The Silhouette - COVID CAUTION - October 7, 2021 by The Silhouette

Thursday, October 07, 2021 | Volume 92

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INSIDE:

FEATURES: Adapting MSU peer support services to the pandemic // PAGES 10-11 CFMU: Get involved with the third oldest campus radio station in Canada // PAGE 18 HUMANS: Rosie Merante // PAGE 20 A&C: Supercrawl festival returns to both in-person and online // PAGE 25 SPORTS: Students create Black Student-Athlete Council // PAGE 26

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The Silhouette

Andrew Mrozowski editor-in-chief | eic@thesil.ca Derrick Chappell digital media specialist | dms@msu.mcmaster.ca Adrian Salopek managing editor | managing@thesil.ca Graham Wyndham-West online editor | online@thesil.ca Christina Osadchuk production editor | production@thesil.ca

Volume 92, COVID-19 Issue Thursday, October 7, 2021 The Silhouette | McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

Looking back . . . 2020

Reflecting on the last 18 months In 2020, The Silhouette reported that McMaster University would be suspending all in-person classes. Fast forward 18 months and most classes are still operating in a virtual environment due to COVID-19. We even stopped publishing in print due to the pandemic. As vaccination numbers increase, we are slowly seeing a return back to in-person learning and activities. Crazy to think how the world just shut down.

News

Elisa Do Amarah Hasham-Steele news staff writer Abonti Nur Ahmed news@thesil.ca news editor

news reporter

Features features reporter

Novera Shenin

features@thesil.ca

Opinions opinion editor

Diya Ahmad

opinions@thesil.ca

Arts & Culture arts & culture editor Nisha Gill arts & culture reporter Subin Park arts & culture staff writer Sarah Lopes Sadafi humans of mcmaster staff writer Esther Liu artsandculture@thesil.ca Sports sports editor

Contact Editor-in-Chief (905) 525-9140, ext 22052 Main Office (905) 525-9140, ext 27117 Advertising eic@thesil.ca MUSC B110 McMaster University 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4S4

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The Silhouette welcomes letters to the editor in person at MUSC B110, or by email at eic@thesil.ca. Please include name, address and telephone number for verification only. Letters should be 300 words or less. 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.

Land Acknowledgement Jovan Popovic

sports reporter Sava Jankovic sports staff writer sports@thesil.ca

Acacia Lio

Multimedia production coordinator production@thesil.ca social media coordinator online@thesil.ca

Yoohyun Park Jane Lee

Travis Nguyen photo assistant Ainsley Thurgood photo@thesil.ca photo editor

Cover & Design Travis Nguyen, Yoohyun Park, Christina Osadchuk & Andrew Mrozowski

McMaster University is located on the traditional territories shared between the Haudenosaunee confederacy and the Anishinabe nations, which was protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum agreement. The “Dish” represents the shared land, while “One Spoon” reinforces the idea of sharing and peace. We are guests on this land and are privledged to be able to work, study and live here. The Silhouette recognizes that this acknowledgement is only a single step towards reconciliation and that a lot of progess still needs to be made. We commit to ensuring Indigenous voices are heard and that their stories be told.

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News

McMaster’s first hybrid Welcome Week

How McMaster’s first-year students attended a welcome week amid a global pandemic Abonti Nur Ahmed News Staff Writer elcome Week is a week dedicated to W incoming first-years, allowing them to participate in activities that encourage forming connections with their classmates. Though it is such a well known event amongst university students, only one year of students can attest to attending such an event in the midst of a global pandemic. The first-years entering McMaster University in the year of 2021 have found themselves trying to adjust to university life in the midst of the pandemic. Despite the pandemic, they began their year with a welcome week with socially distancing guidelines. “Daily screening: all attendees must complete the COVID-19 provincial self-assessment within one hour of their intended arrival on campus. Participants will be asked about the completion of screening upon arrival at the event,” stated the Student Success Centre on their COVID-19 guidelines for on-campus events. On the Welcome Week website, seven distinct guidelines were set out to align with the City of Hamilton guidelines. This included having only 100 people at each outdoor event, including those hosting the events. Alongside this, students were required to wear masks at events where social distancing was difficult to maintain. During the week of Sept. 1 to 8, 2021, firstyears gathered all over the McMaster campus to meet their peers. The week followed a hybrid format, mixed with online and in-person components. Students were able to schedule their ideal welcome week schedule with the McMaster Welcome Week website. “Coming out of a year of fully online school basically, Grade 12, it was just really nice to walk outside and see people, just interact with other people. Being in the center of this more social environment after so much isolation,” said Nazifa Tasnim, a first-year engineering student. This hybrid approach was appreciated by students as it allowed them an opportunity to meet classmates. Tasnim was open to admitting that virtual aspects of the events were often a little harder when it came down to meeting new people. “There were virtual events that I signed up for but more or less it was only fun sometimes because I would have my friends, who also lived in my residency building, in the room with me doing the games. In terms of meeting new people, the virtual events were really hard when it came down to knowing anyone. The physical interactions were better in terms of getting to know someone for the first time. At least that’s what I think a lot of people feel. Definitely how I feel,” said Tasnim. All of these events were run by upper-year undergraduate students. The large majority

TRAVIS NGUYEN/PHOTO EDITOR

chose to volunteer their first weeks of university to help guide their younger classmates. To prepare these upper-year students for their roles, they had mandatory training and this year, training was marginally different as they had to factor in COVID-19. “We had a COVD-19 awareness training that was done via Avenue to Learn. We also had an in-person training that also went over COVID guidelines and all the social distancing rules. I found that they were relatively efficient because during the event all the guidelines were enforced,” said Angelina Zhang, a second-year science representative Despite being older than the first-years, many were second-years, students who had also been new to the physical campus. Zhang shared how her online experience impacted her role as a Sciclone. “As a second-year representative, during Welcome Week 2021, while not having any in-person events for my first year I feel really rewarded doing this. Because I am helping the first years this year to have a better Welcome Week experience than I did last year,” said Zhang. Different faculties had a wide variety of events. When speaking with an arts and science representative, they talked about how they adapted to Welcome Week amid COVID-19. “In terms of the planning specifically, all the faculties got together once a week for two hours with other administrative people throughout the whole summer to go through training, plan the events and get the student input side of things. For us specifically, it was two to three hours every week and we worked together to bounce ideas off each other,” said Nicole Rob, co-planner for arts & science Welcome Week events. Rob explained how COVID-19 guidelines affected each faculty differently. “Every faculty is different because we have

different numbers of students. For example, Arts & Science, as well as [the] Indigenous Studies Program, are the two faculties that have the least amount of students. [The arts & sciences Program] has an incoming cohort this year of 68 students. Whereas there are faculties like Science that have 1,700 coming in this year. So what we can do and what type of events we did plan looks a little different for each faculty because of those numbers,” said Rob. First-year students were allowed the opportunity to reside in the residence buildings found all over campus. This allowed for events that pertained to helping them meet and bond with their roommates. “I live in [residence]. I do think it helped improve my Welcome Week experience mostly because there were a lot of [residence-specific] Welcome Week events. In those groupings, I got to meet people who also lived in my building or surrounding buildings, which meant that there were more people that I would get to see often, and would already know their names,” said Tasnim. As one of the many planners of this weeklong event, Rob shared what her favourite part of Welcome Week was. “I think just seeing all of it come together was really cool. With COVID right now everything is fairly uncertain and it is hard to even envision an in-person event at this point because it has been so long since we’ve seen big gatherings of people. It was nice to be able to give the first-years that experience, as someone who had a fully online Welcome Week. As a second-year it was cool to see the first-years be able to enjoy a bit of the in-person experience,” she said. Overall, Welcome Week was one that was truly historic. Despite the stresses and inconveniences brought about by COVID-19, Welcome Week this year was a huge success and an appreciated welcome for the incoming class.

The Silhouette | 3

McMaster launches MacCheck, a digital platform for COVID-19 screening and proof of vaccination In order to protect McMaster community members, McMaster created its own digital platform to enforce its COVID-19 precautions more work to be done. According to Gray, “In terms of validating McMaster needs proof of vaccination from Amarah Hasham-Steele whether students have or around 47,000 individuals, meaning there are News Reporter about 13,000 people who still have to upload have not done that, there’s to MacCheck. n Aug. 16, McMaster University confirmed “It’s really important to us that we provide a huge amount of respect that it would be requiring vaccination people with their privacy obviously, so only against COVID-19 for all students on campus. authorized individuals are able to see the and trust that our students This information was shared in a letter from the information, but there is an intention to, as we president and provost, which also stated that get closer to October 18, push harder to remind will do the right thing. They an online platform would be developed to valipeople [that] this is necessary,” Gray said. date the vaccination information of students. In the comments of a post on the Spotted know that this is something This online platform, called MacCheck, at Mac Facebook page, some individuals raised officially launched on Sept. 7. Since its launch, concerns that MacCheck isn’t enforced on that they’re required to do,” all McMaster students, staff and faculty have campus.

been required to upload proof of vaccination. Further, students, staff and faculty who are accessing McMaster’s campus must answer a series of COVID-19 screening questions on MacCheck beforehand. According to Kevin de Kock, director of enterprise solutions and applications, there weren’t any online platforms already available that suited McMaster’s needs. “A lot of the other applications didn’t really have the ability for somebody to go in and validate the [proof of vaccination], so it was clear to us that we were going to have to build something ourselves,” said de Kock.

“A lot of the other applications didn’t really have the ability for somebody to go in and validate the [proof of vaccination], so it was clear to us that we were going to have to build something ourselves,” Kevin de Kock

McMaster University Director of Enterprise Solutions and Applications Once the announcement was made on Aug. 16 that proof of vaccination would be mandatory, McMaster was left with only a few weeks before their Sept. 7 deadline to develop a digital COVID-19 screening platform. According to de Kock, MacCheck’s launch has been very successful so far. With over 34,000 people who have already submitted their proof of vaccination, many students seem to understand the importance of MacCheck. Gayleen Gray, assistant vice president and chief technology officer, added that, despite the initial success of MacCheck, there is still

When discussing McMaster’s approach to ensuring that the daily COVID-19 screenings are completed by individuals accessing campus, Gray emphasized the importance of creating a culture where everyone understands the importance of MacCheck for community safety. “What we were trying to do is get away from a policing kind of approach, where anybody at any time can say ‘show me your green check; I want to see if you’re okay to be on campus,’” Gray explained. “It’s impossible to police this, and the intention was never to police it, but MacCheck is meant to be your one-stop shop to prove that you’ve been cleared to attend campus,” de Kock said. According to Gray, the McMaster community has embraced this culture of community protection, with MacCheck averaging over 7,000 COVID-19 screenings per day. This, Gray says, speaks to McMaster’s wider culture of health and safety, as well as its culture of empathy. “In terms of validating whether students have or have not done that, there’s a huge amount of respect and trust that our students will do the right thing. They know that this is something that they’re required to do,” said Gray. Along with McMaster’s own mandatory vaccine policy, Ontario has also begun requiring proof of vaccination for those wishing to access indoor dining, athletic facilities, theatres and other non-essential services. This policy came into effect on Sept. 22. In order to comply with the provincial rules, McMaster’s COVID-19 guidelines have been further tightened.

