The Silhouette - February 26, 2015

Thursday, February 26, 2015

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Welcome Week changes

Derailing the dialogue

Smashing up the scene

New scheduling changes in upcoming Welcome Weeks that students should be aware of.

The discussion of rape culture can’t be approached equally by everyone.

A professional Smash Bros player talks about what the pro gaming scene needs in order to grow.

LIFESTYLE NEWS

ANDY

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areness w A d n a al Health t n e s its new M e f s s o u t s c is id d ity In the m g first. n e Univers i h e t b , l k l e e e w W tudents’ s t u p o t PAGE 3 strategy

HEALTH

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LOOKING BACK

The Silhouette

Volume 85, Issue 22 Thursday, February 26, 2015 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

EDITORIAL BOARD executive editor | thesil@thesil.ca Andrew Terefenko @andrewterefenko managing editor | managing@thesil.ca Julia Redmond @juliaeredmond production editor | production@thesil.ca Amanda Watkins @whatthekins section editors

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SEPTEMBER 25, 1986

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Thursday, February 26, 2015

News CANADIAN CAMPUS NEWS

Krista Schwab News Editor Thunder Bay, Ontario

New requirement at Lakehead makes Indigenous education mandatory Lakehead University is planning to incorporate education about indigenous people into courses across all faculties. Indigenous educational materials will relate to the specific faculty and will also encourage discussion of racism against indigenous people. The mandate, a part of the university’s strategic plan, will begin in 2016.

Ottawa, Ontario

Teenager charged with sexual assault at University of Ottawa A male teen has been charged with sexual assault and breaking and entering into a residence room at the University of Ottawa. The perpetrator knocked on over 50 doors in the Ottawa residence and entered eight different rooms.

The male was found by police shortly after, and has been charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. He was released from custody but must appear in court at a later date. The number of victims that were allegedly assaulted has not been released.

Toronto, Ontario

Valuable artwork stolen at University of Toronto Three pieces of art have been stolen from the University of Toronto between Jan. 30 and Feb. 10. The suspects cut the paintings to remove them from the frames. One of the paintings is by 18th-century artist Francesco Guardi, whose paintings have sold for millions of dollars at auctions. The Toronto police are now investigating the thefts, which occurred in three different locations.

The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca

THIS WEEK Welcome Week Changes Fall break week has caused some changes to Welcome Week

Against anti-depressants A McMaster researcher looks at the science behind anti-depressants and their effectiveness

Excluding students Why is the Board of Governors the only group international students can’t be a part of?

PAGE 4

PAGE 4

PAGE 5

A new angle on

mental health Krista Schwab News Editor

After months of preparation, McMaster has released its Student Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy. The new plan will improve McMaster’s mental health services and policies over the next year.

“We need to strive to be the healthiest campus, have the healthiest student body,” said Sean Van Koughnett, Associate Vice-President (Students and Learning) and Dean of Students about the vision of the project.

The plan will roll out five key priorities, beginning with the hiring of one new mental health support person at the Student Wellness Centre. The extra staff member will be able to provide an additional 1,000 hours of counselling and serve approximately 400 students.

However, this will not be enough to satisfy the need for mental health counselling.

“It probably won’t completely meet the demand,” said Van Koughnett. “We’re not going to completely eliminate the waiting list but we’re going to significantly chop it down, I would say, after this.”

The new support staff will be hired by the end of this school year, and another will follow depending on available budget.

Along with a mental health support counsellor, 100 McMaster front-line staff will be given mental health first-aid training.

This training will help staff recognize symptoms and allow them to refer students to the

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appropriate services.

“The library has given us an example because if students are experiencing stress and say they are studying in the library, a lot of times things will come out in those types of situations,” said Van Koughnett. Financial Aid and Scholarships and Academic Advising are areas where this training could be implemented, although it is still undecided which areas will receive the training.

While the first two priorities address services, the next two put McMaster policies under the microscope. The accommodation policy has not been updated in over ten years, and does not accurately address the needs of students today.

The third priority will adapt this policy to reflect not only physical disabilities, but mental ones as well.

It will also take into account that some disabilities are temporary and will provide solutions that better suit students in that situation. Accommodations could include providing housing options for those with temporary disabilities and developing guidelines for course design to reduce stress in the academic setting.

The second look at the way the policies and procedures address mental health focuses on increasing coordination among different areas of the university.

“You can picture a situation where a student has presented certain symptoms in housing, and maybe there’s something else that’s happened where security has encountered that student, or maybe it is in the wellness centre. We need a system that [those groups] are

A look at the new Student Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy

efficiently talking to each other so they can best support that student,” said Van Koughnett.

The fifth priority will bring the focus to research on the subject of mental health and young adults, a highly neglected area of research.

Catharine Munn, psychiatrist at the Student Wellness Centre and professor of Health Sciences, will be leading this research which will eventually be applied to improve McMaster’s services, policies, and procedures.

A great deal of research went into forming the strategy as well.

Munn and Allison Drew-Hassling, co-leads of the project, began their research in January 2014 in partnership with Student Affairs. In addition to evaluating McMaster’s current model of handling mental health, over 150 interviews were conducted with students, staff, and faculty.

“We could have easily just jumped in and tried to throw money at a problem, or a perceived problem, but not necessarily hit the mark,” said Van Koughnett. It might have taken a little bit longer than maybe what some people would have liked but I think we’re better for it now.”

“As we learn more through the research, as we build capacity in the Student Wellness [Centre], we might discover there’s another need we have to address, so I just view it as we needed a project to kick start the things we want to do but we will probably keep going on this for the foreseeable future.” @kschwabi

THE FIVE PRIORITIES

Provide mental health and well-being education, training and resources for McMaster front-line staff

Establish a unified, coordinated approach within the university

Increase capacity within the Student Wellness Centre by adding one mental health support person immediately

Conduct research focused on mental health and young adults in postsecondary settings

Adapt accommodations policies, processes, and structures to better accommodate mental health needs

IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

CATHERINE CHAMBERS / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

4

News

www.thesil.ca

Welcome changes New structure of Welcome Week 2015 annouced

Thursday, February 26, 2015 Research

A new perspective on depression New study challeneges the effectiveness of antidepressants Alexandra Florescu ANDY Reporter

Students forming the Rep Tunnel during Welcome Week 2014.

Patrick Kim Asst. News Editor

A recommendation by the Welcome Week Advisory Committee for an Aug. 29 and 30 movein day schedule for Welcome Week has been confirmed for next year.

Due to a late-falling Labour Day this year, the structure of Welcome Week 2015 is expected to differ significantly from previous years. Traditionally, the Saturday and Sunday of Labour Day weekend have been marked as the official move-in days to kick off the beginning of Welcome Week, with events continuing concurrently with the start of school on the Thursday.

With the recent announcement and the fall schedule beginning Tuesday Sept. 8, Welcome Week is instead expected to run completely before Labour Day, and thus run separate from the school term.

Beyond that, the options are completely open.

“That announcement marking the move-in days was also the official confirmation for us,” said MSU VP (Admin) Jacob Brodka at the Feb. 22 SRA meeting.

“We’ve had a few conversations about how the week will look, and the next task which

we’ll start to look at [will be] the keystones of the week, so we can position those and give a sense of guidance for everyone else who is trying to book venues.”

“The reality is, right now, it’s a blank slate, and that’s the next task for the committee,” Brodka said.

The Welcome Week Advisory Committee is still deciding on the official end of Welcome Week for next year, but a positive recommendation has been put forward for Sunday Sept.

6, in order to leave Labour Day as a recess between orientation events and the fall term.

In the previous SRA meeting on Feb. 8, Brodka acknowledged that moving in the week before the Labour Day weekend would cost students a slight increase in residence fees.

However, he noted in that scenario that Residence Life would forego the $15 orientation levy received from each student, reallocating the funds to various other programming options.

A positive recommendation by the WWAC was also made and approved by the Student Services Committee involving a five percent increase of the Welcome Week levy going to faculty societies, as well as a 1.4 percent or about a $10,000 increase to the MSU to cover the Faculty Coordinator position. In addition, $11,000 will remain to cover special

C/O LAUREN OLDFIELD

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An Aug. 29 and 30 move-in day schedule for Welcome Week has been confirmed for next year.

projects during the week involving mental health, consent and gender violence, and substance abuse, as well as equity in funding of programming for smaller faculties. @patrickmkim

Welcome Week facts and statistics: •

Students will be in residence five days earlier this year, relative to the first day of classes

•

First-year students will pay the same Orientation Levy of $112.65 to help cover the costs of the week

•

Faculty societies will now be receiving 15 percent of the levy, at the cost of less allocation for WW memorabilia

A new study has been released that challenges the widely accepted use of anti-depressants in the treatment of depression. Paul Andrews, an assistant professor of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster, has reviewed existing research and has concluded that the focus should shift instead to counseling.

In the review paper published in Neuroscience & Behavioural Reviews, Paul Andrews and his co-authors analyzed 15 papers using different animal models of depression to find that 13 of them supported a left-field hypothesis in the study of depression. Contrary to past literature, Andrews attributes depression to high, not low, levels of serotonin in the space between brain cells.

The issue then arises when considering that a common form of anti-depressants called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, increase serotonin between cells by blocking serotonin transport channels to prevent reabsorption into cells. These drugs are based on the well-established notion that depression is related to low serotonin levels in the space between cells, making the high-serotonin hypothesis a paradigm shift that, if substantiated, would suggest a change in treatment of depression.

“Anti-depressants seem to make people feel worse before they make them feel better,” argued Andrews, comparing the body’s homeostatic system to a spring. Homeostasis is the biological concept of maintaining stable conditions, or equilibrium, in the body.

“Taking an SSRI is like compressing the spring. The very first thing that happens is that you feel worse,” said Andrews. “It usually takes about three or four weeks for people to start experiencing an elevation of depressive symptoms… but as people continue to take these drugs for a longer period of time, they will experience a return of these depressive symptoms.”

The rate of relapse has also been found to be higher in patients who recovered from depression while taking a drug, as opposed to those who got better on their own.

What is more, the slew of side effects associated with anti-depressants need to be given the attention they deserve.

“The reason why I am not a big fan of these drugs is because serotonin is not only as a neurotransmitter, but it is also important in just about every process in the body [such as] growth, development, reproductive functioning, digestive functioning, electrolyte balance and a host of others… Serotonin is found everywhere in the body, and the transporter, which anti-depressants are usually designed to block, is also found everywhere in the body. When you take an SSRI to treat your depression, you are also blocking other cells and interfering with other biological processes.”

Although Andrews’ research presents an interesting hypothesis, his review is not a comprehensive look at the field. Andrews’ work may be the beginning of a shift away from anti-depressants; however, more research is needed to determine the usefulness of anti-depressants and alternative treatments.

News

Thursday, February 26, 2015

www.thesil.ca

5

Excluding international students Why is the Board of Governors the only group international students are unable to join?

“

Rachel Katz News Reporter

It is a well-known and often celebrated fact that McMaster offers hundreds of opportunities for its students. From faculty societies, to charitable clubs, to official university committees, students are encouraged to immerse themselves in all aspects of life at McMaster.

However, that opportunity is cut short for international students wishing to sit on the Board of Governors, the body charged with managing the university’s property, revenue, and business affairs. The board is governed by the Ontario Corporations Act, and in 1976, when the Act was last changed, there was a mandate that all members of the Board of Governors be Canadian citizens, including the undergraduate and graduate representatives.

“The world has changed a lot since then,” said University Secretary Helen Ayre.

This rule seems archaic, but no change is scheduled for the immediate future.

“Changing the Act is quite difficult. If [we] open the Act we would probably have requests for other things to be changed and it would probably take a long negotiation process to agree on any changes,” explained Ayre.

“Our board doesn’t deal with academic programs [...] that’s all done at the Senate, and there are 12 students on the Senate who are full, voting members. So there’s not a lot

Changing the Act is quite difficult. If [we] open the Act we would probably have requests for other things to be changed and it would probably take a long negotiation process.

Helen Ayre University Secretary

that comes to our board that would be contentious [for] the students versus the board members,” she said. There are still opportunities for international student involvement within the Senate and its subcommittees, as they are responsible for decisions surrounding the appointments of university officials and curriculum changes.

But the Board of Governors is the only group where Canadian citizenship is a criterion for membership.

“The Senate has no restrictions, the University Planning Committee has no such restriction, and the Fees Committee has students on it and there’s no restriction on nationality on that,” said Ayre.

While the citizenship rule detracts from McMaster’s image as a progressive institu-

tion, the Board of Governors does feature a unique role for non-members. A delegate from each of the University’s student associations is welcome to attend board meetings as an official observer. This position is usually filled by the President of each association, including MAPS and the MSU. “Those people get everything the board members get, including all the confidential information. They’re allowed to attend the meetings, both the open and the closed portions,” said Ayre. Official observers are not eligible to vote on the board, but they are welcome to speak and are given the same respect as board members. Observers are asked to leave during the members-only discussion typically held at the conclusion of meetings, but according to

Ayre, no motions are voted on at this point.

The role of the official observer sets McMaster apart from other universities across the province. Queen’s University and Wilfred Laurier University are the only other Ontario universities with this position; however, their observers are only allowed to attend the open segments of board meetings and are not privy to any confidential information their McMaster counterparts receive.

Ultimately, the issue with the ability to sit on the Board of Governors being based on the citizenship one holds has nothing to do with the information members may learn. McMaster may consider itself a pioneer for its unique official observer position, but if the restriction on board membership only

exists because of an entrenched, meaningless rule, part of the University remains outdated. @RachAlbertaKatz Board of Governors McMaster

•

The Board manages the university’s property, revenue, and business affairs.

