’s Opinions section). Universities can certainly do better. But the onus of employability falls to us students, too. An undergrad is an op-

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Just know why you’re here [at McMaster], and take some responsibility for what’s going to happen to you after you leave. portunity. It’s four(ish) years to figure out who you are and what you want. You can get to know people worth knowing and try out some interesting stuff. But unless you’re in Nursing or Engineering, there’s no real guarantee that your degree will lead to a well-paying job in your field of study. I don’t regret attending McMaster. (Not yet, at least.) And I’m not saying you should, either. Just know why you’re here, and take some responsibility for what’s going to happen to you after you leave. Knowing what I know now, my advice to my friend Jack would have been different. Here’s to hoping it all works out well for both of us.

FALL BREAK 2013

Glad to be proven wrong We had our doubts, but the MSU came through on a two-day fall break in 2013 while still getting student feedback first In the Silhouette’s Oct. 18 issue, a news story and an editorial doubted that a fall break for 2013 would be possible. The MSU had not yet launched its survey for gathering input on the break, and time was running out for the idea to pass through the University’s multi-tiered approval process. We argued that students union president Siobhan Stewart needed to forget surveys and quickly push forward if she hoped to get the job done. And even then, it

was a long shot. This week, we were proved wrong. The MSU launched a survey, got a significant amount of feedback and took the information to University administrators. Undergraduate Council allowed the setting of next year’s academic calendar to be pushed to early 2013. On Wednesday, Senate voted. There will be no classes on Thursday, Oct. 31 and Friday, Nov. 1, and there will be no tests

on Saturday, Nov. 2. And the break will run again in 2014. With the exam period in December shifted forward two days and shrunk by one, no faculties will drop below their required number of teaching days. It’s not a week. But it’s a break, just as was promised, and it was born out of a lot hard work. It’s a start, and it will help people. Nice work, Siobhan. And to everyone else, have a happy Halloween.

OFF THE PAGES

Listen to our radio show Every Friday at 3 p.m., tune into 93.3 CFMU or visit cfmu.mcmaster.ca to listen to the Silhouette’s weekly radio show. Our witty and insightful editors will discuss the week’s top stories.

APOLOGY

Re: “Female politicians ‘flow’ chart” [published Feb. 7 in The Speculator] Every week, the Silhouette prints a joke page on A12. The Hamilton Speculator is meant to satirize and poke fun, sometimes by taking ignorant viewpoints to the extreme so as to demonstrate their ridiculousness. This was our intent last week with the story “Female politicians’ ‘flow’ chart.” We are sorry to readers who found the item to be in poor taste.

JOIN US

Come to our general meeting Written for the Sil before? How about taken photos? Or pitched a story idea? Or maybe you’ve never done any of that, but think you might want to try. Or maybe you just want to meet us. Or see where we make the newspaper. Or maybe make a friend. We’re friendly people, and we think you are, too. Anyway, come to our general staff and contributors meeting. Bring your own sunlight and fire exits. Next meeting in Feb. 25, after Reading Week. Mondays at 5:30 p.m. in MUSC B110

The Silhouette: Read every week and become a better you.

OPINIONS

Opinions Editor Mel Napeloni Section Meeting Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. Contact opinions@thesil.ca

Thursday, February 14, 2013

A7 S

COLUMN

Skeptics can be sexist too The skeptic movement hasn’t checked its privilege

Why we are here

Mel Napeloni Opinions Editor Similar to other groups that shout intellectual superiority, a Western skeptic’s movement has taken form in the last two decades. No unlearning is involved, no re-thinking. This outdated resistance often alienates progressive ideas from taking part. It’s dug its way into our institutional framework. Rebecca Watson, who has experienced and extensively researched sexism within the skeptic community, discussed how many women who attend skeptic/atheist themed events are made to feel unable to return. “After a few years of speaking at skeptics’ conferences, I began to get emails from strangers who detailed their sexual fantasies about me. I was occasionally grabbed and groped without consent at events,” she said. She goes on to communicate a feeling of betrayal from respected scholars like Richard Dawkins who unashamedly deny her personal experiences and (more broadly) the oppressive standards conveyed by the skeptic community. “They’re angry that feminist thought has a platform in ‘their community.’ What they don’t get is that it’s also my community.” The lack of critical approach in McMaster’s philosophy program revisits this unsettling culture. A nerve in me broke after being in a curriculum for over three years and having no other conception of my world beyond the outdated ramblings of men who thought God was nature. When I’m a critical twenty-year-old student reading a text by Stroud on how everything Descartes said was right and asked to spend my time and effort to write a five-page paper on it, what am I supposed to think? Men like Hegel, Kant and Leibniz shaped philosophical thought. For that, they deserve attention and patience. But stripping an entire intellectual framework of progressive discourse is problematic. Without it, there is a hell of a lot missing. It’s history’s discursive formation. It’s patriarchy and political strife. It’s checking (and reducing) your privilege. It’s knowing who can reclaim a word and who can’t. It’s ridding yourself of crippling norms. It’s finding new ways to combat that ‘change’ or ‘cultural wave’ or ‘revolution’ (whatever the hell you call it) to come to fruition. It’s learning that it’s okay to be emotional about the world you’re forced to deal with every waking day. It’s knowing that happiness or ‘finding the ultimate truth’ isn’t the only thing that makes for a good life - it’s fighting for or against whomever or whatever needs to be fought. It was five years ago when I promised to devote myself to philosophical engagement with my experiences. If there was one subject that hammered the concept of defining your terms, it was philosophy. If there was one subject that made you question your existence (you know, as a particle in a vast whole) more than anything, it was philosophy. Anyone who denies this impact doesn’t know what it means to sit naked at three in the morning against a cold wall and cry your eyes out to experience a moment of clarity. But when a movement so adamantly denies social context, where does the real learning take place? Wasn’t philosophy designed to redefine the horizons of our thought and to make the appropriate pre-suppositions by which to approach certain realities? How, thus, does it so easily defend the status quo?

Written by the winners How can we trust historical texts when so many have proven to be a lie? Sarah O’Connor Silhouette Staff If you aren’t an Anthropology or History major then you probably haven’t heard the big news over in England. Last fall, a skeleton was uncovered under a parking lot in Leicester, England. After thorough scientific tests and DNA

results the skeleton was discovered to be none other than that of King Richard III. A year-long project, archaeologists continue to examine the body but have also discovered something that will change history. In William Shakespeare’s play Richard III, King Richard is described with a hunched back and a withered hand. But when

McMaster Discovery Program: a journey into the community KAREN WANG / GRAPHICS EDITOR

Karen Wang Graphics Editor The first things I noticed about Peggy-Anne when I met her on orientation night were her twinkling eyes and her radiant smile. Jet-black hair, pearly white skin and rosy cheeks, she appeared to be in her fifties, but she spoke with the energy and exuberance of a five-year-old. Her smile lines gave the effect of effervescence instead of old age, her shrunken physique a sense of childish vivacity rather than fragility. As she introduced herself, her voice bounced off the walls and her legs – too short to reach the carpet – kicked in the air emphatically. Peggy-Anne is one of eighteen participants of McMaster University’s Voicing Hamilton Discovery Program this year. In step with Patrick Deane’s Forward With Integrity initiative to strengthen intercommunity relationships, the program offers a twelve-week course on the history of Hamilton to local Hamiltonians encountering barriers to education. “I just want to learn,” PeggyAnne said simply as to why she signed up for the program. The genuine desire to learn defined the energy at our weekly Saturday classes and is what I find awe-inspiring as a Support Team member of the program. This array of adult students – despite differences in age, background

and enduring difficulties in life, whether monetary, linguistic, cultural or medical – all share the simple excitement to engage in a purely educational environment. At the graduation ceremony four months after we first met, Peggy-Anne recounted her struggle in entering an academic setting as a big, scary step; one that she is ever so glad she took. Having led a difficult life, it wasn’t until a decade ago that she recognized herself as a victim of family violence and childhood sexual abuse. The program gave her a newfound confidence and a sense that she is allowed to have a voice, to take up space. The program isn’t just about the spirit of learning, or the history of Hamilton for that matter. It is an opportunity to reach out and make connections; it is about searching for a sense of self and identity. In short, it is about finding your place in society. Every Saturday morning Peggy-Anne comes to class bearing Tim Horton’s coffee and breakfast for herself and Lina, another student that she has grown close to. Through discussions on local activism and controversial topics, despite occasional opposing opinions, the class members have shown tolerance, respect and intelligence. By sharing stories, ideas and inside jokes, the class of the Discovery Program has become family. As university students, we

have become sheltered in our university life. Often at 2 a.m. when an essay due the next day is still waiting to be started, I wonder ironically why we often feel trapped in this system of deadlines and morning lectures and where our sense of adventure and excitement is that the students of the Discovery Program effortless find in learning. “Why we are all here?” I often find myself wondering about the mass of students in lectures and tutorials waiting for the proverbial bell to ring, the students who join clubs to fill resumes (we all do it). I am talking about myself, my roommates and the many people I see around campus. I suppose we are here for an education. For a degree. For a future career. Most of us look at school like an assignment, an obligation to check off the grand To-Do list of life. I realize that in the path of finding a future, we’ve lost something important in the present. We are becoming robots in an educational system. Yes, we are students. But before that, we are members of larger communities – the McMaster community, the Hamilton community, the global community. We need to remember that. I am grateful to the 18 creative, intelligent, resilient people who have reminded me of this by sharing their stories and their presence.

FEEDBACK

What are your thoughts on Black History Month? Compiled by Mel Napeloni

“Reminds us of historical struggles. We shouldn’t forget it after February.“

“It’s something we should slowly get rid of. It isn’t needed as much in Canada.”

“I used to be against it. I know now it’s needed and isn’t acknowledged enough.”