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Gayleen Gray

Assistant Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Students wishing to eat in the McMaster University Student Centre or access indoor athletic facilities are now required to show proof of vaccination and identification. As well, multiple food service areas on campus have limited their seating.

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The Silhouette | 5

Students navigate mental health changes associated with return to campus

Although many hoped for an in-person year, hybrid learning continues to have mental health impacts on students “I think the vast majority After a year of online learning, returning to campus has created challenges such as Amarah Hasham-Steele of students want to be on COVID-19-related anxiety, stress associated News Reporter with a change in routine and increased social campus. It is so isolating to exhaustion. ince March of 2020, almost all McMaster be by yourself, doing school After a year of online University students have been unable to attend in-person classes, access on-campus in your room for twelve learning, returning to services, or engage in extracurricular activities on campus. However, this fall, for the first hours a day. Being able to campus has created time in over a year, students finally have the ability to return to campus for some in-person go on campus is so helpful challenges such as COVIDactivities. “[McMaster is] focusing our planning on for me, and I’m way more 19-related anxiety, stress providing safe and meaningful in-person experiences for you this fall,” said a fall 2021 update productive in a library than I associated with a change in for students published on April 30. am on my own.” Avery Kemble, a second-year student at routine, and increased social

McMaster, expressed an appreciation for the reopening of campus, citing the mental health benefits of learning around others and being able to access communal study spaces. “I think the vast majority of students want to be on campus. It is so isolating to be by yourself, doing school in your room for twelve hours a day. Being able to go on campus is so helpful for me, and I’m way more productive in a library than I am on my own,” said Kemble. For Camille Lisser, a first-year student, this hybrid learning environment is her first experience learning at McMaster. Lisser explained that even though she only has one tutorial in person this semester, being in residence and having access to spaces on campus allows her to learn with other people. “My roommate is also in [Arts & Science], so we’ve been trying to join a lot of the online [classes] together, and that’s been really help-

Avery Kemble

Second-Year Student

ful because one thing that I’ve really missed was being able to [attend class] sitting next to someone,” said Lisser. Lisser and Kemble both noted that along with the mental health benefits of learning alongside other students, there are also mental health benefits associated with being around other students in a social context too. Despite the mental health benefits of the return to campus, there are also mental health challenges associated with the return to in-person learning.

exhaustion. “During Welcome Week, I was super tired, and I couldn’t figure out why I was so tired. What I think now is that it’s because there [were so many social events], and it was coming from a very non-social [time period] to a very social [time period],” explained Lisser. Kemble pointed out that, for second-year students specifically, another significant mental health challenge is the lack of social connection between students because they spent their first year online. “A lot of us still don’t know anybody in our program,” said Kemble. According to Kemble, McMaster’s second-year welcome events were seen as an attempt to combat this mental health challenge. However, due to the low registration capacity for those events, many second-year students were not able to access them.

YOOHYUN PARK/PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

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Eligibility expands for an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine Immunocompromised populations can now receive the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario Anna Samson News Contributor n Sept. 10, the National Advisory CommitO tee on Immunization released new guidelines regarding the third dose of the COVID-19

vaccine to now include immunocompromised people. Based on this recommendation, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam has advised that immunocompromised individuals should receive a third dose of the vaccine to build a stronger immune response to the COVID-19 virus. Eligible individuals will be contacted by their doctors and given a referral form for the third dose. This additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can be administered a minimum of eight weeks after receiving the second dose. The decision to include immunocompromised people for third dose eligibility supplements the previous month’s announcement to add a third shot to Ontario’s one or two dose vaccine series rollout plan. However, the third dose is only available for specific vulnerable populations. Previously, the vulnerable groups eligible for the third vaccine dose consisted of transplant recipients, those with hematological cancers undergoing active treatment, recipients of an anti-CD20 agent and those in highrisk settings such as long-term care homes and First Nations elder care lodges. Now, immunocompromised individuals are added to the list. This includes those undergoing active treatment for solid tumours, those in receipt of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell, those with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency, Stage 3 or advanced untreated HIV infection and those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and those undergoing active treatment with immunosuppressive therapies. For the general population, receiving the recommended one or two doses of the vaccine offers sufficient protection against the COVID-19 virus and its variants, including the highly transmissible Delta variant. However, immunocompromised individuals have a lowered immune response to the recommended one or two dose vaccines and require a third dose to build up adequate immunity. Matthew Miller, a member of The Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, the McMaster Immunology Research Centre and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, reiterated this. “We actually consider this third dose a way for them to complete their primary immunization series and the reason for that is because the immunocompromised people and some frail elderly people like those who live in longterm care settings just don’t mount as good of an immune response as the general population,” said Miller. Miller went on to explain how a third dose for immunocompromised people is equivalent to the two doses that others receive.

PHOTO C/O Daniel Schludi

“[B]y giving them a third dose, what we’re trying to do is just get them to the same level that everyone else is at after two doses. It’s not that we’re really boosting them, it’s just we’re trying to get them up to the same point as everyone else because of the way that their immune systems [respond] more poorly to vaccines in general,” said Miller.

Member of the McMaster Immunology Research Centre There are fewer COVID-19 antibodies in fully vaccinated immunocompromised people than in fully vaccinated non-compromised people. These antibodies also wane faster in vulnerable populations as compared to the general population. Immunocompromised people are more likely to be adequately equipped against

the COVID-19 virus when they have received a third dose of the vaccine to assist their immune response.

Immunocompromised people are more likely to be adequately equipped against the COVID-19 virus when they have received a third dose of the vaccine to assist their immune response. Following the provincial guidelines, Hamilton is now offering immunocompromised residents a third dose of the vaccine. The additional dose can be received at any Hamilton Public Health Services’ community clinics, St. Joseph Healthcare Hamilton and most pharmacies. To receive the third dose, individuals must bring a completed referral form given to them by their doctors. According to Miller, additional vaccine doses are not available on the McMaster University campus because a third dose is administered after verification from a physician. “[T]hose additional doses are normally procured after talking to a physician who knows your medical history and if you fall into one of those [eligible] categories,” said Miller. The pandemic has been especially difficult for immunocompromised people and other vulnerable populations at a higher risk of infection. Many of whom have had to be extra vigilant to protect their health during the last year and a half. Receiving a third dose of the vaccine offers a better chance for these vulnerable groups to armour themselves against COVID-19.

The Silhouette | 7

What does conservation look like during a pandemic?

The role of the Hamilton Conservation Authority and trails in Hamilton during the COVID-19 pandemic “[I]nstead of doing [cleanup] as a group, people wanted to walk the trail and they’re like, I’m walking anyway, maybe I can clean up some litter on the way.” Joel Konik

Grants Officer, Hamilton Conservation Authority

Travis Nguyen/PHOTO EDITOR

Kate O’Melia News Contributor hroughout the last year and a half, CanaTrelatively dians have had one solace that has been cheap, recentering and unifying: the

great outdoors. Outdoor activity is an industry that has been thriving during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a 2020 report from Park People, it was reported that 82% of Canadians saw parks and trails as an important part of their mental health. Hamilton is no exception. During the pandemic, the Hamilton Conservation Authority reported a large increase in volume in their conservation areas and trails. “If anything, [the pandemic] has brought the role of the Hamilton Conservation Authority, and specifically our lands, to the forefront because for a long time during the pandemic the only thing people could do really was to get outside and go for a walk,” said the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer of the HCA, Scott Peck.

“If anything, [the pandemic] has brought the role of the Hamilton Conservation Authority, and specifically our lands, to the forefront because for a long time during the pandemic the only thing people could do really was to get outside and go for a walk.” Scott Peck

Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Hamilton Conservation Authority

During the pandemic, the HCA found themselves with a surplus in their budget following the popularity of conservation areas. They’re now able to put that surplus towards the Saltfleet Wetland construction and other upcoming projects. The Saltfleet Conservation Area Project is part of an ongoing effort to improve the Hamilton Watershed’s Report Card grades, which ranked poorly in forestry for some of Hamilton in a 2018 report compiled by the HCA. Joel Konik, who is in charge of grants and volunteer opportunities at the HCA, commented on the Saltfleet Wetland Project. “So right now, we’re trying to buy [the land] up so that we can save it and create a wetland and then store water up there so that when it rains, it doesn’t like you know, flash flood the lower part of Stoney Creek which is heavily urbanized,” said Konik. Konik says the pandemic has also changed what volunteering looks like at the HCA. “We do an annual cleanup along the Rail Trail. We have planting teams that would schedule different events in our different parks. Those would happen like throughout the year, primarily in the spring and fall. Because of COVID, everything had to be put on hold,” said Konik. Some of the events that had to be canceled were the invasive species removal and group trail cleanups, as well as cultural events such as the Christie Vintage and Antique Show and Christmas shows at both the Pioneer Village and Westfield Heritage Village. Since they couldn’t meet up in person, Konik said volunteers were encouraged to take the initiative to do independent cleanup along trails while hiking. “[I]nstead of doing [cleanup] as a group, people wanted to walk the trail and they’re like, I’m walking anyway, maybe I can clean up some litter on the way,” Konik explained. Over the course of the 2021 spring and summer seasons, 16 volunteers collected 77 bags worth of garbage from trails around Hamilton. Konik said there are approximately 300 volunteers with the HCA, with around 30 McMaster University students involved. Follow-

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ing the pandemic, spots for volunteer events have been filling up quickly as people are ready to get back to volunteering and engaging with their community. Konik added that students can also help do cleanup on their own. “Right now, the easiest thing to do is, if [students] wanted to do the litter cleanup, they can do that on their own at any time. And some of the areas that are in constant demand are the Rail Trail. So behind University Plaza . . . it’s a high use area, a lot of litter collects there,” said Konik.

“Right now, the easiest thing to do is, if [students] wanted to do the litter cleanup, they can do that on their own at any time.” Joel Konik

Grants Officer, Hamilton Conservation Authority Students can access directions for locating the Brantford to Hamilton Rail Trail at: https:// www.grandriver.ca/en/outdoor-recreation/ Brantford-to-Hamilton-Rail-Trail.aspx. Another easy access point for a nature trail near campus is Chegwin Trail, found on the right side of the Brandon Hall residence building. For a longer hike, check out Sassafras Point Lookout found on the Ravine Road Trail leading out of campus beside McMaster’s Alpine Tower. Students who are off-campus and are interested in conservation areas can head to https://conservationhamilton.ca/ for more trails.

