The Silhouette - October 27, 2016

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FEATURES RESEARCH The relationship between prof’s research and their teaching Page 6-7

SPORTS CIS REBRAND Canadian university sports has a new name and new look Page 23

The Silhouette

Thursday, October 27, 2016

BERKELEY NORTH West Coast-inspired vegetarian and pescetarian cuisine comes to Hamilton, courtesy of two McMaster graduates Page 17

OPINION MOSAIC Students left stranded while their lifeline to McMaster gets “fixed” Page 11

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Thursday, October 27, 2016 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

LOOKING BACK

EDITORIAL BOARD editor-in-chief | thesil@thesil.ca

Scott Hastie @Scott1Hastie managing editor | managing@thesil.ca

Rachel Katz production editor | production@thesil.ca Nick Bommarito online editor | online@thesil.ca Haley Greene sections

Sasha Dhesi Steven Chen features reporter Alex Florescu news@thesil.ca news editor

news reporter

Shane Madill opinion@thesil.ca

opinion editor

Cullum Brownbridge sports reporter Lauren Beals sports@thesil.ca

sports editor

& culture editor Daniel Arauz arts & culture reporter Michelle Yeung aandc@thesil.ca arts

media

Madeline Neumann Yung Lee production@thesil.ca video editor Philip Kim social media coordinator Jasmine Ellis online@thesil.ca photo editor

photo reporter

sales ad manager | sgiordan@msu.mcmaster.ca

Sandro Giordano

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The Silhouette welcomes letters to the editor in person at MUSC B110, or by email at thesil@thesil.ca. Please include name, address and telephone number for verification only. Letters should be 300 words or less.

We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters and opinion articles. Opinions and editorials expressed in the Silhouette are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers, the McMaster Students Union or the University. The Silhouette is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the McMaster Students Union. The Silhouette Board of Publications acts as an intermediary between the editorial board, the McMaster community and the McMaster Students Union. Grievances regarding the Silhouette may be forwarded in writing to: McMaster Students Union, McMaster University Student Centre, Room 201, L8S 4S4, Attn: The Silhouette Board of Publications.

The Board will consider all submissions and make recommendations accordingly.

Editor-in-Chief (905) 525-9140, ext 22052 Main Office (905) 525-9140, ext 27117 Advertising (905) 525-9140, ext 27557 8,000 circulation published by the

This story from 2000 is both entertaining and insightful. The “primate community” line from a Westdale resident is an all-time summation of what some Westdalers think. It is interesting to see that Mac tried to push student housing downtown.

Instead, more houses became student homes and the absentee landlord situation has only worsened.

GETTING INVOLVED

Volunteering with the Sil is easy! Attend one of the section meetings to get started!

Can’t attend? Send them an email!

NEWS - Thursday at 4:30 - news@thesil.ca OPINION - Tuesday at 1:30 - opinion@thesil.ca SPORTS - Monday at 4:30 - sports@thesil.ca ARTS & CULTURE - Tuesday at 3:30 - aandc@thesil.ca MULTIMEDIA - Tuesday at 3:30 - production@thesil.ca

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016

The Silhouette

| 3

News Referendum rundown

This year’s SRA by-election includes four referendums. Learn more and make an informed decision.

William Alexander Contributor

The fate of vice presidents at large, SoBi Bikes, Exclusive Club Card and Marmor will be decided during this year’s by-election.

Campaigning for this year’s by-election officially begins Oct. 28.

Voting starts Nov. 2.

Referendums: - VP at large - SoBi Bikes - Exclusive Club Card - Marmor

VP at large The first issue at hand is whether the McMaster Student Union’s three vice-presidents should be elected by the entire student body rather than just the Student Representative Assembly. The SRA has taken a negative stance towards this reform during the Oct. 16 meeting.

Vice-president (Education) Blake Oliver has referenced three different Ad-Hoc committees at the SRA level since 2012 which had all found that the core system is sound, citing voter fatigue amongst other things for reasons against the reform.

Arguments for VP-at-large exist, a common one being the persistent allegations of nepotism within the upper MSU circles—accusations of the “MSU Bubble”, where those with connections to the SRA and to the MSU are more likely to win positions.

Another is that SRA elections only have about 30 per cent voter turnout, leading to a disproportionate representation in anyone the SRA elects as delegates.

SoBi Bikes The SoBi Bike referendum

offers all McMaster students a SoBi bike membership for 90 minutes of daily access to their service at a flat rate of $16.95.

The option to opt-out will be available in an online system similar to the one currently used for the health and dental plans.

Currently, an annual membership for a McMaster student would cost $70 plus tax annually for 60 minutes a day.

That being said, it is clear that the service would not be useful to everyone, as many students commute in from outside SoBi bikes’ range.

Hamilton Community News also recently reported that SoBi Hamilton has not shared its financial audits with the Hamilton City Council, which would report the allocation of community funds during the building of the original SoBi infrastructure in Hamilton.

Exclusive Club Card Brought to referendum by petition, the Exclusive Club Card is a discount card offered to students at a price of $5 by Olekt Inc. The discounts are for 31 locations in West Hamilton and Olekt inc. has claimed they will expand that reach in the future.

The SRA has taken a negative stance towards the service.

In a memo circulated on Oct. 10, vice-president (Finance) Ryan MacDonald alleged that the petition was “driven by non-students who have coerced 3 per cent of the student population through financial

incentives or misleading to sign a petition.”

“Almost every single one of those discounts we currently offer in the almanac that we provide at the beginning of each year,” said MacDonald.

In response to this, the SRA has dedicated an ad hoc committee to investigating the current legal structures involving the raising of petitions.

Marmor The Marmor is the annual undergraduate yearbook. It features events of the year as well as that year’s graduating students. Currently, there is an annual $9.22 MSU fee, although students only receive a single Marmor after graduating.

The Marmor referendum proposes to abolish the Marmor, the justification being that there is mostly negative feedback from alumni, delay in production and that the Marmor fee has been accumulating surplus money which cannot be redirected due to MSU policy.

MacDonald has indicated that there are plans for a new digital-only Marmor with a fee of $5 that will be put to referendum at some point in the future.

Campaigning will occur from Oct. 28-Nov.1, and voting can be done from Nov. 2-3 through your McMaster email. @theSilhouette

Constitutional referendums need 66.7% of the popular vote to pass. All other referendums require over 50%.

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NEWS

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Study smarter, not harder

Renowned professor visited McMaster to discuss ways to improve learning during university Steven Chen News Reporter

As if midterm season could not have been at a more fitting time, the Learning Technologies Symposium hosted a keynote presentation last week on a topic close to the hearts of many students: how to be more effective learners.

The presentation, titled “Learning How to Learn”, featured Barbara Oakley, Professor of Engineering at Oakland University, well-regarded for her online course, “Learning How To Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects”.

With an enrolment total of over 1.2 million students since its release in Aug. 2014, it has become the world’s most popular online course. Oakley has also published many books on this topic, including the New York Times bestseller, A Mind for Numbers.

During her talk, which served as the opening plenary to the two-day symposium, Oakley highlighted many of the key ideas from her online course on ‘tricks’ that students can use to optimize their brains for learning.

“I realized there are some really simple ideas about how you learn effectively that people just don’t know. They are totally simple, and once you understand them, they click with all your other preconceived notions and it explains things.

As a result, you can leverage your brain to learn even more effectively,” explained Oakley.

While the learning strategies that Oakley brought out in her talk all seemed to be very applicable, the reasoning for why they work is grounded in neuroscience research.

“I can see through neuroscience that there is a connection between all learning that takes place no matter what you are doing— whether it is in math, science, language, learning a sport or learning chess,” she said.

Oakley argues that we can apply her tips and tricks to all kinds of situations. For instance, a ‘trick’ which she recommends to all students is the Pomodoro technique. Essentially, the goal is to break down work into 25-minute intervals, separated by short breaks, which maintains focus.

“[The learning techniques] are totally simple, and once you understand them, they click with all your other preconceived notions and it explains things. ” Barbara Oakley, Professor of Engineering at Oakland University Oakley’s keynote was part of the annual Learning Technologies Symposium organized by the MacPherson Institute. This year’s symposium, took place on Oct. 18 and 19, built on the theme of “Communities in Conversations.” The conference provides an opportunity for people who are interested in the use of technology in teaching and learning to come together and share their projects and discuss issues.

The symposium hosted individuals from many institutions such as Mohawk College, Sheridan College, Brock University, the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto.

“I think [the symposium] is great because it shows that learning technology is a growing interest amongst faculty, and people who are involved in teaching and learning. There is a need for people to come together and talk about it,” said Zafar Syed, Associate Director for Educational Technology at the MacPherson Institute.

This dialogue is critical for teachers to not only learn what is happening at the university, but also what is possible for the future.

“There has been a push to increase the digital footprint at McMaster—there is an increasing number of courses that are going online, and a growing interest amongst faculties to make learning more accessible and more flexible,” added Syed.

For students of McMaster, the symposium presents ways for them to become better learners but also raise ideas on how technology may be used to facilitate their learning. @steven6chen

Prof. Barbara Oakley giving a lecture at the Michigan Tech College of Engineering.

