The Silhouette - March 28, 2013

Activist Angela Davis visits Hamilton Liuna Station event marks 150 years since abolition See A4

The

Silhouette

McMASTER UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2013 VOL. 83 NO. 27

2012 General Assembly

2013 General Assembly

Mar. 28, 2012

Mar. 26, 2013 YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

No assembly required?

MSU General Assembly turnout peaks at 60 students Anqi Shen Online News Editor Last year, the MSU managed to get close to 670 students to fill up Burridge Gym for its annual general assembly. But at Tuesday evening’s assembly, attendance peaked at 60, and fewer than 30 students participated in voting.

Because this year’s quorum of 629 students was not reached, votes were not binding on the MSU. The SRA, though, will consider the motions discussed.

The results of the votes will be available to the SRA but its members have no obligation

to base their decision on the voting results.The only motion on the agenda at the start of the meeting was brought by Fossil Free McMaster. Led by Hamilton resident Elysia Petrone, the group wanted the University to evaluate how its endowment funds are being invested.

Upset by the low attendance, Eric Gillis, an incoming Social Sciences SRA representative, put forth a motion for the MSU to create a new position assigned to promoting the general assembly.

“There are 28 people here and half of them are in the SRA,” said Gilis.

Gillis later added that he didn’t expect the motion to pass.

“It’s just to make a point and generate discussion,” he said.

Students who spoke up didn’t agree with the idea to create a new position to promote the assembly. Some proposed that the duty be given to the MSU’s social media coordinator. Others asked questions about the MSU’s communication department at large.

“I’ve heard a lot of student feedback … that a lot of the time students don’t find out about things like a chat with the President until the very last

minute,” said Kara McGowen of the Inter-Residence Council.

“I think that might be more something to consider than creating a specific position for this two-hour event.”

Current MSU President Siobhan Stewart also weighed in on the discussion.

“Is March just a bad time to have the General Assembly?” she asked.

At the end of the meeting, Gillis’s motion failed with none in favour, 21 opposed, and five abstentions.

GA, A5

INDEX Fossil Fools’ Day Mac students gather to protest the university’s investment in fossil fuels.

Mac, A4.

Women and trans* centre on the horizon MSU formally recognizes need for centre and commits to end gender-based violence Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor While there are women’s centres in over 20 schools across Canada, McMaster is one of a handful of campuses that does not have a comparable centre. So for the past few months the MSU has been investigating if there was a need for a women’s and trans* centre (WTC) on campus.

Research from the WTC AdHoc Committee showed that a vast majority of students, 78 per cent of those surveyed, said that they would use a WTC to seek counseling or in order to provide information to support a friend.

237 people responded to the online survey.

At the March 24 SRA meeting, a motion passed that formally recognized and acknowledged the need for a women’s and trans* centre on campus.

The motion also recognized the MSU’s commitment to ending violence against women and trans* individuals on campus.

However, the motions were not passed without much discussion amongst the representatives.

Some assembly members especially took issue with an original motion, which called for a commitment to ending violence.

There was argument over whether the particular motion was purely symbolic and didn’t call for enough tangible measures.

But several members strongly argued that voting against that type of motion was more indicative of the MSU’s lack of support and divisive stance on ending violence against women.

Elise Milani, Chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee and SRA Humanities, stated that, “When we commit to it we’re saying we’re continuing to work. If we vote this down…it inherently says that we [the MSU] don’t want to end violence and against women and trans* individuals.”

Similarly, Simon Granat, SRA Social Sciences expressed his dismay in those opposed to the motion.

“It’s astounding that people are saying, ‘yeah I don’t think I’m going to vote for this’. Yeah it’s big. Yeah it’s lofty. But we’re committing to ending violence.

To me this really shouldn’t be a discussion.”

Eng Pranks Go Awry Kipling Ceremony pranks take a turn for the bitter this year as students target profs with derogatory comments and inconvenience masses.

Kipling, A11.

Elise Milani and Violetta Nikolaskaya present the SRA with research findings.

Assembly members were presented with up-to-date information and research that the Ad-Hoc Committee had compiled in order to inform their decisions and stance on the necessity for a WTC on campus.

The research collected showed that there was a gap in services which SHEC, the Wellness Centre and QSCC was unable to fulfill in terms of providing specific sexual assault counseling or a discussion forum for gender issues.

Violetta Nikolaskaya, a WTC Committee member, explained how “we have to recognize it’s imperative that we have something on campus

for students - something that is convenient, readily accessible and central to students.”

Milani described how the committee’s next steps will be to look more closely at funding, location, partnerships with organizations such as SACHA and examining the liability of providing counseling services.

“We can’t put all the responsibility on the WTC. It’s a huge thing we need to try and tackle. And this is just one part,” said Milani.

“Doing awareness campaigns and providing training [about violence against women and trans* individuals] is another big part of the overall issue.”

Kickstarting Mars Crowdfunding is breaking into the world of television.

What does this mean for other hopeful shows?

Kickstart, C4-5.

Apocalyptic Exams Exam season may not be the end of the world but it sure feels like it. Get ready.

The End, B1.

the

PRESIDENT’S PAGE Jeff Wyngaarden VP (Finance)

Huzaifa Saeed VP (Education)

Siobhan Stewart President

David Campbell VP (Administration)

MSU VICE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS David, Huzaifa and Jeff reflect on daily responsibilities and opportunities for impact within the organization While Presidentials and SRA elections may be over, the race for office isn’t quite finished yet. The elections of the three Vice Presidents, as well as MSU Speaker remain. Any MSU member (an undergraduate student enrolled in 18 units or more) may run for the election of a Vice Presidential position or for the role of Speaker. Elections will be held at the Student Representative Assembly meeting of Sunday, April 7, 2013 beginning at noon in Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall

111). You need only make your presence known at this meeting if you wish to be considered for any of the positions.

Together with incoming President David Campbell, the Vice Presidents Administration, Finance and Education will comprise the 2013/2014 MSU Board of Directors (BoD). The BoD has vast responsibilities within the organization and to the undergraduate students of McMaster University. Together, this team of four individuals are employed for a year-

long term, governing the daily operations of the McMaster Students Union. The MSU Speaker is responsible for presiding over meetings of the SRA and meetings of the General Assembly, ensuring that they run smoothly according to constitutional procedures in a fair and equitable manner.

These three Vice Presidential roles are a way to make a significant impact on the MSU. Individuals can make ideas or concepts for better services a reality and have an important voice in the

improvement of the undergraduate student experience at McMaster University.

In order to better give you an idea of what each job entails, the current Vice Presidents have described their experiences with the positions. Each will discuss their day-to-day responsibilities, as well as their more complex roles within the organization.

If you find that one of these positions interests you, you can find more details at: www.msumcmaster.ca/vpelections

David Campbell VP (Administration)

Huzaifa Saeed VP (Education)

Jeff Wyngaarden VP (Finance)

vpadmin@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 23250

vped@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 24017

vpfinance@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 24109

It’s hard to describe just what the Vice President (Administration) job entails. So much of my time is spent jumping between one project and the next.

In any given hour I might go from a meeting about Welcome Week, to helping a service with an issue, to booking space for an event, then returning to my desk to find a dozen other issues have popped up needing attention! Nonetheless, I will try and break down my job here as much as possible.

The first and most important role of the VP (Administration) is as a manager. My role supervises (or co-supervises) almost every student part-time manager within the MSU, more than twenty staff in total. These managers in turn are each in charge of the services the MSU provides to students, from Diversity Services and MACycle to the MSU Maroons and the Horizons conference.

These services are some of the most active ways that the MSU reaches out to students, and supporting these managers is one of my key responsibilities.

Another important aspect of my job is in the planning of Welcome Week. Welcome Week at McMaster is a collaboration between many different stakeholders in the University, the MSU, and the community. As VP (Administration), it is my job to lead the planning of Welcome Week from the MSU side, as well as to work with these other partners to ensure that Welcome Week is effectively run.

The final part of my job can perhaps be most accurately described as a facilitator of projects.

The MSU is a hub for all sorts of fantastic student initiatives on campus, and as a be-all internal role to the MSU, the VP (Administration) often becomes the point person on the Board of Directors for collaborating with outside groups.

As a result, I become involved in a huge array of projects on campus, often through sitting on committees or providing advice in order to help facilitate the work of those involved.

Apart from serving as a member of the Board of Directors, Executive Board and SRA, the Vice President (Education) is the chief external advocate for the MSU at the municipal, provincial and federal levels of governance and is primarily responsible for a variety of issues at the academic, student experience and University levels. These pillars combine to effectively make the VP Ed (alongside the President) the spokesperson responsible for articulating the ‘student voice’ to stakeholders, steering committees and policy/research interests.

To give some insight as to what specifically the VP (Education) does, I can tell you that at the municipal level I’ve worked with the City on youth retention strategies and the rental housing bylaw issue. Provincially and federally I am the primary McMaster delegate for the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) and the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), where I coauthored four policy papers, participated in countless lobbying meetings with Members of Parliament and MPPs, as well as civil servants. I helped design a successful mental health campaign for Welcome Week along with a WiFi initiative and I am strongly involved with MSU’s role in the Forward with Integrity process and the Systems Renewal Committee. Moreover, the VP (Education) fields a high volume of student concerns with University policies and/or practices. The VP (Education) will spend a fair amount of time travelling and attending conferences, consultations and symposiums.

The VP (Education) needs to posses the tact to represent the student voice to both the University as well as external bodies, in order to successfully implement projects, campaigns and initiatives. Finally a candidate must be able to empathize with and engage our diverse student body and its concerns and challenges with large number of post-secondary education stakeholders.

The Vice President (Finance) is often called the “VP Signing,” and while this characterization is a bit inaccurate the sentiment it conveys holds true much of the time. The VP (Finance) is largely a review and approval role when it comes to the day-to-day operations of the MSU. Between signing cheques, approving purchase requests, and reviewing legal and corporate papers for approval, I spend much of my time reading and understanding the documents that are necessary to keep the MSU running smoothly.

Attention to detail and a good memory are important; often there will be occasional financial transactions that span over a period of months, or adjustments to budget lines that are flagged for review at the end of the year, and my job is to keep track of all of these and update the paperwork accordingly at the appropriate time.

Perhaps the most significant project that my role undertakes is production of the annual operating and capital budgets. This is a large undertaking, but thankfully there is a lot of support for the job through the Comptroller and General Manager.

Producing the budget takes several months but this work is weighted heavily toward the end of the year, so there is a fair bit of time earlier in the term to take on projects. The VP (Finance) arguably has the most unrestricted work time of any position on the Board, and taking on new projects or assisting other Board members in completing their projects is imperative to having the MSU function well.

All in all, this position has a great degree of flexibility. As VP (Finance) I’ve had a chance to work on some of my favourite projects while keeping a close eye on the operations of the MSU; I’ve learned a lot about the details of business operations as well as the long-term plans of each department; and I’ve had the freedom to tackle issues that otherwise might have gone overlooked. This is a great job for anyone who has a strong drive to help improve the MSU and is interested in a broad range of projects.

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The President’s Page is sponsored by the McMaster Students Union.

It is a space used to communicate with the student body about the projects, goals and agenda of the MSU Board of Directors.

www.msumcmaster.ca

NEWS

News Editors Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma, Boodhoo-Leegsma Julia Redmond and Anqi Shen Section Meeting Thursdays at 4:30 p.m.

Contact news@thesil.ca

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Student volunteers take the lead On-campus engagement helps hone key skills, says study Anqi Shen Online News Editor Amit Sikder and Sophia Salem set aside time each week to help out fellow students, but the hours they put in are also an investment in themselves.

Sikder and Salem volunteer in various roles on and off campus. Both are Student Success Leaders (SSLs), assigned by the Success Centre to various units seeking to improve student life.

Salem is a fourth-year English and history major looking to go to teacher’s college. She started working as an SSL last year and intends to continue with the program when she returns for a fifth year.

For Salem, the program is a give and take. As with a job, she’s expected to fulfill certain duties, but she’s also able to turn to mentors for advice and attend workshops on public speaking—a skill she says has always come as a challenge.

“One of the things we do at the beginning of the year is goalsetting, and one of mine was to get in front of a group and present,” said Salem.

After a “super awkward and embarrassing” first experience as a presenter, Salem was disappointed but not deterred. She went from presenting in front of one person to speaking to a hundred people when she recently hosted an orientation day.

On the volunteer experience she said, “We’re also doing it for ourselves, and I don’t think that’s being selfish.”

It’s not surprising that students have been making the most of volunteer opportunities to develop their leadership skills.

A recent study sponsored by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario confirmed what seems intuitive: that students engaged in supportive programs on campus are likely to develop key skills for school and the workplace.

The study tracked the progress of students in the University of Guelph’s Peer Helpers Program over the course of three years.

Researchers compared their progress to those in comparable programs and to students who were not involved, measuring skills like “managing self,” “communicating” and “mobilizing innovation and change.”

The U of G researchers didn’t find the same skill development in students engaged off-campus and those who weren’t engaged at all.

SOPHIA SALEM, ENGLISH AND HISTORY IV

ANNA D’ANGELA, ARTS & SCIENCE & HEALTH STUDIES IV

SHAIMAA ABOUSIDOU, HEALTH STUDIES & POLITICAL SCIENCE IV

AMIT SIKDER, BIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY III

Volunteers shared experiences giving back and developing their skill set. ANQI SHEN / ONLINE NEWS EDITOR

Sikder, a third-year student who’s been involved on campus and in the community, said volunteering on campus has its unique perks.

His SSL placement is in the Student Wellness Centre, where he’s helped with November’s Stomp Out Stigma campaign and the MacSecret initiative.

“I really enjoy networking with people my own age,” he said.

“And when you’re just starting out, you need guidance and mentorship. There are programs on campus designed for people in those situations.”

A biology and psychology student aspiring to work in medicine, Sikder said his volunteer experience is helping him communicate with more confidence.

“I want to be someone [patients] can trust to get help,” he said.

Fortunately, Sikder said, he’s not in a difficult financial position and doesn’t have to take on a part-time job.

Shaimaa Abousidou shares that perspective. A fellow SSL, she studies full-time and commutes from Brampton, which doesn’t leave much time for a job in Hamilton. Thankfully, she said, income isn’t a major issue.

In the career assistance unit, Abousidou reviews students’ resumes and leads professional development workshops.

“I treat it as a job. It’s a very formal process and students respect what you do for them,” she said.

Anna D’Angela, a graduating student who’s been volunteering all four of her years at Mac, echoed this sentiment.

“Maybe it’s just the type of person I am. I don’t see much of a difference between a job or a volunteer position,” she said.

D’Angela started out as a delegate for the Horizons Conference in her first year, and has been involved with the conference since. This past summer, she was a coordinator and was able to see her Horizons experience come full circle.

“A lot of first years need to figure out where they’re going,” said D’Angela. “Getting involved and volunteering showed me what I want to be as a person.”

“

“...when you’re just starting out, you need guidance and mentorship. There are programs on campus designed for people in those situations.”

