The Silhouette - October 28

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MYLES HEROD LOOKS INTO THE BEST OF HALLOWEEN HORROR

SEE D4, D5

www.thesil.ca

McMASTER UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER / THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011

The Silhouette

YOUR VOICE ON CAMPUS

Mac resists provincial constraints on goals

Est. 1930

VOLUME 82, NO. 11

Occupy movement spreads to Hamilton

Sam Colbert Managing Editor

When talk of “differentiation” – the plan to specialize Ontario universities in specific disciplines and in one of either teaching or research – emerged last year from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), McMaster’s president Patrick Deane responded in opposition. He held an open forum, which was attended primarily by faculty members, to discuss the matter. The sentiment in the room was consistent: McMaster would resist these pressures to specialize by remaining a diverse and well-rounded institution, strong in both teaching and research. Last week, Deane held a similar forum to discuss his recent letter addressed to the McMaster community, Forward with Integrity, which outlined his vision for the future of the University. Though the letter emphasized McMaster’s intention to avoid “a division between teaching and research that runs counter to the principle of institutional integrity,” any mention of “differentiation” or reference to HEQCO was absent. “If we are too conscious of responding to each of these currents, we are not being ourselves,” he said at the Oct. 20 discussion of work being done by HEQCO. McMaster has to think of itself outside of these contexts, he said, to be able to properly and effectively define its vision. He did add, though, that the school “will not go that route” of being either a research-oriented or teaching-focused university, and that McMaster “has a historical right to that niche” compared to other schools. On Nov. 2, the McGill-Queen’s University Press is set to release a sequel to its 2009 publication Academic Transformation: The Forces Reshaping Higher Education in Ontario, which originally outlined differentiation in the province. The new book, written by University of Toronto professor Ian Clark, as well as David Trick, president of higher education consultant company, David Trick and Associates, and Richard Van Loon, former president of Carleton University, will be entitled Academic Reform. The book will call for postsecondary funding in Ontario to be earmarked either for teaching or research, effectively enabling the provincial government to designate some schools as research-intensive and others as being strong in teaching. The authors argue from the perspective of students, who are often stuck with instructors that may be leading researchers in their respective fields, but are not effective teachers. Ontario students can have the best experience possible in teaching schools, they say, while research schools can maintain the reputation of the province’s university system • PLEASE SEE FORUM, A3

Kacper Niburski & Christina Pugliese Assistant News Editor & The Silhouette

Wall Street? Occupied. Las Vegas? Occupied. Toronto? Occupied. Hamilton? You bet. Although Hamilton is not nearly as large nor its protesters as numerous as the rallies occurring in the cultural mecca of New York, a group of protesters from the city of Hamilton, who officially joined the Occupy Wall Street movement on Oct. 15, hosted their second Occupy Hamilton event at Gore Park in the downtown core on Oct. 22. With a crowd of around fifty protesters, several encouraging bystanders, and various confused passers-by, the Occupy Hamilton event acted as both an outward demonstration of frustration towards the economic inequitably latent in the current financial climate and an

informal discussion meant to instigate the spark that will bring about overarching social change. As outlined in their media statement, the group, unaligned with any political party, “stands in solidarity with the Occupy movement that began in New York City on September 17, 2011, inspired by the Arab Spring and other peaceful protests.” The solidity stems from the belief that the 99 per cent, a figure which has become a cultural phenomenon as much as it is a statistic, have been both economically and socially ostracized. “We believe capitalism has some inherent flaws in it. History definitely attests that about every 15 to 20 years, capitalism fails,” said Rick Gunderman, Youth Organizer for the Young Communists and • PLEASE SEE OCCUPY, A4

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Agreement supports designated drivers

THIS WEEK... SPORTS

INSIDEOUT

Farzeen Foda

Senior News Editor

WOMEN’S RUGBY DOMINATES THEIR OUA SEMIFINAL AGAINST BROCK TO MOVE ON TO THE FINAL

INSIDE OUT ON WEIGHING THE PROS AND CONS OF STUDENT LIVING

SEE S4

SEE C1

IN THE SIL...

Sometimes, your designated driver just can’t keep it together and the safest option when deciding how to get home safely, can also be the most expensive, if it requires leaving a car overnight in a campus parking lot. The MSU, in collaboration with TwelvEighty and McMaster Security Services, is trying to take the late-night pressure of parking fees out of the equation. In the event that a designated driver has a drink and is unable to drive home, their vehicle can be parked on campus overnight for free, according to a new agreement. John McGowan, MSU general manager, says that discussions with security about the idea began last year. The initiative was started in an effort to encourage students to use the designated driver program with their friends and “to give students an alternative so that parking isn’t

a barrier for making a sound decision if they’ve had a few drinks,” explained McGowan. The program is in its initial phases, as it was started last week on a very small scale. McGowan explained that through McMaster Parking Services, security has provided parking vouchers, which can be given to students at the discretion of TwelvEighty management. The use of the vouchers will be closely monitored to evaluate the success of the program, noted Matthew Dillon-Leitch, MSU president. So in the event that a student may need to take advantage of the service, the student “would go to the manager and identify themselves as a designated driver, or as someone who parked in a McMaster parking lot and is unable to drive home, at which point, they would receive a voucher,” explained Dillon-Leitch. The goal of the program is “to ensure that there is no additional cost associated with leaving your car here so you can get home safely,” said McGowan.


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