The Silhouette - October 4

The Marauders spoiled the party last weekend at Western’s homecoming with a 33-27 victory over the Mustangs.

ANDY

SPORTS

Alone in first

Pottermania dies hard With the release of a new novel from J.K. Rowling, our ANDY editors get nostalgic with a Harry Potter-themed edition.

See B1

See C1-C8

The Silhouette www.thesil.ca

MCMASTER UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Thursday, October 4, 2012

What you do is how you get along. What you did is all it ever means.

Vol. 83, No. 9

$937,102 Newly released audited financial statements show that, despite it’s not-for-profit status, the McMaster Students Union made close to a million dollars in surplus last year. Without fee adjustments or spending increases in key areas, students could be headed to another significant overpayment this year. $1,000,000

Redefining the Confucius Institute

$937,102

$800,000 $595,439

$600,000 $400,000 $200,000

($400,000)

19

($200,000)

82 19 -83 83 19 -84 84 19 -85 85 19 -86 86 19 -87 87 19 -88 88 19 -89 89 19 -90 90 19 -91 91 19 -92 92 19 -93 93 19 -94 94 19 -95 95 19 -96 96 19 -97 97 19 -98 98 19 -99 99 20 -00 00 20 -01 01 20 -02 02 20 -03 03 20 -04 04 20 -05 05 20 -06 06 20 -07 07 20 -08 08 20 -09 09 20 -10 10 20 -11 11 -1 2

$0

($40,341)

($600,000) ($800,000) ($1,000,000)

($958,190)

Sam Colbert Executive Editor

That the MSU’s finances ended up in the black this year has got to be a relief.

The students union is only a few years removed from deep operating losses. The 200708 and 2008-09 financial statements combined for what were then record shortfalls of more than $500,000. That included a campus bar – called Quarters before it underwent an approximately $400,000 facelift to become TwelvEighty in 2009 – that lost a total of almost $780,000.

The following year, the deficit skyrocketed to a loss of $958,190, roughly two-thirds of which was the responsibility of a failing student health insurance plan.

But the 2011-12 audited financial statements, which were passed and made public at the Sept. 30 Student Representative Assembly meeting, showed an issue of another kind. The not-for-profit MSU collected close to a million dollars more in student fees than it spent last year.

What is supposed to be a break-even organization wasn’t intended to make near that amount of money. A $150,000 loss in 2010-11 was budgeted to improve to a modest surplus of just over $120,000 in the year that followed.

“If we’re continuously posting profits, that’s an issue. Obviously, the larger they are, the more of an issue it is,” said Jeff Wyngaarden, Vice-President (Finance) of the MSU. A few things went right. TwelvEighty

cut its losses down to roughly $71,000 from $200,000 the year before. Underground Media & Design boosted its profits by more than a hundred thousand dollars. Losses on MSU services decreased in a few departments, and the health and dental plans went from being budgetary burdens to small sources of extra cash.

“In any one given year, breaking even may not be a good thing. Coming off of four years of substantial losses, posting a profit isn’t a major concern,” said Wyngaarden.

But now that a portion of the losses have been recuperated, there are areas of the budget where student fees are, at least for now, unnecessarily high.

SEE PROFITS, A4

PHOTO

Hamilton gets a peace of history A tribute to Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled on Sept. 29 at City Hall during the annual Gandhi Peace Festival. The statue is a gift from the Indian government and IndoCanadian community.

See News in Brief, A3.

JESSIE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Andrew Terefenko Production Editor

Something was unmistakably amiss on Oct. 1 when travelling through the outdoor Mills Plaza. The Chinese Cultural Festival, hosted

by McMaster’s Confucius Institute, was in full swing, full in this case meaning a single, subtle tent and a modest display of staff.

Compared to last year, when the festival encompassed the entire MUSC Atrium in an ostentatious display of cultural pride, song, dance and prizes, it was an unfamiliar offering from the usually grandiose faculty.

Dr. Angela Sheng, Associate Professor of Art History and Director Chair of the Confucius Institute, explained the reasoning behind this massive shift in festivities. “I want [the festival] to be in the open, to attract student attention and I would like it to be driven by grassroots needs,” said Sheng.

The festival, scheduled to run from Oct. 1 to 3, encompassed many aspects, such as martial arts demonstrations, student presentations and a myriad of film screenings on Thursday, still seemed oddly cut down, sporting an almost subtle profile with few students stopping their daily activities to check out the event.

The Institute, recently scrutinized for its allegedly controversial hiring and training practices overseas for prospective teachers according to a Globe and Mail investigative report, seems to be in the process of restructuring its outward appearance to appeal to a larger student body.

SEE CHINESE, A4

The elephant in the room Learn to recognize the signs of mental illness and getting rid of the stigma that surrounds it.

See B7.

Why doesn’t the bookstore have my Titles?

Julia Redmond Assistant News Editor

Titles is the students’ source on campus for all things textbook related. Although its main location is now mostly dedicated to McMaster paraphernalia and school supplies, the store’s primary focus is books.

With such a focus, it’s hard to believe that every September, students are faced with empty shelves and backordered textbooks. “[Textbook ordering] is always

a challenge,” said Lesley Mills, Accounting Manager at Titles.

Donna Shapiro, the bookstore’s director, explained further.

“We have to be very cautious when we place an order that we can make sure either we’re going to sell out, or we’re going to sell enough … so we’re not ending up writing off stock at the end of the day.”

Titles is responsible for ordering books for hundreds of classes for the year. For the fall semester, it oversees over 2500 courses and

course sections worth of materials.

A further 2100 courses and sections are processed for the winter term.

Even with such a high volume of courseware, Titles is very careful to be conservative, which contributes to its availability levels.

“We don’t end up with a lot of money at the end of the day, so we try and minimize the return – shipping costs are a fairly substantial cost,” Mills explained.

Titles collects about 20 percent of the cost of every book, but much

of that money is put towards rent, shipping and staffing the store. Returns to the publishers are costly, said Shapiro. And that’s not a cost anyone wants to incur.

“The university has put a lot more fiscal demands on us. The whole campus is asked to be more fiscally responsible than they were historically in some areas. This is just one area where we know we can save money for everybody.”

The bookstore faces a number of challenges in determining

how much stock to order. The four Titles book buyers must consider a course’s estimated enrolment and its actual enrolment, as well as the book’s sell-through in previous years. The store never orders books for 100 percent of the class, because not all the students will buy it.

Mills described how the firstyear physics course had over 800 students registered, but only 200 textbooks were sold.

SEE BOOKSTORE, A5

the

PRESIDENT’S PAGE Jeff Wyngaarden VP (Finance)

Huzaifa Saeed VP (Education)

Siobhan Stewart President

David Campbell VP (Administration)

FORWARD WITH INTEGRITY With taskforce reports now available, Huzaifa asks for student input on the future of academe

Huzaifa Saeed VP (Education) vped@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 24017

I think it is fair to say that postsecondary education is going through an identity crisis. Such talk has come to the forefront of academic discussion over the last few years.

Society has changed significantly with the influx of modern technology and globalization, as well as many other external factors. However, our educational institutions continued to be rooted in the traditional “sage on stage” lecture model, which has created a disengaged and unproductive learning experience, especially in the context of growing class sizes. Moreover, there has been massive growth in student enrolment (growing over 30% in a decade), while per student funding has not kept pace.

To compound these challenges, many argue that McMaster University

is an institution with broad public responsibilities, tasked by the province to support the emerging knowledge economy and to build productive, innovative and socially aware citizens.

However, the traditional education model is largely concerned with competence and productivity, developed from knowledge, skills and in-class learning activities.

What is required is an education system that extends beyond standard considerations and moves a student towards continual growth, the ability to adapt, improve performance and generate new knowledge. When he arrived at McMaster over two years ago, President Dr. Patrick Deane was fully aware of these challenges.

Last fall, he released a letter to the community titled Forward with Integrity.

Forward with Integrity is essentially a statement recognizing the challenges described above and a firm declaration by Dr. Deane to spearhead and lead a fundamental rethink of the institution’s goals. In particular, it focuses on the student experience, community engagement,

internationalization and research.

Since the publication of the letter, various taskforces were formed and have since provided recommendations.

The project is now at a pivotal phase with the products of research flowing towards both students and faculty for feedback.

One of the more of the interesting ideas to come out of the various taskforces is the Learning Portfolio.

The Learning Portfolio is intended to guide and track each student’s unique learning journey, while continuously providing mentorship and suggestions to supplement their experience.

Another taskforce identified that there is extensive decentralization of communication and information regarding both the community and the student experience, thus making it difficult for student involvement.

Creating networks or communities of practice and a centralized portal for extracurricular activities could alleviate the confusion. Another popular idea is that of a “reflection period” for students to slow down from the deluge of assignments, to look back upon their course content

and assess how it applies to the bigger picture.

The work of the taskforces has been extremely important. The nature of Dr. Deane’s letter indicates that the project is a fluid and malleable entity that is open to all student ideas. Both the MSU and Dr. Deane would love to hear your feedback and experiences regarding your time at McMaster.

Everyone at this University has something to share and a story to tell. To that end, the MSU has created a community webpage: www. msumcmaster.ca/fwi where you can check out the original Forward with Integrity letter, read the taskforce reports and discuss your ideas as to how educational experience can evolve.

What is it that the University can offer that will prepare you for the global community and knowledge economy?

What experiential learning are you looking for in order to supplement your theoretical education? What sort of research opportunities do you desire? What is the biggest barrier to your student experience? How do you see McMaster moving forward with integrity?

BLOOD DRIVE KICKS INTO HIGH GEAR

PRE-‐HOMECOMING

MAC CARES CHARITY NIGHT! Come out and support MAC Cares raising money for MAC Wheelers

THURS, OCT 11TH COVER: $4.50 | DOORS: 9:30PM $3.50 RAILS | $3.75 DOMESTIC BEER

is important that we continually see individuals donating blood for the first time, and then becoming regular donors. In the last school year alone, 378 first-time donors gave blood on David Campbell McMaster campus, helping in set a VP (Administration) record of 171 units donated at a single vpadmin@msu.mcmaster.ca clinic in January. ext. 23250 CBS is currently in Blood Signal This year the MSU is proudly mode, meaning there is an increased continuing its partnership with need for donors. There is often a higher Canadian Blood Services (CBS), need for blood donors around holidays hosting blood collection clinics at as less people are booking appointments.

McMaster. In September alone, we ran As of Monday, CBS needed 14,000 three blood donation clinics and we are appointments by Thanksgiving. just getting started.

The success of this partnership Our partnership with CBS began would not have been possible without in September 2010, when the MSU the support of a number of campus entered into their “Partners for Life” partners, including the Student Health program. This program encourages Education Centre (SHEC). As the organizations to demonstrate their partnership continues this year, it commitment to saving lives through will be exciting to see the continuing donating blood, platelets and plasma. commitment among McMaster We fulfilled our commitment by students, faculty and staff to life-saving recruiting donors, setting donation blood donations. goals and hosting blood clinics. By the Upcoming donor clinics on end of December in our first year, the campus are October 9th and 23rd as MSU proudly exceeded our 500 unit well as November 13th and 27th in goal for blood donations. This success CIBC Hall (3rd floor MUSC). To was continued in 2011, with a grand book an appointment, visit SHEC total of 1157 units donated. in MUSC 202 or go to www.blood.

A major focus of the partnership ca. If you use McMaster partner ID# has been to increase the number of MCMA011297, your donation will first-time blood donors on campus. To also count towards McMaster’s 1500 maintain an adequate blood supply, it unit pledge.

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

EWS

Thursday, October 4, 2012 News Editors: Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma, Julia Redmond and Anqi Shen Meeting: Thursdays @ 4:30 p.m.

Contact: news@thesil.ca

What are Hamilton’s IMAGINING THE GAP THE GOOD: vital signs?

Hamilton was the first municipality in Canada to

Report assesses quality of life in Hamilton Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor

Even as students have been breaching the barrier of the campus “bubble” in the past few years, many community social issues, both good and bad, remain under the average student’s radar.

The Vital Signs Report, released on Oct. 12 by the Hamilton Community Foundation, sought to shed light on community strengths and challenges through measuring the quality of life in Hamilton across 12 issue areas.

The report created three levels of concern through which community members could evaluate community issues. The Vital Signs Advisory Committee and several members of Hamilton Roundtable compiled the report for Poverty Reduction. Internet and telephone surveys randomly sampled various households across the city.

Across the board, survey responses noted that there was satisfaction with the community’s approach to addressing issues in “arts and culture,” “getting around (transportation)” and “the environment”.

The community was urged to take immediate action towards addressing the “gap between the rich and the poor” and “workrelated issues.”

The most staggering and prominent finding in the report indicates the continued increase in number of people working fulltime yet still living below the poverty line in Hamilton.

The most recent data available, from 2006, shows that 6.7 per cent of Hamilton’s population is in this category. This average is a marked increase from both the Ontario average (5.5 per cent) and the Canadian average (5.8 per cent).

The gap between the rich and the poor, a major focal point for the Occupy movement, has persisted in Hamilton, mirroring larger national trends. In 2009, the poorest 20 per cent of Hamiltonians had 5 per cent of the total income, while the richest 20 per cent accounted for 41 per cent of the total income.

The report takes into account all the

neighbourhoods across Hamilton, including the Westdale-Ainsley Wood area.

McMaster students were not specifically identified in the report. However, community engagement has been at the forefront of campus affairs. Community was a major part of McMaster president Patrick Deane’s visioning letter “Forward With Integrity.”

Siobhan Stewart, MSU President, emphasized the variety of ways in which students choose to engage in community affairs, especially through various MSU services and clubs.

“People find their own channel and have their own unique story about what community engagement means to them.”

Stewart also noted that there is increased mindfulness towards including both community and student opinion on Hamilton’s social issues.

Several McMaster professors and employees are actively involved in the Poverty Roundtable and have advocated for university involvement and projects to address social justice issues in Hamilton.

Gary Warner, former Director of the Arts & Science Program, past Chair of the Hamilton Community Foundation and Poverty Roundtable member, reflected on student knowledge of Hamilton’s inequalities.

“I think students are likely not aware of the impact of income disparity related to postal codes in Hamilton, which is reflected, for example, in vastly different life expectancy – 21-year gap – and in test results and gradation rates in Hamilton’s secondary schools.”

The McMaster Poverty Initiative (MPI) is the most notable example of the call for collaboration between students, staff and faculty to examine Hamilton’s social justice issues.

Jeff Wingard, MPI Coordinator and a member of the Vital Signs Report team, remarked upon the increase in student awareness and engagement with the community, especially in exploring the community’s booming arts scene. “[But] I think on the flip side ... there are deep pockets of poverty and real hardship that exist in Hamilton, which I think

News in Brief

By Anqi Shen, Online News Editor

remediate brownfields. The funding allocated to them rose to 49% last year, up from 47% in 2009 and from 17% in 2000. There has also been a 90% decrease in poor air quality days.

The proportion of working-age adults using public transit has risen to 9.3% from 8.4% in 2001. Urban streets with bicycle lanes have gone up 45% in the last three years.

THE BAD

Child poverty rates are over 50% in many neighbourhoods. In 2009, the poorest 20% of Hamiltonians had 5% of total city income, while the richest held 41% of the total city income.

Hamilton’s percentage of workers over 15 is 65.2%, which is lower than the provincial average (66.9%) and the national average (66.8%) 6.7% of Hamilton lives below the poverty line while working full-time. This is a marked increase from the Canadian average (5.8%) ANDREW TEREFENKO PRODUCTION EDITOR

get a bit lost if you don’t see it [on campus]” Wingard also spoke about the need for continued research on community inequalities and the equal importance of communicating this research to diverse audiences, including students and the populations being studied.

McMaster has a reputation of being both a research-intensive institution and school

with a strong spirit of volunteerism and community engagement, most recently exemplified by events such as Open Streets McMaster and MacServe.

Warner suggested that in keeping with the recommendations made by the Forward With Integrity Community Engagement Task Force, McMaster should strive to assign higher value to community-engaged research.

VISIT THESIL.CA FOR UPDATES A new statue of Mahatma Gandhi was presented at City Hall for the 20th annual Gandhi Peace Festival in Hamilton. The statue is a gift from the government of India and the Indo-Canadian community, and drew emotional responses from attendees of Saturday’s celebration. McMaster University received a bust of Gandhi last October during Mac Peace Week. It is located outside President Patrick Deane’s office in Gilmour Hall.

FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH

MOHAWK HITS RECORD ENROLMENT Mohawk College opened its doors to a record number of full-time students this September. Preliminary enrolment numbers show that 13,048 fulltime students registered this year at Mohawk, with 6,774 attending classes this semester.

