The Silhouette - October 4

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INSIDE>>

NEWS: MSU & CUPE 3906 respond to free speech policy mandate // PAGE 3 ARTS & CULTURE: Emerging singer-songwriter releases new music // PAGE 16 SPORTS: The women’s rugby team gears up for the playoff race // PAGE 20-21

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The Silhouette Thursday, October 4, 2018

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Volume 89, Issue 8

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Thursday, October 4, 2018

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MCMASTER THESIL

McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

May 12, 1983

EDITORIAL BOARD

Testing, testing

editor-in-chief | thesil@thesil.ca Emily O’Rourke @emily_oro 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

In 1983, McMaster Senate decided to consult with other major Ontario universities considering the possibility of using admission tests. This came from a recommendation from the board of governors, who asked the Senate to investigate the advantages of required entrance exams, which was unanimously approved by the Board. Dr. Lorraine Allan, Chairman of the Senate’s Undergrad Council, proposed that compulsory entrance exams, alongside other measures would contribute to an upgrading of secondary education.

sections

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

features reporter

Hannah Walters Vida

features@thesil.ca opinion editor

Sabrina Macklai

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 Razan Samara

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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.

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WE WANT YOU The Silhouette is always looking for contributors. Visit our office in MUSC B110 or email a section editor for further information!

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018

The Silhouette

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News Free speech policy mandate ignites renewed concerns McMaster’s free speech guidelines are under fresh examination as policy implementation nears deadline

While the university remains committed to the free expression guidelines, it is willing to listen to different perspectives and possibly amend the document.

Daniella Mikanovsky Contributor

SILHOUETTE PHOTO ARCHIVES Ryan Tse News Reporter

On Aug. 30, the Progressive Conservative provincial government announced a new directive mandating all Ontario universities to “develop, implement and comply” with formal free speech policies by January 2019. According to the official statement, if a university is not compliant, the particular institution may be subject to a reduction in operating grant funding.

In June, McMaster released updated freedom of expression guidelines for event organizers and participants following an ad-hoc committee report and first draft. As of now, it is unclear whether these guidelines qualify as a policy under the new directive.

“We are hopeful that this guidance document will meet the needs of the government,” said McMaster director of com-

munications Gord Arbeau. “We are waiting to hear back from the province about the specifics around that directive that was issued a few weeks ago.”

Both the McMaster Student Union and Canadian Union of Public Employees 3906 which represents sessional faculty, post-doc fellows and teaching assistants, have objected to the Ford government’s mandate and McMaster’s current stance on the issue of freedom of expression.

In particular, MSU president Ikram Farah stated that she acknowledges concerns from students who feel that the directive for a mandatory free speech policy could suppress the voices of marginalized communities.

“What I have heard from marginalized and racialized students is that there is a fear that free speech legislation will be used to further limit the ability to call attention to truths,” said Farah.

Nathan Todd, CUPE 3906 recording secretary, also expresses concern with the province-mandated policy. In particular, CUPE 3906 stands with the official CUPE stance that the free speech policy could negatively affect marginalized communities and actually prevent freedom of expression.

“Our main concern is that it could give the university too much power to prevent things like organizing and mobilizing,” said Todd.

CUPE 3906 is specifically worried that the current McMaster free speech guidelines and any future policy will limit protest.

As of now, it is unclear whether these guidelines qualify as a policy under the new directive.

“We released a response to that policy and our policy is essentially the same for this one for Doug Ford, which is that it is actually quite anti-free speech in a lot of ways and hasn’t been developed or implemented responsibly or democratically,” said Todd.

The Student Representative Assembly unanimously passed a motion in June stipulating that the MSU “advocate to the university that continuous revisions be made” to the freedom of expression guidelines.

At the Sept. 23 SRA meeting, Farah urged SRA caucus members to actively gather student feedback on the issue.

“Should it be a policy, at least let it be the best guidance document possible that is reflective of the students who will be affected by it most,” said Farah.

CUPE 3906 has been taking action by coordinating with its union members to establish a formal response to the new

policy.

Despite the MSU and CUPE 3906’s objections to the university’s stance on free expression, McMaster stands by its guidelines and commitment to “open and civil discourse.” Nevertheless, the university is willing to hear out different sides on the matter and even amend the current guiding document.

“If someone came forward with other ways of improving that document or with suggestions on how that document could be better understood or positioned, then absolutely we would be open to considering that,” said Arbeau.

For now, the university is waiting to hear back from the provincial government. By imposing a firm directive and a short timeline, the Ford government has brought the subject of free speech back front and centre at McMaster and across Ontario. @theSilhouette

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NEWS

Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018 | www.thesil.ca

Same Ward, different perspectives This week’s candidates have different ideas on how to improve transit for Mac students Ryan Tse News Reporter

As the Hamilton municipal election looms, The Silhouette will be interviewing Ward 1 candidates about their platforms and why they believe McMaster students should vote for them. This week, we are featuring Ela Eroglu, Harrison White and Sharon Anderson.

Ela Eroglu Ward 1 candidate Ela Eroglu’s past involvements entailed mentoring youth and helping new immigrants.

She has also been active in the community as a businesswoman and professional architect for 25 years. Eroglu is also a member of the Canadian Green Building Council.

As councillor, Eroglu would focus on housing bylaws, safe streets and public transportation.

Eroglu supports inclusion-

“For me, it is all about community and leadership.

It is not about politics but people.”

Ela Eroglu Ward 1 candidate

ary zoning and improved zoning laws, which she expects will help solve the growing housing problem and increase the “diversity of neighbourhoods.”

Eroglu also supports mid-density housing projects along Main Street. Eroglu stresses the need cooperation between different city partners in addressing rental housing.

According to Eroglu, the Hamilton Street Railway’s long-standing lack of funding is the main reason underlying its insufficient service. For her, the HSR needs “more options and increased frequency.”

“Council needs to change its view about transit of being a service that is used by those only who cannot afford to drive,” said Eroglu.

Eroglu anticipates that light rail transit will provide efficient transportation and promote future developments. She wants it to be implemented as part of the city-approved 10-year transit strategy.

Eroglu believes her long professional track record will aid her in achieving her goals.

“For me, it is all about community and leadership. It is not about politics but people,” said Eroglu.

Harrison White Ward 1 candidate Harrison White has not been highly involved with a political party in the past. Instead,

“I want students to establish roots and start families in Hamilton, not take their skills elsewhere. I am not just a voice for residents, I am a voice for everyone.”

versity of Guelph as evidence that he empathizes with student issues and student-related conflicts. He hopes to facilitate meaningful discussion with all parties in the community.

“I want students to establish roots and start families in Hamilton, not take their skills elsewhere. I am not just a voice for residents, I am a voice for everyone,” said White.

Harrison White Ward 1 candidate he was involved with senior homes and food drives. White was a member of the Guelph Youth Council and has worked at the Canada Revenue Agency.

White’s three focuses are transit, infrastructure and affordable housing.

Regarding student housing, White hopes that improving transit will encourage students to consider living further in the west end. He also has a plan for a revised landlord licensing scheme. Another one of his objectives is to keep Ward 1 property taxes low.

One of White’s ideas to improve the HSR is to implement the “staggering of bus times that serve similar routes.” He also hopes to see HSR routes focused on LRT in the future.

White supports the Hamilton LRT and thinks it bodes well for the city’s future. According to White, at this point, the city should not “backtrack” on the steps it has taken towards the LRT project.

“I find it hard to justify taking steps backwards as over 105 million has already been spent,” said White.

White cites his recent experience as a student at the Uni-

Sharon Anderson Ward 1 candidate Sharon Anderson is a civil engineer who has worked with municipal governments for the past eight years.

Anderson’s main platform points are communication between groups, affordable housing and safe streets.