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The Silhouette | 9

McMaster Student Union services speak on operating services during the pandemic MSU Service directors tell all about their plans for the upcoming hybrid year survivors of gendered violence and promoting Diversity Services is gender equity. Novera Shenin “WGEN is a community-building and extending the services it Features Reporter peer-support service run by and for women, traditionally offers and has trans and non-binary folks, as well as all survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. We hile the pandemic certainly took its toll plans on adopting the longfocus on creating community and non-judgon student life, a group of dedicated mental spaces among these folks through our student leaders have been working tirelessly to established peer-support Safe(r) Space, multi-event campaign weeks maintain essential mental and physical health and peer groups. A big part of our mandate support services. There are many services system used in the past by includes supporting folks through peer-supthat aim to create a safe(r) space on campus port and free resources,” said Neha Shah, the for marginalized communities. The McMaster WGEN, SHEC and PCC to Director of WGEN. Students Union has five such student services: Maccess, a service dedicated to disabled the Women and Gender Equity Network, the further extend its avenues to students on campus, on the other hand, is Student Health Education Center, Maccess , reorienting its disability activism strategy to not Diversity Services and the Pride Community provide support.

Center. SHEC is a service for any Mac student looking for health-related support, childcare resources and breast-feeding spaces, free health items such as condoms and pregnancy tests and any other external health resources. “As MSU SHEC, we are a completely peerrun health advocacy, information and resource connection service. We operate under a broad definition of health, recognizing that wellbeing looks and feels different to each person. We provide free health supplies and educational materials and are dedicated to promoting our four strategic priorities: sexual and reproductive health, empowered bodies, substance use and mental wellbeing,” explained Anika Anand, the Director of SHEC. Similarly to SHEC, WGEN offers peer-support services, but these are catered towards

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only raise awareness for disabilities on campus, but to actively advocate that disabled students on campus are invaluable to McMaster. “We are a peer-support, community-building and activism organization, run both and by disabled students. We use the term ‘disability’ to include folks who identify as having a disability, mental health concerns, neurodivergence, chronic health conditions and addiction. Our priority this year is to move away from just the recognition that disabled folks exist on campus, to where we recognize disabled folks are valuable on campus,” explainedEmunah Woolf, the Director of Maccess. Diversity Services is extending the services it traditionally offers and has plans on adopting the long-established peer-support system used in the past by WGEN, SHEC and PCC to further extend its avenues to provide support.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, October 7, 2021

“Diversity Services works on celebration, advocacy and generally uniting all folks across campus that identify as religious, cultural and other minorities. We are joining Maccess, PCC, WGEN and SHEC in their practices with the pilot of our new peer-support services. These are taking place as community circles that are closed spaces for people to come in and find people with similar intersections of identity as themselves,” explainedSofia Palma Florido, the Director of Diversity Services. Amidst the uncertainties of an entirely online 2020-2021 academic year, and a hybrid 2021-2022 year, these MSU services have been compelled to adapt to these circumstances, and drastically alter how they reach and provide their services to students. Across the services, the directors found offering services

TRAVIS NGUYEN/PHOTO EDITOR

with the same engagement, quality and reach to be some of the most pressing difficulties of an online environment. “In our workshops we would commonly have events that promote learning and expanding students’ horizons. When we moved to an online setting, everyone involved, be it volunteers, executives or guests at our events, were already so affected by Zoom exhaustion that it was very difficult to execute everything to its full potential,” said Palma Florido. Nonetheless, Palma Florido has strategies to appeal to first- and second-year students to get involved with Diversity Services. She hopes that these strategies will engage students who have not had the opportunity to physically or extensively interact with Diversity Services and the other MSU services. “Particularly targeting first- and second-year students, my goal is to create and facilitate spaces for these new students who have never been on campus to find community. So, allowing for spaces where people can create community with people that have similar lived experiences is something I cherish for myself, and I really want to make that happen for new and returning students,” said Palma Florido. Services like SHEC have also experienced a shift in their culture and dynamics operating online. “We operate using a Safe(r) Space protocol which is creating that supportive, non-judgmental environment. This aspect has been tough to create digitally, so it did involve a lot of training on digital responsibility for our volunteers and execs to facilitate Safe(r) Space online,” said Anand. Anand remains optimistic however, finding brighter sides to the constraints of an online environment, and even embracing some of the pros it has to offer. “Although operating virtually has placed additional barriers on access and visibility, it has also provided an additional layer of anonymity for service users trying to access our space and peer-support. Service users may feel more comfortable accessing services since they are not seen walking in and out of space,”

explained Anand. For a service like Maccess however, an online environment has allowed it to open itself up to more students, namely disabled students, who were unable to access the service in person. “We tried to shift our metric of success for events by focusing on quality over quantity. So, if we have a Zoom event that three or four folks got out to, and we had a great conversation and we were able to offer them support and community, we consider that a success. In some ways moving online did allow us to have more accessibility, for example an issue we had in the past is that folks’ disabilities would prevent them from coming to the Maccess space on campus,” said Woolfe. Woolfe also draws attention to the opportunities a newly online community brought to disabled students on campus. “Previously we were not able to create Discords as an online community created a lot of liability issues, but to have a space where disabled and immunocompromised folks could meet one another from their room or hospitals was a really positive thing we could do. It allowed us to provide captions, extended hours and other accessibility needs,” explained Woolfe. Shah is viewing the online fall term of WGEN as an opportunity for expanding WGEN’s services to meet intersectional and survivor communities’ needs online now, and to plan for a gradual opening to in-person activities. “This year, we are planning on providing similar services that we did last year, but hopefully with more options to access these both online and in person. Julia, the Assistant Director, and I have also planned to increase our focus on two key areas of our mandate: survivors and ease of access. We hope to increase the amount of programming we provide to survivors, especially with a focus on intersectionality – so providing closed spaces within our identity-specific events,” explained Shah. Like the approaches taken by SHEC and Maccess, Shah is also mindful of student acces-

sibility needs, and has ideas to make the WGEN space even more inclusive to student accessibility needs. “We are working to address how it can be really intimidating to enter our Safe(r) Space, that there are many misconceptions about peer-support, and that there are also some concerns about accessibility about our physical space. We hope to work with other services to address these concerns,” explained Shah. McMaster students are strongly encouraged to seek out support from MSU services if needed.

McMaster students are strongly encouraged to seek out support from MSU services if needed.

T h e S i l h o u e t t e | 11

The McMaster Students Union

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

DENVER DELLA-VEDOVA President president@msu.mcmaster.ca 905.525.9140 x23885

Welcome to the many students experiencing McMaster for the first time, as well as to those that haven’t seen it since March of 2019. For me, it’s wonderful to see student life return to our community. I know for many it has been a time filled with updates and changes. Fortunately, it appears that we have reached what seems like a place of stability, as folks get into their fall rhythms. One substantial change I am sure most of you have seen is the new vaccination policies; all folks on campus are required to utilize MacCheck. This tool, along with indoor masking, general physical dis-

msu_mcmaster msumcmaster.ca text “MSU” to 71441

tancing, and following provincial guidelines on event sizes, should help ensure our campus does not experience yet another shutdown. I appreciate that students have overwhelmingly adopted and continue to work with these strategies, which will help keep our community safe. Recently, many students attended the Level 1 and level 2 welcomes. I was at the welcome events in early September, and I know many folks mentioned how surreal it felt to have that interpersonal interaction yet again. With many people returning to campus, the MSU has increased the availability of in-person services and events. Both the Emergency First Response Team (EFRT) and the Student Walk Home Attendant Team (SWHAT) are back this fall to support students. These two services were paused last year, due to the campus shutdown. In addition, all MSU business units, including the food and hospitality services of TwelvEighty, the Grind, and Union Market, as well as the print, copy, and design offerings of Underground Media + Design are open to the public. Stay

The President’s Page is a space sponsored and used by the Board of Directors of the McMaster Students Union (MSU) 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.

tuned for even more content from the MSU Campus Events team, as we continue to plan exciting events throughout this year. On the advocacy front, the MSU has made great strides. In partnership with our federal advocacy group, Undergraduates of Canadian Research-Intensive Universities (UCRU), we garnered a large amount of media attention over Elections Canada’s cancellation of the vote-oncampus program. We expect to see polling stations return to campuses across Canada in the next election cycle. Moreover, the MSU team worked with housing advocates in delegating to Hamilton City Council on the need to better support people who rent, especially students. A new landlord licensing pilot project is now in effect. On campus, I worked with many community partners, clubs, students, and the Student Representative Assembly (SRA) to further develop an Equitable Purchasing policy, alongside an updated Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) statement. Reaching this consensus involved dozens of consultations

DENVER DELLA-VEDOVA President

www.thesil.ca || Thursday, Thursday, October October 7, 7, 2021 2021 12| P| RPERSEI SDIEDNETN’S T ’S PAG PAG E E www.thesil.ca 12

CHRISTINA DEVARAPALLI Vice-President (Adminstration)

over several months, leading to more sustainable and equitable purchasing practices, as well as a clear statement denouncing all prejudice on campus, in support of students from all religious and ethnic backgrounds. This effort builds upon the 2015 General Assembly motion which compelled the MSU to “commit to identifying and divesting from companies that support or profit from Israeli war crimes, occupation and oppression of Palestinians …”. As well as utilizing “… ethical purchasing policies and fairtrade practices around the globe through the renewal and review of the MSU’s Social and Ethical Purchasing Policy and procedures”. Visit the SRA Facebook page to learn more. It is wonderful to see student life back at Mac. I encourage everyone to get involved in the many clubs, services, and advocacy opportunities provided by the MSU, and find your passion(s) on campus.

