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The Silhouette sincerely apologizes to Glenn De Caire for the false contents found in the previous version of the article “The hiring and requested firing of Glenn De Caire,” published on thesil.ca and distributed across campus on March 24, 2016. The disparaging statements made about Glenn De Caire are entirely untrue and are hereby unconditionally retracted by the Silhouette.
The Silhouette Thursday, June 9, 2016
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KNOX
Former defensive coordinator Greg Knox has been named interim head coach of McMaster football. What should fans expect this fall? Page 11 NEWS MUSC RENOS Construction is underway and we have all the details Page 3
ARTS & CULTURE Q&A Lex Leosis opens up to explain what hip-hop means to her Page 13
OPINION L(OL)RT DEBATE Council’s debate on LRT shows students not a priority Page 9
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Thursday, June 9, 2016 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper
LOOKING BACK
EDITORIAL BOARD editor-in-chief | thesil@thesil.ca
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Editor-in-Chief (905) 525-9140, ext 22052 Main Office (905) 525-9140, ext 27117 Advertising (905) 525-9140, ext 27557 3,000 summer circulation published by the
MAY 10, 2008
McMaster University hosted the first event at Ron Joyce Stadium - the East-West Bowl. The annual game brings together the best players from across the CIS for an all-star game/CFL showcase. This year, Mac replaced the turf for the first time.
IS THERE A STORY FROM MCMASTER’S PAST THAT INTERESTS YOU? Email us at thesil@thesil.ca and we will try and feature it in our “Looking Back” section.
www.thesil.ca | June 9, 2016
The Silhouette
| 3
News 100in1Day revisited: how has the event changed with a year of experience?
Everybody was turfin’: McMaster replaced the football turf. Why?
Page 4
Page 5
MUSC gets a facelift Come September, the student centre will have more seating and a new staircase
Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
The majority of students have left campus for the summer, but work is just getting started. As of May 2, parts of the McMaster University Student Centre have become construction zones. Changes are being made to the food court on the main floor – known as the north stair — including the installment of another staircase heading out to the Arts Quad. The west wing of the student centre will see the glass wall moved deeper into Mills Plaza and the doors relocated to create a more usable space near the Starbucks, referred to as the “south expansion.” Fences have been installed in both areas and construction should be complete by Aug. 16, according to Lori Diamond, MUSC Administrative Director. Overall, the renovations should add approximately 125 seats to the student centre. The renovations are expected to cost $1.5 million, with funds coming from MUSC reserves. “When we originally built the building, part of the financial plan for it was, through the student fee, the MSU would collect a building fee to pay down the mortgage,” said Diamond. “In the final year that [the MSU] collected the student fee, they didn’t need all of the money to pay the mortgage. So there was just over a million dollars that was left over. That transferred to the student centre and we put it in our capital fund.” The excess funds were due
in part to an unexpected rise in undergraduate population. Following the double cohort in 2003 caused by the elimination of the OAC year in high school, Ontario universities expected enrolment to drop. This did not happen, and led to a surplus. The money is being reinvested into the student centre. The north stair renovations come after an October 2014
feasibility study that found high levels of congestion and inadequate seating in the area. Adding another staircase is supposed to improve traffic flow in the area. According to Diamond, the south expansion is what will excite students. “There’s going to be a whole new atmosphere down there. Just by moving the door from close to Starbucks to closer to
where you would go down to the bookstore, you take away to whole corridor effect of that space,” said Diamond. bv“Right now, that space is quite big but you can’t use it for anything but corridor because people come through and stream through that door. By moving [the door] down, it is no longer a corridor, we can make it a lounge.” Come September, this reim-
aged space will have furniture and seating for students. Since the wall is being expanded to meet the second-floor windows, the space will be larger too. MUSC anticipates the area to add 75 seats. Construction is expected to be complete for August 16, and MUSC will move furniture in. Both spaces should be ready for use by Welcome Week 2016. @Scott1Hastie
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NEWS
June 9, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
100in1Day
The second year of urban inventions separates Hamilton from other Canadian cities
McMaster Innovation Park houses the bees used in the event’s demostration. C/O AMANDA WELDON
Rachel Katz Managing Editor
Following a successful 100in1Day event on June 4, Hamilton can pride itself on its small-scale community-led actions. The Steel City boasted 170 “urban interventions” this year, the highest number in the country, beating out Toronto, Winnipeg, Halifax, Edmonton and Vancouver. New to Hamilton last year, 100in1Day is an annual celebration of individuals creating positive change in their neighbourhoods. Initiated by Evergreen, the event was wellreceived last year, however, when asked what has changed since then, Hamilton Project Manager Jay Carter replied, “What hasn’t changed?” While 100in1Day certainly had a bigger footprint in the city this year, its size and spread were not the only factors that were noticeably different from the 2015 event. In addition to individuals hosting interventions where they could share their passions with the city, organizations were eager to get involved as well, such as Canadian Blood Services, which held a blood drive. “It’s been incredible to see the uptake this year versus last year when it was very new … This year it’s become something that’s been really ingrained already and we keep hearing stories about the lasting changes
that have come out of last year’s event,” Carter said. Despite the success of last year’s event, Carter was adamant about improving the situation for this year’s 100in1Day. One of the most important differences was a more efficient schedule. “Last year it was really easy to see where things were taking place but not when. One of our volunteers put together a wardby-ward schedule, which is awesome because not only does it help people understand where their ward boundaries are but of course helps people plan out their day much better.” Another concern involved better support for intervention leaders. This took the form of more mixers for volunteers to meet one another and more coaching opportunities. “A lot of the really exciting, really different urban interventions have come out of people [who don’t know] one another coming together over a shared passion or interest and developing something out of that,” Carter said. In addition to his excitement over the number of local events, Carter was also happy to see a change in how the city handles days like 100in1. “The city has created a new pilot bylaw to reduce barriers to community-led action on public property because that was one
