The Silhouette - January 17

HOW TO WIN AN MSU PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Campaigning for the students union’s top job starts Sunday EDITORIAL, PAGE A6

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Silhouette One of us

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ANDY’S

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McMASTER UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013 VOL. 83 NO. 18

Part 1

Now in his final year before retirement, Dr. Phil Wood looks back on 30 years at McMaster JESSIE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor He has seen chickens scrambling across the JHE lobby, attended 29 out of 30 Welcome Week concerts and has his own soul-rock and basketball radio show on CFMU. In his three decades at McMaster, Dr. Phil Wood has seen and done it all.

Dr. Wood celebrated his 30-year teaching anniversary on Jan. 2 this year, having arrived at McMaster in 1982. On Jan. 13, the SRA passed a motion to

give Dr. Wood honorary MSU membership.

John McGowan, General Manager of the MSU, stated how rare a distinction this is; Dr. Wood one of only 16 honourary members of the students union since 1965.

Dr. Wood, who is revered in McMaster’s Engineering department, came from a teaching post at Michigan State University to join McMaster’s Chemical Engineering Department.

STUDENTS, A4

INDEX Why Hamilton shouldn’t have a casino: Mel Napeloni weighs in on the detriments of a gambling house in an economically struggling city.

CRACKING, A7

Calligra-me: Learn how the subtle nuances of your handwriting speak volumes about your personality. An expert tells you why and how.

INK’D, B9

What you’ll be eating in 2013 INSIDEOUT, B7

A celebrity venture into nuanced literature: Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s take on classic children bed-time books hits home and hits hard.

JOSEPH, C8

A basketball for a brighter tomorrow: Scott Hastie delves into the evolving nature of the men’s Marauders and gleams insight into their near future.

Where is Mac investing

$519

BUILDING, B1

Balancing the books: A first-hand look at how major McMaster athletes manage the divide between practice and projects.

THE “A”, B1

Million?

PAGE A3

Taking off the gloves: The warm-up is over.

Easy sudoku is out and we’ve ramped up the difficulty just because we can.

SERIOUSLY, B8

MAPS to host general meeting on Feb. 5 Part-time students association has remained silent on spending allegations Sam Colbert Executive Editor The board of the McMaster Association of Part-time Students will meet with its members on Feb. 5 for an annual general meeting. And at this year’s gathering, they’ll have a little more to answer for.

McMaster University launched a probe of MAPS last summer following allegations of irresponsible spending. It has been withholding a portion of part-time student fees collected for the organization while the investigation is ongoing.

The University made the de-

cision “in light of significant concerns that were raised regarding MAPS’ business practices,” it said in a December public statement.

MAPS represents all McMaster students taking fewer than 18 units in an academic session, as well as continuing education students. Although it is incorporated separately from McMaster, the University charges fees on the Association’s behalf.

“McMaster took this extraordinary measure to protect the interests of part-time students,” read a December statement from the University.

MAPS currently charges

part-time students membership fees of $7 per unit. The Association requested an increase to $10 per unit in June, but was denied

by McMaster’s Board of Governors. The Board pointed out that the fee had risen from $5 per unit three years prior, and felt that there was insufficient evidence presented for the need of this second increase.

“That’s not usual,” said McMaster assistant vice-president of public and government relations Andrea Farquhar of the denied fee increase. “There are some times, certainly, when requests for fee increases are sent back;

“

MAPS director Sam Minniti and president Jeanette Hunter have declined interviews with the Silhouette on multiple occasions. it’s not that it never happens. But it doesn’t tend to be the norm. I think that probably began with some people starting to ask questions.”

The 2011 earnings of MAPS executive director Sam Minniti appeared on Ontario’s 2012 public salary disclosure list at $126,152.

It was the first time since he became executive director in 2005 that his salary has shown up on the ‘sunshine’ list, which discloses the salaries of all employees on public sector payroll making more than $100,000 annually.

Although MAPS is not a public organization, Minniti’s earnings were listed because McMaster University processes MAPS’ payroll.

Minniti and MAPS president Jeanette Hunter have declined interviews with the Silhouette on multiple occasions.

BOARD, A5

the

PRESIDENT’S PAGE Jeff Wyngaarden VP (Finance)

Huzaifa Saeed VP (Education)

Siobhan Stewart President

David Campbell VP (Administration)

STATE OF THE UNION MSU to present annual document outlining organizational decisions, achievements and goals of 2012/2013

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

January is always an exciting time on campus. The MSU presidential race kicks off on Monday, January 21, and during the campaign period the MSU will be continuing the tradition of presenting our annual State of the Union address. The State of the Union will take place inside TwelvEighty at 2:30pm on Wednesday, January 23.

Complimentary food and soft drinks will be available.

The State of the Union was adopted during the 2010-2011 academic year as a way for the current MSU executives to reflect on and present some of the significant changes that have happened during their term. The document and subsequent presentation are primarily methods of communicating to you, the undergraduate student body, what your student union has been working on this year to improve the student experience at McMaster. It includes information on services’ accomplishments, where and how your money is being spent, what projects have begun and have been completed, and how the postsecondary landscape has changed over the last eight months.

The State of the Union is also a historical document. It is a snapshot of the MSU at a particular point in time and gives future students and student leaders a brief look into the issues that were faced by their predecessors. It is our belief that the State of the Union is an important reference document for anyone hoping to take up a student leadership position to read, in order to gain a better understanding of how particular issues have developed over the past few years.

The release of the State of the Union is often accompanied by a number of questions, some of which are answered here.

Why release the State of the Union now?

The timing of the State of the Union is of particular importance as the election process of the 2012/2013 MSU President is set to begin and the election of the future Vice Presidents is only a few weeks away. It is crucial that students have the necessary information available about the workings of the MSU in order to make informed choices about their student union. As

well, it will likely give you as a student a source for questions that you can ask of your candidates in order to determine whether you feel a candidate best represents your interests.

Why is the State of the Union important?

Given the transient nature of the organization and its membership, the specific priorities of the McMaster Students Union are bound to change with time. As such, the State of the Union is to serve as a general guideline and to be published annually by the MSU Board of Directors. In addition to serving as a foundation for longterm planning, the State of the Union is an important piece of institutional memory, summarizing the priorities and events of that particular year.

With the high rate of turnover and the challenges inherent in our short institutional memory, it is crucial that MSU members and student leaders refer to this document and others to gain the historical insight needed to make informed decisions.

What is in the State of the Union?

This year’s State of the Union holds some exciting and intriguing information on a wide variety of topics.

This past year we’ve seen McMaster’s 125th anniversary, the production of the Forward with Integrity task forces & their subsequent projects, the resignation of the Premier of Ontario (and ensuing leadership race), plans for a new Liberal Arts building and the relocation of The Phoenix. Additionally, the MSU has worked on creating a Fall Break, established plans for a green roof on the Student Centre, digitized the archives of The Silhouette, ramped up our efforts to communicate via social media, and initiated open forum discussions with President Deane.

These topics only scratch the surface of the projects that have been taken on this year and the events that have shaped our educational experience. You can expect much more in the official State of the Union document that will be released next week as the Board of Directors take the stage to present our year in review.

What can I expect to see next week?

There are two main components to the State of the Union. The first is a presentation, chaired by MSU President Siobhan Stewart, on the major points contained in the State of the Union document. This will occur in TwelvEighty at 2:30pm and will be followed by Q&A with the Board of Directors. Complimentary food will be provided both before and after the State of the Union. The second is

a document encapsulating all of the information that summarizes this year’s accomplishments. The document will include briefings on a number of topics, financial information, and updates on the terms of service of some of our employees. A limited number of copies will be printed but the information will also be available online at

www.msumcmaster.ca.

These are only a few of the questions that arise each year, and no doubt there will be more substantial inquiries on the content of State of the Union once it is released. I encourage you to drop by TwelvEighty for the presentation and stay for the question and answer session.

STATE THE McMASTER STUDENTS UNION

of the

UNION WED, JAN 23RD

2:30PM IN TWELVEIGHTY Presentation followed by Q & A with the MSU Board of Directors

COMPLIMENTARY APPETIZERS AND SOFT DRINKS WILL BE SERVED

ALSO ON THE BALLOT THIS YEAR...

At this time of year, the MSU presidential election tends to get most of the press, but it is also important to draw attention to referenda that will run concurrently with the election in late January.

First, there is a proposal coming from the Student Representative Assembly (SRA) to reduce the CFMU 93.3FM fee from the current $17.29 per MSU member to $12.50 per MSU member.

Second, the McMaster Marching Band is requesting a $0.90 per student levy to help support their events and operations.

FOR UPDATES ON YOUR 2013 MSU PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS STAY TUNED TO

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

Both of these referenda will appear on the online ballot which will be emailed to each MSU member, in conjunction with the presidential ballot.

Voting occurs on January 29, 30 and 31, so before then be sure to get informed!

Information on all the candidates and the referendum questions will be available on the MSU Elections website www.msumcmaster.ca/elections.A lso, you can always speak to your elected representatives on the SRA to get a better perspective on these issues.

Don’t forget to vote!

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, January 17, 2013

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Where does the money go?

While activists call for investment in more sustainable industries, Mac’s own practices are unclear Elisya Petrone is one of three recent graduates petitioning Maclean’s to rank universities based on the ethics of their investments.

AMANDA WATKINS / ASSISTANT INSIDEOUT EDITOR

Julia Redmond Assistant News Editor It’s no secret that universities deal with a lot of money. Between tuition, research funding and corporate sponsorships, cash is often on the minds of McMaster administrators. But what people may not know is where the school spends its money.

Elisya Petrone is hoping to change that.

A new Hamilton resident and recent graduate of Lakehead University, Petrone has put forward a petition to Maclean’s Magazine to offer a ranking of schools based on “ethical investment” in their annual University Rankings issue. Together with Kyuwon Kim and Yasmin Parodi, also recent graduates, she hopes to promote divestment across Canada.

“Canadian Universities are proud to claim they are on the cutting edge of sustainability education and research to solve global problems,” reads their online petition, run through Change.com.

“However, together Canadian Universities are investing billions of dollars in unsustainable and unethical industries that we think students would have a problem with.”

The petition lists examples of these “unethical” industries, which includes fossil fuels, weapons manufacturing and tobacco companies.

The three young women thought Maclean’s was a suitable way to promote their commitment to divestment.

“We were thinking [the petition] would be an easier way to create effective change, because it’s going to be a challenge to go to these universities that have vested interests,” Petrone explained in an interview.

“We thought that instead of working with one university, [Maclean’s] could do a lot of the groundwork and find this information.”

She described Maclean’s University Rankings, now in their 22nd year, as the “be-all, end-all of rankings” in Canada.

Although the goal of the petition is focused on the magazine, Petrone hopes to encourage students to pressure their own universities towards divestment.

“I’ve been able to raise this issue with people in my circles here [in Hamilton], and I [thought we should] start something at Mac,” she explained.

“Right now our goal is to find local activists on campus and people who can get on board and invest their time in this project …

I don’t go to McMaster, so I want to inject this idea and help it get founded.”

No Canadian universities have yet agreed to divest from fossil fuels, though campaigns exist at McGill, University of Ottawa, University of British Columbia and University of Toronto. Activists at U of T also found success with a 2007 campaign against investment in tobacco companies. The university eventually agreed to divest from tobacco and tobacco-related stocks.

While divestment hasn’t been an institutional priority at McMaster, students supported a 2005 referendum to end the university’s exclusive contract with Coca-Cola due to the company’s alleged human rights violations.

“McMaster’s a big institution, so it’s time to get this thing going here,” said Petrone.

The focus is to avoid investment in any companies that could be deemed unethical or unsustainable, but at McMaster, it is unclear whether or not such investment exists.

Details of investments made by the McMaster Department of Treasury Operations, which manages the school’s endowment funds, are not available to the public. As of 2011, McMaster had a total endowment of $519 million. “[The investments are] managed on McMaster’s behalf by private investment managers, and these investment managers are guided by the policy, and we’re working with them to make them aware of the policy and ensure they’re directed by it,” explained Gord Arbeau, Director of Public Relations at McMaster.

“With the nature of the investment, it’s impossible to keep up-to-date information or lists as this is frequently changing.”

However, other large universities across Canada, including University of Victoria, Western University, Queen’s University, York University and many others, have such data available online.

This has resulted in McMaster

“

“Together Canadian universities are investing billions of dollars in unsustainable and unethical industries.”

Elisya Petrone, Kyuwon Kim and Yasmin Parodi in their petition to Maclean’s being ranked behind most major Canadian universities in terms of endowment transparency, according to the US-based College Sustainability Report Card.

McMaster’s policy on social responsibility in investment, last updated in 1980, states that “the primary social responsibility of the University is to fulfill its role as a centre of learning and free inquiry,” noting also that “the Finance Committee ... does have a serious obligation to consider matters of social responsibility that may arise in connection with its investment decisions.”

The policy stipulates that moral judgments of an industry are to be made based on the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights as a guideline.

Despite their enthusiasm, Petrone, Kim and Parodi have not been met with much support from Maclean’s for their proposed ranking.

“We believe this is an issue best explored in an article,” the magazine wrote in a press release.

“At this point we are not considering introducing a ranking indicator on ethical investment of university endowment funds.”

The Change.com petition was set up to send one email to Mary Dwyer, Senior University Rankings editor at Maclean’s, for each signature it received. Petrone and her colleagues agreed to disable this function, but she acknowledged the initial series of emails might have strained relations.

Dwyer was unavailable for further comment on the matter.

Maclean’s did respond to the petition with two articles posted on Maclean’s onCampus, a subset of the magazine’s main website.

One article argued in favour of investment in divestment; the other made a case that ethical investments are not so simple.

“We want more than just two articles on this website that no one ever goes to,” insisted Petrone.

“The petition has [almost ten thousand] people and we want publishing; we want [Maclean’s] to actually publish in [their] print paper every year.”

“I just feel that if there’s a will, there’s a way,” she said. “Hopefully things will spin, and pretty soon all universities will be on the divestment train.”

NEWS IN BRIEF Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor

U of T group rents Swingers Club

McMaster part of Cootes eco-protection

Twenty-somethings: the new “underclass”?

Hamilton influenza activity declines

The Sexual Education Centre at UofT has rented the Oasis Aqua Lounge to promote their Sexual Awareness Week with a “sexy social” party night. The event has sparked controversy for explicitly promoting sexual activities in the club, but bars group sex or sex in the hot tub. The club has stated that the event is about learning about safe and healthy sexual relationships.

