IS ANOTHER VANIER CUP IN THE CARDS? SEE B1
The Silhouette
MCMASTER UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
www.thesil.ca
Thursday, September 13, 2012
EST. 1930
Graceful under pressure.
Vol. 83, No. 6
Bienvenue, Monsieur Chrétien Proposed by-law affects students Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor
Master has received $38.5 million through the Knowledge Infrastructure economic stimulus program for post-secondary infrastructure enhancements across Canada. $22 million will help create new research space and stimulate increased production of medical and industrial isotopes at McMaster’s nuclear research facilities. The remaining funds will help build two new centres for cancer and spinal cord research. “Hamilton has been a leader in the manufacturing industry but our economy is diversifying. There are a lot of businesses in the city that are thriving,” Schleehahn said. He added that the city’s new status as an investment hotspot provides a reason for students to consider staying in Hamilton post-
In the near future, students will likely encounter a much more regulated environment when searching for student rental properties. On Sept. 18, a report proposing a new by-law will be presented to the Planning Committee at City Hall. The proposal seeks to address issues in regulating rental units across the city, and is believed to include a licensing program for all rental units (excluding those in apartment buildings) in the City of Hamilton. The proposed by-law would begin to be drafted following the Planning Committee meeting and would most likely take shape by the end of November. Discussion of regulating rental units has been ongoing. The current proposal looks to regulate rental units under the provincial Municipal Act. The intention of the licensing program is to ensure uniform standards for all rental properties across the city. Rental licensing programs in other municipalities such as the City of Oshawa have sought to monitor property maintenance and ensure proper documentation and insurance. Student rentals are not the sole target of this proposed by-law but the Westdale Ainsley-Wood and Mohawk-Buchanan-BonningtonSoutham neighbourhoods were specifically identified in earlier planning discussions in 2008. Both neighbourhoods cater to student populations and experience an influx in residency as a result of the short-term nature of student leases. Because the by-law itself has yet to be drafted, there have been concerns that another provision may be included which would seek to limit the number of bedrooms in a dwelling unit. The City of London is the only municipality in Ontario to have limited number of bedrooms to five per dwelling. Because this type of inclusion falls under a different provincial act, the Planning Act, Councilor Brian McHattie believes that a limitation on number of bedrooms would be discussed under zoning or as a separate by-law. “The focus is safe housing. We have unsafe and unpalatable housing across the city,” said McHattie. MSU VP Education Huzaifa Saeed reiterated the positive intent of the proposed by-law and the benefits to students. “From one angle … this is a good deal for students. This would avoid horror stories with absentee landlords,” said Saeed. Saeed raised another important question: “From an economic standpoint…what would this do for affordability of [rental] housing?
SEE PROJECTS, A4
SEE LICENSE, A4
SAM COLBERT EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Former Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien sits with former McMaster president Peter George (right), as well as Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Zafar Adeel (left of Chretien), and Hamilton’s mayor, Bob Bratina (left of Adeel), at a Sept. 11 event at McMaster Innovation Park. The event was a book launch for The Global Water Crisis: Addressing an Urgent Security Issue, a publication from UNU-INWEH, which is based at McMaster. See the full story at www.thesil.ca.
Hamilton leads nation in new projects McMaster poised to be “engine of growth” for city’s development Anqi Shen
Online News Editor
According to a prominent trade magazine in the U.S., Hamilton now leads Canadian cities in new industrial and commercial projects. Site Selection Magazine in Atlanta reports that Hamilton generated the highest number of expansion projects during the past year that have drawn at least $1 million, created at least 50 new jobs, or made use of at least 20,000 square feet. Analysts ranked cities based on new projects mostly in the private sector that would attract potential investors. Norm Schleehahn, manager of business development at the City of Hamilton, says the university’s main contribution to Hamilton’s 2012 ranking is its new automotive resource centre (MARC) at McMaster Innovation Park (MIP). The federal government has injected $11.5 million into the new facility, which will cover approximately 80,000 square feet of space in a former industrial warehouse across from the MIP Atrium. For the most part, MARC will be a laboratory facility to accelerate research in the automotive sector, focusing on hybrid vehicles. The project costs $26 million in total and is expected to employ 120 to 150 people. McMaster’s downtown health campus, to open two years from now, will make the list of projects for 2013, Schleehahn said. Nick Bontis, professor in the DeGroote School of Business, says the City is pushing forward with downtown renewal and McMaster faculty and students are leading the charge.
YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
The Centre for Microbial Chemical Biology in MDCL holds some of McMaster’s cutting-edge research techology.
Bontis said facilities like MIP facility used mainly for conferences, offer researchers a bridge between is in the midst of discussions with doing research in the lab and find- private developers to build a hotel ing opportunities to commercialize at the park. Plans haven’t been finalideas in the marketplace. ized but the hotel would accommo“That’s why McMaster Univer- date researchers, entrepreneurs and sity acts as an engine of growth for the general public. the manufacturing sector,” he said. In addition, the federal and “We’re sitprovincial ting on a large governments “...we don’t have enough horsesupply of pohave invested power or capacity for faculty to tential comheavily in the both do the research and commercialization u n i v e r s i t y ’s mercialize the research. That’s projects,” he health and where we need the community continued. engineering to get involved.” “But we don’t research facilihave enough ties. Nick Bontis horsepower A grant DeGroote School of Business or capacity for announcefaculty to both ment in early do the research and commercialize August revealed the province would the research. That’s where we need provide $4.6 million for 14 projects the community to get involved.” in the research sector. MIP, a $69 million off-campus Over the past two years, Mc-
OPINIONS INSIDEOUT ANDY
Arts and science clash in a fiery duel of ideologies
A7
Memory retention starts to taste really good
B7
Sheepdogs welcome new faces with classic rock
C4
the
PRESIDENT’S PAGE Jeff Wyngaarden VP (Finance)
Huzaifa Saeed VP (Education)
Siobhan Stewart President
David Campbell VP (Administration)
TALK ABOUT IT. There are more than 28,000 students at McMaster University. Approximately 20% of them are likely to experience some mental health concerns
Huzaifa Saeed VP (Education) vped@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 24017
Mental health issues have been a rising concern at campuses across the county. Institutions and student unions are implementing various awareness campaigns and training programs designed to turn campuses into safe and stigma free environments. The MSU will be no exception. While the office of Vice President (Education) historically hasn’t been directly involved in the planning of Welcome Week, looking back at my three years of experience as a Rep, coupled with the recommendations from the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) Student Health paper, caused me to push for a direct involvement in the training all of upper year Welcome Week volunteers in regards to mental health awareness. Welcome Week Reps are experienced student leaders who have exceptional levels of commitment to our campus. However, they do not receive any training in terms of mental health issues. With tremendous support from the Student Wellness Centre, we designed a training module that recognized the first year of university as a particularly vulnerable period of transition for all students. It also highlighted how serious and underestimated the mental health concerns are on campus. The training conducted by mental health nurse Debra Earl highlighted how in a 2009 campus-wide survey, a majority
of the sampled students cited moderate to high levels of stress and hopelessness on campus, suicidal thoughts and stress accounting for the number one barrier to academic success at McMaster. Similarly, the OUSA paper identified the strength of social networks and mentor figures as the primary variable and indicator for depression amongst students on campus. Apart from this awareness the Reps were also informed about the services available at the Student Wellness Centre, as well as the various opportunities for students to get involved via MSU services and clubs. While the training module was very well received, what made this project particularly exciting was the overwhelming success of the “pink elephant in the room� promotional campaign that I designed to accompany the training. You might already have seen over a thousand students on campus wearing these buttons and t-shirts during Welcome Week. The campaign came with a simple message titled “Talk about it�, which encouraged students to feel comfortable talking about mental health, as well as a webpage with more information on mental health issues msumcmaster.ca/hope. The first batch of buttons and t-shirts were very quickly claimed by the Reps, with countless others emailing me and approaching me to request more. With that success it seems that both the MSU and Student Wellness Centre will be adopting the “pink elephant in the room� branding scheme for the coming year. The Student Wellness Centre will be running a mental health stigma awareness week in early October. Over the next year, the MSU will continue to work with various partners and stakeholders to create a comprehensive campus-wide mental health strategy, similar to the one published by Queens
University this year. McMaster faces numerous unique challenges when it comes to addressing mental health issues. For example, with its diversity of academic programs, internationalization and burgeoning commuter population, a wide variety of considerations need to be made at the institutional level to accommodate these needs. Further
funding is still necessary to expand the hours and numbers of mental health practitioners on campus. Mental health consideration also needs to be integrated more strongly into academic and Student Code of Conduct policies, as well as increased support services for first year students both in residence and living off campus.
REMINDER OF MSU/MAPS TRANSFER AGREEMENT
Jeff Wyngaarden VP (Finance) vpfinance@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 24109
Under the Terms of Agreements signed in 1986 and 2007, the MSU and the McMaster Association of Part-Time Students (MAPS) defined membership jurisdiction based on the number of units in which a student is enrolled during an academic session. However, in a limited number of circumstances, membership transfer is permitted from one organization to the other. Students eligible to apply for membership transfer
have until September 30 to submit their application. Once processed, the transfer is normally permanent for the remainder of a student’s undergraduate studies at McMaster University, regardless of the number of courses taken in an academic session. A student may transfer from MAPS to the MSU if he/she is: R5 5 !#-. , 5 1#."5 ." 5 (., 5 ),5 Student Development (CSD) and, based on written confirmation from CSD, is restricted to less than 18 units in each fall/winter academic session; or R55555 !#-. , 5#(5 5 &&I1#(. ,5 '# 5 session in fewer than 18 units to complete his/her degree prior to the next convocation and was a member of the MSU in a previous fall/winter academic session. These provisions respond to the
desire by students who complete most of their degree on a full-time basis to remain members of the MSU if they enrol in fewer than 18 units in their final academic session. In addition, a student whose disabilities preclude enrolling in 18 or more units in an academic session is eligible to transfer membership to the MSU. A student may transfer from the MSU to MAPS if he/she is: R5 5 5 (5 "#-I" ,5 !, / .#(!5 3 ,65 1")95 (a) in a previous fall/winter academic session was a member of MAPS and (b) will register in more than 17 units to complete his/her degree prior to the next Spring Convocation; or R5 5 5 5 !, 5 -./ (.5 1")95 B C5 #(5 5 previous fall/winter academic session was a member of MAPS and (b) is registered in 18-20 units in the fall/
The President’s Page is sponsored by the McMaster Students Union. It is a space used to communicate with the student body about the projects, goals and agenda of the MSU Board of Directors.
www.msumcmaster.ca
winter academic session. These provisions respond to the desire of students who have undertaken part of their degree on a part-time basis, to continue as members of MAPS. A key principle of transferability is that students will pay all fees payable by members of the receiving student government. For a student transferring from MAPS to the MSU, this involves more than $500 in fees above those paid as a member of MAPS. Students transferring from the MSU to MAPS receive a refund, net of fees payable as a member of MAPS. Students enrolled in courses delivered by the Centre for Continuing Education are members of MAPS and are not eligible for membership transfer. For more information, please visit msumcmaster.ca.
EWS
Thursday, September 13, 2012 News Editors: Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma, Julia Redmond and Anqi Shen Meeting: Thursdays @ 4:30 p.m. Contact: news@thesil.ca
Concerns arise as joint McMasterMohawk Certificate launched
YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
The Mohawk-McMaster Institute for Applied Health Sciences is part of an older existing partnership between the two schools; the Social Sciences partnership is a new addition.
Ryan Sparrow
The program, which began last year as a pilot project, has now The Silhouette been officially launched with two Questions are being raised with certificates programs. According the quality and fairness of a new to McMaster officials, the certifijoint McMaster-Mohawk agree- cates are in Business Studies and ment. Leadership and Management in A new program has been the Not-For-Profit Sector, while a launched between Mohawk Col- third certificate called Introduclege and McMaster’s Faculty of So- tion to Autism is in development. Professors at colleges across cial Sciences. Mohawk says about 10 percent of their student popula- the province have recently contion are university graduates look- cluded new contract negotiations ing to top up their undergraduate with their administrations. During the negotiations, condegree with a one-year certificate. The program seeks to elimi- cerns were raised about the lack nate that extra year by allow- of academic freedom that the coling some social sciences elective leges give professors. The central courses to lead to a certificate with demand of the Ontario Public SerMohawk College. vice Employees Union (OPSEU), The Faculty of Social Sciences the union that represents Mohawk and Mohawk College have been professors, was more academic studying ways to fast-track stu- freedom for professors alongside dents through the process over the more job security. Kevin MacKay, Mohawk propast two years with a letter of understanding signed on September fessor and communications officer for OPSEU local 240, stated, 2011.
“Currently, college professors have absolutely no academic freedom. The high school teachers in [the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association] (OECTA) actually have more academic freedom than we have after their recent contract. Academic freedom was the number one demand the college professors took into this round of bargaining, and we got nowhere with it.” OECTA represents 34,000 Catholic school teachers in the province. MacKay says the concerns around academic freedom are real: “Currently, management in the college system is telling faculty what textbooks to use, how to deliver their material and how to evaluate it. They are even changing grades over faculty objections, and mandating delivery methods that lead to lower educational outcomes. Edward Lovo, an undergraduate student at McMaster, has con-
Mac band getting set for Letterman gig
C/O JAMES OVERTON PHOTOGRAPHY
Of Gentlemen and Cowards will be appearing on the Letterman show on Sept. 17.
Sam Colbert Executive Editor
Josh Dawson, bassist for McMaster band Of Gentlemen and Cowards, said his father gave him an important piece of advice for the group’s Sept. 17 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. He asked Dawson if he knew how Hootie and the Blowfish first rose to popularity. Dawson didn’t. “Letterman,” said his father, “so don’t fuck this up.” Of Gentlemen of Cowards is a young band. The current McMaster students got the opportunity to take their act to the New York talk show by winning a contest hosted by Red Bull Soundstage and by Rob Burnett, producer of the Late Show. The original contest, which received applications from emerging bands from across North America, was to get a song into Burnett’s film We Made This Movie. After becoming one of the four winning bands, they were entered into a contest with the other finalists to play on the Late Show. Through persistent and widespread promotion, Of Gentlemen and Cowards won the online voting contest. They’re set to appear on the show on Monday, Sept. 17. It will air at 11:30 p.m. that night. They fly down on the Sunday. At 3 a.m. Monday morning, they’ll be at the studio for
set-up. They’ll then head back to the hotel for a little sleep, and then back at 2 p.m. for rehearsal, hair, makeup and other preparations. They’re on at 5:30 p.m. “We rehearse a lot for our festivals and stuff, and we’ve gotten pretty good at doing that,” said Dawson. “But [at festivals] you’ve got a 45-minute window that you can spread your tricks out over … This is three and a half minutes to compact everything.” After the show, they’ll hang around New York for a few days “seeing how many times we can drop our name before we leave,” said Dawson. On Thursday night, they’ll be at the premier of We Made This Movie. They’ll play at the after party that night. But for now, the band is totally focused on making their brief TV appearance count. “I’ve watched every single performance on Letterman in the last five years,” laughed Dawson about what he’s doing to prepare. They’ve got tickets to the show for their immediate families and for Al Legault, director of MSU Campus Events, who will be representing them in New York. But whether or not they’re successful in the Big Apple, they know what comes next. “Class,” said Simon Edwards, the band’s singer, who is trying to stay humble. “No matter what happens after Letterman, we’ve still got 8:30s to get to … That’s what awaits us after Letterman. Homework.”
cerns with the lack of job security for many sessional professors at McMaster in light of the new program. Lovo stated, “I am interested in being a professor myself and I would hate these conditions to be imposed on me.” Elizabeth Moore, the program’s coordinator, stated that some of the professors are only part-time at Mohawk College and hiring is not handled by McMaster. College professors have no way to move up the ladder at McMaster to a tenured position. As professors are unable to engage in research in their fields, students may not be getting the cuttingedge insights that a tenured professor may offer. Assistant Dean of Social Science Lynn Giordano says that the faculty has “enhanced the courses to [make them of university quality].” Textbooks and course outlines
were assessed through several committees, and one course was even deemed similar enough to a first year commerce course that it was listed as an anti-requisite. This leads to concerns about outsourcing sessional professor positions to Mohawk. The Faculty did state that no courses were replaced by the introduction of the Mohawk-Social Science program but did not wish to provide information on how many classes were offered last year compared to this year, though an additional 800 seats were allocated in Social Science by the Provost. Collaborations between colleges and universities present exciting possibilities; however, while college professors lack academic freedom and both colleges and universities continue to rely on part-time over full-time professors, questions remain concerning job security and quality of education.
