The Silhouette — March 29, 2018

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Thursday, March 29, 2018

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Conversations about what the city has in store for downtown PAGES 6-7

NEWS: Delays, missed emails and miscommunication marked this year’s elections // PAGE 3 ARTS & CULTURE: Mother-daughter duo open a Southern and Caribbean spot on King // PAGES 18-19 SPORTS: Mac Dance’s president reflects on the team’s progress this season // PAGES 24-25

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Volume 88, Issue 26 Thursday, March 29, 2018 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

EDITORIAL BOARD editor-in-chief | thesil@thesil.ca Shane Madill @shanemadill digital media specialist | dms@msu.mcmaster.ca Aaron de Jesus managing editor | managing@thesil.ca Rachel Katz production editor | production@thesil.ca Catherine Tarasyuk online editor | online@thesil.ca Haley Greene sections

Sasha Dhesi Cassidy Bereskin news@thesil.ca

news editor news reporter

@THE SILHOUETTE

/MCMASTER SILHOUETTE

@MCMASTER SILHOUETTE

MCMASTER THESIL

LOOKING BACK Friday, O c to b e r 4th, 1963.

TH E

S I L H O U E T T E

F u tu re H o ld s Plans For Theatre But 13 s Take Precedence Hopes for an on-campus theatre

fade ever1 dimmer.

Although a theatre is definitely in the administration’s plans, 13 build­ ings of an academic nature take pre­ cedence over

it in the next

years, according to Geoffrey Gibbon,

university public

five Mac-

j

relations

manager.

Meanwhile a foundation to plan and promote a 25,000-seat theatreauditorium for downtown Hamilton has been set up.

Dr. H. G . Thode, university presid­ ent, is among the seven honorary P trustees on the committee.

The downtown theatre is expected to open in 1967 as a centennial pro­ ject.

A university theatre when it does com e will probably have less than 600 seats, said Dr. Thode.

Dr. E. T. Salmon, chairman o f the University Development Committee, made n o com m ent on plans for a campus theatre.

Still Hopeful Dr. B. W . Jackson, faculty advis-

Emily O’Rourke features@thesil.ca

features reporter

Reem Sheet opinion@thesil.ca

opinion editor

Justin Parker sports reporter Jessica Carmichael sports@thesil.ca sports editor

& culture editor Daniel Arauz arts & culture reporter Razan Samara aandc@thesil.ca arts

media

Madeline Neumann photo reporter Kyle West production coordinator Grant Holt production coordinator Timothy Law production@thesil.ca photo editor

Yvonne Lu Jaime Cook online content coordinator Susie Ellis online@thesil.ca video editor

social media coordinator

COVER PHOTO Grant Holt

CONTACT

LEGAL

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

The Silhouette welcomes letters to the editor in person at MUSC B110, or by email at thesil@thesil.ca. Please include name, address and telephone number for verification only. Letters should be 300 words or less.

We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters and opinion articles. Opinions and editorials expressed in the Silhouette are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers, the McMaster Students Union or the University. The Silhouette is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the McMaster Students Union. The Silhouette Board of Publications acts as an intermediary between the editorial board, the McMaster community and the McMaster Students Union. Grievances regarding the Silhouette may be forwarded in writing to: McMaster Students Union, McMaster University Student Centre, Room 201, L8S 4S4, Attn: The Silhouette Board of Publications.

The Board will consider all submissions and make recommendations accordingly.

Editor-in-Chief (905) 525-9140, ext 22052 Main Office (905) 525-9140, ext 27117 Advertising ccpc@mcmaster.ca 8,000 circulation published by the

o r o f the M cM aster Dramatic society and a leader in the drive for a theatre on campus said he is still “ hopeful”

"’ --K.

j that a campus theatre will com e in ; the near future.

He felt the proposed downtown theatre would cause n o delay in get­ ting a theatre at McMaster.

Dr. A. A . Lee o f the English de­ partment said 600 seats was a desir­ able size for intimate campus theatre.

For musical concerts a theatre o f M ayor V ic Copps, another member 800 would be desirable, according to Frank Thorolfson, director o f music o f the downtown theatre committee, said he hopes that the university will on campus. play an important part in the new However, Mr. Thorolfson said, the theatre. size and type o f theatre will depend R obin Lawarson, president o f the on comprises am ong all groups hop­ M cM aster Dramatic Society, said, ing to use the theatre. “ F or Hamilton, this is great, but it w ould be o f little use to MDS. Plans Dropped A few years ago plans went as far “ I would be absolutely horrified if as actually drawing up blueprints for it meant scrapping an on-campus a university theatre. theatre.”

A member o f the faculty revealed Permanent Storage? that these plans were “ completely in­ R od Jones, stage manager o f M DS, adequate” and were “ trashed.” said that transporting sets and equip­ One of the delays holding up a ment to the downtown theatre would university theatre, the faculty m em ­ be “ awkward.”

ber continued, is that faculty m em ­ However, he felt, the problem bers interested in dram a and music could be solved by a permanent stor­ are incompatable. age workshop being set up at the theatre.

"The university can and should

M c M a s te r ( in n v lli I' m m l G ro w s Organization of the $7,150,000 McMaster Growth Fund cam­ paign has begun.

The campaign will begin sometime this fall, with a general public canvass in the spring. Volunteer canvassers will approach corporations, industries and individuals.

The growth program involves construction or start of construc­ tion on at least 13 buildings and renovation or expansion of present buildings, at a cost of $35,000,000. Most of this cost will be met by government grants and similar sources.

Included in the 23 major projects planned for the next five years are science, humanities and social sciences buildings and a physical education centre.

M m •»

John D. Campbell, president of Canadian Westinghouse Com­ pany Limited of Canada, is chairman of the campaign. by

It is estimated that McMaster will need space for 8.000students 1970. Original enrollment of the school in 1930 was 417.

No provision has been made in the campaign for a medical school, still under study.

The Mills Memorial Library, now being enlarged will be ex­ panded again, and its stock of reference material increased.

Campaign headquarters for the fund arc in the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce building at 39 James Street South.

W e'll See Some

NeW

play an important part in getting the On the other hand, D ou g Whit­

by JIM SORRENT downtown theatre underway,” said field, vice-president o f the McMaster Dr. Thode.

If a friendlier atmosphere has pene­ Operatic Society said his theatre is trated the bookstore, then Jim M a­ “There should be n o conflict be­ in favor o f a downtown theatre. lone, the new assistant manager, can tween requirements o f the city and “ Although we would much rather take a large share o f the credit. the university,” he continued.

Changes N o w ?

*» m p s Bookstore

see one on campus,” he said, “ if the Immediate Need downtown theatre would be available The university’s immediate need, said Dr. Thode, is fo r a medium size cheaply to our society we would be theatre to teach speech and drama. very pleased.”

Modernism In Sciences Harmonic Library Opens

At the cost o f $3,400,000, M c­ Master now has tw o additions — the :xtension to Mills M emorial Library ind the General Science Building.

The new wing o f the library is now >pen. During the last tw o weeks o f Vugust the librarians started the task if transferring books to the new wing.

Opening o f the Science building

°ool-Gym In '64 Sports Indoors ror V/2 Million

Plans for M cM aster’s $ lV i million thletic building will be announced 'ithin the next three weeks.

According to Ivor W ynn, Director f Athletics, tenders will be called 1 February 1964 and construction scheduled to begin in M arch. The uilding will be ready for partial ocjpancy in September 1964.

Plans for the building include a ymnasium, a swimming p ool, and d o o r track facilities.

The building is to be situated on ie east side o f the football field.

Earlier plans fo r a sports centre sposite the Dundas highway which ould have included a hockey rink »ve been postponed.

has been delayed by the electricians’ strike until early next year.

T he General Science building, as M r. G eoffrey M acG ibbon McMaster Public Relations manager described it, is “ a fully equipped m od em science building.” It will service the students in L ife Sciences.

Unusual design is the keynote o f the M ills M em orial Library exten­ sion. Mr. M acG ibbon pointed out the entire library displays a “ double­ function design” .

T he old wing is designed along tra­ ditional lines, while the new exten­ sion is sunken below the first level.

There is, however “ excellent har­ m ony” between the old and the new style.

Mr. M acG ibbon stressed the neces­ sity o f both additions.

Mills Memorial Library was or­ iginally built to accom odate 2,000 students. Enrolment now approaches 2700 students.

T he General Science Building, ac­ cording to Mr. M acG ibbon will pro­ vide additional laboratories and lect­ ure room s needed by L ife Sciences.

Part o f the $1,150,000 tab fo r the library addition was covered by a $120,000 grant from the Canada Council.

Renovations to the original wing o f the library are now in progress.

JIM M A L O N E M r. Malone, born and raised in Regina, received the main part o f his university education at the Univer­ sity o f British Columbia, where he completed three years o f an hon­ ours com m erce course. His next step was into the world o f big business where he was associated with invest­ ment dealers until his m ove into the bookstore field.

Mr. Malone became assistant man­ ager at the bookstore o f the Univer­ sity o f Alberta, a position he held until his appointment to our book store. During his stay there he also completed his degree in commerce.

Revamping Store Mr. M alone is making an attempt to revamp not only student-bookstore relationships but also the bookstore itself. With the advent o f the new registration card, an improved system o f credit buying has been set up. Mr. M alone expects this new system to be labor-saving, time-saving and hope­ fully money-saving.

QUEENLY STARE — A bust of Nfer-Nefru-Aten, queen of young king Amenenhotep IV, stares out into the friendlier atmosphere of the bookstore. This is a never-never land where refunds are given on Changes have also been intro­ duced in the accounting department with a view to reducing the mountains o f paper work associated with any bookstore to manageable molehills.

M alone is quite eager to stock as soon as possible the most recent best sellers. As a standard he is using the N ew Y ork Times best seller list.

Up With The Times These books are stocked in both hard cover and pocket editions. A survey has shown the prices on these books to be comparable with or low ­ er than similar editions at other Hamilton bookstores. A quick look at the selection offered this week will

books without sales slips, and cheques do not have to be initialed. However, the line-ups still stretch to the back of the store.

prove that Mr. M alone is trying to keep up with the Times.

In the past the bookstore has adopted a policy o f attracting local residents. Such items as ‘Baby’s First Book’ were typical samples o f non­ university material carried by the bookstore. Mr. M alone will stock only the type o f b ook which one w ould associate with a university b ook store but also feels there should be n o reason why Westdale residents should not use the store.

We’re Better?

Jim M alone’s comment on the M c­ Master student in general is quite complimentary. Compared to a stud­

ent at the University o f Alberta the McMaster student is better dressed and quieter and has much more school spirit.

Mr. M alone was impressed by the fact that a large percentage o f stud­ ents wear university jackets and also by the large turnover o f crested items in the store. Hecommented, “ M c­ Master students seem to be proud o f the fact that they do go to McM ast­ er” .

A smoothly functioning book store is an integral part o f a well organiz­ ed university. F rom first impressions it would seem that Alberta's loss is our gain.

“Meanwhile a foundation to plan and promote a 25,000-seat theatreauditorium for downtown Hamilton has been set up.”

WE WANT YOU TO CONTRIBUTE The last issue of Volume 88 is on April 5.