Anderson hopes to address affordable housing by keeping taxes low and increasing housing units. To do so, she will use policies and bylaws to promote mid-size developments along main corridors.

On transit, Anderson supports the city-planned BLAST network to increase the number of routes around the city.

She also wants to implement a “shorter loop route” for buses on the McMaster campus.

Anderson supports LRT but believes that traffic flows on King Street should be reviewed.

As a McMaster alumna, Anderson states that she can navigate the relationship

between student residents and non-student residents in the McMaster community.

“I am long past ready for the relationship between the two groups to change and do not think it will until we start getting the little interactions and communication right,” said

“I am long past ready for the relationship between the two groups to change and do not think it will until we start getting the little interactions and communication right,” Linda Narducci Ward 1 candidate More information about the candidates’ platforms can be found at https://elaeroglu.ca, and https://www.hwhite4ward1.ca, and https:// www.msumcmaster.ca/ macvotes/macvotes-municipal-elections-2018/ ward-1-candidates/sharon-anderson respectively. @theSilhouette

C/O CANDIDATES’ CAMPAIGN WEBSITES KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4 2018

The Silhouette

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MUMC to relocate in the next 10 years The 620,000 net square feet will be returned to McMaster following the move Elliot Fung Contributor

The agenda from the McMaster board of governors meeting in April 2018 reveals that the Hamilton Health Sciences board has approved a plan to stop operating at its current facility within the next ten years. As part of a 20-year redevelopment plan, HHS plans to relocate the Children’s and Women’s hospital away from the McMaster University Medical Centre to an expansion of Hamilton General Hospital.

The plan is part of HHS’s “Our Healthy Future” vision project and was approved by the HHS board of directors in 2016.

The plan aims to holistically improve the services provided by various healthcare facilities in Hamilton.

“Form follows function,” said Aaron Levo, vice president of communications and public affairs at HHS. “Redevelopment of current infrastructure and construction of new buildings will help to improve the services currently provided by HHS.” The outdated nature of MUMC’s infrastructure is also motivating the relocation of the children’s and women’s hospital.

Having been built in 1972, the current MUMC presents infrastructural difficulty when it comes to redevelopment due to the old architecture and the building materials used in its construction. According to a per-square-foot cost analysis, the cost of redevelopment would equal or surpass the cost of constructing an entirely new building close to HGH. Moreover, the MUMC is the fastest growing children’s hospital, second only to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, and is expected to run out of space in the future.

However, the main reason for relocating lies in the need for the centralization of acute care services. The benefit of centralizing is that the acute care services, such as those provided by the children’s and women’s hospital, will be able to share healthcare technology used at HGH. This will reduce the future costs of having to duplicate expensive new equipment.

“Having everything in one

place creates a better patient experience,” said Levo.

The interests of McMaster medical, nursing and other sciences students are being taken into consideration with these plans. HHS is working with McMaster and making consultations with groups such as the medical residency program.

As to whether health science programs will move to HGH or stay on McMaster campus, it is too early to say. There are still a lot of details missing concerning the relocation and what effects it will have on McMaster students.

Having been built in 1972, the current MUMC presents infrastructural difficulty when it comes to redevelopment due to the old architecture and the building materials used in its construction. “[While the HHS’s plans] would create future opportunities for the use of the Health Sciences Centre building, it is far too early to have specific discussions about any changes that could potentially happen,” said Susan Emigh, director of public relations for McMaster faculty of health sciences.

The “Our Healthy Future” project was recently endorsed by the Hamilton Niagra Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network Board of Directors in Feb. 2018. The proposed plan is currently seeking provincial approval from the ministry of health and longterm care.

Next steps include functional planning and preliminary designing, both of which will come before the construction of a new building. Although “Our Healthy Future” is only in its early planning stages, concrete long-term changes to the MUMC are likely inevitable. @theSilhouette

McMaster University’s Health Sciences building C/O CATHERINE GOCE, PHOTO REPORTER

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NEWS

Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018 | www.thesil.ca

MSU elections department shaking things up

The FYC election saw a higher voter turnout compared to last year, but the real test will be the presidential election

CATHERINE GOCE / PHOTO REPORTER

Donna Nadeem Contributor

Following of last year’s particularly low McMaster Students Union presidential voter turnout rate and suspicions that not all students received an email allowing them to vote, the MSU elections department has been making key changes to its email voting system.

This year, the elections department worked with Simply Voting to introduce Mac ID authentication into the voting system.

In particular, MSU elections department investigated any technical issues with the MSU’s voting system Simply Voting. Ultimately, they found out that any students who

marked MSU’s election emails as junk mail did not receive future emails from the MSU due to Canadian anti-spam legislation.

The elections department not only runs the elections for the MSU but for many clubs within the McMaster community. For instance, their services also facilitate the elections for four major faculty societies: the McMaster Science Society, McMaster Engineering Society, the McMaster Humanities Society and the McMaster Social Science Society.

As such, Simply Voting plays a significant role in facilitating voting in McMaster’s student elections.

This year, the elections department worked with Simply Voting to introduce Mac ID authentication into the voting system. This means that students will no longer need just their email to gain access to their ballot. Using the link to msumcmaster.ca/vote, students can now also use their McMaster login credentials to vote. Ballots remain secret and

identifiable information is not collected.

“The new system was tested this past summer and during First Year Council Election which just finished, and no issues were reported,” said Uwais Patel, the MSU elections department chief returning officer.

Conveniently, the integration of Mac ID means that students can access their ballot without receiving an email.

“We will continue to schedule initial invitations to vote and periodic reminders to those who have not voted yet,” said Patel. “Moving forward, the email blasts sent should ensure maximum deliverability, but will be complemented with the promotion of our new voting link. Regardless, students will be able to access their ballot easily,” said Patel.

Moving to a MAC ID authentication system is expected to make voting more accessible and the process of voting more reliable. Voters are no longer reliant on email messages generated by Simply Voting to login.

This year, there was an

unprecedented number of candidates running in the FYC elections, with 12 simultaneous elections occurring during the campaigning and polling periods. This was the first test for the new voting method, no issues with which were reported.

Voter turnout for the 2018 MSU FYC chair and vice chair election was only 21 per cent.

Voter turnout for the 2018 MSU FYC chair and vice chair election was only 21.6 per cent, with 1,373 students voting this year. Turnout for residence chair elections sat at 31.8 per cent, with 665 students voting.

However, this marked a notable rise from last year’s 14.6 per cent FYC voter turnout.

The feedback received revealed that students appreciated being able to use the msumc-

master.ca/vote link to promote voting themselves.

On the FYC ballot, an optional question asked students for feedback regarding the work of the department. In the coming weeks, the MSU elections department will be carefully looking though those comments for more insight into potential future service enhancements.

“Email is simply one communication tool to drive voters to the voting link where the login to a ballot will be located.

Therefore, spam filters will not have any impact on the election process,” said Patel.

However, students still need to click the link in the first place. In addition, the number of students who voted in the FYC election was quite low compared to the total first year student population. With these technological changes to the voting system, only future elections will tell if voter turnout will make a comeback in the winter presidential race. @theSilhouette

MSU CAMPUS EVENTS PRESENTS

KARAOKE N IGHT ONLY AT TWELVEIGHTY BAR & GRILL

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16TH FREE EVENT | 8:00PM — MIDNIGHT

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

STEPHANIE BERTOLO Vice President (Education) vped@msu.mcmaster.ca 905.525.9140 x24017

It is municipal election season once again, noticeable via the coloured lawn signs popping up across the city.

Candidates are walking up and down the streets, knocking on doors, and handing out flyers. Debates have been planned, websites have been shared, and the McMaster Students Union is running a #MacVotes campaign to encourage students to exercise their right to vote on October 22.

