Plumber's Faucet - August 2011 - Hawaii Five O-Week Frosh Issue

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FAUCET

vol. 46 no.1 • Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011

Can’t Hide From

Hawaii Five O-Week!

Plumber’s Masthead Editor-in-Chief Neil DenToom Writers Davod Bailey Xavier Gosselin Flora Jordan Lucas Kruitwagen Romina Nadeem Paul Nobel Felicia Parr Bamber Sunell Sonny Sung Jun Bae Photographer Ali Najmabadi

Disclaimer The Plumber’s Faucet is a publication of the EUS. The views and opinions expressed within are soley that of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the EUS or the McGill Faculty of Engineering. For more information, questions, and comments please contact faucet@mcgilleus.ca the plumber’s FAUCET vol. 46 no. 1 Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Letter from the Editor Ah, we begin again! The summery times of fooling around, checking your email sixty times a day, faking working hard, trying to suck up to the guys in charge, and generally slacking off and procrastinating like you had an attention span of a second and a half are all gone. Or not - that does sound a lot like school doesn’t it?

While some of us are back for round two or three or six, we have a whole new batch of first years who have just made McGill their home - hopefully not literally, but we all know that school couches can occasionally serve as student-budget-friendly hotels. So, welcome! We’re thrilled to have you here.

McGill really is the place to be. Anyone could tell you that our university is one of the most elite in the world, with some of the most renowned professors, one-of-a-kind campus life and a history and reputation to put most others to shame. Then, when you take the superior faculty inside such a superior university, what have you got? McGill Engineers, obviously.

We are different from any other faculty and probably even anything you’ve seen before; you’ll see brilliant ideas, hard workers, unreal events, and some of the greatest people you’ll meet left, right and center. Just by looking at this special edition of the Faucet I’m sure you’re starting get the idea. The dedication and great spirit around the EUS and across the faculty makes sure there’s something to blow your mind almost every second. Making things happen is just what we do, from OAP and O-Week right now to Design Teams, Engineers Without Borders, POWE and more, there are so many ways to get invoved, it might be tough to decide what kind of action you want to get into, but, the more action you get, the better! Maybe checking your emails sixty times a day is a little bit of a social twitch you should have a nursing student have a look at, but keep an eye on those emails and you’ll discover something great, like how I found the Faucet twelve months ago in first year. But, since we engineers are usually within earshot before we’re in view, keep an ear out too!

You’ll be glad to know, we have all new EUS execs with open doors, so wander on by to ask questions, learn how to get involved or just get to know all your fellow engineers.

Now that you’re here, meet everyone you can, do what you love to do and know that you’re in the best faculty ever, so make us proud!

I wish you all the best and I look forward to meeting you,

Neil DenToom Editor-in-Chief

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Aloha Froshies!

by Your O-Week Organizers

an engineer is about a lot more than building bridges, and Hawaii Five-O Week will be your introduction to that culture.

Hop off that boat, O-Week is here!

So you’ve just arrived in Montreal for the first time, driven from the South Shore, or bused from the West Island. Regardless, you’ve chosen to study at the best university in Canada. I’m sure to this point you’ve been bombarded with information about classes, services, advising and all that other junk McGill has deemed important for you to know; you will have forgotten most of it by October.

For now, put all that aside and prepare yourself for:

Take all of your notions of an epic party and toss them out the window. By accepting your invitation to Hawaii Five-O Week you have accepted to party with the ENGINEERS! Notoriously the rowdiest group on campus, engineers will go to no end in search of a great time and cheap drinks. Yes, for at all engineering parties, singing is mandatory and pants are optional.

We here at McGill recognize t h a t being

This year’s O-Week will be the BIGGEST and BEST O-Week ever! As I’m sure you can tell from our DOLCANO logo (yes that is a combination of dolphin and volcano) we are ready to rock your world. You will need to complete the scavenger hunt and learn some engineering traditions to EARN your fabled hard hat.

Guard this with your life; it is the mark of an engineer, and artsies will do everything in their power to try and steal it. The next day you will party it up Hawaiian style at our Beach Party, and close the night with a luau. Finally, you will embark on a tour of Montreal’s best bars, and work your way toward our famous Toga PubNite!

On top of all that, there will be a design competition, plenty of food, and great times with your hand-picked Frosh Leaders. Bug these people as they are fantastic fountains of information.

So grab your surfboard, practice your ukulele, and try to pronounce lauwiliwilinukunukuoioi (that’s a fish). You are only new to McGill once, so celebrate this week as commencement of your new life at McGill. Don’t forget: sun’s out, guns out.