The Hamilton Conservation Authority, in partnership with Mac profs and students have been working towards fundraising for a Dundas EcoPark. The EcoPark is part of a larger movement for Cootes to Escarpment Park System Project, which seeks to bring together the local stakeholders to create awareness of the lands surrounding Cootes Paradise Marsh. The Dundas EcoPark would connect more than 2,500 hectares of land and would be one of Canada’s largest urban parks.

A recent article from Maclean’s has suggested that current young workers are working in jobs they are overqualified for. The article goes on to argue that changing labour market demands will continue to adversely effect university graduates. Continued trends predict growth in skilled trades and engineering positions, which post-secondary institutions are not readily addressing.

The Medical Officer of Hamilton has noted cases of flu or flulike illness are slowly declining from the high rates seen over the holiday season. However, due to continued demand across Canada for flu vaccines, especially in Eastern Canada and British Columbia, local pharmacies are facing shortages. Hospitals in the region have agreed to open access to their supply to meet short-term demands.

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

S A4 NEWS

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Students and staff recognize Dr. Wood’s innovation FROM, A1 At the start of his career as a professor, Dr. Wood maintained a fine balance to ensure he was both a strong teacher and researcher.

Along the way he was mentored by noteworthy professors, such as Don Woods, and went onto mentor generations of students, administrators and faculty members.

Dr. Wood first interacted with students teaching in Chemical Engineering, then later as Associate Dean of Engineering and in his current role as Associate Vice-President of Student Affairs.

Upon receiving a 3M Teaching Fellowship Award, Dr. Wood remarked that the key to his success was continuously “turning the crank,” churning out research while ensuring student success in the classroom.

Across the board, students and staff have whole-heartedly agreed: Phil Wood genuinely cares about students and the McMaster experience.

Elizabeth Edwards, Director of BioZone and Professor in Chemical Engineering at University of Toronto, recalled how effectively Dr. Wood engaged students in class.

“He once came into a class with a bucket of water and a power drill. The class burst into laughter as he proceeded to drill holes in the bucket and the water peed out the side in different arcs, which effectively showed the function of pressure. I cotaught with Dr. Wood when I first started and I am so grateful to have learned from him.”

Anecdotes from Dr. Wood’s colleagues and students are ripe with examples of his hardworking spirit, his indelible commitment to student success and his creative methods of engagement.

Don Woods, Professor Emeritus at McMaster, recounted how Dr. Wood used beer-cooling experiments in a heat-transfer course and looked at why golf balls are dimpled in a fluid mechanics course.

Former MSU President Vishal Tiwari (2009-10) jokingly recounted the easygoing nature of his relationship with Dr. Wood.

“We had this saying, that ‘We’re rolling with Big Wood,’” he said.

“Dr. Wood has a genuine interest in students. Dropping

by Union Market regularly to get coffee is just one example of small consistent gesture that makes him a quick friend to any McMaster student.”

When The Silhouette sat down with Dr. Wood, it was clear he, too, would miss the studentcentred nature of his job.

While his career took off in the Faculty of Engineering, he quickly assumed more leadership roles at the departmental and administrative level. But his memories of these positions and the campus as a whole reflect a deeper evolution he has witnessed.

Wood proudly noted how in the last several years he has witnessed the growth of school spirit, partly due to the Vanier Cup win,

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“I’ll still be the number-one fan out at the games and on campus but I’ll miss having a chance to make difference” Dr. Phil Wood, Associate VicePresident Student Affairs

and partly as a result of several years of individuals building the “Think Maroon” campaign.

As his term concludes on June 30, there are many things students may remember about him. Perhaps it will be hearing his voice over the airwaves on his radio show, “Soul in the Hole,” or

his contributing music reviews for the Sil’s ANDY section.

“I’ll miss being somebody that students want to engage with,” he said. “I’ll still be the number-one fan out at the games and on campus … but I’ll miss having a chance to make a difference.”

Idle No More gains ground in Hamilton

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Ryan Sparrow Silhouette Staff Across Canada, tens of thousands of first nations people and their allies have protested against Bill C-45, claiming it would be an unprecedented oppression of indigenous peoples by the government.

Ahmad Al-Amad, a thirdyear philosophy student, has gone to several of the demonstrations after hearing about the effects that C-45 will have on the environment and the impacts on treaty rights.

Ahmad says students should take interest in the protests “because it is not only respecting indigenous people and the land that at the very least deserve recognition of their nations and the genocide by the Canadian state but because of the destruction of our ecosystems.”

The Idle No More protests sprung out of opposition to the Omnibus C-45 bill “Jobs and Growth Act,” which focuses in particular on Tar Sands development.

The Omnibus Bill C-45 made sweeping legislative changes to Canada, most notably changes to treaty rights and scrapping environmental protections on Canada’s water ways.

Rick Gunderman, a secondyear history student who attended the demonstrations says that the Bill enacts a “freedom to pollute.”

“The Treaties are the last line of defense to protect water and lands from destruction,” stated Oren Lyons, a Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan for the Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs in a press release.

The attention to the Idle No

More movement grew with the subsequent hunger strike by Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence.

Last year Spence brought to light the impoverished conditions that many Aboriginal communities face after declaring a state of emergency due to the housing crisis at the Attawapiskat reserve.

According to an Idle No More press release, Attawapiskat has wealthy mining companies on its land that do not share any of the wealth and resources with the community.

Over the past month, there has been a wave of protests in Hamilton as part of the Idle No More movement, starting with a protest in front of City Hall.

This was followed by a flash mob inside Limeridge Mall on Dec. 24 that had more than 300 indigenous peoples and supporters attend.

Inside Limeridge there were speeches followed by a pow wow and drum circles. Demonstrators held numerous creative signs.

The mall demonstration was not unique to Hamilton. On Jan. 13, West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton was packed with well over 2,600 demonstrators. Hamilton protestors also gathered on Jan. 5, with more than 350 people rallying at King and Dundurn.

Protestors proceeded to march on Highway 403 around the Dundurn Plaza. The demonstrations lasted about two hours.

Idle No More also gained momentum at the Jan. 11 Art Crawl. It started with a smudging ceremony at the Green Smoothie Bar with drumming and singing inside.

An Idle No More teach-in has been organized for Jan. 18 in the MUSC atrium.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

NEWS A5 S

Where does education fit into the Ontario Liberal leadership race?

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Anqi Shen Online News Editor Post-secondary education has flown under the radar in the Ontario Liberal leadership race, to be decided next weekend.

While all of the candidates have identified paying down the deficit and creating jobs as economic priorities for Ontario, it’s not certain how each plans to tackle the education sector, especially at the post-secondary level.

Of the six candidates who entered the race, only two released a separate statement on postsecondary education, and one of them has since dropped out of the race.

After last weekend’s polling, Sandra Pupatello leads Kathleen Wynne among delegates, 504 to 463. The race is expected to end in a push to the end between the two.

Pupatello, a former Windsor MPP and Education Minister who chose not to run for re-election last year, is focusing on four issues: Northern Ontario, jobs and the economy, rural Ontario and social policy.

Like many other candidates, Pupatello has not directly addressed post-secondary education, but expressed that she wants

to return to collective bargaining with teachers at the primary and secondary level.

Wynne, a Toronto MPP and former Education Minister, released her platform on postsecondary education last week.

Wynne wants to set up a youth advisory council similar to the one she established when she was the Minister of Education.

The council would comprise representatives from student associations, Aboriginal youth, as well as those who have not pursued a post-secondary education.

On her promise to create more work and internship opportunities for students, Wynne said, “the labour force and the labour market don’t match.”

Gerard Kennedy, Harinder Takhar and Eric Hoskins have also responded to rising levels of youth unemployment, promising to create incentives for businesses to hire youth. However, they did not address quality of education in their platforms.

Regarding tuition, which has become particularly contentious in Ontario following the student protests in Quebec, Wynne said a sustained funding model with no cuts would be more realistic than tuition freezes or reductions.

“We have sustained funding set aside for education. What we won’t necessarily be able to do is increase funding,” said Wynne.

“I worry about loss of access if the government has to subsidize certain groups and not others,” Wynne continued.

Glen Murray, former Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities who was first to enter the race, withdrew his bid last Thursday to endorse Wynne.

Before leaving the race, Murray proposed a radical ‘no money down tuition’ plan that would require payment based on income levels after graduation.

CFS-Ontario has repeatedly lobbied for province-wide tuition cuts, and expressed dissent for Murray’s plan.

OUSA, an undergraduate student alliance representing McMaster, does not intend to take a stance on the candidates.

Given the heated debates that have arisen over youth unemployment and tuition hikes, why aren’t more candidates talking about post-secondary education?

Alex Sevigny, a McMaster communications professor who has worked as an advisor in three Liberal campaigns in Hamilton, says post-secondary education hasn’t been a salient issue in the

“

“So far it’s been a very collaborative race. Whoever wins will be using portions of other candidates ideas” Alex Sevigny, McMaster Communications professor

SANDRA PUPATELLO CAMPAIGN PHOTO

provincial race because “it hasn’t been made a big issue.”

Teachers at the primary and secondary level, on the other hand, have elicited more of a response. They are also a big force in the delegates who will be voting, noted Sevigny.

“College and university professors have a less cohesive presence in the voting body within delegates,” he added.

Sevigny, who has worked with Liberal MPPs Judy Marsales, Ted McMeekin and Gerard Kennedy, now endorses Kennedy for Ontario Premier.

“Party renewal is a major concern of this leadership race, and so is the economy,” said Sevigny.

“So far it’s been a very collaborative race. Whoever wins will be using portions of other candidates’ ideas.”

“We’re all Liberals but we have different priorities,” said Wynne, who has been vocal about her willingness to collaborate.

“Investment in education has to be part of our policy.”

The question is how much investment will be made, how funds will be used, and to what extent post-secondary education will become a priority in the shadow of economic concerns.

FWI projects receive funding Anqi Shen Online News Editor Nearly 30 ‘forward with integrity’ projects have been funded by McMaster University, with a total of $122,245 awarded to successful applicants.

In September, a call for proposals went out for projects that would enhance the student experience. The call was answered by 54 applicants, which included students, staff and faculty from a number of departments.

“We wanted to encourage students, faculty and staff to think about what we can do to improve and how we could work together,” said Laura Harrington, Forward with Integrity project director.

The budget for the projects was originally $100,000, but was increased after the proposals were received.

Harrington said each of the 54 proposals was reviewed by three different members of an advisory group, which commented on each proposal and made funding recommendations.

After the first round, 27 projects have been funded primarily by the President’s Fund. Two were endorsed and will seek funding from other sources.

While some projects will start immediately, some will take a bit of time to get started while the applicants conduct research and search for participants.

Later this month, a call will go out for proposals for the second wave of projects, which will be due on Jan. 31. Those projects will focus on interdisciplinary research and development.

“There are a lot of people with a lot of great ideas. This is one way to stimulate those conversations,” said Harrington.

Board of directors shrunk to five members in recent years FROM A1 MAPS bylaws last approved in 2008, which are absent from the Association’s website but were obtained by the Silhouette, say that MAPS must present financial statements to its members at an annual general meeting each February.

“Several months ago concerns were raised about some of MAPS’ spending practices over a period of time including, salaries, expenses and reimbursements, travel and office costs,” read a Dec. 21 statement from MAPS. “The Board reviewed these significant and serious concerns, identified means to ensure it adheres to best business practices and committed itself to an enhanced governance structure for consideration by the membership at its next [annual general meeting].”

When contacted in late November 2012, Minniti and Hunter declined to share financial state-

ments with The Silhouette.

The MAPS bylaws also say that a new board of directors must be elected at the general meeting.

The board, it adds, must be made up of “not less than 10 and not more than 16 directors.” The board currently has five members.

The Hamilton Spectator spoke with former MAPS president Elaine Marion earlier this month about allegations that she used part-time student fees for a trip to Italy.

“This was not a vacation; this was a course and I was a student,” Marion told the Spectator.

She explained that a bursary allowed her to take art theory classes in Italy.

“The board was looking for ways to support [the program] … this was an investment in art history at McMaster,” she added.

There is not yet a definitive timeline for when the University’s investigation of MAPS will conclude.

EDITORIAL

Executive Editor Sam Colbert Email thesil@thesil.ca Phone 905.525.9140 x22052

Thursday, January 17, 2013

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Platform matters Winning an election and being a good MSU president are two very different things to jemmi-gods. to joke candidates. come back to us, james lim.

to caving so quickly to the mango hurricane temptation. to calling a 4 a.m. audible on redesigns.

to sex magazines. stay tuned. to a norovirus-free weekend. to my very own caricature. weren’t you always wondering what i looked like? oh, you weren’t? to four volumes of newspapers at one party.

to taking so long to really understand why cmyk is important. to the beginning of the end.

Monday

Tuesday Wednesday Nominations

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Jan. 20, 12 p.m.: Campaigning starts

to the cost of a burger, fries and pitcher in london, england. not that i’ve ever been. to someone eating my skittles. those were gifts.

The Silhouette Sam Colbert | Executive Editor | thesil@thesil.ca Jemma Wolfe | Managing Editor | managing@thesil.ca Andrew Terefenko | Production Editor | production@thesil.ca Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma | Senior News Editor | news@thesil.ca Julia Redmond | Assistant News Editor | news@thesil.ca Anqi Shen | Online News Editor | news@thesil.ca Mel Napeloni | Opinions Editor | opinions@thesil.ca Brandon Meawasige | Senior Sports Editor | sports@thesil.ca Scott Hastie | Assistant Sports Editor | sports@thesil.ca Sam Godfrey | Senior InsideOut Editor | insideout@thesil.ca Amanda Watkins | Assistant InsideOut Editor | insideout@thesil.ca Nolan Matthews | Senior ANDY Editor | andy@thesil.ca Bahar Orang | Assistant ANDY Editor | andy@thesil.ca Yoseif Haddad | Senior Photo Editor | photo@thesil.ca Jessie Lu | Assistant Photo Editor | photo@thesil.ca Thaddeus Awotunde | Video Editor | photo@thesil.ca Javier Caicedo | Multimedia Editor | photo@thesil.ca Karen Wang | Graphics Editor | production@thesil.ca Ammar Hanif | Distribution Coordinator | thesil@thesil.ca Sandro Giordano | Ad Manager | sgiordan@msu.mcmaster.ca

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Jan.Sunday 23, 6 p.m.: Monday Tuesday Presidential Pub Night and informal debate at TwelvEighty

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to urinal supermen.

to mac dr. phil. to white space.

