The Silhouette - Sept. 20

The Silhouette See ANDY

MCMASTER UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

www.thesil.ca

Thursday, September 20, 2012

EST. 1930

Writing for the 99 per cent.

Vol. 83, No. 7

The race against tuition rates As the cost of education rises, students walks the halls unaware that little is being done to reverse the process. Are we prepared to let future generations (and even current freshmen) meet the consequences wallets-first? See A3

Occupy McMaster rebuilding Sam Colbert Executive Editor

When members of Occupy McMaster arrived at their space in the corner of the Student Centre on Tuesday, Sept. 18, they didn’t know what had happened.

Lori Diamond, administrative director of the Student Centre, didn’t know either.

Siobhan Stewart, president of the McMaster Students Union, said she saw that Occupy was still set up in the corner of the student centre when she left late on Monday night.

But Tuesday morning – the day after the one-year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street – the area was cleared out. The books, the furniture, the blankets, the pamphlets, the posters and all of the other items that has collected since Occupy began spending time on the MUSC couches last November was gone.

Representatives of Occupy met with McMaster Security Services Tuesday morning in hopes of getting to the bottom of the matter.

Security Services said they would check security tapes.

“We do have a theft report, and it is with our investigator right now,” said Cathy O’Donnell, Staff Sergeant of Security Services, on Wednesday.

“It’s a temporary setback for the student movement,” said Alvand Mohtashami, who was one of the founders of the group last November. “But we are organizing to build a culture of revolution.”

The MUSC space was relatively empty over the summer months, but now that September has come, students are coming together again to get Occupy McMaster back up and running.

They’ve added a couple of tables and some pamphlets, and they are trying to be more vigilant.

“I’ll be back as soon as possible and support the occupiers, whose existence and presence is necessary to the survival of the idea of the university as a place of unhampered pursuit of the truth, wrote Dr. Karl Andersson, who is currently back in Sweden, in a comment on TheSil.ca.

Andersson, a grey-haired scholar who was studying the Bertrand Russell archives in Mills Library, was a regular presence at Occupy last school year, and he helped to maintain a 24-hour watch.

MUSC sitting on $1.1 million Board made of University and MSU reps will decide how to spend it Sam Colbert Executive Editor

Two years after it was allocated, the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) continues to hold $1.1 million in student money, and both the McMaster Students Union (MSU) and the University are looking for a way to spend it.

The money came from excess student fees collected by the MSU in 2010-11, which were collected to pay for the remaining portion on a loan from the University to fund the MUSC’s construction ten years ago.

The money will either go toward a new capital project to improve the Student Centre or toward discounting occupancy fees of MSU and/or University businesses and services.

The decision of how the funds will be spent now sits with the MUSC Board of Management, which includes representatives from both the MSU and University.

John McGowan, who is the business manager of the MSU, explained that details on how, exactly, the money will be spent have not yet been worked out.

The money was not originally

dent Centre.

In order to pay for their share, the MSU borrowed money from the University, to be paid back over a number of years.

MUSC was completed in 2002.

However, the final loan payment from the MSU to the University didn’t occur until late 2010.

“Leading up year of the retirement of the capital debt on the student centre, there was a lot of discussion between the University and the MSU on exactly what was outstanding,” said McGowan.

SEE FUNDS, A4

CFS-Ontario Chair attends town hallstyle student meeting on campus Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor

Sarah Jayne King, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, was at McMaster on Sept. 19 to support student activism on campus.

King gathered in the location where the Occupy McMaster movement has begun to re-establish their headquarters in the Student Centre.

She was on campus speaking to students of Occupy McMaster.

King came to campus specifically to attend the Education Town Hall this past Wednesday.

The town hall meetings were taking place on university campuses across Ontario in order to address student issues surrounding tuition fee increases and quality of education.

The goal of the town halls is to seek student feedback to be submitted directly to the provincial government. ”There’s a movement across Ontario to seek more student input on the issues that are affecting students, especially as the government is in the process of making significant changes to our education systems… and has not been doing a lot to hear from students directly about what they actually think about these changes.”

McMaster is a member of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), not CFS.

JEFF TAM THE SILHOUETTEw

Sarah Jayne King, a CFS representative, listens to student concerns at an education town hall meeting.

However, King stated her inter- to education issues [or] to other est in working with students across campaigns and movements going the province, on. I’m happy to help where regardless of There’s a movement to seek their student more student input on the issues there’s that appetite… and union’s afthat are affecting students, I know that it filiation, to adespecially as the government dress concerns exists on a lot [has been] making significant of campuses.” about current changes to our education King also issues in education. noted the upSarah Jayne King coming On“The reChairperson, CFS- Ontario tario Student ality is… students need to be represented, to Activist Assembly at University of voice their opinion when it comes Toronto (St. George Campus) on

OPINIONS SPORTS

INSIDEOUT

Tolerance has become humanity’s handicap

Immortality is quickly becoming more than an idea

A9

earmarked for projects of a certain kind.

“In all scenarios, it will help benefit undergraduate students,” he said, given that a reduction in occupancy costs for MSU services would mean more funding for other areas, and that a capital project would, presumably, benefit at least some students.

The issue began in 1987 when the MSU held a student referendum about the construction of a student centre.

As a result, they started to collect a yearly amount from students to finance their portion of the Stu-

The kings are hosting Queens this weekend

B1

B7

October 12 and 13.

The province-wide assembly aims to bring together hundreds of students to share experiences and engage in issue-based workshops to strengthen student activism in Ontario.

“Students are really worried that these changes [to our education systems] are ways to cut costs. All the while the government has been increasing tuition fees for the past seven years and we have nothing to show for it in terms of quality [of education].”

the

PRESIDENT’S PAGE Jeff Wyngaarden VP (Finance)

Huzaifa Saeed VP (Education)

Siobhan Stewart President

David Campbell VP (Administration)

SIOBHAN OUTLINES ACTION TAKEN TO KEEP HER CAMPAIGN PROMISES architect that will draft several designs for the space. Once we have the drafts to our liking, we will circulate them in a survey to gather student opinion as to which design is best. With student preference established, I will begin the process of soliciting vendors and forming a contractual agreement.

Siobhan Stewart President president@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 23885

Dear McMaster Community, I would like to take this opportunity to express my excitement for the academic year that lies ahead. Since beginning my term as MSU President, I have been consistently pushing forward with my campaign agenda, whilst learning the nuances of the organization. This article is my opportunity to sum up some of the work that I have been doing over the past few months. I will focus on what has been accomplished over the summer to advance my platform for students.

Something Old: Bridges Study Space My predecessor Matt Dillon-Leitch was very dedicated to creating more study space on campus and I have been actively continuing that effort. Before I ran for President, I met with the Hospitality Services management team who were supportive of the idea of allowing the physical space in Bridges to be accessible to students for extended hours during the exam period. I will be working this semester to ensure that something is in place for the December exam period in collaboration with MSU Diversity Services.

Something New: MSU Peer Support Line A large amount of work has been done over the summer in order to establish a peer support line on campus. To that effect, the steering committee consisting of myself, VP (Administration) David Campbell, MSU Club presidents of Kids Help Phone and COPE: A Student Mental Health Initiative, along with staff from the Student Wellness Centre met several times. Currently, volunteer applications are available via the MSU and Student Wellness Centre websites, due by October 12, 2012. If you are interested in becoming a Peer Listener, please visit msumcmaster.ca/ peersupportline for more details on the application process. Training for the Peer Listeners will be held on November 17 and 18 and we expect a soft launch of the service in during the second term.

Something Borrowed: Green Roof Initiative This summer I hosted several meetings with the steering committee for the Green Roof Initiative, comprised of the Office of Sustainability, MUSC Administration, MacGreen, OPIRG and the original drafters of the Green Roof Initiative proposal. We also conducted a survey which garnered over 600 responses and counting. The preliminary findings of the survey will be posted shortly and we now have a project manager assigned to this initiative from Facility Services.

We are currently searching for an

PEER SUPPORT LINE

First Year Street Team The Street Team will help enhance the visibility of FYC on campus. The goal of this initiative is to ensure that more first year students are engaged with the vision of the MSU. I have been working with SRA Science representative Christine Ung, as well as the Inter Residence Council (IRC) and the Society of OffCampus Students (SOCS), who are interested in helping to facilitate the project. I will also be communicating with faculty society presidents at our first Presidents Council Meeting this month about inviting first year representatives from their societies to participate in the street team. This initiative focuses on three main areas: Advocacy, Mentorship and Events/Promotions. The First Year Street Team meetings will be facilitated by the elected members of FYC and the first meeting for the Street Team will be in October. The First Year Street Team is open to any first year student at McMaster. Visit msumcmaster.ca/fyc for more information.

Something for You: Fall Break As planned, I used the summer months to hold meetings with a number of different stakeholders regarding the concept of a fall break. Having met with the vast majority of Associate Deans, as well as the University Registrar, staff from the Scheduling and Examinations Office and senior administrators including President Deane and our new Provost Dr. David Wilkinson, I believe that the concept of a fall break is gaining traction amongst decision makers.

It is my sincere belief that something will be achieved this year, to take effect in 2013-2014. The Scheduling and Examinations Office has started a beta project looking at what alterations can be made to the exam timetable structure to allow for greater flexibility over the academic term. Once they have gathered the exam requests from professors, Scheduling and Examinations will formulate the data for a trial run. At the same time, I plan to initiate a survey of McMaster students to gauge the appetite for a fall break. Having student voices in hand, I will continue a multifaceted approach to advocating for a fall break. First will be the discussion about potential alterations of the exam schedule to allow for more flexibility in the general timetable. Secondly, I will continue meeting with faculty leaders and University administration to define the parameters of a fall break, in order to account for the academic requirements needed for the completion of a variety of degrees. My vision is of a uniform break across campus, in the fall semester, for all students. Stay tuned to msumcmaster.ca for updates.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Application Deadline: Oct. 12th Offers for interview go out by Oct. 17th For more information please visit:

msumcmaster.ca/peersupportline

WAIT... THERE’S MORE! Siobhan Stewart President president@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 23885

I would like to take just a few more lines to bring you up to speed on a number of initiatives that are underway within the operational side of the MSU. This year Mac Farmstand opened in June, much earlier than usual. Mac Farmstand is a great example of an MSU service that has blossomed and become integrated into the McMaster experience, as the earlier opening was well received by the McMaster community. Look for Mac Farmstand every Tuesday and Wednesday through October (weather and produce dependant).

Also, the Student Walk Home Attendant Team (SWHAT) has a new logo this year, making it the latest service to adopt the visual identity guidelines the MSU instituted in 2011. Be sure to check out SWHAT and get connected to the opportunities that are available through that service located in MUSC

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

204 or msumcmaster.ca/swhat. You can follow SWHAT @MSU_SWHAT. Additionally, funding is available for great ideas that you might have to improve your experience on campus. The deadline for the Undergraduate Student Initiatives Fund is fast approaching (for proposals/projects taking place before November 30, 2012). This pool of funds is available to undergraduate students (18 units or more) and MSU Clubs who seek capital to pursue extra-curricular endeavours and goals. Visit the MSU homepage and find the link to the USIF on the bottom right of the page.

The deadline for first semester funding requests is September 28, 2012.

The MSU is also involved in several pan-university initiatives. For example, a number of MSU clubs and services are participating in the First Annual Open Streets McMaster event, taking place this Sunday, September 23 on campus. Also, be sure to check out the 2nd Annual Leadership Summit for Women, happening October 20th at Hamilton City Hall.

EWS

Thursday, September 20, 2012 News Editors: Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma, Julia Redmond and Anqi Shen Meeting: Thursdays @ 4:30 p.m.

Contact: news@thesil.ca

National Welcome week breakdown tuition rising OF THE MANDATORY $110 WELCOME WEEK FEE, HERE’S HOW IT WAS DIVIDED:

Anqi Shen

$33: SSC Programs and Events $11: Faculty Orientation Planning $25: SWAG purchase (coordinated by SSC) $15: Off Campus/Residence Life $26: MSU Programs and Events

Online News Editor

WHERE DID YOUR

MONEY

In March 2012, students passed a motion to make the MacPass mandatory for all incoming first-year students. The universal levy of $110 was offered as the “sustainable solution” to the problem of rising Welcome Week fees.

But where did all the money go? The MSU collected $26 from each student for its own programming, while it also oversaw the distribution of $11 per student to faculty societies. The remaining funds were divided up by the Student Success Centre, which oversaw the purchase of swag for $25 per student and distributed $15 per student to both Residence Life and SOCS, while setting aside $33 per student for its own programs and events.

GO?

$5015 $4919

$3729 $3638

$6017 $5734

$7180 $6815 $2774 $2520

$5917 $5728

$5470 $5285

2012/2013

$5934 $5722

2011/2011

$2649 $2649

AGRICULTURE : $5095 ARCHITECTURE : $5077 HUMANITIES : $4942 BUSINESS : $6060 EDUCATION : $4006 ENGINEERING : $6552 LAW : $9949 MEDICINE : $11891 PERFORMING ARTS : $4793 LIFE SCIENCES : $5478 MATHEMATICS : $6111 SOCIAL SCIENCES : $4862 FITNESS & HEALTH : $5092 DENTISTRY : $16910 NURSING : $4909 PHARMACY : $10297 VETERINARY MED : $6224

$5883 $5663

Undergrad tuition rates by province and faculty

NE PR WF IN OU CE ED ND L W AR AN D D NO ISL NE VA AND S W BR COT UN IA SW I QU CK EB ON EC T M ARI SA AN O SK IT AT OB CH A EW BR AL AN IT IS H BER CO T LU A M BI A

Undergraduate tuition fees have risen at more than triple the rate of inflation in the past year according to a new report by Statistics Canada.

Undergraduate tuition is up 5 per cent from last year nationwide and up 5.4 per cent in Ontario.

Graduate tuition has increased at a slower rate of 4.5 per cent, up from a 3.7 rate last year.

The inflation rate from July 2011 to 2012 is 1.3 per cent as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

According to the Stats Can report, full-time undergraduate students in Canada are paying $5,581 in tuition fees on average compared to $5,313 last year. Undergraduates in Ontario are charged the most - $7,180 on average.

Peter Smith, Associate Vice-President (Academic), said McMaster’s overall undergraduate tuition increases are just under 5 per cent this year, as per 2012/2013 provincial guidelines.

The guidelines stipulated that first year tuition for professional programs could increase by up to 8 per cent. First year non-professional programs were allowed to have increases of up to 4.5 per cent. Upper-year tuition could increase by 4 per cent. Overall tuition increases were to be under 5 per cent.

“There’s always a trade-off,” said Smith. “You could have a zero per cent increase, but that could impact the delivery of programs at the university.” “[In setting tuition fees] you want to strike a balance between affordability and quality of education,” he said.

Simon Gooding-Townsend, one of three student representatives on the university tuition fee committee this year, said averages may not be the most accurate indicator of changes to tuition.

He noted, for example, that incoming first years in professional programs are experiencing double the rate that their upper year classmates are experiencing (8 per cent versus 4 per cent).

International students have experienced a 6 per cent increase at McMaster, with the exception of international medical students (all levels) whose tuition of $95,000 per year has stayed the same.

Compulsory fees for athletics, student health services and student organizations applicable to full-time students have increased nationally by 3.3 per cent for undergraduates and 4.9 per cent for graduate students.

Full-time undergraduate fees increased in all provinces except Newfoundland and Labrador, where tuition has stayed the same since 2003-04. Quebec showed the highest rate of increase at 10.1 per cent.

Numbers courtesy of Statistics Canada.

Go online to see these rates for graduate students at www.thesil.ca

Student mental health issues more common Reports show that students are increasingly stressed, overwhelmed Julia Redmond Assistant News Editor

On Sept. 5, Maclean’s magazine released an article entitled “The Broken Generation,” giving an in-depth look into what they called a “crisis” affecting students across North America.

In this age of high-stress schooling, coupled with high unemployment after graduation, more and more university students are struggling with mental illness, the report claimed. McMaster is no exception to this trend.

Dr. Debbie Nifakis, Associate Director of Counselling at the Student Wellness Centre, says there is definitely a trend of more mental health issues coming to light.

“I’ve been working in the field for a very long time and definitely the number of people coming in to access services has increased over the years,” she said.

This can be attributed both to the increase in the number of post-secondary students, and increased awareness of mental health conditions, she explained.

“A lot of people are coming with a lot of awareness and less sense of stigma… I think there’s a lot of talk about mental health issues now.”

One person keen to promote the talk about mental health issues is Huzaifa Saeed, Vice President (Education) for the MSU. “Mental health was something that when I came to McMaster, in 2008, wasn’t a big deal on campus. But in the last year or two… things have ramped up a bit.”

As MSU External Affairs Commissioner last year, Saeed worked with other student leaders from the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) to write a paper on student health issues, with a focus on mental health.

This project, combined with his experience as a Welcome Week rep, inspired his “pink elephant in the room” campaign, which offered mental health training to all 1100 of this year’s reps. The response, he says, has been very positive.

“I’ve done a lot of campaigns for the MSU, and I don’t think any particular one of them has been this successful.”

The goal of the initiative is to make Mac a “stigma-free campus,” and to increase awareness of the much-needed support the university offers to its students.

And students need that kind of support more and more, as it’s not always something that they find on their own.

“People are losing the small school connection,” he said of McMaster.

“If you’re sitting in a 600-person, MDCL 1305 lecture, you’re not really going to have

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

McMaster aims to create a “stigma-free” campus by increasing awareness of mental health issues and the services available to help them.

of the Student Wellness Centre’s counseling anyone to lean on if you run into problems.”