Hassaan Malik, Comp Sci I

Derek Brown, Sociology, III

Sandra G. Sami, Psych, IV

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A history in favour of those who won battles or reigned over countries isn’t a truthful history. uncovering the body, although the skeleton presents scoliosis spinal deformity, the archaeologists didn’t find exactly these descriptions on the skeleton. That leads to one question. Why did Shakespeare exaggerate? The answer was discovered quite quickly. During Shakespeare’s time the Tudors were in charge. The Tudors had killed King Richard III in a two-year battle known as the War of the Roses. When Richard III was killed, the Tudors reigned. And what playwright would dare write anything against royalty? It is concluded that in order to please the Tudors, Shakespeare

portrayed Richard III in a negative light with negative characteristics to favour his rulers. But now we approach much deeper questions. Shakespeare also wrote of King Richard III as a tyrant, a man who murdered his nephews so he would stay king. If Shakespeare lied about his physical appearance, what else of Richard III is a lie? As my dad told me, “History is written by the winners, not the losers.” And since all we have are the winner’s stories, we have a biased history. A history in favour of those who won battles or reigned over countries isn’t a truthful history. So if history (our past) is a lie, then who are we? How do we know that what we’ve grown up believing is the truth? You may be thinking, “But that’s just England, that isn’t Canada. We know our history.” But do we? Do you remember learning

about Residential Schools? The schools that First Nations children were forced to attend that taught them colonial values and forced them to forget their heritage? Do you remember learning about how the Indigenous children were emotionally, physically and sexually abused by their teachers? Do you remember that the residential schools opened in the 1840s and didn’t close until 1996? Were you taught that or did your tenth grade history teacher simply skim over that bit of Canada’s dark past? Every country has its dark past, but we aren’t proud of it. But does that mean we should hide our heads in the sand, denying what we did, lying to future generations? If our history is a lie, then who are we? How can we base ourselves on people and incidences that may not have happened or happened in very different ways?

S A8 OPINIONS

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Head to Head vs.

ARGUING

FOR

Karthicka S.

THE MOTION

AGAINST

Andrea Tang

Junior VP Internal MacDebate Club

Karthicka: It’s that time of year when emotions are running high, stress levels even higher and sleep is nowhere in sight. There’s midterms, there’s papers, there’s presentations - aren’t you glad it’s almost reading week? After six months of school, students, professors and TAs are all likely to be stressed and demoralized. To top it off, morale runs characteristically low during those dark, cold winter months. Thus, unlike in first semester, when school has only been in session for two months, a February reading week proves quite essential to reducing the emotional and academic stress that is prominent. Then there is the added bonus of strategically being placed so that students can catch up on work, and hopefully reduce their workload by getting a head start on the midterm studying and paper writing that will be waiting to great them when they get back. Essentially, I’d say that reading week serves these purposes

ARGUING

THE MOTION

VP External MacDebate Club

Andrea: I think we have to really be honest about reading week and whether students actually work during this week. Yes, it might be a nice break for some, but for many professors, it’s a good excuse to make lots of assignments due and midterms scheduled the week right before and the week right after reading week. This simply means students’ stress levels are at the complete maximum, while they cram their five midterms and three assignments in during the week before and the week after, instead of possibly having them spread out over three weeks. I think professors’ requirement to accommodate for reading week simply causes tighter and more stressful schedules for students around

quite well, and it doesn’t have much hindrance on the rest of academic calendar, except for pushing ever so slightly into the summer. But really, that’s four months anyways! Today’s society is too fast paced - people find themselves burnt out in their jobs and now in school. Reading week is just a small way to get people to stop and smell the roses, take a breath and relax - a little something that we all benefit from.

Is reading week necessary?

that time. As well, since students know they have a week off from school in February, they tend to procrastinate more than usual in the couple weeks before because hey, they have a whole week off to catch up on all their courses and do all their assignments that are due right when they get back! The reality is that most students find they don’t end up doing as much work as planned over the reading week and when they get back, they have more work built up than they can reasonably handle. The “I’m just going to take a break because I deserve one and that’s what reading week is designed for” attitude disrupts students’ normal school schedules and changes their mentality towards school in the weeks prior, leading to an increased stress level upon return. I think overall, reading week just disrupts students’ normal school cycles and routines and doesn’t relieve stress the way it’s supposed to.

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Harper’s decision to kill the penny wasn’t a good move

YOSEIF HADDAD / PHOTO EDITOR

Rob Hardy Silhouette Staff After much deliberation, last week finally marked the implementation of the Canadian penny’s demise. Most Canadians either meet this news with approval or indifference. However, if we look at the matter more seriously (as we should) then it might become apparent that this irreversible decision isn’t such a good thing. Many of us see pennies as simply a nuisance, something we gladly part with or even throw away, but therein lay the issue that is at the center of this debate. For people who are poor, on welfare or even homeless, money in any denomination has real tangible value. It is what makes the difference between a level of comfort and a life of misery. For people looking to stretch their budget as far as they can, saving a few cents every day over the course of a month literally allows them to keep their heads above water. But once we enter a certain tax bracket and/or mindset of abundance, it is easy for many consumers to not care about spare change or see how their overall finances balance out. Such attitudes lead to overconsumption, feeling safely distant from the threat of a negative bank balance. Indeed, it is this careless spending and financial perspective that has spurred Canada toward a reputation of near luxurious wealth. So, as

“

Producing the penny may not be economically viable anymore, but that is simply because we have priced ourselves beyond reason and common sense. we part with our savings more easily, so too does inflation rise and give way to further credit schemes. How can a mere penny have value for us when we deal with much larger numbers, albeit in abstract terms, when looking at monthly statements? Yes, it’s absolutely true that producing the penny may not be economically viable anymore, but that is simply because we have priced ourselves beyond reason and common sense. No longer are price increases intermittent – they are taken for granted as “natural” when each calendar year changes. Just calculate how much your first year’s tuition will have gone up by your final year if you need any further proof. It’s important to remember is that the penny is representational of our larger attitudes and beliefs toward financial solvency. It’s for good reason that the solid saying, “a penny saved is a penny earned” entered our verbal lexicon. Though one-cent tender will soon go the way of paper dollar bills, the lesson still applies, likely all the more as we will continue to see our cost of living rapidly increase.

Government judges student worth Jeffrey Doucet The Silhouette On Tuesday, Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak released a policy paper titled “Paths to Prosperity: Higher Learning for Better Jobs.” The paper lays out a series of recommendations that would dramatically change the postsecondary education landscape in Ontario. There are several points in the paper that will catch the eye of students, professors and university administrators. The paper aims to advance policy that will change the way financial aid and education is delivered across Ontario. The paper advances an argument that the Ontario government must hold universities and students more accountable, while gearing undergraduate education towards the job market. Hudak boldly proposes to grant student loans based on academic achievement, calling it a market solution. “Decisions about who should receive loans and how much money is to be awarded should involve assessments of future employability and should reward good academic behaviour,” he says. This is troubling. It is the role of the university to evaluate students and determine if they merit a university degree. Giving OSAP the power to evaluate the worth of a student will undermine our universities. If Hudak believes that poor academic performance will lead to worthless degrees, he should push universities to improve undergraduate education. While any paper on university education will get the attention of student groups, this paper begs for it. Hudak argues that both student unions and university administrations need to be held more accountable when it comes to student fees. Specifically, “students should be allowed to optout of paying fees that go toward political advocacy.” This is a reaction to a small number of student groups across Ontario that have engaged in poor fiscal management and partisan political advocacy. Hudak

references the McMaster Association of Part-Time Students (surprise) as well as two other student groups in Ontario. When you consider the number of student unions in Ontario – we have 47 Post-Secondary institutions – it seems absurd for the party to attack all political advocacy efforts by student groups. Advocacy from special interest groups is an important part of the democratic process, and the small number of groups referenced is evidence of a poorly crafted policy. While some ideas floated in the paper are troubling, others would lead to a stronger undergraduate education. They argue that universities should embrace teaching-only faculty as a means of improving learning quality and the student experience. This is a welcomed initiative, but will be difficult to implement. If elected, Hudak will be forced to navigate existing faculty agreements that bind faculty positions to research. Hudak makes a strong push for focusing universities on job creation. The paper suggests funding universities based on levels of immediate employment for graduates. This would reward universities for programs that have high employment rates for their graduates immediately after education. While professional programs will likely welcome the idea and opportunity for enhanced investment, non-professional programs will reap little benefit from this policy. To implement this policy and funding mechanism, a Hudak government will have to define meaningful employment. With our current job market for new grads, good luck. The Progressive Conservatives are leaning heavily on the assumption that we are in university to get a job. They are gambling that we will accept less autonomy for our universities if it will increase job numbers. In the coming months it will be interesting to see reaction from student groups, professors, university administrators and other provincial parties. The official opposition has raised important questions that we as undergrads must answer.

CHECK OUT WWW.MSUMcMASTER.CA/TWELVEIGHTY FOR MORE!

The penny didn’t have to go

CHEAPDRINKS, AMAZINGFOOD, PRICELESSMEMORIES.

OPINIONS A9 S

THURS BAR NIGHTS! HOTTEST DJ’S! LOWESTDRINKPRICESINHAMILTON! STUDENTPRICES!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

S A10 OPINIONS

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Put all your cards on the table

c Ma l d ne nta o i t en or me M U od f lth go hea

YOSEIF HADDAD / PHOTO EDITOR

When you fall in love with someone you will know. The answer is different for every person but that’s okay. Go all out. Take risks.

Brandon Meawasige Senior Sports Editor For all that is worthy of time wasted, engrossed in discourse and studied from every angle, there is one subject that no equation or research can solidify. There is no way to measure either the quality or quantity of love. The closest classification widely considered to be accurate is that love is an emotion. Taken at face value, we are told that it is something we can feel. However, love itself is malleable and takes many forms. To simplify it as an emotion has left love susceptible to frequently cloudy, general descriptions that are in turn often sought as a necessity. In search of it, people manufacture expectations - unrealistic and naïve in nature - only to have reality come to frui-

tion. Media, those who surround us and most other edges of our frames of reference dictate what love should be. Pardon the allusion to the famous 1990’s nightclub song, “What is Love?”, but it may indeed be the most profound question known to humanity. Some say that it is trust, some say that it is respect and some say that it is an unspoken connection. It has been described as a can’teat, can’t-sleep, over the moon feeling in the pit of your stomach. Some say it requires that one is miserable and some say that it is does not exist in its truest form. If you are constantly searching for love, certainly you will not find it. Anyone who claims to ever have been in love will tell you that happenstance, serendipity and chance played at least some role

in their experience. Some call it destiny and others consider it to be the result of circumstance. Even further contested is the idea of “the one.” Some believe that you can only truly fall in love once while others believe it is possible to be in love may times within one’s life. The pessimist will tell you that love is not guaranteed and the optimist may believe it exists to a flaw. At the end of the day, some things go beyond explanation; love is one of them. Love itself may escape definition, as many who find themselves bound by its capture seek to escape ever falling for someone in the first place. What constitutes being in love? The answer is different for every person. Values supersede all else for certain people, others require

physical attraction and to a select few just being able to spend time with someone is enough to conjure the ultimate happiness. Love is not one thing in particular and it is certainly more than an emotion. You feel it in your body, mind and soul. You hear it in the music you listen to and see it wherever you look when you can’t sleep. It’s in the words that you say and the words that you don’t. There is nothing better and at the same time there can be nothing worse. It can fix you and it can break you, but when you fall in love with someone you will know. Doesn’t matter what you call it or how you express it. In fact, nothing matters when you fall in love. Put all your cards on the table, go all in and hold nothing back.

