The Silhouette - March 12, 2015

Thursday, March 12, 2015

S

SRA election results

Embracing More than your solo a medal The story of one figure tour

Find out who won your representation, and read about the important anniversary the assembly missed.

Going places alone shouldn’t be as stressful as it is. Where can you start?

LIFESTYLE

NEWS

The Silhouette thesil.ca | twitter.com/theSilhouette facebook.com/TheMcMasterSilhouette

POLITICS

What is CASA? Why are we considering leaving it?

Are we making the right choice?

The SRA is set to make a monumental decison on March 22. What does it mean for students?

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skater who found inspiration through her sister’s strength.

SPORTS

S

LOOKING BACK

The Silhouette

Volume 85, Issue 24 Thursday, March 12, 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

Krista Schwab @kschwabi assistant news editor Patrick Kim @patrickmkim features editor Christina Vietinghoff @cvietinghoff opinions editor Ana Qarri @anaqarri sports editor Scott Hastie @scott1hastie assistant sports editor Laura Sinclair @Lsinkky lifestyle editor Jason Woo @jayjai223 assistant lifestyle editor Tobi Abdul @toe_bee andy editor Tomi Milos @tomimilos assistant andy editor Michael Gallagher @mikeygalgz

APRIL 5, 2001

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Sit-in under President’s office Twenty student protesters occupied the lobby of Gilmour Hall in an effort to force a resolution to a long-ongoing labour dispute. The 1,650 support workers of the McMaster University Staff Association were on uneasy terms with the University administration, and as such had been on strike since March 2, 2001.

“The administration is toeing the party line that everything is business as usual and exams will go off without a hitch. But that is not our experience,” said one protesting student.

ON STANDS & ONLINE!

Sex & the Steel City Check out stands later this week for issues of our annual sex and sexual health magazine. Grab a copy before they run out! It is also now online, so visit our issuu page at www.issuu.com/thesil to read the entire magazine from the comfort of your computer screen.

TERM 2 SECTION MEETING TIMES News: Tues @ 11:00 a.m.

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Check out the Editorial page (10) for information on new staff positions for the upcoming academic year and how to apply for them.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

News CANADIAN CAMPUS NEWS

Louis Ferracuti Contributor Waterloo, Ontario

Less than five percent of students vote in UWaterloo election Of 30,264 eligible voters, less than five percent voted for the student unions’ president and vice-president roles. Marie Hayman, election officer, told The Imprint that this low turn out could be due to voter fatigue, as this year has had multiple elections including provincial, municipal, and a fall reading break referendum.

Cape Breton, NS

Cape Breton University groups campaign for free higher education The faculty association, administration and students’ union of CBU have launched a campaign in favour of a move towards federally-funded free post-secondary education.

Leaders from these groups signed an open letter to federal parties in the hopes of sparking a national debate on the issue.

Federal funding for universities has dropped from 82 percent to 57 percent of operating costs from 1992 to 2012, with tuition increasing 400 percent over the same period.

Montreal, Quebec

Bid for womenonly hours at McGill gym sparks controversy Two McGill law faculty students, partially citing religious reasons, have been pushing for the Students’ Society of McGill University to have scheduled women-only hours at the McGill gym. An ensuing online petition has been started, claiming that the proposal is discriminatory. The proposal may be brought to a vote in a Student Society of McGill University meeting, but no date has been set.

The Silhouette

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THIS WEEK SRA anniversary overlooked Why didn’t the MSU celebrate the Student Representative Assembly’s 50th birthday?

Mac grad scores in top five Michael Milewski, an MBA graduate, has scored in the top five of a prestigious finance test

Meditation methods A McMaster student has turned her psychology project into an app to help students reduce stress

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IRC set for re-structuring

Proposed structure will emphasize advocacy, student opportunities Krista Schwab News Editor

The Inter-Residence Council will soon undergo structural changes which were determined at an executive meeting on March 9.

After the IRC’s announcement of a hiatus in early December, the group has been relatively quiet, with a new focus on conducting research on how to better the organization.

“We’ve been working together at least once a week since mid-November or so, and often more than once a week since mid-January, trying to figure out the best way to set up IRC for success into the future,” said Michael Porritt, Director of Housing and Conference Services.

As a result of this research, the IRC has determined that it needs to take more of an advocacy approach, provide more opportunities for students to get involved, and focus on training and assessment.

The need for advocacy will see a new vice-president in advocacy and leadership development on the IRC. “[The IRC survey] feedback, combined with feedback from the other housing surveys from previous years really highlighted the need, and also with discussions, that we need a bigger focus on advocacy and training, hence the new VP position,” said Porritt. The new VP will be elected in the spring for the 2015-2016 school year.

A second structural change will occur within the residences themselves. The current model of two residence representatives will be replaced by one Hall President assigned to each residence.

“Their main role would be to advocate for students in their building and on their behalf,” said Nisha Depa, VP Communications and President-Elect of the IRC. “They would collect opinions in their building and come to a council meeting where the other representatives and other hall presidents [are] and voice their opinions on behalf of their students.”

The IRC is re-structuring to support more advocacy and opportunities.

Several unpaid roles will be added as well, in an attempt to provide more leadership opportunities to first-year and residence students. Currently, it is proposed that four vice-president roles will be created in each residence. “[The vice-president] is more of a leadership position, and it’s a little more time consuming than just being a floor leader,” said Gurteg Singh, incoming VP Communications.

The IRC is also re-focusing on conducting more assessment about student needs. The research methods that were conducted this year will be continued in years to follow.

“Especially with the student population that we now have in residence – it’s almost all first-year students – that also means it’s almost a completely new group of students every year,” said Porritt. “We really have to be much more intentional about assessing what the students want as opposed to what they need, and then who’s best placed to provide it, and sometimes in partnerships to do that because the population has changed so drastically.”

With this new plan in place, the IRC will move forward with electing a new VP advocacy and leadership development and Hall Presidents for each

residence.

However it is still unclear whether these new plans will be successful, or what it will cost students.

“The budget that was submitted in January was before [the March 9] meeting, so we’re definitely going to have to rework our budget based on the changes that have been made,” said Depa.

In the 2014-2015 year, the IRC spent $68,592 in honourariums for representatives, president, vice-presidents, speaker, and other positions, while $36,100 was spent on residence programming.

This year’s budget is yet to be finalized due to the new structural changes, but the reduction of residence representatives and more volunteer opportunities could be a good sign.

Another relatively large expense is the IRC clipboard, which costs the IRC $17,000 of the promotional budget.

“We haven’t specifically gotten into that yet, and the clipboards were passed out first term I think, so for this year it’s kind of a done deal anyways.

And the yearbook coordinator has been in place and working hard all year, so this year will be a typical yearbook year,” said Porritt regarding the status

KRISTA SCHWAB / NEWS EDITOR

“

We need a bigger focus on advocacy and training.

Michael Porritt Director of Housing and Conference Services

of the clipboards. “Those two items and just in general what the budget says about what the organizational priorities are – that’s been discussed a lot.”

Though some things are still to be determined, it seems the IRC’s new vision is becoming clearer. It will involve a move to better fulfill its purpose, which was to provide advocacy and programming for residence students.

“We’re just starting with our re-structuring,” said Depa.

“We’ve done a lot of changes since council meetings have started up again and we do have a couple of months left for this year, so we’re looking to definitely make further structural changes.” @kschwabi

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News

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Thursday, March 12, 2015

STUDENT POLITICS

50 years of the SRA

With the 2015-16 Student Representative Assembly elected, The Silhouette looks back at the SRA’s history after its 50th anniversary passes with little fanfare SRA 2015-2016 Rachel Katz News Reporter

On March 9, the 52nd Student Representative Assembly was elected. With the most candidates since 1973, the fewest acclaimed seats since 1998, and record high voter turnout in multiple faculties, the future of the SRA looks bright. However, in the excitement for the future of the group, an important milestone has been overlooked.

Formed in 1964, the SRA replaced the previous Student Council model, which was based on cohort as opposed to faculty. Dave Moore, President of the MSU Alumni Association and former SRA member, has spent a great deal of time learning the history of the MSU and its legislative bodies and is familiar with the many changes the SRA has undergone.

“I think that what the MSU undertakes now is a lot bigger, a lot more complex, and a lot more service-provision oriented than it was in the 1960s. The event-planning and programming element is still there but ... now there’s this huge range of services that simply wouldn’t have been imagined in the early 1960s,” he said.

Moore also explained the process through which it was decided that the Board of Director positions be made fulltime jobs.

“If you ask anyone who’s been in any of these roles in the last 30 years, they’ll tell you this isn’t even a 35-hour week, it’s a 50-hour week. And to do that on top of school [means] something is going to suffer,” he explained.

The MSU President role was made a full-time position in 1969. The Vice Presidents of Finance and Administration went from part-time to full-time in the 1980s, and the Vice-President Education position was created as a full-time role in 1999.

Last year marked the SRA’s 50th anniversary.

“There were alumni reunions in 1989 and 2004…

MSU-related anniversaries have also driven other reunion activity,” Moore said. Despite these previous celebrations though, the university has organized nothing to acknowledge the

SRA Arts & Sciences Spencer Nestico-Semianiw (acclaimed) SRA Business *John Tambakis Jay Krause Brandon Stegmaier SRA Engineering *Sarah Kula Souzan Mirza Omar Ali Zehong Cao Victoria Wojciechowska Uzair Faruqui SRA Health Sciences *Blake Oliver Yishi Sun SRA Humanities Lindsay D’Souza Bianca Caramento Ali Yazdankia SRA Kinesiology *Raymond Khanano Natacha Ngo The Student Representative Assembly for 2015-16 was elected on March 9.

SRA’s golden anniversary. (both new and old) recognize The decision to overlook achievements from the past year this milestone was significant and reflect on our collective for Moore. history and “I’ve had accomplishthe chance to be ments.” He involved with added that the anniverthe SRA for over 30 years and I’ve sary would be noted during seen it accomthe evening. plish a great deal,” he said. “I think Despite his disapsome executives may be a little pointment, surprised that Moore understands anyone who was the decision involved all those to not host an years ago would have any residual event. interest.”

“There’s always a great VP (Admindeal going istration) Jacob Dave Moore on in the Brodka has not President, MSU Alumni heard these murMSU at any Association given time, murs of interest so it’s always in an anniversary celebration. a question of “I would simply have to cite maintaining all that activity and lack of interest for a reunion then finding where you want to have some focus that given event,” he explained by email. year,” he said. “The MSU is not He went on to explain that the MSU’s annual Student Recogniindifferent to its history, there may just be times when the tion Night is “an evening where members of the organization focus will shift.”

“

I think that what the MSU undertakes now is a lot bigger, a lot more complex, and a lot more service-provision oriented than it was in the 1960s.

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

The lack of a formal reunion has not stopped him from reflecting on the SRA’s history and how it differs from the Student Council before it.

“When you go back and look at a photograph of the SRA from the early 1960s, and you see them all sitting there in jackets and ties, it was a different era. I think [the SRA] has shown both adaptability and resiliency. Some SRAs will have different priorities than others, they will put on different emphasis,” he explained.

The SRA of 2015-2016 is indicative of the change the group has gone through. Women will hold the majority of the seats (with a total of 16 of 31 seats), and most members are new to the SRA. Moore believes this renewal of priorities and enthusiasm is both a challenge and a strength.

“It’s a different era…but the message is still the same. It’s about engaging students and saying we’d like to get involved and here’s why it’s important.” @RachAlbertaKatz

SRA Nursing Kayla Enriquez (acclaimed) Angela Mutoigo SRA Science *Megan Hsu Matthew Brodka Shaarujaa Nadarajah Kevan McDougall Katie Pita Miranda Clayton Naz Pakkal SRA Social Sciences Sarah Jama Nicole Burke Eric Gillis Jordan Manning Gerald Chukky Ibe

* Students with an asterisk before their name broke the record amount of votes cast for a candidate in their academic division.

News

Thursday, March 12, 2015

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Setting the high score McMaster graduate scores among top five in the Bloomberg Aptitude Test Patrick Kim Asst. News Editor

A recent McMaster graduate is one of the top five scorers in North America this past January on the Bloomberg Aptitude Test. The BAT evaluates prospective candidates on various skills that demonstrate competency for a career in business or finance.

The BAT is a standardized test that has been written globally in over 3,000 universities and by over 250,000 students since 2010. The BAT largely serves to facilitate talent searches for prospective employers in the field of finance by matching student profiles based on key competencies.

The Bloomberg Hall of Fame recognizes students around the world who achieve

a top five score amongst other students each month.

Michael Milewski, a graduate from the MBA program at McMaster in 2014, scored a 700 on the 800-scale test, which comfortably places him in the 99th-percentile of test-takers.

Milewski is the lone Canadian representative among the top students from January, which includes strong representation from well-recognized American schools such as Stanford University and UCLA. “I was debating what I should do career-wise, and I kind of took it just on a whim, as a litmus test, to see if I should try to go for a career in finance,” said Milewski.

Milewski has gone through a slight change in his field of focus, as he received his undergraduate degree in Engineering from the University of Toronto before coming to McMaster.