Jan. 18, 5 p.m.: Thursday due; 6 p.m.: Candidates announced

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Jan. 29, 12:30 p.m.: Presidential Debate Jan. 29, 9 a.m.: 0nline voting Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday in MUSC atrium begins; paper balloting runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in MUSC March

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Sam Colbert Executive Editor

Being pretty doesn’tMonday hurt.

Sunday Neither does being charismatic. Colourful posters, viral videos, strong debates – all that’s going to help, too.

But, for the most part, a candidate’s this year’s Sunday success in Monday McMaster Students Union presidential election will have been determined long before campaigning starts on Sunday.

And that’s a damn shame.

Because among all the election Sunday Monday season hoopla, what’s often overlooked is the most important part of the ordeal: the platforms.

Campaign promises are mysteries to voters until websites go up at noon on Sunday.

Sunday MondayAfter that, students will have 12 days to sift through them for a little value and realism.

But whatever their opinion, it’s not enough for a student voter to get to know you, Monday or even like Sunday you, in the campaign period. They need to share an identity with you from the start. Be it through a faculty, a society, a social group or some other segment of campus life,Sunday a win for you has to be a win Monday for them, too, and if you haven’t built those kinds of relationships already with whatever time you’ve had at Mac, it’s too late.

That might seem reasonable enough.

Why should a week and Sunday Monday a half of class talks and button giveaways trump years of social capital?

The problem is that once your supporters think they’ve put

their man or woman in office, March they stop paying attention. While you’re transitioning in April and taking over Wednesday in May, they’ll be Thursday Tuesday writing exams and heading off to summer jobs.

March The day-to-day work of an MSU president then becomes remarkably private. I don’t mean to say that it’s concealed Tuesday Wednesdayor isolated; Thursday it just happens at boardroom desks instead of podiums.

March The Vice-President (Finance) looks after the books. The VicePresident (Education) takes care of research and advocacy. TheThursday Tuesday Wednesday Vice-President (Administration) deals with human resources.

March And with whatever time you, as President, can find between meetings, you’ll work on projects.

Be it a peer support line, better Tuesday Wednesday Thursday hours for libraries or eateries, a new email system, a farm standMarch or (dare I say it?) a fall break, it’s the promises made in January that will make for a meaningful term in office. Wednesday Tuesday Thursday All the stuff that seemed important to voters becomes far less March significant. Will you be a charming leader? It could help, but MSU staff will take direction from you regardless. Will you listen to stuTuesday Wednesday Thursday dents? You should, but students are too busy with their personalMarch lives to have much to say anyway.

If voters want to elect their friends, that’s fine. But if they want to electWednesday a good president,Thursday Tuesday platform matters most.

So please, candidates, get March your platform right.

Don’t pitch stuff that will affect the University coffers. The

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Be it a peer support line, better hours for libraries or eateries, Friday Saturday a new email system, a farm stand or (dare I say it?) a fall break, it’s the promises made in January that will make for a meaningful term in office.

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MSU won’t be scaling back tuition fees any time soon.

Mind your tone. Voters don’t want to feel like they’re being enlisted Friday for a fight; students, staff Saturday and University administrators want to feel good about your ideas. Siobhan Stewart’s “Something For You” campaign beat out Chris Erl’s stance against high food prices and Alex Ramirez’s Friday Saturday “revolution” in 2012. The year before, Matt Dillon-Leitch’s promise to fund our ideas won over Matt Wright’s push for fiscal conservatism.

Do some Hint: Fridayresearch. Saturday picking a project that the University is already looking into makes it more feasible.

And, finally, be honest and down-to-earth about it. You don’t need to inspire don’t Friday people. They Saturday want to be your admirers; they want to be your friends.

And couldn’t we all use a friend who can get us some time off around fall mid-terms?

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OPINIONS

Opinions Editor Mel Napeloni Section Meeting Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m.

Contact opinions@thesil.ca

Thursday, January 17, 2013

A3 S

COLUMN

Cracking the nut in Hammer town Why our city doesn’t need a casino

YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Mel Napeloni Opinions Editor I walked by city hall this week.

The building stands proud, eight stories tall, on the corner of Main and Bay. A glimmering edifice in a city with substance abuse, women trafficking, substantial homelessness, urban sprawl and gentrification.

That same night, I saw an events page against the construction of a casino downtown; a new topic of discussion among city council’s Gaming Facility Proposal Subcommittee. In March, officials will inform the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation of the verdict.

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of (nearly comedic) horror at the fact that this issue is even up for debate.

As if our city isn’t already deep into a kind of political unrest. The dissolution that exists between Hamiltonians and their representatives is uncanny.

For starters, a casino downtown would be a nightmare for small business owners. Sixty per cent of small businesses in Canada near a casino go out of business within two years. Issues regarding bankruptcy steadily increase following the opening of a new casino. It’s no wonder that a lot of downtown business owners refuse this consideration.

It’s an old, conservative way of thinking that as long as people are employed, the economy is in a good place. Many of the casino’s apologists, of course, beg to differ. The creation of ‘short-term jobs’ repeats itself.

Wages made, the political atmosphere, or the longterm effects of workers in the surrounding area don’t seem to be big areas of contention among supporters.

This simplified argument actively isolates individual businesses from their surrounding communities and that’s when things get messy.

With a staggering 18 per cent or so of our population below the poverty line, the very idea seems ghastly. In a city that bleeds for social progress, a casino would force the most disadvantaged sectors no other choice. It is being built in one of the poorest areas in Hamilton, and indebtedness due to gambling is one of the biggest reasons Canadians file for bankruptcy.

Something that isn’t talked about enough, but is perhaps one of the most crucial elements of this controversy, is prevailing health issues. How many parents with children would say ‘yes’ to a highly populated, late-night casino in their backyard? According to the City of Hamilton’s Public Health Services, casinos increase vulnerability to youth, elders, and especially aboriginal communities. Within the youth population of problem gamblers alone, 25 per cent reported an attempt at suicide in just the last year. In case this doesn’t ring some bell, that means youth problemgamblers are 18 times more likely to attempt suicide than other students.

During my days downtown, I think of the word ‘potential.’ I’ve biked Barton Street at one in the morning and Locke Street at noon. I’ve walked James in the rain, had Wass with friends and pissed on old Churches in the dead of night. All my worst and best experiences are forever ingrained into the delicacy and vitality that is the downtown core.

Out of love, it is with vehemence that I say this city could do without an extra gaming sector, could do without another storm against our rapid tides.

Trigger warning Rape culture infects our western bubble Udoka Okafor The Silhouette Rape is one of the most gruesome of crimes. For all its victims, it represents the highest invasion of their privacy. It is a crime that preys on the most vulnerable.

Current statistics for rape do not fully represent the reality of rape cases in society.

Part of this stems from the fact that many people do not know what rape means and that many rape victims do not report their crimes for fear of being blamed and shunned.

Rape culture has been institutionally embedded in our society.

This gross sexual objectification of women and their subjugation to unfair standards is an accepted reality.

Rape victims are shunned, blamed and further abused by powerful figures in society. When you talk to some people, they will tell you that rape will happen no

matter what we do. The question I ask is, why? And I deem it imperative to answer that question.

Before I continue, I want to make something clear, and it’s that rape is a crime of power, not sex.

This is actually a very important element of rape that people tend to miss.

Rapists are not only in it for sexual gratification, but to overcompensate for their lack of strength.

I am a strong believer that powerful figures who have sexual affairs with young, vulnerable people should be prosecuted for rape.

It is never okay to take advantage of someone’s vulnerability.

That is why we have laws on statutory rape that protect teenagers from predators who take advantage of them, even if the teenager ‘consents’ to the sexual activity.

The reason, I believe, why

rape laws do not identify, protect and prosecute all rape crimes in society to the law’s fullest extent is due to historical statutory redundancies and patriarchal oppression that has been institutionally embedded in our society and its legal system.

My point is to draw attention to the brutality of the rape culture we live and experience. Victim blaming, sexual objectification, double standards, protecting rapists and so on are expressed to their highest degree in our society. The first step to solving a problem is awareness.

Many people, especially women, do not know how power and oppression subjugates them to this vicious culture.

The best way to begin targeting the rape culture is to expose people to the voices of the abused, the repressed and the silenced.

The voices of victims hold the key to ending rape and rape culture.

Their voices will go a long way.

FEEDBACK

What is your opinion on the creation of a casino downtown?

“It fosters negative habits, but if proceeds go to a reserve or good cause, I might be in support of it.”

“Easy access for people who enjoy casinos, but a lot of potential for abuse and increased debt.”

“It adds too many issues to a city that’s already volatile. I can think of two people who’d spend thousands.”

Rebecca Shalansky, Health Sci III

Christina Del Sordo, Commerce I

Clarissa Huffman, Anthro IV

Sometimes, our bellows will lead to bliss Standing for something is a battle worth fighting Tarun Sanda The Silhouette As students, in all honesty, we have not accomplished much in our lives.

We are in the process of becoming products of the system.

Currently we are searching for our future roles in society.

We spend years of our lives learning and studying for the future.

We remind ourselves every day that we are doing what is necessary so that some day we can live the life we envisioned for ourselves.

Sound like enough motivation?

Hardly. Life as a student is usually stressful. There are deadlines, responsibilities, exams, assignments and a multitude of things that we deal with on a daily basis. Occasionally the pressure gets to us, so we decide to seek a release. These moments are important; they are vital to keep you sane, to prevent overkill. It can relieve your stress, and the next day you return a more focused, and calm individual.

The problem arises when you get too fond of these moments.

Suddenly an occasional drink may turn into a weekly endeavor.

Soon, it has consumed you.

You begin to make excuses that you may never experience

such an opportunity again in life. This notion that our lives are very short and we must do what we please otherwise we might be missing out has been pressed upon us.

Living for the day, or the night, and not worrying about the consequences of the future. You only live once.

Stop for a second and imagine yourself underwater. You hold your breath as long as possible, but soon you need to reach the surface for that breath of fresh air.

At that moment, when you know you cannot hold your breath any longer, nothing else matters.

You do whatever it takes to get that breath of fresh air. It doesn’t matter what you were doing five minutes ago, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is, it doesn’t matter how great that party was last night. All you want

“

“Occasionally the pressure gets to us, so we decide to seek a release. These moments are important, they are vital to keep you sane, to prevent overkill” Tarun Sanda, Commerce II

is a single breath of fresh air. All that matters is what you have in the moment.

Sometimes memories aren’t so precious after all. Imagine yourself partying away your 20s.

Soon you have no job, which in this day and age equates to no future.

Soon you’re old and sitting at the end of the bar wondering what could have been if you focused on what was important back then. Suddenly the great

memories of your 20s don’t seem so comforting anymore, because once you come back to reality you realize that you have nothing.

What matters most is what you have in the present.

Imagine a contrasting storyline. You put yourself through school, did what you needed to do to get that job you’ve always wanted. Suddenly the years have gone and the comforts of what you’ve accomplished sits.

There is no need to look back in time because what matters the most is what you have done with your life, what you have in the moment. The difference between the two moments is that the latter story line gives you a permanent sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. The struggle is worth it once you look back and realize that what you have now is much better than what you had back then.

S A8 OPINIONS

Thursday, January 17, 2013

vs.

ARGUING

FOR THE MOTION

It appears that I often take the side of boycotting an issue that holds great weight. I’m cool with that. There is no issue more frustrating, I think, than the cost of textbooks. Since 1979, new home prices have increased by over 325 per cent, which corresponds to the 250 per cent inflation of the Consumer Price Index.

Educational books (specifically post-secondary) prices have increased by 812 per cent.

This has been due, in part, with distributors charging more (and being free to do so because textbooks are a necessity for students) and copyright laws limiting professors’ abilities to distribute articles online or on hold. Students have, in their own ways, stood up against this by purchasing counterfeit textbooks. The RCMP, within the span of one month, has seized 2,700 counterfeit textbooks. Students also purchase textbooks’ overseas editions; the practice of importing these titles is technically illegal.

Thank you, Copyright Act, for also tacking an extra 15 per cent import tax onto the cost of U.S. textbooks, as if the reminder that there is a lack of Canadian produced textbooks was not humiliating enough. Buying illegal overseas editions or counterfeit textbooks is not the solution; it simply perpetuates the fact that there is a problem. The solution must be a little bit more drastic,

Violetta

President of the McMaster Debating Society

and what is more drastic and effective than a 90 per cent decrease in profits after a successfully implemented boycott? Nothing. And that’s exactly how much those fat cats will take to the bank.

Not all students have access to tablets, which is another assumption that these industries have; that money is something we have in excess. However, we should not be coerced into buying such expense physical copies of learning material when that could either be incorporated in lecture or the costs can be reduced. Let’s keep it real.

Most of the student body has engaged in one of the following solutions for the issue of cost: purchasing a textbook with a friend or multiple people, borrowing the textbook from a friend, trying to find a cheaper, outdated copy and making it work, or just praying that the exam won’t focus on a textbook that was never purchased.

Q.

ARGUING

THE MOTION

Vice-President (External) of the McMaster Debating Society

People underestimate the value, richness, and importance of textbooks in learning. Many students will tell you that not only are textbooks an excellent resource for when you can’t make it to class, but they are also necessary for students to review material they may have forgotten or misunderstood in class. I know that I myself rely so heavily on textbooks to clarify topics that, for example, my professor with a really big accent who I don’t understand in class didn’t clearly explain. Not only that, I also find very valuable diagrams, charts, tables, pictures etc. that are completely essential to learning what I need to learn.

Some students choose not to buy textbooks, even though they are mandatory, and that is a decision they make on their own for various reasons such as they don’t study well out of textbooks. This is very different from an entire student body refusing to buy textbooks. If the majority of a student body were to boycott textbooks, they would be sending the message that textbooks are useless, and the fact of the matter is that they’re quite the opposite of useless. Yes, textbooks have gone up in price dramatically, but there’s a

Should the Mac student population boycott buying textbooks?

Continued online

AGAINST

Andrea Tang

reason for that price increase, and they are increasing in price just like tuition itself has.

I don’t think this is really deterring people from attending post-secondary because the government gives out loans, and universities provide scholarships, along with students choosing to opt out of the res experience and commute from home - all ways to save money. I also go back to remind you that there are many ways such as Facebook and Amazon in order to buy cheaper used textbooks legally, and they are quite effective. You cannot simply boycott an essential part of university learning such as textbooks, which has been traditionally used as a study aid as far back as anyone can remember, simply because the prices seem to be getting higher.