Mahalo, Alexander Sunell (Bamber) and your 2011 O-Week Committee

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Your Favourite Services from the EUS

by Romina Nadeem, VP Services

Copi-EUS

Copi-EUS is our copy centre. If you ever need to photocopy something quickly, you can always come by and use our self-serve machine or ask Peter to give you a hand. We can print posters ranging from the standard paper size to the giant posters needed for design projects. We print booklets, pamphlets, and bounded materials. We’ve even got course materials donated by students just like you.

General Store General Store has got an assortment of school supplies.

We’ve even got McGill Engineering paraphernalia, like hoodies, sweat pants, undies, and toques! We’ve also got some morning snacks, like coffee and muffins, along with some sweet snacks and cold drinks!

Lockers

We’ve even got some lockers throughout the entire Engineering Complex. If you need a home away from home to store your heavy textbooks and manuals, drop by the EUS Office and get yourself a locker. What could be more convenient?

Common Room The Common Room is located in the basement of McConnell. You can watch movies in the Lounge, do some reading in the Study Room, or meet up with friends in the Social Room. Every Friday we hold our Blues Pubs in the basement. Come and check it out!

Frostbite Frostbite is our own ice cream store. We serve up a mean ice cream to distract you from your hard day’s work. Get below a 30% on your last midterm or final?

Get a free small cup! Even better, drop by Tuesdays for Toonie Tuesdays and grab a medium cup for 2$. We’ve even got ice cream sandwiches!

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The PPO: Not You Grandfather’s Philharmonic Orchestra...

by Chiefs:

Matt “Bear Cunting Season” Guttman Allison “Cheeks of Steel” DenToom

What is the PPO? Read this article. What is the PPO not?

Read the fucking title.

It’s that time of year again!

Froshies getting drunk on lower field, everyone else getting drunk at OAP, and a bunch of Engineers running around in brightly coloured lab coats. Yes, the Plumbers Philharmonic Orchestra is back for another great year at McGill (did you think we all graduated or something?).

For the uninitiated amongst you, the PPO is a group of Engineering (and Architecture) students committed to strengthening Engineering spirit and raising money for charitable causes. We try to combine these two worthy goals into exciting and

engaging events, which more often than not also involve beer. We make up many of the volunteers at OAP, we run Breast Cancer Week and Golden Valentines, we’re in charge of Rowdy Day, OAP Lite... the list goes on.

Now some of you might be confused. “I thought the PPO was a bunch of obnoxious Engineers who ran around wreaking havoc on campus!” you say. While it’s true that certain members of our group have at times been accused of such petty crimes as painting the dome of the Arts building orange in celebration of Halloween (just like a big pumpkin), or unbolting all of the seats in Leacock 132 (leading to two days of cancelled classes), we swear it’s not true (wink wink).

So how can you get involved with this motley crew of hard drinking, fun loving, and socially conscious students? It’s easy.

WE’LL FIND YOU!!! Come out to our events and have a great time!

Why not start with OAP? It’s the big white tent on campus serving up beer, BBQ, and live bands for the next two weeks. Got a few extra minutes? Why not volunteer!

We can always use extra help, and it’s a great way to get involved in campus life and meet fun new people. Just find someone in a colourful (but often dirty) lab coat and introduce yourself. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Or some shit like that, what do we look like, Artsies?

BCS & Cheeks, 2011 PPO Chiefs ppo.chiefs@mcgilleus.caCopi-EUS

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Bring on the Design Teams!

by Felicia Parr

If you’re just starting here at McGill, you must be wondering what exactly you will get out of your years at McGill and if you have already been here for two, three, or even four years, most of you are wondering what exactly you have gotten out of McGill thus far. Most of you will say “a good education,” “a great GPA that’s going to get me the job of my dreams.” Some of you may even say that you have lost all faith in the academic system. And almost all of you will say, “Well at least I know I will have a job when I graduate.” However, being a good engineer isn’t only about going to school, doing your assignments, and writing exams; a good engineer is one that applies the things learn in class and actually creates something amazing from scratch. A good engineer gets their hands dirty and says “yeah,

McGill Formula Hybrid SAE

McGill Formula SAE I HAVE accomplished something meaningful,” and recognizes that it’s not about sitting in a desk and crunching numbers all day long.

The McGill design teams help you use your skills and creativity, whether or not you have experience in the field. Maybe you’re interested in designing a Baja able to go off jumps, over rocks and through mud. Maybe you’re interested in designing a Formula 1 car that can go really fast, or a hybrid Formula 1 car that is easy on the environment and still goes

Engineers Without Borders

McGill Baja SAE fast. Maybe you’re interested in excavating on the moon.

Whatever it is, the experience of joining a McGill design team will be with you throughout your careers as engineers. Everyone on these teams love what they do, they look at it as an opportunity to unwind, create something great, and make long lasting friendships with their teammates.