However, he commented that

OPIRG McMASTER OPIRG McMaster aims to link research with action on a broad range of social justice and environmental issues, both locally and globally.

Through research, proactive education, community networking and action, OPIRG empowers individuals to become active participants in the decisions which affect their lives.

If you are interested in having the “OPIRG Experience”, consider joining our Board of Directors.

having both an engineering and business background helped him in his approach to the skills being tested, which include areas such as economics, statistics, and analytical reasoning.

Like many recent graduates, Milewski is unsure of his future career path, but is pleased that he had a chance to write the test.

“It’s a good way to judge where you are on a scale with other people,” he said. “It is fairly difficult in [that] it is a more comprehensive test than a straight-knowledge test.”

Ultimately, the test acts as an additional component for students entering the workforce to demonstrate qualities not indicated in a resume. With an increasingly competitive job market, it’s clear that companies are looking beyond a student’s portfolio for their targeted candidates.

“

It’s a good way to judge where you are on a scale with other people... It is fairly difficult in [that] it is more a more comprehensive test than a straightknowledge test.

Michael Milewski Bloomberg Hall of Fame recipient

Michael Milewski scored in the top five in the BAT this January.

@patrickmkim

BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINATION PERIOD MARCH 4 – 25, 2015 OPIRG Election Date and AGM – APRIL 1ST Balloting for the election will take place at the OPIRG office, MUSC 229 from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm and at the AGM, MUSC 318 from 6:00 pm until 7:00 pm. AGM ends at 8:30 pm. All welcome.

Contact us for information on: * the role and responsibilities of a Board of Director * the nomination form and the election process

Public Interest Grant OPIRG is seeking proposals which enhance our local community’s ability to respond to the pressures associated with climate change and environmental degradation.

Submissions due by March 25th and the winning submission will receive $1,000.

www.opirg.ca/ page/public-interest-grants opirg@mcmaster.ca 905.525.9140 ext. 27289 MUSC 229

ONTARIO PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP

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Feature

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Thursday, March 12, 2015

CASA: SHOULD WE STAY OR SHOULD WE GO? Christina Vietinghoff Features Editor

On March 22, your Student Representative Assembly will decide whether or not to abandon associate membership status in the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.

Although federal politics often seems like an abstract topic of no immediate relevance, in fact, student lobbying at a federal level can impact university funding, student financial aid, access to post-secondary education for aboriginal and international students, and a plethora of issues beyond student life.

The SRA’s vote might not affect you in an obvious way, but it will have a drastic effect on the MSU’s ability to make a national influence.

WHAT IS CASA? CASA may seem like another acronym for an arbitrary organization that receives an insignificant portion of your student fee. But it is actually a huge federal lobbying organization made up of 22 student associations that include over 300,000 post-secondary students.

Since 2011, the McMaster Student Union has been a full member of CASA, meaning we have been able to send delegates to take part in General Assemblies, and we have paid membership fees totaling $2.40 per student. However, last year the MSU switched to associate member.

Jon Champagne, executive director of CASA, says there are many benefits of being a full member for McMaster students.

“CASA provides a venue whereby the MSU has the ability to set national priorities for students across Canada,” said Champagne.

CASA also provides resources to the MSU on policy issues and election campaign promotion materials.

“Another area is… that we are the eyes and ears of students in Ottawa,” said Champagne.

He explained that CASA played a role in ensuring McMaster was able to secure on-campus polling booths for the upcoming federal election.

Federal advocacy (along with provincial advocacy) falls under the portfolio of Vice President (Education) of the MSU. The Silhouette caught up with the past four VPs to get their perspective on this decision.

“My year as VP Ed was our first year as full members… in my experience the amount of money students pay for CASA is not worth what we are getting back in terms of dividends,” said Alicia Ali, VP (Education) 2011-2012.

The recommendation of the current Board of Directors to the SRA is to abandon associate membership status, but to stay affiliated as observers.

“When you’re an observer you don’t have a say in any of the directions the organization has, but you are able to participate in some conferences and do some advocacy,” said Rodrigo Narro Perez, the current VP education.

“The concept of observer within CASA is not actually a formal status of membership,” said Champagne. “Based on historical practice within CASA, a member that has left CASA typically has not come back as observer.”

Narro Perez ultimately believes CASA is the best longterm option, but right now we need to leave to send a message.

“I do think that what we’re saying is that we’re on a break, very à la Ross and Rachel. You need to listen to what we’re saying, we have faith, you have done things. We’ve listed some of the changes.” said Narro Perez.

Maintaining some sort of federal presence is important for McMaster University.

Federal government decisions are particularly important for First Nation, Inuit, Metis and international students.

“The MSU always said that students come first and everything else comes after, so SRA members have to mind their rationalization for what they would say to a hypothetical international student or aboriginal student—those are two underrepresented groups on campus that can only be represented at a federal level, so if the MSU does not have any representation or advocacy happening, how are they rep-

“

CASA has 22 member schools, each with one vote. So despite McMaster’s student population being significantly larger than many other schools, as students we have a per capita smaller influence.

resenting those students?” said Huzaifa Saeed, VP (Education) 2012-2013.

ARGUMENTS FOR BOTH SIDES The criticisms of CASA

by MSU members focus on two specific areas; the price of membership and the degree of influence the MSU is able to have relative to other schools.

The latter stems from the voting structure. CASA has 22 member schools, each with one vote. So despite McMaster’s student population being significantly larger than many other schools, as students we have a per capita smaller influence.

“The biggest problem with CASA… is that you have schools from coast to coast with very different interests,” said Ali. “The interests of a small school in New Brunswick are very different than a very large school in Ontario. It’s very hard to come to consensus to make sure everyone is getting what they want.”

The second criticism from the current BOD is the price of membership. Ali agrees.

“In terms of the amount of money that students were paying when I was a part of the MSU, I couldn’t see the value,” she said.

“We pay almost 10 percent of the fees compared to everyone but we only have 1 out of 22 schools’ vote,” said Osazuwa.

In total, if the MSU were to pursue full membership, we would pay $51,525, which is a smaller amount than what we historically have paid to OUSA. The recommendation from

Feature

Thursday, March 12, 2015

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The SRA is deciding how the MSU will be represented nationally.

Current and former VPs (Education) discuss the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations and its alternatives. the BOD to leave CASA stems from the need to make it clear these reforms are necessary for the MSU to contribute to CASA. “Throughout the SRA meeting, throughout the report, we’re saying that CASA is an organization that is a good one in terms of federal advocacy, it’s just that right now they are not listening to some of the concerns that the MSU has in terms of the fee that we pay for the services that we get in comparison to other smaller schools that belong to CASA,” said Narro Perez.

However, some past VPs (Education) don’t share this concern.

“It seems that this year’s assembly is focused on a fee for service model, but the reality of external advocacy is a lot different than that. It’s hard to describe the service that you get for paying the fee. It is hard to quantify,” said Spencer Graham, VP (Education) 2013-2014.

Saeed, Graham’s predecessor, agrees. “In my years, the fee structure was never an issue because we just saw that as the price of advocacy.”

The arguments in favour of remaining with CASA emphasize the lack of viable alternatives and the support CASA would provide for promoting the upcoming federal election.

In 2011, when there was both a provincial and federal election, CASA’s support was a major asset.

“We were really helped by out CASA and [the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance] in 2011, the material that they gave us. From an economics perspective the cost savings are immense, because they can work on the website, they can work on the platform, they can work on all the handouts that you need,” said Saeed.

“Not being a member of any federal advocacy group is not something that I would like to see long term,” said Graham.

“We have a lot of students… and I don’t think it’d be fair to them that we’re not engaging at the federal level as meaningfully as we could be.”

However, Ali thinks provincial lobbying is far more important than federal lobbying.

“Our resources are best placed, I think, with the province and that would be through OUSA,” said Ali. But the SRA does not need

to choose between provincial or federal lobbying; most schools do both.

THE OTHER OPTIONS If the MSU leaves CASA, we would have to decide whether it is okay to not be in any federal lobbying group or perhaps consider an alternative organization, like the Canadian Federation of Students.

But there is unanimous consensus among the past VP educations that The Silhouette talked to that CFS is not a desirable option. “[CFS] is a road I don’t think the MSU needs to be going down. For a number of reasons, they violate student autonomy, they come to campuses uninvited,” said Graham.

CFS would also be a more expensive option compared to CASA. However, the incumbent MSU President and current SRA engineering representative Ehima Osazuwa says it is an option that should at least be considered.

“We shouldn’t shy away from having a discussion about CFS,” he said.

Meanwhile, although Narro Perez is recommending the SRA leave associate membership to simply become observers, he still thinks that long-term, CASA is the best option for the MSU. “That would be the hope, that in one year [we would rejoin CASA], that [CASA] are willing to take us seriously,” said Narro Perez.

Another option is doing federal advocacy without being a part of a larger organization.

“I know in the past I’ve heard about people doing individual lobbying, so essentially as a student union booking a week to go to Ottawa, set up meetings with MPs, with Minister’s offices, with Canada Student Loans and lobby for the special interest of your university,” said Ali. MSU AND ADVOCACY MORE BROADLY This debate also speaks to the bigger issue of how much advocacy the MSU should be doing.

“The MSU, by my understanding, actually has the most number of services than any other student union that I’ve

seen, and I think that leaves the advocacy work falling on just a few individuals,” said Graham.

“If we want to see meaningful change from the university or the city of Hamilton or the province or the federal government, then we need to be better supporting our advocacy wing.”

Other schools prioritize advocacy to a degree that they have a full time position dedicated to lobbying.

“I’ve seen [other schools] do pretty well at the CASA table because their full-time delegates have been at the CASA table for six or seven years at least, so I think that for me moving in that direction where either you split the portfolio into the position of VP University Affairs and VP External and/or add a full time researcher would still allow us to be an active contributor at all three levels of government,” said Saeed.

Osazuwa is also a proponent of the idea of reshaping CASA through heavier MSU involvement.

“Maybe the MSU can take a leadership role in CASA and run for president… because CASA has more credibility than CFS and maybe we can set the direction for CASA,” said Osazuwa.

However, any such plan is limited by the advocacy resources of the MSU. “It boils down to the bigger question of, is the [VP Education] something we can split into multiple roles, and that’s something I will definitely, definitely look into as President.”

In order to justify increased resources, the MSU will have to prioritize showing the unquantifiable benefits of advocacy.

“That’s probably the biggest problem, is that people aren’t able to see the value. If there was a more effective way for whoever is going to these conferences to come back and show value, that would be very different, and I think people would have a different perspective,” said Ali. The SRA’s decision to stay or leave CASA might fly under the radar in the face of a new Board of Directors election. But students should engage with their representatives if they care about continuing to have their voice heard at the federal level. @christinavietinghoff

VPS (EDUCATION)

WEIGH IN

Rodrigo Narro Perez 2014-15

“CASA is an organization that is a good one in terms of federal advocacy, it’s just that right now they are not listening to some of the concerns that the MSU has in terms of the fee that we pay for the services that we get.”

Spencer Graham 2013-14

“Not being a member of any federal advocacy group is not something that I would like to see long term. We have a lot of students… and I don’t think it’d be fair to them that we’re not engaging at the federal level as meaningfully as we could be.”

Huzaifa Saeed 2012-13

“From an economics perspective the cost savings are immense, because they can work on the website, they can work on the platform, they can work on all the handouts that you need.”

Alicia Ali 2011-12

“The amount of money students pay for CASA is not worth what we are getting back in terms of dividends.”

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News

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Making meditation accessible A McMaster student has turned her psychology project into a stress-reducing app Michelle Yeung ANDY Reporter

Recent discussions on mental health have highlighted the importance of both physical and mental states of wellbeing.

University students are among the most vulnerable to various mental health disorders, such as depression, and schools have began implementing initiatives to tackle this problem. Vicky Looby, a student at McMaster and the founder of the Take5 Mindfulness and Wellness Centre, hopes to do her part by promoting the benefits of mindfulness meditation on mental health.

Looby, who has worked in the social service sector for years, is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. Through the Neuroscience 2NO3 course with Professor Ayesha Khan, she transformed a group project into an entrepreneurial venture.

As a mature student and a mother of two, Looby realized the necessity of finding a means to cope with stress. Scouring through the internet for meditation tips, she realized how time consuming and daunting the process seemed to inexperienced individuals. While other members have since gone their separate ways, Looby continued pursuing her newfound passion.

The dogma of her business: taking five minutes out of your day to mindfully meditate will allow you to reap countless benefits and maintain a healthy state of mind. Approximately 150 McMaster students have

already taken up her thirty-day challenge. The thirty-day challenge entails taking five minutes out of each day for the next thirty days to practice mindful meditation. The goal of this initiative is to educate and guide students in taking care towards their mental health, and the thirty-day program will build a habit that leads to longer and more effective sessions in the future.

Many people confuse mindfulness with meditation.

Mindfulness is having a general awareness of the world, while meditation is when a person intentionally sets aside time to do something good for themselves. Mindfulness meditation is somewhat a combination of the two; it is a formal meditation practice within the realm of mindfulness. This type of meditation entails paying attention to whatever is there in the moment. The goal is not necessarily to push thoughts out of one’s mind, but to focus on one thing and learn to be present.