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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016

NEWS

| 5

Safe injection sites for Hamilton?

Hamilton held an online survey to gather public opinion concerning the initiative Calissa Medeiros Silhouette Intern

Safe injection sites could be coming to Hamilton, pending a community survey and city council action.

The city of Hamilton has been holding an online survey to determine whether or not Hamilton will be opening its own safe injection site in a local area within the city of Hamilton.

Results from the survey would decide whether or not safe injection sites are something that people believe would benefit the community, and assist individuals who struggle with drug addiction and are not getting all the help that the city

is able to provide for them.

Repeated studies prove that safe injection sites would not cause negative effects on its surroundings.

Instead, it may have a positive impact from the results of having less syringes and fewer people publicly injecting.

“This isn’t the same as condoning or supporting drug use – this is about keeping people safe,” Dr. Jessica Hopkins, Associate Medical Officer Of Health, said in a meeting last September when the Board of Health approved the plan to begin considering building safe injection sites.

Not all members of the board are in agreement of the situation, such as Lloyd Fergu-

son, chairman of the City Police Board. Ferguson mentioned the “quandary” for police that safe injection sites may be, considering the fact that drugs like heroin and cocaine are illegal, and “here we are as a city, encouraging it.”

There are about 30 overdose-related deaths in Hamilton every month. On average, 60 to 100 people overdose at safe injection sites in the same time, but none have ever resulted in death because there is medical supervision.

Since 2003, safe injection sites have been helpful to communities that struggle with drug abuse in Vancouver, B.C. Every day, 700 people wait in line to get a spot in the safe

“This isn’t the same as condoning or supporting drug use – this is about keeping people safe,” Dr. Jessica Hopkins Associate Medical Officer Of Health injection sites, where they will be given clean needles and crack pipes, and are able to inject pre-obtained drugs under the supervision of addiction counselors, addiction doctors, nurses, and volunteers.

Since the opening of the sites in 2003, overdose related deaths and evidence of public injection has decreased by a ‘significant amount’, according to a report written in 2009.

Findings from the Evaluation of Vancouver’s Pilot Medically Supervised Safer Injection Facility — Insite.

The Hamilton survey came to an end on October 26th. The feedback will help the city take the next step in understanding the need that the city has to build these sites, and if it would be beneficial to the community and attend the needs of individual’s health. @theSilhouette

Heavy talk about Light Rail Transit Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief

After 12 hours of deliberation, the future of Light Rail Transit in Hamilton is still in question.

Council chambers were packed at the start of the meeting, with representatives from a variety of community groups.

The McMaster Students Union was represented, with Blake Oliver, vice-president (Education) in attendance for part of

A map of the proposed LRT. C/O CITY OF HAMILTON

the meeting.

The LRT debate has been raging for years and city council has voted numerous times to approve the project. The provincial government has committed $1 billion in capital funding to build LRT that would include a main route from McMaster University to the Queenston traffic circle.

This lengthy meeting stems from a motion that was brought forth in April to “reaffirm” city

council’s interest in LRT. That motion was withdrawn at the Oct. 25 meeting after a legal opinion highlighted that they would need a two-thirds majority to change the LRT stance of city council. The lawyer, George Rust-D’Eye, also pointed out the potential liabilities of the city if they were to oppose LRT after years of support.

City council will also ask the provincial government to look at expanding the A-Line

of the proposed LRT system, which runs up to the Mountain.

An official from Metrolinx, the government agency responsible for expanding public transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area, said it is too early for the organization to make a statement on that request.

There are more obstacles to come for LRT, though this meeting could be interpreted as a win for the pro-LRT crowd.

It is unlikely that city council

could achieve a two-thirds majority to change course on LRT and there are significant legal questions to answer if they actually did decide to abandon the public transit project.

LRT will continue to be a point of contention for the Hamilton community and the issue will come back to city council when the environmental assessment is completed in early spring 2017. @Scott1Hastie

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FEATURE

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

‘‘The university places emphasis on creating an environment where research and education are not all that distinct.’’

McMaster University has long held its reputation as a research-intensive school. According to estimates by Rob Baker, vice president (Research) for McMaster University, the number of professors that do their own research far outweighs the number of teaching professors. Students and professors weigh in on what this means for the students getting taught by these professors and the impact it has on the quality of education.

FEATURE

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016

Alexandra Florescu Features Reporter

LAB RATS

Research at McMaster takes on many forms, with some professors choosing to conduct research autonomously and others aggregating into groups of similar research interests.

The McMaster Immunology Research Centre is one example of researchers that all research an aspect of immunology. Being a doorstep or lab bench away from each other allows ideas to be passed freely, and sharing of technology and expertise is not uncommon.

While MIRC is one example of what is deemed an institute or centre for research at McMaster, there are more of these groups than can be listed. CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research is first of an alphabetical list of 30 institutes and centers for research in Health Sciences alone and the Bertrand Russell Research Centre is the first of a list of eight in the Humanities faculty alone. That covers 38 groups between only

lab. I think we have nine this year,” said McArthur. While different labs have different capacities for undergraduate contribution based on the training required and the funding available, the opportunity for guided research are not as rare as some students may think.

McArthur teaches a thirdyear biochemistry course in bioinformatics. The course aims to teach through research, giving students real data and asking them to work with it.

STUDENTS WEIGH IN

A survey distributed on Facebook class pages gathered 100 responses from students on their perspective on the matter.

Out of the 100 responses, almost half came from thirdyear students, with 26 per cent from second year students and from 12 to 15 per centfor first and fourth year students.

Responses were representative of all faculties, with respondents representing chemistry, health sciences, biochemistry, kinesiology, life sciences, commerce, Justice Political Philosophy and Law, Humanities, Multimedia

two faculties. Other research initiatives span entire faculties, with the newly funded Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery program being one of them.

Developments in research that have been the news have been featured in previous editions of the Silhouette, spanning from music cognition to evolution of the black plague. When it comes to research, there is something for everyone.

AN AWARD TO SHOW FOR IT

Students sometimes attribute a negative experience with a professor to the fact that professors only care about their research, not their students.

While it is largely a case-by-case basis, some amazing research professors have emerged from McMaster.

Lorraine York is a professor in the Department of English and Cultural Studies. In June 2016, she earned the Distinguished University Professor award. Her research on contemporary Canadian literature has

and more. Of those surveyed, 44 per cent voted yes when asked if they enjoyed it when professors integrate their own research into lectures, 36 per cent voted somewhat and 16 per cent voted no.

When asked who their favourite professors tend to be, there was around equal responses for professors who currently perform active research with the university, exclusively teaching professors and ‘‘I don’t know.’’

The number of votes for I don’t know jumped to 71 per cent when asked who their least favourite professors tend to be.

While results offer only a glimpse at what a school-wide study would reveal, it does highlight the lack of transparency between research and education.

Paying more attention to the research professors do outside of class could generate some interesting class discussions and highlight opportunities for students to get involved.

Yosef Ellenbogen, thirdyear Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Biomedical Research student, believes that the quality of instruction from researching faculty depends on year level.

taken a look at writers such as Alice Munro, Timothy Findley and Michael Ondaatje. Yet her publications alone did not win her the award. The Distinguished University Professor award at McMaster goes only to faculty members who have found the perfect balance between conducting research that has international impact and teaching.

14 other professors join York on a list of currently active professors that have received the same award, and even more researchers who have retired.

LAB COATS IN CLASS

“I love it when an undergrad throws me a curveball and I have no answer... that makes me learn,” says Michael Noseworthy.

Noseworthy is a professor whose research spans many departments, but his home is in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Noseworthy has made headlines for his work in functional MRI imagining of the brain and adapting the conventional neuroscientific model

“First year general courses are better suited to professors whose focus is teaching large groups of people, whereas upper year more specific courses are enriched by professors who integrate their research into the course,” said Ellenbogen.

Karanbir Brar, a third-year student in the same program as Ellenbogen, elaborated on this distinction.

“I think that professors can be better if they also do research because they can provide a perspective on what it’s like to actually obtain the knowledge in the field they’re teaching you but it is in no way necessary. It can sometimes preclude teaching ability if professors begin to think they are ‘above’ teaching introductory courses.”

GETTING A TASTE BY FOURTH YEAR

With many programs having a fourth year research requirement in the form of a thesis or project course, students have the opportunity to perform guided research in their field of interest.

Some may realize that research is a field they want to pursue,

to a other organs like the liver, kidneys and muscle.

Noseworthy’s work is largely interdisciplinary, having collaborated with both the McMaster Museum of Art and an artist whose work is exhibited at the Hamilton Art Gallery.

“If a student came to me from fine art and said they want to do a project, I am all ears. I think students would be surprised if they investigated [opportunities outside of their faculty],” says Noseworthy.

Noseworthy attributes this flexibility to the nature of academic research.

“Working at a university, one advantage is that you can let your creativity guide your direction. If I worked in industry, they would say ‘today you are working on this’, whereas in academia you can work on whatever you want, as long as you get funding.”

