The Silhouette- Jan. 21, 2016

INSIDE >> ANDY’S 10 BEST MOVIES OF 2015 pg. 33 //

State of the Union recap pg. 3

The argument culture of the VP reform pg. 17 // A design analysis of presidential candidate branding pg. 20

S The Silhouette Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

The Candidates’ Club One of these people will be your next student body president

Page 5

S

FOLLOW US

The Silhouette

Volume 86, Issue 17

/THEMCMASTER SILHOUETTE

@THE SILHOUETTE

/MCMASTER SILHOUETTE

@MCMASTER SILHOUETTE

MCMASTER THESIL

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

LOOKING BACK

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

Amanda Watkins @whatthekins managing editor | managing@thesil.ca

Ana Qarri @anaqarri production editor | production@thesil.ca Michael Gallagher @michaelradar online editor | online@thesil.ca Shane Madill @shanemadill sections

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

media

Jonathan White @j_white.jpg (Instagram) photo reporter Yung Lee video editor Philip Kim social media coordinator Esther Adjekum @esturr

photo editor

staff writers

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

Sandro Giordano

CONTACT

LEGAL

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

The Silhouette welcomes letters to the editor in person at MUSC B110, or by email at thesil@thesil.ca. Please include name, address and telephone number for verification only. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters and opinion articles. Opinions and editorials expressed in The Silhouette are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers, the McMaster Students Union or the University. The Silhouette is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the McMaster Students Union. The Silhouette Board of Publications acts as an intermediary between the editorial board, the McMaster community and the McMaster Students Union. Grievances regarding The Silhouette may be forwarded in writing to: McMaster Students Union, McMaster University Student Centre, Room 201, L8S 4S4, Attn: The Silhouette Board of Publications. The Board will consider all submissions and make recommendations accordingly.

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

JAN. 14, 1972

Student Union upsets One year after its creation, the McMaster Students Union was facing animosity from its student body. The MSU and its governing body used to work out of the Wentworth House, a building that once stood where the L.R. Wilson building is currently being erected. The MSU was nicknamed the “Wentworth House Elite” and were under pressure from students after spreading lies about the future of the campus pub at the time, The Downstairs John.

Students felt that their voices were not being heard over these loud few Wentworth Elite. The bubble has been around for a long time.

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

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

New Twitter research suggests Canadian users more positive than American users Page 4

The Silhouette

News

| 3

Meet your MSU Presidential candidates

SOTU in review

The MSU’s annual State of the Union address highlights some of the MSU’s accomplishments over the last year

Page 6

Canadian campus news Sunny Yun Contributor

York apologizes for false admissions York University has apologized after accidentally admitting 500 applicants via email last Monday. University Chief Spokesperson Joanne Rider attributes the mistake to a processing flaw. The university empathizes with the students who received accidental acceptances and correction emails were sent out on Tuesday, Jan. 12.

Raking in the rankings The State of the Union address gives MSU members the opportunity to hear about the ongoing status of the student union.

C/O MIKE BEATTIE

Patrick Kim News Reporter

On Jan. 14, the McMaster Students Union held its annual State of the Union in the student centre. The State of the Union is held every year for the Board of Directors to update and inform both the full-time, undergraduate students that make up the MSU as well as the general population at McMaster.

"Our mission statement is to draw into a true society, all undergrad students here at McMaster; so basically our job is to enhance the student experience at Mac," outlined MSU President Ehima Osazuwa in his opening comments.

In a way, the State of the Union is an avenue for the Board of Directors to highlight some of the key successes of

the MSU over the past year. A few of the highlights noted by the BoD include an emergency bursary fund at $500 for any student, up to $12,000 in total, as well as several expansions to the management of the clubs system, including the addition of a second Clubs Assistant Administrator and the movement to an online booking format for rooms in Clubspace.

VP (Administration) Giuliana Guarna highlighted some of the important updates to MSU services during the past year as well, including the creation of new MSU service Maccess and the closure of MacGreen following the 2015-16 academic year.

Despite this, while the BoD have been successful in a number of initiatives, it's worth noting that some projects, including the Light-Rail Transit system announced for Hamilton, have been in progress for

years.

The MSU Course Wiki is another project that has been in the works for several years and has experienced some delays in taking off, but VP (Education) Spencer Nestico-Semianiw noted that it is expected to launch over the next couple of months.

The MSU also remains financially healthy, generating over $13 million in revenue in 2014-15. From its day-to-day operations, the MSU continues to operate on a slight surplus of $60,000, and D'Angela emphasized the efficiency at which student dollars are used.

"From our operations, we collect about $2.6 million in fees, but spend around $9.6 million in supporting student life through advocacy, programming, services, etcetera," explained D'Angela.

D'Angela also noted that a second Budget Town Hall

“Basically our job is to enhance the student experience at Mac.“ Ehima Osazuwa MSU President would be held by the MSU during February. The Budget Town Hall is one of several platform points that D'Angela promised to introduce during his term as VP (Finance), and the upcoming Town Hall will be focused on gathering student feedback on the focus of future MSU budgets. @patrickmkim

The Times Higher Education has released their 2016 list for the 200 most international universities, and 13 Canadian universities have made the cut.

The introduction to the ranking reads that these universities are “truly global institutions [attracting] students and scholars from all over the world.”

Canada’s top three international institutions were UBC at #40, McGill at #76 and Université de Montréal at #89.

Skwomesh language program coming to SFU Beginning in September, Simon Fraser University will begin offering a Skwomesh language adult immersion program. The program will hopefully include 15 students. After 1,000 hours of class time, students will earn a certificate in First Nations language proficiency. The program is already being praised for its work as a “trailblazer.”

4 |

NEWS

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

The bright side of the border New research from McMaster linguists shows that Canadians are more positive than Americans on Twitter Saad Ejaz Contributor

Are Canadians more polite than Americans? A new study conducted by two McMaster researchers claims that there is some truth to the stereotype.

The study analyzed over three million geo-tagged tweets in Canada and the United States between February and October 2015. Removing words such as “a”, “the” and “to”, the researchers sorted the remaining words into word clouds, with the words that are more commonly used in the middle in larger text, while less commonly used words on the sides in smaller text.

Based on the word cloud, the most common words in Canada’s word cloud include “great”, “amazing”, “great”, “beautiful” and “favourite.” Other prevalent but less commonly used words include “awesome”, “nice”, “praise”, “congrats” and “enjoy.” There were no offensive or questionable terms in Canada’s word cloud.

Meanwhile, the American word cloud was the complete opposite. Negative words such as “hate”, “hell” and “damn” were favoured more by Americans, along with other profanities and racial slurs that have

been blurred out in the graphic.

Other less commonly and mildly negative words used include “tired”, “annoying”, “hurt”, “bored” and “dumb.”

The two Ph.D. candidates Daniel Schmidtke and Bryor Snefjella explained that their interest started with the question of border regions. “We thought that this was very interesting to study linguistically […] you have two places that are very close together and you have language differences at a border,” said Schmidtke.

The pair began their work by compiling a large amount of raw text and used different linguistics and computer science techniques to cut out words.

“Nicely, one reason we get such a nice crisp result is that this particular statistic we are using is good at both correcting the relative proportions — there are more Americans than Canadians — and helping with some of the tricky things such as word frequency distributions,” said Snefjella.

Schmidtke and Snefjella have both analyzed a number of different border regions. These include East and West Germany, Scotland and England, Netherlands and Belgium, the U.S. and Canada. They mentioned that they have not seen such a dis-

“You only see this divide in positivity in the language with Canada and the US.” Bryor Snefjella Ph.D. candidate Linguistics tinct difference in language as between the U.S. and Canada.

“I think what’s most interesting is that we evaluated a number of different border regions … and you only see this divide in positivity in the language with Canada and the US in this particular way,” said Snefjella.

The study gained worldwide attention almost overnight, which was a huge surprise to Schmidtke and Snefjella. “I think it just seems to hit a nerve in general. I knew it would be of interest to people but not of such huge public interest,” said Schmidtke.

Schmidtke and Snefjella work in linguist Victor Kuperman’s lab and the Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship at McMaster University.

T-13’s new classroom Lauren Beals Contributor

Many students on campus have developed a relationship with T-13. The home of first-year math exams and chemistry tutorials, this supposedly temporary building has been a student staple for over 40 years.

But room 127 is creating a new type of legacy. Recently outfitted with upgrades including projectors, white boards and student seating on wheels for easy movement, 127 has transformed into an active learning space created for student interaction.

The changes mark one step in a larger movement away from passive learning and towards the active learning missing from

many university classrooms.

Arshad Ahmad, McMaster’s Associate Vice-President of Teaching & Learning says that there are many drawbacks to traditional lectures. “It really is an old-school thought. [Lectures] were an efficient way of conveying information when information was not accessible, but now the information is very accessible. If a student can go online and read the information they are not going to find it very interesting in class,” he explained.

Unlike traditional lecture halls, 127 provides students with the opportunity to apply knowledge and collaborate with peers to solve problems.

Projector screens along all four walls allow instructors

to display multiple resources, while white boards encourage students to actively work out practice problems. A central screen and command system also preserves instructor control over the busy classroom and its technology.

Ahmad thinks that students want to learn actively from an early age. “It brings out the best in people by giving them the opportunity to show motivation and interest,” said Ahmad. “If you ask a parent how their child completes a project, it isn’t just by sitting and watching them.

They are moving around, they are doing things, that is how they learn.”

Despite the advantages, the spread of active learning across campus requires more reno-

Two word clouds show how Canadians (bottom) are more positve than their American (top) counterparts. C/O BRYOR SNEFJELLA

McMaster starts an active learning classroom in T-13 vations, smaller class sizes and the commitment of instructors to reshape course structures.

Students must also prepare to embrace group work and more frequent problem-based evaluations.

“There are definitely a lot of real challenges associated with this type of learning, that is for sure. But we need a cultural shift where this type of learning is the norm. This needs to be the norm. Students and teachers need to demand this type of learning,” said Ahmad.

Currently, room 127 can be requested for use by student groups by contacting student Conference and Event Services.

Faculty can request academic booking by contacting the registrar’s office.

“We need a cultural shift where this type of learning is the norm.“ Arshad Ahmad Vice-President of Teaching and Learning McMaster University For students who wish to pursue active learning in other ways, Ahmad urges them to speak with professors and peers about how they learn beyond the course outline. “You would be surprised how many people are willing to have that conversation,” he said.

FEATURE

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

MEET YOUR MSU

PRESIDENTIAL

CANDIDATES Platform points, interviews and more pages 6-10 Written and compiled by Rachel Katz, Patrick Kim, Alexandra Florescu, Daniel Arauz and Stephen Chen

Justin Monaco-Barnes page 8 Jonathon Tonietto page 10 Mike Gill page 6 Sarah Jama page 7

Devante Mowatt page 9

JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

| 5

6 |

FEATURE

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Mike Gill

Integrated Sciences Level IV

MICHAEL GALLAGHER/ PRODUCTION EDITOR

JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

If Mike Gill can take satisfaction with one thing, it’s in the well-oiled campaign machine his team is running. From a platform of around 40 distinct ideas to professional quality online media that rivals the caliber of TV advertising, it’s clear that Gill has come prepared for this campaign.

Gill’s most significant platform point is big in every sense of the word, as he’s hoping to tackle major infrastructure changes in his campaign with a plan for a new student-centred building he’s calling the “Student Life Centre.”

Part of a larger plan known as “Build our McMaster,” it comes on the heels of concerns about student space at McMaster.

“Initially we were doing a bit of research in lots of areas, and the tangible research saying that we are so horribly over capacity is just not something that I could feel comfortable ignoring,” explained Gill.

It’s a project that Gill expects to cost $75 million, with about $15 million of it dedicated to several Athletics & Recreation upgrades, including an expansion of the Pulse and the installation of a covered, outdoor field.

Gill certainly isn’t shy about talking numbers for his project, and it’s worth noting that none of his competitors have tangible budgets for any of their plat-

form points.

But a closer look at the financial breakdown indicates that some concern is warranted on how feasible such a project would be, since a large portion of the budget will remain dependent on student approval.

Essentially, Gill’s argument involves the redistribution of about $115 in fees per student that include the cost of Marmor — the MSU yearbook service — and the David Braley Athletic Centre’s mortgage that extends until 2022. His budget hopes to use the majority of these fees towards building costs until 2047, which in and of itself would be one of the longest financial agreements in recent memory at McMaster, but also comes with no guarantee that students will be willing to subsidize such a long-term plan.

It’s an ambitious plan to strive for that carries a long ticket for future McMaster students, and it’s really unclear as to how much of the foundation of this project could feasibly be accomplished in a year.

As much as Gill’s platform is centered around “Build our McMaster,” it’s worth noting that Gill has left no stone unturned in attempting to address a glut of campus issues. Some of his other unique platform points include a Homecoming Craft Beer Festival, a transition to online, open textbooks, changes to the policies of

Gill certainly isn’t shy about talking numbers for his project, and it’s worth noting that none of his competitors have tangible budgets for any of their platform points.

Student Accessibility Services, a standardization of podcasted courses and the elimination of Welcome Week Rep Suit fees, to name a few.

In some ways, it’s an overwhelmingly dense platform that reasonably addresses most concerns an average student might have, but the large scope of Gill’s platform is perhaps a point of caution as well. In appealing to any and every student, his platform beyond “Build our McMaster” feels like a melting pot of an excess of ideas.

Despite this, it’s difficult to dismiss Gill’s platform based on its ambition, and he’s certainly done his research. It’s an enticing platform, and while it’ll require some convincing, it clearly indicates a high level of commitment and preparation.