As always, we will continue to accept volunteer submissions, feedback and inquiries. Feel free to send an email to the section you would like to contribute to.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 29, 2018

The Silhouette

| 3

News Elections, shmelections Technical difficulties and low voter turnout in various MSU elections has sparked an investigation Sasha Dhesi News Editor

As the school year wraps up, the McMaster community saw its usual tidal wave of elections. As different faculty societies and the McMaster Students Union select their representatives for the year, questions of the efficacy of the MSU Elections Department arise.

During the MSU presidential elections, the voter turnout was 28 per cent, a large dip from the previous year’s 41.6 per cent voter turnout. Students have vocalized their inability to vote in elections because they had not received the electronic ballot via email, which the typical way elections are facilitated through the MSU Elections Department.

To solve this issue, the MSU Elections Department has been investigating any technical issues with the MSU’s voting system, Simply Voting, according to their Feb. 28 Executive Board report.

In their report, it states that the Simply Voting database informed the MSU Elections Department that students are receiving emails, making it difficult to pinpoint where the exact issue is. MSU Elections Department has also consulted with McMaster University Technology Services, and it is highly unlikely that their filters are blocking voting emails.

What they suspect is most likely occurring is that students are marking elections emails as junk mail. “[Simply Voting has] mentioned that a significant portion of electors have unsubscribed from email blasts in the past or marked them as ‘spam’. When this happens, Simply Voting can no longer send that individual an email, even for a new election,” read the report.

The MSU Elections Department hopes to implement a system where the Chief Returning Officer may see all those who have unsubscribed from Simply Voting’s email list and send a

supplementary email asking if they wish to participate in an upcoming election. They hope to have this implemented by the end of the year.

The MSU Elections Department not only runs the elections for MSU elections, but many clubs within the McMaster community. Their service also facilitates the elections for four major faculty societies: the McMaster Science Society, the McMaster Humanities Society, the McMaster Social Science Society and the McMaster Engineering Society.

“A significant portion of electors have unsubscribed from email blasts in the past or marked them as ‘spam’. When this happens, Simply Voting can no longer send that individual an email, even for a new election.”

MSU Elections Department Executive Board Report During this year’s MSS election, all ballots cast through Simply Voting were rendered invalid and redone.

“It has come to our attention that not all students were provided with a link to vote in the MSS Presidential Election today. As well, we noticed that students in Kinesiology were not eligible to vote in the election.

We recognize this is an issue and creates an inequitable election process by creating barriers to students’ ability to vote,” read a portion of a letter released by MSS president Connor MacLean on Feb. 8. Neither the president nor the MSS vice president (Internal Affairs) nor MSS vice

president (External Affairs) responded when the Silhouette requested an interview.

The MES also faced issues during their elections this year, when the current MES president discovered that none of the eligible voters were registered the day voting was set to open.

“Our election was supposed to begin last March 13. On that day, I discovered that none of our students were registered to vote in any election,” said Michael Meier, MES president. “[The MES] CRO attempted to get in touch with MSU Elections, but received no response for several days. At this point, we began to look for alternative ways to facilitate the election,” said Meier.

Voting opened for MES elections on March 22, about a week after their original start date. The late election has affected the MES’s timeline. Their society was set to have their semi-annual general meeting on March 26, where they ratify their council members.

“The delay in voting has caused concern, as we were worried that the elections would not be completed in time. The technical difficulties surrounding sending out emails has greatly affected our voter turnout. For the presidential elections, we had less than half of our regularturnout,” said Meier.

It is currently unclear if other faculty societies faced similar issues when facilitating their elections. The MSSS did not respond to interview request.

When similarly approached, the MHS president Sadaf Rahmanian formally declined to offer a statement.

As the election season winds down, the MSU will continue to investigate what potential issues their service may have when facilitating elections.

@SashaDhesi

The MSU Elections Department facilitates elections for various organizations within the union such as clubs and faculty societies.

THE SILHOUETTE PHOTO ARCHIVES

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NEWS

Thursday, March 29, 2018 | www.thesil.ca

Marching forward (one)

The city of Hamilton has launched its latest participatory budgeting initiative and made strides to make it accessible to McMaster students Donna Nadeem Contributor

Students may have a say in how the municipal budget is spent, with the latest participatory budgeting initiative.

Forward One is a municipal project where citizens of Ward 1 may vote for a new project to invest money in.

Ward 1 was the first Hamilton region to adopt this method of a participatory budgeting to help engage community members in government decisions that directly impacts their lives.

Every year, residents of Ward 1 have the opportunity to voice their opinions about how the councillor of the ward should spend the $1.5 million annually dedicated to improving infrastructure projects through participatory budgeting.

The Participatory Budgeting Advisory Committee is a committee made up of 17 volunteers from Ward 1 who oversee and manage the Forward One process, as well as advise the councillor on how to spend the funds.

There are a lot of projects submissions this year, from adding more bike racks and water bottle refilling stations to planting more trees and native plants and the McMaster Students Union encourages students to look over all of the ideas and vote for the projects that they believe will enhance their neighbourhoods and life in Hamilton.

Anyone can submit suggestions for projects they would like to see supported by the Forward One fund. Submissions

The MSU has been encouraging students to look over all of the ideas and vote for the projects that they believe will enhance their neighbourhoods and life in Hamilton.

Forward One is a participatory budgeting initiative meant to ensure that the citizens of Ward 1 have a say in the types of projects the city invests in for their community.

MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR

can be completed online or in person at the Union Market in the McMaster Student Centre, Westdale Library, Locke Street Library and other brick and mortar locations throughout Hamilton.

Residents will be able to vote from March 19 and April 19. The votes are then processed by the PBAC and submitted to the councillor as suggestions, which are taken to council for final approval. After the top voted projects are announced, the appropriate city staff reviews them and an implementation plan is created using the original submissions. As well, all combined or amalgamated ideas that receive funding will be forwarded for implementation with all details of each individual idea submitted.

“The Participatory Budgeting Advisory Committee and councillor Aidan Johnson have

been very receptive to students feedback on the process in the past two years. They modified the timeline last year to place the submission phase earlier in the academic year to better reach students,” said Stephanie Bertolo, associate vice president (Municipal Affairs).

“The voting period, which started this week, is also at a good time for students since they are still in classes and on campus,” Bertolo added.

Changes have also been made to the ballot lists and McMaster has been added as one of the communities in Ward 1, making the process more inclusive for those living on campus or identify with being part of the McMaster community rather than the neighbourhoods they live in.

The MSU has been encouraging students to look over all of the ideas and vote for the

projects that they believe will enhance their neighbourhoods and life in Hamilton. The last academic year was the first time the Education Team held the Cupcakes and Community Change event, which encouraged students to submit ideas in the Forward One process.

“We held the event again this year, which also had great success. We had the largest number of paper ballots submitted in the Ward!” said Bertolo. “With McMaster being a community on the ballot, we will begin to be able to see how many students are voting.”

@theSilhouette

“The Participatory Budgeting Advisory Committee and councillor Aidan Johnson have been very receptive to students feedback on the process in the past two years.”

Stephanie Bertolo Associate vice president (Municipal Affairs) McMaster Students Union

NEWS

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 29, 2018

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What went down at the General Assembly Students call on the MSU to push the university to abandon its freedom of expression guidelines

47 students attended this year’s MSU GA, a marked increase from last year’s 16 attendees. However, the GA did not come close to meeting quorum.

C/O MICHELLE XU

Cassidy Bereskin News Reporter

On March 20, 47 students filed into Burridge Gym for the 2018 McMaster Students Union General Assembly. After a lengthy discussion, the assembly voted in support of a motion aimed at condemning the freedom of expression guidelines released by the university earlier in February 2018.

The GA is an MSU constitutionally-mandated meeting that provides full-time undergrad students with a platform to submit, discuss and vote on motions. Nevertheless, over the last few years, the GA has been poorly attended, with the 2017 and 2016 meetings seeing respective turnouts of only 16 and 27 voters.

The last time the GA saw a relatively high turnout was in 2015, when 727 students voted in a contentious boycott, divestment and sanctions motion.

This year’s improvement from last year’s turnout is likely a byproduct of increased MSU social media promotion and the submission of the “anti-disruption” motion.

The motion was put forward by Michelle Xu and called for the MSU to advocate for the abandonment of the implementation of the guidelines and acknowledge that the guidelines limit dissent and activism, creating a distinction between acceptable and unacceptable forms of protest and disproportionately affecting marginalized students at the university.

The motion generated debate and scrutiny, garnering support from the majority of student speakers but drawing criticism from a few who sought to amend or reject it.

The GA is an MSU constitutionallymandated meeting that provides fulltime undergrad students with a platform to submit, discuss and vote on motions.

“Protest is not meant to be acceptable to institutions on the receiving end.… Marginalized students have expressed concerns over tangible threats to their safety,” said Xu, who explained that organizations such as Canadian Union of Public Employees 3906, the McMaster Womanists and the Revolutionary Student Movement are in favour of the motion.

A student speaker voiced the complaint the ad hoc committee on protest and freedom of expression was overwhelmingly white and male, being unreflective of the campus community.

As such, the motion was amended to include calls for increased transparency, representation and consultation with students.

Students on the other side argued that the freedom of expression guidelines improve free speech, invoking McMaster’s low score on the Campus Freedom Index as evidence for the need for the guidelines.

Nevertheless, the motion passed by 85 per cent.

In addition, the assembly voted in favour of a motion aimed at advocating for improved access to mental health

Nevertheless, over the last few years, the GA has been poorly attended, with the 2017 and 2016 meetings seeing respective turnouts of only 16 and 27 voters. care for students and asked that sexual assault response training be extended to special constables and security.

“My motion stems from not only my own experience but that of many others I’ve spoken to from different years and from different faculties who all expressed frustration and hopelessness in trying to seek help for their mental health issues,” said Marley Beach, the student who submitted the motion.

The assembly also passed a motion pushing the MSU to work with the Graduate Student Association and McMaster association of part-time studies to create a club system that is

not constrained by membership rules.

“I’ve been starting a club called the McMaster Mars Rover Team, and we decided to be a part of the McMaster Engineering Society and not the MSU so that grad students and high school students can participate,” said Max Lightstone, the student who put forward the motion.

“But the MES has its own issues, namely that 75 per cent of members need to be MES members, which prevents students from other faculties from participating fully.”

It should be noted that, although the GA passed a few motions, all were non-binding as they didn’t reach the 683 votes needed to meet quorum.

The motions will be discussed and voted on by the Student Representative Assembly.

@cassidybereskin

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FEATURE FEATURE

Thursday, March 29, 2018 | www.thesil.ca

Hamilton’s proposed Downtown Secondary Plan sets the standard for future growth in the city, but some citizens are critical about its effects Emily O’Rourke Features Reporter

The Original Downtown Secondary Plan, “Putting People First: The New Land Use Plan for Downtown Hamilton”, was the first formal plan developed for the downtown core developed in 2001. This plan was intended to foster a dynamic mix of urban residential, commercial and institutional activities.

Downtown Hamilton has experienced significant changes since the plan’s initial draft 17 years ago. Signs of downtown Hamilton’s economic and cultural “renaissance” have become increasingly evident, and the plan has been drafted to ensure that downtown will continue to be a key destination within the city for business, entertainment and cultural activities.