Once believed to be the stuff of fiction, mindfulness meditation is now proven by science and is an evidence-based practice. MRI studies show physical changes to the brain and fluctuations in brain activity after completing an eight-week meditation program. Results suggest that taking five minutes before an exam or a lecture may lead to improved focus, which helps in better testing and more effective learning.

The current focus of Looby’s business is the Take5 smart-device application. This app can be accessed on portable devices, providing a medium to regulate mindfulness meditation any-

Meditation can lead to improved focus, which can aid in studying.

where. As you take five minutes each day, you make progress and level-up.

Joe Crozier and Niko Savaf, two engineering students at McMaster who also own their own business, are at the helm of this project. The beta testing stage is set for April 2015. Come fall, Looby hopes to launch the app and plans on starting her own mindfulness meditation practice that will offer eightweek therapy groups, as well as provide education services for high-stress jobs. Cost for the Take5 app is still up in the air, but she is hoping Student Wellness Centres at universities will

purchase the app for students.

In essence, the Take5 App is a gym membership for your brain, and a workout without all of the sweat. She hopes, by enlisting the appeal of quick convenience, more people will take a break from their hectic schedules to tend to their mental wellbeing.

“Everyone has – and deserves – at least five minutes to give themselves,” said Looby, “and the results of doing so on their overall mental health could be astounding.” @mich_yeung

KRISTA SCHWAB / NEWS EDITOR

“

Everyone has – and deserves – at least five minutes to give themselves, and the results of doing so on their overall mental health could be astounding.

Vicky Looby Founder of Take5

DID YOU KNOW?

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News

Thursday, March 12, 2015

www.thesil.ca

Back Issues

Miss an issue? Want to dig up info on something that happened earlier this year?

Visit www.issuu.com/thesil for a digital archive of all of our back issues going as far back as October 2009!

You can also download the issuu app to read our archive from the convenience of your bus seat or study corner.

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www.thesil.ca

Editorial

The Silhouette

Thursday, March 12, 2015

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”

Seneca the Younger 1st-century Roman philosopher

The Sil is restructuring Like any organization, The Silhouette must adapt to a changing environment, so what are we doing and why are we doing it?

Andrew Terefenko Executive Editor

We are making some changes.

As a student-funded service, I feel it is my responsibility to let everyone know the reasoning behind those changes, and what it means for the reader.

First: the why. The Silhouette has been a rapidly evolving organization in the last six or seven years, which means adding and removing positions as was necessary on a case-bycase basis, as we moved towards a larger online focus, and the switch to a tabloid print size. While it allowed us to expand our offerings to students, it hasn’t given us a chance Restructuring Here is a brief overview of the new structure and a note concerning any major changes to what the job entails: Editor-in-Chief: Same job as before, but a title change should make it easier to communicate with industry professionals.

to take a holistic look a the the way the paper is run. We are taking that chance now.

We set out to rework every position from the ground up, and I believe have landed on a structure that will leave room for everyone to play to their strengths, which translates to cleaner, more interesting content for you, the reader.

Second: the what. To reach this goal, we made some changes to our internal infrastructure to more cleanly divide responsibilities, most notably between editors and reporters. We want to let the writers focus on writing, and let the editors focus on overseeing the section and all that entails. We will now have a more defined hierarchy among staffers, which should result in content created with clearer focus.

Section Editor & Reporter: (eg.

News Editor & News Reporter) Editors will now focus on managing the section, and the Reporters will dedicate their time to generating content for both print and online.

Managing, Production & Online Editors: Hours increased to better reflect amount of time and effort that goes into the jobs.

We have also decided to open up a new position: Social Media Coordinator. While we did what we could this year, more can definitely be done in terms of audience engagement.

We want someone on staff to engage with students on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram at all times of day, so you never feel disconnected from your source for campus news. This way students will have a two-way avenue of involvement with their student paper.

If you want to know more, don’t hesitate to e-mail thesil@thesil.ca, or better yet, apply for one of these jobs!

Some jobs are open now, others will be open soon. You might be surprised how much fun it is being on this end of the news.

Social Media Coordinator: New position that will put student engagement as a priority for our service.

Volunteer Positions: Unpaid opportunities will give people an easy way to get involved without the commitment of a part-time job.

S

The Silhouette

to hiring the new, and very first, EIC

to being the last exec

to chocolate masterpieces

to swamp donkeys

to an undercrowded office

to indecisive haircuts

to Phoenix trivia

to understocked LCBOs

to bowling anticipation

to sensitive internet filters

to the zoo

to index anonymity

to the return of the prodigal Sun

to hallway brouhahas

to dinner parties

to mud traps

to biking season

to pneumonia

to photo-finish features

to rejected noserings

to fun-suckers

to JT’s hot air

to refusing to mail it in this march

to insomnia

to emergency ditto signs

to netflix releasing shows far too fast for consumption

to catching up

to team 5’s demise

Paid Positions Open!

Speaking of jobs, three of them are open right now! Managing Editor, Production Editor, and Online Editor for 2015/16 are open now until March 22. If you have a passion and natural talent for editing, design, or web management, this is your chance to put those skills to work, and get paid in the process. For any inquiries regarding these positions, e-mail thesil@thesil.ca. All appilcations should be processed through the MSU Jobs portal at www.msumcmaster.ca/jobs

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www.thesil.ca

Thursday, March 12. 2015

www.thesil.ca

11

The McMaster Students Union

PRESIDENT’S PAGE MSU will Host OUSA Spring General Assembly 60+ student delegates to meet at McMaster, March 20-22, 2015

Ontario’s post-secondary education system, substantiated from the student feedback and research that resides in OUSA’s policy papers.

OUSA’s highest governing body is its General Assembly, which is comprised of delegates from all seven member student associations. General Assembly takes place twice per year, and it is during this conference that OUSA’s policy papers are approved.

The MSU looks forward to hosting OUSA’s 2015 Spring General Assembly, March 20 - 22. We will be welcoming over 60 student leaders from across the province, to discuss educated solutions to issues faced by Ontario students.

This General Assembly is sure to be an exciting one, as we will be discussing three important topics, including: LGBTQ+ students, mature students, and tuition.

This year, the McMaster Students Union (MSU) has engaged with the Ontario provincial government in many capacities. Various Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs), including the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Reza Moridi, as well the Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, have visited the MSU over this this past year. Through the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), we also participated in OUSA’s Advocacy Week. Held in early December, we collectively met with over 50 MPPs MATURE STUDENTS throughout the course of • Flexible service hours for the week. In all easier accessibility of these meetings, though differing in • Restructuring of OSAP to structure, we better meet the needs of lobbied for mature students changes to

For the first time ever, OUSA will address issues exclusively related to Ontario’s LGBTQ+ students.

The forthcoming policy paper recommends many changes for universities to implement, such as the creation of gender-neutral washrooms. The goal of this policy paper is to ensure every institution is safe, inclusive, and addresses the needs of all students.

The diversity of students attending university has drastically changed over the last decade, which has included an increasing enrollment of mature students. Mature students are those who do not enroll in university immediately following high school graduation.

They, too, face many barriers in the PSE system, including difficulty accessing on-campus services. OUSA will address numerous concerns regarding mature students at the Spring General Assembly.

Finally, the cost of tuition is an omnipresent factor in the lives of all students. Tuition has long been on the advocacy radar of OUSA. During the Spring General Assembly, delegates will update past recommendations to reflect the current economic climate.

We will be asking for a tuition freeze, as well as provincial contributions to university operating budgets.

For three days, students will discuss, debate, and recommend changes to these three policy papers to ensure they truly address the needs of Ontario students. On March 22, OUSA Plenary will take place, and the General Assembly will then decide whether or not to approve these policy papers. If approved, the content of these papers will add to our ever-growing repository of provincial lobbying initiatives. This process allows OUSA, as well as the MSU, to ensure that all of our advocacy efforts are grounded in student-centred perspectives.

If you are interested in seeing how OUSA Plenary works, attendance is open to everyone on Sunday March 22, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111). Additionally, if you would like to find out more about OUSA, the General As s e mb l y, UNIVERSITY TUITION or provincial advoca• Enact a tuition freeze for the cy, do not hesitate to duration of a new tuition contact me framework anytime at vped@msu. mcmaster.

• Increase provincial contributions to the operating ca.

SPRING GENERAL ASSEMBLY KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

1 2 3 LGBTQ+ ISSUES

• Establish gender-neutral washrooms

• Ensure instructors and TAs participate in training to broaden understanding of LGBTQ+ identities and issues

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.

budgets of post-secondary institutions

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, March 12, 2015

Eliza Pope Photo Reporter

“What is your greatest achievement?”

“My greatest achievement would be making it to university. I’ve come from a lot — I grew up in the Congo, and we left during a civil war, so I guess just being here is an achievement.”

“And your greatest aspiration?”

“Just to become successful. I don’t have a strict goal as to what I want to be, but I want to have success.

And that’s not just being wealthy, but waking up everyday and loving what I do.”

“What’s your best quality?”

“I’m pretty hardworking actually. If you give me something and I can’t get it, I will try my best until I can get it. If I can’t get it, I guess I give up, but usually I will try my best until I get something. It doesn’t matter what you give me, I will work until I get it.”

“What’s your favourite memory of each other?”

“The Sunday night social!’”

“We did the fish-hook thing, you know the one?”

“What’s the most embarrassing thing about each other?”

“We’re loud.”

“Everything — we’re kind of a mess.”

“How so?”

“We’ll be in a room, and everyone will know what we’re talking about.”

“I’m pretty sure everyone in Thode knows about us and our lives.”

“Yeah, we basically live in Thode.”

www.thesil.ca

13

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“What are you most afraid of?”

“Death. Because it’s empty. And you just don’t exist — no matter what, it just seems hollow.”

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“Does that change how you see life?”

“Actually I don’t think about it a lot. Because sometimes even if you’re aware of it in a situation, you just ignore it — death shouldn’t be part of the current. I think that’s the tricky thing — you know its there, but you don’t really take it into account when you do an action. No matter how much you think about it, you still end up doing the wrong thing when it comes down to it.”

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

An Introduction to the “Duty to Accommodate”

Mac Bread Bin: Feed the Bus!

When: March 12, 2015 from 01:30PM until 03:30PM

When: March 16, 2015 at 02:36PM until March 20, 2015 at 02:36PM

Where: MUSC 224

Where: Beside BSB Field

Human rights, Equity, Accessibility, Re-

Feed the Bus is an annual event run by

spect Toolkit (H.E.A.R.T.)

Mac Bread Bin in order to raise food,

learning opportunities on the subject of human rights, equity, accessibility and respect at McMaster University. The workshops arefree, but space is limited so registration is required. If you complete 3 or more workshops, you will receive a Certificate of Attendance.

awareness and money for a local food bank. A large, yellow school bus will be parked on campus near BSB field, where it will be filled with non-perishable food donations from students and staff. For those interested, it is recommended you bring canned or preserved goods, between 10am and 4pm from March 16th to March 20th.Used clothing and mon-

Learn about key terms such as “reason-

etary donations are also welcome. This

able” and “undue hardship” and how to

year, proceeds from Feed the Bus will

address the “duty to accommodate” in

benefit Neighbour 2 Neighbour, a Hamil-

the classroom and workplace settings.

ton Community Support Centre.

For more information on Feed the Bus,

Pangaea 2015 When: March 15, 2015 from 10:30AM until 04:00PM Where: Compass Information Centre Tickets available at Compass!

Event information: - Date of event: Sunday, March 15

Mac Bread Bin or its services on campus, visitwww.msumcmaster.ca/macbreadbin or emailmacbreadbin@msu.mcmaster.ca.

MacSwing Dance When: March 17, 2015 from 07:00PM until 09:00PM

- Location: MUSC (see specific location information below)

Where: Westdale United Church (99 North Oval)

- Time: 10:30am-4:00pm

Come share a night of dancing with the

- Hosted by: McMaster Pangaea

parents do! Start with an introductory lesson in lindy hop at 7PM to help get you grooving and stay for the social dancing to great big band music and jazz.

You can also learn more about swing

The H.E.A.R.T. Workshop Series

The H.E.A.R.T. workshops are a series of

ing is not just something your grand-

McMaster Swing Dance Club. After all, great music is timeless, and swing danc-

dance, our club, and other events we are holding at: www.facebook.com/macswing and www.macswing.ca

MSU Teaching Awards Ceremony When: March 18, 2015 from 06:00PM until 09:00AM Where: GH 111 You are invited to this year’s Teaching Awards Ceremony where we will be revealing the winners of the faculty teaching in excellence awards!

The event is open to all staff, faculty, and students. Light refreshments will be served.

The Silhouette

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Opinion

www.thesil.ca

15

THIS WEEK The mental health narrative What we often miss when we talk about mental health on campus

Feedback Our Opinions columnist goes around campus to find out how students get through March

PAGE 16

PAGE 18

5 things I learned

in student politics

Anser Abbas Contributor

“Hi, my name is Anser, and I am running to be one of your representatives on the Student Representative Assembly.” I’ve said those words a lot over the last two years. Now, finally, as the biggest SRA election in recent history comes to an end, I’m reflecting on how much I’ve learned from being on the assembly START EARLY To give some idea of how little time an elected term actually lasts, consider that the total number of SRA meetings this year is 17. That seems like a lot, but over the course of the year there will be weeks where you’re paralyzed by schoolwork. Meetings will be missed. That’s why it’s important to define your goals and get started on them as early as possible. Use SRA training to learn and connect.

