The Silhouette - April 8, 2021

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Volume 91, Final Print Issue Thursday, April 8, 2021 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

EDITORIAL BOARD editor-in-chief | thesil@thesil.ca

Justin Parker digital media specialist | dms@msu.mcmaster.ca Derrick Chappell managing editor | managing@thesil.ca Andrew Mrozowski online editor | online@thesil.ca Kyle West production editor | production@thesil.ca

LOOKING BACK

Mar. 5, 1971

It’s been real 50 years ago in 1971, the Silhouette signed off with the below message, and we will do the same for 2021. It’s been real and this is it — the last issue of Volume 91. Thank you to everyone who made this entire volume possible despite the many challenges we had to overcome. As much fun as it has been, it is time to say goodbye — so see you later.

Sybil Simpson sections

NEWS Urszula Sitarz news reporter Sanya Grover news@thesil.ca news editor

FEATURES features reporter Adrian Salopek features@thesil.ca OPINION Steffi Arkilander opinions@thesil.ca

opinion editor

ARTS AND CULTURE arts & culture editor Rya Buckley arts & culture reporter Nisha Gill artsandculture@thesil.ca

sports editor

SPORTS Krishihan Sivapragasam sports@thesil.ca

MULTIMEDIA Esra Rakab production@thesil.ca social media coordinator Erica Mark online@thesil.ca production coordinator

CONTRIBUTORS Amarah Hasham-Steele staff writer Novera Shenin staff writer Subin Park staff writer Sarah Lopes Sadafi staff writer Jovan Popovic production assistant Samantha McBride staff writer

COVER Cover by Esra Rakab and Andrew Mrozowski

WE WANT YOU The Silhouette is always looking for volunteers! However, we are out of publication for the next little while. Visit our website at www.thesil.ca or email us at thesil@thesil.ca if you are interested in getting involved over the summer! C’mon, it’ll be fun.

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CONTACT

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.

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The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

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News

Hamilton organizations develop online platform for reporting hate crimes A group of Hamilton organizations have begun developing a platform to track and address Hamilton’s high rate of hate crimes per capita Amarah Hasham-Steele Staff Writer

In 2019, Hamilton had the highest number of police-reported hate crimes per capita in Canada at 17.1 per 100,000 people. The national rate, in comparison, was 4.9 out of 100,000. Further, many have argued that Hamilton hasn’t done enough to address its high rate of hate crimes.

In response to this, a variety of Hamilton organizations are in the process of developing a platform to report hate crimes online. Associate Professor in the McMaster University School of Social Work, Ameil Joseph, the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, Spectrum Hamilton and McMaster’s office of community engagement are all involved in the creation of this platform.

Kojo Damptey, executive director of the HCCI, noted that the main purposes of the online platform are to accurately track the number of hate crimes in Hamilton and to offer support and resources to those who are victims of hate.

“When we’re talking about hate crimes in Canada, the only numbers that are available are what police departments submit to stats Canada. That doesn’t give us an accurate picture

PHOTO C/O Sergey Zolkin

of all the hate crimes and hate incidents that are happening . . . By having this community[-based], independent platform, it will give us a better sense of what’s happening in the community and how we can address this issue of hate,” said Damptey.

According to Sashaina Singh, project coordinator for McMaster’s office of community engagement, the project is still in the research phase and focus groups are currently being conducted.

“Students are doing focus groups with marginalized communities in Hamilton to find out what they’d like to see in the platform, if they would use it, why they would use it,

how they would use it, how the data would be used,” Singh explained.

Damptey noted that one major benefit of an online platform is that it allows victims of hate to report incidents in an immediate fashion. However, Damptey added, this is only true for individuals with smartphones or access to the internet.

Given that an online platform has both benefits and drawbacks, Damptey explained that there are still many aspects of this initiative that have yet to be decided.

Singh explained that more decisions about the platform will be made once the research phase is concluded. According

to Singh, the ongoing research will guide important decisions about the online platform, such as where it will be housed, what it will be used for and how it will be accessed.

“Hopefully, at the end of the focus groups, we will be able to have a broad [selection] of different options and resources for people,” said Damptey.

“Hamilton is pretty unique and well-positioned to learn from our super active and vocal communities [about] what might work best here, and it’s nice to see the energy and the support,” said Singh.

Singh added that she hopes the platform will help all members of the

Hamilton community, including McMaster students and faculty.

“The most important thing is making sure that people that experience [hate have access to] resources and support,” Damptey emphasized.

“The most important thing is making sure that people that experience [hate have access to] resources and support.”

Kojo Damptey Executive Director, HCCI @TheSilhouette

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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

NEWS

Thesis! In a pandemic?

How students have adapted to limited lab time, cancelled programs and remote research ous patients to analyze clinical predictors and outcomes.

Au-Yeung said that apart Urszula Sitarz from the research question, News Editor she was really interested in this project to gain clinical experiDoing a thesis or capstone ence and she was a bit sad to project can be difficult in find out she couldn’t. Luckily, regular circumstances. In this the program ran online in the virtual year, students have winter term and she was excited shown incredible innovation to sit in. Au-Yeung hopes she and determination and made can use what she’s learned in the most out of these trying her pursuit of clinical psycholcircumstances. ogy.

These eight students from a Though she initially felt range of disciplines and types of disconnected, she said the research have shared their chalonline environment has made it lenges and triumphs navigating easier to meet with her superthis strange and unpredictable visor and that the other thesis year, and have done so with students have been supporting remarkable grace and creativity. each other.

As one student, Christy Au-Yeung said she relied a Au-Yeung said, “I would say, lot on being motivated by her overall, even though it’s not peers but, with the nature of a what I had expected it’s been a thesis, especially online, she’s positive experience and I’m sure learned to work that’s maybe more indewhat you’re pendently. hearing from a “I would lot of people.” say, overall, That is even though it’s exactly what I not what I had heard from the expected it’s eight students been a positive I was fortunate experience,” to interview added Auand share their PHOTO C/O CHRISTY AU-YEUNG Yeung. experiences.

Christy Au-Yeung: Level IV integrated science and psychology, neuroscience and behaviour.

Thesis: Identifying which clinical predictors — like age, personality, cognitive abilities, depression and stress — could predict better outcomes in memory following a cognitive remediation intervention in patients with mood disorders.

Supervisor: Heather McNeely, associate professor at McMaster in PNB and clinical lead for neuropsychology at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

Christy Au-Yeung has a long-term interest in mental health interventions, especially on the cognitive symptoms of depression or bipolar disorder, such as memory. She is interested in identifying how clinical factors will impact the outcomes of interventions.

Initially, she was supposed to choose clinical assessments and administer them pre- and post-intervention; however, because the program was cancelled for the fall, Au-Yeung instead used data from previ-

Chui designed a 30-minute literature review of the necesBuckley said that the main online interview for current sary concepts and is beginning adaptation she’s had to make students in integrated programs the modelling stage. Later in due to COVID-19, apart from at McMaster to understand the year, he will simulate the no in-person meetings, is access their undergraduate experience model and add any necessary to the data. and inform the structure of the revisions.

“I feel like I’ve learned a lot proposed STEM and Music “I wanted to really do and I still feel like it has been a program. something cool, something that useful experience,” said Buckley.

“To see how we can . . .

I was proud of,” said Higgins.

Typically, students use the build an undergraduate degree “While it’s different, it’s not computers at the Offord Centre program that’s most beneficial as different as I expected it to in McMaster Innovation Park for students to learn,” said Chui. be. It’s not as bad as I expected to access the database and run Chui said it to be. I still had an opportunianalysis on that it would ty to do something that I really SPSS. have been eascared about that I really liked.

Due to ier to advertise Even though it was slightly diftechnical difher study in ferent I was able to bend it in a ficulties, they person, but she way that I was still happy with,” were unable to said that online added Higgins. create access interviews hathrough a reven’t impacted Titi Huynh: Level IV social mote desktop. the quality of psychology, double minor in Instead, Buckthe research

sustainability and environmenley had weekly PHOTO C/O SARPHINA CHUI

she has done. tal studies. meetings with “I would say it’s been really Thesis: The influence of social Caroline Reid-Westoby, regreat and it’s because of my sumedia on undergraduate stusearch coordinator at the Offord pervisor. I know that thesis can dents’ perceptions of reality.

