The Silhouette - January 10, 2019

S The Silhouette Thursday, January 10, 2019

Ready Set Match International competition sets the men’s volleyball team up for success // PAGE 14

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NEWS: “Whiter World” posters appear on campus // PAGE 4 FEATURE: A look at the MSU election bylaws over the years // PAGE 6-7 ARTS & CULTURE: Mac alumna opens for Ken Jeong // PAGE 13

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Volume 89, Issue 16 Thursday, January 10, 2019 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

EDITORIAL BOARD

LOOKING BACK January 15, 1960

editor-in-chief | thesil@thesil.ca

Emily O’Rourke @emily_oro

In 1959, a report from the structure comittee at the Students’ Council urged that a girl be allowed to run for election as president of the Students’ Council (now McMaster Students’ Union). This ammendment was passed.

However, in a 1960 report, the same committee recommended that said possibility be removed from the constitution, which was met with little opposition, even from the women in the room.

The 2019 MSU Presidential campaign period begins next week!

digital media specialist | dms@msu.mcmaster.ca

Aaron de Jesus managing editor | managing@thesil.ca Sasha Dhesi @SashaDhesi production editor | production@thesil.ca Hamza Furmli online editor | online@thesil.ca Yvonne Lu sections

Cassidy Bereskin news reporter Ryan Forrest Tse news@thesil.ca news editor

features reporter

Hannah Walters Vida

features@thesil.ca

Sabrina Macklai

opinion editor

opinion@thesil.ca

Justin Parker Jessica Carmichael sports@thesil.ca

sports editor sports reporter

arts arts

& culture editor Razan Samara & culture reporter Rya Buckley aandc@thesil.ca media

Kyle West Catherine Goce production coordinator Sukaina Imam production coordinator Sabrina Lin production@thesil.ca photo editor

photo reporter

Sasha Roshan Martin Burwell online@thesil.ca

video editor

social media coordinator

COVER PHOTO Kyle West

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

WELCOME BACK,

MARAUDERS! It’s good to see you again.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019

The Silhouette

| 3

News Students and CUPE call for return of York Go bus stop Metrolinx’s decision to cancel the stop will increase financial barriers for students, sessional faculty and other campus Go bus users

Both McMaster and York students and CUPE 3903 and 3906 express concerns over Metrolinx’s decision to cancel service at the York University Keele campus.

Daniella Mikanovsky Contributor

KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

Ryan Tse News Reporter

As of Jan. 5, Metrolinx has cancelled service to the York University Keele campus and Keele Street stops for multiple Go Bus routes, including the highway 407 47 route, which stops at the McMaster Go station.

Instead, the bus routes will end at the highway 407 Toronto Transit Commission subway station.

In a written statement, Metrolinx spokesperson and senior media manager Anne Marie Aikins said the change is part of a larger plan to move service to the highway 407 stop, which was implemented as part of Toronto’s line one subway extension in December.

“By focusing direct access on Highway 407 and TTC Line 1 Subway, customers can expect improved service reliability in the Keele Street and York University area, which can incur additional 20 minutes of travel

time in peak hours due to traffic congestion,” said Aikins.

Aikins added that the decision was made in collaboration with York University, which has plans to turn the old Go bus loop into a pedestrian area.

McMaster students will now need to leave the 47 bus at the highway 407 subway station and take the subway two stops south to the York University station to arrive at the old bus loop.

Students will also have to pay TTC fare if they transfer,

Some McMaster students who rely on the York University stop have expressed concern that their commutes will be negatively affected by the change.

though they will receive a $1.50 discount transferring between the Go bus and the subway if they use their Presto card to pay.

Some McMaster students who rely on the York University stop have expressed concern that their commutes will be negatively affected by the change.

The 47 Go route was the only Toronto-Hamilton route that stopped at the McMaster campus.

Second-year arts and sciences student Daniella Mikanovsky frequently takes the 47 route to York before getting picked up or transferring to a TTC bus. However, with the service change, Mikanovsky says she will now likely have to take a different GO bus route all together.

“I like the 47 because it has a stop on campus. The 40 stop is at [King Street West and Dundurn Street North], so I need to take the Hamilton Street Railway before [Go transit], but with the new change, the 40 drop off is closer to my house than the

Instead, the bus routes will end at the highway 407 Toronto Transit Commission subway station.

47,” said Mikanovsky.

This may pose a problem as the HSR is not known as being a particularly reliable transit system. For instance, last year, a spike in diver absenteeism resulted in thousands of bus cancellations, missed pickups and underserviced routes.

York University students also take issue with Metrolinx’s decision. For instance, the York Federation of Students’ Yu Ride petition, which calls for the return of Go bus service to the Keele campus, has already gathered over 17,000 signatures.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees 3903 at York University notes that the return of the stop would save users over

$1,000 in additional transit fees.

As such, the change may create serious financial pressure for users who cannot afford to pay extra transit fares.

McMaster University’s CUPE 3906 adds that Metrolinx’s decision also affects sessional faculty members who routinely teach at multiple campuses across the province.

“For a workforce that is already precarious, the additional three dollars per day in TTC costs and the additional 10 minutes in commuting time will make life even harder,” reads part of a statement from CUPE 3906.

In addition, CUPE 3906 suggests that universities continue to lobby the provincial government for direct and affordable inter-campus transit.

