Thursday, September 15, 2016
SUPERCRAWL
Overflow, pictured here, is an installation piece by artist José Luis Torres which exemplified the weekend festival in one word: vibrant. Coverage - Page 15
FEATURE HSR Tempers flare as MSU talks move closer Page 6
OPINION NEW BUILDING, OLD SCHOOL Instructors are afraid to experiment with technology Page 13
SPORTS WOMEN'S RUGBY New season has promise moving forward Page 22
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Volume 87, Issue 5
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Thursday, September 15, 2016 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper
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The Silhouette
| 3
News Meal plan gets a makeover
The end-of-April shopping sprees are over with new system in place
MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
Residence life can be full of surprises, but a change to the residence meal plan should eliminate one of the shocks. McMaster Hospitality Services has changed the structure of the meal plans this year in response to student concerns raised over recent years. Under the previous system, students would surrender leftover basic meal plan money when they moved out of residence. Now, half of a student’s basic meal plan money immediately goes to McMaster Hospitality Services to cover the organization’s overhead costs. To give full value, Hospitality Services gives a 50 percent discount on all basic meal plan purchases.
“Every year, we sit down throughout the year with the Student Dining Committee and we do surveys with students,” said Chris Roberts, director of Hospitality Services. “The main beef with the meal plan – and our meal plan hasn’t changed in 25 years – is that if you had a balance at the end of the year, Hospitality Services would keep that money. That was a sore spot with parents and students.” Roberts said he would spend the month of April on the phone each year with parents and students providing explanations. “If a student has a $3,000 meal plan, we don’t know what they are going to spend. A lot of them don’t spend anything, they might spend $100 throughout the year for whatever reason that may be and we’re not
“We’re here for students, and that’s the bottom line. There’s no extra money in it for us, we’re not making extra money.” Chris Roberts Director, Hospitality Services covering our costs. The money that’s confiscated at the end of the year by Hospitality goes towards paying our overhead costs,” Roberts said. There are significant costs for Hospitality Services that provided the justification for keeping the leftover meal plan money at the end of the year.
“We are committed to keeping our residence dining operations open basically all year round, seven days a week. We pay rent, we pay utilities, we pay for equipment and we pay a unionized staff,” said Roberts. With students looking for change, Hospitality Services looked outwards. Roberts looked at other universities like the University of Guelph and Western University for inspiration. These universities use similar programs and Roberts said all the feedback about their system was positive. “What we did was take half of your basic, just your basic meal plan money not all of it, your basic. We take that up front. That way we’re guaranteed that our overhead costs are covered throughout the year,” Roberts explained.
The Student Dining Committee, the now-disbanded Inter-Residence Council and former McMaster Students Union President Ehima Osazuwa approved the change. “I thought it was progress compared to what we had before. In the past, students went home with nothing even if they had $1,000 in their account. But now, with the new changes that were made… you can go home with that money,” said Osazuwa. Roberts also noted that Hospitality Services is “an ancillary department” of the university. Any profits they make are put back into the university. “We’re here for the students, that’s the bottom line. There’s no more money in it for us, we’re not making extra money.” @Scott1Hastie
4 |
NEWS
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
Admissions rise, residences bloat Housing and Conference Services converts dorm rooms to accomodate influx of first year students Steven Chen News Reporter
If you thought choosing between a single or double room was tough, imagine the struggle for the Residence Admissions Office as they attempted to squeeze in 200 additional students this year into residence due to the high enrollment growth of the university. Historically, McMaster has guaranteed residence space for students entering first year who meet the academic cut-off average. And while the 12 residence buildings on campus house 3,578 students, the large majority of whom are first years, enrollment growth and higher entrance averages have led to this capacity being exceeded by nearly 400 students in an earlier forecast. To deal with these matters, Housing and Conference Services followed through on a contingency plan which alters traditionally large double rooms, and converts them into three-person units. Each unit has a loft bed on top, a desk and wardrobe underneath, thereby maximizing the workable space in the room.
“We wanted to make sure it is our best effort to make [the rooms] as comfortable as possible,” Kevin Beatty Director of Housing and Conference Services “We are using what is called an Expanded Space Plan to create the equivalent of 200 extra bed spaces within residence to accommodate the overage. As for the other 200 students [of the 400 surplus], they often choose for whatever reason to not participate in the residence experience,” explained Kevin Beatty, director of Housing and Conference Services. McMaster University has grown in popularity over the years as a site for higher-level education and innovation. The Class of 2020 is possibly the biggest year yet, with enrollment numbers estimated to be 14 percent above that of the year prior.