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Andrew Choubeta The Silhouette UMentionedMac is a Facebook account that allows students to post anonymous and flirtatious messages. Apart from the occasional creepy call outs and assertions on derrières, it gives an interesting perspective on the mental health of students. Two very disturbing things can be observed from this account. Firstly, nearly all students (both men and women) have no idea how to approach one another. Secondly, we all seem to be slightly depressed. To the most astute readers, this will not come as a surprise, but to all the others, I’m going to give you a quick rundown on why you should give a damn about this new Facebook fad. So far, nearly all posts on UMentionedMac are invitations to dates or comments on someone’s appearance. Most of them should have been said to the individual in the first place, but people are too afraid of rejection. Now, I’m not Harvey Specter, and to be honest, I sometimes lack the courage to feed my rabbit carrots over my fear of losing a finger. I understand the difficulty people have when approaching someone at the library to tell them “Hey, wanna get a coffee?” or just to say hello. But in the real world, the worst that he/she could say is no, and once you realize that, it makes the uncertainty significantly less fearful. It’s highly doubtful that the individual you’re charming is going to point and laugh at your face. Posting “To the spicy Latino in Mills Commons I want to talk to you” is not going to get you a date with her. But asking her out might, and the students posting on UMentioned need to realize this. I apologize if I’m stating the obvious, but if we all just acted on the obvious, we would probably be better off. My friend Adel said something pretty insightful to me today when discussing this topic. “We as students are so obsessed on hooking up, and we are also obsessed on perfection.” This Facebook account brings that to light. Students are just so afraid that if they don’t ask a person out perfectly, they won’t get a chance. Depression sucks. We are all aware of this, and most of us have “I hate everything that is happy and warm in the universe” feelings every once and a while. UMentionedMac actually allows students to help their peers with mental issues. Every night, someone pours their life out in a status post, and people usually offer comforting advice or hugs. It’s the little things like this that bring happiness into people’s lives. You never know how badly someone’s life could be at a specific moment, and the UmentionedMac account really can inspire self-confidence in people.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

OPINIONS A11 S

Of kingdoms and enslavement Grand ancient African civilizations deserve to stand alongside the West Edward Lovo Silhouette Staff Whose memory is conjured when recalling the enslavement of millions of Africans? Often, the discussion that circulates around black history narrows in on but a small portion: slavery. And often, one speaks of black slaves instead of enslaved Africans, which subtly conceals the act of enslavement and at once meshes black identity with slavery. A playwright once wrote, “Language most shows a man: Speak, that I may see thee.” Despite good intentions, language belies the framework in which one conceives of a subject; both must therefore be beheld by the eye of scrutiny. Most strokes of the brush depict black history with the colours of oppression and powerlessness, to the neglect of a rich and vibrant past marked by a forgetfulness of how dignity was preserved in enslavement. A different picture takes shape as horizons broaden to include the continent of Africa. Kingdoms and empires rose and fell, cultures flourished and social life had another mode of existence than in the West. Portuguese exploration of Africa in the 15th century augured the beginning of the Atlantic slave trade - or Maafa as referred to by some - but the 15th century for Africa also meant the decline of one of its empires, the Mali. The Mali Empire, under the rule of Mansa Mūsā, became one of the largest empires in the world during the early 14th century. The Mali Empire was known for its wealth, since Mansa Sundiata had

in the preceding century secured Bondu and Bambuk, lands with lots of gold. The Empire’s wealth became known to the world during Mansa Mūsā’s pilgrimage to Mecca. Arab chroniclers said of Mansa Mūsā’s procession into Cairo and Mecca that it almost put Africa’s sun to shame. This message by the Arab chroniclers is driven home by the fact that the Cairo market was still recovering from its decline in value 12 years after Mansa Mūsā’s lavish spending of gold. Even after these 12 years, the inhabitants of Cairo (estimated at one million) still sung the praises of Mansa Mūsā. Apart from the kingdoms and empires of Africa, tribal lives still thrived with a communal spirit and, compared to the West, were kinder in laws and punishment. In the Congo, for example, private property was an unfamiliar idea, where theft was. In connection with this, Howard Zinn tells of when a “Congolese leader, told of the Portuguese legal codes, asked a Portuguese once, teasingly: ‘What is the penalty in Portugal for anyone who puts his feet on the ground?’” It’s true that the enslaved Africans became a powerless people, torn from their homes and communities. Some were even sold by their own people and put through the trauma and physical ordeal of the tightly packed spaces below deck the ships, chained together. Despite or in spite of this, enslaved blacks would show their refusal to submit by running away. More frequently, they acted out more clandestine forms of resistance against their slave owners: sabotage and slowdowns. On

occasion, enslaved blacks would organize rebellions; there is documented evidence of at least 250 uprisings involving 10 or more blacks. All of these forms of resistance were an expression of their unshakeable sense of dignity. By no means have I provided a comprehensive history of the Mali Empire, let alone of the other empires, tribes and kingdoms that too often go unmentioned in African history. However, this scant account is meant to adjust the focus of

black history far beyond their enslavement. Too often do these discussions fixate on the white enslavement of blacks, which not only forms an inaccurate portrayal of blacks as meek and submissive, but also neglects the grandeur of ancient African civilizations and the richness of its cultures that deserve to stand alongside the histories of Western civilizations as well as those of the Near and Far East. American and Canadian

Free

consciousness, because of limited hindsight or because of a fetish with depravity (really, who knows why?) erase from memory the past of a people that had an existence before their enslavement. This amnesia should make us ashamed, for it neglects that essential part of a person, that individuality which has definition emerging from a long, long history and not simply from a small portion of it.

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THURSDAY

NOTSPEC.COM

HAMILTON SPECULATOR FEBRUARY 14, 2013

THE

MARGINALIZING THE MA JORIT Y SINCE 1934

Unsung Heroes of

WHITE HISTORY

The man who refused to give up his bus seat

The man who just really liked cotton sweaters

The man who made us feel more smarter

The man who invented lazy protesting

The man who made it okay to break it down

This adamant soul faced hordes of grouchy public transit “patriots” and in spite of their protest he never ceded his primo location at the front of the bus, which, as everyone knows, is the best vantage point for launching into bigoted tirades. Way to go man.

He didn’t support the unjust slave trade, but he really loved the feel of all-natural cotton on his skin. He once had to wear a wool vest and it gave him a rash he would sooner choose to forget. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

He could have made highbudget romantic comedies, yearly action flicks or gut-wrenching war dramas, but instead Wes Anderson chose to make movies that make white people feel like bonafide intellectuals. The movies are really bad in reality, of course.

We used to have to actually speak to speak out against injustice, but this man single-handedly took the test out of protesting. Who knew we were one 30x20 inch poster board away from solving all the world’s problems?

It goes without explanation but this wack-ass motherfucker done changed the game. The real slim shady has stood up sir.

Gambling on god: Pope-a-dope

Angelo Scola (Italy)

7:2

INSIDE TODAY

Peter Turkson (Ghana)

4:1

Marc Ouellet (Canada)

4:1

RACSEXAGEIST: SOCIETY’S

HUDAK SEPARATES FOOLS

WEATHER

MOST INCLUSIVE BIGOT A4

FROM THEIR MONEY B0

HIGH: STRESS PALPATATIONS

We’ll collect

SARCASTIC APOLOGY C2

VEGAN-FRIENDLY

LOW: FLOW

the fee when

COLOR BY THE PAULS A8

OXYMORONS C4

If breathing becomes laboured,

the times

TURNS OUT BOMB THREATS

A LINE THAT EVEN WE WON’T

you’re probably screwed.

comes...

ARE ILLEGAL AT IKEA TOO B3

CROSS: IS IT CONGA? A3

SAVE ME OXYGEN JESUS, O2

PER ISSUE:

What did you learn this week, Timmy? “I learned,

A real Harlem shake would register on a Richter scale.”

“GOD Rules” (POG)

A:Ω

Cherry Shit

SPECU

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Disclaimer: Stories printed in The Hamilton Speculator are fact. Any resemblance to persons real or dead is likely intentional and done out of spite. Opinions expressed are those of The Speculator and if you disagree with them you are wrong. And stupid. Possibly ugly as well.

SPORTS

Sports Editors Brandon Meawasige and Scott Hastie Section Meeting Fridays at 2 p.m. Contact sports@thesil.ca

Thursday, February 14, 2013

B1 S BASKETBALL

Tale of the tape

Mac gears up for the final pair of games in the regular season

GUARD

MEN’S

#11 Ben Johnson

#25 Adam Presutti A/G: 3.0

PPG: 5.8

GUARD A/G: 1.3

FG%: 41%

Mac’s star point guard has battled injuries since the summer, but he’s as close to 100 per cent as he has been this season. The team plays at a better pace with Presutti running the show. His ability to control the tempo of the game is level with the best guards in this country. Presutti’s play will be a huge determinant in the Marauders weekend results.

PPG: 9.6 FG%: 34%

As Johnson goes, so does Lakehead. The up-anddown guard is not afraid to shoot, and this can work out in his favour. When Johnson is playing well, he puts the team on his back. Otherwise, he can kill the Lakehead offense evidenced by his 33.5 shooting percentage. Mac has a tendency to let players get going offensively, but that can’t happen with Johnson.

FORWARD

#10 Taylor Black

#9 Ryan Thomson

RPG: 6.9

RPG: 4.6

PPG: 15.1 FG%: 50%

Black has developed into the model forward of the CIS. Strong rebounder, finishes through contact, has an outside shot, and comes alive in the fourth quarter. Not known for his defense, Black will need to put together a great defensive game on an experienced Lakehead frontcourt.

FORWARD

PPG: 14.2 FG%: 48%

The fifth-year engine for the Thunderwolves locomotive is the complete package. Thomson is shooting 44 percent from behind the arc this year, while pulling down 4.6 rebounds per game. He’s struggled to stay out of foul trouble this year, so Black should go right at his opponent to force him to the bench.

WOMEN’S

FORWARD

#12 Hailey Milligan

#13 Jessica de Haan

RPG: 11.3 PPP: 15.4 FG%: 46%

RPG: 4.9

There is no other way to put it: Hailey Milligan is on fire. She’s been the best player on the court in nearly every game she’s played in 2013. Milligan is beaming with confidence; getting easy shots in the post, hitting mid-range jumpers. The fourthyear should have no problem maintaining that level of production against Lakehead.

GUARD

PPG: 4.1

FG%: 33%

Lakehead’s first-year forward has evolved into the main defensive player. De Haan is the rimprotector, leading the team in blocks this season. However, she lacks the height at 6’1” to bother Milligan’s shots. Mac can be successful in the post against de Haan. The rookie’s impact will be seen mostly defending drives to the basket.

