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NEWS CHATTING WITH MEAGHAN ROSS Mac’s new sexual violence response coordinator Page 4
LIFESTYLE CAMPUS CHIC Are you a campus trendsetter? Check out our new social media campaign! Page 21
SPORTS VOLLEYBALL McMaster’s own gains valuable experience playing for Volleyball Canada Page 23
The Silhouette Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
BIG IDEAS,
BETTER CITIES A new series of seminar talks brings McMaster’s research and student community into the city
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#TBT
A LOOK BACK AT
THE ARCHIVES
The Silhouette
Highlights from previous issues of The Silhouette
Volume 86, Issue 5 Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
SEPT. 16, 1999
McMaster University’s Student Newspaper
Migrants in Canada
EDITORIAL BOARD editor-in-chief | thesil@thesil.ca
In the late 1990’s, Chinese refugees faced a huge amount of xenophobia when migrating to Canada for asylum.
Amanda Watkins @whatthekins managing editor | managing@thesil.ca
Ana Qarri @anaqarri production editor | production@thesil.ca Michael Gallagher @michaelradar online editor | online@thesil.ca Shane Madill @shanemadill
An issue not so different from what is presently going on in our nation, as Canadians debate how to adequately address the current migrant crisis.
sections
Rachel Katz Patrick Kim news reporter Alex Florescu features reporter Daniel Arauz opinions editor Talia Kollek sports editor Sofia Mohamed sports reporter Jaycee Cruz lifestyle editor Jason Woo lifestyle reporter Michelle Yeung andy editor Tomi Milos andy reporter Vannessa Barnier news editor
news reporter
[originally published in The Silhouette as Fear of refugees is racist]
media
Jonathan White photo reporter Jason Lau video editor Philip Kim social media coordinator Esther Adjekum photo editor
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The Silhouette welcomes letters to the editor in person at MUSC B110, or by email at thesil@thesil.ca. Please include name, address and telephone number for verification only. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters and opinion articles. Opinions and editorials expressed in The Silhouette are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers, the McMaster Students Union or the University. The Silhouette is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the McMaster Students Union. The Silhouette Board of Publications acts as an intermediary between the editorial board, the McMaster community and the McMaster Students Union. Grievances regarding The Silhouette may be forwarded in writing to: McMaster Students Union, McMaster University Student Centre, Room 201, L8S 4S4, Attn: The Silhouette Board of Publications. The Board will consider all submissions and make recommendations accordingly.
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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
In this
issue:
The Silhouette
News
University hires a Sexual Violence Response Coordinator Page 4
Profile: McMaster’s own “Ice Princess” Page 8
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Dr. David L. Clark launches “The Hospitality Project” Page 12
Build an idea, grow a city With the launch of “Big Ideas, Better Cities,” McMaster hopes to find more ways for students to feel connected to the Hamilton community Steven Chen Contributor
On Sept. 11, McMaster initiated a yearlong series, “Big Ideas, Better Cities” at the David Braley Health Sciences Centre in downtown Hamilton. The yearlong series of events promotes the role of university research in overcoming twenty-first century issues. Funded through McMaster’s Forward with Integrity initiative, “Big Ideas, Better Cities,” is the product arising from extensive collaboration between the university community and city officials. Each event is prepared by an interdisciplinary group of researchers and will focus on various themes relevant to the city of Hamilton—ranging from the impact of aging on society, the vital role of healthy neighbourhoods in building city life, to the impact of climate change on public policy and community health. The event on Friday, Sept. 11 featured Stephen Huddart, President and CEO of the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, who gave a keynote talk on “How Universities Can Help Make Cities Great.” “Universities and cities have so much that they can do together,” said Huddart. “They have the potential to shape cities that work for everybody—cities that are positioning themselves for the next generation to succeed with meaningful work and cities that are successful in creating the unique and generating spaces that distinguish themselves.”
The talk addressed the challenge of urban poverty for cities like Hamilton. “The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction has been doing really important work in this area using the collective impact approach, and we’re seeing positive signs of improvement there,” said Huddart, “but frankly it’s not moving as fast as we would hope and so I think we need to be asking ourselves what more can we do.” Huddart believes that in order to combat the urban poverty within the Hamilton region, it is crucial to propagate initiatives such as the Living Wage campaign and to encourage investments in the social economy.
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We live in times when we all need to make a difference, and I think young people today are ready to step up. Stephen Huddart President and C.E.O. of the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation “Anchor institutions in Hamilton [need] to come together and pool their purchasing power to support the development of new enterprises, including worker-owned cooperatives.”
Stephen Huddart, President and CEO of the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation gave the first Big Ideas Better Cities talk last Friday on how universities can have a tremendously positive effect on cities. C/O J.D. HOWELL
The proposed plan for enterprise development involves having anchor institutions act as built-in customers. It is a means of ensuring that companies undergo business development and provide proper training knowing that there is the safety of a pre-established customer base. Huddart believes that undergraduate education is an additional topic of concern, as lecture-style teaching at the undergraduate level offers little advantage to online courses that can be accessible at little to no cost. “I think part of the answer [to how universities can make their experience valuable],” explains Huddart, “is by giving students the opportunity to work on real-world issues in real places. This means putting further emphasis on research involving local issues, on service learning and on developing
partnerships with community institutions.” The notion that there is great potential for students to make a direct difference in the community while pursuing career and business opportunities was underlined throughout the talk. “Students are not interested in making money simply for money’s sake,” said Huddart. “We live in times when we all need to make a difference, and I think young people today are ready to step up.” The “Big Ideas, Better Cities” series brings forth a positive conversation between McMaster and the city of Hamilton with the aim of fuelling collaboration. “I think we need a lot more that,” said Huddart, “there is too much silo-ing and too much institutional ego getting in the way of moving forward together on the issues that matter.”
Subsequent segments of the “Big Ideas, Better Cities” series—each of which addresses critical issues or innovations— are expected to take place throughout the year. Upcoming talks include: “Living Long, Living Well,” featuring Dr. Parminder Raina on Sept. 29 and Oct. 1, and “Better Communities Through Better Data,” featuring A. Abigail Payne on Nov. 3 and 4. More information can be found on the project’s website. “I think the point we wish to make, is that social innovation looks at how we can turn challenges into economic opportunities,” Huddart said. “It is vital for us to confront the challenge of changing our systems so that people can go to work on creating positive outcomes.”
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NEWS
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 | www.thesil.ca
Safer space for survivors Meaghan Ross joined the Human Rights and Equity Services team this fall as the Sexual Violence Response Coordinator
Alexandra Florescu News Reporter
The Office of Human Rights and Equity Services (HRES) gained a spunky personality and welcoming face when Meaghan Ross joined their office as McMaster’s new Sexual Violence Response Coordinator. The position was created in response to recommendations made by “It’s Time To End Violence Against Women on Campus,” a McMaster project commonly referred to as “It’s Time.” Ross and Status of Women Canada, a government initiative, partnered to head the project, and found that there was a gap in the school’s protocol for responding to survivors of sexual violence. While Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is pushing towards the creation of a specific sexual assault policy, there are no current legislative requirements for how to respond to survivors. This means that survivors who are disclosing may get a response that ranges from accepting to victim-blaming. “[Survivors] may connect with a very good T.A. who knows this information who understands this kind of work and refers them to the appropriate folks. On the other hand, they may connect with a T.A. or staff member or faculty member ‘X’ and they may get a victim-blaming and a very unaccommodating response,” Ross explained. Currently, work is being done to implement a protocol of response for which people likely to get disclosures—teaching assistants, people working in athletics, student leaders and academic advisors—will undergo response training. In her new role, Ross will be implementing a two-part approach to sexual violence on campus. The first will be response to survivors. Disclosures can come from incidents that occurred either on or off campus as long as there is a nexus to McMaster, including incidences of sexual violence that occur at
an event hosted by a McMaster student off-campus. The second pillar of her approach is a reformation of cultural views. “In dealing with sexual violence, institutions tend to think [of sexual assault as] one individual case rather than seeing it as a culture and thinking about the norms created in society,” Ross explained. The #Consent campaign run through the Student Wellness Center and SACHA training for Welcome Week representatives centered around sexual violence is a move in this direction. Training focuses on bursting some of the preconceived notions floating around. “Sexual violence has been linked with sex. You hear lots of things about perpetrators, who are most likely people we know, … being just too attracted to someone or not being able to control themselves. The danger in that argument… is that sexual violence is not about sex, it’s actually about power, like other forms of violence,” Ross said. The other side of the issue is the reality that our culture relies on an evidence-based system of proof. This has proven to be a large barrier in the case of sexual violence, which often occurs out of sight. While society at large may not yet be at the point where these experiences can be communicated in a safe environment, Ross can certainly be that helping hand. “I think that is where the analysis of power comes in. For me folks don’t need to [provide] proof because the reality is that is the way that power systems work,” she said. Despite her new position, McMaster has long been home to Ross. She completed both her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work and Labour Studies and then went on to earn a Masters of Arts degree in Globalization Studies at McMaster. She brings in experience working in social services and at a sexual assault center, both
of which have contributed to a deep understanding of the conditions in which violence occur and the intersections between violence against women and other identities. “I think I am bringing both an analysis of what makes a good survivor response and [an understanding] of how folks navigate the university in order to make policy change,” said Ross. Anyone wishing to connect with Meaghan Ross can reach her in person at the office in room 212 on the second floor of MUSC, through the phone at 905-525-9140 ext. 20909 or through email at rossm4@ mcmaster.ca.
The Human Rights and Equity Services office in MUSC. JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR. INSET: Meaghan Ross C/O MCMASTER DAILY NEWS
@alexxflorescu
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES TO McMASTER’S GOVERNING BODIES Elections will be held in October 2015 to fill vacant undergraduate and graduate student representative seats on McMaster’s governing bodies. Board of Governors: 1 graduate student Senate:
Business: 1 undergraduate student Health Sciences: 1 graduate student Humanities: 1 graduate student Science: 1 undergraduate student Social Sciences: 1 graduate student
Completed nomination forms must be received in the University Secretariat office by 12:00 noon on Thursday, September 24, 2015. Nomination forms and information about eligibility, terms, and election procedures are available on the University Secretariat website: www.mcmaster.ca/univsec/elections/index.cfm All approved candidates are required to attend a mandatory campaign information session on Friday, September 25, 2015 at 3:30 p.m. in MUSC, Room 203.