Centre, where Reid-Westoby suck for some people, with it Supervisor: Thesis course would share her screen with the being online, but my experience professor. data and SPSS. Buckley would has been amazing,” said Chui.

Titi Huynh also did a talk about the next steps in the She said that her supervisors sustainability thesis which is analysis, Reid-Westoby would have prioritized mental health available in the online version perform the commands and and that she has learned a lot of of this article. send the outputs to Buckley. really valuable skills from her Titi Huynh and her four “I still feel like supervisors, thesis. group members looked at the for the most part, are trying to communities that are formulatgive their students the best exLee Higgins: Level IV B. tech ed online through social media perience,” said Buckley. Buckley automotive and vehicle engiand how they can recreate added that it’s been a rewarding Rya Buckley: Level IV biology neering technology co-op. norms and biases amongst experience. and psychology, neuroscience Capstone: Pitch and roll adjustindividuals, as well as how and behaviour. able active rear wing for touring online behaviours affect offline Sarphina Chui: Level IV music Thesis: Association between behaviours.

- music cognition specialization. and road car socioeconomic status, the upapplications.

Huynh Thesis: Developmnt of a STEM take of the enhanced 18-month said that they and Music four-year double ma- Supervisor: well baby visit, and speech and were restricted jor degree program at McMaster Capstone language problems in Ontario course profesto online surUniversity. kindergarten children. sor. veys because Co-Supervisors: Matthew Supervisor: Magdalena Janus, Lee of COVID-19, Woolhouse, director of the core member at Offord Centre Higgins and which had Digital Music Lab and associate for Child Studies and professor his two group challenges professor in the School of the of psychiatry and behavioural members are and benefits.

Arts at McMaster University neurosciences spending Janu“I know we and Chelsea PHOTO C/O LEE HIGGINS at McMaster ary to Decemwouldn’t have Mackinnon, University. ber designing and simulating been able to reach the 53 stusessional Rya Bucka rear dents that we did end up reachinstructor of ley is interspoiler. The design that Higgins ing if we were to do interviews,” Health Sciencested in child and his group are working on said Huynh. Huynh noted that es at McMaster psychology will be able to pitch forward it was initially difficult to recruit University. and especially and backwards and tilt side to students.

Sarphina socioeconomic side, and the force these moveTo analyze their data, Chui’s initial status differments produce, as it goes.

Huynh and her group memthesis on the ences, as SES is There is typically a manbers would call each other over benefits of PHOTO C/O RYA BUCKLEY a predictor of ufacturing component to the Zoom, someone would screendance for peomany outcomes for children. capstone but that became share SPSS software, and they ple with Parkinson’s disease was For her thesis, Buckley optional due to COVID-19. would go through the analysis cancelled due to COVID-19. used data from the early develHiggins noted that he was able verbally. Once they moved from Instead, Chui joined the STEM opment instrument, co-created to create a more complex design SPSS to Excel, it became easier and Music double degree projby her supervisor, that measures ect, specifically looking at music but that he lost out on the pracbecause everyone could access school readiness through varitical component. the sheet at the same time. pedagogy and how to best ous domains of development.

So far, he has worked on a “It’s been good. I am very design an integrated program.

The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April8, 2021

thesis to Doc Roc’s guidance and training, even if it had to be through zoom.

and that was really nice,” said Wang.

Julia Wickens: Level VI Peipei Wang: Level IV intemechanical engineering and grated science and biochemissociety, minor in psychology. try, minor in statistics.

Capstone: Universal muscle Thesis: Investigating the in stretching equipment. vivo effects of cannabis smoke Supervisor: Philip Koshy, proon lung immune response fessor of mechanical engineerPHOTO C/O TITI HUYNH to influenza ing. thankful we did these in groups,” infection.

Julia Wicksaid Huynh. She wished that she Supervisor: ens also did a could have been more hands Jeremy Hirota, society capon with her theses and worked assistant stone which is directly with the communities. professor and available in the “With the online environment Canada Reonline version we seem to have taken a step search Chair of this article. back and observed everything, in Respiratory Wickens which was different, but they Mucosal Imand her three were both very enjoyable,” munology. group memHuynh added.

PHOTO C/O PEIPEI WANG Peipei bers have spent Wang has been exposing mice their year responding to the Rodoshi Rahman: Level V moto short periods of consislack of gym equipment focused lecular biology and genetics. tent cannabis smoke to see on stretching. They are creatThesis: Phenotypic plasticity of how it affects different lung ing a piece of gym equipment snail shell morphology induced functions. Partway through designed specifically for a gym by architectural constraints. the cannabis smoke exposure environment that can guide Supervisor: Jonathon Stone, period, they infected the mice people through stretching, associate professor of biology at with influenza. especially for those who aren’t as McMaster University.

“Let’s say lungs are experienced.

Rodoshi damaged due The group collaborated on Rahman has to cannathe design but then divided the spent the year bis smoke. modeling of each station among with snails to How does themselves, where Wickens and see how their that damage another group member Upy shells grow and their specific developed the legs and back physically response to station. adapt to an specific disIn a typical year, capstone architecturally eases?” said students make a prototype but constrained Wang. that was made optional this year environment.

She due to COVID-19 restrictions.

PHOTO C/O RODOSHI RAHMAN Rahman said planned to “One of the nice things about that some snails naturally can analyze the gene expression doing this online is that we live in areas that are more shelwithin these mice, but she were able to go a little bit more tered while others live in areas found out in early March ambitious than we would have that are more open, including that she was unable to get the if we did have to build it,” said more open to predation.

RNA data in time. Instead, Wickens.

The nature of her design Wang changed her focus to They designed the equipand the fact that snails are inver- cell populations and immune ment to be highly adjustable tebrates meant that Rahman was mediator expression. to accommodate for different able to build and conduct her “I was familiar with that flexibility levels and body sizes. experiment at home. Rahman already, that was not less exWickens said that overgrew the snails in one of two citing, but I was really looking all, the capstone was a good compartments that she built, forward to analyzing this huge experience and she felt very one without restrictions and one dataset with gene expression,” lucky to have the technology with a maze, for about two and a said Wang. that enabled them to accomplish half months.

“There were definitely everything they did.

Rahman said that she still upsides. I felt really in“The thing we were kind of was acquainted with Stone’s cluded by my master’s student, sad about is that we got along lab before COVID-19. “I was so when he was smoke-exposreally well as a group and we super excited to experience that ing and anything happened, couldn’t hang out outside of because I feel like Doc Roc’s lab he would Whatsapp me and working on the project,” said was super energetic, they were say, “Oh, this happened, this Wickens. super friendly but they were also looks kind of cool take a look,” very educational,” said Rahman. and I thought that She was really let down that was really nice,” said she couldn’t experience this, Wang. especially the challenges with “Everyone has making connections, but felt been so nice and conthat the online adaptation was ducive to helping me smooth. learn. Even through “[Doc Roc’s] been super the pandemic I available and flexible and helpfelt like I had these ful,” said Rahman. She credits mentors who were part of her success within the checking up on me PHOTO C/O JULIA WICKENS @TheSilhouette

PHOTO C/O SARPHINA CHUI

PHOTO C/O RODOSHI RAHMAN

PHOTO C/O LEE HIGGINS

PHOTO C/O TITI HUYNH

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NEWS

Promoting collaboration and community in a pandemic Student sustainability ambassador program connects sustainability student leaders to provide support and resources during COVID-19

PHOTO C/O Bram Naus

Sanya Grover News Reporter

The 2020-21 academic year was like none other, given the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and online classes at McMaster University. Despite the challenges, one program that helped students stay connected and build community during lockdown was the student sustainability ambassador program.

The program launched in October 2020 after discussions between McMaster Hospitality Services and the academic sustainability programs office recognized a need for greater collaboration between sustainability-minded student leaders.