@tweetingryantse

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NEWS

Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019 | www.thesil.ca

Student activists launch “Whiter World” campaign The posters allege that McMaster University promotes bigotry, white supremacy and endangers marginalized communities Ryan Tse News Reporter

In December 2018, posters featuring the same font and design as McMaster University’s Brighter World campaign posters but instead reading “Whiter World” began popping up in various locations around campus.

According to the De Caire Off Campus Facebook page, the group behind the campaign is the Revolutionary Student Movement, an anti-capitalist student activist movement that claims to “support the peoples’ struggles against capitalism, imperialism, and colonialism in Canada and internationally.”

One poster reads “Farewell Patrick!” and accuses McMaster president Patrick Deane of promoting white supremacy and far-right groups, alleging that he was a “settler in apartheid South Africa.”

Another poster displays two photos of University of

Toronto professor Jordan Peterson, calling him ‘anti-trans’ and ‘fascist’ and mentioning the treatment of protesters during his appearance in March 2017 and the ensuing free speech debate. It also highlights the vandalism of McMaster’s pride crosswalks in 2018.

The third poster details McMaster director of parking and security service Glenn De Caire’s alleged history of support for carding, noting that police presence around campus has increased dramatically.

The campaign initially began in December 2015 in response to McMaster’s hiring of De Caire. In spite of the student backlash that the hire ignited and the McMaster Students Union Student Representative Assembly’s vote to endorse De Caire’s removal, the university stood by him, and De Caire has remained in his role since.

“The Whiter World posters outline white supremacist activity that the McMaster admin-

Student activists launched the “Whiter World” campaign by putting up these posters in December 2018.

C/O “De Caire Off Campus” Facebook page

istration has actively facilitated on campus, as well what we see on the rise in the city,” the De Caire Off Campus group said in a statement to The Silhouette.

“The campaign emerged out of the increasingly urgent need to push back against far-right and white supremacist organizing.”

When asked for an interview, Gord Arbeau, the university’s director of communications, responded by condemning the “Whiter World” posters.

“Our approach when there is graffiti or there are acts of vandalism is to remove the material when it is found. That’s what has happened in the handful of times these leaflets have been discovered,” said Arbeau.

The group behind the “Whiter World” campaign is particularly concerned about the alleged ineffectiveness of student consultation efforts by the university and the MSU and the university’s free speech guidelines, which they say

have not seriously considered the concerns of marginalized communities.

In November, the SRA passed a motion opposing the Ontario government’s free speech policy mandate. MSU president Ikram Farah has voiced concern been vocal in her opposition ofwith McMaster’s free speech guidelines.

On Nov. 14, Farah, Deane, and McMaster University associate vice president (Equity and Inclusion) Arig al Shaibah hosted an open town hall to consult students and discuss the free speech mandate. “[Consultation efforts have been] nothing more than manipulation and exploitation, and we refuse to cooperate,” the De Caire Off Campus group said.

The De Caire Off Campus campaign has also condemned the allegedly bolstered police presence in and around McMaster.

They are also in opposition to the increase in bylaw officers

in Westdale and Ainslie Wood, which city council voted in favour of in 2016 and in 2017.

Every school in the Hamilton area employs at least one ‘school resource officer,’ a special police officer stationed at that location to ensure security.

“Police presence brings with it, for so many marginalized people, a constant threat of violence,” said the De Caire Off Campus group.

They also accuse Hamilton’s ACTION police teams of targeting racialized and working class residents and creating a hostile environment for marginalized students.

It is unclear whether the De Caire Off Campus group has any further plans to protest the university or consult with the student union or university administration. @tweetingryantse

OPINION

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018

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As more ways of collecting data are being developed,

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As the demand for data analysts steadily increases and the talent supply remains low, this is a perfect time to train to enter the field.

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The program can also, in a way, help prepare students for jobs that aren’t even available yet as almost any industry can better use data to its advantage.

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6 |

FEATURE FEATURE

Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019 | www.thesil.ca

A look

Back at the Bylaws

Have MSU election bylaws been fair or restrictive?

Hannah Walters-Vida Features Reporter

In recent years, questions of bylaw enforcement have been at the forefront of the McMaster Students Union presidential elections. While most students may not concern themselves with the details of election rules, past years’ rulings show us that while infractions may seem minor, enough violations may cast the integrity of the election into question.

A look back at last year In the 2018 election, the elections committee voted to disqualify two candidates, Rabeena Obaidullah and MSU president Ikram Farah.

According to the Jan. 25 elections committee meeting minutes, Obaidullah’s disqualification resulted from an accumulation of bylaw infractions, including campaigning in closed Facebook groups, using the McMaster logo in promotional material and misrepresenting expenses.

At the first elections committee meeting, Farah received fines for rule violations but was not disqualified. However, after another candidate brought forward additional complaints against her, the elections committee reconvened and voted to disqualify Farah due to the repeated nature of rule violations.

Both candidates made appeals to overturn their disqualifications. The MSU electoral appeal board determined that the violations did not harm the integrity of the election and therefore reinstated both candi-

dates, allowing Farah to win the election.

Who counts as a campaign team member?

A candidate’s campaign team consists of MSU members that actively campaign on their behalf.

Campaign team members must be MSU members, which means that part time students, graduate students, potential students, and community members are not able to publicly voice support for presidential candidates.