Private sector investment has been leading the trans-

formation with support from public investments, such as McMaster University, in infrastructure and the city’s urban renewal incentive programs.

These developments have been reshaping the urban landscape of downtown, particularly in recent years.

These trends have encouraged a rise in tall building development and higher order transit, which led to the need to review the initial plan.

This review of the Downtown Secondary Plan has resulted in a renewed land use plan.

Jason Farr, Ward 2 city councilor, argues that this review builds upon the vision and policies of the 2001 plan while providing a new direction for the city that will guide development and change over the next 20 to 30 years of planning.

“It sets the stage for the future growth of downtown Hamilton,” said Farr. “Making the downtown core as ‘development ready’ as possible with clear expectations in place with

GRANT HOLT / PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

respect to design, protection of existing built heritage resources and the creation of a complete community.”

The reviewed plan presents an opportunity to address new provincial land use policy, updated land use directions as set out in the Urban Hamilton Official Plan, the expansion of the Plan’s boundaries to include the Downtown Urban Growth Centre and other city initiatives and studies underway that will impact the core.

“The updated plan ensures that the planning direction for the area responds to current needs and is appropriate to guide future growth and development, while ensuring that the people remain at the heart of the plan,” said Farr.

The Proposed Downtown Secondary

The Proposed Downtown Secondary Plan became public on March 19 and will be presented at the city’s planning committee next month.

Entering its third and expectedly final revision, the vision for the plan sees downtown to be a “vibrant focus of attraction where all ages, abili-

ties and incomes can live, work, learn, shop and play… combining the best of heritage with new concepts and designs while linking together the Downtown, surrounding neighbourhoods, the Waterfront and the Escarpment.”

Bound by Cannon Street to the north, Wellington Street to the east, Hunter Street to the south and Queen Street to the west, the area for the proposed plan contains parts of four prominent downtown neighbourhoods, including Beasley, Central, Corktown and Durand.

The objectives within the plan, in addition to zoning by-law changes, will be accompanied by a set of guidelines that will be used to evaluate new development to ensure that the urban design objectives of the downtown are met. This includes how high structures can be built and the kind of design requirements they must meet, such as setbacks and shadow impacts.

Citizens will have a chance to review and critique the meeting on April 17 during a planning committee meeting before it goes to council the following week. There have previously been nearly 30 public consultations around the project.

Some major changes to the initial plan include requiring builders to include appropriate noise measures in the design of residential developments that are near live music venues to

prevent issues with neighbours and allowing rental housing to be demolished or redeveloped, but only if those units can be replaced at the same site.

One of the biggest changes within the plan is the proposal to lift the current height limit on buildings, which stands at 12 storeys, to pre-approve the development of 30-storey buildings. A large area west of James Street could be home to these towers, with the exception of some land including the block surrounding City Hall and the Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School property.

The only sections that are guaranteed to stay under six storeys are Whitehern and a section of land bordered by Hunter Street West, Caroline Street North and Jackson Street West.

Many fear that increasing zoning bylaws and lifting the height restriction will result in major hikes in property tax for affected neighbourhoods. These 30-storey buildings are expected to be primarily residential units, which are hypothesized to be priced above what the average downtown resident could afford.

Thomas Allen, a Hamilton blogger behind Rebuild Hamilton and the Inlet, has participated in the conversation surrounding heritage properties and the DSP. Allen notes that lifting the current height limit would affect the city’s infrastructure.

“There are not enough guidelines covering tenant rights and inclusionary zoning or trade-offs for public amenities if developers do propose over 30 storeys,” said Allen.

“A sustainability practice we need to implement is limiting the amount of sprawl we continue to see throughout the periphery of the city. It’s spreading at an unchecked rate

FEATURE

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 29, 2018

We’re hoping that council will begin to take seriously things like sustainability, heritage and affordability, which frankly,has not been taken seriously up to this point as far as we can tell.

Shawn Selway, Media Contact, People’s Plan for Downtown Hamilton

and greatly exhausting our infrastructure, while we’re all too busy bickering about height.”

Based on the feedback received and reviewed of the plan, the updated version incorporates revisions related to building heights to ensure that new development occurs in a sustainable manner, protecting and planning for a range of housing options, supporting a wide range of commercial uses and protecting the core’s rich architectural heritage.

The People’s Plan for Downtown

In the proposed DSP’s current state, several citizens and organizing groups see the plan as a tactic to build financial relationships with developers, rather than with citizens who will be facing its effects.

On March 6, nearly 200 citizens arrived to the Central Branch of the Hamilton Public Library to listen to presentations about the proposed plan and its implications. Organized by the People’s Plan for Downtown Hamilton, the public event served as an opportunity for citizens to become active within the planning process and to discuss the City’s proposed plan.

The People’s Plan for Downtown Hamilton was organized by a small group who reached out to leaders who are involved in various sectors within the city. These sectors, ranging from social areas including the arts, heritage, environment, immigration, small business owners and building tenants, are directly impacted by the proposed plan.

After the presentations, the event merged into themed breakout sessions with themes aligning with various sectors within the city. Each group saw anywhere from 10 to 15 participants at each, who contributed their ideas and concerns to the PPDH position statement.

Shawn Selway, the media contact for the People’s Plan for Downtown, is hopeful that these concerns will be addressed by city council.

“The biggest takeaway was that people have a lot to say. There is a lot of interest from people who are wanting to participate in the planning that occurs in the downtown,” said Selway. “We’re hoping that council will begin to take seriously things like sustainability, heritage and affordability, which frankly, has not been taken seriously up to this point as far as we can tell.”

This position statement is attached to a petition that has, at the time of publication, 396 of 500 signatures. This further encourages the City to do broader consultation with communities that are impacted by the plan to ensure that their views are presented accurately.

Farr, however, noted that community input played an important part in shaping the proposed plan.

“As for very recent concerns heard from a community-led meeting, many of the issues highlighted at that meeting were already in the draft planning stage for the final draft that at the time was imminent and of which some of those organizers may have been aware of,” said Farr.

Planning Ahead

If the proposed Plan moves forward, the Downtown Secondary

Plan will pave the way for development in the core through 2031.

Prior to the April 17 Planning Committee meeting, there will be an Open House with the final draft of the Downtown Secondary Plan, Downtown Zones and Utility Zone (Wards 2 and 3).

“We think that the planning department certainly has the capability of delivering something more balanced,” said Selway.

“What they bring forward is limited by what city council will accept and unless there’s some political pressure being exerted on council, you’re not going to get the best out of the Planning Department and you’re not going to get this balance that I think we need at this point.”

The People’s Plan for Downtown is hosting various workshops and gatherings to discuss the plan in its final form.

On April 3, the group will be hosting a delegation and letter writing workshop to teach attendees successful delegation and tips on how to make an impactful presentation to the planning committee. @emily_oro

| 7

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

March 8, 2018 | thesil.ca

CHUKKY IBE President president@msu.mcmaster.ca 905.525.9140 x23885

The purpose of the MSU is to draw into a true society all students at McMaster University.

One pillar essential to this mission is the facilitation of communication between the MSU, the University, and the student body.

The State of the Union is intended to communicate a comprehensive perspective on the business and operations conducted within the realm of the MSU. The MSU operates in various capacities, and its accomplishments are often ongoing, stretching beyond the scope of a single year. The implementation and actualization of great ideas often manifests over a period of time, and can be more significant in their impact as a result. As such, a close analysis is required in order to fully grasp and understand the immense impact the organization has on student life both on and off campus.

In the last five years, the McMaster Students Union was instrumental in: • Advocating for the expansion of the OPPP for Indigenous students • Advocating for the expansion of OSAP for all students • The creation, with campus partners, of Light Up the Night • Negotiating and establishing a fee through referendum that will create a new Student Activity Building and fitness expansion • Introducing a student value menu via Paradise Catering • Advocating for a $45.5 million provincial contribution towards the creation of the L.R. Wilson Building • Transit enhancements via LRT and HSR implementation by Ontario and the City of Hamilton respectively • Increased funding and support to all 300+ clubs at McMaster University • Creating, developing, and launching: Mac Farmstand, Women and Gender Equity Network (WGEN), Peer Support Line (PSL), Spark, and redeveloped First Year Council (FYC) • Advocating for the creation of Fall Break (October Reading Week) • Enhancing Homecoming, by facilitating multiple concerts and hosting Hoco Expo with partners • Generating infrastructure upgrades in the McMaster University Student Centre • Implementing all gender washrooms across campus This year, some of the key developments under the McMaster Students Union that aim to improve student life and increase

space on-campus include: • Launching the Caring Communities Network in partnership with Student Affairs and the Student Wellness Centre to support local health and wellness initiatives on campus • Remaining transparent and connected with the student body through events such as MSU Open House and Presidents’ Town Hall

The implementation & actualization of great ideas often manifests over a period of time • Adding Community Engagement as a Strategic Theme to better integrate first-year students into the Hamilton community and strengthen neighbourhood relations • Establishing The Grind Café via a remodeling of an under-utilized section of TwelvEighty, providing students with the most affordable premium coffee on campus, along with a range of crêpes and gourmet pastries • Gathering feedback from over

3000 students through focus groups, surveys, videos, and in-person pop-up sessions to shape the upcoming Student Activity Building and Pulse fitness expansion • Creating Life After Mac in partnership with the Alumni Association and the Student Success Centre, replacing Frost Week with a week of programming aimed at supporting graduating students • Developing a municipal budget submission to the City of Hamilton to influence the 2018/2019 operating budget for the first time • Running a successful campaign to advocate for and educate on Open Educational Resources The Board of Directors hopes the State of the Union accurately depicts the range of voices, initiatives, challenges, and accomplishments that define the role of the MSU. To access the document, visit the homepage of msumcmaster.ca. We welcome feedback and conversations, and are always open to meeting to discuss this document, political advocacy efforts, or student life in general.

MSU_McMASTER

MSUMcMASTER.ca

@MSU_McMASTER

/MSUMcMaster

TEXT ‘MSU’ TO 71441

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

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 29, 2018

EDITORIAL

| 9

Editorial Media and PR ethics in Hamilton A look at examples from other organizations and recent efforts by the Silhouette Shane Madill Editor-in-Chief

Prior to the announcement on March 26 of a $100,000, twoyear project in collaboration with researchers at McMaster, the HSR posted a photo on their Twitter featuring their management team. This photo had the group of seven people, not including the photographer, at the back of a bus stating they were headed to the university.

The question remains how they managed to find a significant amount of space at the back of a bus heading to McMaster in the middle of the day. It appears to be a brand new bus that is not in service yet, and was specifically used for the team to stage a photo op.

During a live stream with CBC Hamilton about eight hours later, the leaders of the HSR were asked, “When’s the last time you took the HSR?” Dan McKinnon, the general manager of public works, replied, “As a matter of fact, we took the bus to the announcement today.”

It is unsurprising and disappointing that management is unwilling to take the service they provide, but the disingenuous and tone-deaf PR is a new and unfortunate development.

CBC Hamilton’s article on the announcement contained, “The HSR management team travelled to and from the university campus by bus.” While this is all technically true, it does not reveal everything the public should know or question.

On March 21, Graeme MacKay, an editorial cartoonist for the Hamilton Spectator, posted a comic that would appear in the March 22 issue. The topic was about Service Canada and their policy for employees to use gender-neutral or gender-inclusive language. Critics on social media immediately began to criticize the comic for being tone-deaf, shameful and transphobic.