“The quality of McMaster’s teaching and learning and our reputation continues to attract more and more students to come here,” said Melissa Pool, the University Registrar. While the numbers certainly do serve as a testimony for the quality of education McMaster offers, it also creates a tricky situation for the residences to deliver in terms of quality of living. “We did not want to diminish the student experience by just randomly assigning people rooms. We wanted to make sure it is our best effort to make [the rooms] as comfortable as possible,” said Beatty. “We also spent a significant amount of money upgrading the furniture in the Expanded Space rooms. They have brand new furniture and brand new mattresses, so even though the students have a little less space to themselves, the living space is beautiful,” Beatty added. While there are plans for a new building with student housing options to be complete by 2019, it is unlikely that all first-year students would be given guaranteed residence. The current system being used is an academic average cut-off of 81 per cent or higher to guarantee residence. And while this may seem open to large deviations between years, the reality is that any change to the guaranteed residence cut-off average would require collaboration amongst all faculties. With programs and faculties all varying in their own acceptance averages, it is important to ensure a proper distribution of students from across all faculties living on residence. This is certainly not the first time student rooms have been modified to accommodate more students. “A similar situation with the extended space plan was put in place in 2002 and 2011, and although the plan would be to return to the current occupancy level next year, we will watch the enrollment target and respond to it appropriately,” said Beatty. “The key thing is that we do not sacrifice the quality of the student experience and we are able to deliver on an experience we think is important to students,” Beatty affirmed. @steven6chen
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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016
NEWS
| 5
MSU adds two services for 2016-17 Sasha Dhesi News Editor
With the new school year comes a good old-fashioned shake up. The MSU has launched two new services, Maccess and Macademics, as well as restructured the First Year Council to make up for the void left by the disbandment of the Inter-Residence Council. The two new services fill different roles on campus, Maccess focusing on accessibility and Macademics on education initiatives and advocacy work. Maccess aims to support students with disabilities by offering non-medical, non-administrative support service on campus, as well as advocating for their needs and creating a sense of community for students with disabilities. Some of these alternatives take the form of community programming, advocacy and the creation of the Maccess safe space. The Maccess space will mirror the Women and Gender Equity Network’s safe space model of having peer support volunteers on shift to support any students who come in and will also offer accommodations for those who may not feel comfortable going to the space. The space will be on the second floor of the McMaster University Student Centre, room 202, where the Student Health Education Centre used to be. “Some of the things that we’re doing that goes above and beyond would be our advocacy work, so we’re partnering with students to help them navigate university. We’re also going to
It’s been a busy summer in the MSU office. MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR
be advocating for a Disabilities Studies minor on campus,” said Alex Wilson, the Maccess coordinator. Macademics was also officially launched this fall and focuses on education initiatives and advocacy on campus. The project was the brainchild of Blake Oliver, the current MSU vice president (Education), who included it on her platform when she ran for her position. Old education initiatives, most notably the course wiki, or the course database, will be
taken under the wing of Macademics to handle. “What I like the most about [Macademics] is that it is the first space the MSU has had that focuses solely on quality of education and pedagogy. For a lot of students, that is their main post-secondary issue,” said Oliver in a July interview. Macademics is the first service to specifically focus on the quality of education McMaster students receive and the different pedagogical steps that can be taken to improve it.
Attention McMaster Students! You are entitled to $600 in dental coverage.
Their main goals include making academic resources more accessible, expanding the course wiki, and looking critically at research done on pedagogy and taking steps to implement said research on campus. The MSU has also changed the structure of the First Year Council in order to ensure that first year students in residence have their concerns voiced despite the disbandment of the IRC. The FYC now has 12 residence councillors in addition
to their vice chair (Internal), vice chair (External) vice chair (Events) and of course, chair. The expansion of the FYC was to ensure that the advocacy that occurred under the IRC did not disappear, and considering that the majority of students in residence are first years students, the FYC is a logical representative body to take on this role. Nominations close on Sept. 19, and voting occurs from Sept. 26-28. @sashadhesi
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6 |
FEATURE
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
GET ON BOARD WITH HSR HSR and MSU talk student relationships and determine the future of the McMaster student bus pass system
a bus pass cards separate from the student card. Since then, several issues The relationship between the have arisen with this system. Hamilton Street Railway and The replacement fee for lost bus McMaster is a complicated one. passes was initially hiked up to Over the past year and a half, $100 for a first replacement and the HSR has made headlines for $150 for a second, a hefty fee changes to the bus pass system, for a card whose original price fares and unfair confiscation of is $138.65 per student. Dissent passes. and discussions led to a drop The first of the changes in the replacement cost to $25, came about when the McMaster putting that issue to rest. Registrar stopped issuing stickHowever August brought ers that gave students bus access up the issue of the wrongful when placed on student cards, confiscation of cards that bus forcing the HSR to think of a drivers interpreted as wilfully new solution to for the student altered. Students have also combus pass. They put a two-card plained about the need to carry system in place where the last two cards as opposed to one. three digits of student identifiWith student dissent at a high cation numbers are written onto and the negotiations between Alex Florescu Features Reporter
the MSU and the HSR on the horizon, it is a critical time for the relationship between McMaster and the HSR.
Not a new issue Kathleen Quinn, SRA Social Science 2016-17 and a leader of the petition with the Student Mobilization Syndicate against the HSR price hikes says that these issues are not new. “I first came to McMaster in 2006, and it is unfortunate that the same characterization of students as fraudsters, as scammers, is still lingering... I
feel like we should have moved on from this problem by now and come up with a solution,� said Quinn. When looking for information about the price hikes, Quinn said she was unable to find minutes from the meetings in which the price was settled. She hopes that future conversations with the HSR will be more transparent, allowing the MSU to refer to minutes in future negotiations. Herein lies the dichotomy between students and the HSR. When asked about the relationship between students and bus drivers, Nancy Purser, manager of Transit Support Services, claimed that for the most part, it is very good. Quinn, on the other hand, believes there is a
FEATURE
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016
communication gap between both groups. “I was very shocked that they would [increase the replacement fee] because you think that they would understand the financial burden that we are under… [yet] in a CBC article, Ms. Purser did not believe this would be an issue. I think this shows that the city is out of touch with students and may allude to why we haven’t been able to move forward in so many years with the city in fostering a more positive relationship.” Quinn also expressed frustration at the labelling of the student body as “scammers” and “fraudsters,” a concern echoed around campus this past August with the confiscation of bus passes on the grounds that they were “wilfully altered”. Ryan MacDonald, VP (Finance) of the MSU, was told that the HSR enforcement program was meant to affect all riders, yet has reason to believe that the two groups most targeted were McMaster and Mohawk students. Since then, the issue has been brought forth to the HSR, and MacDonald says that this discussion changed the tone of the conversation between the two groups. “We were happy with the way the situation was rectified in terms of us speaking to them and telling them that this is not an appropriate way to deal with that and having a good discussion about what wilfully altered actually means,” he explained. “Obviously there may always be concerns, there are many drivers that work for the city, but we were pleased with the change in
tune after we spoke to them.” Any confiscated cards that had been simply worn out will be replaced free of charge and cards thought to be wilfully altered can be appealed. The new cards for the 2016-17 year should be longer lasting, according to MacDonald who says that the quality of the security stripe on the card has been significantly improved. “Ultimately, the problems really only started happening in August of a 12-month pass, so 11 months is not awful. It’s not great, but we hope the new cards will be better in regards to the wear and tear thing,” said MacDonald.
that the value that students contribute is unbelievably more than the amount that they pay. If every student is confined to the Westdale bubble and it is not economically viable for them to be able to pay for a pass for the year, then you are in a situation in which the city suffers as well.” MacDonald further added that striking a low-cost deal with the HSR is his primary goal.