According to the MSU elections department, rules regarding campaign team members exist to monitor campaign activity so that individuals and groups cannot use their monetary resources or positions of power to unduly influence the results of the election.

Responsibility for team members

The presidential election rules state that a candidate is responsible for the actions of their campaign team members, and can be fined, or in some cases disqualified, for actions taken by their team members.

A consistent question that has come up throughout elections committee meetings and appeals processes was whether it is the responsibility of the candidate or the elections department to ensure that both team members and the larger student population are abiding by the campaign rules.

According to the presidential election regulations, it is

the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that their campaign team plays by the rules. In practice, however, this can be complicated.

The presidential election rules state that a candidate is responsible for the actions of their campaign team members, and can be fined, and in some cases disqualified, for actions taken by their team.

Given that the elections committee can retroactively add people from outside the campaign team if they appeared to be publicly supporting the candidate, it is not always enough for the candidate to educate their campaign team about the election rules.

In the appeals process, a candidate petitioned against the fines that they had received, stating that it was unfair to be held responsible for violations outside of their control.

At the March 11 Student Representative Assembly meeting in 2018, former vice president (Administration) Shaarujaa Nadarajah stated that there could be more formalized rules to address how to respond when candidates rectify issues, especially when violations are committed by non campaign

team members.

Additionally, the rulings of the elections committee regarding campaigning of non team members have differed year to year.

In 2016, a non-team member used the MSU logo to post on behalf of Mike Gill, one of the presidential candidates. The use of the MSU logo in campaign material is prohibited, as is campaign material released by a non team member. Since Gill took the steps to have the post taken down, the charges were dismissed.

However in 2018, individuals who were not on Farah’s campaign team posted endorsements on Snapchat and Instagram stories, both of which were not permitted for promotion. In contrast to the 2016 decision, the individuals were retroactively added to the campaign team and the candidate was subsequently fined.

The restriction of involvement of individuals from outside the campaign team was criticized during the appeals process during the 2018 election. A candidate expressed that public support from people from outside the campaign team meant that students who had never before been involved in elections were getting engaged.

The rules for this upcoming election seem to provide more leeway for involvement of non campaign members through the introduction of “campaign supporters” who show support for a candidate but do not belong to a campaign team.

However, campaign supporters still have to be MSU

members. Additionally, the elections committee can determine that a campaign supporter is in fact a campaign representative.

A candidate is also subject to receiving a fine for a serious violation if their campaign supporter engages in harassment.

Given these restrictions, it remains to be seen whether the addition of the “campaign supporter” category will increase opportunities for involvement in elections.

A candidate expressed that public support from people from outside the campaign team meant that students who had never before been involved in elections were getting engaged.

Grounds for Disqualification Since 2016, the elections committee has voted to disqualify three different presidential candidates for violating the election rules. One disqualification occurred in 2016 and two occurred in 2018.

Violations ranged from campaigning in Facebook groups, to bad taste violations to misrepresentations of expenses.

The electoral appeal board

FEATURE

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019

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voted to overturn all three disqualifications because the integrity of the election had not been sufficiently affected, thus reinstating the candidates.

The original decisions to disqualify candidates resulted from the accumulation of standard and severe violations that were deemed to violate the integrity of the election.

The integrity of an election is difficult to quantify, and has therefore been left up to the interpretation of the election committee. Since the elections committee is made up of SRA members, there is a high rate of turnover, meaning that the interpretation of rules can vary significantly from year to year.

This year, a new clause has been added to the election rules that removes some ambiguity from the disqualification process. Section 7.12.1. outlines conditions under which a candidate will be automatically disqualified.

These violations include deliberately sabotaging another candidate’s campaign, accumulating fines over half the spending limit, or accumulating five severe or 15 standard violations.

Had this rule been in place last year, two candidates had enough violations that they would have been automatically disqualified.

While the 2019 bylaws clear up some of the uncertainty that existed last year regarding what constituted cause for disqualification, larger issues surrounding

the rules and the appeals process remain.

During the March 7 electoral appeal board meeting Farah criticized the validity and justice of the appeals process. She stated that she had not been given the opportunity to respond to appeals made against her. Additionally, she criticized the appeals process for being non transparent and for demonstrating conflicts of interest.

Additionally, during the 2018 appeals process, multiple candidates expressed concern that candidates could use the complaints process as a tactic to get their competition disqualified.

Given that the 2019 rules provide grounds for automatic disqualification, this may remain a problem.

The presidential election bylaws are meant to ensure an equal playing field for all candidates, while also ensuring that rules are not so restrictive that they discourage participation. In the upcoming election, both candidates and the elections department will be held to a high level of scrutiny to ensure that rules are being publicized, interpreted, and enforced fairly.

@theSilhouette

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

January 10, 2019 | thesil.ca

As a result, Life After Mac expanded its scope this year to better match student needs. In addition to past events, the updated programming relates to money management, networking tips, interview preparation lessons, resume review sessions, and the opportunity to learn from

Crazy Rich Asians, as well as in TV shows including Community and The Office. However, Ken’s journey towards success in comedy was not linear. He originally went to Duke University to pursue a career in medicine, going on to complete his medical residency in New Orleans

“... Life After Mac expanded its scope this year to better match student needs.”

