The Silhouette - September 19, 2013

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McMASTER UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013 VOL. 84 NO. 6

Senate nominations now open

WHY IS

MAC

Planning Committee elections in session

$300, 000, 000

Jemma Wolfe Executive Editor After the springtime primary election period left vacancies on the Senate and University Planning Committee, a secondary round of elections is now underway. Up for representation are the undergraduate and graduate Social Sciences Senate positions, a graduate DeGroote School of Business Senate seat, and an undergraduate student (any faculty) seat for UPC. McMaster’s Senate, Board of Governors and University Planning Committee are governing bodies that make critical decisions for the academic and financial future of the institution. They are largely comprised of faculty members but all have student seats – seats that are arguably too-frequently left unoccupied given their importance.

“Senate is where all the decisions are ultimately made about your education,” Tamara Bates of the University Secretariat’s office (which facilitates these bodies) said.

“That’s where the decisions about new academic programs, changes to academic programs, what is approved and where all the policies are upheld. Senate also approves whether you graduate or not,” she continued.

While Senate actions have the most obvious impact on students, the BoG is critical for its complete trust of McMaster’s finances, while UPC works as a joint Senate-BoG committee for significant long-term big-picture planning.

Despite only one undergraduate and one graduate representative per faculty, electoral rounds are not always successful at getting students in seats.

“Going back in the records, there will be one or two years where some faculties aren’t represented because no one steps forward,” Bates said. The spring of 2011 was one particularly bad example: four of the eight open seats remained vacant post-election, and two of the seats that were actually filled were won by acclamation (there was only one eligible candidate).

Student interest in elections “seems to go up and down,” said Bates, despite the Secretariat’s outreach. The call for nominations is advertised in The Silhouette, in the Daily News, on the Secretariat’s website, as a banner on Avenue to Learn, and as a mass email notice to students.

Bates partly attributes student disinterest to the electronic advertising and election processes. “The fact that things can go by email and electronically is great but there’s so much that comes into your inbox that it’s also more easily forgotten about or dismissed,” she said.

“There used to be polling stations in the student centre and all across campus. So as much as electronic balloting and voting are a lot more convenient… they’re not as in your face as they could be.”

Nominations opened on Monday, Sept. 16 and will close at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Interest from candidates – and voters – remains to be seen. @jemma_wolfe

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IN THE

RED? GRAPHIC BY BEN BARRETT-FORREST/ MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Student tech innovation The story of one Mac student’s path to changing the face of electronic communication Tyler Welch Assistant News Editor How does a man get from forgoing education and crossing the country to care for his father, to becoming the founder and CEO of his own, successful tech start-up? Ask Ethan Do. Do’s company, Over Air Proximity Technologies ltd., is a year-old, growing operation that has made its name as the creative and inventive face of near field communication.

NFC is a technology that allows users to transfer data between two devices. An NFC tag, sticker or wristband contains a small microchip that is able to send data to a smartphone simply by bringing the phone into close proximity.

The most well-known and publicized use for NFC has been mobile payment systems— purchasing goods by simply waving your phone over VISA or Debit payment pad, for example.

Over Air seeks to diversify the NFC market and offers its clients solutions that go beyond the tradition payments arena. They now offer client solutions ranging from restaurants to marketing, from retail to industrial.

Ethan Do grew up in Montreal and always had a fondness for technology and computers. He graduated high school at 18, with

a 95% average—affording him the generate automatic responses. opportunity to attend almost any “It was accurate about 90% Canadian university. of the time…that caught the At the same time, his father attention of eBay, and I got my first had a stroke and was half-paralysed promotion,” said Do. as a result. Do decided to move to Do found himself climbing Vancouver and take care of him. the ladder again. Even without a With needs to meet and bills degree, he was offered a position to be paid, Do got a job at a FedEx working in business intelligence— Kinkos store in Vancouver. He crunching numbers, analyzing worked hard and was able to climb customer activity and working in the ladder of his branch over the fraud prevention. course of five years.

Do’s life was shaken up, “I went though, during from being a 2008 and 2009. photocopy boy In a six-month on the night period, his shift, doing half-brother, hand staples for and then his I went from being a ten hours, to father, both being the senior passed away. photocopy boy on the manager of their night shift, doing staples Meanwhile, most profitable eBay for ten hours, to being store in Canada” announced that he said. they would be the senior manager of Do soon shutting down their most profitable became wary their Vancouver of the retail life centre and store in Canada. and was looking outsourcing. for a change.

Do was going Ethan Do, CEO, Over Air After calling up to be laid-off.

Proximity Technologies a FedEx client Of that - eBay Canada time in his - Do started life, Do said “I working there, once again starting didn’t know exactly what to do, but at the bottom, as a customer service my father always encouraged us to email response agent. go back [to school].”

When he was unable to keep “I decided to drive across up with the email response quota Canada…and reflect,” he said. at work, he designed a filter that Knowing that Ontario had the would sort customer emails and most universities of any province,

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he determined that he would stand a better chance applying there.

After gaining more high school credits through an adult secondary school, he eventually enrolled at McMaster as a mature student.

Do was still hurting from his eBay job being outsourced, and decided to study Kinesiology.

He said that his rationale was “I’ll be a doctor, they can’t outsource me.”

He loved studying the body and its inner workings, but couldn’t give up his love of technology.

Knowing this, he transferred into McMaster’s business informatics program, where he could learn coding and business principles together.

“I’ve learned a lot, and I am very thankful for that. It really opened a lot of doors,” he said.

A game-changing moment came in the fall of 2012. After buying a new smartphone, Do was exploring the settings and features of the device. When he saw something about near field communication, he was intrigued and researched the technology.

His curiosity encouraged him to order a few NFC tags and a tag writer. He wanted to try them out.

Then, an epiphany: “I programmed my first one, I took my phone, touched the tag, and my LinkedIn profile came up.”

STUDENT CEO, A3

the S ’ T N E D I S E PR E G PA MACycle’s New Home & Sept. 25 Bike Auction

Anna D’Angela VP Administration vpadmin@msu.mcmaster.ca

ext. 23250

I love my bike. It has helped me lug groceries from the store, get me to my class on time and even led me to explore this city I now call home.

So when my bike breaks down, I’m glad that MACycle is on campus and ready to help me out. New this year, MACycle will be hosting the annual “Bike Auction” on September 25th in the Mills Plaza. This is your chance to pick up a new-to-you bike of your own!

The McMaster Students Union’s MACycle is a bike co-operative and MSU service that focuses on helping cyclists help themselves by teaching bicycle repair and maintenance. Led this year by David Yoon (Honours Studio Art IV) and Jackson Waite (Commerce III), MACycle’s focus is to provide all members of the McMaster and Hamilton communities the opportunity to repair and maintain their bikes.

Les Prince

Don’t worry – you don’t have to be a master bike mechanic to use the shop! The shop has many bike specific tools and the opportunity to purchase (at cost) any bike parts you need, as well as receive assistance from knowledgeable volunteers. All you need to do is purchase a $5 membership to give you access to the co-op.

If you ever want to learn more about your bike, stop by the MACycle shop. Their hours of operation and more service info can be found on their website msumcmaster.ca/macycle, or tweet @MSU_MACycle, or visit FB.com/MSU.MACycle. The service is located at the north end of Ron Joyce Stadium (RJS), field level, across from the Les Prince Hall Residence. It is the left-hand door next to the loading bay area of RJS, look for the MACycle sign.

S

DER U A R MA

Stadium Seating

Health & Dental Insurance and Opt-Out

Jeff Doucet VP Finance vpfinance@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 24109

As a full-time undergraduate student (enrolled in 18 units or more), your student fees include the cost of participating in the MSU Health Insurance plan and the MSU Dental Insurance plan. The fees for these two plans were included in your supplementary fees, which were paid with tuition. To reiterate, you have already bought into the plan, you own it and it is available to you right now to help assist with the inevitable costs of health and dental care.

The cost of undergraduate education is expensive as it is, and the health and dental plan ensures that students will not be burdened by unexpected, high costs associated with required medical work. The two plans cover specific prescription medication and dental work. A full list of plan coverage is available on the MSU’s website at msumcmaster.ca/healthplan.

However, while in university, many students are already covered under another health and/or dental plan (parents, guardians, employer, etc). If this is the case and you are able to demonstrate comparable coverage, you may opt-out of one or both of the MSU plans. The opt-out period runs until Monday, September 30th - there are no exceptions to this deadline.

By opting-out of the Health ($57.50) and/or the Dental ($115.00) plan, eligible students may be refunded up to $172.50 and we make opting-out pretty simple. All you need to do is visit msumcmaster.ca/healthplan. Have your policy number(s) ready and follow the link to opt-out. During the non-negotiable opt-out period of now through September 30th, students may add any dependants to the MSU plan for family coverage.

Spencer Graham VP (Education)

David Campbell President

Anna D’Angela VP (Administration)

Jeff Doucet VP (Finance)

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

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theSil.ca

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Thursday, Sep 19, 2013

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Editors Julia Redmond & Tyler Welch & Stephen Claire Email news@thesil.ca

@theSilhouette

Phone 905.525.9140 x27117

STUDENT INJURED IN HIT-AND-RUN see THESIL.CA

Mac launches learning portfolios Christie Chan The Silhouette McMaster has officially launched the Learning Portfolio in an effort to enrich the education experience beyond grades and exams.

The Learning Portfolio, available through Avenue to Learn, is an online tool designed to allow students to plan, record, and reflect on the valuable experiences they encounter throughout postsecondary education.

The initiative is a key priority outlined in Forward with Integrity, an open letter written

by McMaster President Patrick Deane regarding the priorities best suited for the development of the University.

Technology has become a crucial part of the student experience. The Learning Portfolio is yet another way to enhance student learning and critical thinking through an online platform. For instance, users are able to include numerous forms of media in their Learning Portfolios, ranging from audio files and graphics, to presentations and documents.

Dr. Beth Marquis, professor

in the Arts & Science program, serves as the Arts & Science program contact at Learning Portfolio focused meetings of Associate Deans from across campus.

“The Learning Portfolio, to me, is a tool that can encourage students to reflect on and synthesize their curricular and co-curricular learning experiences at university,” she said.

Marquis further explained: “It provides students with a context to make explicit their individual learning goals, to connect these to the learning experiences they have inside and outside of class,

YOSEIF HADDAD/ PHOTO EDITOR

Student CEO finds success FROM A1 He continued, “I felt the potential of all of this and it was just mind-blowing.”

He knew then that he wanted to work with NFC. He didn’t look at the market, or think about competition. Do began teaching himself to code NFC tags and educated himself of all things NFC. After advice from professors, Do went to the Innovation Factory and McMaster Innovation Park, an incubation centre to help students develop their businesses.

He wanted to take pitch training at Innovation Park, but upon arriving on the wrong date, found himself at a competition, rather than a training seminar.

He showed the audience what he had been working on. He demonstrated an NFC enabled medical alert wristband, inspired by his father.

“The night that my father passed away, he lost consciousness, so the people who found him didn’t know who to contact,” he said. The people who found him were on the phone with 911 operators for over 20 minutes.

“By the time they hung up with 911, they could find me, and I was only two blocks away. When I got there, it was too late.”

The product he demonstrated could inform anyone with a smartphone. The NFC tag sends the phone important medical information—allergies, medication.

It then opens a first-aid app, to inform the user about what how to

help. It then sends a text message, automatically, to the programmed emergency contact. It can do all of this, while someone is on a call with 911.

He won the competition.

Realizing the potential for competition funding, and noticing that his credit card funding strategy would not work forever, Do asked for help from classmates, who volunteered, and entered into more competitions.

He was a finalist at Hamilton’s Lions Liar, a winner and Vitacore Dragon’s Den, second place at the Enactus Student Entrepreneur National Competition and the top winner at Dx3.

Since then, Over Air has added more than 20 volunteers to the company and several paid co-

op students. This has helped them develop all kinds of ways to use NFC and offer it to clients.

Ethan Do’s future is somewhat uncertain. He knows that he will finish his degree in the spring of 2014 and he knows that he will take Over Air as far as it can go, and work to become a Canadian leader.

“People are captivated by our technology... I really believe we are on the verge of an NFC explosion,” he said.

“There is an opportunity to show the world that Canada can still be innovative, and that it started right in Hamilton, right here at McMaster.” @TylerWelch4

YOSEIF HADDAD / PHOTO EDITOR

Do shows off the NFC tags of Over Air, a business he started at Mac.

and to collect evidence of the extent to which they meet their objectives.”

This academic year, students can expect to see the introduction of the Learning Portfolio in 20 courses.

Dr. Laura Harrington is the project director for Forward with Integrity, and she believes the Learning Portfolio will become even more integrated.

“There are several instructors that are using the tool this academic year, and we expect this to grow over time. We’ve looked at how other institutions

are using similar tools within courses to draw some ideas from the experts, and we are also looking to find new, innovative uses within courses at McMaster.” she said.

This tool can also be used outside of the educational world.

“On a more practical level, this documentation of the learning process can also provide valuable material to give to potential employers, to faculty writing letters of reference for grad school applications, etc.,” said Dr. Marquis. There are online training tools available on Avenue to Learn along with workshops that can be attended through getting in touch with the Student Success Centre or Institute for Teaching and Learning.

Once students become more familiar with its use, McMaster hopes the Learning Portfolio will become an important part of their educational experience.

“Over time, we hope that all students will see the value in creating a portfolio and that it will become an essential component of their learning journey at McMaster,” Harrington said.

Mac taken to Ontario Human Rights Tribunal Case by former Mac PhD student alleges lack of accommodation for injury J.J. Bardoel Silhouette Intern The case of a former McMaster PhD student, claiming he was not accommodated after suffering a head injury, continues. In 2008, before Jason Tang was about to complete the exams required for his degree, he suffered a serious brain injury, which left him with post-concussion syndrome. The symptoms called for certain accommodations, which Tang claimed were not provided by McMaster.

After proposing an oral examination, a proposal he claimed received positive feedback from numerous members of faculty within McMaster, he was eventually told that he must write the examination format that was designed for all students in that program. Although he claimed that he was offered a longer time period to finish the exam, as well as writing support, he stated that that the sporadic nature of his disability hinders his ability to complete exams.

“I still have the intellectual skills to write the paper,” he said in an interview to CBC Hamilton. “I just can’t predict when I’m able to engage in the work.” This

would eventually cause Tang to withdraw from his PhD studies.

ARCH Disability Law Centre, a clinic specializing in cases regarding injustices for the disabled, quickly picked up Tang’s case. Laurie Letheren, an ARCH staff lawyer, hopes that the case will set a precedent for similar cases in the future regarding student discrimination. She told CBC before the initial tribunal meeting, “This is an important case because it will address some of the unique questions that arise for students with disabilities at a graduate level.”

Following the allegations, McMaster released a statement to CBC Hamilton affirming that they will defend against the claims.

McMaster University stated that it “is aware of this claim and has worked with the student over the years to identify solutions that provide the accommodations necessary so that he could complete his studies, while ensuring the maintaining of appropriate academic standards.”

The original tribunal meeting was set for July 19, 2013 but with no public decision reached, the case is still ongoing. ARCH Disability Law Centre was contacted and not able to comment.

CANADIAN CAMPUS NEWS Liana Glass The Silhouette

SMU students rally against frosh week chant

Carleton student banned following murder charge

Panel on Canadian libraires to be hosted at SFU

McGill to bring produce to those in need

Schools gather to Stand Up for Science

Roughly 200 students at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax rallied on campus on Sept. 12 in response to the frosh chant that put the school in a negative national spotlight. The chant, similar to that of UBC’s Sauder School of Business, promoted rape of underage girls.

Participants in the rally spoke out to stress the need for young people to discuss consent and the objectification of women.

To go one step further than the rally, SMU announced the creation of a panel to work toward the prevention of sexual harassment on campus.

In reaction to his second-degree murder charge being upgraded to a first-degree charge, a Carleton University student and lacrosse player has been cut from the team and banned from campus.

Samuel Tsega was one of four men charged with the shooting of Michael Swan in Feb. 2010.

A university spokesman says that the ban is “standard procedure” when a student is charged with a serious criminal offence.

The ban is meant to maintain a safe learning environment on campus, and, and according to the spokesman, is not intended to pass premature judgment on Tsega.

Simon Fraser University, in Burnaby, B.C., will, on Sept. 19 host an expert panel whose aim is to gather information on the status of Canadian libraries and archives, and to explore possibilities for the futures of such institutions.

The panel will focus on exploring such areas as what library services Canadians receive, the presence of technology in modern libraries, and how best to integrate the physical and digital resources kept in libraries and archives. The event at SFU is only one of a series of similar sessions scheduled to take place in cities across Canada.

Santropol Roulant, an urban agriculture group in Montreal, Que. provides meals to Montrealers with limited mobility.

The produce they use to make the meals? All grown in gardens across the city, and transported by eco-friendly bicycles.