Mohawk media relations manager Jay Robb says collaborative

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

programs between the two institutions are capped, with similar enrolment this year compared to last year. However, with about a third of Mohawk students wanting to pursue second degrees post-grad, more college students may be paying a visit to McMaster’s campus in the near future.

ANQI SHEN ONLINE NEWS EDITOR

GANDHI STATUE UNVEILED YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

The McMaster First Nations Student Association hosted its 4th annual Powwow last Friday outside the John Hodgins Engineering Building. In addition to raising the profile of McMaster’s First Nations community through performances by local singers

and dancers of the Ojibwe tribe, the Indigenous Studies Program hosted a send-off for and retired elder-in-residence Bertha Skye and professor Brent Hayden, who will leave for Ryerson. The two were recognized with an honour dance.

MINISTRY SEEKS FEEDBACK ON EDUCATION REFORM The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities has asked students to respond to minister Glen Murray’s proposed reforms on post-secondary education in the discussion paper entitled “Strengthening Ontario’s Centres of Creativity, Innovation and Productivity.” Sept. 30 was the last day for student governments

THE SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

including the MSU to draft written responses. Responses will be made publicly available this month. Watch for an online update on the critical responses by the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA).

MCMASTER HOSTS ANNUAL POWWOW

ANQI SHEN ONLINE NEWS EDITOR

The Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities announced that a $7 million per year fund will be established for mental health support on campuses.

The fund, available until 2015, will identify gaps in current mental health support services, promote best practices and encourage liaisons between communities and on-campus mental health support.

The ministry is accepting proposals from universities, colleges and student groups who wish to benefit from the fund this month.

The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) urged the ministry to set up such an initiative in earlier this year, and representatives say they’re pleased with the result.

The announcement comes in the midst of McMaster’s ‘Stomp Out Stigma’ week dedicated to raising awareness about mental health.

In a 2009 National College Health Assessment conducted at McMaster, 50 per cent of students polled said they “felt overwhelming anxiety” and 56 per cent said they “felt things were hopeless.”

A4 • News

The Silhouette • Thursday, October 4, 2012

McMaster part of new credit transfer system between Ontario institutions Jodie Scoular The Silhouette

McMaster is part of an agreement between seven Ontario universities to launch a new credit transfer initiative.

McMaster students taking first-year classes will now be able to take arts and science courses from participating universities in their hometowns that will contribute towards a bachelor’s degree.

The new credit transfer consortium will come together to create one master list of 20 first-year courses that will make transferring a simpler process.

Previously, it was difficult to tell if other Canadian schools would accept credits from other institutions without being subjected to a long, drawn-out affair.

Now, some universities are looking to create a database of widely accepted courses that students can take to get rid of the guessing game.

Sevan Taghelian, a third-year social science student at Mac, commutes to school each day all the way from St. Catharines.

She says that an initiative like this has the potential to help students in her type of situation, and that distance prevents her from taking summer courses at Mac. “It would cut down commuting time, which is less stressful because that’s less of my time and money wasted on travel,” she said.

“Distance is one of the reasons I hold back from summer school because it’s too far and not worth the commute for one class a day.”

At this point, the initiative will only benefit people taking first year courses; the ratio-

nale b e the ing that new systhese courstem will not ANDREW TEREFENKO PRODUCTION EDITOR es cover general benefit students subjects that are not who don’t live in the specific to one institution. vicinity of Ontario’s ‘leading’ universities.

Ryan Kinnon, executive director of the “Northern and rural students will not Ontario Undergraduate Student Association, benefit from this because all these universiand the MSU’s Huzaifa Saeed pointed out that ties are central. So you can’t really say that we

are improving mobility for them,” said Saeed.

Peter Smith, McMaster’s associate vice president (academic), says that eventually the university hopes to include upper-year classes and expand into programs other than arts and science.

Upper-year classes will take more work to convert into universally accepted credits because each institution has their own tailored curriculum.

Ultimately, the new credit transfer system provides a boost to McMaster’s “letter of permission” program, which already has many of the benefits the new system offers.

The letter of permission allows all students to take courses from other universities, perhaps in their hometowns, including online classes.

A consultation with an academic advisor is necessary to find out which credits are transferable.

A more streamlined credit transfer plan may benefit summer students and those taking courses through correspondence.

Currently, McMaster does not offer online courses or courses in “distance format” of any kind for undergraduate degrees, so this type of credit-transfer program could be beneficial for students who wish to take online courses offered at other Canadian universities.

School officials say that meetings to determine the finer points of the plan for this program have just begun, and specific details will be released once all participating institutions confirm them.

The other six universities involved in the consortium are Queen’s University, University of Guelph, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo and Western University.

Profits require strategy FROM 1 CFMU posted a profit of more than $150,000. The campus radio station receives a set levy via the MSU annually, and has consistently spent well below their allotment in recent years.

The plan, according to Wyngaarden, is to increase spending in order to bring expenditures closer to revenues in the CFMU Fund. An expansion of programming and more emphasis on community outreach are in store.

The MSU has also switched providers for its student health insurance plan. The student fee for the plan now exceeds the actual cost by about ten dollars per student. That money will stockpile into a reserve fund for the time being.

Wyngaarden also hopes to work with the SRA’s finance committee to establish a strategic reserve fund, into which future surpluses would go.

“Right now, when we make money, it just gets put in the bank, more or less, and it sits there for a rainy day. What I’d like to do is earmark that money as a strategic reserve, and that’s mostly putting a name to what we already have,” he said.

“We’d have that set aside, and then set a policy-based plan for making profit if we’ve had a loss in previous year or having a loss if we’ve made a profit in previous years.”

The MSU spent a total of over $12.5 million last year on its operations.

Almost half of that amount came from fees charged to full-time undergraduate students.

Chinese culture part of focus FROM 1 “The Confucius Institute is synchronous with humanities and with President Deane’s Forward With Integrity message, and we want to highlight student endeavours and give them a platform to express their work,” said Sheng.

The festival itself, while smaller in scale, promoted a single, unified message. It highlighted spirituality as a means to promote overall well-being, as well as stressing the importance of values shared between heritage students and students without a Chinese background at McMaster.

Looking forward in the year, Sheng has further plans to engage the student body in Chinese culture. “We have the upcoming Distinguished Speaker Series to look forward to. On October 30 an archeologist is going to speak about the first emperor of China. Later in November a linguist will come and speak about the phonetic system [of Mandarin].”

The Institute’s current plans do not end at festivities alone, as it is currently engaged in a proposal to found a new Chinese business course.

“It would be a language course that focuses on business language, and business etiquette and know-how that is different in China,” said Sheng.

The proposal has been submitted to the Curriculum Committee of the Faculty of Humanities and if passed will move on to review by the Senate’s Undergraduate Planning Committee this fall.

“I’d like to know what students would like [to know about China].

These projects have to be initiated by students and then they can be incorporated into next year’s budget proposal,” said Sheng on how students could get involved in the faculty.

The Confucius Institute will continue to run events throughout the year, but it remains to be seen if future showings by the organization will be equally toned down.

Thursday, October 4, 2012 • The Silhouette

News • A5

Mac bookstore facing new challenges

JESSIE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Despite Titles’ efforts, empty shelves in the Tank are a common sight at the start of term.

FROM A1 “There’s a huge issue there,” she said. She also noted that peer-to-peer selling is one thing that can cut into the sales.

Much of the store’s September trouble comes from communication issues.

“I think our biggest challenge with book availability isn’t determining the number that we have to have … it’s finding out from the faculty member in a timely fashion what it is they’re going to use,” Shapiro said.

Despite this, the store administration has given up on setting deadlines for professors to choose their textbooks.

“A deadline means nothing, because no-

body adheres to it,” claimed Shapiro, noting that there once was a deadline set for midJuly for September orders.

The store is afforded more flexibility with the emergence of eBooks, however.

This new kind of book production, while useful and environmentally friendly, has forced Titles and its affiliated publishers to evolve.

“It’s a whole new world out there,” said Shapiro.

“For a book world that hadn’t changed for centuries upon centuries, you’re seeing such rapid changes now that the publishers can’t even keep up with the materials that they’re creating.”

OSCARplus holds students to ‘three strike’ policy Janice Phonepraseuth

everyone can see right when they are signing up,” The Silhouette Gisela Oliveira, Employment Services OSCARplus, McMaster’s online career portal, Coordinator at McMaster’s Student Success has a “No-Show Policy” that is effective when Centre, explained why the policy was estabstudents who have signed up for an event fail lished.

“We were having a lot of trouble with atto show up and fail to cancel their registration. It seems, however, that students don’t tendance for these events. Companies were coming on campus with a specific number of know about it.

The policy states that after the first and guests in mind, when only half of that amount second “no-shows,” students will receive a showed up,” she said.

“The issue here is kind of bi-fold: first is warning email from the campus office.

After the third “no-show,” students will missed opportunities for students, and secreceive an email with a contact for the career ond is the school’s relationship with the emcentre. The student then has to explain why ployers.”

By following this procedure, students they didn’t attend the events.

If there is no justification given for why get their opportunity to participate in these the student has missed the event, the student events, and the school’s relationship with the will be barred from signing up for any more employer is unharmed.

“I thought it was a bit much that it’s for events for the remainder of the academic year. the whole year, but I They will be able to regguess it makes sense ister for events again in “We were having a lot of because they don’t want September of the followpeople registering for ing academic year. trouble with attendance... the events and not showWhen entering the companies were coming on ing up,” said Mirza. event, students are asked campus with a specific number One fourth-year to present their student of guests in mind, when only honours political sciID cards, which will prohalf...showed up.” ence and religious studvide information that ies student agreed. “I is used to track the stuGisela Oliveira understand the reasondent’s attendance.

Employment Servies, SSC ing behind the switch,” Although the polhe said, “but the fact that icy was implemented in 2007, many students do not know about they’re limiting student opportunities for sucit. The Student Accountability Policy is not cess is a little discouraging.”

The policy was set up to ensure students stated on the OSCARplus website itself, but is found through a link under “Student Re- who signed up for these events showed up.

If they cannot attend, students must cansources.”

It was created by a student accountability cel their registration online by 11:55 p.m. the committee, and is supported by career and co- night before the event on OSCARplus, or by op related offices in the faculties of business, 9 a.m. on the day of the event, by phone or in-person. engineering, social sciences, and science.

Students who fail to do so are marked as Students, upper-year and first-year, were surprised to hear about this policy and a “no-show.”

Oliveira noted that there are exceptions thought it should be clarified.

Souzan Mirza, a first-year student, said, for students who become ill shortly before the “I didn’t even know about the policy until I got event takes place.

“So when we send you the ‘no-show’ the first email. When I tried to find it, I didn’t find it through legitimate routes, I found it email, you contact us and explain to us that through the MacInsiders website which isn’t you were ill, and the ‘no-show’ is removed.

There are exceptions,” said Oliveira. run by the school but the students.”

“It was implemented…to teach account“I don’t condone it; I think there should be more than three strikes before you’re out. ability to students and also to keep the relaPeople may want to sign up for many things tionships we have with employers,” she exand things happen and they can’t make it,” plained. But it remains to be seen whether the said Lindsay Ceschia, a second-year Honours students need to learn to be accountable, or whether the system could be more accountSocial Psychology student.

“They should put something visible that able to student needs.

DITORIAL

Thursday, October 4, 2012 Executive Editor: Sam Colbert Contact: thesil@thesil.ca Phone: (905) 525-9140, extension 22052

MENTAL HEALTH

Nasty, brutish and short to vitamin c.

to trudeauanemia.

to ruining the party at western’s homecoming.

to marauder fans thinking that mac had more students at western’s homecoming than western did. we didn’t. western’s homecoming is huge.

to m.n., a nice addition to the sil. to a million dollars, almost. to g-g-g-gaaandy. to almond butter on ice cream. to wing sauce.

to comprehensive trade deals with the eu. to beef taints.

to “ho-co.” yolo!

to visiting gf/bf relatives over the weekend.

to communications mixers. let’s get weird.

to semicolons and exclamation points.

to alec baldwin. the comedian, not the dramatist.

to fleshy prisons.

to mr. blue sky.

to dental hygiene neglect. just a couple more hours, gums.

to jingle bell rock.

to all-hockey tsn.

The Silhouette McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

Editorial Board Sam Colbert | Executive Editor thesil@thesil.ca

Filmmaker Woody Allen has hinted in both interviews and films (case in point: his latest, To Rome With Love) that he equates retirement with death. He is continuing to make movies well into his seventies, he says, so that he doesn’t have too much time on his hands to sit and wait for the inevitable.

He might describe the life of man in nature in the words of Thomas Hobbes: “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” In other words, Allen figures there’s a lot to be unhappy about in life, so it’s best not to spend too much time thinking about it.

All this is to say that I should have gotten a job in the summer I turned 16.

Instead, I sat around at home. I watched movies. It was About Schmidt, a 2002 film starring Jack Nicholson, that set me off. In the movie, Warren Schmidt retired from his career as an actuary. Soon after, his wife died. He had little to do but mope around the house, feeling useless as he tried in vain to prevent his daughter from marrying a waterbed salesman.

It got to me. I was young, and my life was a good one. But somehow, watching Warren Schmidt wonder how he was going to spend the final sad years of his life hit a nerve.

That summer, I got depressed. It hung over me every day, from when I woke up until I went to bed.

I didn’t expect it to happen to me. I couldn’t really name the source of it, either. I felt stupid about it. What did I have to be depressed about? How were my problems unique or worthy? I didn’t talk about it.

I understand now that what I felt that summer was a relatively mild version of what a lot of students here at Mac go through. I wasn’t suicidal, and once school started up again, I got better. That’s not the case for everyone.

McMaster’s Student Wellness Centre is trying to “stomp out stigma” around depression this week. Its events will present statistics gathered by the Wellness Centre to make the case that depression is serious problem affecting a significant chunk of the student population.

It’s a great and necessary campaign. But I’ve got a word of caution.

Among the statistics, words like “anxious,” “overwhelmed” and “stressed” will get mixed up with more severe ones like “hopeless” and “suicidal.” Truth is, we students are supposed to get a little bummed out when we bite off more schoolwork than we can chew. We complain about being overworked to our friends. We work through it, learn something, and then blow off steam on a free weekend.

Depression is something else entirely. It’s isolating. It’s

Jemma Wolfe | Managing Editor managing@thesil.ca Andrew Terefenko | Production Editor production@thesil.ca Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma | Senior News Editor news@thesil.ca Julia Redmond | Assistant News Editor news@thesil.ca Anqi Shen | Online News Editor news@thesil.ca Mel Napeloni | Opinions Editor opinions@thesil.ca Brandon Meawasige | Senior Sports Editor sports@thesil.ca Scott Hastie | Assistant Sports Editor sports@thesil.ca Sam Godfrey | Senior InsideOut Editor insideout@thesil.ca Amanda Watkins | Assistant InsideOut Editor insideout@thesil.ca

JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

frightening. Piles of homework might not help it, but depression is deeper than the plight of your average struggling student.

You don’t need a good reason to be depressed. That it’s happening while school weighs you down doesn’t make you weak.

Like any illness, I’ve learned, depression can take you by surprise, and you might not know where it came from.

Take it from me, or Woody Allen or Thomas Hobbes or Warren Schmidt; life’s a bitch. So don’t be hard on yourself.

•

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Change your society, not your body Re: “Plastic makes perfect” by Nour Afara [Published Sept. 27 in Opinions] Many young people face problems related to self-image. These can manifest from the common form of occasional negative thought to the more serious negative states of mind that promote unhealthy behaviors. I value the right to choose in matters concerning the self.

But isn’t choosing to go under the knife simply a cosmetic solution that does not address the real roots of the problem? Can we agree that opinions of the self are highly influenced by advertisements that target a certain demographic? Aren’t we further swelling - no pun intended - the problem by associating beauty with privilege? I’d go as far as to say that young women are the prey of unrealistic standards of beauty, judging by cosmetics sales. In other words, this is mostly an issue for young women. I’d also argue against idealists who say that loving yourself is the easiest option - like how this problem is a societal problem, the solution too must be societal.

What society needs is a cultural awakening that rejects these oppressive, inhuman expectations of beauty and instead fosters a new culture that promotes values that promote the well-being of all. This means we need to start working and discussing possible solutions to develop this new culture. It means setting a dedicated space to deal with combating this issue and other issues that young women face - a women’s centre. It means banning all forms of advertisements from McMaster, including merchants that prey on the self-image of young women, and promoting advertisements and slogans that promote the development of a healthy body image, and I don’t just mean another Dove beauty campaign, but one that points out the futility of these oppressive beauty standards.