A4 • News
The Silhouette • Thursday, September 13, 2012
A bountiful back-to-school harvest MSU Farmstand part of a growing local food movement Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor
As students get settled in Hamilton for the fall semester, the harvest season is ramping up at local farmers’ markets across the city. Farmers’ markets have sprouted up in communities in the area. The Downtown Hamilton, Locke Street and Dundas Farmers’ Markets are the closest to campus, and the MSU Farmstand is located right on campus. The influence of popular works such as The 100 Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating and The Omnivore’s Dilemma have renewed interest in eating locally. Farmers’ markets have a rich history of promoting local food movements. The Downtown Hamilton Farmers’ Market was originally opened in 1837 and continues to enrich the community. Manager Donna Lee McDonald noted that students in particular have been a major force in ensuring the availability of local food. “Youth who are seeking regional local produce and who want to support small shop culture and independent business people are bringing a resurgence to markets. This is
clearly demonstrated by the number of pop up seasonal markets that are in this area and in any urban area in the country,” she said. The MSU Farmstand was formed in Summer 2008, during Mary Koziol’s term as MSU President, as a result of an OPIRG working group. The Farmstand, in partnership with Hospitality Services and the Office of Sustainability, aims to provide local produce to students and staff during the summer and into the fall. Alvand Mohtashami, Director of the Farmstand, noted that farmers’ markets strive to create an inclusive and open atmosphere for their customers. He said, “The right atmosphere is fun for a customer to explore and learn about farming and local food. The [students] come back with something they feel they can connect to rather than the grocery store experience which is a bit more mechanical.” McMaster has been part of a provincial campus trend, which has seen students ask for more local food options. Farmers’ markets or market stands now operate at Queens, Waterloo, UofT Scarborough, Guelph, Ryerson,
Mac projects aim to help revitalize Steel City FROM A1 A survey conducted by the McMaster Students Union last year concluded that only 24 per cent of total students polled (of which 24 per cent were originally from Hamilton) would look for a job in Hamilton after graduating. 37 per cent said they would take a job in the city only after looking elsewhere. Previously ranked second and fifth, Hamilton beat Quebec City (16 new projects), Toronto (15 new) and Montreal (13 new) for the top spot in the ‘Canadian Top Metros’ annual ranking. Among the 20 new projects that emerged in Hamilton this past year are: Maple Leaf ’s new meat processing plant, expansion of Activation Labs in Ancaster, expansion of facilities at Hamilton pier and new grain handling
facilities built by Parrish & Heimbecker and Richardson International. In late August, Hamilton was also named the ‘top location in which to invest in Ontario’ by the Real Estate Investment Network of Canada (REIN). REIN Founding Partner Don Campbell said in a news release that the city intends to work in tandem with the growth occurring at McMaster University in order to “spark an entrepreneurial spirit in the city.” Criteria that REIN used to evaluate cities include: the average rate of growth of income, population and job creation as compared to the provincial average. Other factors were: number of major employers, economic growth atmosphere created by political leadership, ability of infrastructure to handle growth and major transportation improvements.
Upcoming meeting will decide licensing
ANDREW TEREFENKO PRODUCTION EDITOR
Student rental properties have been a focus in the discussion of licensing rental units.
FROM A1 That depends on the licensing fee.” However, he also noted that it is difficult to fully comment on how this by-law would affect availability of rental property to students until the Sept. 18 meeting. Both Councilor McHattie and Saeed stated that the MSU would be and has been a part of the consultation process in the discus-
sion regarding regulating rental units. A more concrete plan of action will be developed by the MSU following the report to the Planning Committee. Until the by-law is officially before City Council it remains unknown how deeply this will affect students. While the goal is higher quality student housing, potential repercussions remain a latent issue.
Brock and McMaster. Mohtashami suggested that educating students about the positive environmental, economic and health implications of buying local produce is paramount to farmers’ markets broadening their scope and targeting young people. Lisa Anderson, manager of the Dundas Farmers’ Market, reiterated how students and youth have embraced the movement. Specific initiatives such as the Hamilton Food Charter and programs run by Environment Hamilton seek to leverage community input into food security and food systems issues. At the Farmstand, students can be educated about local food systems, meet with farmers and learn more about the benefits of local produce. In upcoming weeks, the Farmstand will be bringing new products from the Earth to Table Bread Bar and launching local food workshops and a farmers’ market tour, in addition to running their regular market operations. The Farmstand will wrap up its operations on October 31 with a Harvest Festival that will feature art, music and games.
C/O SARAH JANES
MSU Farmstand provides local produce.
Thursday, September 13, 2012 • The Silhouette
News • A5
Westdale reacts to Mac student move-in
YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
Westdale residents and businesses prepare for the annual student move-in.
Alvand Mohtashami The Silhouette
Westdale hosts mix of students and permanent residents, providing a campus-town feel. Yet along with that comes a frustration from both groups, as students want to experience the freedom of being away from home and residents seek a quiet and clean environment. While resident reactions to this past Welcome Week vary depending on the street, community events like PJ Parade and Community Clean-Up have given students a stronger first impression of the community entering the school year. However, it is through the school year that tensions can build up. Kenneth Moyle is a 12-year homeowner in Westdale and a board member of Ainslie Wood Westdale Community Association (AWWCA), an advocacy group for permanent residents in the community. He cites the two main concerns of residents as being loud noise and messy properties. “McMaster and undergraduate life are part of Westdale. When you live in Westdale, you’re living around families, just as you did at home. The same rules of common courtesy still apply now that you are in a house of your own.” While not all student houses are disrup-
tive, the inconsiderate behaviour of a few can put a bad label on all student houses. Still, Moyle insists it would be hard to find residents who want all the students to go away. The McMaster Students Union, conscious of the relationship between students and Westdale residents, runs a service called the Student Community Support Network (SCSN) to help develop a sense of community in the Westdale area. Erika Richter is this year’s SCSN Coordinator and organizes the Resident Buddy and Snow Angels programs, which provide students with volunteer opportunities to connect to residents. These programs complement Hamilton 101 and By-Law 101 initiatives that teach students about common considerations of living off-campus. The programs keep Westdale a balanced neighborhood, Richter says, and keeps conflicts from developing. She urges students to experience the city and get to know the community, as this will enrich the student experience and provide a different perspective on student life. “When you make an effort to be a good neighbour, you’re helping to keep Westdale a place where students and permanent residents want to live,” said Moyle, “and what you do can effect Westdale and McMaster for years to come.”
Greener buses arrive in Hamilton as service increases Anqi Shen
Online News Editor
Forty-one new HSR buses are now on the streets in the Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale area. The aim of the City’s initiative is to provide local residents with improved service while using greener vehicles for better air quality. Of the 41 new buses, only four will contribute to route extension, while the remaining 37 will replace older models that are less fuel-efficient and have reached their 12-year lifespan. The newer buses are mini-hybrid models with electric cooling fans that reduce the amount of energy needed to cool the engine. The buses weigh 1000 pounds less than previous models and have a new transmission designed for smoother operation and increased fuel economy. Mayor Bob Bratina said in a press release that public transportation is a key strategic priority for City Council. “These new buses will allow the HSR to provide increased capacity and more reliable transit service to our riders,” he said in the release. “We hope Hamiltonians will consider leaving their car at home more often and taking transit instead.” The total cost of the new buses is $18.8 million, $6 million of which comes from the City of Hamilton’s Gas Tax Fund allocation from the federal government.
The City contributed $1.13 million to the project and Transit Reserves provided the remaining $11.67 million. As of Sept. 2, service level increases affecting students and residents are also in effect. 5A/ 5C West Hamilton (Saturdays and Sundays) Buses are now departing to and from Ancaster Meadowlands every 30 minutes on weekends from approximately 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. This provides additional direct service from the Westdale/University area to the stores, restaurants and services in the Meadowlands. 43 Stone Church (Saturdays and Sundays) Buses now run every 60 minutes on Saturday evenings (approximately 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.) and during shopping hours on Sundays (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). 44 Rymal (Weekdays) Expanded service has been added every hour during the midday and early evening. #44 Rymal will now operate between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. One additional westbound and eastbound trip has been added to 51 University in the evenings, and minor trip adjustments have been made to 41 Mohawk on Sundays and Holidays to provide better connections with the new 5A/5C route.
DITORIAL
Thursday, September 13, 2012 Executive Editor: Sam Colbert Contact: thesil@thesil.ca Phone: (905) 525-9140, extension 22052
POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
What’s it going to take? to muff dives. to john k. samson. i like the beard, man. to ‘70s at 7.
to guys who watch porn in the front row of a lecture hall. to apartment fires. maybe macdraft wasn’t such a bad idea.
to pizza life. to the common cold. to microwaves. to french textbooks. to ath & rec sales. to the next pangea: only 6.5 million years away. to sil reality shows. watch out for it.
to the doritis. i got it bad. to 3 a.m. heartburn. to the iron curtain. to night class.
to um coffee and bagels, once again.
to accidental penises. my bad.
to boney m. to the hungries. to explosive content on page c4. get it?
to an internless interim.
to kyle quinlan and the marauders.
to december b-days.
to wine mixers.
to the 5 a.m. shadow.
The Silhouette McMaster University’s Student Newspaper
Editorial Board Sam Colbert | Executive Editor thesil@thesil.ca Jemma Wolfe | Managing Editor managing@thesil.ca Andrew Terefenko | Production Editor production@thesil.ca Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma | Senior News Editor news@thesil.ca Julia Redmond | Assistant News Editor news@thesil.ca Anqi Shen | Online News Editor news@thesil.ca Kacper Niburski | Opinions Editor opinions@thesil.ca Brandon Meawasige | Senior Sports Editor sports@thesil.ca Scott Hastie | Assistant Sports Editor sports@thesil.ca Sam Godfrey | Senior InsideOut Editor insideout@thesil.ca Amanda Watkins | Assistant InsideOut Editor insideout@thesil.ca Nolan Matthews | Senior ANDY Editor andy@thesil.ca Bahar Orang | Assistant ANDY Editor andy@thesil.ca Yoseif Haddad | Senior Photo Editor photo@thesil.ca Jessie Lu | Assistant Photo Editor photo@thesil.ca Javier Caicedo | Multimedia Editor photo@thesil.ca Karen Wang | Graphics Editor production@thesil.ca Sandro Giordano | Ad Manager sgiordan@msu.mcmaster.ca
Ask. Then ask again – this time through a months-long and thousands-strong public protest. And, eventually, you will receive. Student activist groups in Quebec are tentatively celebrating victory. The newly elected Parti Québécois minority government has promised to cancel the tuition hikes initially proposed by the previous Liberal government. What have we learned here in Ontario? Apparently, not much. Here’s the state of post-secondary education in our province. Our schools have the highest tuition in Canada. They also have the lowest level of provincial support. And in my time here, I’ve never seen a McMaster University budget that wasn’t prefaced by a desperate call for more funding. So schools take on more and more students, both because provincial funding depends on it and to boost tuition revenues. But there’s nowhere to put the extra students. It’s no secret that McMaster, like other universities in the area, is well over capacity. Its class sizes are too large, its residences are stuffed and its common spaces are crowded. And for that less valuable education, students are paying more every year. Don’t be fooled into thinking that there’s anything natural about the gradual fee hikes. They aren’t about inflation. A report released on Tuesday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says tuition across the country has increased at three times the rate of inflation since 1990. In Ontario, where it’s highest, the report says that undergraduate tuition will increase from its current level of $7,513 to $9,231 four years from now. It’s a vicious cycle. More students means more need for funds. More need for funds means more spaces for new students, all paying higher fees than the students before them. University administrators will tell you this is a problem. They know campus is crowded. They know that young people don’t get much value from sitting through lectures with hundreds of others. They know high fees mean more difficult or more burdensome access to education. But the province – and its universities along with it – has committed to the recommendations of the Drummond Report,
which was released in February. The Report supported continued enrolment growth. It recommended tuition increases – not ones low enough to match inflation, but not ones high enough to match the growth of the student population, either. It also continued the push for more differentiation of Ontario universities, which would make some universities teaching-focused schools and others research-oriented in order to enhance the student experience. But, for good or bad, McMaster’s president Patrick Deane wants nothing to do with it. He believes that teaching and research should go hand-in-hand. In other words, the University isn’t going to solve this problem. The province isn’t going to solve this problem. Students need to solve it. Can we get together and make it happen? Can we make change like they did in Quebec? Well, how about our record of direct democracy here at Mac? At last year’s students union General Assembly, we just barely got the three per cent needed to reach quorum. We ran to one side of the room of the other, and, ultimately, every first year ended up paying for a Welcome Week they probably could have gotten through the old, opt-in MacPass system. That’s our direct democracy. But people didn’t even show up because they cared about Welcome Week. It was participation for the sake of participation. The 601 campaign to get people out was a great marketing strategy. But imagine if Quebec students’ primary objective was to gather in huge numbers first – only to collectively decide later that their reason for being there was to be angry about tuition. Understand, too, that student groups in Quebec were holding meetings similar to our general assembly every week. It’s not that we’re incapable of getting together for a good cause. We raised $116,000 for Shinerama this year. At least for a week, hundreds of students gladly made a concern for cystic fibrosis part of their identity. And how many of them felt personally affected by the disorder? So what’s it going to take for us to care about the state of post-secondary schooling? The official charity of Welcome Week 2013: our education? •
Sam Colbert
FROM THE WEB
Letter: role of race and gender in leadership Last week, the Sil posted an online editorial [“Editorial: Our MSU pres has other qualities, too” – Sept. 7] about a CBC Hamilton interview with the McMaster Students Union’s president, Siobhan Stewart. The editorial argued that the interviewer focused too heavily on the fact that Stewart was a black woman in power, neglecting other aspects of her leadership. Among the feedback the Sil received was a response from Sarah Ali, selections of which appears below. Visit our website to see the rest. Breaking news: White dude says race and gender don’t matter In an ideal world, everyone would be equal – our prisons would not consist primarily of one racial group, one gender would not be regularly assaulted, and we would all attain status and prosperity through our “merit.” This concept of merit would not have been created and defined by one particular group – it would be something to which everyone could aspire. And in this magical, ideal utopia, this editorial would have been spectacular. It would call out a person who dared to upset the special harmony we all lived in by insinuating that race and gender had any real consequences for any person, particularly one in power. Unfortunately for Sam Colbert, we do not live in this utopia. We live in a world where socially constructed myths about race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability play an enormous role in our lives. [...] When we tell a Woman of Colour that she “got where she did on merit… independently of her skin colour,” we tell her that her experiences of racism and sexism are illegitimate, and that we are going to show her that by pretending they do not exist. Colourblindness perpetuates racism, while simultaneously denying its very existence. Truly, it is understandable why Sam Colbert does not acknowledge the significance of Siobhan Stewart’s race and gender. For him, like for many others, this is not a groundbreaking achievement. For him, this is not a testament to the tenacity and strength of the McMaster community, and the Women of Colour who inhabit it. For him, this is just another MSU Pres. And that is really not his fault. He did not grow up knowing that his identity is transgressive, that he would be more likely to die from racialized sexual assault than to finish University. For him, race and gender have never really meant anything. I suppose when you are on the privileged end, you never have to be bothered with that sort of triviality. See the complete response and get involved in the discussion at www.thesil.ca.