Especially if you’re around campus in the summer, those four months are golden for MSU work – services, commissioners and the Board of Directors are working away. It takes a while to get your head around the details of MSU governance and the sooner it all makes sense, the more you can get done.

VISION IS IMPORTANT

DON’T BURN YOUR BRIDGES

FIND LIKEMINDED PEOPLE

DON’T BE AFRAID OF CHANGE

Here’s the thing: you don’t need a fully formed platform to run for SRA. It’s not reasonable to expect students who may not have had MSU experience before to produce fully researched, tested objectives. What is required, however, is an idea of what it is you stand for and what you want to bring to the assembly, something that often takes the form of the much-derided buzzword. I used to make fun of buzzwords too, until I saw how people took words as vague as “integrity” or “community” to guide and influence their every move, and achieve great things. It’s a simple matter of defining your values, and upholding them as well as you can. That can be all it takes to be a productive, contributing representative.

You will definitely come across people you don’t see eye to eye with on the SRA. It’s inevitable – this campus is too incredibly diverse not to. Simply refusing to interact with people you disagree with, however, limits opportunities. The most important thing to remember is that we have the students’ best interests at heart, even if we approach it in different ways. You never know, the person you have an argument with in October on one issue may be your supporter on another issue in February.

Some of the most productive work I’ve done has been with people I never thought I could get along with (until I did), and so I’ve learnt not to let political views get in the way of forming respectful, positive relationships.

Just like there will be people who disagree with you, there will also be people who want the same things as you. Find those people. Work with them.

When you’re standing up alone on a Sunday night saying how you feel about something, nothing feels as good as seeing a supportive head nod in a corner or a few raised “ditto” cards.

Everyone needs affirmation, and everyone needs help.

Sometimes you go into an SRA meeting with your mind completely made up on something, and then a few hours later you vote completely the other way.

That’s okay. That’s what happens sometimes when you’re in a room full of people passionately arguing a whole bunch of different viewpoints. You start to put yourself in other people’s shoes and you realize that maybe the opinion you had yesterday has changed. Often I’ve felt guilty about doing that kind of flip-flopping, but every meeting is a learning experience. Keep an open mind to other people’s ideas and allow yourself to learn and change.

Empowering Muslim women The importance of female Muslim representation in professional fields Zaynab Al-waadh Contributor Sunia Hassan Contributor

As young Muslim women, we rarely find ourselves reflected in the careers we want to pursue. Is this because there are no Muslim women who are lawyers, doctors or entrepreneurs? Or is this because we lack the drive to exist in such positions? We refuse to accept either of these ideas. Rather, this lack of visibility is because our existence and

achievements in these positions are rarely recognized or celebrated in existing mainstream cultures and institutions. Simply put, a Muslim woman does not strike the common individual as either a leader or an image of success. Driven by this clear deficit in cultural perception, we decided that for International Women’s Week, we wanted to celebrate the many examples of success and leadership in our Muslim community.

On March 2, we hosted a networking event with approximately 24 female Muslim

professionals. Among those in attendance were PhD candidates, entrepreneurs, lawyers, professional photographers, community activists, doctors, engineers, pharmacists, and fitness instructors. This diversity of professions depicted a stunning image of empowered Muslim women. For those present, it served as a testament against the common narrative— one that robs us of our agency by depicting us as bodies who are complacent recipients of other’s opinions.

The problem with West-

“

Secular feminists often dismiss Muslimidentifying feminists with suspicion and effectively label us as apologists to a theocratic patriarchy.

ern liberal feminism is that it cannot conceive of an emancipation other than one found within its own paradigm. Secular feminists often dismiss Muslim-identifying feminists with suspicion and effectively label us as apologists to a theocratic patriarchy. They often strip away the autonomy of racialized women in deriving feminist thought and challenging the patriarchy present within their own communities.

Continued on PAGE 17

16

www.thesil.ca

Opinion

The institutional roots of the mental health crisis Effective mental health advocacy in post-secondary education needs to look beyond service provision

Ana Qarri Opinions Editor

The initiatives implemented this year in support of students struggling with permanent or temporary mental health issues have been incredible. From the provincial government’s commitment to mental health, to McMaster’s Arrive and Thrive plan on mental health and wellbeing, advocacy has come a long way.

However, this advocacy has been heavily focused on reducing the stigma and dealing with the shortage of response staff, but has lacked in addressing the conditions that created what we call the mental health crisis on campus. As a generation of students and young people, we are faced with more complex financial and employment struggles than the generations before us.

At Mac we’ve seen the creation of the Peer Support Line as a service that provides quick support and referrals to students in crisis or who need someone to talk to, and an increase in mental health-related groups and programs offered by the Student Wellness Centre.

Even the Arrive and Thrive plan focuses on closing the gap in service provision and dealing with the symptoms of mental health issues instead of addressing the root of the problem.

Issues of anxiety and depression appear to have become so common in the university environment that it doesn’t come as a surprise that so many people deal with them at some point during or throughout their post-secondary education.

Conversations about feeling hopeless, supporting friends who are suicidal, or going through some sort of crisis have become normalized. We’ve focused our collective efforts on supporting and learning how to take care of others and ourselves.

I’m not arguing that these approaches are useless or counterproductive. The reduction of the stigma towards mental health issues and the availability

of more services that support students only have positive impacts, but we might be forgetting something important in the process.

This focus on support and healthy coping has reduced mental health advocacy to a conversation about how we can help the individual struggling with these problems, not addressing the larger issues that cause them in the first place. It shifts the discussion from the mental health crisis in post-secondary education as a societal phenomenon to an issue of individual responsibility. This is not done in the sense that each student is left to their own devices, but that these new services and resources address individual symptoms and effects of the larger phenomenon.

University is inherently a high-pressure environment. But this is not new—it has always been challenging. The material taught and what’s asked of students didn’t suddenly become more difficult in the last few years, but mental health issues are rising.

I don’t think we can talk about this phenomenon without talking about rising tuition rates, lack of government financial aid, low prospective employment in all fields, and the uncertain nature of higher education. These were issues recognized when the mental health crisis on campus first garnered mainstream attention, yet we’ve seen that the focus of mental health advocacy efforts has been on destigmatizing and support services.

Our discourse on mental health in post-secondary education cannot be decoupled from larger institutional issues that are often at the root of the struggles that students experience.

This is not to minimize the importance of dealing with the health of those who struggle with chronic disorders. Support staff, services, and resources that serve students with mental health issues should be better funded and receive the attention they deserve.

As university students at the center of these conversations, we have to reevaluate our con-

“

This focus on support and healthy coping has reduced mental health advocacy to a conversation about how we can help the individual struggling with these problems, not addressing the larger issues that cause them in the first place.

versations about mental health in post-secondary education.

This is not just about how we deal with the pressures of university, or how we can support each other as we go through years of worrying about our uncertain futures.

The issues at the core of the mental health crisis need to be addressed, and there needs to be a balance between recognizing the problem and providing support to students who are caught suffering the consequences of these misguided policies.

In the meantime, the prevalence of mental health issues in university should not be over-normalized. This encourages a disturbing complacency to the conditions that are putting our generation through these struggles in the first place. @anaqarri

Thursday, March 12, 2015 Women and Gender Equity Network

Gender goes beyond genitals What the amendments to Bill C-279 mean for trans people Ruchika Gothoskar Contributor

In 2013, the House passed Bill C-279, which seeks to add gender identity to the Canadian Human Rights Act. The bill is set to go to third reading in Senate and has yet to become law. However, a new amendment to the bill creates a divide between transgender folks who have had a surgical sex change, and those who haven’t.

It is noted that, “the legislation will not apply to ‘sex-specific’ federal facilities like women’s shelters, bathrooms, locker rooms and prisons.” It’s important to also understand that this exemption applies exclusively to trans folks who have yet to have sexual reassignment surgery, thus implying that sex is defined wholly by what’s going on between one’s legs.

Transgender folks have the right to be angry. As a marginalized group that faces harassment, micoaggressions, transphobia, threats to their general safety, and direct violence on a daily basis, this is yet another disappointment and injustice. Western culture is often quick to view gender as a specifically binary concept, assigning people the fixed titles of either male or female at birth. However, rather than viewing gender as something that is binary, we must begin to view it as a fluid continuum, one that is not solely defined by anatomy.

As allies to the trans community, we need to actively use the privilege granted to us as cisgender folks to listen to what the trans community is saying, understand their difficulties, and help our trans brothers and sisters fight for

their rights.

Trans rights activist Susan Gapka, who heads the Trans Rights Lobby Group in Toronto, said, “passed twice by a majority of elected MPs in Parliament, C-279 was amended yesterday at Senate Committee to exclude trans rights protections in sex-specific space like crisis centres, washrooms, change rooms and prisons on a six to four with one abstention vote. I feel angry about this injustice. When I feel angry I become defiant.

Subsequently, today and everyday afterwards I will boldly go into public washrooms and change rooms to use them for my own use. I will perform this act of defiance every day.”

Trans activist and Toronto resident Alec Butler posed the question, “do genitals make a person the gender they are?

There are lots of people who are intersex, where they have ambiguous genitalia.

How are they going to handle people like that? Does a man who was injured, and he loses his genitals, does that make him less of a man?”

Statements put forward by members of the trans community are ones we must listen to.

These ludicrous amendments passed by Senate not only force trans folks into getting invasive surgeries that they may not be comfortable with but cultivate a divisive culture of otherness. In a society that claims progressiveness and acceptance of all, this amendment to Bill C-279 is a step back, and one we must actively fight towards changing in order to create a world that is more widely inclusive of all trans people.

Opinion

Thursday, March 12, 2015

www.thesil.ca

17

Muslim role models and feminism Continued from PAGE 15

This reduces feminism to a one-dimensional movement.

We know that there is no “onesize-fits-all” feminism and certainly no intellectual vanguard of feminist thought.

Feminism is a dynamic and fluid concept that conforms to the groups it serves. Our feminism is one that is intersectional. It is one that is cognizant of our cultural backgrounds,

our religious diversity and our racialized bodies.

This concept of intersectionality points out that feminism is not just for those who identify as white, middle class, cisgendered and able-bodied. This type of feminism is the spine of initiatives such as the Muslim Women’s Networking Dinner.

As Muslim women activists, we seek to define our own fem-

inism—one that accepts our choices as our own. We have always had agency but what has continuously been questioned is its validity. We will not remain complacent in the labels and stereotypes that are assigned to us without our consent and thus we are reclaiming our agency in how we are portrayed. Of course, this includes collaborating with other feminists

through dialogue to both receive and contribute to a wealth of progressive ideas.

We see McMaster’s community as a sanctuary for the infinite exchange of these ideas. The Muslim Women’s Networking Dinner is a step in the right direction and we would love to witness other marginalized women reclaim agency in how they are portrayed.

“

We seek to define our own feminism— one that accepts our choices as our own.

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Thursday, March 12, 2015

Sports

The Silhouette

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THIS WEEK Women's volleyball recap Head coach Tim Louks gives his take on the season that was

Mac hosts indoor rowing event The student centre was the setting for a unique rowing relay

PAGE 22

PAGE 20

More than just a medal With the help of her sister who is battling cancer, McMaster's Riley Allison won gold at the OUA figure skating championships in an event she had not competed in for two years Scott Hastie Sports Editor

In her own words, this year should have been “catastrophic.”

Riley Allison, a fourthyear kinesiology student at McMaster, won a gold medal at the OUA figure skating championships this year, in the same year her sister, Carley, was rediagnosed with cancer.

Riley had not competed in the individual event since 2012, let alone medal.

“It’s the first year I’ve done it since my first year because [the coaches] have been giving it to rookies,” said Riley. She also said she skated “like crap” in the try-outs and two others outperformed her. In her first year, Riley finished sixth in the event.

So, what changed between now and then, where someone can go from sixth, to not competing, to champion? Well, a lot, actually. With the help and encouragement of her sister, Riley committed herself to the sport and emerged a champion.

Riley learned that the artis-

Prior to the OUA championships, Allison finished in 2nd in the same event at a winter invitational.

tic score holds a lot more weight with the judges, as opposed to the technical score. To win at the university level, skaters develop their own artistic style as their career goes on, and that’s what Riley did.

“I talked to my coaches, and that’s what they think was the biggest difference; I became more of a presence on the ice, I took up more space, I looked like I was enjoying myself,” said the fourth-year Kin student.

“I was a lot calmer, I tried to demand that the coaches would watch me.”

But she needed to improve her technical score a bit too.