SCOTT ROBINSON Vice President (Finance) vpfinance@msu.mcmaster.ca 905.525.9140 x24109

Supporting students in their transition from university to attaining employment after graduation is an important role of post-secondary institutions. This week, the McMaster Students Union has partnered with the McMaster Alumni Association, the Student Success Centre, and Hire McMaster to bring you the second annual Life After Mac. This new program represents a growing commitment of support for graduating students and helping in their transition out of university. From January 8-11, different events are scheduled with the intent to equip students with some of the knowledge, skills, advice, and network that will help ease the transition into ‘the real world.’ At the end of this jam-packed week, we are hosting an incredible performance and Q&A with famous actor and comedian, Ken Jeong.

Last year, the week ran as a pilot program and saw great success.

recent alumni. Kicking off the week, the President’s New Year’s Levée was highly attended by graduating students. The always popular event is a celebratory toast led by President Patrick Deane.

Opening the show on Friday evening is Salma Hindy.

Salma is a graduate from McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering, whose journey into stand-up comedy began while Salma was studying for her masters. Since then, she has performed across the country and all over the world, recently as a part of the UK Super Muslim Comedy tour. She also placed 2nd out of over 400 comedians at the Toronto Comedy Brawl.

This year’s headline speaker is Ken Jeong. Ken is recognized for his standout work in movies such as The Hangover, Step Brothers, and

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.

before heading to Los Angeles to start his career in acting and comedy. After his comedy performance, McMaster alumna Amanda Weldon will moderate a Q&A that will touch on his career hurdles and hardships.

The show is nearly sold out, but some tickets are still available online and at Compass in MUSC. For more information about this year’s Life After Mac events, visit lifeaftermcmaster.com. The Student Success Centre, McMaster Alumni, and Hire McMaster continue to provide transitional programming and coordinate paid work opportunities. In particular, the Alumni Association profiles stories of alumni finding their way as they journey through life after Mac via medium. com/mcmaster-alumni and the Student Success Centre offers ongoing support services, including interview prep, career counselling, and career networking guidance.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019

EDITORIAL

Editorial

In defence of print media

In our ever-increasing digital world, there remains an important need for print publications Sabrina Macklai Opinion Editor

In light of recent discussions made by the Student Representative Assembly concerning the fate of Incite Magazine, talks of the supposed “death of print” have once again circulated campus.

Incite Magazine is McMaster University’s creative arts and writing publication featuring student work across a wide range of mediums. The magazine, which prints three times a year, is entirely student-led and student-funded, receiving $1.02 per student annually.

Recently, the finance committee of the SRA made the recommendation to send Incite Magazine to referendum to determine its budget.

If passed, the referendum had the potential to reduce Incite’s budget by half, or even remove

it altogether.

When a university body proposes cutting funding from a magazine that serves as one of the few remaining spaces on campus for creatives, the student body should be alarmed.

While the motion to send Incite Magazine to referendum failed to pass at the SRA meeting on Jan. 6, even the idea that the magazine could nix their print publications and simply “shift their operations to an online platform” has harmful implications.

It’s no secret that many publications are going digital. Just last year, Teen Vogue, a popular magazine among millennials, discontinued their print editions. But studies have shown that time after time, readers will continuously choose printed magazines over their digital counterparts.

Unsurprisingly, after a transition to an entirely digital

platform, those print readers aren’t transitioning with the publication. They’re just gone.

As more publications shift towards an all-digital platform, advocates for print media must stand strong. Print publications are much more than their content; it’s the experience of reading a print magazine that holds value.

Consider where you’re reading this editorial. Chances are, you picked up a copy of the Silhouette offhand, flipped through the contents, and skimmed the articles that piqued your interest. As far as technology has advanced, this experience cannot be replicated online.

So no, print isn’t dead. Nor should it be. It’s my hope that readers recognize the efforts put into each issue and stand in support of print publications.

@_sabrinawitch_

to #NASH81 to Little Henry’s Cafe to finally landing on Toronto soil to a new year, and by default, a new me to our last week of rest and relaxation to the Sil’s Christmas decorations being up forever

to GQs best dressed men of the GG just being everyone in a tux that’s slightly a different shade from the last guy to computers being stuck in the 1850’s to forgetting that punctuation exists to being stuck in the Calgary airport for almost 12 hours

to cowboy hats

to Trudeau, the RCMP and R. Kelly

to Sandra Oh breaking records

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The Silhouette

Thursday Jan. 10, 2019 | www.thesil.ca

Opinion Waiting for a waitlist Other universities allow students to join a waitlist for full courses — so why doesn’t McMaster?

Sabrina Macklai Opinion Editor

January marks the beginning of a new semester filled with new classes. While course enrolment for both fall and winter terms occurred in the summer, students have until the end of the drop-and-add period on Jan. 15 to enrol in courses for the current term. Or, at least, they can attempt to.

McMaster University students enrol in courses through Mosaic, the university’s administrative information system. For fall and winter course enrolment, students may only enrol in courses after their enrolment appointment opens, which is dependent on their academic level. For example, during registration for the 2018-2019 academic term, students in level five had enrolment appointments beginning June 19 whereas students in level one had appointments beginning June 27.

Each student is randomly assigned an enrolment appointment within their academic level which allows the process of course enrolment to be fair while giving necessary priority to upper-year students who have limited time to fulfil their degree requirements.