Reports have shown that students are services, Dr. Nifakis says.

With nine full-time counselors during generally more stressed and more prone to the academic year, the Wellness Centre is mental health issues than before.

According to the campaign’s website, comfortable with its availability of service.

“There is someabout 5700 of McMaster’s times a wait time,” undergraduate and graduDr. Nifakis said, notate students will have “a “If you’re sitting in a 600-person, ing that most commental health concern.”

MDCL 1305 lecture, you’re not plaints come when A National College really going to have anyone to students may have Health Assessment done at lean on if you [have] problems.” to wait a few weeks McMaster in 2009 reported for follow-up apthat half of students surpointments. But this veyed “felt overwhelming Huzaifa Saeed wouldn’t necessarily anxiety,” while 56 percent MSU VP Education be remedied by in“felt things were hopeless.” creasing the number But although mental health issues may present themselves to a sig- of counselors.

“I think that you could increase your nificant portion of students, only about ten percent of the student body takes advantage number of counselors to the nth degree and

you would still not meet the demand in the way people sometimes come to expect counseling to be.”

The Student Wellness Centre and the MSU have teamed up to continue promoting the “pink elephant in the room” campaign and further increase awareness about available services for students.

“We’re not counselors,” Saeed said of the MSU, “but what we can do is let people know that these [counselors at the Student Wellness Centre] exist.”

The “pink elephant in the room” campaign is one part of the ongoing strategy the MSU will unveil throughout the year addressing mental health issues.

Both organizations will benefit from this partnership as they plan to offer recommendations to the university in a Mental Health Strategy Document later this year.

A4 • News

The Silhouette • Thursday, September 20, 2012

Growing pains in new location The Phoenix experiences overwhelming demand from customers Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior Photo Editor

Since the Phoenix Bar and Grill’s move to the Refectory Building, students have encountered unexpected wait times to enter the restaurant.

“What we’re trying to do is maintain a balance between getting as many people as we can in the restaurant but also maintaining our level of service,” said Jessica Merolli, president of the Graduate Students Association, which owns and operates the bar.

“It has meant that wait times are a little bit longer than they normally are.”

Merolli suggested that the Phoenix wait times are the result of the heightened demand to eat in its larger location and because of increased exposure to undergraduates.

The new Phoenix location was initially touted for its larger capacity, with 35 more seats inside and 81 more seats on the patio.

But despite the restaurant’s ability to accommodate more customers, on numerous occasions there have been several sections closed in the main dining hall.

The new location has an occupancy limit of 181 people. Although the liquor license allows for up to 362, the liquor inspector explained that capacity must be capped at the number of people that can fit inside – in the event that it rains and the patio patrons all want to come indoors, for example.

The policy was the same at the Wentworth House location, where capacity was capped at 150, even though the liquor license allowed for 443.

At the new location, though, patrons waiting for tables at the door can see most of the indoor dining hall, which is sometimes relatively empty while the patio is full.

On the service end, the distance between the kitchen and patio has been an issue. In the Wentworth House location, the smaller patio was much closer to the kitchen, which ensured smoother and faster delivery of food. It also ensured more consistent service because servers wouldn’t lose time travelling between the kitchen and the patio.

Merolli also mentioned other factors that she thought were part of the necessary “learning curve” at the new location. The staff transitioned during the restaurant’s peak rush time in Welcome Week and has been adapting to the new kitchen, equipment and seating arrangement.

As the semester continues and things get more settled at the new location, the Phoenix is looking to enhance its service by adding new menu items and allocating a certain number of seats for reservations.

“We’re really happy that everyone is so excited to come to the bar and we’re trying our best to get people through as quickly as possible,” said Merolli. “We don’t want to sacrifice the quality of the service in order to get more people in the restaurant.”

TwelvEighty, the other campus bar, formerly known as Quarters, has seen an increase in sales from last year through the first two weeks of September. Whether or not there is link between this increase in demand and the wait times at The Phoenix is uncertain.

CHRIS MAK THE SILHOUETTE

A line to get into The Phoenix was common for the first few weeks of the semester.

McGuinty government announces OSAP streamlining for incoming students

Funds came from excess student fees FROM 1 “The project had been going on for an extended period of time and the many stakeholders had changed. When sorting out the remaining balance, there were a couple of discrepancies that all parties needed to clarify regarding contributions to the student centre versus loans for the student centre.”

Because the discrepancies could not be sorted out until after fees were to be set early in 2010 for the following school year, the MSU has a decision to make.

Should it collect only what it thought the remaining balance on the loan was, or collect the same amount as the previous year, increased with inflation, to cover their bases?

They opted for the latter. When the dust settled and the University could not produce proof that the MSU owed more than it thought it owed, it turned out that the MSU had collected roughly $1.13 million more than was required.

As per an agreement between the University and MSU, which was clarified when the final year’s fee was set, that surplus was transferred to the MUSC, which has a separate administrative body that is jointly managed by the MSU and University.

“That’s full-time undergraduate money that students said they wanted to spend on the MUSC,” explained McGowan about the money sent to MUSC.

Anqi Shen

Online News Editor

As many students have already experienced this year, OSAP is no longer primarily a paper process and there will be no more lineups to receive financial aid.

Glen Murray, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, stopped in Hamilton on Sept. 17 to give a statement about the streamlining of OSAP. OSAP Express is the new application process, and it affects more than 300,000 applicants and recipients in Ontario. Approximately 15,000 post-secondary students in Hamilton are expected to benefit.

The program requires students to sign a loan agreement once in their post-secondary career rather than each academic year. Its aim is to speed up confirmation of enrolment and direct deposit processes, and to eliminate lineups at the financial aid office.

“This came as a result of student associations advocating for change in the system, and we’ve delivered,” said Murray.

He said the new program would make receiving student aid easier while saving hundreds of thousands of dollars for institutions that choose to implement it.

“Moving forward, there is going to be a qualitative way in which we spend,” said Murray.

Huzaifa Saeed, Vice President (Education) of the McMaster Students Union, said at the announcement that OSAP Express is a muchneeded step toward a more accessible post secondary system.

“The cost of education is a big issue, but a large part of the issue has to do with reception [of financial assistance].”

Pointing to a 2009 federal survey on financial literacy, Saeed said many students are in the dark about financial options and have not taken full advantage of all available student assistance.

Murray’s announcement comes on the heels of the 30 per cent off tuition grant introduced last January by the provincial government.

The grant, promised by the Liberals in the 2011 provincial election, aims to make education more affordable by delivering assistance

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Glen Murray spoke at the University Club on Sept. 17.

with less hassle.

The program offers refunds of $1,680 to students in college and university programs and $770 to students for those in college diploma and certificate programs.

“So often, students are eligible for something and they don’t know. As a result they end up not accessing that resource,” said Ted McMeekin, MPP for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.

“Streamlining the process will put it all together for students to get that information.”

Since the tuition grant came out, 200,000 refunds have been received, which means approximately 100,000 refunds have yet to be claimed.

The grant is available to full-time students at a public college or university in Ontario whose parents have a gross income of $160,000 or less. Students must be residents of Ontario and must have graduated high school within four years before applying directly to a postsecondary program.

Of Gentlemen and Cowards rocks Letterman Sam Colbert Executive Editor

Behind the open blazer of Simon Edwards, Of Gentlemen and Cowards’ front man, a few of the white letters on his maroon t-shirt were visible.

Worn during the band’s appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman on Sept. 17, Edwards’ McMaster University apparel was evidently his way of paying tribute to the McMaster and Hamilton communities.

“That was insane – what a day,”

the band wrote on their Facebook page following the taping of the show. “A massive thanks goes out to everyone who helped us get to this day.”

The band played their song, “Save Me,” well, and the show went smoothly.

There was only a minor hitch at the end, when Letterman got tied up on the band’s name.

“Of Cowards and Gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen,” he said to the crowd at the end of the performance. “Of Gentlemen and Cowards. Well, which is it?

“Which is it?” he asked again as the applause died down. “Is that right, boys?”

The current McMaster students got the opportunity to go on Letterman by winning a contest hosted

by Red Bull Soundstage and by Rob Burnett, producer of the Late Show.

The prize was to get a song into We Made This Movie, a film written and directed by Burnett.

The band remained in New York for the rest of the week to promote themselves. They then played after the premier of We Made This Movie on Sept. 19.

C/O YOUTUBE

Edwards performs with Of Gentlemen and Cowards on Letterman.

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • The Silhouette

News • A5

Volunteer Fair promises students opportunities

C/O EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION

Students take advantage of the range of organizations at last year’s Volunteer Fair.

Danielle Gadpaille The Silhouette

McMaster’s Student Centre will be center stage for a plethora of organizations from across Hamilton on Sept. 25 and 26 between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. . Nearly 75 vendors will take over the Student Centre atrium in hopes of exposing students to the need for volunteers in the Hamilton community.

This year marks the 8th annual Community Engagement and Volunteer Fair with a record-breaking number of young activists expected to turn out. Spread out over two days, the Volunteer Fair will expose students to a multitude of local agencies, from small grassroots to globally recognized organizations all hoping to team up with students to make a difference in the greater community.

The fair promises to be even larger this year, as the Student Success Centre has recently announced its collaboration with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Experiential Education.

This new partnership will give students access to a wider variety and higher volume of agencies across Hamilton. “The [Student Success Centre] has more relationships and partners in the community,” said Angela Fortino, Employer Relations Officer at the Student Success Centre. “This year the fair is full, plus we have organizations on the waiting list.”

More relationships within the community mean more opportunities for students to find the right volunteer position for them.

Students will not only have the opportunity to interact with big brand organizations such as United Way and Red Cross, but also

a more diverse set of niche organizations this year.

“We get agencies that meet a particular need in the community that is pretty unique…

You’re able to tap into different aspects of the community,” said Adam Kuhn, Student Success Centre Manager.

And with the Student Success Centre on board, a higher volume of students are expected to take notice and be aware of the event.

“The Student Success Centre has more retail access across campus to reach a higher volume of students,” explained Kuhn.

The Volunteer Fair is essentially a massnetworking project with a dual focus. It gives students a means of networking with volunteer organizations, and it allows local agencies a means of recruiting essential volunteers through a single, two-day event.

Volunteering is one means of expanding your professional Rolodex as a student, simply by means of networking. It’s is also a good way of establishing credibility and rapport, which can potentially act as leverage into a full time position. Students can use volunteer positions to build their resumes, linking their volunteer work to their field of academic study, and potential future occupation. “[Volunteering] can affirm your career goals and passions or it can challenge your assumptions,” noted Kuhn on the benefits of volunteering.

The Volunteer Fair presents an opportunity for students to connect with a diverse range of local agencies in hopes of finding the right niche regardless of passion, career goal, or area of interest.

New app keeps students connected to Hamilton

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

The new mobile app uses Twitter to help students connect to the wider Hamilton community.

Dyson Wells The Silhouette

A new app has been released to burst the campus “bubble.”

MyHamilton, a new community-based app, was released last Thursday at a City Hall event. The app was produced by a collaboration of McMaster University, Mohawk College, Columbia College, the City of Hamilton and Weever Apps.

While still in the growing stages, there are high expectations for the interface, which was named through a contest open to McMaster/Mohawk students.

The MyHamilton app attempts to address the issue of students not being connected with the community by offering students an interactive way to explore Hamilton and discover the culture and spirit of the city.

The McMaster Students Union conducted a survey last year to gauge students’ plans following the completion of their studies. Of the 800 students polled, 40 per cent stated they would not consider living in Hamilton following graduation, 24 per cent said they would not look for a job within the city and 34 per cent said they would only take the job as a last resort.

The app currently focuses on the downtown area, spanning from the escarpment to Bayfront Park, and from Wentworth Street to Dundurn Street.

Kathy Woo, Social Media and Digital Communications manager at the Student Success Centre, explained the app’s use of Twitter, as opposed to other social media platforms like Facebook.

“Hamilton is such a huge Twitter community, and that seems to be where a lot of the students are engaging right now. It’s im-

mediate, it’s real-time, and it’s on the fly,” said Woo. The app, using Twitter and Google Maps, enables users to explore Hamilton, sharing their finding with friends.

Once a post is made, the tweet, along with picture provided by the user, will appear as a pin on the map that will then be visible to other users.

The app also includes a list of discounts for local events and businesses, as well as directions and methods of transportation to navigate the city.

It is expected to give a leg up to local businesses in Hamilton while helping students find those “hidden gems” throughout the city.

The app’s profiling feature, in which students enter information such as their name, email, faculty and year of study, allows businesses to track their client demographic.

Talks regarding the development of the app have been going on since May. Discussions about the app’s progress and features will take place once feedback regarding the app has been received.

Gisela Oliveira, Employment Services Coordinator at the Student Success Centre, said, “the best part about this app is that it’s a student telling a student, or it’s a young professional telling a student [about local businesses].”

“It’s not necessarily the businesses shoving it down their throat that Hamilton is the place to be,” said Oliveira.

To get the app, students must scan a QR Code.

To join the Twitter conversation with MyHamilton, users must tweet a picture with the geolocation setting on and include the hashtag #MyHamilton.

DITORIAL

Thursday, September 20, 2012 Executive Editor: Sam Colbert Contact: thesil@thesil.ca Phone: (905) 525-9140, extension 22052

OCCUPY MCMASTER

Misunderstood or misguided, eviction was unwarranted to supercrawl. to an office full of imacs. to the warm days and cold nights of september. to the iphone 5, tentatively. to housewarming parties. don’t forget me on your guest list. to pimp candy canes. to haircuts. to the news-sports rivalry. thanks for keeping me interested.

to people who say, “wow, i can’t believe we’re in downtown hamilton” at supercrawl. to centro’s prices. to responses to responses to editorials that are responses to articles. bear with me, cbc hamilton. to too many nuts. to sitting through rhetoric when the provincial government visits.

I don’t know who took Occupy McMaster’s stuff. Student Centre administration says they’re not responsible, and Security Services is still looking into the matter.

But whoever effectively evicted Occupy McMaster from the student centre did it in a planned and deliberate manner.

The one-year anniversary of Occupy’s parent movement, Occupy Wall Street, was the day before. An article had just been published in the Hamilton Spectator that pointed to dwindling membership of the campus group.

And the place wasn’t just robbed; it was cleared out completely. With the exception of a bookcase (which, presumably, was too heavy to carry away), everything was taken and the area was cleaned very late Monday night during a rare lapse of vigilance. By Tuesday morning, it was as if Occupy McMaster had never existed.

People will joke about this – and maybe with good reason.

The irony was painful this summer, during which the “Apathy 2 Action” sign hung next to a mostly empty seating area. And for months, the Swedish scholar who practically made Occupy his home looked out of place.

Even the name, “Occupy McMaster,” invited criticism. The small and subdued group of students who weren’t bothering

to yunel escobar. it pains me to do this, but come on, dude.

to living forever. to shit disturbers. to vending machine runs - my one and only source of skittles.

to campus construction. i’m walking, here. to pirates.

The Silhouette

•

Sam Colbert, Executive Editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

to iraqi asians. to canadian spelling skeptics.

anyone did not at all resemble the larger global protests of similar names.

But whether it was a student prankster or a frustrated maintenance worker or someone higher up that caused this, it was wrong.

There are good, honest and self-aware people down at Occupy. Like engaged members of faculty societies or of clubs or of MSU services, they’re just looking for something and somewhere to be here at Mac. They are always friendly, always welcoming, and they’re there because they enjoy being around each other. They just wanted to share that.

And that includes Dr. Karl, who was a kind, progressive and interesting presence in the student centre.

If the culprits are a group of students who simply had it in for Occupy, I hope they understand that what they did wasn’t necessary or political. It was mean-spirited.

Whether or not it was Occupy’s time to vacate, this wasn’t the way to do it. I hope that, as the students rebuild in MUSC, everyone else will show a little more understanding this time around.

Good riddance, Occupy Re: What happened to Occupy McMaster? [Published online Sept. 18 in News] Occupy McMaster was taken down this week, and I couldn’t be happier to see that it has disappeared. Sure, there will be some anger, frustration and disappointment, but what about the students who didn’t feel comfortable enough to use that space? The space, which Occupy McMaster essentially held hostage for a year, should have been accessible to every student and instead only a small few felt comfortable enough to use it. The Student Centre is supposed to be for every student, not just a select few. To Occupy McMaster, and their hypocritical efforts, I say, good riddance.

•

McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

Chris Stevenson

Editorial Board

Don’t confuse stress with mental illness

Sam Colbert | Executive Editor thesil@thesil.ca

Re: “Life isn’t always Maclean’s” [Published Sept. 13 in Opinions]

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

Stress, nervousness and angst about the future is significantly different from what is commonly referred to as ‘serious mental illness’ – or what is sometimes reclaimed and conceptualized as madness, unusual beliefs, visions, voice-hearing or ‘lived experience’ in the Mad or consumer/survivor community and social movement. Implying that these are the same thing diminishes the vast difference between them – particularly in how people experience disability and discrimination, select and celebrate identities, and create culture and community. Lunau, writing for Maclean’s, does make some distinctions, but the article generally feels confused to me, as does Hardy’s response in the Sil. I doubt a student’s personal attitude adjustment will have much impact on poverty, un(der)employment, discrimination, violence or isolation. It won’t change the competitive, individualizing and alienating climate of post-secondary campuses and their subtle and overt ways of privileging certain social groups, ways of being, forms of knowledge, approaches to learning and definitions of success. All of this can cause considerable distress. We need to move beyond individual-level responses – be they attitude adjustments or wellness tools, ‘healthy’ behaviours and help-seeking strategies frequently advanced in stress, ‘mental illness’ awareness and stigma-busting conversations – to think about social justice.