Questions may be directed to the University Secretariat, telephone 905.525.9140 x24337, or email unielec@mcmaster.ca
NEWS
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
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Social media’s new Discovery Channel CherryPic, an app developed by McMaster students, aims to help small initiatives reach a bigger audience Rachel Katz News Editor
Earlier this month, six McMaster geography PhD students launched CherryPic, an app that, according to their press release, claims to be “a Netflix for your life, a localized Pinterest, and a Tinder for activities.” In other terms, CherryPic is an account-free photo-sharing app that allows users to share images of local events with other users. Right now, the app is only functional in the Hamilton area, but the team is working on a new version that will show posts based on the user’s location. “We want to take that format where you’re just browsing passively and turn that into some kind of information transfer. Facebook and Instagram are like the sitcoms and dramas of television. We want to be the Discovery Channel,” explained Charles Burke, one of the app’s creators. He also highlighted the fact that none of the students involved in the project have any background in app creation. He said that while some see it as a “throwaway subject… geography is starting to ask all these big questions and get involved with technology.” The group’s affiliation with the university has been beneficial throughout CherryPic’s yearlong development. Not only were they able to secure roughly $10,000 in funding through the Forward With Integrity and School of Graduate Studies grant programs, they were
also able to connect with Ed Parsons, Google’s Chief Geospatial Technologist. Late last fall, Parsons gave a talk at McMaster through Geographers Without Borders. “What he said was that at the core, what geography is meant to do is make it so you never feel like you’re lost,” Burke said. Following Parsons’ talk, the CherryPic creators discussed some fundamental questions of geography, perhaps most notably how technology shapes our sense of place. “What CherryPic does is give you a friend from the area, but because it’s account-free… your one friend in the area could be thousands of friends,” Burke said. Users take a photo of an event around them, upload it to CherryPic and caption it with a description of the picture, similar to a Snapchat story. Users then have the option to link their upload to a website or video, a function made possible due to the app being powered by Google. Burke believes that the CherryPic app enables people to search for something they don’t yet know exists. Since its launch earlier this month, CherryPic already boasts over 300 users, many of whom have praised the app for its ability to share information about the events that might go unnoticed, such as small concerts or events being held by local or university-run clubs. But CherryPic is not without its critics. One user approached the team with the
CherryPic allows users to post their urban discoveries in an account-free photo-sharing app. C/O JON WHITE/PHOTO EDITOR
concern that app is remarkably similar to Instagram in that it is used to share pictures of events. However, Burke and his team are not concerned by this criticism. “Our app allows you to discover what is going on around you in the present or future and can in turn become the moments that end up on Instagram,” he said. There is also the concern of groups using the app to advertise, as CherryPic provides the perfect platform to do so. Burke admitted the app is to an extent an advertising platform, but he compared it to the level of advertising one would see on a poster. “If you are putting up posters… you are desperate to find
the people interested in what you have,” he explained. Users are able to report anything that looks suspiciously like an advertisement—a skill Burke says we all possess, and the developers are able to remove anything from their end as well. Burke is proud of how far CherryPic has come since it was conceived a year ago. “Obviously [the app] is not all the way there yet. We’ve created a Model T car for creating this sense of place,” he said. He hopes his passion for CherryPic will excite other young innovators. “We’re building a Silicon Valley here at Mac, but we need more people.” @RachAlbertaKatz
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Facebook and Instagram are like the sitcoms and dramas of television. We want to be the Discovery Channel. Charles Burke CherryPic co-creator
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HUMANS
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 | www.thesil.ca
The Silhouette has partnered with Humans of McMaster! You can view these photos online on the Humans of McMaster Facebook page: facebook.com/HumansOfMcMaster
“Tell us about yourself.” I just came here several weeks ago from China–Zhejiang province, Hangzhou City. I moved two weeks ago, I was here with my parents travelling around the city. We went to Toronto and Niagara Falls. When I came here, everything was brand new, and I was so excited and nervous about, you know, everything. And the food – I think the food here is very nice. [I
Douglas Chung Biology and Psychology IV
liked] Vietnamese food, and the poutine–yeah, that’s specially designed in Canada, right? I like that a lot.
people always do that.
What do you like about Canada?
When I was studying at China, studies were very intense. I had to get up at 5 o’clock in the morning – maybe 5:30 a.m. – and classes finished at 9:30 p.m. in the evening, so it was very intense. It was very competitive. Every student needs to pass
People here are friendly. They are always willing to help you. They don’t feel embarrassed to say “thank you” every time they get off the bus. It’s optional, but
Tell me about your life back in China.
Tony Xu Commerce I
a final test [that tests you on] everything you’ve learned in the past six years. So, your future depends on that test. It’s not like here, where every test is accumulated to your average. So did you do that test? I didn’t do that test. Before that test took place, I came here. So now I don’t have to do it. It’s already gone.
What about people interests you? “I don’t even know. I’m a huge people person–I just love hearing stories, but I hate labels.” Why? Because you’re judging a person based on one word. People are so much more complex than just one word. Or one label. People are just… complex. How so? I don’t know about you, but do you ever like, sit on a bus, or when you’re driving – everybody that’s driving, you don’t know them, but everybody there has a story, everyone has struggles, and I find that so fascinating, that a person across from me could be going through the biggest thing of their life, but you’d have no idea. They’re just a passenger. And you’re never gonna know, but everyone has a story. And that’s really cool. It’s like, I’ve been judged, so I don’t ever want that to happen to anybody else. So that’s why I always want to hear everyone’s stories. I guess my message to everybody is just don’t judge people based on your first impression of them and take the time to get to know people because there are some really cool people out there. There are some really amazing people, and you can learn a lot from them.
Rachel Adcok PNB III
JASON LAU/ PHOTO REPORTER
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8 |
NEWS
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 | www.thesil.ca
Between skates and stars Professional ice dancer-turnedastrophysicist proves she’s a real life “Ice Princess”
Gwendolyn Eadie once toured with Disney on Ice across North and South Americas as an ice dancer. These days, she still laces up her skates for the McMaster Varsity Women’s Figure Skating Team, but you can also find her in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, where she is a PhD candidate. Eadie began her undergraduate career at Simon Fraser University as an English major. Her interest in math and science was present throughout her childhood, but it was not until she took a first-year astronomy class that her interest developed into an academic pursuit. Eadie credits this development to her astronomy professor. “When you have a teacher that is really inspiring and can convey the material really well… if you have an innate interest, then when you have a prof that can bring that out of you, that’s when you hope you can go into that field.” “The turning point was when I wrote an English paper about the Hubble Space Telescope. Maybe English wasn’t the right thing for me,” she reminisced. Now in the third year of her doctoral studies, her work focuses on calculating the mass of the Milky Way Galaxy. To many of us, conquering the weight of our day-to-day responsibilities is enough, never mind the mass of a galaxy. But Eadie, who has developed her own statistical model for calculating the weight of the Milky Way Galaxy, finds reassurance from studying the ever-expanding universe as it reminds her of the relativity of our issues in the grand scheme of the solar system, and beyond. Even with all of this, com-
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Eadie (front row, second from the left) with teammates at the 2015 OUA Championships. C/O AARON SPRINGFORD
The turning point was when I wrote an English paper about the Hubble Space Telescope. Gwendolyn Eadie PhD candidate and ice dancer petitive figure skating is still part of her life. “It’s something I love and it’s completely different from work—it gets me out of the office and it gets me socializing with a whole different set of people, so it just keeps me really happy to keep doing it.” The figure skating team consists mostly of undergraduate students so Eadie is also seen as a role model within the team. Sometimes, she offers her teammates free physics tutoring in her downtime. Eadie wants women to break down barriers in academia and beyond, believing in the importance of role models. When asked to name her role models, she lists her mom first and foremost. “I think seeing [my mom] growing up really broke down those walls. Why can’t I go into science and do astronomy? There’s no reason why I can’t.” Motivation can be hard to tap into when stress kicks in, but Eadie believes it is important to keep devoting time to our passions. “Don’t stop the things you love doing… It’s a part of who you are and it’s good for you.”
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NEWS
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
The clubs, they are a’changing Numerous changes are coming to one of the biggest departments in the MSU
Of the 289 MSU clubs, 24 are new this year. The following are just three. SCHOOL OF BANGRA The McMaster School of Bhangra teaches the Bhangra dance style from the Punjab region of North India and East Pakistan. However, it’s by no means limited to students from that region. The group’s practice sessions incorporate pop music and “Bhangaerobics.” “We like to send the message out that we’re trying to bring the fun back into Bhangra,” says Bipasha Sen, the club’s co-president.
CLUBS
Clubspace in full action. INSET: The new Clubs logo. C/O JOSH PATEL
Patrick Kim News Reporter
Welcome changes have arrived for the McMaster Students Union’s Clubs Department, one of the largest clubs networks in the country. “We started thinking this summer about things we could do to make the clubs department better and more efficient,” said Joshua Patel, Clubs Administrator. Communication is one of the main issues that the department has worked to improve. This begins with a monthly newsletter that will highlight useful information and important updates within the clubs department. For September, the newsletter will highlight clubs training as well as budgets and finances, but Patel is hoping that future editions will serve a different theme each time, including spotlights on featured clubs. “That was our big issue: how do you communicate with over 300 clubs? And not only talk to the [club] presidents, because sometimes those mes-
New clubs spotlight Isaac Kinley Contributor
MSU
sages get forgotten or ignored, but also communicate with the execs and clubs in general, so everyone knows what’s going on in the department,” said Patel. A sorely needed change has also come in the form of a second Assistant Clubs Administrator. In the past, the department has faced problems with the unavailability of administrators due to the large number of clubs they manage. The department hopes an additional assistant will help ease that burden. “They take more of the roles of support, the face-time with clubs, whereas if there is a very important matter with finances, I’ll probably take that over,” said Patel. An online booking portal for Club Space is scheduled for implementation in the upcoming weeks in order to cut the time the administrators spend manually booking spaces for clubs. Patel explained that nearly half of the previous Assistant Clubs Administrator’s time was spent booking and responding to booking requests. Allowing clubs to make the bookings themselves will allow the ad-
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ministrators to use their time more efficiently. A new program called “MSU Dollars” will also allow clubs to take advantage of a little extra credit in spending, in addition to the budget they receive each year. “On top of their normal budget allocation, we’re giving every club a $100 credit to use at any of our MSU services,” Patel said. “We’ve been noticing that clubs have been using Avtek, TwelvEighty and the Underground a lot... there’s always been money left over every year, and some clubs need money more than other clubs.” On top of all of the changes is a brand new logo that Patel feels will better reflect the nature of clubs at McMaster. The image is made up of five pieces to represent the five pillars of clubs in the department: Academic, Cultural, Recreational, Religious and Social Issues. With each piece resembling a person, the elements form a circle to represent unity and the community that is fostered between clubs and students. “I wanted to do something that’s a little more representative
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On top of their normal budget allocation, we’re giving every club a $100 credit to use at any of our MSU services. Joshua Patel MSU Clubs Administrator
of the department, and it is one of the biggest departments in the MSU,” he said. “Since we were changing so many different things on an administration level, it’s a great time to put a new face to the clubs department.”