One of my favourite descriptions of the importance of municipal government goes along the lines of this: if the federal government shut down, the average person would not notice for a few months; if the provincial government shut down, the average person would not notice for a couple weeks; but if the municipal government shut down, people would notice within the day. That is not to discredit the importance of the work done by the other levels of government, but rather highlights how much interaction people have with the municipal government on a regular basis. Transit services, waste manage-

October 4, 2018 | thesil.ca

ment, public health, road maintenance, and city planning are only a few of the vital services within their mandate. By electing strong leaders within our municipality, we can ensure that our city is moving in the right direction.

Despite the common misconception, most students can vote in the city of Hamilton. If you live in Hamilton, whether that be a residence room, a student house, or the home you live in all year long, you are eligible to vote.

As a student, if you present a lease or rental agreement, document showing campus residence, transcript or report card from a post-secondary school with a Hamilton address on it, you can cast a ballot.

“By electing strong leaders within our municipality, we can ensure that our city is moving in the right direction.”

What is even more exciting is that if you call another city home and have that address on identification, you are eligible to vote in that election as well.

While both elections are happening on the same day, you can vote in one of the elections in the advance polls during fall break, and then vote in the other on October 22.

It is critical that students vote in this election. Last year, City Council passed a targeted by-law enforcement program in the neighbourhoods surrounding McMaster, which used co-op students from Mohawk College to patrol communities with a high volume of student houses to hand-out fines related to property standards. This program was a direct response to long-term home owners complaining to city coun-

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.

cil about students leaving their garbage bins out too long or not cutting their grass. While the MSU fought the implementation of this program via delegations and letters to City Council, it still passed. If more students vote, elected representatives will actively seek our input and keep the interests of students in mind while making decisions.

I do not believe the lack of turnout from students is because of voter apathy. Students are clearly passionate about issues discussed on a municipal level, such as transit, housing, employment, community safety, and sustainability. Instead, I believe the root cause is lack of information and engagement.

For many students, this will be the first time voting in a municipal election. To make the process easier to navigate, the MSU has summarized all the informa-

tion on how, when, and where to vote in the Hamilton municipal election at msumcmaster.ca/macvotes. The website has a summary of Ward 1 and mayoral candidates’ platforms to help students make an informed decision. The MSU is also hosting a Ward 1 candidates debate on October 16 from 2 PM to 4 PM in MUSC, to provide students with an opportunity to engage with the candidates. On the day of the election, volunteers will be available to walk students to polling locations.

Everyone has a role to play in encouraging youth to get out to vote. It is the small actions of reminding people about the election, talking about the importance of voting, and debating which candidate is best to represent this city that will help increase overall turnout. I hope to see you at the polls!

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018

EDITORIAL

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Editorial Believing survivors How the Kavanaugh hearings are reaching further than the Senate Judiciary Committee Emily O’Rourke Editor-in-Chief

Content warning: Mentions of sexual assault and Kavanaugh hearings

These past few weeks have been tough to watch.

On Sept. 27, Prof. Christine Blasey Ford gave a testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, whom she says sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers.

Since Prof. Blasey Ford spoke out, three more women have made similar reports against Kavanaugh, who, by the time this piece is published, may be elected as a sitting Judge on the Supreme Court of the United States.

As of Friday, Sept. 28, Kavanaugh’s election has been halted and the matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who have only one week and a limited number of resources to conduct

the investigation. The Senate Judiciary Committee, however, hopes the investigation will come to a close sooner.

It may be hard to think about how politics in the U.S. affect us here in Canada, but it’s not hard to understand that if Kavanaugh is elected as a member of the Supreme Court, survivors everywhere are being told that their stories don’t matter.

Out of every 1,000 instances of reported rape, 994 rapists walk free, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network and Bureau of Justice Statistics. Only one out of every three instances of rape are reported, and only two to 10 per cent of reported rapes are false reports.

Let’s bring it closer to home. In 2017, it was reported by the Globe and Mail’s Unfounded investigation that police in Hamilton and Halton dismissed 30 per cent of sex assault claims over a five-year

Your Hamilton Your Vote

City of Hamilton 2018 Municipal Election For more information: www.hamilton.ca/Elections

905-546-4365

period as “unfounded,” a far larger statistic than the national average of 19 per cent.

An “unfounded” report indicates the investigating officer does not believe a crime was attempted or happened. Once an allegation is categorized as unfounded, it effectively disappears from public record.

In a world whereby an old boys’ club is in charge of what happens to abusers, a world whereby survivors who speak out are harassed, not believed or threatened, it’s no question as to why survivors take their time in reporting instances of assault.

It’s also no question as to why survivors don’t report their assault at all.

If we really do condemn the actions of abusers, let’s see it. If we really do want to create a space where survivors feel comfortable reporting their assault, let’s do it.

If we really do believe survivors, let’s believe survivors. @emily_oro

to having your project submitted for ethics!

to swiping down lotion

to 2 hr microwaves

to the bar being so low that you just want someone who puts lotion on their face properly

to Avril Lavigne’s new song

to breaking your hand (RIP Kyle)

to some company sending us granola bars. We’re influencers now!

to Justin’s handy jokes

to impeccable timing

to grad school fees

to personalized courtesy cards

to A & C and punctuality

to sinking toes

to the unknown

to reading week!

to the server being down on production day 1

to CUP Regional!

to the void

WRITE US LETTERS

The Silhouette accepts feedback! These letters are a great way to provide feedback on our content and shape the newspaper you pay for. We miss hearing from students!

If you’re interested, write a letter (300 words or less) in response to our content. If it isn’t slanderous, we will run it! Send the letter to thesil@thesil.ca.

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HUMANS

Catherine Goce Photo Reporter

What is rocketry to you?

Rocketry is a club for me and like-minded people to get together and work on the aerospace industry. It’s just a bunch of passionate engineering students that get together and build rockets. Now that we’re learning more about engineering principles we have the ability to go and build rockets for the first time.

“We try not to take ourselves too seriously because at the end of the day none of us got trained technically on how to build a rocket so it’s a lot of people that are passionate about the subject”, Matthew D’Alessandro McMaster Rocketry Team Controls Lead

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been into space and that’s where my passion comes from. It’s a lot of fun! We try not to take ourselves to seriously because at the end of the day none of us got trained technically on how

Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018 | www.thesil.ca

to build a rocket so it’s a lot of people that are passionate about the subject and coming together to try to figure things out.

takes a lot of money, we need commerce students and social science students to help with social media and stuff like that.

What’s your team working on right now and what is your role in the project?

Tell me about the process your team goes through for designing and building the rocket.

Right now, our team is working on a November launch. We’re hoping to launch that month as a test and we’re going to be competing in June in an international competition down in the States. Right now I’m the lead for controls and my role is doing anything with the computer systems, parachute ejection, etcetera.

Launching a rocket in southern Ontario is very tough because it’s one of the largest flight corridors in the world so we have to go to Alberta, Quebec or New York, which comes with other issues, crossing the border with a rocket is not very easy. So for now we won’t be launching anything close to home but we will film it and post a video.

We’re a really new team so building the infrastructure for the team has been a main goal over the past summer. At this point we’re really looking for new members who are also passionate about aerospace and rockets in general to work not only on the technical aspects but also working with technical sponsorships. Right now we have Pinks as one of our sponsors. Running a team of this size, and building rockets

We go through many designs.

We spend hours banging out a design and then try to actually go ahead and do that and realize if we made a mistake or missed something, so we go back and re-design over and over again.

It’s a long process.

What skills are you going to take from this team and apply to your later life?

Working on a project of this size has given me more insight as to what happens out in the real world, as well as leadership.

The big thing for me as a leader now on the team is that running something of this size is a lot more work on the admin side as well as the technical side. Those admin skills are going to be taken with me for sure.