I am disappointed by Maclean’s failure to acknowledge the consumer/survivor community and alternative perspectives on and responses to madness – such as peer support. Mutual-aid groups that are organized by and for students with personal experiences of psychiatric systems, madness, mental illness, mental health disabilities, etc. rather than trained outsiders or pseudo-professionals can significantly increase a student’s sense of belonging. Awareness and enactment of our legal rights as students labeled with mental health disabilities such as the right to accommodation and to an environment free from discrimination is fundamental to cultivating welcoming and equitable campuses. Real consumer/survivor community involvement, peer support, rights awareness, accommodations, anti-discrimination efforts and responsiveness to social context is crucial to any ‘mental health’ strategy.

•

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

Alisa Triest, Co-organizer of the Mad Students Society

Corrections In “Forget everything you know about memory” [Sept. 13], Terje Lømo was misspelled as Henry Lomo.

The same article mistakenly named the effect of inhibiting PKMζ as a form of reconsolidation blockade.

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Thursday, September 20, 2012 Opinions Editor: Kacper Niburski Meeting: Wednesdays @ 11:30 a.m.

Contact: opinions@thesil.ca

Natural selection, naturally

Writing a wrong Kacper Niburski Opinions Editor

It’s Saturday night again. Sun-kissed blonde hair sprinkles in front of your face as you sip the cold coffee on your desk. Your eyes hurt but you cannot rub them. Not now. Not yet.

You need to keep going. You have to stop doodling. Click. Clack. Click. Clack. Repeat.

Just a few more hours – you promised. To whom? Yourself, and to the ceiling.

But you’re caught. It isn’t a trance; it is a dance, and you’re swinging and swaying and swishing your words as they trip the tip of your tongue. So you continue to write as you wiggle around in your seat, and instead of enjoying the weekend or talking to friends that certainly deserve the attention, you find yourself sitting there staring at a blank paper while your fingers attempt to waltz to the sound of bones cracking in a tune of discomfort.

It is disease. Your back aches and bends; your stomach grumbles and gurgles.

It is salvation. You’re smiling and it twists around your lips like barbed wire spread with reckless abandon across a field of tulips.

It is habit. Last week saw you in the same position with eyes bloodshot, praying to a flickering icon for inspiration.

But there is no inspiration. There never was. There is, and there only will be, blood.

Because when you distill it down to it’s very core – these words, these sentences, the very syntax – you find a life, and with it, a heart. A pulse. Lungs. Arteries and veins. Inhales and exhales. All and all, you find a person – a pitiful obsessive person who stresses over whether or not to insert a comma here, or here, but not here.

It is your life. It is mine. And in order to live – perhaps in vain, perhaps not – I, like you, sit and write because although it’s true that I haven’t lived a very long life and although grey hairs do not speckle my forehead, writing is how I breathe onto paper and how I give life to these pages. It is how I make up for the years I haven’t lived yet.

Now certainly, I cannot say that what I write is good. To be honest, I wouldn’t even call what I do writing. Rather, I think of it as

an elaborate yet recognizable typing procedure. Nor can I delusion myself in thinking that this whole capricious endeavor will be worth it – whether that be your time or mine. I write like lightning and most of the time, the flash comes before the bang.

All I can do is give a little bit of myself here and a little bit over there. It is a small portion, I’ll admit. Some may even consider it inconsequential. But it is all I can give because it is all I am, all I’ll ever be. Words. My name. My date of birth. And eventually, when the dash has finally been drawn, my death.

Now, on this Saturday, I’m giving you my moments in between. That little dash. That little inch that is entirely mine. That piece of me captured into words, however little they may be worth.

Why? Some may say that it is the ability to transcend death that compels me and all writers alike to pick up the pen. Certainly every human being – all the beggers and kings, all the saints and sinners, all the fathers and mothers, all the sisters and brothers – will turn cold, keel over, and breathe no more; it’s only a matter of time. So in order to delay death, we try to chime into the chorus of life.

That cliché stands proof to that fact. For the only evidence of a writer is writing itself.

Who knows – this Saturday night might different and I might be trying to chalk no be my name among the list of literary paragons.

But I don’t think so. At the time of my death, I will be a white-hair old man, with a short neck, a barrel chest, lanky arms, and a faded tattoo from one of the countless mistakes I have made. My legs will be thin and veined; my right knee, a testament to a life of mediocre work for mediocre pay, will be ruined by arthritis. My daily attire will suggest the prestige of a working man, and a working man I’ll be. Words that I had written down so long ago will have collected into a bin somewhere, rotting off the pages that once held them.

And when I die, no one will remember Kacper Niburski, but at least, no one will forget.

A guide for modern survival Rob Hardy The Silhouette

Planning your future got you down? Worried that you’ll never find work in an endeavour more ambitious than pushing a hot dog cart?

Are your chances of grad school diminishing as that all-important “A” eludes you while you succumb to falling behind on your ten-chapter-a-week reading lists?

Well, don’t despair, as this survival guide will give you the pointers necessary for success in life (or, in actuality, keeping your head just above water every month).

First thing’s first. All those pesky school problems ruining what should be a non-stop party on the weekends (or back-to-back shifts at the coffee shop)? Well, in case you haven’t figured it out, stop doing anything that isn’t one hundred per cent required or necessary as you plod through your undergrad, and heck, even beyond that.

Time is precious, and you need to make sure that every second of reading has immediate and direct application to your goals (which, of course, are landing a great job so you can make a lot of money and get to take it easy one day, thereby allowing yourself to forget about all the nasty inconveniences of life you bitterly had to endure).

Who cares what a bunch of dead guys ever said about life and the world, any-

But, hey, you wanna stay on that path to 50K+ a year, so what does it matter that you don’t even recognize the business-like persona you are desperately trying to cultivate?

SEE WRITER’S, A10

Leave love to lovers, love No matter how we try, three words are the hardest to define

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Oskar Niburski The Silhouette

I understate many things and understand even less than that. For example, I do not understand quantum mechanics, people, administration, and legal proceedings, nor can I grasp how refrigerators work, when my dog must go pee, and what I mean when I say I love you.

I have never been in love before, maybe that is why I am unable to accurately understand the notion of love. From an overview, you seem to be taking some sort of emotional average, with it’s range being everything you experienced together and transmogrified into one word. But that is just one statistical way of looking at it. If you are like me, then you tried different things - like writing a book for them.

And when all of the 181 pages are complete, you realize you have not said enough.

So then you use body language and when she comments playfully about your thrusting, you quickly switch to posting 500 postit notes on their wall, each with a unique message regarding musicals and travels and poppy seed bagels, but when that still is not enough, you try to tell them: I love you.

She stares in your direction.

Those three words have been written on everything from tree bark to washroom stalls.

This arduous graffiti makes love seem slightly trivial: if cellulose has the word engraved in

its atomic structure, what makes your sentence so special?

This inevitable and unoriginal thought leaves you with apologies, fumbling around your own tongue, burrowing your hands deep into your pockets, forcing you to utter three more words - I am sorry – more aptly summarized as I am sorry cannot tell you how much I love you.

The word feels recherché in your mouth, and when you used it the first time, you felt like you diffused a bomb with a paperclip.

Somehow, you did, and this escapes you. It escapes many, though. Love is the world’s most known and debated subject, with major religion somehow equating God into love or that the feelings we have are connected to some seraphic order.

But I am not writing to proselytize anyone, nor am I trying to consecrate the word itself. I am more likely attempting the opposite. Maybe if I outline love’s etymology I can better understand the word myself. Love, or “lufu,” comes from the German language and roughly would translate into “desire.” It has created other Anglo-Saxon derivates such as leave and lief. Interestingly, lief is just an archaic way of describing happiness.

But these definitions do not aid me. I remember the well quoted Sonnet 18: “so as long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this give life to thee.” Yet even Shakespeare never mentions love in his poem. We only have implicit references to it,

which continues to cause uproar on whether Shakespeare was in love or was trying to find it still.

This is discouraging to me, because if love cannot be defined by the world’s greatest poet, what chance does the Silhouettes’ worst Opinion’s contributor have?

Shakespeare’s answer seemingly was that we can only be left with the enigmatic. But I want to tell them and her and everyone else how much they mean to me. I need to do what Shakespeare didn’t. I need to capture the word’s highs and lows in all its totality.

In order to do this, I turn to the master logician, Ludwig Wittgenstein. But logic can fail too, and so Wittgenstein’s response is more than frustrating. He says that the limits of the language are the limits of his world.

Blast, what good is private or public language when our vernacular fails to define a simple four-letter word? I am in awe, and rightfully so.

Yet I wonder if Wittgenstein ever went into a paint shop? Of course, that is not to question the great man, because he surely has an answer.

But I think it necessary to show the reader something they already are well acquainted with. There is a prodigious amount of colours, commensurate to the different wavelengths that exist, and only so many words to describe them.

SEE WORDS, A9

way? And who cares if no one else does? After all, we have Twitter and Facebook now, and YouTube for the times we don’t even feel like reading tweets.

Learning to look out for number one is going to be a huge asset, as it is one of those “transferable skills” that you can take with you as you battle your peers to the death for internships, jobs, raises and promotions. If you want to keep and grow in your current position, make sure to follow the template and keep your bases covered. Risks and initiative pay off for some, but we’re looking for comfort and security here.

Unfortunately, it’s going to be a real task to start scouring that massive Internet footprint you’ve left these past five years or so. Now that Facebook has made the timeline app mandatory for everyone, guess that you’ll be staying up three nights in a row in a stupor from lack of sleep and way too many gummy bears as you manually delete every single post that’s actually funny, is original and expresses the real you – you know, the whole point of why Facebook got popular in the first place before the corporate world tried to get hip and ruined the Internet and self-expression for every single person on the planet. Thanks, guys!

But, hey, you want to stay on that path to 50K+ a year, so what does it matter that you don’t even recognize the business-like persona you are desperately trying to cultivate before you ever even get to the really hard stuff like your resume, customizing 73 different cover letters or researching each company down to their mascot? Are you sure you’re glad you’re done with school, or is this the really bad sequel?

Once you’ve finally traversed all these enormous landmines, urinated into a cup and been asked to justify your very existence as you wait for validation in a blur of job interviews, you can start to breathe a bit easier. You’ve finally gotten your foot in the door and you won’t be sleeping in a box next month (though don’t quit the cafe just yet, in case you get demoted back to intern status).

Then again, you might have no choice, as homelessness might start looking good compared to quickly seeing your full-time job with the part-time paycheque morph into nights couch-surfing – this time at the office. Just smile, swallow your tongue, and suck it up, buttercup!

You’re young and should be having “the time of your life” at your very first “real job.”

Don’t let on that you might actually want to brush or floss your teeth at home once in a while instead of the staff bathroom. This “big project” your team is on is a privilege, after all.

Once you pass this hurdle, too, things will get better. But until then, it’s not like you have your own apartment at this stage anyway. Living with seven other people in the same situation does have its advantages, though.

SEE RELAX, A10

A8 • Opinions

The Silhouette • Thursday, September 20, 2012

MEGHAN BOOTH Vice President Mac Debate Club

VIOLETTA NIKOLSKAYA Should one dress for success, or wear sweat pants and experience less stress?

HEADTOHEAD

Violetta: What should I wear on the open-ended. Right now I’m talking first day of school? Will everyone about ‘you’ incorporated. Although think me weird for clashing this top many of us are still just finishing with these shoes? What if everyone up our tender teen years, you must notices that my new shirt is a little begin the transition to young adulttoo snug (damn it, freshmen fif- hood. For the purposes of this arteen)? So much anxiety! When we gument we are indeed referring to think about dressing for class, we you, your appearance on a regular tend to think about the impressions basis and of course people’s percepwe will leave on our peers, our crush tion of you. Although we may imand our friends. In a sea of thou- mediately shout ‘YOLO’ and put on sands of students, I highly doubt our favourite pink crocs and stained anyone worries about the burden but comfy jeans from grade school, I posit that here, now in this of keeping up the University’s reputation when they The amount educational institution, your resume begins to write itself. decide which shirt to put on of school in the morning. Representpride is ing McMaster is often not often trans- Violetta: On average, I think the intention of dressing up, lated in the I spot about a dozen McMaster sweaters or t-shirts whereas going to a new job attire that around campus, whether and dressing semi-formally the students they are declaring pride for or business casually is meant wear. the 125th anniversary of as a way to respect the organization or company. This is not to say that McMaster does not deserve this same respect. However, I think that in a place that values the academic contributions of students, time and money could be better spent by students on tools for academic success than on a new pair of dress pants.

Meghan: Rise and shine students; despite the obvious advantage to remaining young at heart for the rest of our lives, on many levels we must ‘grow up’. What this actually means is certainly arbitrary and

the University or a specific faculty or residence building. The amount of school pride that McMaster has is often translated in the attire that the students wear. Even a University sweater or logo acts as a symbolic representation of privilege, intelligence and social status. Students enjoy wearing these symbols in public because it does positively affect the service and interactions they engage with on a regular basis.

A student wearing their University logo will most likely be perceived by community members as intelligent and upstanding; a positive stereo-

type, but a stereotype nonetheless.

By the same token, a classy suit or blouse can act as a representation of status, wealth and importance.

Whereas only some students can afford to fill their wardrobe with that kind of attire, it is more affordable for most students to wear something casual that, not only help them express their school pride but, gives them the ability to have that symbolic status.

Meghan: To be clear, it is certainly important to be recognized for your sharp intellect and winning personality. It is widely recognized, though, that we are often defined by our first impressions. The people we see around campus, the peers we work on projects with and the professors we interact with are all a part of an intricate network of connections that will undoubtedly aid you in some sort of way in the present and in the future; and guess what?

They probably already ‘judged’ you before you even actually met. Don’t be afraid or anxious, you’re a star and all of these people undoubtedly love you, but think: when it comes to a situation where you may be considered for a shiny internship or for a recommendation for a seat on a prestigious council, will your appearance hold you back? Look at your UGGs, your green mohawk or your shiny spandex tights and ask yourself, do I look like a person in

President Mac Debate Club

the profession I am working to be in? Food for thought: if you don’t see yourself as suited (pun intended) for the position you’re gunning for, then often times, neither does the person with the power to give it to you.

path to adulthood. It may be fundamentally flawed, biased or not your forte, but you will at some point need to begin to be accountable for getting up early enough to properly iron a shirt, comb your hair... and put on deodorant. As for the finanVioletta: Let’s face the facts: we cial aspect of being presentable in are busy people. I think there is a a professional atmosphere, I refer profound correlation between how to an old clothing commercial that professional students seem to dress pointed out that money can’t buy at the very beginning of the year to style. Money can buy Michael Kors how casual they seem to dress once watches and LuLulemon pants, but midterms and exams come not style. It is certainly a solooming over their sched- They prob- cietal agreement that everyules. Yes, there are extrane- ably already one from every walk of life ous variables like a sheer ‘judged’ you wishing to pursue a white lack of interest to impress, before you collar job and beyond, must a students’ financial abil- even actu- have access to business caity to shop for newer trendy sual attire. This is the point ally met. clothes and the influential I mean to make. I lobby not Don’t be nature of seeing other stufor a glitzy fashion show like afraid. dents. However, I would in Zoolander but for an edulike to contend that a busy schedule does cause a student to prioritize certain things above others; dressing to impress a professor who does not notice them for the fourth week in a row versus being on time for a class where the professor has noticed their tardiness, which would you choose? I have and always will pick the latter because I think that I would like to judged not by my shirt and pants but by the content of my character.

Meghan: Back to my first point: we are all wandering (slowly) down the

cational institution where you begin your professional life and learn the birds and the bees of taking pride in your appearance and how that resonates in McMaster.

We are tired, we are stressed, we are even a little crazy at times but the unfortunate part about the factors that contribute to these feelings such as mid terms and girlfriends and hangovers, well, those things don’t go away. The causes of stress will change throughout life, but life calls to put our adult pants on, nicely ironed, with a crease down the middle.

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Opinions • A9

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • The Silhouette SOCIAL NORMS

Tolerating the intolerable

Feedback Hallmark cards aside, should people fall in love?

“In my experience, falling in love gets you in trouble because it gives people the power to hurt you. Don’t fall. Tread carefully.”

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

“Tolerance” has made us blind to the beauty around way, and that any other behaviour would be penalized. It’s cultural and The Silhouette has been engrained in our minds I was thirteen when I came across a that tolerance is a form of goodness blog that detailed the differences be- and is the code which a civilized sotween the words acceptance and tol- ciety should follow. erance. Before then, I believed that However, I refute that. I refute those words were synonymous— tolerance. two shades of the same colour.

However, I learned that that was not Love that your neighbour the case. They are two completely separate words, said to mean two is someone different distinct things. Then, I wonder, why than you. Respect that does society treat them equally? your classmate has a Why are we taught at a very young different story than age to tolerate, as opposed to accept? your own.

Our kindergarten teachers would smile softly and tell us, in their cloyingly sweet voices, “Yes. He’s different, but you should still tolerate him.” Principals would Whenever I hear this word, I preach that in this day in age, what instantly want to crawl out of my with living in such a diverse world skin. I think of a bullied child, aimand all, we had to learn to tolerate lessly playing by his lonesome self at those around us, regardless of their recess. I think of a gay couple being race, religion, sexual orientation gawked at while holding hands. I and the rest. think of a teenage mother ridiculed The same could be said else- by her peers behind her back. I where. In workplaces, office rules think of a society so obsessed with and regulations outline that all em- projecting an image of togetherness ployees must comply in a tolerant that it would do just about anything,

other than, you know, actually be accepting.