Santropol first partnered with McGill six years ago to create the very successful Edible Campus Garden. Since then many McGill students have volunteered with the group, and on Sept. 12, Santropol’s second annual Iron Chef event, featuring many top, local vegetarian chefs, was hosted on McGill’s Campus.

On Sept. 15, students, researchers, and professors gathered at universities across Canada to protest the federal government’s policies on science. The series of rallies, named “Stand Up for Science” and organized under the banner of Canadian advocacy group Evidence for Democracy, focused on the muzziling of scientists and the cuts to science funding. University campuses protests, including Dalhousie University, University of Winnipeg, Queen’s University, and University of Lethbridge as part of a set of 17 demonstrations across Canada, while the main event took place on Parliament Hill.

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theSil.ca

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

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Executive Editor Jemma Wolfe Email thesil@thesil.ca Phone 905.525.9140 x22052

to “scared is my default.”

MCMASTER TRADITIONS

On the matter of our motto

to preferring gangrene to caring. to all the supercrawl feels.

Mac’s Christian slogan needs a secular update

to nailpolish that has travelled as much of europe as me. to photoshoots. to a light at the end of the tunnel.

Jemma Wolfe Executive Editor If you pause for a moment in the middle of campus at around half-past the hour mid-day, McMaster is a sight to behold. Thousands of students of every gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, nationality and personality possible will flood past you.

It’s a far cry from who composed the student body when McMaster first came into being. Who we were in 1887 versus who we are today is vastly, wonderfully different. Yet unfortunately, our motto, that short little phrase chosen for its efficacy in encapsulating the beliefs and ideals guiding an institution, has not changed since those early days.

The McMaster motto – written in Greek – reads, “Ta panta en Christoi synesteken” which translates to “In Christ all things hold together” or “All things cohere in Christ.” While this may have been appropriate when McMaster was first established as a Christian college, this faith-focused motto does not reflect the non-denominational academic environment of our campus today.

It was back in 1957 that the University became a private, non‐spiritual institution, dissolving formal ties with

its Baptist roots. And yet despite McMaster’s religious birth, as University President Patrick Deane identifies in his open letter to the McMaster community, Forward With Integrity, “The purpose of the institution from its inception [was] through education and research to develop and realize the potential both of individuals and of society at large.” This principle, which McMaster has so wonderfully achieved, is secular, academia-centric and entirely unrelated to religious practice.

I mean no offence to McMaster Divinity College, the Religious Studies program, or any Christian students, staff or faculty. Rather, I feel it would be more in line with their religious values to foster a community of inclusively through religious diversity and the creation of a motto that speaks to what truly unites the McMaster community: a passion for learning and the pursuit of knowledge.

Change could easily be made, although stubborn bureaucrats will say otherwise. Perhaps Latin students and professors could create several new potential mottoes upon which students and faculty would vote. The favourite would be instated as the official new motto of the University.

The current crest is printed on Mac paraphernalia, looms large over Coun-

cil Chambers where countless critical decisions are made, and is even the major image on McMaster’s Wikipedia page. This continued presence of a religious motto on Mac’s symbolic brand is simply unacceptable.

A change to McMaster’s motto would be a statement that the University is a community that welcomes all peoples to join together in pursuit of excellence in research and academics.

Now that would move us forward with integrity. @jemma_wolfe The motto in question, as seen on the McMaster crest.

to “passing the bar,” and new traditions. to the adventures of our resident young buck. to new triv heights. to the news team’s green initiative. to little sisters and sleepovers.

to waiting in line, unnecessarily. i liked feeling above the plebians. to pointing pizza crusts. to subway discontinuing their sub of the day. cue the gasps. to healthcare system incompetencies. to downgrading to black and white. one for the team. to my inbox. to the last few lazy days for m.k. i’ll miss them/you. to the temperature of this office, and my insides being well cooked. to trains.

to our new interns, who are already rocking it.

to things cohering in christ, in any official, secular capacity.

to the exec brotherturned-sisterhood.

to diluted chocolate milk.

The Silhouette

McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

EDITORIAL BOARD C/O MCMASTER.CA

Jemma Wolfe | Executive Editor thesil@thesil.ca Scott Hastie | Managing Editor managing@thesil.ca Andrew Terefenko | Production Editor production@thesil.ca

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

In defense of “literal” nuances In reply to “Literally the worst” by Lindsay Stitt, published Sept. 12, 2013 on A7 Having read Lindsay Stitt’s opinion piece entitled “Literally the worst”, we would like to establish some facts about the usage of literally and, in doing so, dispel a pernicious language myth that follows from her arguments.

Firstly, we are concerned that she is worried that it is impossible to decipher between literally when it is used as an intensifier and when it is not.

Hearers, if you look at language use in the real world, have no trouble interpreting figurative language. We have never thought that a “hot actress” was on fire, nor that a computer “mouse” was a member of the order rodentia.

Nor did we ever think a zombie was present when, recounting a humorous story, our friend told us that she “literally died laughing”.

Language, the systematic use of

arbitrary signs, sounds or written symbols used to communicate meanings, belongs to and is shaped by the communities who use it. It is a communicative tool that is constantly adapting itself, without our control, to our communicative needs.

It is irrational to propose that the English Language is somehow decaying because there are multiple senses of a word in use. Go and look up any word in a dictionary and you will find that more often than not, the word will have multiple meanings.

Moreover, language users have little problem navigating the various “shades” of a word’s meaning.

For this reason, we find it hard to accept Ms. Stitt’s reasoning that “when a definition contradicts itself, it prevents people from relaying their thoughts”

and “traps people in a world where nearly every statement will be interpreted in a figurative sense”.

This argument displays simple ignorance of the actual facts and conditions of language use. A dictionary definition is a description of language as it exists in the world, not a prescription of how it should exist.

Dictionaries are designed by professionals who track a word’s frequency of occurrence as it is used in the real world. The inclusion of new definitions in the dictionary is an indication that they are successful and already well-established parts of language.

• Daniel Schmidtke & Bryor Snefjella, graduate students in the Cognitive Science of Language program

Anqi Shen | Online Editor news@thesil.ca Julia Redmond | News Editor news@thesil.ca Tyler Welch | Assistant News Editor news@thesil.ca Stephen Clare | Features Editor news@thesil.ca Sam Godfrey | Opinions Editor opinions@thesil.ca Laura Sinclair | Sports Editor sports@thesil.ca Alexandra Reilly | Assistant Sports Editor sports@thesil.ca Amanda Watkins | LifeStyle Editor lifestyle@thesil.ca Miranda Babbitt | Assistant LifeStyle Editor lifestyle@thesil.ca Bahar Orang | ANDY Editor andy@thesil.ca Cooper Long | Assistant ANDY Editor andy@thesil.ca

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Solar Car Project aims for highway speeds Abhi Mukherjee The Silhouette A group of McMaster engineering students is determined to make the school’s most powerful solar car yet.

The McMaster Solar Car Project started in 1999. It has had a roster of students from all the different streams of engineering It builds solar energy powered cars to race in competitions held roughly every two years. $1.07 from full-time undergraduate student fees goes towards the project.

The most recent undertaking of the group is the Spitfire, a car projected to reach highway speeds while, in the spirit of the project, consuming a very negligible amount of energy.

The braking system planned for installation converts part of the braking energy into electrical energy, which will be used to fuel the battery of the car instead of dissipating into the atmosphere.

The battery cstores 3.8kWH of energy, so that it can be used for longer amounts of time.

With features like this, the car is designed with the idea of sustainability in mind.

The Spitfire is projected to be complete by summer 2014, making it the fifth car in the club’s repertoire.

“It usually takes about two years to build a car from scratch,” explained David Drake, the

project manager of the group working on the Spitfire. Drake, a fourth-year Electrical and Computer Engineering student, summarizes the responsibilities of his position in the group as not only working on the car itself but performing nonengineering tasks such as finance management, networking and artistic designing.

“Engineers cannot do what artists can do,” said Nabeel Tariq, associate member of the group.

He stressed that the project encourages people from different fields to come together.

“Everyone assumes that if you are building something you have to be in engineering. Totally not true,” said Drake.

“We give a lot of technical tutorials for engineers and nonengineers,” said John Diller, another associate member of the project. He explained that these cater to people who might want technical skills, but are not necessarily interested in the car itself.

While the Solar Car project has in its history been focused on the vehicle itself, the group members see it as a platform for bigger things.

“Through the club, we can spread more awareness about solar energy, ” said Tariq.

Steps closer to Women and Trans* Centre Aurora Coltman Silhouette Intern Since Nov. 6, 2012, a group of McMaster University students and alumni have consulted studies and surveys from schools across Canada hosting their own Women and Trans* Centres.

The students began this task in the hopes of establishing one at McMaster.

The Women and Trans* Centre committee is led by Elise Milani, SRA Humanities representative.They have been discussing the most beneficial ways of running such a program and where they might locate their services.

The WTC committee is still working towards their goals with the help of its members: SACHA, YWCA, MSU and more. Problems have arisen – conflict over the title of the WTC being ‘gender-inclusive’ or not among others – but despite the kinks, Milani appears to remain optimistic. In fact, she’s stated that WTC is “just a working name” and intends to discuss the matter of changing it towards the end of this month.

“Ideally it would be great to get all that sorted out this year, and we will work towards [our] goals, even though we realize [they aren’t] necessarily within our reach,” she said.

During their meeting on Sept. 13, the committee for the WTC divided itself into four subcommittees – Operations, Space Allocation, Finance, and Outreach – each responsible for making a small part of the WTC dream a reality.

Operations will be largely focused on figuring out the services that will be provided, who can provide them and how they can be provided. Space allocation will be responsible for working with the university to locate a space on campus that best promotes the needs and desires of those using the facility. Finance will work within the university, and outside it to discover where money to support the project will come from, how it will be budgeted, and where it will be spent. Lastly, Outreach will engage with the students to ensure that their opinions and ideas are supported and taken into consideration.

Milani said, “Our goal for this year is to complete as much operational work as possible.

If we know what services we’d like to provide it will hopefully be easier to find space to accommodate [the WTC] and [to create a] budget that reflects our needs.”

A5

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

NEWS

CHEAPDRINKS, AMAZINGFOOD, PRICELESSMEMORIES.

Thursday, Sep 19, 2013

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

theSil.ca

theSil.ca

Thursday, Sep 19, 2013

NEWS

A6

FEATURE

Slipping through the cracks McMaster’s carrying almost $300 million of necessary repairs, and no one’s quite sure how to deal with it.

Stephen Clare Features Editor For many students, water-damaged windows and roofs, outof-order toilets and insulation peeking out of broken ceiling tiles are familiar sights. Throughout the year we experience dozens of minor, everyday inconveniences and brush them off as something that will be fixed, eventually. Until then we do our best to ignore the water dripping from the ceiling into a yellow bucket.

These annoyances are symptoms of deferred maintenance (DM), a problem that’s getting bigger all the time. It boils down to a simple enough idea: things are breaking, and there isn’t the money to fix them. Of course, when you spread that idea out over a 300 acre campus, tens of years, and multiple university, provincial and federal budgets, it gets complex – fast.

DM is defined as “work on the maintenance of physical facilities that has been postponed on a planned or unplanned basis to a future budget cycle or until funds become available,” and its severity really came to the university’s attention in December 2012 when facility services released a comprehensive report called the Asset Management Plan. This 38-page document systematically categorized the issue and revealed a staggering $300M DM backlog.

That figure was a surprise, even to the university administration. “The University knew about a backlog of $150M prior to 2012, which was based on an old Condition Assessment Survey,” said Mohamed Attalla, assistant vice-president and Chief Facilities Officer. “However, there was not a clear and detailed analysis that highlighted the urgency. Also, there was no clear plan and prior-

ities to move forward.”

DM has the potential to severely affect research and teaching on campus, and is made more problematic by its often behindthe-scenes nature. “It deals with things you can’t see,” said Attalla.

It’s hidden in the walls in fraying cables and leaky pipes; it’s hidden in the basement in rusting boilers and dusty transformers; and it’s hidden off-campus in a power substation that is serving beyond its intended lifetime.

Robert O’Brien, a professor of Global Labour Studies, spoke about the difficulties associated with teaching in such an environment. He complained about a lack of Wi-Fi access, A.V. equipment, and proper ventilation. “About half of my teaching takes place in rooms like that,” he said.

With the full scope of the mountain of maintenance revealed, the university moved to begin addressing it. Prior to the report, the DM budget for facility services was $2.2M, just 0.14 per cent of the current replacement value (CRV) of the campus. CRV is calculated by multiplying the square footage of campus buildings by a dollar amount standard for all Ontario universities, and the Council of Ontario Universities recommends a minimum annual budget allocation towards maintenance of 1.5 per cent of the CRV of buildings and infrastructure. It warns that an amount less than this will cause the DM backlog to grow.

In response to the Asset Management Plan’s recommendations, Mac administration intends to increase DM funding by $2M annually until it reaches $10.7M. This means that, for 2013/14, $4.9M has been budgeted for DM. Though an improvement, it’s still a far cry from the $23.4M necessary to reach the recommended 1.5 per cent of campus CRV.

It’s also much lower than they are still in operation and are some universities similar to Mcoperating beyond their designed Master. The Asset Management and useful life […] It is importPlan compared Mac to Ottawa ant to note that McMaster’s total and Western, universities of DM backlog classified as critical similar size, and found that even amounts to $28.86 million and back in 2011, they were budgetby definition should be corrected ing $26M and $11M respectively within the next year.” Accounting towards DM. for the recent budget increase, the The insufficiency of the difference between needed critical current budget is known to repairs and funding is $24M, not administrators. “Based on what including components that may we have here, the current funding have decayed to become critical we agreed to, we’re not looking since the report was released. at making a dip or a dive in the That means that McMaster deferred maintenance. It will conis running with at least $24M tinue to rise actually, but it will of its equipment and buildings rise at a slower pace,” said Attalla. operating beyond their intended So it’s more, but still not lifespan. enough. Attalla acknowledges Last year the MSU published this, but emphasizes the complia policy paper outlining students’ cated nature of budgeting for a position regarding DM. “Our large institution like McMaster. first recommendation was that in “The university needs to make the short term [the university’s decisions. There are lots of contributions to DM] should go unfunded priorities […] but you up to $12.5M,” said Campbell. need dollars to fund them. The “Our long term recommendation agreed-to level of funding here was that contributions should go takes into consideration the other up to $25M, and that should be pressures we have somewhere else a collaboration between the uniin the universiversity and the ty,” he said. province, since “The hope both bear part is that after we of the burden deal with our on this.”

“The university needs to current presAttalla is make decisions. There sure, hopefully also hoping are lots of unfunded five years from priorities […] but you need the university now we’ll be can collaborate dollars to fund them.” able to increase with the prov10M dollars ince, saying Mohamed Attalla, VP and Chief even more to that “the hope Facilities Officer reach some is that with other universilobbying the ties.” provincial govMSU President David Campernment, it will put more money bell echoed that sentiment. “Very into this sector.” understandably, often deferred But hope won’t double-pane maintenance comes up against Mac’s windows. It’s important that academic priorities, and somethe university continue increasing times rightly so. The maintenance DM funding for years to come. becomes deferred because there “The university’s made a comare more pressing priorities. And mitment to continue increasing I think everybody would agree deferred maintenance contributhat that is a necessary thing tions over the next few years, and sometimes,” he said.

I think we should be pushing to “But it’s when you start gethave that continue happening, ting into these critical priorities whether that’s through new camlike ‘in the next 12 months this paigns or an official lobby,” said wall might fall down but we can’t Campbell. find the money to fix it.’ That critiUntil that happens, though, cal aspect is when it needs to be students will just have to pray it addressed right away.” doesn’t rain too hard.

The Asset Management Plan defines components as critical “if @FeaturingSteve

Breaking it down BUILDING DISTRIBUTION

BY AGE 17.5 % 33.4 % 17.5 % 31 .6 % more than 50 years old 40-39 years old 10-39 years old less than 10 years old

FACILITY CONDITION WEIGHTED BY AREA 7%

“

LEFT: It would cost $200,000 to reinforce the structural integrity of the walls of Chester New Hall.

27 % 66 %

Fair to Poor Good Excellent

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE FUNDING, 2012-2013 Athletics $50,000 MUSC $55,000 Parking & Roads $358,000 Health Science Centre $600,000 Residence $3,114,000 Deferred Maintenance/ Ministry Funding $4,707,100

$8,884,100 PROPOSED MAINTENANCE FUNDING, 2016-2017 Athletics $50,000

CENTER: Ivor Wynne Centre’s ceiling water damage would cost no less than $100,000 to patch up.

MUSC $55,000 Parking & Roads $358,000

BOTTOM-LEFT: E.T. Clarke Centre’s cracked roofs need immediate replacement and ring up a pricetag of $500,000.

Health Science Centre $600,000 Residence $3,114,000 Deferred Maintenance/ Ministry Funding $10,200,000

BOTTOM-RIGHT: Alumni Hall windows are in evident need of replacement and would cost $188,000 to refit.