GUARD

#5 Vanessa Bonomo

#15 Carolyn Fragale

A/G: 4.6

A/G: 3.2 PPG: 15.2 FG%: 43%

PPG: 8.8 FG%: 36%

Mac’s ‘mighty mouse’ is the most important player to the Marauders offence. When she is attacking the basket, she brings a whole different aspect to the Maroon offence. The best example of this was her takedown of Waterloo, finishing with 24 points and nine assists. If she looks to get to the rim, Mac will benefit.

The fifth-year guard is a potent offensive force. Leading her team in assists and points, the key for the Marauders will be shutting down Fragale. She has a solid mix of inside and outside game, which could be tough for the Marauders when defending the pick-and-roll. A big game from Fragale will be tough to overcome.

S B2 SPORTS

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Eyes on the Final Four With a loss to York, the Marauders fail to finish the season undefeated John Bauer Silhouette Staff They say you have to try everything once, otherwise you will never know what you love and what you hate. Of course that is not to say that the McMaster men’s volleyball team, or any other sports team for that matter, would ever try to lose a game. But for a squad that has piled up win after blowout win since October, it may just have gotten too easy to forget how much they hate to lose. Enter a York team with something to prove, a clutch performance and one of the league’s elite players, and you have the perfect storm. Said storm descended upon Tait Mackenzie gymnasium Sunday afternoon, as the fifthranked York Lions ended Mac’s dreams of a perfect season in straight sets 19-25, 23-25, 21-25. Had the loss come at any other point in the season, it could be written off as an anomaly in the normal ebb and flow of an 18game campaign. But the loss came in the season finale, ruining the dreams of perfection and alerting the competition that maybe, just maybe, McMaster does have a weakness heading into the playoffs. Luckily for Maroon volleyball fans, the game was not a typical McMaster game. The normally well-oiled machine that is the Mac attack left numerous points on the board

YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

The Marauders host the Final Four tournament over Feb. 22-23, where the OUA’s best will battle for a berth in the CIS Championships . all too apparent Sunday. an uncharacteristically anemic Serviceable York substitute with simple miscommunications. They earned a first round attack. Alexander Duncan-Thibault For whatever reason, bye in the playoffs to do just that, While the loss of the perfect provided three clutch aces, mistakes that any other game and can bank on rookie standout season is unfortunate, as the his only aces on the season, would be brushed off and quickly Jayson McCarthy returning to the cliché goes, the real season begins compounding McMaster’s recovered from had a way of lineup. now for McMaster’s tallest. problems. accumulating Sunday. The loss is on the back of Entering the playoffs with an Jori Mantha had 10.5 points A scorecard usually showing their minds now, two wins from even larger target on their backs for the Marauders in his first multiple McMaster players hitting the OUA championship. The due to the loss, McMaster has to game back after a bout with double digits in points had just question is, will they let it eat remind themselves that they are a illness, but after that, the drop off the one. at them, or will they use it as a 17-1 team, first in the OUA, and was considerable, as Alexander To make matters worse, reminder of the abhorrence they second-ranked in the CIS. Elliot was the best of the rest with York’s Ray Szeto, a player who is have for losing? They can chalk some of the seven kills and eight points. good some games and dominant Head to Burridge gym Feb. defeat up to misfortune, but must Mac’s big guns, for whatever others, had an outstanding match, 22 and 23 to find out. correct the mistakes that became reason, fired blanks, leading to scoring 16 points.

Marauders finish season at .500

YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

The Maroon and Grey face an uphill battle in their quest for an OUA championship. Their first playoff game will be on the road, against the Ryerson Rams. Alexandra Reilly Silhouette Staff The McMaster Women’s Volleyball team travelled to York University this past Sunday to face the fifth ranked Lions in what almost turned out to be a considerable upset of epic proportions. Coming off a frustrating loss against the Golden Gaels McMaster knew that a win against York would be crucial in order to place at least top five in their division. The Marauders got off to a powerful start on Sunday as they took a quick 10-7 lead over the Lions. As the teams entered the midway point McMaster held a consistent lead and only gained more momentum as the set continued. McMaster continued their lead, executing one perfect play after another, spreading the lead to 14-9. York remained behind and McMaster racked up the score even higher. York caught up and remained within the striking distance as the set now set at 16-13. After the technical timeout a continuous pattern of errors gave the Marauders the advantage as the set drew to a close.

The score continued to favor the Marauders as the set now sat at 22-17. The set remained close and continued on with the score sitting at 24-20 for the Marauders. With a team effort from Shannon McRobert and Amanda Weldon, a crucial three points for the Marauders would be the determining factor, as the set would end with a win for the visiting McMaster squad. McMaster continued to power on in the second taking an early 5-2 lead. York soon staged an immediate comeback as they took over and led 7-6 over the Marauders. Neither team managed to string together a consistent run from the service line, but York found their rhythm and took over with a 16-14 lead heading into the technical timeout. York would find more consistency as the set continued and would take a commanding lead as the set came to a close. The set now sat in favor of the Lions with a score of 24-19 with York eventually clenching a win with the final score sitting at 25-21. With new found momentum for the York Lions, it was expected for the third set to be within their

control, but it ended up being quite the opposite. The errors, which plagued them early on during the first set slowly made their return. The Marauders were able to jump on York’s slow start taking an early 11-4 lead. McMaster continued their triumphant run bringing the score to a seven-point lead going into the technical timeout. McMaster kept up their momentum leading the set 21-13. York had one last run left before the set was out of their reach. McMaster would eventually seal the deal and take the third set 25-20 over the home team. McMaster would head into the fourth set anything but confident, as some shaky serves would open the set. The Lions built momentum off of McMaster’s shaky start and won 11 of this first 13 points before the Marauders called time out. Mac made some changes to the line-up with Camilla ThorneTjomsland entering the set and proving to be a force at the service line. Slowly, McMaster regained their confidence and worked their way back into the fourth set

bringing the score within five of the Lions. Ultimately the set would end badly for the Marauders after some service errors plagued their hopes for a comeback. York would step up and make a kill from the right inevitably ending the set with a score of 25-15. The hope of a win for the visiting Marauders would all lie in their actions in the fifth and final set. The Lions sped ahead of the Marauders winning four out of the first five points. The home team soon gained more ground bringing the set to 12-6. McMaster would prove to make the set a definite battle as Kailee Stock made some important kills to bring the Marauders within three. Unfortunately, Stock’s tip fell just wide on the next point and sadly it was all over for the Maroon contingent as York took the final set and the game. The loss now drops the Marauders to 9-9 on the season, allowing them to clinch the sixth spot in the OUA. The team will travel to Ryerson University on Saturday, Feb. 16 for the OUA Quarterfinal match against the hosting Rams.

“

Unfortunately, Stock’s tip fell just wide on the next point and sadly it was all over for the Maroon contingent as York took the final set and the game.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

SPORTS B3 S

THE SPREAD

Looking up, moving forward SWING 17-1. Perfect to us, guys.

To Marauders in the water.

We’ll make your Harlem shake.

AND A

MISS To Hedo and his competetive edge.

UP NEXT MEN’S BASKETBALL FEB 9 | 3 PM

at WATERLOO

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FEB 9 | 1 PM

at WATERLOO

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL FEB 10 | 3 PM

at YORK

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL FEB 10 | 12 PM

at YORK

SWIM FEB 7 | DAY

at OUA CHAMP.

TRACK FEB 8

at WINDSOR CHLG.

WRESTLING JESSE LU / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR PHOTO C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

Three Downs 1 The CIS awarded hosting the 2013 Vanier Cup to Laval. It’s third time in the past five years that Laval has hosted the championship game. Typically, the Vanier is paired with the Grey Cup but with Regina hosting this year, this isn’t the case. Regina doesn’t have the resources to host both events. But there’s a bigger problem here: the most dominant program in the country has homefield advantage. It shouldn’t get easier for Laval at the end of the year, it should get harder. Sure, the Vanier in Toronto was a Mac homefield advantage. It wasn’t awarded to us though. The CIS needs to re-evaluate their process for choosing Vanier Cup hosts.

2 Putting the OUA playoffs over reading week is a straight up joke. There is no two-ways around it. To the average Mac student, the playoff games could be the biggest game of the year. This is the best time to introduce someone to the game, and the OUA has instead put the playoffs on a week when the majority of students have gone home. Step your game up, guys.

FEB 16

at OUA CHAMP.

S TA N D I N G S

3 Five Marauder football players were selected to the CIS EastWest Bowl. Mac’s representatives are Marshall Ferguson, Tyler Crapigna, Adam Dickson, Allan Dicks and Steven Ventresca. The West squad will be under the supervision of Maroon head coach Stefan Ptaszek. Marauder football stays winning.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

OUA EAST

W | L | PTS

OUA EAST

W | L | PTS

CARLETON OTTAWA RYERSON LAURENTIAN QUEEN’S YORK TORONTO

18 15 14 11 10 6 2

CARLETON OTTAWA TORONTO QUEEN’S RYERSON LAURENTIAN YORK

15 15 10 7 6 5 5

OUA WEST

W | L | PTS

OUA WEST

W | L | PTS

WINDSOR LAKEHEAD McMASTER BROCK LAURIER WATERLOO GUELPH WESTERN

15 13 12 8 7 5 5 3

WINDSOR BROCK WESTERN LAURIER McMASTER LAKEHEAD GUELPH WATERLOO

20 18 11 10 10 7 6 0

1 4 4 8 10 11 14

5 6 7 11 13 15 15 17

36 30 28 22 20 12 4

30 26 24 16 14 10 10 6

4 4 8 13 12 14 14

0 2 9 10 9 12 14 20

30 30 20 14 12 10 10

40 36 22 20 20 14 12 0

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

OUA

W | L | PTS

OUA

W | L | PTS

McMASTER WATERLOO WESTERN QUEEN’S YORK TORONTO RYERSON GUELPH WINDSOR RMC

17 14 13 11 10 7 7 6 5 0

YORK OTTAWA RYERSON QUEEN’S TORONTO WESTERN LAKEHEAD MCMASTER GUELPH BROCK WATERLOO WINDSOR RMC

17 16 14 12 11 9 9 9 6 5 4 3 2

1 4 5 7 8 11 11 12 13 18

34 28 26 22 20 14 14 12 10 0

1 2 4 6 7 9 9 9 12 13 14 15 16

34 32 28 24 22 18 18 18 12 10 8 6 4

S B4 SPORTS

Thursday, February 14, 2013

A call for a CIS crackdown Wray Perkin The Argosy SACKVILLE, NB (CUP) - Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) has had to deal with several large-scale issues over the past few years, with the problems lying in the schools themselves. Hazing, steroids and eligibility issues have raised huge controversy in recent times, and the league as well as its schools have had to impose harsh sanctions on the teams involved. Although the schools usually administer the punishment, often it comes down to oversights or lack of supervision by the athletics departments on their teams that causes these issues to come up. In 2005, the CIS was rocked by news of disturbing hazing that the rookies of the McGill Redmen

football team went through. With just three games remaining in that season’s schedule, the university cancelled the rest of their season. In addition, the league imposed sanctions including a multi-year ban from appearing in any televised games. The Redmen have endured tough times since then, including four 0-8 seasons. Apparently the Dalhousie Tigers womens’ hockey team didn’t learn from McGill’s mistakes, and this year had the entire second half of their season cancelled by the school after news of hazing went public. The school suspended all of the team’s veteran players and subsequently cancelled all remaining games. It will be interesting to see if the team will be able to recover from this. The Waterloo Warriors

football team are still trying to recover from their steroid scandal that saw them suspended for the entirety of the 2010 season. After one player was arrested for trafficking steroids, the school called for the entire team to be tested. Nine players tested positive, and the season was suspended. The CIS offered players from the squad who did not test positive the opportunity to transfer to other schools and play immediately, without having to wait for a year as per normal transfer requirements, so as expected, many players did transfer, and Waterloo has had two winless seasons since. Another thing that is becoming a massive issue is the eligibility of players. In this season alone, Bishop’s and Concordia football teams and University of Prince Edward