@patrickmkim
INK MOVEMENT There’s also Ink Movement, a project to publish the creative work of local youth. Max Tran, a recent inductee to Plan Canada’s Top 20 Under 20, founded Ink Movement while still in high school as an avenue for artists and writers to share their work. With chapters in Mississauga, Montreal and now Hamilton, Tran hopes to host more workshops throughout the year for writers, photographers and artists. GLOBAL PEACE CENTRE Another new club is the Global Peace Centre for Canada at McMaster, an organization dedicated to local and international conflict resolution. Karim Mithani, the club’s president, hopes to use proven peace building strategies to address local conflicts, such as the controversy surrounding last year’s BDS movement. “That was a huge source of conflict on campus,” he said. “There wasn’t enough dialogue facilitated to resolve or at least address [it].” Mithani hopes that the club will be able to organize such events should any future conflict arise in Hamilton or McMaster. A full list of the MSU’s newly ratified clubs is available on the MSU website. @Eyesaakin
www.thesil.ca
The McMaster Students Union
PRESIDENT’S PAGE Since my time with the McMaster Students Union (MSU) began two years ago, I’ve seen a steady push from students to make our organization and McMaster University more accessible. Last year, the MSU hosted its first Accessibility Forum, wherein students discussed several kinds of challenges on campus, including physical barriers and the need for academic accommodations. The Student Representative Assembly (SRA) passed an Accessibility policy afterwards, codifying the MSU’s stance on improving both itself and the University. As a way of continuing the MSU’s work in this en-
deavour and welcoming a new cohort of students to McMaster, the MSU is excited to announce Maccess. Maccess is a week-long campaign designed to make students more cognizant about accessibility at McMaster, as well as to emphasize what is being done to eliminate barriers and how students can continue this work. Maccess will feature a variety of programming throughout the week. To see the entire week’s schedule, visit msumcmaster.ca/maccess. One aspect of this campaign involves students helping to make physical accessibility issues more visible. Some areas and pathways on campus are
The President’s Page is a space sponsored and used by the McMaster Students Union (MSU) Board of Directors (BoD) to communicate with the student body. It functions to highlight the Board’s projects, goals, and agenda for the year, as well as the general happenings of the MSU.
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I’ve seen a steady push from students to make ... McMaster University more accessible.
more accessible than others. Throughout the week, volunteers will be chalking certain areas on campus according to their levels of accessibility. Blue chalk will designate the most accessible routes and red chalk the least. Yellow chalk will represent areas that fall in between. We hope this activity will highlight the lack of accessible pathways in many areas of campus. In addition, Maccess
will feature programming that will include anti-oppression training, beginner sign language classes, and a session on low vision facilitated by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. There will be a speech given by David Lepofsky, a leading spokesperson on legislation surrounding the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). In addition, students will facilitate sessions in which they will share their experiences using wheelchairs on campus, as well as a session focusing on the impact of chronic illnesses. Throughout the week, students can stop by the MUSC-Mills Plaza to talk to Maccess volunteers about the campaign and learn how to get involved with the MSU’s work on accessibility. There will also be a banner inviting students to share their responses to the question “What Does Disability Mean to You?” Join in the social media conversation using #Maccess. Coming soon, the app Cartographr will also be available for Apple and Android, where anyone can tag accessibility concerns on a map of McMaster’s campus and see others’ tagged concerns as well. Maccess will provide an opportunity for students to get more involved in the ongoing conversation around accessibility on campus.
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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
The Silhouette | 11
Editorial Getting students on Board Positions have opened on the university Board of Governors and Senate, but just how open are these positions? Amanda Watkins Editor-in-Chief
As is tradition at this time of year, the McMaster Board of Governors and Senate are accepting nominations for a number of open positions. The Board is looking for graduate students, while the Senate has openings for both undergraduate and graduate students alike. The two bodies are considered exceptional options for students to get involved with the university at a greater capacity, but there are numerous barriers that have prevented both the Board and the Senate from reaching their full potentials. In recent years, the University Secretariat has been consistently challenged with enticing students to submit their names for nominations. “In a given year, we might have several candidates for one position and
only one for another. Then another year, we might see the opposite for those same two seats,” said Tamara Bates, one of the two Assistant University Secretaries. A low number of student applications have led to the consistent acclamation of a few positions each year, and thus lower levels of promotions related to voting, and further consequently, a low voter turnout. While it may seem that this issue stems from a sense of apathy across a student body that doesn’t seem invested in its university’s governing boards, the BoG and Senate both have barriers of their own that may deter students from submitting their names. As of right now, all applicants for the BoG must hold a Canadian citizenship, making it impossible for international students, permanent residents and recent immigrants to even consider applying for a position. As a university that celebrates its diverse student body and even has an
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international student at the head of its student’s union, this bylaw is both backward and prevents the BoG and Senate from reaching out to the full student body. The “Act Respecting McMaster University,” the document containing the early BoG and Senate framework, was ratified in 1976 and has not received notable moderation since. McMaster’s student body has changed a considerable amount over the last 39 years, and if the university is hoping to engage more students in its practices, an effort needs to be made to accommodate them. It is the responsibility of students to stay up to date with the processions of their university’s governing bodies, but the university also holds a certain responsibility to ensure that all students have fair access to these opportunities. @whatthekins
to line bypass at Sizzle.
to changing page numbers.
to the fresh new stock of cream cheese at UM.
to too long lectures.
to food truckers. to the Great Filter. to no more IDML. to no known typos. to food deliveries on campus. to a cleared loading dock.
to “Compton Chic.” to making big decisions. to forgotten inhalers. to Group B. to secret pizza whispers. to InstaCousins. to Tinder reality checks.
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12 |
NEWS
Canadian campus news Gabi Herman Contributor
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 | www.thesil.ca
Letter by letter McMaster professor who opened seat for Omar Khadr launches new initiative to promote friendship and hospitality
McGill receives notice of seizure
Prof. David L. Clark hopes to send five hundred public letters to Omar Khadr in the spirit of hospitality.
McGill University has received a notice of seizure from the women titleholders of Kahentinetha of the Bear Clan, from a Kahnawake Mohawk community nearby. The notice states that McGill is “staying on [Kahnawake] land without our permission… refuses to repay billions plus… [and is] developing technologies for surveillance, death, and destruction.” The document asks McGill for the $1.7 billion owed to the Six Nations’ Trust Funds, and claims that the community has legal rights to everything on campus.
C/O DAVID L. CLARK
Consent at York U York University hosted Canada’s largest consent education event as part of their Orientation Day last week. More than 6,500 new students attended a presentation on consent and healthy dating, part of a larger event called “You Had Me at Consent.” The presentation was followed by the world record attempt for the most selfies taken at once.
Brock U taking new approach to textbook prices To address the growing difficulty of finding affordable textbooks, Brock has embraced a “dynamic pricing” system for their books. Their school store compares textbook prices to online retailer prices, and makes daily adjustments. They will lose money on some titles but are not worried, since they believe they will sell more books overall.
Campuses aid Syria Ryerson U, Georgian College, the University of Regina and the University of Alberta have all found funding to sponsor students and families affected by the conflict in Syria. Ryerson will be sponsoring the resettlement of 11 Syrian families, and the other schools will be helping to cover the tuition and living expenses of young refugees who wish to pursue post-secondary education.
Sophia Topper Contributor
Omar Khadr is a polarizing figure, considered by some to be a terrorist and others a child soldier. But English professor David L. Clark sees a deep connection between the young men and women he teaches at McMaster and Mr. Khadr, one that he hopes to foster. Mr. Khadr was born in Toronto in 1986, and spent his early life between Canada and Pakistan. He was captured at the age of 15 in Afghanistan following a firefight with the American Military in which Mr. Khadr allegedly killed a medic. He was held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay, where he became a victim of torture. But he was also busy working to upgrade his middle school level education with help from a team of professors from The King’s College, a private Christian university in Edmonton, Alberta, who devised a curriculum and visited him in Guantanamo. Since his extradition back to Alberta in 2013, the
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I want the Canadian public to see that students too are part of this work towards a more democratic and humane polity. Prof. David L. Clark Founder of “The Hospitality Project”
visits have increased to at least once a week and Mr. Khadr has reached a Grade 12 level education. In May 2015, McMaster’s Prof. David L. Clark wrote a letter to President Patrick Deane, requesting that the university hold a spot for Mr. Khadr. The letter received little response from the university until the request drew the attention of the media, and Prof. Clark was invited to meet with President Deane. That meeting, described
by Prof. Clark as “a very robust conversation to say the least,” resulted in an invitation to Prof. Arlette Zinck of The King’s College, one of Mr. Khadr’s primary tutors, to visit campus. Prof. Clark regarded this as a promising first step in a larger process. This letter also had another kind of response: hate mail. “There’s nothing like opening up your email in the morning and having someone scream at you,” said Prof. Clark. “The letters that came to me demonstrated that a whole lot of education needed to take place first,” a challenge Prof. Clark is taking on. He has devised a second initiative, “The Hospitality Project”, that aims to address that issue by asking students to write five hundred public letters to Omar Khadr in the spirit of “hospitality, friendship, dignity, respect and solidarity.” He is optimistic about the relationship between young people and Mr. Khadr. “99 percent of positive responses I got to the first initiative came from students, and that’s what lead to the second
initiative,” said Prof. Clark. The website was launched on Sept. 9, and already Professor Lisa Farley at York University has tweeted an invitation to her first year class of about 300 students to take part in “The Hospitality Project”. The reaction at McMaster remains to be seen. “I’m holding my breath,” said Prof. Clark. While he anticipates a great response from students, he admits it is possible that their letters, which will be signed and published, may attract backlash. “They won’t have a return address [but] of course it’s quite possible that… students who write [the letters] will be subjected to criticism.” In the age of the internet a return address is hardly needed to identify a writer, but Prof. Clark believes that this risk is outweighed by the benefits to Mr. Khadr, and the overall role of the university in building peace. “I want the Canadian public to see that students too are part of this work towards a more democratic and humane polity,” he said.