Amit Sikder, Wellness Outreach SSL

CANADIAN CAMPUS NEWS Ronald Leung Silhouette Staff

Police crack down on renewed Quebec student movement

Threat of probation looms over USask medical school

University of Regina refugee students await verdict for amnesty

SAIT student holds record for world’s largest chess set

Ryerson Engineering under criticism for “initiation” ritual

Last spring was marked by massive student protests marching against the Liberal $1,625 tuition hike, numbering over 200,000 people including Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois. This year, with Marois at the helm implementing a five-year $70 indexation, students took to the streets once more – and were quickly shut down by police just 10 minutes into the Montreal protest. Over 200 people were arrested and fined. Student protesters noted the heavy-handed change in tactics and worry about the fear these actions will cast on potential supporters.

A small team of inspectors has returned to the University of Saskatchewan after the College of Medicine was told two years ago that it was at risk of losing accreditation if it did not restructure its operations. Ten infractions were outlined: overall lack of structure, unclear professor responsibilities, decentralized student reviews, a delay in reporting students’ final marks, informal student review procedures and insufficient study space. College faculty and university administration have been working on sweeping plans for the school of medicine.

Two Nigerian students from the University of Regina have been anxiously staying at a church while their lawyer, Kay Adebhogun, works to keep their cause as a priority for government officials. Both students also worked at the local Walmart in Regina, but when realising that they did not have the appropriate SIN number or a work permit respectively, they both left their jobs only to be arrested by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). The students originally received full scholarships from the Nigerian government.

A student from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) holds a Guinness World record with his father for the largest chess set. Secured in 2009, the giant set currently is in Medicine Hat, Alta. Ken Taylor explains that his father, Bill Taylor, received inspiration in 2004 when he saw a large chess set in Austria.

Bill’s enthusiasm quickly caught on with Ken and they built the set together. The father and son received commemoration from the provincial government. The king is the largest piece at 3’11” tall, weighing 35 lbs.

Students in Ryerson Engineering are facing potential disciplinary action for an “initiation” ritual that involved scantily-clad students crawling through slush in downtown Toronto. The controversy started when a YouTube video of the event surfaced.

Ryerson president Sheldon Levy has called the event “completely unacceptable” and not representative of the “positive and supportive culture of Ryerson.” Students involved in the “swim” say it was a team-building activity for frosh week leaders, not a hazing ritual.

A4 NEWS

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Abolition still relevant 150 years later, says Davis Activist Angela Davis’ talk draws crowd to celebrate opening of new research centre Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor She is a woman known for her remarkable fight against racial injustice and advocacy for political prisoners. While Angela Davis now speaks about her past reflexively, it was her discussion of abolition and its connection to current disparities that drew 800 people to Liuna Station on Wed. March 27.

Davis was invited to mark the opening of the McMaster Centre for Scholarship in the Public Interest. Dr. Henry Giroux, the centre’s Director, emphasized Davis’ great commitment to engaged education.

“We invited Angela Davis here tonight because she has struggled greatly and with great dignity for decades to demonstrate that education is a form of political intervention,” said Giroux. “She has worked in difficult and shifting circumstances to remind us of the power of education as a central element of inspired self-government.”

Davis spoke for close to an hour, first sharing her own personal story. She described how she had an early exposure to activism.

She briefly discussed her now infamous early teaching career, which got her fired from UCLA, first because of her support for communism, then later for speaking out on behalf of political prisoners. Davis was later wrongfully jailed for her supposed connections with a murder plot.

She argued that the prisonindustrial complex, a notion that was central to both her own personal experience and her talk, was first exemplified in slavery in the U.S. The talk itself was meant to mark the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

But Davis’ aim was less com-

Davis spoke about thesignificance of slavery, the civil rights movement and the prison industrial complex. YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

memorative and more critical of the underlying implications of the purported ‘end to slavery’ and its continued relevance.

“The civil rights movement was only necessary because the slave trade had not been fully abolished,” she said. “As a matter of fact, what we call the civil rights movement, we should call the 20th century abolition rights movement. Because it was about abolishing the vestiges of slavery.

If slavery had been abolished… there would be no second-class citizenship.”

Davis argued that slavery was neither abolished nor antiquated.

She noted how the actions of the civil rights movement were framed in a narrative that attempts to showcase the U.S as a model of democracy.

However, she asserted that the civil rights movement has been narrowly defined and restricted to instances like M.L.K.’s

“I Have A Dream” speech, while suppressing activities of groups like the Black Panthers. But overall, she proclaimed that the emphasis on a continued need and struggle for freedom was integral.

While Davis spoke knowledgeably about the pre- and postCivil War period, she especially captured the audience’s attention when she drew contemporary connections to slavery and the civil rights movement.

She used examples such as the Freedom from Apartheid Movement in South Africa, the Dalit Panthers and the Palestinian Freedom Riders as global movements that were inspired by the Black Freedom struggle.

Davis acknowledged that the current era is full of struggles that require social critique and discussion, similar to the dialogue that surrounded the civil rights movement. She urged that ideas

should be fostered in the academy yet nurtured and used in practice on social issues.

She dismissed the notion that there is a “post-racial society” and the excision of poor people from public and academic consciousness. Davis stressed that critical education was key to questioning, addressing and restructuring oppressive social systems.

“The challenges of scholarship and activism are vast today… what is most important about this era is the consciousness and interconnectedness of various struggles. We can no longer focus on a single issue.”

Julia Empey, a third-year student in English and History with a minor in Religious Studies, came out of the event appreciating the magnitude of Davis as a speaker. Empey also noted that the gap between scholarship and activism was still present at McMaster.

Mac marks Fossil Fools Day

“There is a desire to see it happen in some pockets of students…but to have that image realized is going to take a lot of work. How do we put these ideas in action? We’ve been told we’ve been given practical tools [through our education]. But we haven’t been taught how to use them.”

Davis concluded her talk by using part of a lesser-known speech from M.L.K., stating that, “most of what you know about M.L.K. is, he had a dream, right?

And I’m actually kind of tired of that dream.”

Instead, Davis spoke about King’s desire to question, to urge broader restructuring and critical consciousness.

The overwhelmingly positive audience response and standing ovation may just prove to be one indicator of a revitalized sense of faith in a collective dialogue amongst Hamiltonians.

GA sees low turnout for votes FROM A1

YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Students, professors and community members alike gathered for a rally on March 27 in honour of “Fossil Fools Day.” The day of action was organized by Hamilton resident Elysia Petrone and the newly formed OPIRG working group Fossil Free McMaster, whose mandate is to get McMaster to divest its endowment from unsustainable energy. Mac is one of hundreds of universities across North America involved in divestment campaigns. Other Canadian universities involved include McGill, the University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, and University of Ottawa.

The lone agenda item for business contained a motion for the MSU to lobby McMaster’s President and Board of Trustees to “immediately cease any new investments in fossil fuel companies” or in assets that have holdings in such companies.

The motion also proposed that the MSU investigate its own financial practices and divest accordingly.

While some SRA members expressed their enthusiasm for the cause, some were doubtful about whether or not the campaign had garnered enough student input.

Petrone said that, so far, 500 students have signed a petition passed around during her class visits. She said the group is awaiting a reply to their letter from either the McMaster president Patrick Deane or someone else in the administration.

After some discussion, the motion was passed with 14 in favour, 7 opposed, and 7 abstentions.

Only about 0.13 per cent of full-time undergraduates showed up to vote at the general assembly, whereas quorum requires attendance of at least 3 per cent. Before last year, quorum had not been reached since 1995.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Julia Redmond Assistant News Editor It’s not always easy to decide what courses to take. Every year, after flipping through the course calendar or asking friends, students battle with SOLAR to choose their courses.

But with a recent website development, the MSU hopes to make the process easier.

Current MSU VP (Education) Huzaifa Saeed has spearheaded the creation of the MSU Course Wikipedia, an online database of course information. The website, which is currently a beta version, is based on a site established by the Western University Science Students’ Council.

“It was something I noticed last year,” explained Saeed. “When it comes to actually choosing a course, the only information available is the course outline, which often doesn’t go up until August. The other source students have is MacInsiders, which has course reviews…but if something is designed with ratings in mind that might not be the best thing for you to get information from.”

The MSU-run website, which was programmed by McMaster computer science student Abdul Rahman Khodr, is able to be edited by the general public.

The pages are meant to give a

more comprehensive look at each course, including a breakdown of content and assessment methodologies. Saeed explained that this was key, since according to surveys administered over the course of the year, students care a lot about how they were assessed.

Each page will also have space for comments, so as to allow for course reviews or extra information.

While Saeed is in the final weeks of his term, he hopes to see good progress on the project before then, with the goal of having at least 10 or 15 courses posted as models for students to work from.

And he thinks his successor will also be keen to promote it. He noted that both candidates for the position have shown awareness of and interest in the project.

“Since the MSU doesn’t really have a traditional role in on-theground academics, they’ll take it upon themselves to really run a grassroots campaign,” he said.

The plan is also to have individual faculties take charge of posting their own courses through the faculty societies and their VPs Academic, giving the VPs “the option to do more policy [work] and direct academics.”

The website is set to be officially launched this week, and the goal is to have the it be fully functional by September 2013.

Woman mugged on trail near Haddon and Marion Anqi Shen Online News Editor A 32 year-old woman was mugged at 7:38 a.m. on March 21 while walking her dog along a trail near Haddon St. N and Marion Ave. Hamilton Police are looking for information and have a description of a male suspect.

The woman was approached aggressively by a white male 5’6’’ to 5’7’’ tall with a stocky build.

The man was clean-shaven and wore track pants, a black hoodie and white running shoes.

The suspect grabbed the woman, threw her to the side of the trail and demanded cash from

her. He threatened to kill her, but let her go.

The victim ran northward to the Forsyth Ave. area, where she called the police.

The suspect was last seen running down the trail toward Marion Ave. Detective Fletcher of the Hamilton Police Division One said the victim doesn’t appear to have sustained physical injuries.

Fletcher said the investigation is still in the early stages, and it is uncertain whether or not this was an isolated incident.

The Hamilton Police encourage anyone with information to call 905-546-3821.

134 Emerson Street at Royal Avenue 4 blocks South of McMaster Medical Centre ___________________________________________________

a seven-part sunday evening teaching series “THE EMPIRICAL BASIS FOR CHRISTIAN FAITH” visit our website for details: www.stgeorgehamilton.ca 31 march – 10:30 am

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MSU to launch online course info database

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NEWS A5 S

EDITORIAL

Executive Editor Sam Colbert Email thesil@thesil.ca Phone 905.525.9140 x22052

Thursday, March 28, 2013

A6 S STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Absent, but not apathetic to using the temperature of my coffee mug to determine how recently i’ve been to union market. it’s all a caffeinated blur. to eager anticipation of the sunshine list. to eager anticipation of a strawberry sunshine.

to the summer’s floral/camo fashion trend. to hiding easter eggs in full knowledge that they won’t be found until 2016. to onions that are anything but extra crispy. to the twilight of my “phoening.”

to james franco, senior andy editor. to the tenacity of my old shoes. walking on concrete only hurts a little bit. don’t get me started on puddles, though. to general assembly making me feel like people read my editorials. free press, baby.

to the impending end. to leaving rob ford alone. to instagrammar. to house of games’ vegetarian curry missing from my life. to “lukewarm” not being a happy adjective for anything.

to long weekends, feat. chocolate. to the angela davis hairdo.

to walking into the wrong kind of polish deli.

The Silhouette McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

Editorial Board Sam Colbert | Executive Editor | thesil@thesil.ca Jemma Wolfe | Managing Editor | managing@thesil.ca Andrew Terefenko | Production Editor | production@thesil.ca Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma | Senior News Editor | news@thesil.ca Julia Redmond | Assistant News Editor | news@thesil.ca Anqi Shen | Online News Editor | news@thesil.ca Mel Napeloni | Opinions Editor | opinions@thesil.ca Brandon Meawasige | Senior Sports Editor | sports@thesil.ca Scott Hastie | Assistant Sports Editor | sports@thesil.ca Sam Godfrey | Senior InsideOut Editor | insideout@thesil.ca Amanda Watkins | Assistant InsideOut Editor | insideout@thesil.ca Nolan Matthews | Senior ANDY Editor | andy@thesil.ca Bahar Orang | Assistant ANDY Editor | andy@thesil.ca Yoseif Haddad | Senior Photo Editor | photo@thesil.ca Jessie Lu | Assistant Photo Editor | photo@thesil.ca Thaddeus Awotunde | Video Editor | photo@thesil.ca Karen Wang | Graphics Editor | production@thesil.ca Javier Caicedo | Multimedia Editor | photo@thesil.ca Ammar Hanif | Distribution Coordinator | thesil@thesil.ca Sandro Giordano | Ad Manager | sgiordan@msu.mcmaster.ca

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The Silhouette Board of Publications acts as an intermediary between the editorial board, the McMaster community and the McMaster Students Union. Grievances regarding The Silhouette may be forwarded in writing to: McMaster Students Union, McMaster University Student Centre, Room 201, L8S 4S4, Attn: The Silhouette Board of Publications. The Board will consider all submissions and make recommendations accordingly.

The turnout at the McMaster Students Union’s general assembly was shameful, but it didn’t demonstrate that students don’t care

Sam Colbert Executive Editor I volunteered for MAC Bread Bin in second year, and I helped run an event called Feed the Bus. We parked a school bus on campus and asked students to donate food and spare change for Hamilton food banks.

I was a SOCS rep then, too, so I talked to one of the vice-presidents of SOCS about helping me promote the event by spreading the word among reps.

The response was incredible.

A crowd of reps, who brought with them their orange jumpsuits and Welcome Week enthusiasm, congregated outside the bus every day for the week, soliciting donations from passers-by.

We wouldn’t have raised near the amount of money that we did without them.

SOCS still helps out every year for Feed the Bus. Why? Because SOCS reps care about feeding the hungry in Hamilton, and they do something about it by supporting MAC Bread Bin. That’s just what it means to be a rep with the off-campus students society.

Fast forward three years to the MSU’s general assembly on Tuesday. After last year’s attendance of over 670 students, this year was an embarrassment. Only 60 people showed up, and no more than 30 voted on either of the two motions.

To be clear, a well-attended general assembly is not the end goal. It shouldn’t be about quorum for the sake of quorum, or direct democracy for the sake of direct democracy. It shouldn’t use gimmicks to boost attendance.

But it has the potential to be a big opportunity for student ideas to get some attention, and people need to be aware that it’s happening.

Promotion for this year’s GA, though, was awful. Intentionally or not, the MSU made little effort to tell students about an event that, just a year prior, they felt was worthy of a major marketing campaign. The date announcement came late. There weren’t many posters. There wasn’t even a Facebook event.

There’s no question that the poor promotion was responsible for the low turnout. But, more importantly, it meant that only one motion was on the table at the start of the meeting.

In years past, the motions were what drew the crowds. Last year, the Welcome Week fee proposal got reps to attend. A motion for the MSU to recognize the Greek Life Council got fraternity members out. The McMaster Marching Band went to see their fee request pass.

It wasn’t about attracting students one at a time. It was about finding where they were already engaged and meeting them halfway.

And despite the problems with the 2012 general assembly (see last week’s editorial), it got that right, even though our students union usually gets it wrong on political student engagement.

