The Silhouette- Jan. 14, 2016

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INSIDE >> >> NEWS // MAC GREEN IS GETTING CHOPPED DOWN // PAGE 3 >> LIFESTYLE // RESTAURANT REVIEW: CARIBBEAN FLAVAH // PAGE 15 >> SPORTS // MEN’S VOLLEYBALL WINS AT OHIO STATE // PAGE 21

The Silhouette Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

TUITION

FREEZE

Can our student body encourage the Ontario government to freeze tuition and reallocate $340 million? // Page 5

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Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

LOOKING BACK

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

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 sections

Rachel Katz @RachAlbertaKatz news reporter Patrick Kim @patrickmkim news reporter Alex Florescu @alexxflorescu features reporter Daniel Arauz @DanielArauzz opinions editor Talia Kollek @TaliaKollek sports editor Sofia Mohamed @itssofiaAM sports reporter Jaycee Cruz @_jayceecruz lifestyle editor Jason Woo lifestyle reporter Michelle Yeung @yeung_m andy editor Tomi Milos @tomimilos andy reporter Vannessa Barnier @vjbarnier news editor

media

Jonathan White @j_white.jpg (Instagram) photo reporter We’re hiring! video editor Philip Kim social media coordinator Esther Adjekum @esturr

photo editor

SEPT. 14, 1973 staff writers

Steven Chen, Sunanna Bhasin, Christine Chow, Trisha Gregorio, Charlie Coë sales ad manager | sgiordan@msu.mcmaster.ca

Sandro Giordano

CONTACT

LEGAL

MUSC, Room B110 McMaster University 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4S4

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.

Editor-in-Chief (905) 525-9140, ext 22052 Main Office (905) 525-9140, ext 27117 Advertising (905) 525-9140, ext 27557 10,000 circulation published by the

You and the law During September of 1973, The Silhouette ran a threeweek feature that shared information about dealing with various aspects of the law. Some of the topics covered were “Drinking and driving,” “Restricted drugs,” “Landlords-tenants,” “Birth control” and “Dealing with police.”

IS THERE A STORY FROM MCMASTER’S PAST THAT INTERESTS YOU? Email us at thesil@thesil.ca and we will try and feature it in our “Looking Back” section.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

The MSU launches its tuition freeze campaign Page 5

The Silhouette

News

| 3

New art exhibit ties together art and healthcare Page 6

The end of MacGreen With multiple clubs and services now focusing on sustainability, McMaster says goodbye to MacGreen

Patrick Kim News Reporter

On Jan. 10 the Student Representative Assembly voted to terminate MacGreen as an MSU service following the end of the 2015-16 academic year, quietly ending the sustainability program that had been in place since 2003.

Based on comments from VP (Administration) Giuliana Guarna, the recommendation came after several months of discussions with the SRA's Executive Board, MacGreen's Part-Time Manager and staff from Ath&Rec that had been instrumental in creating MacGreen over a decade ago.

“When we create services, we do it to fill a gap, to meet a need that isn’t being met on campus. At the time, MacGreen was the only sustainability or environmental group on campus, but because of the pressures from creating MacGreen [as well as] general student interest, the university had to respond,” said Guarna.

Since MacGreen's inception, a number of initiatives have come to overshadow the necessity of having a service dedicated solely to sustainability issues.

MacGreen’s operating policy states that one of its primary objectives was to work in conjunction with other University bodies to raise awareness of environmental issues and disseminate relevant information.

Guarna noted that the original intent was for a green service focused on education and advocacy, but many of the

C/O MCMASTER STUDENTS UNION

expectations and policies at the time have now been taken up or fulfilled by the university. Much of MacGreen's work today involves educational and recreational events, ranging from a hiking series to a conference planned for later in the semester.

The academic front is amongst several steps made by the university towards improving sustainability on campus. In 2008, the Office of Sustainability was established, and while the sustainability program is tied to the Engineering faculty, any student today is able to complete a Minor in Sustainability.

Considering the influx of new MSU services over the past few years — including Maccess at the beginning of this academic year and WGEN the year

previous — it's surprising to see a cutback in the programs the MSU offers. However, as Guarna explained, the MSU services ultimately exist to meet the needs of students, which continue to shift and expand over the years.

Michele Zaman, part-time manager of MacGreen, explained that while discussions had been open between her and the Executive Board, talks about the continual viability of the service have gone on for a few years.

“I understand why the MSU is doing this, and the reason I’m okay with this is that I know the MSU will continue to advocate for sustainability," she explained.

No formal outline has been made on how to replace

MacGreen, but Zaman expected discussions to continue and come up with an alternative before the end of the year.

“Sustainability is really popular on campus," she commented. "[Several] MSU clubs advocate for sustainability ... and McMaster is really involved with sustainability and the environment in Hamilton, but I would still feel so much more comfortable if, before the end of this term, something is set in stone.”

Guarna stated that the current plan was to put resources into creating a committee within the MSU, and her hope is for it be specifically focused on addressing and educating students about key issues on sustainability.

"While it's important to

take an overview of sustainability practices, I don't think we can truly be sustainable unless people are educated on how to be sustainable," she said.

The importance of education and advocacy was reiterated by Zaman, who is hoping to end the year on a bright note.

“I’m just trying to end the year off positively, make sure that this runs over smoothly and hopefully there’s something else that comes in place of MacGreen."

“I can’t make an event and give someone sustainability; it’s something they have to do themselves.” @patrickmkim

4 |

NEWS

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

More than

20/20

The 20 for 20 project looks to help Syrian refugees adjust to life in Hamilton Gizelle Panton Silhouette Intern

As the Canadian population continues to welcome Syrian refugees into the country, assistance from the Canadian community is needed to aid the Syrian immigrants adjust to their new homes and to live comfortably within their new borders. Having left their homes, families, and belongings behind, many refugees are in need of housing, furniture, food and clothing among other necessities.

Faizan Ashraf has established a new project in Hamilton to do just that. The 20 for 20 project provides many services to refugees, from English language training to information about the labour workforce and location-based orientation. Ashraf was inspired to create this initiative after noticing great efforts made in other parts of Canada to help in the resettlement of refugees.

Ashraf began searching for the different ways that he could get involved in the mobilization of resources to make a difference for refugees and modeled 20 for 20 after similar initiatives at Ryerson and Lifeline Syria in Toronto.

The 20 for 20 project will work with sponsors from the community. These local sponsors include both individuals and small businesses, who will

The 20 for 20 project provides many services to refugees, from English language training to information about the labour workforce and loacationbased orientation. financially support refugee families throughout their first year in Canada, while 20 for 20 volunteers will take the lead on helping refugee families settle into their new daily lives.

Despite the title, Ashraf assured that the project is not limited to 20 families. “Twenty families was the initial goal that IWC had established just before we formed our partnership. We decided to continue with the same goal allowing for the flexibility of growth in the future based on our progress. From an operational perspective, working towards bringing 20 refugee families through the community sponsorship model is ideal. It

challenges us without straining our resources or putting undue pressure on the volunteer pool,” he explained.

The project has already helped several families. According to Hayley Welham, the spokesperson for the initiative, all the families identified by the IWC are currently benefitting from the project. “The Immigrants Working Centre has secured a group of five sponsors for several refugee families.

Once their resettlement applications have been completed, they will be submitted to Citizenship and Immigration Canada for approval,” she said.

Local businesses have been urged to get involved in the project by donating money to help support the families’ financial needs or by choosing to sponsor a family instead.

The Hamilton public can also volunteer with the initiatives.

Volunteers can help teach

There are many opportunities to support 20 for 20 in their initiatives.

NEED A TAXI FAST?

English as a second language at a registered agency to the refugees, join a group with five other sponsors and help support a family themselves, and donate clothing and household items to the Salvation Army to be given out to the families. More information about this project and how others can contribute is available on the 20 for 20 project’s website.

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NEWS

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

Writing off rising

tuition fees

After much discussion, the MSU has started a letterwriting campaign to “restore public education”

JON WHITE/PHOTO EDITOR Rachel Katz News Editor

Students across the province may soon have a little more change in their pockets. On Jan. 11, a letter-writing campaign was launched by the MSU and other schools belonging to the Ontario University Student Alliance with the aim of convincing the Ontario government to fund a five-year tuition freeze.

TimeOut Tuition is the actualization of MSU President Ehima Osazuwa’s much-discussed tuition platform point, an issue whose solution students have been waiting to see come to fruition.

“Tuition and financial aid and affordability has been a priority for the MSU this year, and one of the biggest things we wanted to do was galvanize a lot of student support behind ideas like a tuition freeze for the next tuition framework,” explained Spencer Nestico-Semianiw, VP (Education).

He hopes the letter-writing campaign will help gain much of this support. The letter itself succinctly explains the main concerns OUSA-affiliated schools have with the steady increase in tuition, namely the unsustainable nature of the increase and the serious financial burden tuition and debt place on students. Nestico-Semianiw hopes that students relate to the issues identified in the letter, and welcomes any who wish to write their own personal notes.

Nestico-Semianiw’s goal is to send a package of 1,000 signed letters to Premier Kathleen Wynne and the Ministries of Training Colleges and Universities and Finance. “What we’re urging the government to do is reallocate some money that’s already in the sector, specifically the tuition and education tax credits to fund a fully-funded tuition freeze,” he said. This means that not only will tuition remain stable for the duration of the freeze, but that it will be funded by the government to ensure Ontario and Canada at large remain compet-

| 5

Canadian campus news Saad Ejaz Contributor

New credit transfer system afoot Six universities from Canada, USA, Europe and Australia are in discussion to establish a global credit transfer system that will allow students who use massive open online courses to be recognized and accredited between partner institutions.

This new system would allow students to include courses from different institutions as part of their degree programs.

The introduction of a transfer system would also grant students unable to go on international exchanges the opportunity to experience a specialized class only available at a specific school.

Sheridan College receives $22 million software grant

“If next year’s teams don’t make this [advocacy] as big of a priority, then it’s going to be very easy for this conversation to be lost in the next framework.”

Spencer NesticoSemianiw VP (Education) McMaster Students Union

itive in the academic world.

Nestico-Semianiw was quick to admit the freeze comes at a high price. It would cost the province around $106 million.

The MSU and its OUSA colleagues are asking that this be replaced with money from the $340 million the government spends on post-secondary education tax credits. He explained that the issue with these tax credits is that they are not dis-

tributed in an equitable manner.