To strengthen that aspect of her routines, Riley worked with Carley, her sister. Carley is battling clear-cell sarcoma, a disease that attacks the lungs and has been diagnosed in only eight people worldwide. She was diagnosed with the disease in February 2013. The cancer went into remission in July 2013 and she was generally healthy

for the 2013-14 school year. skating, but Carley would not But in August 2014, Carley was let that happen. rediagnosed with the same dis“Carley is still really inease. She still attended her first volved with skating, so I sent semester at Queen’s University her score sheets after my first and would compete in some figcompetition, I sent her videos ure skating and she is events, but really techthe medical nical, so she condition told me what Every time I stepped on to do to get forced Carley to the ice and was having better levels come home my spins a bad skate, I thought on in Toronto and this and ‘Hey. I can at least to receive that. She medical skate. Carley is sitting was pushing treatment. to do it,” on the couch right now me RiRiley said. and would be dying to ley drove In her between second fight do this.'ll Hamilton with cancer, and Toronto, Riley Allison Carley is supporting being treated Figure skater her family from home and her sister. She was also an with her weekly chemotherapy athletic therapist with the Mctreatment only a five-minute Master swim and cross country drive away. This meant Riteams. With all the responsibilley went home on Thursday ities, Riley says it should have nights and the sisters spend the been her worst year of figure weekend working together on

“

C/O AARON SPRINGFIELD

getting better (in between their marathons of “Say Yes To The Dress”). That time provided extra motivation.

“Carley really wanted me to do it. Every time I stepped on the ice and was having a bad skate, I thought ‘Hey. I can at least skate. Carley is sitting on the couch right now and would be dying to do this,’” said Riley.

When a cancer diagnosis hits a family, priorities will change. Sport would probably fall low on the priority list, but the Allison family wanted Riley to keep skating.

“Everyone needs an outlet.

My mom goes running in the morning for an hour, it’s just something you need to do to keep your sanity,” Riley said.

“When I was enjoying the outlet, that’s all I was doing. That’s where all my focus was because everything other than skating – when I’m studying, when I’m at home – it’s ‘Carley, Carley, Carley.’ When I go skating, it’s this own little world.”

Continued on PAGE 22

20

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Sports

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Marauders have high hopes for next year John Bauer Contributor

Two weeks after his McMaster women’s volleyball team was eliminated in the OUA quarterfinals, the loss still stings for head coach Tim Louks. Coming off last year’s OUA championship season and sitting atop the west at 15-4, the squad seemed poised to make another trip to the OUA finals at very least.

A Western Mustangs squad that seemed to find new life in the home stretch of the season put an abrupt end to those aspirations. Louks could not hide his disappointment at the way the 2014-15 campaign ended. “Did we have our sight set on finish at a higher level? I think so... I don’t think it’s been successful. I think there’s been success. So we go forward from here,” said Louks.

The team rolled through its west division foes in the regular season, with all four losses coming to OUA West teams. The high point of the campaign was no doubt the resounding 3-1 win over Guelph in late November, leading into an undefeated showing at the National Invitational Tournament over the exam break. Due to scheduling quirk however, they would only play three teams over .500 over the last nine games of the regular season. While he does not want to use the schedule as an excuse, Louks acknowledges that, “A better schedule wouldn’t hurt.”

Louks’ squad was led by first-team divisional all-stars Joanna Jedrezjewska, Taylor Brisebois, and Lauren Mastroluisi. He identified second team all-star Maicee Sorensen, however, as the player that

impressed him the most for both her on-court play and her resiliency: “Getting a second team after being a rookie last year, I think that’s performance continuity,” Louks said.

“I think that’s pretty impressive for Maicee to get a broken finger in Windsor and play in that Western match. It says a lot for that kid. That’s performance— to be able to get through an injury, probably in her opinion as trivial as it might have been, and be able to compete in that match and compete well.

Two rookies were also singled out by their coach for their perseverance through injuries.

He believes that the improvement in his tall outside hitter, Ina Onat, is “moving as fast as anyone,” after her return from concussion issues that kept her out most of the year. Middle Jill Eisnehauer was another player that caught his eye. Though injuries limited her to seven games, Louks felt that she could compete at the highest level.

As the team completes end-of-year fitness testing and debriefing, Louks wants one main message to resonate with his players. He said the team’s offseason goal as a unit should be “delineating between playing, participating and competing.

I use playing and participating in the same beat, but that’s definitely not competing. Are we good enough? I think you have the answer to that optically. We’re not. I’m not just gearing that towards one match.

I thought we were up and down a lot.”

That being said, he wants to make sure the team keeps the most important goal in mind: “It’s still just a game,” he said. “It

The Marauders will gear up for another season where they will hope to be even more successful.

CO/ FRASER CALDWELL

still should be a lot of fun.”

The team will say “goodbye” to at least two older players come next season. Graduate student and dependable setter Lauren Carter exhausted her eligibility this season, and fouryear veteran liberio Melanie Walsh is expected to graduate this summer. Filling their roster spots on the team will be recruits Michelle Chelladurai and Rachel Woock. Louks is excited in particular by the height Woock will bring to his lineup.

One of the bigger issues for the team going forward will be a logjam at the outside hitter position. Louks looks to have seven players at his disposal to fill two or three roster spots. He sees this as a potential positive,

however: “They’ll have to battle for some of those changes a little bit which is hopefully healthy competition,” he said. “I believe it can be healthy if interpreted in the correct fashion.”

As players and coaching staff go their separate ways for the offseason, the team will remain united by the common goal of looking for a measure of redemption next year. “I don’t believe we were prepared for that [quarterfinal] match,” said Louks. “And that preparation begins in May.” His team is relatively young, and he believes that one of the key elements they are lacking is a belief in themselves. The way the players respond the final game of the season over the spring and

summer will likely set the tone for next year. “The inspiration comes from internal stuff. If our team responds over the offseason to [the Western loss], I think that’s inspirational.”

With nearly half a year to prepare for the 2015-16 campaign, it is clear that Louks wants the whole team to know exactly what must be done to prepare for opening night.

“Have you gone through those meaningful opportunities and repetitions before you arrived at [the biggest game of the year]?

I say without hesitation [this year] we did not,” said Louks.

“Can we get that in? And is going to make the difference? I’ve gotta think yes and yes.”

Mac women’s rugby wins University Cup Laura Sinclair Asst. Sports Editor

The McMaster women’s rugby team made their annual trip to Langford, B.C. to compete in the 2015 University Women’s Cup Tournament and came back as champions for the second year in a row.

On the first day of competition, the Maroon and Grey took on their OUA rival, the Queen’s Gaels, and managed to beat them handily, 36-5.

Ashley Gordon, Steph Black, Laura Morrison, and Sara Svoboda were the scorers of the

match.

In their next game, the Marauders faced the Maple Leafs, a tough component comprised of Rugby Canada’s developmental athletes. The Maroon and Grey lost the match 27-12, but they didn’t hang their heads for too long, as they later faced the Brock University Badgers and won the match 47-0.

McMaster’s second day of competition proved to be their best yet, as they won all three games.

In the quarterfinal matchup against the University of Alberta, the Maroon and Grey won 24-12 with Gordon, Black, Morrison, and Maddy Seatle scoring for the team.

In their semifinal match against the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, the Marauders pulled off another win, 19-12. The scorers in this match for the Maroon and Grey were Laura Morrison, captain Cindy Nelles, Saffara Whiteley-Hoffelner, and Ashley Gordon.

The Marauders stellar tournament got them to the final match, where they took on the University of Victoria Vikings, and won 31-5.

Gordon was named player of the tournament.

The Marauders will now focus on strength and conditioning for their upcoming season as they look to build off their CIS silver medal run in 2014.

The Marauders beat the University of Victoria Vikings in the final 31-5.

C/O LORNE COLLICUTT

Sports

Thursday, March 12, 2015

21

www.thesil.ca

Mac rowing finishes second at indoor relay hind Western, seeing off Guelph and the University of Toronto.

Karl Zimmerman, public and media relations officer for The McMaster 2x4 Indoor the team, was disappointed to Rowing Challenge was hosted miss out on the gold, but nevat McMaster University in the ertheless delighted with the size MUSC Atrium on March 7, and spirit of the event. pitting sides from high schools “We had been hoping that and varsity teams against each this would be the year that we other in an event that represents beat the Mustangs, but it was the Marauders’ one chance to not to be. But in the fun spirit of compete against their rivals on the event, it’s not a devastating home turf. loss, and we look forward to The McMaster rowing team another shot next year,” he said. has enjoyed one of their most “Overall the McMaster 2x4 successful seasons in recent Challenge went incredibly well years, taking bronze at the OUA this year. A lot of planning went Rowing Championships, while into this event Karl Zimmerby key individman recently uals, and a lot of placed 11th in manpower on the the under-23 day before, and day category at the of, the event was World Indoor volunteered by the Rowing ChamMcMaster Rowing pionships in Team.”

Boston, Mass.

He was quick McMaster to heap praise on certainly have his teammates, and pedigree in Karl Zimmerman was enthusiastic indoor rowing about the team’s events, winning Mac Rowing chances of silvergold and bronze ware in future. at the Canadian Indoor Rowing “I was happy by how our Championships, held in Missisteam stayed calm throughout sauga, Ont. last month. the race, and everyone was pullThe March 11 event – Mcing consistently right through to Master’s only hosted regatta – is when I took the last leg through now in its eleventh year, and the line,” said Zimmerman. having doubled in size in 2015, The McMaster varsity men’s attracted over 200 competitors. swimming team also competed The competition involves in the event, with Karl Zimteams of four athletes racing merman and McMaster rowing for 8000m on indoor rowing keen for other Marauders sides machines. to follow suit: “the swim team Backed by enthusiastic proved it’s possible, so let’s see support, the McMaster varsity what everyone else has got.” men’s team placed second beTom Lewis Contributor

A sizeable crowd came out to witness the spectator-friendly event.

C/O KARL ZIMMERMAN

“

Overall, the McMaster 2x4 Challenge went incredibly well this year.

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Mac skater wins OUA gold with help of sister

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Continued from PAGE 19

“I 100 percent think that’s why I skated the best this year.

When I was there, it’s all I was thinking about. I was just doing it. It was the one thing that was consistent and in my control.”

And now, Riley moves back into something she cannot control. Carley’s cancer spread to her arm and she recently had surgery to remove the mass. The disease is so rare, there are few treatments available for it and other options are in trial. Doctors have given a grim progno-

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sis, but the Allison family shows no signs of giving up. Riley notes that Carley is young, and the other people who battled clear-cell sarcoma were significantly older. Carley is a unique case within the rare disease.

This year was supposed to be catastrophic for Riley but it ended in triumph. Her gold medal shows that what is supposed to happen and what will happen are not always the same.

As Carley continues to battle a disease she has already defeated before, let’s hope a similar story will unfold. @Scott1Hastie

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Allison won gold in the Senior Silver Solo event and was named an OUA All-Star

Thursday, March 12, 2015

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Thursday, March 12, 2015

Crossword

ACROSS 1. Sweet tropical fruit 6. Paradise lost 10. Face-to-face exam 14. Body of salt water 15. Balcony section 16. Arid Asian expanse 17. “Popular” question? (Part one) 20. Life, for one 21. Use one’s reflexes 22. Rat-a-____ (drum sound) 23. Amtrak unit 25. Fleur-de-____ (symbol on Quebec’s flag) 26. Imitates a hot dog 30. Insect stage 31. Eleven digits 32. Au _____ (menu phrase) 34. Australian runner 37. “Popular” question? (Part two) 40. Bass-heavy music genre 41. Lend an ear 42. Underling 43. Andy’s radio partner 44. Absolute 45. Space between teeth 48. Fresh from the factory 49. Ballpoint, e.g.

51. Be bombastic 53. Muse of epic poetry 58. “Popular” question (Part three) 61. Some astronauts’ insignia

Puzzle

DOWN

62. Eye part 63. Covers the overhead?

64. Marshal’s badge 65. Film about a lovable pig 66. Be theatrical

1. Does a landscaping chore 2. Bad end for a tooth 3. Advertising sign 4. Dog show concern 5. Beginnings 6. Bumper sticker word

How is it possible to trace this design in one continuous movement without drawing the same segment twice?

What is the next pattern in this sequence?

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7. Capitol feature 8. “I” problem 9. After expenses 10. Eye up and down 11. “The _____ Tenenbaums” 12. Old-style counters 13. Catalogs 18. Biochemistry abbr.

19. Off the mark 23. Adorable one 24. Beelike 26. Come down hard 27. Palindromic girl’s name 28. Less than average tide 29. Cooking meas.

30. Agreements 32. Cleaning lady’s target 33. Plant new crops 34. Correct a manuscript 35. earned 36. _____-friendly 38. Krypton, e.g.

39. Absorb, as an expense 44. Loosen, as skates 45. Garb for grads 46. Enlightened one, in Buddhism 47. Coin of Kolkata 49. Hardly current 50. Santa’s helper 52. Ivan the Terrible, e.g.

53. Nursery furnishing 54. Menu selection 55. River or state 56. Bombard with snowballs 57. An old Irish tongue 59. “ad” add-on 60. Failed Constitutional measure (Abbr.)