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PINIONS
Thursday, September 13, 2012 Opinions Editor: Kacper Niburski Meeting: Mondays @ 12:30 p.m. Contact: opinions@thesil.ca
To fit the universe on a snowflake Kacper Niburski Opinions Editor
I’m sorry. It might be bad to begin with an apology, and it might foreshadow a sympathetic, yet brooding tone. But know that I am sorry. I am sorry that you are stultified by an avalanche of books. I am sorry that you might be a fan of the Bobcats. Most of all, I am sorry to say that art by itself – although an ubiquitous, available way to communicate the wonders of the world and although being entrenched in the very core of human existence – is not important. Believe it. For in this world, only both science and art hold any value. Don’t swallow your paintbrush. Don’t tilt your head like this were all an abstract painting. The paragraphs are simple; the sentences even more so. There is no hidden meaning, no suggestive prose unsaid. All there is, and all there has been since humankind thought it prudent to scribble images onto a cave, is art – and in this art, is science. Most would disagree. Seeing the world through a lens of self-possessed realism, they cling to the claim that the two are diametrically opposed. Art is an appreciation of the beautiful, a form of discovery reserved for the individual. Using the rocket fuel of creative juices, it manifests itself in every form of life. This, of course, is undeniable. For better or for worse, art is everywhere. From a candy wrapper designed to entice the eyes to the very shape of the candy itself, art, or at least as far as the element of aesthetic appeal goes, maintains an intricate part of one’s cultural livelihood. Now as I sit in the Silhouette basement, this is certainly true. While ANDY editors work tire-
lessly to uncover the latest Hamiltonian trends, and posters suffocate the office’s free space, I am stuck in the avalanche of arts. Even this very sentence, a product of hair-pulling and late night coffee crawls, is considered an artwork. Science – or so people assert – is quite the opposite from art’s requisite beauty. Rather than being a meticulous endeavor into the innate, it is seen as a cold shuffling of the furniture of the universe. With pipettes and volumetric flasks, nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectra, the world loses its beauty when science uncovers the reason for it. It is an analysis, not a poem. And besides, who could see interest or beauty in the digestive system of an earthworm anyways? I have a friend, an artist no less, who thinks as much. During a winter storm one year, he said, “Look how beautiful this all is. The carpet of snow, the bubbling of clouds – you scientists take it apart and make it dull.” With dark hazel eyes gleaming in a veil of whiteness, he thought that something so fascinatingly unique and geometrically perfect could only be appreciated as an art form. I’m not sure. In fact, I am unsure about almost everything, even about being unsure. I live with uncertainty. Most of the happenings around me are explained with deep doubts, narrow approximations and unlikely probabilities. I know very little about this world, and for most things, I know nothing at all. But there in the snow conjured straight from a Robert Frost poem, I couldn’t disagree more. To take my friend’s example, beauty is much more than face value. It is not simply art just as it is not one-dimensional. SEE THE, A11 JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
The damned life of a first year The failing Being a freshman is tough but entirely rewarding
success
A commentary for the worst of days Oskar Niburski The Silhouette
With so many people, it’s hard to find your niche and really experience the subtleties of a university lifestyle.
Yara Farran The Silhouette
I’m a first year. I’m the girl who’s probably asked you (yes, you specifically) how to get to the Student Centre from BSB/Hamilton Hall/ Faculty Hollow and the like. I’m the one who casually tries to help other first years find their classes, getting them even more lost than they already are. “Oh that room, it’s probably here,” I say with a smile, slowly realizing that it is actually probably not. Most likely, you’ve spotted me walking in and out the Health Science Library like a lost little lamb and frantically trying to access the Internet on one of the computers (why is the Internet button named “Health Sciences Library?”). It’s not like I’m proud of my shortcomings as a newly knighted freshman, it’s just easier for me to digest this whole new experience if I recollect all of the things that I’ve done wrong thus far. Exhibit A While scouring Limeridge (for all you kids new to Hamilton, it’s the main mall. Unfortunately, it’s not the Eaton Centre. Fortunately, it’s not East Gate) I began to collect some pieces for school. “I’m going to dress up every day,” I said. “My hair is going to be straightened every day.” Now, as I begin to contemplate the actual reality of my closet and grasp the real demands of university, I’m shaking my head. All I want to do is sit in yoga pants, gorge on some Union Market bagels in elastic waistband sweats, and
bury myself under a spaghetti sauce stained sweater. The very thought of jackets (shivers), jeans (holding back vomit right now), and shoes (wait, what do you mean flip flops aren’t shoes?) is making me violently ill. Exhibit B Socializing has never been my strong point. I once said a joke to an unsuspecting stranger that went along the lines of, “Oh em gee, I have so much homework. I’m going to cry tears – tears of blood.” The poor girl took a step back. Then another. Then turned as politely as she could. Cleary she (bless her) didn’t think my (obvious?) joke was funny and felt that her young life was in danger in my presence. I hope she’s recovered from the experience. I know I haven’t. During this past week, every time I have made a questionable joke, I thought back to that moment. Luckily, none have been as disastrous as my previous example, but I have thrown out a few tankers. Now, this would be okay if I had been in the company of long time friends who’d give a few pity laughs or say, “Oh, that’s so you! You’re so wild.” However, that didn’t happen in front of my new colleagues. They still think I’m wild, though. I consider that a start. Exhibit C This what I’m most guilty of doing. Maybe it’s the lifetime of media consumption and Dawson’s Creek conditioning. Perhaps, my imagination is wired to be completely ridicu-
YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
lous, and disbar the truth about life as a university student. The thing is, I came into this whole situation with a plethora of grand expectations and a bucket load of romanticized notions. University is a lot different than high school, and in some ways, it seems to be worlds away from the one portrayed on television. Once I entered my first lecture in Chester New Hall, I didn’t have an epiphany and discover that I’m meant to be a doctor/dancer/ disc jockey. As I casually ate lunch, a handsome, slightly older British guy didn’t ask me out on a romantic date. I haven’t even joined a nu-wave Indie rock band yet. Even though it’s literally been a week, it’s safe to say that these expectations are probably never going to come into fruition. It’s okay, though. University, as I’ve learned, isn’t about the obvious happening. It’s not about travelling concrete, rigid paths and arriving to the predicted destination. It’s about discovery. It’s about mistakes. It’s the time in your life – and remember it is your life – when it’s okay to not have any expectation and just go with the sweat filled, anxiety ridden wind. Some days you’ll have the worst possible outcome, but other days, you’ll meet your British prince/princess and connect over your shared loathing of SOLAR. Let this be your moment to do things, feel things, and be things. Although, I’m only a first year and have already advised a ton first years to the netherworlds of McMaster, so maybe my advice shouldn’t be heeded. Maybe.
The first time I experienced success, it was most likely a relief. Being unable to walk makes you think you are stuck in one place, slowly ticking away from the dynamic lilt of life’s rhythm. Cemented to the floor, or more accurately, concreted in my own poop, I babbled like a baby. Maybe because I was one. Maybe because I was angry about being unable to stand. More likely, though, because I was left to sit with my own failure. Looking back, it might have not been my fault. Some might say that. I wouldn’t though. Because while I may have fell and fell and fell again, I eventually learned to waddle back and forth, then to stand, and before I knew it, success was at my feet. I am told the first time I walked, I laughed a precocious, little giggle. I think this is because I learned at a very young age that failures may not be your own doing, but success – the ability to try regardless of the outcome – can only be achieved by you and you alone. This only lasted so long, however. I did not exactly hit the floor running. Instead, I hit the floor after inching my way, slowly, carefully and hesitantly. I still have a scar on my chin from falling my first time. I thank Newton’s third law for that one. These limited successes continued as I grew against the gravity of these physical laws. I kept experiencing failure in new ways, ways I didn’t know possible. Whenever I tried some task, it seemed more likely that I would fail. For example, I failed my G1 driving test twice, was rejected by every girl I asked to the grade eight graduation dance and have never been able to remember my grandmother’s phone number. These failures are probably inconsequential in the holistic view of my life, but at their present respective moments, I could not feel any worse. Or at least, my grandma made me feel as much when I asked who was calling. Now, when I am apparently wiser only because I am older, when I have reached failure in a way I could never imagine, I am trying to understand how I had the gallantry to get up and start walking, especially when failure is only one small step away. SEE A GIGGLE, A10
A8 • Opinions
The Silhouette • Thursday, September 13, 2012 UNIVERSITY REALITIES
ART AND CULTURE
The long road all boarded up
Life isn’t always Macleans Rob Hardy The Silhouette
BENJAMIN BARRETT-FORREST THE SILHOUETTE
Longboarding is more than a hobby; it’s culture incarnate David Laing The Silhouette
On Sept. 8th, I attended the tenth annual Board Meeting, which took place in downtown Toronto. We are a large, fast-growing company, so we can’t afford to convene more than once a year. Board members came from near and far, in all shapes and sizes. Some were barely old enough to walk, and others looked like they might not be walking for much longer. Some required mild narcotics in order to pacify their contributions, while others ran perfectly well on just gravity and adrenaline. All came dressed in business attire. It was a board meeting after all. We are longboarders, and this year, the streets of downtown Toronto beheld a proud company of over one thousand. It begins as a sea of helmets, churning and bubbling in a park near Yonge and St. Clair. We are amateurs, so there is no commercialization. A lone opportunist floats in the swarm – a NOS truck crewed by two scantily clad nymphets, fishing energy-hungry skaters out of the throng and throwing them back into
the crowd if they are under eighteen years of age. A fountain-base is discovered, and a few drifters start to circle it, boldly displaying their steeziest moves. They draw the attention of the crowd, and this slowly grows into a maelstrom. I watch from the sidelines, marveling at how few collisions take place despite the chaos. In skill level, I am to these skaters as a house-cat is to a pride of lions. So I am quite content to sit back and whistle along with my friend, who is strumming an ukulele. Eventually the whirlpool subsides and a short bearded man climbs up onto the fountainhead, megaphone in hand. He wears his helmet like a crown. We raise our boards in salute, and like a church assembly, we stand and sit as one. He reveals to us the plan for taking over the streets. The more audacious boarders are going to slowly roll out onto Yonge Street at the top of the hill to block the traffic. The more timid ones (like me) are going to take a gentle route down the side streets to get a good view. The dam is about to burst. Like a waterfall, longboarders come hurtling down the hill at
40 km/h. The fastest ones lead the erosion, and the rest of us join in as sidewalk tributaries. My place is near the back, where the stream flows at a slow trickle. I roll along anxiously, trying not to collide with the children who are also at the tail end of the procession. I’m slowing down my friend, who has to keep waiting up for me. He’s more confident than I am, and while he rolls down the hill he’s still strumming along and singing. He passes me his iPhone for a few minutes so that I can document the event. I’m shooting a video, trying to narrate as I go. I only last thirty seconds before causing a pile-up – I swerve sideways and three unsuspecting skaters find themselves as part of a human accordion. This is more than a sea of skaters enjoying the luxuries of a skate. In fact, it isn’t even about that. This entire meeting, from it’s inception to the point where we met and skated, some better than others, some not at all, was a statement of culture. In this world, art is undeniable and more than that is the way it is embodied. We chose to embody it in motion. If I were to try to describe it, I would call it a moving cultural transformation. I would call
it poetry in motion. To that degree, while we were cascading down the hill, I saw an old man on the sidewalk, tears streaming down his cheeks. He appeared to be overwhelmed by the courage of our company. Perhaps it reminded him of his youth. More truthfully, though, it probably reminded him of a world I would never know. A world that was uncertain and strange. In a a few generations, everything he knew, he cherished, and was able to call his own had changed. Transformation was at every corner; sometimes for the better, other times for the worst. Disasters seemed immanent. Every day seemed like the end of days. But only through movement, whether it be a peaceful march against an army of tanks or a cry for equal rights on the streets of New York, did transformation take place. For it is through the unsettling of stagnancy, that change will stir, Maybe longboarding is not exactly like that. Maybe it is. I’m not exactly sure and I don’t think I am supposed to. All I know is that after it all, I have found another community and they found me too and that means something. Or at least, it borderline does.
The latest issue of Macleans magazine came right on the heels of festivities welcoming frosh and returning students back to university campuses across the country. Making it the cover story for its September 10 issue, “The Broken Generation” looks at the fallout of accumulating social and economic pressures along both sides of the border. As it examines how the youth of today have internalized the crises facing them, it explores both depression and suicide with candor. What further makes this story notable is that its detective work also included a stop right here at McMaster. First of all, Macleans should be applauded for digging deep. As a youngster, you might have begrudgingly been exposed to this magazine in doctors’ offices when no other options were on hand. As a mature adult, however, Macleans really is one of the most trustworthy publications in Canada, and is about as hard-hitting as the mainstream media gets. This article stays true to such mantra, deftly illustrating both the hope of overcoming mental illness while discussing why the generation currently in their twenties are in such a quandary. That being said, I did have some problems with the way this feature story was framed. For one thing, it seems to freely use the word “student” as a synonym for youth in general, whereas I would suggest that these problems are largely typical of young people regardless of whether they are or ever were specifically enrolled in higher education. Since easily more than half of Canada’s young adults have at one point been college or university students, finding our way in the world seems to be the larger theme in question here. SEE MARK-SHARKS, A9
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Opinions • A9
Thursday, September 13, 2012 • The Silhouette YOUR VOICE
Feedback
Mark-sharks are the new academic natural selection
Nowadays, what is more valuable: the arts or the sciences? “I’m personally in the arts, so I would say that the arts are better becuase they have an extreme history and beauty while science does not to such an extent” Maudg Mohammadi, 4th year Poli Sci
KAREN WANG GRAPHICS EDITOR
While an incisive read, Maclean’s forgets to mention the emotional impact of a grade-focused academia.