Lower income families claim around one fourth the amount that higher income families do because they pay less taxes.

Another issue with the way tax credits are distributed is that none of the money is available to students or their families upfront. “It’s something you only get back after you’ve completed a year or two years or you might not receive the benefit for half a decade,” Nestico-Semianiw said.

If the letter-writing campaign is successful, the Ontario government will freeze tuition rates for five years, following the expiration of the current framework in 2017. Without this constant hike in tuition, a first-year student in the 2017-18 school year would hypothetically save approximately a total of $750 over the course of their fouryear undergraduate program during the freeze. Students in a five-year program would save closer to $1,000.

While he anticipates a successful outcome for the campaign, Nestico-Semianiw acknowledges TimeOut Tuition

is only the beginning of a surge of advocacy for lower tuition in Ontario. He expressed confidence in the soon-to-beannounced MSU presidential candidates, many of whom are eager to work on this project as well. “If next year’s teams don’t make this [advocacy] as big of a priority, then it’s going to be very easy for this conversation to be lost in the next framework if students aren’t at the forefront of that,” he said.

The MSU hopes to gain support for TimeOut Tuition not just from students, but from politicians, community members and even the university.

“It’s definitely student-centered and student-run, but we want to show that these are ideas [others] all get behind,” Nestico-Semianiw explained.

As of Jan. 12, the campaign had received just over 400 signed letters, including one from Hamilton Ward 1 councilor Aidan Johnson. @RachAlbertaKatz

Sheridan College’s School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and Technology has received a $22 million grant from Siemens. These grants will allow students to gain experience with software used by leaders in many industries, including automotive and aerospace technology and shipbuilding. The new software will be put to use for a variety of student research initiatives.

Incoming refugees promising for Canadian economy According to a new study, children of immigrants achieve greater success in post-secondary education than their non-immigrant counterparts.

Due to this, Ross Finnie and Richard Mueller, two researchers at the University of Ottawa have announced that welcoming Syrian refugees to Canada is a vitally important initiative not only for the incoming refugees, but for Canada’s economy as well. Finnie and Mueller also stated that children of immigrants are more likely to pursue STEM fields in university, fields they say Canada needs a larger stake in.

6 |

NEWS

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

The art of wellness

A new exhibit at the McMaster Museum of Art illustrates the close parallels between visual literacy and healthcare Artists featured in Picturing Wellness use a variety of creative methods to show the overlap between visual art and science JON WHITE/PHOTO EDITOR

Steven Chen News Reporter

This semester the McMaster Museum of Art is infusing art and healthcare onto the same canvas. On display until March 26, Picturing Wellness is a two-part exhibition that concentrates on using a health-humanities perspective as a guide in understanding resilience through treatment, care and social action.

The first segment, Picturing Wellness I: From Adversity to Resilience, is currently on display at the museum. Coordinated by Christine Wekerle, Associate Professor of Paediatrics at McMaster, the didactic exhibition examines how visual literacy can be used by health professionals to develop their

observational and empathetic skills.

The exhibition developed out of two collaborative courses at McMaster, offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences: “Engaging and Educating in Child Maltreatment” and “The Art of Seeing.”

“We really wanted to have that opportunity to engage the student community in what really is social action,” said Wekerle.

The scientific basis of healthcare is often thought of as being strictly separate from the arts. Yet, as Wekerle hopes to demonstrate with the exhibit, there is considerable overlap between the two fields. “Both in [visual] arts and in sciences, we rely on systematic observation, natural experiment, and interdisciplinary methods,”

she explained. “Even when considering something such as surgery, the process of determining which actions to take and where to make incisions, these decisions can certainly be considered artful.”

The fact that art can enhance evidence-based healthcare practice is due to the observational skills gained from visual literacy. Specifically, visual literacy entails for perceptual accuracy of details and a template for systematically moving through a visual. “[The exhibition] aims to show that art and science both have a lot of emphasis on detail,” explained Wekerle, “because much of the details [in healthcare] are open to interpretation, education in visual literacy provides practice in a no right-or-wrong situation.”

“Visual literacy means that you develop a language and tolerance for ambiguous situations,” Wekerle added, “when you encounter a distressful situation and you are capable to have a very systematic method which mimics the scientific method, you begin to realize that science and art are very closely aligned.”

Picturing Wellness I features a number of works from the McMaster collection, including those by David Blackwood, Blake Debassige, Michelle Bellemare and Betta Goodwin. The pressing issue of mental health and child-abuse resonates from a significant number of these works.

“Collectively we can play a part in alleviating the stigma for mental health, especially in men. The MSU Mental Health

Strategy has a vision of different ways to encourage McMaster students to reach out, and reinforcing the notion that reaching out is resilience,” affirmed Wekerle.

“We know that child abuse is unfortunately also a common experience, and one that should be disclosed as soon as possible, to ensure better mental health as an outcome,” she added.

Picturing Wellness II: Museums and Social Engagement reflects on broader issues concerning trauma, body, memory, medicine, history, health and the museum. The opening reception will take place on Jan. 14 followed by a panel discussion on Feb. 25.

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NEWS

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

New laws for the new year New provincial and national laws that may have an effect on the lives of McMaster students

in Ontario are

A new law requires drivers to wait until a pedestrian has crossed to the

now licensed to

sell beer.

other side of a road before proceeding.

Drivers will be fined between $150 and $500 for breaking the law.

in place for students

paying their own hydro bills.

This tax used to go towards paying for old nuclear power plants. However, it has now been scrapped to put a little change back in students’ pockets.

Huphy Ghayer Contributor

58 grocery stores

Drivers will have to add patience to their new year’s resolutions.

A $5.60 cut has been put

With the arrival of winter, it is important to remember to stay safe while driving.

A new law brought by the provincial government requires insurance companies to offer incentives for Ontario drivers to purchase winter tires.

Smaller brands are legally guaranteed to occupy 20 percent of shelf space, but the brands are on offer will vary from store to store. In Hamilton you can spot the new item at the Queenston Starskys, Mall Road Fortinos, Rymal Food Basics and Queenston Fresh Co.

This provides an opportunity for students to replace worn out tires and ensure a safe winter commute.

McMASTER SEMINAR ON HIGHER EDUCATION:

THE ENGAGED UNIVERSITY

The Role of the University in Safeguarding Free Speech Thursday, January 21 • 2:30-3:30pm Convocation Hall, University Hall, McMaster University

mcmaster.ca/presidentsoffice/lectures.html

| 7

Speaker: Stephen Toope

Director, Munk School Of Global Affairs

Free Admission all are welcome!

Free parking available – please email saulles@mcmaster.ca to make arrangements

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

The McMaster Students Union

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

In the 1991-1992 academic year, students across Ontario contributed an average of 20% to university operating costs. In 2011-2012, these student contributions had climbed to 50%. Today, it’s official - the scales have tipped and students now pay more than the government to fund the province’s post-secondary education sector. What was once a publicly funded system has steadily evolved into one in which the province merely assists students in receiving an undergraduate education.

There are several problems associated with this trend. The first, and most widely felt by prospective university students in Ontario, is the high upfront cost to attending post-secondary education. At McMaster, undergraduate students pay between $6,000 and $10,000 depending on program of study. Add to this number mandatory ancillary costs reaching an additional $1000, and clearly university is very expensive. Moreover, with the current annual average tuition increases for undergraduates at 3%, tuition costs will grow each year a student attends a post-secondary institution. The second, yet equally burdensome effect, is the high debt that many students face upon graduation. In Ontario, the average

student graduates with approximately $26,000 in debt. These debt levels have dramatic implications on peoples’ lives, leaving a new grad less able to participate fully in society. Additionally, it is proven that post-secondary graduates contribute more in tax revenue to the state, and contribute positively to innovation and job creation, while simultaneously costing less to both the healthcare and justice systems. With these facts in mind, society in general benefits greatly from a robust and accessible post-secondary education system.

In recognition of these realities, the MSU, in partnership with its provincial advocacy organization the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), is hosting the Time Out Tuition campaign this week. The goal of this campaign is to encourage the provincial government to implement a fully funded tuition freeze in the next tuition framework, beginning in 2018-2019. Meaning, any increased costs necessary to the system, such as inflation, should be offset by increased provincial contributions to the system, rather than increasing tuition.

There is already enough money in the system to do this. Currently, tuition, textbook, and education tax credits have been used to supposedly improve access to post-secondary education. Unfortunately, under scrutiny, these tax credits are often inequitable and ineffective in achieving this purpose. By reallocating the $340 million in tax credits, the province would have more than enough to fund the $106 million necessary for a tuition freeze.

So, how do we achieve this goal?

Over this week, you can tweet using #timeoutON to discuss your challenges with unaffordable university costs.

You can also sign the wallpaper posted around the Student Centre, asking what you would do with the money saved from a tuition freeze. Finally, the most important thing you can do is sign a letter asking the province to freeze tuition. You can access this letThe 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.

ter by printing it at msumcmaster.ca/ timeout or by picking it up at the MSU office in MUSC 201. Be sure to connect with the MSU’s Advocacy Street Team throughout the week, as they will be distributing letters for students to sign across campus. On behalf of students, the MSU will mail the collection of letters to the Ministry of Training,

Colleges and Universities, the Ministry of Finance, and the Premier’s Office.

I look forward to the changes we can accomplish together. Every signature represents one more Ontarian who believes things can be better for undergraduate students across the province.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

The Silhouette

| 9

Editorial Drop it like it’s hot?

Amanda Watkins Editor-in-Chief

This past week, the full staff of The Silhouette attended an annual journalism conference hosted by the Canadian University Press. We had a great time; we got nominated for a few awards, met amazing leaders in the industry, got super drunk and danced to Drizzy, the list goes on. We were there for four days, and when we returned, our student staff members were ready to get back into the swing of classes.

Everyone was attending their classes like normal, feeling out their course selections, and then, like magic, almost out of nowhere, course add/drop day popped up on our calendars.

In that short, one-week amount of time, students were required to make a decision about how their education for that term would be shaped.

Changing a course doesn’t necessarily sound like a huge

issue, but consider how one hated course could affect your transcript, or how one selection from a list of suggested courses could lead to you missing a prerequisite for a seminar?