Tolerance is a cop out; it’s a way to say, “I don’t agree with you, and find you morally/fundamentally wrong, but I’ll slap on a smile because I don’t want people to think I’m a bad person.” It’s the politically correct way of pretending not to be an asshole.

The thing is, it’s a beautiful world out there. There are so many different things to discover and so many people who can open up your perspective. If we spent less time “tolerating” and more time getting to know who people are and where they come from, we’d be more loving and respectful.

Love that your neighbour is someone different than you. Respect that your classmate has a different story than your own. Be glad and excited that you live in such a wonderful place that allows you to meet and connect with people from all walks of life. Let’s erase the practice of tolerance and adopt acceptance.

Now, how about we all do one big group hug, eh?

MCMASTER COMMUNITY

Words fail to describe you

Yara Farran

A Marauder’s nest

Kristen Salena, Arts and Science III

“Love isn’t a voluntary thing. It isn’t a decision. It just happens. So let it.”

Susan He, Life Sciences I

“People shouldn’t be prevented and shouldn’t have their feelings marginalized, despite what other people might say or think.”

FROM A7

JESSIE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Even the little chicks among us are cradled until they become Marauders.

Sarah O’Connor The Silhouette

As a first-year student, I am still learning the “ins-and-outs” of university life, such as finding out how I’ll have the time to read a five-hundred page novel in two days, how it’s impossible to maintain a social life and workload, and how to locate the best shortcuts to get me to my next class (on the other side of campus) in under ten minutes.

I’m surprisingly comfortable at McMaster after only a week and a bit of classes. For that, I thank all the reps in Welcome Week who made it their duty to welcome the first years with open arms and take away any fears that were lingering on our minds. What I didn’t expect was for McMaster to feel like my home so soon. After all, I’ve only been here for a week but for that I have someone else to thank. Let me tell you a story.

On Sept. 7, the second day of school, a first-year girl sat sobbing in the game room. Her friends had gone to class and she was now alone.

A cellphone hung limply in her hand as she forced herself to calm down, she needed to stop crying.

She slowly walked to the cashier, ready to buy a chocolate bar, hoping that may make her feel better if only for a moment. The girl paid for her treat but before she could leave, the cashier spoke up.

“Are you alright?” She asked, “You seem really upset.”

The crying girl nodded lightly,

“My mom just called. She’s just been diagnosed with breast cancer.”

The cashier held the girl’s wrist and rubbed it soothingly, “I’m so sorry. I’ll be praying for you.”

A short, sweet story and absolutely true. It was told to me by the crying girl herself, my sister.

When my sister told me this story I was shocked. A complete stranger wanting to help out another person because she was upset?

It couldn’t be. That isn’t how people react to another person’s sadness.

They ignore it and walk away; silently thanking themselves that they aren’t in that unfortunate person’s shoes.

But it did happen. Not this time. Someone cared enough to help someone in distress, my sister.

The cashier could have ignored my sister and left her crying alone in the game room but she didn’t.

She chose not to - and I hope she knows (if she didn’t know before) how much those eight words meant to her, to our family.

That was the moment I knew McMaster was my home. I’ve been dreaming of coming to this school since I was a little girl, but to be here now where I am surrounded by students and faculty who have welcomed and cared about me is more than I can have possibly imagined.

So I thank you: reps at Welcome Week, students, and faculty for making me feel at home in such a short time.

I am proud to finally call myself a Marauder.

Red, pink, reddish-pink, pinkishred, rouge, hot pink– as one can tell, despite the wide range of spectrum between these colours, will soon not last. The number of colours will be greater than the number of words used to describe them. That is not to say those colours do not exist though, but rather there seems to be an inability to define them. So we are the mercy of our words.

And when I said I loved you, I must have been at your mercy. I wondered how you would react, when I had disarmed my olive branch, this dove in front of you, now empty-handed. This vulnerability made me squint and supine, making me wait for the killing blow.

What came was a kiss, and the most striking following was, I couldn’t say a word. Speechless could describe that… maybe.

When we try to describe the ineffable, we most likely will get frustrated. In a way this is to my advantage for if I were to tell you everything about my partner, describing them head to toe, you might fall in love with them too. Yet if I cannot describe love, even to my significant other, how can I explain the joys I am feeling to you?

I could refer to Dante’s canzones about Beatrice, or perhaps to Einstein’s famous quotes about the matter, but we would be left sitting around, wondering what they meant. Therefore although I cannot describe to you this wonderful and staggering topic, I hope you will remember this poorly written article.

If you do, maybe one day you will be walking down the road, and suddenly observe two people, one with dirty blond hair and the other sporting the darkest brown you’d think it was black, laughing just slightly too loud. You might hear this elated laughter, become curious, and then note they are holding hands, smiling with off-white teeth, and their legs are swinging oddly coloured pants in unison. They are side by side, concerned with only where the next foot will take them. They’ll look up at you, nod knowingly, and then be off their way, leaving you to wonder like in a paint store: those two were lief.

Perhaps better put - those two were in love.

Rachel Lau, Life Sciences I

“It is not a question of whether one should fall in love or not. Love is something you cannot control.”

Nish Maheswaran, Kinesiology III

“Love finds people.

You do not fall in love.”

Ahmad Alramahi, Political Science III

JESSIE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

A10 • Opinions

The Silhouette • Thursday, September 20, 2012

Writer’s block or writer’s scribbles Relax;

resumes are just paper FROM A7

The creative process of writing is filled with frustration, angst and chicken-scratch. Mostly, chicken-scratch.

onto them. They become susceptible to judgment and prejudice. They are no longer understood the way you intended them to be, Don’t get me wrong. I’ll try to do my best and all of a sudden, people look at you funny against the gravity of the Universe. We all do. when you tell them you cried when you wrote Even now, I try to write honestly. Believe it.

Once a friend told me that if I can write one I don’t exactly have an answer. truth, it’ll all be worth it.

Maybe there isn’t one. Maybe our But this seems a near impossibility, at language, rich as it may be, lacks it. least for me. After mulling over dictionarAnd maybe if there was one, no one ies and hunting for the right words with the precision of a drunken archer, I have only would want to use the words to pen learned that writing is a lie. All of it is. Beit down anyways. cause no matter what you imagine, no matter what rocket-fuel your creative juices muster, nothing looks as good as it did in your head, this included.

Besides, words are finite. The ideas that a piece. They look at you even funnier when were once boundless, that sprawled into the you are crying in explanation. infinite regions of my mind, shrink when Why continue then? Why slave away at penned. A definition is parasitically latched something with so many countless of names FROM A7

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

forgotten and so many more tomes collecting dust? Why sit here, flex my fingers and bat away against the flood of words?

In the end, why should anyone write?

I don’t exactly have an answer, or at least, not one that satisfies everyone. Maybe there isn’t one. Maybe our language, rich as it may be, lacks it. And maybe if there was one, no one would want to use the words to pen it down anyways.

I do have one I like, however. It’s short and simple and like all short, simple things, it was the hardest to write. I sat here for two hours coming up with it.

I write and I wait and I sit here with aching fingers and worn wrists because after it all, I am left with this page and you are left with an impression and I am still here, still writing, hoping that I can leave another some day, and more importantly, hoping that you want me to.

And once (if?) you do get to that coveted peak of stability and your own pad one day, you just might even get to finally head home early enough to enjoy the dang thing and the ultra-expensive cable you subscribed to and those movies you’ve been waiting to watch in a nice peaceful environment. It’ll be tough that’s for sure. But for an hour or so before hitting the hay and doing it all over again in the morning, you can try to cram all your little private wishes and desires.

That three-bedroom you’ve had your eye on sure is neat, even if you’re usually not there or unconscious when you are.

This is what awaits, and what you have just read is a sardonic take on the bleak existence many of us find ourselves in during these uncertain times.

Do not take the advice seriously (please care about what dead guys have said about life and the world) and aim not to be thrilled at fully subsidizing the experience on your resume while your friends begin to wonder if you’ve deliberately ditched them, as you’ve fallen off the map.

You can’t really blame them, though. You did, after all, erase all of their wall posts after monitoring the sanitation of your new profile image with all the severity of your hawkish new boss, all the while secretly daydreaming what you’d really like to be tweeting this morning.

Opinions • A11

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • The Silhouette WELCOME WEEK

When repping goes a-wrecking Being a rep can be fun, but some abuse this unique privilege Aaron Grierson

move in (beyond faculty day and night, I assume), can you at least be funny about it?

The Silhouette You’ve dried out like a rusted car engine.

Yet another Welcome Week has come and You don’t really do a whole lot for anyone, and gone. As a veteran faculty rep, I’ve seen a lot quite frankly, I’m bored and it seems safe to of faces, many of which change, but some of say the same for most people that aren’t Redwhich stay the same. Often times, these faces suits.

Of course, those of us that remember are of friendly reps that have been around almost as long as I have. Others, however, are last year are glad you didn’t steal the faculty anything but friendly and certainly set an in- cup again, and we’re much obliged you didn’t teresting precedent given that we’re expected waste hours of our lives again.

Now, as we came to the end of the Week, to not only represent our faculty but also McMaster as an institution and Hamilton as the we’re all expected to be tired. Much to my surprise, some of us were hit harder this year. city it belongs to.

Particularly, a good friend of mine who Now I may not be the loudest rep, and I’m certainly not the most maroon in spirit, but I I’ve always considered to be born of an inam a reliable, committed and loyal rep who domitable spirit shut down right about Sunhas hopefully helped improve the Welcome day afternoon. His reasons for doing so, Weeks for a few first year students for the though not fully disclosed here, kindled some TYLER HAYWARD THE SILHOUETTE last four years. For all the friends I’ve made thoughts in my own head.

A major one was the They’re loud. They’re proud. And sometimes, they can ruin the experience of Welcome Week. and the good times I’ve way the reps and MSU seen, this last year helped Maybe I’m just old and choose to impart the valcement some unpleasant bitter, but maybe, just ues that for several hours revelations that have been maybe, the planners need before hand are drilled into shaping up in recent years, to rethink what it is they the heads of all reps. Simply, despite my fond memories should be cracking down they are inclusivity, respect, as a rep. on and how they do it. being willing and able to I’ll begin with the help and knowing where to newest experience for me: go as well as being polite hearing about two reps and not just out for some that showed up drunk to a faculty event who proceeded to not only take tail.

I get that music (yes, even of the pop first year students to a bar, but make out with genre) is meant to be harmless fun, but there them as well.

• State-of-the-Art Meeting and Conference Facilities Now other reps should see two flaming are several problems. First, and probably hot, red flags if nothing else. We’re on contract most obviously is that not everyone likes it, • Beautiful 4-storey open Atrium and picturesque Courtyard to neither drink nor get personal with first and when it’s all that’s played all week, some • Up to 8 meeting and conference rooms available to rent for years. To everyone else, it shouldn’t sound people might feel left out. Especially those of groups of 3 up to 300 like these guys are players, but uncouth and us that can’t dance or sing.

Second of all, both the lyrics and videos irresponsible. When I heard about this I was • Choose between three preferred catering services absolutely dumbfounded that these individ- (both of which were showcased on at least • Free Parking for conference guests uals had the audacity to try such shenanigans, one occasion) hardly exude any of the above especially since they were nowhere near cam- listed values. Most of the songs are about sex, pus and everyone was being bussed. If you’re or at least getting someone to call you to get willing to contest that, you’re probably a play- laid, maybe. Never mind the sort of dance moves a lot of people bring to the floor. First er yourself or an engineer. www.mcmasterinnovationpark.ca/meeting-and-conference-facilities If you’re an engineer that will continue years might not be involved, or even new to 905.667.5508 repping next year or hopes to become one this sort of thing, but it is a definite double The Atrium@MIP - 175 Longwood Road South, Hamilton, ON for next year, I have a request: please, please, standard as far as what monkey says and what please come up with some sort of new shtick monkey does.

Maybe I’m just old and bitter, but maybe, we all have to put up with. At least every other year. Is that really so much to ask? I know I’ve just maybe, the planners need to rethink what been around for four years, but honestly, if it is they should be cracking down on and how you’re going to be almost entirely useless after they do it.

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SPECULATOR THE HAMILTON

INSIDE THE SPECULATOR

A6: Volunteer pads resume B9: Bingo - I just won Bingo C4: Explosive, bombastic concert D7: Necrophilia isn’t a dead art

Thursday, September 20, 2012 Following your children, making sure they ’re safe, since 1995

Homosexuals are being gay again Oscar Olsen

pigs, other times to pigs.

Oh? Wait. Nevermind. Not anymore. I The Speculator guess I should’ve saved my Pokemon Red for This may be a straight line but what I am say- something else than that wife I want to diing is anything but. Or should I say butt? Ei- vorce. Stupid bit…

Back to it, just like the gays would say. ther or, gay marriage should be illegal.

And sure I may be putting my back into this Don’t act so flamboyant and surprised.

The reasons are simple. They don’t have to be article, but I am not gay. Parents could never dressed up. Nor do they have to hide in the be gay and raise kids like I did. First off, gays closet for fear of coming out. Often people can’t have kids and that’s the point of marriage – to procreate. Sure, that might leave behind muddle the topic with dethose infertile bunch and bate but there’s nothing old people, but really do we worth debating when it Gay marriage isn’t natural want old people smoochcomes to two men. Though and we don’t like unnatural ing in front of our children? when it’s two girls, that can things. Execpt for maybe Think of them. Let them be get pretty steamy and I’m plastics.

And I guess airfree. And allow them to live single and hell, who doesn’t conditioning too. And fine, in a society where my opinimagine a threesome from Taco Bell is delicious as well. ions have seeped into them time to time? by extension.

But let’s forget about Speaking of straight two Asian chicks makchildren, who raises gay ing out overtop of me in a kids besides gay parents? I sauna while fiddling with pinecones for a second here. I’ll convince you mean, where else do those gays come from? that it should be illegal with one sentence: gay Not from me, that’s for sure. Though I think marriage is biologically wrong. That’s the end my daughter experimented in college. I saw of the argument. Checkmate. It isn’t natural, pictures on Facebook. She said it was for a sciand because we come from nature, we don’t ence project and I told her that we won’t have like unnatural things. Except for maybe plas- that devil magic in this house and I haven’t tics. And I guess air-conditioning too. And seen her since. She’s doing well, I bet.

That leads me to the final point: if we alfine, I’ll admit that Taco Bell is pretty delilow gay marriage, it’ll result in all kinds of cracious.

Not only that, but straight marriage has zy behaviour. Daughters will walk out on their stayed a sanctimonious union between man fathers. Doorknobs will have different meanand woman since time immemorial. If gays ings. Creampies will taste like ass. Dogs will are allowed to espouse, then the sanctity of begin to vote. They’ll want to get married too. marriage will be tarnished, along with its And then we’ll begin this whole thing again, prime examples, such as Kim Kardashian’s especially given the similarity between dogs’ 72-day fling or Britney Spears’ 55 hour Vegas and gays’ more carnal urgencies.

I guess all and all I’m saying that gays fiasco.

That is to forget entirely that marriage aren’t happy, despite the name and I’d explain hasn’t changed at all during the years. Blacks more as to why it should be illegal, beside the OSCAR “ALONE” OLSEN THE SPECULATOR aren’t allowed to marry whites and women are misnomer and the sex and the like, but that’d Do I need more evidence than this picture - this drama queen? Or should I say this gaylord? auctioned to the highest suitor, sometimes for just be gay.

Lonely editor explains production process He hopes that people will read this piece because it’s like he’s talking to them and that’s kind of like a conversation and that’s all he wants anyways Oscar Olsen The Speculator

I have friends come up to me – by that I mean no one and I have been alone in my room for days and I am writing my suicide letter right after this – and ask what the Speculator is.

They – and again I mean me, lonely, lonely, someone-please-talk-to-me-my-email-is-kittypurever@hotmail.com-because-I’m-thatlonely me – then follow it up the question with, “How does this smut make it to print considering all the other golden articles that could take it’s place?”

Well, I tell them – oh god, I am going into severe depression – that it’s pretty obvious what this is: the truth. All of it is one hundred percent factual, investigative reporting.

When it isn’t news, it’s the highest caliber of opinions. When it isn’t opinions, it is a flurry of tips on how to live well. When it isn’t that either, well, ya, fine. It’s shit.

But that doesn’t happen anymore. This is because of the second question, or, more particularly, it’s answer. While those same people – … the metal is cold against my skin – may think this smut, it can’t be, because my editors and I – what editors? It’s just me again – work tirelessly on these articles. We – I – write because we – I – have to quell the Shakespeare in our fingertips, and we – I – write these articles for you people, my friends OSCAR “ALONE” OLSEN THE SPECULATOR – maybe I shouldn’t do this – because that’s what friends – there is blood everywhere – do. Playing a board game with my best friends. They are a bit catty about it, though.

Well, that’s only partly true. The Speculator prints because it is funded primarily by the twisted wish of a terminally ill child who asked for his own newspaper, and partly by stealing pennies from fountains in the mall.

On weekends, we – it’s so cold – also hold bake sales.

The vetting process is extensive. We – I can’t feel my toes – spit the articles into a washing machine to see which ones last the longest. Then we – I’m dizzy – take every second word that is salvaged from the record and compile a random word bank. Afterwards, we – the feeling now is better than before because at least it ends – watch six hours of Breaking Bad and Gossip Girl and tweet random quotes from the show because we – where am I? – are so hip and popular and everyone loves us – Mom, is that you?