SIOBHAN TEEL Vice-President (Education)

JEGANIYAH (JJ) JAYACHANDRAN

Vice-President (Finance)

Editorial

Stop blaming the federal government

I know you’re annoyed but COVID lockdowns and rules happen on a provincial level Andrew Mrozowski Editor-in-Chief s I’m sure you’re all aware by now, we just A had a federal election. This came after many months of the Trudeau Liberals toying with the

idea that Canadians have lost confidence in the government. 62% of eligible voters casted their votes on Sept. 20, which according to Elections Canada, seems to be an average number based on trends from the last few federal elections. We once again have a Liberal minority government, followed by the Conservatives becoming the official opposition. Throughout the election, you might have seen posts on social media about how the federal government has created an oppressive state with their lockdown rules and regulations. Perhaps a post or two about how Trudeau has directly hurt small businesses by forcing them to lock down. I just want to be very clear — lockdowns, passports and whether or not businesses can be open are under provincial jurisdiction. This is why Ontario has very different rules and regulations than other provinces. There are three main pieces of legislation that give the province of Ontario autonomy

PHOTO C/O CTV News

over COVID-19-related issues. The Emergency Management and Civil Protections act allows the Ontario government to declare a state of emergency which gives the province more power to create laws. The Reopening Ontario act allows new COVID-19 rules and regulations to be created through the powers given by the Emergency Management and Civil Protections act. This means that the province of Ontario has it within their right to set lockdowns and new rules about COVID-19. The Health Promotion and Protection act specifically is tasked to prevent spread of disease across Ontario. Through this legislation, the Medical Officer of Health in Ontario can suspend section 1 of the Canadian

Charter of Rights and Freedoms if there is a disease of public health significance, meaning the government has the power to force lockdowns if it is believed to be for the betterment of society. Stop blaming the federal parties. It’s not their role to make these regulations. They are made on a provincial level. Annoyed at increased levels of COVID-19 cases or the fact that we have to show vaccine passports to go into non-essential spaces, then get vaccinated if you are eligible to. Make smart decisions, abide by the regulations set out by the province of Ontario, by the municipality you live in and by the university.

Coffee is always a good idea. Hours of Operation Monday - Friday | 8am - 2pm

T h e S i l h o u e t t e | 13

Opinion Breaking away from the COVID excuse Adjusting to the new normal is a necessary step for our mental health Ardena Bašić Opinions Contributor or more than a year, restrictions imposed Fforced on us due to the COVID-19 pandemic have us to change our way of life. Habitual

activities like parties, work and exercise have either been moved to virtual platforms or missed altogether. The need to decline an invitation due to the health risks of socialization can be called “the COVID excuse.” While the word “excuse” may sound harsh, it better represents the completely reasonable need to decline an invitation that could be perilous to one’s health. However, as the pandemic slowly improves and vaccination rates rise, how much longer can this excuse last? This is an especially important inquiry considering the impact that a lack of social activity has had on our health. By no means am I advocating for risking your health, but the need to support your mental health must be balanced along with our distaste for modified gatherings, such as virtual or outdoor socializing. With laws and regulations loosening, it’s time to move away from “the COVID excuse” in order to restore our social lives, health and return to a new normal. For many, the pandemic took away whatever level of social life one had maintained beforehand. Regardless of whether one was more introverted or extroverted to begin with, there was now no choice but to minimize social gatherings. Although virtual meetings were always an option, they were certainly not the same and discouraged many from trying such methods. For a prolonged period, we could return to the excuses, expressing that “it’s not the same” or questioning the point of even planning such events. These responses are certainly understandable, as anxiety and fear about the potential of getting COVID have been omnipresent for quite some time. Yet, while these exchanges were beneficial in easing some fears and flattening the curve at the beginning of the pandemic, they now may be doing more harm than good. Despite an emphasis on resources for mental health during initial lockdown periods, research still found that staying at home and personal distancing increased the prominence of depression, anxiety, insomnia and stress. When coupled with avoiding evolved ways of socializing, these behaviours simply compounded the general stress of the pandemic and led to severely worsened states of health for many. The routines we took for granted on a regular basis, when drastically pulled out of our lives without warning, had a major impact on our wellbeing.

14 | O P I N I O N

PHOTO C/O Chris Montgomery, Unsplash

It is now clear that some semblance of our previous lives, even though they may have to take place in a virtual format for the time being, is necessary for our overall prosperity in life.

It is now clear that some semblance of our previous lives, even though they may have to take place in a virtual format for the time being, is necessary for our overall prosperity in life. Although it will take time, we need to gradually make our way into the “new normal” that may share some qualities of how we lived before, while evolving to include public health measures that are keeping us safe. This will be the key to bettering our health, as well as ebbing continuous fears about the virus. For example, instead of weekend brunches, try outdoor hikes. Outside activities are recognized to be safer in minimizing the spread of the coronavirus and the fresh air and exercise is always invaluable. Moreover, trips to the theater can be replaced with software that allows one to stream movies while on a group call. Of course, this is not the same as in-person plans. However, the benefits to be gained from any socializing, whether it be virtual or real, trump any reservations about new methods of seeing seeing our loved ones.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, October 7, 2021

However, the benefits to be gained from any socializing, whether it be virtual or real, trump any reservations about new methods of seeing our loved ones. All in all, COVID-19 has completely changed the way we live our lives. Even though it may be easier to continuously blame COVID for avoiding pre-pandemic activities, it is vital to our wellbeing that we gradually work our way towards new routines. Even though it may be difficult at first, there is comfort in knowing that everyone is in similar situations and we can work together to construct a comfortable, safe and happy post-COVID world.

Even though it may be difficult at first, there is comfort in knowing that everyone is in similar situations and we can work together to construct a comfortable, safe and happy post-COVID world.

How the pandemic has highlighted the intersectionality of student issues Turns out, we’re not all in this together Hadeeqa Aziz Opinions Contributor cw: mentions of Islamophobia, racism, and violence against minority groups rom our Wi-Fi routers working overtime to Frunning, keep up with multiple Microsoft Teams calls to accidentally disclosing our not-so-

pleasant thoughts about a class over unmuted microphones. The pandemic has definitely proven to be a difficult transition. With that, most of us have been striving to transform our new-found schedules into well-oiled machines over the past year and a half. The pandemic has been hard on everyone and adjusting to the “new normal” has embedded itself in our conversations as a catchphrase of sorts. The transition has especially proved difficult for university students, who now have to navigate through remote learning in addition to managing their regular course loads. Nonetheless, we’re all in this together, right? Or better yet, “we’re in the same boat,” aren’t we? This is where most are mistaken. If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that for most problems that are seemingly shared among everyone, they are highly discriminatory in how they choose their victims and to what extent. The issues faced by students during online learning are no exception.

If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that for most problems that are seemingly shared among everyone, they are highly discriminatory in how they choose their victims and to what extent. Although most students have continued their studies from the comfort of their at-home learning environments, unfortunately, the same cannot be said for all of them. An article by The Harvard Gazette noted that online-learning has been particularly challenging for first-generation, low-income students, especially those of colour. In addition to fighting against long term battles of inequality, these individuals find themselves more vulnerable to psychological issues as well. The factors contributing to increased mental health concerns for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour students and those belonging to marginalized communities are intersectional in nature. Whether they may be financial hardships, healthcare issues, or social justice concerns, the problems that these students face build upon each other. This dramatically

Yoohyun Park/PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

magnifies the otherwise “normal” problems that the pandemic has brought upon students.

The factors contributing to increased mental health concerns for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour students and those belonging to marginalized communities are intersectional in nature. For instance, first-generation BIPOC students may be deprived of the right to receive adequate education from professional institutions to the same extent as their other tuition-paying counterparts. These students are more likely to experience financial hardships, as they may not have generational wealth to rely on. An online shift has meant a heavier reliance on suitable devices, stronger internet connections and a greater need for sufficient study atmospheres outside of the classroom and lecture halls. Whether we’re inclined to admit it or not, the new system favours those who are financially stable and have means to access study tools and resources that would allow them to better excel in their classes. Financial burdens can also result in an inability to carry out COVID safety measures to a comfortable extent. While most long-term stable-paying jobs were able to shift online during case-peak times, small businesses and

most minimum-wage jobs required in-person interactions. Factors like these resulted in increased COVID-19 cases among such communities, leading to illness concerns for students residing in these areas. See how everything keeps building on top of the other? And there’s still more. A conversation about the intersectionality of it all cannot be discussed without addressing the underlying racial injustices that are the ultimate rooting problem. Let’s talk about the longstanding racial trauma that these students have to face. In the last year or so, Black students quite literally fought for their lives, Muslim students begged for safety against violence, Indigenous students fought to simply be acknowledged and various other racial and ethnic groups battled for basic privileges that were otherwise not given. Online classes are but a minute task when accompanied by these factors. Failure to see the evident connections that can be drawn from these issues is simply a decision to remain ignorant. This is not to say that stressors that affect the general student population aren’t valid– they most definitely are–but it’s important to recognize and acknowledge the intersections that come into play for others. These experiences cannot be addressed until they are understood. As classes slowly begin to shift from fully remote systems to hybrid ones, it is absolutely vital for institutions to take into account how different students experience school and come up with unique and novel ways to approach such issues. We’re not “all in this together” until that happens.

T h e S i l h o u e t t e | 15

Yes, the pandemic actually helped me

How I found light during such a dark time

PHOTO C/O Andrea Sanchez, Unsplash

Ana Mamula Opinions Contributor being on campus and getting an Idueremember email saying school would be off for a week to COVID-19. Little did I know we would

still be close to the same circumstances to this day. The pandemic brought every individual’s nightmare to life; we couldn’t see our loved ones or family, people were dying or getting sick and it became difficult to even go out for essential supplies. I felt like I was living in constant fear every day. I expected the pandemic to have such a horrible effect on me. How could it not, given the rise in mental illnesses, the death rate, and the difficulty in providing for your family? Don’t get me wrong, I was scared. I was and still am so terrified of seeing the world shift overnight to a new normal that we were automatically expected to adjust to. My heart continues to go out to anyone or anyone’s family who has lost their life to this virus. Sometime in the months I spent at home, my mindset shifted. I wanted to create some light from all the darkness that surrounded us. As someone who enjoyed my own company, I also felt that getting accustomed to the shift in socialization wasn’t as difficult for me. During my days at home, I was forced to really sit with myself. I started delving into habits I didn’t previously have time for or that I had pushed aside. I began truly taking the time to take care of myself and my wellbeing by working out, journaling, doing yoga, going on walks and cooking. The pandemic even helped 16 |O P I N I O N

a few people with mental illnesses. In fact, an article by The Washington Post explains that the many stressors of life pre-COVID immensely affected one’s mental wellbeing. When those stressors were largely removed, even in the form of losing a job surprisingly, some individuals felt relief.

When those stressors were largely removed, even in the form of losing a job surprisingly, some individuals felt relief. Similarly, I was forced to sit with my thoughts, something I rarely had time for prior to the pandemic. I had the time to reflect on myself, my life and take stock of everything I was proud of. I started looking ahead and rethinking my goals for myself, even taking the time to create a mood board. Not only did I reflect on the present, I had time to think about what I wanted to change in my life plan. Although this may seem all positive, of course, the pandemic was still immensely heavy and hard. I still had difficult days and I hoped for things to go back to normal again. At the same time, I found so much peace within myself and grew so much as an individual that it all became a little bit lighter. All of the activities the pandemic left us with were self-love activities and I feel as though for myself as well as for others, it made us grow in a way we never knew we needed.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, October 7, 2021

At the same time, I found so much peace within myself and grew so much as an individual that it all became a little bit lighter. Additionally, an article by National Alliance on Mental Illness found that due to the lack of expectations from society during the pandemic, many people have found that they’re more at ease while having to stay at home. While the pandemic has helped me with reconnecting with myself, my heart always will go out to those who struggled immensely. All I can hope for is that there are others like myself who have found comfort in the unique circumstances that we’ve found ourselves in.