If this interests you, look out for the information session on the McGill SAE Chapter, taking place early in September. You’ll be in for the ride of your lives!

by Sonny Sung Jun Bae

To address the challenges of global poverty, EWB works to drive change both in Canada and in Africa. Here at home, EWB aims to make Canadians model global citizens by raising awareness about the impact of their daily actions on developing communities. Overseas, our volunteers promote human development by helping build knowledge and capacity among local entrepreneurs, organisations and governments in order to spread innovative and appropriate solutions to the challenges of poverty.

In order to achieve EWB’s vision at our chapter we are separated into different areas and teams that you can get involved in: 1. Youth Engagement - inspire youth to take actions towards the eradication of poverty.

2. Member Learning - increase member’s knowledge of development issues, advocacy, leadership and EWB’s approach to poverty reduction.

3. Communication Team - spread the word to the McGill and Montreal community about EWB’s work.

4. Fundraising - raise funds for overseas projects, in-Canada activities and our volunteers overseas.

5. Public Outreach - engage Canadians to become more aware of development issues around the world, and of actions they can take to help.

7. Junior Fellow Program - work on a four month volunteer placement overseas, as well as completion of learning modules and training prior to going overseas and sharing their experience post-placement.

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More Practical North

Home (for some of you)

Actual North

Hogwarts

Sports

Useless Hospital Confusing Traffic

Better Hospital

More Women

Unknown

Free Condoms and Doctors

Women

DOTA

Three Bares Park (OAP!!)

Cheaper McGill Clothing

Dentists Milton Parc Community Ghetto Physics Babes Pizza

Toga Party Blues Pub

Grass Humps

Closest Toilets to OAP

Expensive Books and McGill Clothing

Useful Buildings

Space for Napping

Cheap (and tasty) Sandwiches

Suits

Actually Talented Musicians

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2011 Hawaii Five

O-Week Schedule

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Your City

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Promoting Opportunities for

by Flora Jordan Women in Engineering Promoting Opportunities for Women in Engineering (P.O.W.E.) is a committee that focuses on promoting awareness of opportunities available to women in engineering and increasing the presence of women in the engineering fields. POWE hosts multiple events throughout the year including speed networking with professionals, wine and cheese events, and an annual conference for local CEGEP and high school girls. POWE is open to everyone and is a great way to meet and connect with engineers across all the engineering disciplines.

The POWE committee is a philanthropic group, run under the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) of McGill, which encourages female participation and involvement in engineering. As a group, we are dedicated to promoting and exposing young women to the varied opportunities and careers available in the field of engineering.

Last year POWE hosted multiple events throughout the year including a speed networking event, multiple wine and cheese events, and the annual conference for CEGEP and high school girls. Our most successful and newest event, speed networking, which works much like speed dating, provided the opportunity for female engineering students to quickly meet and converse with professional female engineers from all industries.

This event was hugely successful and will be offered again, but unlike speed dating, this event will have repeat attendees.

MERTW Pub Crawl

by Paul Nobel

Right after OAP and O-Week, this is one of McGill Engineering’s famous traditions to get you ready for school! It’s a scavenger hunt race throughout many of Montreal’s finest pubs, involving ridiculous adventures and some of the best times you may never remember. Join up with 7 of your friends and take on this amazing event of epic proportions!

POWE hosts an annual conference that is open to all female CEGEP and high school students who may be interested in pursuing a degree in engineering. The conference introduces the girls to engineering life at McGill through lab tours, student and professor panels, and a design competition.

This event has swayed more than a few girls into attending McGill, two of these girls are currently on POWE. POWE also participates in events run by the Engineering Undergraduate Society, for example, they hosted a breakfast for the hung over E-Week participants last winter. According to the brave souls who actually got out of bed before 12, POWE makes a mean pancake. During this same EWeek, POWE promoted the hang over state by hosting a stop on the Pub Crawl in which girls were forced to chug beer and boys had to apply make-up. Definitely the prettiest group that ever crawled Montreal’s pubs.

While POWE focuses on women involvement in engineering, most of the events that POWE hosts are open to all students and provide exposure to a variety of career opportunities and connections.

POWE is a great way to connect with your fellow engineers, whether female or male, and is a great way to get involved!

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How to Toga

by Xavier Gosselin featuring toga model, Julius Najmabadi Chances are, you’ve probably never worn a toga before. I mean, it is sooo 7th century BC, so, fashion-wise, it’s a little outdated.

But, here’s the beauty of it all: we all get, as McGill engineering students, to be a little Roman or Greek for one night before every new school year. And rock out the old school outfits, AKA your mom’s bed sheet.