While these benefits draw a lot of researchers to educational institutions, Noseworthy stresses that an interest in research is not enough.

“Research and teaching

while others who thought it was for them will be proven wrong.

Regardless, Baker believes that “what is great about research intensive universities like McMaster is that a student is exposed to front line research. You are taking courses and learning from people who are directly involved in research.... Often those people are great teachers because they bring the excitement and energy into the classroom.”

The university places emphasis on creating an environment where research and education are not all that distinct.

While it may take until upper year courses for students to get a taste for what research really is, McMaster is an ideal environment for that exposure. Students who previously wrote research off as only for people with PhDs are encouraged to explore some more–they might be surprised by what they find. @alexxflorescu

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go hand in hand... If you have separated them too much, then I think it’s a problem... We are supposed to be at the cutting edge... As an academic you are not supposed to be teaching solely out of a textbook that is two years old, you are teaching what is happening in the field right now.”

Noseworthy sustains that this is an attribute of potential faculty members that the university looks for.

“One of the questions potential faculty are asked is ‘if you get the position, how will your undergraduate teaching help your research?’ And that throws people. The people that it throws don’t get [the position].”

Andrew McArthur, an associate professor that works on bioinformatics of environmental toxicology and bacterial resistance under the Health Sciences department, holds students on a pedestal. The ability to have student aid with research is what made McArthur make the shift from industry to university.

“When it comes to research, we are a predominantly undergrad

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

October 27, 2016 | thesil.ca

frankly the most powerful weapon you can wield, so keep your curiosity high, and your mind sharp, or else you may end up getting Trumped.

Voting for the five MSU Referenda will take place online via students’ McMaster email accounts on November 3rd and 4th. The referenda questions are as follows: Exclusive Club Card Referendum A proposal has been put forth to students to apply a $5 fee to ancillary costs for the Exclusive President Club Card (ECC). The ECC is a discount card, which would offer pres@msu.mcmaster.ca discounts at 32 local Hamilton 905.525.9140 x23885 businesses for all MSU Members. This fee will go to covering Voting is one of the most import- the company’s costs. There will ant things we can do as individ- be an option to opt out of this fee uals in a society. Casting a ballot and its associated benefit. NOTE: is a direct way to have a voice in The SRA voted on October 16, an overall conversation that will 2016 to take a negative stance affect every undergraduate stu- against this referendum and is dent going forward. In the past, encouraging students to vote ‘no’. elections and referenda have lost by only a few votes - so the say- Do you support the creation of a ing “every vote matters” couldn’t $5 ancillary fee to cover the cost be more accurate when it comes of an Exclusive Club Card as outto the MSU. Not only does your lined above? vote matter, but it could be the difference between a pass or a fail Marmor Referendum #1 in a very real way. The goal of the A proposal was brought forth SRA taking a stance on referenda to the SRA to ask students if is to help guide voters in making they would like to discontinue their decisions. As members of the Marmor fee. The SRA chose the SRA, we debate and think to send this to referendum. The diligently about each topic, then Marmor is a physical yearbook make an informed vote based provided to all graduating MSU our (often very long) discus- members, following their last sions. It is however, imperative year of study. Currently, there is that you as a voter get informed a fee of $9.22 collected from all on the issues as well - don’t just MSU members every year redepend on others. Knowledge is gardless of their year of study.

JUSTIN MONACO-BARNES

This referendum will ask for the Marmor fee to end effective the 2017-2018 academic year, while still providing physical copies of the Marmor, through the graduating class of 2020. The nature of each year’s Marmor will correspond with a student’s financial contribution through the graduating class of 2020.

membership. This bike pass will be a one-year membership and will include 1.5 hours of riding per day, a $15 credit, and access to all Sobi bikes. There will be an option to opt out of this fee.

Do you support the creation of an ancillary fee of $16.95, subject to inflationary increases each year

by CPI, to cover the cost of a SoBi Do you support eliminating the membership as outlined above?

Marmor fee of $9.22 effective 2017-2018, while providing phys- MSU Constitutional Referendum ical Marmors to students until A proposal has been put forth the class of 2020? to update the MSU Constitution to have the Vice Presidents Marmor Referendum #2 of the organization be elected by A proposal has been put forth to students at-large. Currently, the increase the MSU Operating fee three Vice President positions by $5 to create a digital version are elected through the SRA. The of the Marmor as well as provide format of this at large election is additional funding to student currently undefined and could services and events on campus. take on different forms.Amendments to the MSU Constitution Do you support raising the MSU require a two-thirds affirmative Operating fee by $5 to create a vote in order to pass. Abstendigital version of the Marmor as tions will not be included in calwell as provide additional fund- culating the vote total. NOTE: ing to student services and events The MSU Constitution requires on campus? the SRA to make a recommendation on this referendum. SRA Sobi Referendum voted on October 16, 2016 to A proposal was brought forth to give a negative recommendation the SRA to ask students if they for these amendments, and is enwould like to add a SoBi bicycle couraging students to vote ‘no’. membership to student ancillary fees. The SRA chose to send this Are you in favour of changing the to referendum. SoBi is a bike MSU Constitution to include an at share program stationed in the large MSU Vice President Election?

City of Hamilton. SoBi is asking for a fee of $16.95 to be added All referenda answer options are for all MSU Members, subject Yes, No, and Abstain. MSU Memto inflationary increases every bers can join the official Yes or year by the Consumer Price In- No side of a campaign for a refdex (CPI), which will provide erendum. For more information, all MSU members with a SoBi visit msumcmaster.ca/elections.

MSU_McMASTER

MSUMcMASTER.ca

@MSU_McMASTER

/MSUMcMaster

TEXT ‘MSU’ TO 71441

The President’s Page is a space sponsored and used by the McMaster Students Union (MSU) Board of Directors (BoD) to communicate with the student body. It functions to highlight the Board’s projects, goals, and agenda for the year, as well as the general happenings of the MSU.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 27,, 2016

EDITORIAL

| 9

Editorial Is this thing on?

Without feedback from the community we serve, the Silhouette will struggle to improve Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief

When you have been campus for six years, you find yourself talking about the way things you used to be often. Most of this, like all navel gazing about the past, is time that could be better spent, but one change is affecting campus life.

While doing research for an article, I looked at volumes of the Silhouette dating back to 2010, and the editorials always caught my eye. Two things jump out: I am surprised that the page would even print because the takes were so hot, and the number of letters to the editor.

Letters to the editor are an important part of newspapers.

These are usually short but critical responses to something in the newspaper wrote, or at least an issue relevant to the community that the paper writes for.

To date, I’ve received one letter to the editor, and it was

not specifically a letter. I could not print it because of a lack of space due to ads.

Social media is part of the reason this changed. Instead of responding to the article by writing a letter, people can tweet or post a link to the article. It’s a cathartic experience, I know. I share articles from the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons with my brother and we tee off on the stupidity of it for 10 minutes. I get where people are coming from.

But the difference here is that taking pot shots at an old-media sportswriter and being critical of something in the Silhouette is that my jokes would never have an effect if I actually reached out to the Sun. At the Sil, we are all still learning, and we appreciate the feedback that students have for us.

Writing us a letter can actually have an impact, whether it is giving a reader a different perspective on an issue or

pointing out an area that the Sil overlooked.

The trap with social media is an echo chamber effect, where you post something to your friends who probably already share the same views as you and they smash the like button on your tweet or post.

It feels good to have your thoughts validated, but what does that action truly accomplish? Not much, compared to providing criticism that could be thought provoking for the entire student population.

I am not naïve. I have worked at the Sil for four years and hear content we produce on a weekly basis. We are not perfect, but without your feedback, improvement is impossible. @Scott1Hastie

Letters to the editor should be 300 words or less due to space constraints. Please send all letters to thesil@thesil.ca.

FREE PIZZA?!

Find more details on page 16!

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to basslines.

to Big Protein.

to the Spec, putting the moves on me.

to New York Times Bestsellers.

to MUSCupcakes.

to U Sports. A new logo only goes so far.

to lead. to nerd talk. to wicked drivers. to a Seinfeld season based in Hamilton.

The episode about one-way streets would be classic. to a complete staff.

Welcome to the squad. to Wednesday Daniel! to entering to John Cena’s music unintentionally. to the meme economy. to another season of Mac Farmstand. to brewmasters. to beautiful NBA basketball. It’s back.

to dressing your kid as Gord Downie for Halloween. to 12-hour LRT debates. to gym bro book club. to K-W Burrito Boyz. A sham of a franchise! to Seinfeld ticket prices. to you, the professor. to “distracted walking” bans. to ADOBE. to negative degree weather. to the NFL. to sad dog posts. to pepper.

10 |

HUMANS

Can you tell me a little bit about your research?

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Erica Dao M.Sc. Candidate (Applied Radiation Sciences)

The lab that I am in conducts tissue classification as a main research interest. By using X-rays in different ways, I can pretty much reveal what the tissue is made up of. This machine here uses X-rays and when they interact with breast tissues, depending on what elements are in the tissue, we can determine whether or not they are cancerous. So, we use X-rays to see if they are diseased or normal.

