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SPORTS ACROSS THE POND Rugby player Ashley Gordon represents Canada at FISU. Page 11
ARTS & CULTURE KILMANJARO What is like for a band to play their first festival? Page 13
OPINION DAMN RACCOONS Westdale wildlife are not our friends Page 9
The Silhouette Thursday, July 7, 2016
HOMECOMING 2016 BIGGER AND BETTER? With a budget over $200,000, including two $80,000 concerts, this year’s celebration is like nothing Mac has ever seen. Page 3 Pictured, clockwise: Don Diablo, Alessia Cara, two members from Of Gentlemen and Cowards
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Thursday, July 7, 2016 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper
LOOKING BACK
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CORRECTION In the article “Review: Edens Cafe,” we mistakenly described the food as “Middle Eastern.” In fact, the restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine. Also, we said the family was from Syracuse. In fact, the family is from Cyprus. The Silhouette apologizes for the errors.
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Welcome Week bangers The Silhouette wrote about the upcoming concerts. 1986 hosted Burton Cummings and Glass Tiger, two legendary Canadian acts. K.d Lang and Blue Rodeo featured later in the month. COVER BY: NICK BOMMARITO
IS THERE A STORY FROM MCMASTER’S PAST THAT INTERESTS YOU? Email us at thesil@thesil.ca and we will try to feature it in our “Looking Back” section.
www.thesil.ca | July 7, 2016
The Silhouette
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News SRA approves Homecoming upgrades $25,000 allocation leads to campus partnerships and corporate sponsorships
Football is a staple of Homecoming, but could the concerts become as popular? C/O JONATHAN WHITE DE-BOER
Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
Hoco will be loco this year. The Student Representative Assembly unanimously – meaning members who were in attendance – approved a $25,000 expense to improve Homecoming at McMaster. The $25,000 is a part of a $233,000 tentative budget that includes contributions from other campus groups like McMaster Alumni and McMaster Association of PartTime Students. The main features include two concerts, a beer garden and a pancake breakfast. There will be alternative planning for students who may not be interested in those events. The concerts are tentatively scheduled to take place on Friday night and Saturday morn-
ing in Faculty Hollow. According to the proposal, $80,000 has been allocated for each concert. Booking artists is a complicated process so the acts are not known right now, but McMaster Students Union officials said it is fair to say that the artist will be “world-class.” Campus Events will name the artists later in September. To attend both concerts will cost students $30.00 and to attend just one will cost $20.00. Of course, not every Mac student will be able to attend because tickets will be limited. According to the presentation made at the SRA meeting, there will be a total of 3700 tickets sold, with 400 of those going to alumni. While the SRA approved it unanimously, there was some controversy during the discussion of the motion. Prior to the
meeting, Kathleen Quinn, SRA Social Science, spoke about her concerns. “The main concern that I have is the number of sexual assaults that happen on campus during Light Up The Night,” said Quinn. There were five reported sexual assaults from the April 8, 2016 event and one arrest made. “We know alcohol is the number one date rape drug. To bring an increase of alcohol on campus without any concrete plan to prevent sexual assault and what happened at Light Up The Night from happening again is a really hard thing for people to vote on.” Quinn was unable to attend the meeting but her thoughts were echoed at the meeting. Vice-President (Finance) Ryan MacDonald addressed these safety concerns in his
presentation, outlining the plan to keep students safe. An ad-hoc committee on Sexual Violence and Alcohol Abuse Prevention and Response will be created. This group will determine how they can best use approximately $5,000 to design a messaging and support campaign. The MSU wants to create the event to combat the illegal activity that happens in the areas surrounding campus. In theory, an on-campus event could draw students away from the backyard keggers and improve safety. In 2015, there were two parties on South Oval in Westdale that drew the attention of Hamilton police and McMaster officials. Students are going to get drunk on Homecoming, but if they are on campus, alcohol
consumption should be lighter because the servers will obey liquor laws. And if something happens, students have access to service like Emergency First Response Team, the Student Wellness Centre and Security Services. This is not the first time the MSU has used this strategy of laying a financial foundation for a large event. In 2015, the MSU created the Light Up The Night event that brought in similar campus partners. So far, it has worked, as the Light Up The Night event has been well attended in both years, even if rain marred the inaugural block party. Homecoming will take place on Oct. 1, with the Marauders facing off against reigning Yates Cup champions, the Guelph Gryphons. @Scott1Hastie
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NEWS
July 7, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
Mac researchers get that money Over 100 researchers given a total of $15.7 million by national research council Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
The federal government has given McMaster researchers a financial tip of the hat. On June 23, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council announced a $15.7 million funding grant as part of a nationwide $465 million project. Over 100 McMaster researchers will use the money. Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan made the announcement on campus and McMaster received the largest investment of all Canadian universities. “The NSERC Discovery program is incredibly important to us as an institution,” said Patrick Deane, McMaster’s President, in a press release posted by Daily News McMaster. “These awards support our scientists in their fundamental research efforts, their commitment to technology transfer and knowledge mobilization, and their training of the next generation of leaders.” The grant specifically recognized ten scientists and engineers because they “show strong potential” to become industry leaders. These individuals will receive a Discovery Accelerator Supplement of $120,000 over three years. McMaster’s use for the DAS is varied. Wildlife will get a look, as some researchers will explore the social behavior of fish, worm metabolism or the genetic mutations of flies. Other projects include
Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan visited McMaster to make the funding announcement. C/O J.D. HOWELL
research into designing earthquake resilient buildings and mitigating risk with freight transportation. Leyla Soleymani, an engineering physicist, spoke on behalf of those receiving the grant and explained what the new funding means to her. “The additional resource of the Discovery Accelerator Supplement will allow me to add new members to my research team, which will accelerate my
ability to create the handheld biosensor of the future – capable of detecting and diagnosing infectious diseases, cancers and medical conditions,” said Soleymani. McMaster, regarded as one of the top research institutions in the world, should maintain its position with the windfall of money.