Island, St. Francis Xavier, Winnipeg, Montreal and McGill for men’s soccer teams have had to forfeit games. Last season as well, York women’s volleyball and the University of British Columbia (UBC) football had to forfeit their seasons due to ineligible players. York had finished first in the regular season, and was set to host the championship tournament, but because they used an ineligible player in their quarterfinal victory, the playoff win was forfeited and York lost its right to host the championship. Likewise, UBC had racked up a 6-2 regular season, and lost the Canada West championship game. Disclosure of an ineligible player being used all season led to the Thunderbirds forfeiting all their wins, and the 2011 season is

now officially listed as 0-8. Using ineligible players is the easiest thing an athletics department can prevent, they monitor the grades and eligibility of the athletes, so allowing one to dress for games is inexcusable, unless the department didn’t know about it and the team’s coaching staff made the decision. While preventing the use of steroids and hazing is further from the control of the athletics department, there should still be policies for the teams to follow so these issues can be avoided. With the events of recent years, and especially on the heels of the Dalhousie hazing incident, I expect and hope that schools and athletic departments across the country crack down on monitoring their sports teams so that next year the CIS can have a sanction-free season.

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Thursday, February 14, 2013

SPORTS B5 S

Mac runs hard in Windsor Laura Sinclair Silhouette Staff It was a fast day at the St. Denis Centre in Windsor on Feb. 9, where the McMaster Marauders track team laid down some quick times on the track, and several members also medalled in their races. Due to the cancellation of the prestigious NCAA Valentine Invitational Meet in Boston that was caused by the snow storm. The entire Marauder team was together for this meet that still proved to be a highly competitive showing. The day started off with the 60m, where Scott Hutchinson who still holds the second fastest time for the 300m in the country - made it to the final. He also came in second overall just narrowly missing the all-time Marauder record in the distance yet again. Hutchinson ran a 6.98. In the 1500m, Victoria Coates won the race and won “kick of the week” honours for her stellar last lap where she overtook the leader. Coates ran a 4:36, while teammate Jill Wyman was not too far behind in third place, with a

PHOTO C/O PETE SELF

time of 4:41. In the men’s 4x200m relay, the team comprised of Scott Hutchinson, Rudy Baronette, Connor Mabbott and Garrick Mok ran to a time of 1:30, and finished second overall. In the women’s 600m, the speedy Jessica Tat finished third overall with a time of 1:34.

Laura Morrison won the women’s 1000m race, and ran to a time of 3:02. In the men’s 3000m, Taylor Forbes got a personal best time of 8:32, and came third overall. The last events of the day were the relays, which made for an exciting way to end the jampacked meet.

In the women’s 4x800m relay, the team comprised of Jill Wyman, Maddie Benjamin, Victoria Coates and Laura Sinclair came second overall with a time of 9:41, which currently sits them at twelfth in the CIS rankings. In the women’s 4x400 m relay, the team comprised of Abi Shanmuguratnam, Kara McPherson, Latisha Rhooms and Laura

Morrison ran to a time of 4:10, and came third overall. Next up on the Marauders schedule is the “Last Chance åwill have a final shot to reach OUA and CIS standard, as the OUA Championships are held on the following. Thursday and Friday of reading week will see events in Windsor once again.

S B6 SPORTS

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Strong showing at the OUA championships Brandon Meawasige Senior Sports Editor The McMaster Marauders swimming teams hit the road to Toronto last week before hitting the water in the 2013 OUA championships hosted by the Varsity Blues on Feb. 7-9. Following a strong season, both the men’s and women’s units looked to bring home hardware for their school. After three days of competition, Mac did just that. Asserting the strength of the program with second and third place finishes, respectively. En route to an improvement on last years finish, Marauders swimmers set new provincial records in numerous events, ipso facto both teams set school records in the process. Over the three-day competition, the swimmers of the Maroon and Grey set a total of 15 new team records. The men’s side

amassed a score of 722, which was only bested by the host side from U of T who finished ahead of the pack with a three-day total of 891 points. On the women’s side, the Marauders finished with 682.5 points behind Toronto (762) and the Western Mustangs who finished with 876.5 points. The strong finish across the board should leave Mac with high hopes for the CIS championships where an improved result should be expected. Reaching the podium each day of the events, Mac captured numerous gold medals but in events that were not won the teams also captured a number of bronze and silver medals. Resulting from the successes of the tournament, both

teams remain in the CIS top ten with the women moving from No. 9 to No. 7 after an exceptional showing and the men remained at No. 5 after continuing to achieve top results. Here at McMaster, Konrad Bald of the men’s team and Emma Mittermaier of the women’s team were named Pita Pit Athletes of the week, an honor given to the two most outstanding Marauder athletes each week. Bald finished the tournament with two gold medals, including setting an OUA record in the 50m breaststroke, reaching the podium four times in total. Bald also contributed to the Mac relay teams, overall making a huge im-

pact on the outstanding overall results for the program.Emma Mittermaier, a rookie for the Marauders, won gold in two individual events and contributed to an OUA record setting effort by the 200m freestyle relay team, which has been a strength for Mac this year. Mittermaier would add another medal as part of the 400m freestyle relay team. This year has been an overall success for Marauder sports and heading into CIS competition, the swim teams look to add even more achievements to the list. Both teams have an opportunity to break through on the national stage and with the youth on both sides, these Marauders appear equipped to be a force for years to come. Heading to Calgary, there is plenty of optimism and hype surrounding this upstart team. PHOTO C/O BLUR-MMEDIA

INSIDEOUT

InsideOut Editors Sam Godfrey and Amanda Watkins Section Meeting Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. Contact insideout@thesil.ca

Thursday, February 14, 2013

B7 S

Rachelle Zalter The Silhouette It comes every year. There is no hiding from it. It is good to some and rough to others. It’s not Santa Claus. It’s not Boxing Day. were diverse. To many couples, this holiday means rekindling It is not the dreaded phone call from your foreign relatives in the the connection with a loved one. consists of him sitting in on a Middle East (or is that just me?). To some singles, it is a time to celebrate with friends. To othstranger’s meal and pretending It is Valentine’s Day. ers, it is a day devoted to loving that she is the girl he was set up But is this really the way “You can love your friends on yourself. And to the rest, put to spend a Valentine’s dinner we should look at a single date Valentine’s Day. You can love simply, it is just a day. with. I can only imagine the uton the calendar? What makes yourself.” Lori, a fourth-year Arts and ter confusion of this poor girl. February 14th vary from all the Vanessa, second year student A third-year student, Another days of the year? Why is it Science student, has warm feeldrew, mentioned a similar outthat eating excessive amounts of ings for the holiday. “It is a universal day of love,” she said. “It’s look. “I want to bring light to the comfort food, watching movalways nice to have an excuse to holiday,” he said. “It doesn’t have ies for self-pity and sulking over tell the people in your life that to be so extreme. There’s more to failed relationships has become the day than either being happy a national event for thousands of you love them.” Others do not hold this view with someone or depressed by single people? on the holiday. yourself.” “Forever alone.” I’ll admit, “It may have begun with the And this was definitely a even I have used that phrase intentions to be romantic, but shared opinion. A comment once or twice. But we have no it has become another means of that stood out to me was from idea where our life is going to marketing,” says an anonymous Vanessa, a second-year, who lead us. I may end up living in believed there was much more an apartment with 14 cats and an student. “If couples are going to be cute together, they should do to worry about than being single imaginary friend. so every day.” on Valentine’s Day. I have faith, however, that But it is not always about “It is important to rememthis will not be the case. On Valber that there are people without entine’s Day, it is extra important partaking in romance. In some moms on Mother’s Day and to remember that being single is cases, people enjoy the holiday dads on Father’s Day. It could be not the end of the world. In fact, for atypical reasons. “I think it’s a great day,” Kirstin, another stuworse. You can love your friends unless Valentine’s Day happens dent, admitted. “It’s an excuse to on Valentine’s Day. You can love to fall on the apocalypse – exeat chocolate and not feel guilty.” yourself.” tremely unlikely – it is probable An especially unique The various opinions of this that just because you are single response was from Hans, a firstholiday lead to a simple conclunow does not mean you’ll be year Humanities student. He was sion. Valentine’s Day is what you forever alone. overly excited to celebrate this make of it. If you pronounce When I went around to year. yourself forever alone, that is ask people what their thoughts “I have big plans for your prerogative. But you can were on Valentine’s Day, I was Valentine’s Day,” he said. He also choose to do something pleased to see that the opinions went on to explain a number with the 24 hours. It can be a day of playful pranks that he has to love your partner, your family, been planning. Hans’ favouyour friends or yourself. And if rite, he tells me, is conductyou’re feeling extra daring, you ing a fake blind date, which can stretch it beyond 24 hours. After all, if Valentine’s Day is what you make of it, what about life?