I remember when I first got here and heard about this infamous toga party. “Toga? What the hell did I just get into?” That was until I saw some pictures from the previous years’ toga parties. Because it has been a tradition here at the EUS for many, many years - no one I talked to was there when it started - so that makes it at least 20 years old. And toga parties are epic.

Exhibit A would be that awesome scene from Animal House.

The goal of this how-to article is to make you a proud owner of a badass toga so you look your best on this last night of Frosh to... you know... impress... the other sex. And I’ve seen people in the past years have their toga just fall off at the wrong moment because it sucked. Do you want to be that person? Or would you prefer to Greek-Mythology your way into a great time?

I know the answer, so just read on and absorb the knowledge.

First, undress (STEP 0). The key point is to wear as little as possible under your toga.

T-shirt? Hell no! Sweat pants? Please...Those Greeks were buttcheek naked under there, but I Step 0 can understand you don’t want to go around in your birthday suit under that small, easily tearable sheet. Here’s my rule of thumb: wear whatever you’d be comfortable wearing around your best friends, and then take some more off. Chances are you’ll lose some of your inhibitions by the time it’ll matter and you won’t have a worry in the world. And these parties can get pretty hot, literally. So having less is helpful if you don’t want to get heat stroke.

Now is time to find the fabric. If you somehow don’t have bed sheets or want brand-spankin’new toga ones, legality might require you to do your shopping before step 0 for public indecency Step 1 – however, save it for the toga party. Find a bed sheet or curtain you won’t mind having to wash a few times to get all the beer, paint and other fluids off. Your typical toga is plain white or red,

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but I’ve seen some students wearing epic Toy Story sheets and getting all the praise.

Don’t be a wuss and use a single-size bed sheet, but being cocky and using a two-

story curtain is overkill. My general rule is “bigger is better, up to king size.”

Now that you have a toga, it’s time to find a friend to help you out. If that’s impossible to find, then ask a stranger and make him/her your new friend. It works. It Step 2 is much easier to toga-up with a little help from a friend. Since I’m pretty sure you’ll end up roaming the dance floor after a couple of refreshments, being there with a buddy at first is always a plus. So do it. Friend up.

STEP 1. Put the sheet horizontally. Take a corner and place it near your shoulder. Have your friend hold out the rest of the sheet.

STEPS 2-3. Hold that corner and rotate in a clockwise fashion so that the sheet starts covering your body. Have your friend hold the top corner of the other side of the sheet and hand it to you behind your back over your shoulder.

If you feel adventurous, you can accessorize with whatever you believe toga-wearing people also wore back in the days. Highheeled sandals, necklaces, badass crowns, tiaras, heck even (plastic) swords are accepted and highly recommended. Nothing says “I like to party” more than wiggling around your Cockskalibur sword and fakeslaying strangers.

As long as it’s not a real threat to anyone’s health, it’ll be awesome.

Over the past few years, engineering’s toga party has been known as being the coolest night of Frosh for most froshies that attend. Invite your friends from other faculties, they’ll be able to toga-up, come on in and and go all out. And when that Otis Day and the Knights songs comes on, you better sing along.

Step 3

STEP 4. Tie that shit up.

So here you are now, a new student at McGill wearing a freaking toga (STEP 5). Take a few “before” pictures because you might not want to show your parents the “after” ones. Then, help out your new friend, or any other stranger requiring help to toga-up. In times of festivities, everyone must be properly toga’ed up, so you can also spread the knowledge on how to not make a fool of oneself.

Step 4

Also note that a quick google search for “how to toga” yields many results on “how to make a toga”. I guess it’s similar. Our technique here is foolproof and proven to work, but you can always improvise and follow other advice, or do whatever you want. As long as you don’t show up in an armadillo costume, I’ll be happy.

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Step 5

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Engineering, By the Numbers

by David Bailey

First of all, let me welcome all you new engineers to McGill University. You’ve chosen one of the world’s premier universities, which happens to be located in one of the world’s premier party cities. You have probably read a few statistics about McGill, such as

its high international ranking and difficult entrance requirements, but I think I have some data which you are not familiar with. Using that trusty and all-powerful tool, Google, I have prepared for you more proof that your choice to become a McGill engineer was

the best you could make. I typed a number of phrases into Google (x-axis), and recorded the number of hits I got for each phrase (y-axis). The results were very informative. Enjoy!

First, let’s look at your choice of university:

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And now, let’s focus on your career choice:

And finally, I have saved the best for last:

So there you have it – you have chosen to study to become a member of the best profession at the best university in the world.

The facts don’t lie. Now get out there and live up to the reputation that McGill engineers have earned!

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