Be it in General Assembly or the SRA or other avenues, they don’t go to where their members already are.

It’s not that students don’t care. The term “student apathy” is an ugly one – it misplaces the blame.

The problem is structural. If you’re on the SRA, you might be involved in some other segment of campus life, but only by coincidence. At Mac, student government is just another thing to do.

Students care about their societies, clubs, rep groups and social circles. That stuff comes to constitute a person’s identity.

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Students care about their societies, clubs, rep groups and social circles ... And that’s why, if the MSU really wants to know how students are feeling or what they want, it needs to connect itself to other groups.

I wasn’t just a Mac student. I was an ArtSci, and I lived off-campus, and I was – and continue to be – a Silhouette editor. And because of those things, I found new ways to engage. I found new things to care about.

And that’s why, if the MSU really wants to know how students are feeling or what they want, it needs to connect itself to other groups.

In the same way that being a SOCS rep has become synonymous with caring about food security in Hamilton, being a part of some facet of campus life should fit naturally with political engagement in the MSU. A change like that could ensure better use of student money. It could improve student life. It could turn unilateral lobbying efforts into movements.

It won’t be easy. It could mean re-making a decades-old student government structure to incorporate student leaders from other parts of campus. Or it could mean that the MSU should absorb faculty societies.

But if the MSU wants to be seen as a viable means through which its members can improve their undergrad experience, change is necessary. The MSU can’t be isolated. It can’t keep splitting the attention of students who want to be engaged.

And it can’t keep trying to fight this enemy that is so-called student apathy.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Nursing society spending misrepresented Re: “What a welcome costs” by Julia Redmond [Published March 7, 2013 on A1] I would like to have it known as the President of the McMaster University Nursing Student Society, the primary funder of the Faculty of Nursing’s Welcome Week activities, that we have been highly misrepresented.

The $13,037 reported in the article is not spent on only the 132 McMaster Site Basic Stream first-year students. In the print article, it’s states that the Faculty of Nursing Welcome Week spends approximately $80 dollars per student, which is far from the correct number. The majority of

funding (nearly $10,000) from MUNSS is spent over more than 350 students from our McMaster, Mohawk and Conestoga sites and Basic, Accelerated and RPN-BScN streams. Once again, McMaster has failed to recognize the uniqueness of our program and include our students who are both McMaster/Mohawk and McMaster/Conestoga students.

Using the conservative estimate of 400 first-years (from the Future McMaster Programs “Nursing” Website, 120 at McMaster, 140 at Conestoga and 156 at Mohawk),

two thirds of whom are unable to purchase MacPasses because of their “dual-citizen” University/ College identity, we spend less than $40.00/student, less than half the reported number.

We face challenges during Welcome Week advocating for our McMaster/college site students, and now throughout the year, we face criticisms caused by irresponsible journalism.

• Rebecca Cosby, President of the McMaster Nursing Student Society

Correction In “The money behind the melody” by Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma [published March 21, 2013 on A4], the current McMaster Marching Band member charge was said to be $65. The fee is $50 plus a $15 deposit. It also said that the per-uniform cost of $250 was charged to members, but the costs of current uniforms were covered by a donation from the McMaster Alumni Association, and future uniforms will be covered by Band’s revenue, including next year’s student levy.

OPINIONS

Opinions Editor Mel Napeloni Section Meeting Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m.

Contact opinions@thesil.ca

Thursday, March 28, 2013

A7 S

COLUMN

Saying the f-word Sam Godfrey Senior InsideOut Editor

Toronto Zoo pandas deserve respect After three prized elephants died at the Toronto Zoo, pandas from China have been shipped in to replace them - problem is, it’s a money ploy

Two endangered pandas are being showcased at the Toronto Zoo. The pandas are to stay in Toronto for five years and then be transferred to Quebec and across

The maximum allowable number of students are currently using MUGSI. Each student has a 45 minute time limit. Please try again later.

•

While narcissistically perusing The Silhouette last week, I happened upon the front-page teaser for an Opinions article, which read, “Recent Steubenville controversy has reopened dialogue on rape culture.”

I laughed.

Unless I’m mistaken, that dialogue hadn’t been closed.

I found this particularly illustrative of the way feminist discussion is ignored by most.

Perhaps this is due in part to the word “feminism” itself having somewhat unsavory associations for many people. I’ve seen people’s faces contort, or their eyes roll, if someone around them utters this particular F-word. Frankly, this shocks and annoys me.

Feminisms of all kinds are dedicated to so much more than burning bras, and certainly contribute to more male-oriented subjects than they’re given credit for. It’s about calling out society on systematic injustices. It’s about power and privilege being used to help, not to hinder.

It’s about treating people the way they should be treated.

Should that be considered so radical?

Now I don’t want to come off as bitter, because I’m not; I like that this conversation is happening on a larger scale. That’s really kind of my point.

I like that people are as aghast as I am about Steubenville.

I’ve shaken my head a little at the fact that it took this long, or this blatant an example, to have this many people engage in the dialogue, but I’m pleased that it’s happened. Good conversational space is key, and this event has really opened it up to a lot more people. I haven’t figured out if it’s just the sheer popularity, or some particular aspect of the atrocity, or a combination of those (and some luck), but people seem to be comfortable talking about it.

It reminds me of the way 50 Shades of Grey made BDSM a topic of public discussion, but that’s tangential.

Which is great. But again, for those of us who had been engaging in it all along, it can be a little tiring to wait for something to rouse the general public into awareness. As said, good conversational space is key, so I’ve been thinking a lot about how to create this space.

Blogger/Twitter-user Hilary Bowman-Smart figured out a really neat way to get people talking, using dark humour to engage people. The tag #safetytipsforladies is a scathing collection of tweets offering responsible women advice on how they can avoid being raped. Some of my favourites include: - Remove your vagina. Carry it in your purse - Don’t trust strange men but don’t NOT trust strange men - that’s sexist and may anger them.

- Turn just right during a solar eclipse and slip sideways into a parallel dimension where people value consent.

- Stop being a woman in public.

(Search #safetytipsforladies for more sage counsel.)

To get talking with my friends, it’s sometimes as simple as linking them to an interesting article (or Twitter feed), inviting them to hear a guest speaker talk about intersectionality or starting a conversation with “So I was thinking about this earlier…”

I haven’t quite yet figured out how to get beyond my circle of friends and acquaintances, but maybe this article is a start.

Rabita Naqvi The Silhouette

Improve SOLAR or scrap it

Canada to Calgary for scientific research.

Da Mao and Er Shun are two Chinese pandas that have flown across the world to please many Canadians. Although the Toronto Zoo has claimed they are going to provide a great home and stable

Grade reports and personal undergraduate timetables are available via the MUGSI Gateway page under the “Student Applications” list.

KAREN WANG / GRAPHICS EDITOR

What will fall/winter course registrations look like in 2014?

Callum De Maria The Silhouette The night of August 8, 2012 was the eve to my twentieth birthday.

Some may ask how much fun I had that night, or what type of crazy fun-filled events went down before I turned 20 and left my teen years permanently behind.

I simply reply to them with, “my night was spent at home, anxiously awaiting the arrival of midnight.” After saying this, people often looked puzzled but understood, thinking that I was waiting until my actual birthday arrived to go out and celebrate.

These people have never heard of SOLAR before, and why it is a painful system that makes life extremely difficult and stressful for McMaster students on our time off in the summer.

When I was asked why I was staying in the night, I told them I had to choose my courses for school. The first reaction I got was laughter, followed by a series of questions: “Why does it start at midnight?”, “Doesn’t that only take a few minutes?”, etc. I did not have an answer for why it starts at midnight, which can be a very inconvenient time for many students, and whether it only taking a few minutes, us McMaster students can only hope and pray. First of all, SOLAR only

lets a limited amount of users on at each time, with a time limit of 45 minutes, which means you need to be prepared that night for an excruciating grind with the mouse. If you do not get on at midnight, you must be prepared to sit in front of your computer and click, hoping that at some point you make it into SOLAR which could take hours.

Course selection is an extremely important aspect of university. One of the most crucial points in the university year is making sure on this selected night in August, you get the courses you really want to take for the upcoming year. This is absolutely vital because you do not want to be paying money for a class you will not enjoy or take seriously.

Next, after the problem has been fully recognized, they would need to alter the system to make improvements. A first simple change would be restructuring when course selection opens because as previously stated, midnight may not be the most convenient time for a student to go on to the computer and select their courses. However that is a small matter in a huge problem.

SOLAR and McMaster need to be able to prioritize students into courses they need. All that would have to be done is that instead of one day, they expand it into

four days so that it is first-come, first-serve based solely on your year and program. This would also assist a lot more students into getting courses they not only need, but courses they are generally interested in, as most popular courses are filled by 1 a.m. before 90 per cent of the faculty has had a chance to sign on.

As much as I have bashed SOLAR and the system throughout this article, it is not exactly easy to register 25,000+ students into courses every year, and SOLAR does make it a lot easier for the school to do this in a timely matter with little to no faults, which can be extremely undervalued.

However, SOLAR is making it easier on the school and not the students. This is like owning a restaurant for example, and being the head chef. Kraft Dinner only takes a few minutes to make and it is easy, but will you keep your customers happy by serving them Mac`N`Cheese instead of the famous steak they stepped in the restaurant for? We students pay a tuition fee so that we can improve our education and help develop a future.

In order to do so, we must be confident in the courses we enroll in, and improving SOLAR will help provide this luxury for McMaster students.

FEEDBACK

What is the best and worst thing about exam time?

Compiled by Mel Napeloni and Yoseif Haddad

I don’t stress out about exams because I don’t stress out about school. Shorter gym hours suck though.

Kraft dinner hot dogs are what makes the magic during exams. The lack of sleep is really burdensome.

I’m going to New York right after exams. Not sleeping for days at a time is pretty crappy though.

Brad Gold, Philosophy III

Myles Francis, Commerce IV

Clarissa Huffman, Soc Sci IV

These poor pandas are being flown to many different parts of Canada just to please an audience.

Surely this is not a stable environment for them. Did we forget that these precious animals are endangered? Moving them from place to place is only benefiting the Zoo administration and not the pandas.

The Toronto Zoo recently had to face the loss of three elephants that were major attractions and symbols for the zoo. The arrival of the two pandas is timed perfectly to gain a huge boost in admissions and yearly cash infusions. What angered me the most was the use of Ms. McDiarmid’s words, “Snagging the pandas could go a long way to benefiting the zoo.” This almost sounds like they are capturing pandas to benefit themselves, and by benefiting, did she mean gaining millions of dollars in revenue?

Ms. McDiarmid mentions that Councilor Raymond Cho, who sits on the Zoo’s management board, lists the financial boost as a low priority. I believe he does have good intentions to give the pandas a great environment despite the fact they have to be shipped like parcel packages thousands of kilometres overseas, then shipped again across Canada after a few years. He is said to give one million dollars to research and conservation in China.

We have to recognize that pandas are not adorable stuffed toys that we can merely use as show and tell, even if they are fun and cute to look at. They are animals that are endangered and stripped from their natural habitat.

They deserve to stay in a stable environment where they can live freely, and not have to transfer zoos every five years.

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We have to recognize that pandas are not adorable stuffed toys that we can merely use as show and tell, even if they are fun and cute to look at.

environment, they may have another agenda.

The headline of Jessica McDiarmid’s article in the Toronto Star, “Toronto Zoo expects a big attendance boost with black and white stars Da Mao and Er Shun,” says it all.

The article explores the topic of how the Toronto Zoo is going to gain a large audience, and the money it is going to make. Their only intention appears to be to make millions in profit and use these pandas as bait to reel people in.

S A8 OPINIONS

Thursday, March 28, 2013

The propaganda era: film is a political tool Films are used to incite nationalist support and conduct research on the political views of populations

KAREN WANG / GRAPHICS EDITOR

TIna Cody The Silhouette 2012 marked a groundbreaking year in cinema. Both Paramount and Universal Pictures celebrated their 100th anniversary while The Avengers became the third highest grossing film of all time. Other blockbusters like The Hunger Games and The Dark Knight Rises were released in 2012, making it the most profitable year in cinema history.

At the same time, film producers and critics became increasingly focused on historical and politically oriented films.

Some of the year’s most acclaimed movies began with the moniker “based on a true story.” Films like Lincoln, Argo, and Zero Dark Thirty all garnered heavy praise and seem to supply the same message: that the United States is a powerful force of social justice. Perhaps 2012 should instead be recognized as the year of political cinema.

For much of history, the connection between politics

and film has been both intimate and concealed. Films have often served as a tool of propaganda given their unique ability to reproduce images, movement and sound in an extremely lifelike matter.

Unlike other art forms, films possess a sense of immediacy and are capable of creating the illusion of reality. For these reasons, movies are often taken to be accurate depictions of real life. This issue becomes even more pronounced when films depict unknown cultures or places.

While serving as a source of entertainment, movies are able to arouse social consciousness by distorting historical events.

This makes film both a persuasive and extremely untrustworthy medium. Political officials have long been aware of cinema’s powerful attributes, and have thus used this media forms to mobilize and indoctrinate society with different views.

During the Second World War, for example, Reich officials commissioned the film Ich Klage

or “I accuse” to persuade German citizens to accept the practice of euthanasia. A related purpose was to test public opinion as to whether there was sufficient support to officially legalize the program.

Ich Klage was an evident falsification of actual Nazi policy.

The Nazis murdered medical patients against their will while the film depicts a physician giving a lethal injection to his incurably ill wife.

Throughout the film, the woman pleads her husband to put an end to her misery and suffering by ending her life.

During World War II, President Roosevelt also apparently recognized the benefits of cinema as a medium of propaganda.

He encouraged members of the American film industry to insert morale-building themes that would generate a patriotic mindset. This ultimately led Frank Capra to create seven government-sponsored films that were intended to

support the war effort. Other propaganda movies of this period, like Casablanca and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, have become so well loved that their initial role as propaganda vehicles has been almost entirely forgotten.

In some ways, the relationship between politics and cinema has become even more pronounced. For instance, North Korea and China maintain strong public control over their nation’s film industries. Within North America, however, it is often difficult to realize the implicit connection. If this year’s Academy Awards provide any indication, it appears that movies can still be effectively employed as tools of propaganda.

Lincoln, Argo, and Zero Dark Thirty all garnered critical and commercial attention last year with each film receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. During a period of deep American unrest, these films showcase triumphs of the United States government and its political

authorities. In order to provide this depiction, however, these films grossly distorted historical events.

Watching these films impresses the notion of America’s superiority at the expense of factual information and cultural sensitivity. These films led many people to draw erroneous conclusions regarding the U.S. government and its foreign policy.

The social power of cinema became further evidenced when Michelle Obama presented the Academy Award for Best Picture.

With an impassioned speech on film’s ability to incite an emotional response, one could not help but realize the authority of the film industry. All this being said, it is essential that moviegoers maintain a critical eye when viewing films. As a tool of propaganda, cinema can either create divides or bridge them.

So often it has been used with the former goal in mind, but by remaining a critical and rational viewer, one can prevent this unfortunate outcome.

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Why Humanities?