To make this research possible, we get our samples from the St.Joseph’s Hospital, Juravinski Cancer Centre, and the McMaster University Anatomy Lab. We constantly collaborate with the medical field that way.

I’m also working on ways to YUNG LEE/ PHOTO REPORTER non-invasively measure iron in the body.

Right now, if there is too much iron in our body, it can actually accumulate in the organ and make them fail.

Currently, physicians measure iron in our body by sticking in a needle, which is painful and

invasive - it’s not fun. That’s why I’m trying to figure out a way to use X-ray, which is non-invasive and harmless, to measure iron.

What’s one thing that you want all McMaster students to know about?

Most of them don’t even know that this place exists. When I say, “I work at the Tandem Accelerator Building on campus”, most people don’t know where this is and also the kind of research that is being conducted at the accelerator. We have a huge facility at Mac that other

universities just don’t have. I’ve been to physics conferences and people all dream of having a nuclear reactor or an accelerator for their research. I think it’s quite amazing that we get to do special experiments that other institutions simply can’t because of their resources.

What would you say is the hardest about being in your program?

There is a steep learning curve when you first start. Many of us come from engineering or phys-

ics, and we don’t have much of a background in radiation sciences. So, for the first few months of grad school, we do lots of readings, just to figure out what is going on. It’s hard.

There are many hours that need to be put in before you can collect data or even analyze them.

It’s very time-consuming and as a result, it can be mentally and physically tiring at times. But it’s great because all the projects in our program relate to health in some sort of way. I always feel like I’m doing very meaningful research.

Eric Johnston Ph.D. Candidate (Applied Radiation Sciences)

What do you love the most and hate the most about being a graduate student?

I would say that the best thing about graduate school is the people. We get so much support

from staff and brilliant instructors. Everyone is extremely knowledgeable, accessible, and friendly. It is a small enough program that you can actually go meet with these people and talk to them if you have any questions. All of my professors

know me by my first name and they all have a rough idea of my project. I think that’s fantastic for networking.

Although I love everything about being a graduate student here, I’d say one of my frus-

trations comes from some of the equipment that I use. The equipment used in our research is extremely delicate. Unfortunately, it breaks more often than we’d like. Most grad students experience this about once a year and it takes about a month

to fix it. These small bumps on the road can cause delays and it can be quite frustrating - it can bog you down.

Yung Lee Photo Reporter

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016

The Silhouette | 11

Opinion Mo-saic, mo problems?

Remember to keep the university accountable for the upcoming updates

Shane Madill Opinion Editor

Originally made to replace multiple legacy information systems, Mosaic represented a massive change for the university’s administration. In approximately three years since the first piece of Mosaic launched, there have been a myriad of issues with the service ranging from interruptions in the system for students and staff, to generally slow performance, to redundancies for end-users and a generally unclear interface for less common tasks.

The upcoming fall update is the first in a series intended to fix some of these problems.

This update is focused on HR functions and the interface.

Future updates, happening four times over the next year, promise improvements to finance functions, advanced reporting, the database and the student administrative functions. It will

be a long process with plans for yearly or 18 month updates after that point.

From a student perspective, there’s a lot to be excited about. McMaster users suffered through the absolutely terrible MUGSI and SOLAR systems for far too long only to find out that the university wasted millions of dollars on an arguably worse system for end-users.

The failures of the past should encourage you to be incredibly skeptical about any of these plans.

This begins with the current update. From Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. until Oct. 31 at 8:30 a.m., all systems related to Mosaic will be closed.

In a Daily News post from July 6, a response to the question of, “Will it be like the launch of Mosaic?” is “This will be a much smaller, less disruptive project.” While that may legitimately be true given how awful the launch was, it’s

difficult to say that 86 and a half hours of a major, vital university service experiencing downtime is acceptable in any regard.

While it’s surely difficult to work with a base like the current Mosaic, that should not mean that this amount of downtime is justified. What’s worse, the content of this update does not give any promise that future updates will be any faster.

In a post from Sept. 30, there’s a comparison made between Windows 7 and Windows 10 and the similar changes that will occur on Mosaic’s interface.

Mainly, the mobile-friendliness of the site and the ability to personalize Mosaic are the intended selling points. There’s also a line about the interface being deployed to other parts of the system through 2017, implying that they can’t do the entirety of the interface update in 86 and a half hours of downtime, but we’ll focus on what they’ve shown so far.

It’s difficult to say that 86 and a half hours of a major, vital university service experiencing downtime is acceptable in any regard It’s tacky. The more accurate comparison seems to be between Windows 7 and Windows 8. A tablet and mobile focus made the desktop experience clunky and awkward, and Mosaic has the added benefit of stability being the focus in future updates instead of this one for the average McMaster student. It will show less information on any given screen, and it may actually be more of a pain to use despite the promise that

the steps required to complete a task will remain the same in almost all cases. While it may certainly be better for mobile users, I simply cannot see how it’ll be better for the larger portion of desktop users.

I could be completely surprised by the product when it does finish the update. I probably won’t be. While this might sound like a paranoid old man shouting about things he doesn’t know about, the point is that you should have a negative perspective moving forward. McMaster has failed us for far too long, and the leadup to these updates has been disappointing. The only way the system will ever improve is through feedback, a population willing to notify them about problems and expecting a major part of the school to live up to the standard of what we want to see from the university. @shanemadill

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OPINION

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Cell phones in the classroom McMaster should embrace advancing educational tools Hannah Moffatt Contributor

A popular topic discussed by many in today’s modern academic society is if cell phones can be used as educational tools. One can argue very easily for this idea from an environmental perspective because of the paperless nature of using technology.

The idea of e-textbooks and online resources are two examples of already established advancements that are environmentally friendly.

While professors and students at McMaster also agree that carrying around a cell phone is a lot more convenient compared to a text or reading book, there remains hesitation to allow these in the classroom.

Technology has advanced so immensely in the 21st century that now more than ever, smartphone companies are accommodating educational needs, creating necessary and helpful shortcuts for students’ learning.

This includes apps such as the map of McMaster University campus, calculators, language translators, dictionaries, calendars, notepads, reminders and of course, unlimited access to online resources such as Google and YouTube. With this new version of accessibility, students are encouraged to use their cell phones for educational purposes.

Classrooms can also enhance by creating virtual online discussions and homework blogs – some courses on Avenue do a good job of both of these.

Videography and photography classes such as Studio Art and Theatre and Film classes at McMaster can also benefit from cell phone usage as the average smartphone company now promises a high quality camera for all your photography and videography needs.

This concept is important to learn about and discuss because of the digital society that is currently growing around us, and the exposure to new tech.

A study done by the International Data Cooperation for Canada in 2013 shows that 79 per cent of smartphone users ages 18-44 have their phones

We might as well make use out of the numerous educational applications that enables ones growth in knowledge on them 22 hours of every day.

Since university students are learning approximately 240 days out of the year, we might as well make use out of the numerous educational applications that enables growth in knowledge.

Advancing the tools students use also comes with a revolution of communication between learners and teachers. For group projects, students can create a group chat to share and compare their work and continue to do so even after the school day has ended.

If a student cannot attend their class, one can easily communicate with other students to access missed work or notes as well as connect with their teachers.

That’s not to say that McMaster does not currently allow this to happen, but professors embracing technology more than as just a place to upload lecture slides and deal with MSAFs should be improved.

However, this is not a perfect system. Professors using textbooks not available online or outright banning cell phones in class due to the fear of distractions limits the options available, and stifles the ability to learn the material through ways that are comfortable for each student.

Overall, one should care about the issue of cell phones being used as educational tools because of the beneficial knowledge gained from studying these topics, and attempt to apply it to your everyday life.

Not only do McMaster students benefit from using their phone cell as just another component of their school supplies, but this also allows the advancement of their tech knowledge ­— a necessity in modern times.

C/O CHRIS ERSKINE

OPINION

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 29, 2016

| 13

Six months to life Finding your path after graduating McMaster Moleen Makumborenga Contributor

The burden of growing up watching early career successes of the rich and famous is sometimes overwhelming. It seems like success is defined by people who can find their niche in the economy, get their degree in no time at all, become a millionaire, donate exorbitant amounts of money to charities and still have time to Snapchat the internet fitness challenge they are doing with their parents.

They also seem to have time to maintain a healthy family life and eight hours of sleep every night.

Ours is also the burden of being 22 years old and the crushing disappointment of realizing you might not be able to move out of your parents’ house unless you really like how student debt feels.

The narrative is fed by extreme scenarios: at one end you can invent the next technological advance and solve world hunger and on the other hand you can start memorizing the McDonald’s menu to become the best overqualified cashier during the morning rush hour.

In an effort to win the war against my feeling of disillusionment about my degree choice and ultimately the end of my studies, I have begun actively researching what life looks like for a millennial after graduation.

In this scenario, I am focusing on the first few weeks up to six months after receiving the $50,000 piece of paper called an undergrad degree. What is the average predicament people find themselves in? Is it worth being upset if you have not started your first NGO/tech start-up by age 24?

Going to a university that ranks in the top 100 in the world seems to help with the employment predicament.