What is the best part about

“I’ve never felt like I was competing with anyone else in my program and it gives us the opportunity to work together and do something bigger than just going to school”, Matthew D’Alessandro McMaster Rocketry Team Controls Lead being at McMaster?

I like the people here, it’s a great community and everyone is super helpful. I’ve never felt like I was competing with anyone else in my program and it gives us the opportunity to work together and do something bigger than just going to school.

facebook.com/ HumansOfMcMaster

Matthew D’Alessandro McMaster Rocketry Team Controls Lead C/O CATHERINE GOCE

McMaster Students Union’s

Events Calendar

SRA By-Election Nominations Monday, October 15 to Tuesday, October 23, 2018 Where: McMaster University Time: Starts 9:00am | Ends 5:00pm Nominations for the October SRA By-Elections are opening at 9AM on October 15th and close on October 23 at 5pm. Faculties with open seats include: • Commerce • Kinesiology Nomination forms will be available on October 15th at 9AM in the MSU Office, MUSC 201 and online at: msumcmaster.ca/elections Keep up with our facebook page: facebook.com/MSUElections & twitter: @MSU_Elections for more updates!

Pumpkins, Spice, Maroons, and FYC at Bridges Wednesday, October 17, 2018 Where: Bridges Cafe Time: 8:00pm - 10:30pm The MSU Maroons and MSU First Year Council are hosting Pumpkins, Spice, Maroons & FYC: an evening of live performances and pumpkin painting.

First year students can sign up to perform at the coffeehouse by Monday, October 15.

Brought to you by the Maroons and the First Year Council

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail elections@msu.mcmaster.ca

Stay Connected:

MSU_McMaster

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

Connect to ts, n e v E , y t i n u m Com rts, e c n o C , s e c i v r e S bs. u l C & , y c a c o v Ad MSUMcMASTER.CA

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OPINION

Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018 | www.thesil.ca

Opinion Development or gentrification?

Students need to be cognizant of their role in Hamilton’s rapid gentrification

SILHOUETTE PHOTO ARCHIVES

Nina Gaind Contributor

Walking through Supercrawl felt different this year. I felt weird about the presence of five Toyota cars positioned directly across from an art installation.

I also felt a bit out of place, as many local faces and businesses from the past had disappeared, replaced by shiny new coffee shops and boutiques. The unoccupied lot beside CBC Hamilton was empty, where in past years it has been populated by local artists selling their unique DIY crafts and teenagers hanging out in the back (do you know what I’m referring to?).

Despite these changes, the thing that made me the most uncomfortable was the couple comments I heard from Supercrawl goers, referring to Hamilton and the space they were occupying. I heard people making jokes while in an historical James Street North shop, laughing about how outdated and cringe-worthy it was. I heard people snickering at the presence of homeless folks, and making a joke out of the poverty in Hamilton. These deeply unsettling comments

symbolize a larger problem with the changing scene in Hamilton, and the language people use causes further harm to the people being pushed out of these social spaces.

Growing up in a town on the edge of Hamilton, I noticed ways in which people spoke about Hamilton. People talked about the city’s poverty with disdain, associating low-income areas with crime, rather than compassionately understanding the drive behind the perceived danger.

With the recent wave of gentrification, more people from outside of the downtown area have been spending time in in the downtown core, changing how the city is perceived.

This is exemplified in streets like James Street North and Barton Street being described as “up and coming”, while not even 2 km away there are some of the highest poverty rates in the country. With this rapid gentrification, Hamiltonians who have historically occupied these spaces are being pushed further and further away from these areas.

For example, an affordable housing project in the North

End was recently bought out by investors, leaving people who relied on this without homes.

As a student who spends time in these spaces, I listen as the language used to describe people of low-income neighbourhoods becomes increasingly harmful and offensive. Local Hamiltonians are spoken about in ways that stigmatize their lived experience calling certain areas “sketchy”, “ghetto” and “ratchet”. These terms are highly racialized and classist, and do nothing but further the marginalization low-income people face throughout the development of Hamilton.

This issue is highly complicated and has many layers to it.

Gentrification is not a simple concept, as development in the city has positive and negative consequences. As a student, I want to use my voice and privilege to acknowledge the power I and my peers have when we occupy spaces downtown.

Students are positioned in a very grey area when it comes to gentrification and development.

On one hand, we are not the people directly investing and developing land in Hamilton, rising rent prices and push-

As a student, I want to use my voice and privilege to acknowledge the power I and my peers have when we occupy spaces downtown. ing low-income folks to the margins. On the other hand, we engage and spend time in these new coffee shops and stores, supporting local businesses and enjoying these spaces. While we might think our presence as students is trivial, our identities as students give us social power.

Our identities as educated individuals give us more mobility to access physical and social spaces than local Hamiltonians. It is important for us to be mindful of this fact and reflect upon how and why we perceive others to be different from us. This being said, I recognize that university students come from diverse backgrounds and experience oppression in many as-

pects of society and this should not be ignored when talking about this issue.

This city belongs to the very Hamiltonians we ridicule.

As we continue to spend time in gentrified areas in Hamilton, we should be aware of the language we use when talking about others, specifically marginalized folks who are being negatively impacted by the cities changes.

Using divisive language feeds the narrative that people who live in poverty are bad and dangerous, which physically and socially separates people more in society. When we start to change the tone of how we describe others, it can help to create more respectful relationships between people we may deem different from us.

We must respect the history of Hamilton and recognize presence of poverty, looking to the root causes of inequality. I am hopeful that we as students can continue to enjoy Hamilton while being mindful of our identities and interact more positively with local Hamilton community members. @theSilhouette

OPINION

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018

| 13

What cutting LRT would mean Since many election candidates are promising to cut LRT, Hamiltonians must discuss what such an act would mean for the city Rob Hardy Contributor

The latest chapter in the decade long saga of Hamilton’s road to building light rail transit has brought us to yet another mayoral election. Endless dawdling over trivial minutiae prevented council from finalizing construction plans, giving opportunistic politicians a chance to win election votes from wary residents unsure of the project.

First it was Doug Ford who campaigned provincially for city votes by promising to keep funding in Hamilton should council axe LRT, and now Victor Sgro is seeking municipal support to follow through on Ford’s words. Our current mayor, Fred Eisenberger, is determined to ride out this latest threat to Hamilton’s LRT dreams and hopefully, finally, complete the last phase of planning so that shovels will indeed soon be in the ground.

No one can blame you if over the course of years you have switched sides on this issue, perhaps more than once, given how long this tiring soap opera has dragged on. After all, when decisions which have been voted on multiple times somehow repeatedly get challenged and second-guessed, it’s inevitable that our community will become as unsure as its councillors. Indeed, there are some who just want this issue settled once and for all, regardless.

But there are several things to consider as you weigh the pros and cons of who to vote for.

First of all, as of now all systems are a go for building LRT in Hamilton, as slow as things are going. In the years since full funding was given to Hamilton, businesses have made contingency plans, residents have paid a premium to buy homes near a promised LRT line, while others have moved, and considerable investment has occurred because rapid transit was a factor.

Backing out now would be bewildering to stakeholders.

With LRT possibly shelved, we have to consider what would replace it. Well, nothing. Sgro’s plan, as per his campaign website, is to invest $300 million

SILHOUETTE PHOTO ARCHIVES

towards adding more buses, some of these being express routes to rural Hamilton locales where most residents have cars.

I’ll leave it up to voters to decide if transit usage on the HSR is going to increase or become profitable based on merely updating and reshuffling bus routes.

Moreover, a vote for Sgro is not necessarily a vote to kill the LRT project. The mayor can neither unilaterally save nor scrap the project. Council would still need to formally vote to back out, and given recent criticism against our provincial premier and his political conduct, it is plausible that city council might not find Ford’s promise credible enough to depend on. In other words, even those against LRT might prefer

to stay with the current plan rather than gambling on vague alternatives.