OPINIONS A9 S

Humanities students share their reflections on studying the liberal arts

When they enter university, first-year students often find themselves having to choose a programme of study, a career path and a vocation in the dark.

While the decisions they will make at this stage in their education will have an enormous impact on their future lives, students may lack opportunities to reflect on and investigate their personal reasons for inclining in one direction or another - they may be left without proper clues of how to take best advantage of their own unique skills and creativity.

Humanities Inquiry (1HU3) invites students to enter into a dialogue with themselves - their own learning habits and practices. At this stage in your education, what could be more valuable than learning about what sort of learner you are, what your genuine strengths might be, your weaknesses, your tastes and druthers? This year, we decided to take on the issue directly and name for our general rubric in the course the following question: “Why Humanities?”

The discipline of humanities has been criticized in recent years for not providing tangible evidence of its benefits to society at large.

How, if at all, are virtues and general ideals of society discovered through the humanities? Through an exploration of communication and cultural values, I inquired into how philosophy might be seen as a prerequisite to varieties of learning in other disciplines.

Is a population of thinkers and subjects of “world understanding” one that is easy to control? Could the benefits of humanities be merged with or replicated in other disciplines, such as engineering, commerce, science and/or math?

An examination of Plato’s The Republic and formal Greek law has shown a complex relationship between law and society.

Throughout my inquiry, it was made evident that The Republic and formal law shared intense similarities and stark differences.

In terms of similarities, Plato and Greek law agreed in terms of censorship, education and social hierarchy laws. However, they differed in terms of law concerning marriage and the treatment of children. It is through these differences that the true values of the societies are shown.

• Erin Cardwel

• Raheem Aman Erin Gruwell, a high school English teacher, is showcased in the movie entitled The Freedom Writers for her outstanding efforts in the classroom. Her inexperienced, but savvy classroom management techniques created an inclusive learning environment that promoted student success with a group of at-risk students. Her methods raise the question of whether training in the humanities is a significant factor for teachers in helping at-risk students engage academically. The goal of the effective teacher is to become a caring adult who meets the diverse needs of students, while achieving the academic outcomes of the curriculum.

• Stacey Bobb It is assumed that those with a higher educational background in writing are better writers. But does an education in humanities grant fiction writers more power over their texts than authors who are not educated in the arts? Those who string together beautiful, grammatically correct sentences and understand the technical elements of writing succeed in the professional world. We assume that writers not educated in the arts, or who lack postsecondary education altogether, write mainly from the heart. Is there a correlation between the success of fiction writers and post-secondary education?

• Julia Busatto

Though the relationship between brilliance and insanity has been dismissed as a myth, studies have shown a dramatically higher occurrence of bipolar disorder among writers. This correlation has been called “The Sylvia Plath Effect.” Without her illness, Plath herself may have lived longer and written more, yet her work might not have been the same. Studies have shown that while those suffering from bipolar disorder might be less productive in the workplace, their lack of productivity is outweighed by extreme creativity, begging us to re-evaluate negative stigma that surrounds mental illness.

• Sarah Conrad Does music make you smarter? I delved into a vast amount of information with various opinions regarding the degree to which music impacts development and if it is related to brainpower and success. There is research to suggest that exposure to music as a child has a significant enough impact on your brain to leave positive footprints well into one’s adult life. Others suggest that it simply boosts your mood. There is research to suggest actual physical changes within the brain however, linked to formal musical training.

• Rebecca DeRoo Over the years, humanities have suffered at the hands of the federal government, which no longer seems to recognize the importance of communication skills and historical understanding. Because

While asking “Why Humanities?” is a little like asking “Why Humanity?” we nonetheless felt that putting the question in this direct form would help students to engage in just this process of discovering in themselves a reason and justification for being here. The point was not to reply to the question directly or defend Humanistic study out of hand, but to offer inquiries and findings that might contribute to a deeper understanding of the very issues involved in the asking of such a question. These are our results.

We offer them as an encouragement and inspiration to others to find within themselves their reason for being here.

• Dr. Jeffery Donaldson, Associate Professor of English and Cultural Studies

of this, funding has been reduced to support other faculties. And yet, it may be that a learned skepticism can promote an individual’s professional advancement. Why has funding for pure humanities diminished, in spite of its vitality in the intellectual growth of an individual?

• Delroy East Today, many countries practice democracy. In order to understand why democracy has developed as a distinctly western ideology, one must examine its creation and the circumstances under which it was created. Democracy became prominent in ancient Athens as a result of a series of bloody conflicts with Persia. It was offered as the Greeks’ answer to the threat of Eastern absolutism. Is democracy a distinctly western ideology?

• Kyle Fitzsimons Metal music has long been subject of scrutiny, and the people who are classified as “metal heads” are often negatively stereotyped.

When events like Columbine involve metal fans, the music is the first to be blamed for influencing the perpetrators. Is this just a case of the mainstream media attempting to demonize metal music and use it as a scapegoat to avoid deeper issues at hand? Can media handle these situations differently?

• Liam Gallagher Medical education emphasizes empirical science, but the medical humanities also play a significant role. They provide insight into medicine by investigating fields like history, literature and art.

Dalhousie University’s medical humanities program has enhanced clinicians’ ability to identify visual signs of disease, and studying literature has improved interpersonal skills needed in emotional situations. Many institutions have noticed such benefits and as a result the humanities have become a major part of medical education in many countries.

• Thomas Garus

Picturing something is often quite difficult when the description is very vague. But when effective descriptive writing is used, the reader can envision what is being portrayed. Why is it such a powerful tool for the writer? My inquiry discusses the uses and effectiveness of this “linguistic fingerprint.”

• Ariel Godel Depression is a problem among many elderly people. Music therapy is a simple technology that aims to help them out of depression. Positive and negative experiences along with favorable and unfavorable feelings integrate deeply in music therapy. It is clear that the music selection must fit the individual greatly for a positive outcome. Factors such as culture, personal interests and experiences influence music selection.

How might music therapy affect feelings and experiences relating to other diseases?

• Katelyn Gomes Having interned as a writer for a local newspaper, I wanted to explore journalism and how it may or may not exemplify the teachings of Communications Studies.

By examining an article from Canada’s most widely read newspaper, I was able to observe how mainstream news grapples with the elusive concept of journalistic integrity. I found that the rhetoric of the article was aimed to incite shock and fear in the minds of its readers. The author carefully selected her words and information, painting an ultimately skewed picture of reality. Yet, the article was enormously popular. Why do we gravitate towards ideas that instill conflict between us?

• Hamilton Brooke How might communication skills in the Faculty of Humanities improve success in the business world? Through its unique focus on peer communication, reading and writing, and the ability to present effectively in public, study in Humanities provides students with all the necessary skills needed for success in the business world.

• Victoria Indelicato

Autism Spectrum Disorder covers a wide range of mental disorders, which cause difficulties with social interactions, communication abilities and repetitive behaviour.

Autistic children often have keen talents that revolve around music and art. How can humanities play a role in the enabling of children with autism? Do typical therapies undermine the effects of art and music therapy? Is it possible for the humanities and sciences to play an equally effective role in the treatment of these children?

This inquiry explores these questions and proves that, although science is a major factor in aiding autism, art and music have opened many doors in regards to how autism can be treated.

• Monika Karlovic Sir Ken Robinson, a renowned educationalist, has spent several decades researching and talking about creativity and divergent thinking in schools. Divergent thinking is the ability to see lots of possible answers, not the ability to generate ideas. How does being educated affect our ability to think divergently? Robinson argues that children are being unnecessarily medicated and told to calm down, concentrate and learn the right answer, rather than to explore, be wrong and find answers on their own. Children are intimidated by a common ideology that stigmatizes being wrong.

How can such ideologies effect one’s thoughts, hence the ability to think divergently?

• Artem Kemov What ideologies and racial prejudices are present in prisons and how do they impact society’s views and dependency on prisons? Society claims to know what happens in prisons, but how much of that relies on the media?

Our views and ideals about prisons tend to lean towards the most conformed view whether it is correct or misleading. For an institution that is so important to our world, our views and ideas should be examined in relation to reality.

• Johnathan Nadeau

S A10 OPINIONS

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Internet anonymity produces hatefulness The world of faceless prowlers is littered with hate speech: something needs to be done Steve Clare The Silhouette When viewing any controversial Opinion piece on the Silhouette website (or any online news source), make sure to scroll down to the comments section for your daily dose of disheartening viciousness. Ideally the comments are a place to continue the conversation and expose different viewpoints. Too often though, they prove just another platform for ad hominem hatred.

The problem is the anonymous nature of the internet. Commenting on a Sil article requires one to enter a name and email address, but the name can be fake, and there’s no verification process for the email. So, there’s really no need to attach any part of your identity to your post. There are no personal repercussions for launching hurtful personal attacks.

This lack of consequence is why online comments so often devolve into vengeful pot-shots directed by anonymous assailants.

If all comments had to have a real name and verified email attached to them, would we see so much casual sexism, racism, bigotry and homophobia?

Of course, the purpose of a comment can (and perhaps should) be to challenge the author of an article and act as a factchecking or opposing viewpoint.

But so often on the internet we see these accusations made in a manner that is hurtful and offensive, which only serves to build up the walls between opposing sides and actually hamper the flow of discourse between them. When did you last win an argument by resorting to shouting and namecalling?

It’s only possible to change someone’s mind by shaping your argument to their predispositions.

Appeal creates impact, and it’s impossible to do that when your point is saddled with harsh accusations of inadequacy.

People work hard on their opinion pieces. You don’t spend hours crafting a history of Israel, a defense of Israeli Apartheid Week, a critique of the Catholic Church, or an examination of the media’s coverage of the Steubenville case, as many Silhouette contributors have in recent weeks, unless it’s an issue you care deeply and think often about.

In each of these cases the authors have been subject to all manner of damning accusations in the comments section beneath their piece.

Perhaps justified criticism, perhaps not. But in every case, many comments that went against the sentiment of the article were delivered in a heavy-handed manner, and often the criticizer chose to hide behind an anonymous online username.

I’d like to think that there is more keeping us from hurting each other than just fear of retribution.

I truly would like to think that we recognize, on some deeper level, that we’re all just trying to make our way through a thoroughly confusing existence as best we can, and that there’s really no need to make that journey any more difficult for someone than it needs to be.

But then I see what happens when people adopt anonymity and discover that any personal consequences resulting from their actions evaporate.

What happens is that the filters collapse, and empathy goes with them. That lends strong support for the depressing Epicurean view of morality; that the only thing keeping the streets from dissolving into anarchical hellholes of rape, murder and theft

YOSEIF HADDAD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

The uprise of anonymity on the internet has aided in nothing more than bullying tactics and inane arguments

is the omnipresent fear of being caught and punished, in this life or the next.

There’s simply no need to poison one’s comments with hurtful barbs and, indeed, doing so is only counterproductive if your goal is to sway someone to your side of an argument. It’s really easy to be mean when only your computer screen is there to see it.

But the next time you’re typing

out a sarcastic, rude, insulting or petty response to an article you disagree with, just remember that there’s a person on the receiving end, and that they’re as likely to swap sides on this debate as you are (which is to say, not very likely at all).

If you instead shape your response to appeal to their sensibilities, you’ll create impact. That’s what changes the world - people

realizing that their opponent is thinking and growing as much as they are.

Besides, if you’re not trying to change something, then why the hell are you typing anyway?

Recognize that the transformation you desire will only materialize when you accept that the person you’re talking to is as infinitely layered and complex and confused and scared as you are.

From media planning and management to account co-ordination and sales, this program offers the unique skills you will need to launch your career in an advertising or media company.

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business.humber.ca/postgrad

Thursday, March 28, 2013

OPINIONS A11 S

Kipling maze: enough’s enough An Engineering prank invites sexist, racist and transphobic rhetoric

Technolazy culture The rise of technology is making us lazier and less capable of retaining important information

Catharine Nguyen-Pham The Silhouette

RACHEL HARVEY / THE SILHOUETTE

Members of the Engineering faculty hold annual pranks against students, but this one beside University Hall crossed some serious lines.

Holden Caulfield The Silhouette Every year at the end of March, fourth-year undergraduates in McMaster’s Engineering program celebrate their graduation by designing an on-campus prank, fondly called The Kipling Prank.

Previous years have included stunts such as filling a hallway with balloons, or creating a giant castle out of red solo cups. This year, however, the campus was subjected to a prank that was anything but funny.

A group of graduating students constructed an elaborate maze that everyone walking on the pathway between Gilmour Hall and University Hall on Friday had no choice but to maneuver their way through. While I have to admit that their design was impressive, the maze presented a major ethical problem: taped up along the makeshift walls were pictures of Engineering faculty members with derogatory nicknames displayed under each photo.

The obstructive nature of the maze made it necessary to view every single photo and nickname as you made your way through its contained paths. Nicknames such as Dr. “Master” Baetz and Michael “Penetration Butt Weld” Tait were displayed for every maze-walker to see. While the terms in quota-

tions are specific to the field of Engineering, the problem arises from the obvious manipulation of these terms to signify something sexually derogatory. This is compounded by the fact that they were posted in a public space where “non-Engineering” students and faculty may not be “in on the joke.”

When asked why they would put up these rude pictures, a few Engineering students who lingered near the maze stated, “it’s just a tradition,” or “it’s just a joke, we do it every year” (or my personal favourite, “I didn’t do it,” as if that absolves them of responsibility). Perhaps it’s time to ask why and how their “tradition” can be used to justify their actions.

According to the McMaster University Engineering Alumni website, there is a ceremony every year called The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, where new graduates are bestowed with iron rings.

The Kipling prank seems to be an offshoot of this “ritual.”

The Ritual ceremony was originally sanctioned by none other than Rudyard Kipling, the man George Orwell fondly described as “the prophet of British Imperialism.”

Perhaps the long-reaching arm of Imperialism can be glimpsed in the actions of the Kipling Prank students, who

neglected to critically consider the consequences of their maze.

The construction of a maze that blocks off a main campus pathway to anyone with disabilities and publically displays demeaning comments about faculty members certainly does seem to be doing the work of colonization by privileging the Engineering pranksters at the expense of others. Maybe it’s time for The Ritual to focus more on the promotion of social consciousness rather than on “a consciousness of their profession.”

Don’t worry, I’m not going to turn this into a postcolonial rant on the problems surrounding The Ritual and by extension The Kipling Prank, because I probably just don’t understand The Ritual of the Iron Ring. After all, I’m just a silly Humanities student who keeps picturing Gollum and Lord Sauron. One ring to rule them all.

Besides, Wikipedia tells me that the iron rings are meant to represent the moral, ethical and professional commitment of new Engineers. So, that means that once these pranksters receive their rings, they’ll be more considerate, right?

Interestingly, the mysterious students who created the maze of shame left a calling card at the scene: a huge ring covered in aluminum foil hanging from the arches over the maze.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t

set out to pick on the Engineering department as a whole. I know several McMaster Engineering students who are lovely, socially responsible people. However, there is something rotten in Denmark if there is an entire webpage on the McMaster Alumni site dedicated to posting pictures of Kipling Pranks. While there are no pictures of this year’s yet, time will surely tell what the departmental reaction was to the maze of shame. I know I was quite amazed to see that they’re holding a contest for students to enter Kipling Prank photos for a chance to win $500. Pranking, in general, is definitely encouraged.