#Our McMaster In his words...

MOST AMBITIOUS PLATFORM POINT

“Student Life Centre” CANDIDATE PLATFORM YOU ARE CRITICAL OF

Justin’s “Safer Campus Initiative” “I think that that is a critical initiative, but I also question whether that point was done in collaboration with WGEN, with the sexual violence response coordinator Megan Ross, with the PACBIC working group that works on sexual violence.”

FOR OR AGAINST VP REFERENDUM: OPPONENT YOU WOULD VOTE FOR

“Sarah Jama” WEBSITE

mikegill.ca

FEATURE

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

| 7

Sarah Jama Social Psychology Level IV

MICHAEL GALLAGHER/ PRODUCTION EDITOR

Sarah Jama considers her presidential campaign a “people’s platform” and her effort to put forward a diverse platform have not gone unnoticed. Her platform breakdown makes it clear that Jama did careful research into the needs of multiple groups on campus, and has set out goals to properly represent them.

One of Jama’s focuses is on interfaith equity. Jama hopes to collaborate with Hospitality Services to encourage a wider variety of food for religious restrictions by making kosher food available beyond the Student Center.

Space on campus is a big point in this year’s presidential election. Jama wants to advocate for prayer space around campus.

In comparison to the platforms of other candidates, Jama strayed away from adding a new building to our campus. “Rather than creating an entirely new space, I think we should use what we have now,” Jama said.

As an alternative, she referenced the opportunity for a prayer space out of Bridges Café as well as the ongoing construction of the LR Wilson Building.

In our discussion, Jama put the greatest emphasis on her point to advocate for the reversal of MSAF changes. In May of 2015, the MSAF was changed to allow students to only use it during a three-day span of time

“Students are intelligent. If we ask them, they will give us better solutions.”

Sarah Jama MSU Presidential Candidate instead of five days, and only for assignments less than 25 percent instead of 30 percent.

“The MSAF helps people with disabilities as well. People who can’t access accommodations from Student Accessibility Services because they’re newly diagnosed with disabilities,” she explained.

The reversal of the MSAF is only the first step. Jama is also pushing for students to be involved in further dialogues about MSAF changes. “As MSU president, I want to hold working groups to make sure that student voices are being brought to the table,” as they have been scarce in the past.

“At the committee discussion MSAF changes, it was students who were lacking. Students are intelligent. If we ask them, they will give us better solutions.”

As for her most ambitious platform point, Jama wants to work with every Student Union across Ontario to lobby the government for lower tuition.

Knowing that tackling tuition is no small beast, Jama met with

McMaster University President Patrick Deane twice to discuss ideas and was met with approval. “[Deane] actually sits on a similar province-wide board at an administrative level. I want to mirror that at the province level for student unions.”

The student unions at Brock University and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology have joined the MSU in expressing support for the idea.

If elected, Jama would be continuing the efforts to lower tuition that current President Ehima Osazuwa began this year.

The MSU is currently campaigning for a tuition freeze, but Jama is skeptical of how much a tuition freeze can do given that Ontario has the highest provincial tuition rates in the entire country and that it will only continue to rise due to inflation.

Jama also plans to instill an Emergency Meal Plan that will function similarly to the MSU Emergency Bursary. Students demonstrating financial need receive a meal card to use for the month. However, the project will likely face many of the same issues as the Emergency Bursary, which has struggled with exhausted budget in the face of high demand.

While her campaign might not have the most illustrious or attention-grabbing platforms in this year’s election, Jama’s quieter approach shows that she is listening.

JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

#Students United In her words...

MOST AMBITIOUS PLATFORM POINT

“Lowering tuition” CANDIDATE PLATFORM YOU ARE CRITICAL OF

Justin’s courseware price reduction “I’m unsure of how the current space will accommodate for long lines.”

FOR OR AGAINST VP REFERENDUM: OPPONENT YOU WOULD VOTE FOR

“Jonathon Tonietto” WEBSITE

jama2016.com

8 |

FEATURE

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Justin Monaco-Barnes

English and Cultural Studies Level IV

JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

MICHAEL GALLAGHER/ PRODUCTION EDITOR

Justin Monaco-Barnes’ unusual MSU-related experience as the service coordinator for Underground, the Union’s media and design service, makes him a standout. His campaign shows that he is in touch with student and campus needs, as his platform discusses several of the major themes in this year’s election: sustainability, student costs and campus space.

Building on current MSU President Ehima Osazuwa’s commitment to lowering student costs, Monaco-Barnes aims to make courseware more affordable by having students print it at Underground. As the service coordinator of Underground, Monaco-Barnes’ experience with affordable printing is pushing him to expand the service’s ability to offer courseware at a lower price.

Yet, the critical consideration of how much money would really be saved through reduced courseware prices definitely comes into question.

Despite promised price cuts of up to 30 to 50 percent, the unfortunate reality is that the financial benefits from this are pennies compared to the fortune students pay for tuition.

Making a direct impact with regards to environmental sustainability is another principle aspect of Monaco-Barnes’ campaign. He plans on working with McMaster to address the recycling issue on campus, and perhaps even the implementation of solar panels and low-

flush toilets across campus.

“We need to take advantage of our relationship with McMaster and the Office of Sustainability to ensure that we are not just doing grassroots things like creating awareness, but actually investing in the infrastructure itself,” he said.

Monaco-Barnes’ charisma combined with his genuine passion for a greener tomorrow may have a shot at winning over students who are indifferent to environmental awareness. “A lot of this has to do with creating that passion,” Monaco-Barnes added. “It is my responsibility if I want to see change, to become that change itself... I want to act and hopefully inspire those around me to think the same way.” However, with Jonathon Tonietto’s campaign focusing strictly on sustainability, environmentally conscious voters are faced with a tough decision.

An expansion of The Pulse is something on the minds of many of the presidential candidates, Justin Monaco-Barnes being no exception. With a number of complaints being expressed regarding the overloaded gym, Monaco-Barnes’ campaign hopes to facilitate and support this expansion in the interest of the student body.

A discussion on an expansion of The Pulse is already underway by the Athletics Department. “It’s really for us partner with them and to work alongside them,” he said, “as well as to aid and assist with

what they need to ensure that everything happens effectively and efficiently with student needs in mind.”

Although The Pulse expansion would certainly be beneficial for much of the student body, the role which Monaco-Barnes would play appears small. It is doubtful if the involvement of the MSU in the facility’s expansion would be truly impactful. Additionally, it is unclear why in his online platform Monaco-Barnes’ expansion of the Pulse is presented as a novel idea rather than as an initiative that is already in progress.

His platform also addresses the topic of bursting the “MSU Bubble.”

“There has been conversation throughout campus that the same individuals have been doing a lot of the same roles and keeping all the MSU activities internal,” he said. “What we are really looking at is expanding the MSU into regions of the campus that don’t normally get touched upon and creating more opportunity for a wide scale of students.”

With a strong and clean image but no strong focus on a particular issue, the debates will be important in determining where Monaco-Barnes stands relative to the other candidates.

#BeThe Change In his words...

MOST AMBITIOUS PLATFORM POINT

“Sustainable McMaster” CANDIDATE PLATFORM YOU ARE CRITICAL OF

Mike’s Student Life Centre “I think it will end up costing students more money, and I’d rather look at what can we do with what we have, as far as addressing space.”

FOR OR AGAINST VP REFERENDUM: OPPONENT YOU WOULD VOTE FOR

“Jonathon Tonietto” WEBSITE

jmb2016.com

Neutral

FEATURE

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

| 9

Devante Mowatt

Honours Life Sciences Level IV

JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

Devante Mowatt prides himself on the feasibility and the relative ease of implementation in his platform. Mowatt’s platform can be boiled down to minor improvements and tweaks to the services the MSU provides and its communication with the student body. While few of these points are disagreeable, Mowatt does not provide any substantial changes to the union that will provide for students concerned with more significant student issues.

Mowatt aims to centralize information about MSU services, academics, library and campus hospitality hours, and the staff directory into an all-encompassing phone app.

The MacApp will seek to address the awkward navigation of McMaster’s websites, and the separation of important information through various online platforms and pages.

“At McMaster in order to find information you have to make like four Google searches, and it’s so cumbersome especially when we’re in such a fast-paced environment,” said Mowatt. The presidential candidate further noted that although the app could potentially include partial access to Mosaic and Avenue, it would not replace these sites, and would strictly act as an additional means of accessing information.

To increase transparency and communication between the MSU and the student body, Mowatt is hoping to hold public

“office hours” in more accessible, open forums throughout campus. He also wants to reintroduce a news and community television network. Mowatt’s “McMaster TV” is slated for daily broadcasts, and will be run by both volunteers and paid staff, and will also include “Fireside Chats” delivered by the President twice a month as a formal update to the activity of the Board of Directors. This is in spite of the fact that previous efforts to manage a McMaster TV ultimately folded in 2013.

To address tuition and student costs, Mowatt plans to advocate for the lowering of student meal plan prices, offering the option to opt out of the HSR bus pass and lowering parking costs. Mowatt’s platform does not elaborate on how he will maintain the same low price for the full-year HSR bus pass if opt-out is an option. The point is also counterintuitive to MSU initiatives in the past few years to encourage students to explore Hamilton.

Mowatt’s platform does not offer any points to address academic costs. A significant number of students would be unaffected by his current plan to lower student costs, as meal plans are predominantly held by first years, and commuting students who do not drive will still not be able to opt out of the bus pass. With no plans to address larger academic costs such as textbooks, and no longterm goals to continue provin-

To address tuition and student costs, Mowatt plans to advocate for the lowering of student meal plan prices, offering the option to opt out of the HSR bus pass and lowering parking costs.

#Developing Together In his words...

MOST AMBITIOUS PLATFORM POINT

HSR opt-out CANDIDATE PLATFORM YOU ARE CRITICAL OF

Mike’s and Justin’s Pulse expansion cial tuition advocacy, Mowatt’s platform offers few financial benefits for the majority of the student population.

Mowatt is in support of the VP Election referendum stating, “We currently already vote for most things at the school. We vote for the President obviously, but we also vote for like firstyear representatives and stuff like that. If we’re going to elect three VPs and students don’t have a say in any of them? I think that’s kind of wrong.”

Mowatt does not have any mention of improving accessibility, equity or student health.

Ultimately, his platform is composed of some novel ideas that may only appeal to students who are relatively satisfied with the status quo.

“How are we supposed to create new space for the gym, unless we create another gym, which I understand, but, I don’t think that is a priority in the school right now.”

FOR OR AGAINST VP REFERENDUM: OPPONENT YOU WOULD VOTE FOR

“Jonathon Tonietto” WEBSITE

thedevanteam2016.com

10 |

FEATURE

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Jonathon Tonietto

Materials Science and Engineering with Society and Co-op, Level VI

MICHAEL GALLAGHER/ PRODUCTION EDITOR

From his ever-present “This is a good sign” sign to campaign strategy, Jonathon Tonietto has taken a different approach to the MSU Presidential race.

Tonietto’s campaign is focused on sustainability. Each of his five platform points highlights an area where McMaster could improve its sustainability efforts. Having talked to five of the six previous MSU presidents on their successes and failures, Tonietto was struck by how many discussed Frost Week.

“It’s a big task to try to appease an entire university with something that will entice. I think that mine does because I would be bringing hockey to McMaster as well as the idea that the students build the Winter Fair,” he said.

Despite his research into the MSU’s history, Tonietto has no previous experience within the students union, something he cited as an advantage due to his extensive time spent as an objective third-party. He also has not critically evaluated the platforms of the other four candidates. “I’m running my campaign. I need to concentrate on what I want to do, what I can implement,” he explained.

Even if not elected, Tonietto hopes the MSU will improve its political continuity, something he vows to do if he wins the election. “I would go

Despite his research into the MSU’s history, Tonietto has no previous experience within the students union, something he cited as an advantage due to his extensive time spent as an objective thirdparty. during these next three months and learn what they’ve done on each and every point so that I’m at their level and can take a fresh set of eyes and can not have animosity between anyone because I’ve not been a part of the MSU [government] ever,” he said. Tonietto cited his accomplishments at the numerous short-term co-op placements he has had. “In those four months, I’ve had to learn the entire business structure of the place […]

I’ll be up to snuff with the MSU within my first month, maybe two because it’s a bigger organization and I have to be the CEO instead of just an intern.”

If elected, he would shadow the current Board of Directors until the end of their term, and gave the example of accompanying VP (Finance) Daniel D’Angela on his space audits.

Many of Tonietto’s platform points, while smaller, are seemingly feasible. He wants to launch a discount program throughout Hamilton and Dundas, and hopes to implement a “living wall” covered with plants. However, as the information on his website is sparse, it is difficult to critically assess the details of his campaign.

An expanded version of his platform is due for release later in the week, but it remains to be seen whether or not his “slow burn” technique will work for a campaign period this short.

Despite the differences in his campaign strategy, Tonietto is as adamant about winning the election as any of the other four candidates. He is eager to implement his holistic approach to improving the MSU. When asked about which part of his platform he is most excited to put into action, he said: “I will let you know [...] when I see checkmarks beside every one of them.”

JON WHITE/ PHOTO EDITOR

#ThisIsA GoodSign In his words...

MOST AMBITIOUS PLATFORM POINT

“Frost Week expansion” CANDIDATE PLATFORM YOU ARE CRITICAL OF

“Anyone who focuses on lack of space on campus.”