Nine out of 10 McMaster grads are employed six months after graduation.

The next question is what type of employment is available to you with an undergraduate degree. The answer to that seems to depend on what else you were doing with your time besides studying.

I know of a humanities student who worked on her swimwear label throughout her

C/O TYLER HAYWARD

time at McMaster, had an international clientele by graduation that included celebrities and works as her own boss as well as employs other people.

And this is the irony of early success experienced by said Mac grad and Silicon Valley CEOs. Early success is not really ‘early’, but rather takes years of skill-building done behind the scenes of your regular life.

The average graduate cannot emulate her success unless they were building the necessary transferable skills for the 21st century job market.

The sad, sad reality is that the $50,000 piece of paper, drenched in the sweat caused by multiple consecutive days without leaving Mills library during exams, seems to not be enough.

So before you know it, it’s

four months after graduation and you have found yourself unable to get a job because you do not have experience and skills to get a job. You are unable to gain experience because you do not have a job.

Extracurricular activities become even more important when you consider, that more people in the Canada are attending university than ever before. In 2014-2015, there were 1.7 million undergraduate students enrolled in universities across Canada; and those are the makings of a crazy competitive job market, with few entry-level jobs for to meet demand.

I believe most would likely start looking at post grad education options in the form of grad school or a post-graduate certificate at a college by now.

Ours is also the burden of being 22 years old and the crushing disappointment of realizing you might not be able to move out of your parents’ house unless you really like how student debt feels The idea to do more schooling is never an easy one, because the money to do so has to come from someone. Will the

decision to get more education be a good one? It all depends — because when all factors are considered individuals transition between education, training and work on account of personal circumstance.

There is no singular solution to post-McMaster life.

I do not know to what extent it is necessary to have figured out your whole life’s purpose by 22 or 23.

I am awed by those who do, but also I always wonder if Mark Zuckerberg at 45 will tire of the idea he had at 18, and go on and get that degree he left unfinished way back when. Of course, that Facebook money will cushion the blow of changing careers mid-life.

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OPINION

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Sleep isn’t for the weak Don’t sacrifice rest during busy times at McMaster

C/O BLOOMBERG

Priscilla Ip SHEC Contributor

As the school year progresses, there are more activities to get involved in, more responsibilities, more people to hang out with and more work to be done.

The struggle between maintaining a social life, getting good grades and getting enough sleep persists. I’m sure it’s possible to have all three, but in reality, many McMaster students are still learning how to master their personal balance. Most people I know give up a good night’s sleep and favour the other two options.

After talking to several students on campus, my suspicions were confirmed. But why do so many choose to sacrifice their sleep for other priorities?

Looking around places like the student centre, it’s clear that

pulling all nighters to study or staying out all night to be social are normal activities. Stereotypes about how students can’t wait until the break to catch up on sleep are commonplace.

Comparing university life to kindergarten is easy because the exaggeration that student life is filled with crying and naps might be true for a lot of people. Sleep, or more importantly the lack thereof, has seemingly become a joke, and the true value of sleep and the benefits it has to your body has become forgotten.

This may not only be a stu-

Many McMaster students are still learning how to master their personal balance

dent-driven phenomenon. Policies change to accommodate for the fact that students are still up until 3 a.m. cramming for an exam. Thode is open 24/7 during exam season and Centro has extended hours.

Sleep is your body’s time to recover from all the exciting or stressful activities from the day.

Your brain takes that time to process new information, your heart and blood vessels have time to heal and your hormones are regulated. Sleep is vital for your overall wellbeing ­— your mental, emotional and physical health.

According to research from Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine, sleep deprivation can cause long-term health risks including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and a lower life expectancy. At least eight hours

of sleep every night is recommended for optimal function, but this varies from individual to individual.

It’s normal for the idea of sleeping more to feel like a daunting or impossible task, but there are ways to manage this. We make choices based on our priorities. If our mentalities change, and sleep becomes one of those priorities, then we’ve completed the first step.

That can be easier said than done. Some tips on effective naps might help out! If you still find yourself falling asleep in the middle of the day, instead of reaching for a coffee, try a nap! Naps can leave you feeling refreshed, recharged and energized.

Studies show that power naps can improve mental and physical performance, decrease stress and improve your overall

health. Shorter naps are great for increasing short-term alertness and giving you a quick source of energy for the next couple of hours. Longer naps can leave you feeling groggy when you first wake up, but after a while of moving around and settling it, studies show that your memory will improve and you’ll have a boost in creativity.

The science behind your body’s sleep cycles is complicated, and may not work the same for everyone, but the only way to find out is to try these tips for yourself.

So during this busy midterm season, and later during exams, make sure that sleep is a priority. You can balance social life, good grades and rest if you dedicate yourself to it. Embrace the napping life and remember to give your body a chance to rest.

EVENTS CALENDAR Bridges - MacBEAT Halloween Coffeehouse When: October 27, 2016 from 08:00PM until 11:00PM Where: Bridges Café It’s looking to be a steampunky Halloween this year. Spook us with your best steampunk ensemble in exchange for MacBEAT’s finest musicians and good company. All donations to this event goes to charity!

Angels & Devils Night When: October 27, 2016 at 9:30PM

MacPride - Gayme Day

OPIRG’s Annual Fair Trade Fest

When: October 31, 2016 from 11:30AM until 03:30PM

When: November 02, 2016 from 10:00AM until 05:00PM

Where: Clubspace

Where: MUSC Marketplace

Join us for board games and video games in our first event of MacPride!

MacPride - Pride Haunt When: October 31, 2016 from 07:00PM until 09:00PM Where: BSB 104

Where: TwelvEighty

Come hang out on the evening of Halloween for some spooky fun!

Come out and celebrate Haloween at TwelvEighty. Featuring Teezy. Cover $2 before 11PM. Free sampling provided by Budweiser.

November Good Food Box pick-up When: November 01, 2016 from 10:00AM until 05:00PM

Featuring Fair Trade Vendors and Local Artisans. This holiday season, ensure that skilled artisans and labourers are paid a living wage by purchasing beautiful Fair Trade arts and products from around the globe.

MacPride - March When: November 02, 2016 from 12:30PM until 01:30PM Where: Commons Come out to McMaster’s very own Pride March!

Where: MUSC 201

THE PULSE IS NEW AND IMPROVED

We upgraded our equipment in the Pulse to help you #choosebetter to live a healthy, active lifestyle.

TREAT YOURSELF Find the answers in this week’s issue and tweet us a photo with the correct answers. If you’re one of the first ten people, you’ll get a $15 Pizza Pizza gift card!

What’s the number of professors who have the “distinguished university professor award” to date?

Who is the last member to join the band Good Anya?

Who is Mac playing in men’s rugby this weekend?

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The Silhouette | 17

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016

Arts & Culture Californian cuisine in Hamilton McMaster alumni introduce west coast vegetarian/pescetarian restaurant to King William Street Enoki mushrooms with creamed kale and winter spinach

YUNG LEE / PHOTO REPORTER

Whipped feta with green strawberries and baby beets Michelle Yeung A&C Reporter

With Hamilton’s culinary culture thriving at an all-time high, it becomes tougher and tougher for aspiring owners and chefs to stand out amongst a vibrant and impressive roster of dependable restaurants.

Located in the revitalized James Street North neighbourhood, Berkeley North is a new vegetarian and pescetarian spot with a unique vision and a contemporary yet laid-back aesthetic that grabs your attention within a sea of great eats.

Owners Diana Chetcuti Webber and Matt Webber, both McMaster University alumni, were happy to discuss the newest and perhaps one of the most refreshing additions to the city’s food scene.

Nestled in a 100-yearold building on King William Street, part of Berkeley North’s

allure stems from its design.

The beautiful space boasts white wooden planks and exposed brick walls, with natural elements that result in an inviting and homey feel.

With a background in event-planning and teaching, respectively, it may seem odd that Chetcuti Webber and Webber would end up as the owners of such a niche restaurant back in their old university town.

“When I left my job, [Webber was at a similar point in his life] where we both didn’t know what we wanted to do with our lives. So we drove up the California coast…[When we got to Berkeley], the streets were just lined with vegan or vegetarian restaurants that weren’t just grab-and-go spots…they were proper restaurants with cocktails and great music. And they were packed,” said Chetcuti Webber.

So [our idea to open a veg-

Jersey cabbage

etarian/pescetarian restaurant] was inspired in Berkeley, California and we decided to bring that idea [back home up north].

That’s where we got our name: Berkeley North,” explained Chetcuti Webber.

“Part of it was when we started this we were vegan and pescetarian,” added Webber.

“When we were living that lifestyle we really wanted to go out on a nice date to a restaurant that could cater to us…[a place] where it wasn’t something like: “Oh, you can have this on our menu and we can just take the meat off ” or “We can just make you a pasta with red sauce”. [So Chetcuti Webber and I] were like ‘why can’t we have a really fun time and eat really good food as well?’”

Berkeley North features tapas-style dishes in an ever-changing menu in order to use the freshest seasonal and local ingredients.