The additional stress added at the beginning of each semester by having to buy textbooks is part of the university experience.

Those keen to save money spend some extra time on Facebook or on other used textbook websites to try and get a cheaper, possibly older edition copy of the textbook, and I think that is completely fine. It’s not as simple as you say, and textbooks won’t just get so significantly cheaper all of sudden because of one link in the chain of power.

Continued online

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

OPINIONS A9 S

Resolutions to goals

Broken promises means new alternatives

A better 2013 comes with lots of challenges.

YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Sarah O’ Connor Silhouette Staff Promises upon promises upon promises. “My New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight.” “My New Year’s Resolution is to ask out my crush.” “My New Year’s Resolution is to be a better person.”

It happens every year when that silver ball drops at midnight.

Every year when lovers kiss for luck and the single cheer that vows this will be their year. Every person makes a resolution, planning on how to make this year the best year yet. But will it be the best?

I’ve never been in the habit of making resolutions. From my foggy childhood memory, I remember being asked what my resolution would be for the coming year.

I shrugged my shoulders, unsure how to reply. How can you plan to change something in one year?

I suppose it depends on the weight of the resolution. If it’s something small like losing weight, that is possible.

A person can lose a significant amount of weight in a year, if they actually put the effort into losing weight.

If it’s something like asking out a crush it is also possible, but harder.

It shouldn’t be so difficult to

ask someone out, but it is when all a person can think about is looking like a fool, their stomach fluttering with nerves, anxiety pulsing through every fiber of their body.

Asking that special someone if they “want to go on a date” would make walking into a volcano look fun.

And when someone says they’ll be a better person, that’s nearly impossible. How can someone change who he or she is in one year when they have been themselves for X number of years?

The truth is, every time someone makes a New Year’s Resolution, there’s a part of them that knows they don’t have to keep it.

I always feel that New Year’s Resolutions set us up for failure.

Too many people use the easy cop-out that “there’s always next year.”

And there is always next year until one year you’re old and wrinkled. This might be it.

Why don’t we look to New Year’s Resolutions as goals? True, they’re both basically the same thing, but goals set us up for success. Goals are attainable. We work hard to achieve our goals, but we push off resolutions. With goals, people are allowed to go at there own pace. With resolutions, we only have 365 days.

www.stgeorgehamilton.ca 134 Emerson Street at Royal Avenue 4 blocks South of McMaster Medical Centre Reformed theology, Prayer Book liturgy ___________________________________________________

Sunday 20 January - Epiphany 2 Morning Prayer 10:30 am Rev James MacNamara Evening Prayer 7:00 pm Rev Dr John Ferns Tuesday Evenings – 6:00 to 7:30p.m.

ESL FRIENDSHIP GROUP Conversation and Canadian Culture

___________________________________________________

S A10 OPINIONS

Thursday, January 17, 2013

A new kind of education We shouldn’t be pursuing academia for the sake of being academics, exclusively Taylor Dysart The Silhouette

KAMIL POREMBIŃSKI/ FLICKR

The house that society built Rob Hardy Silhouette Staff Now that 2012 has finally come and gone, and we seem to have survived the prospect of the end of the world, it’s time to put the party favours and hollering away and get serious about the state of our world. Even though we have lived to see another day, the beginning of this new year sees a whole mess of tremendous problems in need of attention.

One of the biggest problems we need to face is the marginalized segments of our population, as well as those who are in fact homeless. Few really deeply think about our fellow Canadians literally living on the streets, and what an absolute failure this is for our government.

It may be shocking to learn that estimates of those homeless in Canada count some 175,000 people or more, depending on the

source. We must recognize our responsibility in not having provided enough affordable housing and rental options, at having increased the cost of living by eliminating cheaper alternatives, and in continually denying this group valid representation in all arenas.

It’s time we no longer ignored the bigger picture, as we go off the deep end if we don’t have the right smart phone configurations, while others don’t even have shelter from the cold.

Canada has more than enough capital to better acknowledge this problem, and it’s time we face our apathy so we can transition to a higher level of compassion. We’re lucky to actually have the option, as other countries are not as resourceful.

Russia recently experienced the worst cold snap in over 70 years this past Christmas, with temperatures between -25 and -50 degrees Celsius that resulted in

the deaths of approximately 200 people, many of them homeless.

As humans we all have basic rights - the most fundamental needs to be satisfied so we can at least have the barest chance at striving for more. Escape from homelessness is one if them.

Much strife is found in how society is being rearranged. It reverts to questions such as who will become a working professional and who will be their servants?

How will we view future citizens who might hold multiple degrees but have been funneled into occupations at Starbucks, hotels, retail outlets, or even Walmart or fast food outlets, simply because the market cannot absorb as many lawyers and the like? Should our jobs really provide our main identities or can we be honest and realize that we class people based on their income level and social connectivity, not by intelligence or inherent talents?

MEL NAPELONI

“Well how is THAT going to get you a job?” This is one of the many responses I received when I added History as a second major to my degree this past November, which turned my Honours B.Sc. in Psychology to a Combined Honours B.A. in History and Psychology. This particular response came from a family friend we have known for years - let’s call him Rodger. Rodger is one of those family friends you see once a year (only once) and you wish to spend your limited time with him catching up on exciting personal events. You don’t want to spend this time being bullied into believing that your education has become worthless.

As open-minded as our society claims to be, there exists a narrow-mindedness in terms of our education. This tunnel vision is focused on one aspect of education: choose your major based on your prospects of getting a job.

Many articles have recently been published comparing the “worst” and “best” majors, based on rates of employment and median salary for graduates, and which majors are most likely to get university graduates a job. Can students really benefit from these articles?

Maybe, if you would like to spend four years studying a subject that makes you cringe, followed by a life of boredom and regret.

While some place a lesser value on the education of students who choose to study fine arts or philosophy or drama or peace studies I applaud it. I applaud the choice they’ve made to study something they love. I applaud their authenticity. Finding a job after graduation may not be the easiest for them, but the journey that took them to graduation will have been one they genuinely enjoyed and will cherish for years.

For the people who are fortunate enough to turn what they love into a career, everything else is a bonus. Having said that, almost everyone will have to suffer through a job they don’t like in order to get to where they want to be (I have spent enough time working at a golf course to know this first hand). But enduring a painful job shouldn’t be a lifestyle choice.

Some people will disagree, and say that if everyone studied

what they loved then there would be no one else available to take on the positions that need to be filled. There is not one ounce of truth in that. For example, my friend could never see himself studying language for four years in order to work with children and their speech impediments.

Another friend, on the other hand, cannot fathom the idea of receiving an undergraduate degree in math that would lead her to deal with abstract numbers for the rest of her life. Not everyone has a desire to be a performer or an artist - believe it or not some people really do like chemistry and engineering, and to them I give my sincerest congratulations.

To each their own.

Regardless of program, undergraduates should emerge with a number of invaluable skills. Although content is specific to a major, an array of abilities are waiting to be developed and refined by each student. There is no other place like university to learn to think critically, to problem solve and to communicate through various mediums. Students practice these skills for the duration of their studies, along with learning to balance their time. This versatile set of tools should be capable of merging seamlessly from one position to the next, be it graduate school or a job, and be accessible to all undergraduates. How much more likely are we to work harder at these skills and spend more time on them when we enjoy what we’re doing as opposed to when we don’t?

So before anyone else feels the need to tell a student that what they’re taking in school will fail to get them what they want, I ask you to please consider what is most important in terms of gains from education. Is it really receiving a degree that will land you an adequate but dull job? Spending four years in lectures that are so uninteresting that they are really just scheduled naptime?

Or, should your education have the ability to turn you into a keener who sits in the front row and bounces with anticipation before lecture? Give you the opportunity to harvest skills that you can take with you to pursue what you leave? That’s where the tunnel vision should be.

To Rodger, and those who doubt our pursuits as students, consider this.

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Application deadline is March 1, 2013 for Canadian residents and February 1, 2013 for international students Learn more at www.policyschool.ucalgary.ca/students

Practical

Global

Focused

Thursday, January 17, 2013

OPINIONS A11 S

Aaron Swartz, who was a U.S. computer programmer and Internet activist, committed suicide last week at age 26. SAGE ROSS / FLICKR

Knowing too much By fighting the privatization of knowledge, Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz was making the world a better place Kacper Niburski Silhouette Staff If you are reading this article, then you already know. You’ve always known. You were raised knowing.

When you asked a question, it was found in slow evaporation of

ignorance. When you uncovered a mystery of the Universe, it was behind the whispered curiosity if something as whimsical as a truth could ever possibly exist.

Even now as you surf through the vestigial media of the past – a newspaper – you understand.

“

Any way it’s told, he remains the Robin Hood of information by attempting to bring the academic world out of the puppetry of private greed.

Hell. That’s why you’re here.

That’s why you stay here. Because from a very young age when you asked why the sky was blue or how rainbows formed or if Santa really fit in the chimney, you learned that knowledge is power.

Information is power. And you’ll be damned if anyone told you otherwise.

But even you, dear reader, have had some doubts. You’ve seen first hand that sometimes it only matters who you know, not what you know, and you comfort yourself with the fact that that this is something you know very well. Besides that, the inane facts you’ve learned over the years feel static without some active creativity behind them. Without constant stimulation, they flare and wane, eventually sitting idle in a cerebral black hole alongside your grandma’s birthday and basic algebra.

You’ll be the first to admit that some days, knowledge seems a fad no more permanent than a slinky. This is not entirely your fault, however. It stems from the fact that the power knowledge brings with it isn’t yours to begin with anyways. In fact, it never was. It was, and remains to be, with those who hold the information. For they, and only they, can express the undifferentiated mass of everything we’ve learned and everything we haven’t in a way that’s accessible for everyone.

While this seems falsely utopian in nature, listen: underscoring the tacit feeling that we’re all in this – whatever this thing is – together is the drive that we’re learning about “this” so others don’t have to. For no matter how selfish our desires may be, we are not that which comes and goes.

We are footprints, handprints, writings and vocal traditions.

We are stencils on caves and the unmistakable smells of calcium carbonate on a chalkboard. We are stories told around campfires.

We are laughter and tears and happiness and sadness. We are the Bible and the Quran. We are the Rig Veda. We are Macbeth.

We are Catch-22. We are a history that stretches from the Serengeti to the Tundra that has gazed upon the stars at night and has soared with the likes of them too.

And it is in these stars floating around a world we did not create, a body we did not ask to be born into, and a Universe that seems just as much as a hilarious accident as we are, where humanity’s legacy stems. There among the celestial bodies waltzing in the seamless black blanket of the sky, our knowledge expands only to find its limit. It is contained in our Universe defined by some edge,

and we, so far as we know, are the only ones who are conscientious of that fact.

Yet even with this knowledge, even with this power, we have become victims of our brilliance.

Aaron Swartz, an unparalleled programmer and Internet activist who took his life on Jan. 11, knew this well.

Cursed with an open mind coupled with an unrelenting passion for the betterment of humanity, he understood that only by possessing such inborn intelligence and such a wealth of knowledge could we have devised systems that hurts more than heals, that widens the wealth gap between otherwise equal humans, that works to punish the poor and those who challenge the powerful, and that locks the very cultural information we have been born into behind an array of corporate interests and private wealth. In short, he knew the pain of being human.

In an attempt to rectify this pain, he tried to change the world.

Besides creating Reddit and Really Simple Syndicate, both of which have become foundations of the Internet, his work was dedicated to make the world a better place for us all.

While his most recent selfless act has been marred in complexities, it shouldn’t be the case. Any way it’s told, he remains the Robin Hood of information by attempting to bring the academic world out of the puppetry of private greed. By accessing four million documents on JSTOR, a nonprofit academic online library within MIT, he was charged on twelve accounts of felony and could have faced up to thirty-five years in jail.

Murder, slavery, and pedophilia have shorter terms.

Yet the senseless severity of the punishment brings to light the very needed discussion on cyber legislation, something being seen widely as a threat in the political world. No matter what comes from this, however, I will remain to be incredulous. Trying to bridge the Old World with the New results in the massacre on the scales of Columbus. One side loses, the other wins. Always.

My only hope is that it’s the New World ushered by the Internet that will win out again.

Aaron hoped as much. In 2008, he wrote, “With enough of us, around the world, we’ll not just send a strong message opposing the privatization of knowledge – we’ll make it a thing of the past.” I’ll add a secondary wish that privatization on information will become vestigial knowledge reserved only to frighten children on the failings of humankind.

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Contact sports@thesil.ca

Thursday, January 17, 2013

A3 S

Building tomorrow

Despite a bumpy start to the 2012/13 season, the future of the Marauders Men’s basketball team appears to be rock-solid.

JESSIE LU/ ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Scott Hastie Assistant Sports Editor On Nov. 16, in the basement of the University of Ottawa’s athletic centre, stood a basketball team without any answers. The Marauders walked out of the locker room after a long postgame meeting with blank looks on every player’s face. The only words spoken were thank-you’s for the parents who had made the six-hour venture to the nation’s capital. To each other, the players didn’t have anything to say.

McMaster had just been handled. The Ottawa Gee-Gees ran all over them, 82-64. Taylor Black, the focal point of Mac’s offense, only played nine minutes after drawing two fouls within the first 20 seconds of the game. The team never appeared to stand a chance, despite expectations of a dogfight.

Warren Ward, a fifth-year guard and the face of Ottawa’s athletic program, dominated on both ends of the court. As the players re-entered the gym for their cool down routine, you could see this was the low point of a season only three games old.

That night and that game saw a different team than the one sporting the Maroon and Grey right now. But over the past month, McMaster has turned their season around. A rout of the no. 7 ranked team in the nation. A

second-place finish at a national tournament. A four-game winning streak.

Ask any Marauder if they could see this happening after the Nov. 16 game and they probably wouldn’t answer you. The honest answer was no.

Now, McMaster sits in third of the OUA West, with a 6-6 record. The toughest part of their schedule is behind them and McMaster has seized the opportunity against weaker opponents.

However, to claim the quality of opponent as the reason for McMaster’s success would be underselling the collective efforts of the members of the team. The Marauders are a changed team, dissimilar to that of the 2012 season.

“The culture is much more positive. The guys are believing in each and in themselves,” says Connolly of his troop’s new mentality.

Culture is the buzzword for this team. With such a young squad, often playing entire lineups with only one player on the court past second-year, instilling a culture is important. Connolly has been pushing a culture of effort and consistency for his crew, and they’ve accepted the message.

The credit for the mental transition cannot be given completely to the coaching staff, and the head coach will be the first to admit it.