If LRT were to actually get nixed, plans for a future bus rapid transit at some point would still be years away, as even the best case scenario would involve some more lengthy planning, and further back and forth squabbling, given this is Hamilton we are talking about. This means that current Hamilton Sreet Railway riders will remain trapped on the same and only transit system we have for the foreseeable future.

This also means that despite what Sgro’s camp asserts, growth and investment in Hamilton would certainly be adversely affected. For instance, there is a reason why downtown Toronto

attracts millions of tourists a year, and a reason why Niagara Falls does the same. It isn’t a mystery why Hamilton, despite being an attractive, sizeable city halfway between the two, does not see the same brisk business.

One of the main debates regarding LRT cites the city’s falling transit usage. With a considerable portion of residents falling within a very low income bracket, it is a very curious thing to wonder why so many people find ways to avoid using the HSR. A reasonable hypothesis is that what is being offered is so unappealing that massive upgrades are needed, and that buses alone aren’t enough to attract a wider ridership.

Whether it is LRT or BRT, a subway or a sky train, Hamil-

With LRT possibly shelved, we have to consider what would replace it.

Well, nothing. ton needs to revamp its image and infrastructure, and we can’t afford to wait any longer.

Given that LRT is the option we’ve chosen, and the only one possible to begin implementing within the year, this is the project that will finally see Hamilton soaring to new heights. @theSilhouette

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The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018

Arts & Culture Bagels are in the house Old Bagel House makes University Plaza its new home for wood-fired bagels Andrew Mrozowski Contributor

A brand-new bagel shop opened in Dundas’s University Plaza just shy of two weeks before the fall academic semester began. The Old Bagel House patiently waited for the influx of students that they would receive in the weeks to come.

Although it might look like every other storefront from the outside, Old Bagel House greets you with a mural dating back to the shop’s roots. The store was originally the Great Canadian Bagel, which was open for almost 25 years before it was replaced by the Old Bagel House.

Proceeding further into the store, your eyes first come across a counter that spans the entire length of the store, guiding your gaze to the back corner where a massive wood-burning oven resides for all to see.

Standing behind the counter you are likely to see the co-owner, Jeet Gandhi, working away. He busies himself with serving bagels or working behind the scenes to make them.

Gandhi himself has a long past with bagels, work-

ing in Montreal for many years before coming to Ontario.

“I didn’t come right away but eventually Toronto was calling me… They don’t have good bagels here. They say it’s a Montreal bagel but it’s not,” explained Gandhi.

Originally opening in Toronto, Gandhi and the rest of the team moved to Mississauga, a city that they found was not saturated with the legendary Montreal bagel. Eventually, they looked to broaden their horizons.

“We were passing by [Hamilton] at one point to go up for a couple meetings we had. We got lost in the traffic and ended up taking the wrong road. Seeing the scenery and everything… We fell in love with the city… It just felt right, and we went for it,” explained Gandhi.

Taking a first glance at the Old Bagel House menu can be a daunting task as there are an abundance of options to choose from. A bagel with Nutella can be a simple and sweet breakfast before class or if you’re looking for a heartier meal, the famous West Coast

bagel contains lettuce, tomato and two eggs.

What’s the secret to these bagels? Each one is individually made and rolled by hand, one at a time. Using hard winter flour which is a more protein intensive base, eggs and a little bit of yeast, these bagels are then boiled in honey water and put to bake in a roaring maple-wood fire oven until they shine a golden-brown colour.

This process is repeated at least three to four times daily.

“When something is cooked with nature, the wood gives energy to it. It’s a sense of belonging. There is love and belonging in each and every bagel,” explains Gandhi.

With a wide-variety of bagels ranging from plain to everything, paired with an assortment of coffees, fresh cream cheeses, vegetables, delis and

smoked meats imported directly from Montreal, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy.

The response from the Hamilton and McMaster community has been positive.

Gandhi recalled a time when about thirty kids came into the shop. It was a memorable moment for him to see the students gathering together and having a good time.

It reminds him of why they opened up the restaurant in Dundas’s University Plaza in the first place. Gandhi hopes more students visit the shop and try their bagels, especially the sesame seed bagel with cream

RAZAN SAMARA / A&C EDITOR

cheese and lox, which is Yiddish for smoked salmon.

“Bagels are our bread and butter… We can’t do what mom does, but we can get close.

That’s the only idea we have,” explained Gandhi.

With beautifully hand-crafted wood topped tables made from the same maple used in the oven and a long wooden bench extending the length of the bagel shop with plugs underneath, the Old Bagel House makes a warm and inviting environment perfect for grabbing a bite to eat or a study session over bagels with friends. @theSilhouette

A&C

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018

| 15

Shifting perspectives

Socrates exhibition challenges ideas around Canadian landscapes and art Adrienne Klein Contributor

What is a landscape? Is Canada the same for everyone? Should depictions of the landscape be realistic? These are some of the questions that the Shifting Ground Lines: Shifting Pluralist Perspectives exhibition asks people to consider as they view framed depictions of Canadian landscapes, from Carl Ray’s Medicine Bear to Lawren Harris’ Lake and Mountains, hanging on the crisp white walls of the main floor of L.R. Wilson.

Shifting Ground Lines: Shifting Pluralist Perspectives is an exhibition curated by Brandon Coombs and a production team consisting of Beatrice Hammond, Sienna Suji Kim, Kyle West and Jennifer Yacula of McMaster University. It is composed of eleven photo reproductions of artistic Canadian landscapes and is part of the Socrates Project at McMaster

University, which aims to shed light on pressing issues through interdisciplinary approaches.

The exhibition was originally conceived as part of a project for Art History 4X03 administered by Angela Sheng, an associate professor in the Art History department, where students were tasked with curating a visual exhibit. Beatrice Hammond, who is a fifth-year art history and English major, explained that her group decided to do their project on Canadian landscapes because they wanted to challenge and question popular ideas surrounding the meaning of Canadian art.

“When people think of Canadian landscape their mind automatically goes to the Group of Seven. That’s what we were taught in elementary school. Go to the art gallery, see the Group of Seven, learn it, but we don’t usually get to see that that’s not the only landscape,” explained

Hammond.

“That’s not the only representation of landscape or Canadian landscape and there’s so many different representations. [W]e really wanted to shift the narrative… we’re shifting the notion of what is the conventional landscape and shifting away from the settler, colonial ideas of art and…what is beauty and what is landscape.”

The director of the Socrates project, Rina Fraticelli, trusted these students to make the entire exhibit a reality. They were given the upmost independence in the curation process. They picked pieces to include, framed the artwork by hand, marketed the project and were involved in every details from inception of the project to the closing reception.

“There were a lot of components to this and I learned so much about the professional art world through this experience. It was crazy learning how

museums and galleries work and how to communicate with them and get results. Like how to get people to give you photo reproductions, how to get them to ship them to you, you know, just working with people,” said Hammond.

The reception for the exhibit has received a positive response thus far. On Sept. 26, Coombs gave a curatorial talk where he discussed the way that we create artificial boundaries in various areas of society and Hammond enjoyed watching everyone admire the pieces through that lens. “[We] had Coombs talk about how the art relates to space and how we create artificial boundaries through our provinces and territory lines and how some spaces are delegated to some people while others aren’t so that was kind of cool watching people view the artwork while keeping that in

mind,” explained Hammond.

Only a few of pieces from their original virtual exhibition were able to be secured, but the intent remained the same; to have equal representation for Indigenous and non-Indigenous art. The entire process shows the value of experiential education both for people leading the project and those able to appreciate the end results.