$14,377,000

C/O MCMASTER UNIVERSITY ASSET MANAGEMENT PLAN

HOW DO WE COMPARE TO OTHER UNIVERSITIES? (BASED ON 2011/2012 REPORT)

Total Building Area (m2)

McMaster

475,054

Ottawa

485,587

Western

524,175 Percentage of School in Excellent Condition

McMaster Ottawa Western

27% 50% 41%

AND HOW DOES OUR FUNDING COMPARE?

Us Ottawa Western

$2.15M $26M $11M

O

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

theSil.ca

PINIONS

A7

Self-doubt

A10

Editor Sam Godfrey Email opinions@thesil.ca Phone 905.525.9140 x27117 Talking to strangers

A8

Selectively secular BURKA

BEN BARRETT-FORREST / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

@benbf

Waleed Ahmed The Silhouette Quebec’s government has taken its xenophobic rhetoric to new heights. The proposed legislation would ban “overt and conspicuous” religious symbols on government employees. Whether it is a doctor at a hospital wearing a turban, or a hijab-donning worker at a daycare, they will have to decide between work and religion. This militant and deviant expression of secularism fell short of simply banning beards. It is hypocritical, racist and self-contradictory.

The Parti Québécois claims it is doing so to maintain ‘religious neutrality.’ If that is the case then it should perhaps start by banning the province’s most overt religious symbol: its flag.

Also known as the Fleurde-lis, Quebec’s flag, with its four fleurs-de-lis and a cross, is a beautiful expression of Christian symbolism. Historically associated with French Roman Catholic monarchs, the white fleur-de-lis symbolizes religious purity and chastity. The three petals are

widely considered to represent the Holy Trinity; the band on the bottom represents Mary. Images of the Virgin Mary carrying the flower in her right hand are standard portrayals in Christian art.

Hypocrisy of the proposed legislation becomes evident when the more obvious issues that theoretically impact ‘religious neutrality’ are left unquestioned. Examples of this include the gigantic cross in the National Assembly, taking an oath on the Bible or Christmas trees. Will the government stop funding Catholic schools to attain this neutrality?

What about funding for chaplaincy services? It appears Marois’ government is unable to distinguish between the concepts of a secular state and the inevitable interaction of that state between itself and religious agencies.

But the Quebec government is not oblivious to these facts. And that’s where the racist element comes in. Banning civil servants from wearing religious symbols doesn’t amend any supposed shortcomings of Quebec’s secularism. One can hold strong

religious views without displaying it on their sleeves. In fact, there have been instance of justices refusing to marry same-sex couples because the justices were opposed to gay marriage, and they weren’t wearing a niqab when they did so.

Claiming to champion secularism is simply PQ’s way to brazenly discriminate minority groups with hopes of gathering support through identity politics.

This proposed legislation is self-contradictory. It effectively creates two classes of citizens; one that is noble enough to become civil servants and one who is deprived of this privilege.

The province is thus not ‘neutral’ by any standards – it’s openly saying that religious people ‘need not apply’. Even voicing such outrageous views creates an unhealthy segregated society. If religious minorities can’t participate in public life, how could they ever hope to blossom into our social fabric? What is even scarier is that the PQ is pushing this charter on the private sector as well, the textbook definition of systematic discrimination.

Parti Québécois is well aware that their proposals are so blatantly unconstitutional that they will be shot down by the courts. But that doesn’t matter as the objective of this political exercise has already been achieved, even if it meant having to stoop to an alltime low. The old game of identity politics has allowed the party to stir up enough support from its nationalist constituency to survive the next election.

When the legislation is struck down, they’ll quickly turn around proclaim, ‘See how different we are from the rest of them, we do need our own country!’

One of the ironic aspects of this repulsive ‘Charter of Quebec Values’ is that it has indirectly helped exemplify values that most Canadians share. Editorials of all major newspapers are filled with condemnations of the charter. In a rather innovative spirit, Lakeridge Hospital in Oshawa, Ont., released a recruitment poster of a woman wearing a hijab stating, “We don’t care what’s on your head; we care what’s in it.”

Politicians from all facets have

openly opposed the Charter, from leader of the opposition, Thomas Mulcair, to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau. The political leadership of Montreal, Quebec’s biggest city and economic hub, unanimously denounced the charter.

Even within the PQ there were dissenters: MP Maria Mourani was expelled from caucus for her opposition to this edict.

Despite the lunacy of this entire episode, it’s important to resist the temptation to stereotype Quebec residents as intolerant and narrow-minded. During my short time there, I found the Quebecois to be a warm hearted and friendly people.

Whether it was the affectionate ‘Bon Appétit’ from the lunch lady at Université Laval, the student protestors who gave me their iconic red square to wear or my gracious French teacher who put up with my non-existent language skills: I have nothing but good memories. Let’s hope this debacle is forgotten as a cheap political gimmick that has unfortunately brought unprecedented shame to Quebec, and the rest of Canada.

FEEDBACK

Does our generation have it easier or harder than our parents’?

Kacper Niburski weighs in on Feedback’s question with a response to the viral blog post, “Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy” by wait but why.

“Harder, because we’re losing our culture and values. Our goals are centered around materialism.”

Joana Fejzaj, Social Work IV

“Harder, because of the lack of available jobs.”

Kyle Wing, English IV

“Going to get a lot harder within 30-40 years. Boomers had it too good for too long.”

Billy Moon, Music IV YOSEIF HADDAD / PHOTO EDITOR

YUPPIES, A8

theSil.ca

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

OPINIONS

A8

Generation why not?

Kacper Niburski The Silhouette The first time I tried to join the humdrum of the work force was in grade 12. After two months of disapproving glances in McDonald’s while donning a suit and tie, handing resumes to anyone who would read them, and stressing over a comma here or there on a stupid paper that would most likely be thrown in the garbage, I was called to an interview for the zombie-shift at Costco.

“Lift. Place. Repeat,” they told me.

I had no qualifications and this is exactly what they wanted in an applicant. For the first time in my short life, I was happy to be a real nobody. All I needed were arms, and god knows that I had two good ones.

You see, I was told that getting a job in this shambled-together economy was more difficult than winning the lottery because at the very least, people won that regularly. Employment, I was told, was like striking gold in the Sahara desert with nothing but your finger to dig with.

Whether this was true or not, I walked into that Costco interview at five in the morning rosy-eyed and cheerful. It was a beautiful winter day; the cold air was crisp and I stretched like the sun, greeting everything I saw with a smile and a nod. I might’ve even bounced when I stepped.

The interview came and went

and I felt like I aced it. They asked me about ethics and I babbled on about Nicomachean versus more normative utilitarian approaches. They placed me in numerous situations – a man is on fire, some all-important Gatorade shipment has fallen, the works – and damn if I didn’t answer like the CEO would. Weaknesses? I had one of course: the incessant desire to always want to do things perfectly.

Favourite animal? An ant because they work well in a team. Black or white? Issues are never black or white because gray colours this world and… blah, blah, blah.

I felt and still feel like I was never more prepared for the throes of professionalism as I was that day. Jump back to that morning and you could’ve even asked me a stock quote for Costco and I would have given it to you plus the third quarter projections with a wink of an eye and a shake of a hand.

And yet.

Two weeks later, my phone sat still like a dead fly. I bit my nails. I barely ate. And when I called them back hoping for the miracle of a managerial mistake, I was glossed over, asked who I was three times, and finally told, after waiting some fifteen minutes to what could unquestionably be the jazz-tunes of Hell, that I hadn’t received the job because all spots were filled and they were sorry I hadn’t made the cut.

Out of rash temerity, I asked

what the cut was, then. Maybe because they had a bad drive in, or they had forgotten snacks in their lunch that day, or because I was just a snot-nosed brat parading around in a suit. Anyways, they said quite tersely, “Not you.”

To this day, I remember those words well, words I am sure that have been parroted in a variety of ways to a generation born in the time of “no, sorry, and please apply next year.” After I placed the phone down, I wondered if it was my fault, and in between now and then where failure after failure after wretched failure roared on before me, I convinced myself it was.

Yesterday those words and sentiments once again lingered as I read a recent article cycling among my friends entitled, “Why Generation Y Yuppies are Unhappy” by blogger wait but why. Among the crude drawings and succinct, accessible writing is the idea that our Generation Y, those born from the 80s until the early 90s, are so miserable because we have expectations that do not meet the cold realities we face. Unable to meet our hopes through sheer work alone, the inequity grows from the fact that we believe, and have been led to believe, that we are entitled and special. All of us, from the self-absorbed Tweeter to the hermetic introverts, think of ourselves as unique fingerprints among other unique fingerprints, even if we

aren’t.

This misplaced sense of self-importance ultimately leads to our inevitable but avoidable self-imposed sadness. And in order to quell this misery and feed the insatiable gnawing of our narcissism, we become lazy, self-righteous sloths who undeservedly document our life on various social media platforms.

We become a perpetual problem, not a solution.

Though it is beyond the scope to offer an entire summation of my generation and any sweeping generalization will fail on a variety of accounts, I want to say that the article was horseshit.

To have the audacity to say otherwise, to say that I’m my own problem because I am so green and inexperienced and why don’t I just have a job yet instead of quibbling on and on, is insulting.

It’s downright laughable.

Before me and before my generation was penned as being so apparently unhappy and consequently hedonistic, before I even applied to Costco, the future looked bright. The early 20th century promised wonders of scientific inquiry that spurred great innovation and progress.

Then war, destruction, and war came again, and the future was pissed away on endless battles, an addiction to fossil fuels, and a financial climate that provided handjobs for bankers and hand jobs for everyone else.

Now, unlike ever before, our generation is choking on college debt, toiling under unpaid internships, suffering the consequence of weakening unions, poor job prospects, housing markets that have the volatility of a tropical storm, worsening and worsening education that somehow keeps rising in price, and despite it all, the article claims that we are to blame for this aggregate of misery because we just can’t sink our teeth into the mold and smile while getting punched from all sides.

Part of me feels that our self-motivated drives of frivolity – the sins of Facebooking, Instagraming, and Pintresting that the article suggests have come to both define and nullify our generation – are a way to forget about all of these problems if only a little while. It is a way to think that maybe not everything is going to shit and even if it is, we can try to have fun while swimming in the crap of others before we drown.

And yet I also feel that while this may be true quantitatively and the previous decades of being roaring drunk on petroleum may have very real concerns and consequences for my generation and myself, it is just as wrong of a viewpoint. In fact, such an approach is no different than article itself; it simply displaces the blame from myself to the people before me.

Any kind of role reversal is detrimental. Like the old generation who harp on about the young and like the young who nag on about the old, every generation complains about one another.

We are no different. Our younger selves will be no different. The ones after that won’t be either.

And so on.

What is seen as delusional obsessions in us is really just the same hogwash recycled again and again and again with great accessibility generation after generation after generation. Like other youths with their problems at various times for various reasons, whether it be wars or famine, burgeoning industrial cities or idyllic farmlands, the skepticism of religious phenomena or the settled belief in them, the helter-skelter environments we all found ourselves in promoted us to feel special even if we aren’t.

Especially if we aren’t.

Not because we necessarily are special but because like all the generations of yesteryear who were belittled by their elders just as we are now, Generation Y isn’t the problem. We are the only solution. We are all the future has.

And we must believe this wholeheartedly.

When I failed to receive that Costco job, I learned all this by understanding that I wasn’t vitally unique or even mediocre really. I also learned that I wasn’t part of some grander ponzi scheme I was born into. Sure the economy was bad, but it was bad for everyone else all the same. Instead, such a rejection taught me that if only I got up, applied to other jobs, and kept that smile on my face even if it was fake at times, I’d ensure my arms would be good for something, even if they weren’t lifting packages. Example: writing.

I still feel that. If we are to make any difference at all, then we must stop these patterns of cross-generational bickering. We are all together on a tightrope of planetary consequence. Any which way, and we’ll slip into the same excesses or eventual catastrophes aforementioned. One wrong step and poof – there goes the future.

But together, if we all take our weaknesses and strengths and combine them to complement each other like I did after my failed foray into professionalism, then we can ensure that when the next generation complains about us, they’ll complain about how good it is rather than bad and we – reduced to nothing more than bags of sagging skin and graying hair – will be able do the same.

Y0 ?

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

theSil.ca

OPINIONS

A9

The freshman

$4000 Sophia Topper The Silhouette The First Year Council could be great. At least, it’s a great time for the five first years who get to blow through $4000 with minimal interference from the MSU, and minimal notice from the students who fund it. That would be you, by the way—15 cents of your 122.61$ Student Organization Fee goes to the FYC to do… something.

What the FYC is about is unclear to even its members, who gave a vast variety of answers to my every inquiry. Alexander Coomes, last year’s chair, claimed: “No one will ever seriously change the first year experience from this council.” They have had several successful events, for instance, their club nights were successful enough to recoup their output.

This, however, simply makes the rest of the spending more puzzling. The council also hosted a movie night, but the proof is in the popcorn—three out of four enormous boxes linger uneaten in FYC’s meeting room.

The annual FYC survey occurred as well, though we haven’t received the results. None of the councillors I asked could say what would be done with the results if they existed, or explain why the survey needed to be annual surely the needs of first years do not change that much from year

to year. Perhaps this is to inform the advocacy that supposedly occurs. David Campbell, President of the MSU, said that the “FYC is a fantastic venue for first years to advocate on behalf of their peers,” but again none of the four members I spoke could describe any advocacy done, or even ideas for what advocacy could occur.

Dmitri Dobrov, who held the advocacy portfolio, did not respond to my request for comment.

In the words of Alexander Coomes, former chair, “We are a social club. Sometimes we pretend that we’re more, but we’re not.”

This self-awareness is laudable, but also betrays the discouragement felt by some members.

“I think the council has great potential for something amazing, but I believe it really comes down to how much each individual on the council wants to commit and dedicate. The more effort and hard work that is put into the first year council will definitely reflect in the success and the experiences one will have,” said Yipeng Ge, Former Vice Chair.

Unfortunately, the FYC is plagued by resume-builders and MSU bubbleheads, who gleefully describe the personal benefits of the FYC while glossing over the benefits to the student body.

During a conversation with one member, he pulled out his discount card not once, but twice, as well as regaling me with tales

of using the room as his personal gaming sanctuary, saying it was “convenient to have a little bit of authority now and then.” Other members described to me the invaluable connections they made higher up in the MSU echelons, and the importance of the FYC on their resumes. “It’s the best value-to-workload ratio,” said an unnamed councillor. Coomes said, “You can put as much effort as you want to into it… if you mess up, no one’s really there to get mad.”

There is someone there though: me. And you should be mad too. $4000 is a lot of money for some lines on a few people’s resumes. But we can’t just blame them, this is on us too. The fact is, we get who we elect, and what we demand. The FYC started a first year street team, which met twice and fizzled out. A night in Bridges to discuss the first year experience which was mostly attended by friends of the exec. And that isn’t their fault - it’s ours. If we want more than just some club nights and some flops, then we need to elect people who will give it to us. And while it’s easy to blame the election protocols, where five dollars will buy forgiveness for even the most blatant of abuses, we’re still the ones (not) voting.

As Coomes says, “If the idealists don’t step up, the cynics take over.”

I think I can J.J. Bardoel Silhouette Intern The teacher puts the paper on my desk. I have a pen in one hand and the other is clenched because I can’t remember anything I studied. The same pessimistic mantra repeated over and over in my head as my eyes flicker through the questions, “I can’t do this, I can’t do this.” This is the most common scenario I’ve experienced during my time as a student. I have always had selfdoubt; if I could do anything well, it was criticize myself. No matter what it is I do, the idea that the paper I just handed in is unreadable, or the job interview I gave wasn’t sufficient enough, negativity is something that constantly lingers with me. I’ve not only worried about others’ critiques, but often my own.

I am my own biggest critic, and although some call it being a perfectionist, it borders on insanity. I’ve never had a problem tell-

SAM GODFREY / OPINIONS EDITOR

ing someone else how there paper was, in fact I feel obligated to compliment other people. However, no matter what my fingers pound on the keyboard it doesn’t suffice. It is only in the last couple of months, as I take the steps closer to my impending graduation, that I’ve realized how big of a problem it’s been. It wasn’t that I couldn’t do it, it’s that I wouldn’t let myself do it. Why is it that I tear myself apart like I do?

For much of what I do my inner thoughts are negative, and it took a long time to realize why.

I’ve never been one for self-analysis, mainly because I wasn’t sure what I would find (or if I wanted to know). I needed to understand why I kept putting myself in this cynical bubble and got deflated when I didn’t do as well as I wanted to.

My self-doubt wasn’t because I was as useless as I thought I was (thank god), or I wasn’t capable of being successful, but because I was so busy comparing myself

to others. I was making a false image of what I was supposed to be, and when I didn’t match up, I didn’t feel the need to try. It didn’t matter how much studying I did, I was doomed to fail before the pen hit the paper.

It’s completely normal to make expectations for ourselves.