From a delectable jersey cabbage to a savoury sweet corn tempura ball to a divine Alaskan crab pasta, the head chef uses a variety of produce and seafood to create dishes that flaunt a wide array of rich, interesting flavours.

However, good food isn’t the only thing that concerns Chetcuti Webber and Webber.

At Berkeley North, the co-owners hope to push boundaries with their cuisine, while maintaining a solid focus on hospitality in order to result in the best overall culinary experience for all guests – vegans, vegetarians, pescetarians and meat-lovers alike.

“The most enticing part of this type of cuisine is you have never experienced taste like this…One of our favourite things is when people come into our restaurant and say: ‘I only eat meat, I’m just coming here on a date with my wife.’ And we

say: ‘Perfect. Come on in and enjoy.” And when they leave [happy and intrigued], we think it’s something really special,’ said Webber.

“We’re not throwing out salads and grilled vegetables.

We’re doing something that’s really unique and satisfying people by going savoury, by going sweet, by going salty. Hitting all these different notes that meat dishes do [and exciting your palette],” explained Webber. “[It doesn’t matter if] you are vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian or meat-e-tarian…Our tastes really speak for themselves [as food without labels] and we want everybody to feel curious and comfortable to come give us a try.”

“Come and have an experience with us,” added Chetcuti.

“And then let us know how we do.” @mich_yeung

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A&C

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Dreaming Friday night away Local dream rock act Good Anya recalls orgins and evolution of their unique sound

C/O VANIA PAGNIELLO Vania Pagniello Contributor

Dream rock is that subtle remembrance of a distant childhood memory. It is pressure from swimming to the bottom of a pool trying to touch twinkling oval sunlit patterns. It is the reason your neck will hurt after head-banging at a Good Anya live show.

Good Anya is a dream rock band from the Hamilton area consisting of the young quad of skilled musicians Noah Spencer (guitar and vocals), Sam

Anderson (drummer), Craig Jackson (bass) and Zoe Smith (keyboardist). In early May, Good Anya released their first EP, Good Effort.

The band spent the summer touring the GTA, making their furthest stop in Montreal.

The band returned to a show at The Baltimore House on Oct. 21 alongside Black Baron, Scrapheat and Pool People.

At both local venues and the occasional rambunctious house show, Good Anya’s ethereal enthusiasm has drawn an abundance of loyal fans and

fellow creatives to their music.

The band’s roots trace back three years to Dundas, where Spencer and Anderson came together with the intention of forming a band thanks to the help of their drum teacher.

Anderson stayed on drums and Spencer took to guitar.

Shortly after, Jackson joined as bassist. A couple of years after the cessation of an unnamed guitarist, Smith joined the group.

Coming a long way from their musical origins, Noah describes the band’s evolution.

“It was a lot more blues influenced before. We sounded more like a typical bar band…

When [Smith] came in it opened up a lot of possibilities cause you can use certain sounds from a synth.”

“You can do so much with the modulation, and you can make the synth so much more outlandish than a guitar can be” explained Smith. “Synth just has so many possibilities right in front of you.”

It was ultimately Smith’s contributions to the band that allowed them to experiment with more diverse and complicated arrangements that eventually evolved into a heavy dream rock band.

Dream rock is a hallucinatory blend of sounds that evoke surrealism, enthusiasm and

Dream rock is a hallucinatory blend of sounds that evoke surrealism, enthusiasm and bewilderment. bewilderment. Good Anya’s airy guitar and synth sounds entangle the audience in an ethereal realm of pastel-coloured clouds while the percussion and bass keep the listener firmly grounded.

The dreamy sounds are not the only aspect of the band that is beautifully crafted. In their EP Good Effort, Spencer’s unique vocals encode sonorous lyrics describing the growing pains from seeking new relationships and shedding old ones.

Although lyrically rich, his melodic vocals seem to take precedence over the sung stanzas. But by no means does this imply that the substance is lost.

“Noah will come to us with a skeleton of a song and we fill it in with all the guts,” Anderson explained.

“If I’m writing bass parts, I am trying to match the feelings that are in Noah’s idea for a song already and then put my own kind of thing into it at the same time. I want to make it fun

to play and also want to shape the song,” added Jackson.

The emotion Good Anya evokes during their live shows is intense.

The skeleton Anderson described has not only been filled with blood and guts. It is a full-grown entity embellished in beauty marks and scars whose presence can be felt in the very room.

Despite the emotional sensitivity displayed during their live shows, they don’t find that creating music grants an understanding of it.

“Being musicians doesn't make us feel like we know why we're sad. We still don't know why,” said Anderson.

“We are just trying to get it out… the only way we can,” Smith concluded. @theSilhouette

“Being musicians doesn't make us feel like we know why we're sad. We still don't know why.”

Sam Anderson Good Anya drummer

A&C | 19

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016

Local artists assemble gallery New co-operative art gallery prepares to open in James St. N Hundred Dollar Gallery space MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR

Stephen Altena and Andrea Carvalho pose infront of work by Andrew McPhail.

Tiffany Tse Contributor

While the Hundred Dollar Gallery may have recently concluded its final exhibition, its gallerists have been quick to begin a new project in the very same space.

Located at the corner of James Street North and Cannon, The Assembly co-op art gallery will re-open in the same location as the Hundred Dollar Gallery.

The low rent and supportive Hamilton community have encouraged the gallerists to prepare the space quickly to begin showcasing their artwork.

This time, an additional team of artists that will share the space to display their work which includes a diverse variety of abstract work, textile, 3D art, and more.

Stephen Altena, a local artist and gallerist, describes The Assembly as a natural fit for this gallery space.

His primary interest lies in Hamilton’s art scene and he believes that The Assembly will be a nice continuation from the Hundred Dollar Gallery he started with Andrew McPhail.

Altena’s colleague, Andrea Carvalho, agrees and reflects upon the established history of an artist-run co-op in downtown Hamilton.

The original art studios that inhabited the area in the 1970s were run often run on

the co-operative model. The presence of popular restaurants, bars and cafes on their street provide The Assembly’s unique combination of being a co-op in a commercially-driven space and neighborhood.

A total of 16 members will work together to present this gallery, each of whom have been previously involved in the Hundred Dollar Gallery project.

“As things are quickly evolving and spaces are becoming more difficult to access, it’s important to continue having a foothold within the area for initiatives such as The Assembly,” explained Carvalho.

“When the idea of a coop was first discussed, it was something that a few of us right away wanted to see happen, so

“As things are quickly evolving and spaces are becoming more difficult to access, it’s important to continue having a foothold within the area for initiatives such as The Assembly.”

Andrea Carvalho Artist

we moved quickly to make sure it could happen.”

This is by no means the collective’s first venture together, having met through local art initiatives in the community.

Altena describes a level of comfort amongst them that allows them to work together successfully in this capacity.

“Everyone is working on a professional practice and has similar goals and ambitions,” explained Carvalho.

Despite the challenge of making decisions with all 16 members, Altena and Carvalho welcome the new and unexpected challenges that may occur.

In fact, these challenges will bring them together as they share their passion to bring artists together to form connections with the public to create a sense of community.

The most significant goal of The Assembly is to present an opportunity for artists, emerging or established, to showcase their works.

It encourages experimentation and will allow local artists to develop their skills and build connections.

Join The Assembly for the presentation of their first exhibition, “Working in the Dark,”

by John Haney on Nov.11, from 7-10 p.m.

@theSilhouette

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A&C

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Pushing themselves forward July Talk returns to the Great White North for Canadian leg of their international tour

C/O SHALAN AND PAUL Rachel Katz Managing Editor

July Talk is back on Canadian soil, and could not be happier to be home. Since headlining McMaster’s Welcome Week concert in September, the band has toured Europe and the United States to promote their new album Touch.

The five-piece outfit began the Canadian leg of their tour in Kitchener on Oct. 25, and frontman and woman duo Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay were shared their excitement about the Canadian rock scene, taking more risks in their songwriting and their relationship with their fans.

"The community here is very tight and sort of genre-bending," Dreimanis explained, referring to the collaborative dynamic of Canadian rock artists.

"I think we make a particularly subtle but intense artistic statement. I don't think we're… trying to get clicks or get headlines in the same way international music sometimes has to do to get noticed. We sort of all listen to each other and we make music together."

Both Fay and Dreimanis

performed in multiple bands prior to July Talk, and combined elements from those experiences when they started playing together.

"There was sort of a confidence in knowing we both really wanted to push each other's buttons and interact as much as possible within the show," Dreimanis said, referring to the high-energy performances he and Fay give.

Although the sensual live shows that put July Talk on the map are still an integral part of the group’s identity, Touch highlights a side of the band not yet heard by fans.

"I guess with Touch, there's… four years of tour experience— and life experience, more importantly— to kind of influence the things we want to talk about and the way we want to make music and the way we wanted it to affect people's minds and people's bodies when they heard it," Fay said, describing the new approach the group was able to take with their second album.

"When we made the first album, we'd only played a few live shows together," she added.

"That album was mostly made by the few rehearsals we'd

had… and not really having any input about what it was like to record an album that people were going to actually listen to, because obviously we had no idea if anyone was going to hear it or not."