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
The Silhouette | 13
Opinion
#NotOurStonewall
Let’s not let Hollywood distort radical queer history Alex Wilson Contributor
The Stonewall Riots are such a significant part of my culture as a Queer person. They provided me with hope and resilience as I was learning how to navigate the heteronormative world we live in. They also gave me Pride, although a very different one from what we see celebrated today. So you would think, when I heard a movie focusing on the events of Stonewall was coming out this September, I would be ecstatic. I mean really, the Gay and Lesbian section on Netflix is barren. But instead of excitement while watching the trailer I felt infuriated, disgusted, hurt and appalled. The riots began in response to a particularly brutal police raid on June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York. Rioting and civil disobedience continued through the following nights and a Christopher Street Liberation march was mobilized shortly after. These riots fundamentally changed Queer activism. They started new rad-
ical Queer rights organizations like the Gay Liberation Front, the Gay Activists Alliance as well as the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries and launched the modern Queer Rights movement. They also started a culture of Pride in the Queer community, as for the first time people were fighting back en-masse against systemic oppression. This activism was in stark contrast to the assimilative tactics being used before that night. Stonewall embodied intersectionality. The patrons of the bar were predominantly trans folk, drag queens, self-proclaimed dykes, sex workers, queer runaways, and people of colour. All of these people faced multiple barriers of systemic oppression and Stonewall acted as a space for them to congregate and be themselves. To say that they were only rebelling against Queer oppression would be dangerously false. Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a lifelong trans-activist and patron of the bar that night, provided insight into the level of marginalization these folks faced when she told her account of the night.
“When you get in those kind of situations, the first thing you want to do is piss off whatever guard you’re fighting so much that they knock you completely out, then you’ll live another day. They won’t keep beating on you until you don’t live.” The leaders and primary instigators of the rebellion that night were almost all dykes, transwomen or drag queens of colour, that all experienced this degree of marginalization. Yet the film has whitewashed the story and replaced key female roles with those of males to the extent that the protagonist has been made a white-cis-gay male. Stonewall grounds me in my radicalism, but it also reminds me how privileged I am and how divided the current Queer movement is. We face systemic marginalization and oppression. Granted, this will vary based on the intersection of our identities, but in this way we are different from the hetero-cisnormative culture around us. Stonewall empowers me. Stonewall has helped me be proud of who I am. But, Stonewall has been co-opted by
this movie. The reason behind the blatant transphobia and racism in this movie is what I find particularly offensive. Lesbians,
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Stonewall grounds me in my radicalism, but it also reminds me how privileged I am and how divided the current Queer movement is. transwomen and sex workers of colour: none of these identities make as compelling of an American Dream narrative as a white cis country boy. This movie is not only contributing to the continued oppression of these groups, but it is erasing them and their role in Queer history. Ignore the fact that
without the incredible courage of the people at Stonewall that night Queer history might not even exist. One of the most troubling aspects of this predicament is that it can easily be put into the larger context of division in the Queer community today. While 2015 especially has been an incredible year for Queer rights, not all Queer folk have been benefiting equally from these strides. Transwomen of colour still face disproportionately high levels of violence—18 transwomen have been murdered in the United States so far this year. It is the responsibility of more privileged identities in the Queer community to continue to fight. Our movement is founded in the work of transwomen, sex workers and drag queens of colour, and we cannot forget or remove them from it. Stonewall erases these voices in order to commodify this turning point in Queer history. It is appalling and it is certainly not my Stonewall.
OPIRG Open House
MUMC Blood Donor Clinic
Meditation Circle
When: September 17, 2015 from 12:30PM
When: September 18, 2015 from 09:30AM
until 02:30PM
until 03:30PM
When: September 21, 2015 from 11:30AM until 12:20PM
Where: MUSC 229
Where: Ewart Angus Foyer, McMaster University Medical Centre
Where: SWELL meeting room (MUSC B118)
grab a fair trade coffee and treat, listen
Make your appointment to donate at
All are welcome, whether you are inter-
to live music and get to know your new
McMaster University in the Ewart Angus
ested in meditation but don’t know where
favourite place on campus.
Foyer, McMaster University Medical Cen-
to begin, or are already engaging in re-
tre. Clinics are held monthly April through
flection or spiritual practices and looking
November 2015.
for the support of a group
The Department of Labour Studies, CUPE
Download the GiveBlood App, visit www.
3906, Unifor Local 5555, and ALTITUDE.
blood.ca or call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-
Bridges: Humanities Coffeehouse
Check out the PIRG office, meet the staff,
OPIRG’s Making Connections Week sponsored by The Department of Social Work,
236-6283).
When: September 23, 2015 at 04:00PM
For more info: opirg.makingconnections@
until September 25, 2015 at 11:59PM
gmail.com or ext. 27289
MSU Terry Fox Run 2015
Bridges: MacBEAT’s First Jam
When: September 20, 2015 from
When: September 17, 2015 from 08:00PM
Where: BSB and JHE Fields
until 10:30PM
Registration will begin 1 hour prior to the
things? Then come on out to celebrate
Where: Bridges Cafe
run. Please come early to enjoy the activ-
the end of Humanities 101 Week with
ities and complete registration so we can
friends and good music!
start the run/walk promptly.
Contact machum@mcmaster.ca
Water and snacks will be provided for after
for more information!
Join MacBEAT, McMaster’s musical community for a jam! All musicians and music lovers are welcome! Contact macmusicnet@gmail.com for more
10:00AM until 04:00PM
the run/walk.
information!
Health & Dental Opt-Out #ThirstyThursday
When: September 21, 2015 at 12:00AM
When: September 17, 2015 at 09:30PM
until September 27, 2015 at 11:59PM
until September 18, 2015 at 02:00AM
All full-time undergraduate students
Where: TwelvEighty Bar & Grill
taking 18 units or more are automatically enrolled in the MSU Health and Dental plans.
Where: Bridges Cafe Do you sing? Do you play an instrument? Do you enjoy watching your fellow Hummers do either of these
OPINION | 15
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
What are you going to do now? How I came to terms with not having a definite answer to the question everyone is asking
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Somewhere between moving into Wallingford Hall and walking across the stage at my convocation, I forgot to give my future much thought.
C/O 123RF.COM
Ashley Constant Contributor
McMaster still is a big part of my life. I still bus to campus every day for work, and most of my friends are still students, yet I can no longer claim the identity of being a McMaster student. Instead, I guess I have to accept the title of McMaster alumni. This past June, I graduated with a B.A. in English with Honours. Now I’m trapped in that terrifying space between spaces—no longer a student, but not quite an adult member of the work force. University acted as a pause button between being a childish high schooler and the aforementioned adult—a taxing, expensive, mentally draining pause button. However, it gave me four years to figure out who
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I am, and provided me with all the tools to do so. And by all accounts, I should know by now. That’s what people tell you about university—it’s the place where you are supposed to plan out the rest of your life. Yet, somewhere between moving into Wallingford Hall and walking across the stage at my convocation, I forgot to give my future much thought. I guess I just assumed that when the time came I would just know, much like the idea we get it in our heads that once we reach adulthood we’ll magically know how to do taxes and how to avoid watching six episodes of a TV show in a single night. Or maybe everyone was given the secret at some point and no one bothered to tell me. That’s certainly the impression some particularly well put-together students give off.
I suspect this feeling came from the fact that while I was a part of a very broad field of study, most of my friends came to McMaster for specific fields of studies that are streamlined to cater to a specific career. Their security appeared to rub off on me. When people would ask me what I was planning on doing after school (and people would stress the “after” part almost as if to put forth the idea the last four years would be for nothing if I didn’t have an answer to this question), I would shrug and say “I have four years to decide!” Then it became three, then two, then years turned into months and suddenly I was handed this great piece of paper declaring that I could pick out themes of long, drawn out texts and could adequately write papers on the subject. Nowhere on that thick,
luxuriously printed certificate could I manage to find a map explaining what my future held. The next four months were spent mentally beating myself up because I had failed, hadn’t I? While I had this amazing education, I didn’t have a plan. But as I moped and watched people around me live their seemingly successful lives, I realized something: they were winging it too. Friends who started studying one thing were now studying another, or were starting work in completely new fields. Some were moving out of their parents’ homes, and others were moving back. I’m even starting to see engagement and wedding pictures appear on the social media accounts of my high school friends. Just because I decided to pursue a university degree at this point in my
life, I did not decide to activate some invisible countdown that ominously ticked down the moments until I had to have an answer to everyone’s “What now?” question. That countdown didn’t hit zero when I put on my graduation gown, and I didn’t fail when I still couldn’t quite answer my curious friends and family. There is no timeline. There is no wrong way to discover what you’re passionate about, and if you happen to find yourself starting over three or four times, that’s fine too. I’m taking a little longer to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life, but you can ask again in a few months.
What are you planning to do after graduation?
Junli Hu
Earth & Environmental Sciences
“One choice is for me to go and get a Master’s degree, or find a job based on my allocation experience.”
Zoe Bustard Life Sciences
“Most likely medical school, and then I want to be a surgeon.”
Sandy Tim Daly Tat
Biomedical Political Science Discovery II and Commercialization
“I had a quarter life crisis this last summer. Medical school is still there, maybe a Master’s... Or I’ll marry rich. That would pay for my degrees.”
James Witter
Sociology and Communications
“I don’t know what I want to do with my degree, my plans are unrelated. I want to open my own business.”