It gives us a goal to reach for. But before you start that assignment or cram your last bit of studying before exams, don’t tell yourself what you can’t do, because you may believe it. If you think about the reason you’re studying and apply a little positive reassurance to that knowledge, you may be that much closer to achieving that goal.

Self-doubt is a big problem for some. Don’t doubt you’re abilities. Next time you find yourself struggling, analyze the problem, and don’t critique it. Self-improvement is always important, not self-deprecation.

You can do it.

READ ON

Rob Hardy The Silhouette

With the start of another school year, lining up at the campus bookstore is one of the familiar rituals of getting the term going.

Strolling through earlier this week, I couldn’t help lingering and browsing as I checked out what students are reading in other courses - courses I’ve taken before that have changed their syllabus, and others which I may or may never take but am curious to look up anyway. Though the idea of spending any more time reading than you have to for class may seem crazy for many of us, it can be part of how you get ideas for programs you might want to take, or definitely decide are not for you.

Aside from this, there is the simple curiosity of bookworms.

The kind that has us scanning top 100 book lists, futilely gauging how well read we’ve become.

There is some comfort in knowing that despite the rapid changes of society, language, books and what people deem important today, famous novelists, essayists and various other masters of the written word have survived through the years, remaining a staple of

university education.

Perhaps this is so because even though many of us like to think we are more advanced than ever, the truth is there are many lessons to be gleaned from the enormous depth of past Russian literature, endless debates to be had about Ancient Greek philosophers, and exceptional delight in reading and rereading the likes of Henry David Thoreau, Emily Bronte, and (occasionally) Karl Marx.

So, as this school year revs up, remember the intrinsic rewards of reading mainstay authors of past generations and eras, maybe simply because something about the cover intrigued you.

Likely though, these are not what you’d find at the top of your reading lists.

But as time goes by, there may emerge some sentimental attachment to what has been passed down and encountered during your undergraduate years. And one day, even if you know you may never fully get through it all, you just might just buy that thick Tolstoy sitting on a shelf in some bookstore at the start of term.

theSil.ca

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

OPINIONS

A10

Stock vacation Julia Redmond News Editor With a summer of tour guiding behind me, I’ve seen the other side of the tourist experience.

And I’m not so sure I liked what I saw.

As months of work made the novelty of my workplace diminish a little, it became more and more evident to me how people experienced their visit.

I had been enthralled by my surroundings at the outset; I was working in Parliament, which was something a political nerd like me found thrilling. But I knew that I would return every day, while the majority of our visitors were at Parliament for a couple hours, perhaps only in Ottawa for a day.

I watched as thousands of people went through the building, day in, day out. And even if they weren’t inside, I saw them roaming around Parliament Hill and its surroundings. But what struck me about these hordes of tourists was how they chose to interact with their setting.

Sure, Parliament is a pretty recognizable building. I understand the instinct to pose in front for memory’s sake, for an entry in the family photo album.

But I was surprised that people

were inclined to do so while missing the real thing.

Visitors would snap hundreds of photos over the course of a visit. Not just one photo for each new spaces, but photos of every angle, every inch of the place.

And yet, in doing so, they lost the opportunity to understand what it was they were seeing.

Explanations were offered; guides were always on hand, taking people to all the sights. But the explanations were ignored in favour of composing their shots.

These tourists didn’t actually see what they came to see—they experienced it all through a lens.

I wondered what people were going to do with these photos.

I’d imagine them getting home, bringing their memory card full of photos to show to their friends and family. They’d sit down, open the files, and then be at a loss for what it actually was they were looking at.

Maybe my imagination was a little ungenerous. Naturally, not everyone has the same interests, and things that I find fascinating may be boring to someone else. People don’t go on vacation for purely educational purposes. But in seeing how these tourists reacted to Canada’s most recognizable landmark, I had a

sinking feeling that mine wasn’t the only experience with the photo-tourism phenomenon.

It’s something I can see upon logging into Facebook, too. The photo albums of friends’ trips around the world prove to me that I’m just as affected from the other side of things. It’s nice to see where my friends travel, and what they noticed while they were there. In seeing their photos, even without context, I can to some degree understand their experiences from a distance. And I’m sure for them it’s nice to be able to relive a little of their travels when they get home as well, be it immediately after or years down the road.

Although I get the gist, the whole thing seems, well, twodimensional. Photos can’t tell you the stories of the places you went to; the little quirks and interesting details won’t show up on your screen.

I wish I could have taken away those tourists’ cameras this summer. Maybe it would have made them actually see what they were looking at. @juliaeredmond

YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

theSil.ca

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

Talking to strangers

OPINIONS

A11

Samhita Misra The Silhouette It was the end of a twelve-hour workday when I sat down on the subway in Toronto, heading home. With a pounding headache and shoulders in desperate need of a massage, I pulled out my phone and began playing with it. Texting wasn’t an option underground, but I thought the message was pretty clear: my people skills were declining by the minute.

The man beside me was muttering. Mental illness, maybe, I thought. Not wanting him to feel like he was being judged, I didn’t look up. My phone’s limited uses grew all the more fascinating.

“Come on, how are you?” he said suddenly, cutting into my thoughts and leaning in.

“Oh! Good, thanks, how are you?” I replied, thinking I could no longer “respectfully” ignore him without being a jerk.

We conversed.

He was a Polish man trying to improve his English, he said, apologizing frequently for bothering me.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” I repeated adamantly with each apology.

As we spoke, I thought back to my previous impressions and felt horrible. Here I was, making assumptions about his life when I hate being defined by my own challenges. I struggled to make up for it by smiling warmly.

He kissed my hand and said, “you’re a very nice girl.”

I didn’t know how to take that.

Physical affection is important to me. Tight hugs and kisses on the cheek are a part of my daily life with those who are close to my heart. He was not, but then again, perhaps that was again my fault for being too quick to judge.

I smiled awkwardly, glancing at everyone else on the subway.

Dryly, I noted that advertisements

KAREN WANG / GRAPHICS EDITOR

and fingernails seemed to be just as interesting to them as my phone had been to me minutes ago. The train was silent.

“Have a boyfriend?” he asked.

“No,” I replied, my compensative smile never wavering.

“No, you must have,” he insisted. “But say hi to Polish man, bye to boyfriend.”

My feminist heart clenched at the implication. It clenched further still when he stood up to

leave, gesturing for me to follow him out and knocking on the window behind me to ask me again.

In the days since, I’ve thought about the man on the subway. My first impression may have been accurate: he could have had a mental illness, and far be it for me to judge him for it.

Alternatively, he may, as he said, have been a Polish man in a new country, lonely and looking for affection without understand-

ing proper etiquette. Having known the excruciating pain of loneliness, my heart went out to him.

But what if it was more?

What if my feminist heart had not misunderstood his words and gestures?

Friends, family and mentors have given me a couple of tips since then. First, if asked about a boyfriend, always say yes. Second, safety over courtesy: ignore him or get off the train.

The first is a tactic I hope never to use. As for the second, I can’t help but think that kindness is more than merely courtesy.

While boundaries must be respected and safety must be considered, I can’t help but think that in a society of averted glances, clipped answers and hasty exits, a little kindness can save each of us from the stigma and feelings of helplessness that surround our own, individual challenges.

Solidarity among sisters Cassandra Jeffery The Silhouette Ladies, it’s about time we have a serious conversation about gender equality.

There’s a certain issue that I’ve been trying to rack my brain around for quite some time now, and the finger to blame is on us women. Well, the first finger anyways. I’m sure as women we’ve all felt the bitter sting of sexist oppression in one form or another at some point in our lives.

And even in the name of progression, unfortunately, I’m sure we will continue to feel the wrath of sexism for decades to come.

As much as I dislike the way that society makes me feel as a woman, I absolutely hate the way other women in society can make me feel. As women, we can be the worst perpetrators of sexism and frankly, I’m already fighting one class of gender difference, I don’t have the energy to defend myself from girl-girl sexism.

I can guarantee we’ve all experienced and took part in a form of woman shaming. Now, I’m not going to pretend I’m a saint because though I have been the

shamed, I admit I have also been the shamer on various occasions.

Only now that I’ve received a certain level of education in women’s rights and a little more experience with age, can I say that I try to be a good feminist and stay away from shaming other women.

Just think back to all of the times you commented on a woman’s weight (friend or not).

How many times have you referred to a woman’s attire or sex life (presumed or not) with words like ‘slut’ or ‘whore’? When’s the last time you judged a woman based solely on what she looks like?

Or, on the flip side, when’s the last time you referred to yourself as a slut because in your mind, because you think you’ve slept with one too many people?

Not only is there woman-woman shaming, but we shame ourselves as well. And of course, we understand women’s identity primarily with how we understand society.

Society implies women are to act a certain way, especially within the realm of sexuality, so we subconsciously follow suit. For example, how many times have you heard this scenario:

Girl discussing a date—“I went on a date last night with (add random name here) and we ended up sleeping together. But I completely wanted to and they’re only the fifth person I’ve ever been with so at least I’m nowhere near the double digits yet. I’m not like (add other, most likely woman’s, name here). She’s been with 15 people. I’m not that slutty.”

There are so many things wrong with a statement like this I don’t know where to being. First up, why do we always feel the need to justify to ourselves and to others why we were intimate with someone? In my opinion, your sexuality is exactly that: yours!

If you’re comfortable, happy and consenting then why does it matter if your “number” is 2, 5 or 35?

What might feel right for one woman in terms of sexuality may be completely different for another so let’s please lay off the slut shamming. We don’t allow and appreciate when men refer to us as “sluts” so why is okay for us to shame another woman for her personal sex life?

Women need to start becoming more encouraging to one another. As I’ve said earlier, we’re

already facing oppression in society and we need that support and reassurance from other women in order to make solid progress.

It’s about time we started to compliment and acknowledge the accomplishments (whether large or small) that other women make.

I’m tired of hearing women say “well, she only got that promotion because of [insert angry accusation here].”

Enough.

One of the biggest issues I have with women is the constant weight-shamming culture that continues to exist despite our efforts to promote the ideology of beauty at whatever size.

We’ve become big on this idea that curves are sexy but it seems there is a certain ratio quota to meet “curviness.” In a blog post by bellejarblog entitled “10 signs that feminism may not be for you,” the author writes, “you think that there might be a type of body-shaming that is acceptable.”

Never in any case is it okay to shame another woman based on her body. We have to remember that we all have bodily autonomy.

We choose how to maintain our bodies and it isn’t for anyone else

to judge based on our choices.

We can push both extremes of the situation; of course you would be concerned if a friend suffered from an eating disorder. It is unhealthy to either be much too thin or obese however we are still not in the right to judge based on such cases.

Here’s where the support part comes in. Be a good friend, listen and offer support, but never judgment. Bodily autonomy applies to self-maintenance as well. A women’s choice to grow or shave her body hair is exactly that, a choice.

We can choose to have plastic surgery and we can certainly choose whether or not we have children.

We must respect the choices of other women despite our own beliefs and opinions. It is her body and her choices, no one else’s. Shaming a woman for her choices only reiterates the gender hierarchy already implicated in society.

So I’d say it’s about time we start supporting and encouraging the very people who make up our feminist movement.

NOTSPEC.COM

STUPORCRAWL We review all the cool ar t exhibits you sk ipped to see Passion Pit B1-2

THURSDAY

SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

HAMILTON SPECULATOR THE

BRAVING THE SHIT STORM SINCE 1934

LOCAL

Getting a leg up on the scooter problem A2

Taking shit for granted When shit happens, it’s hard to justify giving a shit

WORLD

Bombshell Allegations: Miss America 2013 A6

HEALTH

The air diet that will leave you breathless C7

CHECK YOUR PRIVILEGE

AT THE DOOR

This is pretty shitty.

SHIT HASTINGS Crappy Speculator

It’s days like this that make us wonder “shit, why do we bother?”

Shit went down on Locke St earlier this morning when veteran Speculator reporter Shit Hastings, yours truly, was involved in some kind of shit involving cars and head-on collisions.

“I’m in some deep shit now.

I thought my mechanic was full of shit when he said my carborator was shot to shit, but then shit hit the fan and next thing I know I’m writing this story from the hospital bed. Shit,” said Hastings.

What might scare the shit out of readers is that this can happen to just about anyone, says acclaimed reporter Hastings.

“It’s not the end of the world, of course. Thanks to Canadian healthcare I’m not up shit creek without a paddle, so I’ll get through this to cover shit as it happens like my readers expect me to,” said Hastings.

The other driver involved in the collision now has shit for brains, as he went head-first through his windsheild because he couldn’t get his shit together fast enough to put on a seatbelt.

“Shit, that’s just common sense you know? The accident beat the shit out of me but I’m still alive to bullshit another day because I buckled up.”

Shit Hastings requested time off to heal, but we told that sack of shit that we have had enough of his shit.

Bob Party, owner and operator of the bar, has big plans for the privileged few that are lucky enough to enjoy life’s basic neccessities as an afterthought.

McMaster bar institutes new privilege check policy for TwelvEighty club nights TIBERIUS SLICK Underprivileged Speculator

Students looking for a fun night free from the fear of being oppressed by majority thought-holders can breathe easy, as a McMaster establishment has paved the way for a truly neutral environment.

TwelvEighty will begin a new program this upcoming Club Night, which will require patrons to check their privilege at the door before they are permitted to enter.

“We feel that this new initiative will help our more enlightened guests enjoy a space that is

WEATHER HIGH: GLASS CEILING LOW: SHAWTY I’m all for equal wages, but not if I need to do or sign anything.

RE-PETITION, B1

not permeated with the opinions of the masses,” said Bob Party, owner and operator of the popular night spot.

The service will not be free, however, as the bar will have to renovate the foyer to create a privilege check space to store guests’ life experiences that give them an impression their logic applies to all arguments.

“This has been a long time coming. Now I can enjoy a frosty pint of Mill Street Organic without some elitist grunt walking around like he wasn’t affected by the 1993 Balkan crisis. Real change won’t start until they unpack their baggage and check their privilege,” said J’Kimbo

Taking the piss

SPECU

Australia correspondent Durham Taylor speaks to a man who stole the P.M.’s yellow gold. See ONLINE

(formerly Jason White) who is a prominent (citation needed) social justice blogger on popular slacktivism website Tumblr.

Political Science professor Liam Edwin challenges the movement, citing the omission of options for the underprivileged. “People from third-world countries don’t have the privilege to check, so should they be discriminated against for coming to club nights empty-handed?” asked Edwin.

“Where does the buck stop?

We get people to check their privilege now, and by Monday we’ll be asking them to check facts or even keep society in check. We need to draw a line somewhere.”

IN DEBTROIT A3

PUTIN IT IN PERSPECTIVE A5

RUSSIAN TO CONCLUSIONS:

TIC-TAC-TWO: COMING

SYRIOUS REBELLION A4

FULL CIRCLE G6

THE SUBPOCALYPSE: END OF

SEAN CONNERY SIGNS

SUB OF THE DAY B5

ENDORSEMENT DEAL WITH

I’M AT A LOSS-WORD H6

SHTARBUCKS B1

Disclaimer: The Hamilton Speculator is a work of satire and fiction and should not under any circumstances be taken seriously. Unless you’re into that sort of thing. Then do what you want. I’m not your dad.

Our more enlightened guests [can] enjoy a space that is not permeated with the opinions of the masses.

BOB PARTY

HE STARTED THE FIRE

PER ISSUE: $0.34 INCL. HST, PST where applicable.

Please account for inflation since 1744

S

theSil.ca

Thursday, Sep 19, 2013

PORTS

B1

Editors Laura Sinclair & Alexandra Reilly Email sports@thesil.ca

@silsports

Phone 905.525.9140 x27117

Circa 2002

B9

Women’s Soccer B11

Mac takes down No. 1 ranked York Laura Sinclair Senior Sports Editor

The story of the Marauders’ success thus far has not just been about great coaching, solid goal keeping and the ability to put the ball in the back of the net.

Although all of that is true, their prosperity digs much further than that. The story is exceptional defence, which stunned the No. 1 CIS ranked team at Ron Joyce Stadium.

The York Lions squad entered the contest undefeated, winning previous games with scores of 8-0, and 5-1 against the Brock Badgers and Western Mustangs respectively. The high-scoring team had a lot of confidence, but the Marauders were prepared for that.

“They’re a special team … they’re one of the best teams in Canada, their record shows it,” said head coach Dino Perri.

“I think the coaches knew that we’re also one of the best teams in Canada. It was just a matter of proving it to the players, and I think they proved that.”

In the first half, the Marauders and the Lions both had their fair share of opportunities to score, but they could not get past the keepers, who both made some outstanding saves to keep their respective teams in the game early on.

After a scoreless first half, Perri knew that his team was on the track to victory.

“I told them that [York] was a good team and they’re going to get their opportunities and we’re a good team as well and we’re going to get our opportunities, just stay on course and we’ll prove to do well in the second half,” said Perri.

It was as if Perri foreshadowed his team’s fate for the

remainder of the game, as the Marauders continued to play incredibly well in the second frame, with Paterson Farrell putting his foot on a rebound from the York keeper, which put the Maroon and grey up 1-0.