When we – I thought you were dead – awake in the morning with Twitter still on the computer screen, we – I’m dying, too, aren’t you happy? – remember that the Speculator has to be printed so we – I can finally join you, someone who wants me, again – put words into a random word generator and viola: this article.

It’s a hard job and most of us – what’s that; it isn’t mine time yet – get meager wages. Our friends – so, even heaven doesn’t want me – appreciate it. Or at least, they – I guess that’s why heaven has gates and an elect and a hierarchy and lonely people waiting for others to die – tell me so.

What did you learn this week, Timmy?

“They streamlined my OSAP but I still only get

20 miles to the gallon.”

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 20, 2012 Sports Editors: Brandon Meawasige and Scott Hastie Meeting: Thursdays @ 1:30 p.m.

Contact: sports@thesil.ca

FOOTBALL

Mac in pursuit of perfection

Quarterback Kyle Quinlan and the Marauders took care of the Ottawa Gee-Gees on the weekend, winning the road game 48-21.

Brandon Meawasige Senior Sports Editor

McMaster will play the most important game of this young OUA season on Sept. 22.

Off to an even better start than last year, when they were 2-1 after 3 games, the undefeated Marauders will host the Queen’s Gaels, who are the only other team in the conference without a loss.

Demanding their own share of league attention, this Kingston squad is coming off a win against the Western Mustangs on national television last weekend.

The McMaster team, at 3-0 on the season, has outscored opponents 163-46.

Starting quarterback Kyle Quinlan is completing 76 per cent of his passes for tops in the OUA and has yet to play in the fourth quarter, as all three games have been blowouts.

The second most efficient quarterback in the province is McMaster back-up Marshall Ferguson,

RICHARD ZAZULAK THE SILHOUETTE

who has completed 74 per cent of his passes, one for a touchdown.

Billy McPhee, the Queen’s starter, has completed 65 per cent of his passes.

“We are not complacent,” said Marauders head coach Stefan Ptaszek. “We feel like we are starting at the bottom just like every body else, not necessarily defining a title, more trying to get another one.”

It’s not easy to improve on a one-loss national title season, but so far, Mac is on pace to do just that.

“We are extremely focused on each week and getting better, not just relying on what we have accomplished,” said Ptaszek.

However, contrary to what their record would suggest, things have not been perfect so far for the Marauders.

Prior to the beginning of the season, running back Christopher Pezzetta was sidelined for the remainder of the season with a torn ligament in his knee.

RICHARD ZAZULAK THE SILHOUETTE

SEE THE MAC BACKS, B5 Despite not playing against Ottawa on Sept. 15, Jimmy Hill has carried the ball well in his third year at Mac.

MEN’S SOCCER

Back-to-back wins for Mac unable to control the Maroon attack, as Paterson Farrell broke the 1-1 tie in the 37th minute. The team’s leading goal scorer would knock home the eventual game winner after a free kick from McMaster caused chaos in front of the Guelph net.

The game would be put out of reach after defenseman Robert Schlosser found teammate Andrew Pastoric on a cross in the 40th minute.

Pastoric’s goal was the first of his career and put the nail in the Gryphon’s coffin.

On Sunday, the Marauders boarded the team bus heading to Durham Region to take on the Ridgebacks.

This match would net more promising results, as McMaster shut out UOIT 1-0.

McMaster displayed determination on Sunday, dominating the seventh-place UOIT team.

Andrew Pastoric would score his second goal of the 2012 campaign in the third minute of the game to give the Marauders their second win in a row.

At the final whistle, McMaster led the shot totals 13-2 and showed JEFF TAM THE SILHOUETTE discipline in their win, earning no McMaster battled with the Guelph Gryphons at Ron Joyce in front of a modest crowd, winning 3-1. cards from the referee. then headed on the road to Oshawa Gryphons would beat the Mac deSecond-year goalkeeper Scott Hastie to take on the UOIT Ridgebacks. fense to tie the game up.

Angelo Cavalluzzo earned his first Assistant Sports Editor The Marauders returned to the The goal was spurred by a long clean sheet of the year, continuing The Marauder men’s soccer team win column after defeating Guelph Guelph throw and would eventually his strong season. season is back on track after losing 3-1. find the back of the net after hectic On Friday, Coach Dino Perri their first game of the season last The scoring began with Gersi action deep in McMaster’s own end. and his squad will take his team to week.

Xhuti netting his third goal of the Mac’s offense broke loose after St. Catherines and play the winless The weekend featured back- season from inside the box in the the Gryphons’ first goal, scoring Brock Badgers. Mac currently sits at to-back games for McMaster. First, 26th minute. two goals in the next four minutes second place in the OUA East and Mac took on the University of The Marauder lead would of play. will aim to catch the leading York Guelph Gryphons at home, and stand for only eight minutes, as the The Gryphons defense was Lions.

ONLINE THIS WEEK On Saturday, the Marauders football team will host the Queen’s Gaels at Ron Joyce, and Sil Sports is going to be there. Watch out for live tweets during the game and coverage immediately following with exclusive interviews.

Assistant Sports Editor Scott Hastie looks to the future with his update on the McMaster basketball program, which is preparing for the winter season.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @SilSports for breaking news. Read more every week at www.thesil.ca.

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Sports • B3

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • The Silhouette

Champions with a capital M Brandon Meawasige Senior Sports Editor

Every week, as Editor of the Sil Sports section I get the distinct pleasure of covering McMaster sports for the student population.

While also being a student myself, this can present its fair share of challenges, and time management is imperative.

Between class, games, interviews and production, there isn’t room for much else. Luckily, though, I am a full-time sports fan, and that makes all of my job is responsibilities seem a little bit less like work.

That being said, lately, being a sports fan has been my toughest gig.

My lowly Blue Jays are flirting with the cellar on a daily basis, the Raptors have been fighting for relevance since I was in high school and the Baltimore Ravens lost a one-point game on Sunday.

In even more tragic news, the National Hockey League has officially started its second lockout of the 21st century, and with a mass exodus of my favourite players to the ever functional European Leagues, I am stuck questioning my allegiances to these overpaid millionaires.

It has got to the point where I cannot wrap my head around the issues causing these wealthy men to argue over how they split their enormous wealth.

How can I stick to cheering for and supporting people who act like this? It all gets very difficult to justify when you look at the athletes that represent this school.

Here, there are no yearly salaries, no sneaker endorsements (not individually anyway) and no collective bargaining agreements.

With all of those things subtracted, the only thing left is the game.

I will be the first person to admit that, before coming to McMaster, I didn’t really have much exposure or interest in CIS sports.

However, over the course of my time at Mac and at the Silhouette, I have grown to appreciate, more than anything, all that is involved with Marauder sports.

It is already hard to watch Gary Betman and his band of thieves shut down hockey at its highest level for an entire season. But what makes it truly impossible to stomach is the athletes on this campus who would stop at nothing to bring glory to this campus.

The captain of our nationally ranked women’s rugby team is playing this season after recovering over the summer from a torn ligament in her knee. She is only one player that embodies the spirit that is at the heart of McMaster’s sports community, and there are countless other examples of players who have fought through adversity to compete for this school.

You can be sure that each of the Marauders facing time away from the field, court or track for whatever reason this year all share one thing in common: They would give anything to have a chance to represent the Maroon and Grey on game day.

After even limited experience with this dedicated and unique community, an impression has

been made on me that will never be removed.

In a world where everything but the game has become what matters, there is something pure about what goes on here. There is nothing more than the sport here.

It is only the game and to have my part in that is truly a blessing. I invite all of you on campus to pay more attention to the extraordinary athletes that we have here at Mac. Watch a game in person or simply follow a team.

Whatever it may be, supporting our athletes is a must for the 201213 season. The experience will hopefully impact you the same way that it has impacted me.

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTOS

NFL FOOTBALL

Is Tim Tebow in over his head?

Scott Hastie

Assistant Sports Editor

Tim Tebow is not an NFL quarterback.

Yes, I watched the playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the finish to that game was one of the most incredible moments I will re-watch for the rest of my life.

And yes, I know Tim Tebow “just wins games.” I watched him lead six game winning drives in 11 starts during the 2011 season.

But playing quarterback in the conventional NFL-sense is not a role Tim Tebow will be able to fill.

For one, he cannot accurately throw the football, evidenced by the 46.8 completion per cent in 2011.

It might be important for your quarterback to be able to hit the wide receivers on a consistent basis, no?

Tebow struggled to stay off the turf while playing under centre in 2011.

He went down 10.8 per cent of the time he had the ball in his hands, which stagnated the Denver offense that already struggled.

I’m just an assistant sports editor at a university newspaper, so my opinion may not be the highest in your mind.

But I’m not alone in my views - just look at the way Tebow is being treated by NFL brass.

The trade for No.15 netted the Broncos a fourth - and sixth - round pick and $2.53 million in cash. That’s it. The playoff quarterback is worth two lower-end draft picks.

He’s also stuck behind an average (at best) quarterback Mark Sanchez in the New York Jets depth chart.

Sanchez has been on the hot seat for the past two seasons, but “Tebowmania” does not seem to be a legitimate threat to Sanchez’s role in New York, as Tebow has yet to throw a pass this season.

The Florida Gator alumni can fill a role in an NFL offense, it’s just not one where he should be throwing the football.

How long the NFL takes to figure that out, is left to be determined.

URNAROUND Aaron Redpath @AREDPATH11 Supported a great cause with a great group of guys today. #TERRYFOXRUN #MACBASKETBALL #GOMACGO

Shane Beaton @SB13XO I will only ever kill a centipede with a broom...

Amanda Weldon @WELDONAMANDA Caramel apple cider is back at Williams! #AUTUMNGOODIES SIPPIN AND STROLLIN

B4 • Sports

The Silhouette • Thursday, September 20, 2012

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Scoring troubles plague homestand

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Battling to 0-0 draw with the Guelph Gryphons was part of a dull weekend for the Marauders who are about to enter the more difficult part of their schedule.

Emily Gibillini The Silhouette

On Saturday afternoon, coming off of their recent 0-0 tie with York, the McMaster women’s soccer team took to the field at home against the Guelph Gryphons with high hopes.

The game had equal opportunities from each side, with strong defensive efforts from both teams. After 90 minutes though, the score was a second straight 0-0 draw for the women.

The Marauders had a solid defensive game, holding their ground when it was important. Regardless, Mac could not put the ball in the back of the net.

“We’ve got to work on our attacking play, we’ve worked very hard on defensive stuff, and we’ve put a lot of things right,” said Brett Mosen, the Marauder’s head coach.

After adjusting the team’s offensive play along with their solid defensive core, they hope to soon become a force to be reckoned with.

With the loss of some key players on the women’s soccer team from last year such as captain Melanie Van der Hoop, the Marauders keep moving forward with the playoffs in mind..

According to Mosen, the departure of these players seems to have made the team better overall.

“As a whole, the squad is stronger, be-

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134 Emerson Street at Royal Avenue 4 blocks South of McMaster Medical Centre Sunday Service 10:30 a.m. coffee and lunch following ___________________________________________________

Bring your faith.

Bring your reason.

In God’s universe they belong together.

cause they have all invested in an off-season program — working hard, every player is stronger than last year, making us a stronger unit,” Mosen said.

Physically, one of the team’s biggest challenges is not skill, but how demanding the schedule is on the players, according to the coach.

“Our biggest challenge is back-to-back games, because you’re asking player to give 110 per cent for 90 minutes,” Mosen said.

“Now you’re asking them to do it again.”

With a tough and demanding schedule ahead of them, the girls will have to push themselves for a win.

Finishing last season with a record of 8-5-1, the team will take their strengths for-

ward this season looking to improve.

With a record of 3-1-2, after a 3-0 road victory on Sept. 15 against the UOIT Razorbacks, the Maroon and Grey are third place within the OUA. The team is certainly looking to climb the standings and catch first place Laurier who the Marauders will face on Sept. 23 in Waterloo.

Next up on the schedule, Mac will face the Brock Badgers. The game will take place on Friday with kickoff at 1 p.m. It has been a positive start, but the team still has some room to improve as the remainder of the schedule is played out.

A game against the lowly Badgers (1-3-0) could help ease the growing pains.

MEN’S GOLF

Mac golf wins season’s first tournament Scott Hastie

Assistant Sports Editor

McMaster’s golf team headed to Ottawa on the weekend, taking part in their first tournament of the year.

The Marauders played through very rough elements but emerged as the victors at the Carleton Invitational.

The quintet of Jonathan Lam, Greg Gabel, Mark Young, Jamie Cherutti and Patrick Young finished with a score of 306, 11 shots better than the second-place Laurier Golden Hawks.

Mac’s win is the first tournament victory in five years of competition, and the early success will bolster confidence for the 2012 team.

“It’s good for the guys to get out there and see results,” said assistant coach Patrick O’Neill.

Second-year golfer Jonathan Lam had the lowest score of the team, shooting a 74 at The

Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa.

O’Neill had kind words to say about Lam’s effort over the weekend.

“The bright spot for the team was Jonathan Lam. He came out and really took on a leadership role while also posting good numbers.”

With Lam emerging as a leader for Mac, the men’s golf team has a young centrepiece to build around, which will be important as the team aims to get to a CIS level of competition.

In order to get to national competition, O’Neill says there are still some areas to clean up before making the leap to a CIS level of play.

“The biggest thing that needs to be improved right now is hitting the green in regulation.”

The team will head to Queen’s this weekend for their second tournament of the year, using this competition to grow in preparation for the OUA Championship.

Sports • B5

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • The Silhouette MEN’S RUGBY

Putting a good foot forward Mac defeats Royal Military College, moves to 1-2 on the season

The 2012 men’s rugby team, years removed from the OUA title, has a bright outlook for the season thanks to a solid start.

Maggie Cogger-Orr The Silhouette

After a tough opening schedule that saw them take hard losses against two of the top three teams from the 2011 season, the Marauders men’s rugby team was back in action on Sept. 15 after a long trek to Kingston to take on the Royal Military College Paladins.

The men in Maroon came out ready to play on the windy fields of Navy Bay, and within the opening minutes, some nice handling off a lineout led to an early try by Davor Stojanov would be converted to put the Marauders up 7-0.

Lineouts would continue to be an area of strength for McMaster, as they made breaks up the middle and supported them well.

This effective continuity would eventually lead to a drop goal by third-year scrum half Andrew Ferguson, putting the Maroon and Grey up 10-0.

Some trouble against the welltrained RMC forward pack at scrum time, combined with some penalty problems, would land the Marauders deep in their end, but some staunch defending and some great

tactical kicking by Ferguson would relieve the pressure.

On the contrary, poor open play kicking decisions by the Paladins would give the veteran Marauder back three of Mike Paris, Chad Strapp and Marcus Sullivan opportunities to counter throughout the opening half.

Unfortunately, the arrival of the Royal Military College pipe band would spell trouble for the Maroon and Grey with RMC capitalizing on several unforced knock ons and eventually having prop Aaron Barry break through from the five-metre line for their first try.

The rest of the half would be played primarily between the 22s, with both teams’ defences bending but not breaking.

In the back-and-forth action, Ferguson would continue to make his mark on the game, adding another three points from a penalty kick.

The second half would start with a rare missed restart from Ferguson, which would lead to some sustained possession for the Paladins before the Marauders would take the driving maul game to the typically forward driven RMC and

BASEBALL

win a penalty, which they would drive further down the field.

This would lead to Ryan Fried rumbling over for his second try of his senior year.

The game would be extremely heated and scrappy for the remaining 30 minutes, with punches being thrown and multiple yellow cards being distributed at different points throughout the half.

The rolling maul would continue to be a huge area of strength for the Marauders, as the Paladins could find no answer to it other than committing penalties that would eventually result in Fried going over for his second of the game from another lineout maul.

Almost immediately after, some great heads-up rugby by Ferguson would see him scamper behind the blitzing RMC defensive line and dash 40 metres to score under the posts. Not finished there, within the next few minutes the scrum half would beat the RMC post defence again to add another five points to his total.

With most of the McMaster subs entering the game, the offensive explosion was somewhat subdued, with RMC’s own scrumhalf

Riley Saliken adding 10 points of his own.

The final whistle would see the Marauders winning by a score of 3919 and picking up their first win of the 2012 OUA season.

While this year’s edition of the Maroon and Grey may have had a slow start, they are not short on talent in both their returning and rookie players.

The starting line up currently features four rookies, including lock Jake Moreau, Irish exchange student David Van Buren, flanker Max Catterson and fly half Graham Dobbs.

In the engine room of the scrum, locks Moreau and Van Buren are both described by teammates as workhorse players who are solid on defence and hard running on offence.

With the scrum laws moving from U19 to senior, these two will be extremely important in help the Marauder tight five be a dominant force at scrum time.

Making his rookie debut in the back row, Catterson is tasked with making an impact at the crucial position of open side flanker.

Coming from the very successful rugby program at Saltfleet High

MAGGIE COGGER-ORR THE SILHOUETTE

School in Stoney Creek, Catterson has fit in well with the high-workrate Marauders and appears eager to learn from the surrounding veterans.

Another rookie stepping into a crucial decision making position is Toronto native Graham Dobbs, who has sported the number 10 jersey for the Marauders so far in 2012.

Having more recently focused on his rugby league career (a different version of rugby from union, which is played in the OUA) he has made the adjustment back to union well and will only continue to improve with more reps and game time.

Dobbs will have to be on his game though, because another exchange student, Australia’s Joey Ross, will also be looking to snag the starting spot from him after an impressive performance as a substitute against RMC. Needless to say, this year’s Marauders are hoping they’ve found the right balance of age and youth as they will continue to make a push to improve on their fourth-place finish last year as they take on the currently undefeated Brock Badgers at home this Saturday.