MacKay then doubled down with comments such as advising people to write a letter to the editor demanding it while

adding, “Don’t forget to call it hate, as you’ve already declared it is and in the process belittling real hate where it actually exists,” and “I guess I hit a nerve under a very very thin layer of skin.”

The Hamilton Spectator has made no major comment at the time of writing. However, they have published opinion pieces in response to the comic such as, “Tone-deaf cartoon made a mockery of LGBTQI2S+ community struggles,” and multiple letters to the editor under, “Editorial cartoon draws fire, counter hate with reason and other letters to the editor.”

We had our own ethics consideration for this Silhouette issue, and a good portion of this was to help answer any questions about how McMaster students may perceive it.

We raised a fairly significant red flag after receiving the image that now appears on the back cover. After a bit of coordination and back-and-forth about the source, the clarification came about that this is from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

This is a legitimate avenue as part of their guidelines for the MPP to communicate with the constituents in the riding to inform them of government news, policies, programs and any initiatives that impact the immediate community. It is not paid for with funds from a political organization. It is not classified as political advertisement.

We also reached out and double-checked ethics standards with the National NewsMedia Council. This is a self-regulatory ethics body for English-language news in Canada that we joined earlier this academic year, which includes other organizations such as the National Post, the Globe and Mail and the Canadian Press.

In addition, we also discussed guidelines and recommendations for standard political advertisements to better prepare us for the provincial and municipal elections that take place within the next few months.

With all of these examples,

there should be expectations of how organizations conduct themselves. These are instances of where the foundation of your values and ethics are tested and may be put on display for the public to judge and criticize.

These cases and examples throughout the year do occur from time to time whether it entails biases and spin, a lack of clarity in reporting, an alternative way to deal with controversy, varying levels of transparency or a multitude of other factors that could influence the situation.

While I cannot speak in depth about the mindset or processes of other organizations, I can safely say that we have covered our bases. You should expect your sources of information to do their homework when it comes to things like this, to hold themselves accountable and to keep the interests and potential questions their readership has in mind.

Efforts and explanations like this, previous editorials about the Silhouette and the reopening of reader feedback have all in an effort for transparency and eliminating any confusion possible between you and us. For now, I can safely say that any considerations or questions about media ethics on our end have already happened, either in bursts like this or periodically throughout the year at regular meetings with other stakeholders on campus, and will continue to happen as we transition into the staff for the next academic year.

@shanemadill

to admitting figure skating is a sport

to Daniel eating his twin

to reeling in the yearrrsss

to STEM elitism

to students who believe professional attire is just muted colours to getting a kick-ass job to Susie’s bomb-ass party to the Barelaked Nadies to Ikea madness to mini-concerts to Pudge the hamster to Rodney Little Mustache to accommodating profs

to Russian spies posing as furries on Tumblr to smashed car windows to bad news Monday to forever days to being accosted for having free coffee to tears in pho to stress naps to my wife leaving me to soft salad to impending doom to receiving rejection letters before they’ve slept on the decision

The Silhouette is hiring for next year’s staff! We have a large number of paid part-time positions for students in the 2018-2019 year to apply to.

• • • • • • • • •

Online Editor • News Editor News Reporter • Features Reporter • Opinion Editor • Sports Editor • Sports Reporter Arts & Culture Editor Arts & Culture Reporter

Production Coordinator Photo Editor Photo Reporter Video Editor Social Media Coordinator

You have until April 8 at 11:59 p.m. to apply for Online Editor, and April 2 at 11:59 p.m. for all other positions. Get those cover letters and résumés in over at msumcmaster.ca/jobs.

10 |

HUMANS

Kyle West Photo Reporter

Can you explain your experiences based off of your identity?

I’m missing about 40 per cent of my hearing. It’s a very recent diagnosis, actually, and so, for most of my life, I got away with speech reading and always was told to focus or pay attention and to stop daydreaming.

I was 23 that I decided to get a hearing test. I was in speech therapy as a child and they should have checked my hearing, but I guess they thought I was fine. Moreover, poor academic performance is a primary indicator of hearing disability, but I always did very well in school.

I didn’t realize that I was subconsciously accounting for my own disability. I would sit in the front on purpose to avoid barriers between the speaker and myself, but I didn’t consciously think I couldn’t hear.

I just thought I wouldn’t pay proper attention otherwise.

So it’s been interesting to retroactively look back and realize how much of my life was shaped [by my hearing loss]. I loved watching international movies because they had subtitles, so no matter what language it was, I could follow what was going on. My obsession with reading as a child was fairly well known. And I could never properly understand the lyrics to a song, so I would just make them up without realizing I just couldn’t hear them.

Then the diagnosis came and I still kind of remember sitting down in the kitchen and like, looking at my family and they asked, “How was it?” I think they expected 10 per cent

Thursday, March 29, 2018 | www.thesil.ca

or 15 per cent hearing loss, but not 40 per cent. 40 per cent is a hell of a lot for a kid who used to sit in class daydreaming.

Social interactions are definitely the most difficult part of my day, especially in loud environments where my hearing aids are drowned out and

Bianca Graduate Studies Philosophy

400 per cent, it’s with my whole body and mind and I’m going to do it properly — whether that’s my school work, my friendships, or my relationships.

Could you please expand on your Identity?

I’m lost in the conversations happening around me.

As a disabled, female philosopher, I have to take extra measures not to get locked out of most, if not everything, that is happening in the classroom.

I have to be twice as prepared for my classes, and in social conversations, I almost always go up to people to meet them before they come to meet me.

This is one of those tactics I’ve developed prior to my diagnosis, which makes much more sense now.

Contrary to popular belief, I’m actually quite shy. But I’ve learned to temper the adrenaline surrounding conversations and reach out to others first.

Otherwise, I’m in a position

where I don’t know their speech patterns and if they say something in a crowded or loud room, I won’t know what they’re saying.

I also end up relying on nonverbal cues — what they’re doing, how they’re holding themselves and listening to the tone of how they’re expressing their thoughts because my access to what they are saying is limited. But all of this makes me much more appreciative of conversations more generally.

And I think it has made me such a hard worker. When you have to work hard for the ordinary things, working hard for the additional opportunities seems like par for the course.

So when I do something, it’s

Having said that, I get to identify as a disabled woman with everything I’ve accomplished in my back pocket. On the other hand, it is also something I’m ashamed of in a lot of ways. I hate having to remind people that I can’t hear them. That’s been my most recent struggle — being more upfront about my hearing loss because it feels like it’s a problem with me. It feels like I am defective and I should just deal with it on my own. So I’ve been pushing myself to be more open about it and try not to think of myself in such harsh terms.

As far as my intersecting identities go, I am of Lebanese and Quebecoise origins, born and raised in Montreal. I’m also a cis-gendered woman who has been identifying as queer for

almost ten years.

Having said that, I have recently begun dating a male-identified partner, so I like to joke that I went through puberty twice.

But I am lucky enough to have been born into an extraordinarily supportive, liberal family.

I definitely don’t have a traditional family — my parents and sisters have always taken my life choice in strides.

What advice would you give others?

I think the most important part of asking questions is paying attention to the answer. There may not be a right question to be asked or there may be questions that are poorly phrased, but I’m willing to answer any question so long as you’re sincere and willing to listen.

Having said that, answering questions often takes more than asking a question — so if you’re going to ask a question, you better be damn willing to listen to what I have to say.

Done in collaboration with Student Accessibility Services 2018 facebook.com/HumansOfMcMaster

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 29, 2018

The Silhouette

| 11

Opinion Giving back at Mac

McMaster should extend thanks to Hamilton community members with a positive impact

MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR Reem Sheet Opinion Editor

From the HSR’s “friendly Frank” to our energetic Tim Hortons cashier, Terri, in McMaster University Student Centre, the McMaster community is lucky to have Hamilton community members who contribute to the betterment of Mac. Greater gratitude should be given to those who contribute to McMaster from the Hamilton community.

We should be taking inspiration from Diana Marginean, who created a crowdfunding campaign to thank Frank Palin for being such a friendly bus driver.

Palin drives the 51 bus in Hamilton and through McMaster, where he engages with hundreds of McMaster students on a weekly basis.

He is known for singing his own versions of “The Wheels on the Bus” to encourage his passengers to move back and make room for more people on the bus, and for greeting everyone with a friendly hello and wish-

ing people a great day as they get off the bus.

Marginean is a McMaster graduate who noticed how many students were commenting about Palin on the “Spotted at Mac” Facebook page and understood the importance of showing appreciation to those who have a positive impact on students’ lives at McMaster.

To show this appreciation, Marginean started a campaign with donations from 77 people who raised $950 for Palin in four months, which he decided to donate to McMaster to support international students and in need.

He hopes to establish a bursary that will allow international students to have a positive experience in Canada. Palin named it the “This is Canada” fund as he hopes that it will show the way Canadians help one another out and create positive experiences for one another.

An iFundMac page has been set up with Palin’s $1,300 contribution to launch the fund. $1,700 is needed to reach the required minimum amount to

establish a student award for international students.

Like Palin, Terri Marshall, who works at the Tim Hortons in MUSC, is also known to uplift students with her positive enthusiasm, even at 7:30 a.m.

Whether you’re buying a coffee or simply walking by, Marshall will be able to put a smile on your face with her radiant attitude no matter what your struggle is.

Marshall has been singing, dancing and keeping students entertained while serving coffee for the past 11 years, and has been doing her best to make students smile everyday.

She writes inspiring messages on your coffee and is known to draw hearts on your lids.

Greater gratitude should be given to those who contribute to McMaster from the Hamilton community.

In 2015, McMaster students raised $1,700 with 142 donations to give back and show their appreciation.

They surprised Marshall with an impromptu dance party and a cheque to send her on vacation with smiles like the ones she encourages daily.

Her positivity has become an integral part of student’s university experience that most McMaster students have encountered and can reflect on.

Like Palin, Marshall’s impact on students is one that works towards improving student mental health and encouraging positive attitudes in the McMaster-Hamilton community.

Their contributions to the McMaster community are priceless and have an important positive impact and that should be shown appreciation that is as consistent as their positivity from McMaster students, like the efforts that have been made to give back to Marshall and Palin.

These are efforts that should be extended to community

members who work to empower McMaster students and create a positive environment in the community.

Likewise, McMaster university should find ways to thank these wonderful individuals and individuals of the Hamilton community alike that work towards the betterment of students’ lives.

Whether it be our institutional partners or individuals like Palin and Marshall, who help make out daily lives easier and more positive, it is important to show appreciation to those who help McMaster students’ daily routines run smoother.

This will create a feedback loop of gratitude and will work towards encouraging positivity in all interactions at McMaster.

@ReemSheet

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OPINION

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 29, 2018

| 13

McMaster’s meal plan “A plan to fit all needs” is one that does not account for students’ financial situations Alex Bak Contributer

McMaster University boasts one of the highest-ranking school food services with Centro at Commons claiming fourth place in the Huffington Post’s 2015 list.

It is also home to various food choices that services all kinds of tastes as well as cultural and dietary restrictions with vegetarian options at Bridge’s Café and gluten-free options for certain dishes.