•

The Board is governed by the Ontario Corporations Act, which was last changed in 1976.

•

Only students who are Canadian citizens can sit on the Board.

•

The Board is the only group where international students are unable to join.

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Feature

Thursday, February 26, 2015

ISLAMOPHOBIA & ANT McMaster is not immune to the religious discrimination pervading global news. Four students share their experiences.

Christina Vietinghoff Features Editor

2015’s General Assembly became the battleground of a hotbutton issue that still affects many students to this day.

Canadian universities are supposed to be diverse and inclusive.

But just a few weeks ago at Ryerson University, a student union vice-president candidate had his poster defaced with “ISIS for life” scribbled across.

This incident of religious discrimination is just one among many across North America, like Swastikas sprayed outside Jewish fraternity houses and shootings of Muslim students near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

It’s easy to be apathetic about these events as they seem to pass quickly through the news cycle, simply appearing as a blip on your Twitter feed, just another event happening over there, to other people.

But these events are symptomatic of a wider pattern of religious discrimination and xenophobia that also appears at McMaster. Although many of us may not even notice it, religious discrimination is embedded in our university.

The Silhouette talked to four students to better understand the lived reality of religious discrimination.

Although many of us take freedom from religious discrimination for granted, some students experience it so much that they almost become immune to it.

“As a Jewish person you kinda grow up used to it and you become immune to it,” said Sean Haber, a fourth-year student at McMaster and an active member of the Jewish community on campus.

Feature

Thursday, February 26, 2015

www.thesil.ca

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TI-SEMITISM AT MAC “ “Thank god [anti-Semitism] here hasn’t reached the levels it has reached in Europe and some campuses in the states.

There has been anti-Semitism on campus, in some ways it’s subtle, in some ways it’s a lack of the university trying to understand the needs of Jewish students,” said Haber.

This subtle discrimination is also a reality for Muslim students.

Sabeen Kazmi, a fourth-year student and active member of the Muslim community says up front personal discrimination is somewhat rare. “Overall generally in my day-to-day life, I don’t really feel like I’m being discriminated against because of my religion. For the most part people have been very interested in learning about me and my religion.”

Institutionalized discrimination But religious discrimination does not only manifest in person-to-person interactions; it is also woven in to our academic system.

“On an academic level I’ve seen a lot of content that’s been oppressive in many ways. A lot of times professors will teach you things that are not okay.

And you can tell right away they don’t have a training that allows them to be anti-oppressive,” explained Kazmi.

“The content, and materials and courseware can sometimes also be very limiting and restrictive, and you don’t really find your own ethnic group represented adequately in most course wares.”

Discrimination can also manifest in the form of not accommodating religious holidays.

“There are accommodations to deal with exams if exams fall on the Sabbath or on holidays.

A lot of time that goes teacher by teacher. I can tell you I almost failed first year chem because my midterm was on a holiday and at first he was going to make me just fail it, and after fighting with him for a long time he let me put [that percentage] on the exam,” said

I received anti-Semitic messages because of my support for Israel, from strangers. One of them calling me Jewish scum or Zionist scum or something like that and it was all connected to the BDS vote. That’s a pattern that you see not only at McMaster but at campuses around the world.”

Sean Haber Fourth-year McMaster student

Haber.

The problem is that students don’t always feel comfortable reporting this.

“Generally students would kinda be hesitant to go to someone from administration because they’re worried about how it will be handled or if they’ll face repercussions, so they’ll generally come to us and we’ll try to talk to administration, so it’s just important for us to keep those avenues open,” said Ammar Ahmed, President of the McMaster Muslim Students Association.

When asked whether she feels comfortable on campus, Hayley Goldfarb, a third-year student and member of the Jewish community said, “in general yes [I feel comfortable] but there have been specific instances where I definitely didn’t feel comfortable clearly identifying as Jewish on campus, whether that be wearing a Star of David or wearing a shirt with any kind of symbolism on it.”

There is also variation in tolerance and understanding based on faculty.

“From one faculty to the next there might be some differences, because in social science people are more aware of racial discrimination and gender based discrimination,” said Kazmi.

Systemic discrimination also manifests in terms of fewer food options. “[Kosher food options] are not good at all. There are a few kosher snack options on campus, and bridges has a kosher salad bar,” said Haber.

But although these students say more overt discrimination is rare, McMaster has not been completely exempt.

Overt Discrimination More intense anti-Semitism and Islamophobia have existed

at McMaster, when triggered by specific events.

For instance, Kazmi, a peace activist, says in her role advocating for social change, people critique her because of her religion, rather than her ideas.

“That kind of hate has only happened when I’m in a very particular context at the university… For example, I would be called ignorant, ‘your people are barbaric and therefore I am barbaric too and I should just be thankful that I’m in Canada, and stop stirring up trouble.’ Those are very targeted in that they are talking about my identity as a Muslim and they are not criticizing what I’m advocating for.”

But Kazmi was quick to add that many activists face some kind of discrimination.

“This isn’t something that is unique to my experience as a Muslim woman. I think that most activists or people that are advocating for something out of the norm experience it too,” she said.

Discrimination being triggered by specific events or contexts is part of a wider pattern.

“A lot of anti-Israel action on campus will lead to the silencing bullying and harassment of Jewish students,” said Haber.

In particular, Jewish students experienced anti-Semitism in relation to the Boycott Divestment Sanction vote at last year’s MSU General Assembly.

“I received anti-Semitic messages because of my support for Israel, from strangers. One of them calling me Jewish scum or Zionist scum or something like that and it was all connected to the BDS vote,” said Haber.

“That’s a pattern that you see not only at McMaster but at campuses around the world.”

Muslim students also face discrimination when advocating for peace.

“When I’m advocating for anti-war initiatives that’s when people have been really aggressive towards me, and I don’t know why, but somehow it just feels like when I turn on that identity of mine, I become a free target for all, to come and say whatever they want to me,” said Kazmi.

However, preventing discrimination does not mean that critical discussions cannot happen.

“You can criticize the government of Israel and criticize Zionism but it is not okay to criticize people simply because they are Jewish,” said Kazmi.

Fostering religious inclusion Ultimately, students will need to feel empathy for their peers of different religious beliefs in order to foster a safer environmental for all.

Mac Hillel and the McMaster Muslim Student Association have already worked closely together to combat these issues.

“Hillel and the MSA have a great relationship, and that’s something that needs to go forward when combatting anti-Semitism and islamophobia,” said Haber.

In fact, Haber says there are many commonalities in religious discrimination.

“One of the reasons we’re targeted just in general is because we are different. We stick to our own customs and our own rules… We should be proud of how we make ourselves different and how we stick to whatever religious ideology we have,” said Haber.

The dynamic with interfaith collaboration can be positive and fulfilling.

“We do some work with Hillel, with P2C [Power to Change], and we’re having an event in about a week or so with

the Atheist group. The thing is, when you’re working with groups everything is really good because everyone is on the same level ,and we all kind of get it and we like to discuss these topics,” said Ahmed.

“In general, as a student and as a member of society, it’s everyone’s responsibility to look out for everyone. So as a Jew I want to make sure all of my fellow students are comfortable whether that’s in their religion or political beliefs. So in the same way, even if you’re not Jewish, I hope that you would support those who are and hope that they feel comfortable,” said Goldfarb.

Islamophobia and anti-Semitism are not just minor problems; they are barriers to student success.

“For a student that is kind of facing this issue day in and day out it becomes a very suffocating environment for them. They can’t focus entirely on their academics anymore, they are more worried about these other things just because that environment is weighing down on them. It’s honestly a very serious concern if a student is going through that, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly,” said Ahmed.

Religious intolerance is not something you may expect to find at a university like McMaster. But as these students have shared, it is a reality many students do in fact face. @christinavietinghoff

Have you noticed instances of Islamophobia or anti-Semitism on campus?

Join the discussion about this story by visiting www.thesil.ca and let your thoughts be heard.

8

www.thesil.ca

News

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Giroux receives lifetime achievement award McMaster professor Henry Giroux honoured for impact on education and social change Katie Lehwald Contributor

The American Educational Research Association has decided to honour McMaster professor Henry Giroux with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

With more than 25,000 members and an international standing, the association encourages scholarly inquiry into education and disseminates pedagogical research for a wider audience, making findings accessible to educators and students who are not specialists on the topic. Part of the AERA’s goal is to produce tangible, social change along with effective, intentional teaching methods, which is both a theme and focus in Giroux’s work. “[The] university has a responsibility to engage with the larger world in ways that provide the possibility for that world to be a better world, a world that cares about matters of equality and justice and truth,” Giroux said.

This connection between

education and social change is a large part of what Giroux has been trying to accomplish.

At McMaster, Giroux has been involved in teaching English and in the Arts and Science program, while being the Chair of Scholarship in the Public Interest. He is also an established author. His extensive publications include 62 books and 441 journal articles, not to mention the articles he has contributed to alternative media outlets and other books.

His research concentrates on a variety of educational theories, as well as practical and cultural concerns.

The McMaster Institute for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning has provided Giroux with another avenue to continue to work toward this goal.

Giroux had not initially intended to pursue a career in academia. Working as a high school teacher near Brown University, he looked into the university’s course timetable and attended lectures in his spare

time. Initially feeling disconnected from the material, two working-class lecturers changed everything for him.

“All of a sudden I saw examples of working-class people who were doing intellectual work that seemed to have some meaning for me. I could see the problems they were talking about in the neighbourhood that I grew up in […] and I just felt that somehow there was more in life than simply talking to yourself. There was another

world out there that had to be addressed,” said Giroux.

When asked about the key to his success, he said, “you need to be focused, you need to be disciplined, you need to be able to work with other people, and you need to have a vision.

That’s what works. That keeps you going.”

Giroux will be formally recognized for his contributions to the field at the American Educational Research Association’s Annual Meeting in April.

“

You need to have a vision.

That’s what works. That keeps you going.

Henry Giroux McMaster Professor

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www.thesil.ca

Editorial

The Silhouette

Thursday, February 26, 2015

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Shoot for the stars, because if you miss, you probably don’t have a future as a Hollywood photographer.”

William Lou Writer, Blogger, Comment Crusader

Misuse of MOSAIC money With all the excitement to move past the nightmare that was SOLAR, the university is promoting its sequel with many of the same issues

Christina Vietinghoff Features Editor

A hashtag, posters and a four-minute spoken word video, you might think the University was celebrating something drastic and important like reaching gender parity in pay equity or adding some portraits of people of colour other than white to Convocation Hall.

But this extravagant promotional campaign is actually for an information technology system change that began years ago.

McMaster’s move to MOSAIC is not news. Students have been gnashing their teeth about the old system for years and have only been placated by the promises of drastic change come 2015.

Students have been especially keen to move beyond SOLAR, the course registration system to blame for stressful all-nighters to try to register for courses that ultimately end up full. Thankfully MOSAIC does have some cool features to address this (like staggered registration times that means no longer having to stay up until midnight, or later if you’re in a different time zone.)

However, the University ultimately chose a system that will still require students to log in continuously if their course is full.

This means the stress and anxiety of trying to get in to courses will continue. The practice of course-trading and offers of bribery to get seats will also continue. So basically, one of the biggest problems with MUGSI will be re-introduced under the fancy guise of MOSAIC. This is just the problems for students.

With the move to MOSAIC as the new HR system, faculty have been downloaded work that was previously the responsibility of trained administrators.

For example, the new financial system adds more work for faculty that run labs who now have to figure out issues like currency exchange and taxation. Under the old system, trained administrators would quickly handle these responsibilities.

Some professors end up going to the accountants anyways, just to figure it out.

Even with all of these issues, McMaster still chose to celebrate the transition to MOSAIC. The spoken word video, with a dramatic black background, intense piano music and sweeping camera shots frames

“

Students have been especially keen to move beyond SOLAR, the course registration system to blame for stressful allnighters.

SOLAR as a learning experience. It was made by seven people who probably invested a significant amount of time. Time that could be much better spent on informing students how the transition will affect them.

MOSAIC had so much potential.

It could have allowed the university to collect more institutional data on trends like hiring and promotions through a gendered lens. It could have allowed students to get in to courses without days of anxiety.

So is MOSAIC worth celebrating with a specially commissioned spoken word poem and great fanfare?

I’d say save the money and use it towards soliciting proposals for a better system.

to Suzanna

to tampon inflation

to travel-sized catheters

to ‘office use only’

to closure to burnt tongue soup runs to the sportsggestion box to sour ju jubes to prom-duction to media detoxing to Carleton’s good taste to divisive Drake takes to Hamilton reading week shenanigans to our IT guardian angels swooping to our rescue once again to Rob Lowe

to the end of Parks and Recreation to feeding the trolls to disrespect of office supplies to mosaic poetry to ju jubes to knee injuries to busy little bees to shitty campus posters to papyrus to pirates to mail-only applications to not discovering House of Cards soon enough to catch up for season 3

to the aziz nooooooo

Jobs on the horizon

Editor & reporter positions will soon be open for applications. Are you considering spending your time covering stories, designing pages, and honing your writing skills? Come by the MUSC B110 during business hours if you have any questions about a career at The Silhouette. Previous volunteer experience is reccomended, but it’s not too late to get started! Don’t wait too long, or the hiring cycle will be closed for another year.