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“These awards support our scientists in their fundamental research efforts, their commitment to technology transfer and knowledge mobilization and their training of the next generation’s leaders.” Patrick Deane President McMaster University
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www.thesil.ca | July 7, 2016
NEWS
| 5
New MSU service coming this fall The MSU’s education efforts will be centralized under the Macademics service Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
Mac students, meet Macademics. It is the newest service under the McMaster Students Union umbrella, approved at an Executive Board meeting on June 16, 2016. The MSU is aiming for a launch in September 2016. Blake Oliver, VicePresident (Education), spearheaded the project. “It was something that was on my platform when I ran for this position. I wanted to look at the teaching awards committee as it is currently and the course wiki, which has never fallen underneath the scope of an actual service,” said Oliver. The course wiki is an MSU initiative to create what is essentially an “anti-calendar”: a student-sourced website that provides feedback about courses offered at McMaster. Until now, the course wiki was a shared responsibility between the VicePresident (Education) and the University Affairs Committee. Macademics will be the group responsible for promoting and maintaining the Wiki project. According to Oliver, there is a lot of overlap between the course wiki and teaching awards committee. “[The course wiki] deals a lot with the same ideas as the teaching awards committing: looking at quality of education, promoting excellence in teaching,” said Oliver. Macademics will capture other areas of the MSU’s education and advocacy work. Course evaluations and looking critically at pedagogy in education at McMaster will be part of the new service’s
mandate. To fund the service, the MSU will use the budget of the teaching awards committee and reallocate money from other arms of the organization that are working on education. Since Macademics is formalizing the MSU’s education work, it is really just shifting money from one budget to the new service. Money spent on other education issues comes from the “educational initiatives budget.” The MSU plans to track what is spent and then reallocate for a Macademics budget next year that reflects what the service actually needs to operate. A Part-Time Manager will be hired to manage the service. There will be an executive team to help the service meet its goals. One executive will be the chair of the teaching awards committee. There will also be a course wiki director, a promotions executive, a research coordinator and logistics coordinator. Oliver began working on the project at the start of her term and she is eager to see the service start up. “What I like the most about [Macademics] is that it is the first space the MSU has had that focuses solely on quality of education and pedagogy. For a lot of students, that is their main post-secondary issue,” said Oliver. “I hear from students all the time, from having a bad teaching assistant to having a professor that doesn’t do a good job teaching … as the MSU we don’t have a centralized location for students to go to voice those concerns. What’s nice about this service is we can grow as an organization and make sure that excellence in teaching is a
“It was something that was on my platform when I ran for this position. I wanted to look at the teaching award committee as it is currently and the course wiki, which has never fallen underneath the scope of an actual service.” Blake Oliver Vice-President (Education) McMaster Students Union
priority from year to year.” The launch is not without some concerns. Oliver says the biggest challenge will be promotion and getting volunteers. She expects to overcome that obstacle by relying on a strong executive team. The Vice-President (Education) is hopeful to have the service operational by September 2016. @Scott1Hastie
The Teaching Awards committee will fall under Macademics.
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www.thesil.ca | July 7, 2016
EDITORIAL
| 7
Editorial When advocacy goes wrong Months after calling for the elimination of unpaid internships, OUSA supports Liberals plan that could result in more Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
There is a controversial policy being discussed that could change the university experience forever. In late June, Premier Kathleen Wynne spoke highly of a proposed plan to make co-op or “experiential learning” mandatory for all post-secondary students. A panel of “business and education experts” was set up in Dec. 2015 to develop an “integrated strategy to better link the education system with the future job needs of the province’s economy.” At this point, there were no details about how this would be implemented or what any of this structure would look like. The panel’s report recommends the Ontario government funds more placements. The Ontario Undergraduate Students Alliance, which represents McMaster students, issued a press release in support of the mandatory experiential learning idea. In a paper dated spring 2016, OUSA calls for an elimination of unpaid internships. These are contradictory actions: flooding the market with people who must complete experiential learning opportunities would mean less paid opportunities because employers know students must do this. There is not enough money to pay interns currently, so adding more will compound the problem. Nowhere in their press
release does OUSA mention the impact this policy could have on unpaid internships. Maybe it got lost in the shuffle, but students need better advocacy than this. If OUSA is one of the checks and balances for government education policy, they dropped the ball here. Realizing the impact this policy could have does not take incredible abilities – shit, I’m not paid to advocate on education policy and I could figure it out. Here’s the situation with unpaid internships right now. Under current Ministy of Labour laws, unpaid internships are legal when the employee is not paid the minimum wage for the hours you work. Some internships may give honourariums but are still classified as unpaid. These are only allowed under certain rules. It has to be educational (usually meaning it is coordinated through a postsecondary program), it must have a benefit to the intern (I would hope so?), it must not replace someone’s paid job, the employer derives little, if any, benefit from the activity of the intern while he or she is being trained, and the intern must not be promised a job at the end of the training period. In 2014, the Ministry of Labour started to crackdown on illegal unpaid internships, forcing Toronto Life and The Walrus to fire their interns. If Ontario adopts this plan, hundreds of thousands of students would have to find placements. To develop the internships
necessary to meet the demands of an ever-rising post-secondary population, employers will create opportunities, and it is highly unlikely these would be paid. Students have to do placements, and employers do not have piles of cash sitting around to pay them. Employers will welcome this idea with open arms because damn, it is free labour that has an inherent grasp of technology that the previous generations lack. Every workplace can use someone with modern technology skills. But internships, if meaningful, are time consuming. This policy would remove time for people to earn money to pay for their education. While the current internship structure favours students from upper-middle class situations because they can afford to skip the income, mandatory experiential learning does not solve the problem. Are we really “leveling the playing field” if you are eliminating players because some cannot afford school? Students need advocacy more than ever and that is why we pay $2.90 each for OUSA. Some could say OUSA had not understood or considered the impact on unpaid internships yet but that is not good enough. The organization had a policy about this issue and did not follow it when they issued a press release. Situations like these are where OUSA should be stepping in, not sitting back. @Scott1Hastie
The newest Sil project The Silhouette has launched a podcast! We talk with people from the McMaster and Hamilton community about a variety of topics. Episode 1 features MSU President Justin Monaco-Barnes providing updates on his platform progress. Al Legault from Campus Events joins us for Episode 2 to talk about booking artists, crazy rider requests and some behind-the-scenes stories. Go to soundcloud.com/the-mcmaster-silhouette to listen!