FOR OR AGAINST VP REFERENDUM: OPPONENT YOU WOULD VOTE FOR

“Justin Monaco-Barnes” WEBSITE

toni16.ca

Neutral

McMASTER SEMINAR ON HIGHER EDUCATION:

THE ENGAGED UNIVERSITY

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate Thursday, February 4

Time: 6:30 to 7:30PM • Book Signing: 7:30 – 8:00PM Doors open at 6:00pm, seating is limited Location: CIBC Hall, McMaster University Student Centre

mcmaster.ca/presidentsoffice/lectures.html

Speaker: Naomi Klein

Free Admission all are welcome!

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

ONLY AT

@MSU_1280 T W E LV E I G H T Y O W N S T H U R S D AY S .

INCLUDING:

MOLSON CANADIAN PROMOS AND PRIZE GIVEAWAYS! NACHOS for only $6.99

PITCHERS of Molson Canadian and Coors light for only $12!

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

The McMaster Students Union

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

The search for my replacement is on. The MSU Presidential Election is in full swing. Five passionate and dedicated teams have taken over the Student Centre to promote

their respective candidates. The campaign period began on Sunday, January 17 and will conclude on Thursday, January 28. I encourage everyone to vote on the 26, 27, or 28 of this month, via the preferential ballot that will be emailed to all fulltime McMaster undergraduates.

Perhaps the question I get asked the most is what the MSU President does on a day-to-day basis. Eight months into the role, I still struggle with the answer, because the President’s duties change every day. One thing I know for sure is that I get to work with and for some of the best people around.

I don’t know who you should vote for; that completely depends on you. Platform points are important, as they show you a candidate’s goals for the year, but to me, the platform is not as important as the individual behind it. At the end of the day, the platform is a relatively

The President’s Page is a space sponsored and used by the McMaster Students Union (MSU) Board of Directors (BoD) to communicate with the student body. It functions to highlight the Board’s projects, goals, and agenda for the year, as well as the general happenings of the MSU.

small part of the job. might interact with the candidates.

The things that come across my In addition, though, I encourage desk vary widely. To handle the job’s you to attend the Presidential Dediverse and unpredictable demands, bate on January 21, in order to get a the next President must have a thor- sense of the candidates as individuough, holistic understanding of stu- als. Visit them in MUSC or on social dent life here at Mac. They must be media. Links to all campaign matewilling to work rial can be found hard but also work at msumcmaster. ... I would vote smart. They must ca/elections. also be good at If a candifor a candidate communicating date’s platform and multitasking. stands out to you, in whom I could If I was in feel free to vote see myself ... your shoes (I wear for them. On the a size 13, so it other hand, do might be hard to fit in your shoes), I not be afraid to take a step back would vote for a candidate in whom from the big ideas to evaluate what I could see myself, whom I would each candidate brings to the table. feel comfortable representing me, This year has been great so far, and whose principles and values and I am excited to find out who is resonated with mine. going to replace me in the coolest This is not to downplay the job on campus. When you get the importance of platform points, as Elections link in your email later those might be the only way you this month, please open it and vote.

“

”

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

The Silhouette | 13

Editorial Presidentials past Ana Qarri Managing Editor

Presidentials are an exciting (and exhausting) time for a lot of students on campus, including the staff at The Silhouette. As writers and editors, our first instinct will often be to find and fairly assess merits and shortcomings in the candidates’ platforms. You will notice this in our print and online coverage over the next week. While we want to hold student politicians accountable, it’s important to recognize the great things that come out of presidential elections.

Some of the biggest changes to the MSU and the University have come from presidential campaigns. Mac Farmstand was introduced by Mary Koziol. Fall break and the Peer Support Line were introduced by Siobhan Stewart.

David Campbell advocated for our full-year bus pass. Last year, the controversial Light Up The Night end-of-year celebration, being held again this April, was the brainchild of Teddy Saull.

And this year, talking about tuition in Ontario has been a priority for the MSU more than ever before because of Ehima Osazuwa’s campaign promise.

However, ideas that change the way our student government functions and what it prioritizes aren’t limited to those of winning candidates.

Every year, candidates bring forward what may seem like a never-ending list of ideas.

Although many might seem infeasible, impractical and sometimes stale, they speak to the needs of the McMaster community.

A survey of the last three years of Silhouette coverage highlights some specific issues.

In 2013, Dan Fahey (would recommend looking up the coverage for this year — it’s quite entertaining), pushed for radical reform in the MSU, including more open vice presidential elections and a focus on marginalized groups.

As an exchange student, he saw something MSU insiders couldn’t. Even if not entirely because of his campaign, these

issues have struck a chord with many students since, especially considering the VP election referendum this year. In his first presidential run that same year, Jacob Brodka introduced the idea of a Freedom Credit (taking a course out of your discipline on a pass/fail basis).

Although Brodka never won, and the Freedom Credit hasn’t been given a chance, it continues to appear in presidential platforms, showing that it’s still something many students want.

In the 2014 presidential election, some big campaign points included Israa Ali’s Spirituality Centre and Jyssika Russell’s Emergency Fund. The need for an interfaith space is still an issue to this day, even though temporary solutions (such as a small room in the basement of Thode) have been implemented. Additionally, an MSU emergency fund was implemented this past year in the form of a $500 bursary for students in financial need.

Institutional and financial transparency has also been a recurring theme in presidential elections, from Tristan Paul’s 2015 run to Rory Yendt’s 2013 campaign. In recent years, transparency has undeniably improved between the MSU and the student body, a sign that our student government is listening to the members that cast their vote in support of these candidates.

Ultimately, presidentials are another opportunity for the student government to listen to its student body by taking each point from accessibility to sustainability to financial strain as seriously as if the candidate that’s bringing it forward won the election. And even though some platforms might seem outlandish, full of holes (that The Silhouette will definitely continue to point out in the days to come) or outright ridiculous, it’s important to remember that every candidate is bringing forward a unique perspective on what a better university experience means to them. @anaqarri

Every year, candidates bring forward what may seem like a neverending list of ideas. Although many might seem infeasible, impractical and sometimes stale, they speak to the needs of the McMaster community.

Some of the MSU’s strongest ideas have come from previous presidential candidates — winners and losers

to free food.

to frozen hummus.

to “Coach.”

to the voodoo pouch.

to Jason’s rice.

to the lens confusion of 2016.

to Patrick’s NASH photos. to John’s soon return. to blog posts. to increased coverage. to everyone’s hard work this past week.

to surprise extra ads. to university business espionage. to disrespecting time requests. to missing work stations.

You want it?

We can do it!

Check us out year round for: Colour and black & white copying • Business cards Office supplies • Large format/Specialty printing Binding • Laminating • Cutting • Scanning Graphic design • Advertising on campus • & more!

Underground Media + Design MUSC Room B117 (Student Centre Basement) 905.525.9140 x22027

MSU Presidential Debate

Abilities - AbiliTEAS

When: January 21, 2016 from 03:30PM

Bridges Spark Thursday Social

until 05:30PM

When: January 21, 2016 from 08:00PM

until 08:00PM

Where: MUSC Atrium MSU Elections is hosting the official Pres-

until 10:00PM Where: Bridges Cafe

When: January 26, 2016 from 06:30PM

Where: WGEN 204 If you are a student with a disability, we

idential Debate in collaboration with MSU

MSU Spark Wednesday night session

will be offering snacks, resources and

Diversity this January 21st from 3:30pm-

group social. Contact spark@msu.mcmas-

peer support in a space where you can

5:30pm in MUSC Atrium. Come hear can-

ter.ca for more details!

bond over lived experience and engage

didates battle it out for your vote! Learn about their opinions, platform points,

in meaningful dialogue. We are re-launch-

Have some questions of your own? Good

CLAY Sponsorship & Fundraising Committee Meeting

news! There will be time at the end for

When: January 25, 2016 from 06:30PM

audience members to speak, so be sure

until 08:00PM

experiences and much more.

to stop by!

Diversity Week-24 Hour Accessible Film Festival When: January 21, 2016 at 06:00PM until January 22, 2016 at 06:00PM

The CLAY Sponsorship & Fundraising

When: January 26, 2016 from 08:00PM

Committee plans large scale fundraising

until 11:00PM

events for McMaster students through-

Where: Bridges Cafe

out the winter term to raise money for

Bridges Cafe

the Conference. This committee also will contribute by volunteering their time to

he Abilities Pillar is hosting an accessible

winter term such as fundraisers and the

24 hour film festival, with breaks between

annual CLAY Coffeehouse!

films, popcorn, and prizes. Naps are both

for a guided discussion about the issues raised in the films, all of which have been chosen for their portrayals of people with

on a supportive space!

Where: MUSC 318

various fundraising efforts throughout the

films. After each film there will be time

WGEN space in MUSC 204. Come join in

Bridges - Women and Gender Equity Network Coffee House

Where: Clubspace

acceptable and encouraged between

ing this event and it will take place in the

Bridges - McMaster Indian Association Coffee House When: January 25, 2016 from 08:00PM until 11:00PM

disabilities. People who see at least 4 of

Where: Bridges Cafe

the 5 films will be entered into a draw for

Coffee house with performances and a

fabulous prizes. Come out for 24 hours of

“speed-friending� setup. Please contact

film, conversation, and naps. Lots of naps.

rainaa@mcmaster.ca for more details.

Visit: www.msumcmaster.ca/calendar for a full listing of events

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

The Silhouette | 15

Opinion

McMaster’s Jewish community posted #sandwichselfies on facebook. The sandwiches join the other Kosher offerings at Bridges, which serves Kosher entrees and salad.

A reuben of one’s own Talia Kollek Opinions Editor

If you aren’t Jewish you may have missed an exciting development in the world of McMaster Jewish cuisine last semester: sandwiches.

Now, for around three dollars, you too can own a certified Kosher sandwich from La Piazza. McMaster’s Jewish community posted “sandwich selfies” in celebration – mind you, as a group of people that have holidays in the name of dairy products, trees, and the arrival of Friday, it is safe to say we are generally willing to celebrate most things. Yet, as I told people of the incredible bracha (blessing) that was kosher cream cheese and salmon on white, I was met with considerable confusion from my non-Jewish friends.

The most disturbing question I received was “why would you condone the Kosher butchering

of animals when the methods are so cruel?”

Here is the most important thing you need to know: food is personal. Last year, the Danish government banned Kosher and Halal slaughter. European law states that animals must be stunned before slaughter, but grants exemptions based on religious grounds. Jewish and Muslim laws have strict regulations surrounding Kosher and Halal slaughter that does not allow for the stunning of animals.

Your first thought might be that not stunning an animal is inhumane and must be outlawed, but to single out Kosher and Halal slaughter for cruelty in the world of meat production is foolish. Firstly, methods of stunning are not necessarily painless. They can include electric shocks, gassing, or a bolt to the skull. Occasionally the animal is not properly stunned (the bolt misses the brain, the voltage is not high enough), and

is in pain until it dies. Jewish law very strictly prohibits causing unnecessary suffering to animals, with the exemption of the slaughter itself, which must be done as swiftly as possible and render the animal unconscious almost immediately.

This is not to say that the killing of animals for food — kosher, halal, or otherwise — is painless and without its faults.

However, if you honestly care for the welfare of the animals that end up on your dinner plate, then you would care about their holistic quality of life, not just the moment before their death. You would campaign for better living conditions and feed in factory farms.

You would care for different animals equally; as much for the chicken that makes Friday’s mazo ball soup, as you would the giraffe that a Danish zoo fed to a Lion — for entertainment purposes — the same year they banned kosher slaughter.

Despite that one Jewish

Having Kosher food on campus has a bigger impact than you might think To single out Kosher and Halal slaughter for cruelty in the world of meat production is foolish. friend you know who loves their bacon, for many Jews keeping kosher is not optional.

The same goes for Halal. To label Halal slaughter as inhumane reflects the Islamophobic belief that Islam cares less about the sanctity of life. To restrict Kosher food is to isolate and drive away Jewish families from their communities. In attacking our food supply, you are saying to us “we do not want you to live here.” It is not a campaign for animal rights; it is thinly veiled anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

So what does the supply of sandwiches at McMaster have to

do with it? The short answer is: keep ‘em coming. Our university has done some amazing things to accommodate Jewish and Muslim students. I know that if I face discrimination on campus that I can go to HRES (Human Rights and Equity Services) for help, or that if I need a quiet place to pray I can go to the basement of Thode. I feel safe openly identifying as Jewish both in the community and the classroom, which is no mean feat. To make students feel welcome, food should be right alongside institutional policy. To give us as many meal options on campus sends the message that the University wants us to feel comfortable living and studying here. I’m loving the sandwiches and can’t wait to see what comes next.

Who knew egg salad could taste so good? @TaliaKollek

16 |

OPINION

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

VP Referendum: “Your vote, your choice” Vice Presidents of the MSU make critical decisions on behalf of students, you should be able to vote for them

C/O YELLOWHAMMERNEWS.COM

Esra Bengizi, Wes Kerfoot & Rina Muramatsu Contributors

Whether the Vice Presidents of the McMaster Students Union should be elected “at-large” is an item that will be on this year’s Presidential election ballot.

Voting yes on the referendum gives us the opportunity to create positive change in their electoral system. In at-large elections students are given the opportunity to elect their vice presidents directly.

Under the current system, the Vice-Presidents are elected by the student representative assembly (SRA). The SRA consists of 35 members, who are themselves elected to represent student interests from each faculty at McMaster. The selection of VPs is unfair to individuals

who are outsiders to the fairly insular groups involved in student government. Anyone in the SRA is allowed to run for VP positions, but the current culture of in-groups does not allow for this in practice. This can result in unfair appointments because of how students tend to conform to the opinions of their peers.