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Thursday, February 26. 2015

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11

The McMaster Students Union

PRESIDENT’S PAGE BUILDING THE BOARD: BECOMING A VICE PRESIDENT The Board of Directors of the McMaster Students Union (MSU) functions as a team, with three Vice Presidents working alongside the President to support and implement each other’s projects and agendas. Individuals interested in running for a VP position will present themselves to the Student Representative Assembly (SRA) at a special meeting in early April. Subsequently, the SRA will elect the VPs for the 2015/2016 term. Those interested in learning more about the process should contact any sitting VP or the MSU Speaker at speaker@msu.mcmaster.ca.

VP (Administration)

VP (Education)

VP (Finance)

JACOB BRODKA

RODRIGO NARRO PÉREZ

SCOTT MALLON

vpadmin@msu.mcmaster.ca

vped@msu.mcmaster.ca

vpfinance@msu.mcmaster.ca

As Vice President (Administration) of the MSU, I have had a wealth of opportunities to interact with a wide variety of groups and individuals within the University, as well as throughout the wider Hamilton community.

However, in addition to having the chance to build relationships with so many unique individuals throughout my term, I was also able to develop a personal vision, and implement projects that have a positive impact on the students who call this campus home.

Beyond the meaningful work and conversations in which I have been immersed, this role was also a fantastic opportunity for me to develop

my professional skills.

Over this past year, I can sincerely say I have not only refined my practical workplace skills, but also learned a lot about myself in the process. No two days are the same when working and interacting with hundreds of staff and volunteers in an organization with so many moving parts.

Be it through student orientation, improvement of MSU services, or the development of programs and initiatives, if you are passionate about McMaster student life and are looking for a platform to enact positive change, you should consider running for a Vice Presidential position.

In my role of Vice President (Education), I have been able to grow both personally and professionally. The main responsibilities of this position include advocating for the enhancement of students’ undergraduate experience at the university level, as well as the municipal, provincial, and federal levels of jurisdiction. A successful educational experience is dependent on numerous factors that often lie outside the classroom. It is for this reason that the VP (Education) deals with academic matters, as well as student financial assistance, mental health, and community engagement. While the position consists of a broad portfolio,

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.

there are essential skills the VP (Education) should possess. As the MSU prides itself on research-based advocacy, the ability to conduct research, perform analyses, and communicate information to a wide audience, are very important.

If you have an interest in improving the post-secondary education of your peers through research, policy, and advocacy, then I encourage you to run for this position. I have found it to be an incredible experience filled with challenging but rewarding moments. At the end of the day, I will cherish everything I’ve learned in this job.

My time as Vice President (Finance) has been one of the best and most rewarding experiences of my life. Like any opportunity, it has come with its fair share of rough patches. Nonetheless, it has allowed me to grow on both a personal and professional level.

People often think they need an extensive knowledge of longterm versus short-term debt financing and the stock mark. In reality, the VP (Finance) works in conjunction with accounting and financial professionals of the MSU. As the VP (Finance), the larger part of your portfolio

will consist of advising Part-Time Managers as to how best to allocate their financial resources.

A broad skillset is required to fulfill the role of VP (Finance).

To succeed in the position, one must think critically and logically, whilst operating under public scrutiny.

While the role is not without its challenges, it is an opportunity to grow as a person while implementing positive change on campus. If you think you may enjoy the position, I highly encourage you to reach out to learn more.

TEDDY

SCOTT MALLON

NARRO PÉREZ

RODRIGO

JACOB

President

VP (Finance)

VP (Education)

VP (Administration)

SAULL

BRODKA

12

www.thesil.ca

Around Campus

Around Campus

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Eliza Pope Photo Reporter

“What’s the most wonderful place you’ve ever been?”

“I would say Malaysia. It was a small island in Malaysia, and it was absolutely gorgeous. I love being in nature, and we were just completely surrounded by it. I stepped off the plane and my first thought was ‘gorgeous.’ It was breathtaking.”

“What’s one place you’d never want to go back, and why?”

“High school. I was mad depressed.”

“What’s one place you’ll never forget?”

“BSB 147. It was my first university experience— the first place I went to. And I thought ‘wow. This is a lecture hall— it’s huge!’”

“So what kind of memories do you have there?”

“Very mixed memories.”

“And you?”

“Same thing.”

Around Campus

Thursday, February 26, 2015

www.thesil.ca

13

HAVE A STORY TO TELL? EMAIL PHOTO@THESIL.CA AND BE ON THIS PAGE!

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Join Us at our Open House Events starting March 14 Learn more at mohawkcollege.ca/openhouse

#MacTalks: ThursTea

MSF Annual Art Showcase 2015

Personal Discovery Course part 1

When: February 27, 2015 at 09:00AM until February 28, 2015 at 04:00PM

When: March 02, 2015 from 10:30AM until 07:00PM

Where: MUSC Marketplace and McMaster Museum of Art Education Gallery

Where: MUSC 215e

Campus Community. At this ThursTeas

We would like to cordially invite you

self-development series free from cost,

we will also have guest sippers, Rodrigo

to the Médecins Sans Frontières Art

stress, and exams.

Perez and Alan Rheaume, joining us from

Showcase: Who I Am, Who We Are! The

the MSU to discuss an initiative called

purpose of our event is to foster creative

MacTalks. Join us in the SWELL (MUSC

expression, as well as raise awareness for

B118) 10:30am-11:20am.

Medecins Sans Frontieres/ Doctors With-

When: February 26, 2015 from 10:30AM until 11:30AM Where: SWELL (MUSC B118) Join us for a cup of tea and a conversation centered on mental health and well-being and Creating a Supportive

A course on values, goals, and living fully engaged . The course is a four week

Register here: www.opencircle.mcmaster.ca/pdc

West Africa.

Student Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy - Findings and Recommendations

A MacSwing Special Event with the Solomon Douglas Trio

Weekend Warriors: Laugh Factory!

When: March 03, 2015 from 07:00PM until 11:00PM

When: February 26, 2015 from 12:00PM until 01:00PM

When: February 28, 2015 from 08:00PM until 11:00PM

Where: Westdale United Church (99 North Oval)

Where: CIBC Hall

Where: Twelveighty

MacSwing is very excited to offer a spe-

MSU Campus Events and Rez Life are

cial night of dancing to the live musical

proud to announce that comedian Dylan

offerings of the Solomon Douglas Trio.

Mandlsohn and special guests Arthur Sim-

Any questions Email,

eon and Shawn McLaren will be perform-

macswingclub@gmail.com.

out Borders’ current fight against ebola in

#MacTalks: McMaster

Join co-leads, Dr. Catharine Munn and Allison Drew-Hassling as they discuss the findings, recommendations and campus priorities for the McMaster Student Mental Health & Well-Being Strategy.

ing at Mac! On February 28th, these hilarious comedians will be taking the stage in Twelveighty. Doors open at 8:00PM. Admission: $3.00 + HST student tickets (all ages) & $5.00 + HST guest tickets (19+). Tickets now available at Compass!

The Silhouette

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Opinion

www.thesil.ca

15

THIS WEEK Assisted Suicide Was the Supreme court’s decision truly a landmark case?

Teaching at Mac McMaster needs to address the quality of teaching among tenured professors.

PAGE 16

PAGE 17

Canada’s War on Terror

How Bill C-51 will fuel anti-Muslim sentiments within our borders and jeopardize Canadian values Dareen El-Sayed Contributor

After the murder of three young Muslims in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, one begins to wonder why anti-Muslim sentiments have reached the extent they have today in the United States.

Extreme Islamophobic sentiments have not always existed in the United States. It all started with George Bush’s infamous “War on Terror” that began in 2001. The rise of this so-called “war” did much more than physical damage in the Middle East. It also radicalized the perception of Muslims in West.

“

The Islamophobic hate crimes we see happening in America today might be in our own news tomorrow.

Suddenly, a religion with 1.6 billion followers was being framed by the actions of a few. The start of the War on Terror was when anti-Muslim sentiments began seeping into legislation in the United States.

It allowed for a grand generalization that clumped Muslims together as a group to fear.

It meant that the police could be more suspicious of a man with a beard, and that airport security checks would be double the hassle if you had Mohamed as your last name, or worse, if you happened to wear a headscarf. Slowly, it became okay to publicly use terms such as “Islamists” which denotes that those whom commit terrorist attacks are those who follow this dangerous religion of Islam.

It became normal for media

outlets to make instant associations between Islam and terrorism. It became normal to announce that the religion of Islam was one to be feared.

With media outlets like Fox News and leaders like George Bush, it was not hard to antagonize Muslims in the United States. Hate crimes increased, racism and discrimination were sparked, and intolerances were developed. What used to be a country for everyone was slowly showing that those who choose to follow a certain religion were not as welcome as others.

The perception has been that this problem does not exist in Canada, as a country that is a beautiful mosaic of cultures and backgrounds.

But this has all changed and will continue to change if Harper’s anti-terror bill, Bill C-51, is made into law. This bill is our government’s very own War on Terror.

Bill C-51 is a vague bill that should worry every Canadian for multiple reasons. Firstly, it allows the government to employ a system of mass surveillance to monitor and collect our personal information. Secondly, it would make it more dangerous to protest or plan protests against Canadian policies since such actions could be criminalized. This would stifle the work of environmental, indigenous and other social justice groups.

Thirdly, this bill presented by Harper’s government would make it easier to obtain arrest warrants, allow for Canadians to be held in custody for up to seven days without charges, and makes use of the principle of “preventative detention” which is the ability to jail any individual deemed suspicious even if no criminal activity has taken place.

Although the bill would be enforced on all Canadians, it targets a specific group of people that Harper’s government is keen on associating with terrorism. As NDP leader Thomas Mulcair said, “the Prime Minister singles out Canada’s Muslim community.” Our government

is antagonizing Muslims in the same way the Bush administration did.

Harper denounced terrorism in a speech earlier this month, saying that “it doesn't matter what the age of the person is, or whether they're in a basement, or whether they're in a mosque or somewhere else.” The Prime Minister of our country blatantly labeled mosques as a source of terrorism, and he seems to think there is nothing wrong with such an intolerant and troubling claim.

This bill will instill the fear of terrorism deep into Canadian society, just like America’s War on Terror did.

On this same mission to incite fear, Bush said, “you’re either with us, or you’re with the terrorists,” and today Harper does the same as he forces Canadians to either choose between the Harper government and the terrorists. But choosing the Harper government would also mean choosing to protect oil companies and their interests.

The anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States could not have reached the level it has today without the War on Terror, the Bush Administration, and biased media. However, what was once an American problem is now seeping into our Canadian soil, and the Islamophobic hate crimes we see happening in America today might be in our own news tomorrow.

This bill annihilates the peace and tolerance this country has and replaces it with fear and antagonism. For these reasons we simply cannot follow through with this Canadian War on Terror. As a country that celebrates diverse backgrounds and embraces freedom and liberty, where Crosby’s winning goal in an Olympic hockey game unites us from coast to coast, the Great White North will not give in to manufactured antagonism incited by a government that further proves it does not represent us.

JON WHITE/PHOTO EDITOR

Spying on citizens The impact of the NSA and other cybersurveillance programs Juana Luck Contributor

The highly awarded documentary Citizenfour from director Laura Poitras is based on the uncovering of the NSA spying scandal. Its counterpart, written by journalist Glen Greenwald, is a book called No Place To Hide and delves deep into the story of Edward Snowden and its repercussions of the NSA surveillance state. In June 2013, Poitras and Greenwald worked together with Snowden to publish his story.

Reading No Place To Hide was a steady learning curve for me, and I highly recommended it to anyone who is even slightly interested in personal freedom and rights. While I reflected over Greenwald's arguments, I played the devil's advocate and tried to find reasons for all the invasiveness and deception the people of the U.S. and the world are subjected to.

Countries have arguably

always been in competition with each other in order to protect themselves from other nations or to secure resources and space. Therefore, it could be argued that it is only natural for a country to strive for advancement in order to protect themselves against nations who may not be peaceful. The U.S. has vast resources and advanced technology available to them, so it makes sense for them to use these to their advantage.

It also makes sense to keep this information undisclosed to the public so that the NSA can gain the most insight into criminals’ plans through open channels of communication.

Terrorist attacks can be prevented, or at least considerably slowed down, by policing “intelligent communication,” such as internet and telephone communication.

Continued on PAGE 16

16

www.thesil.ca

Opinion

Thursday, February 26, 2015

The right to life and death The future of the physician-assisted suicide debate after the Supreme Court’s decision Stephen Mantler Contributor

It’s been called a landmark case.

And indeed, lifting the ban on assisted suicide should be a landmark case, one where individual rights override state authority. But I think if it truly is a landmark cause then it ought to be the last of its kind.

The fear that could have marked this case as unresolved was the potential for the ban to be lifted only for those with a terminal illness. The insufficiency here is that the blanket prohibition would only be pulling down its cover slightly when the blanket should be entirely stripped off the bed.

Putting it plainly, assisted suicide should be made available to all who seek it, regardless of a terminal illness.

Well enough, the Supreme Court of Canada has avoided this shortcoming, setting the base on which Parliament can

build constitutionally sound legislation.

The SCC specifically dodged this limitation in their second requisite for euthanasia seekers, whereby the patient must have a “grievous and irremediable medical condition (including an illness, disease or disability) that causes enduring suffering that is intolerable to the individual in the circumstance of his or her condition.” This may seem oddly close to my former protest, only expanding the scope slightly, and I admit I would have favoured a softer lexicon, but, satisfactorily, Parliament now has the privilege to establish what constitutes these conditions. But something that must be acknowledged is that one does not need to have a medical condition to be in a grievous, intolerable state of suffering. Even better, one does not need to be suffering in order to have the will to commit suicide.