“We noticed that student groups seemed to be running similar events, pursuing similar goals and tackling similar problems as other groups. We scanned campus and found more than 30 clubs focused on sustainability efforts . . . We saw an opportunity to support these groups in having an even bigger impact through collaboration,” explained Abbie Little, the

community relations coordinator and experiential learning for the academic sustainability programs office.

The program was implemented and run by hospitality services along with facility services and the McMaster Students Union. It was started with funding support from the McMaster Okanagan Special Charter program.

This funding was awarded in 2020 to SSAP as it focused on improving the health and well-being of the community, specifically by creating new engagement opportunities for students and empowering their leadership.

The SSAP’s mission is to support student leadership experiential learning, while promoting personal and professional development in sustainability initiatives. SSAP outlines three objectives to achieve this mission: increase student awareness on academic sustainability, empower students to be leaders in sustainability through active learning and provide support in their projects and plans of action.

Since its launch, SSAP has

gained over 115 members in its private Facebook group, which allowed students to learn, collaborate and support each other’s sustainability initiatives.

“Everyone that runs the program, as well on the faculty side, is very passionate and very supportive of everyone . . . It’s been great meeting with them even throughout being online all the time,” explained Callum Hales.

“ Everyone that runs the program, as well on the faculty side, is very passionate and very supportive of everyone . ” Callum Hales SSAP Facebook group member Hales is a member of this Facebook group and a sustainability minor student currently in SUSTAIN 3S03 working on a solitary bees project.

Crystal Zhang, another member of the SSAP Facebook group and sustainability minor student echoed Hales’ sentiments.

“I’m part of the Facebook group and I really enjoyed [it] because there are so many different initiatives and so much information . . . they always have a way [for students] to get involved and I really like that about the sustainability department and community,” explained Zhang.

This year, Zhang was a part of a tree planting project in collaboration with local Hamilton organizations and with support from the sustainability department.

“They really helped us out a lot. [They] showed us the whole tree planting process, even without us actually being there,” explained Zhang, who was able to plant over 100 trees on campus with her team.

Hales described SSAP and the sustainability courses in general to be insightful in broadening your perspective.

“It’s a very good way of bringing together a bunch of different disciplines [to see sus-

tainability] from a multi-faceted view instead of like through a single lens,” explained Hales.

The SSAP is also open to all students across all disciplines and Hales believed that the SSAP program could be applied anywhere across campus.

Hales also encouraged all students to take part in sustainability groups. The student plans on incorporating sustainability in his future career because of the positive impact the student projects have had on him.

Zhang explained that sustainability projects have allowed her to develop critical thinking and writing skills.

“We are going through the climate crisis and I feel like what I’ve learned is really critically thinking about the decisions being made by people in power and where our world is going in terms of sustainability right now,” explained Zhang.

SSAP also hosted monthly Coffee and Collaboration Chats where students shared their ongoing ideas and connected each other to useful resources.

“Students in clubs share their plans and resources and

have a discussion board [where they] can post about local and global sustainability topics and event opportunities which helps to form a sense of community.

We also offer special project funding to individuals or groups looking for financial support to launch their sustainable projects in their own community,” said Little.

“We have several goals we aim to achieve with the program and one of them is to provide educational workshops on topics that students want to learn more about . . . We heard from students that during the pandemic, they wanted to learn about ways they could be active members of their community from the safety of their homes,” added Little.

Alongside these chats, SSAP provided educational workshops to help build students’ leadership skills.

One such event was the advocacy letter writing workshop held in February 2021, which was developed in collaboration with McMaster graduate Jamie Stuckless, who is an expert policy consultant, writer and transportation professional.

The workshop included an overview of how students should structure their letters, what specific factors about the audience they should consider, what they

should ask for in a letter and the differences between writing on behalf of an individual or a group.

“We looked through a few examples of advocacy letters and then put attendees in a few breakout rooms to practice writing their own advocacy letter on a given topic . . . The workshop was well attended and participants reported in a survey that they found it to be informative, fun and engaging,” said Little.

Throughout the year, SSAP has been a place of community and collaboration for students, despite the pandemic.

“We hope that the impact of providing students with resources and tools will empower them to create positive change in their communities that will reach far and wide. The program itself is an example of what can be accomplished through collaboration, even when collaborating remotely,” said Little.

Yung Yemi, When The Fam Lose Faith Hold Them Up, 2020

the cut, the tear & the remix: contemporary collage and Black futures A virtual exhibition presented by McMaster Museum of Art and Nia Centre for the Arts Curated by stylo starr | Opening April 22, 2021 Artists: Emkay Adjei-Manu, Anna Binta Diallo, FEZA, Kofi Oduro, Sonya Mwambu, SPATIAL-ESK, Ghislan Timm, Yung Yemi

@TheSilhouette

museum.mcmaster.ca | @macmuseum

niacentre.org | @niacentre

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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

NEWS

Student email accounts to be switched to Outlook McMaster University plans to shift student email and calendar accounts from Google to Microsoft 365 starting in May Sanya Grover News Reporter

On March 8, McMaster University announced that all student email platforms will be changed from Gmail to Microsoft 365 cloud in May 2021.

All faculty, staff, retirees, and medical students have already made this transition in 2020.

“The feedback that we’ve had so far from staff, faculty and our medical students has been extremely positive,” said Gayleen Gray, chief technology officer at McMaster.

This change comes from the McMaster IT strategic plan that was launched in 2019 to improve the digital tools that the institution uses.

“There’s a number of initiatives to bring the institution forward into what we call a 21st-century university,” said Gray.

These initiatives include more modern digital toolsets, collaboration tools and projects that will help McMaster work, learn and teach. The overall goal is for the university to work more creatively and collaboratively.

Although students already have access to Microsoft 365 products, the conversion to Microsoft will streamline communication and online collaborative tools to one platform. “[University Technology Services] also learned that when people have their email and calendar-

ing integrated into the Microsoft suite of tools, they tend to be a lot more curious, a lot more interested in and more embedded in the opportunities that are available there,” said Gray.

The change was partially made to improve the accessibility of the email and calendar systems.

International students will have easier access to Microsoft than Gmail.

According to the Office 365 Hub website, the university hopes to prepare students for professional environments through an early introduction to Microsoft 365, as the majority of workplaces utilize Microsoft services.

The email migration will occur in May 2021, after the winter 2021 semester is over. A communication plan and strategy will be announced in April 2021 to explain this process. The email migration will be managed by the project team and all existing emails, calendars and contacts will be copied to students’ Microsoft Exchange/Outlook account.

Students will have access to their Google Apps for Education environment, such as Google Drive, for both the fall 2021 and winter 2022 terms, according to Gray.

Students will also be notified before their McMaster GSuite account is fully terminated in 2022, to allow them to manually back up and save any data they wish before this happens.

This change will allow the university to avoid the

PHOTO C/O Christin Hume

costs that they would have faced in 2022 due to the recent announcements of the changes to storage policy that would reduce the amount of storage available for institutions using Google for Education environments. The switch to Microsoft will allow McMaster to avoid costs in upgrading to additional storage.

“We were looking at the opportunities and weighing them out and the reality is, it won’t make sense for us to stay within that Google for Education environment, explained Gray.

Due to the high amount of data that students currently store, the transition was inevitable.

Some McMaster students have expressed concerns anonymously on social media, while others have started a petition against this transition.

This decision was made with the input of the IT student advisory

committee and the multidisciplinary project steering committee. The project steering committee includes two undergraduate students, two graduate students, a faculty member, chief librarian, the McMaster Students Union president, along with the chief technology officer and a few other individuals.

“Our biggest goal is to ensure that this is as smooth a process as we possibly can make it.

We’re very interested in the feedback that we’ve been hearing because it’s helping us to ensure that we’re gearing the project to make it as smooth as possible,” said Gray.

“We’ve heard from students who had concerns and [who are] feeling uncertain about it . . . we’re always happy to hear from students, we’re taking that information and we’ll use it to help us improve the way the project rolls out,” Gray explained.

For students that are unfamiliar with Microsoft 365 tools or want to learn more about them, training and one-on-one sessions will be held throughout the migration to provide support. These can be accessed through the Microsoft 365 Hub as the change occurs. They can also access the frequently asked questions list, which will be continually updated.