16 |
OPINION
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 | www.thesil.ca
Stop donating food While some types of charity can be beneficial, others are downright degrading
C/O CHIOT’S RUN FLICKR COMMONS
Talia Kollek Opinions Editor
While grocery shopping at Nations, a lactose intolerant friend of mine bought some cheese buns in the bakery section. Their odd behavior was explained when they gave the buns to a homeless person we’d seen outside of Jackson Square. This is an article about why it was wrong to buy that food. Firstly, a disclaimer: I am not against giving to the homeless, nor am I against charity. I think we need more compassion in this world, not less, and generosity for strangers is a quality that should be fostered at every opportunity. However, some charity is better than others. The philosopher Maimonides developed a hierarchy of giving, taking into account factors such as the willingness of the donor and the extent of their generosity. In his opinion, one of the most important factors is anonymity, with the more anonymous a transaction
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If you are trying to judge whether someone is worthy of your charity, you should reconsider your definition of piety.
the better. This is not because Maimonides was an introvert, or because he thought that donors and recipients should not interact with one another (his highest form of charity is partnership), but instead the goal of charity ought to be the preservation of self-worth. So where does buying bread for a homeless stranger belong on this list? Frankly, pretty low down. While Mai-
monides would award points for giving without being asked, the donor has not taken steps to preserve the recipient’s dignity. When you hand someone food that you bought specifically for the purpose of charity, you stumble across a problem: you infantilize them by implicitly saying that you do not trust them to spend money on things you approve of. Furthermore, often the things we choose to give are not the things that are actually needed. Cheap food, deodorant or a bar of soap can all be easily purchased at the dollar store, but money for prescription medication or a night at the YMCA are not things easily donated. You may be worried that your money will be spent on alcohol, drugs or cigarettes, but if you want to help, you ought to give regardless. To do any less is to not acknowledge that homeless person as a human being with the autonomy to make their own financial decisions. If you are trying to judge whether someone is worthy of your charity, you should reconsider
Attention McMaster Students! You are entitled to $600 in dental coverage.
your definition of piety. In addition, be wary of painting the homeless with one brush; living on the street is not necessarily due to addiction or alcoholism. The homeless community is more diverse than you can know. It includes women and children fleeing abuse, LGBT+ youth abandoned by their family and those who recently experienced cataclysmic life events. However, someone’s worth is not determined by their past choices, and you are not entitled to someone’s story simply because you gave them something. That’s not charity, that’s extortion. In giving what you think is needed, as opposed to what an individual actually wants, you completely ignore the fact that the recipient of your donation is a human being with preferences, who may even be lactose intolerant themselves. We tend to lose sight of the fact that preferences and dislikes are a part of being human, and if you are going to give, it should be in a way that preserves humanity and dignity as best as you
possibly can. Giving someone the autonomy to choose what they prefer is an important part of that. You want to make someone’s life better? Give them the financial power to decide what is most helpful for their unique situation instead of assuming you know best. At this point you may be worried that if you open your pockets, someone will scam you. Maybe you’ve heard of a case of a beggar millionaire, someone so good at panhandling that they drive off in a Lexus at the end of the evening. I’m here to tell you that that is incredibly unlikely. If panhandling were that lucrative, everyone would be doing it. Instead of assuming the worst, show compassion to those around you that you can recognize may need help, treat them like human beings, not wayward children, and give money, not cheese buns. @TaliaKollek
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OPINION | 17
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
The skinny on sizeism Someone else’s body is none of your business Emese Sykes Contributor
I know first-hand that body shape, size and even standardized charts can’t tell you whether or not someone is treating their body with the respect it needs. I also know that none of those same measurements should have any bearing on the level of respect a person receives from others. As a person with a relatively tiny body, I find myself on the receiving end of quite a few awkward, challenging and even insulting comments about my body and eating practices. Everything from “That’s all you’re eating?” to “Where are you putting all that food?” and even “You’re too skinny. Eat some dumplings!” I get “compliments” in the form of thinly veiled complaints about the speaker’s own body (Um, thanks for making me feel awkward, I think you’re beautiful, by the way). Yet when
I go through seasons of overeating and avoiding exercise, I start getting the real compliments: “Wow! You look so healthy now!” I end up being approximately the right size, and even the perfect BMI to match someone else’s prototype of a young healthy woman when I’m treating my body poorly. I’ve had to learn and relearn that not everyone is going to accept that my body’s natural size is a result of genetics, rather than dieting, discipline, or an unhealthy body image. It says nothing about my character or my lifestyle, and nothing about anyone else’s either. As such, I’ve had to learn and re-learn to take care of it properly, and not force it to change into an unhealthy imitation of someone else’s healthy body. While the size of my body has at many times apparently qualified it for public debate and appraisal, I can usually laugh awkwardly and run away. Yet I know there are
many men and women who find themselves in much more detrimental situations because of discrimination against their body’s size or shape. As it stands today in Canada, protection against sizeism is not included in human rights codes. In other words, you can’t lose your job because of your religion, your disability, or your gender. But if your employer considers your weight to be an issue, you don’t have much legal support to fight getting laid off, or getting passed over for a promotion, or even not getting hired in the first place. Sizeism seems largely overlooked by Canadian law, with only one noteworthy exception: the Supreme Court’s 2008 ruling that any large persons in need of two seats on an airplane must only be charged for the one. Even in the most recent update of McMaster’s Discrimination, Harassment & Sexual Harassment: Prevention and Response policy, body shape
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As it stands today in Canada, protection against sizeism is not included in human rights codes.
and weight discrimination are missing from an extensive list of individuals and groups protected by the university’s policy (which, thankfully, includes an “other” catch-all). These and other examples of institutional blind spots, coupled with a very profitable weight loss industry can contribute, first of all, to a lot of pressure for Canadians to
change their bodies (whether their weight poses a medical problem or not). Moreover, the omission of protection against sizeism gives permission to employers, teachers, doctors, and the general public to treat any adult or child they perceive as underweight or overweight with less respect than they deserve. This culture cultivates a judgmental, comparative and even competitive attitude towards body weight and shape, in which individuals must answer to strangers’ assumptions of character, choices and lifestyle based on how our bodies are perceived. Shape, size, tests, charts and numbers are completely unrelated to the amount of respect that you owe yourself, the respect that anyone else owes you, and the respect that you owe others.
Carding: Hamillon’s civil rights issue The Hamilton Police have been conducting street checks of civilians. Here is why you should get involved Ismaël Traoré Contributor
In Canada, a person can now be arrested, jailed, and forced to testify in court without ever being charged with a crime or knowing the evidence against them. This is the legacy of Bill S-7, a bill introduced in 2013, that offers unusual power to authorities to jail and force people into secret investigative hearings. There is also Bill C-51 that introduced as law in June 2015. This bill gives the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), our C.I.A., the ability to act as a secret police force with little oversight, a considerable shift from its initial purpose to gather intelligence and pass it to the RCMP. There is also the infamous practice of carding: also known as street checks, police checks or stop-and-frisk. Carding occurs when police officers detain law-abiding civilians—people who are not suspects, under investigation or who are not criminals or in the act of committing a crime—in order to question, I.D. and
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Carding violates our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, particularly the right to be free from arbitrary detention, and the right to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure.
record their information. Its purpose is to find something of an incriminating nature on civilians, such as persons breaching a court condition, or for leads on a number of criminal
offences. The collected information is then stored in a police data bank indefinitely. Carding is unconstitutional because by law the police are only allowed to detain a person when they have reasonable grounds to suspect that this person is engaged in criminal activity, has committed a crime or is linked to an ongoing investigation. If there are no such grounds, the detention is illegal and any evidence obtained during this detention must be excluded at trail. Carding violates our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, particularly the right to be free from arbitrary detention, and the right to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure. It is also dangerous because officers regularly write moralistic statements and judgments of character on their ‘carding notes’ that influence other officers. This happened to Osgoode Hall Law School Juris Doctor candidate, Knia Singh. He was reported as “not police friendly” (along with being incorrectly identified as Jamaican though Mr. Singh was born in Canada),
as if being not police friendly is unlawful or even an objective interpretation. A working group under OPIRG McMaster called Black, Brown, and Red Lives Matter (BBRLM) has uncovered that this unconstitutional practice is enforced by the Hamilton Police Services (HPS). What was unearthed was that between 2010 and 2014 the HPS conducted more than 9000 street checks, despite having repeatedly told BBRLM that they do not engage in carding. While in theory it may appear unbiased, in practice carding is rampant with racial and class bias. For instance, while only 3.2 percent of Hamilton’s population identifies as black, black people account for 12 percent of people carded. Likewise, Indigenous persons are two percent of the population but five percent of people carded. White persons on the other hand are 84.3 percent of the Hamilton population but 75 percent of the people carded. This data is additionally surprising as the HPS has repeatedly told the public that they do not
collect racial identifiers during street checks. It turns out they do, and that they misled us. This is unacceptable. In response to carding, which until recently also occurred in New York as “stop-and-frisk,” Alicia Garza, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement in the USA, is coming to McMaster again to speak on the topic. Events on and off campus: Sept. 24: - Speaker Alicia Garza at 5 p.m. in GH-111 Sept. 25: - Workshop at NGEN (24 Main St.) on safeguarding rights when stopped by the police. - Peaceful rally following workshop. - Documentary screening at 5 p.m. To find out more about the issue, contact BBRLM at bbrlm@hotmail.com or visit their blog at www.bbrlm. wordpress.com
18 |
GAMES
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 | www.thesil.ca
CROSSWORD
7. ____ trading 8. Ogle 9. What Moses parted (2 wds.) 10. Hearing organ 11. Memo letters 12. Office note 13. Bed support 21. Cantaloupe, e.g. 23. See eye to eye 26. Go onstage 28. Flax product 31. Realtor’s sign 32. Man or Wight 33. Monster’s loch 34. Bakery worker 35. Humorist ____ Barry 36. Favorable votes 37. Therefore 39. ____ Banks of baseball 42. Sister’s daughter 44. Captured 47. Poisonous element 50. Ultimate 52. Smudges 55. Range 56. Keepsake 57. Made mistakes 58. Harvests 59. Wound covering 60. Towering 61. Opera song 63. Glamorous ____ Hayworth 66. Vapor 68. So-so grade
ACROSS 1. Church group 5. Dirt 9. Paper quantities 14. Robust 15. English princess 16. Painter’s stand 17. Territory 18. Mislay 19. Stage offering 20. Blood part 22. Retirees’ accts. 24. Plant holder 25. Regarded highly 27. Hair goo 29. Fishing string 30. Dried grape 34. Potato state 38. Dogwood or palm 40. Snout 41. Hot red pepper 43. Narrates again 45. Balanced 46. Islamic nation 48. Chile’s mountains 49. Save 51. Dare 53. And so forth (Abbr.) 54. College term 59. Amtrak terminal (abbr.) 62. Simple 64. Concert shout 65. Freight
67. Andes native 69. Soup vegetable 70. Assumed name 71. Level 72. Chick’s sound 73. Explosion 74. Experts 75. Completes
DOWN 1. Figure 2. British noblemen 3. Shoe spike 4. Pester 5. Deli offering 6. Artist Yoko ____
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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
The Silhouette | 19
Lifestyle THE SKINNY #IStandWithAhmed
The beginning of “ the end of words Messaging with sentence fragments is so 2013
Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-yearold Muslim student, was arrested at school for bringing a homemade clock. His ninth grade teacher thought Ahmed’s class project looked like a bomb and sent Ahmed to the principal’s office, where he was then arrested. Twitter has exploded with #IStandWithAhmed to support the teenager, who is another victim of Islamophobia. League of Lies
Steve Rannazzisi, actor in The League, has admitted that he lied about being in one of the World Trade Towers on 9/11 after evidence was presented that he lied. He claims that he didn’t know how to undo the lie, but has talked about his fabricated story in the media multiple times. Looks like somebody just earned himself a spot on the list of the most-hated people in America. Sen(i)or Taco
Brittany Creech, a St. Louis native and Taco Bell enthusiast, has been flown out to Los Angeles to join Taco Bell’s new marketing campaign after her senior photos taken at Taco Bell went viral. The best part? She got free tacos. Someone should try to replicate this at Chipotle.