to meeting a bear keeper. to LeBron, getting one for the Land. to home openers. to nailing putts while on the phone. I see you, Justis. to O.J.: Made In America. to the Scarborough Bluffs. to not-so-rainy days that scare off families from Wonderland. to Harambe and Cecil, playing up in animal heaven. to the old PR runaround. to diving through the old issues. to the insanity of hockey transactions on June 29. to parent introductions that go well. to dog introductions that go even better.
to Margaret Wente. What does it say about Canadian journalism if one of the premier columnists for Canada’s largestcirculated paper has been caught plagiarizing multiple times? Money trumps ethics, I guess. to loud patio political discussions. to Brexit. It’s not even a clever name. to elected officials who do not understand how live streaming works. to my first reply-allpocalypse. to red tape. to LinkedIn. to colds in the summer. to “please like my sport” fans. to seeing the same articles in 1986 as I’ve written over the past five years.
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NEWS
July 7, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
Farmstand continues to grow With sales on the rise, the organization begins focus on education and advocacy
Farmstand is open Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in the student centre C/O SARAH MAE CONRAD
Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
The Mac Farmstand opened for the 2016 season in June and starting this year, there is more than just food available. The student-run farmers’ market, open Wednesdays and Thursdays in the student centre from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., is expanding its service offerings. “We are this place where people come and buy produce, but a lot of people don’t know how to cook, or a lot of people don’t know what to do with swiss chard or things like that,” said Kaitlyn Zarcone-Beam, Director of Farmstand. The service is aiming to help students learn what they can make with the food Farmstand sells. To accomplish this, Farmstand is taking a new approach. Throughout their 2016 operation, Farmstand has created recipe videos in the “Tasty” style made popular by the Facebook page with over 62 million likes. All of the ingredients shown in the videos can be purchased through Farmstand and are locally
farmed products. There has always been an educational component to Farmstand but the organization is more focused on teaching than ever. “We’ve always had a little bit of advocacy but this year, we’ve really tried to push it. We really want Farmstand to be an educational hub as well. Because it is an MSU service, we don’t want to just be a stand, we don’t want it literally to just be a store,” said Zarcone-Beam. The service added an Education & Advocacy Coordinator this year to gather information for Farmstand to share when people go to buy products. Zarcone-Beam explains that the move makes sense because local food is a growing trend as the student population becomes more environmentally conscious. Local farms that supply to the Mac market include Flamborough, Copetown and Waterford. Exact details were not immediately available, but the stand moved more food last year than seasons prior and even added debit and credit
machines to help meet student demands. Part of that education stretches to the conversation around local produce and localorganic produce. In recent years, there has been some negative feedback from customers, questioning why some produce was organic and others were not. “The difference is one comes from a certified organic farm and the others don’t. But a lot of local farmers can’t afford the organic certification. Those are the types of conversations we have with people,” said Zarcone-Beam. However, there is more positivity this year. ZarconeBeam says that people are excited to have Farmstand back on campus. The seasonal fruits are the top-selling products right now. Strawberries were the main attraction in June and early July, but peaches and concord grades are expected to be popular in July. More recipe videos will be released throughout the summer on their Facebook page. Farmstand will be open throughout the summer until the end of October.