Our students union offers great services, such as the Student Health Education Centre (SHEC), but this is not nearly enough.

A dedicated women’s center that offers peer-counseling for this and other issues and a clear mandate for advocating women’s issues would be a step in the right direction, a hope for change.

Nolan Matthews | Senior ANDY Editor andy@thesil.ca Bahar Orang | Assistant ANDY Editor andy@thesil.ca Yoseif Haddad | Senior Photo Editor photo@thesil.ca Jessie Lu | Assistant Photo Editor photo@thesil.ca Javier Caicedo | Multimedia Editor photo@thesil.ca Karen Wang | Graphics Editor production@thesil.ca Ammar Hanif | Distribution Coordinator thesil@thesil.ca Sandro Giordano | Ad Manager sgiordan@msu.mcmaster.ca

Sam Colbert

•

Ahmad Al-Amad

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PINIONS

Thursday, October 4, 2012 Opinions Editor: Mel Napeloni Meeting: Wednesdays @ 2:30 p.m.

Contact: opinions@thesil.ca

Love is a dog from hell

Mel Napeloni Opinions Editor

Good novels and their novelists have a history – a manipulated history that has little to do with facts and everything to do with stuff I like. Since the late 18th century, the idea of encapsulating a large body of literature in one, identifiable showcase has kept its funk. A lot of people, as you might suspect, caught on to the mania. As time passed, artistic autonomy opened a new wave of styles and treats.

William Blake was a secluded neurotic.

Early, industrial capitalism left him broken.

With his notorious bowler hat, Blake wore the weight of the world. And he wrote. He wrote like it was the only thing. Disgusted by everyone’s sense of routine, sense of urgency, he referred to himself as caged in a world of madmen. When he developed tuberculosis, a sickness that would eventually pave the way to his death, he’d spit and cough blood as he wrote, feeling the pain of every letter in every word.

Then there came Knut Hamsun. Late 1800’s. This guy decided that all that elegant literature before him didn’t quite do it. It wasn’t raw enough, wasn’t real enough. None of it kept true to the human condition. In his acclaimed novel Hunger, he tells the story of a man who gives all his possessions away out of a spontaneous, uncanny sense of altruism.

This, however, bares him immense consequences.

He walks the streets, seeing the cracks in stones and the shifting of leaves in the wind.

He scowls at people, feels guilty about things that have no relevance to him, twitches and turns. One minute, he’s the happiest man on earth and the next he’s drowning in a deep, unnerving darkness. He’s starving and his legs are weak. And with each day, the pain slowly debilitates to mush and finally to a total, unmerciful madness.

Western novella burst into colours of all sorts in the early 20th century. Hamsun was a forerunner to psychologically driven fictions by Kafka, Camus, and Saramago. Kafka

wrote straight-forward literature that said things people could understand, but also held layers and layers of commentary. Camus and Saramago had things to say too, using vivid allegories and tales to better emphasize the world they wished to see.

And then when the world thought all was said and done, the beat generation showed its mad, contorted face. Post-World War II, the beat writers were defined by their blunt, unmerciful forms, their extensive use of illicit drugs, and their challenging of sexual oppression. People like Burroughs and Ginsberg broke literary norms and took writing to a new plane. Burroughs said, after mistakenly killing his wife with a shotgun in Mexico and years and years of experimentation, “Desperation is the raw material of drastic change. Only those who can leave behind everything they have ever believed in can hope to escape. “ Suddenly, an enigma emerged in the writing world. 1971. The book was called Post Office. By a guy with a wrinkled face, a drinking problem, and a cynical, slouchy, self-deprecating grunt that bellowed in every street corner of America. Raised by an abusive father and a blind, shallow mother, Charles Bukowski developed distaste for people early on and left home in his late teens, only to find himself suffering in a new, crueler world.

He wrote six novels in his lifetime, all with a similar story – his. He wrote what he knew. If he could write a thing in the least amount of words possible, he did. If he could emphasize a point with three words, he did. If he could say what he felt and what was there and what was needed, he did.

The founder of “Don’t try”, Bukowski developed natural language like no other artist before him. Hemingway and Whitman tried and succeeded, but he grabbed it by the throat. The master of auto-biographical-alterego-fiction, of twisted pulp-fiction, of saying virtually nothing and making it mean everything, of being a man of the people without ever wanting to be. With a whiskey in one palm and a faint, daunting smile, Bukowski that asshole - managed to design a new way

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– the one everyone was waiting for.

And with that brief history of great writers, better known as a biased list of writers I like, I best leave on a blunter note on the respected essence of the writing soul forged by the depressed, horny, misogynistic, American psycho of the 70’s. “It’s simple. You either get it down on paper, or jump off a bridge.” - Bukowski.

At the top is William S. Burroughs. He accidently shot his wife in Mexico while shooting heroin. On the right is Knut Hamsun. He wrote a book about a guy who was so hungry he slowly lost his mind. In the middle is Bukowski - he drank a lot and whined a lot. After years and years of hurts and bottles and despondencies, he wrote his first novel called Post Office. He once said ‘Sometimes, you just have to pee in the sink.”

What if my daughter were gay?

Edward Lovo The Silhouette

Funny story. I come home and my father is mowing the lawn.

He stops to tell me that he'd like to speak with me. I start worrying. When my father needs to have a talk, something's up.

I'm waiting inside and he comes soon after, taking a seat next to me. He asks about school and how I'm doing. I answer him. But now I'm worried that something's up with school and somehow he knows something I don't. Change of topic.

My father mentions a couple of comments I made on Facebook to a dear friend of mine who left to Leicester to study law. One comment was “I miss you” on his wall. The other was on his profile picture, where he’s adorned in suit and tie, and I said, “Everything that I look for in a man. Dresses sharp and takes shit seriously.”

Immediately I knew. I begin laughing uncontrollably at the thought that my parents were worried that I was gay. My parents, my mother having just joined us, chuckle with relief and seek assurance from me that I'm not gay. I assure them.

My parents are relieved and tell me that the each of them had sleepless night over the thought that I might be gay. My father goes so far as to say, “That would have been the

worst thing that could have happened to me: to have of one of my sons turn out gay.” My father admonishes me for my Facebook comments, saying that people will misconstrue me as gay, carrying the obvious insinuation that that's bad.

Funny story? As you've gleaned from my anecdote, I'm a straight male; but I’m also an ally to the LGBTQ community.

I found hilarity in my parents easily misconstruing my behaviour, but I also experienced deep disappointment in their reactions.

I wanted to get angry. I wanted to start an argument over how they neither should’ve been anxious nor relieved. I’ve already had so many arguments with my parents turn sour over similar issues. But I didn’t feel like taking up arms with my parents that day. “Save it for another day,” I thought. This ‘humorous’ incident was bound to turn into one for reflection.

I kept relating this anecdote to friends and many had a good laugh. But one friend expressed their preference for having a straight child over a gay child. My friend insisted that I’d also prefer to have a straight child, though I had to correct him and say that, for myself, it would not matter - I already have a daughter, the light of my world, whose very name is a flower and of peace: Violeta de la Paz, almost 4 years old. I said to him that if my daughter was to approach m e for a talk, with an air of

gravity, and if she was to then tell me she’s gay, I'd say to her, “Whew! And I thought you were going to tell me you're religious!”

The reason typically cited for those who claim to not be homophobic, yet still prefer that their child to be straight, is that it's easier for child-rearing. There's truth to that. Parents of gay children have to deal with their children facing hardships just because of their sexual orientation in addition to the regular hardships of parenting.

Parents may even face some of their own hardships in virtue of being parents of gay children by other parents or other adults. However - and this is what’s important - this is something that society needs to change, not the child. The hardships that parents of gay children and gay children themselves have to face is not of their own doing, but of society's.

In connection with this, there is a myth that Aristophanes in Plato's Symposium gives in praise of Love. There was a time when there were three kinds of humans: ones that were totally male, totally female, or the androgynous kind, half male and half female.

In these times the humans provoked the wrath of Zeus for having attacked the gods and were thus split in half to diminish them in their power by Zeus. Love, for Aristophanes, was the search for one's other half: “And so, when a person meets the half that is his very own, whatever his orientation, whether it's two young men or not, then something wonderful happens: the two are struck from their senses by love, by a sense of belonging to one another, and by desire, and they don't want to be separated from one another, not even for a moment.”

This reflected the Greek ethos of sexuality: it was taken for granted that one's 'other half' might as well be of the same sex. While we must acknowledge that Aristophanes' myth does not address the entire spectrum of sexual orientation nor takes into account gender identity - it shows that society can be different because it has been different.

There was a time when society did not chastise persons for falling in love with one of the same sex; it was acknowledged as a possibility. Whereas in today's society, that one has a preference for straight over gay children is symptomatic of the homophobia with which society is diseased. I, for one, refuse to be diagnosed, and I acknowledge that society needs to be cured of this disease and that the child is healthy, regardless of society's ill condition. Society needs to change. Not the child. Let my daughter turn out to be gay and I'll express my fury at the adversity my daughter faces; at adversity, this disease, not my daughter. Let my child be. You change.

This Week in Opinions Head-to-Head

Obama

Mental Health

Two students debate whether Ontario universities should institute twoyear degrees.

What does electing Obama mean for us back home?

We need to gain more knowledge and be more sensitive.

Pg A8

Pg. A9

Pg. A11

A8 • Opinions

The Silhouette • Thursday, October 4, 2012

MEGHAN BOOTH

VIOLETTA NIKOLSKAYA

Vice President Mac Debate Club

President Mac Debate Club

Should Ontario universities institute two-year degrees?

HEADTOHEAD

M: Consistent with the trend of condensing, abbreviating and corner cutting is the much talked about 2-year degree. For some, it is unfortunate that this type of degree does not exist. Mature students with experience in their field perhaps, but for the majority of us a 2-year degree would gut the very essence of what we gain through the time we spend here. There is a learning curve that cannot be accounted for in a 2-year program. There is an incredible difference between the work we did in high school and the masterpieces that are demanded of us in university. Unless you are flawless to begin with, 2 years doesn’t leave a large margin to change your mind or to make up for lacklustre grades.

a college degree or leave university and pursue a college degree. This is done to gain both the academic and practice-based skills that each institution offers. If this is the case, requiring students to take a three or four year degree is often financially straining. I concede that 2 years is not often enough if the sole degree

V: In Ontario, university tuition is on average $650 per course. That is a considerable amount of money for a the average university age student. There is a wide range of students who benefit greatly from the experiences and academic ventures that their courses offer them in exchange for that great sum of money. However, there is strong evidence suggesting that students often will come into university with

is your pursuit, but we must be cognizant of the students that pursue a university degree with the hopes of combining it with a college degree.

If a student can fast-track through introductory courses and move straight to Level II or III then more power to them.

Why limit their possibilities?

M: Money, money, money: a driving factor for all of us. University is expensive, however log the duration. I posit that if you are going to spend the money, you should take the time to absorb every morsel of intellectual delight you can wrap your grey

matter around. Don’t get me wrong; for the most part no one wants to extend something that doesn’t need to be extended whatsoever. In a truly clichéd way, I am reminded of a lesson my father taught me: there are details that you are able to see and absorb only when you are walking. If we are running through our degrees we are going to miss important details of our field. In short, the quality of our education is compromised when it is condensed into half the time it would normally take to complete one.

V: I think that it is subjective to say what is or is not the ‘normal time’ to complete a degree. There are students who fast-track their Honours degrees and graduate in three years, there are students who are part-time and complete their degrees in seven years, and there are students who feel as though they would benefit from taking only a few courses to enrich their understanding of their current jobs. University is a mosaic of different life pathways that come together for individual purposes. If a student can potentially fast-track through introductory courses and move straight into Level II or III

type courses for a couple of years, then more power to them. More choices allows more catering to students with specific goals. Why limit the possibilities?

M: The piece of paper we receive upon graduating is ornamental in comparison to the connections,

can realize our full potential, pick up some extra curricular activities, build our resumes before entering the workforce and really differentiate ourselves from the rest.

V: I will be 21 and graduating with two degrees; I love this incubator I have called home for what-willsoon-be four years, but I do not think that graduating younger is There are details you necessasarily a detriment. I think are able to see and that graduating young, ambitious absorb only when and open to different work, trade you are walking. or college-based opportunities is If we are running a virtue. Furthermore, it is an asthrough our degrees sumption to think that all students we are going to miss rush into university straight out of important details. high schools. Students who take victory years in secondary schools, take time to work before post-seccommunication skills and resume ondary or even mature students building extras we have the oppor- like you mentioned, would be the tunity to grasp while we are here. If individuals who truly benefit from we shorten this time, in conjunction a 2-year degree. What we must also with our already shortened high recognize is that entering the work school careers we stand to have our force at a younger age seems to be social skills truncated by beginning working well for students who left our careers at the age of well...21? secondary school and continued Ouch. That’s a pretty young age to their education through Tradesstart the rest of your life. Keep us in programs. You are discounting the incubator that is post secondary us young folk a little prematurely, school a little bit longer I say, so we Meghan. Pun intended.

Opinions • A9

Thursday, October 4, 2012 • The Silhouette

Feedback What is your opinion on the American election?

“Obama’s going to win. He’s the only sane one out there.”

Simon Granat, Political Science IV

“I hope our American friends are smarter than us. Don’t elect Romney.”

Katherine Abell, Anthroplogy II

POLITICS

What does he mean for us back home?

Simon Granat The Silhouette

Well, for political junkies, it’s that time of year. We’re now in the midst of the US Presidential election, not to mention another Federal Leadership election.

And as I write this, Obama and Romney are in their dressing rooms, preparing to square off head to head in the first of three US Presidential debates.

If you’re a political junkie like me, this is the equivalent of the Superbowl, only with less common fanfare. And just like the Superbowl, some of us Canadians are obsessed with large scale U.S. spectacles.

Presidential debates deserve attention since in the short span of an hour and a half, this event can seriously affect who will be the commander in chief of the world’s most powerful country. So as Canadians, it’s worthwhile to pay attention and to ask, what’s in it for us?

Barack Obama, the guy everyone knows and most Canadians love, is still the favourite. His economic policies favour “Buy American” and a shift to wean the country off of foreign oil producers. These two poli-

cies could pose as problematic for Canada. By buying American, the already battered Canadian manufacturing sector could see even greater reductions.And while there are numerous other factors at play, and while the U.S. will remain Canada’s trading partner, we need to look no further than Hamilton’s U.S. Steel to see the potential effects on our economy.

Likewise, any policy that affects foreign oil will undoubtedly affect Canada. Our economy is commodity based, and oil represents a large proportion of that sector of our economy. I’m not making a value judgement here, but this election will have an effect on any pipeline decisions the Harper government will make, especially if we ship our oil down south, or out west.

Romney’s election could, I think, prove dire. At the expense of regurgitating the Obama campaign’s messaging, it will lead us back to the old G.W. Bush economic policies that got us into a recession in the first place.

It’s worth noting that Obama still heavily favours private enterprise, and his economic policies could still be considered neoliberal trickle-down economics.

HOMEWORK

“I don’t feel educated to answer that.”

A treatise on procrastination

Michelle Haalstra, Commerce II

We know how you feel. There’s a way.

Abdullah Sheikh The Silhouette

“The entire election’s been diluted to satires.

When are they going to talk issues?”

Olivia Mouriopoulos

Social Science I

“You see more appearances from candidates when there’s an election.

As soon as the votes are cast, they’re nowhere to be found.”

Al Legault, Director of Campus Events

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Getting stuff done: it’s a worthwhile pursuit, albeit a vague one that takes quite a bit of effort to achieve.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step,” said Lao-Tzu over two thousand years ago, and this still applies today. Regardless of the kind of day you’re having, it’s an important decision to sit down and face your responsibilities. Even writing, something I find enjoyable and cathartic, takes a lot of effort to start. Newton’s first law of motion sums this up pretty nicely: “An object not in motion requires an unbalanced force to act on it in order for it to move.”

How does this translate to me and my math homework? Simple. If you aren’t willing or able to put that initial investment into your work and begin, it only becomes harder and harder for you to complete it.

Just like how a class you skip only becomes easier to avoid over time. I guess this is about when you’d thank your mom for forcing you to go to school as a kid, even when you were sick. She wasn’t torturing you; she was only making sure your drive to go to school didn’t peter out.

Okay, so now you’re saying that you get how to start working, but how do you stay working? Well kids, it’s time for an impromptu physics class. So you get that you need an initial ‘push’ to start working, but did you know that it only gets easier as you go? Once you’re already moving, it requires a pretty big setback to stop you from moving, thanks to the very same law.