Jason Woo Lifestyle Editor
This past week Apple unveiled the soon-to-be released iOS 9, which heralds in new emojis, including a taco and the middle finger. It was a truly blessed day as it meant the human race was one step closer to getting rid of words all together. Just a few years ago young people everywhere were typing sentence fragments on their Blackberries. A few years before that people were typing out paragraphs in emails, but now we can just use emojis! Nowadays, if someone asks you how your midterm went, all you have to do is type “crying face emoji” and “gun emoji” and you’re
good to go. Incidentally, there has been debate about whether the dead face and gun emoji combo can be constituted as a threat in a court of law, which is equal parts interesting and hilarious. Emojis conveys your point clearer than words do. They elevate the mundane to a visual and visceral experience. If you’re really happy that your mom bought you groceries, does a simple thank you or ten heart face emojis convey your message better? Jokes aside, emojis may actually be the first global language. Someone in India may not understand what I mean when I say, “I’m pooped,” but they’ll understand if I send them a sad face
and poop emoji. Admittedly, emojis are somewhat culture specific, but it’s not a stretch to imagine a world in the near future where this is not longer the case. The eggplant emoji, for one, is quite confusing. Are you looking to catch a dick or just get some eggplant ganoush? Luckily we’re making strides to an inclusive emoji world. Just a few months ago we finally got emojis that included people of different races. How far has emojis penetrated our way of living? Check out Emoji Tracker, a website that visualizes the real time use of all emojis on Twitter. Be warned: you may get an epilepsy attack or lose faith in humanity. Who knew the cry laughing face is so popular? In other news, someone even translated the entirety of Moby Dick into Emoji Dick. You might say, “Wait. Sometimes emojis can’t fully express my emotions.” To which I say, “You need to download GIF Keyboard.” It’s an app that allows you to easily search for gifs based on hashtags and send them on Facebook Messenger. If you’re feeling hungry, just search it on GIF Keyboard and you’ll get to choose from Bart Simpson starving, a hamster eating a bunch of baby carrots, and Tina Fey shoving a sandwich into her mouth while crying, among other great choices. What a time to be alive. @jay.woozy
Jokes aside, emojis may actually be the first global language.
EMOJIONARY The next best phrases to use in your emoji chats
Bag of shit
Bitch please
Asshole
Bye Felicia
Kill me
Cool story bro, tell it again
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LIFESTYLE
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 | www.thesil.ca
WHEN FALL 2014
How to best repurpose your purchases from last autumn to match the current trends of the season
MET FALL 2015 Oversize, chunky knits
Amanda Watkins Editor-in-Chief
Athletic pants
@whatthekins
Plaid button-ups
Miniskirts
Your 2014 purchase
Pair it with
Faux-fur shearling vest OR turtlenecks
Bomber jackets
70’s-inspired waistlines or statement jewelery
Slip-on sneakers
Topshop MOTO at The Bay, $38 (Sale)
Zara, $70 Vero Moda at The Bay, $60
Vans at Little Burgundy, $55
Easy-to-find
options Joe Fresh, $12
ASOS, $50
Forever 21, $8.90
Why it
works
Knitted sweaters will arguably always be on-trend unless you are down to get some frost bite every now and again. But, a year ago they definitely had their peak season with higher-end varieties being widely available on the market. This season, to get the most out of your prior investement, opt to layer your sweaters with a faux fur vest or turtleneck. I know, the vest looks like you just skinned a yeti, but contrary to its mythical creature vibe, it is a big hit among mall rats and trendsetters alike. The combination will be super soft and warm without being suffocating.
They are possibly the only variety of sweatpants you can fashionably wear in public without feeling like you’ve given up on life – and for that reason, we are not quitting on them now. While they may not be a huge hit this season, they are definitely still wearable with the right accessories. The popular jacket of the fall is the casual bomber. It will maintain the informal vibe of the pants without losing its trend appeal. It’s also a great investment piece as it can be worn in a variety of climates throughout the year.
Thankfully the days of looking like you’re trying to pick-up at Dirty’s are slowly fading away. For the many of you who hopped on the plaid bandwagon and don’t know what to do with your old flannel, you can restyle it into a more ‘70s-inspired look by tucking it into a pair of highwaist flare jeans. As a short person, I can vouch for this being a near universally-flattering style that is both comfortable and trendy. If you’re not a fan of the tuck-in, style your plaid with a statement necklace or jeweled antique brooch that will create a shocking but stylishly contrasting lumberjack meets grandma look.
ALL BLACK at Amazon.ca, $150
Miniskirts, while chic and flattering, tend to be a bit of a blunder on windy days, and overall not the warmest or most comfortable. To repurpose your skirt into a more comfortable option, as well as one tied into recent trends, pair your piece with a flat, slip-on sneaker. Revive the spirit of your grade-nine scenester self and grab a pair of all-white or all-black Vans for instant outfit uplift as well as orthopedic support. Can’t go wrong with that combination. As weather gets colder, pair your slip-ons with tall, scrunched socks or footless leggings.
LIFESTYLE | 21
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
Meet the Lifestyle editors We sit down with our Lifestyle editors to talk fashion, personal style, and why they love writing for their section.
Want to be featured in Thread Count? Tag us in your Instagram posts with #SilStyle!
JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR
What are some of your favourite brands? M: Some of my favourites have got to be Acne Studios, Norse Projects, A.P.C., Rag & Bone, Thom Browne, and Maison Kitsuné. J: The best time of year is when Club Monaco and J. Crew have their annual sales. For the rest of the year, Zara is my go-to. When I’m out of Canada, the first clothing store I look for is uniqlo. I’m also a fan of the textiles used by Wings + Horns. How would you describe your sense of style? M: My colour palette generally revolves around black, grey, white, and other neutral colours. I’m also a big fan of subtle details, clean lines, and androg-
ynous pieces. In general, I enjoy riding the “sporty and rich” wave; I often mix crepe trousers with a simple, cropped, grey tank top and sneakers. Comfy and chill is the goal. J: It really changes depending on what I’m doing. When I’m out with friends I tend to be more experimental and do as Kanye would do (oversized shirts, leather etc). If I’m heading to school or going to work, I like to keep it simple. All my clothes pop in one way (colour, pattern or textile), but never more than one so it’s not too busy. As the heads of Lifestyle, why do you enjoy writing for your section? M: Lifestyle is a section dedi-
cated to the little things in our lives that we often miss due to busy days and hectic schedules. It’s really refreshing to work with a section that has so much freedom; we can write anything from lighter pieces on emojis to articles about mental wellness and self-care. J: I love the wide scope of this section. In one article I can say “to catch a dick,” but in another I can write about student health. The annual Sex & the Steel City Valentine’s Day magazine is my favourite. Everyone involved always brings their A-game. The photos are more artistic, the layouts are bold, the articles are all great think pieces.
Jason
4th year arts & science Crewneck: Club Monaco pants: Topman shoes: Adidas Stan Smith sunglasses: Tom Ford
michelle
2nd year health sciences Dress: Wilfred Free shoes: Nike Air Huarache Earrings: rare specimens
You want it? We can do it! Check us out year round for:
Underground Media + Design
Colour and black & white copying • Business cards • Office supplies
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22 |
LIFESTYLE
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 | www.thesil.ca
Lifestyle’s fall favourites For many students, autumn is the real New Year’s. Start this year with LS’s life, fashion and food tips for the fall.
Michelle Yeung Lifestyle Reporter
Try: Get a haircut The changing of seasons provides a prime opportunity to seek new bounds. One of the easiest and most dramatic personal changes you could make right now? Getting your hair cut – and I don’t mean just a trim. Personally, I’ve always been a firm supporter of long hair. In fact, I’ve had long hair for as long as I can remember (minus the mushroom cut my mom gave me when I was seven, but who hasn’t suffered through this phase?). It has always been tough for me to justify paying copious amounts of money for a haircut, only to end up getting a trim. This time, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and cut my waist-length hair to my collarbone. Though my trip to the hairdresser was not without a little shortness of breath and a lot of fear, I’m now loving my shorter ‘do. Of course, you should get the cut that makes you feel most comfortable, but cutting your hair short can be a liberating, refreshing change. Plus, short hair looks great with turtlenecks.
BEFORE
AFTER
@mich_yeung
Wear: Add some layers
Taste: Pumpkin simplicity
Fall is great for many things, but its best quality is definitely layering. The cooler air brings along the opportunity for more textured, complex outfits. This season, don’t be afraid to experiment with different materials and lines. Switch up a traditionally shorter hemline with longer ones. Instead of a t-shirt that hits you at the waist, go for one that hits you mid-thigh, and pair it with light-washed denim and a simple sweater. Also, try out your closet staples with a twist: instead of normal jeans, try selvedge denim or straightleg trousers. At the end of the day, you can never go wrong with a monochromatic colour palette and simple, clean lines. A good outfit doesn’t have to be—in fact, it rarely is—busy. Cut out busy pieces and add interest to your fit through the art of layering.
Nothing feels more like fall than pumpkin. Although there are many options for using this wondrous vegetable, a warm slice of pumpkin pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is my personal favourite. Here’s a great, simple, four-step recipe to try out.
Student-friendly pumpkin pie Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin 1 3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk 2 large eggs, beaten 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 2 tablespoons sugar 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 pie crust, unbaked
Directions:
2. 3. 4.
5.
1. Combine pumpkin and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; beat at medium speed with electric mixer for two minutes. Pour into prepared piecrust. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F; bake additional 50 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
The author’s current hair story.
University Plaza, Dundas
P: 905 627 8909 | www.turtlepondtoys.ca
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
The Silhouette | 23
Sports Maar represents Canada
LEAGUE AT LARGE Football
Now that a summer playing with Volleyball Canada is over, Stephen Maar shares his experience
Jaycee Cruz Sports Reporter
GUELPH WESTERN McMASTER CARLETON QUEEN’S OTTAWA TORONTO LAURIER YORK WATERLOO WINDSOR
3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3
CALGARY LAVAL WESTERN MONTREAL GUELPH McMASTER MANITOBA MOUNT ALLISON SHERBROOKE UBC
Men’s Soccer OUA West
OUA East W L
W L
“
It was difficult to adjust to a higher training level where mistakes weren’t accepted. That training intensity is something I want to share with my teammates here. Stephen Maar Outside hitter, McMaster Men’s Volleyball
YORK WINDSOR McMASTER GUELPH WESTERN WATERLOO LAURIER
4 4 4 3 2 2 1
1 1 2 1 2 4 2
RYERSON CARLETON TORONTO UOIT QUEEN’S NIPISSING LAURENTIAN
4 4 3 2 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 2 2 1
Women’s Soccer OUA West
OUA East
W L
WESTERN YORK LAURIER GUELPH McMASTER
5 5 4 4 2
1 0 1 2 2
OTTAWA TORONTO LAURENTIAN NIPISSING CARLETON
W L
4 3 3 3 2
0 0 0 1 1
Notable Mention
McMaster Athletics and Biosteel Inc. are now partners Biosteel will be the official sports drink of the McMaster Marauders for the 2015-16 CIS season.