The pressing issue of Presto
“
When it comes to the current two card solution, MacDonald and Purser agree that it is not a permanent solution.
A happier Hamilton
When it comes to the current two card solution, MacDonald and Purser agree that it is not a permanent solution. “[It] is a temporary solution to a temporary problem,” said MacDonald. The contract between the HSR Instead, the future may lie in and McMaster is renegotiatPresto. Yet MacDonald is caued every three years, with the tious that in order for the Presto 2016-17 year marking the end system to work, it must be set up of the most recent three-year right. cycle. Negotiations usually start near the end of the summer “There are other instances and conclude around October [such as at Mohawk] where or November. This year, discusa lot of money was spent to sions will only start in January due to the vacancy created with- create a Presto card system and Metrolinx changed their techin the HSR when director Dave nology,” he explained. In the end Dixon stepped down. Until the a lot of money was spent on a new director begins working in card that did not work. “It is also the next few weeks, the MSU is a unique situation because you stalled in negotiations. are working with a three-party Going into the negotiations, system because Metrolinx has to be involved in the conversation MacDonald says that the MSU’s as well.” goal is to get the best value for students. “We think it is incredWhile still a rough concept ibly important that students are at this point, Purser was able able to travel throughout the to give some details about the city. The city has to understand
Let’s try again
nature of the card. Still a twocard system, the Presto card would be separate from student cards but would contain student pictures. The card will have unlimited usage and could be renewed after expiry at the end of the year. As long as it is a part of the negotiations between the MSU and HSR in January, the bus card will remain a 12-month card. While no concrete dates could be given, Purser hopes that the Presto will be in use during the 2017-18 school year.
| 7
While the Presto system will be an improvement, it is certainly not the end goal for Purser. Ultimately, the goal is to have one card that stands as a student card and gives students HSR access, although this will be a long-term plan. For the time being, as long as the conversation between the MSU and the HSR keeps flowing, students are likely to win out in the long run. With negotiations ahead and both parties looking forward to positive changes, it is time for the HSR and the MSU to find a system that benefits students, the HSR and the city of Hamilton. @alexxflorescu
X
The TTC has been on Twitter since 2009. Comparable cities, like Winnipeg, Brampton or Vancouver, have been there nearly as long. Hamilton City Council approved a social media position in late May, but still have not hired anyone.
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
RYAN MACDONALD Vice President (Finance) vpfinance@msumcmaster.ca 905.525.9140 x24109
Welcome to McMaster and welcome home. Myself, along with the Board of Directors of the Master Students Union (MSU) have been diligently working on a variety of projects, initiatives, and enhanced student service delivery. Over the coming months, you can read all about this work on this very page, each week. One initiative is the annual Homecoming celebration. I am very excited about the significant upgrades happening to the McMaster Homecoming experience. This year, there will be not one, but two concerts. The first, featuring Hedley, will be held on Friday night, while a mystery headliner will take the stage on Saturday morning, in advance of the football game. One of Canada’s biggest bands, selling out arenas across the country, Hedley performing live inside Faculty Hollow will undoubtedly be a fantastic show.
September 15, 2015 | thesil.ca
The Saturday morning of For those who have a busy Homecoming has been com- weekend of studying planned pletely revamped and will fea- for September 30th-October ture a 9am concert, along with a 2nd, don’t worry - we have you free pancake breakfast provided covered too! Thode library will by the Alumni Association for be open 24/7 for Homecoming the first 3000 concert attendees. Our mystery performance will be something special and will be one The biggest of McMaster’s biggest shows ever. Homecoming McMaster Both the Friday night and Satur- has ever seen. day morning concerts will have a licensed area at the venue. Our team has worked hard to ensure weekend for those who might that this weekend is affordable. need a quiet refuge away from the For just $32+HST you will have action. A variety of alternate proaccess to both concerts and the gramming for the weekend will pancake breakfast. Football tick- be announced shortly. ets are $15. All tickets are availUltimately, Homecoming is able at Compass. In addition, visit about bringing McMaster togeththe MSU table at the HoCo Expo er and it’s incredibly important on BSB field on Friday, Septem- that we do so in a positive and ber 30 to grab some free Hoco welcoming environment. A comswag! All #MacHoco2016 info mittee consisting of undergradcan be found at www.mcmaster- uates, graduates, and University homecoming.com. staff has developed programming
and messaging focused on providing a safe environment specifically targeting sexual violence and alcohol abuse prevention and response. Thanks to the team at Project Soundcheck, a project of the Ottawa Sexual Assault Network, all of our concert staff and volunteers have completed a unique bystander intervention training specifically designed to address instances of sexual violence at music festivals and concerts. I am very excited to present the biggest Homecoming McMaster has ever seen. I am also pleased that we as students have the opportunity to be good neighbours to the permanent residents of our community. By keeping the fun on campus, we can help keep our community cleaner and quieter out of respect for the families that live around us. So party safe, party smart, and have an incredible time!
@msu_mcmaster
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The President’s Page is a space sponsored and used by the McMaster Students Union (MSU) Board of Directors (BoD) to communicate with the student body. It functions to highlight the Board’s projects, goals, and agenda for the year, as well as the general happenings of the MSU.
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016
EDITORIAL
| 9
Editorial With more students comes more responsibility Mental health issues are on the rise and Mac needs to improve services to meet growing population Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
2016 marks the largest incoming class since 2003. Just like the infamous double cohort year, the incoming class of 2016 could leave a lasting legacy impact. The influx of students on a campus that is already bursting at the seams will have ranging impacts. We have already seen Housing and Conference Services convert double rooms in triple rooms, like they did in 2011. And the increase in students and their tuition fees is probably a welcome sight for the accounting offices. But are we really equipped to handle this? There is a cost to the increase. We’re bringing more students on to campus when some of the services we provide them are insufficient. My main concern is the mental health and wellness services we provide. The current service system is already stressed.