The exhibit can be viewed in L.R. Wilson up until Oct. 19, when there will be a final reception for the exhibit. People will have the opportunity to hear from the students who put the exhibit together and discuss it with them. @theSilhouette

RAZAN SAMARA / A&C EDITOR

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The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018

Shanika Maria is figuring it out Hamilton singer-songwriter talks art, life and community ahead of her upcoming album

C/O JENNY VASQUEZ

Rya Buckley A&C Reporter

Hamilton singer-songwriter Shanika Maria knows how to make a presence. In a t-shirt from Hamilton-based brand Girls with Guns and shoes that she bought ten years ago and thought she outgrew she describes herself as all over the place but it’s these items, memories and influences that she funnels gracefully into her music.

In the summer of 2017, Maria released her debut EP, Childish Games. The five-song record is soft and acoustic, with Maria’s haunting voice singing lyrics that could be interpreted in a million ways. It’s a snapshot of where her abilities and creativity were at the time.

“Mouth Eaters” is the last track off the EP, it started off as a poem and then became part of her debut project. It was reworked and re-released on Sept.

28, 2018. Maria celebrated the release with a performance at the Mule Spinner the following day.

The reworked track is more upbeat than the original and includes collaborations from several people in Maria’s musical circle. It introduced new instruments and production that lend the familiar lyrics a brand new meaning. Maria has always supported the idea of her art being read in many different ways.

“I don’t think it’s…fair for me to tell anybody how to interpret what I’ve created. I feel like once I created it, I put it out there. It’s now for the audience to interpret in whatever way they feel fit. I feel that’s art in general…We all have our own lives and that’s how we’re going to come to art,” Maria said.

The single is the first off her upcoming album, Subtle Uncertainties. Like her EP, it is a picture of where she is in her

life right now and describes her outlook on life. Currently in her mid-twenties, she is facing a version of adulthood where not everything is figured out.

Maria isn’t pursuing music full-time and while she is balancing other work and jobs, she believes that where she stands right now is what’s best for her at this time. She is not yet sure if she’d like to do music full-time but that is something she’ll have to navigate when the opportunity arises.

“As I’ve become older and as I’ve navigated everything, things are really uncertain, things are really ambiguous.

The things I thought I wanted, I don’t know if I want them…

Life is very uncertain, and everything is uncertain and I don’t think that that’s a bad thing,” explained Maria.

Maria meets that uncertainty with the support of good people, from her family and friends to her mentor Kojo Easy

Damptey and her label Celestial Voodoo. Damptey took her under his wing and helped to bring about the recording and release of her EP. Maria loves that she is part of an artist-run and collaborative label.

The good people that she has found in the music industry let her know that her contribution has value. Breaking into music, she faced the challenge of having to interact with people who based her worth as a performer on her ability to bring in audiences.

Genuine connections with artists and listeners helped her to overcome doubts that her work lacked value. These connections are also what she loves about performing in Hamilton.

“I have community here and I feel like people are being pretty receptive to what I’ve been doing so that’s always a nice feeling…And I also just really like performing with other people…Live performance

really gives an emotional and intimate look into their creativity,” explained Maria.

Maria’s creativity takes multiple forms. She writes fiction and poetry in addition to creating music. In the same vein, she takes inspiration from several forms of art other than music, from film to poetry to books.

She is looking forward to the newness that comes with putting out a fresh batch of music. She’s tried new things on the guitar and is excited about the new sound and vibe on her new album. Her excitement is accompanied by some fear, however, because life after all is uncertain.

@theSilhouette

A&C

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018

| 17

Hamilton for the holidays Every Golden Moment hosts Friendsgiving Dinner in the first of a series of holiday gatherings Rya Buckley A&C Reporter

Thanksgiving pulls people back home. Set at the beginning of Reading Week, it will see many students travelling both near and far to spend time with their families and old friends.

It causes most of us to pause, even for a moment, and reflect on who, what and where we’re grateful for.

However, Thanksgiving is not always festive and fun.

Founder of Every Golden Moment Carina Noyes knows that the holidays can be hard. That is why she created Friendsgiving Dinner, a community Thanksgiving meal.

Friendsgiving Dinner takes place on Oct. 7 at vegan and gluten-free restaurant Planted in Hamilton. Featuring a plant-based diet, it is the first in a series of holiday gatherings hosted by Every Golden Moment, the business that Noyes launched earlier this year that

curates bohemian style picnics.

“Friendsgiving was created initially because I had my parents separate last year. [I]t just inspired me to think…with our little groups of friends, you have your little celebrations...But what can I create that can bring more people together in the community?” explained Noyes.

The result of this thinking is Friendsgiving. Open to all ages, Noyes wants to bring people from all different backgrounds to experience the magic of new connections. She loves the idea of strangers becoming family by eating together and sharing what they are grateful for.

Gratitude is important to Noyes. In the past year she’s seen drastic shifts in her life, replacing partying and drinking with more depth and thankfulness.

It’s this journey that inspired her to create Every Golden Moment.

“I’ve seen my journey and…I want to create a platform [for] people that have that moment [of] life is more

than what this is right now… I wanted to create Every Golden Moment to… connect … people that are on a similar journey…

[T]hat’s what I come down to: community and connection,” she explained.

She has seen what gatherings like these can do. They have restored hope after failed relationships and joined strangers together in friendship. Whereas media and many we may know focus on one type of family, events like these remind us that the word also describes bonds that aren’t blood.

Thanksgiving is often tied to tradition. The idea of stepping outside of one’s comfort zone on this holiday might not seem appealing. However, Noyes notes that there are so many people in this city that we can learn from and form genuine connections with.

It is a genuine connection that partnered her with Planted in Hamilton. Vegan and gluten-free herself, Noyes always

features plant-based food in her gatherings. She chose Planted because the staff always value her as a person and appreciate her business. Their support of her vision and their commitment to creating community made them a perfect fit.

Noyes aims to partner with new establishments during each upcoming holiday gathering. It is important to her to support Hamilton businesses. “[T]here’s so many vegan restaurants… popping up… I want to cycle the business back to these Hamilton businesses.

I don’t want to take away their business. I want to put a new spin on it and make it like these cool events and have people come out,” said Noyes.

In getting people to come out to these holiday gatherings, Noyes is starting a new tradition in Hamilton. She hopes that attendees walk away feeling closer to the city and the people in it, giving everyone another reason to be thankful. @theSilhouette

C/O INSTAGRAM @MARK&KAIT

McMaster Students Union’s

Events Calendar

SRA By-Election Nominations Monday, October 15 to Tuesday, October 23, 2018 Where: McMaster University Time: Starts 9:00am | Ends 5:00pm Nominations for the October SRA By-Elections are opening at 9AM on October 15th and close on October 23 at 5pm. Faculties with open seats include: • Commerce • Kinesiology Nomination forms will be available on October 15th at 9AM in the MSU Office, MUSC 201 and online at: msumcmaster.ca/elections Keep up with our facebook page: facebook.com/MSUElections & twitter: @MSU_Elections for more updates!

Pumpkins, Spice, Maroons, and FYC at Bridges Wednesday, October 17, 2018 Where: Bridges Cafe Time: 8:00pm - 10:30pm The MSU Maroons and MSU First Year Council are hosting Pumpkins, Spice, Maroons & FYC: an evening of live performances and pumpkin painting.

First year students can sign up to perform at the coffeehouse by Monday, October 15.