Aside from these hypothetical situations, consider this issue: how can someone properly assess a course when they’ve only had the opportunity to attend one lecture?

I understand that classes need to get started and students need to be learning course materials as soon as possible, but as of right now, there is no way for a student to become acquainted with a course without attending it (unless of course they want to trust outdated information on MacInsiders). Could it be an option for students to add courses to their schedule by a certain, early date, but be able to drop them later on without a charge? Could a solution like this allow students the luxury of trying new courses without

being concerned with the financial effects of dropping?

Ours is one of many universities that is currently working to implement more interdisciplinary programs for its students. Programs like Sustainability, Health Sciences and Arts and Science have given students the chance to branch outside their predicted fields and try courses from different programs and faculties. With this in mind, shouldn’t McMaster be working to provide this privilege for the rest of its students? Giving students the chance to try courses for a longer length of time while still being allowed to drop them (without a fee), could encourage students to broaden their horizons and gain the full interdisciplinary experience McMaster is striving for.

Our current course selection structure should strive to make education accessible. @whatthekins

McMaster’s course add/drop dates can put students into unnecessarily difficult positions

to “overwhelmingly positive.” to “Mr. Brightside.” to Richard in The Gauntlet.

to guest lecturers. to keynote panels. to legacy media. to “framework.”

to loudness.

to missed critiques.

to not ejecting “Current.”

to editing “a magazine.”

to “beat.”

to inappropriate microphone comments.

to Patrick actually being in the back room. to Karen. to the new calendar system.

to hard copy assignments. to ethical grey areas. to friend dumping.

Get involved with The Sil! NEWS

OPINION

LIFESTYLE

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ANDY

Are you interested in current affairs, campus events and student politics?

Join our News team as a writer or photographer!

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A pressing opinion about campus life or the community?

Write for Opinion!

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Do you stay updated with Marauder sports? Do you have commentary to share about your favourite teams? Join the Sports team!

Are new music, movies, arts and games constantly on your radar? Get involved with our arts and entertainment section, Andy!

Send them an email at: news@thesil.ca

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Or, attend their volunteer article brainstorming meeting on Tues. @ 3:30

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The Comedy of Errors When: January 14, 2016 at 08:00PM until January 23, 2016 at 08:00PM

n’ Greet on January 19th 7pm-9pm in TwelvEighty and the Presidential Debate on January 21st 3:30pm-5:30pm in MUSC Atrium, or visit the Elections Page at

Where: Robinson Memorial Theatre

msumcmaster.ca/elections once cam-

(CNH 103)

paigning starts. For more information

STUDENT: $12.00

ADULT: $20.00

feel free to contact us at elections@msu.

Comedy Night at 1280 When: January 19, 2016 from 09:00PM until 11:30PM Where: TwelvEighty Bar & Grill Comedy Night at 1280 is back!

mcmaster.ca.

Headliners Graham Kay and John Hast-

Tony Lee XXX Hypnotist

Diversity Week

ham is a well known comic in the Just for

When: January 15, 2016 from

When: January 18-22

09:00PM until 11:30PM

MSU Diversity Services Presents: Con-

Where: TwelvEighty

structing our Stories from January 18th-

Tony Lee will be returning to McMaster on January 15th in TwelvEighty with his XXX rated hypnotist show! This shocking show

22nd 2016. Come join us for a week-long celebration of all things that make up our individual identities..

will be like nothing you have ever seen before. Every year, Tony Lee puts on a hilarious performance that will have you entertained all night. As one of McMaster’s favourite acts, Tony Lee will be sure not to dissapoint!

MSU Presidential Meet n’ Greet

coupon. Doors open at 8:00PM. This event

MSU Elections is hosting the Presidential

will be all ages!

Meet n’ Greet in collaboration with MSU Diversity this January 19th from 7pm-9pm

January 28, 2016 at 05:00PM

in TwelvEighty. This is a great opportuntiy to connect with your candidates on a more personal level and gauge who you want to vote for. Have a platform question? Concerns? Just want to talk? All are

Where: McMaster University

welcome to attend! As well there will be

Campaigning will begin at noon on

plenty of food and drinks, so be sure to

January 17th and end at 5pm on Jnauary

stop by!

28. For more information on candidates visit events such as the Presidential Meet

judge on Video on Trial. John Hastings has smart jokes about everything from emo kids to boogers, a dead-on Batman-based analogy for the older generation’s approach to fatherhood and much more...

Admission is $4.00 at the door or $2.00 with a coupon! Doors open at 9pm sharp!

until 09:00PM Where: TwelvEighty Bar & Grill

When: January 17, 2016 at 12:00PM until

Laughs community as well as a frequent

When: January 19, 2016 from 07:00PM

Admission is $8 at the door, or $6 with a

Presidential Campaigning Period

ings will brighten up your Tuesday! Gra-

VISIT: msumcmaster.ca/calendar for the full calendar of events.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

The Silhouette | 11

Opinion

C/O CORBIS IMAGES

Ignore your parents’ advice When looking for career guidance, you may have to look in some unconventional places Talia Kollek Opinions Editor

I’m reaching the end of my degree. This will be the last semester of my undergraduate, and the first question that everyone but my cat wants the answer to is “where are you working after you graduate?” So on the cusp of graduation I have one honest recommendation for anyone looking for work: stop listening to almost everything people tell you about your future.

I fully recognize the irony in writing an article advising you to stop listening to advice, so instead let me tell you that all advice is not created equal.

You need to be wary of who is giving you guidance and how applicable it really is. Traditional places we might look for help — friends, families, teachers — might not be as helpful as you’d hoped. Anyone who hasn’t had to job search in the last ten years is likely unable to tell you

how to overcome our chronic job shortage. There is a reason why our parents’ generation often advised us to get an undergraduate degree and find a steady job with benefits and a retirement package. In their time it was not uncommon to secure a career in one industry, often with a single employer.

Instead, our generation will be faced with multiple careers and more jobs than we can count, shaped by an ever-changing marketplace.

So if we can’t take advice from past generations, where can we turn? Googling “career tips” returns a huge number of results, but you should also be wary of taking advice from articles online. While tips on how to write a professional email or acquiring a business casual wardrobe may be helpful, don’t mistake that advice for anything that will help you stand out in a crowd — and there will be a crowd, because for every job that is publicly posted there are

going to be a flock of applicants.

Be wary of advice that is available to everyone, because at best it will help you conform in the market, and at worst make you forgettable.

Another thing to be critical of are buzzwords. I am firmly convinced that anyone who tells you to develop a “personal brand” doesn’t fully know what that means either. Take phrases like “personal elevator pitch”, “networking” and “rapid skill acquisition” with a grain of salt.

If you can’t understand advice because it is wrapped in ambiguous or esoteric language, it is probably not going to be very useful to you anyway.

Be especially suspicious of advice that doesn’t take privilege and oppression into account. As study after study confirms what we already knew — that women and people of color are considered to be less qualified and are less likely to be hired — telling someone to “follow their dreams” ignores the

fact that pursuing a career in your desired field is much easier for some than others. The best thing you can do instead is seek out advice tailored to your situation. If you can, look for someone you admire in your field with similar life experiences and reach out to them for guidance.

You would be surprised how willing people are to mentor the enthusiastic and give you advice you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere. If there is no one like you in your chosen field, just be prepared for a potentially longer and more arduous job search.

So after telling you what advice not to follow, let me give you the advice that has worked best for me: focus on yourself. Often times finding a job is an exercise in ego; we are constantly trying to prove to potential employers that we are worth their time and money.

You need to see the value in your own work, otherwise how will anyone else see it too?

Not everything you do will be

Be wary of advice that is available to everyone, because at best it will help you conform in the market, and at worst make you forgettable. groundbreaking, but take the time to appreciate your own improvement, and strive to get better at what you want to do.

As best as you can, demand fair pay for your work, and don’t compare yourself to your friends or coworkers because it isn’t going to be helpful. Don’t let other people dictate what your career is going to look like, because at the end of the day you are the one accountable for your work. @TaliaKollek

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OPINION

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Adding LGBTQ to TV Kaiwen Song Contributor

Television programs, with their widespread reach and exposure, can have many beneficial impacts on individuals and society. TV not only provides entertainment, but can also help generate societal acceptance of minority groups such as the LGBTQ community through positive representation.

Looking back we can see the impact that TV shows featuring LGBTQ characters, such as Will & Grace and Glee had on the increasing acceptance of queer people in North America. These shows had a snowball effect, with many others beginning to feature LGBTQ characters.

Indeed, 2015 saw a plethora of attempts at positive representation. Unfortunately, they often left much to be desired. Here are three major ways in which we could improve LGBTQ representation on television in 2016.

First, give LGBTQ characters enough screen time to fully develop.

Creating a character that only says a few inconsequential words every episode — or worse, flashes by on screen for mere seconds — is not enough to leave a lasting impression. One example is Captain David Singh

in The Flash. While the show is theoretically highly inclusive, Singh, the gay police captain is only featured in 16 of the 23 total episodes with a total screen time of less than two minutes. Similarly, Teen Wolf featured the token gay lacrosse player Danny for less than five minutes throughout its first three seasons before the character disappeared altogether with no explanation. These token LGBTQ characters are extremely disappointing. How can an audience enjoy or relate to a character they don’t get the chance to know?

Secondly, ensure that your attempts at positive representation don’t end up doing more harm than

good. Quantico, one of the most anticipated shows of 2015, had commercials that highlighted the inclusion of a major gay character named Simon — the show held extra promise as it was created by Joshua Safran, who is openly gay. This promise was shattered almost immediately when it was revealed that Simon was only pretending to be gay, meaning that TV was robbed of some potentially fantastic queer representation.

Safran didn’t stop there; the other minor gay character on Quantico was depicted as cowardly, running away from a bomb

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Token representation is not enough, we need to demand better queer characters in media

while others stayed behind to defuse it, later committing suicide at the prospect of facing imprisonment after being caught for a crime. Both actions perpetuated the negative stereotype of the cowardly or incapable gay man. Needless to say, LGBTQ characters do not, and should not, have to be perfect human beings, however, with so few representations of queer characters on TV, we must take care that the few rare portrayals of LGBTQ characters on TV don’t buy into pre-existing negative stereotypes.