of the biggest challenges last year,” he said. These changes include reducing the 15-page application to two pages, and greatly reducing the cost of liability insurance. “It’s also been really exciting to know that they’ve been watching 100in1Day to see what residents want to do in their communities,” he added. The city saw a number of return events, including the popular puppy kissing booth and multiple free yoga sessions in city parks. However, there were plenty of new, innovative ways Hamiltonians chose to celebrate their neighbourhoods. The Concession St. neighbourhood even hosted a dog parade. “One of the things the Concession St. BIA really loved about their neighbourhood was that their dogs loved Concession St. And they wanted to do something to showcase that,” Carter explained. Other new initiatives included pollinator gardens and guided tours of Dundurn Castle’s expansive gardens. When asked about his main goal for 100in1Day, Carter made it clear that the aim of the event is to always promote empowerment in communities. “One of the biggest challenges I find is the cynicism people have about getting involved in community stuff–
that ‘what’s the point’ kind of attitude,” but he feels that the numerous lasting effects of local actions are more than enough to disprove the naysayers. While Carter coordinates the entire event for the city of Hamilton, he was quick to explain that the event could not be done without the hundreds of volunteers who give up their time to host local interventions. “Without the people of Hamilton, 100in1Day would not be possible. I’m just a very tiny part [of it all], and so is 100in1Day itself, because on any given day there are probably over 100 different free activities taking place in Hamilton. This is just an opportunity to showcase some of the great people doing great things.”
“I’m just a very tiny part [of it all], and so is 100in1Day itself, because on any given day there are probably over 100 different free activities taking place in Hamilton” Jay Carter Hamilton Project Manager
ddC/O @ohsusannamiles
www.thesil.ca | June 9, 2016
NEWS
| 5
Improvements to Ron Joyce Stadium McMaster Athletics completes $1 million resurfacing project Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
At Ron Joyce Stadium, the grass should look a little greener. May saw the end of a yearlong process to replace the turf. It is the third installment of turf for the playing surface that hosts Marauder football, rugby and soccer games, as well as other community events. “[The project] has been talked about since I arrived here. The turf was installed four or five years ago and it was starting to fail. It became a health and safety issue for our student-athletes and other participants,” said Glen Grunwald, director of Athletics and Recreation at McMaster University. Replacing this kind of turf is standard procedure. But the athletic department believes the turf should not have to be replaced so soon. “We had discussions with the previous installer to try and get them to honour the warranty for the product, and that was to no avail. Ultimately, we had to file a claim to get them to honour the warranty,” said Grunwald. “In the mean time, we couldn’t allow our studentathletes to participate on the field for safety reasons and so we had to go forward with replacing the turf.” The University approved the turf replacement project in December 2015. To find a company to replace the turf, the athletic department used a request for proposal method. Overall, the turf replacement cost approximately $1 million – the average cost for a replacement of this field size, according to Grunwald.
The turf itself is the “latest and greatest in terms of safety” said Grunwald. It is a step above the playing surface installed at Tim Hortons Field, which was completed in 2014. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats christened the turf, using Ron Joyce Stadium as the site for training camp. Feedback from the Canadian Football League team has been positive.
Come September, the student experience should be the same. There are no restrictions and intramurals will continue to use the field. There are some “minor details” that were changed, but students can look forward to hitting the turf in the fall.
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“[The turf] is the latest and greatest in terms of safety.” Glen Grunwald Director, McMaster Athletics and Recreation
C/O SCOTT HASTIE
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www.thesil.ca | June 9, 2016
EDITORIAL
| 7
Editorial Our course review policy is a sham The answers to only one question need to be shared, and professors can decline the release of information
Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
It is time for the annual struggle. Students will spend the next few weeks poring over MacInsiders.com and the MSU Course Wiki to prepare for course selection. The information on those platforms is either dated or not yet complete. This could be remedied by changes to the McMaster course review policy, which governs what can and cannot be shared from the course evaluations we fill out. The “Policy on the Public Release of Students’ Ratings of Teaching Effectiveness” was developed originally in 1997 and revisited in 2013. These ratings are
actually partial student ratings, and the public release is not truly public. The policy only mandates that the first question of the online course reviews be made public to anyone with a student or employee Mac ID: “How would you rate your professor overall?” But course instructors have the opportunity to approve the release of the results to this question. In theory, if a professor receives poor ratings from their students, they can simply decline to share. Even the McMaster Association of Part-Time Students circa the mid-2000s is blushing at the lack of accountability there. There are professors who make the information available, and they deserve a shout out. But in the fall, I’ll be a graduate
of the Communications program. There are course reviews for a total of four Communications classes since 2012. What’s the deal? What are we hiding? This practice would never apply to students, and I cannot imagine a workplace outside of professional golf that gives you this kind of mulligan. We cannot erase our past because it will hurt our reputation, and professors should not be able to either. But hey, if Mac wants to start giving students the same treatment, I’ve got a D- in Russian History that I would love to see disappear. @Scott1Hastie
to Arcade.