Though this is true in some respects, it neglects the financial concerns and burdens that students face in order for this to be true.

An aspect of this rather idealistic market of eateries that shrouds a disregard for student finances is the Mac Express Meal Plan that is mandatory for firstyear students living in residence.

This program is meant to be easy and convenient for students, but does not accounting for the ease and convenience of the students to fund such an exorbitant amount of money.

As an upper-year student who has lived in off-campus student housing and prepped meals instead of purchasing food on campus, I ended up spending around $50 a week to eat healthy, nutritious meals while still eating out on occasion.

With the minimum meal plan for non-apartment or suitestyle students being $3,955, a mass equaling half of most programs’ tuition, it is a program that can devastatingly pressure the students’ financial burden.

To make things worse, McMaster Hospitality Services implemented an additional policy that 50 per cent of your meal plan money is set aside as “pre-paid overhead costs” for operating residence dining halls.

This will be deducted from the start offset with the 50 per cent discount on campus food, with any leftover funds being carried over becoming non-discountable for students after the year is over.

Unlike the printing accounts that students have to print at McMaster libraries, the meal plan does not guarantee your leftover money back the way PrintSmart does, which further contributes to the financial concerns of the McMaster meal

plan.

This policy puts yet another load on students to finish their already unaccommodating meal plans to not be stricken with this penalty.

These implementations that are incognizant of possible burden almost act punitive in nature. These deter certain individuals from enrolling into residence and forces them to opt for off-campus housing for their first-year possibly missing out of a once-in-a-lifetime experience and social environment of residences.

The real issue is that those who work to promote the meal plan to students hide behind the slogan of “a plan to fit all needs”.

This slogan is untrue and needs to be reconsidered on the grounds of nutrition and convenience as well as the financial burden that it brings to students.

In addition to obliging students to eat on campus, the meal plan does not encourage students to discover the Hamilton community and experience new places.

It also does not allow students to attain the valuable skills to budget time and money, which is an important skill that first-year residence students and students in general should learn.

University is meant to teach students the importance of budgeting responsibilities with basic everyday routines like making time to eat, but the meal plan counters this experience for first year student on residence.

A policy that is ignorant of the ranging financial situation of the students is one that needs to be revisited.

This is not an argument against abolishing the program, as it has irrefutable perks such saving a lot of time to put towards academics, rather an awareness to unsuitable and ill-fitting standards for mandatory financial obligations for students.

It is important that incoming students as well as hospitality services understand the concerns that come with the student meal plan and work towards improving the experience and service for future students. @theSilhouette

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Wednesday April 4, 2018 Where: TwelvEighty Bar & Grill Time: 8:00pm to 11:00pm

The MSU Student Walk Home Attendant Team (SWHAT) is excited to be supporting Hamilton Food Share for their Walk-a-thon this March. Students can support SWHAT and Hamilton Food Share by getting a walk from SWHAT volunteers all through the month of March. One dollar will be donated for every walk throughout the month.

SWHAT is open 7pm-1am every day in March, and is located in MUSC 234. SWHAT is a volunteer service within the MSU that will walk or bus with students during the evening hours 7 days a week. Regardless of the weather, SWHAT walkers will walk to destinations on and surrounding campus if requested, providing safety and company.

For more information, email: swhat@msu.mcmaster.ca

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playing the midway games and enjoy traditional carnival food. In addition, Light Up the Night will boast a main stage, as well as a side stage. Special musical guests will include Scott Helman on the main stage, with even more talent on the side stage. In addition, the annual Last Lecture with Q&A in Celebration Hall will feature activist and journalist, Desmond Cole.

For more information, visit macblockparty.ca

Light Up the Night Monday April 9, 2018

Where: McMaster University Time: 6:00pm to 11:00pm The fourth annual year-end block party will feature carnivalesque rides, games and food. Ride the Gravitron, have fun with friends in the Para-Trooper, or take in the view from the Ferris wheel. Stroll the street

/MSUMcMaster

Check out the full Events Calendar at: msumcmaster.ca/events

@MSU_McMaster

msumcmaster.ca

OPINION

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 29, 2018

| 15

Peer Support Line closure The need for mental support is increasing, yet PSL’s closure offers an opportunity Kieran Douglas Contributor

The McMaster Students Union has announced it will close the Peer Support Line after five years of use. It makes sense.

The need for support lines and similar services is clear, but this specific peer-based line seemed unsuitable for the demand imposed on it.

A recent Silhouette article stated that more than half of calls made to the line had to do either with crisis situations or mental health. As the line was run by student volunteers, most listeners are hardly equipped to effectively deal with situations this complex.

Though the service was commendable in that students would volunteer and lend a hand to peers in need, no amount of good can substitute for the training of a professional counsellor, which is what the MSU should be looking to focus its funds on in order to better serve students. Conversely, this brings light to the present concerns to student mental health services on campus and presents the imminence of a need for better services the help students who are in need of support at McMaster.

For crisis cases and situations that are extremely time-sensitive and need the assistance of professionals, students can only help so much.

In addition, there is the concern of the peer support volunteers’ mental health. In crisis cases such as those that have the potential to result in life-threatening outcomes, volunteers may hold themselves accountable for other students’ situations.

Even if peer-support volunteers immediately direct callers to more appropriate services in these cases, the extended wait could prove detrimental. Given that 10 per cent of calls the line received were of this nature, eliminating the middleman is well-worth doing.

PSL executives raised a valuable point in defense of the line by suggesting that students sometimes wish to talk about grave topics like suicide and fear that professional help might end up involving authorities. By no means am I mental health professional, but there is a difference between discussing suicidal ideation and posing a danger to yourself. In either case, professional help should be sought out, and it shouldn’t be the responsibility or burden of other students to do so.

I have personally never made use of the PSL, but I have called crisis lines more than once in the past. Excepting wait times, they have been nothing but accessible and helpful.

Ultimately, these services exist to help people as they need it and on their own terms. There are few situations that would escalate beyond a phone call, and those situations would typically be emergencies. Professional counsellors can be relied on and trusted to be both impartial and confidential Bear in mind too that the closure of the PSL is not necessarily a loss to student support.

The university’s Executive Board assures us that the money no longer spent on the PSL will be used to increase awareness of existing services with professional counsellors on staff.

Perhaps the closure of the PSL

GRANT HOLT / PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

For crisis cases and situations that are extremely time-sensitive and need the assistance of professionals, students can only help so much.

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is also an opportunity to invest in mental health support on campus in general.

It is my hope that university administration considers the usage statistics of the line as further evidence of the overwhelming demand for expanded mental health services on campus.

While the PSL may have been introduced to handle issues separate from mental health concerns, its use as such indi-

cates a clear need to rethink its existence. Given the sensitivity of matters of mental health, an underequipped support line can be worse than ineffective. Student demand should be listened to in this case and I wholeheartedly believe that the PSL budget would be better spent enriching mental health support services on campus. @theSilhouette

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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 29, 2018

Arts & Culture Out of the Past moves out of King Long-standing vintage store makes a new presence in Hamilton Razan Samara A&C Reporter

Since 2000, Tammy Ziegler and her business partner, Stephen Connacher, have relocated their Hamilton vintage shop twice. The first move was a few shops down from their original location on King Street, but their most recent decision was a big jump to 308 Ottawa Street North.

In an effort to avoid dug-up roads, traffic congestion and the uprooting of trees that will accompany the city’s looming Light Rail Transit project, Ziegler and Connacher decided to move out their vintage collection before it bites the construction dust.

“We were in a really old section so they’re going to be digging all that up and underneath the road are going to be really, really old sewer pipes so you know they’re going to be in our section for a long time digging and it will be awful,” explained Ziegler.

Always in tune to their

customers’ needs, the Out of the Past duo asked shoppers back in January whether the move would be the best next step. The responses were supportive even though this meant the shop would be further away from the downtown core.

The Ottawa Street opening at the end of February was met with excitement, especially from locals who were excited to see a vintage store open in the area. While the name is yet to be painted, the characteristic cat emblem in the storefront window has been inviting regulars and new shoppers in.

The Ottawa Street North community is known for its extensive collection of fabric stores, but the street is also home to record stores, bakeries and new restaurants. Out of the Past may be the newest addition, but it’s an already established and recognizable brand in the city.

For some people, the move made little impact as they rely on the vintage store’s online presence on Instagram to find

pieces and place them on hold.

Out of the Past picks their favourite and most unique finds to share on the daily, creating a more convenient model for shoppers that are unable to regularly visit the store.

Connacher first started the Out of the Past Instagram account back in 2013 by posting pictures of customers in their vintage clothes, but it soon evolved into a successful online marketplace. Not everything placed on hold will be sold, but it brought out more new people to their store.

Today, Ziegler recognizes her regular customers and longtime friends of the store, mostly by their unique attire and the friendly experiences she’s had running the vintage shop over the years.

The shop has been open for nearly two decades, but both Ziegler and Connacher’s love for vintage and antiques began way before the beginning of Out of the Past.

Connacher, who grew up in Hamilton, had his own

vintage shop in the 1980s in St. Catharines. He and Ziegler met at a church sale and they started selling antiques together at the Saint Lawrence Market in Toronto before opening the first Out of the Past store in St. Catharines in 1993.

“I didn’t have a job when I was a teenager because my parents had an antique store.

I actually got them started because after I would [sell] at flea markets I would say ‘c’mon let’s get a table’ and I nagged and nagged,” explained Ziegler.

Eventually Ziegler’s parents became interested in starting a store on their own, and when Ziegler got her driver’s licence, she would spend her Saturday mornings driving her mother around yard sales.

Ziegler decided to go to Brock University for a Bachelor in Administration and she became a certified management accountant for a while before deciding her heart was into starting her own vintage shop.

“I’ve always been into it.

I love digging for junk, like a

treasure hunt, right? It’s fun and why not have fun doing what you like,” said Ziegler.

Ziegler hunts for her treasure and primo pieces at other thrift stores, yard and church sales, but now Out of the Past mostly relies on vintage wholesalers. Thousands of pounds of clothing are sorted through at a facility, and every week or two Ziegler picks up hard to find pieces to add to the Out of the Past collection.

Even when travelling, hunting for vintage is on Ziegler’s mind. She’s sourced pieces from Montreal to Halifax and Los Angeles. For Ziegler, hunting for vintage is addictive. She enjoys shopping for items for other people.

“Part of the fun is the reward that you get from finding people who are interested in the products that you’ve sources.

And trying to find interesting things that’ll excite them,” explained Ziegler.

Ziegler’s goal is to find the perfect unique items that will make her customers rummage through racks of vintage clothing in awe. No matter where Out of the Past is, the store will continue to be on the forefront of the vintage community. @theSilhouette

GRANT HOLT / PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

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A&C

Thursday, March 29, 2018 | www.thesil.ca

Bringing in the good Vibez Caribbean and Southern food restaurant opens up along King Street

Razan Samara A&C Reporter

On Valentine’s Day this year, Vibez quietly opened up in Hamilton’s east end. There was no grand opening or advertising campaign, but rather the mouth-watering aroma of grilled chicken wafting onto the street that brought in a steady stream of hungry passersby.

A walk through the Caribbean and Southern food spot’s bright red door first signals chimes, then an enthusiastic greeting by Kristan Webber at the register before she runs back into the kitchen to pick up orders and relay others to her mother, Yvette.