Thirdly, do not be afraid to show LGBTQ characters engaged in romantic and sexual relationships. Modern Family, a comedy series with several LGBTQ writer-producers, is a success on many fronts: it features a gay couple in major roles and allows them to be both good and bad, nuanced just like the rest of the characters. However, Modern Family has long been criticized for glossing over displays of physical intimacy between its gay character.

According to the American Sociological Review’s 2014 study, although people may support civil rights for the LGBTQ community, many are still be uncomfortable seeing

2015 saw a plethora of attempts at positive representation.

Unfortunately, they often left much to be desired. same-sex public displays of affection. Thus, it is important for TV shows such as Modern Family to play a role in normalizing same-sex physical intimacy.

Seeing characters at their most affectionate and intimate is an important part of seeing them as human.

Fulfilling all three criteria, all the while maintaining critical and commercial success, is not impossible: take a look at How To Get Away With Murder. The show features a lead bisexual character and a major gay character, each with individual strengths and weaknesses, who are part of romantic relationships that are depicted with as much explicitness as their straight counterparts. By taking the time and effort to portray members of the LGBTQ community in a meaningful way, TV shows can be elevated from being simply entertaining to being influential and important. Writers and producers — straight and LGBTQ alike — take note!

OPINION | 13

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

Resolving to avoid resolutions Let’s keep the sanctity of New Years resolutions intact Takhliq Amir Contributor

With a New Year comes a new beginning, new opportunities, and the traditional New Year resolution. For many of us, the start of 2016 brought about a chance to once again bring out those handy notebooks, uncap the new ink pen, and begin creating a list of everything to achieve in the new year. We sat there, a giddy feeling coursing through us, as we pondered on the aspirations of this year and all the things we could possibly accomplish.

Every year in my life that passes, however, brings about rising doubts regarding the

Every year in my life that passes, however, brings about rising doubts regarding the value of these resolutions. value of these resolutions. A small number of people actually fulfill their resolutions despite many with good intentions.

Listening to the radio I heard a host comment, mocking those who attempt resolutions, and how no one can ever actually be expected to carry them out.

Even my chemistry professor joked about the fleetingness of these promises. And yet we seem to have forgotten that that is what they are: promises.

Regardless of whether or not New Year’s resolutions are something to be adopted, they should be considered as promises to oneself. A New Year’s resolution might be overly ambitious, but it is also a challenge and a promise to yourself to work towards achieving a goal.

It is a test of your own capabilities and a push at your personal conviction.

As humans, we are programmed to make excuses for our actions and behaviours that might, and are probably,

a shortcoming. Nobody likes to admit failure, after all. As well, New Year’s resolutions, as a start to the year, give us something exciting, something exhilarating to look forward to. Imagine if, by the end of the year, I visit all 25 countries on my list! But they can also set us up for failure. And sometimes, while writing the resolutions might have been an invigorating experience, the failure of not achieving something produces a greater disappointment.

I want to ask you then to not make New Year’s resolutions if you are not serious about them. There is intense satisfaction in fulfilling a resolution, which is easily spoiled by the

carelessness with which they are perceived and pursued. New Year’s resolutions have become merely a symbol that welcomes in the year, a tradition that has been carried on from past generations and will likely be passed on to the next. Instead, think about the things you’d like to achieve today, tomorrow, even in the next week or month.

But don’t lose sight of the end goal. These resolutions are worth as much as the fulfilling sense of accomplishment that achieving them evokes. So be ambitious and be daring, but also keep the promises that you make to yourself.

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OPINION

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

The university industrial complex Mosaic’s “shopping cart” feature begs the question, are our degrees only commercial products?

Ana Qarri Managing Editor

My first reaction to seeing the words “shopping cart” on Mosaic was to post a joke about it on Twitter. After my tweet got three likes and my sense of humour was externally affirmed for the day, I glanced over the words again and felt nauseous.

The words “shopping cart” might seem small and meaningless and the intent behind it was probably harmless, meant to turn an administrative process into something familiar. Unfortunately, it speaks to a larger reality of university education: the normalization of seeing universities as businesses and our degrees as products.

These words now serve as a reality check. It makes me ask over and over again: what’s university? Is it a place where knowledge is advanced, where society is challenged? Is it a hub of innovation? The answer is obviously yes, but there’s more to it than that. Being in our undergraduate degrees, many of us will not get to participate in that culture. Many students leave undergrad, either find a job or go to a professional degree, without having ever interacted with the culture of knowledge-advancement that is the essence of the university as a concept.

To undergrads, university is sold as an experience, as the best four years of your life — a fact that I sincerely hope is not true. Degrees are framed as skill-giving products, and those that don’t offer hard professional skills feel the need to justify their existence by teaching “soft” skills, or by shaping their products into something innovative and cool that can then be sold as “elite”. Admittedly, a lot of this has to do with university programs just trying to survive as funding decreases for any non-STEM field that involves even a bit of critical thinking.

“Shopping” equates a process as significant to our life and career trajectories as academics with trivial everyday

Things you put in your “shopping cart” usually include: groceries, clothes from online stores, highly acclaimed books from Amazon you’ve been pretending to want to read for a few months.

This language positions the university as the seller of knowledge, and you, the buyer. undertakings. Things you put in your “shopping cart” usually include: groceries, clothes from online stores, highly acclaimed books from Amazon you’ve been pretending to want to read for a few months. This language positions the university as the seller of knowledge, and you, the buyer.

Universities already use ads to sell their undergraduate programs — a tactic I’ve found ethically questionable for some time. While advertising is understandable, ads playing in movie theatres for our Engineering program directly following that guy from The Source explaining some cool new tech product makes it a lot harder to think of my education as a genuinely enlightening experience.

The student-as-consumer narrative creates a feeling of disconnect between me and my education that cheapens the whole experience, which is unfortunate, because it’s anything but cheap.

But the problems faced by our public education system won’t disappear if McMaster decides to change a few words on Mosaic, or stop playing ads

in movie theatres. In a way, I am thankful for the language used on Mosaic. The idealized view of a university education as the creator and disseminator of knowledge in the public interest is seriously endangered by rising tuition fees, degree inflation, and a rocky job market that leaves many graduates unemployed for frightening periods of time.

While we must continue to think of the university as the place for groundbreaking and socially challenging research, reminders of the state that our education system currently finds itself in might not be such a bad thing. Language like “shopping cart,” as uncomfortable as it makes me feel, serves as a much-needed wake up call.

Mosaic’s “shopping cart” feature has an unnerving name. TALIA KOLLEK/ OPINIONS EDITOR

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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

The appropriation of Asian culture in Western society Pages 16-17

The Silhouette | 15

Lifestyle

How to bounce back from a bad semester Page 18

Amanda Watkins Editor-in-Chief

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Caribbean Flavah 1122 Main Street West

JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

I will preface this review by saying I come from a Caribbean family and therefore walked into Caribbean Flavah with higher than normal expectations for a take-out restaurant.

Most students who have lived in Westdale-Ainsliewood for the last few years are already very well-acquainted with the restaurant, as the signage for the store went up roughly two years ago. While its presence has been looming, the restaurant itself only opened two months ago, towards the end of November.

I went to the restaurant in time for their take-out lunch specials. From 11-4 p.m. they offer five dollar lunch specials that include your choice of meat (jerk chicken, curry chicken, fried chicken, stewed chicken or jerk pork), served with rice and beans and coleslaw.

I ordered the jerk and curry chicken, and they both had good flavour. The jerk was definitely the better of the two, but both seemed to have a lot of pieces of broken bone floating in the rice, a sign of poorly cut and prepared meat. It is understandable that the meat didn’t have the best cut because of the low price, but a more sustainable business practice could be to offer fewer options of better quality food for a slightly higher price. Encountering pointy bits of cartilage in my meal was off-putting and deters me from returning again, even if it is a great deal. The rice on the other hand had great flavour and consistency and made up for the sketchy bone cutting.

The lunch deals also came with a canned pop or bottled water. I really wanted to upgrade my canned pop to bottles of Ting (a Jamaican grapefruit drink), but they unfortunately had no way to pay for an upgrade, and the one person working there forced me to take the pop either way. I really wanted that Ting.

Caribbean Flavah has had a long start-up, and they seem to still have some planning to go.

They do offer a wide range of dishes though, and are a unique addition to Westdale’s restaurant scene. @whatthekins

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LIFESTYLE

THE SKINNY Michelle Yeung Lifestyle Reporter Farewell, David Bowie

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Not yours to

fetishize A personal essay on the appropriation and fetishization of Asian culture in North American society

Rock legend and cultural icon, David Bowie, passed away after an 18 month battle with liver cancer. Considered one of the most influential musicians of our time, Bowie produced hits and entertained fans for over six decades. He transcended what it meant to be a star; not only did he influence music, but his gender-bending alter egos also impacted art, fashion, and the global LGBTQ community. Known for his creativity, innovations and unparalleled artistry, he inspired fans to love their quirks and embrace their truest selves. David Bowie was a hero to many. And he made many of us feel like heroes, too.

May you rest in peace, Ziggy Stardust; ashes to ashes, funk to funky.

One Direction? More like four directions

After announcing an extended hiatus a few months ago, various sources reveal that One Direction will be splitting for good. Over the deafening sound of the simultaneous breaking of hearts all over the world, Directioners can find solace in one thing — the boys will likely be pursuing individual projects post-split. It’s not good-bye forever.

Yeezy Season 3 will be “more affordable”

Yeezus told reporters that the price range for Yeezy season 3 will be lower than the previous seasons. “Cheaper,” however, is relative. Until the new line is dropped, we’ll just have to wait and see whether we can afford to cop or continue looking for good finds on Grailed yet again.

FROM LEFT: A traditional Japanese kimono C/O FLICKR COMMONS; a “kimono” sold at Forever21.

Michelle Yeung Lifestyle Reporter

I’ve noticed a startling trend on Instagram recently. My blondehaired, blue-eyed white friend began posting selfies of herself with a Sailor Moon necklace, Hello Kitty stationary and various other Asian artifacts from my childhood. While it goes without question that interests and hobbies transcend race, what alarmed me were the comments under these photos.

Friends of all races and ethnicities commented about how “cute,” “cultured” and “hip” she was for wearing a pendant that belonged to my childhood hero, Sailor Moon.

On my 20th birthday in February, I will have spent two decades in Canada. My parents emigrated from Hong Kong when they were in their teens.