While tradition in and of itself is not necessarily negative, it’s always important to evaluate why we do what we do and what the consequences are.

The Case of The Kipling Prank Gone Wrong provides us with an opportunity to re-evaluate a tradition that could really use an upgrade.

To the students who designed the maze of shame, shame on you. If you needed to express your frustrations with the faculty, you should’ve gone to the gym, or the bar, or built a castle out of red solo cups. You shouldn’t have made rude, public comments about your professors. Because it’s not funny. The only joke here is you.

Fare Parity policy is best for HSR A free bus ride for physically disabled people doesn’t consider patients with mental health issues Sophia Catania The Silhouette Hamiltonians have been voicing uninformed, negative opinions regarding the city’s motion to move away from the current Voluntary Pay program. This transit policy exempts physically disabled individuals from paying the standard fare to ride an HSR bus. However, one must take the time to look at the changes that are being made.

It is clear that the city is making a valid improvement by introducing fare parity on public transit.

The Voluntary Pay program is unique to only a handful of cities in Ontario. Of the few cities that still use it, many have begun to adopt a Fare Parity policy.

People with disabilities pay standard fares in most cities across the province.

The reason these cities use a Fare Parity policy is to ensure no discrimination takes place.

Those advocating against fare parity have criticized the city’s interpretation of the Ontario Transportation Standard made under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) 2005. This act prohibits the use of a two-tiered fare system. The general public is reminding the city that AODA is intended to

prohibit a two-tiered system that charges the disabled a higher fare, not charging them a lesser fare.

Despite this, allowing individuals with physical disabilities to ride the bus for free creates a two-tiered system that discriminates against people who are forced to pay the standard fare and favours certain disabled groups. The HSR determines what disabilities are eligible for the Voluntary Pay program. Currently, anyone relying on the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, and/or cane is exempt from paying the standard fare. This is discriminating against other disabled groups, such as those suffering from mental disorders.

In response to the community’s concerns, the city has deferred their decision until April 3, in the hopes that a method of evaluating individual circumstances can be developed. If they are successful, the Fare Parity policy may not be enacted. Instead, the Voluntary Pay program will remain with modifications.

The city will attempt to develop a confidential testing system to determine if standard fare is beyond one’s means, regardless of the nature of their disability.

The problem then lies in determining who would qualify for

“

The city has finally realized the need to re-evaluate the function of the outdate Voluntary Pay program. The Fare Parity policy is simply the best method.

such fare exemptions. The most feasible solution to this problem is to replace the Voluntary Pay Program with the Fare Parity policy.

This will eliminate any discrimination, without introducing the difficult task of picking and choosing which disabilities should qualify for fare exemptions. Are people with physical disabilities exempt from paying the standard fare because they must rely primarily on public transportation? Does their disability impede them from being able to afford the standard fare rate? If this is true, it should also be true for those with disabilities beyond physical impairments, such as an individual with Autism or suffering from depression.

Many people have argued that the city is imposing an unnecessary financial burden onto the physically disabled. However,

there are many systems in place to provide individuals with affordable public transportation. For example, the Affordable Transit Pass program allows those with yearly incomes below $17,570 to purchase an HSR monthly pass for half the price. Anyone can apply for this program, including those with physical and mental disabilities.

In 1996, 25 wheelchair accessible low floor buses were introduced in Hamilton, allowing passengers with disabilities to the use the HSR. However, only a handful of accessible buses existed.

People with physical disabilities often had to wait for an accessible bus to come. As such, it was decided that it would be an effective compromise to adopt a voluntary pay system for those users. Today, the entire fleet of over 200 buses is wheelchair accessible. Therefore, all users can use the HSR at any time. A compromise is no longer necessary.

The city has finally realized the need to re-evaluate the function of the outdated Voluntary Pay program. The Fare Parity policy is simply the best method of ensuring fair and inclusive transit for everyone in the city of Hamilton.

Our reliability on technology is making us lazy thinkers. As technology advances, we begin to rely less on our cognitive abilities. Hardly anyone will bother to memorize a phone number now that we can store it in our phones.

How many phones numbers do you know by heart?

We rely on technology for everything. If you are lost, you can easily use Google Maps to find directions. If you fail to spell a word correctly in a text message, autocorrect will fix it for you. If you forget someone’s birthday, it will come up as a reminder on Facebook. If you need to organize your schedule, you can just put it on your phone.

Our reliance on technology has skyrocketed over the past 20 years. This includes our use of cell phones, computers, credit and debit cards, the Internet and cars.

For example, smartphones have recently become an essential tool in our everyday lives. We use it to access social media, personal organizing, GPS, the Internet, audio, calling and texting.

Technology has been consistently advancing over the past few years. Do you remember when USB drives with 32MB of memory were the new best thing?

That was 15 years ago. Now, their storage capacity can be as large at 2TB. That is 65,000 times the amount they were 15 years ago.

With such advanced technology, it’s no wonder why everyone relies on it so much. It’s reached the point where I struggle to spell and do simple calculations.

What’s the point? I can do math with the calculator on my phone and spell-check can fix my grammar. Without needing to learn the rules, I can use my saved time for other activities.

This is completely different compared to a decade ago. I still remember the day when I had to look up books in a library to find specific information for a class project. But now, I can easily use the Internet for research. It’s much faster and gives you more variety than any book would. For instance, if you search up “how to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you” on Google, you will get over fifteen million results. If you look up “how to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you” in a book, you will get maybe a line or two – if you are lucky.

With technology having numerous advantages such as being faster and more efficient, we have stopped relying on our minds to think. Essentially, we have become lazy thinkers. Instead of using our minds, we use technology to store endless amounts of information. We rely less on our memory now that we have access to all this information at our fingertips.

So, in a sense, technology is like an extension of our brain.

Think of it like a bank. A bank contains of all of your savings.

When you need more money, it is readily available for withdrawal.

It contains all that extra money you can’t store. Now, to access this money, you just need a bank card.

It’s kind of similar with the technology we have now. Once we learn to access all the information, the less we are able to store in our minds. There’s no need to devote our energy into memorizing a definition or equation when we can look it up.

So, it seems like our reliance on technology is affecting our ability to think. We have become lazier in terms of memorizing and learning basic rules for math and grammar. But with technology continuously changing the way we use our memories, we have learned to apply our skills and abilities to learn how to use technology rather than our brains.

NOTSPEC.COM

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THURSDAY MARCH 28, 2013

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Yukon miners strike as new gold veins tapped Men who thought no one was looking have found controversial new sources of gold; onlookers say

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A Southern Ontario man has made a discovery that is shaking the northern mining industry to its core.

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Disclaimer: Stories printed in The Hamilton Speculator are fact. Any resemblance to persons real or dead is likely intentional and done out of spite. Opinions expressed are those of The Speculator and if you disagree with them you are wrong. And stupid. Possibly ugly as well.

INSIDEOUT

InsideOut Editors Sam Godfrey and Amanda Watkins Section Meeting Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m.

Contact insideout@thesil.ca

Thursday, March 28, 2013

B1 S

JESSIE LU / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

InsideOut provides some pointers to help you survive the upcoming apocalypse: exams Look inside for a study group formation guide (B3), a break-up survival plan (B4) and more

S B2 INSIDEOUT

Thursday, March 28, 2013

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

INSIDEOUT B3 S

Choosing your storm survival crew Getting together a successful study group is much like prepping for an apocalypse, ensure you have all the necessary teammates to make it through the night

The Worrier

The Paranoid One

Ronald Leung Silhouette Staff

The Brain

Human encyclopedia, smarty pants and know-it-all: this member of your storm survival crew has many names but they are universally characterized by their intelligence, studious manner and attention to detail (sometimes to the ire of the group).

You can count on them to fact-check constantly and answer any wandering questions your crew may have.

They’ll probably have a penchant for excessively correcting your grammar.

The Sleeper

Don’t laugh at their mad rants and apocalyptic warnings now – they bring a healthy amount of snacks perfect for tired minds after grappling with the storm. Chips, chocolate and power bars are staple foods of their repertoire.

They have been preparing for years and finally their worst fears have come true. They’ll keep the crew fed and healthy as they continue to fight the storm. Just don’t make fun of their paranoid gibbering: things could get ugly, fast.

Hyperventilation, excessive hand gestures or even outright unconsciousness are not uncommon for The Worrier. The complete opposite of The Sleeper, they will panic at every conceivable moment and freak out at every little detail.

While often annoying, their frantic outbursts can yield important details. They can be seen to be white-lipped and shaking, huddling in the corner and rocking back and forth, even after the storm has passed.

The Prodigy

Appearing supremely unconcerned, they will simply show up to storm preparations for the sake of it. Constantly appearing to do anything but preparing themselves, The Prodigy will stare down the storm with the coolness of a cucumber, too nonchalant to even blink.

Hours later, when the storm’s victims stagger out, weakened and dazed, The Prodigy will calmly stroll by, hair stylishly tousled as opposed to everyone else’s hurricane-do.

The Pilot

Somehow dozing through a storm, the sleeper seems to not realize just how dire the situation is. Completely out of it, they will sleep through all necessary storm preparations and wake up minutes before the storm hits.

They can be spotted walking out of the wreckage later, somehow unharmed and apparently unaware of the destruction around them, no matter how devastating it is.

While they may not necessarily be the most respected, all members of the crew listen to the pilot. They are storm veterans and have the sole focus of getting the entire crew to safety. Keeping the group on track and directing them from YouTube videos, side-conversations, or texting are all just part of the job description.

JAVIER CAICEDO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

The necessary steps for finding the right study space and coming prepared Jennifer Bacher Silhouette Staff Now that it is the end of March, one thing looms ahead: exams.

Don’t let the joy of Easter along with the thrill of winter leaving distract you too much from the horror that is exams. When making your way to finding the perfect hide out for this exam season, here are some tips to think about before you start your journey. Remember, it’s us versus the exams. We survive this by pulling together,

not apart.

Having a plan is always good. Create a schedule for yourself of when to eat, study certain subjects, nap and take breaks. If you plan ahead, you will get everything done and you will minimize saving everything until the last minute.

Pack to thrive. Pack some snacks from home that are nutritious and satisfying if you are planning to study on campus.

Bring water, granola bars, fruit or even a sandwich. Not only will this save

you money, but also you don’t need to leave your spot and risk losing your concentration.

Don’t forget about what supplies you need to study your best. If your cell phone and computer distract you, then leave them at home or make computer time your break.

Find a place to call home.

Whatever that may be, find somewhere where you work well and will actually get work done.

The campus has lots of great hid-

ing places.

From the silent area in the basement of Thode Library to the basement of the arts quad, the campus has many places to study. But campus is only one of many places you can go.

You’re going to be fine; I know you will. You are smart and you are strong. Soon, April will come to an end, your exams will be over and this year will be done. Just hang in there.

SILHOUE

T TE FILE

PHOTO

“Sex Ed”: the right way

Pregnant (adjective):

The Mother Load Nicole Jedrzejko The Silhouette For so many of our peers, the word “pregnant” carries the most uncertainty and fear, and definitely lives up to its definition: full of meaning.

As young adults, we are being faced with the frustrating reality that the prime childbearing years are also prime working years, in which most of us are focused on school and career prospects in the preparation for our future selves.

More than a third of university-educated women today are having their first child when older than 30 years, another issue entirely when our fecundability (the probability of achieving pregnancy in one menstrual cycle) begins declining in the mid-20s, drops significantly in the early 30s, and plummets by approximately 37.

Even with future fertility in question, it is still unthinkable by many in our university culture to consider pregnancy before graduation, as the decision to reproduce is seen as a huge burden on one’s ability to survive and prosper.

Financial struggles, impact on

education and career, cultural and religious restrictions, inconveniences to current lifestyles, terror of such huge responsibilities and many other personal reasons have changed pregnancy from a simple change in the body’s reproductive state to the severity level of disease.

But contrary to popular opinion, pregnancy pre-graduation is manageable. There are an overwhelming amount of educational resources on pregnancy, but the most important first steps can be summarized into these six points: 1. GO TO THE EXPERTS: See your doctor or visit the Student Wellness Centre as soon as you find out (or suspect) you are pregnant to begin planning. They will have the best information on your options.

2. EAT WELL: If there’s ever a time to watch what you eat, it’s now. A well-balanced diet in accordance with Canada’s Food Guide is optimal, but consider taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements (i.e., fish oil pills) and folic acid supplements for their ben-

eficial effects on the baby’s birth weight and nervous system development. Food hygiene is also very important to avoid spoilt food’s serious effects in newborns.

3. EXERCISE: Keeping up your strength and endurance is difficult enough in university, but exercising during pregnancy not only helps to manage weight gain, but can ward off depression. Walking, swimming, yoga and Aqua Zumba are all recommended and available in our David Braley Athletic Centre. Also consider pelvis floor exercises to strengthen the hammock muscles at the base of the pelvis that support the bladder, vagina and rectum. Get more information from your prenatal instructor.

4. CUT ALCOHOL, CUT BACK ON CAFFEINE: More than two alcoholic drinks a day may lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), resulting in mental and growth retardation, behavioural problems and physical defects. Cutting alcohol altogether during pregnancy is obvious, but caffeine in coffee, tea and soft drinks may also

contribute to a risk of low birth weight or miscarriage.

Err on the side of caution and cut it down.

[1] (of a woman or female animal) having a child or young developing in the uterus; [2] full of meaning; significant or suggestive. Origin: late Middle English from Latin praegnant-, from prae ‘before’ + the base of gnasci ‘be born.’

5. STOP SMOKING: The Student Wellness Centre’s ‘Leave The Pack Behind’ initiative is a peer-run service that provides information on how to quit smoking, provide support and resources, and more.

The risks of smoking during pregnancy are incredibly high, so use these resources available to feel supported.

6. REST: Fatigue is normal during pregnancy, and though rest is often an unappreciated luxury in busy university lives, both you and your baby will benefit greatly from taking well-deserved breaks.

Good night’s sleeps, naps and relaxation techniques from yoga to massage will all help manage your stress and focus on your body’s needs.

Campus services from SHEC

and faculty academic counselors can provide additional resources to help manage pregnancy concerns, but there is a significant lack of support from one of the most powerful forces on this campus: our peers. Dealing with pregnancy, unwanted or not, carries enough pressure to deal with from partners and parents to involve additional prejudices from peers. So often people dealing with such tough experiences do not need our sympathy or pity, but a realization that they are not alone. Mothers come in all shapes, sizes and ages, as do families. Whichever option you choose to manage your pregnancy is the right one for you. No one has the right to say otherwise, and everyone has the responsibility of respecting your options. It is also up to us all to make our campus a place where a woman’s decision over her reproductive state is respected.