C/O SARAH MAE CONRAD
Office of the Institutional Research and Analysis
1280 Main Street, West Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4L8
Phone: 905.525.9140 Ext. 23530 Email: avpira@mcmaster.ca ira.mcmaster.ca
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS ONE FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE ONE GRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE ON THE UNIVERSITY STUDENT FEES COMMITTEE: Applications are invited for one FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT, ONE GRADUATE STUDENT representative on the Unversity Student Fees Committee for a one-year term commencing July 1 2016 – June 30 2017, renewable for a second 1 year term commencing July 1, 2017. Applications, definition about eligible candidates, nominators, and nomination procedures may be obtained from the Office of the Associate Vice-President, Institutional Research & Analysis, University Hall, Room 215, or through the website https://ira.mcmaster.ca/university-student-fees-committee/. The application period ends on Friday, August 5, 2016. All application papers must be received by the Associate Vice-President, Institutional Research and Analysis, Room 215 or by email to avpira@mcmaster.ca by 4:30 p.m. on August 5, 2016. The University Student Fees Committee meets on a monthly basis. Questions about the University Student Fees Committee may be directed to the Associate Vice-President, Institutional Research & Analysis who is the Chair of the Committee, telephone 905-525-9140, ext. 23530 or by email avpira@mcmaster.ca
www.thesil.ca | July 7, 2016
The Silhouette
| 9
Opinion Too close for comfort
Being wary of waste with Westdale’s wildlife Steven Chen News Reporter
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And had I given the phrase more consideration, perhaps the slew of horrors would not have crawled up my doorstep. Seeing as I am a news writer by habit, I have all intentions to veil my voice with a story—a story mainly of truth, perhaps some craft, but honest in capturing the raw mood of my encounters. As with all horrors, my story starts on a high note before quickly plummeting into a state of jarring dissonance. It seemed fitting that as the cold April showers transitioned to bring sweet May flowers, the time marked the end of the Winter term. Exams were finally over and the thought of vibrant sunshine and fuzzy summer air eased into my mind. Everything seemed to pass pleasantly for
our quartet living in a cozy student home off Sterling Road. Yet little was I prepared for the masked terrors that scurries in the night. The first incident happened one night after what had been a scorching sunny day. I was brushing my teeth in a dingy basement washroom. It was well past midnight. It was a shy scratch, barely audible as I continued my nighttime routine. Before long, I could not ignore the scratching sounds anymore. They became deeper in tone and rushed, as if someone was trying scrape through in a hurry. I called my housemates in a panic—in case it was just one of them making the clatter. No response. As I nervously crept up the stairs to the main floor, I heard the fierce scratching intensify before turning into a thumping sound. The obscurity of the night overwhelmed anything I could possibly decipher with
my eyes. And yet the thumping sound stubbornly persisted. Disoriented, I waded myself through the darkness as if it were a dense medium—fretful of what lay ahead. Then abruptly in a cacophonic crash, I observed through the patio door the garbage can which had just been knocked over. Beside it was a plump creature, a phantom of the night, scavenging through the garbage under the dim glow of the sickled crescent. Masked for burglary, the rampant bandit was unfazed as I attempted to shoo it away. Rather, as if in a darkened trance, the creature crept forward towards me, step by step, eyes gleaming, with only the glass door acting as a barrier between us. After what felt like minutes, the burglar dropped its gaze before finally skittering away into the darkness. The next morning, I was forced to deal with the aftermath of the previous night.
Like a crime scene, littered across the patio were chicken wing carcasses, bags that were ripped apart—its contents indistinguishable, and waves of houseflies that seemed to quiver in the garbage as if aggregating into a single entity. My encounters with raccoons continued in the weeks which followed. They came back in endless cycles, a gnawing horror still etched into my mind. As Westdale residential areas are regularly frequented by raccoons and skunks, it is not surprising that I have come across many similar cases. From the backyard raccoon ‘resident’, to students feeding and naming them as pets, to baby racoons falling and getting trapped inside green bins, one thing is clear: we are interacting much too loosely with local wildlife. Our careless waste disposal habits (I am most definitely guilty of this), likely plays a role in the frequent nighttime
intrusions. In retrospect, my attitude (or lack of attitude) towards garbage disposal and my underestimation of wildlife’s cunningness were the chief causes for these terrors. Leaving garbage in the open and meat products outside in the compost resulted in an irresistible target for raccoons and other animals. The burden of these interactions is compounded by the alarming fact that Hamilton has become the “epicentre of a raccoon rabies outbreak,” as presented by CBC News earlier this year. With over 108 cases of racoon rabies in Hamilton alone since December, it should be in our best interests to distance ourselves (and pets) from any wildlife. What was obvious from my first encounter with the masked terror was that what we degraded as garbage to it was a treasure worth lusting for. Let’s do our part to keep this treasure hidden.
While raccoons are cute as hell, they pose real problems. C/O TORONTO STAR
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OPINION
July 7, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
More trees, please
Adding trees to Hamilton’s streets is a small step towards equality Hannah Walters-Vida Contributor
Inequality between Hamilton neighbourhoods is very apparent. While parts of Hamilton have transformed from industrial areas to culturally dynamic, economically rich hubs, not all of its neighbourhoods have experienced the same prosperity. A 2015 research paper by Richard Harris, Jim Dunn, and Sarah Wakefield showed Hamilton’s neighbourhoods are among the most unequal in Canada. Related to the financial disparities between neighbourhoods, there are astounding differences in the environmental conditions across the city. Mobile air monitoring has shown that certain neighbourhoods suffer more from air pollution than other parts of the city. Air pollution is harmful to the environment, as well as to the health of residents in the affected areas. Prolonged exposure to polluted air can increase risk of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases, according to World Health Organization. In addition, there is some evidence to show that low-income neighbourhoods have less urban forest than wealthier areas in Hamilton. Trees all around the city are being cut
One simple way to address the problems of minimal urban canopy and poor air quality is to plant trees. As a result of absorbing air pollutants, trees help reduce greenhouse gases and improve human health
down without being replaced, causing the rapid depletion of Hamilton’s urban canopy. There are no simple solutions to Hamilton’s deeply rooted inequality. However, there are steps that the city can and should take to improve living conditions in the most disadvantaged parts of Hamilton. And the solutions do not all have to be complicated. One simple way to address the problems of minimal urban canopy and poor air quality is to plant trees. As a result of absorbing air pollutants, trees help reduce greenhouse gases and improve human health. The city recognizes the need for trees. The 2020 Hamilton Clean and Green Action Strategy envisions a Hamilton that is, “recognized as a sustainable clean and green community where everyone takes responsibility for, and has pride in, the environments in which they live, work, and play”. The plan suggests increasing the urban forest canopy as a method to achieve the goal of ecological integrity. Street trees are an ideal way to do this. They are planted on city owned property, which often coincides with sections of people’s front yards, requiring the cooperation of the residents. A 2006 report by Dan Burden states that street trees absorb nine times more pollutants than
distant trees, thus maximizing the environmental and health benefits. The good news is that the city of Hamilton already offers a street tree-planting program called City Trees. They offer trees to be planted on people’s front properties at no cost to residents. However, not many people are aware of the program and many of the available trees go unclaimed. The Street Tree Project, an OPIRG McMaster-run initiative, addresses this by selecting one area of the city per year that faces problems of poor air quality and minimal urban canopy and focuses efforts on a door to door campaign to let residents know about the free trees, and to put in the request with the city on their behalf. 181 trees were requested over the first three years of the project. But trees are not enough on their own. We have to keep in mind that the emissions from nearby factories and pollution from vehicles are some of the primary causes of the city’s poor air quality. Trees will help mitigate the effects, but must be planted in conjunction with policies that reduce emissions in the first place. Street trees are not the solution to Hamilton’s inequality problems, but they are a simple and attainable step in the right direction.