FROM A8
“Definitely the sciences are more valuable. Arts take much more time to get to the point and sciences are more exact.” Kieran Woodward, 2nd year Econ
“Since I’m studying occupational physiotherapy, I think they’re both equally important. One plays off the other.” Theresa Bernard, 1st year Masters
“Sciences may get you a better career in the future, but art lasts forever.” Eric Johnson, 1st year Nursing
“The arts are more valuable, because art is giving significance rather than searching for it.” Amanda Watkins, 2nd year CMST
YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
Look online at www.thesil.ca to see new polls, opinions, comments and feedbacks.
Therefore, though some state that they’re worried about their grades, that in itself is not an existential academic crisis, specific, of course, to the studies undertaken. Grades focus on numeric categorization relative to others with whom they are competing. One student talks of stressing over marks in order to get into teachers college, and others talk of “improving academic performance,” both of which highlight a scramble to beat out their peers in a game of musical chairs, all the while evidently lacking a passion for both the academic work itself, as well as a higher discovery of self-purpose both of which were what education was founded upon. What the article does not cover, however, is where these students find themselves after overcoming their depression fueled by this academic struggle. Since we are told that the more ambitious youth of today, as cited herein, are mostly suffering not from some sort of inferiority complex but from a genuine hopelessness due to a bleak future, then it should be clear that the cause of their malaise still exists. Saddled with student debt, an increasingly tight job market and a general lack of opportunities befitting grads entering the workforce,
the situation is indeed depressing, yet something that one should not take personally. Our universities have definitely reached a saturation point in turning out graduates because even though most decent employment opportunities (and some less so) require a degree, the job market has not caught up with creating this kind of job for everyone holding a BA. Therefore, the pressure increases as everyone scrambles to build a resumé with various experiences,
By fostering the right attitude, with support if need be, we can bravely face life and hope to persevere against its uncertainties, whatever they may be.
which are also competitive, as even unpaid internships are not possible for everyone seeking one. We have to look at the bigger picture here. Is the student who is sweating over their grades rather than the content of their reading lists, really going to be happy even if they get their spot in teachers college? Is the scarcity sweeping over the job market not going to matter to them so long as “they got theirs”? Do they think material fulfill-
ment will somehow shield them from seeing and caring about those who didn’t make it, even though said student could easily have also missed their chance? Or do we actually really not want to confront these questions because they are too uncomfortable? The questions are numerous and among them is a notable juxtaposition. The Macleans feature might invite some comparison to the student strikes in Quebec, where peers mobilized as a group to defend their interests in a more active way as they, too, saw their way of life changing before their eyes. Whether or not this is the case, one must understand that a resumé exists to demonstrate our ability to do a job, not as something that needs to justify our right to even hold one and earn a living. Consider this: it is more necessary than ever to gain control of your life, purge all that is extraneous and find a way to battle your way to the top without forgetting all those in our communities who are getting caught up in (or under) unemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcies and other economic calamities coming at us from all sides. Though this is not a solution either, by fostering the right attitude, with support if need be, we can bravely face life and hope to persevere against its uncertainties, whatever they may be.
A10 • Opinions
The Silhouette • Thursday, September 13, 2012
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JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Throughout our lives, we are doomed to fall again and again and again.
FROM A7 I guess even now, I find myself asking why the chicken crossed the road, only to remember that the joke ends with some form of macabre failure. Someone could tell me that the joke goes on, so it’s a happy ending of sorts. I think that’s what makes things worse: the vexation due to failure is thus only inflamed by execrable platitudes and banal statements. To those who say, “You will get stronger,” know I don’t feel any stronger. For those who argue that, “You can keep going,” understand that I want to run away. And when people tell me that, “Everything will get better,” be aware that at this present moment, it couldn’t be any worse. It is only natural, though. When we face failure as a third-perspective body, we can only offer these trite statements. We see the sun, and are reminded that it sets and rises each day, regardless of what happened the last. But these words are empty and to the sufferer, it is as if we are offering them ice on a winter’s day. We do not know their troubles. We cannot offer a blanket statement that will
make everything alright. So, because we are so unaccustomed to dealing with other people’s problems, we find ourselves at a loss for words and consequently relegate all our own wisdom to silly clichés and statements. Do not get me wrong, there are people who will try to take your failure as their own. It is as if they did the action and they alone must deal with its ramifications. To them – we the failures – are eternally grateful. But for the most part, when you find yourself in the worst of times, most people proffer words of little encouragement and support. At times, you may even be indignant of this. It goes without saying that they don’t understand what you are going through. I don’t even understand what you are going through. But what I do understand is that we failed, and we will keep doing so. Yet, we will also succeed. Regardless of the struggles, no matter how much failure is sitting around you and despite the fact that you feel that it will only get worse, that road will eventually end. And baby, when it does, it will be one big relief. Who knows? We might even giggle.
Opinions • A11
Thursday, September 13, 2012 • The Silhouette ATHLETICS
The arts are Paralympics set an example a diluted Despite disabilities, Paralympians surpass their own limitations science FROM 7 To admire a snowflake falling is to forget how the snowflake falls. The snowflake is beautiful because it can fall, not because it is falling. It is not guaranteed to fall. Theoretically, we expect it to. And that’s comforting. It is in this comfort, in this ability to explain the world with a scrupulous eye and an even more scrupulous hand, that art becomes a science and science becomes an art. Only by looking at the two, acknowledging both their intricate skills and meticulous designs, from art’s carnal imagination and passion to science’s hard analysis of the world,
It is in this comfort, in this ability to explain the world with a scrupulous eye and an even more scrupulous hand, that art becomes a science and science, an art. KAREN WANG GRAPHICS EDITOR
The Olympics are a time for heroic athleticism, but it is the Paralympics that steal the show as a physical feat.
Despite their different disabilities, they were more than ready to show their aptitude. People with one arms or no arms at The Silhouette While watching the Olympics, I was quite all swimming, blind people running, people interested in the multitude of events. Seeing in wheel chairs playing basketball. The the likes of Usain Bolt and other athletes racing magnificence was a limitless continuum. They the track was very impressive. From their were super-humans. Not because of their colours to their audacity, they represented disabilities, but instead because those very their nations proudly. Yet while these athletes are certainly the superstars of their nations, Many of the athletes and the audithey are, I am afraid, only a dimmed glimmer ence did not care that their teams when compared to the Paralympics. came first, second, or third. The At first, I shared in the general honor was in beating the odds. It skepticism about the Paralympics. Uneducated was in participation. on the matter, I thought it was just another way for society to project their ‘equal yet different’ idea. I mean, why else would Olympics and Paralympics be entirely disjointed events if not to prove this statement? But after watching a singular Paralympic event, I was as surprised as anyone same disabilities did not define their limits. could ever be. Certainly, they were different. They, and only they, did. Experiencing the Paralympics truly They lacked the audacious personalities, the bravado which has made some athletes gave me a better understanding of the term notorious. Yet they did not lack the confidence. “winning.” Many of the athletes and the
Udoka Gabriella Okafor
audience alike did not care that their teams came first, second, or third. The honour was in beating the odds. It was in participation. All and all, it was found in being able to proudly say, “I crossed that finish line, I did not give up.” This was my most memorable summer. Spending it in London and going to North Greenwich where the Paralympics was being held cultivated a novel appreciation for the world and the people in it. While I did not have tickets to go to the events, it didn’t matter exactly. I could hear the screams of the audience and the heavy breathing of the athletes. I saw the smiles on the face of those people who where about to enter the field, those who left it, and those who would come again. To the freshmen and everyone at McMaster, just remember that these athletes were able to beat the odds not because they were superhumans but because they worked as hard as they could. Try to remember that the next time a midterm is around the corner.
Free
can one truly appreciate the world. This is because the two are not different. Rather, they are one of the same. In my friend’s case, not only did I see the majesty my friend observed, I saw everything else he didn’t. I thought of how the regular crystalline structure formed hexagonal crystals because of the hydrogen bonds, electrostatically bonded; how this resulted in lower density than the liquid state, which in turn allows for the survival of aquatic life during the winter months; how this little water portion cycled through winds that bellowed throughout the whole world; how the world was a little rock knee deep in a cosmic sea; how the cosmic sea was in a Universe larger than we can observe; how we were part of this Universe and, more importantly, how it was part of us, the snowflake and everything else. For the ultimate conclusion, the ultimate beauty of understanding that science and art are the same, is the knowledge that the whole of the Universe fits onto a snowflake.
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SPECULATOR
INSIDE THE SPECULATOR
THE HAMILTON
Thursday, September 13, 2012
A3: Right hand jealous of left B7: Logic proves itself useless C1: Hoola-hoop - what’s the hoopla? P4: Advertisements no one cares about
Petitioning for a Non-Family Day since 1991
Keep calm and carry on reading, drone Don’t forget this, and that, and this. And probably that. Also this.
Mayans fall Jesus born
Constantine ushers in Christianity
Illuminati formed
Library of Alexandria burned
Zipper invented Knights Templar founded
Twin towers fall Pee-wee Herman born
PHO TOE CAMERA GUY
Since the history of man (yes, not woman), their presence has been undeniable and felt in every epoch-making event, including during digestion.
Oscar Olsen Speculator
If you want to live, dear reader, you’ll listen to what I tell you. At this very moment, you are being watched. Every move. Every breath. Even every fart. Don’t look up. Stay calm. All of your actions are under the lens of their unyielding judgment and scrupulous planning. Any rapid reactionary remark, and they’ll peg you as an insurrectionist. Who are they? Why - they are the very people that control your lives. More powerful than both the Illuminati and the Knights Templar, they rule over the global economic market, the music industry, and the news you cherish. They are all seeing. They are all knowing. And they are everywhere. Few have recognized this group’s ubiquitous invisible hand throughout history, but some have dared to do as much. It is this omnipresence which Michael Jackson referred to in his song “Human Nature”, when he said, “Electric eyes are everywhere.” He further hinted to them in the song “Monsters”: “Everywhere you seem to turn, there’s a monster.” While first catching their disapproving attention with his song lyrics, MJ soon became bolder. In an attempt to continue to enlighten the public and bring this shadowy
elite’s blackness to the light, MJ underwent various procedures to bleach his skin. On his last speech in March 2009, he said that he would be giving his “final curtain call” – an allusion the group’s iron curtain on truth. Four months later, he was dead. But not before establishing a new record deal with Sony Corporation for $250 million dollar. This deal meant that Sony retained the distribution rights of MJ’s recordings and ultimately controlled the reworked mastercopies where the bleak references to this surreptitious elite have been removed. Sony, a Japanese media mogul, was established one year after the end of World War II and besides spearheading the careers of various American superstars like MJ, it also launched the career of Ronald Reagan. Years after his notoriety as a television star, Ronald Reagan vied for Presidency, receiving much of his funding from private corporations such as Sony. While losing his first Presidential bid, he finally won in 1981. That same year, after advocating for policies which planned to reduce the tax rates, control the money supply and usher in the deregulation of the economy – all of which angered the shady elect – he was met with his first taste of MJ-esque fate: an assassination attempt. Though Reagan was fortunate enough to
survive, it was a specious victory. For if they wanted Reagan dead, he would be. Instead of serendipity, it was but a warning shot fired into the daytime – or more specifically, at him. Yet it was these Reagonomic legislature that heralded the success of many early 80s start-up companies. Among them was the fruit of knowledge itself: Apple Inc. Like the name suggests, the multibillion conglomerate of technology has long serving Biblical ties, which can be noted in the passage of Psalms 17:8, “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings.” This extends well into current pop culture, where products such as the Macintosh computer have long since been a staple of modernity. The most notable example is found in Apple’s debut in the film American Pie. In it, the protagonist uses both a Macintosh and an apple pie for sensual pleasures – a ruse to brainwash the most carnal passions of the masses. Yet this is only a sliver of the naked truth. The clues cast out by this elite come full circle when one is willing to take stabs into the darkness (or alternatively, an apple pie). This is because among the greatest hint for their existence, one can find the actor Eugene Levy. In the series, he stars as the oblivious father and appears in all eight different sequels. While such a career of filmed promiscuity and lewd behaviour may be frighten-
ing enough, the penultimate piece has inadvertently been set. For Eugene Levy, a 65 year old Hamiltonian, went to a little known school: McMaster. Which is also known as Mac. Which is an abbreviation for Macintosh. Which comes from Apple. Which relates back to Bible. Which begins with Adam and Eve. Which suggests a God. Which then, after exhaustingly going back and forth through history with a magnifying glass, brings us back to the shadowy elite who control everything. Only when one looks into the subtleties of these epoch-making events, from the JFK assassination to the moon landing, do they find the final piece of the mystery: Eugene Levy worked for these unseen puppet masters and deciders of destiny. This is no coincidence. It is a line drawn thick in black that has been hidden by the blanket of night. You can find it on this page. You can find it on every page. Because in the 1960s, Eugene Levy worked for the Silhouette. It is undeniable. They, the Silhouette, are the weavers of fate, the lords over the plebeian playthings. There is only a matter of time before they come for me. They wired all keyboards to see what people are typing … what’s that noise? They’re here. Please, pass this message of truth along. It is your only hope. It is our only hope. Most of all, it is the world’s only hope.
English language changed to Windings Oscar Olsen Speculator
In a landslide vote by Oxford English Dictionary, Harvard University Press, and Mother’s Against Drunk Driving, the English language, a beachhead of thousand of years of cultural transformation and the mostly widely spoken language to date, has been changed into Webbings. The reasoning, says the self proclaimed harbingers of the English language, were manifold. Among the many was the fact that nouns have ghosted into verbs, Twilight was written in English, and becuz ppl kan barly rite and wood aprecia...3ews a butter lawng-
wage. The President of the Webbings Society had this to say: � � � Following procedure and command at gun point, we will do the same from now on.
PHO TOE CAMERA GUY
I
don’t
understand
this
What did you learn this week, Timmy?
“It isn’t gay
if you like it.” Disclaimer: Stories printed in The Hamilton Speculator are fact. Any resemblance to persons real or dead is likely intentional and done out of spite. Opinions expressed are those of The Speculator and if you disagree with them you are wrong. And stupid. Possibly ugly as well.
