McMaster Ukrainian Students’ Association
The 2019-2020 school year was one like no other for the McMaster Ukrainian Students’ Association (MUSA). With plenty of new events and a growing number of members, this past year was particularly memorable for the club. MUSA began the year with the annual general meeting, accompanied by pizza and pop, of course! Curious students came by to see what the club was about, as the hype for the year began. Shortly after the first event, MUSA released its first-ever sweater design competition. Many people submitted their creative designs and the winning design was available for purchase. During midterm season, MUSA members had the opportunity to take a break from studying and hit the bowling lanes for MUSA’s annual bowling night. It was a night full of competition, spe-
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cial prizes, and of course, pizza (again). During the month of November, MUSA hosted an education table in the student centre about Holodomor. This was an opportunity for the club’s members to spread awareness about the genocide to fellow peers and staff. After exams and Christmas holidays came to an end, MUSA members decided to keep spreading the holiday spirit by carolling to the Ukrainians of Hamilton. It was a night full of guitar, snacks and holiday joy. After being apart from the club due to the winter break, the Welcome Back Board Games Night was the perfect opportunity for club members to catch up with one another while learning about the upcoming events for the semester. There were plenty of games to choose from, such as scrabble and Jenga. As the semester flew by, it was finally time for the 18th annual
MUSA Volleyball Tournament and Zabava. The morning began early, with teams arriving to St. Mary’s High School in Hamilton. DJ Kus got the teams hyped for the day by playing banger after banger. After a long day of competition, Spiked Borscht came out on top as the winning team. Once everyone went home and showered, it was time for the zabava to begin. The night flew by as Zirka kept their audience on the dance floor all night. In order to celebrate the success of the annual volleyball tournament and zabava, MUSA members celebrated at a karaoke pub night. Surprisingly, many MUSA members are good singers. However, some, not so much. This night was an excellent way to commemorate all the hard work put into the events over the past year. Unfortunately, the year ended abruptly, and the final MUSA meeting was
held over Zoom. However, this was still an opportunity to reflect on the club’s success over the past year, even if through a computer screen. During the past year, MUSA worked to share Ukrainian culture on campus. The club participated in various events that promoted Ukrainian culture to McMaster students, such as Clubs Festival and the Holodomor Table. Additionally, the annual volleyball tournament and zabava was promoted on campus, and many nonUkrainian individuals attended! There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge during this past year. Unfortunately, many events were cancelled, such as Pangea, a multicultural fair, and MUSA’s pysanka night. However, MUSA plans to make the best out of this upcoming year and cannot wait to host events for all to enjoy!