to that Arcade DJ. Just play the hits, man. And how do you not have Ignition (Remix)? Who employs a DJ that doesn’t have that song? It’s the most important song of the 2000s!
to doing well, doing well dawg. to the Cookie Monster. to watching the Raptors on the May long weekend. to Gord Downie.
to me, doing accounting stuff.
to Canadianity, always.
to dragging.
to a porcupine/mink/ snake/baby raccoon weekend.
To access the course evaluations, go to Mosaic, then Student Center and click the drop down bar in the Academics section.
to the Hamilton city councillors with LRT commitment issues.
to dog parades. to happenstance.
to “So, what are you doing after that?”
to @sexualjumanji.
to the UFC.
Your favourite McMaster newspaper is changing We are tweaking our product to better serve students This will probably shock the leaders of traditional newspapers, but the media is evolving. The needs and preferences of consumers are dynamic and with that in mind, the Silhouette is making three major changes: merging sections, reducing our page count and possibly changing the quality of paper we print on. Starting now, the Andy and Lifestyle sections have merged. While the two sections had their own strengths, the content began to blur together. Separating content from one section to the next was arbitrary. Going forward, we will have the “Arts & Culture” section. The goal is to retain the aspects of both sections that focused on McMaster or Hamilton. So, if you loved the food reviews (we know you did, we
saw the Silvision results), do not worry. We want to continue to do those and establish our place on the cutting edge of Hamilton’s growing restaurant industry. Arts & Culture will refocus on the music and entertainment in Hamilton and the surrounding area. Half a decade ago, the Andy section was a key player in the Hammer’s culture scene but we have strayed from that and started reviewing more pop culture. The refocusing starts right away: our Arts & Culture Editor has an insightful Q&A with an up-and-coming Toronto hip hop artist in this issue. There will still be reviews, but mainstream entertainment reviews will be online-only content. And if you were wondering, Andy was supposed to be a play
on the term “a-and-e,” which is short for “arts and entertainment” ... Some things are better left unsaid. Students will not see the page count difference until September. For the past two years, we have mostly been a 36-page tabloid-sized paper. Next year, we will be a 28-page paper at the same tab size. There are two reasons for the change. For one, with the two sections merging, we would have to make up the lost pages by adding responsibility to other sections. This leads into the second reason. We wanted to shrink the newspaper anyways to improve the quality of articles we print. According to our survey results, the Opinions section was the least liked (by far, honestly) and the move to 28-pages will remove one page from that
How to pitch a story to the Sil Do you have an event or story that you think McMaster should know about? Talk to us! The Silhouette welcomes all story ideas. During the summer, email thesil@thesil.ca with your name, the date of the event, and why you think students would be interested!
S section. If you’re reading the print product, you’ll notice we are using a different kind of paper. We are exploring our options to
see if we can improve. If you have a personal preference, let us know! Feedback is always welcome at thesil@ thesil.ca!
8 |
NEWS
June 9, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
Around Campus
McMaster is still bumpin’ through the summer
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats descended on campus for training camp.
Mills Plaza turned into a construction zone in order to make improvements to the student centre.
C/O Hamilton Tiger-Cats
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www.thesil.ca | June 9, 2016
The Silhouette
| 9
Opinion No debate needed Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
If you have been following Hamilton city politics for the past couple weeks, you probably wish you had not been. City council has been locked in an exhausting debate to reaffirm their interest in receiving $1 billion from the provincial government to fund a Light Rail Transit system in Hamilton. Council has recorded votes on the issue five times since 2009 and approved a plan that recommended LRT for the future of Hamilton public transit in 2013. The vote to reaffirm has been delayed twice and is tentatively set for June 15. Dissent for LRT is mostly coming from councilors who are not in wards that would directly benefit from the project, a backwards form of “not-in-my-backyard” politics. If city council does not support the funding of the LRT, it sends a strong message to McMaster students: you are not a priority and we do not care about keeping you around the
Hammer after graduation. LRT would benefit students almost as much as any other demographic in Hamilton. It would make access to downtown easier and encourage students to go there. It is not difficult to get downtown now; on weekdays, busses are frequent enough. But LRT would simplify the process and could result in students feeling more comfortable hopping on the LRT to grab dinners or go for drinks downtown instead of confining themselves to the Westdale area. A McMaster study concluded the LRT would “activate” the downtown. Council has complained about the impact on businesses along King St. during construction. If business is booming, I have missed the memo. Hess Village is one of the areas along the proposed route, and the entertainment district has been suffering for years. According to CBC Hamilton, the number of patrons has shrunk every year since 2012. LRT would make these places more