One of the trees planted by OPIRG McMaster. C/O HANNAH WALTERS-VIDA
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www.thesil.ca | July 7, 2016
The Silhouette | 11
Sports Ashley Gordon reps Canada The women’s rugby player competes at the FISU Sevens World Championship Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
Another women’s rugby player from McMaster has got the call from Rugby Canada. Ashley Gordon, a second-year athlete from Brampton, Ont., will represent Canada at the International University Sports Federation (FISU) World University Sevens tournament in Swansea, United Kingdom from July 7-9. FISU is a sports organization that creates global events specifically for university athletes. For Gordon, the nomination is the next step in her rugby career. After two years at McMaster – including the 2015 CIS championship season – Gordon moved to Langford, B.C. to be centralized with Rugby Canada’s Centre of Excellence. Centralization means athletes live and train full-time with the national sports federation in order to best prepare them for a career with the Canadian national teams. It is a significant investment for both Rugby Canada and the athletes. “Athletes that are targeted for sevens are centralized 11 months of the year out there and train six days a week. It includes everything they need to prepare to be a national team athlete,” said Shaun Allen, head coach of the McMaster women’s rugby program and assistant coach with Rugby Canada’s senior women’s national team. Gordon is one of the 25-30 athletes in the full-time training environment. The sevens game has received a significant increase in funding through the “Own the Podium” program, a not-forprofit organization that provides funding for potential Canadian
Gordon was a part of McMaster’s 2015 CIS women’s rugby championship squad. C/O YOSEIF HADDAD
Olympians. While the 15-a-side game is played at the CIS level and more well-known, it is the sevens style of play that is going to be at the Olympics for the first time in 2016. 15s is extremely taxing on athletes and takes much longer to complete a tournament. According to Allen, Gordon’s strengths play right in to what the sevens game needs. “Ashley fits a lot of the athletic components to being a good sevens player. She’s tall, she’s very fast, she’s very athletic and agile,” said the Mac bench boss. “From a more tactical
standpoint, she has very good vision and passing skills. She can apply the speed and put the defence under pressure, even at the international level.” Gordon is on track to be considered for the sevens squad that will compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. To do that, she would likely need to continue to train in B.C. and learn more about the international game. Her future with McMaster is up in the air. Allen said when he recruited Gordon and some other athletes around her age, they were explicit in telling them the Mac coaching staff wanted to see their players compete
Editor’s note: As of press time, we were unable to speak with Ashley about FISU and her Rugby Canada experience.
internationally. Whether that was FISU, Rugby World Cups or the Olympics was not important, just getting players in the red and white mattered. “If that means Ashley has done a year or year and a half at McMaster and moves into that [Rugby Canada] training environment, that’s amazing, frankly,” said Allen. In the short term, the program loses a solid player. But in the long-term, McMaster women’s rugby stands to benefit because it shows that coming to Mac can be the first step in working with Rugby Canada. For recruits with national team
dreams, that will be hard to ignore. Meanwhile, the FISU tournament adds to Gordon’s international resume. She won silver at the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China and played with the Rugby Canada Maple Leafs – a development team for up-and-coming athletes. Earning a spot on the Olympic national team is a long process, but all signs point to Gordon having a shot. She already earned gold for the maroon and grey, maybe one day she will do the same for the red and white. @Scott1Hastie
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SPORTS
July 7, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
Turning the page in Taiwan
A new-look men’s basketball team is headed to Kaohsiung to compete in the Buddha Light International Association Cup
Leave from Toronto
Connecting flight in San Francisco Land in Taiwan
Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
The McMaster men’s basketball program is going global. For the first time since 1993, the Marauders will compete in an international tournament. Mac will compete in the Buddha Light International Association Cup tournament in Taiwan. The tournament runs August 16-21 and the team will be in Taiwan from August 13-23. While the early on-court action will pay dividends, head coach Amos Connolly sees a greater benefit. “This trip to Taiwan will establish this group in and of itself. It will establish some leadership because realistically, for these guys, off the court is going to be surreal,” said Connolly. With the squad moving on from three seniors in Aaron Repath, Leon Alexander and Troy Joseph, a new core takes the reigns. Connolly sees the trip as an opportunity for the group to come together over a shared experience that will come with some unique challenges. Flying to Taiwan is a significant travel commitment.