C/
O
Home Games
SI FH
Marauder action this weekend
AD DA
D
@_jayceecruz
CIS Top Ten W L
U YO
It’s difficult to miss his towering six-foot-seven, 230-pound frame in the David Braley Athletic Centre. It’s also hard to miss the Volleyball Canada patch on his backpack if you ever find yourself behind him on campus. That patch has a story to tell. Marauder outside hitter Stephen Maar was one of 11 invited to play for Canada’s National ‘B’ Team this summer. The team consisted of younger university-aged players and older ‘A’ team players who weren’t traveling on the international circuit. He spent part of the summer training in Gatineau, Quebec, before traveling with the team from August 1217 to Reno, Nevada, for the Pan-American Volleyball Cup. In Gatineau, Maar trained seven days a week and sometimes three times a day. Training sometimes involved working with the National ‘A’ Team in addition to inter-squad scrimmages within the ‘B’ team. The intensity of the older players especially stood out to him. “Even if you know you wouldn’t get a ball because it was way out of your reach, teammates would still get frustrated if you didn’t go after the ball,” Maar said. At the Pan-Am Cup in August, Canada competed against the likes of Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, the U.S.A and Brazil. Maar didn’t start the first game against Puerto Rico, but got the starting nod in the second game against the Dominican Republic. In that game, he scored a team-high of 14 points (12 kills, two blocks). “It was difficult to adjust to a higher training level where mistakes weren’t accepted. That training intensity is something I
want to share with my teammates here.” From that point on he did not look back. Maar started every game after that and reached double-digits in points in each of his next four games. His best performance came in the Pan-Am Cup quarterfinals against the United States with 21 points and helped Canada to a five-set thriller victory over their cross-border rivals (27-29, 25-18, 25-21, 20-25, 19-17). “I relearned what it was like to compete at a high level internationally. I relearned how to score at that level again and fight for every single point. That was a confidence boost for me,” said Maar. His summer experience on the international circuit stretched his game and challenged him to grow both in trainings and on game day. All of this has helped make him a better player and a teammate who is more equipped to share his knowledge with his fellow Marauders. As one of the oldest players on McMaster’s Men’s Volleyball team, Maar has the experience and platform to lead the team both on and off the court. “I just want to be able to distribute some confidence and knowledge that I got playing for Canada. I want to be a source of that to my teammates,” Maar said.
OUA
Women and Men’s Soccer › McMaster Marauders vs. Western Mustangs
Catch double header action from the Men’s and Women’s soccer teams on Sept. 19. Marauders will play against the Western Mustangs. The women’s game starts at 1 p.m. with the men’s match-up taking place shortly after.
WITH ALMOST 8 MONTHS LEFT IN THE SCHOOL YEAR, THERE’S STILL TIME.
8-month membership just
$137
Download the McMaster Get Rec’d App for a list of programmes, courses and the fall guidebook.
www.marauders.ca
facebook.com/McMasterMarauders
@McMasterAthRec
SPORTS
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
| 25
Women’s Rugby looks forward Defending their OUA title, McMaster Women’s Rugby looks ahead after their first loss of the season
Sofia Mohamed Sports Editor
The 2015-16 season is underway for the McMaster Women’s Rugby team. After their performance last season, a banner has now found its spot on the wall of achievements in the David Braley Athletic Centre acknowledging the hard work of the team. Claiming the program’s first-ever OUA title and an appearance in the national final has given the team a great reputation on campus. Though the spirits of the team were high going into the first game of the regular season, it ended in a 15-14 loss for the Marauders against the Queen’s Gaels in Kingston. Late penalty trouble spoiled the chances for the team to head back to Hamilton with a win. When both teams met last year, the Marauders won by a single point over the Gaels. “The whole team was very confident. We came off of a really good season being second in Canada. Our game plan was to play hard and be connected on defense,” said Colleen Irowa, a third-year player. Looking forward, Head Coach Shaun Allen recognizes that improvements need to be made. “We let ourselves down with too many fundamental errors and too many penalties. We need to build more width and depth in our attack so that we can go harder at the defensive line and create space.” The Marauders are currently ranked fourth in the CIS Top 10 ranking.
With practices five days a week, this team is hungry for another OUA title and another chance to play on the national stage. “We are going to go to nationals,” Irowa stated confidently. Time will be the deciding factor, but one loss at the beginning of the season is not telling of the future. This team has shown that they are competitors with the success they had last season and are looking for a similar storyline this year.
“
This is a very dynamic, physical group of rugby players.
C/O FRASER CALDWELL
FREE WEEKLY SHUTTLE BUS EVERY TUESDAY STARTING TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
Shaun Allen Head Coach, McMaster Women’s Rugby
Commons pick-up at 6:00PM | 7:00PM | 8:00PM
“Our hope is that we can establish a style of play that is overwhelming for our opponents and can allow our players to express themselves on both attack and defense,” said Allen. The team will hope to shake off their first loss as they continue play on the road this coming weekend, facing the Waterloo Warriors on Saturday, Sept. 19.
Final drop off 9:30PM
Mary Keyes pick-up at 6:30PM | 7:30PM | 8:30PM Final drop off 10:00PM
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26 |
SPORTS
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 | www.thesil.ca
Time will tell for Mac secondary Young Marauders secondary are continuing to develop as a unit
Jaycee Cruz Sports Reporter
Numbers don’t always accurately portray what is going on within a team. The development of chemistry within a defensive unit is something that cannot be measured. While score sheets may communicate one side of the story, there is another side worth hearing that stats cannot
speak to. “We’ve lost eight guys on defense. Those eight have worked together, practiced together, fought together, and cried together. There’s chemistry there,” said Joe Sardo, McMaster’s defensive coordinator. That chemistry takes time to build. Sardo recognizes that installing new players at a new level in a new system takes time and growing pains are a part
of that process. The Marauders secondary (i.e. defensive backs and safeties) consists of men who are first-year players, firsttime starters and some who are both. In comparison to defensive units the Marauders have fielded in the past, this secondary is relatively inexperienced. “A lot of these guys have never played and started at this level before. These guys have not seen live bullets on the football field,” said Sardo. “It’s
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getting them accustomed to what’s happening in a game.” These guys are playing together as a unit for the first time. In any sport, playing with new teammates requires adjustment. You have to learn to communicate with each other, understand each other’s tendencies and learn to play off of each other- all while understanding the big picture of the team’s greater game-plan. This process is inescapable and a team must go through it before any onfield execution is possible. “It’s not that much different than math class. You have to learn your basics before you can move on and that’s where we are right now,” said Sardo. “We’re at the basic level teaching everyday and as they get better with each and every lesson, we can expand on that.” Even though this secondary comes with little university football experience and are still on their way to becoming a cohesive unit, they already possess qualities that stand out. “I’m pleasantly surprised with how athletic and physical they are. We can physically keep up with anybody. We’ve learned
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that,” said Sardo. “Now it comes down to gaining experience, comfort and football intelligence at this level.” The vibe is positive regarding the potential of this secondary. The saying that “good things take time” is true even on the football field. Time is something that is beyond control. You can’t speed it up. The process must be respected. If it isn’t, it will show in performance. Head Coach Stefan Ptaszek said it very well: “If you want to run fast, run by yourself. If you want to run far, run together.” “Right now we’re still coming together and learning to speak the same language and each and every day and each and every week, that has been getting better,” said Sardo. McMaster travels on the road this weekend to take on Guelph for the Gryphons’ Homecoming Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
@ _jayceecruz
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
The Silhouette | 27
andy Where’s the poetry, Hamilton? SWF seeks SWP (Single White Female seeks Spoken Word Poetry) Young Hamiltonian poets struggle to find a space in which to read their work. VANNESSA BARNIER/ANDY REPORTER
Vannessa Barnier Andy Reporter
Despite the growing art scene in Hamilton, poetry has remained the one artistic medium that does not have as much exposure or contributors as the rest. With music at the helm and painting hanging on its flank, there doesn’t seem to be any established room for poetry in the Hamilton art scene. As someone who appreciates reading and writing poetry, I have found it incredibly difficult to find a space to share and collaborate with other writers here in
Hamilton. It’s disappointing to not have a dedicated space to poetry. Toronto used to have one called Quattro Books that would host readings throughout the summer. It was a great space, but even while it was running it was difficult for me to make the time to go all the way to Toronto from Hamilton. It wasn’t necessarily “inaccessible,” but it was definitely an ordeal to get to. That’s the issue, though: there should be a downtown space like that accessible to Hamiltonians. There was only one event during Supercrawl this past
weekend that had a timeslot for poetry reading, and that was a quiet event that called itself “Liminal Spaces.” There were minimalist signs posted around town, but even those didn’t draw a crowd to the house just off of James Street North. It was, however, exciting for me to see poetry poking its head up somewhere downtown. It made me even hungrier for a dedicated space. I have done my own looking around downtown, and I have come up virtually empty-handed. Granted, I found a reading group that I attended once. I stumbled upon it at random,
and I was rather disappointed. Barring the summer months, Homegrown Hamilton hosts an event known as “Lit Live,” where weathered writers gather to read old material that lacks a liveliness and relevancy needed to draw the younger crowd. I found myself experiencing this lackluster performance amongst a group of people who were all familiar with each other and, of course, the pieces being read from bookmarked books that were read over and over again for years at these nichey types of places. For a young writer like myself, these tired events are exact-
ly what I want to avoid. I want to remain active in my writing and surround myself with daily inspirations. I do not want to find myself in the same bars reading the same poems to the same people for years on end. I can only hope to keep my eyes peeled for new venues and new groups of my peers to enthusiastically read and write alongside me in Hamilton. I mean, with it being such a fantastic city for artists to flourish, where is the space for the writers? I hope to find an answer to that soon— not just for myself, but for the other writers who are looking for these spaces, too.
the
big tickle What’s your favourite
Emily
adaptation?