After the home team opened up the scoring, the Marauders switched to a more defensive game, as desperation began to set in for York.

“I think they started pushing more which sort of dictated us, and made us play a little more defensively,” said Perri on the Marauders lead.

Although the York team moved a little quicker and pushed a little harder, their effort was not enough, as Mac kept the lead and won 1-0.

Perri credited his defenders for the win, as they kept the powerhouse team off of the score sheet, and on their toes for the entire game.

“We did a really, really, good job defending, especially in our own end…and that’s a huge, huge, huge accomplishment and at the same time, we still created chances for ourselves,” added Perri.

The 1-0 game proved to be a major confidence booster for the Maroon and Grey, as taking down the number one team in Canada is never an easy task.

“With a lot of new players in the line-up this year, we’re trying to find our identity and I think this game went a long way to get us to building our confidence and knowing what we’re capable of doing,” said Perri.

The Marauders’ confidence from the win on Friday was carried over to their game on Sunday, where they beat the Windsor Lancers with a score of 3-1.

Farrell, Nate Morris, and

rookie Sascha Ricciuti were the goal-scorers for the Maroon and Grey.

After an outstanding weekend of soccer, McMaster will get a chance to bask in their success before they take on the Western Mustangs on Sunday afternoon.

Although winning big this early in the season brings a good feeling, Coach Perri wants to make sure that they do not get over-confident for the games ahead.

“We have a lot of guys that can step up and fill in the void and I think with the added confidence… hopefully it’s going to be a good thing for us as opposed to the opposite… which could happen.”

The Marauders soccer squad will continue to monitor their added confidence, and hope to keep the winning streak alive, as they set their sights on a third consecutive OUA Championship. @Lsinkky

C/O FRASER CALDWELL

“

“I think the coaches knew that we’re also one of the best teams in Canada. It was just a matter of proving it to the players... ” Dino Perri, head coach of Marauders men’s soccer team

C/O FRASER CALDWELL

Marauder win gives reason for optimism Alexandra Reilly Assistant Sports Editor

C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

QB Marshall Ferguson has broken through any growing pains and shown to be capable of leading the Maroon offense.

C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

Although the game against the York Lions on Sept. 15 was not exactly a blowout for the Marauders, does not mean that the squad should not look optimistically towards the hope of a potential playoff spot.

Being tied in the rankings with York, McMaster had a lot to prove this past weekend.

The Marauders would have to try to prove themselves without two of their top talents.

With both Matt Sewell and Joey Cupido not dressing for Saturday’s game once again for the Marauders, it was important for the team to prioritize in order to pull out a win.

After a crushing loss against the visiting Western Mustangs over a week ago the Marauders knew what they had to do to bounce back this week.

“We really wanted to focus on establishing the run game really early,” said Danny Vandervoort, who had a break-out game for the maroon contingent, scoring three touchdowns in Saturday’s game.

For the first time all season, McMaster was able to put up respectable numbers on the ground. Kasean Davis-Reynolds ran for 123 yards while Jimmy Hill chipped in 47 yards.

The squad viewed this game as a regrouping opportunity after being man-handled by the Western Mustangs.

“We really wanted to bounce back after last week, we took a big hit and we just wanted to get the ball rolling,” Vandervoort said.

“We knew York was a good team and wanted to show everyone that we were a top-10 team once again.”

Following the Yates Cup rematch against the University of Guelph Gryphons, Mac will get a much-needed bye week where they can take the time to improve the future of their season.

Mac’s good fortune does not stop there.

Not only is a solid

strategizing period ahead for the team, but also their next three opponents hold the bottom three spots in the OUA rankings.

The road to the playoffs is looking pretty favorable for the Marauders at the moment.

McMaster also has every reason to be optimistic as the development of their players on a weekly basis continues to soar.

QB Marshall Ferguson is ranked third in the OUA for passing yards per game, averaging close to 350 yards and three touchdowns per game.

With the hopes of a healthy roster and continued player improvement, the Gryphons contest set for this Sat Sept. 21 will be the ultimate test for the Marauders. @Miss_AReilly

“

“We knew York was a good team and wanted to show everyone that we were a top-10 team once again”.

Danny Vandervoort, Wide Receiver for the McMaster football team.

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

theSil.ca

B2

SPORTS

Captain looks to make her mark Scott Hastie Managing Editor You’ll be hard-pressed to find anything that’s gone the way the McMaster women’s soccer team wanted it to.

From the get-go, it’s been bad luck. Five days before the season opener, the team did not even have jerseys. Nike said they forgot to process the squad’s order, and they sent out temporary jerseys until the order was filled.

On the Sept. 15 match against the University of Windsor Lancers, Mac could not even fill out a full roster because of injuries.

Instead of the allowed 18 players, the Marauders only fielded 16.

The constant in all of the twists and turns is captain Sophia Ykema.

A third-year Arts & Science student, Ykema has been tasked with leading the youthful squad but with all the hiccups, it’s been far from an ideal start to her captaincy. But she is far from disappointed with the new role, and in spite of the difficulties, she’s led the team to a 4-1-3 record – good for second in the OUA West.

“It’s been great being captain so far. It’s a huge honour to captain this team, and I was really honoured when [coach] Mosen asked me to be the captain,” said Ykema.

Hailing from Surrey, B.C., Ykema is the ideal role model for the team. She knows all about the transition from high school to university and more than enough about moving away from home after a 4,298 km journey.

Last year’s captain, Mel Van Der Hoop, is still with the team as an assistant coach, and her presence has helped Ykema in her own evolution from starter to captain.

“Having Mel there has been a cool transition - she got me the new captain armband, so she passed that on. And just knowing I can go to her has been really great,” the defender said.

As Ykema talks about the team, she has nothing but positive things to say. Without a doubt, there have been tough situations to handle, but there is no challenge she seems afraid of. Having a reboot with the team and three potential years as a captain, the B.C. native realizes the opportunity at hand.

Establishing a winning culture for a sports team is important, but university teams are

perhaps the most in need of an understood tradition.

The culture is what attracts recruits, keeps people accountable and ultimately results in a championship. Ykema acknowledges this and sees herself as instrumental in the development of a culture.

“It’s been really good to show the rookies the ropes and kind of restart. This team is full of leaders and they can show people the intensity they need and all the work that goes in,” Ykema said.

Any praise for the team’s surprising start is immediately deflected. Ykema has been one of the only upper-year players to play in every game and her constant presence on the backline has to be calming for teammates.

But ask the captain what the key has been to their success, and she points to everyone else.

“Girls just stepped up to the task and realized we’re intense, we’re going for an OUA Championship. People just picked up their game,” said Ykema.

She is not the loudest player on the field, but she has the respect of her teammates. As a defender, she won’t be the one leading the race for the team’s golden boot. But with Ykema steering the ship, the women’s soccer team is well on their way to carving out an identity and creating a culture – the first steps on route to hanging an OUA banner. @Scott1Hastie

Sophia Ykema commands the respect of teammates and opponents alike with consistent form and a collected personality.

C/O YOUSIF HADDAD C/O YOSEIF HADDAD

High stakes for Mac cross country Laura Sinclair Senior Sports Editor As seen by many dominant sports franchises in the past, when the core talent of a team has left or is absent, a rebuilding phase usually occurs to foster the young talent and train them to the same level of success.

Having lost many of the top runners from the 2012 CIS silver medal winning women’s cross country team, it would be easy to predict this team would follow suit and enter the rebuilding phase, but this is not the case according to head coach Rory Sneyd, who still has high expectations for his team this year.

“We have a group that we think can contend for medals at the provincial and national level.

The women won’t have as much of a target on their backs as in previous years and it is going to be exciting to see them hopefully surprise some people this year,” said Sneyd.

The women’s team has always been strong with significant depth. They have medalled at the CIS stage four years in a row, and now, their season allows for the rookies to step up and steer the ship that the veterans have left behind for them.

“It is pretty crazy to think that of the four graduating women from our top seven last year, three of them – Lindsay Carson, Victoria Coates, and Jillian Wyman - had all been All-Canadians in cross country and have won medals at CIS Championships

in cross country or track. Our fourth graduating athlete, Steph MacNeill, is a three-time OUA All-Star in cross country” said Sneyd on the class of 2013.

Although the talented top seven of last season are missing four of their biggest threats, the rookies proved themselves at time trial two weeks ago, where four of the top five women crossing the line first were rookies.

For Coach Sneyd, the rookies’ success at the trial was no surprise to him.

“I feel that Kirstin (Myers), Phoebe (Cseresnyes), Emily (Nowak), and Adrienne (Morgan) can all end up in our top seven this year. What surprised me a bit was how fast they ran and how they stacked up with some of our veterans” On the men’s side, there is a lot of excitement around the potential for a CIS medal this year.

The men have not won a medal in over a decade, and this just might be their year to break that streak.

“We expect that Lionel Sanders, Connor Darlington and Taylor Reid will be up front and Taylor Forbes, Austen Forbes, Blair Morgan, Jordan Bierema and a couple of rookies will not be too far behind. It’s great when the men can work together” said Sneyd Because of the number of veterans on the men’s squad, however, it will be a lot more difficult for the recruits to make the top seven, although they are a very talented class.

“I knew that we had a

tremendous recruiting class but guys like Paul Rochus and Jeramie Lai surprised me with how fast they ran. I think it speaks to the strength of our men’s team that it will be really difficult for any of our rookies to crack the top seven this year,” Sneyd said.

The Marauders cross country team will compete at their first meet of the season Sept. 21 at the Western International. For this meet, and for the rest of the season, Coach Sneyd has listed some big players to watch out for, as they will be a force to be reckoned with.

“On the women’s side, Maddy McDonald and Courtney Patterson will be leading the charge up front,” said Sneyd.

As for the rookies, Sneyd is excited to see what Phoebe Cserneyses can do, and the credentials to her name says it all.

“Cseresnyes has placed as high as fourth at the OFSAA Cross Country Championships and she has the potential to be one of the best rookies in the conference and in the country” As for the men’s side, Sneyd has listed some big-time triathletes and a Canada cup 5000 m champion, that are potentially in the best shape of their lives right now “Darlington, Sanders, and Reid are coming off phenomenal summers and they will be our low sticks,” said Sneyd.

The rookie that has stood out the most on the men’s side is Paul Rochus, who finished in 2nd place by no more than a couple seconds

at the time trial on September 6th.

“Presently, I think Rochus has the best shot of any of the rookies to break into that top seven,” said Sneyd.

Although the team has changed a lot from the previous season, one thing is for sure. The expectations and stakes are just as high for the team this year as any other year, and the goal is still the same; to work hard, run fast, and to medal at the CIS Championships.

C/O PETE SELF

@Lsinkky

“

“...I think it speaks to the strength of our men’s team that it will be really difficult for any of our rookies to crack the top seven this year” Rory Sneyd, head coach of Marauders cross country team

Maddy McDonald (above)

CROSS COUNTRY at WESTERN INTERNATIONAL SEPT 21 | 10 AM

at GUELPH OPEN

at MUSTANG OPEN

at MONTREAL (RSEQ-AUS)

SEPT 21 | 10 AM

OCT 03 | 2 PM

OCT 12 | 10 AM

theSil.ca

SPORTS

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

B3

Marauders ‘Leveridge’ a win over RMC Alexandra Reilly Assistant Sports Editor With an all-star performance by sophomore centre James Leveridge, the Marauders were able to cling to a 22-13 win over RMC on Sept. 15.

Leveridge racked up 17 points over the course of McMaster’s win making him the deciding factor of Sunday’s game, which took place in Kingston, Ont. This win now puts the Marauders at a 1-1 standing after dropping a 24-16 decision against the Guelph Gryphons on Sept 6.

RMC struck early on when they managed to break through the Marauders line to complete a try in the early minutes of the game.

But Leveridge would then successfully kick the convert to give McMaster a lead over their opponents.

Matt Courtney of the RMC squad would score to crush the McMaster lead and bring the nail-biting opening sequence to an end.

Leveridge would once again strike gold for the maroon and grey as he successfully kicked a penalty to tie the match at 10 even.

The second half of the game proved to be where Leveridge showed his true potential.

With neither team scoring a try in the first 40 of the half, Leveridge would go on to kick three penalties bringing McMaster’s lead to even greater heights.

Time would soon run out for RMC on their home turf, giving the Maroon and Grey their first win of the season on the road.

The Marauders will look to build on this win by adding another “W” as they travel to London, Ont. to face the Western Mustangs this Sept. 21. @Miss_AReilly

C/O FRASER CALDWELL

Women trump Trent Alexandra Reilly Assistant Sports Editor In an incredible effort on Sept.

14, the McMaster women’s rugby team easily beat the Trent squad, defeating them with a score of 41-0.

The lead would start early on for the Marauders, as they would score in the first ten minutes of the match.

The game would remain close for the first 20 minutes of the game as great offensive efforts from both sides proved to keep the game interesting.

McMaster would soon power up and throw some strategic set plays to split the Trent defense.

Before half-time, Mac was able to score a third try giving them a huge 15-0 lead over the Excalibur.

Captain Cindy Nelles’ efforts were definitely appreciated by teammates as she scored a total of four tries on the day.

“Having captain Cindy Nelles back in the line-up after being

out last season due to multiple injuries has made a big difference in open field play,” said Marauders prop Christine Van Beest.

Following this, the Marauders went on to score another three tries late in the half before the final whistle.

Nelles finished the day off as the game’s top scorer with a convert and total of four tries against the Excalibur.

Sarah Farquharson and rookie Sahara Whiteley-Hoffelner each had a break out game scoring two tries of their own on Saturday afternoon.

The Marauders hope to see the same outcome against their next opponents the Toronto Varsity Blues as they did last season.

The squad walked away with a commanding 60-7 victory over the Toronto team at their last meeting a year ago.

“Looking on to U of T the team will prepare as normal this week, looking to continue to meet

our goals and playing a fast paced game,” Van Beest said about their upcoming contest this weekend.

The match is set to take place this Sept. 21. @Miss_AReilly

RECAP MEN’S SOCCER OUA EAST

OUA WEST W | L | PTS

CARLETON LAURENTIAN RYERSON QUEENS NIPISSING TORONTO RMC TRENT OTTAWA

4 3 3 2 2 2 1 0 0

0 1 0 1 4 1 3 5 0

13 11 10 7 6 4 3 0 0

W | L | PTS MCMASTER YORK GUELPH LAURIER WINDSOR WESTERN UOIT BROCK WATERLOO

5 5 4 2 2 2 1 0 0

1 1 1 1 2 1 4 4 6

16 15 13 9 8 8 4 2 0

WOMEN’S SOCCER OUA EAST

OUA WEST W | L | PTS

OTTAWA QUEENS CARELTON LAURENTIAN TORONTO NIPISSING TRENT RYERSON RMC

4 4 4 3 3 1 1 1 0

0 0 1 1 2 2 6 4 5

14 14 13 11 10 6 3 3 1

W | L | PTS GUELPH MCMASTER WESTERN LAURIER WINDSOR YORK UOIT BROCK WATERLOO

1 1 0 1 3 2 3 2 5

15 12 11 11 7 6 5 4 1

FOOTBALL

WOMEN’S RUGBY

OUA

OUA W | L | PTS

WESTERN GUELPH QUEENS WINDSOR MCMASTER OTTAWA WATERLOO LAURIER YORK TORONTO CARLETON C/O FRASER CALDWELL

5 3 3 3 2 1 1 0 0

4 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 0

0 0 0 2 2 2 3 3 2 3 3

8 6 6 4 4 4 2 2 2 2 0

W | L | PTS QUEENS GUELPH WESTERN MCMASTER WATERLOO YORK TRENT BROCK LAURIER TORONTO

2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2

10 9 5 5 5 5 4 4 1 1

theSil.ca

SPORTS

Thursday, Sep 19, 2013

Get to know your captains

B5

Laura Sinclair & Alexandra Reilly Sports Editors

Name: Blair Morgan Sport: Men’s Cross Country Prorgam: Chemical Engineering Year: Three

Name: Chelsea MacKinnon Sport: Women’s Cross Country Program: Health Sciences Year: Three

Name: Marshall Ferguson Sport: Football Program: Political Sciences Year: Three

Name: Sophia Ykema Sport: Women’s Soccer Program: Arts and Science Year: Three

Name: Paterson Farrell Sport: Men’s Soccer Program: Commerce Year: Four

Q: When did you start playing your sport?

A: I started running when I was pretty young, don’t remember exactly but there’s results from a mile I did when I was six. My dad got me into it through triathlons, but I never got serious about it until I started high school.

Q: When did you start playing your sport?

A: I have been running for as long as I can remember – my family is really into athletics, so it was just the normal thing to do in my house growing up.

Q: When did you start playing your sport?

A: I started playing basketball in grade 3 and football in grade 10.

Q: When did you start playing your sport?