While the current system provides students equal opportunity to enrol in courses, due to the nature of course enrolment, it is often the case that students wish to enrol in classes that have reached capacity.

This could be to fulfil requirements for post-undergraduate programs, satisfy their minor requirements, allow for the option to take advanced classes in the future, or merely out of interest.

Just as there are many reasons why students wish to enrol in full classes, there are many reasons why classes have caps on enrolment — limitations in room sizes and the necessity of reserved space for certain program majors, for example

— but what makes little sense is the university’s lack of offering a waitlist for full classes.

As it stands, any students wishing to enrol in full classes are recommended to “keep checking back on Mosaic to see if a seat has opened up”. This recommendation is frankly a waste of students’ time with little reward; students have no guarantee that consistently checking their enrolment cart will result in enrolment in their desired course, even if spaces became available.

The alternative is to contact the instructor of the course and ask for special permissions to join, however this again cannot guarantee student enrolment and success varies dependent on the course and instructor.

Instructors also cannot be expected to respond to all student requests and essentially manage the administrative details of their course. Instead, waitlists should be created and used to

As it stands, any students wishing to enrol in full classes are recommended to “keep checking back on Mosaic to see if a seat has opened up”. This recommendation is frankly a waste of students’ time with little reward. facilitate course enrolment.

Other universities such as Carleton University have clearly-defined policies surrounding course registration waitlists.

While not all courses at Carleton have waitlists set-up, those

that do operate in a consistent manner.

Once the course has reached capacity, students who have met the course prerequisites and are attempting to enrol are presented with the option to join a waitlist, with those who attempted to enrol in the full course the earliest placed at the top of the list. When space is available, the first student on the waitlist is notified via email and must register for the class within 24 hours. Otherwise, the next student on the waitlist is contacted and so forth.

Although a system like this does not guarantee enrolment, it removes the unnecessary time commitment created by constantly checking Mosaic for available spaces, and ensures the process is fair by not requiring instructor intervention.

Oddly enough, Mosaic appears to have the functionality to support waitlists, showing students on their term’s sched-

Instead, waitlists should be created and used to facilitate course enrolment. ule that their status in a course can be “enrolled”, “dropped”, or “wait listed”. Given then that implementation of waitlists benefits students and does not seemingly require a major system restructure, the question becomes why hasn’t the university offered it?

@_sabrinawitch_

THE SILHOUETTE PHOTO ARCHIVES

Welcome Week Survey

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 10 2019

Standardizing theses

Every year, we ask students to provide feedback on their Welcome Week experience. These are the results from #MacWW2018.

Students completing their undergraduate thesis under the supervision of the same supervisor should receive the same assessments Sabrina Macklai Opinion Editor

As students return from the winter break to begin new classes, a large population of students will be returning to their undergraduate thesis or seeking a thesis supervisor for the following year.

The undergraduate thesis is a characteristic, and sometimes required, component of many four-year honours degree programs. Regardless of program, senior theses are designed to allow upper-year students to hone their research skills and prepare them for graduate studies.

I am completing my undergraduate thesis in an analytical chemistry lab alongside five other undergraduate students.

While our projects vary in nature, the expectations of our thesis in terms of time commitment and research goals are essentially the same. However, the assessments for my thesis as an integrated science student differs from that of the chemistry students in the lab, which differ even from the chemical biology students — despite being in the same department of chemistry and chemical biology.

The undergraduate thesis is a characteristic, and sometimes required, component of many four-year honours degree programs. Regardless of program, senior theses are designed to allow upper-year students to hone their research skills and prepare them for graduate studies.

For example, the thesis report for students in the chemis-

try program is worth 40 per cent of their final grade whereas the same document for students in the chemical biology program is worth only 25 per cent. Besides the differences in weighting for the same assessment, students in chemical biology are required to complete different assessments like project outlines and interim reports while chemistry students must only complete their report and final presentation.

While all senior theses conducted by students in the department of chemistry and chemical biology are worth nine units, senior theses that conduct arguably similar work from students in the department of biochemistry can be worth up to 15 units. This becomes especially alarming when students from departments outside of biochemistry complete their thesis in a biochemistry lab and receive less units than their biochemistry student counterparts.

It makes little sense to have students that are under the same expectations and striving towards similar research goals receiving different academic credit. Rather than the assessment for senior theses dictated by the program to which these students belong, assessments should be decided by the supervisor.

This will not only ensure that students completing virtually the same work are assessed equally, it will provide supervisors more control over the research conducted under their supervision and allow them to create assessments that better reflect students’ achievements.

Additionally, as all senior theses share the same goal to improve students’ research capabilities, and considering students, for the most part, can conduct their thesis under the supervision of a supervisor outside of their program’s department, there is no real need for program-specific thesis courses.

If the fear is that students within the same program will not develop the same transferable skills or be graded equally, the faculty rather than the program can mandate that all senior theses must include specific components and the same time commitments.

It may also be useful to consider implanting a mandatory seminar session for undergraduate thesis students to attend.

The integrated science program already has such a seminar in place, where thesis students within the program are required to present updates on their research and peer-review literature reports and other related assessments.

It makes little sense to have students that are under the same expectations and striving towards similar research goals receiving different academic credit. Rather than the assessment for senior theses dictated by the program to which these students belong, assessments should be decided by the supervisor.