Similar to most immigrants, they were sent over by their families with hopes for both a better education and a better life. Assimilating into the vastly different Western culture was akin to being thrown overboard without a lifejacket; they had to learn how to survive on their own. They were starting both anew and alone. The journey of immigrants is one of hardship, fortitude and, from stories

about their experience, one that never really ends.

As a first-generation Canadian of parents who immigrated here at a relatively young age, I spent my childhood watching Teletoon while eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch at breakfast. Compared to many of my elementary school friends, I grew up in an environment that was fairly Westernized. My dad and I watched football together.

We ordered pizza when nobody felt like cooking. My mom and I shopped at the same stores as my white friends and their moms. At the same time, my father always placed great emphasis on remembering my roots.

Growing up, our home was a no-English household. I went through 10 years of Cantonese school on Saturday mornings and went to dim sum with my grandparents every Sunday afternoon. Although I did not appreciate their efforts at the time, I am now extremely grateful that my parents stood their ground and provided me with a balanced and multi-faceted upbringing. In my adolescence, however, this cultural dichotomy proved to be confusing: how could I be so Chinese and so white at the same time?

Growing up, I was lucky enough to have attended institutions that surrounded me

“Dozens of fastfashion and high-fashion brands have appropriated traditional Asian dress.

Perhaps the most prominent example is the kimono, a traditional Japanese dress worn by women of the culture on special occasions.” with a diverse body of students and staff. Although my group of close friends were predominantly white in high school, I also had a group of Asian friends, some of whom immigrated to Canada fairly recently.

When these friends would speak Cantonese or Mandarin to each other at school, wear clothing with Asian lettering or

speak about their penchant for Asian cultural icons like Hello Kitty, other kids at school would call them “FOB.” FOB stands for “fresh off the boat,” and is used as a derogatory term for immigrants. The dissonance between this reaction and the one that my white friend with a Sailor Moon necklace received is the primary cause of my concern and frustration. Why were my Asian friends berated, while my white friend was praised? How is it that society considers its white members who have a penchant for Asian culture as “cute” or “worldly,” while members of that very society are chastised for doing the same?

This fetishization and appropriation of Asian culture are evident in ways that often slip under our noses. Take fashion, for instance. Dozens of fast-fashion and high-fashion brands have appropriated traditional Asian dress. Perhaps the most prominent example is the kimono, a traditional Japanese dress worn by women of the culture on special occasions.

If you search up “kimono” on Google, one of the first results that come up is a link to Forever 21. Another example is the cheongsam, a slim-fitting Chinese dress, which has been made popular by various Hollywood blockbusters and red

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carpets. While it can be argued that these are “just articles of clothing,” cultural appropriation isn’t confined to the act of wearing them; as an Asian woman, I can say that women of all races would look beautiful in a traditional kimono or cheongsam. The issue becomes how society perceives the wearer, and the difference in their perception based on the colour of the wearer’s skin. White women who wear cheongsam are cool and culturally-aware. Asian women who wear them are exotic. White women who decorate their Instagram posts with cute graphics, pose with peace signs, or enjoy Asian culture are adorable and desirable. Asian women who do the same are unrefined.

The issue goes far beyond Hollywood and fashion. Recently, I had to deal with someone discussing “yellow fever” in my presence. For those unfamiliar with the phenomenon, “yellow fever” generally refers to white men who have a sexual preference for women of Asian descent. My partner is white. It is a vastly ignorant and debasing phrase that reduces my interests, my personality, and my traits into nothing but my identity as a Chinese person. It bothers me when white individuals spew out their strong, rightful opinions on a bevy of racial issues, but

turn to me right after and make an uneducated and insensible comment about my culture (such as this one). Championing for social justice is a noble cause.

It is, however, just as important to become socially aware and responsible for your words. Do not embrace your white privilege and shout from the rooftops about how unjust the world is and then comment about the distinct shape of my eyes or voice your opinions on the “strange foods” that my grandparents eat.

The fetishization and appropriation of Asian culture is rampant in society; it can be found in pop culture, fashion and even in the discussion of relationships (#yellowfever).

Its breadth is overwhelming in such small ways that, at times, even I forget that these problems exist. Although not everything is committed with ill intent, it is important to recognize this as a prominent societal issue that is just as important as any other. Anyone can like Sailor Moon — just don’t judge them differently based on the colour of their skin.

@mich_yeung

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LIFESTYLE

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Five ways to bounce back from a bad semester Learn to 2.

1. Re-examine setbacks adapt It’s easy to say that you didn’t do well because the instructor was an asshole, but there’s usually something on your end as well. Be critical about your study habits!

Sometimes the reason is not as obvious as “I just didn’t go to class and crammed everything in the last week.”

Maybe it’s because you’re studying to music with lyrics and you need to listen to ambient sounds instead. One of the best apps around is called “Noisli;” download it onto your phone and get ready to focus like never before.

There’s no one way of studying that will get you a 12 in all subjects, so make sure your study method is appropriate for what you’re trying to do. This will increase your likelihood of success and minimize wasted time.

If you need to memorize a boatload of notes, you want to test yourself with cue cards (or the like) and not just read your notes. If it’s a problem-based course, you want to do as many practice problems as possible instead of focusing your time on reading the textbook.

Jason Woo Lifestyle Editor

to get 3. Time organized In your planner or calendar, mark down all the quizzes, tests, and assignment due dates for all your courses.

This way you can plan ahead and know when you cannot afford to go to Motown. If you want to be even more detailed, set your own due dates for when you want a part of your assignment, or a reading, to be done. That way you won’t have a revelation at 2 a.m. that you have a 2,000 word essay due in a week.

a fresh 4. Getstart If you need to get the sour taste of those 6s from last semester out of your mouth, get a fresh start by getting a new set of stationary and notebooks. Clean up your room and start a new routine.

These changes require time, preparation and commitment, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t succeed initially.

Actually sleep at appropriate times. Don’t fixate on your bad marks, because you can’t change those and they just add an unnecessary pressure.

in a 5. Pencil break Your mind tends to become petrified into stone when you continuously focus on one task for too long. Take 10-minute breaks for every 40 minutes of studying.

Switch subjects every few hours. Go to the gym or even the grocery store. To ease your guilty mind when you’re not studying, know that your break can still be productive in some way. Try downloading the Pomodoro Timer on your laptop or phone, a great app to help you keep track of your work and of your breaks.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

The Silhouette | 19

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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES TO McMASTER’s GOVERNING BODIES

Elections will be held in March 2016 to fill vacant undergraduate and graduate student representative seats on McMaster’s governing bodies.

Board of Governors: 1 undergraduate student & 1 graduate student JON WHITE/PHOTO EDITOR

Hamilton gets Serve’d Patrick Kim News Reporter

Just off the intersection of John and King Street, Serve Ping Pong Bar & Lounge is an entertaining spin on the increasingly popular hobby bar.

Similar in premise to a pool bar or a board-game cafe, patrons can come for a beer or a bite to eat, then hit the tables for some casual or competitive table tennis. With Ping Pong balls scattered all over the floor and a pitcher of beer positioned next to a group of friends heavily invested in their match, the bar is a playground for adults to come and relax with some friends for the night.

“It’s a good social experience, it’s something you can do with friends,” said Gianmarco Silano, one of four founding partners of Serve.

“Anybody can do it, you can be as good as you want, as bad as you want; people seem to have a great time with it.”

The bar, housed on the second floor of 105-115 King St. East, occupies 10,000 square feet of space in a building that once belonged to the Hamilton Spectator in the early 1900s.

There’s a historic charm to the interior as well, with some brick-and-mortar contrasting with a more urban aesthetic.

Anybody can do it, you can be as good as you want, as bad as you want; people seem to have a great time with it.

Gianmarco Silano Founding Partner, Serve Ping Pong Bar “I’d say [it has] a rustic-industrial kind of feel, but with newer touches to bring it up-todate,” said Silano.

“We’re trying to keep the old with the new.”

The bar blends a lot of different elements beyond just its aesthetic, as it’s divided into a quieter sit-down area dotted with paddle-shaped menus, available for people to chat and watch the game, to the expansive floor filled with tables and blaring music.

The price to play is a touch expensive with each table at $20 an hour, but Serve has already been fairly popular amongst customers in its first several months.

“It seems like everybody’s enjoying it so far,” he said. “Our crowd’s been awesome, people

really seem to warm to the space; really good vibes from everybody. That’s something I’ve noticed in general from Hamilton, everybody seems to be very positive and supportive, especially if you’re starting a business.”

The space had been vacant for several years before Silano and his partners opened the bar this past October. According to Silano, the idea first came up when one of the partners first bought the building.

“It was so large and expansive that he had the idea to try and do a ping pong bar,” Silano said. “He loves to play ping pong, we used to play growing up in high school.”

That premise of playing and competing with friends is what Silano hopes people will continue to come out for.

“It’s something to do in the winter; if you want to go to a bar, you can’t go to a patio, so if you know you’re stuck inside at a bar, you’re [at least] moving around, you’re competitive, you’re having fun,” said Silano.

“We also have that aspect where you can go watch the game or sit down at a table and eat something; you can experience it in different ways if you want to, and I just think it’s a fun thing to do.” @patrickmkim

Senate:

Business: 1 undergraduate student & 1 graduate student Engineering: 1 undergraduate student Health Sciences: 1 graduate student Humanities: 1 graduate student Science: 1 undergraduate student & 1 graduate student Social Sciences: 1 graduate student

University Planning Committee: 1 undergraduate student & 1 graduate student Completed nomination forms must be received in the University Secretariat office by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 4, 2016.

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, February 5, 2016 at 3:30 p.m. in MUSC, Room 230.

Questions may be directed to the University Secretariat, telephone, 905.525.9140 x24337, or email unielec@mcmaster.ca

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Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

CROSSWORD

6. Harvests 7. Pardon 8. Nays 9. Pay attention 10. Blockheads 11. Dispatched 12. Tempo 13. Winter coaster 21. Peruvian animal 25. Toasty 26. Natural mineral 28. Smell bad 29. Lunch, e.g.

30. Division term 31. Juvenile 32. Fruit drinks 33. Reside 34. Cruising 35. Distribute cards 38. Rose stalk 40. Amid 41. Keanu Reeves role 44. Free from germs 47. Shudder 48. Small hound 49. Cavern 52. Fiery felony 53. Rattler, e.g.