The Silhouette

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Lifestyle THE SKINNY

Emma Little Contributor Dancing Man found

www.thesil.ca

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THIS WEEK Best Fashion Documentaries In anticipation of Dior and I, check out four must-watch fashion documentaries PAGE 26

Trading in the winter blues Gearing up for the denim revolution of spring 2015, here are a couple investment brands to keep an eye out for Michelle Yeung ANDY Reporter

bone

Sim

on M

me Fra

iller

us Naked and Famo

The #FindDancingMan campaign warmed hearts after a man was ridiculed for his size and his dancing on social media. A Free Thought Project activist was horrified by the cruel nature of the original post and used Twitter to track down this man and invite him to a VIP dance party with 1,727 women in LA.

rag &

Kim goes blonde

Social media went crazy after Kim Kardashian went platinum blonde. Kim confirmed that her hair was in fact inspired by Madonna, not Draco Malfoy.

Platinum blonde is apparently in; Jared Leto chopped his locks and dyed his hair and eyebrows blonde too, in preparation for the upcoming Suicide Squad movie.

Toy Story’s new direction

According to Pixar president Jim Morris, Toy Story 4 will not be a continuation of Toy Story 3, but rather a romantic comedy. Set to release in June 2017, the movie ‘s storyline will not revolve around characters interacting with children.

Frozen banned in Bell house

Despite voicing the character of Anna, Kristen Bell revealed that her daughter has never seen Frozen. Bell doesn’t have anything against the movie; she just wants to limit her daughter’s screen-watching.

Japanese denim (or Japanese anything, really) is perhaps the highest quality in the world.

Every pair of Naked & Famous Denim jeans is made in Canada and uses the most unique denim fabrics imported from mills in Japan. As they stray away from implementing different washes, this denim house has fewer styles than other brands.

But this is precisely what they do best: combining incredible fabric with modern fits to create jeans that are raw and simple.

Eliminating different wash effects also takes away costs, leaving them at the lower end of the price range as far as highend denim goes.

Stand-out quality: Their collections feature a multitude of selvedge denim fabrics and blended fabrics put together by varying twills and weave work that result in solid jeans with no BS. Pair one of the three men’s fits (skinny, slim and tapered) or four ladies’ styles (skinny, slim, boot-cut and trouser-cut) with a patterned top for a contrasting yet coolly balanced look.

Residing in relative anonymity until only a few years ago, Frame has now amassed a massive following. Founded in 2012 by four friends split between London and California, the denim brand merges a London-influenced style, cut, and fit with the quality manufacturing and heritage of Los Angeles. The designers at the helm of Frame strived to create the perfect pair of jeans – and you will likely find yours among their expansive collection.

Stand-out quality: Their denim is beautifully clean and subdued, and the jeans are structured in a way that provide a tailored look which could be dressed up or down. The fits and washes are understated but not plain, minimal yet luxurious – this will definitely be your go-to pair of jeans. For guys, pair them with either a t-shirt or a nice button-up, and ladies could rock either a tee or a flowy blouse for multiple looks that are all effortlessly put together.

Simon Miller is another denim brand based on the principles of Japanese fabrics. The denim house combines high-quality Japanese denim with American construction to produce clean, vintage styles with modern fits.

Exclusively made in the USA, Simon Miller’s collection has a laid-back American-west vibe combined with the natural ease of Los Angeles. Their jeans are effortlessly timeless and expertly crafted, all the while exuding a pleasant, lived-in aesthetic.

Stand-out quality: While they have many pairs of high-quality denim in modern fits, Simon Miller is notable for their unique vintage washes and relaxed fit (this signature fit makes this denim house a haven for men who complain about jeans being too tight and too uncomfortable). Their beautiful washes create a great pair of jeans embellished by the natural aspects of creased lines, frayed edges, and distressed patches. For an everyday look, pair some Simon Millers with a basic staple in your closet, like a simple white t-shirt.

One of my all-time favourite brands in denim and beyond, rag & bone continues to deliver with classically tailored products that meld casual sophistication with an edgy yet understated New York vibe. Their denim is beautifully cut and expertly crafted, making it a closet staple that you will turn to for any occasion.

Stand-out quality: rag & bone manages to put their signature spin on traditional styles of denim by enlisting expert tailoring. The result is jeans that cling to your legs with a softness that boasts equal measures of comfort and style. The washes are timeless, ranging from light stonewash to a rich indigo blend to a modern acid wash. In particular, ladies should check out their distressed denim (my favourite r&b style) and guys should take a look at one of the three classic fits.

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Lifestyle

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Four must-see fashion documentaries

Tomi Milos ANDY Editor

Dior and I, to be released on Apr. 10, is a film that fans of the house and fashion in general are rabidly anticipating for what looks to be a gripping reprisal of how the man, the myth, the legend, Raf Simons was hired as Artistic Director on short notice and absolutely came through by laying waste to the competition with his first haute couture collection which he designed in only eight weeks.

While there is one more month to go until Dior and I is out, here are some other fashion documentaries that will sate your desire until then.

The September Issue

Bill Cunningham New York

This is My Dream

Girl Model

Vogue. The word in itself sends most into an opulent reverie.

The magazine has always been a highly admired fashion periodical, but its American publication has seen its star rise to unfathomable heights under the reign of the Machiavellian Anna Wintour. The September Issue offers a look into the intense preparation for the largest issue that the magazine puts out every September. While certainly imbued with elegance, the film shows how both the designers and journalists who cover their work are under immense pressure to keep up with the don’t-look-back pace of the fashion world.

While street style has enjoyed a resurgence at the hands of great photographers like Tommy Ton and HB Nam—as well as assholes like Scott Schuman—you can’t even begin discussing it without paying your respects to Bill Cunningham.

The OG, the god, daddy: all these terms can be used to describe Cunningham, who has plied his trade with the New York Times for over 50 years, and is only now getting recognition for turning his lens away from the insiders and onto the public. Ever humble, it is sobering to see how Cunningham’s life is ascetic as well as revealing, for it showcases how the man lives for his work.

Black is effortlessly cool, but who made it so? Since debuting his first collection in 1977, Tokyo-born Yohji Yamamoto has been the king of black.

The avant-garde clothes are coveted by both men and women, with both picking pieces up from all collections, socially constructed notions of gender be damned. What makes Yamamoto so interesting is his monkish dedication to pioneering new methods of tailoring and silhouettes. With his Y-3 line for Adidas still faring extremely well, Yamamoto remains relevant in an industry that spits designers out, and this film celebrates that with an indepth look into the notoriously private designer’s mind.

While a lot of attention is attributed to the clothes and those who make them, not much is given to the women who are enlisted to model designer wares.

Girl Model follows a 13-year-old Russian model named Nadya who is discovered at a casting session by a scout and then promptly flown to Japan to work at shoots where she is told by her agency to lie about her age.

A harrowing look into the trafficking that goes on with young women from impoverished regions of the world, Girl Model is a depressing but worthwhile watch that forces one to reconsider the ethics, or lack thereof, in the fashion industry.

with ankle straps, while Saint Laurent debuted red, white, and gold, with a leopard printed chunky heel. The platform heels are going to be the go-to going out shoes for spring, and are so perfect for dancing.

Something completely different coming back are gladiator sandals. It seems like they filter through the runway every few years, constantly being reinvented and modernized. This season, prepare to witness yet another revival with gladiators in a wide variety of heights and heels. Alexander McQueen, Chloe, Givenchy, Valentino, and Rodarte all showed a variation of gladiators, making them one of the most popular shoes to grace the spring/summer runways. Gladiators are becoming summer essentials by injecting an outfit with exciting Roman charm.

However, nothing beats the versatility of power flats. Chanel debuted gorgeous metallic brogues alongside flats with strategic cutouts and straps. At Michael Kors, strappy pointed-toe flats were the main event, while at Oscar de la Renta, multi-coloured menswear-in-

spired oxfords were the shoe of choice. Flats are taking over the runway, which will translate to the streets very well. Walkable, easy, and fashionable, what’s not to love?

Daniella Porano Lifestyle Reporter

Spring shoe trends to watch out for

While the recent and very much welcome above-zero temperatures usher in the beauty of spring, all I can think about is the new fashion season that comes with it. As the days of frantically wiping off salt from your boots become a bitter memory of winter’s past (seriously, anyone else sick of the constant crunching and destroyed leather?), we welcome spring with new shoes.

With the autumn/winter shows finishing up in Paris, the spring/summer trends that showed in the fall of 2014 will be dominating the publications, stores, and trend reports across the fashion world.

Taking hints from the spring/summer 2015 runway shows, the shoes of spring are fun and versatile. The 70’s are making a comeback with clunky platform heels. Think sparkles, glitter, and six inches of disco glamour. At Tom Ford, the heels were mono-coloured

Lifestyle

Thursday, March 12, 2015

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FUN FOR ONE

Don’t be afraid of going solo Self-love also means loving your own company. Learn to embrace going places alone

LIZ POPE / PHOTO REPOTER

Tobi Abdul Asst. Lifestyle Editor

“Is it just you today?”

This question is seldom asked without a cocked head and pitying look from a hostess worried about the poor, friendless girl forced to eat alone at a restaurant. Don’t worry about me; eating alone is one of my favourite pastimes. While others are forced to engage in that awful game of inching the fork closer to their mouth while smiling and engaging in polite conversation, I get to eat completely uninterrupted, enjoying my food while it’s still hot. There’s no waiting for anyone else to decide or having to talk in between bites, there’s just pure enjoyment of culinary art. Yet, whenever the server brings me a single menu, I can feel people’s glances wondering where my companion is.

Restaurants are just one of the places that I feel comfortable

going it alone, but it seems like this is not the norm. Whenever I tell stories around my solo excursions, I’m always interrupted by “wait, you went by yourself?” as if it’s the weirdest thing I could’ve done. Even though I was in the middle of recounting the time I fainted outside a concert hall, the most interesting part of the story was apparently the fact that I went to the show alone.

Companionship and enjoyment are not mutually exclusive.

Sure, there are things that are absolutely more fun when you share them with people, but it’s possible to have a good time by yourself. There is only one person who is going to be there every minute of every day from birth to death. Like every relationship, the one you have with yourself requires nurturing. After years of self-hate and depreciation, I had to learn to appreciate my thoughts, my quirks, and my personality as much as I appreciate the presence of my friends.

It seems like there’s a “love

yourself ” campaign around every corner, but can you really love yourself if you can’t stand spending time with yourself? After missing concerts because my friends don’t like good music, I made the decision to never let my own enjoyment be hindered by someone else’s lack of interest.

If I want to go somewhere and you want to come with me, that’s great, but if you don’t, I’m sure as hell not missing out.

Concerts, restaurants, movies, shopping, music festivals, and daytime trips to Toronto have not been less enjoyable because there wasn’t someone there.

When I heard Volcano Choir live at Osheaga and a single tear rolled down my cheek, I wasn’t thinking about how much greater the music would be if there was someone standing silently next to me – because I definitely wouldn’t have tolerated talking during that set.

The Internet Age has made it impossible to really be alone. If we’re not constantly surrounded by people, we’re in constant

MARCH 17TH IS ST. PATRICKS DAY!

OPEN AT 10AM! serving Pancakes until they last!

communication. People are always getting frustrated at the idea of “bad texters,” who, when you really think about it, are just people who aren’t willing to respond at every waking minute.

We’re expected to be available whenever the person on the other end wants, but there has to be a place for our own individualistic needs to come in.

There’s an indescribable feeling after having a good night laughing with my best friends, but that same feeling exists on solo Sundays walking around Locke or James Street by myself.

Learning how to love my own company has helped ease symptoms of depression, social anxiety, and has made me perfectly content with singledom. I want to be around people, but I don’t need to be. In short, I’m a strong, independent woman who don’t need nobody. The greatest lesson I’ve taught myself is that I’m worthy of self-love. I’m my own best friend and there’s something so fulfilling about that. Like Charles Bukowski said, “there

are far worse things than being alone but it often takes decades to realize this.” @toe_bee

3 best places for solo dates Movies It’s dark and you’re not supposed to be talking to anyone anyway, making it the perfect solo date.

Buffet You’re in, you’re out before your stomach realizes that you were full four plates ago.

Concert Listening to your favourite band alone allows you to be introspective and let the music do all the talking.

SERVING

GREEN BEE ALL DAY

R

(AKA GREENS)

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Lifestyle

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Teaing up with a sweet-tea With great brewing comes great responsibilitea Mitali Chaudhary Contributor

There’s nothing like a warm cup of tea on a cold day. As a matter of fact, there isn’t anything like a cold glass of tea on a warm day either. A cup of tea can help you stay awake and instantly make you feel more at home. No tea stays the same and its taste changes depending one how you brew it. It’s this versatility of this simple drink that makes it so popular across the world, though it also helps that it’s virtually calorie-free, has minimal sodium and fat content, is rich with anti-oxidants, and comes in so many delicious types and flavours.

But because of this, it can sometimes be difficult to choose which tea to try from the hundreds available at most tea shops, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the great range of available options. The following list narrows down the most popular types of teas and the flavours that each provide, to make your next brew choice an easier one.

GREEN TEA

BLACK TEA

HERBAL TEAS

OOLONG TEA

It’s the least oxidized version of the Camellia teas, and is the most popular tea in the world.

It has a very delicate, springy flavour (much more than black tea) and is light yellow-green in colour. Due to its comparative lightness, it’s also most commonly used in bubble tea.