All I can hope for is that there are others like myself who have found comfort in the unique circumstances that we’ve found ourselves in.

Out-of-province and out-of-the-loop: a COVID story Being so far away from McMaster can make you feel alone and disconnected

Yoohyun Park/PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Bianca Perreault Opinions Contributor long with COVID-19 came a million other A things that made life that much more confusing. The stay-at-home lockdown, the

safety protocols and a lot of self-learning were part of many people’s journeys. To learn by yourself is already a challenge, but to figure out everything on your own hundreds of kilometres away was even harder. While university was online for all of us, I definitely didn’t feel as close to McMaster University as I felt I should have by my second year. When a student is accepted to their first choice university program, you’d think that they would be immersed in feelings of accomplishment, of course and a sense of belonging. In the province of Quebec, the studying system is not the same as in Ontario. When one graduates from high school, they have two main options. They could either pursue a CEGEP program or a diploma of professional studies. People interested in getting into university must work hard on their grades while in CEGEP, whether it takes two years or more, your grades are the priority. McMaster’s requirement to get an offer to the faculty of humanities is a minimum 85% average. As an out-of-province student who really wanted to get into this program, I had to work diligently over the past few years. When you finally receive an offer from your dream school and are willing to make a huge change to your life (to the tune of living

six hours away from your hometown), you go through many emotions. A new town, a new life, new people and a significant adaptation overall. Until, COVID takes that away from you and you find yourself studying at home. I can only imagine what international students have had to deal with since the beginning of the pandemic. As exciting as it was to begin university in person this year, there were still pros to our online semesters. An optimistic person can find the positive through almost everything; learning in your pyjamas in the middle of winter was welcomed. The real problem was the feeling of not belonging to the university while studying in a completely different province. Before getting into McMaster, my priorities were to work on my English, explore my field of study and to grow as an individual in a new town. However, after being distanced from not only classes but potential friends, I was now distanced from the culture of Hamilton as well.

schedule and now, we need to be a lot more patient. Softwares would crash, the temperature in Hamilton affected the Wi-Fi of some instructors, classes were delayed, people were working at the same time as their class or had problems understanding the concepts taught in online classes. I wondered more than once how long I could have studied that way and I asked myself if it was fair for me to pay the same tuition fees as if I was in class. Even today, I still have some classes online, but at least I get to go on campus sometimes. Once I moved to Hamilton, it was an unknown city. While I am getting adjusted to the city, it’s still difficult for me to feel like I fully belong. Trying to discover a whole new city while figuring out hybrid university and adapting to every health protocol quite honestly makes me dizzy. All I can do for now is try to get my perspective out there and connect with each one of you that’s feeling the exact same thing.

However, after being distanced from not only classes but potential friends, I was now distanced from the culture of Hamilton as well.

All I can do for now is try to get my perspective out there and connect with each one of you that’s feeling the exact same thing.

University is a lot of self-work already; students need to be diligent, aware of their

T h e S i l h o u e t t e | 17

Get involved with the third oldest campus radio station in Canada Jamie Tennant Program Director wanted to be a radio DJ? Ever wanted to Ever host a podcast? How about both at the same time?

Doing a show at CFMU is both contemporary and old-school. It’s broadcast weekly on the FM band and it’s posted weekly as a podcast on cfmu.ca. cfmu.ca gets clicks for blogs, playlists, videos, and other special content, but we get the most hits for our shows. That’s what we do best.

CFMU has over 100 weekly programs, on a wide range of topics. Student mental health? Yes. Armenian-language news? Yes. Hip-hop? Yes. Whether it’s music, spoken word or multicultural programming that interests you, you can do it on the airwaves and on the internet at 93.3. CFMU FM and cfmu.ca What are we looking for? Not professional disc jockeys or talk show hosts. We’re looking for people with passion for music, community and ideas, who want to share those things with others. We can train you to do the show live, pre-recorded on-site, or even pre-recorded in your home. No experience necessary. Want to know more? Take a spin around

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the schedule at cfmu.ca. Every show has a page that describes what they do, as well as a playlist and a breakdown of episodes. Every show has 8 weeks worth of archives available to stream or download. (Do take into account that the pandemic has caused a few gaps in programming!) If you find yourself interested, check out the “become a volunteer” link in the footer and fill out an application. We’d love to have you. And if you’re a bit too shy about being on the mic – or don’t have an idea for a show — we need help behind the scenes, too. So call it a radio show, call it a podcast, call it whatever you like. The question is, are you in?

Feel confident with preferred rates from TD Insurance. Students could save on car, home, condo and tenant’s insurance.

Get a quote and see how much you could save! Go to tdinsurance.com/mcmasterstudents The TD Insurance Meloche Monnex home and auto insurance program is underwritten by Security National Insurance Company and distributed in Quebec by Meloche Monnex Insurance and Financial Services Inc., Damage Insurance Agency, and in the rest of Canada by TD Insurance Direct Agency Inc. Our address: 50 Place Crémazie, 12th Floor, Montréal, Québec H2P 1B6. Due to provincial legislation, this car and recreational insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan. ® The TD logo and other trademarks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank or its subsidiaries.

8249-0320

Humans of McMaster: Rosie Merante Esther Liu HOM Staff Writer

he Silhouette: Please introduce yourself.

Rosie Merante: I’m Rosie Merante. I’m doing nursing at McMaster [University] and it’s just the basic Bachelor of Science for your RN [Registered Nurse certificate]. I’ve had placement every semester, except for one that got pushed to the summer because of [the COVID-19 pandemic]. But I’ve been in placement for the full three years. . . First year I was in long-term care, second year I was at Joseph Brant [Hospital] in Burlington and I was in the orthopedic surgical unit. Then I had Idlewyld Manor for long-term care. I was in the secure unit there, so it was kind of the [more agitated patients] with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Now I’m [in] mental health and forensics. What do you do [in that placement]? I just started last week . . . but I got a really good grasp because I was there for 14 hours. Those are the shifts once a week. It’s not as much physical head to toe assessment that I would have [done] last year because it’s more focused on mental health and these patients have been there for a long time, years even. . . But the majority of it is vitals, doing rounds. It’s high security. We have to watch them since they’re all coming right from the court system and they weren’t deemed fit to stand trial due to their mental illness. It’s mostly just that and then most of the assessments we do are mental status examinations and things along [those lines]. We’re making sure that they’re not going to be a danger to themselves or others and that they’re taking their meds and everything’s okay. Do you know how it would have been different if it weren’t for COVID-19? I think now that the regulations are lifting, I’m already noticing some differences from my past placements. We no longer have to wear face shields or get tested every other shift. One thing that I noticed is relationships with people. Obviously, with the pandemic, people are still always going to be paranoid about getting close together and having visitors. So the visiting policy is way restricted right now.

“I feel they should lessen the restrictions or increase the amount of visitors allowed because these people are already going through so much, and even if a lot of them don’t have family or friends, the ones that do and can receive that support.” 20 | H U M A N S O F M C M A S T E R

They allow one visitor per day for each patient but it’s still a big difference from what it was before. I think that’s such an issue, especially for mental health. I feel they should lessen the restrictions or increase the amount of visitors allowed because these people are already going through so much, and even if a lot of them don’t have family or friends, the ones that do and can receive that support. I feel it would be as beneficial as medical treatment if they could actually see people they love and care about. A lot of them are depressed too because they can’t really go out as much and do things that they used to. And they’re confined [and] they get privileges to go out, to go around the hospital, to go outside to do things if they’re on good behaviour. There’s obviously a lot of precautions we have to take but they’re allowed to leave. And now, with [COVID-19], that’s reduced a lot. A lot of them just end up at the front desk and they’re like “Do I have my privileges? Yeah? Look, I want to leave. I’m so bored.” That’s also kind of what I noticed. At least in the mental health aspect, I think the biggest impact is on the visitor policy . . .At the long-term care homes, I was at three of them, I noticed a big shift with [COVID-19] because of the visitors, privileges to go outside, and for even people from outside to come in and do activities with them, as well as just the residents being close around each other, it’s not as good as it used to be. There’s a lot less socializing and togetherness, there’s a lot more confusion because they don’t necessarily understand what’s going on and that actually increases some of their behavioural symptoms. They can be very agitated because they don’t fully understand why they need to wear a mask, why they need to stay inside, why certain people can’t come in [or] why their family stopped visiting. It’s hard for them to grasp these concepts on top of the memory loss. That’s also what I noticed at some long-term care placements. I’m seeing, just observationally, what seems to be a higher incidence of depression in the elderly. Is there anything that you’re really looking forward to in your current placement? I’m really looking forward to getting to know [the patients]. The patients aren’t in and out, they’ve been there, so knowing their stories, knowing them more personally, so I can help care for them better.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to know [the patients]. The patients aren’t in and out, they’ve been there, so knowing their stories, knowing them more personally, so I can help care for them better.”

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Do you have any big takeaways from your experiences in your program or your placements? I don’t know, there’s so many of them. One of them is to treat the patient or think of them, not in an unprofessional way, as someone from your family or as a friend. Be empathetic. Remember that they’re not just a patient. They’re a person with dignity and they’re your client. It could be your mother, your grandmother. You need to treat them with respect and dignity. I know that the culture of long-term care homes, at least, is very poor quality care. They [the patients] need so many more RNs and [personal support workers] so that they can be more valued and treated with more dignity and respect.