accessible for students. Shortterm pain for long-term gain should not be a novel concept to council. And speaking of the longterm, turning down LRT would show that city council is not truly concerned with the retention of McMaster graduates. If you give a graduate the option of working in a city with a strong LRT system that makes it easy to get to work and removes the financial burden of a car, why would they leave? Right now, students are eager to leave a city they have no affinity to because they have never felt like leaving the McMaster bubble, and they will have to buy a car anyways. The grass is not always greener, and I think Hamilton is a city that has a lot to offer for young professionals. But this generation is always willing to find out for themselves. The creation of LRT could also create jobs for McMaster graduates, keeping more people in the city. Students tire of Hamilton because it sells itself as an ambitious city without providing
If the City of Hamilton cares about students, LRT is a nobrainer
much proof. We stick around here for four or five years, see the “You Can Do Anything In Hamilton” merchandise but leave because we do not really have that opportunity or even much acknowledgement. The city has been handed a real shot at becoming a modern city, but we are pissing it away because the people in areas that are relatively wealthy do not want it. Councilors are arguing for alternative approaches to using the provincial money, like bus rapid transit, but that form of public transport has failed in Ottawa and costs more on a per-passenger basis. If Hamilton is serious about growing as a city, they can take the first step by reaffirming the acceptance of $1 billion from the provincial government to show interest in students, create jobs, and push the city into the future. @Scott1Hastie
5
Number of recorded votes on LRT
70% Percent of Hamiltonians that work in Hamilton
$1 billion Money allocated by Liberal government for LRT, not guaranteed if council wants another option Stats via RaiseTheHammer.org and HamiltonLightRail.ca
C/O Steer Davies Gleane
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OPINION
June 9, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
This year’s student move out highlights the struggle between Westdale and undergrads
Students need to step up Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
This year’s annual shuffle of students in the Westdale-Ainslie Wood area was not the best showing for McMaster undergrads. Anyone who walked through the neighbourhoods saw a variety of eyesores on May 1: old mattresses on the side of the road, extra bags of garbage, leftover furniture and other abandoned items. Judging by the eye test, two in five houses on Dalewood South had a by-law violation notice posted on their door following the first garbage pick-up day of the month. A small snippet of the community, sure, but a walk on Sterling showed similar results. As students moved out, they left the area in disarray, giving more ammunition to the residents who disdain the McMaster undergrad population. And it is hard to disagree with them. Students complain about the amount of pushback we get from residents and this paper has generally agreed that we have an unfairly negative reputation. But the garbage left behind for others to deal with is exactly what earns us the label of “entitled” or “disrespectful.” The behavior is not as malicious as it seems, but needs to be fixed. No one really tells students how to move out –
As wild as it sounds, moving dates can sneak up on students because it comes at the end of a month filled with exams. So when it is suddenly April 29 and you have two days to pack up your life, of course it is going to be a messy transition.
Sterling St. was littered with left behind household items during the move-out period. C/O SCOTT HASTIE
there’s no manual or guide for moving – and students should take more responsibility. As wild as it sounds, moving dates can sneak up on students because it comes at the end of a month filled with exams. Some students may still be looking for jobs. So when it is suddenly April 29 and you have two days to pack up your life and move, of course it is going to be a messy transition. Suddenly, you’re asking ques-
tions you never thought about: what do I do with an old mattress I don’t need? How do I get rid of this couch? Do I leave this old TV stand at the side of the road and hope the city garbage collectors take it? If students can clean this up, it could go a long way in repairing the relationship with Westdale/Ainslie Wood. It looks trashy to have the garbage lying on the side of the road for a week and we know Westdale residents pride themselves on
the appearance of the neighbourhood. This is the same group who designed multiple Snapchat filters for a suburb within a suburb. (The Westdale sign filter is terrible, by the way. Takes up too much space.) Students have to make moving a larger priority, but some resources would help. Perhaps the Society of Off-Campus students or the Student Community Support Network could put something together.
The answers to these questions are relatively straightforward but it is a matter of knowing where to look. Like most disagreements, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Students are nowhere near as bad as residents make us out to be and we are far from perfect neighbours. Putting more effort into making our moves cleaner would show residents that we are at least trying to get better. @Scott1Hastie
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www.thesil.ca | June 9, 2016
The Silhouette | 11
There is no competition, but plenty of action. Check the spring news round up. Page 12
Sports
Six McMaster athletes were drafted to the CFL this year. Details at thesil.ca!
Greg Knox takes over Mac football Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief
The torch has been passed to familiar hands. Following Stefan Ptaszek’s departure to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, McMaster’s football program was in need of a head coach. After a brief search, Greg Knox has been named interim head coach. Knox is a former McMaster defensive coordinator and the job is a realization of work that started two decades ago during his Canadian Football League playing days. “Back when I was playing, I was heavily involved as a player out in Calgary. I ran a number of different camps at a time when there really weren’t high school camps available for kids,” said Knox. The hiring was announced on May 16.