This perspective places great emphasis on individual autonomy. A person content with their passage to death should be able to pursue the dignified end that physicianassisted suicide offers solely on the account of their volition.

To have it any other way is to deny the healthy suicide because they were not unfortunate enough to develop a crippling or insufferable medical condition.

If you are still unconvinced by this appeal to human decency then it should be tersely noted that some of the salient arguments voiced by the Supreme court

“

do carry over to the complete emancipation of the suicidal.

In S.7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees “the right to life, liberty, and security of the person,” the Court found that “life” is not just the preservation of life, which would create a coercive “duty to live,” but a right to life “during the passage to death.” Can it not be held that the healthy, along with the unhealthy, are equally entitled to waive their right to life?

Regarding “liberty,” the court determined that the prohibition wrongly “interferes with their ability to make deci-

Can it not be held that the healthy, along with the unhealthy, are equally entitled to waive their right to life?

sions concerning their bodily integrity.” A medical condition is irrelevant to this interference.

And concerning “security of the person,” it was argued that the prohibition wrongly leaves people to be consumed in their intolerable pain. Well, it is implicit that a suicidal person does not want to live, so forbidding any suicide is to make them live, until they resort to self-suicide, thereby still violating their security.

The right to a self-determined death is from the mere fact that you have life and that death is coming. The Courts have done an admirable job, but if you have any life in you, which I am sure you do, then join in the demand for legislation that tells you the obvious: that your life is your life. If not, it will only be time before the Courts have to settle this debate once and for all in what will then be the landmark case.

Cybersurveillance and freedom of speech Continued from PAGE 15

Canadian thinker Harold Innis explored the notion of the effects of communication technology on a society. The internet, besides making us stupid as some academics like Nicholas Carr have argued, has other effects on a civilization with its promise of almost instant and free communication for a large segment of the world. With this tremendous change brought upon us through the dawn of Web 2.0, I can honestly say that I am unsure what exactly the repercussions would be, whether positive or negative.

However, the importance of law and order is obvious. The internet being policed makes as much sense to me as Hamilton possessing a police station. So theoretically, I am not opposed to someone keeping watch over intelligent communication.

Problems with this arise, of course, when this power to police is abused. While optimistic at the beginning of reading Glen Greenwald's account of the story, I soon understood that the NSA was not using their powers solely to keep terrorist attacks from happening.

Instead, they used their spying abilities to gain economic, diplomatic, “and an all-purpose global advantage.” Greenwald's

mention of operation “SIGINT” exemplifies this, as it elaborates on the spying on U.N. Permanent Representatives to find out about their personal positions regarding a “vote on sanctions against Iran,” thus gaining diplomatic advantage.

All these things aside, the biggest problem for me arose once the book explained that the U.S. government used their extensive surveillance system to maintain the status quo. Many people are indifferent to intelligent communication surveillance because they know their life is somewhat boring and insignificant to the NSA since they “don't do anything wrong.”

However, what needs to be considered is how the people in power define wrongdoing. According to Greenwald, a “state will view any challenge to its powers as wrongdoing” and it goes beyond illegal acts, violent behaviour and terrorist plots.

It comes as no surprise, then, that Greenwald himself was considered a terrorist since his reporting on the Snowden files led to a public uproar and had an irreversible effect on the U.S. government. “The true measure of a society's freedom,” Greenwald claims, “is how it treats its dissidents and other marginalized groups, not how it treats good loyalists.” As

Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, said: “the NSA is very much reminiscent of the Stasi, the secret police of East Germany.”

As studies have shown, government surveillance has psychological effects on people and inhibits their freedom of speech. Through the uncovering of the Snowden files, the U.S. now exists in the next phase of the surveillance state, in which the surveillance is

overt and citizens know that their intelligent communication is being observed. The fact that the filmmaker of Citizenfour, Laura Poitras, edited the film in Berlin because she was afraid the U.S. government would seize her source material proves that the government is obstructing rights to freedom of speech when they collide with their own agenda and pose a threat to their power.

It is important to not adopt

a position of indifference. By supporting companies and software that do not hand over your private information to the NSA, you are indirectly voting for people's rights to privacy.

The boycott of Skype, Google, Yahoo and Facebook would send a powerful message to these companies saying that people value their rights, do not want to be surveyed and will take active measures to protect their freedoms.

Last Sunday, Feb. 22, Citizenfour director, Laura Poitras, won an Oscar for her film featuring Edward Snowden.

C/O WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Opinion

Thursday, February 26, 2015

FEEDBACK

What are your professor pet peeves?

www.thesil.ca

17

Teaching

quality at Mac Alex Recio Contributor

Yue Wang

Jeremy Hennessy

Environmental Sciences III

“English is my second language so it is hard to understand the professors when they have broken up sentences and don’t finish their train of thought.”

Communications and French II

“Sometimes professors go off on a tangent and it isn’t related to the class content. It is hard to stay focused on what material is intended for the lecture and what is added story telling.”

Katherine Marino

Ehima Osazuwa

Environmental Sciences IV

“When they go through slides too quickly and you miss important details or when you can’t pay attention to what they’re saying because you’re too busy copying down the slides.”

Chem. Eng. & Management V

“Professors who are inconsiderate and do not listen to your reasoning when you need an extension on an assignment. “

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communityservices.humber.ca

McMaster is an institution that prides itself on providing a high quality of teaching. Throughout the years, it has invested in various initiatives to help ensure that the expectations of students, in this regard, are satisfactorily met, through initiatives like the McMaster Institute for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning, more commonly known as MIIETL. It does this by “encouraging, supporting and collaborating with the teaching community in the scholarly exploration, innovation, evaluation and dissemination of teaching and learning practices.”

One of MIIETL’s main undertakings has been the development and implementation of the Learning Portfolio, a tool designed to help students reflect on their academic experiences.

Although the university should definitely be commended for supporting such projects, the question of whether or not its efforts to maintain a good calibre of teaching have been successful remains.

As a student, it is very frustrating to hear how McMaster boasts about being at the forefront of teaching and learning, when so many people have to sit through lectures where a professor makes absolutely no sense every day. I am sure that most people have had this sort of experience at some point in their university career. After a while, everyone realizes that going to class is useless and by the end of term you can count the few, faithful followers who continue to show up on your fingers. Before the final, you are forced to teach the entire course to yourself because that is the only way you can actually understand the material.

Needless to say, this familiar story shows that the role of a teacher within a classroom is crucial. They have the power to make or break an entire course.

Be that as it may, the issue goes beyond how unpleasant it is to hear a professor ramble on nonsensically. University is expensive. Thousands of students at McMaster are burying themselves in debt to come here and receive a worthwhile education. It is supposed to be an investment in our future, and I can’t help but feel that we are all being shortchanged.

If we wanted to teach entire

courses to ourselves, we would just enroll in online classes for a fraction of the cost. I understand that we’re not in grade school anymore and that we can’t expect to be held by the hand our entire lives. I also understand that knowing how to study independently hones important skills that are useful in more ways than one. This doesn't change the fact that it is unfair to place students in the hands of professors who have no idea how to teach. They may be brilliant, knowledgeable, and incredibly nice people, but the reality is that putting them behind a podium doesn’t do students any favours. It hinders our ability to learn and sets us up to fail in the future because at the end of the course we only leave with a vague knowledge of the concepts.

“

It is unfair to place students in the hands of professors who have no idea how to teach.

The university has to address this prevalent problem. It must work on creating a more effective feedback mechanism so that students feel that their opinion is being heard and that it actually matters. Some of the money that is funneled every year to fund organizations like MIIETL could perhaps be better used to help retain assistant professors who have demonstrated a passion for teaching.

The root of the issue might lie in the bureaucracy that governs post-secondary institutions. After all, professors who have tenure cannot be dismissed, no matter how bad their reviews from students may be. This shows that there is clearly something wrong within the system itself. There are obviously some fantastic teachers at Mac. As long as they remain in the minority, however, the university is failing its students.

18

Opinion

www.thesil.ca

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Medical reporting in the media

Why increasing numbers of people living with HIV and cancer is actually great news

WITH HIV IN THE

1

PEOPLE LIVING

1

NUMBER OF

98

98

9

99

8

our higher life expectancy at each one for relying on shock least partially accounts for the and fear to capture attention rise in cancer rates. In reports and stand out from the compeabout AIDS, they could share tition. However, when scientific that an increase in the number information is conveyed in of people with AIDS means that medical news, extra care should fewer people are succumbing to be taken in order to ensure that its symptoms. In this case, the the statistics presented are not media has the power to make a misconstrued. Because most decision: alarm the public due people do not regularly check to dangers that do not exist, the latest medical journals for or inform and educate them updates, the media is often the appropriately. only channel informing the The media is free to write general public about the latest all the shocking and distresshealthcare statistics. Therefore, ing headlines it wants about the media has a responsibility the latest celebrity break-up to present information in a or political scandal, but when manner that educates the public reporting healthcare informaeffectively without causing tion, it needs make sure that the unnecessary panic. public is accurately informed, In articles about cancer, not unduly journalists could explain that 0 01 alarmed, by 4 what is 00 printed.

2

that more people are at risk for cancer because they are living longer than ever before, without dying from something else first.

Similarly, the number of people living with AIDS worldwide is steadily increasing because they are not dying from AIDS anymore. This change is caused by improved medical care for those infected with HIV. This is why these headlines are at least partially good news. In some aspects, we should be grateful that we are living long enough to get cancer. Many people who live in developing countries, where famine and war are still common, do not live long enough for cancer to become a concern.

In a world saturated by media outlets, it’s hard to fault

2

We are bombarded with alarming medical statistics on the daily. “One in two people in the U.K. will get cancer,” screamed a recent report from Cancer Research U.K., presenting a significant increase from the previous estimate of one in three people. “35 million people worldwide are living with AIDS,” warned AIDS.org, a total higher than ever before.

Unfortunately, these statistics are usually delivered in a way that inspires fear and dismay, when they are partially good news in disguise.

The media often reports cancer as an increasing global concern, with the number

of people at risk of getting cancer consistently on the rise.

Similarly, the total number of people with AIDS keeps increasing with each news cycle.

While these reports are technically correct, they often fail to account for one thing: people are getting cancer more often and more people are living with AIDS not because these diseases are mutating out of control or becoming more infectious, but because people are becoming healthier overall.

So how can rising levels of people with cancer and AIDS ever be a good thing?

An individual’s risk for cancer increases steadily with age. In fact, more than 60 percent of all cases of cancer are diagnosed in people aged over 65. This means

1

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Sports - THE LEAGUE - AT -

LARGE

The OUA did what?

Starting in 2015, OUA football teams will be only be allowed to have three jerseys and two helmets.

Athlete to watch

Danny Demyanenko Men's volleyball › 1st-team All-Canadian

The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca

19

THIS WEEK McMaster: WORLDWIDE Part two of a look at McMaster women's volleyball's international talent.

McMaster's playoff basketball run starts this Saturday Our previews will give you the low-down on Mac's ambitions.

PAGE 22

PAGE 20

Demyanenko didn't win CIS Player of the Year. That extra motivation could push the Marauders further in the tournament and give them their first national championship.

Track blazer Jeff Tweedle › 1000 m PB: 2:25

At the Valentine's Invitational meet in Boston, Jeff Tweedle broke the McMaster team record for a 1000m race. The original record was set in 1986. Tweedle finished 3rd in a race against NCAA D1 atheletes.

Unfinished business

Two seniors eye a national championship to cap their decorated careers Laura Sinclair Asst. Sports Editor

When it comes to the sport of volleyball, a lot of Marauders take it very seriously.

The men’s and women’s team put a lot of time into their training and preparation every single day, and when they’re not practicing on the court, they’re putting in time with strength, conditioning and mental preparation off of the court.

Austin Campion-Smith and Jori Mantha are just two examples of Marauders that have managed to take the sport as far as they can, both at the collegiate level and on a national level.

Although both athletes have been outstanding contributions to the Marauders program throughout the years, they feel like their work here is not done.

After coming back from the CIS Championships without a gold medal for two years in a row, their goal here is clear.

They came back to win a national championship as a Marauder before they end their collegiate volleyball career.

While Campion-Smith is one of the best setters in the league, he has a humble upbringing in how he has gotten to where he is today.

“I wasn’t a big name, no other school wanted me, I didn’t get a scholarship to come here at all, when I came here, Dave pretty much said you’ll be a red shirt in your first year,” said Campion-Smith.

“But things kind of just went my way, one of our setters quit, and I was just kind of the only guy here, so that started my journey here at Mac.” Campion-Smith was originally set on coming to Mac after watching his cousin Josh Lichty play on the team as a setter for four years.

He was instantly captivated by the atmosphere, level of

play, and the coaching of Dave Preston.

In his grade 12 year, McMaster was the only school that he applied to.

“I just wanted to come here to play volleyball. So I didn’t apply anywhere else,” said Campion-Smith.

In his first-year as a setter, Campion-Smith managed to pull off the unthinkable, and help the team upset the Western Mustangs and win an OUA Championship in the Western gym.

This marked the start of good things to come for the freshmen setter.

“He ended up starting in his first-year and that wasn’t a plan that he and I had discussed,” said Preston.

In his time at McMaster, Campion-Smith was the setter on the court for three out of four OUA Championships won.

For his final year, Campion-Smith is one of five captains for the team, as voted by his teammates.

“I’ve never been a great speaker or people person, but they decided to vote me in as a captain,” said Campion-Smith.

“That was one of my proudest moments because it came from the team.”

Preston believes that Campion-Smith’s leadership abilities are one of the main transitions that he has made from a freshman to a senior.