McMaster students pay $124 out of their tuition each year into the MSU, but have absolutely no say in the VP elections. The MSU is a multi-million dollar non-profit organization and students should have the opportunity to choose who their money is going to be managed by and spent on. They should be able to choose people who purportedly represent their interests. These VP positions are full-time jobs that are paid

for with the students’ money, and this is no small portion of the budget, amounting to more than one hundred thousand dollars in total.

This current system is unsustainable and needs to change. VPs have previously been responsible for policies such as the HSR bus pass that required students to pay a fee of $130 to replace their lost passes.

We can’t ignore the ramifications of their actions. Furthermore, VP elections take a considerable amount of time away from the SRA, with the most recent elections lasting over 22 hours. The VP election process itself is also heavily flawed, as it allows for members to ask questions of the candidates that require them to already possess detailed knowledge of the inner workings of the MSU. This is

VP elections take a considerable amount of time away from the SRA, with the most recent elections lasting over 22 hours. unfair to candidates who may possess all of the required skills, but do not know small details about how the MSU operates, which can easily be learned.

This occurred frequently at the last election, and prevents regular students from running for VP positions. Since the SRA is made up of 35 students, this introduces another problem.

While the SRA may genuinely

want to do an unbiased job of electing their VPs, the simple fact that they mostly interact with each other in such a small group introduces a conformity bias. This bias is unavoidable and it means that they will only elect a certain type of candidate. Allowing the elections to be at-large would sidestep the problem of conformity.

The at-large system has been successful in numerous student unions across Canada.

Currently, McMaster is only one of two schools in Ontario where students are unable to vote for their Vice President. We believe in fair student representation, and this is why you should vote YES to the VP At-Large Referendum because this is your voice and your choice.

HOURS OF OPERATION: TUESDAY – FRIDAY 11:00am to 6:00pm SATURDAYS 11:00am to 3:00pm

IN WESTDALE VILLAGE

11 PAISLEY AVENUE SOUTH, HAMILTON, ON

P REMI UM WINE S, B E E R S & MOR E

GRAPESANDHOPS.CA

PHONE: 905.777.1717

EMAIL: PETER@GRAPESANDHOPS.CA

OPINION | 17

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

Democracy has been the

victim of argument culture

No matter the outcome of the VP election referendum, McMaster students have lost out

JON WHITE/PHOTO EDITOR Chukky Ibe Contributor

What happens when we treat student politics like warfare?

With ideas as our weapons, we convince ourselves we cannot concede one inch of ground lest we lose. Direct opposition becomes the only acceptable way to win. Debates and arguments replace collaboration and dialogue, and there is no honour in changing one’s mind once you have stated your position. This adversarial style of debate does not incentivize moral diversity. It does not explore various ideological certainties and the experiences that lead people to reach their diverse moral and ideological predispositions. This warlike culture is pervasive in all aspects of society. It limits the information we get rather than

broadening it. It is the knee jerk reaction you experience – but may not entirely think through – when you hear something you disagree with. It is the Bill O’Riley of dialogue.

This paradigm is exactly what we have seen happen with debates surrounding vice presidential elections on campus.

Last year, a proposition was put forward to the General Assembly that students, not the SRA, should elect their student body Vice Presidents (Education, Finance, and Administration).

Debates on VP reform have been framed as the two sides – students and representatives – in opposition to each other; as direct democracy versus representative democracy. Some basic nuances have been lost.

The VPs have different portfolios and are responsible for different facets of the MSU.

To compare them is to compare apples and oranges. Is it useful for the VP Administration to be elected by a referendum?

Should the general manager and the comptroller, as people directly involved in the MSU’s accounting, get more say about the VP Finance? What do the VP Education, and VP Administration have in common?

Should they be chosen the same way? Giving students the simple choice on their ballot of “yes/no/abstain” doesn’t allow Marauders to explore or understand the intricacies of each position.

This dichotomy that students have been forced to choose from has stemmed from the “argument culture” – or warlike debates – surrounding the issue. By presenting the options as oversimplified extremes, argument culture

BEST PRICES ON CAMPUS FOR: MILK • BAGELS • SANDWICHES COLD DRINKS • GRAB N GO MEALS COFFEE & TEA • FAIR TRADE GLUTEN FREE OPTIONS & MORE! We accept cash, debit, and credit, and have long hours to serve you best.

has limited our understanding rather than expanding it. Rather than seeking various forms of evidence, the debate has simplified complex phenomena with a “Yes” or “No” binary that does not account for all available possibilities. The truth has become the winner of the debate, and the perspectives of the losers are nullified and invalidated. Issues have been presented as having only two sides; winner takes all.

The MSU leadership has spent more time and talent defending outlandish claims than advancing their ideas. Suggestions for dialogue are laughable.

Both sides are in the pursuit for victory and not truth. There is little consideration that current options may be inadequate, because opposition is viewed as our only method of inquiry. When opposition does not

Issues have been presented as having only two sides; winner takes all. acknowledge complexity, then argument culture is doing more damage than good.

Although the issue is going to referendum, the outcome is now of little significance. The union leadership continually showcases its inability to embrace its diversity of opinions.

Warfare and argument culture remains its default position. In this, Marauders will always lose and common sense will never prevail. Democracy dies when debate trumps dialogue.

18 |

OPINION

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

That’s reel white

What are the consequences when only white people are nominated for a prestigious award?

WG E N

Column Hayley Regis Contributor

So the Oscar nominations are out, in case you haven’t heard.

Despite this being a landmark year for women of colour achieving amazing things — Viola Davis’ Emmy, Serena Williams as Sportsperson of the Year — we are once again reminded that white people are just better at this ‘acting thing’ than we are. I don’t believe that

is the case. Lest someone decry me as a reverse racist, let us delve further into this land of celebrating white mediocrity and the black actors who are typecast and fall by the wayside.

Hattie McDaniel was the first black person to win an award for supporting actress.

In 1939 she played a character named ‘Mammy’ in Gone with the Wind, a character so laden with racist stereotypes that “problematic” doesn’t begin to

This year with movies like Straight Outta Compton and Creed, you’d think we would see some recognition for the acting of people of colour.

NOW on

facebook and twitter!

UNIVERSITY PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SERVICES 1.905.304.8075

OFF CAMPUS HOUSING 60 QUALITY PROPERTIES • one to eight bedroom homes • minutes to MAC

25 YEARS IN BUSINESS 1000’s OF SATISFIED CLIENTS RELIABLE, WORRY- FREE LIVING CALL TODAY!

www.machousing.com Email: houses@machousing.com

cover it. The first time a woman of colour won an award for best actress was Halle Berry, in 2001. The movie Monster’s Ball was about a poor southern woman who falls in love with the prison guard who executed her husband. The movie is described as an “erotic romantic drama,” despite the first sex scene being drunken (i.e. without proper consent) “grief sex.”

Despite Berry being fetishized and portrayed as a sex object, her performance was still the only time a woman of colour has ever won best actress.

We are no stranger to allwhite nominees, especially women, but this year with movies like Straight Outta Compton and Creed, you’d think we would see some recognition for the acting of people of colour, especially considering the success of the films.

Creed’s black writer-director Ryan Coogler, and black star Michael B. Jordan, were passed over, while Sylvester Stallone managed to get a nomination for best supporting. Compton didn’t get a nod from the academy, but the Screen Actors and

Producers guilds nominated it for best picture. Needless to say this is a problem. We have actors like Idris Elba, Samuel L. Jackson, and Will Smith, doing amazing work and someone drags the proverbial white carpet over them.

As Viola Davis said in her Emmy acceptance speech, “you can’t win an award for roles that are simply not there.”

How are we supposed to fix the problems with representation, recognition, and general celebrations of people that may or may not be natural blondes?

I grew up idolizing Michael Clarke Duncan, and Samuel L. Jackson because they were the only black people I saw in movies growing up. I’ve seen Snakes on a Plane more times than I care to admit, just because he’s in it. He doesn’t look like me, but he reminds me of my dad and his family. That’s the take-what-representation-you-can get mentality I grew up with. I am overwhelmingly saddened by the lack of diversity in this year’s nominations; it seems as if those wishing for a white Christmas had their wishes granted a little bit later this year.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES TO McMASTER’s GOVERNING BODIES

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

Board of Governors: 1 undergraduate student & 1 graduate student Senate:

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

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

Nomination forms and information about eligibility, terms, and election procedures are available on the University Secretariat website: www.mcmaster.ca/univsec/elections/index.cfm All approved candidates are required to attend a mandatory campaign information session on Friday, February 5, 2016 at 3:30 p.m. in MUSC, Room 230.

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

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

The Silhouette | 19

Lifestyle Why bad television

makes for a good time

C/O STARPULSE.COM

Michelle Yeung Lifestyle Reporter

On Saturday nights, you can typically find my roommate/best friend and I studying at home.

This past Saturday was no different. But as we diligently worked away and dutifully sipped our coffee, a blip presented itself in our routine.

She sent me a link to a four-minute video from this season’s The Bachelor.

I hit the play button even though I knew it was a bad idea.

I knew that, if I pressed that play button, I would effectively be rendering my hard-earned productivity that evening useless.

Needless to say, what ensued after that four-minute video was two hours of catching up on the episodes we had missed thus far, notes strewn haphazardly across our desks. By the time we emerged from the rabbit hole, it was two in the morning.

Let’s talk a little bit about season 20 of The Bachelor. Ben Higgins, a software salesman, is the star of the show. Ben Higgins is also a very handsome man. Now, I am not a “Bachelor” aficionado, by any means.

The extent of my knowledge comes from a couple of episodes

during high school sleepovers and the occasional perusing of magazine articles at Shoppers Drug Mart. But Ben Higgins has a quality about him that immediately captivated my roommate and I (plus millions of other women, no doubt).

Besides his pretty face, Ben has a seemingly genuine desire for love that many people hope for in their significant others. He is also well-spoken, endearing and hopelessly charming. He just seems like an all-around good guy. Of course, reality television never portrays actual reality. But Ben Higgins has a cool, relaxed vibe makes him feel very real.

This is precisely why he sells.

Besides a certifiably great choice in the candidate for The Bachelor this season, the makers of the show should also be commended for the measures they took to ensure that, even at season 20, The Bachelor remained far from stale. In the batch of seriously gorgeous women this season, there are your typical drama instigators and soft-spoken crowd favourites. But there are also a few very crazy ones and even a set of identical twins, Emily and Haley Ferguson. It’s interesting that, while every other woman has an occupation listed under their name, Emily and Haley only have the word

“Twin.” (Incredible, I know.)

In addition, during the first meeting with Ben, one of the women (a dentist) decided to give the bachelor a teeth cleaning in order to prepare him for a potential kiss. Unsurprisingly, he did not kiss her. On the first one-on-one date, the pair were accompanied by Kevin Hart and Ice Cube on a “Ride Along.” Reportedly, these first two episodes pretty much set the tone for how the rest of the season will play out – very strange, but also very entertaining.

It’s easy to sit here and debate over the subjectivity of what is good television and what is bad television. However, it is widely agreed that The Bachelor is not a good television show by its own merit. No matter how attractive Ben Higgins is or how entertaining the story line becomes, I know this. My best friend knows this. Society knows this. Good television series exist far and wide, but The Bachelor is not one of them.

I am certainly more predisposed to watch shows like Transparent over The Bachelor. Often, fundamentally good television shows (such as Transparent) or movies explore deeper themes and require more attention or emotional investment. While those are always fantastic to

watch and gush over, it may not be a bad idea to revisit an old childhood movie (She’s The Man, anyone?) or a “trash” TV show when you’re just seeking a much-needed break from the daily stresses of school and life.

It’s important to spend time being entertained over something as silly as a dating show; while it may not be a “good show,” it’s worthwhile simply in its ability to help you let loose.

Spending time to be mindlessly entertained every now and again – or spending time for yourself at all – is something society has engrained within us as wasteful and inefficient. But it’s really important to not feel guilty about taking a breather; it is both a rejuvenating and regenerative activity that may benefit you in the long run.

My best friend and I met at the beginning of first year and have been inseparable ever since. Both of us are in the same program and have a pretty aligned set of values and interests. In fact, many people who meet us fall into disbelief when they realize we only met a year and a half ago and have not known each other since childhood. She is endlessly caring, kind, assiduous, intelligent… I could go on forever. I trust her to the world’s end; there are few

things I wouldn’t do for her.

Lately, however, we have both been so busy that we rarely see each other despite living in the same apartment. Maintaining a healthy balance of school, extracurricular activities, work and friends is a massive challenge that many of us are tasked with. When other areas flare up, particularly school, it’s easy to let others sit on the back burner for a little while. Recognizing this, both my best friend and I have decided to make some changes in our respective schedules to fit in a time each week, no matter how brief, where we spend time unwinding together. Now, we have a date every week to watch the new episode of The Bachelor.

The Bachelor has certainly made me see that watching what is widely regarded as a bad show doesn’t diminish my personality or my other interests in good shows. It debunked my fear that watching it automatically places me in the categorwy of “people with poor taste.” It’s really not that serious. Sometimes bad TV simply makes for a really good time with your best friend.

@mich_yeung

20 |

LIFESTYLE

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Behind the campaigns A presidential colour & design analysis Amanda Watkins Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Jama Colour: Orange

While colours can have many meanings, in North American society, certain colours have grown to have more associated meanings than others. Orange is often linked to freshness — think of the actual citrus fruit and its refreshing connotation.