On a Friday evening, the small restaurant and café nestled on 971 King Street East is the backdrop of a busy scene.

A few tables on one side of the restaurant seat families and couples as they share Jamaican fried chicken and fries, while a woman waits patiently on a leather couch for her curry chicken roti to go.

The mother-daughter duo opted not to promote their new restaurant so that they can handle running it on their own, but Vibez didn’t need promotion.

The community’s reaction has been positive and everyone who comes in is willing to be patient.

They know the food is worth the wait.

While it may seem that Vibez appeared out of thin air, the project has been in the works for years. Yvette purchased the property three years ago, long before anyone else in her family saw potential in it.

“

The warm atmosphere the Webbers’ have created is welcoming, but the food is what makes people stay. Curry chick peas, Cajun fries, and chicken and waffles are just a few favourites off the evolving menu.

Even though the street was lined up with vacant shops, Yvette was willing to put all her passion, time and money into the space to fulfill her dream of opening up a restaurant.

“I watched her struggle to reinvent this place. It was such a mess when she got it. When I moved back home, I started helping… I’m a creative so I did what I could. [I made] this whole place [my do it yourself] project,” explained Kristan.

A lot of love and attention to detail went into every aspect of the space. The freshly painted dark grey walls have beautiful floral murals done in chalk. Two portraits of women wearing gold tribal-printed head wraps glistened in the sun, and planters hang next to floor to ceiling glass windows.

Vibez has something to offer for everyone. A comfy couch for a cup of coffee in the morning or Saturday brunch with friends, an intimate two seater for lunch dates, a comfortable space for family dinner, and a few children’s books to keep the little ones occupied.

The warm atmosphere the Webbers’ have created is welcoming, but the food is what makes people stay. Curry chick peas, Cajun fries and chicken and waffles are just a few favourites off the evolving menu. If

you come in on a Friday, you can order specialty-fried fish and Saturday mornings are an opportunity to try a real Caribbean breakfast.

The dishes are inspired by authentic Jamaican food with a mix of Southern love. Yvette learned to make traditional “Yardie-Style” meals when she decided to move from Toronto to Jamaica to study cooking.

“We don’t water down the flavours. We bring to you exactly what you would get if you were on the islands. But hey, you don’t always want Caribbean food, sometimes you just want a good burger,” explained

A&C

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 29, 2018

| 19

“

We don’t water down the flavours. We bring to you exactly what you would get if you were on the islands. But hey, you don’t always want Caribbean food, sometimes you just want a good burger.”

Kristan Webber Vibez co-owner

Kristan.

The Webbers sure know show to deliver flavour, especially with their hot pepper sauce.

One day, Kristan forget to warn a customer about their hot sauce and he was barely able to handle the heat.

“He was running around, I had to quickly get him some water. We thought he was going to pass out, but in the end he walked out singing ‘Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot.’ It was very scary but we couldn’t stop laughing in the end,” explained Kristan.

Yvette also learned to make pastries, which Kristan has been experimenting with too, allow-

ing them to add a selection of freshly baked treats to their café menu. The Webbers also come from a long line of coffee-lovers, so naturally drip coffee and coconut-iced coffee were a must.

After only being open for a few weeks, Vibez was broken into on March 20 and their cash register was stolen. Motivated by the support of the community, the Webbers decided to clean up and still open the shop later that evening.

Visitors dropped by to order a roti and write a kind message on their coffee table.

One of their regular customers even came in with flowers his

wife had put together. The kind gesture moved Kristan to tears.

Despite the incident, Vibez has been having great experiences. The door is still broken, but delicious meals are still being fixed.

@theSilhouette

RAZAN SAMARA / A&C REPORTER

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A&C

Thursday, March 29, 2018 | www.thesil.ca

Fearless fantasy fiction

Radio and television host “Fearless” Fred Kennedy to release another Canadian comic classic

Teuton is a gritty fantasty set in the Baltic crusades.

C/O ADAM GORHAM Hess Sahlollbey Contributor

If there’s one person you’re bound to run into every year at Toronto Comic Con, it’s “Fearless” Fred Kennedy. Whether he’s moderating panels or hosting a Q&A, this writer and long-time host on “102.1 the Edge” and “Teletoon At Night” is expanding his conquests across all media platforms.

Kennedy will soon be amping up his creative workload with another book this summer with a new imprint, Black Mask Studios. Warpath will be a collaboration with First Nations artist Kyle Charles. The comic deals with human trafficking and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“The area that I grew up in in Edmonton… the north-east end had a lot of prostitution and crime and the issues around human trafficking are pretty crazy,” said Kennedy.

“Human trafficking is disgusting and tragic that it doesn’t get more attention and First Nations communities are so much more susceptible to it and being in a position where I can tell a story that deals about this and soldiers with PTSD are two issues that both Kyle Charles and I are passionate about.”

Sitting amongst his peers from Chapterhouse Comics and from the Royal Academy of Illustration & Design, Kennedy spent the weekend meeting fans who have either heard him on the radio, seen him on TV or read the stories that he now crafts.

Kennedy grew up reading Lucky Luck and Tintin. After having read the Infinity Gauntlet, the Marvel Comics story that will be adapted to film later this year, Kennedy became obsessed with the medium. “[I] didn’t even live in Canada until I was 12, but I’ve always loved science fiction and

when we moved to Canada I read even more comics,” explained Kennedy.

After his brief time at King’s College in Nova Scotia, Kennedy moved to Toronto to work in radio, where in 2009 he launched his own independent comic book imprint: Big Sexy Comics.

Teuton, written by Kennedy and Illustrated by fellow Torontonian Adam Gorham, is the flagship book of Kennedy’s imprint with three volumes published so far. Gorham has worked as the artist for Marvel’s Rocket Raccoon and on the New

C/O BLOG.FSLOCAL.COM

Mutants amongst other projects. In Teuton, the illustrator brings a medieval fantasy set in the Baltic crusades to life.

Soon after the release of Teuton in the fall of 2010, Teletoon launched a week-night block labeled Fred at Night, a role that he had up until 2016.

While he still hosts a daily show on CFNY 102.1, Kennedy is currently working on The Fourth Planet which diverges from medieval fantasy and ventures into space odyssey à la Star Trek and Battle Star Galactica.

The Fourth Planet was first published as a web comic with illustrator Miko Maciaszek. It was then picked up by Canadian publisher, Chapterhouse comics.

Inspired by a childhood spent on watching Franco-Belgian cartoon

Ulysses 31, the team of Kennedy and Maciaszek now tell the story of the survivors who crashland on a foreign planet.

Comics serve as the perfect outlet for Maciaszek as he renders the kind of cosmic monsters and aliens that can only be done in a medium where the only limits are the creators’ imaginations. This is further amplified by the vibrant colors that serve to elevate the final product to even greater levels that yearn to be adapted to cinema or videogames.

With no end in sight or drop in quality in a market that is becoming increasingly dominated by the big two: DC and Marvel, Kennedy’s books are as polished as can be.

Kennedy and contemporaries at Chapterhouse comics continue to produce tales that can go toe-to-toe with the mainstream publications of Marvel and DC. @theSilhouette

A&C

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 29, 2018

| 21

Culinary Class Act

Great Red Peppers

You have to try the noodles and rice at this classic James Street North Chinese restaurant

Eggplant and minced pork.

RAZAN SAMARA / A&C REPORTER

Razan Samara A&C Reporter

What is it?

Despite the countless walks along James Street North this year, I’ve found each stroll to be a little different. Whether it’s a new opening or discovering an old spot for the first time, James Street has become a consistent destination for last-minute dinner plans.

In particular, Great Red Peppers, a Chinese restaurant at the corner of James Street North and Rebecca Street, has become a go-to choice for a pick-me-up meal after a long day.

I have found comfort walking into the warm and quiet restaurant, leaving the chaos of the day and the city behind as the door closes.

Great Red Peppers has an impressive menu of Chinese dishes with a diverse selection of beef, lamb, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetable, soup, noodle and rice-based meals.

While the extensive menu can be overwhelming, it also

means that each visit can be a whole new experience.

True to its name, Great Red Peppers has a spicy selection, like Chongqing spicy chicken and hot and sour soup with shrimp.

I’ve watched on as friends turn red slurping down the last of their Sichuan spicy noodle, blaming the convection heater next to us rather than the real heat for their runny noses.

If you are like myself and prefer to avoid the peppers, there are tons of menu items to choose from.

How to get there from campus: Take the 5 or 51 heading downtown from campus to Main at Hughson.

Head west on Main Street East towards James Street, then turn right and walk along James Street for about five minutes before reaching Rebecca Street.

The Great Red Peppers is the grey corner building on your right.

Price range: All cold dishes are under $10, this includes dishes like steamed chicken with chili sauce and bean noodles in chili sauce for $7.99.

Meat-based dishes are typically under $14, while vegetable-based and soup-based dishes are under $10.

Seafood tends to be a little bit more expensive in the $12$16 range.

Over 30 of the noodle and rice dishes are under $10.

What to get: I recommend getting a main dish for yourself and taking a chance on trying something new by splitting with a friend. The house special fried rice (labelled J26 on the menu) always makes the order.

If you’re feeling friendly, the $10.99 dish is easy to split with two other people. For my last few visits I’ve tried two noodle dishes, the stir-fried noodle with shrimp (J7) and mixed vegetables (J9) for $8.99.

While the extensive menu can be overwhelming, it also means that each visit can be a whole new experience.

The noodles are thick and soft while warm and are generously covered in savoury sauce, with a hint of sweetness.

For more protein, we recommend the sliced pork with hot pepper noodle (J3) and Sichuan spicy noodle with pork (J6), which are also $8.99 each.

You can’t go wrong with the braised beef noodle soup (J10) for $8.99, the broth is simple and filling. During my last visit I tried the deep fried sweet potato with candied floss (H22) for the first time.

The famous Chinese dish was an undeniably sweet and fun appetizer to eat. At $11.99, this is a dish you can split with a friend or two.

Why it’s great: Great Red Peppers has some of the largest portions I’ve seen, especially for their noodle and rice menu.

I had their stir-fried noodle with shrimp for lunch and went the rest day without even thinking about my next meal.

Rice is almost always left over, packed away in a take-out container, and enjoyed as a late night snack or meal for the next day.

For $8.99, that noodles and rice are also super affordable and give you a little bit more in your budget to try new things.

Great Red Peppers is not too busy, the staff are friendly and the location is convenient.

The food is simple, filling and wholesome. What more can a student ask for?