PORTS
Thursday, September 13, 2012 Sports Editors: Brandon Meawasige and Scott Hastie Meeting: Thursdays @ 1:30 p.m. Contact: sports@thesil.ca
FOOTBALL 2012-2013 PREVIEW
RETURN OF THE KING
ua iews the o v e r p ie t s a tt h PAGE 2: sco arauders m ’s r a e y is ine PAGE 3: th tball timel o o f r e d u a r fly zone o n PAGE 4: ma ’s c a m o lcome t PAGE 5: we
B2 • Sports
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2012 Marauder Schedule Preview Scott Hastie
Assistant Sports Editor
@ The Ottawa Gee-Gees have struggled out of the gate in the 2012 season, dropping games to the Windsor Lancers and the York Lions. Their defence has been a serious area of concern; after two games, they are ranked ninth in the OUA, giving up 561 yards per game on average. In contrast, the Marauders are ranked first in
the OUA for offense, gaining 632.5 yards per game. Mac will look to take advantage of a porous Ottawa secondary, which ranks last in defending the pass. From a defensive perspective, McMaster needs to take care of business against the Gee-Gee’s mobile QB Aaron Colbon, who has run all over his competition through two weeks of action.
Hailing from Kingston, Ont., the Queen’s Golden Gaels are the first real competition for the McMaster squad. The nationally ranked Gaels, victors of the 2009 Vanier Cup, are 2-0 to start the season, taking down the York Lions and Laurier Golden Hawks. Queen’s defence has held up well through two weeks, but the Mac offense will be the first real test for the Kingston team. QB Billy McPhee has started off the season with average numbers: three touchdown
passes and two interceptions. McPhee, who has faced two bottom-five defences, will be facing a ball-hawking secondary in McMaster, who picked off six passes in last year’s Yates Cup semi-final against the Gaels. Queen’s defence is a middle-of-the-pack unit, ranking sixth in pass defence and fourth in defending the run. McMaster is the favourite, but this should be a competitive game for the Maroon and Grey.
@
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The Silhouette • Thursday, September 13, 2012
In Week 5, the Marauders are the visitors for the Western homecoming game. The Mustangs were the last team to defeat McMaster, back in Week 2 of the 2011 OUA season. Western is undefeated after winning a road game against the Waterloo Warriors and winning their home opener against the Toronto Varsity Blues. Despite losing 2011 OUA Rookie of the Year RB Tyler Varga to an NCAA scholarship at Yale University, the Mustangs still boast the best running game in the province, averaging 337.5 rushing yards per game. QB Donnie Marshall is off to a hot start in 2012, mak-
ing smart decisions (10.28 yards per attempt) and throwing with accuracy (64 per cent pass completion percentage). McMaster faces their biggest defensive test, with Western owning the number one spot in passing and rushing defence statistics. The Marauders will rely heavily on the linebacking corps of Aram Eisho, Nick Shorthill, Shane Beaton and Ben D’Aguilar to shut down the running game. The Western Mustangs could be the team Mac meets in the Yates Cup, so this Week 5 match-up will be critical for the Marauder team.
@ The match up for McMaster in Week 6 will be a drastic change from the two weeks prior, and not just because of a rare Thursday night kick-off. The 1-1 York Lions are a much weaker squad in comparison to Mustangs and Golden Gaels. The biggest challenge for McMaster will be QB Myles Gibbon, a former NCAA player from South Alabama. Gibbon has thrown for three touchdowns and 582 yards through two games. The Lions have
struggled to protect their quarterback, giving up seven sacks for 24 yards. The offensive line will need to improve by Week 6, otherwise the McMaster defence will expose this fault early and often. Defensively, the York Lions have done well defending the pass, only giving up 155 yards per game after facing Ottawa and Queen’s. The Marauder running game has an opportunity to take advantage of a young York defence, which ranks seventh.
Week 7 sees the Marauders on the big stage, with the Score visiting Ron Joyce Stadium to broadcast the McMaster homecoming game against the Windsor Lancers. Windsor is a growing force in the OUA, led by their star under centre, Austin Kennedy. The quarterback has looked strong out of the gate, including a six-touchdown and 482-passing yard game against
Ottawa. The 1-1 Lancers are a team that will need to grow defensively as the year goes on, most notably in run defence. After games against the Guelph Gryphons and Ottawa Gee-Gee’s, Windsor ranked seveth in defending the run. Kyle Quinlan will also be a test for the Lancer secondary, whish has yet to face an elite calibre quarterback.
To close the season, Mac hosts the Laurier Golden Hawks. After losing WR Shamawd Chambers to the CFL, the 0-2 Golden Hawks are in a rebuilding year. McMaster will look to close out the season with a win against a team who failed to put points on the board against the Toronto Varsity Blues. One of the bright spots for the team is their defensive line, which has eight sacks through two games, good for third in the OUA. The offense is being run through QB Travis Eman, a first-year quarterback still adjusting the university game. The
Golden Hawk running game is currently a run-bycommittee affair, but expect this to change by the end of the season while the Laurier coaching staff figures out the player’s roles. The experienced Mac offensive line will hold up against Golden Hawks, allowing Quinlan to do damage in the air against the eighth-ranked passing defence. The recipe for success for Laurier’s opponents was a balanced attack of running and passing, but look for Mac to lean in favour of the aerial attack to avoid the Laurier D-line.
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Sports • B3
Thursday, September 13, 2012 • The Silhouette
f Pt a s ze k’s Ha n d o # 12 Kyle Quinl an QB # 22 Jimmy Hill RB # 83 Robe rt Babic SB # 82 Brad ley Foche sato SB # 6 Dhali n Brooks SB # 1 Mich ael DiCro ce WR # 65 Steph en Schn eider OL # 68 Chris Pcka rd OL # 51 Elliot Mont ag OL # 61 Jaso n Medeiros OL # 59 Matt hew Sewe ll OL # 4 Tyler Crapigna K/P Optio ns # 2 Mars hall Fergu son QB # 11 Ben O’Con nor WR # 30 Kase an Davis RB
THE LIN EUP
OF FE NSE
C a rds
RB # 22 Ji m my H ill litie s. h bi g pl ay capa bi Sp ee dy ba ck w it c SB # 83 R ob er t Ba bi e. hi ne fo r th e of fe ns A to uc hdow n m ac na K/P # 4 Ty le r Crapig hi m . word to de sc ri be Cl utch is th e on ly ei ra DL # 94 K aree m Fe rr 7. en ce in th e front A n impo si ng pres S # 8 M ic ha el Da ly elde r in th e CI S. T he be st ce nt re fi LB # 7 N ic k Sh or ti ll ore. in g. Only a soph m Fa st an d ha rd hi tt
D E F E NS E # 94 Ka ree m Fer rei ra DL # 95 Kevin Ma lco m DL # 99 Tan vir Bh an go o 99 # 52 Be n D’A gu ila r LB/DL # 7 Nic k Sh ortill LB # 13 Sh an e Be ato n LB # 42 Aram Eis ho LB # 9 All an Dic ks DB # 18 Jo ey Cupido DB # 26 Steven Ventre sca DB # 8 Mi ch ae l Da ly S # 33 Steph en De nn is S Optio ns # 3 Trevo r Ga ry LB # 17 Ma rek Bo ruc ki DB # 55 Ch ristia n D’A gu ila r DL
B4 • Sports
The Silhouette • Thursday, September 13, 2012
Marauding through the years 1913 1930 Due to the small student population at McMaster, the team was forced to forfeit all games in the second half of their season because two players suffered an injury, and the team could not find any players to replace them. The McMaster Marauders play their first football game against the University of Toronto Dentistry team. The U of T squad won with the peculiar score of 1-0.
The inaugural game at McMaster’s field is played on Oct. 18, 1930. The team was led by QB Wilf Paterson, one of the first Marauders to play in the Canadian Football League.
McMaster appoints its first head coach, E.G.H. Worden. Worden led the team to the 1921 group championship, which the Marauders would lose to the University of Toronto Blues.
1901 1920
1956 1970
2000
2004
2011
Mac surveys the students and alumni to discover a desire for football games to be closer to campus. Mac brass make a decision to build a stadium for the football team, and construction begins
Through Marshall, the Marauders added major talent, including Hec Creighton winners Kojo Aidoo and Ben Chapdelaine. Mac won their first Yates Cup, defeating the Laurier Golden Hawks 48-23.
Jesse Lumsden emerges as a national star; posting CIS records with 1,816 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. The season would earn Lumsden the Hec Creighton award and an NFL contract.
Mac defeats Laval Rouge et Or, dropping a 23-point halftime lead but coming back to win in double overtime. Quarterback Quinlan cements himself as one of the greatest Marauders to play quarterback, winning all three major MVP awards.
McMaster wins its first football championship, defeating Royal Military College by a score of 25-13. Toronto Maple Leaf and Hockey Hall of Famer Syl Apps, who played running back for the Marauders, led the
After years of multiple associations, Ontario universities decide to form a single league which would later become the OUA. Mac’s addition to the defunct SIFL is seen as a major steppingstone to creating
McMaster enters the Senior Intercollegiate Football League (SIFL), the top conference in the country for university athletics. The Marauders contend for the Vanier Cup but lose the game to the Alberta Golden Bears.
1935 1967
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The Marauders have their first undefeated regular season since 1967, and quarterback Phil Scarfone is the first Marauder to win the Hec Creighton trophy, an award given to the most outstanding Canadian student player.
1984
McMaster proved itself to be an OUA dynasty, winning its third straight Yates Cup victory. The team lost in the newly named Mitchell bowl to Laval.
Stefan Ptaszek is hired to coach the McMaster Marauders, bringing a bold style of offensive play calling to the Marauder squad. Coach Ptaszek remains the Marauder head coach.
2003
2006
Thursday, September 13, 2012 • The Silhouette
The No Fly Zone
Sports • B5
Defenition: An area that stretches from the line of scrimmage to the Marauder goal line and it is patrolled by the most dangerous unit in the CIS. Just ask opposing quarterbacks.
PHOTO C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK
Saftey Micahel Daly led the team in INT’S with 5 in 2011 and has 2 in 2 games this season.
Brandon Meawasige
PHOTO C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK
Joey Cupido making his first interception of the season in the home opener against Guelph.
perative for his teammates. In 2011/12, McMaster was ranked atop Senior Photo Editor the OUA in interceptions with 19 during the There’s no American football stereotype that regular season. Michael Daly led the team with five, Venproperly fits Joey Cupido. In the OUA, without the luxury of copi- tresca had four, Cupido contributed three and ously recorded combined statistics, it is nearly Allan Dicks, known more for his hard hits, impossible to determine who is the fastest, grabbed two. who is the strongest or which player can jump We like to let quarterbacks sit in the pocket and make decisions,” said Ventresca, the highest. If there were such a discussion, the who is also from Hamilton. “Our ability to fourth-year cornerback for McMaster would read routes is improving. That comes from surely be involved. watching film, which makes it easier to recogStanding at 5’10”, Joey Cupido is not the nize routes and when to jump. Knowing when most physically imposing to make plays and when not corner in the province, to make plays is a huge reaKnowing when to make but the Hamilton native son why we have been so plays and when not to doesn’t seem to care. successful in the past.” “We feel like we can So far, this season has make plays is a huge reastop anyone. We defibeen much of the same for son why we have been so nitely feel we are the best the Marauders. successful in the past.” defense in the country,” With only marginal an exuberant Cupido said room to improve, the MaSteven Ventresca after last year’s Yates’ Cup roon and Grey are off to an Cornerback semi-final game. even better start than last Fortunately, the Mayear. rauders came out on top in that game by a In the first game of the season, played at score of 43-13 over a streaking Queen’s team. home on Sept. 3, Mac rolled over Guelph to Gael’s Quarterback Ryan Mitchell threw a to- the tune of 50-9. Suiting again the following tal of five interceptions in the game, four to Saturday, the Marauders travelled to Waterloo Cupido. to beat the Warriors in a 68-21 blowout. The strong start, of course, has featured It was a performance that earned the outspoken Cupido his place at the top of CIS re- stellar play from the defensive backs. cord books for interceptions in a game. Daly has two interceptions; Cupido and Was it a fluke? Possibly, but Cupido’s per- Ventresca have one a piece. This group has been up to their usual formance against Queen’s was not an outlier. That type of ball-hawking play was a tricks, as a unit holding opposing passers to staple of the Marauders secondary last year 176 yards a game. In comparison, McMaster has passed the as the team made its drive towards the Vanier Cup. ball for an average of 359 yards per contest. There are some new faces as well. This season, in addition to Cupido, the Joining the veteran core this year are two Marauders will bring back corners Allan Dicks and Steven Ventresca, as well as safety other players to watch in freshman corners Jeremy Kyei and Marek Borucki, who each Michael Daly. After playing a large roll in the defenses’ have an interception this season. Fourth-year success just a year ago, this veteran unit has player Stephen Dennis also returns to take become one of the most feared in Canadian snaps in the secondary. Dennis was part of the university football. Vanier Cup winning team last year, recording “The secondary as a unit, we play togeth- 10 tackles in two playoff games. er. We are not a selfish group. We let the game Caution: Beware of the Mac’s No Fly come to us,” said the third-year Ventresca, de- Zone. scribing how teamwork and patience are im-
PHOTO C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK
Without the spotlight of his teammates, Ventresca has put together a solid career at Mac.
B6 • Sports
The Silhouette • Thursday, September 13, 2012
kyle quinlan quarterback, 5th year
bio:
#12
The star pivot man for the McMaster Marauders looks to cement himself as one of the all-time great quarterbacks in Mac history. The first quarterback to lead the university to a Vanier Cup victory will finish his OUA career in Maroon and Grey, surrounded by a veteran receiving group and protected by an experienced offensive line. Quinlan, who hails from South Woodless, Ont., also brought the Marauders their first ever #1 national ranking at the beginning of the 2012 season.
YEAR
COMPLETIONS
ATTEMPTS
YARDS
TOUCHDOWNS
INTERCEPTIONS
RUSH ATTEMPTS
RUSH YARDS
RUSH TOUCHDOWNS
2008-2009
2
4
24
0
0
2
1
0
2009-2010
89
153
1405
9
7
37
226
6
2010-2011
127
209
2018
19
6
60
479
1
2011-2012
99
153
1708
13
2
27
229
1
All Sports photos in this issue are courtesy of RICHARD ZAZULAK
OUT
Thursday, September 13, 2012 InsideOut Editors: Sam Godfrey and Amanda Watkins Meeting: Thursdays @ 4:30 p.m. Contact: insideout@thesil.ca
Forget everything you know about memory IO sits down with SUNY professor Todd Sacktor to discuss current research on memory retention Sam Godfrey
Senior InsideOut Editor
The exam is sitting in front of you, mocking you. The blank spaces under the questions are cavernous, the scantron bubbles are – unlike your understanding – crystal clear, and when you look at your Casio, all the screen displays is “666” because you can’t remember a damned thing. But why not? Isn’t memory just like a computer’s desktop? Files stored neatly, right where you put them when you listened in lecture? This is a common misconception of memory. As with many other common ideas of complex functions, the impression of memory is largely flawed. Researchers like Henry Lomo, Gary Lynch and most recently Dr. Todd Sacktor, professor of physiology, pharmacology and neurology at the State University of New York, are unveiling what actually makes our memories along with how they stick and how to strengthen, and erase, everything you’ve ever stored in your mind.
Reconsolidation
that you take out, build on, and reinforce before storing it again, this time more complexly and permanently.