If we take this one step further, the third law of motion helps us create a pretty elegant solution. It states that any force a body exerts on another is replicated by that affected body and reproduced onto the original. Pretty dry, right? Well, in English all it really means is that any time you do something, something is doing something to you in return. This means that if you get a friend - or friends, you little socialite you - and convince them to work with you and keep you working, you’ll both have that effect on each other. So not only can

you start working, if you involve others you can keep working. It all works out to study groups really, which tend to be more efficient than studying alone.

All those fancy words and sayings can only really help you with that first push though, and that’s the hardest part. I find it difficult to work sometimes. Well always, really, if we’re being honest.

Like I said, even writing can take its toll, and this piece is no different. Writing this piece took effort on my part, and picking up the paper took some on your end, too.

But, the key thing here is that we did it, and we’re better for it. Putting that work in can never fail you, and you’re always better off trying than just idling by.

Or at least, I think so.

JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Opinions • A11

Thursday, October 4, 2012 • The Silhouette

Mental health in this day and age... ... and the stigmatization and victimization that goes with it

JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

There are a lot of mental health problems. This is only a sample, but it’s important to learn them because it helps bolster our social awareness of people afflicted by them.

Udoka Okafor The Silhouette

As some of you know - I hope - this week is mental health awareness week. This is a week where we take some time to recognize mental health.

This is very important because we live in a society where people with mental illnesses are extremely victimized and stigmatized, and this is all cloaked under a blanket of empathy.

Simultaneously, the good and bad side to having a mental illness is that unlike other illnesses, it is not physically visible.

This is good because it is easier to avoid the spotlight of stigmatization/victimization.

It is also equally bad because it raises the question, “How we can help those with mental illnesses if the signs aren’t physically con-

Free

spicuous?” Until we change our views of mental illness, people affected with this illness are going to be closeted and this in turn is going to make it more difficult to help them.

A degrading phrase is “happiness is a choice.” Those words are continually reverberated in my ears and it makes me very angry. This is a phrase that was invented both consciously and subconsciously to trivialize depression. It makes it seem as though people suffering from depression are selectively choosing to be unhappy. It blames those with depression for being depressed. It is statements like this that affect how society views mental illnesses. But also and more importantly, it affects how those with mental illnesses view the world around them. This hostility towards mental ailments is why people remain closeted and it is also why suicide is a

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silent massacre that is taking the lives of people all over the world.

People are always quick to criminalize people who both commit and attempt to commit suicide. But these people are trapped within the void of loneliness that is their minds, the screams within this void constantly weigh them down. Society’s attitude towards mental health forces them to refuse help. They don’t want to get help because they don’t know that it really is okay to not be okay.

People with physiological diseases such as diabetes, cancer, etc. are not stigmatized.

People empathize with them and accept them. But there is a form of tacit disapproval that is accompanied with instability in mental health. People may deny all day long that they actually stigmatize mental illness but the truth is, most of us do.

It is hard for people to battle mental ailment if they can’t go to the doctor about it for fear of being institutionalized and subsequently viewed as a ‘crazy’ person by others.

And don’t say screw what others think because it really is hard to ignore mean comments like that. We can’t talk to our friends about it because we don’t want to be stigmatized by the whole school. At the end of the day, when all else fails, all we truly have is ourselves.

The more we allow people with mental illnesses to exist in their loneliness, to exist in themselves, to perish within that void, the more ‘insanity’ flourishes their mind. All this can change, if we just stop for a moment and try to understand mental health little by little. It might take time, but that’s how change begins - one person at a time, one mind at a time.

KRAFT ACQUIRES BRITISH PE TROLUEM Macaroni baron buys BP for $3.2 mil. F4

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THURSDAY

HAMILTON SPECULATOR OC TOBER 4, 2012

THE

KEEPING OUR COMMUNIT Y SCARED SINCE 1934

ASSAULT ON THE RISE IN DANGEROUS AREAS, IDIOT

STEAKHOLDERS MEETING

Traces of meat found in E.coli reservoir

Police searching for people with common sense

Officials have had enough of this crap already

MERYL BEEP Underpaid Beat Reporter-Bot

PETER PETER “PUMPKIN” EATER THE HAMILTON SPECULATOR

The E.coli sample, seen here, has been irreparably infected by a severe amount of meat.

TIBERIUS SLICK

during the infamous Saskatchewan salami scare, where entire sausages leaked into the E. coli distribution network.

The meat has been traced back to a Manitoban plant, Smoke’s Crude Meatery, where manager and workers alike Scientists across Canada were alarmed last night as the denied any claims of meat leaving the factory floor’s airnationwide inventory of E.coli virus samples was recalled tight security systems.

“There has never been and will never be a case of a due to faint traces of meat being found.

The samples, used primarily for research purposes meat leakage in my company. We proudly maintain a cerand the occasional health assessments in small rural tain level of sirloin and sausage security, and only the abtowns, were deemed by the Filth Purity Assessment Coun- solute wurst meat suppliers would allow their stock into cil (FPAC) to have alarming levels of meat in them, and the unfiltered system,” said Jeremy Dumper, unrelated, therefore were sent back to the E.coli regarding the Meatery’s rigorous safety processing center in Walkerton, Ontario. standards.

There have been seven“There are certain acceptable levels Officials are currently investigating teen reported cases of lab of meat that can be allowed in our samwhether this occurrence might be reanimals not becoming sick ples, as long as they are not detectable peated and are in the midst of reinforcfrom injected doses of the by low-power microscopes. In this case ing meat plant safety protocols. virus. we were finding entire processing plants’ “We are dedicated to beat the meat worth of meat in Alberta samples. We infecting our great nation’s E.coli reMinistry of Unhealth just can’t serve our researchers with that serves, and will not be deterred by shitty Shitty Regulatory Body kind of poor grade E.coli,” said Jeremy safety precautions,” said a spokesperson Dumper, Chief Director of the Council for the Ministry of Health. of E.coli Distribution (CED).

It is unknown at this time when the samples will be There have been seventeen reported cases of lab ani- refined and returned to the researchers, but for the momals not becoming sick from injected doses of the virus. ment citizens can remain calm that there will be no pork This is almost double the uninfection rate seen in 2009 lumps swimming around in their infectious dumps.

Senior Speculator

A series of physical attacks have been reported in the past few days in areas that surprise nobody at all.

Several dumb young adults with no sense of caution or knowledge of local crime were injured in the attacks, leaving several others witness to their irredeemable stupidity.

“I’m honestly disappointed that these stupid kids keep coming back to obviously dangerous place, where their friends have been stabbed not even a week ago,” said Sgt. James MacNab of the local police department.

This wave of attacks comes four days after an equally brutal attack, caught on camera and widely reported, in the same area of town at the exact same time, to a demographically similar group of people.

“I just couldn’t believe that this could happen to me, of all people. My parents pay my taxes, I come to most of my classes and I once dialed 509 to send a dollar to Haiti! This should only happen to bad people,” said one of the victims in the case, recently tested to have ludicrous amounts of alchohol in her system.

The victims from last night’s assault are still in intensive care, though doctors cannot confirm how many of the wounds and brusies are “actually only self-inflicted by falling down face-first in the streets.”

To gain some insight into the issue, frequent assaulter and infrequent golfer Lance Regal chimed in on his motivations for beating up stupid people. “I’ve come to accept my lot in life as a serial fighter. It’s an urge I just have to fill and where better to fill it than this area that is literally famous for having the most deaths per square foot in the entire city,” said Regal. “I’ve even beaten up the same people a couple of times because they wrongly assumed that assault is like lightning and can’t strike you twice. The terms change a bit when you are sticking your tongue into an electric socket.”

Police are mounting a new campaign to discourage impressionable people from venturing into these godforsaken stabzones. The initiative, tentatively called Concerned Police Against Rising Stupidity (CPARS), is gaining momentum as parents of these stupid ‘adults’ are pushing to keep their dumb offspring alive long enough to have offspring of their own.

“I don’t know why my little Johnny would go to a place he got stabbed three more times, but I guess it must just be a generational gap,” said a concerned parent of a seriously unintelligent person.

Officers urge dumb people to stay home but if that is unavoidable, the department encourages you to take all your dumb friends with you to thin the herd.

AT TACKS 2009

2007

2012 Brutal Exceptionally Brutal

MacNab is back! Come back next week to see him take a bark out of crime!

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Shit Hastings gets hands on with the elusive turkey dump.

T.J.’S DOWN UNDERWEAR

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Gallery of bruises on stupid people.

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

PORTS

Thursday, October 4, 2012

5-0

Sports Editors: Brandon Meawasige and Scott Hastie Meeting: Thursdays @ 1:30 p.m.

Contact: sports@thesil.ca

The Marauders spoil Western’s 99th homecoming with their fifth straight win, remaining undefeated

OUA player of the week Kyle Quinlan lines up the offense before one of McMaster’s touchdowns this past Saturday against the Mustangs in London, Ont.

Scott Hastie

Assistant Sports Editor

It was a beautiful day in London, Ont. but the McMaster Marauders found a way to rain on Western University’s 99th Homecoming Party.

Mac, the No.1 ranked football team in the nation, took on the No.6 Mustangs in the biggest CIS game of the weekend.

There were nearly 11,000 people in attendance to watch the football heavyweights battle, but the majority of the crowd would leave the game disappointed as McMaster won this round in the rivalry, 33-27.

The first quarter began slowly, with teams exchanging possessions early, trying to gauge each other’s defence.

The Mustangs would strike first, forcing a safety from McMaster and then following up with a rushing touchdown from the league’s leading rusher, Garrett Sanvido.

But the Marauders would respond with their own scoring drive, putting together an 83-yard drive that was finished off by Kyle Quinlan on a one-yard rush.

In the second quarter, the Marauders would pull away from the home team and quiet the Homecoming crowd.

The Mac defense was sending blitzes early and often against Western QB Donnie Marshall, and after back-to-back sacks, the Mustangs were forced to concede a safety.

LIZ POPE THE SILHOUETTE

Quinlan would march the Mac squad down the field and hit receiver Tyler Loveday on a post route for six points.

The first of two passing touchdowns from Quinlan would give Mac a lead they would keep for the rest of the game. The highlight of the game was a 67-yard rush from Quinlan, who finished the game with 145 rushing yards.

The run would set up McMaster for an easy passing touchdown to Dahlin Brooks.

The second half saw the Marauders score only five points but the defense put together their best half of the season to seal the game.

Western gave up nine sacks to the Mac defense, with Ben D’Aguilar picking up four LIZ POPE THE SILHOUETTE sacks on the day.

Mac receiver Dhalin Brooks caught a touchdown in the first half of play.

Between the pressure from blitzing linebackers and excellent secondary coverage, the Mustang offence struggled to sustain drives throughout the game. Western was held to their lowest rushing game of the 2012 season, finishing with only 130 yards.

Western would put together two scoring drives fourth quarter but ultimately ran out of time.

The Marauders remain undefeated with a 5-0 record.With the season winding down, McMaster has three games left: York, Windsor and Laurier.

Next up are the York Lions on Thursday October 4th, followed by Homecoming 2012 LIZ POPE THE SILHOUETTE against the Windsor Warriors on Oct. 13.

The Marauder pass-rush smothered Western’s offense early and often during the 33-27 win.

BASEBALL

Mac’s playoff hopes still alive A tough week yields a 2-3 result, keeping Mac in contention John Bauer The Silhouette

C/O MCMASTER ATHLETICS & RECREATION

Mac’s Keith Woodcock has been a bright spot as a rookie.

The Marauders baseball team came into the past week with 11 games to go, knowing that it would be the most crucial seven day stretch on their schedule.

They started the week off on Wednesday, playing possibly the most exciting game of the year.

After an eleven-inning marathon, the Marauders emerged 9-8 victors over the University of Waterloo Warriors.

Going into the ninth, the Marauders were down and the game would eventually come down to the last out.

Scenario: Andrew Cochran on first and Jake Chiaravalle at the plate. A wild pitch sent Cochran to second, and

a misplay of Chiaravalle’s hit scored Cochran and gave the Marauders new life.

Cameron Ryerson provided a clutch single to move Chiaravalle into prime scoring position. Chiaravalle then cashed in to tie it.

Courtesy of two Ks by pitcher Tomas Rincon and a key double play, Waterloo would go scoreless in the tenth and eleventh. Cameron Ryerson would again be the hero, providing a walk-off single.

The Maroon would split their weekend set, again against Waterloo, losing 2-0 and winning 5-4 in another extra-inning thriller.

Then the men took on the Toronto Varsity Blues, who no doubt still had their season-opening loss to the Marauders fresh in their mind.

In the first game, Toronto would use the strength of a seven run, second inning explosion to win 11-3.

In the second game, McMaster would outhit the Varsity Blues, but were outmatched by their running game.

Again, a big second inning put the game away early, and Toronto would prevail 7-3.

With the most challenging week behind them, McMaster will conclude the season with the busiest week of the year. They begin with a Tuesday doubleheader at Queen’s, followed by a Wednesday game at Guelph.

For the finale, the Maroon and Grey will play a pair of Friday contests at Western, with the closing act of the regular season at home on Saturday against the first-place Brock Badgers.

B2 • Sports

The Silhouette • Thursday, October 4, 2012

MEN’S SOCCER

Mac dominates weekend matches Scott Hastie

Assistant Sports Editor

Over the weekend, the McMaster men’s soccer team hosted the Brock Badgers, a team looking for revenge after suffering a narrow loss at the hands of the Marauders.

But the Badgers would leave the Mac campus unsatisfied as McMaster gained their 8th win of the season with an impressive 4-0 victory.

The goal scoring would begin in the 25th minute after a header would rebound off of the Brock keeper and Paterson Farrell was in the right place to knock home his 6th goal of the season.

Farrell’s goal would not be the only score of the half for the Marauders.

Ryan Garnett would feed a through ball to Elliot Pecora and the second-year player would beat the Brock keeper to extend the lead to two goals. The Badgers would not challenge Mac’s goalkeeper Angelo Cavalluzzo, failing to register a shot in the first half.

The Maroon and Grey would also dominate the second half, with

the scoring restarting in the 62nd minute.

Forward Mark Reilly would score his 7th of the season after a shot from Garnett from the top of the box rebounded off the hands of the keeper landed at Reilly’s feet.

Farrell would get his 2nd goal of the day in the 67th minute after a through ball set up the third year student for a one-on-one opportunity.

Farrell would make easy work of the opportunity, placing the ball in the low corner to extend McMaster’s lead to four.

Farrell and Reilly are now tied for 3rd place in the OUA scoring race, with 7 goals each.

With the win over Brock, Mac now has 24 points and sits in second place in the OUA West.

The Marauders have stiff competition ahead of them though, with the York Lions atop the table. The Lions also own the No.1 ranking in the country and remain the only squad to beat McMaster this season.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Marauders have two games at Ron Joyce Stadium. Their first game is on Friday, against the Lau-

JEFF TAM THE SILHOUETTE

With seven games left in the OUA season, the Marauders are looking forward to playoff success.

rier Golden Hawks, who sit in 3rd place.

McMaster played Laurier a week ago and produced a strong showing, beating the Hawks 3-0.

With a win, the Marauders would all but secure at least a second place

finish in the OUA West.

On Saturday, McMaster hosts the Waterloo Warriors who’ve only captured one victory through ten games of their 2012 season. The Warriors have struggled to defend this year, giving up 18 goals - 3rd

worst in the OUA. The Mac offense should look to attack early and often to guarantee the result the Marauders need to try to catch the York Lions.

Both games kick-off at 3:15 p.m. at Ron Joyce Stadium.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Women’s squad making noise in OUA Matthew Jordan The Silhouette

The women’s soccer team crushed the Brock Badgers on Saturday with a decisive 4-0 victory at Ron Joyce Stadium resulting from their solid performance on both ends of the field..

A strong game from the McMaster Marauders could not come at a better time for the ladies, as they begin their climb of the OUA East table.

The game was an overall team effort from Mac, starting with the stellar defensive play which gave way to a multitude of chances on the offensive end.

McMaster shared the scoring as well with four different Marauders finding the back of the net.

From the opening kick-off, Mac controlled the pace of play by retaining consistent possession of the ball, which generated a few quality chances in the opening minutes.

After two consecutive corner kicks put Mac in scoring position, forward Alicjia Giftopolous capitalized on her own rebound to put the Marauders on the board in the 30th minute.

Brock was quick to respond with its own scoring effort just seven minutes later, but to no avail as Mac’s keeper would maintain the shutout.

Forward Melissa Giancanterino maneuvered past Mac goalkeeper Jocelyn Wilkins at the top of the penalty box, giving her a wide, open net.