Arts & Culture

Second-years are building community and discovering campus As McMaster returns to in-person learning, second-year students are creating their communities in their own way Sarah Lopes Sadafi A&C Staff Writer he debate on vaccines is neither new nor Ta hard Plain and simple, the 2020-2021 year was year to enter university. In the time

spent attending university from the comfort of our childhood bedrooms, staying connected had new barriers for everyone. For students entering their second year, meeting others took on a whole new form as they built connections and community for themselves through Zoom and Instagram DMs last year. After far too long, students now entering their second-year of university studies are finally able to return to campus, slowly but surely. Although finding your community has its barriers in an online setting, the class of 2024 did their best with the resources available to them. Ibreez Asaria, a student entering his second year of health sciences, commented on what the process of building community looked like for him. “In terms of first year being online, it was hard to really develop meaningful connections and meaningful communities. Overall I’d say it was a process that required time and effort in first year and a lot of us were dealing with other challenges, whether it be mental health or time constraints or geography,” explained Asaria. Now, all getting to explore campus together for the first time, it can also be said second-years are finding a sense of community in this joint dysphoria and excitement using Google Maps to no end, getting lost on the way to the library, discovering favourite food and study spots; the second-years are fumbling through this weird time together. “In first year, we faced the challenge of adapting to the university workload and online learning. Now, in second year, we face a different challenge—adapting to the university environment and hybrid-style learning. But this challenge is one that we’re happy to face because it’s made the university experience that much more fulfilling . . . Everything is familiar, yet unfamiliar in a way. But we all get to experience this unfamiliarity together and I think that really brings out that sense of community within our second-year cohort,” said Jessica Ho, a second-year arts and science student. One year following their Welcome Week conducted completely online, the university welcomed second-year students with a Second-Year Welcome day. The announcement that second-years would have some kind of in-person welcome was announced by the McMaster Student Success Center in late July, stirring up excitement amongst the second-year students. In late August confirmation arrived

Yoohyun Park/PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

that Second-Year Welcome would, indeed, occur as everyone was hoping. Second-Year Welcome was an opportunity for second-years to build the in-person community and connections they’d found online. They had high expectations, especially following the first years’ Welcome Week this year. However, students were only able to sign up for their Second-Year Welcome events through OscarPlus a mere two days before it was scheduled to happen, and the rest of the registration process wasn’t exactly smooth. “[Second-Year Welcome] started out a little tricky, signing up for events and not getting into them. Then your friends didn’t get into events and you could see them disappointed or stressed out on the day-of because they didn’t get into any of the events that you did. It put a damper on things but it was nice just to see people in-person at all,” explained Armaan Kotadia, a second-year Health Sciences student.

“I think after [SecondYear Welcome] I finally felt comfortable in Hamilton for the first time, whereas before I was still adjusting. Armaan Kotadia

Second-Year Health Sciences Student Despite the technical difficulties, students were excited for the opportunity to finally arrive on campus and experience everything they

missed in first year. Students showed up to their morning events—rock climbing, tours of campus and the David Braley Athletic Center and more— with high spirits and an excitement to experience life on campus for the first time. “Having that excitement of knowing that I can finally meet pretty much everyone I’ve been seeing on these Zoom calls was really cool, even despite COVID-19 regulations. I finally put a face to peoples’ profile pictures and it made me feel like part of that little close-knit family community within my program,” said Kotadia. “We shared jokes and conversations about classes; talked about professors we really enjoyed. It was a really intimate, familial sort of feeling,” said Asaria. Although Second-Year Welcome had its ups and downs, students left feeling satisfied in the experiences offered to them. “I think after [Second-Year Welcome] I finally felt comfortable in Hamilton for the first time, whereas before I was still adjusting. [Second-Year Welcome] was like the final step before thinking ‘yeah, this is my new homeaway-from-home’ . . . It helped me feel ready to start school more prepared because I felt like I had that support network,” explained Kotadia. After a year of patiently waiting for a proper welcome, Second-Year Welcome didn’t quite make up for the in-person Welcome Week experience they missed, but it helped in the second-years’ transition back to campus. Finally able to experience university life to its fullest, the class of 2024 is building community both in-person and online in this hybrid year, their own way.

T h e S i l h o u e t t e | 21

Taking a walk down memory lane

Downtown Hamilton BIA intiative helping Hamiltonians new and old explore thier home’s rich history Nisha Gill A&C Editor

1800s to now you have street name changes and address changes so to verify if something was actually in this facility with them was super helpful,” said Ozer. While their primary goal was to encourage people to return downtown in a safe way and support the businesses there, helping to educate the Hamilton community on their city’s rich history was also important to Ozer, Walsh and their team.

oving to a new city inherently offers a M number of opportunities to grow and try new things as you explore your new home and

learn about its history. The city of Hamilton, particularly its downtown core, has a great deal of history built into it, though it can be difficult to know where to find it even if you’ve lived here for a long time. The Downtown Hamilton BIA new Memory Lane project is helping Hamiltonians new and old explore their home’s rich history. “Memory Lane is a self-guided walking tour of downtown Hamilton, using QR codes on mostly businesses, but there’s also some in planters. Basically, anything throughout the Bay Area, if you see a QR code, you can scan it, it’ll bring up the history of that building,” said Suzi Ozer, the operations manager at Downtown Hamilton BIA.

“It’s a great way to get [students] out and acquainted with what’s going . . . So I think this [Memory Lane] is a great segue into seeing everything that downtown has to offer, especially for students who are looking for something to engage with something to explore.”

“Memory Lane is a selfguided walking tour of downtown Hamilton, using QR codes on mostly businesses, bu there’s also some in planters.”

Suzi Ozer

Operations Manager, Downtown Hamilton BIA

Suzi Ozer

Operations Manager, Downtown Hamilton BIA Ozer, along with Emily Walsh, the BIA’s community engagement coordinator, and the rest of the team at the Downtown Hamilton BIA were looking for ways to allow people to return to and explore downtown as safely and comfortably as possible during the ongoing pandemic. Memory Lane officially launched in May 2021. “We wanted a way that people could explore downtown as safely as they possibly could. Because our ultimate goal was to get some people back down here in the shops and everything like that, just because that’s what our small businesses need is people through the doors…we thought [Memory Lane] would be great. You can do it on your own time, you can do it whenever you like with as many or as little people as you like and just really go with whatever you desire with that,” explained Walsh. All the properties and their associated historical fact sheets are also listed online, on the BIA’s website, allowing community members to explore them from the comfort of their home as well. To compile the information for the history fact sheets on each building, which include detailed accounts of the lives of each building as well as some photographs, Ozer collaborat-

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Yoohyun Park/PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

“We wanted a way that people could explore downtown as safely as they possibly could…we thought [Memory Lane] would be great. You can do it on your own time, you can do it whenever you like with as many or as little people as you like...” Emily Walsh

Community Engagement Coordinator, Downtown Hamilton BIA ed with the Hamilton Public Library. “The archives of the Hamilton Public Library were super helpful. I couldn’t go in person, but they were very quick, especially verifying [information]. Because when you’re looking at such a broad time frame from the

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, October 7, 2021

“[I hope they walk away with] an increased interest in the rich fabric that makes up our downtown, whether it’s the history or what’s currently going on,” said Walsh. “It’s just so many small pieces of a puzzle that come together and make up this really cool, vibrant place to work and live.” Both also noted the benefit Memory Lane could have for students who are living and studying in Hamilton, as the project could offer them the opportunity to explore downtown on their own terms and learn more about the new community they live in. “It’s a great way to get [students] out and acquainted with what’s going on. Because then you see, “Oh, the art gallery’s downtown,” and “there’s lots of great restaurants to try downtown.”…So I think this [Memory Lane] is a great segue into seeing everything that downtown has to offer, especially for students who are looking for something to engage with something to explore,” said Ozer. Particularly, as many students arrive in Hamilton for the first time and begin to make their homes here, projects such as Memory Lane offer crucial opportunities to explore and become acquainted with all this remarkable city has to offer.

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Immune Nations: understanding vaccination through an interdisciplinary lens The first interdisciplinary evidence-based exhibition to unpack the current discourse and complexities of global vaccination debuts at the McMaster Museum of Art Subin Park A&C Reporter debate on vaccines is neither new nor Thasheexclusive to COVID-19 vaccines. However, it taken greater precedence in the context of

the current pandemic with millions continuing to be affected by the disease and many countries introducing mandatory vaccine and testing policies. Other factors, including one’s level of confidence, access to vaccines and a sense of collective responsibility, have contributed to the debate’s complexity, making it difficult to unpack. Fortunately, where words have failed in facilitating these challenging conversations, art has found success in fulfilling its role. Immune Nations is the first interdisciplinary evidence-based exhibition to address the issue of vaccines. Debuting for the first time in Canada, the exhibition will be at the McMaster Museum of Art from Sept. 14 to Dec. 10. All visitors must book their visit through the museum’s website and provide proof of vaccination. For a sneak peek of the incredible works on display, a virtual tour is available through the MMA’s website and YouTube channel. The exhibition features works such as Jesper Alvaer’s Upstream the Cold Chain, a video comparing how developed and developing nations are navigating the network of fridges and cold rooms required to access vaccines, and Patrick Mahon and Annemarie Hou’s Design for a Dissemunization Station, portable tent structures presented with audio invoking feelings of the vaccine traveling through the body. A wide range of multimedia is used to explore vaccine hesitancy and resistance and global use and distribution of vaccines. Altogether, the works offer an immersive stage to contemplate and interact with the topics of current discourses on vaccination. The research and design process of the exhibition took place from 2014 to 2017, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was initially developed to examine inequities in vaccine allocation and access under the co-leadership of Natalie Loveless, the curator of the exhibition and an associate professor of contemporary art history and theory at the University of Alberta; Steven Hoffman, professor of global health, law and political science at York University and the director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Global Governance of Antimicrobial Resistance, and the Institute of Population & Public Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; and Sean Caulfield, centennial professor in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Alberta, along with support from their graduate research assistant and PhD candidate Vicki Kwon. During the research and design process, an interdisciplinary team of artists, scientists and policymakers from seven countries gathered in a series of workshops to share their per24 |A R T S & C U LT U R E

PHOTO C/O Bob McNair

spectives and expertise. From the larger team, smaller groups were formed to each focus on a particular issue, such as the fear of misinformation, and strategize ways to encapsulate and promote public engagement with the topic. “[A]rtists were not simply given a topic to reflect on, but were asked, together with global health policy experts and vaccine scientists and humanities scholars, to engage in a collaborative research journey out of which, together, they co-created artistic works designed to engage the public on issues surrounding vaccines—their use and distribution, history and value as well as anxiety and misinformation,” said Loveless in a statement.