Protein kinase M zeta Even though the “File Memory” concept is largely inaccurate, we can find some similarities human memory has to that of a computer’s. In a computer, memory is stored through combinations of 0s and 1s. Though the information it stores is complex, it is constructed by those two basic blocks. This can also be compared to human genetics: DNA codes our entire genetic structure while itself being made up by four distinct chemicals. Memory too, for all its complexity, is stored by one very basic building block: protein kinase M zeta, also known as PKMzeta. PKMzeta is what builds and keeps all types of memories in long-term storage, all over the brain. With the presence of more of the enzyme, the result is stronger memories. This being said, conversely less of this enzyme means weaker, or no, memories. The most well-known and illustrative proof of this resulted from a study by Sacktor, in partnership with the Israel Weizmann Institute of Science. The experiment consisted of having rats associate the action of intaking sugar water with discomfort, and then breaking them into three groups: one where PKMzeta was inhibited, one where PKMzeta was made to overexpress, and one control group. During the reconsolidation of the sugarwater-discomfort memory, PKMzeta inhibition – called ‘reconsolidation blockades’ in this process - resulted in the memory not being able to be stored, and the rats were no longer wary of the sugar water. In the group where PKMzeta was made to overexpress itself, the rats were even more afraid of the sugar-water than the control group. This phenomenon surprised Dr. Sacktor: “If you had a computer hard-disk and the 1 is the PKMzeta and the absence of PKMzeta is the 0, and then you randomly throw in a whole bunch of 1s into the hard-disk,” which is effectively what adding PKMzeta would do, “you’re going to degrade the information, just as you would by throwing in a whole bunch of 0s. But somehow if you throw some in – not a huge amount of 1s – there’s some aspect of the memory in which the 1s tend to go where the other 1s are, and then that makes the memory stronger. But it’s still pretty mysterious.”
Many people imagine memory to be a storage space, almost like a file cabinet, where you can go, look at whatever you need at that particular time, and then put it back in its place and leave it as it always was. We’ll call this File Memory. Not to say this doesn’t happen sometimes, but File Memory isn’t a complete explanation of how we remember. Reconsolidation, a distinct process that maintains, modifies or consolidates memories, was first observed as early as 1968, and in recent years is beginning to be more complexly understood. During reconsolidation, memories are actually moved out of long-term memory while you’re using it, thinking about it, or talking about it. They are then resaved again. To liken it to the file cabinet analogy: when the memory is recalled, the file cabinet is destroyed, and the file is sent up for use, so you can alter it, strengthen it, and update it before it goes back. Then, when the memory is stored again, another file cabinet is built to hold it. But, this file cabinet may not be made the exact same way. It could be stronger, more complex, larger, and will be somewhat a little different than the last one. Todd Sacktor, professor at the State University of New York, says of reconsolidation, “the whole idea of reconsolidation is that it both strengthens old memories – because it gets used again – and it updates the memories As with most major scientific developwith new information.” That’s why reading your notes the same ments, the ability to wield the newfound day you took them can be so useful: you have knowledge often emerges much later, after the an initial memory – you remember taking the discovery. “Once you understand the storage of innotes and in what context they were taken -
Applications
JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
formation - even though it may take a couple of decades for that to change things – everything gets changed,” says Dr. Sacktor. “For example, when they figured out in 1955 the structure of DNA and convinced everyone that that was the genetic information, you could ask the same question ‘what difference does it make that we know that DNA is why some people’s eyes are blue and some people’s eyes are brown? We kind of knew that from Mendelian genetics anyway!’ It took decades before it actually made much of a difference for medicine. I can’t predict what the real implications [of PKMzeta] are going to be. But it’s going to be something big.” Already there is recognition of how many major applications this discovery could yield. Mild reconsolidation blockades have already
been tested on subjects suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, results showing promise for the future of this technology. Other applications could include helping addicts successfully kick their habit, healing some pain caused by central neuropathic pain syndrome (pain that is still felt, even after physical healing) and perhaps slow or stop the progress of degenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s. It is clear that this development will lead us in the future of understanding and manipulating memory. Dr. Sacktor puts it plainly when he says “I suspect the 2000s - this 10-15 year period are going to be a golden age for understanding long-term memory.” We won’t soon forget this groundbreaking discovery.
Food for thought Got the munchies for knowledge? Keep these foods in mind on your next trip to Fortinos Amanda Watkins
look for when grocery shopping that will help cetin and Anthocyanins, two common types keep your mind running smoothly. of flavonoids)
Add to your grocery list: flax seeds, walnuts, s almon, tofu, shrimp and soy beans
Memory retention is a lot like water retention, save for the fact that you do not want your memory being expelled from your body anytime soon. When studying, researching or attempting to scrounge the details of a hazy Friday night, it is always beneficial to have an effective memory and be able to recall details that may be helpful in completing a test or assignment or recollecting drunken festivities among other school-related activities. If you are looking to improve your memory skills, here are a few ingredients to
Flavonoids Not only is this word fun to say, the flavonoid compound has been proven to improve memory, learning and general cognitive function, decision making, verbal comprehension and numerical ability. So, calculus and communications students alike, take note: foods rich in flavonoids can help retain vital information and up the ante of your presentations and pop quizzes.
B Vitamins Vitamins B6, B9 and B12 have two things in common - they’re all divisible by three and they have all beewwn noted to help improve memory and brain function. Vitamin B helps with the communication between the nervous system and the brain by forming and releasing neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters help with concentration, awareness and mental clarity.
Assistant InsideOut Editor
Add to your grocery list: blueberries, apples, cabbage, tomatoes; (look for labels with Quer-
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Hearing the term “fatty acids” might turn you off from picking up an item with this ingredient, but Omega-3s are an essential part of human health and help with brain function and normal growth and development. When lacking in Omega-3s, common side effects include poor memory, fatigue, mood swings and depression. So keep up your levels of this fatty acid and reap the benefits of on the ball work habits. BONUS: it also helps reduce your risk of heart disease and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
Add to your grocery list: yogurt, almonds, potatoes, mushrooms and whole grain cereals.
JESSIE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
B8 • InsideOut
The Silhouette • Thursday, September 13, 2012
Keep calm and stay happy 10 tips to help you stay sane this semester and pump up the happy Jennifer Bacher
Social connections boosts happiness and health!
What is happiness? It is often pursued but not everyone achieves it. It cannot be bought or sold and it helps people but can also cause problems. So how do we find it? Being in university is probably the most stressful, fun, tiring and rewarding four years of your life. With only a week into the school year, many have not felt the pressure of university just yet but brace yourselves - it is coming. Essays, tests, presentations, conflicts and bad marks are only some of the exciting events lurking behind those 40lbs textbooks and cramped lecture hall seats. You will eventually start to wonder if you’ll actually make it to Christmas. Well, speaking as a veteran, it’s easier than you think! One word: happiness. This state of mind will relieve stress and calm anxiety. Here are 10 easy ways to stay happy this school year:
Exercise Not only is working out good for your health, but according to many specialists (this one’s for you, Dr. Oz) it can allow for a change in your mood for the better. Whether it’s running, Pilates, or playing your favourite sport, exercise helps you take your mind off of stress and can help with fatigue.
The Silhouette
YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
Fall trend: “The Topknot” Bahar Orang
Assistant ANDY Editor
What does it look like? With a topknot, all the hair is pulled in a bun at the very top of the head. Sometimes it’s pulled into a sleek updo (hair gel, fine tooth comb and all). Sometimes it’s messy and loosely tied. There are even various youtube tutorials where the topknot is made with a sock and thus christened the “sock-bun.” I tried it once with moderate success - several hundred bobby pins included. Where will you see it? East London, independent fashion blogs with models wearing striped crop tops paired with 70’s style American Apparel skirts, hipster types near and around Kensington market, Sailor Moon episodes, tall Caucasian girls with dirty blonde hair on bikes, Joe Fresh spreads. Where does it come from? The topknot is most popular in Japanese culture, where it’s called the “Odango” and most likely influenced kids who watched 90s anime. It’s been donned by independent fashion bloggers since 2006, and has since become increasingly popular. Yay? Cute, comfortable, easy, girly, makes you feel like a ballerina (well maybe that’s just me). Or Nay? Undeniably ridiculous when you stare at it long enough. When will it end? Like any fashion, it will be shrugged off as passé when it becomes overly popular. Or when it goes Gaga and develops into something totally absurd – it becomes so high it starts tipping over and becomes the “forehead knot” or the “noseknot.”
Go for a walk One of Hamilton’s best-kept secrets is that it is actually full of nature - who knew? Nature will calm your mind and body allowing you to free yourself from the busy life of a student. Just put on some running shoes and go for a walk through Cootes Paradise. Thirty minutes will do wonders for the mind. Enjoy the simple things Sip a nice cup of coffee, read a good book, or listen to some music. Taking 15 minutes out of your day to relax will help to revitalize your mind for that big essay that’s due tomorrow. Watch TV There is nothing better then just sitting on a comfy chair with a hot chocolate (or iced tea, since it’s been so freaking hot) watching your favourite episode of Friends. Allow yourself to escape into another reality for an hour and relax. Go out with your friends Whether it is out to lunch or just an hour conversation, spending time with friends will help you work through problems and to find support in your daily lives.
Meditate Meditating helps to relax the body and reduce stress levels. It teaches us to live in the here and now instead of worrying about the future or past. It can also help with concentration problems. Try a form of Yoga, Tai Chi or even just meditating on your own. Volunteer Helping people is a rewarding way to feel happy and can also help to boost life satisfaction. Find a charity you can relate to or find a program at McMaster. Cooking Whether it is just for you or you invite some friends over, cooking can be a form of relaxation. Completing a difficult recipe will give you some satisfaction and imagine how delicious the meal will taste! Make goals Write a list of long-term and shortterm goals. Post them in your room where you will see them everyday and as you accomplish a goal check it off. Not only will it keep you motivated, seeing what you have accomplished will keep you positive and focused. Don’t forget to reward yourself when you accomplish a goal! Do what you love It is fairly simple but people often forget that if you love what you are doing it will bring you happiness. Be passionate about what you are doing whether it is school, work, or recreational. You may not always feel the happiest, but doing something that helps you forget your worries for a while will be beneficial in cheering you up and will make it a bit easier to barrel through those assignments.
POMPRINT DEVIANTART
FUN (happiness) QUOTES “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” - Oscar Wilde
“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” - Dalai Lama
“People say that money is not the key to happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made.” - Joan Rivers
“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.”
- Robert Frost
InsideOut • B9
Thursday, September 13, 2012 • The Silhouette
Blood test helps physicians target patients with higher risk of death after major surgery Annie Cheung The Meducator
A large international study led by McMaster researchers has found that a simple blood test may be able to identify patients at high risk of dying, within 30 days of noncardiac surgery. This test involves measuring levels of Troponin T (TnT), a protein marker for heart injury, which enables physicians to more effectively target patients at risk. Monitoring TnT levels may potentially save 1 in 300 patients worldwide who die within a month after non-cardiac surgery each year. The VISION (Vascular Events in Noncardiac Surgery Patients Cohort Evaluation) study, led by Dr.
P. J. Devereaux, Associate Professor of Medicine of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University, is an international cohort study that focuses on major complications after non-cardiac surgery. With 15,133 adult participants spanning 8 countries and 5 continents, the VISION study is the largest of its kind and provides consistent results applicable to modern-day surgery worldwide. The study was recently published this June in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Eligible study participants were at least 45 years of age at the time of their major non-cardiac surgeries. Blood was collected during the first three days after surgery and TnT
levels were measured in each blood sample. It was found that specific peak levels of TnT measured in the blood were strong predictors of 30day mortality rates in patients. “Elevated postoperative troponin potentially explains 42% of all deaths that happen in the first 30 days after surgery,” said Devereaux. Indeed, the study’s data suggests that 1 in 25, 1 in 11, and 1 in 6 patients with peak TnT levels of 0.02 ng/mL, 0.03 ng/mL and 0.30 ng/ mL, respectively, will die within a month after surgery. Surgery puts patients at a higher risk of death because it significantly stresses the body. According to Devereaux, surgery “activates inflammatory, coagulation, and
stress pathways that [cause] older patients with underlying coronary disease to have myocardial insults.” In other words, surgery causes the heart to become more vulnerable to injury, thus increasing the risk of heart attack. On average, patients in the study with elevated troponin levels did not die until 6 to 12 days after their surgery. “This holds out great hope that there is time to intervene,” said Devereaux. Undoubtedly, this simple postoperative blood test has great clinical significance and can potentially save millions of lives worldwide. Patients are usually asleep after surgery, preventing them from relaying vital symptoms to their physicians. Further, pre-
operative evaluations are ineffective in determining the patient’s state post-operatively. “But once you add in [postoperative] troponin, it’s the most dominant predictor by a longshot. It’s not just telling you that you have atherosclerotic disease, it’s telling you that something’s happening now,” Devereaux explains. Current research has already suggested that aspirin and statin therapy may decrease risk of death in patients suffering from heart injury after surgery. VISION’s next step is to conduct large randomized controlled trials to find the most effective intervention for patients with elevated troponin levels. “There’s a huge potential for us to really help these patients.”
SEXandthe Going the distance STEELCITY Long distance relationships 101 Katie Golobic The Silhouette
In the dusk of the summer months, the impending school year unfalteringly coincides with a serious dose of reality and sobriety. For many, however, it also means eight long, difficult months away from their romantic partner. Summer flings have ended, and university is often considered a time to ignite new or old flames of amour amongst fellow students. The adventure of a fresh new relationship is one that many are drawn to. Nonetheless, some decide to brave the task of maintaining a previously established relationship with said summer love, or even a high school sweetheart. The romanticism of long distance relations is one that is easy to fall victim to; it works in the movies, right? The truth of the matter is (as with all things worth doing) long
distance relationships are no walk in the park. They are a marathon of sorts - a long, often mentally straining and emotionally dehydrating marathon - but the payout can be immense. Though not for the faint of heart, there are many ways to maintain a happy, healthy and longlasting long-distance relationship. Whether your beau goes to U of T or Harvard, here are some simple, practical ways to keep it together whilst being apart. First and foremost, be prepared. Before both of you leave for your respective schools, plan ahead. Be sure that you are both fully committed and have mutual goals. If one individual’s heart isn’t in it, it could result in the other’s being broken. Communicate, communicate, communicate. We live in a world where technology dominates our lives, so why not submit to it?
Text, make phone calls, Skype, or even participate in some more oldfashion forms of communication. There’s something about a handwritten letter to a loved one that just exudes romance. Practice the fine art of trust. If you spend your whole time wondering what your girlfriend/boyfriend is doing, it can poison the relationship. Chances are he/she is not sitting naked in a hot tub full of nude cheerleaders, but instead is probably cram studying for their upcoming physics midterm or trying to find enough change to go buy groceries for the week. Prioritize your time. It can be hard to not let your relationship become the most important aspect of your life, but one has to remember their other commitments as well. Don’t skip classes (any more than usual) and don’t forget that by compromising your future, you can compromise the relationship as
well. Be passionate. When you are finally reunited, make the most of that time. Whether you go out on the town for the evening, or perhaps stay in bed the whole time, make it memorable. Make sure you leave with good memories and give each other an even better reason to look forward to the next time you are together. Enjoy your time apart. This is not lockdown at the state penitentiary. You may be in a committed relationship, but you’re in university for crying out loud– the last bas-
JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
tion of fun before the real world hits. Always remember: this too shall pass. Consider each day away from each other as one day closer to being together again.