However, just as her shot was about to enter the goal, defender Cristina Leonardelli appeared out of nowhere to make the spectacular stop that kept the Badgers scoreless.

The first half would end 1-0, but the Maroon and Grey came out strong in the second half, netting two goals by defender Sophia Ykema and midfielder Alyssa Fenuta in the 58th and 64th minute, respectively.

The remainder of the game’s regular time was relatively uneventful, although stoppage time proved

quite exciting.

The Badgers almost cracked the goose egg with a quality on-target shot in the 91st minute that was deftly stopped by Brittany Duffey, who played keeper in the second half of the match.

This sound defensive effort resulted in a quick response from Mac forward Stephanie Davis who netted a goal to seal the deal for the Marauders.

This victory comes in the wake of a 0-1 loss to the Laurier Golden Hawks last week.

The girls hope to use the momentum from this big win to redeem themselves.

The squad based out of Water-

Free

loo is one of the best teams in the country, ranked third in the country as of Oct. 2nd.

The Golden Hawks, who are currently undefeated on the season, sit atop the OUA West with 26 points, while the Marauders are in 4th place, tied with York with 17 points.

Following Saturday’s game against Laurier is a matchup against the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday, who are currently near the bottom of the table with 7 points.

Both of these games are taking place at Ron Joyce Stadium and are crucial wins for the Marauders if they want to remain competitive in the second half of the season.

Weekly Shuttle Bus Starting Sept. 26th

Wednesdays 6pm | 6:30pm | 7pm 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 • B3

Thursday, October 4, 2012 • The Silhouette

Jays singing the blues once again Brandon Meawasige Senior Sports Editor

With new additions to the roster, reinvented uniforms and a buzz that hasn’t existed in years, Canada’s baseball team took to the field opening day with a positive attitude. The outlook for the future of the Toronto Blue Jays, on paper, is impressive; there is plenty of talent in the young starting lineup, a farm system loaded with blue chip prospects and a growing fan base all at the disposal of young General Manager Alex Anthopolous’ disposal.

Fast forward to present day, with a record of 72 wins and 89 losses the Jays have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention this season. I would be upset but this year differs in no way from any of the last 19 seasons without playoff baseball north of the border. Not since Joe Carter hit the most iconic home run in team history to win the World series in 1993 have the Jays been in any pennant discussion come the fall.

In 2006, though, the team finished in second amongst the stingy competition in the American league East.

On that note, it is to the Jays credit that they play in the toughest division in all of baseball, if not all of North American major sports.

Since 2001, no team has won the division with any less than 95 regular season victories and no division has required its champion to have such a high winning percentage (.594) during that period of time. That is not to say teams didn’t do better than that - the 2009 New York Yankees won 103 games (.636) and eventually the World Series.

That is not uncommon for the team crowned AL East champion.

The division was founded in 1969, and since its creation the winner has played in the World Series 25 times.

That is pretty a significant separation from the rest of baseball considering there are five other divisions in the mix.

Nonetheless, for the better part of the last 20 years, everyone has been in on the AL East dominance except the Blue Jays.

Mind you, the Baltimore Orioles have officially won the division once, tied for this year’s pennant with the Yankees.

If you have ever spoken to a Jays fan, you will have probably heard a variety of excuses and carefully woven conspiracy theories that make Jesse Ventura look amateur.

To sit and list all of the truly magical explanations I have heard for the drought in Toronto would be the wrong thing to do.

A second hand account, in print for that matter, would simply not do the guy who stands outside gate of the Sky Dome selling programs (and by that he means tickets) any form of justice.

Unfortunately, as this 2012 season comes to a close, most excuses have become dated and considering the enormous hype that surrounded the Blue Birds this year, another October flirtation with the cellar has brought despair to an all time high.

No longer does it work to say that payroll is the issue.

Tampa Bay and Baltimore, both with comparable payrolls to the Jays, have been able to compete in a division that boasts two of the largest pocket books in pro sports.

In addition, to say that the division needs to be aligned for more fair competition is to say Toronto cannot compete in the AL East, since everyone else has seemingly figured it out.

“If we had a healthy roster, blah, blah, blah,” is another classic.

Not to be overly critical, I concede that the Jays had their fair share of injury issues this season and when you lose the best player in baseball, morale can become a concern.

However, the depth of talent on the team makes this year almost more shameful than the rest.

There are no more excuses as to why this team cannot compete to win this division.

After all, it is very defeatist to say that the Jays will never win in the AL East. I am no cynic, but that doesn’t seem to be right around the corner.

This was the year, and after a few long months, I find myself right back to my usual October state: cheering for some National league underdog that has been getting attention from Sports Centre.

Maybe the Toronto Blue Jays will find their way to compete and even win the AL East. Maybe they won’t. But I think there is no other place for the team to be.

The road to glory heads through the division and to find an easier road would do the team no favors.

One thing can, however, be taken away from this 2012 season: the Jays did better than the Red Sox. Thank you, Bobby Valentine.

Brett Lawrie, Third Base

THREE DOWNS Scott Hastie

Assistant Sports Editor

1

The axe fell in Ottawa. The Gee-Gees are now without a head coach after firing Gary Etcheverry, as talked about in “Three Downs” last week. It’ll be interesting to watch the Ottawa squad play free from the dysfunctional offense put in place by Etcheverry and how the players will respond to being heard by the athletic department. Watch out for a serious turn around from the Gee-Gees to attempt to salvage their disappointing season.

It was an incredibly tough day for fans of Western University football on Monday, as QB Donnie Marshall was reported to have re-injured a surgically repaired ankle. The fifth-year Mustang quarterback is facing a CIScareer ending injury, a bitter-sweet ending for a player who was looking to end his career on a winning note. But the bad news doesn’t stop there: Marshall’s back-up, Will Finch, had an emergency appendectomy and has been ruled out for the Mustang’s game against the Guelph Gryphons. Could the mighty Western be 3-3 at the end of Week 6?

3

2

Shoutout to the McMaster Marauders and their phenomenal promotional Gangnam Style video for Mac athletics. It’s time for the student population at McMaster to realize the amazing calibre of athletes at this school, not only because of their athletic skill, but also their charisma. A lot of the games are free and the more support at the games, the more fun it will be both athletes and fans. With basketball and volleyball season beginning soon, 2012 will hopefully be the year that the Maroon and Grey pack Burridge Gym on a weekly basis.

SCOREBOARD FOOTBALL VS WESTERN

MUSTANGS

27

33

MARAUDERS

WOMEN’S RUGBY @ BROCK

34

BADGERS

12

MARAUDERS

MEN’S SOCCER VS BROCK

4

BADGERS

0

MARAUDERS

WOMEN’S SOCCER VS BROCK

4

BADGERS

0

MARAUDERS

MEN’S LACROSSE VS TORONTO

VARSITY BLUES

7

14

MARAUDERS

WOMEN’S LACROSSE @ WESTERN

MUSTANGS

16

3

MARAUDERS

URNAROUND Rohan Boney - Basketball - Forward @rohboney: Our video made Ball is Life lol #GangnamStyle Shane Beaton - Football - Linebacker @SB13xo: Feelin pretty good that I’m almost 23 cuz my body feels like 73...#footballproblems Amanda Weldon - Volleyball - Setter @WeldonAmanda: All I want to do right now is practice..

Photo of the week

LIZ POPE THE SILHOUETTE

Bradley Fochesato stands strong against Western.

Sports • B5

Thursday, October 4, 2012 • The Silhouette MEN’S RUGBY

Mac battles to a winning record Maggie Cogger-Orr The Silhouette

After pulling their record to .500, last weekend would see the men’s rugby team play under the lights against the Laurier Golden Hawks to try making it three wins in a row.

Laurier came out flying, eager to excite in front of the homecoming crowd. The Marauders met their tone with some tough defence in the opening minutes. The rolling maul continued to be a dominating force for the Marauders, and they would use it to work their way into the Laurier end.

Craig Leveridge had several big tackles for the Marauders, which would help to stem the momentum of the Golden Hawks. A McMaster scrum which would see new fly half Joey Ross put a flying Davor Stojanov through a gap. Stojanov would break multiple Laurier would-be tackles on his way to scoring 50 metres later to set the score to 7-0.

The Marauders would charge right back down to the red zone, and after some hard work by the forwards, a sly miss pass by Ross would see Leveridge go in untouched for their second try of the game. It would be converted by his little brother, rookie winger Jamie Leveridge, to increase the lead to 14-0.

The forwards then found their chance at the scoreboard. After a kick for touch from a penalty put the lineout within ten metres of the Laurier goal line, the McMaster pack went into autopilot.

Using the rolling maul that has been the undoing of their last few opponents, they would push into the in goal where Cam Stones

would be the lucky man to fall down and be awarded the try. The younger Leveridge would slot an extremely difficult kick from the left sideline to increase the score line to 21-0.

Perhaps the onslaught of scoring went to the head of the Marauders, because a few poor passes would lead to Laurier having several scrums in the McMaster red zone.

Some excellent scrum defence, led by rookie open side Max Catterson, would put the Maroon back on offence. Some effective phases of ball movement would only be stymied by a disturbing trend of handling errors in later phases.

The last 20 minutes of the half would be frustrating for the Marauders, who could not seem to finish their attacks.

This particular variation of the back line had no game experience working together, but never the less, ball handling seemed to be the bigger issue than line running or communication.

The second half would start in much the way the first half ended with the Marauders getting sustained offensive pressure, but then a mistimed pass led to an 80-metres break by the Laurier inside centre.

Some hard tracking work by wingers Mackenzie Chown and Leveridge would allow McMaster to relieve the pressure.

The scoring stalemate continued for the first 20 minutes of the second half. McMaster would clear the bench, hoping some fresh legs would be the solution to their knock-on woes. Laurier found their stride as the game wore on and spent several consecutive minutes inside the Marauder 5-metre. Although the Marauders defended

PHOTO C/O ATHLETICS AND REC.

First-year player Graham Dobbs has contributed in a big way to the Marauders’ season so far.

valiantly, eventually the Golden Hawks pressure were too much, and lock Andrew Thomas would score Laurier’s first try of the game, and of the 2012 season. The score was at 21-7 after the ensuing convert.

Some effective phase play kicking from Ross saw the Laurier winger cough up a kick inside their 22-metre line and give the Marauders an attacking scrum a chance to add onto their lead. After several consecutive phases of hard forward running, Ross would capitalize as he

split the defence to restore the difference to 21 points following the older Leveridge adding on the extra two.

In the dying minutes of the game, a misplaced kick by Laurier fell into the hands of rookie fullback Richard Ormrod, who offloaded to veteran Mike Paris.

After Paris beat several Golden Hawks around the sideline, Ormrod would be rewarded for his support and receive an easy pop behind the last defend to score his first try in

maroon.

Some penalty trouble in the final plays would see the Marauders pinned deep inside their 22-metre line.

They unable to relieve that pressure, and Laurier put up their second try of the day to end the game with a score of 35-12.

Now over .500 for the first time this season, the Marauders will take on the University of Toronto Varsity Blues at home before enjoying their Thanksgiving weekend.

Meet a Marauder

Earn While You Learn

PHOTO C/O ATHLETICS AND REC.

In her fourth year, Maggie Cogger-Orr is a veteran player on a young team, who leads by example.

Brandon Meawasige

injuries and committing their entire body to the program.

Silhouette Sports had the opportunity to talk to Maggie Cogger-Orr, a fourth-year student who plays fly half and captains the McMaster women’s rugby team.

BM: As a senior what is it like knowing that it could be your last season?

Senior Sports Editor

Brandon Meawasige: How have you guys handled the pressures of coming off of a CIS playoff season?

Earn your MBA while gaining valuable work experience with the DeGroote School of Business Co-op MBA program – Canada’s Premier Co-op MBA. To learn more, come visit us at your Graduate School Fair on October 16 and 17, 2012.

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Maggie Cogger-Orr: I think we’ve handled the pressures of coming off of a CIS season fairly well. We only have 13 returning players from last year’s roster so its been a transition year but we’re fortunate to have had a lot of rookies really step up in their starting positions for us.

BM: How has your team responded to the injury issues?

MCO: Our team has responded to a multitude of injury issues by having some of our younger players step up and fill the gaps that have been left. We have a lot of players playing through

MCO: As a senior it’s an odd sense of finality that this could be my last year in maroon. It’s cliché but it really does go by faster than you can imagine and I’d love to end my career here with another medal.

BM: What music do you play before the game?

MCO: Team music before the game isn’t really anything in particular, lots of country mixed in there though which is a nice change.

BM: Who’s your team’s biggest rival?

MCO: I’d say our biggest rival in the past few years has been Queen’s. The past two years the games were decided by only one point and we always get up for the Gaels because we com-

pete for top spot in our division.

BM: Where is the toughest place to play in the OUA? MCO: Toughest place is probably Trent.

The long drive there and the fact that kick off is 7 p.m. on a Friday so they draw a big crowd always makes it a challenge BM: What do you guys need to work on?

MCO: We need to work on our team defence and working together as a unit to being physically dominant around the breakdown and in open play.

BM: What have you guys been doing well?

MCO: Our team has proven several times that we deal with pressure very well; we’ve been in some very close games and we are fortunate that we are a team that can keep our heads on and get the job done.

B6 • Sports

The Silhouette • Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Western Experience

LIZ POPE THE SILHOUETTE

A trip to London, Ont. for Western’s 99th Homecoming celebration debunked some of the myths about Ontario’s most hated university.

Scott Hastie

Assistant Sports Editor

There’s a mystique about Western University. The hate thrown at Western is incomparable to any other university in Ontario, and possibly for good reason.

Chances are you’ve had an interaction with a Mustang, Western’s mascot, and those interactions probably were not very positive.

The London, Ont. university has gained a reputation for being cocky or snobby and there are certainly people who love going to Western for that very reason.

But is the school really that bad? I travelled to Western University to cover their Homecoming football match-up against the McMaster Marauders and I discovered that in reality, Western is not that much different than us.

My adventure on the campus began with a walk from a friend’s house through Western’s student housing area.

I knew the Western Homecoming parties would be something to experience, so I headed out early to soak in all the festivities.

Now, I am a huge Marauders fan, but I’m also supposed to be non-partisan while covering Mac athletics, so wearing Maroon and

Grey is rather unprofessional.

And I’m not an idiot.

Wearing Mac colours would probably have only ended badly for me, so I chose to wear a black sweater.

I still stuck out in the sea of purple and white, but Western students only chastised me two times through my 20-minute walk, which was a pleasant surprise.

The stroll through the student housing area was not what I expected. It looked like a typical Homecoming event; lots of drinking, school spirit, and police cars.

By eleven o’clock, a good number of the students were pretty far into their drinks, evidenced by the red cups littered across every lawn and the near fights breaking out on the sidewalk.

I expected more from Western.

As a school that was listed by Playboy Magazine as one of the top-10 party schools in North America, I thought there was going to be more of a spectacle from the Western student population, but McMaster offers the same Homecoming experience.

My first goal while arriving on campus was to find the real on-campus celebration but for whatever reason, there was no central party hosted by Western University.

There were speaker systems set up throughout the property, whether it was in front of their student centre or other parking lots littered throughout the spacious campus. It was difficult to get a vibe about how Mustangs celebrated their school, other than with dancing and day drinking.

I headed down to the football stadium to check out the facilities and get my credentials for the game and the atmosphere at the stadium amazed me. The grandstands at TD Waterhouse Stadium are unlike anything I’ve seen at a Canadian university.

After receiving my media pass, I took a walk through the main building at the stadium.

Walking through the hallways of the building, it’s easy to notice a much richer football history. The walls are lined with pictures, new and old, of former Mustangs donning Canadian Football League jerseys, or even in some cases, jerseys from the National Football League.

But football was not the only sport that gained the attention from the school and their alumni.

Before the kick-off, Western University inducted new members into the Mustang Hall of Fame and many of the alumni in the area stopped what they were doing to try

and catch who was being honoured.

They threw names of track athletes, swimmers and other sports around the way McMaster talks about Kyle Quinlan.

Hearing the names of athletes in rather B-list sports be thrown spoke to the pride Western instils in its students, both past and present.

As the game was about to begin, the buzz in TD Waterhouse Stadium was electric, with an official attendance of 10,900 ready to watch two CIS heavyweights battle.

It was easy to see that Western fans believed they would see their Mustangs defeat the No.1 team in Canada, and early on in the game, it looked like a realistic possibility.

When the Mustangs were winning, the only way to describe the atmosphere was NCAA-like. The line for the beer garden looked like it went on for miles, and it was hard to find someone who was not holding either a concession or a new piece of clothing from the Mustang fan wear tent.