“[A]rtists were not simply given a topic to reflect on, but were asked...to engage in a collaborative research journey out of which...they co-created artistic works designed to engage the public on issues surrounding vaccines.” Natalie Loveless

Curator of Immune Nations Exhibition In March 2017, the first exhibition of Immune Nations was presented at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art’s Galleri KiT as part of the 2017 Norwegian Global Health & Vaccinations Research Conference. Its second installment occurred shortly after in May of the same year at the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/ AIDS (UNAIDS) in Geneva. The current exhibition at the MMA marks its third iteration and a celebratory milestone for the museum as the show kicked off the museum’s first reopening since its closure in March 2020. Originally, the exhibition was scheduled to open last year in September at the MMA, however, due to the pandemic, it

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, October 7, 2021

was postponed. Instead, the past year was used to introduce additional works that reflect the new challenges and uncertainties brought on by the pandemic. These include Caulfield and Sue Colberg’s #InfoDemic, Kaisu Koski’s HUG, Arman Yeritsyan and Mkrtich Tonoyan’s Antisocial Distancing and Kwon’s Travelling Memories: The Vaccine Archive. These new additions to the exhibition highlight the complexities of experiencing the pandemic in a war-torn country, the influence of ideologies on trust in science and profound loneliness linked to social isolation. “It’s really interesting that we did this project before the pandemic and that we have had this opportunity to reflect on it and situate it in a very new context/world created by the pandemic,” said Loveless in her statement. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the exhibition has gathered increasing interest from the larger public. Loveless hopes the exhibition can help people to have deeper, more respectful and more empathetic conversations with each other. “Art, at its best, brings that nuance and complexity that we need sometimes in this world of sound bites and memes and social media factoids…The exhibition emphasizes the power of the arts in thinking more deeply and critically about these pressing public policy issues…and in more fully addressing underlying root causes through exploration, empathy and collaboration, ” said Loveless in her statement. In addition to the power of the arts for facilitating difficult dialogues, Loveless stresses the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in bringing new perspectives to the inquiry of social and political issues and overcoming implicit biases across different fields. “Rather than bringing experts in different fields together to expediently combine their resources and skills, I’d like to see more interdisciplinary collaborations between artists and scientists, or artists and experts in other fields, that take as their starting point a kind of mutual questioning—an inquiry into the disciplinary bases and biases that work to configure how we ask our questions, from where we ask our questions and consider how these affect the kinds of answers that surface,” explained Loveless in her statement.

The more things change, the more things stays the same Supercrawl may look a bit different this year, but the important pieces remain the Nisha Gill A&C Editor Subin Park A&C Reporter This article has been reduced for print. Read the full version at www.thesil.ca it began in 2009, Supercrawl has beSartsince come an integral part of not only Hamilton’s and culture community, but the city’s

larger community as well. The festival showcases local talent in a range of areas from music and theatre to visual art and fashion, and also offers space to vendors and food trucks. One of Hamilton’s signature events, the multi-arts festival truly offers something for everyone, bringing together people from across the city and featuring the treasured memories and traditions of many. For many students, Supercrawl’s mid-September timing lends itself to being the perfect introduction to the Hamilton arts and culture community. “[T]he timing of Supercrawl has always worked out really nicely with new students . . . it ends up being an amazing time for new students moving in and we’ve seen them come to the event. It’s their first weekend in Hamilton and this huge thing is going on and there’s a massive circus in the middle of downtown,” said Lisa La Rocca, the festival’s vendor coordinator.

“[T]he timing of Supercrawl has always worked out really nicely with new students . . . It’s their first weekend in Hamilton and this huge thing is going on and there’s a massive circus in the middle of downtown”

showcase, talk conferences, theatre and music concerts, and their murals have also continued to be displayed on James Street North. “We’ve been utilizing the options that are available to us and have shifted to livestreams when we couldn’t do shows in-person, and when we could do in-person, we’re doing socially distanced hybrid performances with a livestream component—it’s been challenging with lots of cancellations, rebookings and attempts at execution, but we’re still going strong!” explained Tim Potocic, the festival director in a statement. When small outdoor gatherings were finally possible in Sept. 2020, Supercrawl launched its Skytop Live Concert Series with a cap of 100 physically distanced attendees. Visitors were provided a face mask and screened for COVID-19 symptoms and exposure upon entry to the venue. “I’m really proud of how [the Skytop Live Concert Series] was managed and done. I think that people that came felt safe and felt like it was appropriately managed for the situation we were in,” said La Rocca. The organizers of Supercrawl have also opened a venue of their own, Bridgeworks, on Caroline and Barton Street, to continue hosting small live concerts. Their latest free live concert series lasted from Aug. 20 to Sept. 26. It ran both in-person, for up to 50 attendees at Bridgeworks, and as a livestream online. The 50 live audience members were chosen through a lottery from a list of those who had signed up to see the show. To cater to everyone’s comfort levels, Supercrawl will continue to offer opportunities for both on-site and online viewing of the events, public health guidelines permitting. “[We] did see, offering the audience tickets [for our events these past few weeks], some people were more comfortable still watching it at home. And that’s totally fine,” said La Rocca. So far, the reception to the Bridgeworks concert series has been filled with excitement and positivity. The artists were also overjoyed to see the live reactions of audience members. Part of Supercrawl’s success in maintaining its large presence during the past year can be attributed to its mature and rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Part of Supercrawl’s success in...the past year can be attributed to its mature and rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a continuous effort to protect the health and safety of the artists, staff, volunteers and audience members, this year, following its announcement that as of Sept. 1, Supercrawl and Sonic Unyon mandated a proof of full COVID-19 vaccination with Government of Canada approved vaccines or an official documentation of a negative COVID-19 test conducted within 48 hours prior to entry to the event. The vaccination mandate came into effect after much deliberation with other arts organizations about how to best approach the coming months as restrictions continue to be lifted in Ontario. Shortly after Supercrawl’s vaccine policy update, the Government of Ontario also released its statement on COVID-19 vaccination mandates. While there has been a great deal of change in the format of Supercrawl and how the festival operates over the last two years, the most important pieces have remained the same. The festival continues to showcase a range of remarkable local talent, while offering opportunities for the community to come together as well as for exploration and discovery. “We really just want everybody to feel like they can be involved and are involved in and can enjoy Supercrawl programming. I think that is the most important thing; we try to find something for everyone,” said La Rocca. Supercrawl has become an important part of the Hamilton community and the student experience over the years and even throughout the pandemic they have continued to offer opportunities for people to come together, explore and enjoy themselves. Supercrawl fans still have much to look forward to, including more music series, two new murals and an exciting outdoor event to be revealed in the upcoming weeks.

Lisa La Rocca

Vendor Coordinator Typically, Supercrawl takes place during the second weekend of September. Planning for each weekend is a year-long affair, with the team starting to think about the next year almost immediately after the festival wraps up. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Supercrawl organizers to pivot quickly and search for new ways to continue to present and promote local talent. With the available funding, they launched several virtual events while keeping a close eye on the latest developments and changes to provincial regulations. They have offered livestream events, including a fashion and drag

PHOTO C/O Brody Campbell

T h e S i l h o u e t t e | 25

Sports

Introducing the Black student-athlete council The newest safe space and friendly face for McMaster’s Black student-athletes

Yoohyun Park/PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Acacia Lio Sports Staff Writer n October 2020, a systematic review of the IMaster’s Black student-athlete experience within Mcdepartment of athletics was conduct-

ed due to reports of anti-Black racism from student-athlete alumni. A recommendation of this report was to increase representation among leadership. In addition to other beginning initiatives, the Black Student-Athlete Council was established to represent and advocate for McMaster’s Black student-athletes. The mission of the council is as follows: to establish a safe learning environment for BIPoC student athletes, and students at McMaster University, to foster a culture of equity and inclusion at McMaster University, to educate others on anti-racism and allyship, and to establish a platform of outreach. All student-athletes who identify as Black are automatically members of this council, but it is headed by a team of executive members, such as Internal and External Relations Director, Marissa Dillon. “[We] attended a lot of [equity diversity and inclusion] discussions, giving our input as student-athletes as to how we feel the department could work better to promote more culture and inclusion [and] address the existence of anti-Black racism,” said Dillon. Many of the executive members have a similar motivation for joining the council— helping to point the future of McMaster’s Black student-athletes in a positive direction. One member who was particularly passionate of this vision was External Relations Director, Brandon Bernard. “[I want to] create a better future for a lot of the incoming Black students [at] McMaster. The past is the past, so we can’t dwell on it too much, but we can still learn from it. And in

doing so, we can create a better future,” said Bernard.

“[I want to] create a better future for a lot of the incoming Black students [at] McMaster. The past is the past, so we can’t dwell on it too much, but we can still learn from it. And in doing so, we can create a better future.” Brandon Bernard

External Relations Director In addition, the executive members hope this council can become a safe space for Black student-athletes. Administrative Director, Enoch Penney-Laryea spoke to the motivation of the board members, stressing the importance of having a safe space. “Part of the motivation for joining is just that we can make a difference and create a safe space where student-athletes could go if they’re having trouble with such things and have a group of people they can trust to help them navigate the spaces at McMaster,” commented Penney-Laryea. Renelle Briggs, one of BSAC’s Marketing Directors, echoed the statement from Penney-Laryea, further stressing how critical a safe space is. “One of the things I would love to see is [BSAC growing] into a safe space and community for people to come to. With everything on

26 | S P O R T S www.thesil.ca | Thursday, October 7, 2021

social media and with more awareness of this coming up, I think it’s good to have a space for people to come to where they can feel safe and know the people there are there to support them and help them,” said Briggs Members of the BSACeach have personal goals they would like to achieve with their time on the council such as Penney-Laryea, who is striving to set a high standard for the future of the council. “Because this is our first year I would like to establish a groundwork for documentation for what the club should look like. I think it’s a really good opportunity to set the standard high and to have concrete documentation that will last for years down the line,” explained Penney-Laryea. Briggs also commented on the importance of the council’s future, explaining that she is proud to be a part of this team. “I’m excited for all the leadership opportunities that have come up. I think that when I leave, when I graduate this year, it’s gonna be a great thing to look back on and something that I’m proud to have been a part of,” said Briggs. Additionally, BSAC has many initiatives planned for the year, including their launch event. This is something students can get excited for in the coming weeks. “As of right now, the [event] that’s nearest would be our launch event. We’re hoping to do that some time mid-October. But we also have a plethora of other events that we have in the works,” said Bernard. Some of the other upcoming events include alumni outreach and coordinating with different teams within the athletics department. In addition to these exciting events, BSAC should be something Mac students are on the lookout for in general this year as the much needed initiative establishes its roots and creates a more inclusive future.