The squad will take a flight to San Francisco and then on to Taiwan. “I think the fatigue of travel is one challenge. Very few people [on the team] have travelled this kind of distance. We’ve built in a couple of buffer days. The travel fatigue, jet lag, change in time – that’s one. But I think the biggest one for these guys is the diet,” said Connolly. The team’s meals are provided through the tournament hosts and they will be all vegetarian. That poses some challenges for players to refuel, especially with the tournament happening over five days. Connolly thinks this could bring the team together as they collectively grow beyond their comfort zone. But make no mistake: there’s an on-court benefit to the trip as well. Mac will bring 13 players on the trip and have a training camp ahead of the tournament to install offences and defences. “We’ll be doing a training camp prior to going there. That training camp will be our opportunity to install some concepts both offensively and defensively that we’ll want to refine in September rather than intro in September,” said
Connolly. What that will look like remains to be seen. The three seniors who graduated finished in the top three for usage percentage, meaning Connolly and his staff will be making significant changes to the offence. Mac is the latest in a string of elite CIS programs going overseas for preseason experience. In 2015, Brock went to Sweden to play a handful of games against professional teams and Ottawa traveled to South Korea. Carleton participated in the 2014 Adidas EuroCamp, competing against 2016 NBA draftees like Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown and Thon Maker. McMaster was invited to the tournament through the Fo Guang Shan Monastery. The BLIA Cup features eight men’s teams and eight women’s teams. Countries represented include the United States, France, Canada Japan, Malaysia, Korea, the Philippines and China. The squad will start their CIS season in early October when they host Dalhousie. @Scott1Hastie
“This trip to Taiwan will establish this group in and of itself. It will establish some leadership because realistically, off the court is going to be surreal.” Amos Connolly Head coach McMaster Men’s Basketball
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www.thesil.ca | July 7, 2016
Arts & Culture A long trek to Field Trip For Kilmanjaro, playing the Toronto festival is a plan two years in the making. After getting a taste at Field Trip 2016, the dream/ electronic band is not looking back Rachel Katz Managing Editor
There is a unique enthusiasm found at music festivals. Upon passing through security, patrons pass into a tiny kingdom where devotion to music is the main criterion for citizenship. The love fans effuse for their favourite artists can be felt in the air, tasted in the snaking lines for overpriced tacos and seen in packed crowds in front of the various stages at the venue. Although a smaller festival, Field Trip is no exception to this environment. On June 4 and 5, hundreds of fans streamed into Fort York in downtown Toronto to see a variety of musicians from both Canada and around the world. Top acts included The National, Robyn, Jazz Cartier and July Talk, to name a few. However, on June 4, before The National rendered fans (or at least me) a sobbing mess, before Santigold invited audience members to dance with her, before the trees at Fort York were illuminated by strings of white lights, Kilmanjaro took the stage.
C?O KAYLN FANTASIA
Originally from Ottawa, Ont., Luke Graves, Kaan Gunesberk, Ian Culley and Ryan Macdonald have a friendship that predates their musical collaboration. While they had played together prior to their individual moves to Toronto, they formed Kilmanjaro, a dream/electronic group a little over four years ago. “We started at this kind of eight-piece, funk and soul band that was playing a lot in Toronto but aside from that I was writing a lot of music of my own, trying to find the sound that I was into. And over a Christmas break I kinda put together two demos for some songs and for some reason, I just chose to show them. I don’t know, these are just my closest friends,” Gunesberk said. Graves added that when Gunesberk shared his demos with him, Culley and Macdonald, “we were instantly pretty smitten.” They then insisted they form a group. The quartet has spent the better part of the last three years working on an album that will be released later this summer. “[Kaan]’s a bit of a perfec-
tionist,” Culley joked. He added that the band is looking forward to the album’s release because it will mark the beginning of a new chapter. “We’re going to start being more collaborative. I’ve started writing songs as well but we’re also going to write together.” While Field Trip marked the band’s first festival performance, it is not their first time at the festival. “There’s a funny story,” Graves chuckled. “We were here two years ago to see BADBADNOTGOOD, and Ryan said, ‘The next time we come, I’m not coming as general admission. We’ve gotta play it’. So it’s serendipity.” While the larger, more open space made for a slightly less intimate performance, the band relished the opportunity to make use of a high quality sound system. “When we imagine [our] songs, we want it to be clear and we want people to feel the whole sonic spectrum. Especially with electronic music, you need a sound system to represent your sound,” Graves explained. While the band can feel a
change in the energy from the crowd depending on the venue, the pre-show nerves remain the same, at least for Gunesberk. “It seems to go away at a certain point. Once we start … it’s kind of nice to just be able to share the experience with your best friends,” he said. “We’re family at this point, so once we start, and there’s good sound, we’re just so happy … I just lose myself.” “Once we stop worrying … we get into a meditative state,” Culley added. Kilmanjaro’s members are clearly in sync with one another, both on a musical and personal level. However, they each bring their unique taste in music to their own act. While a few of the members studied jazz in college and university, most of their inspiration for Kilmanjaro is more electronic. For Gunesberk, that’s Ariel Pink and The Magnetic Fields; for Graves and Culley, it’s BADBADNOTGOOD and Ty Segall. As the release date of their debut LP approaches, Kilmanjaro looks towards the future, especially since it has taken so long for the project to reach its
completion. “I think … it’s going to be a weight off everyone’s shoulders,” Graves said. Future goals include more albums and a re-imagining of their live performances. “We’ve been continuously writing the whole time, while trying to finish this album,” Gunesberk said, adding that the band has a stockpile of about 150 songs to sort through. “We kind of play like drum machines. But we’re going to try to channel a more interactive and organic kind of thing,” Graves added, explaining how they plan to change their live shows. “We’re just going to keep doing this. We’re not ever going to stop,” Gunesberk said. “It’s our resolution to play more festivals,” Culley added. “More of this,” he said, gesturing to the surrounding vendors and stages. Kilmanjaro are about to experience their first peak of musical accomplishment. But with a band loosely named after one of the tallest mountains in the world, they have certainly set their sights high. @RachAlbertaKatz
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July 7, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
Review: Cafe Augusta Christine Chow Contributor