The university acknowledged this in Feb. 2015 when they launched the Student Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy, which had five main priorities. Priority four was “increasing capacity at the Student Wellness Centre.” The McMaster policy stated that there was a “need for more mental health professionals” and planned to hire another mental health counselor by the end of 2015. Even during the roll out of this plan, the university saw limitations. “[Another counselor] probably won’t completely meet the demand,” said Sean Van Koughnett, associate vice-president (Students and Learning) an dean of students, in an interview published in the Feb. 26, 2015 issue of the Silhouette. “We’re not going to completely eliminate the waiting list but we’re going to significantly chop it down, I would say, after this.”
The university listed the student population at 30,117, though that number comes from the 2014-15 academic year. What compounds this issue is the increase in mental health issues among postsecondary students. The National College Health Assessment was released Sept. 7, 2016 and outlined that a fifth of Canadian postsecondary students are battling mental health issues like depression or anxiety. The survey of 44,000 found that mental health issues are up from 2013. We have more students on campus, more students with the need for mental health support, and our resources are insufficient. The Student Wellness Centre is funded through student fees, and with the increase in students, we should use the money to improve the mental health services. @Scott1Hastie
to “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” to 12-hour Mondays. to Sky + Storm. to broke Nelly. to Silhouette shade. We’re used to no sunlight! to Overagers FC.
to the forecasts. to bee stings. to unread Facebook group posts. to the Buffalo Bills and Rex Ryan. to meat hate. to Big Sugar. to avocado-mayo.
to Riskeeball.
to phlegm.
to 11 hours of football and no consequences.
to the double-triple rooms.
to Daniel’s finger condiments.
to the legend of the Blair Witch.
to Kevin Harlan’s call of the idiot on the field.
to Trudeau’s brother’s mustache. Google it.
to volunteer meetings. hell yeah.
to y.l.’s computer. We won’t forget you.
to bottlecap glasses.
to Usher’s new album.
to s.d.’s face, from m.y.
to shitty bear facts.
to Google forms.
to my office mess.
to that 50-year-old dude who said he likes the Sil. Thanks, boss!
to Trent Dilfer.
to the scoops and the snaps. to giphy. If you use Slack, you need it.
to the Blue Jays slump. 2015 feels so far away. to AirPods. Steve Jobs didn’t die for this. to Comic Sans emails.
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10 |
HUMANS
How do you feel about coming into university? I was really nervous. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and went on the university’s websites. I read up on it a lot. Do you think university is a lot of work so far? What are you
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
looking forward to the most? I don’t feel like I have any work so far—it feels weird. What I’m doing right now is not even required, but I’m doing it right now so that I can be more thorough. Also, I really like essays. I know that English will obviously involve lots of essay writing, so I’m pretty excited about that.
Catarina Gonzalez Humanities Level I
Where or who do you want to write for?
YUNG LEE/ PHOTO REPORTER What does it feel like being back to school for your final year? I’m a little bit anxious and I can’t wait for it to be over — it’s pretty interesting so far. I think I have a better handle on what’s going on this year. Also, the material I’m covering interests me more and make me want to be more invested in it. What kind of advice would you give to your first-year self? I would tell myself to engage more in with social life at school — not to cringe over working hours and hours to save my money and enjoy my first year more. It was very hard to balance back then.
It’s for Indigenous Studies. I finished my B.A. three years ago and I did some work up at Nunavut on mental health. I would say its like entering wonderland. It’s very different from here, more community based. Everyone knows everyone. I did lots of clinical work, volunteering, and planning initiatives and programs for the community. Because of my exposure in Nunavut and the people I encountered there, it made me want to go back to school and learn more about it. So I actually came back to school again last January.
Yung Lee Photo Reporter
What are you looking forward to most? I want to make better memories. Also, I am applying to a Masters program next year.
facebook.com/ HumansOfMcMaster
I hope to get a Ph.D. and eventually become a freelance writer. I want to believe that there are no major obstacles for pursuing a career as a writer. I know there aren’t too many job markets for this career, but I’d like to believe that I’m special and talented — so I’m going to make it. First of all, I would definitely have to get whatever job I can get, like writing textbooks, journals, and more. Eventually, once I make enough money for myself, I want to be able to write my very own book.
Jennifer (JJ) Jhingoor Health and Aging / Health Studies Level IV
What is your mindset going into university right now? I think I just stress out a lot as a person — I stress myself out all the time. This year, I just want to keep telling myself, “Take it easy, there is no reason for you to stress out for an entire year because everything will work out at the end.” I stressed out a lot in high school too. Whenever I was out, I was always like, “Why are you going out, you could be doing this, that, and whatever.”