FOOTBALL

Trouble on the The diamond Mac John Bauer The Silhouette

After a 1-3 weekend, the Marauders baseball team proved that they have talent to compete with the OUA elite, but there is room for them to grow before they’re considered a championship threat.

They started out Saturday with a 7-0 loss to the mighty Brock Badgers, who had put up 25 runs in their season opener. Chris Novachis went the distance for Mac, fanning four in the loss. Justin Ayles turned in a masterful performance for the Badgers, throwing a four-hitter and striking out nine in a complete game gem.

Undaunted, the Marauders came out swinging in the second game of the double header, putting up a quick 2-1 lead off a Jake Chiaravalle double that scored two. Stingy defence kept the lead intact until the fifth, when Brock sent three runs across the plate. In the sixth, it looked like a comeback was be in order, as Josh Chiaravalle picked up his third RBI of the game. But Brock put up two more runs and closed out the seventh inning without allowing a run for a 6-3 final.

Offense abounded Sunday afternoon as Mac lit up the Laurier Golden Hawks for 11 hits and an 8-7 win. Leading the barrage was Trent Flint with three RBIs and five different players each with a stolen base.

Tomas Rincon was solid in relief of starter Carlos Cabrero, shutting out Laurier for the final three innings of the game.

Unfortunately, the Marauders could not build off the win, dropping the second game of the day 7-3. Five errors lead to two unearned runs, spoiling Cameron Ryerson’s seven-strikeout, complete-game performance. Chiaravalle continued to have his way with opposing pitchers, hitting a double and a triple and plating another two runs.

Not to be forgotten among their exploits on the field, the Marauders became the first Canadian team to participate in Basebald, a program where teams and fans alike shave their heads for childhood cancer awareness.

Next up for Mac is Saturday, Sept. 22’s doubleheader in Kingston against the Golden Gaels, followed by two games in town at Bernie Arbour Stadium against Guelph on Sunday.

backs attack C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

Christopher Pezzetta, out with knee injury, will watch from afar this year.

FROM B1 Pezzetta, a star of last year’s season, is described by his coach as “probably one of the best northsouth, downhill rushers in the country.”

There is no doubt that losing a player of Pezzetta’s caliber is a blow to the rushing attack.

But the newly available touches have been shared by several backs that have proven to be more than adequate.

Ptaszek doesn’t see his system as “running by committee.”

“Our philosophy has never been to give one guy all of the carries and tire him out to the point where he is exhausted by the playoffs.

“It was tough losing Chris but we have guys like Jimmy Hill and

Kaesean Davis who are ready to come in and make plays,” added Ptaszek.

Hill, a third-year back from Hamilton, has 197 yards and two touchdowns this year.

The second-year back Davis, who played his high school football for St. Francis Xavier in Mississauga, has been the team’s leading rusher with 246 yards and a touchdown.

It is the run defence, though, that will need to perform on Saturday. Queen’s most valuable weapon is Alberta-born running back Ryan Granberg.

Last year, Granberg led the province in rushing and hasn’t slowed down this year.

If anything, Granberg, who has scored six touchdowns in three

games, is looking even more difficult to stop this season.

The defence has not had to face an offensive test like Queen’s that can both run and throw the ball effectively.

Mac has also not faced a defence with as many playmakers.

One thing is for certain. Whether it is the CIS number-one ranked McMaster or number-five Queen’s, the winner of this weekend’s game will be fighting for the top spot in the OUA and the early favourites for this year’s Yates Cup. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. at Ron Joyce and it will be broadcast in the Hamilton area on Cable 14.

Check @SilSports on Twitter for live updates on the most important game-day news.

B6 • Sports

GO to School checklist

The Silhouette • Thursday, September 20, 2012

FOOTBALL

CFL eyes two Marauders Pipeline to the pros runs through Mac

Matthew Sewell #59

Commerce - 4th Year Ranked: 4th overall

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Ben D’Aguilar #52

Philosophy - 2nd Year Ranked: 10th overall C/O JAY RAUTINS

D’Aguilar and Sewell have been consistent forces for the squad throughout their Maroon careers.

Scott Hastie

Assistant Sports Editor

The McMaster Marauders are once again atop the national rankings in Canada for football, but that’s not the only list the team is being featured on.

The Canadian Football League (CFL) released it’s ranking of the top-15 prospects who are eligible for the 2013 CFL Draft.

The list, which features some NCAA players, contains the names of two Marauders, Matt Sewell and Ben D’Aguilar.

Sewell, an offensive tackle, is the highest ranked Marauder, coming in at No. 4 on the list.

Joining Sewell is defensive end D’Aguilar, whose ranked No. 10 in the publication.

Sewell has put together a decorated career while wearing

the Maroon and Grey, making the OUA All-Star team every year of his career.

The 6-foot-8 tackle was chosen as one of Canada’s best at his position last year, being selected to the All-Canadian second team.

Sewell and his offensive line have been hailed as one of the major strengths for McMaster, playing a major role in McMaster’s journey to the Vanier Cup in 2011.

The Milton native is one of five offensive lineman named in the CFL scouting report.

Defensive end Ben D’Aguilar’s ranking comes as no surprise to Mac faithful, as the standout player has been tearing apart opposing offensive lines early in 2012 season.

D’Aguilar has five sacks through three games for the Marauders and was named the OUA Defensive Player of the Week after

bringing down the Guelph Gryphons’ quarterback three times in the season opener.

D’Aguilar also picked up honours in the CIS East vs West match last year.

Tallying six tackles and a sack, the 6-foot-2 defensive end was named top defensive performer for the West squad.

Currently, there are six Marauders in the CFL and adding two to that tally would be a huge compliment for the program, Coach Stefan Ptaszek, and his coaching staff.

For perspective, five of last year’s fifteen prospects were drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft, which sees the eight CFL teams choose one player to fix holes in their squad.

The CFL will release a final scouting list for this year’s draft following the CIS season.

This weekend in Mac sports

September 29

Get on the GO.

FRIDAY Soccer @ Brock University 1:00 P.M. (Women) 3:15 P.M. (Men) Women’s Volleyball Tournament @ University Of Montreal Weekend Event

@GOTransit

SATURDAY Football vs Queen’s University 1:00 P.M. Men’s Rugby @ Brock University 1:00 P.M. Women’s Rugby @ Queen’s University 2:00 P.M.

GO Mobile

For one sleepless night, experience Toronto transformed by artists.

To accommodate the late-night festivities, we’re running extra GO Trains on the following lines.

• LAKESHORE WEST • BARRIE • RICHMOND HILL

• LAKESHORE EAST • MILTON • KITCHENER

Day passes and group passes issued on September 29 will be valid for the extra trains running in the early hours of September 30.

Regular weekend GO service will operate as scheduled.

For schedule info visit gotransit.com and scotiabanknuitblanche.ca 416 869 3200 1 888 GET ON GO (438 6646) TTY 1 800 387 3652 Pour plus de renseignements, veuillez visiter le site gotransit.com ou composer un des numéros ci-dessus.

Baseball @ Queen’s University 3:30 P.M. Cross Country @ Western University All-Day Event

SUNDAY

Soccer @ Wilfred Laurier University 1:00 P.M. (Women) 3:15 P.M. (Men) Baseball @ University of Guelph Game 1: 1:00 P.M. Game 2: 3:30 P.M.

Didn’t get your campus sports fix? Follow @ SilSports for an extra dose of Mac athletics.

OUT

Thursday, September 20, 2012 InsideOut Editors: Sam Godfrey and Amanda Watkins Meeting: Thursdays @ 4:30 p.m.

Contact: insideout@thesil.ca

THOU SHALT LIVE FOREVER Recent research suggests immortality may be within reach in our lifetime

Arnav Agarwal The Silhouette

Edward Cullen might not be the only one living forever: humans might be joining the vampires in a leap towards eternal life.

If the work of Dmitry Itskov, founder of the “Initiative 2045” (the program which proposes the reality of human immortality), follows through, the project will turn fiction into fact: machine-assisted human immortality will be an option in only 33 years. Gathering a team of leading Russian scientists to cultivate the worlds of neuroscience, android robotics and cybernetic immortality, Itskov is striving to produce a fully-functional holographic human avatar controlled by an artificial brain containing an individual’s complete consciousness.

It might seem like the idea is right out of a sci-fi movie, but there is certainly a method to the madness. An intricate plan of action from 2015 to 2045 involves the development of “a robotic form of a human body remotely controlled via BCI” (2015-2020), “an Avatar in which a human brain is transplanted at the end of one’s life” (2020-2025), “an Avatar with an artificial brain in which a human personality is transferred at the end of one’s life” (2030-2035), and finally, “a hologram-like Avatar” (2040-2045). Yes, you read correctly: the Avatar, an artificial body into which a human brain will be transplanted, could be as little as seven years away.

While the desired outcomes seem out of reach, organizations have already been hard at work in the field. DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is already working on an alternate program coincidentally also entitled “Avatar”, in an attempt to “create a brain-machine interface that will allow soldiers to control bipedal human surrogate machines remotely with their minds”, according to Popular Science Magazine’s Clay Dillow. The financial aspects of the project were addressed by Itskov as well, who reached out to the world’s richest to request assistance in financing the project while offering them their own personal immortality projects free of charge in July, according to an article released by CBC News.

But, the idea hasn’t convinced everybody. In response to the fact that medical prosthesis projects have shown that the human nervous system can manipulate prosthetics via thought, Discovery’s Alyssa Danigelis expressed that there is a ”world of difference between pursuing a brain-controlled exoskeleton to help paraplegics regain control and wanting to essentially upload a human brain into an artificial body,” as reported by CBC News.

The initiative got skeptical responses from several students within the McMaster community as well. Beatrice Preti, a secondyear Bachelor of Health Sciences student, didn’t question the technology behind the innovation, but raised concerns on the initia-

tive’s concept of eternal life as a whole: “Is life as a robot truly life? The gift we were granted with that very first breath? To have a brain control a robot, would that be living? Life is about the expe-

rience.” On the subject of immortality, she stated, “I doubt that such an experience could lead to immortality. Because immortality is the indefinite extension of life - and there is no life without the flesh and blood which teaches us who we are.”

John Sawires, a third-year B.H.Sc. student, had a different take on the issue, addressing global issues and the ever-growing challenge of seemingly limitless population growth feeding off severely-limited resources: “We’re already dealing with enough

problems from overpopulation. If you think about it, the problems associated with this are caused by the distribution of wealth (or lack thereof).” Sarah Sullivan, a third-year Social Sciences student, echoed John’s concerns: “The idea o f

Yes, many actions can be both plausible and feasible with the development of new technology. However, we often fail to ask ourselves if we should commit these actions just because we can. To quote Spiderman, ‘With great power comes great responsibility’”.

Rida Tul-Zahra, President of the Mac Ethics Club, shared her personal views on the initiative: “I don’t think that trying to change the natural course of events by disrupting the cycle of life will lead to any good…In my opinion, the amount of money that is going to be invested in this project could be used in better ways – to help eradicate poverty and famine in some of the developing countries… Only those who will be able to afford a personal avatar will have the chance to become ‘immortal’”.

It is evident that the technological innovation required to make the project a reality stands as the most significant barrier as Itskov and his team strive to achieve a feat that has only been dreamt of before. Despite the numerous ethical, biological and social considerations, generating a machine so advanced and multi-faceted in its functionality is the primary determinant of the initiative’s success.

“I think that a ‘humanoid robot’ may be possible someday, but definitely not as soon as 2045,” says Jane Huang, a second-year Honours Biology and Psychology student. “There is so much we do not know about the brain and its functions, so how can we take the brain and incorporate it into a holographic human? How would the brain direct the avatar without a nervous system? How would the holographic body keep the brain alive without the organ systems of a normal human body?”

CBC News’ recent poll asking readers whether they would “opt for cybernetic immortality if it existed within their lifetime” revealed that a significant number of individuals would buy in to the initiative if it was successful, with over 52 percent of voters voting “yes”, approximately 38 percent voting “no”, and approximately 10 percent voting “I’m not sure” or providing an alternate response.

Rachel Shan, a first-year Arts and Science student, certainly relates far more to the latter 38 percent than the former 52 percent: “I am completely and utterly against such technology…All I can say is, if offered one million dollars to live forever, I would decline in a heartbeat.”

JESSIE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Some of the world’s leading rebeing able to live forever terrifies me. We searchers continue in pursuit of the world of already have major overpopulation issues. cybernetic immortality, crashing technologiWhat would occur if no one passed away? cal milestones on their way to possibly generWould we just sterilize ourselves to keep our ating one of the most powerful developments of the 21st century. The project’s progress has numbers at bay?”

Ashley Yu, a second-year B.H.Sc. stu- already begun to show promising signs of dent, stressed the fine line between “can” and making ground-breaking progress and trans“should”, expressing her concern over how we forming the human experience. The question handle the power we hold: “The funny thing which continues to boggle the minds of many, about science and technology is that it is easy however, is whether a successful initiative will to get excited or carried away with the vast transform the human experience for the betamounts of possibilities that the future holds. ter or for the worse.

Would you want SEXandthe STEELCITY to be immortal: WINGING IT Yay or Nay?

Y: N:

45% 55%

YAY:

“There’s a lot I want to do in life, and I need a lot of time.”

- Mike, Mac Alumnus “If I were immortal I would marry Edward Cullen.”

- Samantha, 1st year Humanities NAY:

“Death should be inevitable.”

- Veracia, 1st year Humanities “I wouldn’t want to be immortal because it would be sad to see everyone I know die off.”

- Gabe, 1st year Physical Sciences

Brandon Meawasige Senior Sports Editor

Most people would do anything for their friends. Most people’s friends would do anything for them. That’s why at one point or another, boy or girl, we have all either been or needed a wingman in some way.

Some may claim to need no such assistance, and that’s fine, but there is no shame in being a wingman. In fact, there is plenty to be said for bringing along a trusted partner in crime whenever your goal is to meet someone new.

There is a good deal of merit to the wingman strategy. First, there is always strength in numbers. Attractive single people are usually not just strolling around alone waiting for you to come and save the day, so having a friend to talk to their friend(s) can never be a bad thing.

Second, even the best journalists need quotes to back up their work. It is always good to talk about your accomplishments and what qualities you’ve been blessed with, but if there is someone there who has some authority on reporting the details of your life, all the more credibility is added to your self-synopsis.

The ideal wingman is fearless, creative and well-spoken. A journey into the wild animal kingdom that is the dating sphere is difficult enough. If your “back-up” is a deer in the headlights, no one is going to

KAREN WANG GRAPHICS EDITOR

benefit.

Also, by this time in a person’s life, they have heard a good deal of lines. If your wingman is lacking in creative spark, you two may just end up shooting the breeze over some Heinekens.

That being said, “my friend thinks you’re pretty” is not ok. No matter how you say it.

Chemistry is the most important factor in designating a wingman.

You may have met (insert name here) in res this year and they are your new closest friend. But if you know very little about one another, it becomes challenging to pull off the type of like-minded synchronization that comes from years of shared experiences in revelry and adventure.

The trust developed over time as friends is imperative to a good tag team.

The wingman sometimes has to be deceitful and misleading in order to obtain certain goals. There is no way that you are going to pull off things like changed names, backgrounds or bio’s if your Scotty Pippin isn’t on the same page.

With great power comes great responsibility. If you are so lucky as to be a wingman for a friend, it is because they consider you to be someone that helps their chances at success (whatever the given goal may be). Do not let them down.

When you need a wingman next, they will be there for you.

B8 • InsideOut

The Silhouette • Thursday, September 20, 2012

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InsideOut • B9

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • The Silhouette RANT OF THE WEEK

Dear Drinking Age in Canada. . .

Two doesn’t have to be a crowd How to deal with those rantable roommates

Miranda Babbitt The Silhouette

Dear Drinking Age of Canada, Canadians always have had a knack for comedy, eh? Constructing our national flag around the glorious symbol of peace, unity and strength - otherwise known as the majestic maple leaf. Sure to intimidate any rivals from overseas with our alarming abundance of maple syrup. We. Will. Drown. You. With sugary goodness. But what’s even more intimidating than a maple leaf, you ask? Our ancestors will announce in gleeful unison, “But a beaver, of course!” I’m sorry to tell you this, you may want to sit down, but our flag very well may have had the dominating presence of a beaver in its center. It was a seriously considered option. The only reason we went against it was the fact that maple leaves are easier to draw. Our sense of Canadian logic really is remarkable.

But there is one central part to Canadian society that simply defies all logic: the drinking age that came a year too late to make any sense at all.

With Canadians’ clever sense of humour in mind, I can almost imagine the scene unfolding: Sitting ‘round a table made out of a tree they fetched from their backyard, a polar bear politely sleeping at their feet, their graying heads somberly nodded in mutual agreement over the age that will enable us to vote, to risk our lives in fighting for our country, to whisk our lover away to get married, and deciding on what age will finally let you saunter into that sketchy piercing shop, your chest puffed up with pride, without your anxious mother trailing behind you, stifling your independence, and just not giving you your space, man. But then, amidst all the quiet and reasonable discussion, one voice piped up from the far end of the table, with the familiar, mischievous twinkle in his eye reserved only for your younger brother on April Fool’s Day. “You know what would be really funny guys? If we were to delay the drinking age by just one year. Come on. Just one totally pointless year.

Keep ‘em guessing. It’s like if we put it to age twenty seven or thirty three, entirely random, but even more brutal because all the kids will be able to taste it, they’re so close.”

So all the boys crack up and loosen their ties, throw off their wigs donning white ringlets and pound their fists together in a joke well pulled.