“He’s grown as a leader, he has an ability to influence people around him rather than just do his own thing in his quiet and calm way.”

Campion-Smith will always be a supporter of the team, and he’ll never forget his time playing for McMaster.

“I’ll definitely be wearing maroon for the rest of my life for sure,” said Campion-Smith.

For Mantha, his is a story of skill and success from when he first started playing the sport.

Although he started to pursue volleyball seriously when

Mantha and CampionSmith (kissing the trophy) have won four OUA championships at McMaster.

C/O ALISTAIR BOULBY

he was in grade seven, he didn’t join a club team until he was in grade ten.

That year, he played on his high school team. The squad went undefeated.

The team went on to win Quad-A OFSAA in that same year.

“I’ve never been on a team that has had to struggle to do well,” said Mantha.

His volleyball skills were recognized early on by coaches everywhere.

In his grade 12 year, Mantha was the top recruit in the province, and every coach in Ontario made a run for him.

But the decision to come to Mac was an easy one for two reasons.

One—he has a large family-base here, with his grandma and his two aunts that come out to support him in his matches and that he visits regularly.

“They make me food and

bring me food or I stay at their house for the night which is huge too,” said Mantha.

“So the support system I have around Mac is a huge influence for me coming here.”

And two—Preston recruited him and drew him in to want to compete for the program in a way that no other coach that had talked to him did.

“There’s a lot of coaches that I talked to that promised things, like you’re looking at a starting position in your first year, and we have a great program, I like Dave because he was different,” said Mantha.

Preston promised Mantha that if he put the work in that needed to be done, then maybe he would get a shot to be a starter.

He promised Mantha that once he did this, he would get a shot to prove himself even further.

“He was a lot more real

than some of the other coaches that I talked to,” said Mantha.

As it turned out, Preston was equally captivated by Mantha.

After doing some research on Mantha, he found his club team’s website.

In the bio section, under goals and aspirations, Mantha put “to be the best player in the world.”

“That’s a pretty bold statement for a 17-year-old man to make, it’s an even more bold statement for you to put on a website, and for you to put on paper and let the rest of the world see that this is what you’re going to hold yourself accountable to,” said Preston.

After five valuable years of experience at McMaster, Mantha has learned to put the hard work in to become the best player he possibly can be.

“I think culminated in Continued onitPAGE 21

20

Sports

www.thesil.ca

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Marauders to take on the Thunderwolves Mac is gearing up to face the Lakehead Thunderwolves in the OUA playoffs. They are ranked first overall in the OUA central division Sofia Mohamed Sports Reporter

With team points added and the final Rating Percentage Index calculated, playoffs season is upon us and the McMaster women’s basketball team are ready to go far.

Ending off the season on a 15-4 record, the Marauders have been awarded a bye through the first round of playoffs after finishing fourth in the conference.

On Feb. 28, the McMaster Marauders will take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves. In a matchup that saw these two teams competing twice before at home, the teams split wins for the weekend as Lakehead won the first game 69-65 and McMaster revised play from the previous night and won the second 65-54.

To advance, the Marauders will have to limit action from Lakehead guard Jylisa Williams who is the leading scorer for her

team. Scoring half of her team’s points in the weekend games against McMaster, it is obvious that the only person standing in the way of the Marauders continuing their season is Williams, who is now the holder of the Ontario University Athletics single-game and single-season scoring records.

Thankfully for McMaster, there are a few key contributors adding points on the board.

Third year guard Danielle Boiago not only plays big minutes but also averages 18.9 points per game and has been a key factor in McMaster’s success. After sitting out a few games due to an injury suffered during a game against Queen’s, the coaching staff is optimistic that third-year forward Clare Kenney will be able to play and do what she does best, regulate the glass. We can also expect to see help from Rachael Holmes and rookie Hilary Hanaka. The Marauder bench will have to add numbers to their names on the score sheet as bench points is something the team can improve upon.

As the season progressed, McMaster has had their ups and downs. With a game that will be telling of the team’s future, it is important for the Central division champions to set a winning tone early. If the Marauders can gain momentum and pay attention to detail both offensively and defensively, there is no reason for them not to come out on top.

Every minute of every quarter counts, and if McMaster dominates right from the jump ball, the idea of the team heading into the locker room with a win does not seem unrealistic.

Home-court advantage is a bonus and will help create an atmosphere to win.

OUA’s “Quest for The Cup” is on and we will see how hungry this McMaster Marauder squad is to make their way back to nationals for the first time since 2010.

Burridge Gym will be the place to be on Saturday, Feb. 28 as the Marauders will compete against the Lakehead Thunderwolves in the OUA quarterfinals. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.

C/O JON WHITE

Mac prepares for the CIS Final 8

C/O jON WHITE Jaycee Cruz Contributor

Buzzer beaters, Cinderella runs, unexpected upsets, breakout performances and gritty wins are but some of the characteristics that define postseason university basketball. The postseason is a new season, a blank slate where a team’s sole objective is to win each game

that comes its way in the hopes of bringing a national championship to campus.

The postseason is also where the road ends. The McMaster men’s basketball team is hoping that end happens in mid-March at the CIS Final 8 tournament.

With a 100-51 win over Algoma at home on Feb. 21 the Marauders finished the regular season with an impressive 17-3

record (16-3 OUA record, 9-0 at home, 8-3 on the road). Despite finishing 17-3, Mac’s three losses came at the hands of the teams that are ranked above them nationally, the teams that they need to beat to rise to the top. The losses to No. 1 Carleton, No. 2 Ottawa and No. 3 Ryerson all took place away from Burridge.

“We got beat pretty significantly at those places. I can be happy that we took care of the things we took care of in the other games this season but I don’t know if we can say that we took a step that we needed to,” said Connolly. “But to be 17-3 is an accomplishment. We haven’t performed at that level since I’ve been here. We were 18-4 last year so three losses is something that we can be positive about, but it’s a brand new season starting now.”

The slate is clean, but the horizon ahead is nothing less than difficult with potential matchups against provincial powerhouses like Carleton, Ottawa and Ryerson.

“If you look at the playoffs right now it’s a very challenging scenario. The reality is that we

might see the first, second, third and fifth-ranked teams in the country in the next two weeks,” Connolly said. “There’s nothing in our playoff run that I would consider to be a game less than 100 percent challenging. It’s the curse and beauty of playing in the OUA.” Prior to their OUA quarterfinal at home this weekend, Mac will prepare like they have all season to ensure they are ready for the playoffs once the show starts. Whether it is physical preparation, emotional preparation, or mental preparation, Mac will be ready once tipoff comes Saturday afternoon.

“I don’t think we change our prep. We’ve done it the same way the whole year. The game plan changes with different teams but not the way you game plan. At this point there’s not a lot of luck,” said Connolly.

“That’s not what it’s about. It’s about preparation and your execution. What we need to do right now is have a great week this week, win that game on Saturday and get ourselves into the Final Four.”

Players and coaches alike know that this time of the year

is different. If not already done, this is when individual agendas are dropped in favor of the collective goals of the team. It takes sacrifice and selflessness to keep national title dreams alive. The vibe from the team and coaching staff is one of confidence, focus and positivity.

“This is probably the biggest thing. I think the team knows where we have to be emotionally at this time of the year. I think they’re aware of what needs to be focused on and what needs to be put aside. I think we all understand that this is where you have to get individual issues off the table,” Connolly said. “I think everyone gets that. I think that’s why we’re in a good place mentally.

I think everyone here understands that it’s time to stop considering yourself in any way because it’s about the team.”

Mac hosts the OUA quarterfinal at home in Burridge this Saturday, Feb. 28. Tip-off is at 3 p.m.

Sports

www.thesil.ca

STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES NOTIFICATION TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES FOR APRIL 2015 FINAL EXAM ACCOMMODATIONS

Campion-Smith and Mantha played key role in Mac’s recent success plans of starting his own business in landscaping.

“I think it culminated in Mantha’s goal of playing one year with him being the professionally is a very serious OUA player of the year and the one, and he would love to get previous year with him being the opportunity to represent his named the OUA MVP,” said country someday.

Preston.

“My greatest dream before Mantha is also one of the playing pro, before playing evfive captains of the team, and erything, was always to play for has taken his role very seriously.

Team Canada. And that’s where, “Mantha appears on the hopefully in the future, I’d like outside to be pretty care-free, to be, that’s the goal.” he loves to play loose, he loves While both of these athletes to play with a lot of passion, but have had very different paths deep down it means a lot to him in where they have come to be to be a good guy and a good today, where they are now, and teammate,” said Preston. where they would like to see Off the court, Mantha themselves in the future, they likes to rally the happen to have troops and try one major thing to get everyone in common: together to enjoy Their character. their experience It goes beyond as a Marauder. volleyball, and While beyond compeMantha is known tition, it is part for getting the of the reason team to let loose why they are and have a good so successful in time, he has had what they do, a serious impact and is part of on the team the reason why when it comes to they are back their play on the here, doing court. everything At their twothey can to day exhibition win a first-evtournament at er national Ohio State early championship on in the season, for McMaster Mantha made volleyball.

Dave Preston a team-room “The Head Coach speech that the common thread team has been is that they rallying behind all season. are both outstanding human “In his own words and in beings,” said Preston. his own way, he summarized his Their story at McMaster career here but just put it in a is one that is incomplete. They way that everybody completely came back in order to finish understood it,” said Preston. their story in a way that they “My light bulb went off and can be satisfied with. They came said ‘wow, he gets it now.’” back to get the chance to finish Campion-Smith and the story the right way.

Mantha still have their eyes on Preston has all the faith in winning nationals as the end of the world for these two outtheir collegiate volleyball career standing athletes, that they will is almost coming to a close. be able to conclude their story Volleyball will still be a at McMaster in an amazing way. very important aspect of both of “I think there’s a couple their lives, however, as they will more weeks in the story, there’s both try to pursue a career in a a couple more chapters and you professional league in Europe don’t get to pick your own endafter training full-time in Gatin- ings in life. The chapters can’t eau, Que. be written before they happen, For Campion-Smith, if this but I really like where this story goal does not work out, he has is going.”

Continued from PAGE 19

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I think there’s a couple more weeks in the story, there’s a couple more chapters ... The chapters can’t be written before they happen, but I really like where this story is going.

Sports

Thursday, February 26, 2015

22

www.thesil.ca

From Switzerland to the Burridge Gym Part two in our look at the international talent of Mac’s women’s volleyball team John Bauer Contributor

McMaster has been drawing international students for most of its 127 years of existence.

Among them are those who represent the Marauders and their home countries both on the scoresheet and in the classroom. Volleyball teammates on the court and good friends off it, Ina Onat and Nicole Goricanec have taken roundabout journeys from living abroad to home games at Burridge Gymnasium. They tell their stories in this two-part series.

A long road to Mac When you think of beach volleyball, the Swiss Alps generally do not come to mind. Far from a volleyball hotbed, the small town Giubiasco, nestled at the base of the Alps, is exactly where Marauders outside hitter Nicole Goricanec began her somewhat improbable volleyball journey to McMaster.

Goricanec was born in Locarno, Switzerland, about a halfhour drive from her former club team’s home court in Giubiasco.

She began her playing days at age 12 on the court, and soon took up beach volleyball as well.

One of her earliest memories of volleyball is actually quitting the sport. But it was her older sister, Tanja, that got her into the sport in the first place, so, naturally, a little bit of sibling rivalry spurred her return to the game.

“I was tired of playing volleyball, but then I saw my sister playing and she got better and better,” said the younger Goricanec. The elder’s improvement has since translated into a professional volleyball career for Tanja, and Olympic aspirations.

While Goricanec did once

wish to follow in her sister’s footsteps, she has instead chosen to focus her attention to her education. In her Grade 12 year, she decided that she wanted to use her volleyball skills to help her see the world. So along with applications to Swiss schools, she enlisted some help to get her name out to North America. She found a travelling scout who specialized in helping connect European players with U.S. college coaches looking for recruits, and uploaded a highlight video. From there, all she could do was wait.

With decision time looming, it was looking like Goricaenc may have to stay in Switzerland for university.

“I decided really late because I didn’t know what to do,” she said.

“Then I got a scholarship.

I wasn’t sure I was going to get one because it was late. But it worked out.”

That scholarship was a fullride to St. Petersburg College in Florida. The only caveat was that it was a junior college, meaning she could only stay for two years. There, she worked on her English, and played volleyball for the school both on the court and on the beach. But after one year, she was ready for a change.

“It wasn’t as good of a school,” she said. “It was more fun than something serious.”

She does not regret the time she spent there, however: “I learned a lot [about] beach volleyball. We had a really good coach... I’m so happy that I did

that year.”

After doing some research, and with the recommendation of her father, an alumnus, Goricanec applied to McMaster’s commerce program, and was accepted. Now in her first year of studies, she hopes to eventually parlay her degree into a career in international business: “[I] would like to work for a company that allows me to travel and interact with different people from different cultures and countries,” she said.

Though commerce and volleyball may be her passions, what might be most impressive about the player endearingly called “Swiss” by her teammates is her linguistic savvy. She is fluent in English, German, and Italian, has studied Spanish and French, and is interested is learning some of the Chinese dialects. You can also add volleyball to her vernacular.

When her family is gathered back in Switzerland, the topic of conversation often

turns to the sport that unites four of its five members. “During dinner we always talk about volleyball,” she says. “My other sister doesn’t play volleyball so she’s always bored... [She always says] ‘let’s talk about something else.’”