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016
The Silhouette | 11
Opinion Historical slurs in the classroom McMaster professors shouldn’t shy away from the material, but should add more context
C/O THE ORIGINS INSTITUTE Lilian Obeng Contributor
Please note this article contains a racial slur Let me start by saying that history is my favourite subject. A natural propensity for writing and an intense passion for the humanities would result in nothing else. However, I have been placed in this particular situation enough times for me to feel the need to discuss this. I was sitting in my American foreign policy class, listening intently to the lecture. The professor was engaging, the material enthralling. We discussed the 1898 Spanish-American War and the ideological underpinnings of the American position. Our professor supplemented the lecture with a primary document, specifical-
ly, a quote from an American General. “Nigger” was all I could remember from it. For a moment I was shocked, fearful and rendered immobile. I recollected myself silently and continued to engage with the material. I acted as though nothing was wrong — but something was. It took me some time to find the words to articulate why. The quote in question was living, illustrating the strength of the beliefs the slur embodied. It reminded me of the times when I was a target. It reminded me of the constant fear that I have as a black woman on this campus. It also got me thinking about what slurs really were and how they could be featured in educational settings. Slurs, in whatever form
We should not refuse to engage with these histories, but understand that those histories are continuous. or derivation they arise, have a complex and powerful history. In this case, “nigger” references the slavery, systemic exclusion and derision, as well as extrajudicial killings of Black people. They draw upon certain power dynamics to remind their target of their vulnerability in relation to a certain power. They deliver the threat of further violence and exploitation. Slurs are not oppressive because they are offensive. Offensiveness, in my view, is
not a useful metric by which to conduct any sort of meaningful analysis. Slurs are oppressive as a result of their very nature. These words have power because they are conceptual representations of violent histories. We should not refuse to engage with those histories, but understand that those histories are continuous. We should make a practice of prefacing our interactions with slurs with these ideas in mind. Of course, this was not the aim of the professor, and no one should interpret the situation in that manner. I am still excited to attend the lecture and hound my professor’s office hours. Our learning environments should be open to all and our language should reflect that collective desire. Additionally, we should not censor our pasts or cushion
hard truths. I am a firm believer of actively and thoroughly critiquing as well as questioning norms wherever they exist. We gain nothing and lose everything when we refuse to ask or answer the most difficult questions. Especially when our own histories are the subject matter. What I am asking for is awareness. Be mindful of the ways in which we are still embedded in large, ongoing and pervasive social dynamics. Be mindful of the way in which our actions confirm broader and more sinister social systems. Continue to have education be the forefront of subverting those dangerous systems whenever possible. Essentially, a little heads up would have been nice. @theSilhouette
12 |
OPINION
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
Two times is too few Scheduling adjustments for ClubsFest and Clubza improvements would engage more students
C/O MCMASTER STUDENTS UNION Shane Madill Opinion Editor
Once per term, ClubsFest takes over campus and represents a near perfect way to filter thousands of students into as many diverse organizations and email lists as possible. With over 300 clubs in five categories, McMaster has an incredibly large breadth of opportunities for students to get involved with. However, the scheduling of the two ClubsFests still causes complications for students. If you happen to fall sick and need to stay home, tough luck. What if you have a lot of classes on Wednesday? See you next term. Whatever reason you have, the ability to put names and faces to clubs could pass you by with few alternatives available.
Even if you didn’t know what you wanted to be a part of, the ability to browse what’s available and see what interests you could eventually lead to big changes in your university experience. Your best opportunity for finding clubs in the next four months was five hours in the middle of the week. These wouldn’t be issues if the clubs directory and Clubza did a good job of allowing students to browse clubs, but the system remains inefficient. Some don’t have sufficient or specific enough tags to search, so finding one that fits your interests might be difficult. Even the subtle change from “gaming” to “games,” for example, leads to eight different clubs with only one appearing on both, and fails to include any poorly tagged clubs that might
fit in these categories. There is insufficient contact detail on each page, often with only an email and no website or social media for clubs that have them. While the MSU Clubs Operating Policy states that clubs must respond to any correspondence with the Clubs Administrator within six days, this rule doesn’t apply for any students attempting to contact them. A select few in the clubs directory aren’t even a part of the five broad categories the system uses to group general interests together. If ClubsFest can organize all of its participants into an eight-colour legend based on location, then why can’t they do it for their online service? The best courses of action would be to either fix up Clubza, a good online presence for
such a large amount of clubs should be a priority in any case, or extend the presence of ClubsFest. An extra day, either tacked onto the first or later on in the term, would help alleviate issues that student have with the currently restrictive schedule. Even “Mini-ClubsFests” could highlight a specific few every once in a while. It would allow the extensive number of clubs increased opportunity to appeal to students and give clubs that want additional members the attention they deserve. As an added benefit, the additional hours would help cut down the density of students if the pressure of “now or never” is alleviated. While there are financials involved, the final proposed
Budget for 2016-17 having an expense of $6,000 compared to a $5,400 revenue, the ClubsFest events have also made money for the MSU in the past. The original Proposed Budget for 2015-16 shows a net gain of $2,571.64 in the 2012-13 year end and $1,025.63 in the 2013-14 year end. The only real issue is the time spent setting up and cleaning with clubs taking on the work of manning the tables. The extra time spent on more ClubsFest hours and improving Clubza will have a positive influence on a significant portion of the McMaster experience. No one should feel like they’re being left out for a term by missing five hours. @shanemadill
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OPINION
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016
Technically teaching Instructors should experiment with technology in an active learning environment Rachel Katz Managing Editor
L.R. Wilson Hall opened last week, complete with state-ofthe-art features ranging from active learning classrooms, to lounge space, to students highly trained in the arts of Microsoft PowerPoint and group discussions. Just before classes were scheduled to begin, the Faculty of Humanities sent an email to upper year students advertising a job opportunity. The job? Working as a “Student Partner” with a professor in the ALCs for a first-year Humanities course. According to the email, “the student partner will help prepare for and facilitate in-class activities,” for four to five hours a week, a task perhaps, a TA could perform. Or, dare I say it: a prof? The issue of technology use in the classroom is not a new one. The start of every semester brings with it a series of angry tweets and Facebook posts about instructors banning online note-taking or refusing to accept digitally submitted assignments. At a school that prides itself on its forward-thinking as much as McMaster, it’s farcical that the
instructors who are eager to use the new spaces in the Wilson building are so reluctant to embrace the tech features that make the building stand out from the other lecture halls on campus. Why did the university bother spending tens of millions of dollars on L.R. Wilson Hall if faculty are shying away from its most coveted features? Ultimately, the gesture of the job comes across as disrespectful. It seems as though professors do not see the need to meet students where they are or expand their own skills and breathe new life into their teaching material. Furthermore, it can be interpreted that instructors do not feel that their course’s content is relevant or important enough to be updated to make adequate use of the ALCs. The integration of upper year mentors is a great idea in a class designed to introduce first years to Humanities-focused inquiry and show that university is not an inherently “scary” experience. However asking those mentors to “prepare and facilitate” technology-based activities goes far beyond that. Add to that the fact that these students are performing tasks similar to those of a TA for
C/O MCMASTER UNIVERSITY
about half the hourly earnings (undergrad TAs earn about $23 per hour while these facilitator roles pay $12.75) and this job “opportunity” becomes yet another slap in the face to young adults trying to develop a diverse skill set. Over the course of a semester, these jobs will pay a total of around $637. This does not even cover the cost of a threeunit Humanities course, and is less than two months’ worth of rent. If the Faculty of Humanities is truly proud of L.R. Wilson Hall and its classrooms’ potential to impart inspiring knowledge, its professors need to get with the times and get their hands dirty with the touch screens at their fingertips.