A: I started playing soccer when I was four years old for a local youth club in my hometown of South Surrey, B.C. Ever since then I have continued to play and love the sport.

Q: When did you start playing your sport?

A: Well I first started playing soccer from when I was around four or five. To be honest I didn’t really choose to play soccer; it was my parents at first that kind of forced me into it, but I definitely don’t regret their decision. I also found it a great way to stay in shape for when I played hockey in the winter.

Q: What makes your sport different than all other sports?

A: You don’t need to practice technique. There’s things you can do to fix your form, but to get good at running you just need to put in the time on your feet. It’s also one of the only ‘individual’ sports in the CIS, even though there is a team component, which is very important and competitive.

Q: What do you love most about being on the track/cross country team?

A: The people associated with the team. From the coaches to the trainers, parents, and athletes everyone is supportive. I think the best example of this is our ‘Cheerios’, cheering squad. They are one of the most noticeable in the CIS, and I think thats a reflection of the people that are on the team.

Q: What makes your sport different than all other sports?

A: I think that cross-country is different from all other sports because it is both a team and individual sport. The team score is calculated by adding up the individual scores of each team member. So in order to accomplish the goals of the team, each individual must run incredibly well.

Q: What do you love most about being on the track/cross country team?

A: I love having a community outside of the academic aspect of university. Practice is one of the best parts of my day, not only because I get to run, but because of all the awesome individuals I get to run with. I think that there is a really unique bond between teammates, and I am lucky to have these friends in my life

Q: What makes your sport different than all other sports?

A: Football is the ultimate team game, nobody can win alone.

Q: What do you love most about being on the football team?

A: The brotherhood.

Q: What makes your sport different than all other sports?

A: It is a game that is easy to understand, but still allows for creativity. Player’s individual ball skills and team’s different tactics makes every game unique.

Additionally, our sport requires us to be one of the fittest teams as we are continually running for the entirety of the 90 minute game.

Q: What do you love most about being on the soccer team?

A: The fact that I get to play the game I love everyday. As a Mac soccer player, I am given the opportunity to improve my game, whether it be through practicing on the field, watching game tape, or working out. More importantly, what I love most is my teammates. We experience everything together.

Q: What makes your sport different than all other sports?

A: In my opinion, because you don’t really need a lot of money or equipment to play, I find it to be the most universal sport.

Q: What do you love most about being on the soccer team?

A: It goes without saying, but what I love most about being on the soccer team is my teammates; I’m definitely fortunate to play and practice along side some real beauties.

Name: Andrew Ferguson Sport: Men’s Rugby Program: Psychology Year: Three

Name: Ryan Adams Sport: Men’s Lacrosse Program: Commerce Year: Three

Q: When did you start playing your sport?

A: I started playing Rugby when I was 13 years old because my two best friends growing up started to play. I played AAA hockey for nine years but never really had a specific summer sport until I started playing rugby.

Q: When did you start playing your sport?

A: I started playing lacrosse in grade three at the age of eight.

Q: What makes your sport different than all other sports?

A: I think that rugby is a unique sport because of the culture and tradition. No matter what happens on the field, when the game is over, so is the animosity.

I think that the culture of the sport is unique and something that should be cherished by all competitors.

Q: What do you love most about being on the rugby team?

A: Without a doubt I would have to say the camaraderie and friendships I have been lucky enough to be a part of. Everyone pushes one another to get the best out of each other and I think that the selfless attitude of the team creates a bond that I would not trade for anything

Q: What makes your sport different than all other sports?

A: Our sport is different because it combines endurance, physicality and mental toughness all together. It also requires a good amount of physical and mental awareness along with good hand-eye coordination, and most importantly its Canada’s national game.

Q: What do you love most about being on the lacrosse team?

A: Being able to play a sport I love, hanging out with the boys, and making new friends every year and being able to say I play a varsity sport at one of Canada’s top universities @Lsinkky @Miss_AReilly

C/O MCMASTER ATHLETICS & RECREATION

theSil.ca

Thursday, Sep 19, 2013

Men’s lacrosse ends Laurentian’s voyage John Bauer Silhouette Staff Though still very early in the season, it appears that after a few lean years McMaster lacrosse may be back.

After a solid season opener against the Varsity Blues, the team split a pair of games, and is poised to make more noise in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association standings.

The Marauders journeyed to hostile Western territory Friday night to face a strong Mustang team.

Though they dropped a 13-2 decision, there were still positives to take from the game. Mark Phillips, who scored a hat trick in the season opener, picked up his fourth goal of the season, while Derrick Hastings picked up his first.

Sunday brought the Laurentian Voyageurs to Alumni Field, and fans in attendance were treated to a great game, where the outcome was not assured until the last seconds had ticked off the clock.

The teams opened the game cautiously, with not much going on until 12 minutes in when Justin Beatty scored to put McMaster ahead 1-0.

The teams would trade goals and some rough stuff to close out the quarter.

The second quarter progressed at a breakneck offensive pace. Though McMaster killed off three penalties, Bob Pollock scored two quick goals to put the Voyageurs ahead.

Free

Brad Gerow would add an insurance marker for Laurentian.

The last five minutes before the half would see three goals, two for the Marauders and one for Laurentian, bringing the score to 5-4 Voyageurs lead.

The Voyageurs got into penalty trouble in the third quarter, as McMaster netted three power play markers by Carter Williams, Kyle Lindsay, and Ryan Adams.

The Voyageurs picked up an even strength and a power play goal of their own, to send the game to the deciding frame in a 7-7 deadlock.

An ill-advised penalty gave McMaster’s Jamie Batten the room he needed to score a goahead marker early in the fourth stanza.

Justin Beatty would score an unassisted goal to record the hat trick minutes later, establishing a two-goal cushion for the Marauders.

Keeping with the back and forth nature of the game, Voyageurs’ Clint Lamarsh would deposit a goal behind Maroon goalie Max Yavitt with just under ten minutes to play.

A strong Marauder defense would turn aside all of Laurentian’s subsequent forays into McMaster home territory for a 9-8 final.

Leading the Mac attack was Beatty’s hat trick and Carter Williams with two goals and two assists.

The Marauders benefited from balanced scoring, with six players picking up at least a point on the nine goals.

“

Mark Philips, who scored a hat trick in the season opener, picked up his fourth goal of the season, while Derrick hastings picked up his first.

Lacrosse fans can head to Alumni Field on Sept. 20 to see if the Maroon and Grey can avenge their loss to Western in what is sure to be an unfriendly encounter.

After that, Mac is off to Laurentian on Sept. 21 to prevent the Voyageurs from exacting some vengeance of their own.

Weekly Shuttle Bus Starting Sept. 18th

Wednesdays 6:00pm | 6:30pm | 7:00pm Last pick-up from Fortinos at 8:00pm Pick-up From Mary Keyes Residence At The Cootes Dr. Entrance

Look for the Big Yellow School Bus

SPORTS

B6

Marauders baseball makes a comeback John Bauer Silhouette Staff Entering the 2013 OUA men’s baseball season, the McMaster Marauders were expecting some growing pains on the mound, having lost two key pitchers in the offseason.

Coupled with their unexpected difficulties hitting the ball, the team has started the campaign agonizingly slow out of the gate, going 1-5 in the last week of play.

However, with the last game of that stretch being a solid win against a team that drubbed them hours earlier in the first game of a doubleheader, things may be starting to look up for the squad.

McMaster started the six-game block on Sept. 8 with a doubleheader.

The first game of the set was a seesaw affair against the Guelph Gryphons that required extra innings to declare a winner.

When the dust had settled, the Gryphons prevailed 10-8 due to some shoddy fielding in the extra frame leading to two unearned runs. Designated hitter Jake Chiaravalle looked more like the prolific hitter he was last season with a triple.

Second baseman Eric Telford also hit a three-bagger, while first baseman Rob Birtles was solid with thirteen put outs.

Emotionally drained by the unfortunate loss just hours earlier, the second game of the doubleheader was a forgettable one for Mac, as they were mercied 10-0 in a 5 inning, no-hit gem by the league leading Brock Badgers and pitcher Daniel Veres.

McMaster’s scoring slump carried over to the following Saturday, when they faced the Waterloo Warriors in a two game home stand.

In the first game, Mac just could not get the bounces they

needed, recording eight hits but not a single run in a 12-0 loss. Rookie third baseman Joe Asztalos, who has been in and out of the lineup so far this season, made a strong case for more playing time with a 3 for 3 day.

The second outing was a much better effort for the Maroon and Grey, but, as is quickly becoming a trend this season, the inability to buckle down in the last inning of the game led to a 7-4 loss against the same Warriors club.

Travis Flint led the offense, going 2 for 4 with a stolen base in the losing cause.

Sunday brought the Queen’s Gaels to town for a two game showdown.

The first game was a catastrophe, a 17-4 mercy, fueled by 14 walks. The lone bright spot for Mac were the Travises: Travis Gibson who went 2 for 2 and Travis Flint who had himself a 2 for 3 afternoon with a double.

After the game, head coach Wayne Gowan must have said something that lit a fire under the team, because they came back and beat the same Gaels squad that seemed untouchable only hours before.

The 6-4 final does not do the game justice, as McMaster outhit Queen’s 14-5, but committed 5 costly errors.

Travis Flint, now thoroughly entrenched in a hot streak, went 2 for 4, while Travis Gibson and Eric Telford hit doubles. Veteran starting pitcher Jake Roberts put in six solid innings to finish with a three-hit, two-run effort.

The weekend ahead for McMaster provides a chance to move up in the standings with a double header against the middling Western Mustangs.

L

Thursday, Sep 19, 2013

theSil.ca

IFESTYLE

B7

Columns

Editors Amanda Watkins & Miranda Babbitt

8

Email lifestyle@thesil.ca Phone 905.525.9140 x27117 Threadcount

A LOOK AT

Brianna Buziak The Silhouette As much as we love the fine establishments that surround the McMaster campus, there comes a time in every student’s career that calls for venturing past that comfort zone to see what else Hamilton has to offer.

Any bus heading downtown will take passengers past Locke St., an area known as a hub for independently owned restaurants, coffee shops and clothing stores, just to name a few. After some website surfing and a trip down to Locke, we decided to give these businesses some special attention.

LOCKE Main

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OLE GOURMET MEXICAN GRILL

St W

82 Locke St. S.

Located at 82 Locke St. South, Ole Gourmet Mexican Grill is one of the first places you will see after getting off of the bus. The counter of the shop contains a large window where you can see your taco being made right in front of you. Every Tuesday, Ole Gourmet offers up pulled pork tacos at the reasonable price of $2.

THE BUTTON PUSHERS 119b Locke St. S.

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son

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ada

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Just before the hill is where you will find this beloved vintage hot spot. As the awning boldly declares, they provide customers with “vintage clothes, custom buttons, art and propaganda.” The Button Pushers has a variety of buttons available to buy, but if nothing quite peaks your interest, you can always request a quote for small or large orders and get custom buttons made. The schedule for new batches of clothes varies so be sure to check often to find one-of-a-kind pieces that no one else on campus will have.

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ter S

Hi

ll S

Shirin’s Fine Foods hosts a variety of food to suit every taste. From tarts to cookies, coffee to chocolate, and ice cream to gluten-free brownies, Shirin’s should have something for everyone. They also surprisingly carry cabbage rolls and perogies, including dessert perogies, for those who cannot get enough of these European dumplings. They have a great selection of ice cream from birthday cake to chocolate peanut butter, but it’s only available for a few more weeks! Shirin’s is open six days a week, and closed on Mondays.

S

t

Melb

Lock e St

139 Locke St. S.

ourn

e St

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JOHNNY’S COFFEE 129 Locke St. S. If you blink, you almost miss this quaint Locke St. café - but don’t let the outside fool you. With approximately 10 tables, it provides a cozy environment, not to mention the friendly barista who greeted us with a warm welcome. Equipped with board games and a house chess set, sit down and enjoy the unique coffee shop that is Johnny’s Coffee. And while you’re enjoying one of the two featured coffees, or a vegan biscotti, follow a tip from their website and be sure to ask about the “Train Game.”

Pear l

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SHIRIN’S FINE FOODS

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SC CONSIGNMENT 162 Locke St. S.

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rleto

n Av eW

This sleek boutique located at 162 Locke St. S. is for those who love to find designer pieces at a lower price point. They accept consignment by appointment Monday through to Friday. For those fashionistas who love designer brands, perhaps a trip to SC Consignment will mean finding a dress for one of the many upcoming formals being hosted at McMaster.

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DEMOCRACY/LOCKE STREETStCOFFEE anle

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tham

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EPIC BOOKS 226 Locke St. S. Right now, Epic Books has a large tree in the front window. The large paper tree is from a recent Locke Street festival where people were asked to write their favourite children’s book on one of the corresponding leaves. But as the woman behind the counter informed us “it’s not just children’s books.” Epic Books is a warm environment where browsing is made comfortable. They have a section dedicated to local Hamilton authors for those who wish to keep it close to home. After some browsing, our personal favourite was “Bun B’s Rap Colouring and Activity Book” which includes a page that requires the reader to draw a freehand picture of Jay Z with a pre-printed outline of a New York Yankees hat because, after all, he made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can. Clearly that fine piece of literature is not a children’s book.

Aber d

een

AMANDA WATKINS/SENIOR LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Ave

BITTEN

Kent S

It is not hard to miss this coffee shop on Locke, mainly because you can literally walk in from the street. A large garage-like door stands between Democracy/Locke Street Coffee and potential customers, but on the hot, sunny day that we went HotomLocke, the door was open so there was nothing ewopeople from checking it out. The walls are to stop od ve painted withAchalkboard paint and coloured chalk is in abundance for those who wish to express their creativity. Do not expect to be surfing the web or checking your Twitter feed though, as they do not have Wi-Fi, they would rather you talk to each other. With a variety of pastry, desserts, and bagels from the Locke Street Bakery, enjoy a treat, a cup of coffee and conversation at Democracy.

t

yA 202 Locke St. S.ve

219 Locke St. S. After checking out the Bitten website, we knew that a visit to the cupcake and whoopee pie store was non-negotiable. Decorated in white, green and orange, it mirrors the playful look and atmosphere of the website to a T. The shop has a large window overlooking all the confectionary creations customers can choose from, including red velvet, peanut butter, or Rolo cupcakes and pies, just to name a few. If you want to have the larger selection from their extensive menu, the best time to go is around noon, just do not go on Mondays, as that is the only day of the week that they are closed.

theSil.ca

Thursday, Sep 19, 2013

LIFESTYLE

B8

INSIDEOUT

Living “BOLDly” The new Mac Alliance for Body Peace and their quest for physical and mental wellness Amanda Watkins LifeStyle Editor Being yourself is easier said than done. Achieving a bold mental and physical peace can feel like a lot to take on when you’re also juggling school, work, roommates, and everything in-between.

Mac Alliance for Body Peace is a club focused around helping students find and achieve physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellness. Founded earlier this year, the club is pleased to open up to the McMaster community for the first time this September.

“I came up with the idea in March of last year,” explains Katarina Polletto, President of Mac ABP and a second-year Health Sciences student. Polletto, whose two close friends struggled with eating disorders, knew that she needed to do something to help both men and women dealing with similar issues.

“Every guy or girl may look in the mirror and see one thing, or many things, that they do not like, and it can really be something that bothers and gets to you,” she adds.

The club is founded on a mandate defined by “The 4 E’s”: Encourage, educate, empower and enhance. The first two E’s involve encouraging people to make peace, and educating the public on what is a healthy approach to improved body image and wellness.

“We want to empower people to say ‘I am who I am, and I’m going to do what I want’, even if it is something weird or uniquely different, you can still feel comfortable and feel like you,” adds Polletto when defining the third E. The fourth E involves enhancing the McMaster community to be more aware and accepting. To make this happen and bring body image issues into the public eye, Mac ABP has planned a series of events for the upcoming year that will be open not only to their members, but also to anyone interested in learning more and getting involved.

The club’s first public event

will be “Yoga for Every Body” and will be taking place on Oct. 2 on the BSB field.

AMANDA WATKINS / LIFESTYLE EDITOR

“Yoga does a lot for your body, not just physically but also mentally… it really helps you re-

lax and think of absolutely nothing,” she says laughing. “We want people to know that regardless of flexibility you can come out and do something- I can’t touch my toes! It’s one of my goals for this year”.

The event will run from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. with a professional Moksha yoga instructor and admission is by donation. 50 percent of the proceeds raised that day will be going towards Danielle’s Place, the only eating disorder support and resource centre in the Hamilton area.

In addition, Mac ABP will be hosting coffeehouses; monthly hikes through Cootes Paradise, stress workshops, and an on-campus colour run in the spring.

One of their on-going projects will be an oath-signing campaign. Over the course of the

year, the club will be going around campus and having students sign a giant mural with their oath for body peace. The oath, available on the club’s webpage, outlines a series of beliefs and commitments that will help participants understand what a healthy body image means, and assist students in making a commitment to find wellness and positive self-esteem.

Students can sign the mural with a donation of their choice, with all of the proceeds also going to Danielle’s Place.