“

AMANDA WATKINS / ASSISTANT INSIDEOUT EDITOR

The Silhouette’s spontaneous shoestring-budget guide to

SPRING BREAK By Managing Editor Jemma Wolfe

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S B8 INSIDEOUT

Thursday, February 14, 2013

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Thursday, February 14, 2013

INSIDEOUT B9 S

SEXandthe STEELCITY Ana Qarri Silhouette Staff Much to our dismay, not everyone has the voice of Adele, or the musicality of Joni Mitchell. (This is probably for the best, as I can’t imagine much would get done if we never stopped singing, playing guitar and composing tear-jerking melodies about Manhattan hotels.) This means that when it comes to serenading our significant others, and even our friends, we have to rely on other people’s voices and strumming fingertips. However, (and don’t let that one musically talented friend tell you otherwise) making playlists is an art of its own. It all started with the mix-

tape. The mixtape wasn’t a tech nological masterpiece. As my parents found out the hard way, its contents could be easily destroyed in the hands of a curious five year old. But it wasn’t the design or the structural ingenuity that gave each mixtape meaning. In the hands of love-struck teenagers, the mixtape was the perfect paper for their very first love letter. Between pressing record/play/stop and leaving too many seconds of silence between songs, they started feeling the first pangs of what they thought was love. Handed nervously on the 61st day of a relationship, the mixtape was the perfect gold to engrave the promise of another 61. Some say that the beauty

of playlists vanished along with mixtapes. While dragging songs on iTunes doesn’t seem as romantic as spending hours recording a tape, the drawbacks of the technology weren’t the artist’s real hardships. Making a playlist is about spending hours deciding which song to begin with, or deferring this crucial decision until the end of the process. You don’t want to overwhelm them right away, but you do want to let them know that overwhelming is what you’re aiming for. Making a playlist is about deciding when you want to feel the bass kicking in. Is the fourth song too soon? Do you want the vibrations of your heart beat to resonate across

their sound system, or does this make you feel too vulnerable? Will you throw in some James Blake or Frank Ocean to let them know what their absence feels like, or will the silence suffice? Will it reflect all you’ve ever felt for them, or will you focus on that one night when all you really wanted to do was sit next to them? When you’ve placed them next to each other, arranged the breaks in between to give someone time to think and time to breathe, these sounds become yours. So, if you lack musical skills, don’t despair. There are millions of songs out there, all waiting to be added to a playlist, all waiting for you to give them meaning.

Stress diminuendo, relaxation crescendo Theresa Tingey Student Health Education Centre As busy students, stress is a huge part of daily life. Many of us turn to music as one of the easiest and best ways to relieve stress after a particularly difficult midterm or exam. Which types of music are especially effective for mediating stress and how exactly music interacts with the brain are active areas of research. Specifically, many scientists have tested the effects of various types of music on college-age students, after inducing stress, by examining levels of blood hormones and self-perceived emotional scales. The results of these studies can inform students on how to best reduce anxiety through music listening. One study performed by Smith and Joyce published in the Journal of Music Therapy in 2004 had 63 college students set aside 28 minutes each day for three days to listen to either Mozart, new age music or read a selection of popular

magazines. The students then filled out questionnaires each day to measure their stress, worry and negative emotions. By the third day, the group assigned to listen to Mozart experienced the greatest relaxation and least stress, while the group listening to new age music showed only a slight reduction in stress, and the magazine readers had the least improvement in anxiety levels. Another study performed in 2001 by Knight and Rickard asked students to prepare for a stressful oral presentation while either listening to Pachelbel’s Canon in D major, or in silence. The heart rate, subjective anxiety, blood pressure and cortisol levels were measured for each participant before and after the presentations to gauge their stress responses. Students who listened to the classical music while preparing for their presentation showed a greater reduction in stress compared to the group who prepared in silence. Calming music has also been shown to enhance immune responses and reduce pain

perception. In 2003, Eri Hirokawa of the Tokai Women’s University observed that music identified as ‘highly uplifting’ by participants boosted the function of important immune cells, such as T cells and natural killer cells, when listened to for twenty minutes after a stressful cognitive test compared to those who sat in silence. In addition, in their study published in the Journal of Music Therapy in 2006, Mitchell and MacDonald saw that students were able to tolerate a painful stimulus of holding their hands in cold water for longer when listening to music selections that they had chosen, compared to white noise or music deemed ‘relaxing’ by the experimenters. This last study brings to question whether or not the music we choose to listen to is better for relaxation than classical or new age music. According to a review published by Krout in a 2007 publication of The Arts and Psychotherapy, music selected as relaxing by researchers generally has a greater relaxing effect than the music preferred by the

listener, possibly because the listener can become distracted and emotionally aroused by the music they’re used to. However, Krout also noted that the more a person is exposed to a certain type of music, the greater its stress-reducing effect. Further, he suggests that listening to music of a slow and stable tempo, low volume and simple harmonic cord progressions, such as those often found in classical music, for 20 to 30 minutes at a time is most beneficial for inducing relaxation through activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Another tip Krout gives is to listen to music that comes with guided meditation or breathing methods, as a combination of music and whole-body relaxation techniques have been found most effective for reducing stress. In any case, whether you want to come home to the soothing sounds of Mozart or dance away your stress to your favourite upbeat tunes, music can provide a fun and effective way to melt away the stress of the day.

SAM GODFREY/ SENIOR INSIDEOUT EDITOR

Molecule converts ions into gold Annie Cheung The Meducator

.io

Dear Fellow Chocolate Aficionados . . . Nichole Fanara The Silhouette Heed my words. Listen to my tale. “Dear Google,” I began, “why am I hopelessly devoted to Nutella?” Google worked its hardest and in 0.12 seconds showed me the answer to all my burning questions. Turns out the answer is quite simple - chocolate is addictive. But I couldn’t accept this. Chocolate is so good to me. I couldn’t accept that this love was simply chemical Stockholm syndrome. So I searched further. What I found was that choco-

late has properties (other than cocoa-y deliciousness) that make you want it all the time, really badly. Like really badly. The little devils are actually the same addictive chemical found in alcohol. I also found that apparently women crave it more than men - 40 per cent of women in an Answers.com article crave it over only 15 per cent of men. This has something to do with our menstrual cycles. When women are low in magnesium, there is a tendency to crave it. Thus, many women crave chocolate. Just as Mother Nature intended it. Have I mentioned chocolate’s connection with marijuana yet? No, no it can’t be found in

chocolate, but according to some studies done at the University of California, a pleasure-inducing chemical found in marijuana is also found in chocolate. Here’s to hoping that the FBI doesn’t know though, because it would be a real shame if the government banned chocolate. So friends, with all the chocolate your hunny (or you yourself) will be bringing you today, remember this one important message: practice safe chocolate. (Hershey) hugs and kisses, Mlle. Chocolate

Heavy metals ions, such as gold, are toxic to many species of bacteria. It is therefore surprising to see that the bacterium, Delftia acidovorans, can thrive on biofilms that form on top of gold deposits. Researchers at McMaster University have found a novel mechanism in which this gold-resistant bacterium is able to protect itself from this toxicity. The research team led by Dr. Nathan Magarvey at the Michael G. Degroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research has discovered that D. acidovorans is able to protect itself from toxic gold ions by excreting a metabolite, delftibactin, outside of its cell wall. Delftibactin is a small molecule compound that is able to precipitate soluble gold ions into nontoxic gold nanoparticles. This defense mechanism leads to the formation of a halo of gold platelets around D. acidovorans that resemble gold nuggets one would typically find in natural geological deposits. The conversion of toxic ions into harmless gold platelets prevents gold metal ions from entering D. acidovorans cells. “This finding is the first demonstration that a secreted metabolite can protect against toxic gold and cause gold biomineralization,” states Dr. Magarvey in his paper.

The discovery of delftibactin involved genome analysis to identify the gene responsible for this unique protection mechanism. Researchers grew a colony of D. acidovorans cells lacking the gene that codes for delftibactin A, the protein responsible for delftibactin synthesis. They found that the delftibactin-deficient bacteria struggled to survive in a medium supplied with toxic gold ions, while the addition of delftibactin A to the colony enabled the bacteria’s survival. Delftibactin A may potentially be used someday to identify gold-rich streams and rivers, or to precipitate gold from water. The study did not specifically look into the viability of using the bacteria in gold-mining applications. Instead, Dr. Magarvey is more interested in understanding the chemical properties of the metabolite. In collaboration with Dr. Bin Ma at the University of Waterloo, Dr. Magarvey has recently developed a bioinformatics method that enables the discovery of elusive bioactive metabolites, such as delftibactin, in bacteria. Dr. Magarvey hopes to use this method to further understand the function of metabolites in bacteria found in humans and their possible applications in medicine.

S B10 INSIDEOUT

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Coffee shop lovin’ Hamilton’s top date-night caffeine retailers Miranda Babbitt Silhouette Staff Oh, Valentine’s Day. You swoop into our lives once a year and leave behind a trail of half-eaten chocolates and half-met expectations. The pressure hugging Valentine’s Day is kind of like an anaconda, isn’t it? We see it coming, our palms sweating in anticipation, we fix a look of nonchalance on our faces, but

with each casual breath, the grip is tightened. Where’s our friendly little cupid now? Take that arrow and shoot this anaconda down! Doesn’t look like he’s coming. But fear not, sweet sweet lovers of McMaster University. Three words will release you from the pressure of this looming creature: coffee shop dates. Your wallet is emerging from a stress-coma, and your tummy is preparing itself for a line of freshly baked pastries.

No need to worry about opera tickets or dinners that will leave you homeless, sellers of your caffeinated friend are here to save the day.

1) Mulberry Coffee House 193 James Street North

On the corner of Mulberry and James Street, distressed brick walls protect one of the most beautiful gems as far as coffee shops go. It feels as if you’ve

walked into an old home that has been made into a makeshift coffee house to feed the steady stream of artists and musicians meandering through its doors. The first time I ventured in, the cashier was wearing a candy-stripe dress, and the barista whipping up my cappuccino was whistling the cheeriest tune. Then I looked at the walls, and all this crazy art is staring back at me. I had some serious eye contact with an intricately made cardboard lion mask. The selling point for a potential date here is the general volume of the place. Paired with the bumping music and lively, artsy conversations going on, no one will be able to creepily listen in on your romantic whispers. Who eavesdrops nowadays anyway? (Not me...) All in all this coffee shop receives three out of three shots of espresso for its lively energy, and an extra shot of vanilla syrup for the whistling barista.

2) Johnny’s Coffee 129 Locke Street South

Locke Street is one of the most charming streets in Hamilton. Home to some damn delicious bagels and out-of-thisworld burgers, it’s only fitting it has an equally admired coffee shop. Johnny’s Coffee is as quaint as coffee shops can get. It seats roughly 15 people, which adds to its cozy air. Now although you’re very close to the tables next to you, somehow there is no judgment from the seats next to you. No eavesdroppers allowed. Damn. A little birdy told me that one of the baristas was recruited from Starbucks for his cappuccino mastery. I can believe it. If you’re going out with an intellectual, please note the chess table in the back, and even if he or she doesn’t play, you can impress your date with a hypothetical knack for logic. Maybe guide their hand with the piece as if you’re teaching them how to play golf (so much unnecessary physical contact). Personally, I recommend the almond croissant, which can conveniently be

split down the middle. Or, you could be particularly naughty and feed each other (although nearby customers may vomit at the high dose of PDA in the region).