Athletic director Glen Grunwald introduced Knox at a press conference in mid-May C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK
Who is Greg Knox? The new bench boss of the Maroon and Grey carries a stellar resume. The Peterborough, Ont. native was a linebacker for the Laurier Golden Hawks and won the 1991 Vanier Cup. In the CFL, Knox won a Grey Cup in the first and last year of his career, as well as earning nominations for Outstanding Canadian Player and the Tom Pate Memorial Award, recognizing players who show incredible commitment to both club and community. In 2006, Knox joined the Marauder staff as a defensive coordinator and held the position until 2013. After a one-year stint with the University in Toronto, Knox returned to the McMaster sideline to coordinate the defence that powered Mac to its third Vanier Cup game in four years. Overall, Knox won three Yates Cups and one Vanier as defensive coordinator. Now, with his children through high school and heading to McMaster, Knox has the time to be a CIS football head coach. By the sounds of it, he could not be happier. “I believe CIS football, from a coaching perspective, is
a sweet spot. Dealing with this type of student-athlete, I enjoy it a great deal. Being able to run a program is an obvious destination for me,” Knox explained. The head coaching role will be different from his previous gig, though. When asked about what the defence will look like, Knox made the systems that current defensive coordinator Joe Sardo has in place. “We’ll collaborate, as every head coach and defensive coordinator will do. We are going to build on what Joe put in last year,” said Knox.
“[Success] is a sustainably successful program, that brings kids who are a good fit academically and athletically for our program, that get plugged in and come out the other end better for it.” Greg Knox Head coach, football
That philosophy applies to “all three phases of the ball” – offence, defence, and special teams – as Knox believes in the abilities of his staff, which includes Jon Behie as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator and Rob Underhill as special teams coordinator. “I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by good people that I know can do a good job. My role will be to support them, to make sure we are all on the same page and we are playing our definition of Marauder football,” said Knox.
knows how to make up the difference. “It’s going to take a lot of elbow grease,” Knox said, with a laugh. “We’re going to have to work as hard and as smart as we can, be efficient with the resources we have.” Realistically, Mac boasts an elite coaching staff with top-tier academics. The football program has experienced the most success during this financial arms race era. Money is not an issue until it is one, and all signs point to “confidence” about the programs future.
The future of the program
What’s up for next year?
OUA and CIS football has changed. The Marauders are among the CIS football elite, but the competition has moved beyond the field of play. Now, programs are being built in boardrooms and through the bank accounts of wealthy donors. Programs like Laval, Montreal, Carleton and the University of British Columbia are leaning on private funding and creating a hierarchy. While they are still well-funded, McMaster lags behind the others. Knox
Training camp will open on Aug. 14, but in the mean time, there are broader questions around the program. A new coach means a different direction, even if it’s only slight changes. One major question with coaches at the CIS level, across all sports, is “how do you measure success?” While the casual observer usually judges success by wins and losses, Knox plans to look beyond the standings. “Success, to me, is being a
champion on and off the field. That does not necessarily mean winning your last game. It’s playing to the best of your ability and reaching as close to your potential,” said Knox. “They don’t say ‘any given Sunday’ for no reason. Any team can win a football game. [Success] is a sustainably successful program, that brings kids who are a good fit academically and athletically for our program, that get plugged in and come out the other end better for it.” McMaster is already in the position Knox describes. Their on-field success is well documented and the squad just had a record tying six players drafted to the CFL in May. And the wins should keep coming next year. When asked about what excites the former linebacker, he pointed to the potential for an explosive offence. Asher Hastings returns at QB following a record-breaking campaign, along with a stud receiving group, headlined by Danny Vandevoort. Last year, McMaster finished second in total points scored in the OUA. The defence improved as the year went along. Knox said they have a “strong group up front” and he’s looking forward to watching the secondary’s continued growth. It was a young group that gave up big passing totals early in the season, but hit their stride towards the end of the year. *** McMaster football is coming off the best decade in its history. The price of that success is losing Ptaszek, but with Greg Knox taking over and the rest of the assistant coaches returning, there is every reason to believe that success will continue when the 2016 football season kicks off later this summer. @Scott1Hastie
12 |
SPORTS
June 9, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
McMaster sports round-up Fresh faces for the Maroon and Grey Steve Pawelczyk – Assistant coach – Men’s volleyball The CIS silver medalists have a new assistant coach. Pawelczyk was a standout Canadian college volleyball player, earning an Ontario college player of the year award in 2009. Born and raised in Hamilton, Pawelczyk knows the program well.
Tom Flaxman – Director of Football Operations & Quality Control and Offensive Assistant Flaxman will be wearing familiar colours this fall. The former Marauder football player comes to Mac after two seasons at Western University, where he was the Recruiting Coordinator.
J.R. Calura
Jacobus Vanderpol
The men’s basketball program added Hamilton product J.R. Calura. During his career at St. Jean de Brebeuf, Calura won three Hamilton Catholic School Board city championships.
Jacobus Vanderpol signed with the men’s basketball team in November. A Westdale Secondary School graduate, Vanderpol is a 6-5 wing with size and strength to compete at the CIS level.
For the first time since 2004, the
Hailey Kranics & Jessie Nairn
women’s basketball program has a recruit from out west. Pearson, a
From Port Colborne, Ont., Kranics is a raw talent with upside. The 6-2
B.C. native, will wear Maroon and
middle played club for the Niagara Rapids and won a silver medal at
Grey in the fall. At 6-0, Pearson will
the 2015 Ontario Volleyball Association championships. In 2016, her
strengthen the Marauder front
club gave her the “Most Improved Player” of the year award.
court moving forward. Head coach
Nairn is a 5-11 middle blocker with a solid resume. As part of the
Theresa Burns said she expects
Oakville Thunder club, Nairn finished 10th at the 2016 Canadian
Pearson to transition quickly to the
National Championships. Her high school squad qualified for OFSAA as well.