“We will have lots of time come the end of the semester to focus on this and to support students and answer all of their questions . . . rest easy and we’ve got your back,” said Gray.

@TheSilhouette

The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April8, 2021

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SRA deratifies McMaster Lifeline for violating clubs policies McMaster Lifeline club de-ratified after student petition receives over 2000 signatures Amarah Hasham-Steele Staff Writer

Urszula Sitarz News Editor

This article was previously published on April 1 and corrected on April 8. This article has been reduced for print. Read the full version at www.thesil.ca.

CW: abortion, ectopic pregnancy McMaster Lifeline has been an active and often controversial anti-abortion group on campus, over the past few years.

Though they were placed on close-watch probation for 2019-2020, policy violations from both 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 were recently exposed.

In spite of numerous violations in their probationary year, Lifeline was ratified for this year without incident. Recently, Lifeline’s Instagram account began to circulate widely on social media and prompted criticisms from students.

McMaster student Adriana Hutchins started a petition for the de-ratification of McMaster Lifeline.

“I made sure to include in the petition statement that we are not against free speech by any means, but hateful messages have no place on campus,” said Hutchins.

Hutchins wrote in the petition description that Lifeline is spreading propaganda and misinformation about reproductive rights.

Section 5.1.1.3.2. of

the MSU clubs operating policy includes spreading false information as a class A offence, where an action interferes with the abilities of individuals to enjoy the McMaster community.

“5.1.1.3.2. Dissemination of false information with the intent to mislead the general public,” reads the policy.

Their Instagram page currently contains a post which reads: “abortion is NEVER medically necessary.”

Abortions are medically necessary in Canada and have been designated essential throuhgout the pandemic.

In an interview with the Silhouette, Elizabeth* shared her experience with a medically-necessary abortion. Doctors initially thought that Elizabeth had an uterine pregnancy, despite her highly effective intrauterine device, in addition to a hemorrhaging cyst.

Upon exploratory surgery, doctors found that Elizabeth had an ectopic pregnancy growing on her fallopian tube. Ectopic pregnancies are life-threatening if left untreated and the fertilized egg is nonviable. It cannot be saved or turned into a uterine pregnancy.

Elizabeth’s doctors performed a medically-necessary abortion and had to remove the fallopian tube.

“The whole situation was almost like a dream because it had kind of felt like my entire existence had stopped in 18 hours and resumed again but flipped on its head,” said

Elizabeth.

“I can imagine for someone that . . . wouldn’t choose to have an abortion themselves. If they see a message like the one Lifeline has put out . . . that could cause serious harm for that person who might already be struggling with that experience,” said Elizabeth.

Hutchins’s petition has over 3000 signatures and many students have already reached out to MSU Clubs directly.

Despite the closewatch probationary period in 2019-2020, Lifeline managed to run at least two unapproved events that were undetected until March 2021.

The current Clubs Administrator Jenna Courage sent a memo to the Clubs Advisory Council on March 20, 2021 to recommend that CAC recommend the SRA immediately de-ratify Lifeline due to a number of policy violations from their probationary year in 2019-2020 and this year.

Courage identified that Lifeline did not submit any events through the McMaster Student Events Management Portal after Feb. 28, 2020. However, Lifeline was found to have hosted events on March 4, March 6 and May 15 2020, as well as on March 4 and March 18, 2021.

Under section 4.1.2. of clubs operating policy, probationary clubs are required to notify the clubs administrator about all events.

Shelby Seymour of SRA Social Sciences and

CAC confirmed Lifeline was holding events without permission of the clubs administrator. These events were promoted on their Instagram.

On March 21, 2021 Seymour and the rest of CAC submitted a letter to the SRA with the evidence and description of the violations. Lifeline disseminated information with intent to mislead the general public and failed to comply with the McMaster University Risk Management policy.

According to the letter, CAC voted unanimously to immediately de-ratify Lifeline after discussion of their policy violations. The SRA officially de-ratified Lifeline that day.

Seymour stressed that the decision to recommend Lifeline for de-ratification was entirely on the basis of policy violations.

“We need[ed] to base this [decision] off of policy and not our own political and moral opinions . . .

They violated their probation and they were also spreading misinformation,” said Seymour.

“While we acknowledge concerns brought forth from the student population regarding the content of McMaster Lifeline’s, the CAC’s opinion on their Clubs Status is solely related to violations of MSU and McMaster University Policies,” wrote CAC in the letter to the SRA. Failure to comply with the McMaster University risk management policy is a class C offence. Under the clubs operating policy,

class C offences will always result in a punitive sanction.

Disbandment, or de-ratification, is under sections 5.4.2 and 5.4.2.1. of clubs policy.

“5.4.2.1. Disbandment: If, in the opinion of the CAC, a Club is either incapable of or unwilling to correct its behaviour and/ or the interests of the MSU and student body would be best served by the disbandment of a Club, the Clubs Administrator has the right to recommend that the SRA rescind the MSU’s recognition of the Club.”

Both Courage and CAC’s letters included the appeal procedures. The disbandment can be appealed to the Clubs Advisory Board. “A member of the club’s proposed Executive shall notify the Clubs Administrator of their intent to appeal within one (1) week of sanctions,” per section 5.7.1 of the Clubs Status policy.

Lifeline has not responded to our question on if they intend to appeal.

The sanction will remain in effect for at least one full calendar year. For the club to be re-ratified, McMaster Lifeline must present sufficient evidence that they have changed. *Names were changed to preserve identities*

@TheSilhouette

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

GIANCARLO DA-RÉ President

president@msumcmaster.ca 905.525.9140 x23885

Since the first Assessment Report prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1990, the world’s leading scientists have agreed on the need for international cooperative action to prevent a climate catastrophe. Fast-forward 31 years; 97% of scientists agree that the changing climate is due to human activities, and the race to zero CO2e emissions has never been so critical. The world has until 2050 to equitably get our collective 51 billion tons of annually emitted greenhouse gases to zero. This is the last generation who can act in time to save our planet. The climate emergency should be viewed by all governments as a matter of national security.

Reducing global emissions feels like a monumental task - and in fairness, it is. The world uses more than 4 billion gallons of oil every day. A gallon of oil contains more energy than a stick of dynamite and costs less than a can of

msu_mcmaster msumcmaster.ca text “MSU” to 71441

pop. It feels like the odds are heavily stacked against a movement away from oil dependency. However, the COVID-19 pandemic made it abundantly clear that systems are not as static as we may have believed. The rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented change in all aspects of society all occurred in the name of remote work/school for human and societal safety. There isn’t a more pressing safety concern for all of humanity than the impending climate catastrophe. Let this be our motivation to effect immediate change in how we choose to structure our world.

One does not need to look farther than our own campus community to see how students, staff, and researchers have actualized on hope during dark times. From the onset of the pandemic, student leaders have transformed dozens of campus-based services, into fully functioning online models of programming, advocacy, and support.

In addition, I am inspired by the tremendous care of those who refuse to back down from the fight for an equitable carbon-neutral future, in spite of overwhelming personal, scholastic, or financial challenges brought on by COVID-19. The virtual McMaster Climate Strike held on March 19 was a perfect example of students not losing hope and continuing to push for a change.

While the climate emergency has been resoundingly proven by science, any solution that stands a chance of keeping global temperature increases below 1.5˚C must include more than science. Ergo, divesting from fossil fuel companies is absolutely necessary. It is an essential step in the process. That

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.

is why, in addition to directing the MSU’s financial advisors to fully divest our investment portfolios from fossil fuel companies before the end of the 2021/22 fiscal year, our team has also engrained the fight for climate justice into MSU advocacy priorities to both provincial and federal governments.

Alongside our provincial partners at the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), the MSU helped pass OUSA’s first policy paper on Environmental Sustainability. The MSU delegation played a central role in pushing for bold and ambitious targets in the policy paper, including recommendations that the provincial government mandate all post-secondary institutions to implement net-zero carbon emission standards by 2026; and that the provincial government incentivize post-secondary institutions, through Strategic Mandate Agreements, to begin the process of divestment immediately and fully divest by no later than 2026.