3) My Dog Joe 1020 King Street West

Ah, My Dog Joe. How could I leave out our closest friend in the heart of Westdale? For those of you who haven’t made your way in, be prepared to meet your new home away from home. As soon as you’re greeted by the scent of freshly baked cookies warming your chilly bodies, you’ll know what I mean. You may eye the goodies tempting you from behind the glass, but don’t worry, it’s unlikely your date will be jealous unless you start giggling with the cookies. There’s also always a collection of intriguing local art on the walls, which is nice to stare at when the conversation dulls (that won’t happen to you though, don’t worry). Back to the cookies and baked goods – they will mystify you. You and your date may or may not start daydreaming about the things you would do if you could be alone in a room with just you and the muffin collection. Their famous drink is the White Chocolate Raspberry Mocha. So many delicious adjectives in one drink. If you stick to one of these spots, the magic of Valentine’s Day certainly won’t be sacrificed. Now get out there and enjoy the chance to be obnoxious with PDA, we’re only giving you this one day.

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Thursday, February 14, 2013

INSIDEOUT B11 S

Featuring: Travis Fuchs & Nicole Jedrzejko

DATE NIGHT JESSIE LU / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Ronald Leung Silhouette Staff

To have 20 valentines: oh how I miss those days, Draped in a childhood haze. Dodge ball in grade three, Getting my elementary school degree. Feburary 14th: the day would roll around, Which cards would I get? Thinking in a frown. Scooby Doo? PokĂŠmon? Hello Kitty? Carrying my own cards, school-bound. The time would come, All my friends to be my valentine! Handing out my precious cards, No one will ever be glum. How strange it is then, And how strange it is now, To go from multi-valentine fun, To only wanting one.

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andex

c2 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, february 14, 2013

Senior Editor: Nolan Matthews Assistant Editor: Bahar Orang

Contributors: Lucas Canzona, Tomi Milos, Theresa Tingey, Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma, Spencer Semianiw

Design: Karen Wang Cover: Bahar Orang

Feb. 14

@therezhilton #2013grammys

Silver Linings Playbook Westdale Theatre 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31

film

Under African Skies AGH 7 p.m.

Feb. 21 Feb.14

Valentine’s DJs The Brain 10 p.m.

Feb. 28

• Theresa Tingey

music

Haolin Munk This Ain’t Hollywood 8 p.m.

theatre Feb.28

five minutes, “Somebody That I Used to Know,” was awarded Record of the Year. Best Urban Contemporary Album went to Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange while El Camino by the Black Keys was named Best Rock Album, and Drake’s Take Care won Best Rap Album. Pop princesses Adele and Kelly Clarkson managed to scrape by with one Grammy each. In all, the Grammys provided an entertaining, if not somewhat predictable addition to the February awards show repertoire.

Harold Sikkema you me gallery 6:30 p.m.

Hold Mommy’ Cigarette The Lyric Theatre

Feb. 23

Sunday night’s Grammy Awards recognized some of the biggest acts in music. Despite host LL Cool J’s awkward twitter plugs, the many performances packed into the 3.5-hour spectacle really made the show. Rihanna and Mikky Ekko’s ballad “Stay” and Elton John’s duet with Ed Sheeran provided a welcome contrast to the over-the-top productions of Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. Big winners of the night included Fun., who took home the awards for Best New Artist and Song of the Year, and Mumford & Sons’ Babel won Album of the Year. Goyte’s single that conveniently sums up all of my failed relationships in under

Portraits of Power AGH 6:30 p.m.

until Mar.3

art

The Circus The Lyric Theatre

editorial

thursday, february 14, 2013

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c3

the love of a city Walking down Hamilton’s James Street North, it’s impossible to miss them: bold black and red posters proclaiming “No! Downtown Hamilton Casino” displayed in seemingly every storefront, café and gallery window. It’s almost like the posters, created by local graphic designer Amber Edgar, give the street a collective voice. The posters represent more than just a protest – they’re an example of the spirit of James Street and downtown Hamilton, where everyone has a say and everyone cares. Edgar’s posters have become the symbol of the No! Downtown Hamilton Casino group, a collection of activists, businesses owners and Hamiltonians that is extensively involved in raising awareness about the casino. Graham Crawford, owner of the Hamilton HIStory + HERitage storefront museum on James North, is a prominent member of the No! Downtown Casino group and has made a different poster opposing the casino every day for nearly the last two months. “I’m almost embarrassed to say to people how little time it takes to make the posters,” said Crawford modestly. “I can’t draw, so the posters become my editorial cartoons because you don’t have to have much skill to make a poster.” Crawford’s posters, which he shares through his Facebook page, make it clear that the result of the casino debate is something he cares deeply about. But the posters have convinced a lot of other people to care as well. “My first ‘the new Hamilton’ poster focused on Supercrawl,” said Crawford, “and even I am social media savvy enough to know that when you get 236 shares in one day about something local that doesn’t involve cats

it’s a big deal. The reach of the poster was probably tens of thousands. I’ve never had anything shared that much, ever.” Everything that has changed James North over the last few years – the galleries, art crawl, Supercrawl – has done so slowly, deliberately and empathetically. Downtown Hamilton has showed us is that there’s a way for development to be good for everyone. Countless arts programs like Roots 2Leaf, the Urban Arts Initiative and Hamilton Artists for Social Change are dedicated to addressing poverty in many forms. What makes Crawford’s Supercrawl poster so affecting to so many people is that it puts into stark contrast Hamilton’s recent downtown development and the type of development that a casino represents - fast, less engaged with the rest of the city and harmful to many. “A casino is completely inward facing by design, not by accident,” said Crawford. “Once they get you in there they don’t want you to leave. It’s why there are no windows. It’s why there are no clocks.” Certainly PJ Mercanti, one of the main people involved in the proposed casino, is not evil. I’m sure he doesn’t see the city as just a source of income. It’s just that his vision and Crawford’s vision for the future of Hamilton are fundamentally different. One will probably never agree with the other, no matter how much debate there is. But even if a resolution will never be reached, at least there are people who care enough the city to see that it’s worth arguing about. •

Nolan Matthews, Senior ANDY Editor C/O GRAHAM CRAFWORD

the big tickle

westdale th

eatre

what is your favourite date spot in hamilton? compiled by nolan matthews and youseif

ni’s macchero

- irene wa

chira

bean bar

koosh ich - alena luk

- trent angiers

wass

- sam cooper

- melissa

thomas

c4 & c5 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

A corny, weird, wonderful Valentine’s First Date with BREAD BAR

LOCKE

Begin with an early dinner at Bread Bar. Order the vampire slayer pizza and ask for their extraordinarily addictive hot sauce. Take the fresh flower in the little vase at the centre of the table and put it in your hair. Talk about Batman, how much you hate the casino, the new My Bloody Valentine album, and the little things that make you feel nostalgic. Walk down Locke Street and try to put together the Concrete Poem, where each line is on little plaques in the pavement. Remember ANDY’s favourite line and quote it when you propose a few years later - “Where do I come from/ Where am I now/ Where am I going/ A map/ of my thoughts/ move fast/ like horses around a track.” Look in the window at Fenian Films and write a silly plot for a short film together. Discuss favourite books when you walk by Epic Books. But then admit how little you really read. Regret not buying flowers first from La Jardinere when you walk by it, but find out ANDY’s birth flower (yeah, that’s a thing) for next time. Take the bus to Hammer City Records. Walk around, take a profile shot of ANDY looking through records and get a little black

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and white print out for your boring desk job when you’re older and these silly, lovely days are long gone. Talk to random, cool, interesting, friendly people. Buy an ‘80s punk band’s B-side record. Listen to it late into the night together. Enjoy it only vaguely but feel deeply moved by the moment, and see right through ANDY’s feigned, but still somehow very charming, interest. Head to The Brain for a cozy drink. Talk about life goals, your greatest fears, crummy artists you secretly love, how badly you want to feel each other up and how much you’re falling for each other. Take ANDY home and put on “Thinkin’ about You” by Frank Ocean and stay up all night and discover weird things you have in common, but also find out that there are many things that you hate that ANDY loves. Start making out and eventually fall asleep in each other’s arms. Wake up wanting to say “I love you,” but decide to hold back for a few months. Feel like a cliché. • Bahar Orang Assistant ANDY Editor

thursday, february 14, 2013

MOVIE DATES.

will there be blood?

It was a dark, empty, pre-war cinema. It should have been a perfect setting for a first date. But if there is anything to quash a romantic ambience it’s There Will Be Blood. I recognize that the film is critically acclaimed and won Daniel Day-Lewis an Oscar for Best Actor, but it’s a terrible date movie. My date and I had originally planned to see a low-budget bohemian French film, but we showed up to the theatre to learn that the film listing had changed. Being 16 we didn’t have access to a car and so had no choice but to stay. The movie opened with a dissonant and blaring crescendo of strings. It was an ominous start. For two awkward teenagers, the complete lack of dialogue for the first 15 minutes was almost unbearable - not to mention the already nerve-wracking experience of a first date. Our clammy hands stayed clenched at our sides while we sat there unable to do anything more than stare dead ahead and watch horror after horror unfold. I should add that I can’t and won’t watch any type of horror movie. I didn’t foresee that There Will Be Blood would be a horrific tale of unrestrained greed and ambition. The movie’s lead, Daniel, is the epitome of a sleazy snake oil salesman, but his sociopathic nature might’ve at least made for a conversation topic, had it not been sidelined by many brutal and sudden scenes of

death interspersed with total silence and barren landscapes of oil wells. I cringed and almost writhed away from my date in response. He on the other hand was less affected by the on-screen brutality and more focused on how he could slide his hand into my lap to grab my hand. After two and a half hours his hand finally rested a few millimetres away from mine. I felt his fingertips graze my hand and then go for a sudden grasp. The moment was ruined almost instantly by a scene of Daniel clubbing a man to death with a bowling pin and I wrenched my hand away from my date to shield my eyes. For the rest of our six-week “relationship” we never mentioned There Will Be Blood again. •

Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor

or is it 50/50?