If seminars like these were to be implemented faculty-wide, the typical undergraduate senior thesis could be restructured so that it is in total worth a standard number of units where the large per cent of a student’s grade is determined by their supervisor, and a certain smaller per cent is devoted to seminar assessments.

No matter what action is taken, it is clear that the current structure of undergraduate senior theses does not create fair opportunities for all students involved and requires serious restructuring.

@_sabrinawitch_

= Artsci

1,546 Marauders responded.

13%

= Engineering

19%

= Health Sciences

95% of respondents were first years who participated in Welcome Week.

2%

= Business

7%

= Humanities

7%

= Kinesiology

3%

= Nursing

6%

= Science

29%

= Social Sciences 14%

“Honestly, one of the best weeks of my life.”

84%

Anonymous student feedback.

of felt welcomed and included in Welcome Week.

After participating in Welcome Week...

91%

felt physically safe at McMaster.

86%

felt emotionally safe at McMaster.

Student Learning of the Strategic Themes

70%

SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS

learned about ways to take care of their mental health and well-being.

RESPONSIBLE DRINKING

PREVENTING AND RESPONDING TO SEXUAL VIOLENCE

72%

learned about ways to reduce harm while consuming alcohol and/or cannabis.

80%

learned about consent as being enthusiastic and given only when ongoing.

ENGAGING WITH OUR COMMUNITY

62%

learned about resources available for engaging in the Hamilton community.

SCAN FOR A LINK TO OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES VIDEO.

Find us in Gilmour Hall, Room 110. studentsuccess.mcmaster.ca @MacSSC

12 |

A&C

Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019 | www.thesil.ca

Arts & Culture Jamaican Patty Shack This Jamaican patty spot is entwining homegrown Hamilton with Jamaican tradition

RAZAN SAMARA / A&C EDITOR

Rya Buckley A&C Reporter

On Dec. 8, 2018 Jamaican Patty Shack food truck owners, Michael Thompson and Wendy Wright, introduced a piece of the island to the Hamilton Farmers’ Market and found new home for the patty. Driven by the positive responses to their twists on classic beef patties by their community, the couple decided to set up shop in a permanent location.

Thompson and Wright started the Jamaican Patty Shack food truck in July 2018 at the Because Beer Craft Beer Festival. The idea had been in their heads for a long time after the Jamaican couple had noticed a lack of availability of patties in the Hamilton area.

Since establishing the food truck, the couple has garnered public recognition that has drawn individuals from far and

wide to taste their patties. They recently had a woman from Toronto come to the Hamilton Farmers’ Market simply to have their patties. When they visited Toronto for the Mac & Cheese Festival and Buskerfest last year, they were also invited to Toronto city hall by mayor John Tory.

The two have been involved in both culinary arts and customer service for a while, having done catering previously.

Thompson traces his interest in food service back to his teenage years, working as a manager in Dairy Queen and in a West Indian restaurant called Willie’s Jerk. Wright is a baker and previously worked in a food truck in Toronto. By putting their heads together, the two came up with the idea of a Jamaican patty food truck.

“It’s for people on the go.

It’s fast. It’s affordable. Our main aim… was to feed people on the go [for] ten dollars and under

[so it’s] easy on the pocket,” said Thompson.

It’s not only the affordability of the patties that has contributed to its wide appeal but the customizability and variety that the Jamaican Patty Shack offers. This is not simply a spot for the traditional beef patty. Customers can top up their patty according to their own taste, adding ingredients such as cheese or jerk chicken or having their patty wrapped, stuffed, or grilled.

Both out-of-the-box thinkers, the couple is continuously experimenting at home with different flavours. The result is a number of unique twists, such the pattaco — a patty dressed up as a taco — or the reggae patty which is cut open and filled with jerk chicken coleslaw.

With their innovations on a traditional recipe, the couple honours the history of the patty.

“Our main slogan is ‘Out of

Michael Thompson and Wendy Wright standing outside vendor.

Many, One Patty’ and that’s… because of the Jamaican coat of arms which is ‘Out of Many, One People’ and so a lot of different cultures is what comes together to make Jamaica… [T]he patty has evolved from different cultures,” said Thompson.

By setting up shop in the Farmers’ Market, the couple also honours the market tradition in Jamaica. Providing fresh and quality food is important to the duo so they utilize produce from local farmers in their patties.

Setting up in the market also places Jamaican Patty Shack in the city they love and live in. Since coming to the Farmers’ Market, the Stoney Creek residents have discovered something of a family among the friendly and supportive market crowd. Being able to have personable and meaningful interactions with the members of the community

they interact with every day was key to them.

“We want customers to feel happy to come and excited about coming to our spot…

We’re trying to recreate that little piece of vacation that people have in their mind or in their memories so they come and we have a lit palm tree in the back, some reggae music playing and the service is always positive,” said Wright.

Looking to the future, Thompson and Wright hope to have pop-up shops on the outskirts of Hamilton. They are also looking into donating food to local food banks at the end of the day in order to give back to the community which has supported them as they have established their truck and taken root in the Hamilton Farmers’ Market. @theSilhouette

Aside from Jamaican patties, you can also order nachos.

The Silhouette | 13

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019

This act is not just for laughs Salma Hindy brings comedic talent and diversity to the stage

Razan Samara A&C Editor

Salma Hindy likes to think that she was at her peak creativity and performance level while making her childhood friends laugh. Lunch times at the Islamic elementary and secondary schools she attended turned into a comedy sketch hour filled with extravagant storytelling and ridiculous imitations of her teachers and friends.