The policy paper also includes recommendations related to campus ecosystems, transportation, waste management, and resource procurement.

Federally, the MSU spearheaded the first-ever national poll to gauge the perspectives of undergraduate students on the climate emergency. Inspired by the 2019 Abacus Data poll, “Is climate change ‘an emergency’ and do Canadians support a made-in-Canada Green New Deal”, the Undergraduates of Canadian Research-Intensive Universities (UCRU) polled students from across Canada. The data, which is still being analyzed, will inform provincial and federal

GIANCARLO DA-RÉ President

GRAEME NOBLE

VP (Administration)

advocacy efforts by student associations in coming years.

As MSU president, I am proud to say that I have been heavily involved in conversations for the past year-and-a-half related to waste diversion, progress targets & reporting, water access, student sustainability networks, fossil fuel divestment, sustainable transportation, campus energy use, sustainability research support, and sustainable governance on campus.

We need a wholistic campus climate justice plan to get McMaster to zero emissions immediately.

If, as a species, we plan to get our 51 billion tons of annually emitted greenhouse gases to zero by 2050, we need rapid progress on all of these themes, and more. We need better support and funding for grassroots student-led sustainability initiatives. We need to defend the rights and titles of Indigenous peoples, who have given the world precious time by fighting on the ground against new fossil fuel developments across Canada. We need to pressure our governments to develop a just transition plan, so no one gets left behind. This isn’t a fight against good jobs or economic growth, indeed we need it all.

Just like during the COVID-19 pandemic, we need everyone to do their part. This is the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. And yet, students have shown that we have never had greater reason to believe that we will succeed in the fight for a sustainable future. For its part, the MSU will completely divest from all fossil fuel companies by the end of this April 2021 and will prioritize the fight for climate justice in its advocacy efforts.

RYAN TSE

VP (Education)

JESSICA ANDERSON VP (Finance)

The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

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Editorial To last year’s words In a trying year, we worked hard to make the most of it

Justin Parker Editor-in-Chief

I originally applied for Editor-in-Chief in February 2020, before most of us were really aware of the looming international news ahead (at least in hindsight it feels that way).

As I went through the application and interview process, things changed rapidly across the world. Met with seemingly unprecedented and unexpected circumstances, we all adjusted in our own way to the “new world”.

My first experience of this “new world” was conducting my interview over a Skype call that lasted five minutes before the unreliable service became abso-

lutely unusable. So we switched to an old school conference call over the phone. At the time, I optimistically (read: naively) thought that would be the last interview or meeting I would have to conduct over the phone or internet.

Fast forward to now, and I have spent an entire job — from my onboarding to transitioning the new team — online.

I only worked in the Silhouette office — one of my favourite spaces — a handful of times over the past 12 months. I have still never met the majority of the Sil staff that I hired in person.

Those are only two things on a long long list of ways I had envisioned spending my final year working for the Silhouette, also my final year at a school I

Top exam tips for 2021 The transition from classes to exams isn’t always smooth or clearly defined in terms of your workload. At the end of the term, you’re likely wrapping up course work and readings while also thinking about exam prep and counting down the days until your first test. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed. We get it.

We want to help you reduce stress and build confidence to take on your exams. Here are our top exam tips for 2021, courtesy of the SSC academic skills team.

Scheduling during exams • Set aside time to start studying more than a few days before your exam.

• Use a weekly calendar to find time to study.

• Study for 30-minute periods with a five-minute break after.

Repeat.

• Organize your space. Have your materials near you.

• Share your exam schedule

with people who share your living space so they know when you plan to be working.

Online open-book exams Study tips: • Review the syllabus for themes. Review course materials for key concepts.

• Clarify which materials you can access during the exam (websites, course materials, etc.).

• Know the exam structure and time limits. For example, can you have breaks?

• Don’t just focus on memorization — apply, synthesize and evaluate the key concepts.

• Use graphic organizers like tables, mind maps or post-it notes to connect ideas and recall information.

• Organize your “open-book” resources to help you find information during the exam.

Try colour-coding, using sticky notes or listing important page numbers.

called home for six years (I really missed Burridge Gym this year).

With that all being said, I will always look back fondly on this year. I believe our team worked really hard to cover as many events as possible and share the various stories of the wide variety of people that make up the McMaster and Hamilton community. I believe we delivered on our goals and promises.

In the most trying year, we tried our best and made the most of it. If we learned anything this past year, it’s that together we can make the best of the worst situations. So, here’s to last year’s words, as next year’s words await another voice.

In the spirit of optimism — thumbs up only for this week.

to the wonderful Vol 91 staff

to Sister Jean’s witchcraft

to finding new ways to spend time with friends

to not only my march madness bracket busting

to mangos

to Norm, a Raptor forever

to Lil Nas X to babies not pulling your hair to when you go to fortinos and wine is on sale

to Master’s weekend TO TOTORO’S JUICY ASS

to Oral Roberts

to John always talking while on mute

to an early Ohio St. exit

to Ian Barnes being the best

@TheSilhouette

• Test yourself using old tests and textbook questions.

• Use paper to write down thoughts or create outlines.

o Information that develops your thesis

• Teach others the course material. Get them to ask you questions.

• Save time to review your answers at the end of the exam.

o Evidence to support your original thoughts

• Identify learning gaps to focus on during study sessions.

Exam tips: • Log in early.

• Know how to troubleshoot or get tech support if an issue occurs during the test.

• Choose a comfortable place to complete the exam. Have all necessary materials easily accessible.

• Determine how much time to spend on each question.

Consider the question types and how many marks each question is worth.

• Regardless of the question type, read the question very carefully.

• Use the cover-up method for multiple-choice questions.

Cover the answers, focus on the question and draft an answer. Then, reveal the possible answers to decide which choice is the best match.

Online take-home tests Study tips: • Read every question carefully. Understand the difference between analyzing, examining, explaining, arguing and so-on.

• Review the syllabus for themes. Review course materials for key concepts.

• Focus on your original thoughts, evidence and citation.

• Organize your notes. Use graphic organizers, make connections and use sticky notes for page references.

Exam tips: • Use an outline to set out your main arguments and evidence.

• Keep your paragraphs organized. Each paragraph should include: o A topic sentence that introduces your point

o Connections between ideas • Write clearly and directly.

Avoid unnecessary or complicated language.

• Cite your sources according to your professor’s instructions.

• Revise your exam. Focus on higher-order concerns (thesis, organization) first. Then, focus on lower-order concerns (spelling, grammar).

Visit the Student Success Centre website (studentsuccess.mcmaster.ca) for more resources and support.

Good luck!

By Jeffrey Low and Jenna Storey

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FEATURE

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

Hamilton LRT back on the rails

A fortunate update on the transportation project haunted by political chicanery Adrian Salopek Features Reporter

Andrew Mrozowski Managing Editor

Recap From Last Year: We last wrote about the state of the Hamilton light-rail transit system project on Jan. 23, 2020.

The proposed project involved the construction of an LRT line, extending from McMaster University to Eastgate Square along the Hamilton Street Railway B-line. However, on Dec. 16 2019, the Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney

informed Fred Eisenberger, the mayor of Hamilton, that the provincial government had decided to cancel plans for the project.

The reasoning behind this cancellation was that the project would have cost more than five times more than the previous Kathleen Wynne provincial government had implied.

Eisenberger considered this a betrayal on the part of Premier Doug Ford and the Ontario provincial government.

The estimated cost for the Hamilton LRT project was revealed to range from $4.6 billion to $6.5 billion in a meeting between the Ministry of Transportation and city of Hamilton.

This is approximately five times

that of the initial $1 billion Wynne promised Hamilton in May 2015 for the project.

The cost was later set at $5.5 billion, without any cost breakdown. According to a statement from Mulroney on Dec. 16, the estimated costs originated from a report by an unnamed expert third party.

Kris Jacobson, then-director of the LRT project office, noted that without context, the estimate from the provincial government was impossible to interpret and verify.