The final line of the oath reads, “I am brilliant. I am brave.

I am breathtaking. I am BOLD”.

The word “bold” was selected for its gender-inclusive properties, and also serves as an acronym that defines the club’s beliefs.

“BO stands for body, L stands for love, and D stands for diversity,” explains Polletto. “Because that’s what you are, you are a bold and unique person. That is a fact that should not be celebrated just by you, but by everybody. We want everybody to be bold”. @whatthekins

confessions of a

Tightrope Walker In this new column, Rick Kanary explores the vulnerability of balancing university and personal life Rick Kanary The Silhouette Phone rings. I answer.

“Guess what, Dad?” Seriph asks.

“What?” I answer.

“Guess!” He implores.

I bite; “You got a Billy Goat named Ben who has a Pet Monkey named Bibo. With wings and horns.” Seriph laughs and says “Nope.“ My regular access schedule is weekends, so I haven’t seen him since Sunday. It’s Friday and his mother is taking him to a ‘Crash-o-rama’ event in the States this weekend so I won’t get to see him for another week, which is nearly unprecedented. Our cute and awkward conversation goes

on for another 5 minutes until he finally confesses that he and his mother got a “real leopard kitten” in Fergus.

“I miss you, little man,” I tell him.

Seriph is 9. He needs me.

Two other children, Jack, my six-year-old son, and Lily, my six-year-old stepdaughter, need me too. As does my fiancée. They need me here at McMaster where I stepped off of the bus for my first visit into what seemed like a Monet painting - the lines transient, the construct fluid, and the subject vibrantly presented in soft focus, just out of reach.

In fact, the memories of the initial days of visitation blend into what seem like an hour or two, at least according to the film reel projecting them against the back

of my eyes. Yet, there are many still-framed Polaroids that have subscribed themselves to eventually becoming stable reflections during my Golden Years (which aren’t that far away, dear Reader).

What a magnificent experience being an undergraduate at McMaster University. The prestige, the unending opportunities, the beauty of the campus, the kindness of my fellow students, and most of all, the generosity of the institution. This is the pristine and tightly wound braid of steel wires upon which we all walk as students here, forged and woven by our fine predecessors. Pushing the soapbox aside, damn it’s difficult to cross this chasm and keep your balance.

Family, work, friends, academia. These four disciplines

constitute a science perhaps more complex and sensitive to change than any of those sciences we study here. It is to the methods of this particular science that I call attention. It is through the mastery of this science that we will all prevail.

Whether we are old or young, student or faculty, undergraduate, graduate or doctorate, this is a challenging time, with unique demands from each of our unknown futures. A time in our lives that can be tumultuous yet beneficial, monumental and experimental, and a fallacy or absolute truth.

What gets you jazzed? What keeps the beat? What feels real?

What lights the match?

The answers to these questions tweak the lens and clarify the apparently blurry destination

at the end of your tightrope.

You are taking the time to read this, which makes you vulnerable to the words on the page and their possible influence on you and your thought processes.

That is why I feel it is important to be equally as vulnerable and allow you into my private world.

It is necessary to toss anonymity, personal or professional, in the trash, and make life as raw and pure as possible. This demands a confessional of sorts, that the shadows that play beneath the surface do more than come up for air. They allow you to see their face. Into their eyes.

Live, learn, laugh, and love while you are here. Make connections. Stay connected. But most of all, remember there is no net.

theSil.ca

SEXandthe STEELCITY Julia Busatto The Silhouette The new academic year allows for plenty of opportunity to meet new people. And the truth is, as the school year moves into full swing, so does our libido. This conscious state of searching for sex, to be frank, is acceptable. It is our natural tendency to look for those who could be future sexual partners.

However, our approach to this is often questionable.

“Are they hot?” is the most common question I hear my friends, peers, and classmates ask before they encounter someone whom they could be interested in. Often my housemates will be talking about their boyfriend’s friends, or the neighbors or guys who the rest of us are unfamiliar with, and someone will utter those three dangerous words.

It may seem like a reasonable question, and in many ways it is. Our first initial impression of someone stems from his or her appearance. We decide based

Thursday, Sep 19, 2013

LIFESTYLE

Hot or not?

You should know, the answer to the question is “not” on that impression how we will proceed with that person. But this question also has flaws, issues and holes.

First and foremost, our friends’ views on who we find good-looking are not necessarily in line with our own.

Many times others have questioned the men I’ve drooled over (and for a few, I can’t say I blame them). The point being, you may think someone is absolutely gorgeous but your friends think you’ve lost your mind. They don’t like the facial hair, or the hockey flow, or the bridge of her nose.

I’ve heard girls say, “there’s just something about his face that turns me off ”, and guys “she’s like a 6, decent looking, I’d go for that”.

Obviously there are basic characteristics that make someone good looking, but a lot of attraction is based on one’s interpretation of beauty. By asking your friends if someone is hot prior to meeting them, you are unknowingly letting their opinions influence your perception of

that person.

A second problem with this hotness meter: “the deceiver.” You know the really good-looking person with the terribly high-pitched voice, or that guy you see lifting at the gym who can’t seem to grasp basic addition.

Personality types are crucial to how attractive someone is and can be. “Looks aren’t everything” is a cliché for a reason. Generally speaking, if someone is funny, confident, and outgoing you may be attracted to him or her regardless of his or her physical appearance. Even those with attractive possessions, hobbies and personas can draw you in more than someone who’s considered good-looking. How one carries themselves plays a giant role in the laws of attraction.

So the next time someone asks you to paint a picture of someone they are about to meet, consider telling them about who that person actually is. Because even having the right lighting and angle on a Facebook picture can’t change a person’s personality.

YOSEIF HADDAD / PHOTO EDITOR

Dear favourite TV show, Emma Suschkov The Silhouette I love you. Truly, I do. The plot twists, the drama, the jokes, everything that makes you special – I love it all. Maybe, sometimes, I love you too much. Those are the times when my mind is consumed by thoughts of seeing you, when, despite an imperative 8:30 a.m. lecture, I stay up ‘til the wee hours

B9

telling myself, “Just one more episode.”

Every time I finish an episode, I ache for the next one.

You know this, and yet you take no pity on me. As if it’s not bad enough that I have to wait a whole week – seven gruelling days, 168 dragging hours, 10,080 minutes that each seem to last a lifetime – to see my beloved characters.

But all of a sudden, you up

and decide to go on extended vacation, cutting all ties for months at a time. Yes, those dreaded mid-season breaks. Perhaps they have some legitimate purpose, be it ‘writing’ or ‘casting’ or whatever the excuse, but I think that the true purpose of these breaks is just to torment your many admirers!

For most of the working world, a vacation lasts a mere one

...

to two weeks. Not for you. Your vacations often last six entire months.

Months of waiting and wanting and wondering; of reading outlandish theories on fan forums online; of scouring the internet until my eyes hurt and my brain has turned to mush for trailers, leaked video clips, set photos, anything to keep me going. For a while, the pain of withdrawal is

DON’T BE CROSS.

Down Across

1- Counterfeiter catcher 5- Pong maker 10- Compact by pounding 14- ___ avis 15- Drawing room 16- Winglike parts 17- The King ___ 18- Experiment 19- Grape plant 20- Breastbones 22- Thankful 24- Capital of Vietnam 25- Reply 26- Amoeba-like alien: The _____ 28- Cathode’s contrary 32- Calf-length skirt 35- Carnival site 37- Killer 38- Boat propeller 39- In any way 41- Funnyman Philips 42- Corn 45- Rock’s ___ Fighters 46- Israeli guns 47- Implements 48- Encourage in wrongdoing 50- Cash in 54- First name in cosmetics 58- According 61- Involving more than one 62- Sci-fi princess 63- Narrow groove 65- Sneaky guy?

66- Remain undecided 67- Salad green 68- Tatum’s dad 69- Jittery 70- Went after 71- Italian wine city C/O CUPWIRE/ Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com (http://www.bestcrosswords.com). Used with permission.

acute, all-consuming. It gradually fades to a slow, dull ache, no longer claiming all of my focus but always present in the back of my mind.

I love you, but these mid-season hiatuses are poisoning your perfection. Please, please, don’t put me through the pain again … though don’t we both know that even if you do, I’ll be there waiting for you when you return.

1- Rubbish 2- Devilfish 3- “As You Like It” forest 4- Capital of Kenya 5- Nick and Nora’s pooch 6- Cigarette ingredient 7- Set straight 8- Lion sounds 9- Relative by marriage 10- Restaurant in Greece 11- First Arabic letter 12- Hindu lawgiver 13- Rind 21- Goose egg 23- Blue hue 25- Slightly 27- Word that can precede hygiene, tradition and agreement.

29- Court cry 30- Actress Moore 31- Cupid’s counterpart 32- Castle ring 33- Villainous character in Shakespeare’s “Othello” 34- Bond classic 36- Bumbler 37- Slovenly person 40- Rich soil 43- Now 44- Understanding words 46- As above 49- Electric fish 51- Flat circular plates 52- ___ nous 53- “Snowy” bird 55- Low cards 56- Really bother 57- Nicholas Gage book 58- Mont Blanc, par exemple 59- Turned right 60- Circular band 61- Gone by 64- This ___ stickup!

theSil.ca

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

LIFESTYLE

B10

Decoding Fashion Week New York Fashion Week can produce a stream of ridiculous photos, but style is still within Amanda Watkins LifeStyle Editor In an attempt to become more “hip” and “edgy”, following a series of “critically-acclaimed fashion blogs” seems like a good idea. They keep you up to date on what’s what in the fashion world, and updated on many of its important and stylish events. For instance, New York Fashion Week. But, when it comes to the content of said critically acclaimed fashion blogs, many of the featured fashion trend can merit a reaction of terror and shock. But fear not dear reader, designers do have a story to tell. And beneath all of that crinoline, mesh, and Nicki Minaj hair dye, mainstream trends still rise up. Follow this guide to understand the styles that fashion is cryptically putting forward.

orange

Joanna Mastroianni Spring 2014

Victoria Beckham Spring 2014

What the average person thinks: Should I start watching “Orange is the New Black”?

What the average person thinks: Victoria Beckham is still doing productive things with her life?

What fashion is trying to tell you: This means orange is in. No, you do not need to find yourself a prison suit or become a SOCS rep; small details will do just fine.

A cardigan, a belt, maybe even a statement necklace - minimal amounts of citrus are all you need.

And start watching the series if you feel like it, but regardless, orange really is the new black.

What fashion is trying to tell you: Maxis and midis will be long gone after this winter, so bust out the mini skirts and dresses of your skimpy past for the upcoming season.

Alexander Wang Spring 2014

The Blonds Spring 2014

Betsey Johnson Spring 2014

What the average person thinks: Toilet paper!

What the average person thinks: What the actual fuck?

What the average person thinks: Is Betsey Johnson on hard-core drugs?

What fashion is trying to tell you: Sculptural pieces will be popular, and white is not only meant for pre-labour day. Designers have a weird way of getting their messages across, and sometimes toiletries seem like the best way to create a visual.

What fashion is trying to tell you: The 90’s are back in! Tweety bird bodysuits will not necessarily be the norm, but look to the trends of our great past for your future inspiration. Gwen Stefani, Aqua, Beyoncé pre-Jay-Z are all icons you can pull clothing creations from.

What fashion is trying to tell you: Yes, she is on hard-core drugs. I wish I could explain this to you, but words are currently failing me. And let’s be real here, only cotton candy can pull of that texture. @whatthekins

EMBRACE YOUR INNER

FASHION

PSYCHOPATH

Thursday, Sep 19, 2013

theSil.ca

LIFESTYLE

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Shirt: Forever 21 Skirt: West 49 Rings: Famliy heirlooms

What’s the last good book you read?

“The Time Keeper’ by Mitch Albom

What do you do to pass time?

“I play the piano and plan my exchange! I also go out for drinks...”

Pari Ludin Third-Year Honours Music YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

YOGURTY’S CREATIONS OFF-THE-MENU Jennifer Bacher The Silhouette

FROYO BUTTER PECAN S’MORES

TOPPINGS

SAUCE

BANANA SLICES

BANANA PECAN PIE

SKOR

CHOCOLATE SALTED CARAMEL CREME BRULEE ESPRESSO

CHOCOLATE COVERED WAFFLE

CARAMEL SAUCE

CHOCOLATE SAUCE CINNAMON CRISPY WAFER FRENCH VANILLA

CHOCOLATE COCONUT SWIRL BUTTER PECAN CAPPUCCINO

SALTED CARAMEL MOCHA

CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH

SNICKERDOODLE SHREDDED COCONUT

DARK CHOCOLATE CURLS

CINNAMON ESPRESSO PUMPKIN SPICE

FINAL CREATION

CINNAMON STREUSSEL

CARAMEL SAUCE

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE MIRANDA BABBITT / ASSISTANT LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Get Yr Walk On! AIDS Walk 2013 Hamilton

Sunday September 22, 2013 Gage Park in Hamilton

Registration Starts at 11:30am Walk Starts at 12:30pm

JOIN THE 2013 Hamilton

WHEELCHAIR REL AY CHALLENGE

To REGISTER: AIDSNETWORK.ca

September 28, 2013 Pier 4 Park Bay Street North and Guise Street West

LOOK FOR THE RED BALLOONS TO GET YR WALK ON!

Hamilton, Ontario

www.hamiltonwrc.org

@TheAIDSNetwork

Sunday, October 20, 2013 The 2012 Pulse Team from McMaster

Join one of the most fun, most scenic runs around. Help give cancer the bum’s rush!

Promoting awareness and prevention of colorectal cancer and supporting Wellwood

ARE YOU

Effort Trust 1K Kids Run (9:30 a.m.) 5K Walk/Run & 10K Run (10:00 a.m.)

ARE YOU

SPECIAL RATE for Mac students and a DISCOUNT for teams!

BY SEPTEMBER 20 Student rate = $25 Teams of less than 10 = $22.50 ea.

Teams of more than 10 = $21.25 ea.

AFTER SEPTEMBER 20 Student rate = $30 Teams of less than 10 = $27 ea.

Teams of more than 10 = $22.50 ea.

AFTER OCTOBER 14 Student rate = $35 Teams of less than 10 = $31.50 ea.

Teams of more than 10 = $29.75 ea.

REGISTER ONLINE AT www.wellwood.on.ca, visit the Runner’s Den or call 905-667-8870

860 King St. W., Hamilton

A COMPULSIVE SPENDER? PRESENTLY IN DEBT? Debtors Anonymous is a 12-step group based on the principles of alcoholics anonymous We meet every Sunday At 5pm Unitarian Church 170 Dundurn St South

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 905-570-9174

Would you like to be featured in Community Connections?

Send your request to Leeann Corbeil, Director of Marketing and Community Relations. E: leeann@findlaylaw.ca

PH: 905.522.9799 ext. 248

Findlay Attorneys. 20 Hughson St. S., Suite 510, Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 2A1 Findlay Attorneys will determine which agency or group will be included based on a first come, first serve basis and at the discretion of Findlay Attorneys.

Findlay Attorneys cannot guarantee inclusion of any materials submitted and therefore accepts no responsibility for any ad or information exclusion. Materials should be submitted at least two weeks prior to date of publishing.

theSil.ca

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

ANDY

andex Senior Editor: Bahar Orang

Assistant Editor: Cooper Long

Contributors: Spencer Nestico-Semianiw, Tomi Milos, Julia Busatto, Tobi Abdul, Lene Trunjer Petersen Design: Karen Wang Cover: Bahar Orang

Music

AGH film fest

the casbah sept 20 sept 23 sept 28

animal shelter royal canoe funkhaus

this ain’t hollywood sept 27 sept 30 oct 1

Theater

cat hello piano wax mannequin out of order

theatre aquaries sept 25

the moustrap

theatre burlington sept 20 - oct 5

old love

Film

empire theatres jackson square sept 20

the sapphires

art gallery of hamilton sept 20 sept 26

the architect and the painter muscle shoals

hamilton public library central branch sept 28

bridge walkers

THE COVER STORY

The early morning after supercrawl, I revisited a spot that became a kind of mosh pit during the night. This is what I found. It seems someone’s supercrawl mix cd didn’t survive the night.

BAHAR ORANG / ANDY EDITOR

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theSil.ca EDITORIAL

When Tom Murphy was growing up in Pittsburgh in the 1950s, his mother warned him that if he went near the city’s polluted rivers he would melt. Today, those same rivers are surrounded by 13 miles of continuous parkland and host one of the largest one-day rowing regattas in the United States.

As the mayor of Pittsburgh from 1994 to 2006, Murphy personally oversaw much of this remarkable transformation.

Last Friday, he was in downtown Hamilton to share some of the lessons from his three terms in office.

Pittsburgh’s similarity to Hamilton gives Murphy’s insights particular weight. Indeed, the two are sister cities. Like Hamilton, Pittsburgh was formerly a centre of steelmaking. As Murphy put it, Pittsburgh’s steel mills were once so productive that “you didn’t know the sky was blue or there were stars at night.”