S B4 INSIDEOUT

Thursday, March 28, 2013

SEXandtheSTEELCITY

THE BREAK-UP Ana Qarri Silhouette Staff The world as you know it has come to an end. You feel alone, weak and betrayed. You might be tempted to simply give up, but we think you’re great and we want you to be happy. Here are some suggestions on how to survive your break-up apocalypse, as adapted from the movie “Zombieland”: Rule 1: Cardio Get out of bed. Wallowing in self-pity is helpful and healthy for the first few days, but once you hit the one week mark, it’s time to get moving. It’s not going to be easy. Everything you do and see will remind you of things that make you sad. That’s fine. Closure and enclosure might sound the same, but while some enclosure will give you time to think and deal with your feelings, too much of it will be ultimately detrimental to moving on. Physical activity also makes you happier and lowers your stress levels. The author can neither confirm nor deny this, but it sounds about right.

KAREN WANG / GRAPHICS EDITOR

Rule 2: The Double Tap If you have something to say to

your ex, always think twice. It’s very possible that they don’t want to hear what you have to say. It sucks and it’s hard, but you have to remember that your objective is to move on. Trying to convince them that they’ve made a mistake, or apologizing for yours, is probably not going to work. They’ve made a decision and if they’re moderately intelligent, they have already considered all options.

You shouldn’t have to convince someone to stay in your life.

Rule 4: Seatbelts (Not actually. This is just a really bad metaphor for your friends.)

Remind yourself that they exist.

These are people who care about you. Your ex isn’t the most important person in your life, and keeping or resuming contact with your friends will help you take your

mind off that one person. Friends always have a way of making you feel better about yourself, so take full advantage of this support system. You deserve it.

Rule 32: Enjoy the Little Things Start enjoying other things again.

Having someone is nice, but there’s someone pretty awesome that you’ll always have: yourself. Take care of yourself. Take yourself out for a movie. Go on a walk with yourself. Make small memories that are yours. Only once you’ve realized that you are enough to make yourself happy, will you be able to move on.

Breaking up with someone feels like you’ve had a part of yourself ripped off. The point isn’t to cover it up and wait for someone else to fill the void. The point is to fill it up yourself.

Dear Self-Motivation...

Amanda Watkins Assistant InsideOut Editor Where have you gone?

We’ve come so far as a team, yet at this crucial moment in my life, you’ve let me down.

I’ve spent years honing in on what you require to survive, yet now... you know what, fuck it. I’m not even motivated enough to finish this rant.

.io

Yours sincerely, Every student. Ever.

The Dahn Yoga Experience A first time yoga-goer shares his uplifting experience with this increasingly popular Korean exercise Alon Coret Student Health Education Centre The other day, I attended a yoga class for the first time in my life.

I made this decision for a few reasons: a personal challenge for myself (escaping my comfort zone), the fact that my mother keeps telling me about how much she enjoys it, and curiosity. I had no idea what I was going into, but I can definitely say it was a worthwhile experience.

This was essentially my first workout in months. Yes, a workout indeed. The class I went to was Dahn yoga, a Korean form of yoga that focuses on energizing the body. Dahn yoga sees the body as composition of chakras, or energy centers. The various stretching exercises are meant to tap into our bodies’ potential and strengthen our core (dahn jon).

We started by standing around in a circle and doing basic stretches and breathing exercises.

Gradually, things became more intense. I found myself having to do sets of pushups and abdominal bicycle crunches. Embarrassingly enough, the lady beside me was doing everything far better than I was, even though she could easily be my grandmother. “I have been doing this for months,” she said.

The class continued for an hour and a half, going through a series of stretches and moves for every muscle in the body. At the end, we all lied down in the “Sleeping Tiger” position, which is far less comfortable than it sounds (Suffering Tiger, I thought to myself). Marek, our instructor, told us to internalize our negative thoughts and self-judgement as we were doing this exercise. He then let us relax for a few minutes, and I nearly fell asleep from

getting too comfortable.

Overall, I was not too surprised by the physical exercises – except that they were more difficult than anticipated.

What I was surprised by was the immense focus on mental and spiritual well-being.

Marek was smiling, and had a positive attitude for the duration of the session. He constantly reinforced the importance of happy, constructive thoughts and in making everyone feel like a part of something greater than themselves. He laughed with members of the class, complimented them and corrected their positions. He made us greet the people standing beside us both at the start and finish of the session with “Bangap seum-ni-da” (nice to meet you), and “Chun ha haseyo” (be the fulfillment of your soul). (I claim no expertise in Korean, so

C/O ALON CORET

I apologize if my transliterations and translations are incorrect.)

One poster I noticed in the studio was called “Map of Consciousness.” It shows a ranking of different levels of consciousness, or brain energies, measured in LUX. I am not certain about the science behind the theory, but the main point is this: it takes far less effort to think negative thoughts, and have emotions of guilt, shame, and regret. Reaching happiness, peace, and joy is a higher level of consciousness we should (and can) all strive for. “Love yourself,

and respect yourself,” said Marek.

“Then you will be able to receive love and enjoy life.” This may not sound like anything new, but it is a life lesson we seldom keep in mind.

I would like to conclude with a verse from another poster I saw in the studio, called “Prayer for Peace.” This poetic prayer was written by Ilchi Lee, the originator of Dahn Yoga, and was read at the United Nations’ 2000 Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders.

“I offer this prayer of peace, with all my fellow earth people; For a lasting peace on earth”.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

INSIDEOUT B5 S

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Contact sports@thesil.ca

Thursday, March 28, 2013

B7 S

Canada Basketball chooses Mac alumni

Lisa Thomaidis looks to carry the torch for Canada Basketball’s Senior Women’s National Team. Her time in Maroon and Grey prepared her for a long coaching career. C/O CIS

Scott Hastie Assistant Sports Editor In a season that’s been filled with triumph, the McMaster Marauders can add another accolade to their long list.

Former Mac basketball player Lisa Thomaidis has been named the new head coach of Canada Basketball’s Senior Women’s National Team.

Currently, Thomaidis is the head coach for the University of Sasketchewan Huskies, where she earned CIS Coach of the Year honours in 2009 and 2011.

Thomaidis was an assistant coach with the Senior Women’s National Team.

Wayne Parrish, Canada Basketball’s President and CEO, is more than confident in the transition.

“We are very excited to announce Lisa Thomaidis as our

next Canadian Senior Women’s National Team head coach. Lisa has played an integral role in the development of our nation’s basketball players” said Parrish.

“Having worked under the tutelage of successful former national team coaches Bev Smith and Allison McNeill, Lisa is ready to put her stamp on the program and continue its momentum.”

After earning three OUA All-Star nods in term time with the Maroon and Grey, Thomaidis earned a professional contract in the Greek 1st division.

The league is one of the toughest in the European basketball circuit. Her experience has paid dividends throughout her coaching career, as she knows what it takes to be among the best.

Canada Basketball is on the rise, and Thomaidis points to the 2012 Olympics as an example of

that.

“At the London Olympics, the team showed the world that we are a basketball nation to be reckoned with. I’m motivated and driven to make sure that we continue on this path of success and strive for even greater results on the international stage,” said Thomaidis.

Canada finished with a 2-3 record in the qualifying rounds for the tournament, but they were more than capable of hanging with some of the tournament’s best. Their group had the two teams who met in the bronze medal game – Australia and Russia.

In group play, Canada lost to Russia in the final minute 5853. Australia would handle the Red and White with a nine-point victory, but Canada did not look outmatched.

London marked the

beginning of Canada’s journey to being a women’s basketball powerhouse, as their Junior Women’s National Team is already showing promise.

The group of 19-and-under players finished fourth at the 2012 FIBA Americas tournament and qualified for the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championships.

Canada has also produced players who have had an impact at major NCAA schools like UCLA and Syracuse.

Thomaidis is optimistic about the future and eager to start the climb to the top of the podium.

“I am very excited to be given the opportunity to take the reins of the Senior Women’s National Team. What the team has accomplished in the past quadrennial is nothing less than tremendous, and I’m looking forward to seeing what heights we can reach.”

“

“At the London Olympics, the team showed the world that we are a basketball nation to be reckoned with. I’m motivated and driven to make sure that we continue on this path of success and strive for even greater results on the international stage.”

Lisa Thomaidis, Canada Basketball head coach and former Marauder

McMaster curling tosses up impressive result Scott Hastie Assistant Sports Editor Over the past week, the McMaster Marauders curling team took a trip to Thompson Rivers University to compete against the best colleges and universities in the nation. After finishing with a silver medal at the OUA championships, McMaster qualified for the CIS/CCAA tournament and put together a respectable result.

Despite the curling team being in their sophomore season of competition, Mac finished 3-4 in national pool play – good enough for the fourth overall finish and highest result from an OUA team.

In their first match, Mac took on the silver medalist Alberta Pandas and narrowly lost with a 9-8 score.

The young bunch rebounded quickly, though, defeating the host Thompson Rivers WolfPack in a 6-1 rout.

The Maroon and Grey’s third game saw the see-saw trend begin, as Mac ran into the gold-medal Manitoba Bisons.

The CIS/CCAA champions bested Mac in a heated battle, with the Bisons winning 10-8 in the tenth end.

Similar to the previous day of competition, the Marauders handled their next opponent of the day.

The University of Prince Edward Island Panthers dug themselves a 6-1 hole before storming back.

Mac weathered the comeback attempt and ended Day Two of the tournament with a 7-6 victory.

Day Three saw the highlight of the young program as the Marauders defeated the OUA champion Western Mustangs.

It only took McMaster seven ends to dethrone their rivals and earn revenge from the OUA

championship loss from a few weeks prior.

With one game left, Mac stood with a 3-2 record.

However, the Marauders would find themselves on the wrong side of revenge in their match against the Guelph Gryphons.

Mac handled the Gryphons in the OUA semifinals, but the Gryphons had the last laugh after taking a quick start in the national game to send the Marauders back to a .500 mark.

The tournament came to a bitter close as the Saint Mary’s Huskies beat the Maroon and Grey in a one point nail-biter.

It took ten ends, but the AUS representative proved victorious.

Although McMaster narrowly missed out on grabbing some hardware for the trophy case in the David Braley Athletic Centre, the sky is the limit for Mac’s curling team.

TOP: Coach Chris Malcolmson and his shocked the CIS this season. BOTTOM: Skip Ginger Coyle leads the Maroon and Grey. C/O CIS

S B8 SPORTS

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Mac represented on world stage Running alongside the globe’s top cross country athletes, Marauders put up respectable results Laura Sinclair Silhouette Staff The snowy, slippery and cold conditions were not enough to slow down rookie Madeleine McDonald and veteran Lindsay Carson at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships on March 24 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

The two members of the Marauders’ cross country and track team managed to bundle up and use their experience with the snow to their advantage on the weekend.

McDonald finished in 47th place overall in the junior women’s race, and Carson finished in 60th place overall in the senior women’s race.

The two accomplished runners, with the help of their coaches Rory Sneyd and Paula Schnurr, made the tough decision to sit out this year’s track season in order to give everything they had into these world cross country championships.

This meant that they would potentially be sacrificing a CIS medal at the prestigious CIS track and field meet in Edmonton.

This was a strategic decision that was necessary, however, for both of the athletes to increase their mileage and to perform their best in Poland this past weekend.

For rookie Madeleine McDonald, missing the track season was a good move, especially because of her outstanding result on the weekend, where she finished within the top 50 in the world.

She will have plenty of opportunities to pick up a CIS track medal in future years, especially due to her tremendous potential that can only go uphill from this season.

She has proven her dominance this year by quite handily beating other runners that are much older than her in her first

University cross country season, which ultimately led to her 13th place finish at the CIS cross country championships.

She managed to carry that momentum to the one track race that she competed in this season, where she got off to a lead early in the 3000m and expanded that lead in the duration of the distance, winning the race by close to 20 seconds.

She was the second Canadian to cross the finish line this past weekend, as she finished the 6km race in a time of 20:36, just two seconds behind teammate, rival and fellow rookie Madeleine Yungblut of the Guelph Gryphons. Together, they brought the Canadian team to a ninth place finish overall.

For veteran Lindsay Carson, missing out on the track season was not a huge loss either. She had already won the gold medal in the 3000m race at last year’s CIS championships in Winnipeg, and she also has several other CIS medals to her name.

She could have easily won a gold medal repeat this year in the 3000m, but instead she decided to sacrifice another medal by competing among the best in the world.

She is not inexperienced when it comes to competing for Canada, however. She has worn the red and white singlet numerous times in her running career, and she has been a stand-out runner since the age of 14.

Now, she is 23 years old, and despite being plagued with numerous injuries in the last couple of years, she has always managed to make a remarkable recovery and come back to the running scene better and more fit than ever.

She, too, proved her fitness at this meet, running the 8 km race in a time of 26:38, just three sec-

“

For rookie Madeleine McDonald, missing the [CIS] track season was a good move, especially because of her outstanding result on the weekend, where she finished within the top 50 in the world.

onds behind one of her Canadian teammates, Rachel Hanna. The Canadian Senior Women’s team finished 8th overall.

Next on the schedule for the two accomplished athletes is a break before the training picks up for the outdoor track season, which gets underway in May. Carson will no longer be competing for McMaster, as her eligibility expires after this year.

McDonald, however, still has four more years of running in maroon and grey, and her potential forecasts the possibility to compete for Canada again in future world championship meets.

In both the Senior and Junior women’s races at the World Cross Country Championships, the Kenyans won, while the USA team came fourth in the Senior women’s race and sixth in the Junior women’s race.

McDonald is proving to be the future of McMaster’s cross country program. C/O IAAF

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

SPORTS B9 S

Mac hosts magical games A new trend in campus sports was showcased at the McMaster Quidditch Cup

SWING To magical sports.

To the NFL looking for Mac stars.

To upcoming NBA and NHL playoffs. Lets go.

To welcome warm weather and doing sports outdoors for a change.

To March and all of its madness.

To a prayer: GO Jays GO.

AND A

MISS Aces in single-A. Air balls and missed dunks.

To John Gibbons’ haters.

To Yankees fans.

To shortend seasons.

To homophobia in the locker room and all around sports.

To streaming games with a poor wi-fi connection.

PHOTO C/O MINOMI SUBPANDITHA

Minomi Subapanditha The Silhouette On the sunny Saturday morning of March 23, McMaster University hosted its second Marauder Quidditch Cup. The University of Toronto (St. George), University of Toronto (Scarborough), University of Guelph, Carleton University, York University and Queen’s University competed in the last tournament of the Quidditch spring season to bring home the trophy and got together to discuss further interuniversity cooperation around the

quickly growing sport.

Eleven qualifying matches and four playoffs later, Carleton University emerged victorious, followed by the University of Guelph and Queen’s University.

The Marauders made the playoffs with a 2:1 win-loss ratio but couldn’t quite break Queen’s bludger dominance long enough to defeat them.

Nonetheless, the McMaster Quidditch Exec team was very satisfied with the result.

“It’s always tough to get the team back together after the winter season,” said Toma Chicer-

man, the club’s Treasurer. “Overall, organizing this tournament was a great learning experience for us. In fact, we were thrilled with how well it went for what’s essentially our first big tournament. It’s definitely something we’ll be doing again next year.”

Highlights of the day included a performance by the McMaster Marching Band during the intermission. The post-tournament Captain’s Quorum brought together the administrators of the various teams to discuss strategic cooperative goals that stand to benefit Canadian Quidditch as

a whole. The game of Quidditch is loosely based on its namesake from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, and is best described as a mix of dodgeball and European handball.