54. More frosty 55. Succinct 56. Circle sections 57. Cool!

58. ____ Carvey of “Wayne’s World” 59. Not nearby 60. Excuse me!

ACROSS 1. Liberal ____ 5. Persia, today 9. Speech problems 14. Asian language 15. Movie fish 16. Perfect 17. Shopper’s aid 18. Copenhagen native 19. From that time 20. Gazelles 22. Lugged 23. ____ sauce 24. Profit and ____ 25. Rainy 26. Rowing tool 27. Send 32. Warning signal 35. Color changer 36. Compass dir.

37. Ailment 39. Radiate 42. Eden lady 43. Chore 45. Cantaloupe, e.g.

46. Safety harness (2 wds.)

49. Sticky stuff 50. Ewe’s mate 51. Merit 53. Pose 56. Peruvian range 59. Excessive pride 61. Paper quantities

62. Clenched hand 63. Tresses 64. Indian boat 65. Thanks ____! (2 wds.)

66. Scrapes by 67. Begin 68. Nevada city 69. Insignificant

DOWN 1. Road guide 2. Horned animal, for short 3. Delicious 4. Spot 5. Within a building

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The Silhouette | 21

Sports Buckeyes beat

CIS No. 1 McMaster Men’s Volleyball makes statement against NCAA No. 6 Ohio State

LEAGUE AT LARGE Men’s Basketball CIS Top Ten 6. McMASTER 7. UBC 8. CALGARY 9. DALHOUSIE 10. THOMPSON RIVERS

1. CARLETON 2. McGILL 3. OTTAWA 4. BROCK 5. RYERSON

Women’s Basketball CIS Top Ten 1. SASKATCHEWAN 2. RYERSON 3. McGILL 4. REGINA 5. SAINT MARY’S

6. LAVAL 7. McMASTER 8. ALBERTA 9. OTTAWA 10. QUEEN’S

Men’s Volleyball CIS Top Ten 6. WINNIPEG 7. LAVAL 8. QUEEN’S 9. SASKATCHEWAN 10. TRINITY WESTERN

1. McMASTER 2. ALBERTA 3. MANITOBA 4. CALGARY 5. UBC

Women’s Volleyball CIS Top Ten

C/O MONISH AHLUWALIA

Jaycee Cruz Sports Reporter

This past holiday season, McMaster Marauders handed the Ohio State Buckeyes two losses on their home court in Columbus, OH. McMaster played Ohio State twice (one exhibition, one regular season match) and won both matches. Ohio State was ranked No. 6 in the NCAA. Second-year outside hitter Andrew Richards and fourth-year outside hitters Jayson McCarthy and Stephen Maar scored double digits for McMaster in both matches.

Last Thanksgiving McMaster made the trip to Columbus and suffered two losses to the Buckeyes. The McMaster team that took the floor in Columbus this time around was different and it showed.

“I think the biggest thing is that we have a better understanding of what our team definition is,” said Head Coach Dave Preston. “We know what we do and we know how we do it.”

Just as it is important to know who you are as a person because it’ll define the way you live, it is important for teams to know who they are because it’ll define the way they play.

In the first match on New Year’s Eve, Ohio State sent McMaster into a quick 2-0 hole, but McMaster refused to let the sweep happen. Going down without a fight is uncharacteristic of them. The Marauders looked to the leadership of Alex Elliott, Stephen Maar, Danny Demyanenko, and Andrew Richards to right the ship and get the team mentally back on track.

“We talked about it the whole time in the timeout.

We’re going to outwork these guys. Even if we might not feel like we’re in our best state, we’re going to outwork them,” said Maar.

It took the next three sets to complete the comeback.

“Once we made it to the fifth set we felt there was no way we were going to lose,” Maar said.

“When things get chaotic, we know what we’re looking for. If you don’t know what you’re doing and you push the ‘reset’ button, there’s nothing to reset to,” said Preston. “It’s really important that you define yourselves so that when it’s not going the way you want, you can immediately recalibrate.”

The second match, which was also the Buckeyes season opener, took place on Jan. 2 and McMaster came out even

stronger handing Ohio State their first official regular season loss. McMaster walked into Ohio’s gym and beat them twice in three days.

“Quite honestly, we expected to go down there and win. I don’t think anybody else really expected us to, but I think we did,” Preston said.

“I thrive on the thrill of international competition. It was our anthem against theirs.

You could feel the tension in the game,” said Maar. “It felt good to win there this year. It shows the growth of our program.”

The wins are very impressive. However, Coach Preston doesn’t want their success to get blown out of proportion.

“We’re not going to get caught up on those Ohio State wins. Ohio State is a reference point for us. It’s somewhere we can look back to in order to see how we responded well against a quality opponent,” Preston said. “When we started out this season we wanted to learn how to take a punch. We took some punches in Columbus, but we got back up on our feet and we continued to fight.”

“I don’t care whether it’s Ohio State or any other NCAA school. I care more that the opponent we were playing had enough game to punch us. More importantly, I care that our

team could take the punch and respond. That was important to me,” Preston said. “It was about my guys learning how to deal with the adversity.”

McMaster is confident in their ability and identity. It is scary for opponents when you see a team that is rock solid in their foundation and has battle scars to prove that they’re battle-tested and war-ready.

This team is a band of soldiers that has faced and overcome adversity all while consistently performing at a high-level.

McMaster enters their first game week of 2016 at 11-0 and No. 1 in the nation. They host Queen’s on Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. at Burridge Gym. It’s hard to rattle a team like this, especially when they’ve been locked in for so long.

“Remember who we are.

That’s the theme. It’s about who we are, what we do, and how we do it,” said Preston. “Our style may not work for the next team down the road, but it works for us. We understand it and we know how to get back to it when we’re off it. Those wins haven’t really changed us. We just like what we do and it’s working for us.” @_jayceecruz

1. ALBERTA 2. TRINITY WESTERN 3. UBC-OKANAGAN 4. TORONTO 5. UBC

6. MONTREAL 7. McMASTER T8. DALHOUSIE T8. McGILL 10. SHERBROOKE

Men’s Wrestling CIS Top Ten 1. BROCK 2. ALBERTA 3. McMASTER 4. WINNIPEG 5. CALGARY

6. SASKATCHEWAN 7. GUELPH 8. REGINA 9. CONCORDIA 10. WESTERN

MARAUDERS TRAVEL Men’s Basketball

The McMaster Men’s Basketball team took a trip to Chicago over the holidays for training camp.

Swimming

McMaster’s Swimming team spent a little over a week in Jamaica for training camp.

22 |

SPORTS

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Trip down south inspires sophistication CIS No. 7 McMaster Women’s Volleyball returns from Florida with a greater sense of individual improvement

Jaycee Cruz Sports Reporter

Near the end of the holidays, McMaster Women’s Volleyball hosted the Innisbrook Invitational Tournament in Florida where they won three matches and lost two. The team was in Florida from Dec. 28 to Jan. 6 and included a visit to the Universal Studios theme park near the end of their trip.

Despite not capturing gold at their tournament, Head Coach Tim Louks sees positives that will benefit this team as they enter their final 11 games of the season. Experimenting with lineups led to players getting more playing time and gave them opportunities to work on their game in a controlled setting where volleyball was the main focus.

“Florida raised a lot of really good questions about

what we could do with different players. I think the best part from the training piece was the improvement of the individual,” said Louks.

In her third trip to the Sunshine State with McMaster Volleyball, fifth-year middle Taylor Brisebois echoed her coach’s sentiments.

“Now that more players have experience we can do way more with our line switches because we know who can do

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what and what to expect from them now. Before we didn’t know what some players were capable of because they didn’t have as much playing time,” said Brisebois. “Before Florida, some were nervous about playing, but now I think everyone is comfortable being on the court.”

Among those more comfortable include first-year outside hitter Rachel Woock.

“Rachel took advantage of her playing time and definitely had a good tournament. She held her own and definitely showed us what she’s made of,” said Brisebois.

Coach Louks thought the same.

“I thought Rachel Woock had a good camp. She played a lot at left side. She got more used to the speed of the game,” Louks said.

Other players like Ina Onat and Jill Eisenhauer — both second years — saw more court time as outside hitters and middles. The exposure of players to more playing time and, in some cases, different positions has led the coaching staff to think about sophistication in terms of what they can do strategically.

“I’m not sure how much more sophisticated we got as a team, but we do know that we’re a little better in different areas.

It’s letting us consider some sophistications in our lineups and gameplay,” Louks said. “I think we’re a bit predictable, but we’re learning how to be a bit more

sophisticated when it comes to how we play the game.”

The revealed versatility of players during the Florida trip has allowed a new theme of sophistication to emerge for this team. In sports, sophistication doesn’t always involve obvious, in-your-face changes.

Sometimes the greatest sophistications in sports involve the subtlest of details that have the biggest impact. In volleyball it can be as small as jumping a bit earlier to hit the ball over an opposing blocker’s hand, or choosing to serve a ball with a certain spin that plays to a specific defender’s weakness.

The devil will be in the details.

“I think we definitely need to work on knowing our opponents better and having a better knowledge of ball placement,” said Brisebois. “I think we definitely have another gear we can reach.”

“We’ll have new things ready to try. We can’t always be predictable,” Louks said. “How do we put our opponents under stress and keep them uncomfortable? Nobody wants to be uncomfortable, but we want to make teams uncomfortable.

We’re getting better at that.”

No. 7 McMaster hosts the Brock Badgers at Burridge Gym on Friday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. @_jayceecruz

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SPORTS | 23

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

WOMEN’S RUGBY > For the first time in program history, the team was able to claim the Monilex trophy.

The Marauders defeated host Queen’s Gaels in a 27-3 victory for the CIS championship title.

C/O MAXINE GRAVINA C/O IAN MACALPINE

CROSS COUNTRY > Both the men’s and women’s team ended with great results at the CIS Championship meet. The men finished in fourth place, while the women came in sixth.

C/O MAXINE GRAVINA

JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

BEST OF

MARAUDERS

2015

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL > This talented Marauders team remains the group to beat as they have held the No. 1 spot in the country for nine weeks straight. There has yet to be a team take the spot from the Marauders. With the CIS Championships held at McMaster this year, it will be interesting to see how well this team does.

JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

MEN’S FOOTBALL > Though the season did not end the way many expected for the Marauders, it was full of individual achievements to be proud of and records that were broken.

C/O DANIEL HIGGINS

JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

24 |

SPORTS

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Rising from holiday blues

The McMaster Women’s Basketball team looks forward from the losses at the Laval Invitational Tournament over the winter break

Sofia Mohamed Sports Editor

Some of us like to catch up on sleep over the winter breaks.

Others like to do everything they possibly can before the hectic schedule rolls around again in the new year. For the 16 woman roster of the McMaster Women’s Basketball team, the break was a little different.

Just two days after Christmas, the group took a trip to Quebec City to take part in the Laval Invitational Tournament.

“We had quite the trainJON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR ing during exams knowing the opponents we had scheduled for the Laval tournament were three top 10 teams. So, going into that we were preparing for a high level of competition,” said Anne Marie Thuss, interim head coach.

In the four days spent in Quebec City, the team had a busy schedule of three games in three days. They were there strictly for business.

Despite the high level of play, the schedule allowed a lot of time for recovery. The teams had shoots in the morning, watched video and had meetings. Games took place in the afternoon so there was time for a solid meal and enough rest at night.

The first day of competition was a match up between the McMaster Marauders and the McGill Martlets.

The Marauders, currently placed seventh in the country fought ‘til the end until with the country’s third best.

McMaster started the first game of the tournament strongly, but both teams remained neck-and-neck for most of the three quarters. The team’s efforts ultimately did not end in a win as McGill was able the take the game 65-55.

Captain Danielle Boiago finished with sixteen points and was the lead scorer for the squad.

McMaster’s second game was against Laval, who currently hold the sixth spot in the country’s top 10 rank. McMaster held an 11-point lead until the final quarter of the game.

It was a difficult fourth quarter and Laval won the game at the buzzer with a layup and a final score of 69-68.

Once again, Boiago led the

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score sheet with 17 points and five assists, while guard Hilary Hanaka scored 14 points of her own.

The last game of the tournament was against another competitor in the OUA, the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

McMaster could have come back to Hamilton with one win under their belt as they held a 21-point lead at the half.

The second half wasn’t as easy for the Marauders as they scored only three points in the third quarter. Ottawa knocked down a buzzer-beating bucket that sealed the fate taking a 6361 victory.

Siobhan Manning led the Marauders with 13 points and Andrea Polischuk added nine boards.

The last two games did not see a healthy roster play due to some injuries.

“We had a few injuries so when we had the injuries, the last two teams took advantage of our small size.”

With the team back and healthy, the losses hold learning lessons for the group as they are bouncing back from the holiday losses.

“I think the biggest thing we got out of it is that we are capable of it. We are capable of being up on these teams and learning the next step is to just keep pushing,” said Thuss.

The team continues to believe in the process and started 2016 on a positive note as they defeated the Waterloo Warriors 86-40 on Wednesday night.

The Marauders hope to continue their winning streak as they face the Laurier Goldenhawks on Saturday.

The first home game of the year happens on Wed, Jan. 20, as the Marauders welcome the Windsor Lancers to Burridge.

The Lancers have been the CIS Women’s Basketball champions for the last five years.

“It wasn’t the best way to finish 2015, but those were very valuable games because we have our end goal in mind. The process is what we are focusing on. That’s the biggest part and going forward, we’ll be better each game. We’re looking to be one percent better each time,” said Thuss. @itssofiaAM

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We all have our own ideas about leadership and what it means to be a leader and perhaps this is what makes it so difficult to define. To some, a leader guides, while to others, a leader motivates. Is one definition more accurate than the other?

Staff at the Student Success Centre believe that all students attending university have the capacity to create positive social change in their community, both during their time at McMaster and after they leave University. Whether it is in a group project, at a part-time job, where you volunteer, or even amongst your housemates, if you are fostering change that benefits others, you are demonstrating leadership.

Many programs and workshops have been developed by the SSC to encourage students to explore leadership and examine their capacity to effect change. You’ve heard the saying, “a leader is born, not made” but if you reflect on the experiences of great leaders, you will likely come to see that the reverse argument holds greater truth: “a leader is made, not born.”

WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? Here are some of the programs offered by the SSC that put leadership at the forefront.

Mary E. Keyes Certificate of Leadership Development • Through a series of interactive and collaborative workshops, students explore different perspectives on leadership, learn to work with diverse groups of people, articulate their own personal leadership mission, and gain hands-on experience volunteering in the Hamilton community. Throughout, students develop a leadership portfolio, which they present and defend in an exit interview. Both emerging and experienced leaders who have achieved this certificate agree that this program allowed them to delve deep into leadership skills at their own pace during their university career.

Student Leadership Conference • For students with busy schedules, brief and intensive training is a means for acquiring some essential skills and ideas to lead more effectively. The Student Leadership Conference is open to anyone interested in further developing their leadership skills, from those at the very beginning of their leadership development to seasoned leaders with years of experience.

Student Success Leader Program • Real-life opportunities to practice leadership skills, reflect on those experiences, and receive feedback from a trusted mentor are all highly-effective means for students to build leadership skills and

self-confidence. The Student Success Leader program is designed for students who want to commit to a year of serving their peers in order to develop a wide range of leadership skills. SSLs contribute creative ideas to the development and facilitation of a number of programs across campus.

MacServe • If leadership is the process of working together to create positive social change, there is no better way for a student to kick-start their leadership development than by participating in a MacServe program.

MacServe is a series of service-learning opportunities that range in length from one day to two weeks, and provide students with the opportunity to volunteer with a community organization while building knowledge about a specific social justice issue.

The thread weaving all of these programs together is that leadership is not a position, but rather a process that can be learned. All students have the capacity to grow and develop as leaders. Questions about developing your own leadership skills? Come in and chat with us. For more information related to student leadership at McMaster visit studentsuccess.mcmaster.ca.

First 30 students to visit our office in GH110 and mention that you saw this ad 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.

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The Silhouette | 27

andy

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o f 2 0 15 P ums ag b l e3 ta

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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

es

lm t fi

s of 2015 Next we ek !

Best game of 2015: Undertale

The Verdict

Daniel Arauz Features Reporter

As much as I have been obsessed with the artistic potential in video games, there have been very few experiences that felt like they could be recommended to a more general audience in the same way that a great film, novel or album could be. Even the classic contenders for the “Best Games of All Time” are steep time investments that make them a hard sell to a less committed audience.

The most prominent titles this year focused on providing hours and hours of content, or using their multi-million dollar budgets to perpetuate the clumsy additions of “cinematic storytelling.” Yet a small Kickstarter-backed game made by director and composer Toby Fox stands out as not only the clear winner for best game of 2015, it may very well have a shot for one of the greatest, and most important games of the modern era. Regardless of whether or not you have dabbled in the medium before, you have to experience the fantastical and complex world of Undertale.

On the surface, Undertale is a relatively straightforward, fivehour, turn-based role playing game, developed using Game

Maker: Studio, a free engine.

You assume the control of a nameless child, who has fallen into an underground world of monsters, and must encounter its strange residents, solve puzzles, and explore a variety of different environments in their journey home.

Yet, unlike the traditional role-playing game, Undertale allows the player to complete the entire game without killing a single enemy. Almost every character interaction and plot point is changed heavily depending on whether or not the player has chosen to kill or show mercy: to play as a pacifist, or to kill every single character in the game.

The world within Undertale is whimsical, humorous, and as charming as it is deeply moving.

It is reminiscent of some of my own favourite works of fantasy, that blend a humorous cast of characters with just the right amount of dark undertones subtly found throughout the plot.

Every monster you encounter, though potentially violent at first, are never purely malicious, and it can be just as addicting to flirt with slime monsters, pet a Great Dog knight, or “unhug” a monster and respect their boundaries. The potential interactions during random encounters and boss battles make the pacifist route much

more rewarding than traditional turn-based combat.

Undertale really punishes players in emotional form just as it does in terms of difficulty when one chooses the genocide route, and Fox does so by forcing players to consider the weight of their actions on this fictional world. There is no sense of heroism or justification in the genocide path, the game itself acknowledges that the player is really only doing it because they can. Monsters who would otherwise be the best of friends will desperately try to defend their loved ones against you, and their deaths are gruesome as they are desperate.

While the strong cast of characters, writing, and tight battle-system would make a great title in its own right, Undertale’s commentary on some of the inherent traits of the video game medium is what pushes it to masterpiece status.

Undertale acknowledges the absolute power the player has over the game itself, and in the face of that, begs and pleads that he/she shows mercy to its charming characters and world.

Yet, while Fox actively encourages the player to follow the path of the pacifist, the world and characters that he created actively acknowledge that the player will eventually choose a genocide run out of some mor-

bid curiosity, some “completionist” impulse or at the very least, watch the violent playthrough on YouTube.

Yes, one of the characters will call out those who choose to watch a genocide run on YouTube. That same character will acknowledge your attempts to reset and undo some of your accidental killings, and many more recognize that certain situations feel “nostalgic” after you decided to reset and play the game again.

A genocide run followed by a pacifist playthrough will permanently prevent the player from getting the true, happy ending that typically follows the Pacifist run. The characters themselves will even can even beg the player not to reset the game following its completion, as it would undo the happy ending in their world.

There are no true resets, and no true reloads.

Breaking the fourth wall is not just a novel gimmick in Undertale. It is a critical part of the in-game story, and it is more importantly an open acknowledgement of the absolute power players have over video games themselves. This is a critical part of Undertale’s spirit, and what is arguably the most important aspect of its presentation.

The ability to save, load, reset, manipulate files and even share these experiences online is an intrinsic part of the medium,

A small Kickstarter-backed game made by director and composer Toby Fox stands out as not only the clear winner for best game of 2015, it may very well have a shot for one of the greatest, and most important games of the modern era. and the game uses these components as a more powerful form of storytelling than any of this year’s cinematic attempts. Undertale is one of a kind, in that the relationship between the player and the game is allowed to go beyond the experiences directly within the game, and its exploration of the relationship that the player can have with the game itself is a radical new world for game developers to explore in future titles.

@DanielArauzz

28 |

ANDY

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

The Andy approval matrix COMING UP

The best and worst in arts and culture. This is a concept borrowed from New York Magazine. We hope they don’t mind.