“Scott Laws, Nathan Pelech and Taylor Black have figured out how to be consistent,” Connolly said of his veteran players.

And the consistency has trickled down. Second-year guard Joe Rocca has struggled to maintain his scoring output from the wing – until now.

Rocca is averaging 17.2 points over the last five games, which earned him a spot in the starting line-up. The Communications student points to a more positive locker room environment as the reason for not only his own play, but the performance of the team as well.

“We found our identity. Moving into the second half of the season, we’ve focused on what we were doing wrong in the first half of this season,” says Joe Rocca.

“Being such a young team, we just had to find ourselves. Guys stepped into roles they weren’t expecting to be filling.”

McMaster has shown the ability to learn quickly, which can only be healthy for the future. The night after the Ottawa loss, McMaster came out and dropped 92 points, the most conceded by the CIS Champion Carleton Ravens in over a decade. If the Marauders can respond to negative situations like they did in November, the ceiling for this squad is still unknown.

Not only for 2013 season, but for seasons to come.

“

‘We found our identity. Moving into the second half of the season, we’ve focused on what we were doing wrong in the first half.”

Joe Rocca, Second-year Guard, McMaster Marauders.

The “A” in team For some, striking a balance between academics and athletics is an ordeal

Brandon Meawasige Senior Sports Editor

COUNTER-CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: JESSIE LU, ATHREC, RICHARD ZAZULAK

By the time Adam Presutti left the David Braley Athletic Centre around 9:30 pm on Monday evening, he had gone through two rehab clinics, a game film session, a practice lasting over two hours and an hour in the gym.

“Today is as busy as it gets for a student athlete,” said the second-year guard on the men’s basketball team, who also had to endure a full day of classes.

The team is currently in the midst of their regular season schedule and down the stretch the focus has to be on results.

However, the second academic semester is also underway and varsity athletes cannot fall behind on their studies. The choices that must be made often lead to sacrifices in either the gym or the classroom.

For Presutti, a life dedicated to basketball sometimes takes precedence in this dilemma. “Basketball has always been a lifestyle and the one thing I can confidently say that I look forward to every day, and so any time I had the opportunity to choose between school or basketball I would always pick basketball. There have been times where I’ve gone to the gym to put up shots or work out while I could be reviewing notes for class, or times where I’ve watched game tape film of opposing teams late at

night when I should be sleeping.”

The life of a student athlete is a constant balancing act and time management is imperative for success. How to manage ones’ time is a difficult task for all students, let alone student athletes and the difficulties are especially prevalent in their first few years.

“One problem I had in my first year that I’ve worked on and have been doing a lot better in my second is time management. I look back and realized how much time could have been saved so it was possible to balance both school and basketball in my rookie year,” said Presutti, adding that he has learned the ropes in his sophomore season. “I’m doing a lot better in managing this year and so the sacrifices aren’t as large.”

“

“Good and bad, boring and exciting, everything that has happened to me in my career at McMaster has shaped who I am.

It took tearing my ACL (twice) to really accept that.”

Maggie Cogger-Orr, Captain of the McMaster Women’s Rugby team

Maggie Cogger-Orr, captain of the McMaster women’s rugby team, is one of the more veteran athletes at McMaster and a senior student currently in her fourth year of Commerce. According to her, prioritizing time leaves little wiggle room for student athletes. “The most difficult part is prioritizing what you need to do. Between games, practices, classes, tests, projects, lifts, physiotherapy, etc., you can get a little overwhelmed, but eventually you learn how to prioritize the things that need to get done versus the things that you want to get done,” she explained.

She added, “Once you have this figured out, I usually find that an athlete is actually more productive in their season versus the off-season because time is such a limited resource that there’s no time to slack.”

Throwing student athletes into the fire so early has undoubtedly seen its fair share of failures.

Here at McMaster there are nearly 30 varsity teams, and without some network of support, one could assume the failure rate of student athletes would be much higher.

For such support, the onus is usually on upper year players, like Cogger-Orr, coaches and alumni.

Occasionally, faculties help student athletes along as well.

BOOKS OR BALLS, B6

S B2 SPORTS

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Looking ahead League discusses tiered system, talent drain and scholarship dollars Scott Hastie Assistant Sports Editor

The Women’s Basketball team showed some inconsistency in their recent play.

C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

More than mediocre Scott Hastie Assistant Sports Editor When you watch a McMaster Marauders women’s basketball game, you do not see just two teams. You’ll sometimes see three or four teams through the course of the game as the Maroon and Grey transform from quarter to quarter. At times, McMaster looks like a defensive masterpiece, with crisp rotations and solid rebounding. But as soon as the next play, Mac misses a rotation or gives up two offensive rebounds on the same possession. The team goes from looking like a national competitor to a pick-up squad.

“We’re capable of playing with anyone in the country. We haven’t proven yet that we’re capable of beating these teams,” said McMaster head coach Theresa Burns. “We haven’t put 40 minutes of game together yet. That’s our challenge.”

In the Jan. 3 match against the Brock Badgers, McMaster held a double-digit lead at half.

Their lead would be cut to one going into the fourth quarter and the Badgers would maintain their

Free

undefeated record by staging a dominant fourth quarter over the Marauders.

Mac had countless opportunities to put themselves ahead, squandering put-back lay-ups for easy points.

Against Laurier, the Marauders held a seven-point lead with less than five minutes left and the team’s confidence was brimming.

The game looked like a wrap; McMaster would win their first home game of 2013.

But then, the defense evaporated. It was a Jekyll and Hyde routine of unbelievable proportions. McMaster dropped the game 76-72.

Burns offered an explanation for the down-the-stretch struggles: “We’re making mental mistakes at crucial parts of the game.”

These slip-ups are part of a young team getting their feet wet and learning the ups and downs of inter-university sport. However, there are positives at the half-way mark of the 2012-2013 campaign.

McMaster has found the way they can be successful on both

ends of the court. They control the pace of games, forcing opponents to take part in a track meet on the hardwood.

“I think we played the tempo we wanted to play and we talk about that a lot,” explained Burns.

“Defensively, we put the pressure, full-court, that we feel like we can do and need to do to be successful.”

While the Marauders sit with a mediocre 5-6 record, good for fourth in the OUA West, the problems for the squad have been the ones expected by the coaching staff. As the second half ramps up, McMaster has the opportunity to build off of the strong – although inconsistent – play the team saw through 12 games.

McMaster has the opportunity to validate Burns’ bold statement that McMaster can play with anyone in the country, with two more matches remaining against top-ten CIS teams. Wins against either Brock or Windsor would be colossal in building confidence for the young team and possibly give them the ability to string together four quarters of Marauder team basketball.

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The winds of change are blowing around the Canadian Inter-university Sport (CIS).

On Dec. 16, David Grossman of Sportsnet 590 hosted CIS President Leo MacPherson to discuss a recent meeting of university presidents. Important issues were covered in the meeting regarding the short and long term.

MacPherson spoke at length about worries of a “talent drain” which hampers the quality of play in the CIS. “We don’t have a consensus that we have a crises on our hands for young Canadian prospective student-athletes for the CIS migrating to the NCAA,” said the CIS President. “But there is some concern.”

He went on to explain that the league is judging the loss of Canadian talent on a sport-bysport basis, pointing to women’s hockey as a particular area of concern.

The CIS also discussed a Canada West proposal to have a “tiered-league” in Canada. In theory, the CIS would turn into a nation wide conference instead of the current division set-up. The OUA, AUS, RSEQ, and Canada West conferences would be absorbed into one new super-league.

MacPherson was skeptical of the idea.

“We have a very, very broad geographic land mass that we have to cover in Canada. I just don’t see the financial feasibility of that happening, but it is provocative dialogue,” said MacPherson.

One of the major points of the interview was insight into the workings of the CIS recruitment and eligibility rules, and the lack

of a compliance office. The league boss explained how the CIS operates on an honour system and that there have been minimal problems thus far.

Eligibility talk didn’t stop there; the CIS is discussing elongating the eligibility for studentathletes. The CIS allows students five years of eligibility in seven years after leaving high school, but this could be increased to seven or eight years per MacPherson’s comments. However, the head honcho was not the biggest advocate for the idea.

“I think we’ve got it just about right at five years,” MacPherson argued.

The final issue discussed was the status of scholarships in contrast to the NCAA. The American operation has the ability to offer “full-ride” scholarships, meaning athletes can get residence, food, tuition and fees covered by their sport endeavors. In the CIS, scholarships can only cover tuition and fees, and the dollar amount that can be distributed varies from conference to conference.

The reason for less money available to CIS athletes is tied to budgets of athletic departments.

Scholarships “are based on the ability to pay,” said MacPherson. “What we see in the NCAA is the upper echelon of Division I, with packed football stadiums and packed basketball arenas.

There is some serious dollars tied to that.”

MacPherson commented that the meetings were much better than he expected.

The viability of the CIS is a debatable topic, but the league is acknowledging this and will continue to look for input from all university administrations.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

SPORTS B3 S

THE SPREAD SWING

Sunday. January 13

The swimming and wrestling teams. We see you guys.

Shouts out to all the volunteers who helped with this issue. You stay you.

Return of Marauder sports.

AND A

MISS The Manti Te’o scandal.

TOP: Marauder football greats attend a Burridge breast cancer awareness event. RIGHT: The Cross Country team deals with the muddy field that defined the OUA Championships.

BOTTOM: The Marauders mascot pumps up the crowd as a young b-ball hopeful “auditions” for next’s years roster. BOTTOM-RIGHT: A Maroon faithful gets in full school spirit.

UP NEXT

C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

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Three Downs 1 The interview with CIS president referenced in this week’s article (see LOOKING, pg. B2) raised some highly questionable topics. Leo MacPherson made a jaw-dropping comment about the regulation of CIS recruitment and eligibility rules, citing an “honour system” as the current method of policing. This is completely illogical. Teams could be cheating right now and the only ones in charge of being honest are the teams who would benefit from breaking the rules. How can you take a league seriously if the president expects teams to be honest all the time?

If there is money involved, people are going to cheat. Learn from the NCAA.

2 McMaster’s own Kyle Quinlan signed a contract with the Montreal Alouettes over the holiday break and the McMaster community could not be prouder. Typically, Canadian quarterbacks do not get a fair shot in the CFL but the comments from Alouettes General Manager Jim Popp sound like Quinlan will get an even look at training camp. Best of luck, Kyle.

S TA N D I N G S

Scott Hastie Assistant Sports Editor

3 One of the best stories of 2013 will be Laurier guard Max Allin’s 43-point game performance last week against Guelph. Allin missed several games after the passing of his father, but returned to face the Gryphons and break the Laurier scoring record. With an impressive six three-pointers and an even more staggering 65 per cent shooting night, the fourth-year guard put in possibly one of the all-time greatest performances in OUA history. It was a great tribute to his late father and we wish him and his family all the best at this time.

C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

OUA EAST

W | L | PTS

OUA EAST

W | L | PTS

CARLETON RYERSON OTTAWA QUEEN’S LAURENTIAN YORK TORONTO

11 10 10 9 5 4 2

CARLETON OTTAWA QUEEN’S TORONTO LAURENTIAN RYERSON YORK

9 9 6 5 4 3 1

OUA WEST

W | L | PTS

OUA WEST

W | L | PTS

WINDSOR LAKEHEAD McMASTER GUELPH BROCK LAURIER WATERLOO WESTERN

9 6 6 5 4 3 2 1

WINDSOR BROCK WESTERN LAURIER LAKEHEAD McMASTER GUELPH WATERLOO

12 12 6 6 5 5 4 0

1 1 2 3 6 7 9

3 5 6 7 8 9 10 10

22 20 20 18 10 8 4

18 12 12 10 8 6 4 2

3 3 6 6 7 8 10

0 0 5 6 7 6 8 12

18 18 12 10 8 6 2

24 24 12 12 10 10 8 0

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

OUA

W | L | PTS

OUA

W | L | PTS

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

11 10 8 7 5 5 3 3 2 0

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

12 10 9 8 7 6 6 5 5 3 2 2 2

0 1 2 4 6 6 8 8 8 11

22 20 16 14 10 10 6 6 4 0

1 0 2 4 4 8 6 7 8 9 8 9 11

24 20 18 16 14 12 12 10 10 6 4 4 4

Thursday, January 17, 2013

SPORTS B5 S LEFT: The men’s volleyball team notches their eleventh season victory, leaving them as the only undefeated OUA men’s team. BOTTOM: The women capture a narrow victory against the Ryerson Rams and move to .500 on the season.

C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

Despite a fierce blocking effort by the Rams, the Marauders pulled ahead.

Men’s volleyball turns it up to 11-0 Laura Sinclair Silhouette Staff The McMaster Marauder’s men’s volleyball team had a busy weekend, hosting the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday, Jan. 11, and the Ryerson Rams on Saturday Jan. 12. The Marauder’s won the Friday match quite handily, but the match on Saturday was a tougher feat, as it went into five sets - their longest match of the regular season.

At the Friday night game, the first set saw McMaster dominate early on, getting up to a lead that they would keep for the remainder of the set. The Varsity Blues still managed to hang on and compete, but after the technical timeout, the Marauders got up to an eight-point lead. The Marauders ended up winning the first set 25-17.

The second set saw the Varsity Blues working hard to try and diminish the Marauders momentum. Early on the Varsity Blues were leading by three points. The Marauders eventually regained their momentum, however, and took the lead at the technical timeout. McMaster took the second set 25-21.

In the third set, the Varsity Blues refused to quit and got to a lead of 16-12 at the technical

timeout. The Marauders eventually closed the gap, but the Varsity Blues never gave up, and led the set 24-22.

The Varsity Blues were under extreme pressure to close the set, but could not capitalize on their opportunity, resulting in McMaster tying it 24-24. Both teams could not end the match and extended the advantage.

After a stellar serve from Stephen Maar, the Varsity Blues return allowed for an easy bury by Tyson Alexander.

The Marauders swept the match and won the set 32-30.

McMaster’s setter Austin Campion-Smith was named the Big Mac Player of the game with 28 assists.

On Saturday night the Marauders faced the Ryerson Rams, a team that threatened to end the Marauders ten game win streak by pushing the match to five sets.

The game ended off with McMaster on top, but the win did not come easily. The Marauders got to a lead early in the first set, and led 16-12 heading into the technical timeout. After a series of crucial mistakes from the Rams, the Marauders got lucky, and got to a seven-point lead. McMaster won the set quite easily, 25-18. In the second set, both teams were evenly matched. The Marauders had a one point lead before the

technical timeout, but after the break the Rams pulled it together and mostly due to their blocking efforts, came back with a lead of 23-21.