Brought to you by the Maroons and the First Year Council

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail elections@msu.mcmaster.ca

Stay Connected:

MSU_McMaster

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

Connect to ts, n e v E , y t i n u m Com , s t r e c n o C , s e c i Serv . s b u l C & , y c a c Advo MSUMcMASTER.CA

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GAMES

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018

Games

ACROSS

1- Incline; 5- Western Indians; 9- Covered with mud; 14- Iams alternative; 15- Short skirt; 16- Type of sanctum; 17- Bubbly name; 18- Collar type; 19- Surgery souvenirs; 20- Important person; 22-Janeiro; 24- ___ tree falls...; 25- Eighth sign of the zodiac; 29- Young male horses; 32- Sheep shelter; 34- Inventor Rubik;

DOWN

1- Gyro meat; 2- “The Time Machine” people; 3- Take down ___; 4- In spite of; 5- Last Greek letter; 6- ___ for tat; 7- ___ about (roughly); 8- Ill-omened; 9- Botch; 10- Informally; 11- Modern-day evidence; 12- ___ Rosenkavalier; 13- Mos. and mos.;

35- No way; 36- Tierney of “ER”; 37- Shape; 38- Dict. entries; 39- Composer Bruckner; 40- Ancient Greek coin; 41- Nipple; 42- Nest; 43- Campbell of “Scream”; 44- I could ___ horse!; 45- General ___ chicken; 46- Conceals; 47- Rare metallic element; 49- ___ Paulo; 50- Draw off liquid gradually; 52- Unfair lender;

56- Skylit lobbies; 59- Unclothed; 61- Walkman maker; 62- Inclined; 63- Approved; 64- Crescent-shaped figure; 65- Marsh plant; 66- Actress Russo; 67- Votes for;

21- Conditions; 23- Vast seas; 26- Poked; 27- Smitten; 28- Large quantity; 29- American general; 30- Wanna bet?; 31- Crescent-shaped; 32- The Little Dog; 33- Perform better than; 36- Woman’s loose gown; 46- Gives birth to; 48- Angry; 49- Kid leather;

51- Microwave; 53- Womanizer; 54- Sicilian resort; 55- Some whiskeys; 56- Gore and more; 57- Driving aid; 58- Far out!; 60- Thieves’ place;

SPORTS | 19

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018

Sports As strong as your weakest player Men’s rugby’s Conor Marshall details a player’s perspective on the McMaster team’s playeroriented strategy and leadership style and how that has led them to success

The rugby team hopes to add more hardware to their cabinet this season, as they did in last year’s campaign.

SILHOUETTE PHOTO ARCHIVES

Adriana Skaljin Contributor

Conor Marshall has been playing for the McMaster men’s rugby team for three years and has followed the sport since the ninth grade.

The fourth-year chemical engineering student decided to play the sport due to its physicality and challenging nature.

However, it was not until he picked the sport back up in the 12th grade that he realized that it was a good fit for himself.

“Rugby teaches you about life lessons, as it challenges you to play as a team, work with each other’s personalities, and ultimately move as a single unit,” explained Marshall. “A rugby team is only as strong as its weakest player, which proves the importance of communication and teamwork.”

At a high school level, Marshall explained how the differing levels of understanding and skill towards the sport contrast the

strong passion for the sport that comes at a university level.

“In university, everyone knows what they are doing in the game, which allows us to come together to build the platform needed to win,” said Marshall.

The team is composed of around sixty players, whose age range is staggered across all undergraduate years. A lot of players were recruited this year, due to the loss of several upper-year players. It was one of the biggest recruiting sessions, as people were pulled from all over Ontario, rather than by joining the team as walk-ons.

“We have many talented veterans on the team, who are joined by lower-years that are stepping up their game,” said Marshall. “Our first-year players are providing us with speed, which is changing the way that we are playing. Others are providing us with size and effort.”

Marshall described how having an age diverse team has

contributed to strong levels of mentorship and leadership both on and off the field.

He explained how the upper-year players serve to help correct and assist the younger players on the field. This leadership extends off the field as well, as seen through the implemented mentorship program.

“The mentorship program that has been created for the team, pairs up fourth-year players with younger years,” explained Marshall. “Off the field, these upper-year mentors help lower-year ‘buddies’ with their homework and will check in to see how they’re doing.”

It is evident that this mentorship program is one of the many things that led to Marshall’s classification of the team as being “friendship oriented.”

Both on and off the field, the team is described to always have each other’s best interest in mind, which ultimately allows them to connect on the field.

“It’s an interesting dynamic

as to how the players smash each other in the game, but then can meet up with one another and have a talk,” said Marshall. “The fact that we can do this with the rival teams prove that rugby is a humble sport.

The team also has six captains who share the responsibility of leading the team. The ‘Leadership Group’ decides themselves who the captains are for each game, and attribute to the team’s purpose of being player-oriented.

These captains sit down with the coaching staff and come up with the areas that they believe need the most work.

These improvements are then touched upon during their film study session, which occurs on Sundays, and then becomes the main focus of that week’s practices.

“The fact that we get to figure out our own areas of improvement has created a great environment to play in,” said Marshall. “Coach [Dan] Pletch

is a player-oriented person and instead of telling you how to do something, he will ask a question and make us figure it out. He calls it problem-based learning, and I find it to be very effective.”

This coaching style forces the players to figure out the problems themselves, which is a challenge that the team has accepted.

“It allows us to come up with ways to better the system,” explained Marshall. “By allowing us to come up with our own solutions, Pletch has implemented a method that makes us very player-oriented.”

It is through a player-oriented approach and the strong mentorship between teammates, that players such as Conor Marshall, have recognized their areas of improvement and the fact that they are stronger together. @theSilhouette

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SPORTS

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018

The McMaster women’s rugby team heads into the playoffs 2-2, but are still looking to make the most of it

Jessica Carmichael Sports Reporter

The McMaster women’s rugby team is well known at Mac for being one of the top athletic programs over the last few years. Winning the U Sports, formerly known as Canadian Interuniversity Sport, finals in 2015, in addition to taking three trips to the Ontario University Athletics playoffs over the last four years.

“Winning CIS was a crazy unreal feeling. Plus winning in November meant that whole year we were on top, which was pretty amazing,” said fifth-year outside back Madeleine Seatle.

“We’ve also been lucky enough to go to three Nationals, so now just getting back there is all you

“Winning CIS was a crazy unreal feeling.

Plus winning in November meant that whole year we were on top, which was pretty amazing” Madeleine Seatle Fifth-year outside back

can think about.”

For Seatle and the Marauders getting back there has not been as easy as the past. The team ended their regular season coming in third place in the OUA Shiels division with a 2-2 record. This is not exactly where they want to be, but they still plan to make the most of it.

In their last game of the season, the Marauders were faced with an uphill battle.

Their opponents, the two-time OUA defending champions, the University of Guelph Gryphons, were not going to go down without a fight. Although coming off a big win against the University of Western Ontario

In their last game of the season, the Marauders were faced with an uphill battle.

Mustangs, it seemed achievable.

“We had just lost against Queen’s, so we were really just looking to bounce back,” said Seatle on the victory against the Mustangs. “We really wanted to be in a better place so it was really just about getting out there, and getting back into a rhythm and playing a game we wanted to play.”

Against the Mustangs, Seatle lead the team in tries, bringing in three in the 71-10 victory. Madison Cohoon was right behind her with two while Kayla Boisvert, Cassidy Calvert, Britni French, Taylor Price, Tia Svoboda and OUA try leader Sara Svoboda all brought in one try each.

The win showed off the amount of depth the Marauders have in their line up, which is something that they have been able to boast about the past few years. Their incredible talent is what Seatle attributes to keeping her motivated through up and down seasons like this one.

“I have really amazing

SPORTS | 21

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018

The win showed off the amount of depth the Marauders have in their line up. teammates who are just so motivated and so passionate about rugby,” said Seatle. “It’s hard not to feel motivated when you’re surrounded by amazing women every day, and you see how much work everyone puts in in.”

Going into the Guelph game, as hard as it was cracked up to be, the Marauders tried to keep one thing in mind.

“Our coach Tim [Doucette]

keeps using the phrase, ‘these are tests’,” said Seatle. “This is our last regular-season game.