Jama’s choice to use orange is reflective of her emphasis on innovation and bringing new, inclusive ideas to campus. In Canadian society, orange is also tied to another association: socialism. Jama’s shade of orange is the same as that of

Jonathon Tonietto Colours: Yellow, purple

Tonietto has an unexpected colour palette compared to most of his competitors, who are sticking to conventionally popular darker tones and minimal colour mixing. Yellow, often associated with sunshine and summer, gives off a youthful, friendly vibe, which works well given Tonietto’s outgoing personality. The yellow also matches one of the symbols of his campaign, the “this is a good sign” sign that has been on his

Devante Mowatt Colours: Tie-Dye

Mowatt’s colour scheme is one of a kind. Looking back on previous presidential campaigns, there have been a few candidates who worked with a rainbow or tie-dye colour palette, but Mowatt is the first in a while. Tie-dye is fun and funky and relates back to an era in time that led to open-mindedness and social change and progress. According to details on his website, the tie-dye was inspired by the university’s pre-

This logo and visual identity analysis will focus on the analysis of campaign colours, logo shape and design, layout and use of photography.

To keep the analyses fair, the cover photo from each candidate’s Facebook page is being used as the central design feature, with some mention of other elements in their physical branding.

the New Democratic Party, an unsurprising choice given her emphasis on equity and her slogan, “Students united; a place for everyone.”

Logo: Unity Triangle

Jama’s logo has two main elements, shape and content.

The logo itself is a triangle, the strongest shape used in design.

Its strength comes from the fact that any pressure placed on the shape will be evenly distributed across all three sides. The content of the logo is three ambiguously diverse arms and hands, united. Together these two elements create the image

of strength in unity.

service or event, this layout is probably very familiar to you.

The central call to action in the larger right-most rectangle, and supplementary contact information in a left-hand, narrow

rectangle are two staples for MSU promotional branding. Jama’s branding isn’t the only one reminiscent of MSU materials, and it definitely isn’t the most similar one.

The logo itself uses an easy sans serif font that lets the focus fall on the vector cut-out of Toni’s face. It isn’t complicated, but it ties in Tonietto’s appearance without an obvious photo.

Layout: Kept to a minimum

is a bit of a letdown, but it is eye-catching at the least. It is much simpler than that of other candidate’s, but it still gets the point across.

could be an associated meaning.

photography of iconic McMaster locations is consistent. It seems to be trying to create a familiarity without using direct styles from pre-existing university branding.

Layout: A hint of MSU familiarity

If you’ve ever seen a promotional cover photo for an MSU

person at all times and used as his hashtag. Purple on the other hand gives off the opposite association, one of age and wisdom. It’s a more regal colour that is a technical compliment to yellow, and tones down the vivid nature of the rest of his campaign theme.

Logo: The Toni vector

The strongest element of Tonietto’s logo isn’t the graphics; rather, it is the actual tag that is attached to it, “TONI16.”

Whether it was intentionally a play on “KONY2012” or not, it still rolls off the tongue nicely and feels simple and familiar.

Much like his colour scheme, Tonietto’s layout is different from most. It does not have any contact information, which

vious “colour”— multi-coloured plaid. Overall the tie-dye gives off a relaxed vibe in an otherwise buttoned-up race.

Logo: Balloons and stars

Mowatt’s logo is hard to notice at first, as it isn’t quite front and centre on his posters or other promotions, but it is there. It is a little yellow star attached to a tie-dye balloon. It includes the obvious colour element of his campaign, but other than that, the symbolism isn’t too clear.

Balloons in general have an element of freedom, so for those who have seen his logo, this

Layout: Familiar places His promotions don’t seem to follow an obvious theme in terms of layout, but the use of

LIFESTYLE | 21

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

Mike Gill

work in Gill’s favour, whether intentional or not.

Colours: Green, black

Logo: Layered triangles

Every year will have at least one MSU presidential candidate dawning the tried and true combination of green and black.

Green has two iconic associations, sustainability and money.

They’re both great things to subtly promote to the student body, so it’s no wonder it keeps being used. Gill’s branding is particularly reminiscent of Jacob Brodka’s 2014 campaign for MSU president. The use of black is associated with power and mystery à la business suits and covert operations. They are two meanings that could also

Justin MonacoBarnes Colours: Navy, grey

Monaco-Barnes is sticking to a known-to-win colour scheme among presidential candidates, a combination also used by Ehima Osazuwa’s winning 2015 campaign. When thinking of blue, images of the sea and sky often come to mind, leading to an association of calmness and tranquility — two fair associations with Monaco-Barnes’ stoic personality. It’s popular use in political campaigns around the country, and the globe, also hint to confidence and professionalism.

Going back to comments made in Jama’s logo analysis, Gill also makes use of design’s strongest shape, the triangle. It’s unclear what the shape is supposed to represent other than strength, but for the most part it is quite chic and on most of his visuals, it doesn’t come across as distracting or unnecessary.

Brodka’s 2014 campaign isn’t the only thing Gill seems to be borrowing from. Like Jama, his cover photo design is very reminis-

cent of typical MSU layouts. It’s unsurprising for both of them, as they have both been involved in multiple MSU services, but Gill borrows more from MSU branding than Jama. The primary font, Gotham, is also the

Logo: Stand-alone name and slogan

Layout: Simple but strong

Layout: That beloved MSU touch

His logo isn’t so much a logo as it is a slogan. His “#bethechange” quotes Ghandi, which for most people, brings to mind a positive association. His choice to use his name and slogan as his logo is a smart decision instead of trying to create a visual logo that could be lacking in substance. Like Gill, Monaco-Barnes is also using Gotham, the MSU’s favourite sans serif, as his campaign’s primary font. It’s hard to blame either of them for this choice, since it is a nice font, but like the comments made in Gill’s layout analysis, seeing “MSU” written in its typical font can be misleading to students, but can give Monaco-Barnes added support.

MSU’s official font. He features the acronym “MSU” in its official font, which doesn’t technically break rule 4.23 of presidential campaigning (“Material may not possess any logo(s) of the MSU”). Overall it is a strong

The layout used in Monaco-Barnes’ campaign is probably the strongest from a design standpoint. It has a clear visual hierarchy and includes important details without being too heavy on content. His visual identity works well to tie together photos and text, having his name and face front and centre will work well in getting passers-by to notice his promotions.

It has a strong association with other MSU promotions without using direct logos from their previous campaigns.

design, but its MSU-esque qualities could provide students with a certain sense of trust and give him an advantage over his peers who are following less familiar layouts.

WORK YOUR DEGREE WITH A POSTGRAD Our postgraduate certificates help you accelerate your career by providing specialized training that builds on your previous degree or diploma combined with the opportunity to gain practical experience taking on real-world challenges.

business.humber.ca/postgrad

All colours used this election: >>

>>

>>

>>

22 |

LIFESTYLE

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Veggie-mania

905-522-9799 FINDLAYLAW.CA

Does one of your New Year’s resolutions include an attempt at becoming vegetarian or vegan? This lifestyle has many potential benefits, but the change requires reflection and careful consideration of your nutrition-related needs. There are many types of vegetarians or vegans. These include lacto-vegetarians, ovo-vegetarians, lacto-ovo-vegetarians, pescetarians, vegans, strict vegans, or anything in between. You may identify with one of these labels and enjoy finding a community of others that share it. However, you don’t have to define yourself or how you eat; your relationship with food is yours, and that can change over time.

People often choose a plant-based diet for health-related purposes. Many vegetarian options tend to contain lower fat and cholesterol, and are associated with lower incidence of chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. They also contain more fiber and antioxidants, which promote digestive and cognitive health.

Others argue that vegetarian nutrition lessons strain on the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, chemical and animal wastes are the major sources of pollution in rivers and streams.

Others feel that meat and animal products are unethical and thus their diet represents a stand against the use of animals as food. Others choose plant nutrition for religious, cultural and spiritual reasons.

There may be people who disagree with or stereotype you for your chosen diet. Luckily, McMaster is a very vegetarian-accessible and inclusive university: McMaster was voted Canada’s most vegan-friendly university in 2013. Bridges Café, McMaster’s all vegetarian restaurant, provides a plethora of veggie-friendly meals, and Hospitality Services has expanded their range of vegetarian meals and snacks across campus eateries.

It is important to replace meat with nutritionally equivalent alternatives. As a major source of protein, vitamins, and minerals, eliminating meat without replacing it with plant-based options may lead to protein and nutrient deficiencies. Luckily, there are several nutrition and delicious vegetarian protein sources to fill up with. These include tofu, tempeh, beans, seitan, eggs, milk and milk alternatives like soy and rice milk, high protein grains like quinoa, wild rice and amaranth, lentils, edamame, protein powders and nutritional yeast. It’s helpful to make a conscious effort to include protein with each meal and snack you eat throughout the day, paired with healthy portions of carbohydrates, to set you up for a balanced and healthy vegetarian diet.

In the initial transition, it might be particularly beneficial to connect with others, for support and to gain insight into their tips and tricks. Be prepared for some trial and error, and listen to your bodily needs.

20 HUGHSON ST. S. HAMILTON

Allison Mizzi SHEC

C/O SAM KERR

How to make the transition to a green diet

Weekly Specials MONDAY

r Lite Tall cans $4.50 MGD/Mille $5 Fox Burgers ivia 8−10pm Pub Stumpers Tr

TUESDAY

t 2/4/1 Wing Nigh ials ekly drinks spec we r ou of y an k Pic

WEDNESDAY

$5 PBR Pints s $14 PBR Pitcher t perogies ea n ca u yo all 0 $1

www.snootyfox.ca

THURSDAY

Pilsner bottles $3.25 Old Style a bottles $4.50 Twisted Te $6 Pub Fare

SATURDAY

5pm $5 Caesars until n/Stock Ale Pints dia na Ca n lso $5 Mo 5−10pm m 2/4/1 Entrees fro

SUNDAY

de Tall Amsterdam Blon $10 Fajitas | $4.50 Boys KARAOKE!

1011 King Street West, Westdale Village • 905.546.0000

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

She gave me

healing

A McMaster student’s experience with mental health Gwenyth Sage Contributor

I walked out of her room glowing. For the first time in a long time, I smiled a smile borne out of genuine joy. It was my last time seeing Kristy. I had written spontaneous poetry for friends before and wanted to do the same for her. I asked her for a word as inspiration for the poem. She gave me healing.

Kristy was my counselor, the guardian angel who selflessly held my hand and led me inch by inch out of the eye of the storm, through the turbulence, and onto safe ground.

Kristy was tireless in picking up the pieces of the emotional mess that I was, helping me organize and reconfigure the thoughts that plagued and overwhelmed me.

Before Kristy, I was a

different person. Mental illness is someone else’s problem, I thought. I was a nursing student after all — I’d know if something was wrong. It is an unfortunate reality that many people, like me, do not seek help until they find themselves in the middle of a mental health crisis. Changes in mood, eating habits, lack of motivation — these are easy to read as a list in a textbook but are difficult to identify in your everyday life especially when they’re commonly attributed to academic stress.

Shifts in mental wellness sneak up on you, inching ever so slowly that you are unwitting to the change. As Elizabeth in Prozac Nation muses, it comes “gradually, then suddenly” and “you wake up one morning, afraid that you’re gonna live.”

I went to the Student

The Silhouette | 23 Wellness Centre on a whim for a drop-in counseling session to get a second opinion. It was an optional measure in my mind. I recalled from my mental health nursing placement that people were always the last to see when they needed help, so I went in to see what they had to say. My reaction to trauma was to ignore it, suppress it, and try to move on with life. While I wanted to be done with the trauma, it clearly wasn’t done with me.

And so, when I told the mental health nurse in my initial appointment, the floodgates opened, and I was made acutely aware of the mental health crisis that I was in the middle of.

The fragility of the equilibrium I had tried to maintain by avoiding the psychological aftermath of trauma was revealed. Everything triggered me, everything hurt, everything was heavy. A response to constant pain is to numb. And for a while, I was numb, robotic; I was a zombie. As opposed to having low mood, which I did experience, more often than not, I had no mood at all. Emotion is an experience integral to the human experience and to lack such a basic part of myself was deeply distressing.

The results were in and I was to begin the most intensive, reflective, and painful chapter of my life with my counselor Kristy. The course of cognitive processing therapy would last ten weeks, and painstakingly, Kristy would break me apart, reset my bones, reassess, and repeat.

Counseling was not easy– the road to happiness never is.

She challenged me with questions, understood and validated my concerns, and recalibrated me to be able to live amicably with my painful past. Pain is a part of the process in understanding and coming to terms with sensitive experiences. It is

Attention McMaster Students!

You are entitled to $600 in dental coverage.

now just a memory, no longer lingering uncomfortably in the forefront of my conscious thought.

Avoidance is not therapy.

You can shove it under a rug but you’ll never forget and it won’t go away. If you feel numb, anxious, or that your baseline mood has shifted to a level that is less than comfortable, please do not wait to seek help. In that state, you may be of the belief that you are irredeemable, unsalvageable, out of reach. It’s a lie. Help is available, and you are not alone.

Kristy gave me healing.

This is what I gave her:

life was through a reel the ins and outs of an assembly line revolving door of broken minds she sprinkled she sewed she shared the wisdom bestowed upon her by history it takes one to know one

THE SKINNY Jason Woo Lifestyle Editor Academy members defend themselves

As #OscarsSoWhite continues to take off, some Academy members are taking offense to claims of institutionalized racism. “I voted for a number of black performers, and I was sorry they weren’t nominated,” one Academy member commented. “But to imply that this is because all of us are racists is extremely offensive.”