Played in half-hour intervals on half-sized fields, a game moves quickly and unpredictably.

Its pop culture appeal and exciting nature has made it popular with many universities, and the number of registered teams has nearly doubled from the previous year. Whatever lies in store for this, dare we say magical sport is sure to be exciting.

“

Quotes of the year “All it’s going to take is everything we’ve got.”

Stefan Ptaszek, McMaster football head coach

S B10 SPORTS

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Eliminating homophobia in university sport Robert Murray The Argosy SACKVILLE (CUP) - Competing on the ice, field, or hard court is supposed to serve as a medium in which humans can be careless, free and at peace. For gay athletes, it can feel more like a prison.

To any athlete, nothing is more important when they compete than getting the win and basking in glory. For decades though, gay athletes have been held back by what ‘You Can Play’ co-founder Brian Kitts calls, “casual homophobia.” After campaigns to rid the locker room of racist and sexist behaviour, homophobia has been thrust in the spotlight as the next target.

The campaign to end homophobia in the locker room has been a hot-button issue in locker rooms, from the big leagues to local arenas, for a significant portion of the last half-century. “We can’t do it, they have to,” commented Kitts in reference to how the project can have a realistic impact in the locker room.

You Can Play was co-founded by Kitts, Patrick Burke, and Glenn Witman back in March 2012 as a tribute to Patrick’s brother Brendan, who came out in November 2009 and worked to eradicate homophobia in professional sports before he died in a car crash in February 2010. At the time, Brendan was the studentmanager at Miami University for the Men’s hockey team.

Despite the gains made in recent years through athletes, executives, journalists, and teams coming together, one Mount Allison athlete still thinks that total acceptance of gay athletes is unbalanced. “I think that in general it’s more accepted among women to have gay teammates than men,” the athlete – who wished to remain anonymous – answered. According to another Mt. A athlete, homophobia should not be tolerated in sport, “we’re all the same. Nobody should be judged or made fun of because of their sexual preference,” said fourth-year hockey forward Chelsea King.

The campaign to end homophobia in the locker room faces some roadblocks. Locker room decisions and the events that transpire in them are usually restricted to athletes and team personnel. This puts the majority of the decisions on the shoulders of athletes and the team to take a stand.

“Humans by nature value fairness,” said Kitts, “It’s a matter of giving them the opportunity to get on board with this.”

Since their founding almost a year ago, You Can Play has joined forces with several prominent schools, teams, and athletes, all pledging to take a stand to end homophobia. St. Thomas University Tommies, the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds, University of Ottawa GeeGee’s, and the Ontario Intercollegiate Fastpitch Association have all made the stand at the university sport level in Canada.

However, the battle is still a long way from being over. Kitts noted the importance of not only forming an alliance of gay

Former Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager supports YCP. C/O YOU CAN PLAY

athletes but straight athletes as well. “We’re going to grow out of [casual homophobia],” he commented. Much like the way of racism and sexism, Kitts is hoping homophobia suffers the same fate, though he admitted change will not come overnight.

He referred to several decades ago when it would have been considered acceptable to some degree to use derogatory language

Marauders put on a show at CFL Combine

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towards athletes of different races or gender. Those times have come and gone now, and Kitts is firmly focused on placing homophobia in the same category. For now he and his team work day in and day out to ensure that athletic ability is the only determining factor for success in sports, from the bright lights of the world’s biggest athletic events to minor hockey game at the local arena.

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CFL scouts at the league’s annual combine got a first-hand look at the Marauder’s best individual talents.

Matthew Sewell, Michael Daly, Mike DiCroce, and Ben D’Aguilar participated in the testing, which mostly measures individuals physical strengths.

McMaster owned some of the more notable performances from the field of 55 players.

Sewell, who is the second overall ranked prospect, solidified his spot at the top of most team’s draft boards with 17 reps at the bench press.

DiCroce was also near the top of the pack for his physical feats. After missing out on the majority of his senior season after breaking his foot in training camp, the wide receiver showed no sign of lingering injury in front of CFL brass. He finished top at his position for vertical, jumping 37.5”. His 40-yard dash time was second fastest for receivers also.

But it was Ben D’Aguilar who stole the show. The fourth-year senior ran rampant over the offensive lines in the CIS, finishing with a record number of sacks for a single season. His achievements did not end there though, as D’Aguilar proved to be the most physically gifted player at his position after the CFL Combine.

D’Aguilar finished first at broad jump for defensive lineman, leaping 9’9” to beat all other participants. His 35’ vertical jump was also among the best at his position.

The most staggering feat was D’Aguilar’s 4.7 second 40-yard dash, also the best for all defensive lineman.

The last statistic is one of the most important as it is a good gauge for a defenders ability to hit the gaps in an offensive line and pressure the quarterback.

D’Aguilar’s record setting season also put the NFL scouts on notice, and the Marauder will head to Dallas, Texas for the NFL Super Regional Combine.

In 2012, 14 players who attended a Regional Combine earned a spot on an NFL team’s kickoff roster. Another 14 had participated on a franchise’s practice squad.

With these results, the McMaster Marauders football program is proving to be a breeding ground for professional level talent.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

SPORTS B11 S

EDITORIAL

Where is the Canadian madness?

Brandon Meawasige Senior Sports Editor At this time each year even the casual sports fan is reminded just how grand the spectacle of college athletics has become south of the border. Heroes are made on the hard court and for at least one year, that glory will last entrenched within March Madness lore.

Buzzer-beating shots, upsets and breakout stars once again make a contribution to the nightly highlight reel, assembling countless bandwagon followings along the way. At work Canadians fill out brackets to, ever so slightly, involve themselves in all of the excitement.

Undoubtedly, someone will pick a dark horse and until the curtains close on that Cinderella story, for a moment “that guy” can play the role of all-foreseeing sports guru.

There is something about this madness for everyone. It is all too

easy for one to get caught up in the frenzy of sold out stadiums and exhaustingly in-depth television coverage. The Marvel at such wonders, for me, leaves me wanting more from Canadian university sport.

Too often, it seems that people forget about the true underdog spirit. While so readily throwing support behind a given team within the NCAA tournament, Canadian fans overlook the sports right here on home soil.

Most remain complacent with the idea that the CIS will never match up and certainly with an attitude like that it remains impossible.

It is foolish to compare the two, for starters, but aiming for the top never hurt anyone.

The CIS will never size-up to the hundreds of teams and billions of dollars that comprise the NCAA - our schools are simply fewer and smaller in size.

We would be hard-pressed, here at McMaster, to fit 18,000

people into Burridge Gymnasium.

With a capacity of 2,200, it would be simply impossible. So instead of looking at that as a shortcoming, Canadian sports fans should focus on what is possible.

Smaller venues should make for easy sellouts. Shorter seasons promote intense competition and less money-involved means more sport.

With even a fraction of the seemingly effortless zest that we yearn for March Madness, major improvements could be made to how we view campus sports here in the north.

After all, paying attention to CIS sports is far from a chore nowadays, especially since larger events have been receiving national television coverage on a steady increase over the past few years.

This past football season more people than ever paid attention to the CIS, evident through sold out games, storybook rivalries and a record setting 48th edi-

“

With inexpensive ticket prices and several sports going on at once, there is almost no excuse to not support campus teams.

tion of the Vanier Cup. Later in the year, The Score television network provided coverage of the CIS men’s basketball tournament in Ottawa, and although the product was decibels away from madness - there was marked improvement from years past. Even my CIS-apathetic roommates found themselves glued to the television for both football and basketball.

In order for this positive growth to continue, students will have to play a much larger role.

With inexpensive ticket prices and several sports going on at once, there is almost no excuse to not support campus teams.

Perhaps that is too much to

ask, but if given a chance, CIS sports can be an infectious pastime.

Admittedly, before coming to Mac or working at the Silhouette, CIS sports were situated in obscurity for me. Not long after spending Saturday afternoons at Ron Joyce, however, I found myself thinking that the Canadian brand of collegiate athletics was the best-kept secret in sports.

I found myself able to follow these sports with the passion of a true fan. I could proudly say that I was rooting for “my team” without having to pledge some manufactured allegiance to the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams for a few weeks.

Forget what you know; CIS sports are right in front of you and it’s surprising how easy it can be to get caught up in all the action. It was a hell of a year in Marauder sports and the future seems to be getting even brighter.

Much like March Madness, it will be worth being a part of.

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KIRKENDALL BUS

FOOD DRIVE

Special City Bus will drive through Kirkendall Streets to collect food for Mission Services Food Bank.

Watch for the Bus! Have your non-perishable food items ready on your front porch

April 26-May 1 Alternate Drop Points:

For more Information: www.kirkendallhood.ca

Dell Pharmacy

president@kirkendallhood.ca

Personal Injury Lawyers

of gentlemen and cowards angela davis • kickstarter • sim city

andex

c2 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, march 28, 2013

Senior Editor: Nolan Matthews Assistant Editor: Bahar Orang

Contributors: Yoseif Haddad, Cooper Long, Alexander Sallas, Lucas Canzona, Spencer James, Tomi Milos, Brody Weld

Design: Karen Wang Cover: Bahar Orang

fri.april 12

thurs.april 4

fri.mar.29

music

sat. april 20

Quartet Westdale Theatre 7 p.m.

Haolin Munk Homegrown Hamilton 9 p.m.

TV Freaks Casbah Lounge 8 p.m.

The Dirty Nil This Aint Hollywood 9 p.m.

Lee Reed Casbah Lounge 9 p.m.

art wed.april 3

Amour Westdale Theatre 7 p.m.

fri.mar.29

thurs.mar.28

film

Precipice Artword Gallery 7 p.m.

editorial

thursday, march 28, 2013

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c3

angela and andy On Wednesday, March 27, 2013 I listened to Angela Y. Davis’ talk at Luna Station.

She spoke about feminism, racism and democracy. I’m using these very general terms because despite her energy and eloquence, it’s difficult for me to recount anything truly specific about what she said. I realized how little I know, how many problems there are in our world and how much I have to learn. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted, trying to follow everything she had to say while being incredibly touched by her grace, modesty and compassion. And I found myself waiting for the moment that she would tell me what to do and how to change.

I listened to her as she outlined a very problematic American history that we have not been able to shake off, even as Canadians. I listened to her thought-provoking

and moving descriptions of contemporary issues followed by questions she had for those few individuals who had power and money. But the entire time I was hoping against all odds that she would offer some direction, some version of a solution that I could somehow contribute to in my own small way.

My troubled mind was finally at least a little bit relieved when her very last words pointed us all towards the importance of engaging in conversation. She said that this was a form of activism.

She also said it was important to make connections and realize the need to form a global community where all our problems would become inseparable, because they were already so closely related.

And I thought about my own conversations. I thought about the most consistent

the big sickle

chris ferguso - tahiya bakhn t

jason segel ambers -catherine ch

and the most meaningful conversation I have had this year with ANDY, with ANDY’s writers, with ANDY’s readers and with the art that ANDY explores each week. I thought about how ANDY contributes to this larger, ongoing narrative of a conversation and about how this dialogical relationship constantly makes me a more perceptive, empathetic and inquiring individual.

I felt momentarily reaffirmed in my decision to pursue the arts. I will probably never be as esteemed and wellknown as Angela Davis. And I will probably never have a job as respectable and well paying as a medical school graduate.

But I won’t be able to avoid those conversations that Angela Davis insisted could make me a better person who might make a difference.

• Bahar Orang, Assistant ANDY Editor

who would you choose to star opposite you in a romantic comedy? compiled by nolan matthews and youseif haddad

zooey deschanel - dan carpenter

ryan gosling - paulina varona

urn audrey hepb ldwell - graham ca

c4 & c5 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

kickstart or kickstop? debating the impact of crowdfunding

On March 14, a Kickstarter campaign was started to raise money for a Veronica Mars movie by series creator Rob Thomas to con vince Warner Bros. that enough interest ex isted for the film to be viable. The campaig reached its month-long goal of 2 million dollars in less than a day. As of Wednesday March 27 at 11:30 p.m. the project had mo than doubled its intial goal with $4,083,25

veronica mars brought down to earth Perhaps it is fitting that the first TV program to be revived through Kickstarter would be a detective show. Certainly, the implications of crowdfunding the continuation of a cult series, like Veronica Mars, are somewhat mysterious. Devotees of the show are understandably enthused that, thanks to their communal effort, Veronica has not cracked her last case.

Yet, I think it is important for fans to act as private investigators themselves and think critically about the potential consequences of this fundraising model.

Presumably, the precedent set by Veronica Mars will encourage crowdfunded sequels to other fan-favourite series. Indeed, this week, Friday Night Lights actress Adrianne Palicki hinted at a forthcoming Kickstarter campaign, while Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller has contacted Veronica Mars showrunner Rob Thomas about the process.

It seems possible, however, that this omnipresent hope of a crowdfunded revival may deprive many brilliant-but-cancelled shows

of a sense of completeness. Worse, Kickstarter may discourage the writers of currently airing shows from giving their work a definitive conclusion in the event of a cancellation.

Moreover, for those few series that do regain life through Kickstarter, a worthy new installment is not guaranteed. Certainly, many lackluster revivals and sequels that have diminished, rather than honoured, their forerunner. Most TV fans surely have their own pet disappointments; I am still in disbelief at the letdown that was The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

Unfortunately, crowdfunding may increase the likelihood of such unsatisfactory sequels. Although Rob Thomas was involved in his brainchild’s Kickstarter campaign and had an idea for a feature film version, this may not be the scenario for other series.

Suppose that fans of a certain show launch a crowdfunding initiative without the creator’s participation. That creator may feel pressured to resurrect the series in the absence of a

worthwhile storyline.

On the subject of storytelling, Veronica Mars was critically acclaimed for its originality when first broadcast. The continuation of cancelled series through Kickstarter, however, seems more consistent with the backwardlooking “sequel-itis” for which contemporary Hollywood cinema is frequently faulted. Furthermore, it could potentially deter creators from experimentation and the pursuit of new projects. Imagine if Joss Whedon never went on to develop Firefly because fans kept throwing money at new installments of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Admittedly, some of these misgivings pertain to reviving cancelled series in general, rather than the use of crowdfunding for this purpose. Certainly, the Kickstarter formula presents certain unique concerns.

Firstly, this model seems to annul the implicit contract in the film industry, wherein studios bankroll the creation of entertainment and filmgoers pay for its consumption.

With crowdfunding, this responsibility for financing content is also transferred to the public. Fans are thereby compelled to invest twice. They must pay to have a project greenlit, and then again to experience the completed product. And you thought popcorn prices were exploitative.

It should also be recognized that not all of these fan-made donations end up onscreen. Indeed, Kickstarter is a for-profit enterprise and taxes the funds its campaigns generate. It is possible that, rather than circumventing the studio system, fans are simply substituting one corporate authority for another.

Given these reservations, I think it is only appropriate to approach Kickstarter campaigns with a skepticism and independent-mindedness befitting Veronica herself.

Evidently, the impact of crowdfunding on cult TV is not an open and shut case.