Emily Pearson
CIS level. C/O MCMASTER ATHLETICS
www.thesil.ca | June 9, 2016
The Silhouette | 13
Arts & Culture Daniel Arauz A&C Editor
Lex Leosis is an overwhelmingly cheerful and charismatic presence among any line up fellow emcees, but make no mistakes, she is anything but chipper on the microphone. Her roots in the competitive world of slam poetry and battle rap come out in her fierce and abrasive lyricism, and that competitive drive has already given her a notable spot in underground Toronto hip hop. The Silhouette caught up with Leosis to continue the conversation about her relationship with hip hop, The Gospel, and hip hop education. The Silhouette: Could you touch on that story that you shared during the panel about your reading of KRS-One’s Gospel of Hip Hop as a real sort of religious experience? Lex: Yeah! So I was looking for hip hop literature because like there’s not a hip hop section in the library y’know? You can’t get a hip hop degree, you can’t go to school for that kind of thing and I was like, man I really want to learn and I wasn’t necessarily surrounded by it all the time like Keysha [Freshh] said she grew up into it. I didn’t really grow up into it, I wasn’t surrounded by it, I had to look for it, and I was like alright, I literally went on Amazon and I typed in hip hop books… and the first thing that came up was Gospel of Hip Hop, KRS-One, The First Instrument… It’s a bible for people who love hip hop, who appreciate hip hop and in this book he says “if you’re not feeling this by this page, by now, then maybe hip hop is not for you and that’s okay”, but I was just in it … Even as a kid I loved hip hop dancing, I really took to graffiti. I never drew graffiti on a building or tagged any buildings but I drew them in my notebooks, I tried to get better… This religious experience for me is that hip hop is something I live everyday. I get up and I reiterate to myself
Q&A: What hip-hop means for Lex Leosis
that I am hip hop and that I have something to say and that everyone, Keysha and LittleSister, Nilla, Tony, F.I.X., we all live that, we breathe it. It’s important to us. [The book] is called the Gospel of Hip Hop, it preaches, you read passages like you would the Bible. You’re going through something tough, and the craziest thing about this and this might sound crazy to anybody else, but when I’m going through something, I constantly restart the book right? …Every time I open that book when I’m going through something, it reiterates something I need to hear. It has kind of that religious spiritual magical power. You need to hear that kind of message and its right there in the book. S: How old were you when you first read the Gospel of Hip Hop? L: So I was 19 when I dug real deep into it, I’m 23 now.
S: There’s a transition that happens when you are a fan of hip hop and rap into the moment where you say you want to do this. What was that for you? L: I started in spoken word
when I was 16, I was really involved in spoken word and people kept telling me that you have this natural rhythm about you, like my spoken word sounds like rap, and they were like “you should just rap.” And I was like no, I’m a tall white girl, I’m like, Toronto, lower middle class fam. I’m cool, I don’t need to rap … but I loved hip hop and I couldn’t deny it. I think the moment where I was like “ah” was when I realized that I can’t deny what I am, I can’t deny who I am because of social factors. Everybody has to grow through that, and some people don’t get that until their like 50, 60 or 70 where they realize man I really should have pursued this because I love it, and people have different “aha” moments at different points in their life but I think mine was when I really accepted myself, for who I was and what I loved and that I had a place in hip hop and I didn’t need to hide it. S: In terms of hip hop as an outlet … I don’t want to call it an outlet because I think it’s a bigger thing then that but what do you think hip hop has allowed you to say, and what are the things you want to say to
people with it? L: I think, like I said in there, that you always have to speak your truth. Everybody’s truth is going to be different based on what they’ve been through, how they grew up, where they grew up, all that kind of stuff, right? They go through different points in their life, and that’s what is beautiful about hip hop is because my story is not going to be the same as your story and I think there are people that are in mainstream society that have the same thing. Childish Gambino grew up rich, and he raps about that, and that’s cool, because if he was rapping about anything else it wouldn’t be cool because it is not truthful. I think the only thing I have to say is my story, and my perspective on things and it’s not any better or less than anybody else’s. It’s just mine. S: When you teach and instruct hip hop to youth, what are you actually trying to give to them? L: You pass them the torch, just like in the Olympic run. You pass them the torch, and what we gave these kids in particular but what I, what F.I.X.
C/O LEX LEOSIS
gave these kids was the techniques, tools, and confidence to be able to speak their truth. That’s important because a lot of people have truths to speak and they can’t because they don’t know how, or it doesn’t come out in a way that’s appealing to our ears, and that’s what I think is fun about hip hop. The more you train, the more people will listen and it comes out in a very beautiful way, in a way that people will listen. That’s why hip hop is so popular, because it speaks truth in away that we can all receive it. S: Last question this evening, give people three artists they need to listen to right now. If it helps you can keep it local. L: Okay, that does help. Phoenix Pagliacci, from Toronto. I would say … Tory Lane from Toronto. I’m a Toronto kid. Ah this is hard … Jazz Cartier. Those are my most played albums but Phoenix Pagliacci especially, she is so dope and her speech, how it comes out, it’s so incredible.