IN HAMILTON MUSIC

HIGHBROW

THIS AIN’T HOLLYWOOD

JAN 15 > Big Rude Jake JAN 16 > Hachey the Mouthpeace JAN 23 > Thomas St. Clair THE CASBAH

David O. Russell won’t be charged for groping his transgender niece because the assault wasn’t witnessed by police. Hard to find a silver lining in this one.

Kendrick Lamar met a fan at the White House.

Kanye dropped “Real Friends” a week after “Facts” which means we’re in for weekly heat from Mr. West a la 2010’s G.O.O.D. Friday tracks.

JAN 14 > Curses

JAN 24 > Fighting Season BALTIMORE HOUSE

JAN 14 > Rap Night launch party JAN 15 > The Zilis

FILM

Currently Playing > Room (JAN 15-21) > Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict (JAN 15-21)

This week’s quick pick

DESPICABLE

WESTDALE THEATRE

Jennifer Lawrence got well-deserved backlash for her brazen takedown of a reporter just trying to read his question to her from his phone. When will she go away?

Production is set to begin on a new Anne of Green Gables series destined for CBC. Let’s hope there’s enough of a spin to make the 1000th version at least somewhat interesting.

Porches

Sam Smith throws shade at Thom Yorke after Radiohead released their prospective Spectre theme over Christmas.

Pool Aaron Maine records under the moniker, Porches.

In a way the name is apt, as his music paints a cinematic portrait for you to gaze upon as if you were sitting upon a porch admiring the view.

Maine’s partcular brand of synth-pop lends itself to more of a melancholic wistfulness than demure contentment, but even someone in a happy mood could get down with tracks like “Be Apart.” “Hour” has been afforded the video treatment by director Alan Del Rio Ortiz, and is an album standout. The video draws you into the hazy air of a summer night spent driving and sneaking into someone’s backyard pool.

The new Sesame Street will air on PBS...

Nine months after it finishes running on HBO. Talk about silverspoon privilege.

The loonie dipped below 70 cents U.S. recently, the lowest it has dropped in 13 years.

Dave Grohl engaged in a drum battle with Animal on The Muppets.

LOWBROW

BRILLIANT

Leonardo Dicaprio dedicated his Golden Globe for The Revenant to indigenous communities around the world. If only more white men followed suit.

ANDY | 29

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016

Gallery: Alessia Cara The Brampton native and Def Jam signee gave a fantastic performance at TwelvEighty that further cemented her as a talent to watch

Alessia Cara took to the TwelvEighty stage on Jan 13 to serenade the audience with a slew of her hits, including “Here”. JON WHITE/PHOTO EDITOR

FREE ADMISSION

Craig Stickland opens for Alessia Cara at TwelvEighty.

JON WHITE/PHOTO EDITOR

30 |

ANDY

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

ANDY’s best albums of 2015 56 Nights Future

Future absolutely destroyed 2015 and it all started with 56 Nights. Following the likes of Monster and Beast Mode, 56 Nights goes about asserting Future’s exponential growth as an artist since his very public breakup with Ciara with a slew of hyper-personal tracks many do a disservice by dubbing “turn-up bangers”. Despite how heavy they go in the club, songs like “Never Gon Lose” and “March Madness” do everything but glorify narcotics. Anyone who listens closely to the lyrics will be able to perceive how Future is driven to drugs as a coping mechanism and only resorts to self-celebratory verses to mask his deep pain.

RULES Alex G

Before getting signed to Domino last year, Alex G dropped this lil album on Bandcamp. G has since put out other albums this past year, but it was something about the comfortable, lo-fi, bedroom-cooing featured on RULES that made it trump 2015’s Beach Music. It was only in 2015 that this album, along with TRICK, was mastered in a studio and made commercially available. Domino’s reissue put RULES on the map for me, and contributed to it becoming my most-played album of last year.

In Colour

Return To The Moon

Jamie xx

EL VY

Everything about Jamie xx’s modus operandi reeks of deliberateness. His debut solo record is titled In Colour, and befittingly sports a rainbow-hued cover that also hints at what lies inside. Just like his music with his band The xx, Jamie’s efforts on In Colour are rich in emotional depth and range.

The eleven-track record has a stunning array of highs and lows, as well as what is probably the song of the summer in “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)”. While that particular Young Thug collaboration is the most obvious ear-worm, the rest of the songs all reward multiple listens in which their genius subtlety comes to light.

The National didn’t release an album this year with its members either focusing on their families, or investing energy into solo projects, but all of them have released stellar material regardless. Matt Berninger’s collaboration with Brent Knopf is arguably the most immediately gratifying of the bunch.

Return To The Moon finds Berninger at his most self-aware, making fun of both himself and all the dad-rock jabs that his work gets from critics. The title track is a pitch-perfect example of the occasionally formulaic catharsis that Berninger’s band aims for, while the rest of the record decidedly distances itself from any comparisons.

In no particular order, Tomi (top) and Vannessa (bottom) list off their five personal favourites

The Names Baio

Chris Baio has released solo material for some time now, but Vampire Weekend’s extended break has allowed the bassist-turned-producer to put out an extremely polished record in The Names. The quiet, intellectual that Baio comes across as in interviews marries his exuberant on-stage personality on the record. Sometimes uncomfortable, but always danceable, The Names is a heartwarming foray into electronic music by a talented musician who reveals himself to be an academic in his devotion to learning a new craft, but not in blending his knowledge into a cohesive product.

I Don’t Like Shit...

Earl Sweatshirt

While Odd Future has ceased to be interesting, Earl has remained a brilliant outsider unhindered by the tunnel vision of his old peers. I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside sees Earl remind us how miserable he is, but in much more inventive fashion than usual. While listening to someone’s personal struggle can get grating, what makes Earl’s continued forays down that path rewarding is that he has matured much more than his former friends. Whereas Doris had a lot of misplaced anger on it, I Don’t Like Shit... has a much grander scope and is ultimately about recovering from the bleak episodes that he recounts.

Homespun

Carrie & Lowell

A New Place 2 Drown

Asunder, Sweet...

Jordaan Mason

Sufjan Stevens

Archy Marshall

GY!BE

From the first seconds of Jordaan Mason’s Homespun, you can predict how intimate the album will sound in its entirety.

You can hear Mason walk in and sit down on the first track as they join you in the experience that is this album. Homespun is a vulnerable piece that was made as a gift to Mason’s husband, who convinced Mason to share this album publically.

This album is Mason’s attempt at an ambient-sounding album with warmth and sounds they weren’t hearing in the ambient genre. The result is a comforting record.

As a mainstream artist, the heartfelt nature of Sufjan Steven’s Carrie & Lowell was rather unexpected. This album affected a lot of listeners since high-profile musicians — for the most part — don’t use their music as an opportunity to tell hyper-personal stories about themselves. Listeners of this album often admit to crying to the songs, noting that this is a confessional album that really hit them. This is a sad album, but I’ve heard sadder albums.

For what it’s worth, I overplayed Carrie & Lowell in 2015, and will continue to do so in 2016.

This year, Archy Marshall moved away from his moniker, King Krule, and released an album under his own name, in partnership with his brother, Jack. A New Place 2 Drown was accompanied by a book, as well as a short film to fully explore the themes of brotherhood and art in the release. With murmuring and static, Marshall released an album that showed more sides of him than he had cared to display in his previous albums. His deep, beautiful voice vibrates out his poetic lyrics and went well with the lethargic tempo of the album.

Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress came out on the last day of March, when I was ending a relationship that I had hardly let begin. Luckily for me, GY!BE released this track after a long hiatus and just in time to save me from sinking into personal despair. This album is every bit reminiscent of GY!BE’s past work without being derivative.

This LP is home to the usual drone-y ambience with some added gusto that makes the listening experience all the more rich. I’d recommend listening to this when you catch yourself staring out of a window.

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THURSDAY

5 HAMILTON PECULATOR THE

Comfor table with nudity since 1934

JAN. 14, 2016

NOTSPEC.COM

Malfunctioning keyboard leads to “ho5tile” learning environment Only the strongest can survive this century without an “s”

How Susan Sanderson’s first keyboard relationship ended.

TALULA PYATYY Computer Scientist

The New Year and new semester has brought an ill omen for one student.

“I ju5t woke up one morning and my 5 key had 5topped working,” claims Susan Sanderson, a fourth year undergraduate studying at McMaster. “The repercu55ion5 have been deva5tating.”

Susan hasn’t been able to access her email or avenue account all week due to the S content of her first and last name. “It ha5 been a nightmare. Profe55or5 aren’t an5wering my email5 becau5e it look5 like I am writing to them from M5N me55enger in 1999.” Susan has also had to change all of her passwords,

as her keyboard was no longer able to type “guest123”.

Beyond technical difficulties, Susan has experienced ridicule at the hands of strangers. “No one take5 my angry YouTube comment5 5eriou5ly anymore,” claims Susan.

“What u5ed to be fruitful and productive di55cu55ion5 with 5tranger5 has now devolved into childi5h bickering.”

Even her friends have not spared her. “My one friend 5ent me an 5 over Facebook chat for me to copy and pa5te,” said Susan. “5ure, it wa5 a good idea, but the conde5cending 5entiment really hurt.”

Other friends have responded to her exclusively with 5’s, ridiculing her typing and her inability to prop-

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erly express plurals. “I thought I had friend5, but it turn5 out I only have friend. The number of time5 I have accidentally typed ‘thank’ instead of ‘thank5’ is frankly embara55ing.”

When questioned as to why she has not just had her keyboard repaired, Susan was visibly upset.

“5ure, I could take it to be fixed, but I’m more up5et about the lack of re5pect I’ve experienced. Before I can fix the hardware i55ue5 with my computer, I demand re5pect a5 a human being. A human being who i5 rapidly becoming creative at compo5ing 5entence5 without thi5 cur5ed letter.”

“I thought I had friend5, but it turn5 out I only have friend” Susan Sanderson “5ad”

INSIDE CONFUSING CONFERENCE EMOTIONS A3 AUNTY OPRESSION: DIVERSITY SERVICE’S NEW MASCOTA4 GLOBES, SHOWERS AND OTHER GOLDEN THINGS B2 SEX AND THE STEEL TITTIES B4 TWEET US ABOUT LIVESTREAM ONE MORE TIME, I DARE YOU B6

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