Andrea Horwath, NDP member of provincial parliament for Hamilton-Centre and leader of the official opposition, called on Ford to reveal the third-party’s cost estimate. On

Dec. 18, 2019, Horwath sent a letter to the auditor general of Ontario, Bonnie Lysyk, requesting an investigation and report of the rationale behind the LRT cost estimates provided to the public. The Auditor General’s report on the Hamilton LRT costs was set to be released by the end of 2020.

Despite the cancellation of the Hamilton LRT project, it was decided the initial $1 billion commitment from Wynne’s provincial government would be used for transportation in Hamilton, with the total funding being diverted to different infrastructure. Exactly what infrastructure would be funded by the $1 billion would be at the discretion of a newly formed

Hamilton transportation task force. Comprised of five respectable people who reside within the city, the task force was responsible for creating a list of transportation projects for the ministry of transportation to consider as alternatives to the LRT. This was due to the provincial government by the end of February 2020.

Despite the cancellation of the LRT project and the creation of a task force to plan the diversion of the allocated funding to other projects, Eisenberger remained committed to the construction of the LRT. What Now? More than a year later and the situation has greatly evolved.

The Hamilton transportation task force made its recommendations on the allocation of the $1 billion granted to Hamilton by the Wynne government to the ministry of transportation on March 16, 2020. Mulroney later made the recommendations public for the sake of transparency.

“So basically it wasn’t an announcement per se, it was the province of Ontario following

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

up. They said they would do an audit, they did an audit, they did a task force, the task force came back and said that higher order transit was necessary for the city of Hamilton,” said Eisenberger.

The task force made a total of 15 recommendations. Some of the recommendations included: a “higher order” transit system and an “intra-city” bus rapid transit or light-rail transit system along the A or B lines in Hamilton. This would resemble the previously cancelled project.

LRT or BRT, the report said, would reduce congestion, bring economic uplift, thus bringing substantial benefit to the residents and businesses of Hamilton. This indicated the task force was still in favour of the Hamilton LRT project and recommended the province reach out to the federal government to acquire the funding required for the LRT project.

This recommendation came after Eisenberger spoke to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a visit to Ottawa prior to March 2020 about the Hamilton LRT. According to Eisenberger, the federal government was willing to fund the Hamilton LRT project, but the provincial government had to officially ask for the funds.

“That task forced looked at all the transportation options and came back with the same conclusion that higher order

The Silhouette

transit was necessary for the city of Hamilton. It was the best investment and it was certainly aligned to LRT and since then, the Premier on several occasions, has came to make sure that Hamilton gets the appropriate investment in transportation and LRT is the one that he’s been advocating for,” said Eisenberger.

This turn of events indicated a sentiment towards revisiting the Hamilton LRT project.

With that said, there were other recommendations in the Hamilton transportation task force report, including a cost estimate around all-day GO service. The recommendations from the task force were welcomed by Eisenberger as an indication the LRT project was still on the table.

The awaited auditor general’s report on the breakdown of the $5.5 billion estimate for the Hamilton LRT project was released on Dec. 7 2020. Lysyk determined that the original $1 billion commitment from

the provincial government only covered the costs of construction and was based on a 2012 Environmental Project Report from the City of Hamilton.

Lysyk concluded in her report that the $5.5 billion estimate that led to Mulroney cancelling the LRT project was a more accurate estimate for the total costs of the project.

Although Ford welcomed this news as vindication for his government, the auditor general’s report indicated that the city of Hamilton was misled on the actual costs of the LRT for years.

“The Ministry of Transportation was aware as early as December 2016 that the estimated costs for the project were significantly higher than its public commitment of $1 billion in 2015, which was only for construction costs. The increases were not made public or communicated to the City of Hamilton until fall of 2019,” said Lysysk in the report.

According to Eisenberger,

the city of Hamilton and the province of Ontario have a signed memorandum of understanding which outlines how the project will proceed. In the event of budget constraint, it is documented that the provincial government would lobby at the federal level to gain more funding for the project. “[The city’s] level of involvement is not at the highest order, but certainly awareness as to what direction [the province is] going [in] . . . So true to that original [memorandum of understanding], [the provincial government is] following up with the federal government and as I understand it, they are warmly received. Now it’s a matter of discussions on who’s going to contribute what,” explained Eisenberger.

While the project is now set to conclude at Gage Park, Eisenberger plans to continue the project in phases.

“We’re not going to be tearing up everything from Eastgate to McMaster,” emphasized

| 13

Eisenberger.

Currently there is no estimated time as to when the project will be completed.

However, the mayor is looking forward to the benefits that the project will bring.

“The whole idea behind this project was to inspire new opportunities, to inspire new development, to inspire more people coming along that corridor to provide more business opportunities. More shops, more stores and more housing,” said Eisenberger.

@TheSilhouette

GRAPHIC BY ELISABETTA PAIANO/ VOLUME 90 PRODUCTION EDITOR & ANDREW MROZOWSKI/MANAGING EDITOR

14 |

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

OPINION

Opinion Why the humanities should be a part of every program There are benefits of taking humanities courses for students in any program, and Mac’s integrated business and humanities program is a leader in demonstrating this Ardena Bašić Contributor

McMaster University’s integrated business and humanities program is a complete game-changer for commerce education in Canada.

Combining practical business elements with ethics and other humanity-based courses teaches students to learn the value of making a sustainable and effective difference as opposed to focusing on the bottom line.

However, it is not just business programs that could benefit from integration with the humanities. While the argument has been made for mandatory ethics courses, I believe that every program should contain at least a few humanities courses for a variety of purposes.

For one, the humanities help us think and reflect, as opposed to simply memorizing.

In most science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects, answers, concepts and theories can be memorized.

Most are logical, require technical skills and have definite “yes” or “no” answers.

The humanities help us think and reflect, as opposed to simply memorizing.

The humanities, on the other hand, are at the other end of that continuum. When we consider major topics like philosophy, linguistics and ethics, there often is no “correct”

answer for significant research questions. We must think about our positionality in society, our previous biases and our own opinions to formulate our answers. This is invaluable in fostering the next generation of critical thinkers.

The IBH program specifically mixes core business courses like leadership, accounting and marketing, with humanities courses like ethics, linguistics and community outreach.

Through this, we know that we have to consider and be tolerant of all perspectives on business-resulted issues.

We also have more awareness about what problems affecting our society may look like and how they are affected by language, ethics and the world as a whole. When we lack this mindset, we are limited to our own personal perspective and that of the traditional business focus: profit.

Rather, the IBH program is creating a future where business leaders consider the people and planet of the business world first and then the profit.

Sciences and technology programs could also benefit from the abstract nature of the humanities. Besides being able to think more critically considering the logical nature of most scientific concepts, the humanities can foster curiosity,

creativity and empathy.

We can then discover new or covert problems that need to be solved through new engineering methods or pharmaceutical research.

The creativity that comes from looking beyond the answer, questioning why and how it has come to be, alongside the

The IBH program is creating a future where business leaders consider the people and planet of the business world first and then the profit.

understanding and tolerance for everyone else’s opinions and how they can congregate can construct a more enriching STEM community.

Moreover, enrollment in liberal arts programs is steadily dropping, suggesting that many people are not considering the humanities as much when choosing their educational programs.

If students are to experience these different subjects, they could find that they truly enjoy them and want to pursue something different than traditional science and medical-related degrees.

Even if they do choose to stay in their current program, any participation in any humanities courses has been proven to foster critical, clear and creative thinking: an asset for a workforce in any industry or sector.

Even if they do choose to stay in their program, any participation in any humanities courses has been proven to foster critical, clear and creative thinking: an asset for a workforce in any industry or sector.

Overall, we need to move away from the narrative that arts and humanities-related degrees are just not as profitable or worthy as STEM-related degrees. Our brain is one of our most powerful and complex assets; the humanities stretch and challenge it in a way that is incomparable to other programs.

When considering the next steps in your educational journey, consider expanding your course or program selection to include the extensive humanities offerings. A linguistics, ethics or gender studies course might just completely change the way you think and how you live your life for the better.

@TheSilhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

The Silhouette | 15

Your quarantine body is valuable How your so-called “quarantine weight” is really a damaging idea

ESRA RAKAB/PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Novera Shenin Staff Writer

cw: discussions of eating disorders, food and body image As spring and summer roll around, the rhetoric we grew up hearing about the “perfect summer body” also comes around. Despite the dialogues about body positivity and eating disorders that are increasingly creeping up in our social dialogue, the societal norms of what is an attractive body still dominates our narrative.

Many people have always experienced a certain level of pressure to have a certain physical appearance and if one does not have what we can now call “pretty privilege,” they may be discriminated against.

Studies have shown that a bias against people who are not conventionally attractive is a very real phenomenon associated with how you are perceived on dating apps and even more surprisingly, one’s ability to gain

promotions at work.

So how have the demands of beauty standards changed in our current time of the pandemic? With gyms closed and no need to dress well (albeit just a nice shirt for a Zoom meeting over your pyjama pants), how is it that we continue to be so self-conscious about our bodies, that we dread the moment our baggy winter sweaters leave us when warmer weather comes along?

Many online influencers on YouTube, TikTok and other popular social media platforms constantly preach about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through rigorous exercise and an impeccably “healthy” diet. “Quarantine workout routines” dominate the algorithms of all social media we consume, but I believe this trend to be of poor taste.

Saying that you need to maintain a rigorous exercise routine when all of us are isolated and locked in our house stems from a place of immense economical privilege, misin-

formation about the human body and a disregard for how our mental health is looking currently.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with incorporating a reasonable exercise regimen and a nutritious meal plan in lockdown, for many of us, it is incredibly difficult to build a picture-perfect lifestyle as we’ve seen rich influencers do online. With gyms being closed or inaccessible, not everybody has the means to buy workout equipment, the space in their living area to do exercises or the mental energy to be able to do the latest Chloe Ting challenge.

Many individuals are unable to afford nutritious food and are eating what they can to feel satisfied and have enough motivation to fight through another day. The idea of the dreaded “quarantine weight” is unnecessarily punishing a whole generation of young people who were already greatly impacted by unrealistic expectations from photoshopped social media pictures prior to

2020.

It may be difficult to accept, but your body has allowed you to survive in the middle of a pandemic and it is enduring unbelievable amounts of stress on your behalf.

It is tempting to beat yourself about not having a perfect sleep schedule, a perfect work schedule, or a perfect diet and/ or exercise schedule like you see many thin online influencers claim to have in their “Get Ready with Me, Morning Routine Edition” videos. But it’s okay to not have a perfectly aesthetic bedroom to sleep in and most importantly, it’s okay for you to enjoy food and not feel guilty about it.

Organizations such as McMaster’s own Women and Gender Equity Network even took the time to host virtual initiatives such as “Bodies are Dope” which addressed many of these issues and even provided spaces for racialized bodies to talk about some of their experiences. If you are feeling alone during quarantine,

WGEN provides weekly spaces for Mac students to drop by and talk about anything they feel is weighing on them. WGEN is also able to connect you with a variety of appropriate resources, should you need them.

Please be gentle with yourself and understand that even if you are unsatisfied with your body and wish to change it later on down the line, there is absolutely no rush to do so and you are allowed to take care of yourself at a pace that is right for you.

@TheSilhouette

16 |

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

OPINION

Safe spaces on campus are a necessity Having safe spaces around the university allow marginalized students to feel less alienated a full-fledged trauma and they build up until you feel as though maybe you really don’t belong on a campus like Mac. That is why we need closed spaces. Marginalized students who are at risk for identity-based discrimination need a space to simply talk about their

Like myself, there are people out there who experience microaggressions and discrimination for an identity they cannot control.

ESRA RAKAB/PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Novera Shenin Staff Writer

If you’re on any part of political YouTube where the titles appear to be “Feminists REKT!!!

Compilation”, or “Man Speaks FACTS, DESTROYS Emotional Liberal,” then you have likely heard of how safe spaces, also known as closed spaces, are for “snowflakes.” Moreover, closed spaces are framed as being a “new type of segregation” enforced by the “radical left” on campuses.

The main contesters against these spaces appear to be predominantly white professors at post-secondary institutions and (mainly white) right-wing pundits who frame the concept of having spaces closed to only certain marginalized groups to be a step backwards. In turn, they argue that there would be outrage should the tables be turned and there were spaces closed to white people.

Well.

Despite all the controversy surrounding the newly emerging safe spaces on campuses across North America, I honestly feel that the main motiva-

tions for why safe spaces were proposed as a solution in the first place go largely ignored.

Even in a university as accepting and as open to improving its measures towards inclusivity as McMaster University, there have been countless instances in my primarily white program where I’ve felt degraded and humiliated as a visible woman of colour.

This has mainly been in the form of tone policing, where if I express myself with the exact same emotion or words as another white classmate, I have constantly been told that I’m “too aggressive” and that I need to “calm down” by numerous students. There have been instances where when I shared my status as a child sexual abuse survivor in confidence to explain how it only strengthened my convictions in feminism and as a result, I was labelled as being “too much,” and was pushed into isolation from the get-go.

With all of the hashtags, the “BLMs” and the “support small businesses” stickers plastered across the social media of the students who unknowingly engage in deeply damaging behaviour, I cannot help but

Even in a university as accepting and as open to improving its measures towards inclusivity as McMaster University, there have been countless instances in my primarily white program where I’ve felt degraded and humiliated as a visible woman of colour. lament with disappointment.

So many seemingly “non-discriminatory” people appear to be very disconnected when it comes to actually engaging in the small actions within their day-to-day life that make 2SLGBTQIA+ students and

Black, Indigenous and students of colour feel safe.

I was formally introduced to closed spaces at Mac while volunteering with the Women and Gender Equity Network, a survivor-centric organization dedicated towards empowering those experiencing gender-based violence and educating Mac on such issues. While I was initially confused as to why many of WGEN’s events were closed to different groups, I soon understood why.

Like myself, there are people out there who experience microaggressions and discrimination for an identity they cannot control. Just like me, they are emotionally exhausted at having to bite their tongues when a snarky comment is made about their existence in university, a historically white institution, or when they make white people around them uncomfortable when they don’t fit into a neat little box of how a model minority should act like.

Even if a remark here and there may not appear to be the end of the world, from my personal experience, these small, yet deeply painful moments build up until they’ve become

experiences with other students who share these experiences.

They need a space with other students who will understand each other without having to do a million, painstaking explanations to set the context. Many universities are already notorious for not taking allegations of sexual assault, racism and any other forms of discrimination seriously. However, given that instances of discrimination frequently happen in a subtle, systemic form where the student has a lot at stake socially should they react at all, there is almost no way for students to deal with and talk about these very real issues.

Yes, the real world is not this nice, but offering safe spaces to students as a therapeutic tool to cope with these injustices is the least we deserve.

@TheSilhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

The Silhouette

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Are paid roles in the MSU really for anyone?

Most students in paid McMaster Students Union positions have volunteered for the MSU in the past

PHOTO C/O ADEOLU ELETU

Steffi Arkilander Opinion Editor

Every year around February and March, the McMaster Students Union begins hiring for paid student positions. Whether it’s being a part-time director for an MSU service, a research assistant for MSU Advocacy or working for the Silhouette, there are many ways to get involved and actually be paid for your work. In addition, the MSU highlights that prior employment or volunteer experience within the MSU is not required to apply for these positions.

While that may be true, the odds of actually landing a position in the MSU without prior volunteer experience is very unlikely.

But if they’re saying you can apply without prior experience in the MSU, why would they not also hire students who don’t have prior experience?

I’m not saying it’s impossible to be hired for a paid role, I’m just saying it’s not likely you will be

hired for a paid role. Why is that? Because in the four years I’ve been at McMaster University, most people I know who have been hired for paid roles had previous volunteer experience within the MSU.

Because in the four years I’ve been at McMaster University, most people I know who have been hired for paid roles had previous volunteer experience within the MSU. Let’s highlight the parttime director positions first, shall we? Director positions are student positions that manage an MSU service. For example, services such as the Women and

Gender Equity Network, Spark, the Student Health Education Centre, Diversity Services and Maccess all have a director. Currently, all of these directors used to be volunteer executives for their respective services. Volunteer executives have to commit a large amount of time to the service — around 5-10 hours a week — typically for a whole year. If we open it up even further, most part-time directors have at least been a general volunteer for their service or the MSU as a whole.