Obviously, the Quebecois were more of the partying type, understanding that by the time we have the opportunity to go abroad and educate ourselves, leave the abode of our parents, and do almost everything else, we should have the right to drink.

Perhaps it’s that nonchalant air, the exotic taste for croissants in the morning or snails served with olive oil. It’s that je-ne-sais-quoi of our francophone neighbours that let them take a breather for a minute and come to the sensible realization for themselves. And so it was that my friends in Quebec, where the boys and girls speak French in pretty little accents, twirling around with freedom at their toes, had the Frosh Week of champions.

As they were drunkenly frolicking with the Montreal natives, intoxicated with that irrepressible, youthful desire to live each moment to the fullest, and yet somehow not “throwing their lives away” in the face of this strange, dangerous liquid before them, I attended an ice-cream social in the basement of my residence. Hold on though, I did get pretty crazy with the endless variety of syrups and sprinkles. Maybe I even acted a little irresponsibly. Maybe, Canadian Drinking Age, I went a little overboard on the chocolate sauce and it tampered with my blood sugar levels.

Maybe I am tainted as a socially responsible individual now. Better raise the Sundae Consumption Age immediately.

But don’t get me wrong. I will never deny myself the luxury of a sundae on a weekday, and our Frosh Week leaders truly milked whatever they could out of the given circumstances, but the irony is plain JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR to see. We’re a collection of adults being educated as the leaders of tomorrow and they had to face the fact that in some senses, we’re being held back to the status of children.

It’s not as if we’re some foreign species from all other nineteen year olds who are deemed fully matured and capable enough to consume this beverage. As I wait to turn nineteen, I am eagerly awaiting a full body and mind transformation, because apparently that’s what is expected to happen within a single year.

But let’s be honest, the drinking age in Canada really is just an optimistic suggestion, isn’t it?

Cheers, Canadian First Year Students

OPEN STREETS, OPEN MINDS Erika Richter SCSN

In conjunction with the downtown Hamilton event of the same name, McMaster University will be hosting its first Open Streets event on Sept. 23 and 24, 11 a.m to 4 p.m.

Inspired by Hamilton’s Open Streets events, which have bought thousands to James Street North, McMaster and Westdale are opening up their roadways to expand this weekend’s downtown event.

There will be shuttles and organized bike rides running all day to connect the two events and to encourage students to explore beyond the confines of campus.

The event will include a wide range of activities aimed at promoting vibrant communities, healthy living and environmental sustainability. With the streets closed off and safe to walking, riding or rolling along, Open Streets encourages participants to think about walkability and bikeability of the city and creates an atmosphere of inclusivity. The hope is that community members who come out to the event will develop a connection and a sense of ownership towards the community.

“Make the streets your playground,” the event’s slogan goes.

In addition to celebrating McMaster’s 125th year, this event will welcome and involve community members.

The opening up of this public space and the wide range of events and vendors that will be hosted at the event will ensure that the occasion will attract a diverse group of individuals from the community.

“Forward with Integrity,” a University visioning letter by McMaster president Patrick Deane, speaks to the need for McMaster students to engage with their community and for mutual respect to be developed among the different demographics represented in the area. Deane’s letter includes a reminder that students have a lot to gain from interacting with the permanent residents in the community and vice-versa.

Open Streets will be a powerful representation of the importance of these connections, as both students and permanent residents will be hosting tables and sharing their ideas and their organizations with other community members.

The campus will also be hosting tours, lectures and visits to the planetarium to showcase the value and diversity of student life and what the campus itself has to offer.

So instead of just lighting the candles on McMaster’s 125th birthday cake, let’s celebrate a new era in McMaster’s history – one in which the community is able to function as a cohesive whole, and both McMaster students and permanent residents can fill the streets together in mutual respect and cooperation.

JESSIE LU ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Yashoda Valliere SHEC

Living with roommates has become a staple experience at McMaster - there are 3700 spots in residence, the vast majority of which are in double rooms - and many off-campus students share housing in order to reduce costs.

Whether in res or off campus, you’ll likely be sharing your space with at least one fellow student during your years at Mac. Living with roommates can be one of the most gratifying experiences of university – although sometimes they make you want to tear your hair out. However, by learning to compromise and solve problems with a complete stranger, you’re likely to grow as a person and you may end up gaining a lifelong friend. Here are a few tips for surviving (and enjoying) the experience: Be clear about your expectations from the beginning – things you’re looking forward to this year, things you’re nervous about, things that really irk you, and any other info that can help you understand each other better.

You might find that you have more in common than you thought (you both want to join the McMaster Quidditch Team – let’s say), but it’s also good to know your roomie’s pet peeves in advance so you don’t constantly annoy them without realizing.

Respect your roommate’s space.

Believe it or not, it is actually okay to not be BFFs – and even if you are, everyone needs alone time, at least on occasion. As long as you treat each other with mutual respect and agree on basic responsibilities such as cleaning and quiet times, feel free to do your own thing.

Don’t take, touch, use or borrow anything without asking. This may seem ridiculously obvious, but you would be surprised how many people think “she won’t mind if I use her $60 shampoo” or “he won’t miss just one yogurt cup from his 8-pack”. Trust me.

They will.

Take turns and compromise.

When the two of you want to use your space for different things such as sleep vs. having friends over, consider which activities really require the use of the room – you can study, party, talk on the phone and eat outside your bedroom, whereas sleep and sex take precedence!

If your roomie’s got a brutal cold and really needs to rest, consider moving your One Direction dance party to the

common room.

When it comes to having friends over to prep for midterms in the upcoming weeks, a few alternative meeting places include your residence common room, Bridges Café, and the libraries. You can book private study rooms at the library up to two weeks in advance, or even book a meeting room in MUSC online. Lesser known haunts include empty lecture halls and tutorial rooms in the Arts Quad basement (CNH, TSH and KTH) and the McMaster Children’s Hospital. Of course, you don’t have to use these rooms to study for exams – it could be to rehearse presentations, work on group projects, meet with clubs, or whenever you just need some quiet space.

Be flexible… after all, you came to university to step outside of your comfort zone and open your mind to new ideas! Living with another person means give and take, and 50% of the time the person giving has got to be you.

But at the same time, don’t be afraid to stand up on important issues.

Don’t compromise on the fundamentals like your quality of sleep – these can seriously affect your physical and mental health as well as your grades!

If you’re feeling worn out or depressed during the year, keep in mind the multitude of resources available to McMaster students – the fees are already covered by your health insurance plan or the MSU. Drop into the Student Health Education Centre (SHEC) for peer counseling with a fellow student, or make an appointment with a health professional at the Student Wellness Centre.

Use the supports in place. Take the roommate contract seriously – it could help you out later in the year if your roommate isn’t following through with what you had agreed upon. On a similar note, make good use of your C.A. (it’s what they’re being paid for)! These live-in staff members just down the hall are trained to efficiently resolve roommate conflicts every year. If for any reason your C.A. is unhelpful or unable to resolve your problem, don’t be afraid to reach out to other C.A.’s in your building, or even the Residence Manager.

If all else fails, just follow the Golden Rule. Things aren’t going to be perfect, but with an open mind, clear communication and perhaps a pair of earplugs, you’ll be ready for any adventure.

B10 • InsideOut

The Silhouette • Thursday, September 20, 2012

Dress Costa Blanca Raincoat H&M Belt Costa Blanca Shoes Old Navy Headband Zara

Second-year Arts and Science student Alisha Kapoor is our first model of the year. Threadcount is InsideOut’s weekly tribute to McMaster’s most stylish.

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Nifty thrifty fashion

Save money and make a statement this season with second hand style Bahar Orang

Assistant ANDY Editor

I recently bought a pair of a highwaisted jean shorts from H&M that looked as though they had been worn by a car mechanic every day for at least a month. They were wrinkled, frayed, and faded. I picked them up and thought to myself, “these are perfect!” and proceeded towards the cash register. Later that week I accompanied a very stylish friend of mine to a local Goodwill, where he purchased a gigantic jean

jacket of the same quality and took it home to hack off the sleeves. The store was filled with young, hip, students: girls looking through the guy’s stuff and guys dressed in fairly expensive items, looking through racks and racks of used clothing.

A couple of Google searches later, I discovered that the number of North American resale stores was increasing by about 7% every two years. The recent recession is one obvious reason why people (especially debt-heavy students) are turning to cheaper alternatives.

But I was especially intrigued by the phenomenon because not only are people buying more used clothing, but also new clothes are designed to appear used. It seems that ‘90s grunge fashion is back – with faded denim jackets, boyfriend T-shirts, flannels, beanies, and chunky lace-up shoes. And today’s thrift stores are filled with donated clothing from the ‘90s. It’s hard to tell however, what exactly inspired this recent trend - it feels far too simplistic to owe it all to a struggling economy.

The ‘90s fashion was “antifashion.” It was about an “I can’t be bothered attitude” that allowed each individual to have their own unique style, with effortless glam and sexuality. The movement was born under Kurt Cobain’s anthem “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, with Kate Moss and Johnny Depp as its poster girl and boy. It was a way to detach from an uptight society and express discomfort with the status quo.

The style has been re-developing in downtown London for several years, and fashion designers are

looking to street style for inspiration now more than ever. Thus, the difference between the ‘90s and 2012 is that “grunge” can now be seen in high fashion on the catwalks.

Fortunately, it’s a style that’s about spending less and using personal creativity and individuality instead of money – which is why we’re turning to thrift stores. There’s often a twenty-year cycle that happens in fashion, and it appears that we’re in the midst of it – ripped panty hose, combat boots, floral maxi dresses and all.

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InsideOut • B11

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • The Silhouette

Lose weight with weights A girls’ guide to working out at The Pulse Paulina Prazmo The Silhouette

You walk into The Pulse and head straight up to the cardio section of the gym. That’s where all the other girls are anyways, running on the treadmills or ellipticals.

You think to yourself, “Well, cardio is important; I’ll just run on the treadmill for 30 minutes!” Now, since I’m no fitness guru, I took the time to talk to the amazing and very helpful personal trainers on campus here at The Pulse. Imagine my surprise to find out that a successful workout doesn’t just consist of running and focusing on one body part.

(This must be what most MAC girls believe - just take a glance up on the cardio deck.)

Here’s what four McMaster trainers had to say about what women’s workouts are really missing.

Brandon Sferrazza, a personal trainer director at the Pulse says that the importance of achieving that well rounded workout actually consists of weight training. That’s right ladies, time to step off that treadmill and head on downstairs to the weight area. Sferrazza encourages female students to come down

onto the main floor despite how intimidating it might seem. There is a common misconception that women are going to turn into a female version of the hulk if they include weight training in their workouts. However, all the personal trainers informed me that this is not the case.

“Women are afraid they’re going to get big and bulky and it just doesn’t happen. One percent of women fit that description and they’re all on the national bobsled team so there’s not much to worry about. Spending hours and hours on cardio isn’t really going to help much because you won’t have that muscle mass to burn the calories,” said Sferrazza.

The personal trainers at the Pulse are constantly trying to encourage the female student population that there is nothing scary about lifting some weights. And if you are unsure and need some assistance there is always a trainer on-call, ready and eager to answer any questions and help you get that workout you strive for.

Even a female personal trainer like Eni Kadar was once afraid of lifting weights. She tells me that many girls are guilty of missing out on weights. “They stick to cardio because

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that is the easiest way to workout and are too focused on achieving one specific body type,” she said. Other areas that are missed in the workouts of girls are core trainings, along with flexibility, stability and full body weight exercises.

Keith Medeiros, a former Pulse trainer says that the best way to start working out is by doing push-ups, chin-ups, bridges, planks, squats and lunges. In his opinion, these exercises require little weight but train the muscles and work on the target areas for fat loss. The workout of a female differs from a male workout at the Pulse because of that split between the two floors.

“I don’t think you are working out if you can read a book at the same time. The structure of a girl’s workout is misguided. If they can push themselves and get out of the cardio deck into the weights or even in the aerobic studio to do other things, it would be more beneficial,” said strength and conditioning trainer Rob Morton.

Pulse trainers recommend getting yourself familiarized and educated with the machines. If there are machines that you haven’t got a clue how to use, ask the trainer on duty

to give you a hand. Group classes are also highly recommended. “It’s something that gets you motivated with a good atmosphere and everyone is very supportive. It’s also great when you’re not keen on making your own workout,” Kadar explained.

Or, you can grab your girlfriend and head down to the weight area together where both of you are able to influence one another and not worry about everyone staring at you.

“Chances are the guys in the weight area don’t even know what they’re doing and are just surprised to see a girl lifting weights,” Kadar said with a laugh.

All trainers agreed that a typical workout should last no more than an hour and a half and that it is crucial to make time to head down to The Pulse. Whether it’s two days a week for beginners, or four to five times a week for the experienced, it is very important to schedule the workout time. So in the future when I head down to the Pulse for my weekly workout I’ll be looking for all of you MAC girls pumping that iron.

Because the last time I checked, girl power should still be alive - especially in the gym.

The new Canadian dance floor

Observations of the Canadian lifestyle from the perspective of an international student Zara Lewis The Silhouette

As an exchange student from the University of Leeds in England, the past three weeks have been a crash course in Canadian culture – from learning how to cut a milk bag correctly to realizing that black squirrels exist to discovering what a “smoke show” is and what it means to have “flo.” It’s fair to say that I have felt like somewhat of an alien over here. There are many aspects of being a Canadian student that were not explained to me in the Studying Abroad Handbook.

But of all the new things that have both enlightened and shocked me, nothing

was quite as jaw dropping as the dancing that I have witnessed.

With seductive hair flicking and dry humping from both the front and behind, it is evident that the Canadians know how to grind.

I’m not trying to claim that British kids are all prudes and dance at an arms length from one another, but over here, the dance floor appears to be a space reserved for pairs of grinding bodies, while

the other not so daring onlookers remain hugged to the bar or their drinks.

So, far I have been one of the latter, crossed with a ‘deer in headlights’ expression etched upon my face.

However, the most pivotal moment of my Canadian dancing experience happened on Friday while I was innocently dancing with my friends, and I was repeatedly being pushed in the back. After turning around to see

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who the offending dancer was, I was presented with a girl with her legs wrapped around her thrusting dance partner’s waist. The pair danced and gyrated against one another, obviously unaware of anyone in the surrounding area.

After a few minutes, the twosome unsurprisingly left the dance floor. Let your mind fill in the rest.

So, after an educational first few weeks here in Canada, it is safe to say that whilst I expected there to be some cultural differences in comparison to England, it appears that the greatest difference is where I least expected there to be one. That is, on the dance floor.

Weekly Shuttle Bus Starting Sept. 26th

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Operating an Uninsured Car: If a driver suffers injuries in an accident in which he knowingly was driving a car that was not insured under a liability policy, he cannot sue anyone for recovery of his personal injury damages. That driver would also be excluded from recovering important No-Fault Benefits, including, if he was working, Income Replacement Benefits. All this would be in addition to penalties and fines for violations of the Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act.

CAR ACCIDENTS & OTHER INJURIES

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

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Look For The Big Yellow School Bus

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 ! ”

RECREATION PROGRAM

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!

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)

Sunday, October 21, 2012 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

The 2011 from Pulse Team McMaster

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

Promoting awareness and prevention of colorectal cancer and supporting Wellwood Effort Trust 1K Kids Run & 5K Leisure Walk (9:30 a.m.) 5K Walk/Run & 10K Run (10:00 a.m.)

SPECIAL RATE for Mac students and a DISCOUNT for teams!

BEFORE OCTOBER 14 Student rate = $25 Teams of less than 10 members = $22.50 ea.

Teams of more than 10 members $21.25 ea.

AFTER OCTOBER 15 Student rate = $30 Teams of less than 10 members = $27 ea.

Teams of more than 10 members $25.50 ea.

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

860 King St. W., Hamilton

supercrawl • zeus said the whale • born ruffians

andex

c2 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, september 20, 2012

Senior Editor: Nolan Matthews Assistant Editor: Bahar Orang

Contributors: Marco Filice, Patrick Tu, Jacob McLean, Lucas Canzona, Spencer Nestico-Semianiw

Cover: Yoseif Haddad

coming up

in the hammer

sept. 21

Born Ruffians The Casbah 9:00 p.m.

sept. 22

oct. 21

Bruce Springsteen Copps Coliseum 7:30 p.m.

sept. 22

oct. 4

Jason Collett The Casbah 8:00 p.m.

nov. 2 YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Owen Pallett performed Saturday night at Supercrawl.

Two Hours Traffic, The Great Bloomers The Casbah 8:00 p.m.

The Salt of Life Westdale Theatre 1:00 p.m.

Beasts of the Southern Wild Jackson Square Cinemas 7:00 p.m.

sept. 23

The Besnard Lakes The Casbah 8:00 p.m.

Easy Money Jackson Square Cinemas 7:00 p.m.

Norwegian Wood Westdale Theatre 1:00 p.m.

sept. 23

sept. 25 sept. 25

Austra, Doldrums, New Hands This Ain’t Hollywood 9:00 p.m.

oct. 2

photo of the week

Journey Copps Coliseum 7:00 p.m.

sept. 27

- k’naan

art gallery of hamilton film fest

Hysteria Jackson Square Cinemas 7:00 p.m.

sept. 24

it is better to light a candle than to curse the dark.

music

Where Do We Go Now? SilverCity Ancaster Cinemas 4:00 p.m.

sept. 26

quotation of the week

Safety Not Guaranteed SilverCity Ancaster Cinemas 7:00 p.m.

editorial

thursday, september 20, 2012

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c3

being a torontonian at supercrawl Having spent the better part of my life growing up in Toronto, Hamilton was once a faraway place – with smoke and steel and a little school called McMaster. A thriving arts scene wasn’t really something that came to mind. A lot has been said in ANDY about how “art is the new steel.”