Harry Potter
Michael
Game of Thrones
Rim
The Help
Jayvonlae
The Colour Purple
Alex
Die Hard
28 |
ANDY
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 | www.thesil.ca
The Andy approval matrix
COMING UP IN HAMILTON
The best and worst in arts and culture. This is a concept borrowed from New York Magazine. We hope they don’t mind.
MUSIC
BALTIMORE HOUSE SEPT 17 > Joyful Talk SEPT 18 > GOSH PITH
HIGHBROW
SEPT 22 > Lip Sync Smackdown
Kanye announces that Yeezy Season 2 will be screened in theatres. We’re still waiting on the CDQ of “Wolves” though.
Emily Blunt told to leave Hollywood by Fox Network after making a joke about her new American citizenship.
THE CASBAH
SEPT 18 > Knife Fight SEPT 19 > Born Ruffians
American Poet, Michael Derrick Hudson, proves white creatives will trod over anything in their way when he submitted a poem under the Asian pseudonym of “Yi-Fen Chou” to the Anthology of Best American Poetry.
THIS AIN’T HOLLYWOOD
SEPT 18 > Bloodshed Bill SEPT 19 > Fuck You Pay Me
ART AGH
Current Exhibition > are you experienced?
Current Exhibition
This week’s quick pick
Vogue launches a new podcast hosted by André Leon Talley.
Future announces he will be launching a line of hats. No word on whether there will be a dirty sprite colourway yet.
Arnold Schwarzenegger named the new host of Celebrity Apprentice.
Drew Howard
88Camino.com Get Home Safe might be no more, with the crew cutting ties, but ex members are still making popping music. Drew Howard of “Uncle Tona” rap-internet fame is the latest to expand on the initial hype that the aforementioned video and single garnered. His latest release, 88Camino.com, is a four-track EP that finds the Toronto rapper elaborating on the distinctive style that he showcased last year. Boasting beats from Chris Rose, Alexonweed, and Geoff Wood, the EP is full of hazy drugged-out production. Howard shows himself to have an astute sense of when to let the beat breathe, and when to call on his choppy flow. “You’re Not My Mans” is prime indication of this and a straight up banger. Do it service and play it loudly.
Zach Braff gets hurt and mopes on Twitter after reading a Vice article that was critical of Garden State.
Tom Hardy shuts down reporter asking about his sexual orientation at TIFF.
Four out of five Kardashian-Jenner sisters now have apps. Patrick Carney and Jack White continue their stupid white musician-bro feud in person and on Twitter.
LOWBROW
BRILLIANT
> Dark Commander
DESPICABLE
McMaster Museum of Art
Hanya Yanagihara’s deeply affecting novel, A Little Life, makes the Man Booker shortlist.
Explore your Options in September with our 5 Top Picks Maybe you’re a first-year student looking for resources to jump-start your career path or perhaps you’re an upper-year student ready to network and get your name out to hiring employers! To help, we’ve compiled a list of some of our “top picks” that will get you to where you want to be.
1. Career Fair: On Thursday, September 24 attend the Fall Career Fair. This event includes onsite resume reviews, employment opportunities, career exploration and networking with over 90 companies. Dress for success and with your resume in-hand to meet campus recruiters! Check out our Dress for Success board on Pinterest for suggestions on how to make a great first impression at pinterest. com/macssc. 2. Job Search: Resume critique appointments can be booked in advance on OSCARplus or reviewed at our drop-in clinics from Tuesday-Thursday between 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. We also offer professional LinkedIn photography on the last Friday of every month from September to May.
3. FLOW: Fall Learning and Orientation Weeks focus on a different theme each week to help you be more successful during the school year. FLOW runs until October 9. The programs offered in FLOW are available for all McMaster Undergraduate students. Make connections with on-campus supports and enhance your student experience. 4. Company Information Sessions: Interested in working with a specific company after you graduate? Information sessions allow you to meet recruiters face-to-face and learn about their culture, recruitment process, and job opportunities. All companies are listed on OSCARplus. Be sure to register for the session you would like to attend and dress to impress! Even if you’re not in your
final year, the sessions are a great opportunity to do career research and find out more about companies in your field of study! 5. Career Planning Groups: Spend a day assessing your interests, personality, skills and values. Learn to understand yourself in order to pursue the career path that is right for you. Registration information is available on the Student Success website.
First 30 students to visit our office in Gilmour Hall 110 and mention that you read this ad and you will receive a “Free Coffee” card for My Dog Joe in Westdale.
This is a paid advertisement by the Student Success Centre. The Student Success Centre is located in Gilmour Hall 110 or you can visit online at studentsucess.mcmaster.ca.
CAMPUS OPTICAL
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info@campusoptical.ca
30 |
ANDY
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 | www.thesil.ca
The unbearable
whiteness
of being (at Supercrawl)
Tomi Milos Andy Editor
Since its inception in 2009, Supercrawl has gone from an ambitious festival for which the sky was the limit to an increasingly corporate event that features cookie-cutter versions of indie-rock bands and little else. Every September, those that aren’t already engaging in the nauseating practice of blindly lauding their city (#hamont, if you were unaware) for the growth of its burgeoning art scene or the arrival of yet another coffee shop with a cute origin story, flock to James Street in their Sunday best (Blundstone’s and MEC) to take in mediocre bands like The Arkells (who were introduced as Hamilton’s version of The Beatles last year—yawn, I’d take Migos over both of them) or washed-up has-been’s from the early aughts indie-rock heyday like Kevin Drew, touring their latest solo record purely meant to pay the bills. Those that had money at this past incarnation will have found somewhere to spend it amongst the fleet of food trucks and other vendors, while those that didn’t, namely Hamilton’s homeless population, were nowhere to be found within the blockaded streets to ensure that the wealthy patrons making their lone annual visit to the downtown core wouldn’t be bothered by the sight of real problems like systemic poverty. The insertion of Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones into the lineups over the past two years might incline me to give Supercrawl a break if their presence at the festival didn’t reek of the faux-progressiveness of having a “token blackie” (as per Kanye West’s “Spaceship”). That the two most prominent musicians of colour to have visited Supercrawl in recent time both played soul/funk music
(brilliantly, I might add) is depressing as it suggests that there is no room for other genres like rap or R&B that Hamilton’s wealthy elite might not find as palatable. It’s a shame that such is the case when there’s talent like Hamilton’s own Emay or Toronto’s Daniel Caesar, among many others, waiting around to be booked.
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Turning away from the mediocrity of the festival product, even the attention that Supercrawl brings the city is one-dimensional.
Something about recent lineups that featured revered but vanilla artists like Spoon and Yo La Tengo suggests that the Supercrawl booking staff have decided on the lineup by flipping through old copies of the now-defunct SPIN magazine (although the inclusion of Monster Truck this year indicates they read The Hamilton Spectator—a worse thought). That has to be the case, or otherwise I’m just not in the required tax bracket one has to be in to enjoy a set where Daniel Lanois continues to ride Brian Eno’s coattails well into 2015. Turning away from the mediocrity of the festival product, even the attention that Supercrawl brings the city is one-dimensional. In the past couple of years it seems like every entrepreneur that read about Toronto professionals
migrating to Hamilton invested in the area with profit being their end goal. One only has to look at one of Hamilton’s most Instagrammable buildings for signs of this, with a portion of the Lister Block’s ground floor having recently become home to Wendel Clark’s Classic Bar and Grill. The former Toronto Leaf is one of many retired athletes to invest in an obnoxious eponymous sports bar and is certainly guilty of beating a white knight drum. In a recent interview with The Hamilton Spectator, Clark said, “We want to be a part of the downtown and trying to help bring life back to the city and help get people downtown. You want to keep life going and people down there. It enhances the city, and hopefully we can help be a big part of that.” While dissecting a shoddily-worded sound bite from a former hockey player might be considered poor form, the sheer generality of Clark’s intentions and the unvaried demographic of old white people that I’ll call Tommy Bahama-wave baby-boomers I’ve seen there whenever I’ve walked by is worrying. To think that thirty dollar steaks are going to in any way enhance the city is more than a little arrogant, and detracts from the more important work to be done throughout the Hamilton community. If you’re in need of a watering hole, just go to The Brain. With the imminent arrival of the new Liuna GO station just down the street and the unfortunate promise of more disappointing Supercrawls to come, James Street is in danger of emulating Westdale in its snobby catering to the “well-meaning” upper classes.
@tomimilos
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FASHION WEAK When dieting takes a dark turn at New York Fashion Week C1
THURSDAY
THE
HAMILTON SPECULATOR NO NEW FRIENDS SINCE 1934
SEPT. 17, 2015
NOTSPEC.COM
Students urged to stay indoors and wait for local crime to blow over In an effort to make students feel safer in their city, local security recommends staying out of the way of crime and waiting for safety and equality to finally round out over the next few decades
Are our streets poorly lit? Or are students just not getting lit enough about their safety?
CASSIE NOVA-MOORE Hermit
Local police have announced that as an emergency measure, students should stay in their homes until crime stops being a thing. “Pretty much, you should only leave your house when absolutely necessary,” said head of City Security, Donald Regan. After receiving several complaints from student neighborhoods about robberies, assault and a series of other uncomfortable criminal activities, the police have decided that the best option is for potential victims to stay indoors until crime is abolished. “Sometimes it’s hard for us to know who’s telling the truth.
So we feel that if the innocent stay inside, then we can really find the real criminals on the street. That makes sense?” Recently, a number of students from the local university have fallen victim to late night crimes. While many of them have been taking precautions to use busy streets, the often poorly lit corridors of student neighborhoods have led to an increase in crime, and have left many feeling shaky. “It’s not that the city is unsafe, it’s more that people aren’t taking the right precautions to stay safe,” said Regan. The city will be launching a new campaign called “Better Safe than Sorry” that will provide students with the necessities to stay inside for extended
periods of time, as well as free condoms, because you might as well kill two birds with one stone. The city genuinely believes that these are the best preventative measures, and hope students follow their advice. “We especially recommend that young women stay inside, as they most often tend to be the victims in local crimes. Best just to lay low until equality finally rounds out,” added the head of security. “Women have spent years staying under the radar, I’m sure when it comes to their safety, they’ll be willing to keep the tradition going.”
“Why waste our time looking for culprits when we can keep students in the safety of their homes?” Donald Regan General Security Man
INSIDE CREEPY CREDENTIALS A3 FOR THE HATHAHATERS A4 THINGS WE DIDN’T LIVESTREAM B4 M. NIGHT SHAMALAME B4 UNDECIDED B8 SHONDA RHIMES MEETS BUSTA RHYMES D2 HOW YOU TOO CAN DAMONSPLAIN D4
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