The up-and-coming comedian recently returned from the 12 city Super Muslim Comedy Tour in the United Kingdom, and finished in second place in the Toronto Comedy Brawl competition against over 400 comedians. Hindy also spent her autumn performing at comedy festivals in Boston, Dallas, Chicago and New York.

As Hindy prepares to open for American comedian and actor Ken Jeong on Jan. 11 for the Life After Mac performance on campus, it’s fair to say storytelling and making people laugh have followed her into adulthood.

Despite growing up being the funniest person in the room and even getting encouragement from Zarqa Nawaz, creator of CBC’s popular sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie, Hindy held back on making a move into the comedy industry as she came to grips with how her family and community would react.

Growing up in a conservative Muslim household meant that her parents have a rigid understanding of what comedy and performance is, which made it difficult for them to understand what their daughter wanted to pursue.

While their ideas of comedy were often tainted with negative connotations and misconceptions, Hindy wanted to show her family and Muslim community that clean comedy can be approached in a way that is mindful of the values and boundaries she has set for herself. Her career, identity and spirituality are part of her own

personal journey and comedy just so happens to play an important part as well.

Despite her parents’ reluctance to attend her shows, Hindy’s mother found herself attending an event her daughter just so happened to be performing at for International Women’s Day this past March. It may have been seeing her daughter perform stand-up for the first time, the fact that Hindy removed all her parent jokes from her set, or the constant boasting on part of her mother’s friends, but the laughter seemed to ease her concerns.

The comedy industry was in for a shock too. Most audiences aren’t used to seeing a visibly Muslim woman take center stage at a comedy bar.

Hindy will skip out on free drink tickets and get ecstatic at the availability of halal food at her events, but the industry is ready to embrace her and the diversity she brings.

“I fit in pretty well as someone who doesn’t fit in, if that makes any sense. They want to see people with different identities… different stories and different perspectives. Somebody who can teach them something that they didn’t know before while obviously still being entertaining and funny,” explained Hindy.

While Hindy’s faith and stereotypes around her identity do seep into her act, she isn’t explicitly written for a Muslim audience. Her witty remarks and hilarious stories about her life, which are all based on true events, humanize her as a Muslim Canadian; an identity that is often informed by the media rather than real life interactions.

Comedy became a breakthrough for fostering understanding. From jokes about struggling to have a crush reciprocate feelings to witnessing anti-Muslim protestors outside of a mosque and thinking ‘wow, these people go to the mosque more than me, like damn I wish I had your consistency’, Hindy utilizes storytelling to reach out to her audience and build a

relationship. “[I]t doesn’t even necessarily have to be specifically or explicitly about Muslim issues or Muslim struggles, obviously those are really enlightening and they’re great informational pieces for the audience, but even just you ranting about the same thing that somebody else would rant about which is just very mundane, just shows how relatable you are and how much of a connection that we all have,” explained Hindy.

Hindy has become a familiar face in the Toronto comedy scene. She was sought out for

her talent but her hard work and reputation among producers keeps her busy performing an average of two shows a week.

Impressively, that’s only about 10 per cent of what she spends her days doing.

Hindy completed her bachelor of engineering at McMaster and a masters in clinical engineering at the University of Toronto. She recently started her first full time job as a biomedical research engineer at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health so it’s only a matter of time before this milestone in her life inspires the newest

additions to her comedy set.

In conversation, Hindy can’t help crack a joke or two — or every five minutes— often followed by a ‘you know what I’m saying?’ and her contagious laughter. Comedy is her superpower, she uses it to spread awareness, break down stereotypes and share herself unapologetically with the world.

@theSilhouette

Salma Hindy is a biomedical research engineer by day, comedian by night.

RAZAN SAMARA / A&C EDITOR

14 |

SPORTS

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019

Sports Hard work never stops Over winter break, tough international competition has prepared the men’s volleyball team for the second half of their season Jessica Carmichael Sports Reporter

While most students use the holiday break to catch up with family or to get reacquainted with the feeling of sleeping in, the McMaster men’s volleyball team has been playing against top international talent to stay sharp during their time off.

First, they headed to Long Beach, California to play the top National Collegiate Athletic Association volleyball team, Long Beach State, and No. 12 University of California Santa Barbara. This marks the third year that the two teams have spent the holidays playing each other, and for head coach Dave Preston, there is no better way to prepare for the second half of the season. For him, getting experience playing against one of the continent’s best teams with inconsequential competitive cost is extremely beneficial for his team.

“These competitive opportunities are awesome, with almost no competitive cost.

Once you establish these relationships it’s a win-win for us,” said Preston. “We get to play at a really high level, and we don’t have to worry about showing our systems and our game plans to a team that we may have to play later on in the season.”

Prior to the trip, the Marauders were undefeated when in international competition, having defeated both Long Beach State and the Ohio State Buckeyes. This time around, the Marauders returned to Canadian soil without a win, yet they still managed to gain so much more.

“We didn’t go out there for results, because if we’re looking for easy wins, we would have scheduled differently,” said Preston. “We did go there to elevate our level of play and we did just that.”

With nine different perfor-

McMaster ended their international series at home with strong wins over Poland’s Jastrzebski Wegiel.

KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

mance standards that the team measures, ranging from their side out percentage, the number of digs and kills they get, the Marauders saw an increase in all nine performance indicators.

So although the average person who sees the standings and does not see any wins may not understand the benefit of the matches, from the team’s perspective it was a success, especially with just two middles.

The lack of players due to injury is something the Marauders have been struggling with during the first half of their season. Although they boast a 6-2 regular season record, the injuries of Craig Ireland and Matt Passalent have made the first half quite a challenge. But fifth-year Connor Santoni has risen to the occasion, playing both libero and left side.

“We’ve also had to rely a lot on both middles, third-year Josh Ecklund and freshman Ty-

ler Pavelic, who played almost every point in our Long Beach [games],” said Preston. “Now that we’re able to reintroduce are returning guys from injury, it’s been a little bit easier.”

The return of Ireland and Passalent had an impact in the Marauders second international tournament this break against top Polish team Jastrzebski Wegiel. Coming out strong with a 3-1 win in their first match the Marauders got back to feeling like themselves. The maroon and grey followed that up with another win, trading sets with JSW until ultimately pulling out the win in five sets.

For Preston, win or lose these international matches give the team lessons that go beyond the court.

“One thing these young men experience is the effect traveling has on your body,” said Preston. “We’re going to have to travel if we’re fortunate in the

second half of the season to get into the playoffs.”

With the Ontario University Athletics Championship being hosted by the top team in the East division, and the U Sports National Championship heading to Laval University, understanding the effect traveling has and how to manage hydration and nutrition for their bodies during that travel is crucial.

“We benefited so much from playing against different styles of volleyball,” Preston said. “In the U.S., it is a really serve-and-block kind of system and Long Beach is probably one of the fastest offences we’ve ever seen. While JSW is extremely different, as they are very heavy on the execution. So they’re two different extremes, but having to adjust and know how to play different styles is a great experience for us.”

Through it all, the Ma-

rauders still have their main focus on conference matches.

With two of the top OUA teams in the West coming into their house Jan. 12 and 13.

“We have to be prepared for that, no ifs, ands or buts,” said Preston. “Every single thing we played over the holidays was in preparation for the Western [University] and Windsor [University] series.”

Never losing focus on their end goal, a national championship, the Marauders are now more prepared and ready to go for the games that matter most.

@ JaayCarmichael

LIFE AFTER MAC

JANUARY 8TH—11TH A series of events and programs for students thinking about life after McMaster University

TUESDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

PRESIDENT’S NEW YEAR'S LEVÉE

NETWORKING FOR SUCCESS

THE GAME OF LIFE: IRL

ALUMNI LAUNCH

KEN JEONG

lifeaftermcmaster.com

NEW YEAR, NEW ME BE NICE TO NEW PEOPLE AT THE GYM, YOU JERKS S5

THURSDAY

THE

HAMILTON SPECULATOR HATING ON DAIRY SINCE 1934

JANUARY 10, 2019

NOTSPEC.COM

Horoscopes for the new year Time is fake, astrology is real, I will not be reading replies to this tweet Sagittarius | Nov. 22 to Dec. 21

Gemini | May 21 to June 20

Capricorn | Dec. 22 to Jan. 19

Cancer | June 21 to July 22

It’s going to be YOUR YEAR, Gemini! Too bad you’re going to die from climate change anyway!

Try going vegan to mitigate the shame you feel.

Some things never change, like a Sagittarius’ inability to take a joke! Look forward to ruining all your personal relationships because your over sensitive ass can’t take criticism!

It doesn’t matter what I say because Capricorns only give a fuck about themselves. Don’t you have an air sign to lecture on fiscal responsibility?

You’ll spend 2019 the same way you spend every year: pouring way too much effort into your personal relationships! Don’t text them back!

(Reader: they did.)

Leo | July 23 to Aug. 22

Aquarius | Jan. 20 to Feb. 18

2019 will be the year you become an Instagram influencer. It will also be the year you are arrested for tax fraud. Who knew filing for bankruptcy could be that fun?

2019 will not be the year people suddenly start thinking you’re #deep for hating Marvel movies.

Stop watching Marvelous Ms. Maisel and call your parents.

Pisces | Feb. 19 to March 20

Virgo | Aug. 23 to Sept. 22

It’s the year you join a multi-level marketing scheme! You’re going to steal all of a Taurus’s money and bankrupt a Leo. Big year!

You will start and end 2019 the same: bullet journaling your life away while avoiding your actual responsibilities! Try hot yoga.

Aries | March 21 to April 19

Libra | Sept. 23 to Oct. 22

Will this be the year you finally learn to think before you make a god damn decision? Probably not! Tell your mom you love her because she’s definitely ashamed to have you as a child.

Taurus | April 20 to May 20

This will be the year you go broke. Don’t spend your OSAP all in one place.

2019 means you’re one year older! Don’t think too long about the crushing monotony of your life and how you haven’t achieved nearly enough of your goals!

It may be 2019 but Scorpios are still invalid.

You know who you are and what you did.

Disclaimer: The Hamilton Speculator is a work of satire and fiction and should not under any circumstances be taken seriously. If you still hate astrology in 2019 you’re weak.

PER ISSUE: A post-undergrad plan INCL. HST, PST & A rising Libra.