The city reeled when the steel industry began to collapse, but Murphy entered city hall insistent that he would not simply “manage decline.” Under his leadership, Pittsburgh turned to universities and hospitals as alternative economic engines. Today, more than forty percent of its population is employed in the technology sector.

There was another potential economic engine, however, that did not receive much attention in Murphy’s presentation. Given that he was speaking under the auspices of Supercrawl, I expected that Murphy would emphasize the role of the arts in urban redevelopment. Admittedly, he referred to the nebulous idea of “vitality” and discussed building symphony halls in Pittsburgh’s former red light

the big tickle

not; it - jess cap ’s awful pelletto

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lessons from a sister city Cooper Long Assistant ANDY Editor

KAREN WANG / GRAPHICS EDITOR

ANDY

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

not m - amos li

district. Yet, he never made an explicit link between civic prosperity and the arts.

I was left to draw this connection myself.

In his address, Murphy repeatedly teased the audience about a surface level parking lot visible at James North and King William. Frequenters of Motown or Homegrown Hamilton will know it well. Murphy described this type of lot as “the worst use of public space in a city.”

In his opinion, however, the barren lot represented not just a failure of urban planning, but also a failure of imagination. According to the veteran mayor, those in charge of a city have to “know what you wanna be.” In other words, prosperous cities demand a comprehensive creative vision.

To me, this sense of imagination and possibility is also the essence of the arts. The mentality that allows a mayor to envision 13 miles of verdant parkland along once toxic rivers is the same impulse that compels someone to splash green paint on blank canvas. Indeed, the performers and artists at Supercrawl vibrantly showcased this creative spirit.

There is a lot of academic literature about how cultural workers contribute economically to the growth of cities.

To me, however, civic prosperity and the arts have an even more profound connection. Fundamentally, both are exercises of the imagination.

This may sound somewhat starry-eyed. Urban redevelopment is almost always contentious, and I am not advocating that we transplant all of Pittsburgh’s strategies.

Yet, if Hamiltonians and local government can keep up a bold, artistic mindset, then the city’s future at least has the potential to be a masterpiece. @coop_long

to twerk, or not to twerk?

compiled by cooper long and yoseif haddad

yes - lyndon hachey

no - kayla wong

-s

don’t nisse ophie joa

theSil.ca

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

ANDY

take a walk, passion pit

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Spencer Nestico-Semianiw The Silhouette I’m admittedly not a huge Passion Pit fan.

Upon hearing the Bostonbased band were to arrive in Hamilton to headline the city’s most well-known festival, Supercrawl, I jumped at the opportunity to interview them, despite only knowing their indie breakout hit, “Take a Walk.” I had heard good things however, so I delved deeper into their music and discovered a couple more of their intricate pop creations. I was psyched to meet them.

Unfortunately, the interview didn’t pan out the way I expected.

Waiting with a couple of friends behind the stage, we nervously scanned the sea of instruments and mixing boards for a glimpse of the band.

After no luck, we abandoned the scene and headed to the front of the stage to watch the performance. After around half an hour, I would again leave to find their stage manager, Joe, who turned me down for the interview. “Sorry, we turned CBC down today too, we won’t be doing any interviews,” he said.

Crestfallen, I rejoined the crowd, which had extended far from the stage, and was hopping joyously in response, I realized I couldn’t get into their groove, so by

the time they had started “Take a Walk,” I had already taken them up on the offer.

Passion Pit is undeniably talented and showcased a sizable list of great indie pop tunes during their performance.

Unfortunately, the magic of the music was lost through an annoyingly derivative performance, which is really quite a shame.

Perhaps it was the fact that lead singer Michael Angelakos’ singing voice sounds like he just inhaled three liters of helium gas, or that his band literally has the same fashion style as the entire crowd that came to see them.

Or maybe it was the front man’s strained theatrics, which

made him look like a child throwing a temper tantrum in the presence of his more restrained counterparts.

The whole affair appeared childish and ended particularly humorously when Michael picked up a piano bench during the finale, and slowly raised it into the air.

Will he smash it to the ground? The crowd’s anticipation mounts at the idea of such true rock ’n’ roll devilry.

But of course, Michael lowered it and dropped it a foot away from the floor, to the cheers of a satisfied audience.

Passion Pit may very well be passionate about what they do, but if they are, it’s not contagious.

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theSil.ca

ANDY

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

I met METZ

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Tomi Milos The Silhouette I inspected my body the morning after a night in the mosh pit of METZ’s Supercrawl gig, and I let out a groan. After flailing around like a madman for an hour, I couldn’t lift my arms past shoulder-height, I had a nasty bruise on my hip, and my jaw was throbbing from an unlucky collision with someone else’s elbow. But honestly, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

The Toronto post-hardcore outfit that is Alex Edkins (vocals/guitar), Chris Slorach (bass) and Hayden Menzies (drums) are unabashedly loud.

After becoming renowned for their notoriously rowdy shows, the trio bunkered down in a farmhouse turned studio with Graham Walsh and Alex Bonenfant of Holy Fuck on the boards. They churned out what is now their self-titled debut record out on the historic Sub-Pop label.

After funding the entire venture out of their own pockets,

Slorach said in a phone call on Thursday the 12th that, “When we made it, we assumed that we were probably going to put it out ourselves.

Then we took a shot in the dark and sent it to Sub-Pop, and they really liked it so we signed with them.” It seems like a dream situation to be on a label that has lent its artists such creative freedom in the past, and Slorach reiterated the fact that both parties give each other room to breathe: “They’re a label that’s good at looking at records, and we’re a band that is supposed to be good at making music, so the relationship works really well that way; they don’t tell us what to do, and we don’t tell them what to do.”

Talking with the New Yorker in a recent interview, Edkins spoke of how they were driven by the anxiety that arises from dealing with “a modern way of life in a big city.” But to actualize their musical ideas, Slorach said it helped to escape Toronto and become fully immersed in the music. After a week at

the barn, they returned to the heart of the provincial capital to flesh out the material they had. Praised for its incredibly raw feel, the eponymous record garnered rave reviews across the board. I was surprised to find that for the most part, the band wasn’t just jamming out when recording.

“There were some things that we recorded together, but the majority of it was done separately. We wanted to capture the energy of our live show, but also to have a record that sounds really good,” he said.

At the time of our conversation, METZ had already been on tour for a year. When I prodded him about the possibility of a second record, he said they’d had little time to gather in a room and hash things out —their preferred writing method — but they’d been at work on new material the few days they’d been at home. Slorach said, “As of right now, it’s in the preliminary stages of the process, but we’re going to start demoing some stuff next week and it’s going really well.”

When asked about the strains that touring for long periods of time can put on the three of them, Slorach said that the maturity they’ve accrued through labouring as a band comes into play. “We all respect the fact that we’re grown men living in a van, which is odd, but we really made a conscious decision to make this thing a product of friendship. Our friendship is really important and if it were to suffer it’d be a pretty big tragedy for us.”

As if the rigours of replicating their deafening live show each night aren’t enough, the question as to if they’d even have the instruments necessary to carry it out remained up in the air, literally. Slorach recounted how their gear had been lost

by Air Berlin with four shows left on their European tour.

Although it showed up at his door in Toronto two and a half weeks after the fact, the airline offered no consolation.

The only bright side for them was seeing how the concert promoters cobbled together

equipment for them to finish off their shows.

Slorach was happier discussing the “amazing” Supercrawl lineup. For a bit of fun, I asked him what bands he’d have play the festival if he could curate it himself. “Sonic Youth, but Chelsea Light Moving [Thurston Moore’s new band] is already playing so we’re close. El-P and Killer Mike would be cool. Liars is one of the best bands I saw this year. Swans are always amazing. And Savages, who we’ve seen a lot of at festivals.”

When I asked about the effects of piracy on the band, Slorach took an optimistic stand in spite of a “crappy situation” and said, “At the end of the day, if people are enjoying the records maybe they’ll come out to the shows and support us that way”.

I would have gladly talked longer with the bassist, but class beckoned. When we next saw each other, I was in the throes of a cathartic mosh pit while he propelled a jubilant wave of sound at the crowd with his band-mates.

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theSil.ca

the Lene Trunjer Petersen The Silhouette Supercrawl was busy on Saturday night. Everywhere you could see art displays and food wagons, while music was coming from almost every corner.

Here I was walking down James St. N., when I saw something different. Well, it was really just a black painted fence, but the unusual part of it was that everywhere people were writing quotes or their names with chalk, and taking pictures of the fence and themselves.

My curiosity won, and I went over to see.

What was going on? Was this actually an intended work of art? Who was the artist behind this? Was there one? Somehow there must be one, or else who started the writing? So I asked around me.

Nobody really seemed to know, until this sort of shy guy came up to me, confronting me, asking if I really wanted to know?

Yes, of course, I replied.

It all started with an Andy Warhol quote The artist who stood before me was very reluctant to be a part of my article, but he gave me permission to paraphrase him and his thoughts about art.

So what is art really? He elaborated that every one

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

ANDY

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was on the wall of us has a godly spark of creation. But whether or not it might come from a divine inspiration or a feeling of ‘need’ to create, the most important thing is to follow this tone of creation through.

He felt that too many people were wondering about the right way to express their artistic thoughts instead of just doing it. That was why he wrote part of the Andy Warhol quote on the fence: “Don’t think about making art, just get it done.”

Besides the Andy Warhol quote, he had also hung a few pictures on the fence. While he was writing, someone had asked for the chalk to write some of his own, and that was how the engaging fence writing came to be and transformed itself into a work of unified art.

Memory Wall But what were the participants’ thoughts about the writings? I said thanks to the artist and went over to the fence and talked to people. Why were they writing on the fence, and what were they thinking when they did so?

The first person I asked was a younger guy, who answered that he wanted to be part of what he described as a feeling of togetherness. This feeling of being part of something bigger was a very unanimous reply.

An older guy pointed out that it was everybody’s ideas, which made it a very inclusive art display. He also liked the idea that it was temporary and, with a good solid rain, the words of chalk would disappear, while the feeling and pictures would remain.

Two other women I asked worked in home design.

They wanted a picture of themselves in front of the fence for their webpage, to illustrate the varieties of art.

Another person shouted graffiti and memory wall, before he turned around to help his kid to draw his own little creation.

What is art?

A lot of different ideas seemed to flow around that evening by the black fence, and it made a lot of the participants reflect on the concept of creation. But what seemed really important was the opportunity to be involved.

Art is no longer the right of geniuses or the protected paintings behind the windows of an art gallery. Art is what speaks to your heart; it gets you involved, leaves a feeling of being part of more then just yourself and makes you reflect on art, life, creation and beyond.

Finishing up my interviews, I found a piece of chalk and drew my own little cartoon, my statement, among the others who found that the memory wall was a truly significant art piece at the fifth annual Supercrawl.

PHOTO C/O LENE TRUNJER PETERSEN

theSil.ca

ANDY

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

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a polished performance from diamond rings Julia Busatto The Silhouette As we all know, Supercrawl was jam-packed with fantastic artists and guitar-shredding acts. But there was one performer who danced himself apart from all the rest.

If you missed Diamond Rings’ set on Saturday, no sweat, because the Toronto-based artist is sure to perform locally again. I have been a fan of Diamond Rings ever since the release of his hit single, “Something Else” in 2010. I had never seen him perform live and it really did end up being something else.

Standing beside elderly couples, children and Hamiltonians looking on, no one knew what to expect as the band took the stage.

The guitarist, keyboardist, and drummer were dressed head to toe in black with black shades covering their eyes. As the electro-pop music began to flow, the drummer drove the bass hard into our chests and Diamond Rings ran onto the stage.

John O’Regan (stage name Diamond Rings) was dressed in white, with a black studded vest and black combat boots. He took to the stage with explosive energy, grabbing the microphone and belting out the first lines of “Everything Speaks.” It was not long before the whole crowd was bobbing their heads in awe to the jump-rope rhythm. It was like watching a performer from another dimension of time and space.

The 6’5” artist began to jump up and down, encouraging the crowd to jump with him. Throughout his set he choreographed fist pumps, head bobs, and various dance moves to the choruses of his songs. The hypnotic beats were impossible to stand still to.

Diamond Rings showcased his new music off of Free Dimensional, released in 2012. The sound explores elements of post-punk and channels it through charismatic synth-pop to create a blast of otherworldly glam. Diamond Rings is a pop star, drawing his inspiration from artists like Madonna, Robyn, and Devo. There is no doubt Diamond Rings not only values great music, but personal and individual style, which he conveys throughout his songs.

John O’Regan removed his shades midway through the set to reveal heavy eye makeup and a breathtaking angelic face. His own personal look adds another element to his sound. Sweating profusely, he committed all his energy and heart to each and every song. No one could look away and no one wanted too.

His lyrics explore heartbreak, love, personal confidence and fulfillment. They are light hearted, relatable and easy to sing along, too.

As he performed it was like a weight had been lifted from the crowd’s chest, and the world was less serious. He took you from your present state into a state of supreme bliss. Everyone was taking a shine to Diamond Rings, even the lady with the walker in front of me.

He played his lead single, “I’m Just Me” last and, surprisingly, most knew the words by the end of the song. Dropping the microphone, he turned to face the drummer and teasingly removed his vest. Taking a power stance, he punched his arms out to his sides and then above him to the beat. Soon enough everyone was repeating this motion. I have never seen such a performance. Diamond Rings are expensive, but this one is priceless.

SILHOUETTE STOCK PHOTO

theSil.ca

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

ANDY

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talking TIFF

three festival favourites to watch for Tobi Abdul The Silhouette There’s something magical about festival time in Toronto. The city is electric. Eleven days of non-stop buzz, red carpet premieres, glamour across the city, thousands of visitors from all over the world, paparazzi, bumping into celebrities and meeting people in ‘rush’ lines.

The best parts of the Toronto International Film Festival, however, are the feelings you get from screenings. The feeling of awe as you step out of a theatre after watching a great movie; the sound of laughter in theatre packed with 1600 people; standing in the cold for two hours waiting for tickets only to end up seeing the best movie you’ve ever seen. During those one-and-a-half festival weeks, there is no other city I’d rather be in (hence playing hooky from school).

Now the buzz has died down, the stars have returned home and Toronto is a little bit quieter, but these feelings persist. The bad news is that TIFF is over, but the good news is that you can still see these amazing movies on the big screen (and for a fraction of the price). Release dates are pending, but when they come out, go and watch them.

The F Word From Harry Potter fans to anyone who has ever been in love with someone they said was “just a friend,” this is the romantic comedy of the year (and considering my unhealthy love of rom-coms, that’s a big deal). Daniel Radcliffe does a fantastic job as Wallace, a more than slightly awkward, bitter, med school dropout. Wallace happens to befriend, and inevitably falls in love with, Chantry (played by the lovely Zoe Kazan) who is in a long-term relationship.

It’s easy to brush off rom-coms without a second thought, but this three-dimensional romantic comedy makes you laugh and cry, and makes you root for the scorned hopeless romantic. Michael Dowse (director of Goon) takes two ordinary characters and makes you love them.

Rating: 4/5 Reasons to watch: Filmed in Toronto, Daniel Radcliffe’s butt and Adam Driver being Adam Driver Blue is the Warmest Color This profound French film reminds us how wonderful it is to find that one person

who makes you rethink everything you thought you knew about yourself, and how much it can hurt when that relationship ends. This isn’t so much a movie about lesbians, but a story about two people who fall in love. Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) is a 15-year-old girl who, like all of us at one point, is just trying to navigate through high school and figure out who she is. Then she meets Emma (Léa Seydoux), who rocks her world. With time jumps and amazing chemistry, this movie tugged at my heart strings and tested my French skills.

Rating: 4/5 Reasons to watch: Léa Seydoux with blue hair, a 12 minute sex scene and great art Dallas Buyers Club Now I’ve personally never heard anyone say “I really love Matthew McConaughey,” but after seeing this movie, you may change your mind. It’s 1986, AIDS is on a rampage, and people know very little about it. Homophobic cowboy Ron Woodruff (McConaughey) is surprised to have contracted HIV after unprotected sex with a slew of different women. AIDS research is scarce and the drugs are inadequate, so

ANDREW TEREFENKO / PRODUCTION EDITOR

Ron, with his new transgendered friend Rayon (Jared Leto), smuggle drugs into the US to help many other suffering victims.

This movie shows us just how strong friendship is. It can knock down your highest walls and completely scramble your way of thinking. Just beware, unless you’re a robot, you will cry.

Rating: 4.5/5 Reasons to watch: Jared Leto in drag (do you need any other reason?)

To me, movies are enchanting. They can challenge our way of thinking or allow us to dream about all the possibilities in life.

They show us the impossible and, for an hour and a half to two hours, they turn us into complete believers. I think this is why TIFF is so glamorous. Hundreds of thousands of people line up to see this magic happen firsthand and to see the people who made it possible. If you can make it to festival ‘14, I recommend it. Until then, be enchanted.