Schumer calls out sexist tweet

empathy is pain empathy is wisdom pain is temporary wisdom is not

To get help, please reach out to MSU services like Peer Support Line, Women & Gender Equality Network, and the Student Wellness Centre. If you are in a crisis, do not hesitate to call COAST, Hamilton’s 24 hour crisis outreach hotline at 905-972-8338.

There is help, there is hope.

Amy Schumer doesn’t tolerate sexist comments. When a teen who met the comedian tweeted, “Spent the night with @amyschumer. Certainly not the first guy to write that.” she responded: “I get it. Cause I’m a whore? Glad I took a photo with you. Hi to your dad.” The teen then deleted the tweet and apologized, saying it was a failed effort to be funny. The online community had mixed feelings.Some praised her for calling out sexism. Others slammed her as a hypocrite.

Did You Know?

Full time students enrolled in 18 units or more are entitled to $600 in dental coverage from Sept.

1st to August 31st.

FREE* Take-home Teeth Whitening Kit. * with the completion of your new patient exam and professional cleaning appointment.

1685 Main St. W. Hamilton

Filice Dentistry happily accepts the MSU Dental Plan. www.filicedental.com | filicedental@bellnet.ca | 905.529.4200

24 |

GAMES

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Win a Pizza Pizza gift card!

CROSSWORD

Tweet us a photo at @thesilhouette. The first ten people* to answer all correctly will win a $15 gift card!

Who is Daniel D’Angela? _____________________________________________ What is Andy’s top movie of the year? _____________________________________________ What TV show does Michelle Yeung enjoy? _____________________________________________ Who is Jeff Driediger? _____________________________________________

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Mouse catcher 5. Fleshy fruit 9. Peruses 14. Govern 15. Munitions, for short 16. Open soda 17. Nest eggs (abbr.)

18. Leonardo’s “____ Lisa” 19. Yule visitor 20. Weather instrument 22. Smudge 23. Shade tree 24. Pub orders 25. Spotted cube 26. Gun owners’ org.

27. Visionary 32. Used footnotes 35. Greet 36. ____ Jones Industrial Average 37. Former (hyph.)

39. Small flute 42. ____ glance (2 wds.)

43. Boat paddles 45. Angelic symbols 46. Taco ingredient 49. Tanker cargo 50. Lime drink 51. Turnpike charge 53. Nile snake 56. Tangle 59. Destroy completely 61. Hint of a color 62. Flower holder 63. Epochs 64. Door sign 65. Frosts 66. Stop that!

67. Convenes 68. For fear that 69. Goals

1. Apache, e.g.

2. Rustic 3. Siren 4. Mexican coin 5. ____ Anderson of “Baywatch” 6. Ham it up 7. Memory loss 8. Jungle sound 9. Moscow’s country 10. Glossy paint 11. Complexion woe 12. Computer output 13. Shadowbox 21. ____ Gras 25. Sub store 26. Butterfly catcher 28. Quick swims 29. Adored one 30. Fly alone 31. Duos 32. Winter garment 33. Absorbed by 34. Sign of crying 35. Recuperate 38. Burrowing rodent 40. Spicy dish 41. Baseball’s ____ Ripken 44. Daily grind (2 wds.)

47. Archer’s goal 48. Loafers 49. Firstborn 52. Desert stops 53. Baseball great Hank ____ 54. Be upright 55. Irritating ones 56. Flower part 57. Innings number 58. Poker payment 59. Satanic 60. Hand over

FREE WEEKLY SHUTTLE BUS EVERY TUESDAY STARTING TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Commons pick-up at 6:00PM | 7:00PM | 8:00PM Final drop off 9:30PM

Mary Keyes pick-up at 6:30PM | 7:30PM | 8:30PM Final drop off 10:00PM

LOOK FOR THE

BIG YELLOW School Bus!

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

Women’s basketball defeats the Windsor Lancers Page 29

The Silhouette | 25

Sports

Abbotsford answers

McMaster middle Jeff Driediger is taking advantage of opportunities

LEAGUE AT LARGE

“I was dialed in and got more comfortable as the match went on.”

Jeff Driediger Middle, McMaster Men’s Volleyball

JON WHITE / PHOTO EDITOR

Jaycee Cruz Sports Reporter

Jeff Driediger is different from his teammates. While everyone else on the roster hails from Ontario, Jeff moved from Abbotsford, B.C. to join the Marauders.

Driediger played for Fraser Valley Volleyball Club throughout high school where he was coached by McMaster Volleyball alumnus Ryan Adams.

“I had one offer from Douglas College — a local college in New Westminster in the Vancouver area. That was all I had,” said Driediger. “I kind of wanted to go but they didn’t have engineering. They had a good college team and the coach was good, but I really wanted to study engineering.”

Driediger had never heard of McMaster prior to his recruitment, which both began and ended in May 2014. McMaster Volleyball Head Coach Dave Preston got a call from Adams saying he had a middle blocker that he thought Preston would be interested in checking out.

“His blocking was the first

thing that stood out to me. Jeff has always been a tremendous blocker. He is really strong up top,” said Preston. “I think his blocking is his best skill.”

Adams knew McMaster was on the hunt for a middle blocker so Preston responded by going out west to the 2014 Club Nationals in Edmonton to meet and watch Driediger play for the first time.

“Jeff ’s situation was a rarity in my recruiting because a lot of my recruiting is done over years and building relationships early,” said Preston. “We ended up compressing what’s usually a four-year recruiting process into four weeks. It was fast. We were both taking a chance.”

As an under-recruited player out of high school, he did not receive many offers from major CIS programs, so he thought about McMaster’s pitch a little more.

“I realized I may not have the opportunity to play volleyball my whole life and playing CIS would be the highest level I would have the chance to play at,” Driediger said. “I couldn’t give it up. Growing up it was a dream to be on a CIS team and the door was wide open

at McMaster and they had the engineering program I wanted.”

By September 2014 Driediger had found a new home 4,300 kilometres away from his Abbotsford farm. He didn’t play much in his first year and continued developing his game through training and practicing with one of the best teams in Canada. At the end of the last school year, he returned to B.C. for the summer and committed to getting physically bigger and stronger so he could contribute more this year. Driediger stuck to the workout plan he learned at Mac, but had to improvise based on his circumstances in B.C. At Mac, he would run on the track and push the prowler.

At his Abbotsford farm, instead of pushing a prowler on a track with 45-pound plates on it, Driediger pushed his ATV across farmland.

“One of the biggest takeaways from my first year at Mac was how much working out helps. If you don’t workout you’re going to be hurting, behind or slow,” Driediger said.

“I found out how important working out was.”

Pushing an ATV shows some commitment and the

results haven’t gone unnoticed.

“I think he put on a solid 15 pounds from last year and he has a physical capacity now that’s different from last year. He is stronger and more physical.

His body’s capable of handling our training volume now,” said Preston.

On a team loaded with high-caliber talent, any opportunity to play is hard to come by. All players are taught to practice and come to games ready to play. Driediger got the biggest opportunity of his young Mac career so far when he started in Mac’s win against Queen’s last Friday night.

“Coach told me on game day that I was going to start.

He told me to enjoy it. I felt nervous, but it was a good nervous mixed with excitement. I knew there were going to be a lot of people and it was the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of,” said Driediger. “There was a crazy amount of adrenaline when I stepped on the court in front of everybody. I was dialed in and got more comfortable as the match went on.”

He also started the following night at Guelph. Driediger had scored only one point prior to last weekend, but left the games with 12. He’s optimistic about what’s ahead.

“I’m looking forward to more opportunities and improving. I’m also really looking forward to nationals whether I play or not. It’s a team sport. It’s about the team, but you have to be prepared and ready with whatever role you have that game,” Driediger said. “I go into every game expecting anything.” @_jayceecruz

Men’s Basketball CIS Top Ten 6. McMASTER 7. CALGARY 8. UBC 9. THOMPSON RIVERS 10. UPEI

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s Volleyball CIS Top Ten 1. UBC-OKANAGAN 2. TRINITY WESTERN 3. ALBERTA 4. TORONTO 5. MONTREAL

6. McMASTER 7. DALHOUSIE 8. SHERBROOKE 9. UBC 10. McGILL

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

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

Athletes of the Week Connor Gilmore, McMaster Men’s Basketball > Gilmore had an expectional performance as he scored a career high of 32 points vs. the Laurier Goldenhawks.

Gilmore made 8 of 10 three pointers, one short of the Mac record.

Kaitlyn Pansegrau, McMaster Track & Field > Pansegrau brought home one of the team’s three gold medals at the Don Wright Team Challenge in London, ON. She crossed the line first with a time of 3:03.38.

Vanier coming to Hamilton CIS announced that the Tim Horton’s Field, home to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will be the host of the 2016 and 2017 Vanier Cup championship games.

Eight Medals for Mac Track McMaster claimed eight medals at the Don Wright Team Challenge.

Golds came from Kaitlyn Pansegrau, Jeff Tweedle and Connor Darlington.

Medals were also awarded to Chelsea Mackinnon, Maddie Benjamin, Gabrielle Foran, Blair Morgan and Patrick Deane.

JOB FAIR Want some Green? Do it in MAROON

TUESDAY, JANUARY 26 3:30-5:00 PM DBAC #CHOOSEBETTER ATHLETICS & RECREATION

SUMMER JOBS * 2016/17 PART-TIME JOBS * STUDENT JOBS * VOLUNTEER

MARAUDER WEEKEND

BASKETBALL

JANUARY 23RD 1 PM Women’s Game 3 PM Men’s Game

VOLLEYBALL

JANUARY 23RD 7 PM Women’s Game

VOLLEYBALL

JANUARY 24TH WWW.MARAUDERS.CA

#CHOOSEBETTER

1 PM Men’s Game 3 PM Women’s Game

SPORTS | 27

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

Handling business else.

Sofia Mohamed Sports Editor

It has been a busy month for the McMaster Men’s Basketball team.

At the end of December, the team took part in a training camp at the University of Chicago. They got a chance to use the facilities and work on their skills in a new environment. They had the opportunity to walk the streets of the Windy city as tourists and went to a Raptors-Bulls game while they were there.

“It’s always good to go away with the team for bonding,” said Aaron Redpath, fifth-year guard.

Of course, the trip was more for business than anything

Basketball great Michael Jordan once said, “some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”

This team is making it happen, and has started off 2016 with three dominating wins.

Last week, the team went to Waterloo and three days later played at the neighbouring university, Laurier.

“I feel like we are now seeing the type of basketball we want to play which is a fast, up-tempo style,” said Redpath.

Wednesday night’s game against the Waterloo Warriors ended in a 93-66 win for the Marauders. Six McMaster players scored in the double figures, with guard Leon Alexander leading the way for the team

with 17 points.

A similar narrative was witnessed days later as Saturday afternoon’s game favoured the Marauders with a 105-81 win.

Though there was solid performance from a number of players on the team, the player of the night was second-year forward Connor Gilmore.

He scored a career high of 32 points and made eight out of 10 attempted three pointers. His performance led him to be the Pita Pit Athlete of the Week.

Being with the basketball program for five years, Redpath knows the importance of keeping a clear focus as that is what this team needs to compete with the best and contest for a national championship.

“When we play with high energy, we’re very good. But

McMaster Men’s Basketball looks to cross off more games in 2016 with wins when we get lackadaisical and we get into a slump that’s when things can turn negative,” said Redpath.

Playing lazy can cost this team a shot at a banner and they know that. The effort they put offensively must be matched defensively for them to get the results they work so hard in the gym to see.

The biggest game of the year so far is the one that was played last night, when the Windsor Lancers took the three-hour drive on the 401 to visit the Burridge Gym. As a memory refresher, the Lancers is the team that spoiled the Marauders’ playoff dreams last year when they took a 85-70 OUA quarter-final win over McMaster to advance.

For the players on the team, they don’t need to be reminded as this is a game they have been preparing for.

“Windsor is a huge game.

It’s one of the ones I circle on

the calendar,” said Redpath.

The Marauders want to avenge the loss they so badly felt last season and are ready for the competition.

“We all know what we are capable of and we all know our potential so as long as we stay focused and play with high energy and really lock down on the defensive end, scoring won’t be a problem,” said Redpath.

Scoring wasn’t a problem as the team got their revenge on the Lancers with a comfortable 106-74 defeat. The Marauders are on a seven-game winning streak.

With playoff seeding decided by the next few games of the regular season, defense will be indicative of how far this team goes.

Catch Marauder home action on Saturday, Jan. 23 as the Marauders face the Western Mustangs. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. at Burridge Gym. @itssofiaAM

ADVERTISING MEDIA MANAGEMENT POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE

From media planning and management to account co-ordination and sales, this program offers the unique skills you will need to launch your career as account coordinator, media sales representative, media buyer, media planner, and many other exciting career options.

business.humber.ca/postgrad

JON WHITE / PHOTO EDITOR

28 |

SPORTS

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Perfecting placement McMaster Women’s Volleyball is working on attacking with precision

C/O NICOLE ZHANG

Jaycee Cruz Sports Reporter

Details separate the good from the great.

Good players can get by without fine-tuning their details. But the ones that become great work on the specifics of their craft that will largely go unnoticed. Great players will do whatever it takes to get the job done, no matter how small or trivial the task may seem.

“No matter who we’re preparing for, managing space is part of our tactical preparation,” said Head Coach Tim Louks.