@DanielArauzz
14 |
A&C
June 9, 2016 | www.thesil.ca
The Fast and the Furious Meet Peter Czerwinski, also known as Furious Pete, a McMaster grad, YouTube star and competitve eater Morgan Bergie Intern
Eating is, for most people, just a part of daily life. But for Furious Pete, food is now his career. Peter Czerwinski, better known by his nickname “Furious Pete”, is a McMaster Engineering alumnus who has gone from former student to YouTube star. It all began in August 2006 as he was looking for a fresh start. Czerwinski was hospitalized and during his three-year recovery, he discovered a unique ability, ironically involving food. The now 30 year-old realized he was able to eat large amounts of food in a short period of time. His newfound talent was the inspiration to his next endeavors. He began to post videos showing what he is capable of with food. Czerwinski went viral, and before long, Furious Pete was not only a nickname, but also a lifestyle. His channel offers quite a bit of content to his audience, including eating challenges, motivational fitness sessions and culinary travel videos. He currently has almost three million subscribers with just fewer than 500 million views of his posted videos. Along with his YouTube persona, he has also become a sensation in the world of eating competitions. He continuously competes
all over the globe, including in Canada, the U.S. and Germany. Since he started, he has won over two-dozen competitions. With his active presence at these particular events he is still able to be in impressive physical condition. Many have taken notice to Czerwinski, including the Guinness Book of World Records. Some of his current records obtained include the most hamburgers eaten in one minute, fastest time to eat a bowl of pasta and the fastest time to eat a 12-inch pizza. In 2010, Czerwinski took his career to the next level. A cinema company known as HotDocs decided to create a biographical documentary, taking a look into the life of Furious Pete, titled “The Story of Furious Pete.” This chronicles the life-changing events that have brought Peter to where he is today. It also takes an in depth look into the world of eating competitions, and how Czerwinski has become involved over several years. The HotDocs Film Festival in Toronto presented Czerwinski’s story a short time after its release. Currently, Czerwinski’s channel, Furious Pete, is constantly growing with weekly uploads of new content and concepts. His momentum seems to be unstoppable, as his presence on the Internet never ceases to impress.
Furious Pete’s World Records
C/O TORONTO STAR
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Fastest time to eat a bowl of pasta (41 seconds)
CONTACT TIM SCHOFFER, TODAY! University Property Management Services: Phone: 905.304.8075 Email: houses@machousing.com
Fastest time to eat 15 Ferrero Rocher (2 minutes and 22 seconds)
Fastest time to eat 3 chocolate eclairs (18.02 seconds)
www.machousing.com
A&C | 15
www.thesil.ca | June 9, 2016
Review: Edens Cafe
Authentic Middle Eastern taste with health benefits
Edens offers a variety of options for the health-conscious student C/O CHRISTINE CHOW
Edens hosts an assortment of traditional Greek and Middle Eastern food. Creating paradise is no easy “We have a culture behind feat. Eleni Christophorou and us,” said Christophorou. “We’re Christina Mouskos know that from Syracuse, and Sam, Chrisbetter than most people, having tina’s fiancé and head chef, is just opened Edens, a juice bar Egyptian … We’ve brought in in Ainsliewood named after the a lot of different recipes from biblical Garden of Eden. our travels.” Christophoru went It is not the first time the so far as to refer to Sam as the mother-and-daughter duo have “master of falafel.” tried their hand at the restauThe falafel entrée did not rant business. As the previous disappoint both in terms of owners of the New Village taste and portion size. While restaurant – now the Dragon the pita that came with the dish Court Restaurant – in Westdale, was a bit tough, it also arrived the pair come well-equipped with a generous variety of with both prior experience and three colourful dipping sauces, fresh ideas for the restauenough to satisfy even rant’s future. the most indecisive Serving fresh eater. and healthy food I was more is a main goal overtaken with at Edens. Their their pastries: menu offers a Spanakopita, a noticeably large deliciously flaky 1548 MAIN ST. W amount of vegGreek spinMAIN ST. W an, gluten-free, ach and cheese dairy-free, and pastry, and their nut-free items, Galaktoboureko for Their produce is locally dessert, a Greek custard farmed and they enforce a no pie sprinkled in cinnamon and microwave policy. creamy enough that it served as “There’s just nowhere you the perfect finish. can go to eat healthy food – or As I was initially drawn to to grab-and-go anything – that’s Edens by the concept of their healthy,” Mouskos said. “We juice bar, I tried the kidney eat like this normally, and so flush, one of their fresh juice when we go out, it’s hard to find options made from carrots, anything to eat.” apples, and beets. The family’s nutritional Despite being unaccusaspirations for their restaurant tomed to the unusual combinaare by no means restrictive. tion, the heavy taste of carrots In addition to its juice bar, and beets grew on me. THOR NDAL E ST.T
HOLLY WOO D ST.