Goricanec was eased somewhat into her role on team in her rookie year. Though she sits behind several experienced outside hitters on the depth chart, she got into ten games and picked up 22.5 points. What might be most tantalizing about her play to coach Tim Louks is her serving prowess, as she ended up leading the team in service aces per set played, despite seeing limited game action. She considers serving one of her strengths, especially serve placement.

On the mark Coincidentally, the player that may appreciate Goricanec’s accuracy most is Ina Onat, a fellow international student.

“Onat has a lot of ball control which is why I asked her to be my pepper (a warmup drill where players alternate setting up and returning each others’ spikes) partner when I was first coming back from my concussion,” said Goricanec.

That trust extends off the court as well. Onat remembers how the two met at the team’s rookie dinner, and have been close friends ever since.

“After all the other rookies left, it was just me and Nicole left and we hung out for hours.

We walked around campus talking about her life before coming to Mac and I told her how I moved here from Turkey

and we shared our own stories of how we both decided to come to Mac. Having a similar story to Nicole really drew us together. I am very lucky to have had a friend like her this year, she is someone I can always trust on and off of the court.”

Bridging the gap While the two players may have grown up 2000 km from each other, this distance has actually brought them closer together now that they are Marauders.

Though the season may have ended in disappointment for the team as a whole, both players can look back on the season and find many small victories. For Onat, just stepping back on the court and facing her fears, much less staring down university-level spikes may have seemed out of reach mere months ago with her concussion woes.

Goricanec has achieved her dream of finding a place where she can take her education as seriously as her volleyball career, while still exploring a new part of the world. But come next season, the two will be looking towards greater things on the court.

The team is a single year removed from being OUA champions, and may only lose one or two players in the off-season to graduation and exhausted eligibility. With this year’s quarterfinal loss fresh in their minds, they will be looking to reclaim their throne atop the OUA and make some noise in the CIS playoffs.

After all, Onat and Goricanec did not come all this way to McMaster to settle for anything less.

Women’s Volleyball

McMaster falls to Western in quarterfinals

Scott Hastie Sports Editor

With an opportunity to host the Final Four on the line, McMaster fell to the Western Mustangs in OUA quarterfinals, ending their season and national tournament

aspirations.

Western gave Mac all they could handle, taking down the Marauders in four sets. The game was tight throughout, with the Mustangs winning sets 25-21, 25-21 and 25-20. Mac took one set off them, 25-23.

McMaster was operating at full capacity, getting Maicee Sorensen back from injury. They could not

contain Western’s middle, Kelsey Veltman. The Mustang standout posted 21 points to lead all scorers.

Despite the early exit, it was a positive season for Mac. They rejoined the CIS top ten rankings and established themselves as an upcoming power in OUA volleyball.

This year’s success is compounded by the minimal roster turnover and the arrival of a stud

recruit. Lauren Carter, a setter, is the lone player with an expiring eligibility. While the Marauders bowed out ahead of schedule, they are poised for sustained success.

@Scott1Hastie

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Sports

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Games

Crossword

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Puzzle

30. Automatic pistol 31. A country’s output, for short 34. Succeeds in getting 35. Approximately, date-wise 37. Hard, yellow cheese 38. Christian of fashion 39. Like some income or runs 40. Alumna bio word 41. Bake sale org.

45. Coarse fabric 47. A perfect place 48. Quietly serious 49. Many-headed mytical sea monsters 51. Gives advance warning 53 Use the towel again 54. Fresh from the factory 57. It’s free when it’s unscheduled 58. Greek goddess of youth 59. Cinema feature 60. Where there’s a general assembly?

61. Ending for “tact” 62. Cabinet acronym, once

Choosing one letter from each circle, in various orders, the following other words can be spelled: AID DUO ICE KEG MOW SOW WAS Which letters are in each circle ?

A ?

? ?

S ?

? ?

K ?

? ?

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HUMANITIES ACROSS

DOWN

1. High-five sound 5. Shoelace piece 10. Bird bill part 14. Doughnut center 15. France’s longest river 16. Impressive style 17. Pour but good 20. Innate impulses 21. Bond’s Fleming 22. Keanu Reeves’ role in “The Matrix” 23. Campfire fallout 24. “Murphy Brown” star 27. Fish hawk’s cousin 29. Chilly 32. Singer Grant 33. Sir Lancelot du ____ 36. Lacking wit or imagination 38. Print revealer

41. Common sight in Maine 42. ID factor, perhaps 43. Bunion site 44. Like lemon juice 46. Go, to the dogs?

50. “Aladdin” setting 52. Caterer’s coffeemaker 55. Day-care diversion 56. “Cocoon” director Howard 57. Like a $600 return on a $200 bet 60. Certain visibility improver 63. Protected, on board 64. Put in prison 65. Bean of certain capital city 66. Cincinnati ballplayers 67. Misty-eyed 68. Provides with a staff

1. The Alamo, for one 2. Repair shop substitute 3. Krauss or Lurie 4. ____-up (confined) 5. Alda and Ladd 6. “I fooled you!”

7. Schindler made one 8. Bygone times 9. Two hours before midnight 10. ____ Rapids, Iowa 11. Stretch out 12. Joplin tune 13. CPO’s superior 18. Org. in many spy novels 19. Subside 24. Two-legged support 25. Weighty Kuwaiti?

26. The Big Apple, briefly 28. “What ____ can I say?”

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The Silhouette

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Lifestyle THE SKINNY

Jason Woo Lifestyle Editor Birdman sweeps

Birdman unexpectedly sweeped the Oscars over favourite Boyhood. The film picked up four awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. In his speech, Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu said that wearing his lucky charm, the tighty-whiteys worn by star Michael Keaton, worked.

Stay out Breezy

Hours before the Between the Sheets tour with Chris Brown, Trey Songz and Tyga was supposed to play in Montreal, Breezy tweeted, “The good people of the Canadian government wouldn’t allow me entry.” The internet lit up with conspiracy theories that Drake was behind the barring of the controversial singer.

Power Rangers knocokoff

James Van Der Beek starred in a violent parody of Power Rangers. It’s dark, brooding and dystopian just like all the reboots now. SCG Power Rangers LLC has demanded that it be taken down, but no one’s budging.

Calvin Harris undies

Calvin Harris unveiled his underwear photoshoot for Emporio Armani and inadvertenly blew up Instagram. His post has netted 15,000 comments and will definitely land him on numerous “hottest” lists this year.

I told you he wouldn't stop and you agreed that it was fucked up. But then I told you I went back and you said you told me not to. You said they were drunk. I told you how scared I had been and you said you didn't think he was actually a bad guy. You said you weren't going to pick sides. You said your opinion wasn't somehow less valid because you were a guy. But it is.

He forced himself on me and I went along with it. He never asked if it was okay to wake me up by kissing my neck even though we hardly knew each other. But it was all right at first and it had been a while, so I let it happen.

But then I changed my mind. All of a sudden his fingers were in me and on me and his lips were on my lips, my neck, my body and I didn't want that anymore.

I told him no. I told him no over and over.

He didn't listen.

He thought I was being coy. Or maybe he thought he could change my mind. “You're not going to change my mind,” I told him. I wasn't playing hard to get.

I pushed against his body, his wandering hands.

His forceful hands. I told him no and that should've been enough. I said I didn't think it was a good idea and it would just make things awkward. He kept going.

I tried to be nice. I didn't raise my voice or resist him too much. I didn't want to ruin our friendship. But soon it got to be too much so I finally pushed him off. I pushed him hard.

And I felt guilty for not doing it sooner.

He asked me what was wrong and I just said, “it's too weird.” I should have asked him why he didn't stop when I said no the first time, or the second time, or the third time.

Because what if I hadn't said no? What if I had just let him keep going while I laid there because I was too afraid to move? He would never have asked if it was okay to continue if he wouldn't

www.thesil.ca THIS WEEK Fashion Collabs Some say this is the year of fashion collaborations. Check our three of Lifestyle’s favourite collabs this year.

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prove themselves to other people over and over again while they purse their lips at you and ask if you made it clear to him that you didn't want to do anything. You shrink back and mumble a “no” because you were too scared.

They tsk and raise their

“He”

You can’t feel the inequality women feel, because you are not a woman TW: Sexual assault Cathy Huang Contributor

even stop when I told him to. I walked home because I didn't want to be in a car alone with him. Is it worse if he didn't know what he did wrong or if he did?

I could have been one of them. One of those girls. The ones you hear about on the news, but rarely. The ones that get sympathetically written about in Rolling Stone, only for the article to be retracted because some frat guys claimed it was a lie. The girls that have to

25

judgemental eyebrows and ask what you were wearing. What YOU were wearing when someone took advantage of you and completely disregarded your boundaries. What you were WEARING even though nothing I wear means I'm asking to get raped.

I'm tired of having to carefully decide who I talk to, and immediately regretting it when I trust the wrong person.

You said your opinion wasn't somehow less valid be-

cause you were a guy. But it is.

You don't know what it's like to be scared walking home alone.

So you always make sure you have a buddy, preferably a male one.

You don't know how it feels to hear someone honk at you from a passing car and yell, “damn!” Or to hear it two inches from your ear as they pass by behind you. You don't go to the club only to have half the guys in there try to snake their arms around you without asking you first. They don't keep asking you to dance thinking you'll change your mind and say yes just because they said please. No means no, asshole. I shouldn't have to say it more than once. Your friends don't tell you to be careful of how much you drink and to never put your cup down. You hardly have to worry about being drugged and date raped. And you don't have to worry about someone you know and trust taking advantage of you.

You can't feel the inequality women experience every day because you've never been a woman. Male privilege is very real, and maybe instead of arguing that not all men are like that, you should start thinking about why things are the way they are.

No one, female or male, should have to apologize for being raped.

Do you want to write for Lifestyle?

Come to our section meetings on Tuesdays at 11:30 in MUSC B110

26

www.thesil.ca

Lifestyle

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Don’t hate, collaborate

Michelle Yeung ANDY Reporter

Whether it’s designing a product, an entire collection, or simply modelling for each other, here are the top three collaborations in fashion right now.

3

2

Kanye West x Adidas

Those who are truly on top of their style game will have long crossed from luxe, high-end footwear to the burgeoning realm of sneakers. Many people are now riding the sporty and comfy wave all the way to brands like New Balance and Nike, among many others.

While new styles periodically stir up these labels, nothing causes more hype than celebrity x sneaker collaborations – and when it’s Kanye West x adidas, the anticipation flies off the charts.

The officially labelled Yeezy 750 Boost was revealed by Ye’s good friend and barber, Ibn Jasper. A high-rise sneaker that comes with a light taupe coloured suede upper body and special “Boost” sole, it also features a prominent strap across the front. It was later

Rag & Bone x Mikhail Baryshnikov x Lil Buck

To begin, this is not a fashion collaboration in the traditional sense; dancers Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lil Buck – 67 and 26, respectively – did not team up to design a line for Rag & Bone (although how amazing would that collection be?). But I might go as far as to say this isn’t just the best collaboration this week – it may be the coolest thing I’ve seen this year.

The actual collaboration exists in the brilliant pairing made by Rag & Bone part-

ners David Neville and Marcus Wainwright by enlisting Baryshnikov and Lil Buck as dancers/models to showcase their men’s’ ready to wear Fall 2015 collection. The main focus of this new collection is to appeal to “the regular guy.” Since runway shows do not resonate with their intended audience, Neville and Wainwright decided to use a short film instead – what a genius move that was.

Baryshnikov and Lil Buck hail from different generations and dance backgrounds but appear in a seamless performance wearing pieces from the Rag & Bone’s newest line. Personally a big fan of the label, this new collection does not disappoint.

We find familiarity in its clean lines and classic styles, but

Neville and Wainwright turn towards a more street-wear aesthetic. In this new collection, you can look forward to their famous tailored cuts with more sport and military details, as well as looser silhouettes intended for strategic layering.

A great collection aside, the film itself embodies both artistic and cinematic brilliance.

From its minimalistic colour palette to the staggered frames that penetrate the fluidity of the dancers’ movements, this mesmerizing video allows audiences to appreciate Rag & Bone’s newest collection in style. Baryshnikov and Lil Buck perfectly embody the label’s essence: a blend of Mr. B’s sophistication and refinement with Lil B’s athletic and raw aesthetic.

1

Opening Ceremony x Vivienne Westwood

When two titans in the fashion industry team up, things are bound to get exciting. This week, Opening Ceremony and punk movement mastermind Vivienne Westwood’s exclusive, limited edition unisex “World’s End” Collection begins dropping in OC stores.

This collection is a resurrection of Westwood’s iconic punk philosophy, bringing back many of her signature, politically charged designs.

Pieces include post-gender vests, bombers, and shirts with funky – and often provocative – graphic prints. A “greatest hits”

announced that this model will also come in solar red, and that a second model entitled Yeezy YZY Boost will be released soon.

The highly-anticipated collection was unveiled at New York Fashion Week, in a much better showing than Yeezy’s previous Paris attempt.

The Yeezy 750 is much more high fashion than athletic.

In fact, Ye even wore them to a Pre-Grammy brunch; you will likely wear them to a Givenchy runway show with Kim, more so than you would while shooting back a couple beers with the boys at the pub. Depending on your typical aesthetic or what you’re looking for in your next footwear investment, the adidas Yeezy 750 Boost will either cause you mega hype, or major disappointment (sorry, Yeezus).

type collection, Westwood fuses her new-wave ideology with the eccentric and avant-garde style of OC, resulting in an “urban guerilla” line of instantly recognizable, rebellious, and hella rad designs.