But as the Marauders took control, the fan support wavered.

The Western cheerleading squad gave their best effort to keep the fans into it, but the Marauders took the crowd out of the game with a number of deflating plays throughout the second quarter.

Although the game was a shellacking from the Marauders, the Western Mustang crowd did not waver.

Despite some of the pictures flying around Twitter and Facebook, McMaster did not out number the Western crowd. In the fourth quarter, some of the Western students left their seats, realizing the game was out of reach for the home team.

The journey home was easily the best part of the day. Watching the purple and white fans leave the stadium with their heads held low at their own Homecoming is one of the best feelings an OUA fan can have.

But I left the campus with a better sense of what Western students are really like. Yes, some of them are cocky and arrogant, but McMaster has those students too.

Are we really that different? I think McMaster students would like to think so. But I’m sceptical. I’ve got a newfound respect for those London, Ont. students. Western has tremendous support for their athletics programs, both before and after their time as a student.

I’m sure the “Wuck Festern” saying will live on forever, but all I’m saying is go to Western, and see what it’s like there. You might think twice.

This weekend in Mac sports ONLINE THIS WEEK Football @ York University 7 p.m.

Men’s Volleyball vs Western University 8 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball Thanksgiving Classic Weekend-long tournament

THURSDAY

Soccer vs Wilfred Laurier University 1 p.m. (Women) 3:15 p.m. (Men) Rugby vs University of Toronto 1 p.m. (Women) 3 p.m. (Men) Baseball @ Western University 3:30 p.m.

Men’s Volleyball vs. University of Waterloo 8 p.m.

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Soccer vs University of Waterloo 1 p.m. (Women) 3:15 p.m. (Men) Baseball vs Brock University 3 p.m.

The No.1 ranked McMaster Marauders are taking their football talents east, to face-off against the York Lions on Thursday. Check out our website for a game report.

McMaster’s men’s volleyball team starts gearing up for their season on Thursday night. Sil Sports will be there to cover the game and you can get the scoop via web after the match.

Read more at www.thesil.ca.

LIZ POPE THE SILHOUETTE

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OUT

Thursday, October 4, 2012 InsideOut Editors: Sam Godfrey and Amanda Watkins Meeting: Thursdays @ 4:30 p.m.

Contact: insideout@thesil.ca

C/O COPE

Paulina Prazmo The Silhouette

MAD STUDENT SOCIETY

“Stomp out Stigma,” “Move for Mental Health” and “SOS Rally” are some phrases you might be hearing and seeing around campus this week. Mental Illness Awareness Week, running Sept 30 to Oct 4, is the reason why.

Whether it’s a topic that you have personally dealt with, something you have helped a friend go through or simply a topic you are genuinely interested in, mental illness is something that quietly surrounds us every day, and this week we’re talking about it.

What if you’re the type of person that can recognize that something is wrong in your life but feels anxious just thinking about it? You can’t figure out if it is in fact a mental illness, let alone take action, if you can’t think about it. Depression? Anxiety? Multiple Personality Disorder? Bipolar Disorder? Just a few terms that might have been creeping around the back of your mind.

During our interview, Mariette Lee, president of COPE McMaster, and Debra Earl, the Mental Health Team nurse at the Student Wellness Centre, set the record straight about mental health and mental illness. Further still, they provide information about what “getting help” and “stomping out the stigma” really consist of.

COPE, Community Parent Education Services, is a student mental health initiative club focused on awareness of mental illnesses.

Lee begins by saying that the top mental illnesses experienced by university students are depression, anxiety and academic stress.

Though these mental illnesses can flare up in university, one in ten Canadians will experience an episode of major depressive disorder, according to a 2009 study by the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatment.

Earl gave some 2011 statistics - straight from McMaster students - saying that 40 per cent of Mac students experience depression, 30 per cent experience anxiety and 30 per cent experience other diagnosable mental illnesses.

The most common symptoms of mental illnesses begin with “withdrawing and isolating from activities, friends and struggling with emotions,” said Mariette Lee. “If I see someone I know from COPE or from class, and suddenly I don’t see them for a while, that would start to worry me about the possibility of them going through a hard time,” she added.

Another important gradual symptom to look out for has to do with sleeping patterns.

“You might be sleeping less because you’re lying awake and worrying, or you may be sleeping more because that’s how you are dealing with the parts of your body getting tired and you lose energy staying in bed all day,” said Debra Earl. Eating patterns might also be affected: “Usually people lose their appetite, but sometimes people find that they eat more because they find comfort in food; it gives them something to do,” Earl said.

A big and very important symptom for students is when they experience a loss of interest in academic life. Earl explained, “A student might not be performing as well as they want to be. They might have just failed their first exam, or they didn’t bother doing their

first assignment. It bothers them, but at the same time they don’t really care. They lost that caring factor.”

That scenario is a very common indicator that something is definitely wrong. Students suffering from a mental illness typically do not notice the changes because they are gradual. “They try to blame it on another reason as to why they are feeling they way they are. We need students to be aware of what the signs and symptoms are so they can recognize it and know when to seek help before falling apart,” Earl continued.

The Student Wellness Centre, along with other professional services here at McMaster, has both counselling and medical services.

This is one of many resources that students may go to and receive help on campus. Student groups, online communities, specialized books and other off-campus services are also readily available.

“Unfortunately it’s usually the stigma of coming in and asking for a mental health appointment that stops students from coming in for that first appointment,” said Earl.

The way mental health and mental illness are perceived can make it hard for someone to reach out. Even if you are a person that is not necessarily suffering from a mental health illness, there are things you can do to help those around you.

“What we can do socially, starting from the littlest things, can help with another person’s mental health. I wish more students, faculty members and staff at McMaster [would] be more aware and more cautious of the social and educational spaces that they occupy

because they are not the only ones in it. We also share a space with people who are living with mental illnesses and you might not even be aware of it,” Lee said.

For many students living with a mental illness, it takes weeks, months or even years to finally open up to a person about how they have been feeling. They become masters at hiding their struggles and have a hard time making any steps to becoming healthier. Earl said, “I think ignorance creates stigma. We need to break down the stigma and educate people about mental illness. People need to be asking ‘how do I know myself if I have a mental illness?’ ‘When do I go for help?’ ‘How do I go for help?’ Those are the questions people need to be asking themselves.” She also stated that 20-25 per cent people will be affected by mental illness.

Awareness about this severe prevalence, as well as available help to those in need, is not as widely advertised as it should be. Earl added, “The campaign [Stomp Our Stigma] is about the elephant in the room. Mental illness is in the room, but we don’t talk about it. It’s a large proportion; 25 per cent of people suffering is a big percentage. If you think about 25 per cent of people having cancer it would be outrageous. We don’t have that same kind of outrage about mental illness.”

So take the time to really move for your mental health. Take the time to stomp out depression, anxiety and mood disorders. Take the time to learn the 101 of mental health.

And most importantly, take the time to realize that you are not alone, not as a sufferer, and not as a supporter.

HOW WELL DO YOU UNDERSTAND MENTAL ILLNESS? Erin Rooney The Silhouette

We’re almost a month into the Fall term now and as the days get ever colder and midterms seem to have crept out of nowhere taking us by surprise, it’s not uncommon to hear people around campus moaning about the ‘crazy’ amount of work they have or dramatically claiming it’s going to give them a ‘mental breakdown.’ We’re probably all guilty of making statements like this at one time or another and whilst we might not mean anything by them, our use of language in this way makes light of the manner in which our society relates to issues surrounding mental health.

Seemingly throwaway comments like these show how language is a part of our society’s often discriminatory attitude towards mental illness; a part that we’re not necessarily aware of but that can reinforce the stigma attached to mental illness nonetheless.

Alisa, a McMaster student and active member of the Mad Student Society for the past three years, described the significance of everyday language to perceptions of mental health. “Negativity is very embedded in our culture in regards to disability. That’s how the

media talks about it, using words with frightening, scary or bad connotations.

Through this, mental illness is treated differently to other forms of discrimination such as racism and sexism which are less socially acceptable,” she said. As a member of MSS, Alisa is part of a society that tries to explore these labels attached to mental illness and reclaims some of them for self-identification. Members might refer to themselves using a wide variety of names from ex-patients to psychiatric survivors, some calling themselves crazy or along with the society’s name, ‘mad.’ “In our community, people use a whole variety of terms around disability and mental health issues that we may choose to use or reject but by reclaiming words like mad, nuts and crazy we can give them a more positive usage,” explained Alisa. In this way words that were once used to insult can be used to celebrate differences instead of stigmatising them.

Language reclamation is just one side of MSS’s far reaching mandate. Set up in 2005, Mad Student Society offers an alternative support community to the counselling or therapeutic services commonly offered by universities and schools, for students with any experi-

ence of the mental health system. Instead MSS is based around the idea of the peer support group. Peer support is different from typical group therapy in that it has no involvement from mental health professionals or organisations. It is purely a space for members to support each other and discuss their experiences away from the medical sphere of things.

Elizabeth Carvalho, another active MSS member, said “peer support has much more of an emphasis on equality and united mutual support. It creates a community of people with similar concerns and interests where friendships develop. It’s actually quite a radical idea!” As well as helping students navigate their way through higher education, MSS tries to help students gain self-advocacy and provides them with alternative pathways to access their rights outside of the mainstream medical systems usually favoured by university administrations.

With as many as 1 in 5 Canadians experiencing mental health issues throughout their lives, the highest majority of these being teenagers and young adults aged between 15 and 24, it is clear that adequate support and understanding in schools and univer-

sities is hugely important. By offering an alternative to the more formalised medical support of universities Mad Students Society has created a community that helps protect the rights of members in higher education, and an environment where positive mutual support is encouraged.

MSS runs monthly formal support meetings in 3 cities with Hamilton’s group getting together on the 4th Thursday of every month at varying locations. As well as this, more informal continual support is available through MSS’s online forum listserv where members can communicate further about their experiences and organise events. For more information about MSS contact Elizabeth or Alisa through the MSS Facebook page on Facebook or see their website madstudentsociety. com

SEE B9

for more on mental health awareness

B8 • InsideOut

The Silhouette • Thursday, October 4, 2012

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InsideOut • B9

Thursday, October 4, 2012 • The Silhouette

Is mental illness misrepresented in the media?

Ronald Leung The Silhouette

What’s the first thought that pops into your mind when someone mentions “mental illness”? A balding creature cackling to himself about his precious, an eerily-calm psychiatrist with a cannibalistic streak, or leather-faced chainsaw-wielding inbreds?

These images come from the media that surrounds us and, as unfortunate as this result, is where we get most of our perceptions – quite often subconsciously.

We see something on our screen or in our pages and it marinates in our mind before it becomes a part of what we see and how we think. It’s not surprising that media portrayals of mental illness are not only false but also excessively negative. It’s difficult not to whip up the drama and details of the most gruesome murder of the year – that’s how you get more viewership.

What’s worse is that news stories rarely ever contain the opinion of a person with a mental illness. It’s often only law enforcement or a health professional speaking on behalf of them, which leads to the perception that people with mental illness are unable of developing opinions or speaking on their own behalf.

Mental illness is often used as a weapon in the entertainment industry. It’s quite sad that a true and devastating sickness can be battered and manipulated into becoming not only a social stigma, but a grotesque or villainous character. A recent study showed that 72.1% of adult characters on television who were depicted as mentally ill, injured or killed others. In general, characters that were mentally ill were 10 times more violent than their co-stars. It’s not surprising that the reality is completely different. The majority of crime, about 95-97%, is committed by people with no mental illness. This huge difference between fiction and fact is feeding the negative rap that mental illness receives.

Not only is the problem located in the frequency that mental illness is displayed in the media, but also the method of portrayal. The most common stereotypical depictions of people with mental illnesses are rebellious free spirit, violent seductress, narcissistic parasite, mad scientist, sly manipulator, helpless/depressed female and comedic relief. The problem here is that these characters often have no identity outside of their “crazy” behavior – their mental illness becomes their one and only label. It becomes the point where the mental illness is the character’s main personality traits and the illness is the only way that character can be possibly defined.

There is also the tendency to automatically associate mental illness with simple-mindedness. In

prime-time TV drama, more than 43% of mentally ill characters did not understand everyday adult roles and were often portrayed as lost and confused. These characters also spoke in very simple terms and grammar, and were also often shown to be helpless and dishevelled. Almost always they were poor and homeless in addition to being held by police for crimes that had little understanding or remembrance about.

The reality is that mental illness can strike anywhere and anyone – whether you are a student, professional, or retiree. However, the media depicts mental illness as something separate from general society. People who are mentally ill are often shown to be unemployed without family, friends or unrelated personal history. Mental illness does not discriminate against class, age, or popularity.

The continued depiction of people with mental illnesses as separate from general society is just a continuation in describing them as almost subhuman. The fact that homelessness is commonly associated with mental illness perpetuates the impression that people with mental illness are dependent on others or that mental illness causes homelessness, especially since a discussion of the broader systemic issues that lead to homelessness is lacking.

This view contributes to the picture that individuals with a psychiatric diagnosis are incapable of being productive members of society.

Not only is the perception of individuals who are mentally ill warped and twisted but the depiction of treatments and patient facilities is also often untrue. How many movies have you seen with the cold empty asylums filled with screaming patients and nurses wearing white starch-stiff uniforms? The inaccurate and unflattering stereotypes of the psychiatric profession misinforms the public and undermines the credibility of mental health care practitioners. In the media, mental health professionals were often show to be neurotic, ineffectual, mentally ill themselves, comically inept, self-absorbed, drug-addicted, foolish or outright idiotic.

These portrayals reinforce the idea that helping others requires little skill or expertise. It’s not surprising that less than 33% of mentally ill patients in Canada seek professional health – depictions of mentally health practitioners as exploitative and mentally unstable do irreparable harm to people who are already hesitant to seek treatment.

Mental illness is not a violent death sentence, nor is it an outlier that only occurs to the homeless and people on the fringe of society. It is a common occurrence that is nothing to be ashamed of – despite what the media thinks. Ignoring the elephant in the room will not make it go away. Only by admitting to it will any true change happen.

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

“The Ontario government has abandoned its commitment to a poverty strategy” The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction discusses homelessness in the steel city Zara Lewis

The charity has since been in contact with Hamilton City Council to look at a day of action in order to speak out to provincial politicians.

The Silhouette Closely linked to the issue of homelessness are the mental health issues that often affect a It seems to be that on every block you turn there is one homeless person after the next, each large proportion of individuals who are homeless. Research from the Canadian Journal of Pubwaiting to be given that extra dollar from passersby. And at night, store entrances turn into a lic health in 2005 found that 6 per cent of the homeless in Toronto have schizophrenia, and a place to sleep for the homeless. further 20-40 per cent have affective disorders such as kleptomania, major depressive disorder Recently the Ontario government has revealed that they will be modifying the funding and impulse control disorders, amongst others. designated to social services. These changes will result in less money being given to programs In addition to this, Toronto’s Pathways into Homelessness Project found that 29 per cent set up around Hamilton that aim to tackle the issue of homelessness. of shelter users met the criteria for having anti-social personality disorders.

The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction is one organization which aims to adEvidently, the issue of homelessness is a very pressing problem, and here at McMaster dress the unacceptable levUniversity the problem els of poverty experienced hasn’t gone unnoticed. in Hamilton. Tom Cooper, DeGroote Impact is a In 2007 the figure of stood between Director of the organizastudent-run initiative, now with a further 1.7 million residents struggling to afford their homes. tion, is unhappy with the in its fifth year, and works recent funding changes. He to support the Good ShepAccording to a report carried out in January 2012 by Hamilton Urban Core Community Health said, “We are very discourherd Youth Shelter. aged that the Ontario gov“5 Days for the HomeCentre, statistics have shown that ernment has abandoned its less” is one of the biggest rates amongst the cities in Ontario with 23 per cent of the population, translating to more than commitment to a poverty events DeGroote Impact strategy and are not proputs on in which students tecting the most vulnerable live outside the student residents of our commucentre for the week to raise nity.” awareness about what the In response to the changes The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction already has public can do to help the homeless. They also run bake sales and talent shows. This year is plans underway to combat this new set back: “we are working all hands on deck to change the no exception and DeGroote is hoping to launch the best campaign they have had so far, and provincial governments minds as it is so detrimental to the community,” Cooper said. spread the message further than the year before.

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Self- help: A literary adventure Miranda Babbit The Silhouette

The very name “self-help” can evoke two meanings. One: Empowerment and a vision of you, cape billowing gloriously in the wind, triumphantly standing on a mountain, beaming out at this world that you’ve so thoroughly conquered. Two: a rather sorry sight of you cowering underneath a table of books, each one screaming out, “No, I can help you!” “No, me!” “Pick me, I was on Oprah!”