B10 • InsideOut
The Silhouette • Thursday, September 13, 2012
OPIRG hosts Alternative Welcome Week Arnav Agarwal The Silhouette
Welcome Week is always an exciting, if not overwhelming, experience. In the week following, there is yet another set of unique opportunities for students to engage and immerse themselves. Alternative Welcome Week, run by the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) - a non-profit organization focused on social justice and sustainability - provides the perfect opportunity for students to have a space to explore themselves, build new relationships, pursue their interests and broaden their horizons by trying something new. From a bike-in movie, dub poetry/ open mic night and the Community Volunteer Action volunteer fair, AWW has something for everyone. “Alternative Welcome Week focuses on providing more venues for students to be entertained, inspired, motivated and essentially, to be engaged,” explains Nathaniel Loranger, member of OPIRG McMaster. Themed around the concept of student engagement, Alternative Welcome Week has highlighted how the McMaster community is a safe space for students with various interests, backgrounds, be-
liefs and personalities. “A lot of these events are things that people aren’t informed or aware of, and things that people haven’t done before. But if they try it, it is something that might just click for them,” said Loranger. AWW includes a variety of events including Bike to the Day for all of Mac’s two wheel commuters interested in exploring the city, a comedy workshop and performance, and a Positive Space Workshop, which focuses on how to create an ally space and promote advocacy for minorities such as the LGBTQ community. OPIRG also works to showcase the contributions and opportunity offered of numerous working groups at “PIRGtopia” and provides crash courses on how to develop a healthy-living survival guide, cook fresh on a student budget and have fun DIY-ing dream catchers. “What makes Alternative Welcome Week special is how it combines the fun stuff with the learning experience that enables students to be engaged and to learn in the process. It is about opening up people’s perspectives to what’s out there and giving them a taste of something new that they might not have experienced before - about getting them to encounter new opinions, viewpoints and
perspectives, and helping them develop their own.” OPIRG McMaster is instrumental in the organization of Alternative Welcome Week. Promoting the philosophies of non-oppressive practices, non-discrimination, human rights and various other facets of social justice, OPIRG coordinates the sponsorship of grassroots campaigns and other social change initiatives, and is actively engaged in numerous student working groups. Largely student-driven, the organization extends to numerous institutions and encompasses a wide range of focuses through these student-based groups. “I started in Body Equity, which creates workshops on tolerance of diversity and differences and focuses on self-esteem. I am now a part of a group creating focus group modules to engage high-school students in their communities and in municipal affairs - all in advocacy to promote change in their communities,” explains Nathaniel. AWW is set apart by the diversity it offers and embraces. “It is a dichotomy: a place to learn and have a wonderful time, all at once,” said Loranger. “Go try it out and see what happens. You might be surprised as to what you discover about yourself.”
YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
PIRGtopia booths sat outside Mills Library.
Freshman 15: Fact or Myth? Miranda Babbitt The Silhouette
Currently slouched in my dorm’s wannabe rocking chair, I see the remnants of a KitKat bar and bag of chips while a bowl of fruit sits abandoned behind my laptop’s screen. Let’s be honest, nobody eats like a normal human being during Frosh Week. This is the essence of what every girl or boy fears when entering university. Even with the mere word, “freshman”, a certain number slyly creeps next to it, waiting on the tip of your tongue. “Fifteen, fifteen, fifteen.” As soon as I utter these two words, “Freshman Fifteen,” the eyes of adolescents nearby darken in sheer, unadulterated dread and horror. Especially us girls do not take these apparently inevitable extra pounds lightly (pardon the pun). It often seems a pact to try and avoid
it. Plastered across some of the athletic clubs posters in the booths during Mac Clubsfest was one of their most powerful incentives: “Avoid the Freshman Fifteen!” Just down my hall, one of my friends has devoted herself entirely to rowing, a sport she hasn’t ever dabbled in until she saw those words, her savior, to avoiding the terror of gaining fifteen extra pounds. Others yet, (maybe including myself, maybe not) have adopted a sort of “YOLO” or should I say, “YOFO”, attitude towards it all. The rows upon aisles of not-exactlythe-healthiest options conveniently placed by the cashiers are a source of my quick surrender into Freshman Fifteen’s rich, salty goodness. Clever move, Centro, clever move. However, my fellow Mac Students, I believe the Freshman Fifteen is a myth. Now you may have heard this before, and brushed it
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aside in favour of the worry-induced adrenaline. But it is imperative to know that honestly, you can escape it pretty easily because the Freshman Fifteen is in fact the Freshman Five. There. Breathe. Put down those running shoes you had for the third workout of the day. Finish that bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. Pat your wheezing friend on the back. We’re not joining the army, folks. We are not actually in a metaphorical war with our raging hormones and metabolisms in the face of our freshman year. We’re exploring the next stage of our lives where every meal hasn’t been planned and made by mummy for when you get home from school. And how do I know this is so? Science. Studies galore. If you even type freshman fifteen into the all-knowing mother of technology known as Google, you will find “myth” and “exaggeration,” belittling those menacing words. Despite its apparent exaggera-
tions, I took it upon myself to scour the Internet for some tips to avoid the said Freshman Five all together. And no, it’s not going to be as mindnumbingly simple as saying, “Well, just eat a salad,” because hey, smartass, sometimes I’m going to want a burger. Maybe even a double bacon cheeseburger. You can glare at me all you want, eyes throwing daggers over that bowl of cottage cheese and celery, but I’m not going to adopt the diet of a bunny rabbit to keep off extra weight (as cute as bunnies are). Here are some reasonable, achievable tips: Start your routine as soon as possible and stick to it for two weeks without faltering. As soon as daily jogs or elliptical-machines are in your routine, you will – gasp – crave exercise. Don’t leave for class without a breakfast! And a medium coffee from Tim’s doesn’t count. Your metabolism is most likely a lazy fellow, and he’s going to stay in his peaceful little slumber until you
kickstart him with some nutrients. Think fruit plates from the salad bar, granola bars, or even whole grain waffles you can slip in your common room’s microwave before class, topped with decadent Greek yogurt. Make your meals look like a rainbow. No, that doesn’t mean a pizza with black olives and brown mushrooms. Choose something with veggies of all colours, protein in the form of chicken or ham, and some calcium from white or chocolate milk. Join something. Anything. It can be as specific as Brazilian JiuJitsu (who knew?) or Beginner Yoga. Something along the lines of Zumba seems to be the craze lately. Try it out. To get down to the gritty, the freshman fifteen really is just psychological. The campus is not forcing food down your throat, nor is the gym glaring at you every time you walk by it. And hey, bikini season’s over. It’s sexy winter parka time.
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Thursday, September 13, 2012 • The Silhouette
InsideOut • B11
RANT OF THE WEEK
Dear Roomate... Julie-Anne Mendoza The Silhouette
Dear Roommate, I had a hypothesis about what living with you would be like, and it has been proven to be terribly wrong. This hypothesis was that we would exist in both peace and relative cleanliness, with friendship being a possible, but not necessary condition for a good roommate relationship. I based this hypothesis on the assumption that you would be a reasonable human being, possessing some intelligence and a modicum of common sense. This assumption was quite clearly flawed. I’m certain that I’ve asked you (repeatedly) to not spray perfume in our room, but somehow that piece of information has yet to make it into your brain. If you want everyone within five feet of you to smell like your nasty body spray, that’s fine, but I have no desire to smell like moldy beetroot. I really don’t. And speaking of mold, that blue stuff growing on your loaf of bread is not edible. I don’t care that you think it’s pretty- it has to go. So does the banana peel you’re saving under your bed for some indeterminate prank. Real life is not like Mario Kart: people do not step on banana peels and fall on their faces. They throw them out. I thought that this sort of thing was common knowledge. There are days when I wonder what exactly happens in the space between your ears, because frankly, it can’t be much. Remembering to take your keys with you is not a complicated thought process, it’s at about the same level as remembering your phone, and you seem to manage that just fine. If you call me at 3 a.m. one more time because you’ve locked yourself out again, I think that my brain might melt and pour out of my ears. I am your roommate, not your key lackey. I am also not your study-buddy. We are not in the same program. We’re not even in the same faculty. I can’t help you with your Biology assignment, I don’t know the answers to your Psych quiz and I don’t know where your Calculus class is. The fact that, by this point, you don’t know where to find your Calculus class is, frankly, worrying. I’ve often wondered if you even go to class because your schedule is posted on the wall and you have just as many class hours
JESSIE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
as I do, but I never seem to have the room to myself during the day. You’re always there, either sleeping, or eating, or laughing at that inane soap opera you download illegally every week. A little bit of daylight wouldn’t kill you, and it would save me from seeing the horror of your uneven spray-tan. I guess I can’t dictate how much time you do or don’t spend in our room and whether or not you flunk out of your classes is up to you, but that’s not going to stop me from wishing you’d leave for reasons other than partying and the occasional snack run. I’m sorry that we don’t get along better than this. It’s going to be a long eight months, co-existing with someone who is semi-nocturnal and has questionable cleanliness standards. But, I’m going to make the best of it. You can count on that. I’m armed with noise-canceling headphones, rubber gloves and a jumbo-pack of sanitizing wipes. There will be no bacteria breeding on my side of the room. And if your body spray mysteriously disappears, then I can’t promise that I didn’t have something to do with it. Sincerely, Your Roommate
Co-ed Housing:
Yay or Nay?
Y: N:
84% 16%
“I support co-ed housing but my parents definitely would not, especially if I were living on residence.” - Chandini, 3rd year Bio-Psych “It helps with integration and reduces the gap in gender equality. People get used to each other and get a better understanding.” - Francis, 1st year Life Sciences “Sometimes you just need your privacy. There are certain things girls can only do around other girls.” - Iman, 1st year Life Sciences “As long as you still have your own space it would be fine. It’s like being in a hotel.” - Andrea, 2nd year Communications Studies and Multimedia “There are ways to co-exist. But it’s still different. In same sex houses you can walk around naked and it’s totally fine.” - Nour, 2nd year English “If you have too much estrogen or testosterone in one house, it can get too crazy.” - Rebecca, 2nd year Combined Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work
KAREN WANG GRAPHICS EDITOR
HAMILTON & DISTRICT EXTEND-A-FAMILY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES “SHAR E A S P E C I A L F R I E N D S H I P ! ”
B U D DY P ROGRAM We have over one hundred children and teens with special needs waiting to spend time with a volunteer buddy. Matched buddies spend eight hours a month pursuing a hobby, playing sports, or enjoying other activities in the community. Gain volunteer experience, have fun, and share a special friendship with a young person with special needs!
RECREATION PROGRAM We offer a minimum of six recreation events each month, providing respite and opportunities for fun and friendship in the community. We bowl, play laser-tag, go rock-climbing, and challenge each other in all sorts of fun ways. We have a great bunch of volunteers who assist at these events and are always happy to welcome more!
INTERESTED? V I S I T O U R W EB-SITE, FIND US ON FACEBOOK OR CONTACT US! w w w. e x tendafamilyhamilton.synthasite .com 905.383.2885 e a f @execulink.com (Buddy Program) e a f . c o n n e ct@gmail.com (Recreation Program)
Every Canadian citizen had the right to vote through the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 1:3 Canadian women and 1:6 Canadian men will experience sexual assault in their lifetime.
45% percent of female college and university students say they’ve been sexually assaulted since leaving high school.
The victim and the accused are known to each other in 82% of cases – as friends, acquaintances or family
But… I am not alone! SACHA (Sexual Assault Centre, Hamilton& Area) is there with 24-hour confidential support, information or accompaniment @
905-525-4162
www.sacha.ca
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DOES PUBLIC ATTITUDE LIMIT FREEDOM OF CITIZENSHIP? Student Accessibility Services 905-525-9140 ext 28652 | TTY 905-528-4307 sas@mcmaster.ca | sas.mcmaster.ca McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) B107
welcome week • bahar’s books locke street • lee reed
andex
C2 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine
thursday, september 13, 2012
Senior Editor: Nolan Matthews Assistant Editor: Bahar Orang
Contributors: Anqi Shen, Alex Epp, Jemma Wolfe
Cover: Yoseif Haddad
coming up
in the hammer 40 p.m. busking stage 9 p.m. king james
said the whale sept. 14 10:30 p.m. colbourne
born ruffians sept.
15
, 7p
s immer sept.
1
5 5:
sw
king ja .m. mes stag
e
ak
gre at l
e
ania sept.
m., colbourne
15, 12 p.
k’naan sept. 15, 10:30 p.m. king james stage
erin passmore sept. 15, 5 p.m., busking stage
zeus sept. 14, 9:50 p.m.,
colbourne
hamilton’s biggest arts and culture festival of the year
sept. 14 - 15 james street north
5:10 pm busking stage
editorial
thursday, september 13, 2012
the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • C3
introducing andy So here we are. It’s the year’s first ANDY. Only this time I’m behind the scenes, and I’m a bit nervous. I really hope you like the issue. In the future, I’m sure the layout will be nicer, the writing more expressive, and the criticism more humorous and true. But for now, we have this. What is this, anyway? I think ANDY can be so many things. There’s the old standbys: interviews with artists, shrewd pop-culture analysis, and entertainment writing that is actually entertaining, like Bahar’s hilarious and expressive “Bahar’s Book Bag”. We need all that stuff, but there’s something else ANDY can be. I think we have a great opportunity, being in Hamilton, to see the arts being an active part of this city’s growth. To see what I mean, check out Alex Epp’s thoughtful “Provoking Thoughts”. Within the last 30 years, Hamilton has been trying to dust itself off after the
decline of the industry that built it. You may have seen t-shirts around saying “Art is the New Steel”, and while the slogan might be unintentionally dismissive to the people who have lost their jobs, the shirts have a message: that when there’s nothing left, you have to make something yourself. And part of what people are making is art. James Street North is the go-to example. In the 90’s, the street was written off by city councilors who said that shops would never return to the area. Now it’s the site of the city’s biggest arts street festival of the year, Supercrawl. We have the chance to see why art mattrs in the growth of a community, and hopefully ANDY can be a part of documenting it.
• Nolan Matthews, Senior ANDY editor
Whenever I consider ANDY in my mind, I immediately picture all my close friends at McMaster sitting in our little house off Emerson, each flipping through a copy of the magazine. And then I find myself hoping that they all find something within its pages – something interesting, informative, invoking, or inspiring. I suppose that this is my greatest hope for this year’s ANDY; I hope that each issue has something to offer every student. I don’t believe that a love of the arts is ever limited to those who have a special interest or a specific hobby. I look at the people around me and I see Jo, a studio arts major who can capture the beauty of a rainy day to the very last raindrop. But then I see Priya, a health science student with an unexpected devotion to R&B music. And Kacper, a chemical biology major
the big tickle
thursday, september 13, 2012
“stylo” gorillaz michael ayers
“hey jude” the beatles karen wang
who can’t write without indie rock beating through his headphones. Or Karen, a math nerd with a strange admiration for beautiful graphics. Or Derrick, a geography student who’s been dancing for ten years. There’s Seema, a biology major who watches movies like it’s her job. And Tina, an economics student who has visited at least one art gallery in every continent. Whether you study science or art, or if you love music or literature, I certainly hope that ANDY comes to mean something to you and that you’ll choose to turn the page.