@theSilhouette

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GAMES

Thursday, March 29, 2018 | www.thesil.ca

Across 1. Shape 5. Sharp 9. Earthquake 14. Caesar’s wings 15. Europe’s highest volcano 16. Capital of Vietnam 17. “The Mod Squad” role 18. Unclothed 19. ____ the side of caution 20. Division of the United Kingdom 22. Brother or sister 24. On ____-to-know basis 26. Digit of the foot 27. Security round

30. Musical composition 35. Relaxed 36. Trompe l’____ 37. Dagger 38. Period 39. Hearing distance 42. Cooling units, for short 43. When said three times, a 1970 war movie 45. You’ve made ____ very happy 46. Wonderland girl 48. Costume 50. Musical dramas 51. Vinegar’s partner

52. Sublease 54. Wide strait 58. Type of story?

62. Eagle’s home 63. Region 65. Are you ____ out?

66. Golden Horde member 67. On the disabled list 68. Grounded fleet 69. Unfolds 70. Nerve network 71. Shout in derision

25. Sock site 27. Golfer Calvin 28. Home run king Hank 29. Autocratic Russian rulers 31. “The Farmer in the Dell” syllables 32. TV studio sign 33. Bing Crosby’s record label 34. Affirmatives 36. Baseball’s Hershiser 40. Mosey 41. Recorded, in a way 44. Eternal 47. Pertaining to the Latvians 49. Pit-workers

50. Soap ingredient 53. Movie critic Roger 54. Roman censor 55. Pile 56. Commedia dell’____ 57. Cowardly Lion portrayer 59. Not ____ many words 60. Marquand sleuth 61. Prefix for while 64. Feel bad about

Down 1. Boy or man 2. Lena of “Havana” 3. Singer k.d.

4. Proclaim 5. Shelter for a dog 6. Musical study piece 7. Wrap up 8. Scottish refusals 9. 1984 Cyndi Lauper hit 10. Like harp seals 11. Cross letters 12. Before long 13. Chinese dynasty 21. Battery pole 23. Author Calvino

The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 29, 2018

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Sports Only going up The McMaster cheerleading team took a weekend trip to Québec where they finished off their season with a near-perfect routine to compete with other university teams Justin Parker Sports Editor

Kick’s Cheer and Events put on their 10th annual cheer celebration, attracting a wide variety of cheerleading clubs and university programs. Hosted over the March 24-25 weekend at the Centre d’excellence Sports Rousseau in Boisbriand, Québec, the Célébration Fiesta Mexicaine hosted the Marauders as one of five collegiate programs competing in the University All-Girl Level 6 category.

There were many programs competing across several different categories, ranging from different age groups and team sizes. Most were independent cheer gyms hailing mostly from nearby locations in Québec and Ontario, and each category had their own top-tier teams that put on excellent routines.

McMaster was the furthest-travelled team in their category this year, competing with programs like the University of Montréal Carabins and the Ottawa Gee-Gees. This is not the first time the Marauders attended this event, having a good reputation at the Québec-hosted competition as regular competitors.

“Originally we were supposed to go to Boston, but when we went to register for it, it was full,” second-year cheerleader Nicole Parker said. “So instead of waiting and possibly not even competing at all, we decided to just go to Montréal — which we’ve been to a lot in the past.

It’s always a fun competition and more laid back. It’s not so intimidating. So it is a good way to end the year.”

Last year at Kick’s Célébration, the team finished in a surprising second place, upsetting usual favourites the Gee-Gees and the Western Mustangs.

This year, the Marauders had an added challenge of facing a co-ed team despite being in the all-girls category.

Co-ed teams tend to have an advantage over all-girl programs in cheerleading, usually being able to pull off more physically difficult stunts based on advantages in pure strength.

However, to perform well in that category requires a larger number of guys on the team, as there is a higher expected difficulty from these co-ed routines.

Bishop University out of Sherbrooke, Québec was the co-ed program accepted to the category this year, but they landed themselves behind the Marauders in the final rankings due to a couple of falls and bobbles during their routine.

The Marauders designed a technically sound routine for this year’s competition and had a near-perfect score, maxing out their difficulty on several different stunts.

“When the results came in I saw every single one of those girls finally see that they had what it takes. That was the moment that I believe will change this organization forever.”

Kelly Van Burgsteden Coach McMaster Cheerleading “We looked the best we ever looked, like we were a lot cleaner than we’ve ever been,” Parker said. “And you could see there was a lot of energy in the performance. So it actually was entertaining to watch rather than just everyone looking scared.”

Unfortunately, last season’s success did not carry over to this year’s competition. Their routine was somehow not enough to

C/O MCMASTER CHEERLEADING

beat the other competing teams.

The Marauders finished in fourth place in their category, with the Carabins hoisting the first place banner once again.

Still, the performance itself was a major accomplishment for the program.

“Score wise, we basically almost hit a perfect routine,” said rookie Veronica Miele. “We had two points off I think, so much better than we did last semester, which is a huge improvement for the team. We had so much energy and we were so happy to be there and you could really tell.”

“Though we had a few mistakes in our finally routine of the year in Montréal, I believe there was not a single person in that team that was disappointed,” coach Kelly Van Burgsteden added.

Their performance was especially impressive considering the changes to personnel the team underwent over the course of the season, losing six cheerleaders from the season’s start.

“That amount of girls is a big blow to most teams and would usually result with decreasing the amount of stunts and difficulty in the routine,” said Van Burgsteden. “This team didn’t let this hold their

potential back, and instead worked ten times as hard and didn’t even blink when I pushed them way out of their comfort zones to make up for those lost teammates. The end result was that the team was not only able to keep their routine by not losing a single stunt or pyramid, but was also able to increase the difficulty further.”

While the Marauders did not place as highly as they would have liked to, it was by all accounts a great way for the team to finish off their long and arduous season. For Miele, who comes from a dance background, her first year with the program went exceptionally well, noting how well she had personally improved from her first few weeks with the team.

The Québec trip was just icing on the cake.

“I’m new on the team, but I thought the competition was a great way to end the season,” Miele added. “It was super relaxed and such a great atmosphere everyone was super encouraging with each other. So I think it was a lot less intimidating than going somewhere where you know that you really need to do well versus somewhere you can do well.”

As the team heads into

their offseason and focus on upcoming exams, the cheerleading team will hit the ground running come the new school year, with tryouts beginning in the early weeks of September.

Next season already promises to be a strong campaign.

“I think we’ve improved a lot, especially if you ask any of the coaches that have been with the team for four years,” Parker explained. “They say we have such huge potential compared to where the team was a couple of years ago and how far we’ve come in just that couple of months. And that next year, this team can even take it further.

We can do better at nationals and we already placed better this year than last year. They think that next year we can even do better, better than fourth which is still very good.”

It is apparent the cheer team is heading in the right direction, trending upwards over the last few seasons and hanging with the best. No matter what competition the cheerleading team decides to participate in next season and where they place at nationals, there is sure to be a lot for the Marauders to cheer for. @justinparker81

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Thursday, March 29, 2018 | www.thesil.ca

SPORTS

The last

dance

As the year comes to an end, Mac Dance president Chimira Andres reflects on the team’s year before their last showcase

Jessica Carmichael Sports Reporter

As one of the outgoing presidents of Mac Dance, leaving the team after four years of dedication is going to be hard for Chimira Andres, but she knows it will be in good hands.

The Mac Dance team started as an amalgamation of all dance groups on campus. There are now both a competitive team and a recreational team with an average of 40 people on each team.

The competitive team participates in weekly conditioning and technique classes to prepare for their three provincial dance competitions and their year-end showcase. Meanwhile, the recreational team — which includes jazz, ballroom, lyrical, hip-hop and acro among other styles — focuses on learning one main routine for a final showcase.

The club’s mission, written

by Andres, states: “We hope to see any and all dancers who

The Mac Dance team started as an amalgamation of all dance groups on campus. There are now both a competitive team and a recreational team with an average of 40 people on each team. wish to have a space to dance no matter what level or style they call their own.”

While the competitive team has regular auditions to choose to perform in their three competitions throughout the year, the recreational team’s auditions are just for placement.

“You can start at any level that you want, but there

is beginner, intermediate and advanced — which is not disclosed initially to make it more fun and inclusive,” said Andres.

“Then the execs will separate the dancers according to their styles and levels.”

For Andres, coming into Mac Dance at the competitive level and watching the club grow over the past few years has been one of her biggest rewards.

“It’s nice to see it full circle,” said Andres. “As the president, it is so different playing a leadership role versus just being a member. You see things much differently.”

First taking up dance as a child as a form of childcare, Andres started off in ballet, like many others.

“My mom put my sister and I in it for childcare and we have been going to dance ever since,” said Andres. “And like most people, I started with ballet because it’s the foundation of all dance.

Since then, I’ve done jazz

“If you look at the criteria of the word ‘sport’ I feel like dance falls into the category, but I think the artistry and the creative aspect adds a bit more.”

Chimira Andres Co-president Mac Dance and contemporary hip-hop, and I also went to an arts high school.”

Though able to perform several different styles, Andres is most passionate about her first love: ballet.

“Everything that you do in ballet speaks volumes,” Andres explained. “The amount of work and technique it requires shows through not your flexibility, but

the strength behind it. If you can hold your leg in the air for 10 seconds, it requires a greater strength than just kicking it up there. This makes it athletic and graceful at the same time.”

That level of athleticism is what makes Andres take the “dance is a sport” side of the age-old debate. In terms of technique and training, she believes that dancers can have even more body awareness than some athletes. Though for Andres, she does recognize how the artistic element of dance makes it different from many other sports.

“If you look at the criteria of the word ‘sport’ I feel like dance falls into the category, but I think the artistry and the creative aspect adds a bit more,” said Andres. “For example, a lot of sports, for the most part, are very easy to judge. It’s a win or a lose, or either you score or you don’t. But for dancing, you can’t always see the win or the loss because it is so subjective.”

SPORTS | 25

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TICKETS ON SALE

Although some still may not see dance as a sport, Mac Dance had the opportunity to perform at one of the biggest sporting events in Canadian university sports: the U Sports Vanier Cup. “It was fun to be able to do something fun to start are season,” said Andres. “We were able to perform as one group all together and also do separate jazz and hip-hop performances.”

One of Andres goals for the club during her time as president was to become more involved in the Hamilton community and the opportunity to dance at the Vanier Cup was just the beginning.

“We’ve been working with high school students and are really trying to get involved in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board,” Andres added.

As Andres prepares to graduate and leave Mac Dance behind her, these goals are part of a framework she hopes to leave behind with the club.

Although some still may not see dance as a sport, Mac Dance had the opportunity to perform at one of the biggest sporting events in Canadian university sports: the U Sports Vanier Cup. “I want to leave them with enough organization so that they feel more confident to follow up with the plans that they make,” said Andres.

Knowing first-hand how tough and stressful being a student can be, the Mac Dance president always turned to dancing to keep her grounded.

“I know how a much a safe haven Mac Dance was to me, so

as I leave, I hope to leave them with guidance and for them to know that they can always reach out to me,” Andres said.

In the home stretch of the school year, Andres and the competitive team are preparing to take their last dance: a yearend showcase entitled All The Stars. The showcase will take place on April 7 and will feature both the contemporary and hiphop teams.

@jaaycharmichael

@

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At the theatre door (while supplies last)

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Results at 2018 Varsity Competitions 1st overall at Strive 3rd overall at Terps 3rd overall at D2D Inc.

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Thursday, March 29, 2018 | www.thesil.ca

SPORTS

Finding his wings

OUA All-Rookie Bennett Swan reflects on finding his footing at the university level, his love for volleyball and what makes McMaster special Ryan Tse Contributor

It was not always clear for Bennett Swan that he could reach the heights he did this year as an individual and as part of McMaster’s men’s volleyball team.

The 6’7” middle from Oakville professed that he was not the best volleyball player growing up in elementary school, though he was aided by favourable genetics.