One of downtown Hamilton’s newest cafes looks like it will be a mainstay. Located on the corner of James Street South and Augusta Street, the cafe opened recently on May 16th and prides itself on being a different experience for the coffee connoisseur. One need not be a connoisseur to appreciate the soft pastel hues of Cafe Augusta’s interiors, the fresh spring aesthetic of their charming picture frames and table bouquets, or even the colossal cold brew glass towers that rise from the countertop to the ceiling, but it certainly helps to have one around. Despite having only moved to Hamilton from Ireland last August, Marc Chambers, Cafe Augusta’s operations manager and barista extraordinaire, fits the bill perfectly. “[It’s perfect] if you appreciate coffee and want to experience it in different ways, because we have five different brewing techniques,” said Chambers. He is more than happy to share them, and first describes batch brew as a typical “fill up and go on your way” drip coffee. For cold drinks, he uses a cocktail shaker; the gargantuan cold brew towers, on the other hand, are part of a twelve-hour coffee-making process. “Coffee’s less soluble in cold water, which is why it takes longer,” explained Chambers. Chambers goes on to reveal a smaller, odd, hourglass-shaped contraption, which he calls a siphon. “We put a filter [in the middle], water in the bottom, and add a heat source. The gases will push the water up. We add coffee on top, let it seep through a while, then turn the heat source off,” he said. Doing so allows the brewed coffee to drip back down and collect in the bottom bulb. Another one of Cafe Augusta’s brewing methods, a pour-over technique for anything espresso-based known as Chemex, has quickly taken precedence in his life. “[Chemex] is the polar opposite of the french press in every way. It’s a lot cleaner, a lot brighter,” said Chambers. “It’s become my new favourite way of drinking coffee.” I tried a small Kenyan Chemex coffee along with a Greek
yogurt cherry danish. The presentation of the coffee alone, served artfully on a wooden board with a checkerboard of sugar cubes, a glass of cucumber water, and a miniature pitcher of milk, was enough to make me think that it had been worth every nickel of the $4.75 it cost. In terms of taste, I could see why the Chemex had become Chambers’s favourite: although the coffee was light — just as I liked it — it held its own with a firm flavor, accompanied by fruity undertones. As someone with a weak spot for pastries, I found the danish a tad pricy at $3.50, but still delightful: it was satisfyingly flaky, buttery, and rich with cherry filling throughout. Chambers says that Cafe Augusta is working on adding paninis to the pastries on the food menu in the forthcoming weeks. Also in the works is a cocktail list that will eventually be matched up to their food menu, and an attempt to get creative with the design of Cafe Augusta’s interior space. Chambers claims creativity is his favourite aspect of working at Cafe Augusta. “[The owners] encourage creativity,” he said, and cites drinks as examples. “With batch brew, we traditionally do some darker roasts, but we also do a brighter one.” He further proves that they come prepared for seasonal weather. “When winter’s coming up, we do a Moroccan coffee, which has got a lot of spices in it. It’s a real snuggle-up-to drink,” said Chambers. The Moroccan coffee is something I intend to return for, but the complex, ongoing evolution at Cafe Augusta prompts me to want to return every month before that. Although I went into Cafe Augusta thinking singularly about a traditionally brewed cup of coffee, I came out of it with the understanding that drinking coffee offers you more choices than the number of sugars or the amount of milk you take in it. While their features cannot compete price wise, sometimes it is worth it to indulge. And if I can say one thing with certainty, whether for the aesthetic, the quality, or the limitless possibilities, Cafe Augusta looks like it will be worth it every time.
C/O CHRISTINE CHOW
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www.thesil.ca | July 7, 2016
A new kind of “TNT”
The Taggart n’ Torrens podcast takes Canadian pop culture and makes it cool again Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
Episode 77 starts abruptly. Following the standard intro and preview, an acoustic guitar is being played on its own before a voice cuts in. “New Kids on the Block had a bunch of hits, Chinese food makes me sick, I think it’s fly when girls stop by for the summer, for the summer” is sung in a Gordon Lightfoot impression. “I like girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch, I’d take her if I had one wish, but she’s been gone since that summer, since that summer,” follows, this time in a Steven Page – former lead singer of the Barenaked Ladies – impression. The real singer – Jonathan Torrens, best known amongst the student population for his character J-Roc in Trailer Park Boys – flips between the two impressions while singing LFO’s “Summer Girls” until his podcast co-host Jeremy Taggart – the former drummer from Our Lady Peace -- can’t contain the laughter any longer. The exchange shows what makes the Taggart n’ Torrens podcast unique and so infectious. The entertainment duo has fully embraced Canadian pop culture and its surrounding figures to create a one-of-a-kind pod. In its second year of production and at nearly 80 episodes, the podcast focuses on what it calls “Canadianity.” The term refers to Canadian minutiae, ranging from in-depth discussions of the greasiest places in Canada (Hamilton’s “Boomers” gets a shoutout) to skits about a Nova Scotian woman named Andrea who moves to Toronto and experiences life in a big city. Jonathan Torrens talked about how the podcast developed. “At first, we thought ‘tales from the road’ – that guy from that show, that guy from that band – that peek behind the curtain, sharing insider stories. But we realized that one of the things we really bonded over was a nostalgic affection for Canada,” said Torrens. The podcast aims to “em-
Jeremy Taggart (left) and Jonathan Torrens (right) took their podcast on a cross-Canada tour in 2015. C/O CBC NEWS PEI
brace the clichés Canadians roll their eyes at,” which is not a simple task. Marketing campaigns like the #SoCanadian ads from Tim Hortons try to do the same thing, but they are hokey and transparent. TNT does the opposite. They joke about Canadian things, both fringe and significant, in such an earnest way that you feel like you are right there with them. The format has changed significantly through its duration. Early on, the pair would have a guest on to talk, including Corner Gas’ Brent Butt or comedian Gerry Dee. “In the early goings, because of my background in particular, I was more concerned with producing the show. Act one we have a guest, act two we play a game, act three we play some songs. It was only listening to the listeners of the podcast, who educated us in what they want: to eavesdrop on a conversation between two buds,” said Torrens. Now, the shows typically start with a catch-up conversation about whatever the pair have been up to or discussing some current events. Taggart lives in Toronto, and Torrens calls Truro, Nova Scotia home
but is on the road fairly often, so they call each other. Around the half-hour mark, they will dive into a game. The games range from Taggart creating top-five scenario song lists, like top-five cleaning the cottage or staying awake jams, and they act out different scenes as a couple of characters they make up on the spot. By moving to a less structured format, the show feels more genuine than ever. For Torrens, an actor since 1989, the podcast is a welcome change of pace. “The thing I like about [the podcast] is it’s probably the most real thing I’ve done. It’s sometimes serious, it’s sometimes silly, it’s sometimes funny, it’s sometimes poignant. It’s all the things that people are,” said Torrens. Part of their inspiration for the podcast and the style is from another pair of Canadians: Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole, the former TSN SportsCentre hosts who work for Fox Sports and make the Jay and Dan Podcast. On a more conceptual level, Torrens said that fellow Canadian TV star Rick Mercer provided guidance. Torrens recalled a Mercer’s Gemini awards speech, where
he said the Rick Mercer Report succeeded because it does not try to be anything it isn’t. That idea hit home. “It really resonated with me because I would rather do a show that’s everything to some people than just something to some people,” Torrens explained. The pair can consider that goal accomplished. The “bahds” – the Canadian-twang on “buds” used to describe fans of the shows – are a passionate group, making websites or creating t-shirts without any kickback. With an established fanbase and a deep library of episodes, TNT is looking to the future. The duo is writing a Canadianity book because Canada is celebrating its 150th anniversary
Search “Taggart and Torrens” and look for this logo on iTunes, Google Play, Soundcloud and Stitcher.