July Talk’s eponymous debut album was highly successful, perhaps best quantified by their incredibly varied fan base.

"When we first started the band, Peter was like, 'my dream is for us to have a cult following,'" Fay joked.

That following has received Touch with open arms, however Dreimanis admitted that parts of the album presented new challenges for the band. He listed the album’s finale, "Touch," as one of those challenges.

"When we started the band, we had a rule against songs longer than four minutes… I had played in a lot of bands, and played music with a lot of people that sometimes fell into that line of being masturbatory art, where you're doing it for yourself more than the audience," Dreimanis said.

"And so "Touch" was the first time where [our producer] Ian kept… saying to just let it build, slow it down, let it be gradual… I think it opened an

“As long as it's not absolutely insane I think we'll always try to figure out how to be present and stay connected and be out there with the people after the show.”

Leah Fay July Talk frontwoman entirely new door for the band moving forward."

While July Talk’s following has grown since they first broke onto the scene in 2012, both Fay and Dreimanis have maintained a close relationship with their listeners.

"We just really like being close with the people who enjoy and like experiencing our music with us and learning about us and themselves through listening to it. Because that's kind of all it is: just one big pool for everyone to jump into and get messy with," Fay said.

"As long as it's not abso-

lutely insane I think we'll always try to figure out how to be present and stay connected and be out there with the people after the show."

Despite their constant interactions with audiences around the world, both Dreimanis and Fay have their own pre-show rituals to fully slip into the performance mindset.

"I've been dancing [to Nick Cave’s "Dig Lazarus Dig"] a lot, which just kind of gives me a confidence and swagger that's not necessarily gained by sitting in a sweaty van with a bunch of your best buds," said Dreimanis.

"And I'm really into finding the most reverb-y spot in a venue and just going in and singing Michael Jackson really loudly.

Because there's no better friend for a self-conscious singer than a room full of reverb," Fay added.

As July Talk begins their tour across their home country, their excitement is palpable and there is no doubt that they will continue to touch the lives of their fans.

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GAMES

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016

The Silhouette | 23

Sports Goodbye CIS, hello U Sports Can the university sports rebrand engage students and attract sponsors?

Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief

Say goodbye to the CIS. Canadian Interuniversity Sport is no more, as the league has rebranded to U Sports following a press conference on Oct. 20, 2016.

Under new CEO Graham Brown, the rebrand aims to revive what is a stale product.

“We’ve been working really hard to get in front of corporate Canada,” Brown said in an interview with the Toronto Star. “They’re passionate about university sport. We just have to convince them that we’re a good opportunity for marketing [and] for promotion.”

A lack of funding has plagued Canadian university sports for years, and it should not be a surprise to see dollars and cents as the reason for the change. Currently, U Sports has around a budget of approximately $3.25 million, according to recent statements from Brown. He wants to push that budget to nearly $10 million in three years.

The rebrand is supposed to reengage corporate sponsors, though how that happens is not clear. U Sports officials say that a governance structure overhaul should allow the organization to bring in more sponsorships with less restrictions.

The larger questions revolve around the return of investment for corporate sponsors. Undergrads are a covetable marketing demographic, but generally speaking student engagement with university athletics is weak, and this has kept sponsors and broadcasters away.

Sportsnet dropped weekly Ontario University Athletics football coverage in 2014, citing high production costs and low viewership numbers. In that same year, Sportsnet created “Super Championship Weekend.” The event featured men’s and women’s basketball and

Graham Brown has a pedigree of success with amateur sport, working with Rugby Canada.

C/O U SPORTS

The name change is a positive step.

However, without a real strategy for engaging students and corporate sponsors, the rebrand will be a costly and ineffective endeavor. hockey championships broadcasted nation-wide.

The broadcaster was generally happy with the event, as per the debrief found in the 2015 CIS Annual General Meeting

report, but said “atmosphere and general attendance need to be addressed.” Do sponsors want to be supporting events that do not have good attendance? Given the current state of university athletics in Canada, the answer is “no.”

Weekly university football returned in 2016, with Sportsnet partnering with City TV to broadcast games. The first game was full of potential: Queen’s hosted Western, one of the oldest rivalries in the country, and Queen’s was opening their new stadium. Despite this, the game had lots of empty seats.

The event did not draw well on television either, as only 18,000 tuned in to watch. That number is lower than the 28,000 the OUA was getting before Rogers nixed the broadcast deal.

Sportsnet is not the only media outlet to take a step back from university athletics cover-

age. Due to shrinking budgets, mainstream media cannot allocate resources to a product so niche. The Hamilton Spectator used to have significantly more McMaster Marauders coverage, but the Sports department has shrunk in recent years and university coverage is few and far between.

Based on viewership numbers, attendance and media coverage, leadership is right: the CIS brand was stale and something needed to change.

The press conference and media release were full of platitudes and light on details for how this happens. It has not been a smooth launch, either.

Brown touted U Sports’ ability to be relevant in the digital landscape. They launched usports.ca after the announcement, but the main website for all information is still going to be CIS-SIC.ca until early

2017. Why would you rebrand as something more adaptable to the digital landscape, but still point people to a website littered with your old brand? It is a confusing decision.

The name change is a positive step. However, without a real strategy for engaging students and corporate sponsors, the rebrand will be a costly and ineffective endeavor. With the rollout of U Sports, the organization could have laid out the path for the future and given people a reason to believe in the change.

Instead, they spoke in generalities and left people with more questions than answers.

There is reason to believe in Brown because of his experience growing Rugby Canada into a multi-million dollar organization, but if you feel skeptical, you are not alone. @Scott1Hastie

24 |

SPORTS

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Cleaning up their mistakes Following a disappointing loss to the Guelph Gryphons over the weekend, the men’s rugby team begins to prepare for playoff rugby Eamon Hillis Contributor

The McMaster men’s rugby squad took a trip to Guelph on Oct. 21 for a battle against the undefeated Gryphons. The Marauders were looking to avenge last season’s 47-15 Ontario University Athletics semi-final loss, but were unsuccessful. The Gryphons easily walked through the McMaster men 56-3, who finishing the regular season with a perfect 8-0 record.

Guelph was the only team to be undefeated this season, and they will be the clear favourites for the upcoming OUA championships. They were the 2014 and 2015 OUA silver medalists, losing close matches to Queen’s each of those years.

“We’ve had a few good performances this season and I believe we are building nicely to the playoffs.”

Dan Pletch Head coach McMaster men’s rugby

Going into Friday’s game, it was clear that the McMaster men had their work cut out for them. In addition to an undefeated record, Guelph had put up 367 points through their seven games, with only 48 against.

To challenge Guelph would be a formidable task, especially as the visiting team before a hostile crowd. Regardless, the Marauders went into the game with confidence.

“We are definitely the underdogs,” McMaster head coach Dan Pletch said before the game. “They’re at home, they’re undefeated, plus we haven’t beaten them in a few years. Still, we are very confident. We’ve had a few good performances this season and I believe we are building nicely to the playoffs.”

Although their 53-point margin of defeat appears deflating on paper, it was not an indication of the team’s ability.

McMaster did not have a full roster going into the game.

“We have four or five guys who are currently out with injuries,” Pletch said. “Most of them should be healthy in the coming weeks, which will be a good help.”

With this loss to Guelph, McMaster fell from second to fourth in the standings, losing

C/O KARYN STEPIEN

Mac will look to bounce back against Trent, who they beat earlier in the year.

C/O RICK ZAZULAK

out on a potential first-round bye. Queen’s and Western both jumped Mac in the standings, with Queen’s getting the firstround bye.

“This was a very strong Guelph team,” Pletch said after the game. “Whenever we made any mistakes they jumped at us and were able to score. Some of our performance was quite good, it was just a few mistakes here and there and they took advantage. Overall, the boys played really hard, and in some ways, it was the best game we’ve played all season. But, Guelph is a very good team.”

OUA playoffs begin on Saturday Oct. 29, where McMaster will host the fifth-seeded Trent Excalibur in quarter-final action. Mac will be looking to

go into next week strong. They will hopefully be adding some players to their roster who are returning from injury. In addition, with over a week to recover from their Friday game, the team will be able to take advantage of that extra day’s rest.

“We’ve had a couple of guys who have been injured and could be coming back next week,” Pletch said. “Also, with the game being on Saturday we’ll be able to get three or four hard training sessions in plus an extra day’s rest before the weekend.”

Mac beat the Excalibur 27-12 during homecoming festivities, and will be hoping to repeat that outing this weekend. @TheSilhouette

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SPORTS | 25

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016

Bring on the Gryphons After a commanding semi-final win over the Western Mustangs, Mac looks ahead to their rematch of last year’s OUA championship game.

Cullum Brownbridge Sports Editor

All is going to plan for the McMaster women’s rugby team.

Heading into playoffs as the no. 1 ranked team in the University Sports standings, Mac continued their title defence in semi-final action against the Western Mustangs. Having faced each other two weeks ago, Mac was looking to replicate a 43-7 win that would secure a spot in the Ontario University Athletics championship game.