The set went into extra points, and after an ace from Jayson McArthy, the Marauders closed at 28-26. The third set saw an amazing blocking effort for the Rams’ Aleksa Miladinovic, who helped his team get to a lead of four points over McMaster heading into the technical timeout.

After the break the Rams kept the momentum going by getting up to a seven point lead.

Some critical mistakes from the Marauders led to the Rams winning the set, 25-17. In the fourth set, the Rams proved that they could compete with the dominant McMaster team, and got to an early lead of 6-4.

Throughout the set the leaders alternated, and by the end the Rams were winning 24-22. The Rams won the set soon after the Marauders serve hit the net. The fifth set was shortened, and after the Marauders scored three points early, the Rams called a timeout.

The Marauders kept the lead by playing cautiously and strategically, and their lead eventually got to seven points.

McMaster won the set 15-7 after an ace from Dany Demyanko. Next up for the Marauders is a trip to Waterloo and Guelph, where the Marauders will face the Warriors - their OUA rivals and second place team in the province - and the Guelph Gryphons, who will attempt to bring the Marauders eleventh game-winning streak to a halt.

The Women inched towards a playoff spot with safe, balanced play.

Women break even John Bauer Silhouette Staff After a month-long break, the Marauders women’s volleyball team proved to still be in midseason form after a 1-1 weekend.

They started the weekend in the friendly confines of Burridge gym with a 25-22, 25-15, 25-19 drubbing of the Toronto Varsity Blues, before dropping a five set nailbiter against Ryerson.

Friday’s game against the Varsity Blues was McMaster’s first OUA game action since Nov. 24.

The game was won on dominant service and balanced play, with five of the team’s eight players picking up at least one service ace.

Kierstyn Bakker led the offense along with Shannon McRobert with nine kills apiece, while Taylor Brisebois, who chipped in five block solos, led the blocking. The overall point leaders were Bakker with 12 and Brisebois and McRobert with 11.5 each. Solid, steady defensive play was evident as no Toronto player broke the en-point barrier.

Saturday’s marathon against the nemesis Ryerson Rams was the women’s closest game since their October five-set thriller in Guelph. With more than 200

“

The Marauders go into [the next] game in a dogfight to hold down a playoff spot with six games remaining.

serves, 120 digs, and 90 kills between the teams throughout the game, some sparkling individual performance could be suspected.

The Marauders provided, as Taylor Brisebois picked up 17 points and 11 kills, Kierstyn Bakker contributed four aces, 10 kills, and 14 points, and Shannon McRobert pitched in nine kills and 15 points.

Up next for McMaster is the long bus ride to the nation’s capital for a 2 p.m. Saturday game against the Gee-Gees, owners of a league best 12-1 record. The Marauders go into that game in a dogfight to hold down a playoff spot with six games remaining.

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Books or balls? Marauders are on track Continued from B1 According to Presutti there is a great network for student athletes here at McMaster. “I couldn’t ask for any more support on campus. Professors have been extremely good with me making up midterms or presentations because I think they understand how tough it can be to manage sometimes,” he said.

Basketball coach Amos Connolly, a former basketball player at Mac, has also helped keep Presutti focused not only in the gym, but in the classroom as well. “Coach Amos has been there every step of the way for me. In my first year when I was having a successful season statistically from a basketball standpoint, my marks slipped really bad to the point where I was almost failing, and Coach did everything in his power to make sure I had the resources around me to be a successful student. He requires me and the rest of the team to maintain a certain GPA otherwise we are not allowed to play.”

Connolly knows what it is like to be a successful student athlete and expects his players to maintain a 3.5 grade point average. “The demands are much higher now,” the coach, now in his third year with the team, said of the increase in expectations for student athletes.

“Diet (including alcohol intake) and sleep are huge factors as they relate to time management.

Players have to prioritize and sacrifice in a more intense way now. That is why they are worthy of respect,” he added.

For the players, Connolly plays a big role in guiding them along the straight and narrow.

“He truly wants us to be student athletes. All in all MAC has provided me with a great support system and I’m thankful every day to be here around great people,” said Presutti of his coach.

Connolly is one of many coaches at Mac that understands student athletes. Cogger-Orr had

a similarly positive experiences with her support network: “In terms of coaches, I have been very fortunate to have had coaches who attended McMaster themselves and understand the difficulties that athletes sometimes face as well as the importance of doing well.”

The McMaster sports community is built around the idea of success both in sport and academically. Both Presutti and Cogger-Orr play for playoff-caliber teams who have competed at the CIS level.

Currently, student athletes are eligible to play for a total of five seasons. Cogger-Orr believes that this is more than adequate.

“Five years is plenty of time to get a degree and be a full time athlete.

Part of what being a student athlete means is maintaining both at the same time with equal attention and passion,” she said.

The hard work put in day in and day out by varsity athletes often goes unnoticed by the average student. Even a small glimpse into the life of a student athlete yields some valuable perspective on what goes into Saturday games at Burridge, Ron Joyce or the Back 10. Participation in varsity athletics becomes a holistic learning experience for student athletes that cannot solely be found in any arts quad lecture hall. For CoggerOrr, rugby helped her learn how to overcome adversity. “Good and bad, boring and exciting, everything that has happened to me in my career at McMaster has shaped who I am. I think it took tearing my ACL (twice) to really accept that and … to comprehend how fortunate and lucky I have been.”

After all of the hard practices, long nights in the library and competition on the field or on the hardwood, student athletes are left with a life experience unique to any other that exists.

The McMaster community as a whole benefits from the sacrifices of these students and many others like them on campus.

The Marauders track team put on a great show at the CAN AM Invitational earlier this month.

C/O PETE SELF

Laura Sinclair The Silhouette The McMaster Marauders track team got off to a great start on Jan. 11-12 at the CAN AM invitational meet in Windsor, Ontario. The Marauders managed to pull off amazing results in the first meet of the season, with four runners making podium, and several others achieving personal bests and finishing amongst the top ten in their race.

The meet started off on Friday night with the 60 m event.

In this race, McMaster’s Scott Hutchinson finished in third place, running a 6.97 s and narrowly missing the Marauder’s all time record of a 6.91 s for this event.

In the 3,000 m event, powerhouse rookie Madeleine McDonald dominated the race, running a 10:01 and tiring out the field in the process. The rookie managed

to pull off that time running alone and winning the race by a whopping 17 seconds. This race was the rookie’s preparation for the NACAC Cross Country Championships, where she will be representing Canada on the junior team in Mandeville, Jamaica on Jan. 26.

Pauline Skowron finished the 3000m race in eighth place, with a personal best time of 10:41.

In the men’s 3,000 m, Men’s Captain Jeremy Walsh ran to fifth place with a time of 8:40, while Blair Morgan finished not too far behind in seventh with a time of 8:50.

In the women’s 4x200 m relay, Jessica Tat carried her teammates Abi Shanmugaratnam, Kara McPherson and Latisha Rhooms to a fourth place finish, and a time of 1:45.97, just missing out on the Marauder’s all-time record of 1:45.59.

This was not all that Tat would accomplish on the week-

end, as she proved that the 600 m was her specialty event, running to second place overall and finishing with a time of 1:34.

In the men’s 600 m, Brandon Huzevka ran to eighth place with a time of 1:25. In the women’s 1,500 m, the CIS Cross Country Championship bronze medalist Victoria Coates finished in third place in 4:43, while teammates Claire Stewart and Raquel Burgess ran to seventh and ninth place with personal best times of 4:51 and 4:53 respectively. In the men’s 1,500 m, Eric Barry finished in seventh place with a time of 4:04.

Several other Marauder’s also competed well at the CAN AM Invitational.

Next up for the Marauders is the Don Wright Invitational at the University of Western Ontario, where those that did not run the CAN AM Invitational will get a chance to race against some fierce competition.

UNIVERSITY PLAZA, 34 PLAZA DR, DUNDAS 905-628-2251

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We accept the McMaster undergrad and grad student drug plans with a copay of only 10%.

We also offer students 10% off Life Brand and Quo products with the Student Savings Card.

INSIDEOUT

InsideOut Editors Sam Godfrey and Amanda Watkins Section Meeting Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m.

Contact insideout@thesil.ca

Thursday, January 17, 2013

B7 S

S T U N O D & s O D 013

rd to in 2 a rw fo k o lo to s d n e tr d Foo

Assistant Amanda Watkins

InsideOut Editor

Cauliflower Not too many people are pleased to hear about the rise of this flowery, tree-like vegetable, but true enough, this crumbly bland veggie is up and coming in the food world. Taking over for 2012’s kale trend, cauliflower is predicted to be the next hipster fun food. And although it has an unfriendly demeanour, mashed cauliflower is a carbohydrate-free alternative to conventional mashed potatoes, and a little seasoning can jazz anything up.

Looking to try something new with the caul’? Try this easy recipe: Ingredients: - 1 medium head of cauliflower - 2 cloves of garlic - 1-2 tbsp butter - 2 tbsp sour cream or Greek yogurt - Milk and salt & pepper to taste Directions 1. Steam cauliflower and garlic until tender (10-15 minutes) 2. Mash the cauliflower and garlic 3. Mix in butter, sour cream/ yogurt, milk and salt and pepper

Asian Comfort Food If you’ve ever watched an animated film or television production exported out of South East Asia, it is likely that you will agree that nothing looks more delicious than animated food drawn by the hands of Japanese graphic artists. From colourful bowls of noodles to sugar-coated confectioneries, cartoon food has been delectable to viewers since the early days of Sailor Moon and her donut obsession. And guess what? All of those colourful creations, are real. With the growing love of noodles and soups like Pho and Ramen, restaurateurs are taking note and making them a staple in more mainstream and western restaurants and chains.

Looking for some Asian comfort food in the Hamilton area? Check out: Pho Dau Bo - 15 Cannon Street East Saigon Asian Restaurant - 1024 King Street West

Home Grown/ Vegetarian They’re pretty, they’re healthy, and they’re trendy. Vegetables are the new meat, apparently, and you can look towards more vegetarian options at your favourite local hangouts. As more and more jump on the veggie, vegan and pescatarian train, restaurateurs are taking note and catering to the demand. If you love meat, fret not, it’ll still be around, but try branching out into some of these delicious new meatless options.

Opinions Editor Mel Napeloni’s favourite vegan-friendly dishes in the Hammer: Injera from Wass 207 James Street South Orange Vegan Chicken from Affinity - 87 John Street South Sauteed Cactus from MEX-I-CAN 107 James Street North

Donuts Associated with gluttonous cops and balding characters on long running television series, donuts have not had the most glamorous of reputations. But, long gone are the days of cupcakes and macaroons, donuts are the new ‘it’ dessert and will be available at more bakeries and on more menus. With both poached and baked options and unique new flavours like salted peanut and chocolate chip, the donut is receiving a makeover.

Looking for donut fun in the Hamilton area? Try: Sweet Paradise - 630 Stone Church West

Hot Sauce In an attempt to spice things up (ha), many chefs and foodies have decided to embrace the Sriracha - along with its spicier South American and Caribbean counterparts - and amp up the flavour on certifiably bland staples like soups, sandwiches and nachos. This year, look forward to requiring a glass of milk along with your food to tone down the shiny new spicy flavours. But hey, spicy food has been known to boost serotonin levels and lower blood-pressure.

Top hot sauces from a girl raised by Caribbean parents: Tabasco Red Pepper Sauce - $7 Matouk’s Hot Calypso Hot Sauce - $5.50 Hot Mama’s Red Pepper Jelly - $8

SEX AND THE STEEL CITY The Magazine

Call for Writers & Models If you’re interested in getting involved, email:

insideout@thesil.ca JESSIE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

S B8 INSIDEOUT

Thursday, January 17, 2013

SERIOUSLYSUDOKU

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1 One who enjoys inflicting pain 7 Loretta of “M*A*S*H” 11 Craze 14 Riddle 15 Comedian Carvey 16 ___ du Diable 17 ___-faire 18 Baldness 20 Detective 22 Chip maker 23 Comparative suffix 24 LAX info 25 Hoggish 27 Speech issue 29 “Pure Guava” band 31 Constantly 32 Come out 35 Architectural pier 37 Some MIT grads 38 Heavy quilt 41 Chest muscle, for short 44 Aquatic bird 45 Begs 49 Minnesota’s St. ___ College 51 Price paid 53 That was close!

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59 End for Siam 60 Ruin 61 Divided into two lobes 63 Greedy 66 Accept as true 67 Paris possessive 68 Hawaiian goose 69 Chant 70 Compass dir.

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DOWN 1 Raced 2 Heap 3 French summers 4 Portable power saw 5 Moore’s TV boss 6 Storage shelter 7 Green or black, e.g.

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

INSIDEOUT B9 S

Ink’d

Graphologist Annette Poizner gives InsideOut readers some tips for DIY handwriting analysis

Sam Godfrey Senior InsideOut Editor Annette Poizner, author of Clinical Graphology: An Interpretive Manual for Mental Health Practitioners, gave me the opportunity last year to have my handwriting analyzed. Graphology isn’t used much in the Western world, but

Angular Writing More detached, analytical, objective. Usually the writing of engineers, scientists, people who are tough-minded and think about issues without troubling over emotions. These writers stripped down their handwriting and they don’t care about the form of the letters that much.

They abbreviate the letters.

it was extremely effective when Poizner used it as a tool to propel discussion about my psyche.

She might not have been able to uncover my deepest darkest secrets (oh don’t pretend like you don’t love Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, too), but she was able to uncover some things about my personality that would

Upright Slant Objectivity, formality, poise.

The upright slant writer is more reserved. He or she looks at a situation from the sideline and then decides how emotionally involved to become.

have otherwise taken her many hours of conversation. I thought the experience was interesting, so she offered to send down a few pointers on how to be an amateur graphologist. You’ll be able to psychoanalyze even better than your friend in PSYCH 1XX3.

Left Slant More strongly reserved than the upright slant. Usually introverted.

Highly private. These people “hold their cards to the chest.”

famous signatures

script

Print

Sometimes prints and sometimes writes cursive. A given word may have points where letters are attached and other points where letters are printed. This is an expression of intuition and writing ability.

Itty-bitty Writing

An expression of introversion and also the writing of somebody with strong concentration skills, increased intelligence (because concentration always improves intelligence) and humility. If the writing is too flattened out or too tight, some type of repression or inhibition may be indicated.