“Given certain types of defenses, do we have the shots to beat them?”

An effective offense knows how to find holes and ways to score against any given defense.

McMaster wants to be versatile so they can make opponents uncomfortable.

“Volleyball involves precision and power, but it’s not just hitting the ball hard. It’s about where you’re hitting it and how you’re hitting it,” said Louks.

“We call it hitting with tactical intelligence.”

Fifth-year captain Taylor Brisebois knows exactly what this means.

“We’re working on hitting those deep corners of the court and avoiding the block.

Coach is continuing swing high and getting those deep shots because they’re so effective,” said Brisebois. “He wants us to be smart and see the block and work around it. Once we work around a block we want to aim for open gaps and deep corners of the court.”

Avoiding the block is help-

ful because it teaches players to see where they’re hitting.

Intentionally hitting the ball to specific locations is a skill that needs to be developed. It’s similar to a pitcher having command of his pitches. Once you can manage the velocity and movement of the ball, you’re a bigger threat.

“Now we’re adding that change of speed to the ball, but only occasionally. We don’t rely on it,” Louks said.

Perfecting placement of the ball ultimately goes towards scoring points. If McMaster can consistently hit balls to spaces that take opponents out of their comfort zone, they can become an even tougher team to beat.

“The more sophisticated a player’s arsenal of shots is, the more choices a coach has. This is what we’re working on. We want to expand the arsenal of

NEED A TAXI FAST?

shots a player has so that we’re tougher to defend,” said Louks.

With several weapons already at their disposal, an expanding arsenal would only improve the team.

“We’re hitting to spaces where their best defenders have to get out of position.

When we do that, they have trouble digging and starting their offense. We want to make teams uncomfortable like that,” said Louks. “We want to get them out of position and force them to make plays from where they’re uncomfortable.”

McMaster is 9-1 and hosts Ottawa on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. and Guelph on Jan. 24 at 3 p.m.

Both games will be in Burridge Gym. @_jayceecruz

“The more sophisticated a player’s arsenal of shots is, the more choices a coach has. This is what we’re working on. We want to expand the arsenal of shots a player has so that we’re tougher to defend.”

Tim Louks Head Coach, McMaster Women’s Volleyball

CHECK OUT OUR NEW APP! • No more phone calls.

• No more long waits on hold.

• You pick the type of vehicle.

Search the app store:

• You pick the type of payment.

Blueline Taxi Hamilton

• You can get a fare estimate.

905.525.0000 | 525blue.com

• You can watch your taxi on its way.

• You can rate your ride and driver.

SPORTS | 29

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

Ready for challenges

The McMaster Women’s Basketball team shows strength after Lancers defeat

JON WHITE / PHOTO EDITOR

Sofia Mohamed Sports Editor

Some games mean more to teams than others. Some wins are sweeter. Some losses cut deeper.

For the McMaster Women’s Basketball team, there are some games that are always highlighted in the game calendar, match-ups that the group looks forward to and ones that always pose a physical challenge.

Last night, amidst a busy day of events on campus, a familiar competitor came through the doors of the David Braley Athletic Centre. Walking through the hallways and into the guest locker room were the Windsor Lancers, a women’s basketball team that has won the CIS National championship

LARGE PIZZA $ +3 TOPPINGS + 3 FREE COKE

for the last 5 years.

“Anytime we play Windsor, you know it’s going to be a good game,” said Anne Marie Thuss, interim Head Coach of the Marauders team.

The Marauders know the level of talent the Lancers possess and they welcomed the challenge with open arms.

A good game is an understatement for the 40 minutes of high-energy that was witnessed from the bleachers. The team was alive and the bench was awake; counting down the shot clock as every possession evoked a reaction from the team.

The first quarter of play saw the Marauders holding the Lancers to a 20-19 lead.

The second quarter saw some sloppy play as the Marauders were cold for shooting

13

Offers subject to expire without notice.

99 XL $ 3 ADD

for the first four minutes, as the first shot came from fourth-year forward Clare Kenney at the line when she made one of two foul shots.

McMaster called a time out to regroup after a troubling few minutes of the second quarter.

The gears were slowly put back in motion, but the Marauders could not find a quick solution to the Lancers’ long range shooting.

The second quarter was a low scoring one. Marauders only scored eight in the second quarter, while the Lancers scored 14.

The intensity was turned up as McMaster scored 18 in the third quarter and kept the Lancers at only nine points.

The last ten minutes of the fourth quarter was one filled with grit and McMaster knew

that they had to seal the game with a win.

After a very important final quarter, McMaster was able to close out the game with a 68-62 win over the Windsor Lancers.

“Coming into the game, we knew we had to bring a level of focus. Everybody came out knowing their role,” said Manning.

“This was a really gutsy win because we were down in the first half. We took a step in knowing how to win. That was a positive for us,” said Thuss.

The top contributor on the score sheet came from fourthyear guard Danielle Boiago with 24 points. It was also a great night for guard Siobhan Manning as she was able to claim 18 points of her own.

“It was a really big game for us to maintain composure

“Anytime we play Windsor, you know it’s going to be a good game.”

Anne Marie Thuss Interim Head Coach, McMaster Women’s Basketball in a close game. As a team, it’s important to win in close games like this. We played the same intensity no matter the score,” said Manning.

McMaster will look to win their sixth straight game as they defend home court against the Western Mustangs on Saturday, Jan. 23. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at Burridge Gym. @itssofiaAM

DOWNLOAD OUR AWARD WINNING APPS!

(905) 815 MainSt. W @ Paradise www.pizzapizza.ca

30 |

ANDY

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

andy Top 10 movies of 2015 Joe Jodoin Contributor

10

#

Inside Out

This Pixar masterpiece is not just the best kid’s film of the past few years, but it managed to draw a large adult audience as well.

What’s shocking about this film is that it has a really clever and high-concept story that Hess Sahlollbey Contributor

9

#

Straight Outta Compton

A biopic recounting the career of the N.W.A. on the rap music charts of the early 90s, Straight Outta Compton was the sleeper hit of the summer. Directed by F. Gary Gray with Dr. Dre and Ice Cube as producers, the film recounts the rise and fall of five friends from the eponymous

Trisha Gregorio Andy Writer

8

#

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Considering the significance of its release late in 2015, it feels wrong not to include Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Taking over George Lucas’ brainchild in this seventh installment, J.J. Abrams

Joe Jodoin Contributor

7

#

Sicario

Sicario is an incredibly tense morality tale about a young up-and-coming FBI agent thrust into a world of hitmen, assassins, drugs, and lies, where she is forced to confront serious ethical questions about the

Joe Jodoin Contributor

6

#

The Hateful Eight

Those who are familiar with Quentin Tarantino are also familiar with the writer/director’s signature style: brilliantly crafted characters, hilariously memorable dialogue, non-linear narrative and a sprinkling of over-the-top violence that’s

ANDY lists off its favourite flicks from the past year.

Flip the page to see which films comprise the top five is still engaging for children.

Arguably, making great films that are equally loved by children and adults is one of the hardest things for a filmmaker to achieve. Michael Giacchino’s score is also beautiful and unique, and works perfectly to make every important moment of the film more powerful and memorable.

More than anything, Inside Out deserves recognition because it represents the height of what modern filmmaking can achieve: it’s funny, emotional, powerful, re-watchable, and original, with great animation and a deep message.

neighborhood in California that popularized gangster rap. The artists in the film base their music on their emotions towards the injustices and discriminations that black Americans suffered in the 80s. Yet the film still functions as an effective commentary on not just black history and American history, but on contemporary race relations, issues and social change

that is still relevant today. The film stars O’Shea Jackson, Jr. as his father Ice Cube, Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Jason Mitchell as the late Eazy-E, and Paul Giamatti as their manipulative manager. The film can best be summed with that famous line from their debut album: “You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge.”

recaptures the action and charm that has long defined the Star Wars film franchise, and makes it into something exclusively his.

The Force Awakens achieves a careful balance between old and new, whether that be in its storyline or the interweaving of both familiar and fresh new faces. Most notable, however, is

its accessibility to a generation that grew up on everything space and sci-fi, as well as a generation that has only passively heard of it, heralding an era of much promise for the future of the Star Wars series.

lengths one should go to protect their nation’s security.

Not only is the plot of this movie incredibly interesting, but the cast including Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin makes up one of the best ensembles of the year.

What Sicario excels at most, however, is building up

incredible tension that keeps the viewers on the edge of their seats, clenching their fists for minutes on end, with each scene progressively becoming tenser than the next. This is action-packed and thought-provoking filmmaking at its finest.

not for the faint of heart. The Hateful Eight delivers all of this and more, in a nearly threehour long thriller that keeps viewers on the edge of their seat. The interesting aspects of this movie’s plot are that it takes place mainly in one setting, and that no character can really be described as “the good guy.”

Although this could have

easily been a play, Tarantino brings such a wonderfully cinematic style, making the movie feel like a classic western from the 60s era. The film never gets boring either, as the violence and verbal sparring between all the despicable characters means there is never a dull moment.

ANDY | 31

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

Vannessa Barnier Andy Reporter

5

#

Mad Max: Fury Road

This is perhaps the most talked about film of the year and I somewhat agree with the hype.

I would recommend this movie to people who enjoy going to monster-truck events and

Tomi Milos Andy Editor

4

#

Spotlight

Spotlight was the most self-righteously idealistic movie of the year, and such unapologetic belief in its own morals made it one of the most enjoyable watches of the year.

The film centers around the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” team Joe Jodoin Contributor

3

#

The Revenant

Not many filmmakers have as much passion for the art of filmmaking as Alejandro G. Inarritu, and The Revenant is a clear example of film as a work of art. Every single shot looks like a painting thanks to award-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, and Bahar Orang Andy Editor Emeritus

2

#

Carol

Carol – Carol – icy blue eyes, red-hot-livid-lips, porcelain skin, predatorial in that oversized mink coat and then small and timid as precocious prey with that terrified exhale of ‘I-love-you’. She is motherly, goddess-like, fierce and afraid, graceful and stumbling, large and lean, deep voice and heavy gaze, in awe, in despair, in heaven and in hell. And Carol’s sweet, solemn lover: Therese Belevit – ‘flung-out-of-space’ – is equally rife with complexity, contradiction, silence and

Michelle Yeung Lifestyle Reporter

1

#

Youth

Directed by the masterful Paulo Sorrentino, Youth tells a deeply-affecting story about self-reflection and the yearning for more out of life as it steadily ebbs away.

The film circles around Fred Bellinger (Michael Caine) and Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel), two best friends who find themselves among the visitors of a lavish spa nestled in the Swiss Alps. Fred, a renowned and now retired composer, has vacationed here for over 20 years. Mick, on the other hand, steadfastedly works away with a group of young screenwriters

punching. It’s incredible how nothing actually happens in the span of two hours. Mad Max, the namesake of the film, goes from prisoner to liberator, and drives a large rig back and forth across a great span of wasteland. He doesn’t do this alone, of course. One of Mad Max’s major assets is the strong female lead of Furiosa, played by Char-

lize Theron. I commend them on the cast, but they left out any people of colour – even if one of Immortan Joe’s wives were a woman of colour, that would have been nice. If you want to watch people drive around barren land for two hours while yelling, watch Mad Max.

of journalists who unearthed a systemic pattern of child sex abuse by Catholic priests in the Boston Archdiocese.

Marty Baron’s (Liev Schrieber) first instructions to Spotlight as the newly-inducted editor of the newspaper is to speed up its research on locally-sourced stories.

Baron’s encouragement goads the quartet headed by Robby (Michael Keaton) into a

fierce investigation. The ensuing probe into one of the Church’s closely guarded-secrets is thrilling despite the obvious ending and leaves one with the sort of heavy-handed inspiration that probably incited you to crack open a book after watching Dead Poets Society.

Props if you can recognize an unlikely McMaster landmark in a scene that was shot in Hamilton in 2014.

every scene is choreographed perfectly to juxtapose the beauty and grit of nature. Inarritu was able to make the film simultaneously beautiful and brutal for the entire two and a half hour run time, and has truly created a visual masterpiece. The film is incredibly made in every other way too, and the acting of Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy

especially elevate this film even higher. While not an easy film to watch due to its graphic and realistic violence, even those who don’t enjoy the film will admit to being blown away by the spectacle. This film is truly the definition of epic entertainment, and seeing it in theatres is highly recommended.

stammer. She is child-like and vulnerable, but strong and complete and falling, unfaltering, forth into that woman, that person, that courageous, calm, clear-eyed, uncloaked, uncraven Carol. And between them: car windows, glass panes, December fog, large mirrors, a camera lens. But through it all their gazes remain on each other, vital and potent and precious and powerful.

The film centers desire: to respect your desires, to listen and tend to your desires is dignified, unshameful, crucial, and brave. The film centres women: sometimes, men are

dispensable, blundering, tepid and cruel. And finally, the film is a gorgeous relief from that history of fictional gay couples who suffer many a calamity in their pursuit of each other. For two women can indeed fall in love and stay together, dodge tragedy, and imagine a way of being where neither marriage nor age nor dread nor social disdain can define the limits or the levity of love.

Carol will leave you breathless and breathing, fulfilled and voracious; it is cold winter and hot touch; it is stunning, essential cinematographic poetry.

to contrive his “final testament.”

While Fred is alarmingly apathetic, Mick – not yet ready to let go of his past – continues to blaze towards a perilous dream.

The other guests at the resort also seem to be cocooned in their own worlds. Everybody is doing their own thing, but nobody is really doing anything.

