JONATHON FAIRCLOUGH LOOKS AT THE NEW ART OF COUCHSURFING SEE C1
Farzeen Foda
Senior News Editor
There was a time, not too long ago when the McMaster campus was reaching its capacity. It was known that campus space would be an issue in coming years, but sooner than expected, McMaster passed that threshold. The university is now operating at full capacity. For many years, McMaster has kept its target enrolment static, at roughly 5,000 students despite pressure from the provincial government to increase enrolment. Even with a stagnant target enrolment, the University has experienced rapid growth that has continued to put more strain on its resources and infrastructure. Since 2005, McMaster University has seen a 62.7 per cent increase in the number of full-time undergraduate students, contributing to an over-populated campus, according to the 2010 Campus Capacity study, which found that the McMaster campus is in fact saturated and currently exceeding its capacity. The provincial government, however, continues to push universities to increase enrolment. In an effort to show the Ministry that the University is willing to do what it can to comply with the goals of the province, but is limited in its capacity to do so, the University increased its target enrolment by a mere 140 students, hardly substantial for an institution serving upwards of 20,000 students, Peter Smith, McMaster University VPAcademic, said the University is at its maximum capacity to expand. At the same time that the University’s target increased slightly, McMaster received a greater number of applications, resulting in a 2.5 per cent increase in the number of offers of admission. Subsequently, compared to the previous year, McMaster saw a seven per cent increase in the number of students accepting their offer of admission, followed by an overall 8.7 per cent increase in the number of students who registered for the upcoming academic term, according to Smith. With the substantial influx of first year students, it became imperative that the University not only arrange physical accommodation for students, whether that be through modifications of classrooms or increasing the
BURSTING at the seams
With libraries crammed and campus space diminishing, where are YOU in the crowd?
JONATHON FAIRCLOUGH / PRODUCTION EDITOR
number of spaces in residence, but to maintain course availability. Registration for the 2011/2012 academic year was a much smoother process than it has been in the past, noted Smith. This was due, in part, to slight changes to SOLAR to increase its capacity, as well as increases in the number of spaces in particular courses. Smith said that 11,000 seats were created in courses particularly in the Faculties of Science, Humanities, and Social Science, as these tend to be faculties that offer courses that are often in high demand for students in other faculties. Most seats were created in first year courses, but the increase in spaces spanned all levels of undergraduate education. The creation of additional seats was accomplished by adding sections to courses that tend to be in high demand. The addition of sections to courses that are already experiencing high enrolment, although not a permanent solution, especially if McMaster’s growth is expected to continue in this way, was the best temporary solution, given the other potential options. Other considerations when faced with the challenge of high enrolment, included weekend classes, increasing classroom hours, as well as holding classes off campus, according to Alicia Ali, MSU Vice President (Education). Despite the markedly high enrolment and the fact the McMaster campus is functioning at capacity, business is resuming relatively stress-free at this time. In fact, many problems facing undergraduate education in recent years, such as the transition from WebCT to Elm have been solved with the implementation of AvenuetoLearn. Meanwhile course registration went relatively smoothly this year, and with an increase in spaces in particular courses, more students were able to get into the courses they wanted. The University has successfully accommodated climbing enrolment, while maintaining an outstanding reputation, and complying with government expectations of the institution, painting an exquisite portrait of numbers and figures, but with a closer look, what can be found is a saturated campus, hoping it can colour within the lines for one more year. • PLEASE SEE MAC, A3
Mac showcases green initiatives
THIS WEEK ...
Sustainability Day sheds light on eco-friendly alternatives
OPINIONS
Dina Fanara
Assistant News Editor
Sustainability Day 2011, held on Oct. 19 in MUSC showcased the year’s developments in a range of aspects related to University functionality with particular emphasis on McMaster’s environmental impact. McMaster’s Office of Sustainability hosted the events, touching on issues such as waste management, transportation, and student health. Among those in attendance were Hospitality Services, OPIRG, Smart Commute, McMaster Residence Green Team, McMaster Centre for Leadership and Learning, Grand & Toy, Dell, BioSphere, Ecolab, McMaster Facility Services, FarmStand, and several others. To support the sustainability cause, free, locally grown apples were handed out to passers-by courtesy of the MSU FarmStand, and fair-trade coffee was available to all who had a reusable mug with them. Further, the twice-annual IT Collection Reuse and Recycle Program was present, collecting used cell phones and printer cartridges. McMaster Hospitality Services, deals extensively with issues which have gained particular attention with respect to sustainability, such as food containers, an area that has certainly not been ignored.
One notable change that Hospitality Services is implementing this year is their Marauder Eco-Takeout Container program. Over the years, many different approaches to containing takeout food have been analyzed for practicality and use throughout campus. Hospitality Services presented their current initiatives at Sustainability Day, displaying used containers, such as old Styrofoam containers and plates, paper containers, corn product-based waterproof biodegradable containers most commonly used for salads, and, last but not least, the new reusable containers, which began circulation in Bridges and Bistro at the beginning of this month. At this time, students choose to use this system by paying a five-dollar deposit or obtain a swipe card, in order to become part of this innovative program. The hope is that these containers will be available at all food service locations on campus by next academic year, and the majority of students will opt to use it. Another booth present at the event in the Student Centre atrium was Ecolab, a company which supplies cleaning products to the food services at McMaster. The company acknowledges that though their products are not completely chemical-free, they are doing what they can in order to reduce their carbon footprint. A specific example, which was on display
at their booth, was the dishwashing detergent, which is one product that McMaster purchases from this company. Ecolab chooses to produce this detergent in a very dense, heavy, solid cube, as opposed to a liquid form. If liquid was the chosen detergent, it would take three oil drums’ worth to be equivalent to one cube of solid detergent, which can be held easily in two cupped hands. Not only does this save time and space in terms of shipping, this choice produces a fraction of the waste which would be created by the liquid: a small amount of cellophane wrapping has much less of an impact than three oil drums, which would have to be disposed of in a landfill. On another note, Smart Commute Hamilton was present, promoting their free carpool system and raising awareness of a new initiative that they want to bring to Hamilton, called Bike Share. This system, which is used in large cities all over the world, such as Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Paris, and Barcelona, will allow users for a very minimal fee of under $100 per year to use a bike lending system to travel within the city. Bike stations will be placed at different locations around the city, where members can pick and drop off the rented bikes. The hope is to begin putting the bike stations in place in order to launch this program in Hamilton by spring of 2012.
THIS WEEK’S HEAD-TO-HEAD DEBATE TAKES ON THE WALL STREET PROTEST SEE A11
SPORTS A SWING TO SUCCESS BY MARK YOUNG AT MAC INVITATIONAL SEE S8
BUSINESS SKYPE HYPE: THE FUTURE OF JOB INTERVIEWS SEE C12
ANDY MYLES HEROD REVIEWS RAPAPORT’S FILM, BEATS RHYMES & LIFE SEE D5
... IN THE SIL