This tea comes from the same warm-weather plant (Camellia sinensis) as green and oolong tea. Once brewed, it yields a dark, rich, red infusion that is heavier than either green or oolong. It is often mixed with milk and sugar, as per personal taste.

As they don’t stem from the original Camellia plant, these teas are sometimes referred to as tisanes. They can be divided into rooibos, herbal infusions, and mate teas. Herbal infusions contain flowers, fruits, and herbs, to create sweet flavours that can be enjoyed cold or hot.

Oolong is the midway point, in terms of flavour strength and oxidation, between black and green tea. It has a richer taste than black tea, but maintains a sweet aroma. It is best enjoyed when carefully prepared using whole loose leaves.

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Thursday, March 12, 2015

The Silhouette

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Can you guess what movie logos these 18 letters come from?

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andy

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Keeping up with Coming up in Hamilton

pages

MAR 13 MAR 14 MAR 18 MAR 20

HOMEGROWN > Day Drunk > per’ spektiv > Open Mic > DB Cooper (release party)

MAR 13 MAR 14 MAR 19 MAR 20

THIS AIN’T HOLLYWOOD > Juno Party > Teenage Head > Open Stage > Johnny Winter Tribute

MAR 13 MAR 14 MAR 17 MAR 19

THEATRE

Citadel Theatre >Health Sci Musical $15 student tickets

MAR 12-14

ARTCRAWL

HAVN > Warming Up MAR 13 photos by Vanessa Barnier

Heems

Eat, Pray, Thug You can always count on Heems to put white people in their place.

With his first solo album after a slew of solid mixtapes, the Queens-based Indian MC ditches irony for a sobering treatise on what it means to be a person of colour in post9/11 America. While he combats the popular privileged notion of finding oneself in a formerly colonized country with his title, the rapper delves far deeper into issues of race with the rest of the record. If you’re white, you’ll feel alienated, but that’s exactly the point.

THE ANDY CHARTS

#

ALBUM TITLE

1

Eat, Pray, Thug

2

If You’re Choppin This, It’s Too Late

3

Migo, Lingo

4

Ripe 4 Luv

5

SOL

6

Street Gospel 2

7

Melbourne, Florida

8

Policy

9

Aureate Gloom

10

Mumford and Sons still existing, I thought we were past boring bro-folk

30

Turning the

This week’s quick picks

MUSIC

THE CASBAH > Junofest + mystery guest > Junofest > Hamilton Brewery Night > Dodger

www.thesil.ca

My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn

Shot by Nicolas Winding Refn’s wife, Liv Corfixen, My Life provides a compelling look at how the Danish director coped with the stress of following up Drive while filming Only God Forgives in Bangkok. As much a film about family as about filmmaking, it is a good watch for anyone interested in familial drama.

with andy

Title: The Buried Giant Author: Kazuo Ishiguro 336 pages Price: $16.17 (hardcover)

Michelle Yeung ANDY Reporter

Man Booker Prize-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro makes a valiant return with The Buried Giant, a novel about a land beset by a shared amnesia. It is this misty state of fragmented knowing that is captured in the Japanese author’s latest novel.

Ten years in the making and entangled by magical enchantment, this story is a masterful blend of fantasy, legend, and Arthurian romance. Rarely do dragons meld with literary fiction, but Ishiguro does so with captivating finesse.

Set in England sometime around sixth century AD, the story follows an elderly couple named Axl and Beatrice. Due to their old age, they are cast as outsiders of their village, mocked by children and exiled to the least desirable dwelling.

A dense mist of forgetfulness hangs over the landscape, robbing everyone of their memory.

In brief flashes, Beatrice recalls that she and Axl have a grown son who lives a fair voyage away. And so they embark on a journey to find their forgotten son, encountering pixies, ogres, and wanderers who’s fates become entwined with theirs.

As is typical of these chivalric medieval romances, no one – and no thing – are what they seem at first, and true character is revealed as the travellers aim to destroy the source of the memory depleting mist.

Undoubtedly, Ishiguro is a literary genius. In The Buried Giant, he enlists one of the great, recurring themes of his works — the individual versus the collective society — which engages the reader in rewarding retrospection. There is not just one couple’s memories to consider. Forgetting allows a society to live with past sins and atrocities. Some things are better

left forgotten, as consequence could outweigh all else when the mist is dispelled.

Perhaps a valid criticism of the novel lies in its pace. Even readers accustomed to Ishiguro’s writing may find the earlier scenes slow. The new aspects of “magical realism” also take some getting used to, and some moments with swords and sorcery seem superfluous. But these minor distractions are worth enduring.

The couple’s journey isn’t just a search for their son, but one that measures up to the calibre of Sir Gawain’s and King Arthur’s legendary quests. The Buried Giant is a story about the unyielding yet flawed love between two people. Told through excellent prose and delicate humanity, Ishiguro warns readers of uncovering lost memories, for you can never be certain of what buried giants you may unearth. @mich_yeung

the

big tickle What’s one book you’ve started, but never finished? Why?

Yousif

Game of Thrones. I got ten pages in and just couldn’t go on.

Orest

War and Peace. It’s really long and kind of dry.

Rachel

The Custom of the Country. I couldn’t stand any of the characters.

Daniel

Children of the Days. I just stopped keeping up with it.

Laura

John Lennon’s biography. It was too long.

andy

Thursday, March 12, 2015

www.thesil.ca

ALBUM REVIEWS Ratking - 700 Fill Tomi Milos ANDY Editor

With down parkas having achieved peak saturation, now couldn’t have been a better time for Ratking to drop an album called 700 Fill. The good thing about the sophomore follow-up to So It Goes is that it’s filled with so much heat that you won’t mind rolling your windows down to let the album bump in the wintery air even if you don’t have a Canada Goose on.

Opting to eschew a release date has grown to be a popular route in all walks of the music industry and the NYC trio decided to follow suit by releasing 700 Fill via BitTorrent last week. Having not had much in the way of new material from the group aside from Wiki’s guest verse on the U.S. remix of Skepta’s massive grime smash, “That’s Not Me,” the album certainly came as a welcome surprise to fans of the group and rap in general.

Composed of rappers Wiki

and Hak, and producer Sporting Life, Ratking has enchanted young and old rap heads alike with their distinctly New York-flavoured rhymes and beats. Wiki and Hak’s realist rhymes are a welcome break from some of the corporate shit that New York produces, and they both spend a good deal of time combatting the gentrification of their beloved city in song.

The group has a canny tendency for taking the nostalgia of rap purists who only listen to pre-2000’s, or so-called “real hip-hop,” and exposing how empty it is. Without spurning the work of groups and artists like Migos and Young Thug, who have brought a rambunctious vibrancy to the rap scene, Ratking could be dubbed as the thinking fan’s favourite rap collective.

Ratking expertly toy with vintage influence on 700 Fill, itself a reference to the goose down fill in North Face parkas, and a track called “Steep Tech,” a musical ode to the brand’s adored Steep Tech jacket models. The latter song features Despot and Princess Nokia chiming

in with quality efforts, and as a result is one of the better cuts off the album.

“Arnold Palmer” boasts a bombastic beat that will incite you to steal the aux cord in your homie’s whip just to hear it, and the rhymes are on point as well. “Bethel” pays homage to Allen Iverson’s famous practice tirade with an impassioned recitation of the Answer’s rant.

Fans of the first record will gravitate to “Flurry,” a track whose old-school production and incessant spitting is reminiscent of Wiki’s earlier solo effort. The song finds Wiki confronting the pressure that comes with being signed to a big label like XL, saying, “I don’t even know how to count bars, all I know is how to flow till I’m out.”

Whether that’s an honest confession or not, here’s to many more Ratking bars fighting the good fight against yuppie kids infiltrating New York with their parents’ money.

The Verdict

@tomimilos

Big Sean - Dark Sky Paradise Jason Woo Lifestyle Editor

Big Sean has always been a joke.

From the infectious but ridiculously stupid “Dance (A$$),” to the hilarious ass shake/assquake/ass-state/ass-tray bit on “Mercy,” we’ve never stopped laughing at Big Sean. Recently, his messy break up with Glee star Naya Rivera, and current relationship with emerging diva Ariana Grande have further overshadowed his music. In 2014, the problem was that no one believed Sean had the chops to be a true rapper.

Boy, were we wrong. Big Sean comes in guns-a-blazing on his third and best studio effort, Dark Sky Paradise. In the first six tracks, Sean shows you just how effortlessly he can move between flows and how rapid his delivery can be while still maintaining his trademark

humour. In addition to the ubiquitous “I Don’t F**k With You,” which is the theme song any university student should live by, Sean includes an extended version of “Paradise.” Over a Mike-Will-Made-It beat that occasionally stops completely to allow for a cappella spitting, Big Sean has two verses that will make anyone turn their head.

Kanye West executive produced the album, and his influence is strongest in the beats that are partially inspired

by My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. He lends a hand in “All Your Fault,” where the two rappers trade lines so effortlessly it could comfortably sit in Watch the Throne. Kanye also drops another great Kanye-ism, “I imagine that’s what Chris told Karreuche. Girls be acting like diamonds be in their coochie.”

Drake, E-40, and Lil Wayne also make appearances, but Sean is never lyrically overshadowed.

The only quibble that could be made comes in the latter half

of the album, where Big Sean gets personal, dark, and intense.

He raps about sacrifices made for fame, failed relationships, and his journey so far competently. “One Man Can Change the World,” in particular, is a standout track about the death of Sean’s grandmother. The issue is that the transition from bangers to introspective cuts is nonexistent. Big Sean is also not a good singer, but he gives it multiple shots throughout his more reflective tracks. It doesn’t help that vocalists like Chris Brown, Jhené Aiko, Ariana Grande, and fellow G.O.O.D. music label mate John Legend constantly upstage him.

In Dark Sky Paradise, Big Sean makes a bid to join Kanye, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar at the mainstream rap table. While he’s not there yet, at least now they all know that Big Sean is no joke. @jayjai223

The Verdict

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andy

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Interview: Green Gables Fables ANDY talks with the creators of the popular transmedia webseries Rachel Katz News Reporter

Mandy Harmon plays the title role of Anne in the Green Gables Fables webseries she created with Alicia Whitson and Marie Trotter.

Since Jan. 2014, Youtuber AnneWithAnE has been uploading weekly vlogs documenting her life in Avonlea with her foster caregivers Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. She and her friends interact on a variety of social media sites, including Twitter and Instagram. On the surface, Anne and her friends seem completely normal, but this is not the case. Anne and her friends are fictional.

There are few children’s stories as timeless as Anne of Green Gables. Lucy Maud Montgomery’s stories have been adapted in dozens of different ways, the most recent being Green Gables Fables, a transmedia webseries created by Mandy Harmon, Alicia Whitson, and Marie Trotter.

Whiston and Harmon came up with the initial idea together.

According to Harmon, who plays the title role, “we both just kind of collaborated on what skills we had and built on what skills we didn’t have and we made it happen.”

While admirable on its own that these three young women have developed such

a multi-faceted approach to a hundred-year-old story, the challenges they have had to overcome are even more remarkable. The creators are spread across different parts of the continent, with Trotter studying in Toronto, Whiston in Kansas, and Harmon in Utah.

“It’s a lot of planning and coordinating. We have schedules and charts and various documents of things just to stay organized and on schedule,” Trotter admitted. Whitson agreed, adding the differences in time zone create additional difficulties.

The innovation of Green Gables Fables is commendable and it captures the same spirit and energy of the original story.

Trotter, the Transmedia Director, is in charge of running the social media profiles of all the major characters in the story.

“Everyone uses social media differently, so figuring that out was a process for me, like how do these people interact, what do they share, and what do they not tell people on the internet?

It’s an interesting world,” she explained.

Trotter is not the only one who finds she can get lost in the characters. Harmon, who is graduating from high school this spring, described the

uncanny feeling of being in the same position as her role.

“It’s been an interesting experience to play someone who is going through the same things I’ve been going through […] It makes it easier to play, but also harder because [there’s] a lot more emotion involved.”

Green Gables Fables has had an effect on thousands of viewers, as seen by the multiple comments each video garners.

“It’s really refreshing to have a story that’s just about this girl who’s optimistic. And bad things do happen, but she always comes back and has this happiness and hope and I think it’s really cool,” Whitson said.

Trotter finds it exciting that their interpretation has been used to teach Anne of Green Gables in schools.

“It makes it relevant for people and it refreshes the source material,” she said.

With Green Gables Fables, Harmon, Whitson, and Trotter have proven the timelessness of Montgomery’s characters, and Harmon believes, “Anne Shirley’s story is like a coming of age story for people of all ages.

Adapting it to the modern world brings it to life for everyone […]

I hope we’re doing the original story justice.”

Review: Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Michael Gallagher Asst. ANDY Editor

Ellie Kemper plays Kimmy Schmidt in the new series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

The Verdict

After proving its potential in the world of television dramas with House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, Netflix has shifted its attentions towards making viewers laugh. So when 30 Rock’s Tina Fey and Robert Carlock approached the streaming network with their latest brainchild Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Netflix jumped at the chance to prove that they’re the place for smart and creative television.

After 13 episodes and a series of increasingly bizarre moments, I’m happy to say that, for the most part, they were right.