An early season football analysis

After a tough opener against the Mustangs, the Marauders have a big season ahead. Sava Jankovic Sports Reporter

lthough the McMaster Marauders football team started their season with a tough loss against the Western Mustangs in their opening game, the reigning provincial champions are confident of progressing through the year with considerable success. The opening game against the Mustangs was the first game the Marauders played in over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in the Ontario University Athletics association cancelling numerous championships to curb the spread of the virus. McMaster had won the 2019 Yates Cup prior to the cancellations, having beat the Mustangs 29-15 in London, allowing the team to come into the opening game with full confidence. The Marauders did not start the opening game well. Within the first quarter they were trailing 7-0. Things did not get better for them within the second quarter either, at which point they were losing 14-0, with Keon Edwards scoring the first two touchdowns in the game. Although the Marauders’ state did not change much in the second quarter, Jackson Cooling managed to hit back with a six yard touchdown. The closest the Marauders got to a lead was in the third quarter, where they played significantly better, scoring two field goals. Both field goals came courtesy of Adam Preocanin, who managed to bring the game to only a four goal difference at the end of the third quarter. Although the Mustangs’ Brian Garrity hit back with a 45 yard field goal mid-quarter, the Marauders narrowed the Mustangs’ lead by the end of the quarter to a score of 13-17. In the fourth quarter all went south for the Marauders, as they found themselves in their deepest hole yet. After a hopeful third, the Mustangs put their efforts on display, as they scored several touchdowns and one field goal in just 15 minutes. The start of the disappointing quarter began 16 seconds into the play, where Keon Edwards scored a touchdown (his third of the game). Just four minutes later, G. Campbell scored yet another touchdown for the Mustangs, this time from a long 25 yard pass from Jackson White. The last touchdown of the game came from Brett Ellerman, who put the Mustangs ahead in a big lead of 38-13. The final points of the game came from Brian Garrity, who scored a 25 yard field goal, concluding the scoreline to a brutal 13-41 defeat for the Marauders in their first game of the season. While the game did disappoint, the Marauders are still confident that their season will continue on good terms; they are keeping their heads up. Ryan Leder, the Marauders defensive end, stressed the importance of the team keeping their spirits up, noting that the first loss has not affected their morale. “Although we did lose, we have taken the loss very well. All of us still have a lot of confidence for the rest of the season and I think

that we have a lot of potential going forward. Nobody shied away from the first defeat, which is really important to us,” explained Leder. On the topic of returning to play after substantial time off, Leder didn’t hesitate to show

“Although we did lose, we have taken the loss very well. All of us still have a lot of confidence for the rest of the season and I think that we have a lot of potential going forward. Nobody shied away from the first defeat, which is really important to us.” Ryan Leder

Defensive End

his sheer excitement for the comeback of the varsity sport after a year and a half. “It almost seemed like [COVID-19] was a never ending off season . . . It was a very tough time but I am extremely excited to be back and playing. On our first game against [the Mustangs], the audience was amazing and it’s truly something that we all missed,” said Leder The next game that the Marauders play comes against the Waterloo Warriors, on Oct. 2. Although it is their second game of the season, it will be the first time the Marauders will play in front of a home crowd after over a year. As such, the event will also be considered as a homecoming. When asked about the homecoming and the fans, Leder invited all McMaster students to come and support the team. “It’s been a very long time, all of us are very motivated to do well. We are all excited to finally play in front of a big crowd and we need your support. McMaster has been on the forefront with COVID-19 and I am certain that the game will be a safe environment for all,” said Leder. The tickets for the homecoming game against the Warriors are on sale now, and are available on the Marauders Website.

McMaster Museum of Art museum.mcmaster.ca @macmuseum

(

Melissa General, Reclamation, 2014. Video still. Courtesy of Video Out.

ENAWENDEWIN/ RELATIONSHIPS Curated by William Kingfisher August 26 – November 28, 2021 Artists: Anong Migwans Beam, Carl Beam, Ron Benner, Susan Blight, Jenn Cole, Melissa General, Mike MacDonald, Lisa Myers

IMMUNE NATIONS Curated by Natalie Loveless September 14 – December 10, 2021

) T h e S i l h o u e t t e | 27

Marauder athletes of the week spotlight

After over a year and a half break, the athlete of the week features are back. Sava Jankovic Sports Reporter For the first time since March 2020, the Athletic and Recreational committee has released the athletes of the week spotlight for the week period ending Sept. 19. First year fastpitch player Aliyah Woolcock, and veteran cross country runner Alex Drover have been selected as the week’s athletes of the week, racking up impressive statistics for the Marauders over the two categories. Woolcock impressed overall with her batting average of .875 in her first few games, whilst Drover led his runners and achieved a time of 55:32 with his partner, Caroline Forbes in their 8 km legs. Speaking to Alex Drover about his achievement, he expressed how surprised he was, as well as how proud he is to be featured in the first athlete of the week spotlight after such a long time. “To be honest with you, I was a little bit surprised when I got the notification on my phone. I didn’t really expect it but I am very proud and honoured to be named as an athlete of the week,” said Drover.

“To be honest with you, I was a little bit surprised when I got the notification on my phone. I didn’t really expect it but I am very proud and honoured to be named as an athlete of the week.”

“One day I got called to the office by my coach and then I was told to go take a picture for the award. . . It was all too quick.”

Alex Drover

Women’s Fast Pitch Team, Sept. 19 Female Athlete of the week

Cross Country Team, Sept. 19 Male Athlete of the week On the subject of the COVID-19 break and how it affected him, Alex made it clear that he was not set back by the break, and that it did not cause a big downfall for him. “The [COVID-19] break was tough for everyone, that is certain. But personally, as a runner, we were not really affected. I consider myself lucky as we consistently train outside, and practicing did not really get hindered by the break which was really good at the time. It did take some pressure off,” explained Drover. When speaking to the fastpitch player Aliyah Woolcock, she was also rather surprised by the announcement, but was honoured to be a part of it. “I was aware that I did really well over the weekend. I was very happy about that, but it’s like I completely forgot about it. One day I got called to the office by my coach and then I was told to go take a picture for the award. . . It was all too quick,” said Woolcock. 28 | S P O R T S

PHOTO C/O Travis Nguyen

Aliyah Woolcock

Aliyah also did not hide her enthusiasm with the fastpitch team and their chances for this season. “I am so excited for this team. We are all really motivated and are looking forward to playing every game. I personally think that we have a really strong team and that we have a lot of potential that can be fulfilled. I also do hope that I will play every game and keep up the form from last week, as I want to help the team challenge for the medal this season,” said Woolcock.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, October 7, 2021

“I am so excited for this team. We are all really motivated and are looking forward to playing every game. I personally think that we have a really strong team and that we have a lot of potential that can be fulfilled.” Aliyah Woolcock

Women’s Fast Pitch Team, Sept. 19 Female Athlete of the week The journey does not end there for Woolcock and Drover. Both still have a long season ahead, and have just begun. However, it can be said that both have gone off to perfect individual starts with the athlete of the week accoledate. The next athlete of the week award is to be announced for the week of Sept. 26. The journey does not end there for Woo

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Complete the crossword puzzle below 1 2 3

5 6 7

14 15

18 19 20 21

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25 26

Horizontal 3. Implemented in Ontario as of September 22, 2021 5. Coronavirus Disease (abrv.) 7. ________ yo hands! 10. Chief _________ _________ of Health 11. Do me before you come onto campus 14. Y’all should stay ________ feet apart (plz) 17. Click your heels three times and say there’s nothing like... 19. Had COVID or got your vaccine? Congratulations, you’ve got these! 21. Going to a restaurant? Might need to complete a _____ form 23. Piece of equipment used for severe COVID cases 26. Imagine a video platform for school...but worse. What do you get? 27. Got these? Don’t come anywhere near campus or the general public 28. Flatten the what? Vertical 1. International organization that declared a pandemic in March 2020 2. Attached to your radius and ulna (keep ‘em clean!) 4. Epidemic of a global scale 6. If you have symptoms, you stay in your home. This is called... 8. Nice way to say ‘stay away from me’ 9. You have chronic diseases, and then _______ diseases 10. Wear this indoors (or else) 12. Can be gooey, can be wet, and always keeps your hands smelling like cheap tequila 13. The city where it all started 15. Herd _________: A population’s ability to reduce risk of spreading the disease 16. Government dept. that deals with the health and safety of the public 18. Pfizer made one, Moderna was responsible for another 20. The virus is of this type 22. _______ Mrs.VanderTramp 24. No in-person classes? No problem! Just access this platform 25. We’ve had a few of these (and have started the fourth)

Created using the Crossword Maker on TheTeachersCorner.net

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T h e S i l h o u e t t e | 29

ONLYFANS 2: ELEC TRIC BOOGALOO I DON’ T EVEN HAVE TO MAKE A JOKE HERE M8

THE

THURSDAY

HAMILTON SPECULATOR KILLING REAL PLANTS SINCE 1934

NOTSPEC.COM

OC TOBER 7, 2021

SORRY WE’VE MOVED

We sold the back space advertisements so gotta put this thing here now KRISTOFF BROADWAY Waving through a window

We’ll Be

RIGHT BACK!

INSIDE FAKE PLANTS DON’T NEED TO BE WATERED AS MUCH A6 IT’S PSL SZN BOYZ B4 PUMPKIN SPICE PANDEMIC PREDICTED FOR OCTOBER B7 WHY IS IKEA ALWAYS SOLD OUT OF EVERYTHING C1 CAN WE TURN SPORTS INTO A CROSSWORD SECTION? C3 LACK OF MICROCHIPS FOR CARS AND KILLER ROBOTS T2

PER ISSUE: Advertising Space INCL. HST, PST & a botul of wotah

Disclaimer: The Hamilton Speculator is a work of satire and fiction and should not under any circumstances be taken seriously. Except the part where we said we moved, seriously. We’re going to be inside instead of on the back now.

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EAT

THINGS TO DO IN

DOWNTOWN HAMILTON

Downtown Hamilton is known for its eclectic food scene, where you can always find something to satisfy your taste buds. There’s pizza and sushi for lunch on the go, steak and seafood for special occasions, and plenty of cute cafes to keep you caffeinated through your day!

EXPLORE

SHOP

There’s more than one way to explore the downtown core. Start your journey at downtownhamilton.org where you’ll find a full directory of local businesses. Then use the convenient online maps to take a self-guided tour of either the public art or rich history that makes downtown Hamilton so interesting.

The retail shops in downtown Hamilton are often referred to as destination retail - meaning people travel from far and wide to reach these unique and vibrant stores. You can find something at every price point, from investment pieces for your wardrobe to fun gifts and special trinkets.

WORK

NIGHT OUT

With 450+ businesses spanning a variety of fields, the job opportunities available in downtown Hamilton are plentiful and exciting. More of the entrepreneur type? You can find many co-working solutions or your very own office space. Come discover the epicentre of the work/life balance!

After a long day in the classroom, a night out on the town is necessary. Will it be a classy cocktail on the patio, or dancing to 90s jams with your friends? Maybe a date night that is sure to impress. You’ll find live music, unique activities, and a great atmosphere all in downtown Hamilton.

@DowntownHamiltonBIA

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The Silhouette - COVID CAUTION - October 7, 2021

Articles inside

A&C: Supercrawl festival returns to both in-person and online

CFMU: Get involved with the third oldest campus radio station in Canada

FEATURES: Adapting MSU peer support services to the pandemic // PAGES