While this is not a collection for everyone, it is likely that if you are a fan of Westwood, then you would also be of OC. To those with such taste, this collaboration is a godsend.

Since androgynous fashion has become all the rave these past couple years, the unisex appeal is a cool spin; your boyfriend jeans are literally your boyfriend’s jeans. Take this opportunity to cop something for your significant other, because it will also be a treat for yourself.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Lifestyle

www.thesil.ca

RECIPE

PROSCUITTO WRAPPED SHRIMP

There is not a more sofishticated way to put a shrimp in a blanket.

Jason Woo Lifestyle Editor

Ingredients: • • • • • •

Shrimp Proscuitto (1 per shrimp) Salt and pepper Red pepper flakes Olive oil Toothpicks

1

Soak toothpicks or skewers in water for 30 minutes.

2

Rinse, peel, and devein the shrimp.

3

Combine oil, pepper, red pepper flakes, and olive oil in a bowl.

4

Add the shrimp into the olive oil and toss until evenly coated.

5

Wrap one piece of prosciutto around each shrimp and skewer at the head through to the tail end.

6

Broil until the shrimp are opaque and the proscuitto is crisp, about 6-8 minutes. @jayjai223

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

@pinksburgers LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

/pinksburgers

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Lifestyle

Thursday, February 26, 2015

RANTS

Dear bus riders, ...

Christopher Litfin Contributor

First, allow me to introduce myself. I am one of you. Virtually every weekday for the past eight years, I have commuted from my house to the Westdale area.

There is a difference between you and me, though: I am That Guy. The one who asks you to “Move back, please!”, or to put your bag on your lap. Over 2,500 trips in the past eight years, I’ve come to know you, and your transit diseases, which few of you know you have.

Friends, let me introduce you to yourselves.

One transit disease is by far most common: there seems to be a mass fear that standing beyond the back door will cause death or permanent disfigurement. Though the city’s decision to move the back door forward was not sensitive to your condition, but seriously: “The city has not installed, and has no plans to install, trolls, dragons or other monsters beyond the back door.” Myth busted.

Speaking of medical conditions, unless, like some, you have a legitimate one, such as a mobility issue, children, or multiple-butt-itis, you may take up a maximum of one seat per person. To be clear, bag ≠ person, EVER! While I’m at it, IF “man-spread” (Google it with caution) is a transit disease in Hamilton, the cure is simple: walk. If you’re “man” enough that you think you have the right to two seats, then surely

you are “man” enough to walk when it’s 20 below?

There is also a disease that makes some people think they evolved from snails, and feel the need to carry their entire life’s possessions on their back.

If your backpack exceeds half your body weight, you have a problem. But hey, as long as you can pay your chiropractor when you are 40, who am I to judge?

One thing to consider: your shell – er, backpack – extends beyond your personal space when you have it on your back.

Either put it on your front or on your feet. It’s a win-win: you have all your junk, and I don’t get it in the face when the driver takes the corner on two wheels.

Finally, the annoying-yet-mostly-harmless LRT advocate. Sufferers think that the answer to the bus passing you by is the LRT. Sure. Maybe.

If it happens. In 2025, when you are long past caring about transit in Hamilton unless it cuts off your electric mom-mobile.

Frankly, everyone else couldn’t care less about what mode of transit is provided – it could be a hovercraft full of eels, as long as it accepts the student card.

They care about the quantity (more) and the timeline (yesterday). So shut up and send pointed emails to the government. They are (supposedly) paid to listen to you. Everyone else is not.

Remember, the first step to getting help is realizing you have a problem. I know you can beat your transit disease!

NOW on

facebook and twitter!

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Thursday, February 26, 2015

The Silhouette

2009 - 2015

www.thesil.ca

29

andy

Thursday, February 26, 2015

30

Basking in Basquiat

Keeping up with Coming up in Hamilton

www.thesil.ca

This week’s quick picks

MUSIC

THE CASBAH > The Bandicoots > Dirty Jeans > Checkered Floors > Funkhaus

FEB 27 MAR 1 MAR 5 MAR 6

HOMEGROWN > Open Mic > Funk Dance Party > Open Mic > Billy Moon

FEB 26 FEB 28 MAR 5 MAR 6

THIS AIN’T HOLLYWOOD > Noble Savages > Motem > Open Stage > The Vaudevillian

FEB 27 FEB 28 MAR 3 MAR 5

MOVIES

WESTDALE > Theory of Everything FEB 27-MAR 5 FEB 27-MAR 5 > Whiplash

The Singles

“Candy” Scarlett Johansson has teamed up with Este Haim, Holly Miranda, Kendra Morris, and Julia Haltigan to form The Singles, a selfdescribed “super-pop dance” group. Their first offering is called “Candy” and can definitely be thought be thought of as deserving of its name.

The three-minute track was produced by TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek who previously worked with Johansson on an EP..

ART

Art Gallery of Hamilton

> The Disappearance of

FEB 28 -

Darkness —Robert Burley MAY 24

THE ANDY CHARTS

#

ALBUM TITLE

1

If

2

You’re

3

Reading

4

This

5

It’s

6

Too

7

Late

Selma picks up Oscar for Best Original Song

8 9

...

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Patricia Arquette tryna come at us with that weak shit about gays and p.o.c

Common and John Legend were at the Oscars this past weekend to perform their contribution to the Selma soundtrack, “Glory.” Shortly after performing, the pair again graced the stage to accept their award for Best Original song and took the opportunity to spit some truth bombs. #wemadeit

A retrospective exhibition of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s features over 80 of the late artist’s works. The exhibition is on view at the AGO until May.

Michelle Yeung ANDY Reporter

Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now’s the Time is currently the main attraction at Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario. With more than 80 works of art, this is the most significant retrospective of Basquiat’s work in North America since 2005, and is one that aptly captures his soul and that of one of his inspirations, the streets.

The exhibit itself is stimulating and jarring to behold.

The show begins with a famous monochromatic self-portrait of the late artist commissioned

by Interview in 1982 and shot by renowned Harlem Renaissance photographer James van der Zee. Legend has it that van der Zee, then 95, gave the 21 year-old Basquiat his blazer to cover up the younger artist’s paint-stained shirt. The result is serendipitous; it captures Basquiat’s dual identity of high art and street art, paint and words, artist and black man in 1980’s New York City.

This concept of duality and double identity is present throughout the rest of the exhibit. Basquiat consistently

explores the themes of black and white, dark and light, good and evil. To many, some of his works look more like scribbles from a young child than from an art virtuoso, but this is the nature of Basquiat’s artistic prowess.

Looking beyond the surface, his art reveals an artist who is keenly aware of composition, expertly filling his canvases with a variety of means. The raw energy, emotion, and power that result are dazzling.

Basquiat was deeply disturbed by the perils of consumerism and by social justice issues that ranged from the lack of black figures in art to police brutality, which the exhibit captures exceptionally well in his tributes to black athletes and jazz musicians. One of the most stirring pieces is “Irony of a Negro Policeman,” which captures the death of the artist’s friend and fellow graffiti artist Michael Stewart at the hands of NYC police officers.

Perhaps the biggest flaw of the exhibit lies in its immediate conclusion into a Basquiat-themed gift shop, where one can purchase a t-shirt emblazoned by Basquiat’s signature crown symbol for $48.00.

Though the gift shop model has long been engrained into

the art gallery system, it seems like a rather ill-fitting choice to conclude an exhibit that derided capitalism so vehemently. The very nature of it opposes the ethos of the exhibit, and gives a bitter aftertaste to an otherwise thought-provoking and thoroughly impressive exhibit.

The name of the exhibition, Now’s the Time, derives from a blues tune from Charlie Parker, one of Basquiat’s favourite musicians, and from the incantation Martin Luther King used in his famous, “I havev a dream” speech in 1963, both of which are played at various points of the show and act as cathartic stimuli for audiences. The title is also an indication of Basquiat’s relevance today in the heat of Ferguson, and the ongoing issues regarding race in the aftershock.

The world of art is comprised of powerful talent. But Basquiat’s star does not just shine – it is engulfed in the raging fire of his unprecedented creativity and by his insatiable frustration towards social inequality. He is a bonafide icon, and there is no better time than now to witness his dynamic interpretations of the human condition. @mich_yeung

the

big tickle Which artist would you deny entry into Canada? (à la Chris Brown)

Lucas

Insane Clown Posse

Priya

O.T. Genesis

Marko

Kanye West

Will

U2

Tobi

Nickelback

andy

Thursday, February 26, 2015

www.thesil.ca

31

Interview: Armada ANDY talks e-sports and competitive Smash Bros with one of Melee’s most accomplished pro gamers

Michael Gallagher Asst. ANDY Editor

Among the growing list of competitive gaming or “e-sports” titles being played, the Super Smash Bros Melee series remains unique. Never intended for competitive play, the four-person party game has fostered a dedicated fan base that has continued to grow long after its release in 2001. On Feb. 21-22, hundreds of Smashers headed to McMaster University to attend McSmashter 4, the largest Canadian Melee tournament to date, hoping to prove their talents and show just how exciting Smash can be.

After his impressive first place victory, I sat down with Adam Lindgren aka “Armada”, the 21-year-old world-class competitive Melee player from Gothenburg, Sweden, to talk about Melee, e-sports, and the growth of the game he loves.

Despite its age, the competitive Melee scene has grown a lot in the last few years.

What do you attribute this growth to, and do you think the scene will continue to grow?

There’s two reasons. First off, The Smash Brothers documentary was getting huge. I heard a lot of players from all over the world, like in my city Gothenburg, or Australia when I was there, saying that they watched the documentary and that got them interested in the game.

Also, when Nintendo tried to shut down the Evo 2013 stream that was covered by a lot of huge websites, so the story of Melee being at Evo, and then almost being cancelled because of Nintendo … so many people saw that and got interested.

Then when [Melee] ended up being such a huge success and was the third biggest game [at Evo], it was really exciting for everyone in the community.

So I think for a lot of people, the documentary made them realize that there is a competitive community for this game, and people who liked to play this game [before learning about the scene] realized that this game is very deep, and

has a lot of potential. Evo 2013 ended up getting 145,000 viewers, which really showed our potential.

Even though Melee has had a dedicated competitive community for quite some time, it’s still small in comparison to larger e-sports titles. What do you feel the competitive Melee needs to do in order to grow and develop the scene?

The thing is we are growing a lot right now, tournaments are growing in numbers for sure. Already in 2015, we’ve had more tournaments with 100 plus entrants than we had in all of 2013, and we aren’t even in March yet. So I guess we need to keep up the good work. If we continue to work as a community, more people will find out about us.

Beyond that, if we had huge companies behind us that would help us a lot more.

Twitch was helping us a lot for Apex 2015, showing support by tweeting out our streams, which meant we got more people watching our tournaments, which hopefully means more people will start going to tournaments.

I believe Melee has all the potential in the world to be one of the main e-sports, but the community can only do so much. Obviously we can do more—we are still far from optimized, but if we eventually want to become one of the biggest e-sports, then we need the support from huge companies.

The best thing would be if Nintendo was showing some real support, like what Capcom or Valve is doing for their games.

It would be good if we could get Nintendo behind us, but I doubt that because Nintendo is... [laughs] is Nintendo.

I hope these companies give us a chance, because I feel the Melee community has showed so many times that we are reliable, we can do this, and I honestly want to say that we deserve to be one of the biggest.

So you would say that Nintendo is holding back this scene a bit?

If Nintendo was showing us support, I don’t see any limitations for this community, but they aren’t on the same page with us right now I think. For example, Nintendo is doing a lot of remakes right now, and if they made a Melee HD for Wii U, and supported the Melee community that would change so much, and they would make so much money. It’s hard for me to understand why they don’t do that.

Besides lack of support from Nintendo, are there other factors that are holding back the scene?

I feel like the average person doesn’t see the big picture They don’t see the impact that small things can have. Everyone who donated to get Melee at Evo 2013 is part of the reason that the game is growing, but you can’t really stop there. It doesn’t even have to be money—holding tournaments, helping out at tournaments, commentating, being a good player to inspire others to community, all these things make a difference.

I know a lot of people want the community to grow, but some aren’t really willing to put in the effort. I think they need to understand that any community can die without people working for the community. Melee would be far from where it is now without Samox (Travis Beauchamp, the director of The Smash Brothers documentary), and people donating to get Melee at Evo

2013. Having more than 100 people at a tournament before those things would be unusual, which shows how much of a difference you can make.

I think more people could do more, and would do more, if they realized how important these things are for the community to grow.

So I hope that is about to change, but we will see.

Given the growth over the last few years, it feels there has never been a better time to start playing competitive Melee.

If you had to convince someone to get involved in the competitive Smash scene, who didn’t know anything about it, what would you say to them?

Don’t judge a book by its cover, you might miss the opportunity of a lifetime.

@mikeygalgz

MICHAEL GALLAGHER / ASST. ANDY EDITOR

32

Turning the

pages with andy

andy

www.thesil.ca

Thursday, February 26, 2015

TL;DR

The world of literature is laced with long reads that many do not have the time or patience for.

Trade in those for these and enjoy an author’s best works instead of their longest

800 pages

1072 pages

You may want to pick up these...

1296 pages 1088 pages

96 pages 392 pages

...but grab these instead

Rob Hardy Contributor

No matter how diligent we may be at tackling literature’s harder titles for study or for pleasure, there are a few biggies that just about dare us to fully read them in their entirety but ultimately remain perplexing.

The following is a list of four behemoths that deter anyone with even a remotely wandering attention span from ever attempting to finish. If by chance you have the discipline to somehow get all the way through any of these, consider yourself among the one percent of snobby intellectuals.