From the opening theme song alone, anyone who watches Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt knows they are about to watch something unconventional.

Sung through the auto-tuned voice of a shocked neighbour in the style of a viral video hits like the “Bed Intruder Song,” viewers are told the strange story of how lead character Kimmy Schmidt

(played by The Office’s Ellie Kemper) was trapped in an underground bunker for 15 years by a religious cult leader who allegedly protected them from the apocalypse. After sharing her story as one of the four “Indiana mole women” on television, Kimmy decides to move to New York City with the hopes of finding somthing better.

Kimmy Schmidt’s story of a fish out of water trying to make it in New York isn’t exactly new.

Coupled with this is the existence of equally familiar character types, including her eccentric roommate Titus (Tituss Burgess), an aspiring actor frustrated with his lack of stardom, and Jacqueline (Jane Krakowski) the stereotypical Manhattan Stepford wife who hires Kimmy as a nanny. Because of this, much of the success of the show is dependent on whether Kemper, Tina Fey, and the rest of the team can effectively separate Kimmy Schmidt from the wealth of other sitcoms set in New York.

Every episode is unpredictable as possible by design, and this works out rather well. The smart writing that fans have

come to love from 30 Rock is instantly recognizable, often firing off what feels like hundreds of one-liners and meta-jokes within a single episode. When paired with the effortlessly unique side plots throughout each episode, and a powerful cast of comedic veterans, viewers quickly realize that Kimmy Schmidt is a far cry from unoriginal.

Unfortunately, the same unique storylines that set the show apart from other competing comedies are also what can hold it back. Yes, I did find myself laughing throughout each of the show’s 13 episodes, but there were also several times where it felt like Kimmy Schmidt was more annoying than amusing.

The random nature of the show only increases the chance of an episode being a hit or miss.

Despite all that, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is only in its first season, and shows more than enough promise to make up for its faults. Whether you’re a fan of 30 Rock or just looking for something to make you laugh, climb out of your nuclear bunker and turn on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

www.thesil.ca

andy

33

Understanding Fangirls In defence of a thriving fangirl culture which does more good than bad but is still mocked by the media

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Fangirls unjustly suffer scathing derision from the patrairchy for adoring artists which are specifically marketed to them.

Rachel Harper Contributor

When you hear the word “fangirl,” what other words do you associate it with? Neurotic, perhaps? Overzealous? Obsessive? Irrational? If you invest a lot of your time in following the entertainment industry and are familiar with the way the term is often used in the media, then many of these words probably come to mind. And because the term is fangirl and not fanboy (although the latter is used once in blue moon), obviously femininity is brought into the definition.

For those who aren’t as familiar with the term, fangirl is used to describe a female person who is a fan of a certain TV show, movie, video game, celebrity, band, book, or a combination of those things. And when I say “fan,” I’m talking about probably a seven or higher on a scale of one to ten. One being “I really hate this thing,” and ten being “oh my god give me all of this thing anywhere and at any time, I want to drown myself in it.” Those who are given the label of fangirl tend to reside on the more passionate side of the scale.

One can observe the mysterious fangirl on Tumblr, where fangirls from all over the world come together and express their excitement about their favourite things. The creativity that stems from this virtual symposium is astounding. The writers of a certain fandom will crank out breathtaking fanfictions that put many published books to shame.

The visual artists will create stunning paintings and drawings that don’t even remotely

look like they could’ve been produced by human hands.

And don’t even get me started on the cosplayers. Countless of handmade costumes and outfits are made that rival and even surpass those appearing in the originals.

And yet, after all these beautiful demonstrations of ingenuity, imagination, and inspiration, fangirls are largely mocked. Why, you ask? Well, for a start, many things that women take an interest in are scorned, even if they are things that are marketed for them by the patriarchy. Astounding.

Take bands like One Direction, for example, that are marketed towards adolescent girls. When the girls really start to love the band and become passionate about them, they instantly become targets for condescension and contempt.

When fangirls venture out to see their favourite bands or celebrities in real life, they often get very excitable. This can include screaming, crying, or some combination of the two.

Not all fangirls do this as every person experiences passion in different ways. If someone expresses their passion for something in a different manner than another would, then that’s okay.

As long as they aren’t hurting anyone, they should be allowed to be as excited as they want.

Girls shouldn’t feel ashamed for loving things and being enthusiastic about them. Besides, I don’t see anyone making a fuss about sports fanatics.

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andy

34

Review: Cake Jennifer Aniston veers away from the role she’s normally typecast in, but the result isn’t excellent

www.thesil.ca

a great one.

Claire’s best asset is arguably Silvana, played by Adriana Alexandra Florescu Barraza, who is her best friend ANDY Reporter before she is her housekeeper.

Much like a fairy godmother, Silvana waves wand after wand Like the protagonist Claire, to attend to Claire’s absurd I spent the majority of Cake requests. Spunky and full of teetering on the edge. I wantall the life Claire seems to ed desperately for it to be an lack, Silvana is the comforting anthem for mental health, but face to both Claire and viewer couldn’t shake the feeling that alike. Cake challenges what it it fell short. While it carries the means to really know someone, spunk and soul of a hardy film, insinuating that perhaps it is the it ultimately lacked execution, most unlikely of relationships a flaw that proved to be fatal, from which we draw the most knocking Cake from among the comfort. ranks of other recent releases For all its seriousness, Cake like Whiplash and down to is equally stomach-turning as it second tier. is darkly humorous. ThroughJennifer Aniston plays out the movie, Claire flirts Claire Bennett, a woman whose with various suitors, and when traumatic past left her with that gets old, the law. There are chronic pain, an incapacitatenough illegal ing neural drug smuggles condition. In and house doing so, Cake break-ins to marks one of satisfy any Aniston’s most delinquent’s notable steps Like the protagonist, heart. After outside of her all, Aniston characterisClaire, I spent the is not Anistic “Rachel majority of Cake ton without Green” mould, humour, and yet she does teetering on the edge. even Cake has it so seamI wanted desperately plenty of that. lessly that While you wouldn’t for it to be an anthem Jennifer know any for mental health, Aniston and better. AnisAdriana Barton tranbut couldn’t shake raza filled the scends words, shoes of their the feeling that it fell needing only roles, the rest a turn of the short. of the cast was mouth to underdevelcommunicate oped and flat. pain or a raised The motivations behind some eyebrow and piercing stare to actions were not always clear, or say, “you heard me.” even vaguely accessible, which To Claire, other people meant they seemed unnecessary. are punching bags, and she has There were even some scenes every reason to be swinging. that could have been cut out Every morning she wakes up to to no detriment to the final scars on her face that remind product. her of what she lost and the It takes the whole movie emptiness of what she used to to get there, but the last five have in her bones. There were minutes are executed to a tee. It scenes that were, at times, unis disappointing to see a movie bearable to watch. For a while, like Cake flounder through the you wonder if Claire is defined beginning, pick up a little in by anything other than her the middle and only reach its chronic pain. Anyone with half a heart will grimace as her static full potential at the very end. It makes you question where the days bleed into one another for movie could have gone, had it what you fear may be the rest been in different hands. of her eternity, marked only by Opinions about execution moments where she struggles to pick clothes off the ground or aside, Cake is exactly the type of movie that the world has been get into bed. waiting for. A grounded foray Throughout the movie, into mental health and chronic Claire grasps on her will to live even as she is haunted by images illness, it doesn’t shy away from portraying a difficult subject in of bridges, pools and the ease of its honesty, even at the expense just slipping away. Every one of her actions is driven by her need of becoming too heavy. We are all teetering on an edge, some to feel something other than pain, every brash comment a cry more than others, some at different points in our lives. The for help and every pill popped rest is just a balancing act, and a settlement for numbness in this domain, Cake excels. instead. That said, our anti-heroine is loathe to back down @alexxflorescu without a fight, and she puts up

“

The Verdict

Running time: 102 minutes Director: Daniel Barnz Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Adrianna Barraza, Felicity Huffman Best For: If you want to explore a side of Jennifer Aniston you don’t see too often

Thursday, March 12, 2015

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THURSDAY

POSTERPOCALYPSE Papercuts spiral out of control as campaign posters begin to fall off walls A3

HAMILTON SPECULATOR MAKING LIGHT OF ISSUES SINCE 1934

NOTSPEC.COM

MARCH 12, 2015

DEBATE

When is it okay to #delete a tweet?

Two experts in the field of social media rights tackle the age-old controversy; the latest ethical date of termination of a fledgling drunk post on your ex-girlfriend’s twitter feed.

DR. RAMONA SCHRIFT Doctor of Communication, not a real doctor

TEE-JAY @FARKINS 17 million followers, never known hardship

Schrift: This brings up a very philosophical argument as to the nature of discourse. An idea cannot be graded on the breadth of its reach, in much of the same way that a medicine’s potency cannot be graded on the amount of potential lives it can save. A tweet, from inception, will always have a consistent amount of social merit, regardless of the amount of screens it goes through.

@Farkins: Wow you must think really highly of yourself to compare your tweets’ value to the likes of penicillin or the polio vaccine. Let me break down the argument in simpler terms; Your tweets are worth deleting, at any Case: Jeremy Irons (unrelated to the actor) drunkenly wanders into a bathroom point in their existence. As are Irons’, and any tweets belonging to the flood stall, in which he writes a 112-character tweet, directly tagging his ex-girlfriend of of Twitter users who will never break triple-digit followers in their lifetime. five years, nine months after the relationship ended on her terms. In the cruel light My tweets are golden gifts to humanity, but if I want to of day, Irons deletes his tweet, hoping she did not see his desperate delete them, it is my right, and sometimes my pleasure, plea for “her last chance at happiness.” She did. as my followers scramble to compare the veracity of their “Tweets don’t really screenshots. become tweets Schrift: Most people will say that deleting tweets is their until they’ve been Schrift: But Marshal McLuhan saidown perogative, but few stop to consider the implications retweeted by a least of taking away the rights of the tweet itself. Social media is a @Farkins: That garbage clown died 26 years before Twitter living organism, so taking away a piece of that organism, no a million people.” even started, what would be know about “the message?” His matter how small or embarassing, is tantamount to maimgeneration was spoiled with unlimited character counts and ing. laissez-faire ideologies. In there here and now? Even if Irons didn’t delete that tweet, it reached the maximum amount of people it will ever @Farkins: Maim away, I say. #rhymez4days. Tweets don’t really become tweets reach in the first 30 seconds of its life. Was it even worth keeping past its prime? until they’ve been retweeted by at least a million people, so before that, it is basically a draft. So really, Mr. Irons, aka. @TheGainTrain, can delete any tweet he Schrift: Listen you snot-nosed brat. I was debating the efficacy of social mediwants at any time. ums long before you even got your first follower bot. If someone is willing to take on the responsibility of bringing a tweet into this world, they should have the Schrift: Seems like an awful arbitrary number to assign to artificial life, Mr. Farcourage to stand behind it against the scrutiny of the world. If you don’t have the kins. Why does a sub-million tweet deserve any fewer rights than a one only balls to stand behind a tweet - any tweet - then don’t write it in the first place. retweeted by my estranged work acquaintance? @Farkins: Is the value of a tweet not determined by the amount of people it affects? I’d bring up the whole tree-falling-in-a-forest argument here but that would entail that your tweets can at least be used to make furniture or paper.

From the Specu Archives:

@Farkins: Engagement abstention is archaic. Practice safe tweeting if you really want to prevent deletion at the source. But it won’t help Mr. Irons, and if he’s reading this, I doubt she could think any less of you anyways.

>> February 17, 2003

Friendster rights riots intensity across city Aggression goes out of control as police fail to contain city-wide Friendster riots COLUMBUS ZOSTER Thought social media was a fad

Few will know so dark a day as this, as friends unite in boundless fury to dismantle the establishment that brought them together.

“We built Friendster to help old friends reconnect, and to give people a platform on which to find something more meaningful,” said one Friendster representative.

“Little did we know, people generally hate each other, and giving them an easy way to organize and communicate only combined their individual prejudices and hatreds.”

Police hope that people decide to leave the social platform instead of destroying city property, but are not expecting such a resolution any time soon.

“It was a mistake. People were never meant to congregate.”

“When everybody is your friend, nobody is. Especially the guy you get defaulted with.

Fuck that guy.”

Angry Rioter Has a big sign

Remember Friendster? We try not to. The social media platform continued to be the focus of a city-wide campaign of meaningless, senseless destruction.

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?

TWEET DELETE STATS • 43% of all tweets are deleted within the first 10 minutes of their inception.

• The federal government has repeatedly avoided commenting on Twitter deletion, and it is currently only legal in Nunavut.

• Seven out of every ten Twitter users are in favour of open deletion legislation, but only two in ten have admitted to doing it themselves.

INSIDE FACEBOOK IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE PLATFORM FOR CIVILIZED DISCOURSE A5 FOURSQUARE IS NOT, WAS NOT, NEVER WILL BE, RELEVANT A7 YOUTUBE: STILL A GREAT FREE MUSIC PLAYER B8 IS GOOGLE PLUS STILL INVITEONLY? C3 PER ISSUE: Money, money, money; must be funny.

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