“I was really bad when I started — but I was tall, so that was a good place to start,” Swan said.

Swan has come a long way since then, being named to the Ontario University Athletics All-Rookie Team and playing a big role in helping McMaster earn its sixth-straight OUA Championship.

The presence of McMaster volleyball loomed large in Swan’s life even before he arrived at the school. Raised just a short ride from Hamilton, he had a chance to attend McMaster volleyball camps starting in Grade 6. At these camps, Swan met players and coaches who are now his peers and mentors at McMaster. It was there that he realized he wanted to pursue volleyball at the club level and beyond.

Before making the decision to focus on volleyball, Swan was involved in several sports, from lacrosse and soccer to hockey and basketball. In particular, Swan loved basketball — but he soon found it was no match for the team-oriented passing game of volleyball that he fell in love with.

“The biggest thing was that volleyball was so much more of a team sport than the other sports I played before,” Swan said. “The thing that’s so fun and interesting about volleyball is that you only get, at most, two touches [per person] every time it comes over to your side. You really cannot do anything by yourself. There’s so many moving parts and, as a middle, my position really relies on good passing and good setting for me to have an impact on offense, so I feel that the most.”

After excelling at club volleyball, Swan was recruited to play for the Marauders this year.

Swan said it was an easy decision to join McMaster’s volleyball program, not just because of its historical success but also for the chance to play alongside older players he had admired since he was younger.

“It’s funny — a lot of my teammates now were players that I looked up to growing up as like the volleyball legends, especially people like Andrew [Richards] and BK [Brandon Koppers],” Swan said. “I always watched them play, and it was always like, ‘At what point do I become a player that’s competing with these guys?’”

“Growing up, it always seemed like such a big gap between university and where I was at. The first couple weeks, or even months, of being on the team was a bit surreal.”

Swan may have been nervous at first upon joining the team, but that passed quickly.

He cites the strong leadership of the veterans as a major factor in helping him feel at ease.

“I would give a lot of credit to the leaders on our team, particularly Andrew Richards, BK, Connor [Santoni] and Pav” [Pavel Jedrzejewski],” Swan said.

“They’ve really gone out of their way to make sure that we’ve all felt comfortable.”

Another important part of Swan’s successful transition to the Mac team is the presence of his childhood friend, Liam Irwin, as a fellow rookie on the squad.

“Liam Irwin was my best friend playing club volleyball — best friend my whole life,” Swan explained. “So it was kind of an easy transition coming in because we could just be ourselves around each other and that luckily morphed into the group.”

Beyond that, Swan’s first year was just about competing hard every day for playing time, something that’s ensured with the depth of talent on this team.

“The idea is that everyone has the same opportunity to play and be a starter and to earn their stripes,” Swan said. “Coming in, I definitely expected there to be more of a distance between the rookies and the vets, but there’s really no difference at all and I think that has to do with the positive

Swan was one of the key members of this year’s national bronze medal run.

GRANT HOLT / PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

rivalry as well.”

Throughout the year, Swan has improved immensely and gained the trust of his coach, earning more playing time than Swan expected. He was just one of seven players on the team (and the only freshman) to play in sixteen regular season matches.

Of course, Swan’s also played a key role in many big playoff games for McMaster this year, matches filled with intense situations fraught with pressure.

In learning how to deal with the stress of big games and the challenge of balancing work with volleyball, Swan credits weekly meetings with assistant coach Ian Eibbitt.

Maintaining an evenkeeled composure on the court has been key to Swan’s success.

His mental stability is something that he’s worked on and picked up from the team culture this year as well.

“I would say I’m stable, but I can be loud and fiery when I want to,” said Swan. “A big thing about myself and the rest of our team is that we’re really good at managing our emotion throughout the game. I don’t

know if I’ve always been like that, but I’ve picked that up a lot this year from the way everyone else carries themselves.”

Off the court, Swan maintains an easygoing personality, not afraid to infuse humour into any situation.

“I would say that I am a good people person,” Swan said. “I bring a good sense of humour to the locker room and to the team. There’s a way to incorporate good humour all the time that will always lighten the mood. Nothing you do you should take too seriously that you’re afraid to laugh.”

When asked how he has improved over the season, Swan pointed to his serving and how he’s worked on the intricate details of his blocking technique.

It has also been tough at times to adapt to the speed of the university game.

“When you first come in, there are a lot of things to learn.

It feels like you’re given forty things to learn in forty seconds,” Swan said. “For that, one of the biggest things that was difficult for me to get over was the speed of the game. Honestly, it just comes down to [Coach] Dave

telling me, ‘You’re going to do great. You just have to catch up and catching up will take some time.’ It’s understanding that you’re not going to figure everything out in one day.”

Looking forward, Swan’s focused on getting stronger this year to help McMaster become even stronger next year.

“I would say that mentally, I understand the game of volleyball,” Swan said. “I think I’ve learned that stuff a lot, so now it’s just about putting on pounds and getting stronger so that I can maintain what I’m doing for a long time.”

McMaster’s long tradition of success can be attributed to many factors, but at the core is the constant influx of talented young players stepping up to take on bigger roles. Bennett Swan is the latest and one of the brightest examples of this pattern. He is ready to elevate his game to even further heights, and it’s a good bet you will be hearing much more from him next year. @theSilhouette

EASTER? I HARDLY KNOW HER! Local funny man cracks open another cold joke C1

THURSDAY

THE

HAMILTON SPECULATOR Copyediting job applications since 1934

March 29, 2018

NOTSPEC.COM

Reporting on a jigsaw puzzle If you only state parts of the truth, it’s like a fun little game SAINT PETER VEGAS Half of Locke Street only

The local media has collectively decided to only report on parts of the story in an effort to do as little work as possible. If someone else chooses to focus on a specific part, why would you repeat them?

Readers will now be encouraged to follow as many news sources as possible in order to actually understand the full story. This will also slow the inevitable death of print media, as people are encouraged to find out information in the least convenient ways possible.

The claimed territories are as follows:

• Twitter will specialize in breaking news and reactionary opinions that are proven untrue a day later • The Hamilton Spectator will focus on reposting stories from more credible sources • CBC Hamilton will continue to get the most access because the only negative coverage they have pertains to provincial politics and car crashes • The Silhouette will hate the students union while simultaneously wondering why the students union doesn’t invite the staff to events and parties • Facebook will continue to lose billions of dollars, and continue to find hilarious ways to arrive at the same downfall as

every other form of media • The Hamilton Speculator will be the best publication available to you and don’t let anyone else tell you differently • The number of New Yorker issues will grow on the coffee table of your totally woke artsy friend without ever being read • Your grandparents will let you know about any hot takes they’ve read recently • Not entirely sure what Instagram has claimed, but I mostly use it for dogs and food

There are far too many microphones here. Why not just have one and have the rest give interpretations of what the first media source said?

Satire page becomes too real Just a reminder that this is still fiction SAINT PETER VEGAS This isn’t my real name

I get the irony of seriously telling people that this is still satire.

This is especially true because we have to state that it’s serious even when the explanation of satire is still satire itself and thus can’t actually be that serious.

I know we haven’t written about parallel universes, mutinies or crying myself to sleep recently even if they’re all still “true”, and have focused on more grounded pieces recently.

Part of this is me being salty about specific things.

Part of it is because I can only make so many absurdist forms of humour before it becomes redundant like the league of villains infiltrating the students union or someone loving me for who I really am.

However, you should still know that anyone who misinterprets this as real is the type of person who likely spreads fake news, and especially since they can’t be bothered to read the disclaimer at the bottom

POLL: What’s your favourite section of the paper?

Any section with a dog in it

I just look at the ads

Whatever is most absorbant for cleaning up spills

Games! All the games

Humans of whoever we interact with on a frequent enough basis

A promise to get me out of the office

Who reads media sources anymore?

What a bunch of nerds

All of the above

INSIDE IS THE POINT OF A FIRE DRILL TO MAKE FIRES OR RUN FROM THEM? IT DEPENDS ON WHO YOU ASK A2

stating it is a work of satire and fiction. You should immediately cut them from your life. You’ll probably be happier that way.

Moving forward, we promise to make topics a bit more obvious and less nuanced.

The current ideas we have are city council accomplishing something, people caring about things that aren’t Locke Street and the Silhouette actually changing someone’s mind about a topic.

DOES DESMOND COLE HAVE ANY DESMOND MOLES? FIND OUT ON APRIL 9 B1 PLEASE STOP MESSAGING MY STAFF ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY OF THEIR JOBS C4 HOW MANY VOLUNTEERS ARE GOING TO WORK TO HELP A VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION EVENT RUN SUCCESSFULLY? D3 Wow, this Speculator is bad.

Tweets to the Editor I’m going to rate the paper poor in every category!

My wife left me.

- Johnny, 19, applied for a job and didn’t get it

- Alex, 36, meant to @AdamSchefter

PLEASE HIRE ME E1

PER ISSUE: A lack of formalized policies to deal with stuff

Disclaimer: The Hamilton Speculator is a work of satire and fiction and should not under any circumstances be taken seriously. I understand why we have to explain this every so often, but everyone should just relax and actually read the page.

Ted McMeekin MPP Ancaster-DundasFlamborough-Westdale

COMMUNITY UPDATE

Friends, It’s an honour to serve as your MPP. When I became an MPP I promised to build the best constituency ‘team’ in Ontario. No MPP can hope to be everything to everyone, everywhere, all the time. An MPP’s job requires focus. In addition to constituency work, I’ve focused on health policy, housing, poverty, agri-food sector, local art and culture, environmental vigilance, education, and social justice issues.

With your support, we have accomplished so much … ÷ Providing free medications for everyone 24 and under through OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare ÷ Providing free tuition to over 230,000 students ÷ Helping 100,000 kids access quality, licensed child care ÷ Reduced electricity costs by 25 per cent on average through our Fair Hydro Plan ÷ Building new schools at CH Bray elementary and St. Patrick’s, and building additions to Ancaster Senior Public School and Beverly Central schools ÷ Secured funds for many local hospital projects, including McMaster, St. Joseph’s, Juravinski and a new hospital at Joseph Branti ÷ Fought to establish world-class regional mental health facility on West 5th

÷ Fought tirelessly in support of arts and culture projects and festivals ÷ Ongoing support and promotion of Cootes to Escarpment Eco Park initiative

A quiet moment with Senator McMaster

÷ Fought for Health Strategies: Heart, Cancer, Diabetes, Insulin pumps for juvenile diabetes and the Smoke-Free Ontario Act ÷ Secured funding for Hamilton’s new Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, over $1 billion ÷ Established Post-Secondary Advisory Group with students from Redeemer, McMaster University and Mohawk College, now in its 15th year ÷ Funded $45 million for new LR Wilson Hall arts building at McMaster University, now open ÷ Funded $3 million for new Ancaster Arts Centre at former Memorial School

Celebrating the opening of the new LR Wilson Hall

÷ Passed the Ontario Lung Health Act in the Legislative Assembly – my Private Member’s Bill

Thank you for your ongoing support. I look forward to continuing to serve you and crossing paths with many of you in the weeks ahead.

Let’s keep in touch.

Kindest regards,

Ted McMeekin Ted McMeekin, MPP

Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale

Meeting with the Post-Secondary Advisory Group

905-690-6552 tmcmeekin.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org