in 2017. There will be tales from the road, stories about some of the best Canadians bahds of all time, and recommendations for off-the-beaten-path places to see across the country. Monetizing the podcast is something on their radar, but Torrens explains that is not a simple process. With sponsorship come different responsibilities, so it is still just an idea. In the meantime, TNT does not need to make any changes. They have a strong product with an unrivalled Canadianity identity. The connection between Taggart and Torrens is infectious and will draw you in. If you dig Canadian culture for all that it is, then TNT is worth every minute of your time.
JEAN-TRIFICATION Hamilton to be home to a jor ts fac tor y so Dick ies can save shipping costs A5
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HAMILTON SPECULATOR Retweeting ourselves since 1934
July 7, 2016
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Brexit “inspiring” for Ancaster residents With British seniors screwing over the youth by voting to leave the European Union, Ancaster considers how they can follow suit SHIT HASTINGS FORMER “TODAY’S SENIOR” COLUMNIST
The United Kingdom is reeling from a controversial referendum that will see the country leave the European Union, but Ancaster residents aren’t shaking their heads over the result. They are scratching their chins. “The Brexit showed that the aging population still holds the keys to the country, and we want to reflect that in Hamilton. We want to show that you don’t fuck with the elderly,” said Ernest Gallagher. The 81-year-old Ancaster resident is president of the Ancaster Seniors Alliance (ASA). The organization’s stated goal is to protect the rights of seniors and advocate for the interests of the elderly. The group meets Wednesdays after bingo. Gallagher is adamant that the City of Hamilton is focusing too much on the younger demographic and leaving the elderly out
to dry. “Those damn millenniums ... Those damn millenniums are all those fancy politicians care about,” said Gallagher. “Meanwhile, the seniors get nothing. Look at LRT: how is that supposed to benefit senior citizens here in Ancaster? I’m not going downtown Hamilton. People have tattoos and piercings there.” So Gallagher is proposing a radical idea, something he’s dubbing the “Anscape.” He wants Ancaster to “escape” the clutches of Hamilton and plans to knock on retirement home doors throughout Ancaster. Josephine Williams, an 85-year-old woman, is not a fan of the idea. “The youth are our future. They are key for our economy and have brought a lot of money to the city. But sure, let’s distance ourselves from them.That’s a good idea, Ernest,” said Williams.
POLL: what do girls like? Cars
Boys
Money
Anything but Good Charlotte. Every single off the new album has been terrible.
DISCLAIMER: This is all fake. Seriously, it’s bullshit. Some people actually think it is real, so we print a disclaimer to explain that the Hamilton Speculator is a work of fiction. What a world.
“Those damn millenniums ... those damn millenniums are all those fancy politicians care about.” Ernest Gallagher ASA President
Over the past few weeks, the Anscape tension has boiled over at some popular senior events. On June 26, a
pro-Anscape group staged a sit-in at the annual Ancaster lawn bowling tournament that attracts hundreds of elderly people to the city. The tournament was cancelled. An aqua-fit class filled with pro-Anscape people was cancelled after the feces was found in the pool. It is unclear where the feces came from, but pro-Anscape accuse the anti- side of leaving the present behind. The vote will happen at the July cookout.
Tweets to the Editor I’m willing to bet my life savings a Hamilton politician tweets a nude by 2017. - Craig, Dundas, 34
. CAN YOU PAY!! DON CHERRY TO WRITE!!! THANKS LOVE SPEC - RUPERT, Flamborough, 51
INSIDE I CARIBOU YOU A3 BEST ALCOHOLIC SLUSHIE RECIPES C2 TRUMP TRUMPS TRUMPETING TOURNAMENT B2 REPORT: COMMENT SECTIONS GIVE YOU CANCER D9 WE INTERVIEWED SOMEONE WHO WATCHED THE WHOLE NHL DRAFT AND ACTUALLY STILL LIKES HOCKEY W(TF)1
FEATURE What is the best dog park in Hamilton? A scientific review on A10-11
PER ISSUE: One “I’m not even mad, it’s funny to me” Reddit comment.