• Bahar Orang, Assistant ANDY
what are you listening to right now?
“just a phase” incubus chloe campbell
“on your way” alabama shakes hannah bartha
“don’t know why” norah jones brandon meawasige
C4&5 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine
andy reviews
welcome STEVE ANGELLO On Tuesday September 4, electronic dance music rocked Faculty Hollow for the first time with the appearance of legendary producer Steve Angello. The former member of Swedish House Mafia brought his popular sounds to Welcome Week at a time when mainstream infatuation with celebrity DJs couldn’t be hotter. The overwhelmingly positive response Angello’s appearance received is proof of the timeliness of introducing EDM to the campus amphitheatre’s previously rock-centric history. Al Legault, Director of MSU Campus Events, said Angello was sought after because “student energy is really high at the start of the week and we wanted the Tuesday show to reflect that.” A tremendous 5,748 students in total enjoyed Angello’s two-hourlong DJ set – a record audience for MSU Campus Events staff who eagerly made use of the higher budget the recent Macpass levy provided. For Welcome Week 2012, approximately 35 per cent more funds were allocated for the concerts than in years past. With pressure to demonstrate that the levy is worthwhile and adds to incoming students’ experiences, securing an impressive lineup for the concerts was a priority. “We wanted to match the caliber of the Welcome Week entertainment that other schools
YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
are able to showcase. I think a lot of students saw the value in that… and [with this concert] we were able to reach 25 per cent of undergraduate students in one night,” Legault explained. The bigger budget show was an obvious improvement from previous years and the high-energy dance party and light show that accompanied Angello’s appearance was clearly enjoyed by the sweaty, wildly dancing crowd. Lasers rented from suppliers of the ACC shone 14 miles into the night and an LED screen positioned behind Angello provided a continuous psychedelic visual experience. Throughout the night, Angello was tight-lipped, pausing his set only occasionally to shout brief encouragement (“make some noise!”) to the adoring crowd. Postshow, however, Angello was eager to comment on the energy of the night. He said, “Nothing beats a good crowd at an event and as a DJ I really feed off the crowd. Best of all is the fact that this is the next generation of music lovers so being able to do show like this one was a great experience for me.” For the incoming first years, he offered this piece of advice: “Stay in school! You can come a very long way with ambition and dreams but education is the key to a good life.” • Jemma Wolfe, Managing Editor
thursday, september 13, 2012
the
concerts of
week 2012
THE SHEEPDOGS The sun was setting, the rain held off (mostly) and cotton candy and red bull were plentiful at the second Welcome Week concert on Saturday Sept. 8. The Sheepdogs, who had come all the way from Saskatoon, were headlining. Their music exploded with such good vibes that there was even the hint of a crowd surf. It took two attempts and only lasted about half a second, but it was there. Near the end of the set, the singer thanked everyone for coming out. Despite the fact that there was no drinking allowed at the event, the guitar player ran to his red plastic beer cup and handed it to someone in the crowd, to which the singer responded, “Well, that’s going to be taken away immediately.” And even if it was, at least the person got a good story out of it. The Dirty Nil, from nearby Dundas, were the first of two openers. They were reckless, loud and catchy. The Toronto-based Great Bloomers were next up. Their folk-indie pop was pleasant.
Before the show, I got to ask the Sheepdogs about their story. The band has been around for eight years, releasing three albums before their infamous Rolling Stone cover. Their latest album, the first on a major label, is self-titled and came out on Sept. 4. Before all the magazine covers and major labels, the Sheepdogs were high school band geeks. “Ryan and I first met because we were in schools bands, like concert band,” said singer Ewan Currie. “We both played clarinet,” laughed Ryan Gullen, the bass player. “The macho-ist of the woodwinds,” replied Currie. “Well, after flute and piccolo. We never had a punk phase or anything like that.” Going from a playing clarinet to the Sheepdogs took a bit of time, and the members were about 20 when it all started. From there, the Sheepdogs did what all young bands do: they toured as much as they could and prayed that they’d be able to afford gas. “We had doubts. How can you not?” said
Currie. “I think it’s natural to have doubts in everyday life, no matter what you’re doing. Certainly there are times where you’re like, ‘Why the fuck am I out here doing this right now?’” Hearing that Currie doubted himself was understandable, but I wondered how he knew that his doubts didn’t mean that he should give it up. “It’s like an intangible thing, you just have to know,” he said. “It’s just a gut thing. You’ll find out, man.” Despite the doubts, the Sheepdogs made it to the point where Patrick Carney from the Black Keys produced their most recent album. “He has one of those megaphone things, a cone, like an old-time director, and he sits in a director’s chair, and he goes ‘Cut, cut, cut! All wrong!’” said Currie. “He wore a beret. He treated it like he was Robert Altman on the set of McCabe and Miller.” “That was the strangest reference,” added Gullen. McCabe and Mrs. Miller is an old west-
ern that, like much of the music that has influenced the Sheepdogs, is from the 1970s. “It’s not like I wish I was in Woodstock and I wish I was in 1971,” said Currie. “I just like the stuff they were doing. The music more closely resembled roots music, like old country and blues and folk. It had chord progressions and melodies and harmonies, and bands were generally more adept at playing in a range of styles. It seems like a lot of bands now start by playing their original material instead of learning a bunch of other stuff. And as such, I think their sound gets really limited.” I expected the Sheepdogs to be gruff and intimidating – maybe that’s because of their huge beards and shoulder-length hair. But they were friendly, down-to-earth and funny. Like their concert, it was a nice surprise.
• Nolan Matthews, Senior ANDY Editor
C6 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine
thursday, september 13, 2012
bahar’s book bag the following is a non-comprehensive list of all the novels i keep nearby to satisfy whatever i may be feeling at any given moment. if anyone’s interested (i’d certainly be curious to see who), i have a similar list for 90’s music (insert “stacy’s mom” for every category) and mafia movies. and food. If I’m feeling homesick: The Harry Potter novels (from the Goblet of Fire and onwards) by J.K. Rowling. These books make me overwhelmingly nostalgic. I’m often reminded of all the breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and baths I took with Harry as my companion (oh don’t I wish) as well as all the screaming matches I had with my mother, threatening to pull a fit if she didn’t hand over my hidden books. I all but jumped off a cliff when my letter from Hogwarts never came. My e-mail at one point was Quidditch_ champ_me_seeker@thisemailshouldbeillegal.com. Yup, it’s a bunch of words that won’t make a sentence no matter how you slice it. Favourite Quote: “NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!” If I’m feeling uninspired: The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss. It’s lovely and moving and hopeful and hopeless and leaves me with a so-beautiful-it-hurts gnawing ache somewhere deep inside. It’s so intricately woven that I discover something new and special with each read. Favourite Quote: “When will you learn that there isn’t a word for everything?” If I want to see what all the fuss is about and/or I’m feeling turned on (kidding): Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James. I’ve never actually felt especially compelled to read this nov el, but every once in a while I’m curious enough to want to flip it open to a random page to allow the words to taint my pure and innocent mind. One time I even tried to find the e-book but it proved difficult so I opted for porn instead. Kidding again. Favourite quote: A good friend of mine: “I was so secretive about reading it on the subway on the way to class…until I realized every other person around me was reading it.”
If I’m actually feeling turned on: Everybody Poops, by Minna Unchi Favourite Quote: “An elephant makes a big poop – a mouse makes a tiny poop.” If I’m feeling nostalgic about my trip to Europe: A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemmingway. I read this novel during stolen moments this past summer just before I went to bed after a day in Lyon or London or Geneva and I finally finished it on my three-hour train ride to Paris. I would recommend this novel to anyone who finds writers pretentious but doesn’t always mind, someone who wants to go to My Dog Joe and order a pumpkin spice latte and read something that might make you feel like even more of a dreamer, or someone who likes to underline words when they sound take-a-deep-breath-wonderful together. Favourite Quote: “You belong to me and all Paris belongs to me and I belong to this notebook and this pencil.” If I actually want to do my school reading: The Odyssey, by Homer Favourite Quote: Beats me. Ask me again in a few weeks. If I’m feeling Midnight-in-Paris and want to live in another time period: Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy. I don’t know what it is exactly that makes me want to live in Anna’s time. Maybe it’s her repressive, conservative, slightly misogynistic society. Or the incredibly tumultuous Russian political climate in which she lives. No – it’s definitely the fact that her story’s frighteningly, heart-wrenchingly sad. Either way, for at least the first half of the novel, I find myself longing to be Anna in that voluptuous black dress and matching black gloves, seducing Vronsky and all of Russia with a single dance. Favourite Quote: “All the girls in the world were divided into two classes: one class included all the girls in the world except her, and they had all the usual human feelings and were very ordinary girls; while the other class – herself alone – had no weaknesses and was superior to all humanity.” If I want to scratch that itch and finish an unfinished childhood series: Princess Diaries: Forever Princess. ‘Nuff said.
• Bahar Orang, Assistant ANDY Editor
KAREN WANG GRAPHICS EDITOR
thursday, september 13, 2012
local happenings
the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • C7
love for locke street
annual festival showcases local offerings For newcomers to the city, the Locke Street Festival might be a little-known gem. But for locals, it’s an annual tradition connecting neighbours, business owners and artists in Hamilton’s lively downtown core. This year, festival organizers estimate that at least 20,000 people showed up despite Saturday morning’s grim weather conditions. Tweets began appearing in the early hours – would the festival be rained out? Who’s still going? Tourism Hamilton tweeted: “For those wondering, the Locke Street Festival is rain or shine.” By noon, the skies had cleared and Locke Street South was packed with busy vendors, students and families wandering the narrow corridor from Aberdeen Avenue to Jackson Street West. The Festival is one of the most popular single-day events in Southern Ontario, with 15,000 people participating in 2009, over 200 vendors from Ontario and Quebec and about a dozen local musicians playing each
year. For both longtime Locke Street business owners and up-and-coming artisans, the festival provides a prime opportunity to show off merchandise, often handcrafted. Natasha Gatto was a first-time vendor at the Festival. It’s one of the first venues she has attended to gain exposure in the community at large for her custom bathing suit line. “I work from home and rely a lot on word of mouth advertising,” said Gatto, a 23-year-old George Brown graduate and Hamilton-based designer. “Having my own booth was a great experience – it was a bit discouraging to set up my tent in the rain, but I ended up speaking to a lot of people and getting more business.” A visitor to the festival in previous years, Gatto spoke to a vendor selling vintage clothing last year and decided to book a booth for herself this year. Her clothing line, “Gattina,” is a mix of swimwear and lingerie and
uses soft laces, light cottons and sheer mesh fabrics. Her fall/winter 2012 collection officially launches this September, and Gatto will be showing more of her line at Open Streets on Sept. 23. “I think Hamilton’s a good place to start. There are a lot of young people here interested in the arts,” she said. “In a city like Toronto there’s a lot of competition. I don’t think there are many others in Hamilton who are doing the same thing as I am.” When the festival was shut down due to overcapacity at around 9:45 p.m., many locals took to social media and the web to express their disappointment with the decision. With its many local business partners, devoted attendees and old-school charm, Locke Street’s annual festival continues to attract loyal supporters and out-of-town visitors – a standout in the Greater Toronto Area’s arts and culture scene. • Bahar Orang Assistant ANDY editor
SILHOUTTE FILE PHOTOS
C8 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine
thursday, september 13, 2012
provoking thought
lee reed’s role in hamilton music and activism They’ve infiltrated our universities, our art crawls, our festivals and our headphones. Maybe they’ve been here all along, and we’re the infiltrators. Who are they and what do they do? They’re Hamilton’s hip-hop artists, and they’re not something you want to miss out on. Lee Reed has been a Hamilton hiphop fixture since the mid-‘90s. Reed gained prominence as the front man for the legendary and revolutionary group Warsawpack. Now he works on solo projects – playing shows all over Hamilton and releasing his own albums. In a recent interview with the Public Intellectuals Project, which is a group of students, professors and activists writing about local concerns and academic debates, Reed talked about his musical and political role in Hamilton.Throughout the years, he’s been working with others in the hip-hop community to open up bigger clubs in Hamilton – the Casbah, This Ain’t Hollywood, Club Absinthe – to aspiring hip-hoppers so that they have a decent chance at exposure and success.
“The path I took with music locally has helped build bridges between the regular and hip-hop music communities,” said Reed. He sees other cities, like Toronto, as being divided between hip-hop and other musical circles. Back when Hamilton’s scene was developing in the ‘90s, Reed, along with some other artists, helped make hip-hop a definitive part of Hamilton’s culture. His work with Warsawpack involved live instrumentation, something that’s not often found in hip-hop scenes small or large. This, as well as years of networking with promoters and club owners, is part of how he has helped Hamilton’s scene become so integrated and diverse. Now, other distinctly Hamiltonian hip-hop groups like Canadian Winter play with live instrumentation to back up their rhymes – and believe me, it makes for a mind-blowing set. While many of Reed’s lyrics have a radical edge, he insists that he doesn’t fully subscribe to any of the famous -isms. “I’m not completely an anarchist, or a communist or a socialist or any of those things,” he said, but he believes that some-
thing needs to change. “We need to work towards a world without hunger, war, thirst … where people are treated respectfully and they treat their environment respectfully.” However, he is not one to say that he has all the answers. He is a self-proclaimed critic, with the power to spark thought and emotion through his music. When describing how he is able to make a statement, he said, “I think I have the distinct advantage of poetic license. So, I can exaggerate, I can enflame, I can be vague, I can be openended.” As a hip-hop artist, he doesn’t have to come to an academic conclusion in all of his arguments, but his listeners take away something from his music. They begin to see the cracks in the wall, and they’re challenged to draw their own conclusions. He’s unapologetic about his angry music, and it’s refreshing. “I think I’m best defined by what I stand against with my music … and I think that’s how it manifests, as a loud and angry criticism.” Luckily for us, that angry criticism comes in the form of sick rhymes and dope beats.
At Supercrawl, he’s playing in the Roots 2Leaf Urban Arts Fundraiser at Club Absinthe, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15. Admission is by donation. There will be more than 16 performances, with break dancers, DJs, producers, beatboxers, emcees and a wall open for graffiti artists. Part two of the fundraiser takes place at the Tivoli Theatre from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Roots 2Leaf is a free youth mentorship program that aims to empower youth through hip-hop. Reed is also playing at Everybody Dance Volume 7: Super Crawl After-Party, at This Ain’t Hollywood on Sept. 15. He’s playing along with the Dirty Nil, BA Johnston and Toledo. For the full interview with the Public Intellectuals Project, go to vimeo. com/49074075. You can follow him on twitter, @FreeLeeReed, and download his full-length album, Emergency Broadcast, for free at leereed.bandcamp.com. •
Alex Epp