Now quite frankly, the second image may be a little more familiar, even if you don’t necessarily hide underneath the table (because if do, yes, you really do need help). Some people swear by self-help books, others scoff at the idea alone. Do they really have the miraculous power to change your life in just a few hours of reading?

As a whole, self-help books are an empire that have sold millions, if not billions, to those who are struggling with insecurities, problems and areas in need of improvement.

It is these very qualities that publishers capitalize on. Any person who has wandered into the self-help aisle will inevitably be feeling a little lost, a little insecure. The more lost and insecure they are, the easier it can be for other problems that they hadn’t even considered to suddenly become a life or death situation that they need immediate help on.

Now there isn’t simply one book to dutifully rest on your bedside table, but a pile of five others! All with problems you never even realized you had!

Self-help books don’t necessarily ensure ultimate privacy either, which they are so often hailed for. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want “Am I Secretly Bipolar?” or “I Don’t Want to Admit I’m a Cat Lady” or “I’m A Narcissist, Love Me for Who I Am!” casually lounging on my coffee table for any stray eyes of house guests to peruse.

And it seems obvious, but anyone who is stressed out enough to pick up a book on self-therapy isn’t in a proper state to be diagnosing themselves with disorders anyway. It’s

more as if they have walked half way down the path to legitimate help, and stopped to pick up the brochure by the wacky, waving, inflatable tube-man instead, who just looked so damn convincing in his abilities. Cue the author nonchalantly leaning against a wall, perhaps a beret atop his balding head, and that smile that just announces to the world, “Me? Having it all together? Oh you.”

Now, even though I have often said that Google knows more about me than anyone else, typing a confession into this search engine certainly isn’t the same as allowing your insecurity to escape the confines of your own mind and into the hands of another who can help instead. A phone call, email, quick note, or a private conversation between you and a therapist or trusted friend will release insurmountable amounts of satisfaction that the words on a page don’t necessarily ensure.

When it comes down to it, Google doesn’t have a heartbeat, and neither does a book. If you’ve spent hours crying into its pages, I’m sorry to tell you, it simply doesn’t care. Cruel

when I put it that way, eh? But for some, that’s exactly the kind of help they need.

Facts on a page, testimonials in margins, instructions on how to overcome their difficulties on their own. For all the flack we give self-help, they’ve got something – other than the praises of Oprah – to offer.

JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

B10 • InsideOut

The Silhouette • Thursday, October 4, 2012 ELECTRONICS

RANT OF THE WEEK

Dear cold season . . .

Ronald Leung The Silhouette

Dear Cold Season, I sit in my 8:30 a.m. lecture, still fighting my eyelids despite the mountain of caffeine pumping into my brain. Nothing punctures the soft hum of my professor’s voice as it drifts across – oh wait, what was that I heard?

And then again. And again. It pops up around the room in an almost random order; a mundane sound, but one that truly heralds a great change. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the winter cough is slowly but surely squirming into, and out of, our throats.

But wait – doesn’t the sight of leaves falling peacefully and the bright crisp mornings prophesize a time of frolicking through snow, vacations and gifts? Not necessarily. What about the frosted cheeks and toes? The chattering teeth playing percussion to the slip slop of slush growing in the entrances of buildings… I can almost hear it now.

But what about snow, that’s fun right?

The white fluff is a trigger for nostalgia, bringing back many fond childhood memories of sledd i n g , snowm e n and the familiar

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Assistant Photo Editor

sphere of semi-solid water exploding on my sister’s tuque. It also brings slippery surfaces when it freezes so beware all you drivers – you better have been paying attention during drivers’ ed. But even then, long delays and detours await the bus-rider as everyone collectively tries to navigate the ice covered highways and streets. No more outdoor football or soccer on rich rolling rugs of green grass while the sun radiates warmly – good luck trying to run through five feet of snow. Get ready to strap on your collection of heavy parkas, gloves, scarves, hats and boots. Also, have fun putting all that on and taking all that off after walking five minutes to class.

If you live in a house, make sure your shovel is up and ready to go to battle with the waist-high white blankets that carpet your driveway overnight. While you’re slowly transforming to a human popsicle in negative 20 - oh wait it’s actually negative 40 with wind chill - you can think of the warm smooth beaches with clear blue waves lapping the shore in Hawaii. Perhaps that’ll warm you up. Whether or not you are a fan of the sun setting at 4 p.m., bitterly cold weather, or a labyrinth of snow and ice (arriving at a sidewalk near you) there’s no doubt that the cold season is approaching.

Trading out Kleenex for toilet paper, dedicating one mitten as the snot-mitten, wondering if Fortino’s sells gallon-jugs of VapoRub… There is nothing quite so pictureperfect.

We’ll make it.

As with our coughs, we’ll hack it.

Yours, but only for a little, The Sickly

The amount of time the average iPhone user spends swiping at their screen is enough to make most people cringe (if the price tag hadn’t already). For those of you who still want that palm-sized window to a shiny Apple world, hope (and time) is not lost. Despite how distracting the iPhone may be most of the time, it has the potential to be an invaluable productivity tool. With midterms and term projects looming on the horizon, it’s important to get into good habits early.

At the end of the day, you’ll probably still be flinging irate, winged creatures across those magical 960x640 pixels, but with these apps you at least have a shot of making up for that lost time. Without further ado, here are five of the best iPhone applications for getting past all those due dates with grace. the per cent distribution of see your events in multiple your marks as provided on ways (list, day, week, agenda, your course outlines and it month, mini month, year calculates your course and views). Integrated gestures, overall GPA for you. copy/paste, custom reoc-

30/30 - Free

Wunderlist - Free

This app will completely revolutionize the way you get things done. For both new and seasoned GTD gurus, this one is a must-have.

The idea behind this app stems from the fact that our brains can only concentrate completely in short bursts of 20-30 minutes at a time. The currence, zoom features, general gist of it is this: you colour-coding and the fact work for 30 minutes, focused that it syncs with most other calendars makes this the ultimate day-planning application to have.

There is nothing more intrinsic to productivity than list-making. List-making applications available for the iPhone range from elegantly simple to incredibly complex.

With Wunderlist, lists and tasks are synched to the Internet, making them easily accessible from any computer, tablet or smartphone.

Changes to any one of your devices synch with the rest almost instantaneously. You will never not have your list with you.

Honorable mentions go to Astrid (effective for group-planning), Remember The Milk, and Any.Do. solely on one single task with no distractions. At the - Free end of the 30 minutes, you If you are either too mathdo something else unrelated ematically-challenged, lazy, to what you were doing for or, let’s face it, terrified, to another 30 minutes. You can calculate your marks, fret create an almost limitless list not: there’s an app for that! of tasks to complete in your All you have to do is input cycle and designate each task a time slot different from the default 30 minutes.

T-Zero - Free

Grades 2

Have a tendency to procrastinate until the absolute last possible second? Is your ultimate inspiration the deadline? This app will help you keep the end in mind and start your panic-mode earlier so that you can keep - $1.99 procrastination tendencies This is essentially the over- at bay. This app interface is well-designed and simple to achiever of calendars. If you’re looking for an iPhone/ use. You can keep countdowns to as many different iPad calendar to meet all, and I mean all of your needs, deadlines as your student life requires. seek no further. You can

Week Cal YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

FASHION

Bahar Orang

THE PEPLUM

Assistant ANDY Editor

What does it look like? A peplum is a small strip of gathered or pleated fabric attached to the waistline of a garment (skirts, tops, blouses, and jackets) to create a frill effect.

The word “peplum” comes from the Greek word for tunic – “peplos.” A peplum can be sewn horizontally or diagonally, and can be sleek and architectural or loose and flowy.

Where will you see it? On the catwalk (styled with an above-the-knee skirt and ankle boots), bright red or black formal H&M dresses, loose florals, velvet skirts, cream-coloured tops paired with pencil skirts or skinnies in pastel shades or chunky gold necklaces, Emma Watson, Blake Lively, bloggers opting for feminine-edgy wearing peplum tops in leather with stilettos and acid-wash jeans.

Where does it come from? The history of the peplum dates back to Ancient Greek clothing. Usually made from wool, both Greek men and women wore loosely-

fitted “peplos.” During the Renaissance, the peplum took on a more structured form and extended outward like a short skirt.

Peplums have since been cyclical, coming back in the ‘50s (following the war, when women went back to staying at home and more feminine designs re-entered the fashion industry), the ‘80s (big shoulders, big hips) and the ‘90s.

Yay? Mitigates the size of a food baby, creates the illusion of a more idealized hipto-waist ratio, very feminine, adds a retro flavour to any outfit Or Nay? Some peplums can look like frilly valances.

When will it end? The peplum is so terribly in right now, that there must eventually be some kind of a backlash – there’s a little bit of peplum on just about each article of clothing in every Zara store and a quick “peplum” search on the Forever 21 website produced sixty-two items.However, the peplum is always coming back – the flattering silhouette it creates is appealing to women of all body types.

InsideOut • B11

Thursday, October 4, 2012 • The Silhouette

NATALIE NATAL IE GENTILE

First year Social Sciences

Leather Jacket: Danier Dress: Wilfred Boots: Capezio Jean Jacket: True Religion Heels: Aldo Lips: Mac “Ruby Woo” “How would you describe your style?”

“Rocker Chic” “If you could meet one designer, who would it be?”

“Miuccia Prada”

JESSIE LU ASSISTANT EDITOR

Body image: It’s a man’s world

Why muscle dysmorphia may be a more common problem in today’s society than we know Matthew Greenacre SHEC

When one thinks about eating and body image disorders, the picture of a muscle bound behemoth benching twice his weight is one that rarely springs to mind. Rather, extensive public health campaigns focussing on anorexia and bulimia have planted the image of a skeletal teenage girl in the public consciousness to exhibit the gravity of a previously ignored and very real disease. This image isn’t untrue - despite the fact people of both sexes, of any age can be sufferers. The majority of cases of anorexia and bulimia occur in young women. Thus, for many people it may be difficult to consider the antithetical case of a young man with an uncontrollable desire to gain muscle mass as a similar type of disease.

Muscle dysmorphia is the term given to individuals who have intense anxiety about their physique, driving them to undergo strict dieting, obsessive weight lifting and exercise regimes. However, a person striving to sculpt not just a six or eight but a ten pack does not necessarily have dysmorphia. Like many psy-

chological disorders, it can only be defined as a disease when it disrupts a person’s life or is a source of unhappiness. For example, if a person’s concern about his or her muscularity is extreme, negative or interferes with his or her social or professional life, there may be an issue. It is not just a question of whether one takes steroids or lives in the gym. Regardless of how much muscle persons with dysmorphia develop, or fat they trim off, they remain self-conscious and unhappy with their appearance.

The criteria that are used to diagnose muscle dysmorphia can be found in a brief questionnaire called the Muscle Dysmorphia Disorder Inventory, and the similarity to anorexia is undeniable. Unsurprisingly, muscle dysmorphia affects men more than women.

It closely mirrors anorexia in that it is more prevalent among a specific gender in a defined age range. There is a genetic component to muscle dysmorphia, and it usually begins in mid to late adolescence. Also, both disorders manifest with the same extremely rigid routines of diet and/or exercise, and overbearing shame and guilt if this regimen is broken.

For those of us who were not lucky enough to be handed a six-pack along with acne and social awkwardness, worrying about one’s physique is a normal part of male adolescence and young adulthood. But why does the mild nagging sense of insecurity that many of us feel turn into an obsessive addiction to the gym for some? Just as glossy images of pencil thin models and photoshopped actresses have been blamed for anorexia, cultural values and popular media play a role in propagating muscle dysmorphia by fuelling the inadequacy that one study - reported in a dissertation presented to the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska- claims 95 per cent of young men feel.

Aspirational advertising for men has been used long before the Bowflex infomercials placed an unused hunk of metal in everyone’s garage. From the 1920s onwards, the Italian bodybuilder Charles Atlas made a fortune selling the Dynamic Tension musclebuilding program to millions of people. Part of his advertising was the story of how he turned himself from a “97-pound weakling” into a “muscleman” after having sand kicked

in his face by a bigger, stronger boy. This almost laughably cliché story is actually reminiscent of case studies of muscle dysmorphia in which an incident, such as an offhand comment about a person’s appearance, heightens his or her insecurity, triggering an obsessive anxiety about their body image. The sheer success of this industry suggests that it takes little more than a bodybuilder with a shakeweight to trigger men’s anxiety about the state of their biceps.

For the majority of people this anxiety is kept in perspective and does not govern our lives or prevent us from spending time with friends, as is the case for some. Though this disorder is only just being recognized and few people have been treated, case studies of patients that have received counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy show that these measures can be effective and eliminate sufferers’ misconceptions about their body. For some such men, it might be helpful to keep in mind a study that showed that women do not prefer broad shouldered, body builder body types any more than slim and slight male bodies.

MAPLE APPLE AND BLUEBERRY CRISP PIE Jennifer Bacher The Silhouette

For every family holiday I have been named the dessert Queen. Each holiday I have to try to outdo myself in bringing something new and exciting to the table. This year I have found the perfect dessert. It has everything anyone could love about autumn. It has the pie look that everyone enjoys at Thanksgiving but with an Apple crisp flavour. The blueberries give a slight sour taste but the maple flavour balances with a perfect sweetness. This recipe is easy to prepare and can be served 15 minutes after taking it out of the oven.

Pie Ingredients

Pie Topping Ingredients

• • • • • • • •

• • • • • •

1 package blueberries 6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 9 inch prepared piecrust

1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/3 cup maple syrup 2 tbsp butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, toss together the peeled apples, blueberries, granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Once the apples and blueberries are coated, place them into the piecrust.

2. In bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, rolled oats and cinnamon. Pour in maple syrup and butter; toss until moistened. Sprinkle over the apples and blueberry mixture.

3. Bake in 375°F oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until golden and fruit is fork-tender. Let cool on rack for 15 minutes and serve by itself or with vanilla ice cream.

I found that it is better to use fresh blueberries but if you prefer frozen, they could be used. I used Honey Crisp apples but Golden Delicious, Idared,or Mutsu would also work. I hope you and your family enjoy this delicious recipe. Happy Thanksgiving!

RACHELELLEN FLICKR

the harry potter issue

andex

c2 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, october 4, 2012

Senior Editor: Nolan Matthews

Assistant Editor: Bahar Orang Contributors: Cooper Long, Palika Kohli, Sarah O’Connor, Yara Farran, Marco Filice

Design: Karen Wang Cover: Yoseif Haddad

Sept. 7 - Oct. 20 Sept. 7 - Oct. 20 Oct. 2 - Oct. 27 Oct. 12 - Nov. 4

Opening

Oct. 11 Oct. 12 Oct. 12 Oct. 14 Nov. 1 Nov. 12 Nov. 17

Paul Elia: Hamilton Strip, Centre3 for Prints and Media Arts Louise Noguchi, June Pak: Somewhere Between, Centre3 for Print and Media Arts In the Company of Old Friends: Works from the collection of Don Jean-Louis, b contemporary Haimish: Working Family Stories and Treasures of the Hamilton Jewish Community, you me gallery

Taken 2, Frankenweenie, Pitch Perfect, V/H/S, Butter, The Paperboy, Wuthering Heights

Haolin Munk, Homegrown Hamilton, 8 p.m.

The Pack A.D., Casbah, 9 p.m Rascal Flatts, Copps Coliseum, 7 p.m.

Glen Matlock (of the Sex Pistols), Casbah, 8 p.m.

Young Rival, Casbah, 8 p.m.

Sloan, Molson Canadian Studio, 8 p.m.

Dropkick Murphys, Hamilon Convention Centre, 8 p.m.

editorial

thursday, october 4, 2012

Edit

oria

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c3

It’s strange to imagine myself before Harry Potter. It’s as integral to my identity as is the day I penned my first short story and felt suddenly spiritual, or the moment I learned I was accepted to Arts & Science, or the days I spent with my brother building forts out of sheets and play-wrestling until he was strong enough to win within seconds. I received Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for my eighth birthday. It was slick and shiny and crisp and perfect. The book has gotten significantly fatter since then – as though I left a small part of myself behind with each read. Flipping through it now, I sometimes find a slightly different, slightly younger version of myself, like a forgotten bookmark hidden between the pages.