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Cooper Long

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thursday, march 28, 2013

some quick definitions: Crowdfunding verb A whole bunch of people individually contributing small amounts of money to collectively support projects initiated by other individuals or organizations. Usually done or organized on the internet.

Kickstarter noun A for-profit company and the most popular website for organizing crowdfunding. Project proposals are curated and selected for display on the website. Each project sets a goal for a specific amount of money to be raised and is usually allowed around a month to reach that goal. If the desired amount isn’t reached, pledges are returned. Specific pledge amounts are matched to exclusive gifts. The more money you pledge the more cool stuff you receive.

Crowdsourcing verb The process of receiving goods, services or ideas from others without compensation by sending a request to a large public group. Usually organized on the internet.

amanda palmer is the future of music With curiously coincidental timing, both the launch of the Veronica Mars Kickstarter campaign and Amanda Palmer’s incredibly affecting and insightful TED talk about crowdfunding happened less than two weeks apart. For the unfamiliar, Amanda Palmer is the singer of the “Brechtian punk cabaret” (her words) group the Dresden Dolls, as well as a solo musician. In June 2012, Palmer’s record-breaking Kickstarter campaign reached its end having raised an unprecedented 1.2 million to record the album Theatre is Evil.

Most people didn’t have a problem with Palmer’s campaign. Where the problems really began was when she later asked for musicians in cities she toured to play in her group for free.

The move prompted the legendarily cantankerous producer and musician Steve Albini to comment: “Pretty much everybody on earth has a threshold for how much to indulge an idiot who doesn’t know how to conduct herself, and I think Ms Palmer has found her audience’s threshold.” Palmer has since decided to pay the musicians who volunteered to play alongside her, though she contends that they never expected nor desired compensation. The experience and excitement of performing and getting drunk with a musician they adore was more than enough.

Palmer’s TED talk reveals that her crowdsourcing actually goes far beyond asking for money to record an

album and for volunteers to become her backing band. It influences her entire approach to making music. She uses Twitter to ask her followers for instruments, on-stage props and places to stay.

Fans often bring her food. She regularly passes out a hat to collect money, busker-style, before and after concerts.

It’s an approach based fundamentally on asking how we can let (and not make) people pay for music. It’s a model for the music industry that brings fans and musicians closer than they’ve ever been.

And when we really connect with people, Palmer says, we want to help them - we want to fund Kickstarter campaigns and cook dinner for bands and let them sleep on our couches. It all sounds pretty glorious to me. It seems like a way for the music industry to finally work with instead of against illegal downloading and to find new ways that bands can make money.

Many of the debates about both Palmer’s crowdsourcing and the Veronica Mars Kickstarter campaign come down to one question: is it fair? I think it is.

In the case of the Veronica Mars movie, it initially seemed more than a little fishy that someone connected to a major movie studio would be asking for money. Certainly Warner Bros. has the means to do almost anything they want.

If they don’t need Kickstarter to make the Veronica Mars movie, is Warner Bros. simply exploiting our nostalgia for

a little extra free cash and an amazing marketing tool?

The thing about exploitation is that it happens when someone doesn’t get anything (or unfairly little) in return for an investment. While people who give money to Kickstarter campaigns receive gifts, I think the intangible rewards are even more significant. Would you watch a movie or listen to an album differently if you had a role in its creation? If you’re the sentimental type, I think you would. A greater personal connection to the movie or album or whatever it is surely worth the monetary investment.

It might not be rational, but when it comes to art it doesn’t have to be.

While reviving an old series might seem like the opposite of creative, at least we will have sequels of the stuff we actually want rather than what some marketing executive thinks we want. If we’ve got “sequel-itis” anyway, at least Kickstarter lets us determine our own symptoms. And perhaps Kickstarter has the power to make really great sequels by providing significant funding from sources other than wealthy investors that might leverage money for creative control. Kickstarter’s limited accountability gives artists the freedom to do what they feel is best.

• Nolan Matthews, Senior ANDY Editor

c6 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, march 28, 2013

Ten years after the release of the incredible SimCity 4 in January 2003, SimCity 2013 was released on March 5 at midnight.

Three weeks in, after a terrible and rather disappointing launch, the new SimCity is still suffering from a multitude of problems all across the board. From a growing list of in-game bugs and glitches, to a restrictive always-online requirement to play the game, players have been struggling to get a hold of a working server and sit down to build some cities.

SimCity 2013 was promised to be the next big thing in city-building simulators.

With a brand new GlassBox engine and all the pretty graphics, it had a lot going for it. That is, until release day. With all the statistics available to the developers, it’s strange that it never occurred to them that with tens, if not hundreds of thousands of pre-ordered copies of the game, there would be massive server issues on launch.

The game was “released” at midnight, but most people weren’t even able to download the game until four days after release. The always-on requirement on games has supposedly been put in place in an attempt to reduce piracy, but all it has done is upset honest and loyal fans.

Players have been waiting patiently for this sequel for just over a decade now, and with all the promises that it put on the table, everybody was very excited for the launch. The server issues served mostly as a distraction and kept sales going with a promise of better connectivity and better servers in the very near future. As the servers got better, more people got on,

started playing and then, as if the server issues weren’t enough, the game actually turned out to be flat-out broken. It seems to be an unfinished product, not even unpolished, but entirely unfinished.

Statements were released by the lead developers, which revealed how the game was developed to be more of an MMO than an actual city-building simulator. It seems that the developers followed their own vision and forgot all about the loyal fans of the original franchise that have been following this series since the release of the first SimCity in 1990.

Earlier last year, Maxis claimed that modding tools would be available to the community, but it seems that EA will have total control over the game. EA announced that they would be banning all people who modify any of the game files.

They have since refused all refunds on the game and banned people for requesting refunds or cancelling credit card charges back on their accounts.

As it stands right now, it is more of a paid beta-testing stage of the game than an actual game. Server issues still persist and the developers are avoiding all major questions through every kind of twist and turn imaginable. It seems that EA and Maxis used the name of the franchise to generate the best publicity and marketing for this game, but as far as things go, they have simple taken people’s money for an incomplete version of a game.

So long, Mayor Defacto.

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Yoseif Haddad, Senior Photo Editor

thursday, march 28, 2013

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • c7

andy’s album reviews

Album: Bankrupt!

Artist: Phoenix

On Bankrupt!, the highly-anticipated follow-up to 2009’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix delivers an album that does not disappoint. Although Bankrupt! sees Phoenix reducing the role of their trademark guitars to expand upon the keyboard-heavy sound first introduced on Wolfgang, the transition, for the most part, seems natural.

Songs like “The Real Thing” and “Oblique City” justify

Album: Reach Beyond the Sun Artist: Shai Hulud Eleven hardcore anthems comprise Shai Hulud’s newest full-length Reach Beyond the Sun — and what a fantastic eleven they are. The album is an exercise in consistency, with its first half being a particularly rock-solid collection

Album: Untogether Artist: Blue Hawaii It’s crazy to think that at one point in time there were only really a handful of viable and appreciated genres of music. It’s even more absurd that these genres became so versatile at some point in the last decade that bands like Blue Hawaii have made a name for themselves without

Album: Comedown Machine Artist: The Strokes For detractors of the Strokes — yes, they seem to come out of the woodwork whenever a new album is released — the jabs about the New York rockers’ latest offering write themselves (i.e. Comedown Machine isn’t a Comeback Machine). But what is perplexing is the number of reviews that turned into savage ad hominem attacks of the Fab Five. It’s been a while since Julian Casablanca, Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture, and Fab Moretti released what were arguably their best works in Is This It and Room On Fire. The first of the two defined a generation who oozed antipathy towards an increasingly neoliberal society and vented their frustration, some of it sexual, on tracks like “New York City Cops” and “Take It Or Leave It.” The latter album saw them expound on their raw, unfiltered sound but with more finesse and wherewithal, cementing them as the music world’s darlings.

Suddenly, it became “uncool” to like the Strokes.

Perhaps it was due to something inconsequential — maybe Julian snubbed Ryan Schrieber at a bar — but

the progression, displaying an infectious combination of keyboard riffs and driving rhythms. However, what cements the agreeableness of this keyboard-driven style is its synergy with Thomas Mars’ voice. This is done best on “Bourgeois”, a song with a backing track that would sound right at home on a Daft Punk album. Mars’ voice perfectly accentuates the music, captivating the listener.

Although keyboards compliment many of the songs, the title track sees an excessive use of programming, creating a forgettable seven-minute interlude. “Bankrupt!”, however, is an exception, and for the majority of this tentrack album the programming does not overwhelm the

listener.

Keyboards may be the most prominent instrument on the album, but when Phoenix returns to guitar-driven music like on lead single “Entertainment,” the result is satisfying. “Entertainment” shows Phoenix experimenting with an East-Asian sound, and when combined with the song’s strong hooks, the end result should remind us why we first paid attention to this band when they released “1901.”

of frantic guitar playing, breakneck drumming, and aggressive shouted vocals. And while this is certainly a heavy and intense record, it never fails to be catchy as well.

Many of the album’s leads and vocal melodies will be stuck in your head for days.

At only 34 minutes, Reach Beyond the Sun is not a long album, but it doesn’t need to be. There is not a second wasted here, and while the record’s pissed off demeanor never really changes, there is enough variation in terms of

songwriting and tempo to keep things from getting boring.

As of right now, this is my album of the year, and it’s going to take something pretty incredible to change that.

Recommended for fans of Converge, Refused, Gaza, and the hardcore/progressive metal genres.

having to subscribe to any particular style. Untogether is the Canadian band’s first official album, a careful blend of dreampop, dance music, and spacey, reverb-laden beats.

Although the female vocals are breathy and sparse, they work well with the minimalistic production. If the beat were more demanding I would have found the vocalist to be underwhelming, but the genre (whatever it may be) does not call for Ellie Goulding-style powerhouse melodies.

If you’ve never strayed far from your musical safe zone, start by listening to the song “Try To Be,” as it is one of a select few tracks that does have some sense of order.

But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing; “Sweet Tooth” and “Flammarion” bring beauty out of disarray by shifting the focus to the very impressive and unique sampling rather than the structure of the song.

This is not an album for everybody. In fact, the target audience for this album is probably smaller than most of your tutorials. Personally, I’m filing this one under “interesting.”

“tastemakers” (cough, cough) like Pitchfork have turned their backs on the Strokes, or rather have gotten off their knees and tried to dust their pride off.

Sure, the Strokes may have suffered some soap opera-like problems of late (Angles was made with Julian emailing vocals to the rest of the band, who worked without him in the studio). But it seems like the boys have let bygones be bygones and agreed to keep things professional. “Tap Out” is rousing piece of funk that challenges the media’s authoritative tone — “Decide my past, Define my life, Don’t ask questions, Cause I don’t know why” — and manages to sound inviting and foreboding at the same time. “All The Time” seems like a laboured attempt to reproduce the magic of their early heyday and appease naysayers, but it falls flat. The song is interesting enough, with clever chord changes, a tight solo and a vintage Casablancas verse, but the band seems better off with their new sound.

Speaking of fresh sounds, “One Way Trigger” befuddled listeners when it was released earlier this year.

It finds Casablancas indulging in his passion for retro synths and even features the frontman singing in falsetto.

The track wouldn’t appear at odds with the lead singer’s solo work, but Fraiture’s distinctive bass acts as a constant

reminder that this is indeed a Strokes song, and a good one, even if it does demand an acquired taste.

“Welcome To Japan” is a standout that captures the rawness of the band’s old days with its loose rendition.

Even though Casablancas has a fairly limited vocal range, the same can’t be said for his creative lyrics and the manner in which he manages to alter the inflection of his voice to evoke emotion. And how can you not nod in agreement when Casablancas at his sardonic best ponders, “what kind of asshole drives a Lotus?”

The Strokes don’t need to be making music, but the laughter that punctuates the end of “Slow Animals” reveals that at least they’re having fun doing it. The same can’t be said for some of these miserable, sadistic music critics whose writing perspective has been jaded by what seems like a hatred of the world. Besides, maybe we should all take a cue from Julian, who sings “we don’t have to know each other’s names” on “Tapout” and just listen to what we like without judging its makers’ personality (except for Chris Brown - be ruthless with that scum).

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Spencer Jones

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Alex Sallas

Brody Weld

Tomi Milos

c8 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

thursday, march 28, 2013

of gentlemen and cowards play canadian music week The Cadillac Lo photos and leopunge was almost exactly what I turned out drin ard print sheets adorned the w had imagined. Hubcaps lined ks the stage, Elvis alls and a beer ta cool vibe for a m . The owners were certainly sw p usic venue. inging for the bl made out of a guitar head ues-rock bar fenc McMaster’s es. It was a evening of Mar own Of Gentlemen and Cowar ch 21 for their fi ds m ade the trip dow CMW is an expo rst time playing n to the Lo brings together sition of over 1000 artists in 60at the famed Canadian Music unge on the al Week. ve l nues throughout up-and-coming of the major (and minor) pl downtown Toro The annual ay ba er nd s in or nto th simply want to for that next step get into the scen e industry. Needless to say, if and . you’re an e, th e week is of param Of Gentlem ount importance After a quick so en and Cowards were in the op stepping into th und check, Simon Edwards (vocening slot, set to start off a nigh jumped right in e Lounge 40 minutes before se als/guitar) arrived in an impr t of five bands. t es crowd had gath to band mode and prepped ou time directly off of a flight from sive fashion, tside with the ot ered by the bar for the 8 p.m. st hers with vocal Texas. He They got right to ar exercises. A sm t. it, la un ching into “Save Late Show with all M D a driving guitar avid Letterman. Midway thro e,” the track they performed th ugh, the song dr is past fall on th kicked into gear solo from Christian Fedele (lead opped into its e between songs w. Following that was the fantas guitar/vocals) and the show’sbreakdown with tic thanking CMW as notably smooth on stage. Ed upbeat groove of “Rum & C intensity was oke.” The transi an wards addressed d ev er yo ne who tion story of Edwards ’ narrow arrival came out, and John Dawson the crowd several times, to the venue. (bass/vocals) re The band played counted the a total of eight so unreleased trac ngs, whi ks ended things off and a cover of “Hasn’t Hit M ch covered a mix of their record e Days,” complete strongly with the catchy show Yet” by Blue Rodeo. The tail en ed material, pi w d of the ece “Pap ith an impressive callthe expansive “W and-response ha er Planes,” the set-staple “One set ea th er m an of Those rm Blues.” The latte onica and guita instrumentation, r so rw end. A special m a bridge of “So now let’s let th as as huge as it always is live, w lo jam, and lastly set’s heightened ention goes to Jake Warren (d e rain fall” and a string of soar ith masterful in ru energy and for song. leading the char ms) for an impressive job of m g solos at the ge into well-exec ai uted transitions ntaining the The entire pe from song-toclimax and elicite rformance was a well-calculat ed d w cr or es th ce y applause and ndo of momentu to date. With gr cheers m th this summer is aduation within the members’ at its end. This was one of the at built to a going to be a bi si band’s finest sets gh ts an d new re g one for Of Gen tlemen and Cowcordings to be released soon, ards.

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Lucas Canzona