@RachAlbertaKatz
| 13
14 |
GAMES
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
We’re back! After a six-month hiatus, we’ve revived the games page! As an apology for the absence, here is a double-dose of crosswords and some dope sudoku.
The Silhouette | 15
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016
Arts & Culture Strumbellas send-off Supercrawl Juno-winning artists kick off world tour with spirited performance on James St. North MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR
Michelle Yeung A&C Reporter
Perhaps one of the most exciting weekends of the year in Hamilton is the annual arts and music festival Supercrawl. For three days, vendors and food trucks line the closedoff streets, with local stores, galleries and restaurants open at extended hours for the throngs of festival-goers excited to experience the vibrant art and music scene the city has to offer. This year, one of the most highly anticipated musical acts was The Strumbellas. The Silhouette had a chance to sit down with two members of the Supercrawl headliner during the festival: David Ritter, singer and keyboardist, and Jon Hembrey, lead guitarist, to talk music, European tour food and the feeling of success. The Strumbellas are a Juno-award winning six-piece indie rock outfit from Lindsay, Ontario. In 2013, the band released their second album, We Still Move on Dance Floors, which
went on to win the Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year Group category in 2014. Earlier this year, the sextet released their third album, Hope. While We Still Move on Dance Floors was a success both commercially and critically, Hope is their first album to make a big in on international charts, with the single “Spirits” going double platinum in many countries. It is no surprise then, that the band sees Hope as a progression from We Still Move on Dance Floors. “For me, all the records make sense as a progression. We Still Move on Dance Floors is a bit more indie or pop-like than [our first album] My Father the Hunter was. And Hope is probably more pop-like, more indie and more rock & roll than We Still Move on Dance Floors,” explained Ritter. “So they kind of chart our growth in a certain direction. Maybe there’s more of a leap on Hope but it all makes sense to
me as a progression.” Since the band’s inception in 2008, The Strumbellas have experienced a steady rise in Canada with a dedicated and supportive fan base. However, the level of global attention Hope has garnered has resulted in massive leaps forward for the band, including a gig on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and an upcoming world tour. “I’ve been a big Stephen Colbert fan for a long time… so I was pretty jazzed to meet him,” Hembrey said. “You know how [when you’re starstruck] you preemptively [come up with a response] to someone in your head? So [Colbert] goes: ‘Thanks for coming on my show,’ and I said: “You too!” Immediately I thought to myself: man, I’m a total loser…but it was such a cool experience for us to play on [such a lucrative show]. “And of course we are stoked about the tour,” Ritter added. “They have these pretzel croissants in Germany
which are pretty amazing... Europe is fun, it’s very different. We eat really well when we’re over there. The fans are really amazing and different in each country so that’s cool. [After Europe] we’re back in the States for a while and it’s nice to be down there.” “We’re just meeting some of our American fans for the first time… it’s kind of a change of pace from up here [in Canada] where people have known about us for a while [so] that’s nice and exciting.” Having been catapulted onto the global stage in a few short months, it seems only reasonable that anyone, even veterans such as The Strumbellas, would find this magnitude of success a little surreal. When asked whether he’s had a big “wow, we made it” moment yet, Ritter responded by saying that it’s the little moments that come and go rather than a, sudden revelation. “Playing in the Ed Sullivan Theatre [for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert] was a pretty
big deal… getting nominated for our first Juno was a big one, winning a Juno was [an even bigger] one… recording We Still Move on Dance Floors was a cool moment too,” he said. “We recorded [in a studio] in the woods outside of Seattle that had a lot of history. There’s a picture of Lionel Richie and Eric Clapton hanging there, and Soundgarden and The Foo Fighters also recorded there… it does feel surreal though,” he admitted. “It does sometimes feel abstract, such as when we get an email saying we’re getting airplay in South Africa and I’m sitting in my bachelor apartment in Toronto going like, ‘Well what does that even mean?’” If the upcoming year resembles anything like the Strumbellas’ past year, David Ritter will likely be spending a lot more time in his Toronto apartment reflecting on the continued success of his band. @mich_yeung
16 |
A&C
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
A circus ring of fire
Hamilton-based performance company Circus Orange soared to new heights in latest show Daniel Arauz A&C Editor
Saturday night is Supercrawl prime time, and the central spectacle of the evening was, as always, the highflying antics and storytelling of Circus Orange. On their fourth year at the Supercrawl, the Ancaster based performance company took to the skies to entertain an audience of thousands. Dancers performed while harnessed to the side of the York Boulevard parking garage, while the stage below provided the Circus Orange claim to fame: fire, and lots of it. With mounting intensity, elaborate torches and giant sparklers were presented in a faux-religious ceremony. The show concluded the only way it could, a shower of sparks, lights, flames and fireworks. The presentation, as usual was as much spectacle as it was oddity, but as explained by co-owner and artistic director Rebecca Carney, all of Circus Orange’s unique set pieces and routines start with a story. In this case, the choreography and set pieces told the story of life in its stages from birth to adulthood. “The hanging upside down
was the birth cycle and then you got your playful cycle which was very youthful and very light. We have the fun kind of edgy thing which was turning into [and becoming] a teenager and then the conflict of moving from that to being an adult,” explained Carney. The clothing of the dancers above the stage emphasized their “humanness,” while the unorthodox costumes were worn by performers on the ground. The ritualistic and religious overtones of the stage were not accidental. The fire wielding “shaman” costume has actually been a reoccurring feature of Circus Orange shows, indicating the leader or ringmaster of the show. The Supercrawl performance was conceived of, cast, and planned just two months beforehand. Carney
I've probably wanted to use that wall for like three to four years now, so it was really nice to finally get on it Rebecca Carney Circus co-owner/director
expressed her excitement for the possibilities of this new performance as it would be the first time that they used the side of a neighborhood building as their mainstage. “I’ve probably wanted to use that wall for like three to four years now, so it was really nice to finally get on it... It’s great because most of the audience could see everything on the wall.” Carney formed Circus Orange with her partner Tom Comet. Carney’s creative direction is informed by a background in theatre and prior experience in traditional circus performance. Comet is a 20-year circus veteran, specializing in chainsaw juggling and fire eating, a skill he taught Carney. The scope of Circus Orange’s performances has only expanded since their launch in 2002. Though it is too early to tell what the next year’s plans will look like, Circus Orange has been one of the only acts to ascend as a "classic" component in the Supercrawl experience. For many attendees the evening would not be complete without adding some burning orange hue to the night sky. @danielarauzz
MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES TO McMASTER’S GOVERNING BODIES Senate: One undergraduate student representative from each of the following Faculties: Business, Engineering, Humanities One graduate student representative from each of the following Faculties: Humanities, Social Sciences University Planning Committee: One graduate student representative Completed nomination forms must be received in the University Secretariat office by 12:00 noon on Wednesday, October 5, 2016. Nomination forms and information about eligibility, terms, and election procedures are available on the University Secretariat website: www.mcmaster.ca/univsec/elections/index.cfm. All approved candidates are required to attend a mandatory campaign information session on Thursday, October 6, 2016 at 3:30 p.m. in MUSC, Room 311/313.