Under the lights at Ron Joyce Stadium on Oct. 21, Mac won the field possession and ball control battles, leading to a 29-0 victory over the Mustangs.

With the win, McMaster not only hosts the OUA championship final, but also secures a University Sports championship spot at Victoria, B.C., and will work hard to defend both titles.

McMaster scored five tries in the match, including one each from twin sisters Katie and Sara Svoboda, who made their presence known with elite playmaking ability. The score could have been larger, had Mac been able to finish off big runs and capitalize on Western’s mistakes.

“We had opportunities to score more points,” head coach Shaun Allen said after the win.

“I was happy with their defence in this game and the last game as well. A little more polish, and I think we [could have] score[d] two or three more tries. We definitely had our opportunities, and we seized enough of them.”

Leading 19-0 at halftime, the game got more physical in the second half as a frustrated Mustangs team attempted to get back into the game. As McMaster held on to the lead, Western’s lack of discipline led to frustration penalties, ultimately ending with card that caused them to play the rest of the game one player down.

“I was really happy how our players responded,” Allen said.

“They didn’t sink to the level of the infringements that Western were doing. They stayed composed and level headed, and they just went out and did the job. Their clear-out skills were pretty good, to the point where Western had to cheat to try and

gain some momentum and get some possession.”

The score was tighter than their previous encounter, but holding opposing teams to low scores has been the biggest factor in Mac’s success this season.

Even as the game got scrappy as the Mustangs were frustrated by lack of production, the Marauders played smart and kept their play at a high level. “[There’s been] good individual tackling, fitness, speed, and pressure that we can apply

“It will be an OUA championship [game] next week, so it should be a fight.”

Shaun Allen Head coach McMaster women’s rugby [on our opponents],” Allen said. “Tonight was our most disciplined game on defence so far. We took the least amount of penalties that we have all season, which is really nice.”

While defence is a collective effort in rugby, vocal leadership is key to keeping teammates organized and working fluidly. Scrum-half Lauren Walkden and fly-half Steph Black kept a running dialogue among the backline throughout all games this season, ensuring their teammates are in the right place at the right time. Meanwhile, the back row of Sara Svoboda, Katie Svoboda, and Abi Moody keep the breakdown in check, not allowing opposing teams to make quick runs and consistent gains near the ruck.

With the win, the women’s team is set to face Guelph in the OUA championship game. The Gryphons blanked Queen’s 37-0 on Oct. 22, keeping their own undefeated season alive. McMaster will have home field advantage, but the match should be compelling to watch for all fans, casual or committed.

“We’re going to be in a fight next week,” Allen said. “ It will be an OUA championship [game] next week, so it should be a fight.

Regardless of the conditions, Mac will look to keep

to their strategy of a balanced attack and taking advantage of mistakes made by opposing defences. Their practices leading into the championship game.

“I think just making sure that all the players are on the same page, that we’re not over-emphasizing this game, going through the same process that we have been trying to build all season, and really building up to the game in a way that makes sense for us.”

The battle of the OUA’s two unbeaten teams will take place at Ron Joyce Stadium on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.

For any Marauder fan, this match will be must-see, and will show rugby being played at its highest level. @Curtains1310

Mac’s ability to spread the ball opens holes in opposing defences, and have allowed the Marauders to score big.

C/O FRASER CALDWELL

26 |

SPORTS

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Shifting into playoff gear Mac offence keeps pace but falls short in windy London, setting up a homecoming rematch on Oct. 29 against the Guelph Gryphons

Mac struggled running the ball against Western, which was held back an offence already limited by the tricky conditions.

C/O RICK ZAZULAK

Justin Parker Contributor

The McMaster football team traveled to London on Oct. 22, in a three-way tie with Western and Laurier for first place in the Ontario University Athletics standings. After a hard fought game that pitted McMaster’s top defence against Western’s high-powered offence, the Mustangs ultimately came out on top 19-18, dropping Mac to third place in the OUA heading into the playoffs.

High winds hindered both teams in their attempts to put points on the board.

“Certainly, the wind presented challenges for our offence, and so did the Mustang defence,” head coach Greg Knox said. “But it was tough sledding against the wind. You still got to throw the ball, but it certainly limits what you can do offensively.”

The high winds and tough Mustang defence lead the Marauders to rely on their run game, a factor Knox stressed heading into the game.

“Frankly, I’m less concerned about Guelph or any of our opponents. I’m more concerned about taking care of our business internally in terms of our preparation and focus.”

Greg Knox Head coach McMaster football “We have been progressing well over the season. We have been able to run the ball successfully. In order for us to be successful on Saturday we are going to have to establish our run game. We definitely got our work cut out for us,” he said in advance of the game.

However, the running game fell short, only managing

76 total yards throughout the game. After a strong display of offence on the ground against York in their last game with 356 rushing yards, the Marauders run game was held to under 100 yards for the first time since their Sept. 10 loss to Ottawa, and for only the third time this season.

“We struggled getting enough push up front. Ultimately, I thought that Western did a good job. They’re a good football team,” said Knox.

Despite a strong standing by the Marauder defence, including two interceptions and two forced fumbles, minor mistakes in this tight game cost McMaster. Led by third-year defensive lineman Hassan Barry (two sacks, two and a half tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles), Western was held well below their 49.1 points per game average and were mostly shut out in the second half, only scoring a fourth quarter rouge that would ultimately be the winning point.

Heading into the postseason, the Marauders look to

regain their momentum this weekend at home as they play host to sixth-place Guelph. McMaster beat Guelph earlier this season in a 27-15 homecoming win, where running back Chris Pezzetta rushed for 143 yards.

Guelph is winless on the road this season, and ranks sixth in the OUA in points allowed per game (28.4), whereas McMaster boasts the lowest points per game allowed (10.9).

Despite the statistical advantage, Knox is more concerned about the performance of the Marauders themselves.

“If we play to our potential, I like to think that we will be able to beat them again.

Frankly, I’m less concerned about Guelph or any of our opponents. I’m more concerned about taking care of our business internally in terms of our preparation and

focus.”

“It’s playoff football, so you know the sudden death nature is not lost on us,” he added.

Everything looks to be in place for the Marauders to make a formidable run in the playoffs. As long as they play their game and execute, their sturdy defence can take them far. @theSilhouette

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HAMILTON SPECULATOR Throwing pumpk in seeds since 1934

Oc tober 27, 2016

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McMaster students launch MSN club After Mac launched a Master’s of Emoji Literacy program, undergrads have started a MSN Messenger club to remind people of the good old days.

Why anyone would want to bring up their preteen years is a mystery to us SHIT HASTINGS WaKeMeUpInSiDe // dance this Friday

In response to McMaster University’s new Master’s of Modern Emoji Literacy program, a group of Mac undergrads have started the “MSN club.”

Though Microsoft ended the service in 2013, this club wants to keep the memory of MSN alive in the minds of Mac students.

“MSN was too beautiful for this world, and in a lot of ways, it was the precursor to the way we communicate now,” said Mike “Always Online” Bergeron, a fourth-year Philosophy student and co-founder of the MSN club.

Joining the club is not a simple process. The MSN club

You just know this kid is writing “Lol sorry my friend sent that” after typing some gross message to a girl.

has strict rules based on past MSN use and your current lifestyle. Cheryl D’agostino explains some of their rules.

“If you’ve ever sent a nudge in your life, you’re out. If you were one of those people who had status like ‘*~*~Thinking about him...~*~*’ you cannot join. If you did not have a <3 with someone’s initials in the middle, you cannot join because you were probably a loser,” said D’agostino, the other MSN club co-founder.

Attending the MSN club general meeting was a blast from the past. Held in an arts quad classroom, the club started their meeting by playing a Simple Plan song and then writing “Listening to: I’m Just A Kid” on the chalkboard.

Then, D’agostino stood up and wrote her name on the chalk board in block letters with blue, thick chalk. When she made a joke, Bergeron muttered “ROFL” from his chair in the back of the room. He did not roll on the floor.

When it was Bergeron’s chance to speak, he had red chalk and wrote in thin cursive letters. This is to symbolize the different fonts and colours people could use on MSN. But why would someone be interested in joining a club for an instant messenger that was discontinued three years ago?

For Richard Harris, it’s pretty simple.

“I have a lot of positive memories with MSN. I loved the webcam stuff, I saw my first

POLL: your favourite 80s song?

Gowan - Midnight Desires

Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart

Noel - Silent Morning

Glass Tiger - Don’t Forget Me

DISCLAIMER: This is the Speculator, a joke page. The stories and continuing plot lines are fake. If you have ideas for a Speculator, tweet @theSilhouette and we might write it. You can’t win the lotto if you don’t buy a ticket.

“If you’ve ever sent a nudge in your life, you’re out. If you were one of those people who had a status like *~*~Thinking of him~*~* you cannot join. If you did not have a <3 with someone’s initials, you cannot join, you were probably a loser.”

Cheryl D’agostino MSN club co-founder

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boobie here,” said Harris.

The club’s meeting lasted an hour, and to end the event, everyone yelled “G2G!” in unison.

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