Try it out Large spaces Normally there should be only one character width between one word and the next. More than this implies somebody who has difficulty bridging the emotional gap between him or herself and others. Emotionally distant.

Distant from one’s own emotions as well as those of others.

Smallspaces Needy. The person who crowds others.

The baseline (The line of the text as it moves across the page.) When firm and straight, this person has a strong work ethic. Very reliable. When the baseline is wavy the person may be moody and have potential difficulties with discipline.

Crashing

For some writers, the lower zone of one line intermingles with the upper zone of the line below. An individual who daydreams, watching internal TV.

Drop dead healthy Alon Coret Student Health Education Centre New York writer A.J. Jacobs’s book, Drop Dead Healthy, details a two-year quest for bodily perfection. After being hospitalized with a rare case of tropical pneumonia and having a body he described as “a python that swallowed a goat,” this man decided it was time to shape up.

As Jacobs discovered after consulting nutritionists, dermatologists and trainers, our bodies are extremely complex, and the more we explore them, the more we realize could go wrong.

Although many people don’t start paying attention to their bodies until their health begins to falter, there are many simple changes we could implement even into our super-busy university lifestyle.

Getting exercise should not only be a designated block of time a few times a week. Instead, everyday life can be turned into a gym. For instance: Park in the furthest corner of the parking lot; it forces you to walk more, but also allows you to find a parking space more easily.

Use stairs instead of the elevator (unless you live on the top floors of Brandon Hall).

Run errands. Really run errands, instead of walking or driving them.

At the beginning of his “humble quest for bodily perfection,” Jacobs was determined to lose some weight. If weight is a concern for you, here are a few pointers: Smaller plates = eating less.

So, use smaller plates and you won’t be as inclined to overeat.

Masticate a lot (many chews per bite). It slows down your eating and also allows for better processing of the food.

Don’t watch TV while eating.

Studies show that we tend to eat 71 per cent more while watching TV. Consider healthy appetite-reducing foods: apples, nuts, soups, spicy peppers.

Eat in front of a mirror. Studies show that watching ourselves eat makes us eat less (“Look at him just stuffing his face with those marshmallows!”).

The earth is heavily polluted, so toxins inevitably get into our food and homes. Although it’s quite well-known that we should avoid arsenic, radioactivity and Big Macs, there are various dangers surrounding seemingly healthy foods: The Dirty Dozen: this pesticide-heavy group of foods can be quite problematic, especially when not washed thoroughly.

This includes apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines, grapes, bell peppers,

potatoes, blueberries, lettuce and kale. If you don’t want to pay the organic price tag consider soaking or washing your fruits and veggies. You can buy commercial soaks, or make them yourself.

Fish: avoid fish from the top of the food chain, as they could contain dangerous levels of mercury – marlin, swordfish and some types of tuna fall into this category.

Plastics: BPA is bad. As Time Magazine put it, it might cause “brain and behavioral effects in young children.” If you don’t see a ‘BPA-free’ label, look at the recycling code: Codes 3, 6 and 7 indicate the presence of BPA. Don’t touch. Easy way to remember: “Four, five, one and two -- all the rest are bad for you.”

Everyone is generally aware of the more conventional health tips: eat better, move more, sleep and be safe. As university students, we could all use more sleep, relax more and, for many of us, drink less. But, in case you are not prepared to take on the health quest from A to Zinc, I would hope you could at least adopt a few of these quirky health tips; they will help you live better lives with little effort.

Rounded Writing The more loops you see, the more emotionality in the personality.

Also, rounded writing shows more visual interest in beauty or beautifying the environment.

These people tend to shape letters by being very true to the letter form. They honour how something should look.

.io

Dear New Years Resolutioners . . .

Paulina Prazmo The Silhouette Dear New Years Resolutioners, Where did all of you come from? As I return to start another term and continue on with my weekly workouts at The Pulse, I am astounded that with the size of our change-rooms, I am not able to find a single empty locker.

Back in the day (in 2012) the gym was as empty as my wallet.

Throughout the struggle of finding a locker, I couldn’t help but giggle at your chitter-chatter of “I’m going to lose like 10 pounds this week” and “Seriously, I’ll be going to the gym every day.”

These fresh and oh-so-innocent pledges of becoming a gym regular.

Every treadmill is taken and machines are occupied by the first-timers reading the instructions (usually in pairs, because who really wants to look like a newbie at the gym). Weights and clamps are misplaced and thrown about with reckless abandon

while gaggles of you keeners titter with your friends right smack in the middle of the gym about your ‘fab’ new workout! Good luck trying to find a good spot in that one fitness class you loved going to. And have fun waiting in that line rivalling TwelvEighty’s on a Thursday night.

And yet, despite my complaints, I know that I must confess to the truth that once upon a time, there were gym regulars bemoaning me. I was once in your running shoes. It all boils down to the weeding out of the not-sodedicated to get to the motivated.

So to you, yes you there, with the resolution of working out and getting fit: on behalf of the gym regulars, I ask that you make the decision rather quickly to either stick with it, or stow away those (super trendy) sweatbands for 2014.

Until then, please at least wipe your bike seat.

Sincerely, A Patiently Waiting Gym Regular

S B10 INSIDEOUT

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Such a stud 2012 may be gone, but these trends are here to stay.

Bahar Orang Assistant ANDY Editor

1. High Fashion Sweatshirts

Marvel-Inspired crew neck sweaters paired with white pumps, high-waisted skirts, and dark ‘90s lipstick will be a street style staple in months to come. Lovin’ the comfy-ness and the nerdy shout-out, but downside: being scammed into dishing out way too mucha for gym-wear.

2. High-Waisted Cut-offs

Tumblr went nuts over ombre, denim, and tye-dyed high waisted shorts that are more often than not cut off a little too short (hanging bum cheeks ftw). Buy ‘em at American Apparel for $435464357 or find a Youtube tutorial and a pair of old mommy jeans.

4. Rocker Chic

Motorcycle jackets, studded collars, studded shoulders, leather pants, leather peplum. The ‘90s edginess isn’t going away without a studded fight.

5. Wedge Sneakers I have yet to understand why fashion would take something as comfy chic as the sneaker and give it a heel.

8. Chunky Layered Necklaces

We layered our bracelets until there was no arm space left, so we started on our necks.

9. Bikes 6. Animal Prints Leopard print, cheetah print, snakeskin – RAWR.

High fashion Print Ads with bikes, designers sending their models down the runway on bikes and entire style blogs dedicated to documenting stylish men and women on bikes. Is it environmental or just nostalgia?

7. Contrast 3. ‘60s Silhouettes

Small waists, full skirts, cardigans, round buns, and short curly hair.

Fashion tries once again to restructure the disheveled ‘90s look.

FEBRUARY 13 COPPS COLISEUM

Polka-dots paired with plaid, chunky black and white stripes, military raincoats with leather sleeves. Designers are turning up their nose to matchi-matchiness.

10. PeekaBoo

Dresses with the sides cutout, dress shirts with shoulders peeking out, tights with round cutouts and heart-shaped holes in the backs of blazers. Sexy? Or just DIY gone wrong?

TICKETS ALSO AT THE COPPS COLISEUM BOX OFFICE. All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice. Ticket prices subject to applicable fees.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

INSIDEOUT B11 S

ALEXA MORDHORST Second Year Health Sciences

Jeans: Guess, $108 Top: Aritzia, $50 Boots: Aldo, $110 Blazer: Gap, $ 70 Scarf: My Mom’s closet, originally $85 What’s your wardrobe staple?

My brown boots! Love them.

Three words to describe yourself: Entertaining, Relaxed, Ambitious

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BUDDY PROGRAM We have over one hundred children and teens with special needs waiting to spend time with a volunteer buddy. Matched buddies spend eight hours a month pursuing a hobby, playing sports, or enjoying other activities in the community.

Gain volunteer experience, have fun, and share a special friendship with a young person with special needs!

We offer a minimum of six recreation events each month, providing respite and opportunities for fun and friendship in the community.

We bowl, play laser-tag, go rock-climbing, and challenge each other in all sorts of fun ways.

We have a great bunch of volunteers who assist at these events and are always happy to welcome more!

INTERESTED? VISIT OUR WEB-SITE, FIND US ON FACEBOOK OR CONTACT US! www.extendafamilyhamilton.synthasite .com 905.383.2885 eaf@execulink.com (Buddy Program) eaf.con nect@gmail.com (Recreation Program)

Every Canadian citizen had the right to vote through the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

1:3 Canadian women and 1:6 Canadian men will experience sexual assault in their lifetime.

45% percent of female college and university students say they’ve been sexually assaulted since leaving high school.

The victim and the accused are known to each other in 82% of cases – as friends, acquaintances or family

But… I am not alone!

SACHA (Sexual Assault Centre, Hamilton& Area) is there with 24-hour confidential support, information or accompaniment @

Voting is frequently inaccessible to those with physical and sensory disabilities.

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DOES PUBLIC ATTITUDE LIMIT FREEDOM OF CITIZENSHIP? Student Accessibility Services 905-525-9140 ext 28652 | TTY 905-528-4307 sas@mcmaster.ca | sas.mcmaster.ca McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) B107

andex

c2 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, january 17, 2013

Senior Editor: Nolan Matthews Assistant Editor: Bahar Orang

Contributors: Cooper Long, Tina Cody, Jacob McLean, Michael Skinnider, Sarah O’Connor, Alexander Sallas, Spencer Semianiw

Design: Karen Wang Cover: Bahar Orang

The 70th Gold Globes brought the stars out in full force on Sunday. Though hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler lost to Lena Dunham of Girls for best performance by an actress in a TV series, they had the audience in stitches throughout the event. Other winners included Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook, Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables, and Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained. Claire Danes and Damian Lewis won best performance by an actor/actress in a TV drama for Homeland, while Don Cheadle took home the same award in the comedy/musical category for his role in House of Lies.

Adele’s title track to Skyfall was awarded the best original song in a motion picture, much to the apparent chagrin of fellow nominee Taylor Swift. Most memorable acceptance speech goes to Jodie Foster who, after receiving this year’s lifetime achievement award, movingly advocated for privacy and spoke for the first time publicly about her sexuality.

Plants & Animals This Ain’t Hollywood 9:00 p.m.

opening

film Broken City The Last Stand Mama

Jan. 17

Jan. 19

Fucked Up The Casbah 9:00 p.m.

Feb. 8

Haolin Munk The Brain 11:30 p.m.

Jan. 19

music

Zero Dark Thirty Westdale Theatre 10:00 p.m.

Feb 13

Roy Thomas

United States of Africa Art Gallery of Hamilton 7:00 p.m.

editorial

thursday, january 17, 2013

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c3

our year in lists Year-end lists of the best albums and movies are weird and don’t make much sense, yet they appear in almost every entertainment magazine and blog. What’s the difference between the third-best album of the year and the fourth-best? I suppose you could say that the third-best is slightly better, but when you get that close to the top spot is there really a difference?

At least year-end lists are good for pointing out how limited and out of touch Rolling Stone Magazine is.

A top movie and album list would seem to make sense only if it was highly qualified for a specific person, place and time. Example: “Bob’s List Of The Top Albums Of 2012 On Jan. 17, 2013 For When He’s Feeling a Little Melancholy But Otherwise Pretty Good That Were Made In North America That Sound Like Country But Not Too Much Like Country.”

Even still, I love year-end lists. They satisfy a human desire for organization and categorization. But that raises the question of what should actually be organized: should a year-end list be an overall summary and description of major pop culture trends or should it instead be an attempt to promote something new and point out the quirky stuff that individual people love for weird reasons?

ANDY couldn’t figure it out, so we tried to make our year-end lists a little bit of both. This week we’ve got our choices for 10 through six and next week it’s five to one. There’ll be some bigger movies and albums and some less well-known stuff that you are hopefully convinced to check out. Happy reading, listening and watching.

•

an example of a shitty list

Nolan Matthews, Senior ANDY Editor BAHAR ORANG ASSISTANT ANDY EDITOR

the big tickle

flossing - monica everyday koloman ski

ater enough w drinking uren kalvaitis - la

what new year’s resolution have you already broken? compiled by bahar orang and jessie lu

swearing less and getting in shape - lauren oldfield

none! i’ve bee n good - ibrahim mam saray

re drink mo soave - andrew

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

10 9

8

listen up: ANDY’s to

Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory In an age obsessed with electronic and synthoriented music, Cloud Nothings have taken a decidedly different approach. Attack on Memory is a dark record that questions our cultural ideals, creating an almost dystopic sentiment that forces the listener to confront the darkness of our world. Cloud Nothings frontman Dylan Baldi accurately describes the record as a bunch of “depressing songs.”

Attack on Memory represents a sharp contrast from the band’s previous pop sound, and the title of the album is meant to reflect

this, as Baldi claims the record is an attack on people’s memory of Cloud Nothings.

With this record, Cloud Nothings has developed Nirvana’s grunge sound and added elements of Japandroids’ fast-paced melodies. This infectious combination forces listeners to embrace their youth, but also accept their lack of societal power. “Stay Useless” and “No Future/No Past” are among the record’s most powerful anthems, driving fans to pump their fists in agreement with Baldi’s words. “Fall In,” on the other hand,

upsets the album’s angst by supplying an upbeat and catchy tune. This variety leaves the audience depressed with society’s bleak outlook but also hopeful for a better future.

Attack on Memory has cemented Cloud Nothings as an irrepressible force.

• Tina Cody

Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel...

I’m pretty sure I remember Fiona Apple saying in an interview that “if you create something, you should feel like you have nothing left.” This album feels exactly like that - like Apple has put all of the emotion and experience of the seven years since her last album into The Idler Wheel…

These songs are mostly just Apple and her piano, but this isn’t pleasantly forgettable singer-songwriter background music. This is an album to be played loudly. That’s when the quirky and difficult melodies become cathartic and Apple’s ragged and soulful voice raises hairs.

On “Valentine,” one of the many highlights, she sings “I love you” in a way that no one ever has. “I love you” becomes an accusation filled with anger, desperation and guilt.

By the end of the song Apple instead sounds

resigned and disappointed, describing the complicated emotions of being in a relationship.

Every song on this album was at one time my favourite, but that’s not just simply because I think they’re all great. There’s something to learn in every song about how humans work, though Apple is someone to relate to instead of someone who gives advice. There’s something powerfully reassuring about how she is able to describe the things that we all feel but have a hard time figuring out how to admit.