Questions? Contact the University Secretariat, telephone 905.525.9140 ext. 24337, or email unielec@mcmaster.ca
MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR
A&C | 17
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016
Performing to the sound of silence
Vancouver-based artist’s light show strips down the art of stage performance Rachel Katz News Editor
Scrolling through an online portfolio of his work, the first adjective that describes most of Reece Terris’ work is ‘big’. “I don’t know what happens,” the British Columbia-based artist admitted. “I get asked to do something and I usually fill up the space.” “The large scale appeals to me because it’s something I can get my head around and it’s easy for me to manipulate. And it becomes temporary,” reflected Terris. “The bigger it gets the harder it is to take home with you. So it’s a very ephemeral thing, very performative. All [of it] is performative in a way… It’s something you have to experience.” Terris’ Supercrawl debut, 3rd Stage, was no different. Working with Danger Boy, a local pyro and special effects company, Terris wedged a fullsize stage into the courtyard behind the Hamilton Artists Inc., and used it to mount a 10-minute light and pyrotechnics show. Seemingly building up to a main event that never occurs, 3rd Stage is meant to reframe how an audience observes performance by turning the spotlight to the stage itself. “It’s… kind of like a rock and roll show without any rock and roll,” he explained. Terris originally planned to mount a similar show at the Toronto Sculpture Garden, lighting the statues in the park only after its gates had been shut for the night. “Anything that’s kind of lifted, like on a plinth, becomes... a site of potential. That’s what I’m interested in,” said Terris, citing his inspiration for the piece. “And for this it’s a little tongue-in-cheek. Not necessarily subversive, but it’s interesting the way we make direct focusing on the staging.” In the context of Supercrawl, where multiple performances are taking place on multiple stages at any given time, a piece like 3rd Stage becomes a fond smirk at the art world. “It’s almost like we’ve taken what you see on the street outside [at Supercrawl] and gotten rid of the performers and put
“The large scale appeals to me because it’s something I can get my head around and it’s easy for me to manipulate. And it becomes temporary...” C/O RACHEL KATZ
Reece Terris Artist in a gallery to think about,” said Terris. To create the piece, Terris set the lighting and pyrotechnical cues to music, however the show itself was completely devoid of sound. “I started thinking about this as like a language. Like what happens when you start watching a movie and the words drop off and are slightly off and how awkward that is. It totally ruins the visual… This is kind of similar,” he explained. “You start to think of it in terms of having a light show that obviously does have some pattern and rhythm to it but there’s no connection to anything audible or any movement or anything. So you really start to question the primacy of visual feedback without anything else.” During the performance, audience members continuously whispered about when the ‘real show’ would start, and when something would happen onstage. There was an unspoken discomfort hovering over the crowd. By the show’s halfway point the anticipation in the air was tangible, something Terris was striving for. According to Terris, 3rd Stage is a show he is ultimately satisfied with. However, even for someone so keen on the impermanence of art, the show’s short lifespan was hard to swallow. “It’s funny,” he said. “All that work for four, 10-minute shows.” @RachAlbertaKatz
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When: September 19, 2016 from 02:30PM until 03:20PM Where: SWELL meeting room (MUSC B118) We’ll explore a variety of practices such as sitting meditation, labyrinth walking, guided meditation, artistic expression, and any other ideas each of us brings to the group.
When: September 19, 2016 at 12:00AM until September 25, 2016 at 11:59PM Where: TBA Registerby September 18: Fill in the form www.OpenCircle.mcmaster.ca/bys The Becoming Yourself series is funded by Student Open Circles and is open to post-secondary students at no cost.
Want to get involved with the Silhouette? It's simple! 1. Look up our section meeting times. Check page 2 or thesil.ca/getinvolved for the details. 2. Come to one of our meetings and meet the section editors and reporters! Can't make it? Email the section and they can make alternate arrangements. 3. Pick up an assignment from the section and get started! Yup, writing for the Sil is that easy!