However, when I attended Supercrawl this past weekend, I realized that (despite my obvious bias), not enough has been written.

I found myself charmed by the lovely little galleries, vendors and street musicians. My group of friends and I lingered at every guitarist, photograph and vintage clothing store that cold air and passing time would allow. I slurped down a rubyorange and nutmeg snow cone and tried on a handmade nebula print sweatshirt.

I flipped through a copy of Worn – an alternative Canadian fashion magazine and inquired the price of a ‘60s clutch (which I returned to its place shortly after). I put on a giant pair of silver, cat-shaped glasses along with a bright yellow luau and posed

for a picture with CBC Hamilton (yikes).

And when we all huddled together for Said the Whale’s performance, the energy of the crowd was both friendly and exciting.

I attended Supercrawl with a local Hamiltonian, a student from Ajax, one from Guelph, one from Calgary and a couple of Torontonians. Our group was markedly diverse, like most student groups at the festival probably were, but the community graciously welcomed us and I felt a strange kind of pride that I had somehow become a part of it.

We hope that this issue of ANDY can offer a small taste of Supercrawl and some insight into some of the event’s musical acts. We hope that you’ll choose to attend James Street North’s monthly art crawl (the second Friday of every month). And I’m sure you’ll be as taken with the event as I was, and realize that there is still so much left to be said.

• Bahar Orang, Assistant ANDY Editor YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

the big tickle

compiled by bahar orang and jessie lu

thursday, september 20, 2012

“biconcave discs” cooper long

“cyrus the virus” adam riggio

what would your band’s name be?

“the band”

“scicos”

“rib cage” iadele tomilola

jessica fredo

kyle siquioco

c4&5 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

superplanner behind the scenes of supercrawl

Tim Potocic has the job of being one of the main organizers of Supercrawl, and it’s a huge task for a huge event.

Last year, 50,000 people attended the festival, and this year’s expected attendance was around 75 000.

Planning Supercrawl for so many people was a yearlong job for Potocic. And as that year of organizing was whittled down until just one week was left before the event, the panic set in.

“I had late nights that weekend before, as well as Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,” said Potocic. “It’s pretty panicked. I wish we were more organized.”

After Thursday, Potocic’s experience planning Supercrawl starts to sound more familiar to any student who has left a massive assignment until the day before it’s due.

“When I got up on Friday it was full-on,” said Potocic. “I didn’t get home until seven in the morning on Sunday, and I only slept for two hours on Friday night. And that’s the way it is. You just run on adrenaline because you know there’s an end. We know the street has to open up at 8 o’clock on Sunday morning.”

Even by forgoing sleep, Potocic didn’t really get to see much of the festival he was responsible for.

“This is the first year I’ve actually been able to catch one set of one band,” said Potocic. “I saw Change of Heart. They are reuniting to do very few shows, so I needed to see it.”

Before Change of Heart and the huge crowds, Supercrawl began four years ago as something much smaller. Po-

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

tocic has been there since the very beginning of the idea.

As one of the founders of the Sonic Unyon record label, located just off James Street North, Potocic has always been part of the monthly Art Crawl, but he wanted the event to grow, to really push it and see what it could do.

“We got a big group of people together, there was at least 20 people in a room,” said Potocic. “We said that we wanted to close the street, because we thought it should be closed anyway during the regular monthly art crawls, even at that point in time, and we thought, let’s try to do a street festival. That was literally in June. Then everyone sat around and was like, ‘Yeah, it’s a cool idea.’ And we had twelve weeks to plan it, which is not enough time.”

With the initial plans approved by the city, the next problem was deciding what to call the event.

“We were batting names around, and I was like, ‘Well, its going to be super! Let’s call it Supercrawl,’” said Potocic.

“It’s a dumb name, really. We’re specialists in dumb names, so it kind of fits. I mean, Sonic Unyon is a weird, dumb name.”

So with the name decided, the organizers rushed to get everything else finished under the impossibly tight timeline of a couple of months. Instead of happening in September, like the other Supercrawls, the first was pushed to October to give the organizers more time. And when that time was up, Potocic and the other organizers prayed they would be lucky with the one thing they couldn’t plan.

“It poured rain,” said Potocic. “But we still had thou-

sands of people out with umbrellas, and we were like, ‘Huh, thousands of people came out and it was pouring rain, so clearly there’s a need for a street closure festival style-thing, so let’s start working on 2010 right now.’”

Since then, planning future Supercrawls has taken all year, and that means Potocic hasn’t really been able to catch his breath even though this year’s event has just ended.

“I’ve already had two conversations with two agencies that are good friends of mine about what we’re going to do next year,” said Potocic. “We’ll really need to have our wish-list of top five acts that we’re looking at to headline potential stages locked in before the end of the year.”

Though Potocic is responsible for organizing the big stuff, that’s only part of what allows Supercrawl to happen because, ultimately, the whole James Street North community is involved.

“That’s the key to making Supercrawl and art crawl and James Street North as amazing and vibrant as it is, because it is a community initiative,” said Potocic. “We do a lot of community outreach to make sure that we’re not taking liberties that we shouldn’t. I mean, there will always be critics, but we try our best to reach out with the limited staffing and resources we have to run something like this.”

Next week, part two of this article will look at what the critics are saying and Potocic’s response. Hint: it has to do with gentrification.

•

Nolan Matthews, Senior ANDY Editor

thursday, september 20, 2012

strikes supercrawl Toronto-based rock band Zeus are one of the most exciting acts out there. If at any point in your life you were a ‘classic rock fan,’ you’re sure to dig Zeus.

And that’s not to pigeonhole the band either – for all their similarities to the rock n’ roll of yore, they’re still new, innovative and most importantly, relevant.

ANDY caught up with three of the band members (Carlin Nicholson, Neil Quinn and Rob Drake) at Hamilton’s Supercrawl on Friday, Sept. 14. The band had just got in from Toronto and it was their first time at Supercrawl. I met them behind Colbourne Stage, where we chatted over some beers.

I asked the band about their take on Supercrawl, and then what sort of festival they prefer: family friendly or adults.

“I have no preference,” said Neil Quinn, “this festival is the difference. When you involve the city… When you close the streets off… I mean, typically in a lot of smaller towns this would by definition be a family-friendly festival. You’ve got the artisan tents, you’ve got the store-fronts involved, and the local businesses are involved too.”

I wondered what it meant to the band, as working professionals, that the festival is free.

Again, Quinn had an enlightening answer. “That it’s free speaks for the local businesses and the mindset of the city. If the bands’ payment is subsidized, that speaks for the kind of ideas the town wants to promote. But if you cordon off the area and make C/O DEREK BRANSCOMBE

it a ticketed event, it’s different.

Take SXSW in Austin. The locals don’t necessarily care for it.”

“I’m pretty sure the locals book their vacation around it,” added drummer Rob Drake.

Neil Quinn continued, “And then [the locals] go and make a free festival to counter SXSW. [The locals] don’t feel represented. If you’re going to attend a festival, as someone who lives in the area, you’re going to want to feel represented.”

Carlin Nicholson agreed, “If you’re someone who does anything [in Hamilton], then you’d probably come.”

I asked the guys if they had any advice for those McMaster students living in the West-end bubble.

“Go downtown,” offered Neil Quinn.

Rob Drake added, “Go for a walk and smell them roses!”

Zeus’ next release will be an EP of all cover songs, date of release TBA. The EP is complete as is their next 7” in their series of singles the boys release between albums (date of release also TBA).

Not to mention that the band claims to have almost half of yet another LP finished, having just released a full-length earlier this year. Pretty fitting, then, that they call themselves a ‘backlog band’.

Before all these new goodies hit the shelves, I highly suggest going out and picking up an album, either 2010’s Say Us or 2012’s Busting Vision. They’re both 5/5, 10/10, infinity/infinity.

• Jacob McLean

c6 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, september 20, 2012

independent rock sianspheric’s music and city on their own terms Think Jimi Hendrix. Think Pink Floyd – but without acid in the forehead and moodheavy preaching about the machine. With Hamilton band Sianspheric, we get a lighter demand on the mind and a more positive absorption of the senses. The idea is to sit back, look within, reflect and experience the sounds as they guide you. Sianspheric is a journey to the oasis that is truly yourself.

Speaking with Ryan Ferguson, Sianspheric’s guitarist and synthesizer player, he laughs and says, “I guess you could say that Sianspheric is old enough to be its own drink.” While he’s been with the band for barely half a decade, he’s been a part of “the family” for the band’s whole life, which spans eighteen years. “And that’s what we are,” he explains, “We’re all a tight group that, instead of playing hockey, we get together at ten o’clock every Wednesday and jam.” But the band’s augmentation almost two decades ago was not exactly to play music to pass the time: it was therapeutic.

The origin of Sianspheric is reminiscent

of the tragedy that formed Temple of the Dog. Before Sianspheric’s formation, a previous band, Gleet, had broken up due to the untimely death of their gifted lead singer.

Consequently, Sianspheric was born out of loss to commemorate their friend. “But this isn’t a mood we’ve allowed to stay with us.

The first album came from those feelings, and afterwards the band just grew and evolved as its own entity,” Ferguson explained.

Sianspheric’s music has grown diversely over the years and they are openly dismissive of any single subgenre. “We hope that the audience sees us as we see ourselves: from a recognition standpoint,” Ferguson said. Think U2. Hamilton’s version, of course.

While Sianspheric, like any other band, started out with an ideal, their focus now — which isn’t even a strict focus — is to just be, and let the music speak for itself.

I asked Ferguson whether Sianspheric fits into the category of “shoegaze” rock — a British subgenre of alternative rock that was so characterized in the late eighties and early

nineties by musicians zoning out and gazing down at their shoes while playing. “I’m not concerned with telling people they’re wrong about these categories. But from my own point of view, Sianspheric has always been about adopting multiple styles, as in crosspollination, to how we feel the music should flow through us.” While Ferguson made it clear that stress on quality control has been prevalent since the beginning, the music is nevertheless an effect of emotion and spontaneity. It is, in other words, a living organism.

Thinking about Sianspheric in light of Supercrawl, and Hamilton in general, I couldn’t help but make connections. Ferguson was humble enough to see the band’s experiences as exclusive to the members themselves. But the business is cutthroat, mean, and it offers temptations and opportunities for wealth, fame, and arrogance. Ryan noted the importance of an artist never submitting to his or her ego: “it’s always good to be aware of your feelings— and keep moving forward.” This statement about being true to

yourself reflects the band’s overall character.

For Sianspheric, playing their music will always be more rewarding than selling out for what’s mainstream.

Ferguson spoke with enthusiasm about Hamilton and said, “Hamiltonians should stop comparing their city to Toronto. It’s good on its own and deserves its success.

And Hamilton, on the other hand, is just as good independently! We have enough arts and culture to define ourselves for who we are.” This attitude that Ryan reflects from Sianspheric has developed by the band’s own history of trials and tribulations. Yet it may be synonymous with Hamilton’s history as well, because the art scene here is finally beginning to flourish on its own accord.

He adds, “our label, Sonic Unyon, is doing something great here in Supercrawl.”

I would add that it is doing something great for the city.

• Marco Filice

JAVIER CAICEDO MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

thursday, september 20, 2012

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c7

they weren’t always the band’s beginnings and where they’re at now “I met Luke when we were babies,” says Mitch Derosier – a friendly dude who laughs throughout our conversation.

Luke Lalonde and Mitch — cousins — are with me upstairs in an open studio with large windows overlooking King James stage where they will be performing after the interview.

Mitch takes me back to their jam sessions in high school. The three of them would meet up in Steve Hamelin’s basement (Steve hasn’t joined us upstairs yet) where they learned to play instruments — at first mostly playing covers of the Strokes.

Steve’s mom would make them chicken fingers and fries when they drove over after school.

“We’d always just be there at dinner like — Oh no! It’s alright,” says Luke.

“Wait, don’t feed us!” laughs Mitch.

“And Brenda would just be like — Oh...” Luke finishes. Mitch laughs.

Steve put on their first show and other early shows were performed at the YMCA and local churches. Luke describes the Midland music scene in 2002 (when the band formed) as being primarily emo or aggressive punk. “We were the odd duck at those shows,” he adds.

Steve and Andy Lloyd roll in tardy for the interview, and Andy recounts how he joined Born Ruffians two and a half years ago: “I was playing in a band called Caribou before that.”

The band is currently recording their third album, expected for release in 2013.

They dropped their last record, Say It, in 2010.

Steve mentions that they missed the deadline for the upcoming album. “The record just wasn’t ready so it didn’t make sense to release it,” he says.

Luke explains, “we realize there’s no point putting a record [out] and then we’re not happy with [it].”

I get a sense Warp Records/Paper Bag Records put a lot of pressure on them to push out music quickly, which is why Say It trails off in quality near the end of the album.

Steve remembers having conversations on the last record: “If you’re gone six months, people forget about you.” He calls it a fallacy, and believes that real fans will remember you when you come back with a good record. He jokes about Guns N’ Roses’ lengthy hiatus. Chinese Democracy was released in 2008 — fifteen years after The Spaghetti Incident?.

Born Ruffians are currently recording at Boombox Sound in Toronto. Mitch thinks it’s their best recording experience thus far — the record sounds promising and the atmosphere is comfortable and laid back.

The guys say that playing at festivals like Supercrawl — Steve calls them ‘oneoffs’ — is completely different than playing their own shows.

Steve explains, “you’re never in the vibe — like when we tour we’ll play, you know, 20 shows in a row. So that’s when we’re really in our routine.”

Luke doesn’t expect much out of free outdoor shows. He doesn’t get as nervous. At their own shows everybody has “paid to come in to see you play. It’s a different feeling.”

Steve says that there are huge highs and lows while touring. On their 2010 European tour, Paris was amazing, “then we hit Germany . . . and immediately it’s like the biggest rude awakening you could get.”

Steve says Brooklyn and Manhattan were great shows, “and then you’ll hit Baltimore or something and it’s like — oh, there’s like no one here.”

Luke says, “There’s a promoter there who’s just like ‘Ah, shit. We just lost a bunch of money on your show.’”

Steve gives advice to industry newcomers: “Never pay to play. That’s something we learned early.”

Luke’s advice: “I would just say write all the time.”

He wraps up it up by telling me, “You just gotta make music all the time if you wanna do it.”

•

Patrick Tu

YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

c8 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

The arrival of the third weekend in September brought the annual Supercrawl arts festival, and with it came Vancouver-based indie-rockers Said the Whale.

The band, headlining the Friday night, opened with their catchy choral hit “Out on the Shield,” and from their sophomore full-length release, “Islands Disappear.” Ben Worcester, the band’s primary guitarist and co-lead singer, enchanted the crowd with “Big Sky,” “MT” and an ode to his grandfather.

Said the Whale remained true to the energetic indie-pop roots that they’ve come to be known for. The members moved in unison, interacting with the crowd and showcasing their musical mastery through expansive fills and song transitions.

We had a chance to talk with Said the Whale’s amiable percussionist (and part-time vocalist, as we discovered) Spencer Schoening, before he took the stage.

We asked about whether he thought the band’s 2011 Juno award win affected their popularity, and he

explained, “Pin-pointing that as something that has benefitted us seems a bit unfair – it seems more like a milestone than the cause of anything. The only thing that we like to say it did for us is it makes our parents believe that we’re doing something legitimate rather than playing in a garage band.”

Earlier this year, Said the Whale embarked on an ambitious cross-Canada tour with 25 concert dates from coast-to-coast. Schoening reminisced about their most memorable night, and said, “More than anything else it would have to be going home and playing at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver because this is a place where we’ve seen countless shows growing up. The first time I ever went there I went to see the Matthew Good Band play in like, 1999 and I was in the last row in the balcony. So to be there, I was personally playing to that person who was up in the last row in the balcony, because they got there late and didn’t know how to get to a front seat… you know?”

We were curious as to what the

thursday, september 20, 2012

band members would be doing if they weren’t making award-winning records.

“Panhandling,” Schoening offered, without so much as a pause. The band’s skills, we found, are much more diverse than their apparent multi-instrumentalism displayed on stage. “[Ben and I] are both really into photography. Not as much as we could be, because we spend all our time doing music, but I love photography and wish I could’ve spent all this time on that too.”

McMaster University has recently fostered some impressive musical talent with the likes of The Arkells and Of Gentlemen and Cowards on its resume. With the arrival of a few thousand new first-years, there may be some more big names to come. Starting a band and carrying on to success often isn’t easy however, so we hoped Spencer could offer some insight.

“I got good at my instrument, then I joined a band I liked. That worked for me. On the other hand, I wouldn’t

have any idea how to start a band from scratch,” he said with a laugh.

After a pensive moment, he added, “Seriously, stick with it because no matter what band you start in, unless you have an absolute fluke there’s going to be a handful of really shitty years where you just drive across the country five times broke and that’s it. If you really want to do it, don’t give up. Literally what it is, is starting a small business.

There was a point where suddenly we all had to sign papers and we’re incorporated, and it hit me, we’re actually starting a small business. And with any small business, there’s so much you sink into it before there’s anything you get out financially.”

“But don’t give a fuck about losing money. You’re doing it because you’re making music, just remember that. It’s a lot more fun than working at Starbucks, which is what one ex-member of our band is doing.”

• Lucas Canzona & Spencer Nestico-Semianiw C/O JONATHAN TAGGART