“How can I ask anyone to love me,” Apple asks, “When all I do is beg to be left alone?” She gets at the difficult question of how we are supposed to deal with feeling selfish in relationships when we’re supposed to be selfless. Even when she seems happy on

“Anything We Want,” Apple still longs for love to be as simple and pure as when she was young. What makes this album so powerful is how Apple expresses complex emotions so directly and with a cutting wit.

After Apple was arrested earlier last year for drug possession, gossip sites turned their attention to relentlessly comment on her weight and appearance. She asked at a concert for the people incessantly writing about her to “please stop hurting my feelings, because it really fucking bothers me.” Apple was sincere, honest and vulnerable - just like her music. The Idler Wheel… is a call to feel everything.

around making boom-bap beats all day.”

It’s hard to deny that there are a couple moments on 1999 where Joey risks blurring the line between homage and fetishism—among the most conspicuous is his 16-bar crew shout-out, à la outro to Nas’s “Represent,” over an obscure Lord Finesse beat culled from a 1997 Xperadó vinyl-only B-side. (And it doesn’t help that he’s probably the only 17-year-old reviving words like “buddha” or “mom dukes”).

But 1999 is far more of a stylistic collage than his detractors make it out to be. For one, there’s as many references to Lil B and Watch the Throne as there are to Illmatic, while tracks like “Hardknock” owe a lot to

conscious rap (Joey even lists Gandhi among his influences). And his youth imbues the mixtape with a sincerity that’s most apparent on the stuttering ballad “Pennyroyal,” where he quotes “Song Cry” over a MF DOOM beat.

Those accusing Joey of derivativeness might also want to take note of his blistering wit. Whether it’s puns like “Like they gonna catch up/ketchup, fuck what you must heard/ mustard” or gags like “I got them girls next to the wood like they Lightyear,” his wordplay is solid gold. Far from merely rehashing a bygone style, 1999 introduces Joey Bada$$ as one of the most exciting new voices in rap.

• Nolan Matthews, Senior ANDY Editor

Joey Bada$$ - 1999 Joey Bada$$ is only 17, but he’s already earned comparisons to Nas, AZ, and Cormega. Maybe it’s his prodigiously lyrical, polysyllabic flow, which resurrects classic mid-1990s New York boom-bap. Or maybe it’s the pitch-perfect production from the Pro Era crew, which sits perfectly at home among MF Doom and J Dilla instrumentals. The resemblance is so uncanny that he’s been accused of plagiarizing the era’s sound - in essence, a borrowed nostalgia for an unremembered decade. Pro Era themselves have disowned the stylistic comparisons: “What people fail to realize is that I’m not only into boom-bap,” Joey maintains, while Chuck Strangers claims that, “contrary to popular belief [...] I don’t just sit

• Michael Skinnider

thursday, january 17. 2013

op albums of 2012 Tame Impala - Lonerism 7

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Lonerism is a peculiar album. The first time I listened through I didn’t understand it.

But there were two tracks that stood out to me - “Elephant” and “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards.” Those songs motivated me to give the album another listen, and that time it hit me a little harder than the first time. I realized the entire album is filled with catchy tunes and brilliant sound engineering. Like all great albums, I could feel that it deserved my attention.

I now think that Lonerism should be viewed as a modern triumph of the

psychedelic genre. It’s not easy to create unique music from a band whose singer sounds uncannily like John Lennon and whose style is nearly identical to the musical atmosphere of when he lived, but Tame Impala have succeeded in creating their own personality.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that differentiates this album from the psychedelic heyday of the late ‘60s, but it isn’t hard to distinguish it from the other bands grasping for fame by reinterpreting that era’s music. Tame Impala have breathed new

life into an increasingly lifeless genre, and with renewed interest this type of music can hopefully once again capture public attention and awe.

Music isn’t what it used to be - but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Even though I’m too young to experience it, I’m sure this album will bring a wave of nostalgia to an older generation and hopefully a wave of affection for a younger one. Lonerism is a brilliant display of subtle musical genius.

• Spencer Semianiw

Titus Andronicus - Local Business Last year, music journalists everywhere seemed to agree that rock music had received a shot of adrenaline. “Rock Gets Loud Again, Finally” exclaimed Exclaim!, while The Atlantic declared it “The Year Punk Rock Broke Back,” in an article that celebrated the sweaty vitality of bands like Cloud Nothings, Japandroids, and Swearin’. Although each of these groups released sturdy records in 2012, New Jersey’s Titus Andronicus perhaps best channeled the visceral, life-affirming power of rock.

Local Business followed 2010’s Civil War-themed The Monitor and was criticized for lacking its predecessor’s grandiosity. In fairness, however, it’s difficult to go much bigger than an album that begins with

Abraham Lincoln howling, “As a nation of free men, we will live forever, or die by suicide!” The themes of Local Business are admittedly more mundane. The dramatic catalyst of “Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape with the Flood of Detritus,” for instance, is a traffic jam. Yet, triumphant multi-guitar riffs and, in particular, front man Patrick Stickles’ delivery, invest such humdrum subject matter with life-or-death stakes.

This is not to suggest that Local Business is a bleak record. Titus Andronicus leavens the angst that often grates in indie rock with a vicious wit. For every cry that “Everything is inherently worthless/ And there’s nothing in the universe/ With any kind of objective

purpose,” a comedic kicker is not far behind. Take, for example, a track with the dual choruses “COLD PISS!” and “HOT DEUCE!” That song, “Still Life with Hot Deuce on Silver Platter,” contains a moment that pretty much crystallizes Local Business’ charm. In a thrilling, half-timey coda, Stickles rhymes “lesbian” and “bovine estrogen” with “mescaline” and “Mexicans.” It’s ridiculous and messy, but coming from blown speakers it sounds like a revelation. These are the ingredients of stirring rock music, in 2012 or any year.

• Cooper Long

to be continued...

c6 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

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thursday, january 17, 2013

andy films you in:

Searching for Sugar Man

Searching for Sugar Man introduced me to Westdale’s pleasant 1920s style theatre, acquainted me with recent South African history and culture, and it familiarized me with an artist who has been tragically overlooked by history’s selective lens - until now.

Searching for Sugar Man finds a way to very creatively tell a simple story.

It forms an emotional connection with an audience that will probably have very little previous knowledge about the story, let alone any emotional investment.

The documentary explores the accounts of different individuals from both the States and South Africa as they undertake the challenge of discovering the whereabouts and history of Rodriguez, an American singer-songwriter from the early ‘70s whose music had a much postponed influence in South Africa during the Apartheid movement. The movie expertly weaves Rodriguez’s politically charged songs into the historical period the film outlines.

The film displays Rodriguez’s truly humble work ethic. Despite his two record releases, Rodriguez continued working at the local construction company, always proving that to him, the impoverished Detroit community comes first. At the end of the movie, live footage of Rodriguez performing in 1998 to thousands of ecstatic fans was a heart-warming display of the effect that this man’s music had in the country. Despite his recent success, he continues to avoid the limelight, always demonstrating his meek and likeable personality.

This movie was an extraordinarily expressive depiction of a story that needed to be told. Its soundtrack, historical footage and interviews with people in Rodriguez’s life were deeply engaging and emotionally resonating. Search no more: this film deserves a watch.

• Spencer Semianiw

9

Holy Motors

Leos Carax’s Holy Motors is the most imaginative film I’ve seen in recent memory. It’s what happens when creativity and genius aren’t stifled by the pursuit of profit. Despite being decidedly nonmainstream, the film has mass appeal. In its genre-bending multi-plot madness, the film manages to appeal to all movie lovers, regardless of personal genre preferences.

Denis Lavant plays Mr. Oscar.

Toward the film’s beginning, Mr. Oscar leaves his modernist mansion and gets into a limo. His driver, Céline, tells him there’s a ‘file’ beside him. Having read the file, Mr. Oscar begins combing a long, blonde, female wig. In the next scene, Mr. Oscar emerges from the limo an old woman. Mr. Oscar, we quickly learn, is an actor. Each ‘file’ Céline gives him (about 10 in all) is a different role to play.

In the process of performing this

slew of characters, Mr. Oscar faces an identity crisis. He wakes up as a father in one particular home, and goes to bed the companion of chimpanzees in another.

Both are only performances in the life of an actor - the home, the children, and the monkeys are mere props. What does that make Mr. Oscar? Another character, of course, played by Denis Lavant. And who is Denis Lavant? An actor, playing an actor who, at least at one point in the film plays an actor. How’s that for meta-film?

For Carax, identity and performance are synonymous.

Props and ‘scenes’ include: violence, dogs, martial arts, chimpanzees, guns, dragon sex, graveyards, an accordion symphony, a suicide, a disturbing reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, talking cars, a musical, and a crippled, homeless Hungarian. Intrigued? I thought you might be. Just remember when watching the film: you are not actually watching it.

You’re only ‘playing’ a person watching it.

• Jacob McLean

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Argo

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I first walked into the theatre for Argo. Sure, I’d read reviews that were almost unanimously positive, but as far as plot and story and characters and the rest go I was in the dark. I’m not going to bother expounding on any of that here; I want to use this space to talk about just how freaking amazing it is, not to dwell upon its details. Every scene in this film is so precisely paced and expertly shot. It’s as if more thought went into every pixel of every frame here than the amount of thought that’s gone into entire movies (I’m looking at you Deuce Bigalo). The acting is stellar. The directing is top notch. The cinematography is stunning. The soundtrack is evocative.

See this movie. It is one of (if not the) best of the year. Plus, the ending is pro-Canada AND it is based on a true story. Please, watch this film. You can thank me (and Ben Affleck) later.

• Alexander Sallas

thursday, january 17, 2013

our picks from 2012

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Indie Game

The movie is a documentary about independent video game developers, which admittedly sounds fantastically boring. But it’s not. The fact that this movie is even about video games pretty quickly becomes irrelevant. It’s instead about the pure act of creating something and the highs and lows of the flawed, crazy and isolated people who make their art their life.

In all forms of art a distinction can be drawn between the independent and the mainstream. Commercial videogames are made by huge groups of people for the purpose of appealing to as many buyers as possible, while indie games are instead made by one person or a small group. The film follows the stories of three games and the people who made them.

Tommy Refenes and Edmund McMillen develop and eventually complete a game called Super Meat Boy, and these two try to find a way to live with the drama that

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c7

goes along with the enourmous expectations placed on them. Jonathan Blow is sort of like the wise war veteran who has lived through making the hugely important and popular game Braid, but he has to deal with the disillusionment that his success has brought. Phil Fish, who develops Fez throughout the movie, represents the slowing fading promise that his game will ever be finished. The range of emotions this film covers is amazing, especially considering what it’s about.

Indie Game tells a good story. Interesting and surprising stuff happens. There’s joy and there’s sorrow and because the developers essentially come to live through their games, the successes and failures are important and they are affecting. Through the personal relationship that Tommy, Edmund, Johnathan and Phil have with the videogames they make, they become something relatable. Videogames become something that matters. Even if we can’t exactly feel the extreme sacrifice and joy of the people who made these indie games, watching Indie Game comes pretty damn close.

• Nolan Matthews

to be continued...

6

Sleepwalk with Me

Sleepwalk with Me was produced by the people behind This American Life, a wildly popular American public radio program that has featured some of the most interesting, powerful and humorous stories to ever be broadcast. So you’d think that if This American Life chose a story to be made into a movie it would be truly mind-blowing. Sleepwalk with Me isn’t mind blowing. It’s a modest film. Not much happens. But it’s the kind of film that might tell you a lot about your life if you give it the chance.

Sleepwalk with Me is based on true

stories from the life of Mike Birbiglia, who plays Matt Pandamiglio in the film. Matt is trying to figure out what to do with his life – a situation with which everyone in school right now can probably relate.

He decides to try stand-up comedy, but Matt isn’t the typical offensive and loud stand-up comedian. Instead he’s self-deprecating, witty and subtle. Some really funny stand-up scenes are part of the already funny plot of the movie, giving Sleepwalk with Me twice the comedy potential of your average film.

Then there’s the sleepwalking, which leads to some ridiculous scenes that are good for laughs. But it’s also used to give the film heart, describing the mental state of Matt who can be reserved and hard to read.

Just like the best stand-up, this film

is filled with clever observations about life that give perspective on the things we all do and experience. Matt has been in a long-term relationship with his girlfriend Abby for eight years, and when the idea of marriage comes up they both have to deal with their fear of commitment. Sleepwalk with Me considers the difference between (and difficulty of) learning something about yourself that you want to change and actually changing.

The end of Sleepwalk with Me reveals a truth about why people stay in relationships, even if they’re not happy. I won’t give it away because the insight is so simple, pure and true that it alone makes the movie worth watching.

• Nolan Matthews

c8 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, january 17, 2013

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s foray into fiction: The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories (Volume 2)

SILHOUETTE STOCK PHOTO

Yes, the name above is correct; and yes, that is the Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The actor may not actually be an author of this little book, but he is a contributor and overall founder of the company that created the book.

The company, HitRECord.org, is an online production company created in 2005 by Levitt and his brother. It’s a site where artists can submit their “hit records” (which actually means stuff like drawings, songs, or stories) and other members on the site can “remix” them.

On HitRECord, remixing means collaboration: editing someone’s story, adding to a piece of art or making music for a short film. If any of the

work becomes profitable, the money is shared with the original artist.

HitRECord has produced short films, songs, videos and stories. Tiny Stories is a collaboration of artwork and thought-provoking haiku-like stories, with the second volume being released in 2012 and a third on its way in 2013.

Tiny Stories was made by artists that needed stories and writers that needed pictures. wirrow, who came up with the original concept for the Tiny Book of Tiny Stories, contributed his own stories and provided artwork.

The stories range from strange to poetic to sad to dark. One piece features a little girl wearing a cape and a

caption that reads: “Tell no one about the cape.” A poetic story with a couple holding hands says, “Once upon a dream in a blanket of night sky you asked me to tell you a story which began with us holding hands.” Another story shows two identical people floating on balloons, both figures sleeping, while the caption reads: “Life and Death both took a break, weary from their burdensome rules. Nobody lived or died that day.”

This book is filled with magic on every page and is the perfect book for any writer or as a source of inspiration. Some artists on HitRECord. org have recorded songs based on the stories in the book.

Once these stories latch themselves onto your brain, begging you to expand your mind, begging to inspire you, it’s hard to let this little book go.

I keep it by my bedside so that when I need it I can open to a random page and ponder over the words and pictures on the page.

The book begins with this quote, edited by wirrow and originally by Muriel Rukeyser: “The universe is not made of atoms; it’s made of [tiny] stories.”

Never has a quote been more true for such a perfect book.

• Sarah O’Connor