When it comes to setting a romantic tone for a night you want to remember, hopefully, the movie 50/50 is probably not the first film that jumps to mind. A protagonist diagnosed with a malignant tumor and his subsequent fight for survival usually does not usually elicit romantic feelings on a date. But somehow, this movie weaved some unexpected magic for me on my Valentine’s Day. 50/50’s plot does not sound amorous on paper. That might not even have been its intention. Regardless, what an audience is

left with is a remarkable piece of art that makes you want to cuddle up close to that special someone. The soundtrack, filled with some mood-setting songs by The Bee Gees and Roy Orbison play well with the charming Joseph GordonLevitt, reminiscent of his previous hit 500 Days of Summer. The chemistry between the two leads, the other being the talented Anna Kendrick, is surprisingly deep. You’ll probably find yourself smiling unexpectedly at the dismal hilarity of their relationship. This movie occupies an important place in my past. Watching it helped me get over a past relationship, and watching it again helped me begin a new one. Unfortunately, I can’t ensure that by prescribing it to you you’ll have the same outcomes. I don’t know how likely it is to improve a first date, but I know even if it fails you’ll still get to watch a pretty awesome movie. Regardless, we’ll put the odds at 50/50. • Spencer Nestico Semianiw

c6 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, february 14, 2013

a short history of music festivals broken social scene, vancouver 2010

woodstock Kale Friesen

It’s that time of year again. Sure, I partially mean winter, because the depths of a truly Canadian season are upon us and many are finding themselves longing for the warm days of a past that seems a distant memory. But really, the coldest days of our year bring with them a time when social media becomes saturated weekly with the multitudinous announcements of summer music festivals to come. Eager fans might welcome the announcements as a chance to scour press releases for their favourite acts, but others see it all as an overly-commercialized fight in a crowded market. It’s true that music festivals have exploded to gigantic proportions in the past while. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, for instance, saw 10,000 people attend its inaugural event in 1999, while 2012 saw the festival’s first weekend’s 240,000 tickets sell out in under three-hours’ time. It really does seem that every major city and every music genre today has its own festivals to celebrate and capitalize on its market of music lovers. Toronto alone is host to an innumerable number of festivals, from the multi-day, multi-venue North By Northeast to the bro-step pull of VELD to the big rock headliners of Edgefest. New on Toronto’s plate this year is Field Trip Festival, which is being spearheaded by the ambitious Arts & Crafts record label to celebrate its ten years of existence and give its artists a venue to be showcased. Headlining Field Trip will be Broken Social Scene, for whom the gig is a one-off since the indierockers are reuniting especially for it.

The diversity of music festivals that presently exist is unprecedented, especially considering how unique the idea of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was in 1969. That infamous event proved to be a turning point in rock music history, as 500,000 concert goers descended on a piece of farmland in Bethel, New York to celebrate “three days of peace, love and music.” Subsequent large-scale events followed when people realized the untapped potential, monetarily and socially, of huge music gatherings. Pioneers of the movement that have expanded exponentially to prominent names today are Perry Farrell’s Lollapalooza that takes place in Chicago and Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival. Other names have emerged and garnered their own piece of the market share, such as Bonaroo, Outside Lands, Sasquatch and Austin City Limits. Most interestingly, a festival exists for very specific types of bands in the town of Fucking, Austria. Since 2000, the Festival of the Fuck Bands has welcomed several North American natives including the likes of Fucked Up, Holy Fuck and Starfucker. It takes place over three days and aims to give “fuck” bands a stage for their music and encourage discussions on free speech and looking beyond labels. Whether you’re looking for a new experience in your home town or your eyes are glued to Osheaga’s Twitter for the first mention of your favourite songwriter, here’s hoping that you can find the festival that’s right for you. •

Lucas Canzona

coachella

thursday, february 14, 2013

Album: Hummingbird Artist: Local Natives In the bleak throes of a Canadian winter, it’s always a pleasure to have an album that acts as a pseudo-blanket to quell your anxieties and warm your heart. After sitting with Local Natives’ stunning new record Hummingbird for over a week, I can safely say that those who listen to it will derive comfort from it in much the same way that Linus does from his treasured blue blanket. In the time since their debut album, Local Natives haven’t been contentedly riding the wave of Gorilla Manor - they’ve instead experienced the highs and lows of a rocky sea. The band toured with The National in 2011 but parted ways with bassist Andy Hamm and grieved the passing of singer Kelcey Ayer’s mother last summer. Four years of touring the world coupled with personal trials would leave a mark on any group, the scars of which Hummingbird clearly shows. The album is indelibly marked with a sorrow and sensitivity that one would expect from a person as old as all the members combined. Whereas their first release found them wavering on the border of adulthood and indifferent to it all (“Who Knows, Who Cares”), the new record reflects a newfound maturity. The band enlisted

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c7

the National’s Aaron Dessner to produce the album, and the guitar virtuoso did an incredible job. “Breakers,” the closest thing to a true single on the entire album, is an attack on the senses with drummer Matt Frazier’s pulsating beat driving the track forward while Ayer sings about enjoying “cold cereal and TV,” a possible nod to their fellow Californian, Kendrick Lamar. On “Three Months”, Ayer sings “I’m ready to feel you” as if to accept the burden of mourning his mother but his tender tone also elicits thoughts of a budding romance finally being consummated. “Heavy Feet” is a shining example of the vocal prowess that Ayer and Rice assert when harmonizing, but “Columbia” stands out as the best track. Here Dessner seems to have informed the band in how to build a song up and have it crash down on an unwary listener in the way The National have mastered. The tension gradually builds at a frustratingly slow pace until the cathartic ending: there’s a cry from Ayer, asking “Am I loving enough?” and the sudden realization you were clenching your fists and holding your breath the entire time. The experience is akin to stepping into a cold shower and finding the freezing water oddly refreshing.

Album: Wrath of Caine Artist: Pusha T The rap-conscious public first heard of Pusha T after he formed a group called Clipse with his brother Malice in 1992. His rapidfire cadence is as striking now as it was then, but his circumstances have changed dramatically. As he put it in a freestyle on Funkmaster Flex’s Hot 97 radio show, “Malice found religion” and is rapping no longer. Pusha himself was signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D Music in March 2010 and lent a slew of topnotch verses to Yeezy’s masterpiece, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Now a few months away from his debut under Ye’s tutelage, My Name Is My Name (which is either a clever reference to The Wire or Exodus 3:14), Pusha is looking to generate hype in the streets with a mixtape, which he absolutely does on the grimy Wrath of Caine. Though his coke-dealing days are a thing of the past, Terrence Thornton isn’t one to let you forget how hard he is and is grinding in another way. The tape is littered with gems, but “Millions” is definitely the track that boasts the most sheer grandeur and will be included on the upcoming album. As you might’ve guessed, “Millions” speaks of the lavish lifestyle the Virginia

native has come to enjoy after years of being underappreciated. But the stale trope of opulence takes on a new sheen under the production of Southside. As if to warrant the claim that “this shit sound like God, don’t it,” Pusha enlists larger-than-life Rick Ross to drop some bars. Responding to the challenge, Rozay brings a childlike exuberance to the song, proclaiming “I got this, I got that/I got that, I got this” which beckons the image of a spoiled kid bragging to his crew after Christmas. The simple hook of “millions in the ceiling, choppas in the closet” is liable to get engrained in your head as it did for me and unfortunately my mother as well, who had gotten fed up with the song reverberating throughout the house and walked into my room to reprimand me as I was miming throwing money stacks in the air. I assure you nothing is more humbling than having the woman that raised you laugh at your attempts to emulate a hardened rapper and his trademark snarl. Along with “Millions” the rest of the tape is also phenomenal, with French Montana offering his best Future impression on the “Doesn’t Matter” hook, while Pusha raps pugnaciously over Young Chop’s “Blocka”.

andy’s album reviews by tomi milos

c8 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, february 14, 2013

love advice from It’s pretty easy to hate Lena Dunham’s breakout show, Girls. Some have said the show depicts a lazy, self-indulgent generation who have no clue how to act as functioning members of society. Lena herself has been slandered by the media for coming across as entitled and failing to write a wider array of ethnicities into the show. It is as if critics can’t separate Lena’s character, Hannah, from herself. That in itself is a testament to why the show has garnered so much acclaim; it’s real, almost painfully so at times. Each week’s episode is akin to watching the cast take a 30-minute crash course on life, love and friendship, which often become indistinguishable and lead to disastrous results. There’s much that can be written about Girls, but considering the much-maligned “holiday” taking place today I think it apt to talk about what the characters can teach us about love.

avoid pursuing anyone who mistakes you for a sex-toy

2 3

don’t piss on her leg and tell her it’s raining

honesty is endearing

read a book (or just entertain other hobbies)

Hannah spends a good deal of time chasing after a sloppy carpenter/actor who doesn’t place any value in her (or so it seems). Adam and her are no Romeo and Juliet - they don’t “make love,” they fuck. In his presence she loses any semblance of self-respect and passively submits to degrading sex positions. But we later realize that Adam is scared to commit to someone who is solely interested in what he can do in bed and not his inner-workings. Moral of the story: those who respect themselves demand it from others.

Adam literally urinates on Hannah as a joke in the shower…never do that, guys.

be kind, but don’t put your significant other on a pedestal In stark contrast to Adam is his antithesis Charlie, the painfully devoted boyfriend. But since Charlie’s girlfriend Marnie is played by the stunning Allison Williams he can almost be pardoned for this blunder. His prolonged reverential treatment of Marnie has lulled their relationship to the point where “his touch feels like a weird uncle.” His love evidently comes from a sincere place, but no one enjoys being smothered. A collective groan was surely uttered when he pleaded for her not to abandon him again just as she was going down on him. Lesson? Don’t be that guy. Just keep it real and don’t let your romanticized vision of a person send your expectations soaring, only to have them come crashing down when confronted by reality.

Shoshanna quickly won everyone’s hearts with her frankness and naïve quips that acted as comedic relief and revealed a refreshing innocence (literally - she’s a virgin). After an incident involving mistakenly-smoked crack, Shoshana initiates a relationship with Ray, the surly guy who would eventually deflower her. It’s important to occasionally step out of your comfort zone - though perhaps not always through a narcotics-fuelled bender.

Zosia Mamet (Shoshanna) recently expressed on Conan just how bleak the dating scene is: “I’m kind of a weirdo, but 90 per cent of the time when I go on dates, I find myself thinking that I could be reading my book.” If you find yourself on a ceaseless string of disappointing dates, take a breather and just focus on yourself. Having a sense of direction is something we all aspire to, and seeing it in someone else can be alluring. As grotesquely Nicholas Sparks-like as this may sound, love may find you when you least expect it - such as when you’re watching the new episode of Girls at a friend’s house. Disclaimer: Love? Shit, I don’t know anything about love. • Tomi Milos