The exquisite marriage between the talents of Italian cinematographer Luca Bigazzi and contemporary composer David Lang catapults Youth to another stratosphere of cinematic brilliance. Bigazzi’s lensing is evocative, poignant and a marvel to behold. His compositions are impossibly striking; each shot could be framed and exhibited at a world-class art gallery.

In Youth, the sense of idleness and alienation is eerily compelling. Caine appears in one of the most tender and moving performances of his career, embodying a weathered and guarded man with reservoirs of harbored sentiment he was never able to express.

In the way he crafts his films, Sorrentino is similar to Fred in that he is also a composer himself. There is an eloquent, musical quality to his directing that, when combined with outstanding actors, makes watching his works both an immersive pleasure and a transcendent experience. Youth is cinema at its apex. It is poignant, ravishing and will engulf you like a dream.

32 |

ANDY

Interview:

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 | www.thesil.ca

Alessia Cara

The Brampton-based popstar divulges the best piece of advice she’s gotten since her rise to fame, how she stays true to her own experience and what it felt like to share a stage with Taylor Swift

C/O MEREDITH TRUAX

Rachel Katz News Editor

The #1 source for off-campus housing for the McMaster Community

We Offer: • Extensive on-line rental listings • Lease reviews

New to McMaster?

Moving out of residence?

Not sure how to find suitable housing?

• Tenant’s Rights Consultations

Look no further.

• Educational Resources for Moving Off-Campus

The friendly staff in OCRC

• EVERYTHING Off-Campus

Centre) are here to help!

(Off-Campus Resource

McMaster Off Campus Resource Centre @MacOCRC

www.macoffcampus.ca | 905.525.9140 x24086

The best piece of advice Alessia Cara ever received was to take things slowly. “That was from my parents, [and it’s] probably the best advice ever, especially in this industry when things can get pretty overwhelming,” the 19-year-old Brampton native said.

Since the release of her single, “Here,” last spring, followed by her debut album Know-It-All, Cara’s life has been transformed.

In the past year, she has appeared on Jimmy Fallon, been featured in numerous publications and performed with Taylor Swift. Despite her unprecedented rise to the spotlight, the fame has yet to get to her. “It’s crazy to even think of that word [famous], because it’s so new to me and I don’t think of it like that so everything feels surreal still,” she said.

Performing with Taylor Swift was a similar experience.

A longtime fan, Cara said, “It didn’t even feel real. I’ve always wanted to meet her and I’ve always wanted to ask her so many questions and it was so cool to be on stage with her.”

In a sea of manufactured talent and mediocre songwriting, Cara’s songs stand out. They are earnest and utterly relatable.

(Nothing has ever encapsulated how I feel in large groups quite

like “Here.”) She is obviously connected to each of her songs on a personal level, a trait she strives for with her music. “I think [songwriting is] a lot easier when you’re feeding off your own experiences because then it’ll inevitably become different,” she explained. “When I try to make music I don’t try to compare it to anything else or at the same time I don’t try to make it overly different from anything else.”

Know-It-All is more than the name of her album. It also represents an overarching theme in her lyrics. While at first Cara wrote songs simply for the pleasure of it, when it came time to assemble the album, she looked for songs with a common link.

“There’s this strong feeling in all of [the songs]. As teenagers, we have these strong emotions and sometimes we like to think we know everything but at the end of the day we don’t,” she said.

Cara performed at McMaster last week as part of her Know-It-All tour. Singing in front of a crowd of students her own age, she looked comfortable and relaxed onstage, pausing at one point in the show to ask if any audience members called Brampton home. Her rise to stardom may have come as a surprise to her, but Alessia Cara is undoubtedly a natural. @RachAlbertaKatz

ANDY | 33

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

ANDY’s Hamilton events calendar Get your arts and culture fix with these upcoming events

FRIDAY, 22nd FILM 24 Hour Accessible Film Festival WHERE? Clubspace, on the second floor of MUSC WHEN? All day, until 6 p.m.

The Abilities Pillar is hosting a 24 hour film festival, with breaks between films, popcorn, and prizes. Naps are both acceptable and encouraged between screenings.

Jimmy P. (2009) — Based on the true story of a Blackfoot man who suffers from PTSD following his return from WWII. @ 10 a.m.

Children of a Lesser God (1983) — The story of a romance in a school for the Deaf between a Deaf and a nonDeaf teacher. Marlee Matlin stars and became the first Deaf person to win an Oscar for the film in 1983. @ 1 Room WHERE? Westdale Theatre, 1014 King St. West WHEN? F: 6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.

SAT: 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.

SUN: 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m.

M,T,W,T: 6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.

RUNTIME? Jan 22-28 Room (2015) - After fiveyear-old Jack and his mother escape from the enclosed surroundings that Jack has known his entire life, the boy makes a thrilling discovery.

MUSIC Fambly Picnic WHERE? HAVN, 26 Barton St. East WHEN? Doors at 8 p.m., bands start at 8:30 p.m.

PRICE? Sliding scale between $5 - $10 WHO? Livestalk (Hamilton) @ 8:30 p.m.

Jordaan Mason (Toronto) @ 9:15 p.m.

Cold on Pluto (Guelph) @ 10 p.m.

Nick Persons (Hamilton) @ 10:45 p.m.

Indie Folk, Indie Rock WHERE? The Baltimore House, 43 King William St. WHEN? Doors at 9 p.m., set times TBA PRICE? $8 WHO? Odd Years (Guelph) Matt Monoogian (Guelph) The Alls (Hamilton) Dare To Dream

Early Night Acoustic Session and Late Night Band Jam

WHERE? Homegrown Hamilton, 27 King William St. Early Night Acoustic Portion: WHEN? 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.

PRICE? $5 or PWYC (Pay What You Can) WHO? Dana Swarbrick, Jordan, Hallin, and Sarah Coons Late Night Band Jam Portion: WHEN? 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.

PRICE? $10 or PWYC WHO? Dana and the Monsters Under The Bed (Hamilton) Day Drunk (Hamilton)

SATURDAY, 23rd MUSIC Exhale Presents...

WHERE? E-mail exhalemusicgroup@gmail.com WHEN? 7 p.m., set times TBA PRICE? $10 WHO? Molly Drag (London) Barn Owl (Hamilton) la Querelle (Montreal) Basement Revolver (Hamilton) Valued Customer (Toronto) Noise Punk, Grind, Crust WHERE? The Doors Taco Joint, 56 Hess St. South WHEN? Doors at 8 PM, set times TBA PRICE? $5 WHO? Lizzy Boredom (Hamilton) Uncle Ray (Windsor) Thick Piss (Hamilton) SAGO (Toronto) Witches From Everywhere (Toronto)

SUNDAY, 24th

FRIDAY, 29th

MUSIC

POETRY

Tom Altobelli Group EP Release

POETRY READINGS I

WHERE? HAVN, 26 Barton St. East WHEN? 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

PRICE? $5 or PWYC WHO? Tom Altobelli Group Copies of the EP will be available for $5.

WDNSDAY, 27th ART EVENT DRINK & DRAW WHERE? Steel Lounge, 197199 King William WHEN? 8 p.m.

PRICE? Free!

WHAT? On the mainfloor of the Seel Lounge, there will be art, music, food and alcoholic drinks.

Limited art supplies will be provided -- bringing your own art supplies is encouraged.

VARIETY Variety Show WHERE? Homegrown Hamilton, 27 King William St. WHEN? 9 p.m.

PRICE? $10 or PWYC WHAT? This is a variety show, with entertainers performing teases, drag, burlesque dancing, stand up comedy, music, and a one man band.

Please note that this is a 19+ event.

THURSDAY, 28th BOOK LAUNCH Xu Lizhi Book Launch WHERE? Artword Artbar, 15 Colbourne St. WHEN? 8 p.m.

PRICE? Free!

WHAT? A Screw Fell to the Ground, The Tower and PoeMagic present a reading to launch a chapbook of poems by Xu Lizhi, the late Chinese worker-poet. Hosted by Klyde Broox.

ECCS Presents:

WHERE? Bridges Cafe, (in the basement of The Phoenix) WHEN? 8 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Reading sign up at 7:30PM PRICE? Free!

WHAT? An evening of poetry reading by and for young writers!

All poetry and short fiction is welcome. If you aren’t comfortable reading your own work yet, and just want to get a feel for the event, you are more than welcome to sign up for a slot and read a piece of writing you enjoy and would like to share with others.

DANCING Asylum: Fallout - Post Apocalypse Theme WHERE? The Baltimore House, 43 King William St. WHEN? 9 p.m. - 2 a.m.

PRICE? $13, $2 coat-check WHAT? Hamilton’s only dark electronic and alternative monthly club!

Come in your best Wastelander, Mad Max, Fallout, Zombie or cosplay made to survive the Hamilton industrial apocalypse!

GENRE? Dark electro-pop, dark electronic industrial, EBM, darkwave, warehouse, industrial techno

SATURDAY, 30th READING GROUP Tamburlaine the Great With Dr. Bretz

WHERE? Bridges Cafe, (in the basement of The Phoenix) WHEN? 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

PRICE? Free!

WHAT? A reading of Christopher Marlowe’s arguably most influential play. Text will be provided on the day of the reading.

Reading ahead of time is not necessary. Funny voices and silly accents are encouraged!

DIVERSIT Y WEEK The annual conference for professional divers is tak ing place on campus C1

THURSDAY

THE

HAMILTON SPECULATOR Unfollowing you since 1934

JAN. 21, 2016

NOTSPEC.COM

University plans power trip for needy students Feeling deprived of your full potential? Hop along for this four-day trip and let your opinion be heard

Bonding exercises will be happening around culturally appropriating tipi figures to teach participants how to power trip in the face of adversity.

CASSIE NOVA-MOORE Travel Agent

In an effort to make students feel more confident, the University Student Union is planning a fourday power trip. The trip is a retreat to help students grab hold of their opinions and give them a chance to shine, without blinding those who have actual power.

The retreat is open to all students and staff of the USU, and will involve a series of team building activities to help all participants feel more valued in the organization.

Some of the activities include yelling, getting into pairs and unjustly withholding information and supplies from one another, passive ag-

gressive email writing, and a morning sunrise walk.

“We provide both part-time and full-time power trip options, so students can decide just how far they want to go with us on this journey,” said Dave Morran, the CEO of the USU. The USU has provided a packing list for all those heading on the power trip this year. It includes: a megaphone, a day planner, socks, and photos of their own genitals to get people inspired for the nightly circle jerks.

The power trip is the first of its kind, but the Union is hoping it will become an annual tradition, much like the program “Daybreak,” a congregation of involved USU students

The Speculator is a work of satire. It does not claim to be real, nor should you think it is. Please don’t harass us on social media.

interested in recruting young-ins to their daytime cult circles.

One of the USU’s biggest concerns was making sure the retreat was as inclusive as possible.

“By needy we don’t necessarily mean financially needy, more socially needy,” said Morran.

“To be honest, most of these students are already pretty privileged,” he added.

The trip will be taking place in Algonquin Park this upcoming reading week. To sign-up, just subtweet any unionized service three times and the USU will find you.

“You do not want to miss this trip. If you do, you can fight me about it.”

Dave Morran Debatable power figure

INSIDE ENGAGING ENDORSEMENTS A3 GENERALLY TAO CHICKEN A4 THE OSCATS A4 THIS JUST-IN B2 LET ME SEE THAT ‘THON B4 PEANUT BUTTER AND JAMA B6 DEVANTAIL OF TWO CITIES B4 MAKING MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLEGILLS B6

PER ISSUE: Your eternal love and affection

20 HUGHSON ST. S. HAMILTON

905-522-9799

FINDLAYLAW.CA

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

feb 20 cnoy.org/hamilton

walk to end homelessness

HAMILTON GUTSY BOWL

Brought to you by the Hamilton Chapter of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada

in support of

A free service provided from Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers for non-profit agencies and groups

Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with

February 20, 2016

®

Canada

10:00AM—12:00PM Splitsville Hamilton 1525 Stone Church Read East

life-threatening medical

COST

hope, strength and joy.

Participants are required to collect a minimum of $20 in pledges Join us for a great day of bowling! Find out what’s in our amazing Mystery Bags!

Minimum $20 in pledges needed to participate – raise more to make Crohn’s and colitis stop.

For life

conditions to enrich the human experience with

Donate at makeawish.ca Get Involved with McMaster’s Students for Wishes Club on Campus!

Contact Shannon Moore at shannon.moore@makeawish.ca for more information.

CROHN’S AND COLITIS CANADA

Contact Penny Weir at pweir@crohnsandcolitis.ca or 519.802.2156 for more information.

Would you like to be featured in Community Connections?

Send your request to Leeann Corbeil, Director of Community Partnerships. E: leeann@findlaylaw.ca

P: 905.522.9799 ext. 248

Findlay Attorneys. 20 Hughson St. S., Suite 510, Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 2A1 Findlay Attorneys will determine which agency or group will be included based on a first come, first serve basis and at the discretion of Findlay Attorneys. Findlay Attorneys cannot guarantee inclusion of any materials submitted and therefore accepts no responsibility for any ad or information exclusion. Materials should be submitted at least two weeks prior to date of publishing.

UNIVERSITY PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SERVICES YOU NEED TO LIVE SOMEWHERE !

WE CAN FIND YOU A GREAT HOME !

MORE THAN 70

RENTAL PROPERTIES AVAILABLE 1–10 BEDROOM HOMES CONTACT TIM SCHOFFER, TODAY! University Property Management Services: Phone: 905.304.8075 Email: houses@machousing.com

www.machousing.com