After that, it’s going to be playoffs, and not that regular season doesn’t matter but playoffs are where it counts.”

Head coach Tim Doucette wanted the team to use the Guelph game to solidify their playing on offence and defence, pinpoint what they need to work on and to see where they match up with the best of the best. Unfortunately for them, the game did not end in their favour, but it was a learning lesson nevertheless.

“Going into the game, we were very focused because we

knew that we wanted to really go out there and prove something to ourselves and to everyone else,” said Seatle. “Though it didn’t go the way we wanted it to, we were probably the most connected than we’ve ever been, and it was a great stepping stone and a learning point that will really help us in the playoffs.”

The lone try of the game was courtesy of Sara Svoboda, one of the few veteran leaders still left on the team. Although Svoboda, Seatle and French and other upper-years bring seasoned talent to the table, the majority of the team is still quite young and it shows in games like these.

Through their losses they are able to identify their weaknesses and to pinpoint what they need work on.

Through their losses they are able to identify their weaknesses and to pinpoint what they need work on for not just the playoffs, but if they face a team like Guelph again. But first, the Marauders will host the Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, on

Oct. 5 at Ron Joyce Stadium.

The Golden Hawks are in second place of the Russell division, sporting a 3-1 regular season record, and are not a team to be taken lightly. If the Marauders can pull off a win, they have a chance to bring home that OUA Championship once again. @theSilhouette

AGH BMO WORLD FILM FESTIVAL 10TH ANNIVERSARY • OCTOBER 11 – 21, 2018

OVER 60 FILMS! Tickets Individual: $12 Festival 10-Pack: $108 Festival Pass: $250

Official Festival Opening Party & AGH Fall Exhibitions Opening Friday, October 12, 6 pm – 10 pm Art Gallery of Hamilton FREE Event

Closing Night Film, Party & Drag Show Saturday, October 20, Film at 7 pm, Party at 9 pm Art Gallery of Hamilton Everyone welcome to the Party, FREE Event!

aghfilmfest.com #AGHFilmFest

22 |

SPORTS

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018

Determined, driven and dedicated Currently ranked second in the nation, third-year Josh McGillivray and McMaster’s cross-country team are sprinting towards a great season Graham West Contributor

At their most recent cross-country meet, the Western Invitational, Josh McGillivray led the team to a second-overall finish, placing third individually.

McGillivray, who led the field for McMaster for the first time in his career, said he treated this race differently than his past competitions, going in with a mindset to start at the front of the pack and staying there.

Clearly it worked as he had a career day, enough to get him named Pita Pit Athlete of the Week. He finished the 8 km course in an astonishing 24:20, and McGillivray thinks he will keep this week’s new strategy going forward to see if it will continue to work, but he will not change everything in his race-day preparations.

Cross-country is more of a mental sport than most people would realize, far more than most would consider it to be at first glance. There are so many people you are directly competing with that it can certainly take a toll mentally on a runner, constantly checking what place you are in, al the while to continuing to push yourself.

McGillivray highlighted the fact that with lengthy races, you are constantly pushing yourself to keep running as hard as you can, and this is where a lot of strength and grit comes in. The third-year runner also noted that preparation for cross-country meets is always very thorough. He said that making sure to get a good sleep, not only the night before but two nights before, can be instrumental to his success in addition to eating properly.

Even though you run individually, McGillivray emphasized that cross-country really is a team sport. Although you run by yourself during the races the sense of community really prevails, and that traditional sense of team chemistry is still very present.

For example, several Mac runners who were not even participating in the track meet because they had already run in a previous race came to cheer on their teammates who were competing. McGillivray said

this is one of the tightest groups of guys he can remember, which allows them to be their best selves athletically as they continue to push each other.

“I’m surrounded by an incredible group of guys every single day and we kind of suffer through together,” said McGillivray. “We work hard, we all do the workouts. I think it was me on that given day that was leading the team, but I think our team is strong enough and deep enough that on any given day, anyone of us could be at the head of the group.”

McGillivray highlighted the importance of staying cool and not overworking oneself, something he credits his coach, Paula Schnurr, for being very good at.

He also stressed the importance that even though it can be really easy to go too hard, cross-country nationals is still a month and a half a way so it’s important for the athletes to pace themselves throughout the season.

“I think that the depth of this team, although we have had really deep teams the past few years, we’ve come fourth consecutively in the past five years now at nationals, but this year and the depth of this team is pretty insane,” McGillivray explained.

McGillivray believes that this could be the year the team breaks recent tradition and places on the podium at nationals.

“On any given day, because you have your top five scorers and then your top seven are considered your team because you have two alternates, I don’t think we’ll have the same top seven in a consecutive race all season,” McGillivray said.

While there is still a long time before the team transitions to the indoor track season, the start to this year looks promising. With a roster that looks better than ever, a very clear drive and determination to succeed, the men’s cross-country team has nationals in sight and look poised to buck the trend of placing fourth for the past five years. @theSilhouette

OLD MAN TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR LIFE I’M NOT THAT MUCH LIKE YOU SINCE YOU HATE FUN S5

THURSDAY

THE

HAMILTON SPECULATOR YELLING INTO THE VOID SINCE 1934

OC TOBER 4, 2018

NOTSPEC.COM

GET OFF MY LAWN

BREAKING: students are too busy to make their grown ass neighbours happy

WE GET IT YOU HATE STUDENTS BUT YOU DON’T NEED TO TELL THAT TO A STUDENT PUBLICATION

HILDA O’HOOLIHAN Their homes cost more than everything I own and owe

As the air in Westdale starts to cool down, some locals are getting heated about the fact that they decided to move into a neighbourhood that is pretty much dominated by students.

For some reason, a whole bunch of grown up adults decided that moving into a neighbourhood in which their neighbours are near exclusively 20 somethings would be a good idea. As it turns out, it’s not.

According to several residents, students in the area are dirty, loud, obnoxious, burdens, driving neighbourhood property values into the ground, useless and LAZY SLOBS because they don’t participate in neighbourhood chores, that are really their landlord’s responsibility.

From shoveling snow to

cutting the lawn, recent studies have shown that while menial and time-consuming, these tasks are the responsibility of the property owner, not the tenant. It may come as a surprise to some that students are too busy to do something that is literally not their job.

“I have four assignments due, six labs to write, two jobs, 70 hours of work, 30 hours of volunteering, $25,000 in loans to pay off, three planets to save, nine surgeries to perform, seven robots to build and one kitten that needs to be saved from a tree,” said Jay Kay, a second year engineering student whose dark circles seemed to be black holes, actually. “I don’t even have time to cry!”

However, Rin Maber, a west Hamilton resident, thinks that the reason students won’t do someone else’s job is because they’re busy with other things.

“Those dang kids won’t stop puking on my lawn from too much partying, sex and Netflix! I never thought I’d encounter this when living down the street from a university with over 30,000 students,” said Maber. “The university should cancel EVERYTHING that ALL students enjoy, including

Disclaimer: The Hamilton Speculator is a work of satire and fiction and should not under any circumstances be taken seriously. Leave me alone.

Homecoming, Welcome Week, free food on campus and student discounts.”

Honestly, who would think it’s a good idea to move into a student neighbourhood?! As a grown ass adult?! Just wondering.

INSIDE JUSTIN’S FINALLY WEARING PANTS A3 WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD IN COLLECTIVE SIGH A6 OLD MAN YELLS AT CLOUD B2 LAZY SLOBS, IN BOLD B5 I’M STILL NOT OVER THAT LETTER TO THE EDITOR OBVIOUSLY C1 HEY, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SEA MONKEYS? C4 LET ME ADD ANOTHER GOOGLE SPREADSHEET D4 PER ISSUE: A neighbouring community that accepts and supports students in the area.

INCL. HST, PST & three of it.