Christine Chow Contributor
I intend to pluck up the courage to return soon and try something more avant-garde, such as the spirulina algae juice shot or one of their liquid nutrition shakes. Opening a juice bar was at the root of the idea for Edens, Mouskos explained. While the family initially planned on two separate stores for the juice bar and restaurant, they eventually settled on combining the two. It was not the only plan they had to change. “We wanted to open the skylight,” said Mouskos, explaining the biblical etymology of the restaurant’s name. “We wanted a big tree growing from the inside like the Garden of Eden, but we had issues with the city.” Christophorou agreed that the city was the biggest obstacle in the way of their plans, due to multiple difficulties with parking bylaws, rules concerning the ratio of seats to the number of washrooms, and licensing delays. Working with family brought its own difficulties. “It’s just really long hours,” said Mouskos. “When you’re here from 7 in the morning until 10 at night, you get tired, and it takes a toll physically and emotionally.” Gus, Mouskos’s brother and Christophorou’s son, was previously Edens marketing manager. Although he set up the computer system, helped with
the juice bar, and was fundamental to getting the business up and running, he eventually left his role in the family business due to a conflict of interest. Christophorou insists that they still remain a tightly knit family. “I’m not going to lie, it was tough in the beginning. But now things are running smoothly, and everything’s back to normal,” said Mouskos. In the meantime, Edens has moved on to bigger plans. After recently obtaining their alcohol license, the family plans on renovating their bathrooms so they can add more seating and a garden-themed patio by next summer. They also want to present
clientele with the building’s history by hanging framed pictures on the wall given to them by the previous owner of the building, back from when it was a boat mechanic shop in the 1970s. It’s certainly ambitious, but Christophorou and Mouskos are nothing if not ambitious. “I believe it’s only success for this place,” Christophorou said. “We’re going to succeed here.” And if the bright, fresh, and homely environment they have cultivated at Edens is any indication of success, then surely, they’re on the right path.
MAD@MAX We made out with an old friend and it wasn’t weird af ter the weekend. You lied, Kerman C1
THURSDAY
THE
HAMILTON SPECULATOR Spec ’s gon’ give it to ya since 1934
NOTSPEC.COM
CONSPEARACY?!
JUNE 9, 2016
Gimme more: Mac students have a ton of s-e-x. One Mac employee shares their theory on why
An awkward handshake between a student advocacy group member and a Member of Parliament.
SHIT HASTINGS o shit whaddup
Why are McMaster students the most sexually active university population in Canada? A Mac employee has an idea. It’s Britney, bitch. Jonah Wagner, a McMaster employee since 1986, approached the Spec in June with an elaborate theory about the increase in sex. “Ever since they started playing more of that Britney Spears girl, I swear these students are just bumping uglies all day every day” said Wagner, who works in the nuclear reactor on campus. The theory dates back to Spears’ first hit single in 1999, “Baby One More Time.” While the lyrics are
not overtly sexual, the music video was what ruined the minds of male undergraduate students. “The pigtails, the midriff, the pouty look Britney pulls off like no one else can ... it sent the boys into a frenzy. I’m pretty sure that’s a fact,” said Wagner. It went downhill from there. Crossroads came out in 2002, and despite its 14 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, there was a semimonthly showing of the VHS in Togo Salmon Hall 120. “It was the most popular class on campus. I called it ‘Spears 1A03’ and everyone was enroled,” Wagner explained. As time wore on, she did it again. And again. And again. Every one of Brit’s bangers revived the sex
POLL: worst male fashion mistake of summer? Cargo shorts. What are you hiding?
White Oakleys.
Bright flip flops. Yikes guy!
Fedoras. You’re not Jason Mraz.
The Speculator is satire. This is all bullshit. I feel bad for the losers and the haters that take this seriously. Sad!
lives of students across faculties and TwelvEighty — then named Quarters — would see an increase in popularity. Mac reached a critical mass of sex-havers in 2004. Following the 2003 double cohort, campus was bursting at the seams with a ton of hotties. But then Britney turned the campus into a circus. “Toxic” came out in 2004, and the ensuing music video was too much for Mac students. “They ran out of condoms. Westdale Shoppers Drug Mart, the student centre pharmacy, SHEC, all of them. Just no more condoms. Students tapped them out. It was not good but in retrospect, I kind of respect it,” said Wagner. As Britney’s career has declined,
“The pigtails, the mid-riff, the pouty look Britney pulls off like no one else can ... it sent the boys into a frenzy.” Jonah Wagner idk we found him near the nuclear reactor, he says he works there but i don’t buy it
rates of activity have fallen but Mac still tops the lists. Wagner said the culture has been established, and undergrads will never stop Seeking Amy.
Tweets to the Editor Fuck LRT. I don’t need trains on my streets. What’s next, cats sleeping with dogs?
I told my husband I got a 69 at Chedoke and now he is filing for divorce.
- Horace, Ancaster, 56
- Angela, Locke St, 42
INSIDE HOW TO WIN A COSTCO FIGHT AND PROVE YOUR LOVE A3 WE ONLY RT COMPLIMENTS C2 ELBOWED SOMEONE AT A CLUB AND NOW I’M ON THE NO FLY LIST B2 BACKLASH, TOO: PEOPLE ARE MAD ONLINE BECAUSE THE TRAGICALLY HIP ARE BEING CALLED THE MOST CANADIAN BAND OF ALL TIME P(redictable)9
PER ISSUE: One racist/sexist/xenophobic meme from your uncle’s Facebook.