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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016
Supercrawl 2016
A&C | 19
The weekend that was as documented by the Silhouette’s Photo Editor
Site 3 Fire Arts’ Riskee Ball provided the hottest interactive art piece of the weekend. MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR
Strumbellas’ Simon Ward serenades Saturday’s crowd. MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR
The centre piece of the weekend long festival: Overflows by José Luis Torres. MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR
The food was just as jaw dropping as the art. MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR
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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016
The Silhouette | 21
Sports Fresh faces, high expectations McMaster’s women’s rugby program puts 2015 CIS championship in the rear-view mirror
McMaster prop Colleen Irowa takes it to the University of Toronto defence. C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
Let the title defence begin. The McMaster women’s rugby team is coming off the best season in the program’s history, winning the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship for the first time in school history. The team had been building towards that moment. In 2014, Mac beat the University of Guelph – a powerhouse rugby program – in the Ontario University Athletics championship game to signal a changing of the guard. That squad won silver at the CIS national tournament that year. In 2015, the Marauders broke through. They won the OUA championship at home and left no doubt in the CIS title game, where they defeated Queen’s, the tournament hosts,
27-3. While maroon and grey fans will refer to them as the defending champs, do not expect to hear much talk about last year from the squad. “We’re a fall sport, our season is done at the beginning of
“It’s a different kind of team profile. There are different strengths and weaknesses on attack and defense. I think our attack is going to be really exciting this year.” Shaun Allen Head coach McMaster women’s rugby
November. We had essentially six months to celebrate that success. We had a banquet in a way we had not done it before … the players got national championship rings,” said Shaun Allen, head coach of the women’s rugby team. “Moving into this season, we had training camp [in early September] and we have to address [the championship]. In the first meeting, I brought it up and said ‘obviously we had a lot of success last year, but we had quite a few players that are not returning.’” The team will be a different group this year. There are significant losses – like captain and last year’s female athlete of the year Cindy Nelles – that changes the fabric of the team. Allen said the roster’s changes allow the team to close the book on the previous year. Now, the challenge is how this
team will define themselves this season. Part of the new definition involves a different style of play. Due to roster changes, Mac cannot simply run it back and expect to get the same results. “It’s a different kind of team profile. There are different strengths and weaknesses on attack and defence. I think our attack is going to be really exciting this year.” We have players in a lot of positions that can play with the ball, run sideline-to-sideline and spread out the other team,” Allen said. In a conversation ahead of their season opener, Allen talked about what the defence might look like. Emily Ricketts, Christine Van Beest, and Nelles were three athletes that Allen pointed to as a key to last year’s defence. Who steps into those defensive gaps is one of the key
storylines moving forward. The roster losses are no surprise, and if there is a team that can absorb the changes, it is this one. Sara Svoboda, who played with Rugby Canada’s development team this summer, returns from a year off due to injury. And Mac has consistently recruited well over recent years, suggesting that there is talent who are ready for the opportunities. All signs are positive after the first game. The Marauders worked the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 82-0, with Saffara Whiteley-Hoffelner scoring four tries in the game. But games against teams like U of T won’t provide much clarity. The Sept. 23 match-up against Queen’s should provide a clearer picture of where the Marauders stand this season. @Scott1Hastie
22 |
SPORTS
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
Injury bug hits hard Men’s soccer team hope to steady their 2016 campaign
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Mac midfielder Carlo Difeo controls the ball in a 0-2 loss to Laurier on Saturday. C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK Cullum Brownbridge Sports Editor
After back-to-back deep runs in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national tournament, the latest McMaster men’s soccer campaign has been met with adversity. After winning their first two games, the squad has stumbled over their last few games. This included a 4-2 loss to the defending CIS champions York Lions, who scored three goals in a span of four minutes to open the second half. Five games into the season, Mac sits in sixth place in the OUA West Division, with seven total points and a 2-2-1 record. Mac head coach Dino Perri points to key injuries including wing players Marco Gennaccaro and Sasha Ricciuti – as their main obstacle so far into the season. “Our biggest problem is having so many key players out injured, forcing us to rotate our starting lineups,” Perri said after the team’s practice on Monday night. “We don’t have a consistent starting lineup every game. You’re trying to teach new players of the system and team to step in and fill their spot. They’re put in a tough situation.” “We have to take a few steps back and simplify our
strategy. This is the most difficult part of our schedule right now, playing top CIS teams back to back.” While injuries are unfortunate, they also provide opportunities for other players to step up and expand their role. One player who has impressed so far is first year striker Dusan Kovacevic, who has been a bright spot early in the season. “Our one rookie starter [Kovacevic] has scored some quality goals for us and has definitely stepped up his play,” Perri said. Other players have stepped up their game. Third-year midfielder Yunus Mollayev has scored three goals on eight shots this season, while fourth-year goalkeeper Kieran Doyle-Davis has already registered three shutouts. McMaster has only faced teams that are currently in front of them in the OUA West division. Still, Coach Perri – who has been the head coach of the men’s soccer team since 2008 – holds a high standard befitting to previous years, no matter whom Mac is facing. “The standard is the standard, regardless of who’s on the field,” Perri said. “I’d like to see us at the top of the table, realistic or not. We want to be in a situation where we are one of the top two teams heading into
the playoffs.” McMaster plays each team within the OUA West division twice during the regular season, so there will be opportunities for the team to exact revenge for their previous losses, and improve in the standings. Their next game takes place at home, in a rematch against third-place Guelph. The last time the two teams faced each other ended in a scrappy 0-0 draw, with the two teams combining for 11 yellow cards. “It was a chippy game last time against Guelph,” Perri said. “We’ll need to maintain our patience, and make sure the officials take care of the scrappy tactics.” With players returning from injury soon and an experienced coach at the helm, there is still reason for optimism for the men’s soccer team for the rest of the season. @Curtains1310
“We have to take a few steps back and simplify our strategy.” Dino Perri Head coach McMaster men’s soccer
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TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Enter for your chance to win a $4000 travel voucher and answer this question of a lifetime!
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How to purchase ticket(s): Tickets can be purchased by using cash, cheque or credit card. Contact Jennifer Fraser at 905.522.4446 #237 or jfraser@jhshamilton.on.ca Drop by our office at: 654 Barton St. East Hamilton MON-FRI: 9am-12pm, 1pm-5pm In support of the John Howard Society of Hamilton, Burlington & Area
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P: 905.522.9799 ext. 248
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