When I felt homesick in my first year of university, Harry was there to reassure me that home will always be there for those who seek it. When my family received some difficult news, Dumbledore was there to remind me that death is but the next big adventure. When I had my heart broken for the first time, Hermione made me see that knowledge and cleverness have little bearing when it comes to relationships. When I felt somehow misunderstood, Luna showed me how truly wonderful weirdness can be. When I felt weak, Neville helped me understand how to draw strength from within myself.

When I feared change, Fred’s death made me accept that there are those things in life that can never be whole again.

Perhaps the intangible, incomparable connection I feel with the Harry Potter series is the memories and experiences I’ve shared with the characters. Perhaps it serves as a kind of universal diary, a coming of age story that somehow mirrors my own so well. Perhaps it gives me a means of making sense of everything that’s around me – in a way that’s subtle and cliché and unpredictable and powerful and humorous all at the same time.

When I finished the last page of the last novel during the wee hours of the morning several years ago, and I slowly closed the book and clutched it to my chest, I was mourning the end of the story as well as the end of my childhood. I had closed a chapter of my life that would shape everything that was to come. I find it difficult sometimes to reread certain parts because I am reminded of how swiftly time is slipping through my fingers, as swiftly as each page passed between them. I am left with all the lessons I learned from Harry – left to face a world as dark and as confusing and as potentially lovely as his own. I find kindred spirits in those who have read the series – and for those who have not, I hope that you too will pick up a Harry Potter book and discover something even half as magical as I did.

Or at the very least, we hope you enjoy our “harry potter” issue, inspired by the recent release of Rowling’s new book.

l

201 2

•

Bahar Orang, Assistant ANDY Editor

KAREN WANG GRAPHICS EDITOR

thursday, october 4, 2012

which harry potter character would you take to the yule ball? compiled by bahar orang and karen wang

C4&5 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

KAREN WANG GRAPHICS EDITOR

For a story that’s supposed to be based upon an idyllic town, this is one that’s ‘casually vacant’ of the brightness and underlying morals most readers have come to associate with J.K. Rowling. I began Casual Vacancy apprehensively, internally at war with my love of her work and what critics have been saying. I knew it was marketed for the adult demographic – meaning that it is filled with swear words, social issues, and taboo topics. Yet, while reading it, I found certain reminders that it was written by the same author of the beloved Harry Potter series - the multitude of unique names, for one thing.

Except Casual Vacancy is only about 500 pages, and not a seven-book series, which meant that I quickly got lost in a crowd of unknowns by the end of the third chapter.

Initially, the characters didn’t stand out to me. There was no marked hero – in fact, it felt that the only character truly branded with any kind of innate goodness was the one she chose to kill off at the beginning. Influenced by my psychology textbook readings, which I was working on at the time, I began to identify every character’s “id” (the Freudian label for the part of our mind that gives in to temptation). I even started diagnosing many of the characters with different disorders. As I got further into the story, I began to draw comparisons from Harry Potter characters – maybe in an effort to form attachments with them. I likened the uptight, morale and respectable Dr. Parminder Jawanda to Professor McGonagall, and Howard Mollison and his wife Shirley and their son Miles were analogous to Vernon, Petunia and Dudley Dursley.

The story begins with Barry Fairbrother dying. As an important member of the town of Pagford’s council, he leaves behind an empty seat, known as a ‘casual vacancy.’ The people of the town, after expressing their condolences (both sincere and otherwise) erupt into a full-on political war. Male members of the community step up in an attempt to fill Fairbrother’s role. The women gather up into a force of their own, supporting and undermining their husbands and families at every turn. But there actually ends up being more emphasis on the youth, rather than the adults. While this teenage gang does not have to face the powerful external forces like Harry and his friends, they must deal with their own personal demons. The novel seems obsessed with issues of sex, masturbation, child abuse, hatred, drugs, self-mutilation and bullying. These teens are determined to prove themselves in a world full of hopelessly traditional adults, yet employ the same methods of brutality they observe in the adults in their lives.

Upon finishing the story, I felt as hopeless as the characters. I pictured Rowling calmly finishing the novel with its ambiguous ending, and imagined that she believed a “happily ever after” is only possible in an imaginary world like Harry’s.

Our reality – a concept reinforced by her references to Rhianna’s lyrics and a middle-aged woman’s awkward sexual fantasy involving a band with a creepy similarity to One Direction – is doomed to human cause and effect. We make certain errors that cannot be fixed, and are forced to live with their consequences forever. In the same way, I found the climax of the novel tragic, too predictable, and unable to resolve many of the longstanding problems the people of Pagford had invested so much time in.

And yet…Favourite Quote: “It was so good to be held. If only their relationship could be distilled into simple, wordless gestures of comfort. Why had humans ever learned to talk?”

• Palika Kohli

thursday, october 4, 2012

Forget Butterbeer. Harry Potter’s favourite drink is actually Coke.

In 2001, Coca-Cola paid 150 million dollars for the marketing rights to the first Harry Potter movie, which allowed the company to put Potterrelated images on their products.

To make it seem like the partnership was really about promoting literacy rather than luring kids to sugary drinks, the BBC reported that Coca-Cola also donated $18 million to organizations that help kids learn to read.

As much as Coca-Cola claimed their actions were motivated by noble intentions, promoting literacy might have been a deeper level of marketing. Coca-Cola increased the number of kids who recognized the Harry Potter characters on their products and who begged their parents to then buy them.

“There are questions about what corporate interests do and how they can drive a particular book towards popularity,” said Sarah Brophy, a McMaster professor in English and Cultural Studies. Beyond the captivating world and relatable characters, there are all kinds of things (like Coca-Cola promotions) that went on behind the scenes to make Harry Potter as popular as it is.

We all know J.K. Rowling’s single-mother, rags-to-riches story. But why do we know it?

“One of the ideas of the theorist Pierre Bourdieu is that in the production of literary celebrity, value and success, there’s a need to disavow the economy,” said Brophy. “So you pretend that you’re not interested in the practical, commercial concerns, and that allows you to retain your authenticity and legitimacy as a writer. The people who are really successful are those who are really savvy about those practical and strategic concerns.”

The fact that J.K. Rowling’s own story is so

well known is evidence of her (or her publicist’s) marketing know-how. But even better evidence is her billionaire status.

“That rags-to-riches story also maybe masks the issues that we face in our society with the struggle that it takes to be an artist or a writer,” said Brophy.

“In an age when we are talking about austerity measures, one of the things that comes under scrutiny is arts funding. There’s a risk that if we focus on these stories of wild success, and wild economic success, we forget about the real struggles that many writers go through.”

Brophy suggested that J.K. Rowling’s level of success can affect the entire publishing world, influencing which books get promotion. Maybe we have Harry Potter to thank for the popularity of Twilight and The Hunger Games.

All of this focus on the commercial aspects of Harry Potter can seem a bit cynical and dismissive; ultimately, people love books because of the writing and not the marketing. But the marketing still affects how we see the writing, even if we try to resist it.

“How do you disentangle commercial success in the value of a piece of literature as art?” said Brophy. “I would say it is impossible to disentangle those things, particularly in our era of media adoptability, cross-promotion, etc. I think it’s important to think about how value is always being negotiated and to think about not only the global cultural reach of these texts as giving them significance, but the fact that they become focal points for cultural debates.”

The true magic of Harry Potter, after all, is that we can’t stop talking about it.

• Nolan Matthews, Senior ANDY Editor

JAVIER CAICEDO GRAPHICS EDITOR

c6 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, october 4, 2012

not quite spellbound the confessions of a non-reader I may not have swallowed veritaserum, but I have a confession to make: I never finished reading the Harry Potter series. In fact, that reference was supplied by a friend who, like apparently most of my generation, adores J. K. Rowling’s boy wizard. Yet somehow, I was never so spellbound.

When I steel myself and admit this to fans of the series, the response is typically shock, followed by genuine sympathy. To an extent, I share in this puzzlement. As a closeted Trekkie, I grasp the appeal of well-developed characters set loose in an expansive fantasy universe.

Indeed, I have fond memories of reading the first four Potter installments in elementary school.

I can’t explain precisely why I abandoned the books after this point, just as they were beginning to test the tensile strength of bookshelves worldwide. I swear it was not an act of cultural snobbery. Although I recognize that there is certainly a phony elitism associated with avoiding something popular, just as there is with coveting something obscure.

Yet, even watching some of the later Potter films in high school did not send me searching for the source material. I suppose it didn’t help that my favourite element of the movies, the sumptuous art direction, does not directly translate to the books. Admittedly this is a somewhat grim comment on my own powers of imagination.

My disinterest may follow from the fact that my last drink of the Potter series came from The Goblet of Fire. I am told that this fourth volume marks a turning point. Supposedly it is here that the series became weightier in its themes, as well as its page count. This transition apparently underlies what my friends mean when they claim that they “grew up with the series.”

Their connection to the books

surpasses simple nostalgia. They remember not just the simple thrills of Harry’s adventures, but also the larger experience of maturing alongside the characters. For many, the seven volumes became a shared journey through adolescence. As the students of Hogwarts grappled with the escalating nonmagical trials of romantic frustration, stormy friendships, and intimidating new responsibilities, so did a generation of readers.

I think that most people have had this experience of discovering a work of art that perfectly captures their inner life. Whether this connection is made through the flick of a wand or the strum of a guitar, art can powerfully echo our deepest hopes and anxieties. Moreover, this bond is often profoundly linked to a particular stage in our lives; if the work had come along slightly earlier or later it would not have spoken with the same power.

Perhaps I have never returned to the Potter books because I am concerned that this key element of their appeal, the opportunity to come of age alongside the characters, is now closed to me. This is not to suggest that I am entirely mature or that the books do not have other wonderful merits. Indeed, I fully expect that if I read the books I would enjoy them, but for now they remain low on my “to-read” list.

This reluctance should not offend those fans that grew up with the series.

Rather they should feel even more fortunate that they came across the books at an ideal moment. Indeed, my generation’s devotion to Harry Potter affirms the extraordinary power of literature to speak to us profoundly at a particular and fleeting stage of our lives. Forget veritaserum, this connection between art and audience is true magic.

•

Cooper Long YOSEIF HADDAD PHOTO EDITOR

thursday, october 4, 2012

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c7

a guide to fandoms There is no way to describe your first love. Words have no taste, images lack colour, and actions pale in comparison to the strong emotions churning in your knotted gut. How do you confess these feelings? How do you express them in a healthy, socially acceptable way that doesn’t end up in a night at the local jail?

Navigating through a fandom can be extremely confusing and terrifying at times, but don’t worry, you are not alone.

DO join social media sites, such as Twitter and Tumblr (a.k.a. the Mother Ship). The best part of being a fan, other than enjoying the magical craft of insert name here, is getting to interact with fellow fans. Fans are usually the most interesting people you’ll ever meet. However, while

some collect merchandise, others may collect hair clippings. Choose wisely.

DON’T abuse this power. Harry Styles does not care that you’re eating a hummus wrap. More so, don’t tweet him 27 times in a row that you’re eating a hummus wrap.

DO attend and take part in events/fan expos/street teams. To find out more, go on the official website/Facebook page of [insert name here].

DO find groups within the McMaster community that share your passion. Case in point: The McMaster Quidditch club (praise be). The moment that you discover that a kid in your psychology class holds World of Warcraft tournaments in his basement is the best moment ever.

DON’T YOU DARE let this consume you. There are

too many horror stories about fans that just went too far.

Remember, there is life outside your fandom. Don’t spend every waking hour of the day watching One Direction interviews (guilty as charged), or distance yourself from your friends because Robsten is going through a messy breakup.

With everything, you need balance. Find it.

DO ALWAYS be proud of your status as a fangirl/ fanboy. Who cares if your friends think JBeibs sucks, or that Star Trek is “nerdy.” Fight the Daleks, get into your Bat Mobile (...or Honda Civic - your choice) and pledge to be the best fangirl/fanboy that you can be.

•

Yara Farran

JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMDIA EDITOR

sarah’s banned bookbag September 30 to October 6 – what’s important about these seven days? In the literary world this week is known as Banned Book Week. Contrary to its title, the purpose of this week isn’t to stop reading certain books. Instead, it is a week devoted to reading books that have been banned throughout history. The following is a list of a few of the books that have been banned throughout history and the reasons for why they were banned.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling Yes, the beloved Harry Potter has been banned and continues to create conflict after fifteen years of publication. The reasons behind banning Harry Potter are obvious: witchcraft and promoting homosexuality. I got a good laugh after reading a discussion board on a Baptist website entitled, “12 Reasons Why Harry Potter Should Be Banned” which stated that: “True Christians only touch a Harry Potter book when they are throwing it onto a fire.”

Sounds sacrilegious to me.

Favourite Quote: “It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends.”

JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol Another childhood classic, Alice was banned for sexuality and drug use. Not to mention that there have been rumours about whether or not Carrol wrote the stories because he was in love with the real Alice (a ten-year-old girl).

Despite these rumours, the story itself does not contain anything remotely sexual and no drug use is mentioned (unless you count one hookah-smoking caterpillar). In China, Alice was banned for fear that children would think that humans and animals were equal. How dare they?

Favourite Quote: “I can’t explain myself, I’m afraid, because I’m not myself, you see.”

Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak Surprisingly enough, this popular first read for many kids was challenged for showing children in a negative light. The main character, Max, is a mischievous child who throws a tantrum and his mother sends him to bed without dinner. Parents were outraged. A child…having a tantrum? And being punished for bad behaviour? Blasphemy!

It was also banned for apparently promoting witchcraft.

Favourite Quote: “And Max, the king of all wild things, was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all.”

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Believe it or not, The Great Gatsby was banned by a Baptist College in South Carolina for references to sexuality and strong language. And to think, I had to read this in high school! Can I just emphasize that it was a college banning The Great Gatsby – not a high school, not a grade school, but a college.

Favourite Quote: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

So if you’re feeling risky this week, indulge in a banned childhood classic or two. Let the brainwashing begin!

•

Sarah O’Connor

c8 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

film

thursday, october 4, 2012

judgement is delivered Dredd Starring: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey Director: Pete Travis Dredd is a good example of both relentless violence and the evolution of action movies. Screenwriter Alex Garland moves beyond the boundaries of the genre to bring one of the bleakest comics ever made to the screen in just fashion. John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, the creators of the comic 2000 A.D. (which first featured Judge Dredd), would surely approve.

Today’s Dredd is a reboot of the already comic-adapted Judge Dredd, starring Sylvester Stalonne. The old Judge Dredd got abused by critics, but it’s a classic example of the previous era of action movies built from chiselled bodies and cheesy one-liners.

Today, we have 3D, CGI, and “slomo,” which we all remember from The Matrix. But in Dredd, slo-mo is actually a by-product of the flawed future, a city-plaguing drug that impedes order and progress. In the residential block, reminiscent of Dante’s circles of hell, Peach Trees is a hive for the narcotic. By inhaling a puffer, you experience time at a microfraction of a second. While experience may be enhanced, bodily functions take a hit. For the movie-goer, it makes for some mesmerizing shots that are as visually appealing as Zack Snyder’s 300.

Mega City 1, the municipal territory between Boston and Washington D.C., is a hellish place.

Beyond the borders is a wasteland, and inside its walls is not much better. Crime is the rule of life, and Judges are the last remnants of order. They uphold and administer the law from their very bodies; they sentence or give capital punishment at the scene of the crime. Karl Urban as Dredd is a bit hard to relate to, and as the leading Judge of the story, he is a cold, yet rational deliverer of justice.

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Music can either make or break a movie, a point recently made by Josie Dye on the radio station 102.1 the Edge. Although the soundtrack doesn’t need to save Dredd, the mixture of techno, dark industrial, and death metal definitely amplifies the awesomeness that already exists.

On its own, the music could be the soundtrack to a nightmare. But in Dredd it helps choreograph the action sequences as if they were inspired by slasher horror. The action genre has never been so chilling.

The terrifying Ma-Ma (played

by Lena Headey), establishes herself as the rightful queen and mother of the future’s saviour and dominates her screen time with sheer force.

Yet don’t be fooled, because she isn’t an inspiring heroine. Instead she represents all that is wrong with Mega City 1. Bestial, sinister and unforgiving in her stature, Ma-Ma brings the future a tormented past, overpowering the weak with stimulants and unleashing havoc on an overburdened justice system. The war in the city becomes the occasion for her personal war.

The futuristic setting of Mega City 1 represents a possible outcome of today’s society, demonstrating the connection between technology and speed that philosopher Paul Virilio talks about. Today, everything is instantaneous, and speed has become a very human quality. In Dredd even the law becomes instantaneous, rendering the judicial process arbitrary and null.

You can decide which is scarier: the fascist practice of instant justice or the apocalyptic landscape that makes it a necessity.

• Marco Filice