130 pages

128 pages

#4: Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov

#3: Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged

#2: Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason

#1: Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace

Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, from what a professor tells me, is a rambling soap opera that becomes even worse to continue with if you take the normally easy way out and take up the audiobook. From its abridged version entitled The Grand Inquisitor, the novel reveals itself to be a complex treatise on the existence of God, among other familial dramas.

Prepare yourself for nights absorbed in existential depths.

While you just might be able to finish this tome if you don’t much give a crap who is talking and what exactly they are referring to, you’d be better off tackling some of Dostoyevsky’s shorter works instead. Also try Crime and Punishment, or what might really be his masterpiece, The Idiot.

Next we get to Ayn Rand’s defining novel Atlas Shrugged. A huge brick of a book, we could just as easily have put in her other 1,000+ page effort, The Fountainhead. Either way you are spending 50 hours of your life slogging through intricate narratives, endless details, and intricate accounts of the book’s minutia. But the real bulk of this text comes from Rand’s philosophizing, with the plot being just the framework. Skip it if 20 pages an hour turns into only 10 as you try to keep it all together. My recommendation?

Pick up The Anthem, which is as short as these are long. Along the lines of 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, it’s a good primer of Rand’s work you can read in a weekend.

The runner-up is a thick non-fiction monstrosity of the philosophical variety. It isn’t by our beloved Nietzsche, easy-to-read Plato, or the Early Moderns who questioned the very existence of matter. It’s Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, whose length and complexity render it mind-numbing. What makes this especially uninviting to read beyond a few selected parts is the fact that it begins with one thread, keeps it going until the end, all the while having opened up several other ones, which each have their own seemingly endless subsections. Trying to understand what the hell Kant is saying will either give you a nervous breakdown, or a guaranteed professorship should you ever figure it out. A shorter Kant read to start with is Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, a shorter and more accessible option.

But aside from all these, number one goes to the epitome of literature, the gold standard of novels, the highest manifested aspiration, we are told, that a writer has ever achieved: Tolstoy’s War and Peace. The Russian writer’s seminal work takes the prize for several reasons – its obscene length, expansive narrative structure, as well as the ridiculous number of characters that span a decade. Page to page it may not seem daunting, but without a working knowledge of the war it describes and its context in world history, little of anything will be gained from plodding through. If you are looking for a cool doorstop, however, picking up a copy might be cheaper, and more solid than one at the store. Even reading the Sparknotes could kill you. Save yourself and read The Death of Ivan Ilych.

There is still more time to apply for Personal Credits of up to $3000 for educational, language or cultural programs.

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andy

33

Review: Kingsman

Individuals who received a Common Experience Payment under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement are eligible for up to $3000 in Personal Credits for education programs and services.

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Cela comprend des cours dans des universités, des collèges ou des écoles de métier ou de formation, ou des programmes ou ateliers fournis par des groupes communautaires ou des centres culturels qui offrent des activités liées aux langues ou à la culture autochtones. Les crédits personnels peuvent être utilisés par les bénéficiaires du Paiement d’expérience commune ou partagés avec un ou deux membres de leur famille, ou encore mis en commun dans le but d’obtenir des services d’éducation collective.

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The Verdict Chris Chiu Contributor

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Colin Firth stars alongside Taron Egerton in the new spy movie, Kingsman: The Secret Service.

Balayez avec votre appareil mobile

What do you get when you cross the action of a James Bond film with the humour of The A-Team, and the recklessness of This is the End? Answer: A helluva good time.

For many, James Bond has long been the gold standard of what a spy should be. Whether it was the suaveness of Sean Connery, or the ruggedness of Daniel Craig, Bond has always been the template, until now.

However, with the release of Kingsman: The Secret Service, viewers are given a convincing case for why Bond could be dethroned.

Based upon the comic book

by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, Kingsman is the story of Eggsy (Taron Egerton), a young adult living in one of London’s rougher districts. Eggsy’s unfortunate involvement in a carjacking and an incurred debt causes Eggsy’s life of petty crime to coincide with the lavish world of the Kingsman Secret Service.

With the help of his mentor (Colin Firth), he transforms from a delinquent to a member of Kingsman, a collective of elite spies. From there, Eggsy is thrown into an adventure filled with humour, action, and self-discovery, all while he fights to save the world from a genocide-obsessed megalomaniac played by Samuel L. Jackson.

Kingsman brings together

an eclectic mix of veteran and novice actors, resulting in a compelling final product. In particular, newcomer Taron Egerton’s chemistry with his costars is evident, especially Colin Firth and Sophie Cookson, further adding to the appeal. In contrast however, scenes with Samuel L. Jackson’s character often left me annoyed. While it’s clear the movie set out to be light-hearted and quirky, the eccentricities of Jackson only made him less convincing.

Still, the strengths of Kingsman outweigh its flaws.

Specifically, the cinematography of Matthew Vaughn, the maestro behind X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass, lent his signature fun and edgy style to the film.

All the tiny details of the film, including the costume and set design, all congregate to create a stunning visual for viewers What makes Kingsman stand out from other spy films is it never takes itself too seriously.

Unlike a Bond movie, where the directors strive for realism, Kingsman is much more like abstract art. This allows for some over-the-top scenes—including a thousand-man brawl in a church—to not feel out of place in the film.

The result is a whimsical spy movie for this generation— one that carries itself with a lot more panache than your average spy flick, and maybe even a little more swagger than Mr. Bond himself.

andy

34

www.thesil.ca

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Interview: Lawrence Hill ANDY sits down with the acclaimed writer to learn more about what it was like to adapt his landmark novel, The Book of Negroes, into a CBC television miniseries.

Aunjanue Ellis and Cuba Gooding Jr. star in the six-part miniseries adaption of The Book of Negroes on CBC C/O Lawrence Hill

Alexandra Florescu ANDY Reporter

Being an author means having the audacity to think that people will pay to read what you write.

Gaining publishing rights is an admirable feat on its own, so imagine Lawrence Hill’s elation when Clement Virgo and Damon D’Oliveira decided that his story is one worth telling again - only this time on TV. “Of course the world needs artists, and I am proud to be one, but … my father would have said that we ‘have a loose chromosome’ as a reference to the fact that you have to be a little bit nuts to want to write. I mean let’s face it – you live for five years inside of your own head, with your own ideas, with no guarantee that anybody will be remotely interested, let alone buy it.”

For Hill, the release of The Book of Negroes as a miniseries was a both affirmation and a second chance to shine a light on the parts of Canadian Black history often left in the shadows.

When it comes to Black history, Canadians’ hands aren’t exactly clean.

“The inspiration [for the novel] was to imagine Aminata standing on a ship in 1792 in Halifax Harbour about to leave Nova Scotia for Sierra Leone – who is this woman, where are her children, where is her lover, what happened to her parents, and why on earth is she leaving Halifax, where she is relatively safe, to cross the Atlantic Ocean

C/O CBC

one more time? It’s a miraculous back and forth across the ocean story. She is sort of on a milk run, this whole life of hers.”

Aminata, as a woman and slave of African descent, is at the bottom rung of the ladder that minorities are forced to climb.

Sold into slavery at 11 years old, womanhood is a concept she stumbles into not alongside the bandaging words of a mother but among strange faces and coffle chains. For Hill, Aminata’s real-life namesake is a lot closer to home.

“My eldest daughter’s middle name is Aminata, so I named the character after her.

I thought of her, and I asked myself to get into the story and to believe in the character I was creating. What if this was my own daughter, how would she have survived what Aminata in the novel and the miniseries has to endure, how would she have kept going? My eldest daughter was 11 when I started to write this story, and significantly it is the same age that Aminata in the novel is when she is stolen from her village and sold into slavery. 11 is a very interesting age. You’re young enough to nourish this impossible, unrealistic dream to go home. Yet you’re old enough to remember who you are and where you’ve come from and who your people were.”

For Hill, co-writing for the mini-series was an immeasurably different experience in comparison to writing the novel eight years ago. Comparing the two processes, Hill finds little resemblance between the two, other than the obvious fact that

“

What if this was my own daughter, how would she have survived what Aminata in the novel and the miniseries has to endure, how would she have kept going?

Lawrence Hill Writer

the miniseries borrows from the novel. Surprisingly, only a few original lines in the novel made it into the miniseries in the form of dialogue. The two media forms – book and miniseries – are driven by two wholly different canons.

As far as the novel goes, interior narrative and thought carry the novel from start to finish. The reader is Aminata and Aminata is the reader. Yet in the miniseries, viewers find themselves outside of her head and outside of her thoughts. This changes the way that character is revealed, relying instead on action and dialogue.

Condensing a 500-page novel into a six-part mini-series was no easy feat, and it’s nearly impossible to decide what comes out and what stays in. Yet Hill insists that people focus far too much on what is lost, when

there is so much that is gained.

“Sometimes scenes that I had to cut out of the novel, we were able to use in the miniseries. Sometimes the novel was slow on plot, so we had to add some pieces to brighten the story and give it some action.

What can take you five pages in a novel you can communicate through one look between two lovers. There is a great economy there. Plus there is the sound of the voice, and the way people look, which you can’t communicate that much in the book.”

On screen adaptations of novels are not all that common, so what is it about Hill’s story that is compelling even the second time around? Perhaps it is the august pull of this fictitious woman’s story of trial, tribulation and ultimate resilience – or perhaps it is the fact that Aminata’s life is not that far of a stretch from our own.

“No matter who you are, where you come from, who your family is, whether you’re a boy or a girl, man or woman, or whether you’ve changed genders, I think we can all relate to identity. Identity is always something that is in flux for your whole lifetime. We have this notion, which is ridiculous, that identity is up for grabs when you’re young, but once you become an adult everything is set in stone and you’re good for life. Actually, most people would probably say that over their entire lives the way that they see themselves and the world that they move through changes according to circumstance and environment and geography.”

And not just identity, but

identity in the face of those whose goal is to wipe you into a blank slate. No one can argue that Book of Negroes isn’t a story of loss. It is. Yet Aminata refuses to stop giving to others even as her hands are bound, refuses to stop telling her story even as her mouth is shut, and refuses to stop loving life even as the list of things she has lost runs off the page.

“Physical survival itself is a miracle, but what interests me more is the emotional survival.

How do you go through all of those insults to your humanity, how do you lose everything but your own life, and not become a bitter, angry, hateful person. Yet we see this all around us in our daily lives, people carry on with that same strength that Aminata showed … any person who lives to a ripe old age, although that’s a lucky thing, is going to endure a lot of loss… and so Aminata is not the only person in this world who has lost a lot. Most people lose a lot. So I don’t think her journey is really that remarkable in a broader sense. We all have a remarkable journey.”

It is hard to ignore the glaring differences between our lives and Aminata’s - you are probably reading this from behind a laptop screen that did not exist in 1792 or in a coffee shop whose coffee grounds were not borne on the backs of slaves.

Whether in print or on screen, there is a page or two for all of us in Aminata’s story.

@alexxflorescu

THURSDAY

ANTI-FAXXERS UNITE Group claims fax machines cause some bullshit that they can’t prove C1

HAMILTON SPECULATOR LIKING IT RUFF SINCE 1934

NOTSPEC.COM

FEBRUARY 26, 2015

PAWS FOR PEACE Now that’s what you call man’s best friend SHIT HASTINGS Doesn’t care about your pet

A group of animals have united to fight for human rights after actually reading the newsprint that lines their cages. In case you forgot, animals can’t actually talk but their owners could understand.

“My cat and I, we just get each other, you know? So, when Buttons wasn’t eating for a week, I obviously knew something was up. But I looked up the symptoms on PetMD and couldn’t find anything,” said Michaela Bornstein.

That’s when Bornstein hit up her friend Cal Tugnutt, only to discover her bestie was having the same problem.

“My poodle Rex wasn’t eating so I searched for an answer.

I noticed that the newspaper I was leaving out had some pretty dark stuff in it. Then it dawned on me, ‘my dog is fasting for human rights. I have the Gahndi of

GOOD LUCK

dogs!”

Veterinarians said that the animals were sick with a stomach virus and not fasting for human rights, but details and facts haven’t stopped people from cham-

pioning causes before, so why would it stop pets?

The next step for the animals for human rights is a poop-in at Queen’s Park.

SPEC ON THE STREET ASKS: What is your ideal Friday night?

“My cat and I, we just get each other, you know? So, when Buttons wasn’t eating for a week, I obviously knew something was up.”

Michaela Bornstine Cat Person

JAMES TRAWLEY Photography Intern

INSIDE URN DOWN FOR WHAT B44 EMSU PRESIDENT BEAR PEPPERS VISITS DEGROOTE’S DREAMS CASINO A2 PHOTON RESEARCHER LIGHTS UP ROOM WITH SPEECH R2 STEPHEN HARPER RESIGNS, ASKS CANADIANS TO JUST LOL D6 PER ISSUE: IF YOU HAVEN’T PAID FOR THIS, IT’S TOO LATE.

VANESSA, 14

CLINT, 27

“Discussing the legitimacy of trickledown economics with my squad at a sleepover.”

“Why? Are you a cop?

Fuck you, James.”

@YourBoyStew, 37

“Oh, I’m totally ferda, you know - ferda boys. Going out fer a rip, chewing tobacco, just being a fella.”

MARGO, 69

“A hot night in with my late husband.”

Disclaimer: The Hamilton Speculator is a work of satire and fiction and should not under any circumstances be taken seriously. Unless you’re into that sort of thing. Then do what you want. I’m not your dad. Or am I?

INCL. HST, PST & all lies.