Evidently, most directors have volunteered for the MSU in the past. This can make sense in many ways, as they are managing a whole service and obviously need to be qualified to do this — so volunteering is an asset, right? But what about paid positions that don’t involve directing a whole service?

Even for non-managerial roles, students who are hired for paid roles often have volunteer experience beforehand. I can speak on behalf of the Sil — as the Opinions Editor for the past

two years, I volunteered for the Sil the year before I got hired.

At the Sil, previous experience is considered an asset. You don’t need to have previous experience to be hired, of course, but you’re much more likely to have a step-up in being hired if you can say you’ve written an article or two for the Sil in the past. I can’t speak on behalf of the other paid roles in the MSU, but I can tell you that almost all my friends that have been hired for a paid role in the MSU have volunteered for the MSU at some point in their undergraduate career.

So what’s the problem?

The problem is: what about the people who can’t afford to volunteer? Students may find themselves in a financially unstable situation where the only option they have is to find a job — volunteering simply doesn’t make sense because it won’t help them pay for their groceries or rent. As a result, because they are not volunteering for the MSU, they are less likely to land a paid role in the

MSU. This makes a lot of paid roles in the MSU financially inaccessible for students if they are unable to volunteer. They may be spectacular at the role they’re applying for, but they may not be hired because they don’t have previous experience with the MSU. The fact that “you can apply regardless of MSU experience” is misleading — you can apply, but if you do have volunteer experience, you are more likely to be hired. It’s okay if volunteering helps you get a step up in being hired, but the MSU should start making that more clear.

@TheSilhouette

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HUMANS

The Silhouette: Class of 2021 Silhouette graduates reflect on what being part of the Sil has meant to them Esther Liu Contributor

Andrew Mrozowski Managing Editor

Most likely to be late to their own wedding

My elementary school music teacher, he went to [McMaster University] in the 90s.

When I decided to go to McMaster, he told me to look up the Sil to see if it was still a thing. Best years of his university experience, he told me. I decided in my second year to check it out during ClubsFest. That’s where I met the Arts & Culture Editor of Volume 89 and I started volunteering with her. To anybody who didn’t get involved this year, even if this is their final year ­— get involved. Find a community that speaks to them and their interests. It just makes university so much more interesting.

Whether it’s a club, whether it’s an MSU service or an off-campus service, it’s such an easier way to make friends and to meet like-minded people and to have a lot of fun in an environment that sometimes isn’t the most conducive for one’s mental health.

That’s my biggest takeaway from the Sil.

Urszula Sitarz News Editor

Steffi Arkilander Opinions Editor

Krishihan Sivapragasam Sports Editor

Most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse

Most likely to make the next big scientific discovery

Ever since I was a kid, I would be reading Sports Illustrated magazines. Now, as we are living digitally, I’d be reading articles from ESPN. So from that, I took a leap of faith and decided to join the Silhouette, not because I just wanted to take the next step of writing about my pastime, but also to tackle these off-the-field issues that are rarely talked about. To say the journey was linear is nowhere near the truth: I experienced my ups and downs, but the one thing I could take away from my time here is to always take the risk. It was definitely quite hard to gather interviews with no games but never did I shy away from the opportunity of one. To add to that, I would say my favourite memory is having a chance to interview Steve Staios. Not only was it a pleasure to interview him, but to be given the opportunity of speaking to a former NHL player is truly a dream come true.

I joined the Silhouette because I was passionate about telling people’s stories through opinion pieces. I’ve always been very passionate about writing and thought that getting involved with the Sil would be a great way to advocate for things I care about most while also being able to write and edit. I’ve learned that advocacy is something that I hold very close to my heart, and the Silhouette is one way I’m able to advocate for people. My favourite memory of the Sil has to be Andrew almost making us late for our Uber ride back from Supercrawl because he wanted his steamed milk.

Erica Mark Social Media Coordinator

Most likely to go through a comedy of errors

Most likely to become a famous Youtuber

It’s surreal to think that my time as an undergrad is ending. I’m finishing my sixth year at Mac and it’s been a long and unpredictable journey, but one full of love and joy. One of my favourite memories from my undergrad was in my fourth year when my housemates and I donned our Christmas sweaters to decorate our student house. We put up lights in the living room, decorated our tree and ate cookies, laughing the entire time. I’m so lucky to have found more laughs and support from my friends at the Sil in what could’ve been a really lonely time. As the News Editor, it’s been a thrill and privilege to spend my last year hearing and sharing the stories of other Mac students.

I joined the Silhouette as the Social Media Coordinator during my third year of university in 2019 and have been in the position since. I got inspired to join as a staff member because I wanted to leverage my passion for marketing to help promote McMaster’s student-run newspaper! I also got a glimpse of traditional print throughout my summer internship at Canada Post and I thought it would be a great opportunity to help establish a bridge between digital and print media. With this year’s online focus, I strive to encourage students to stay connected with the school community.

Rya Buckley A&C Editor

Best shoulder to cry on I didn’t come to Mac planning to join the Sil or join the Sil planning to join Arts and Culture, but I’m so grateful that I’ve ended up here. I learned so much from all the amazing people I’ve worked with, spoke to and wrote about as a reporter and editor.

Being part of the Sil has built my confidence and made me realize the importance of community building. Those lessons will stay with me long after I graduate.

@TheSilhouette

facebook.com/HumansOfMcMaster

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

The Silhouette

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Arts & Culture Decolonizing theatre and our ears New festival by Red Betty Theatre is offering a stage for BIPOC women stories Nisha Gill A&C Reporter

The experience of colonization is something communities around the world are familiar with.

However, since no two places had identical experiences, each community has its own histories and struggles to grapple with now.

At its core, decolonization is about holding space to share these diverse histories and acknowledging the hurts that hide there in order to build a better, more equitable and inclusive future.

Theatre, like all art, is an essential part of decolonization for the unique opportunities the stage offers to share stories and experiences. Though theatre has been around for centuries all across the world, it is too often regarded as a European tradition. As such, it is often difficult for marginalized and racialized individuals to showcase their work and share their stories.

“The majority of artistic directors look at things through an Eurocentric lens and the plays that I write maybe are alienated, by the titles even. For example, my one play which has won awards, it is called Rukmini’s Gold, if they don’t know that Rukmini is a name, if they don’t know what it is, they have no tie to it culturally. So it’s the last thing that they’ll read on their pile if they’ll even read it. So I found that the only way to get my work produced was to start my own company,” explained Radha Menon, the founder of Hamilton’s Red Betty Theatre.

The theatre recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Although it has received little support from the city of Hamilton, the theatre has offered its stage to numerous productions

by Black, Indigenous and People of Colour women playwrights including Ganga’s Ganja (2012,

2018), Cockroach (2017) and In The Shadows (2018). Its upcoming productions include Blackberry, in partnership with Hamilton Fringe, from June 4 to 13, 2021 in Carter Park and the Decolonize Your Ears Festival in June 2021.

Decolonization is at the core of the theatre’s work. It offers a stage for the stories of BIPOC women so that they may reach broader and more diverse audiences. Red Betty also encourages Canadian theatre groups to better reflect cultural diversity and the cultural practices of different communities. “[Red Betty Theatre] is inclusive, non-competitive, friendly, equitable, for the people, by the people, of the people. We are open to women artists who are Indigenous, Black or racialized because we believe that their stories are important, our stories are important,” said Menon.

The art world is a difficult one. Theatre projects are typically funded through grants from the government or other institutions. Currently, these grants are extremely competitive and often privilege older, more established organizations but funding cuts in the arts sector have made this process increasingly challenging.

Newer organizations especially struggle to receive necessary funding and it is often even harder for groups like Menon’s Red Betty Theatre.

“So put it this way: it took us 10 years to get a Canada council production grant . . .

[W]e don’t get much funding from the city because we’re a new organization and the way the funding structures in arts bodies work is very much based on how long your institution has been around. So all the older ones which are generally male, white-led, they get funded to the teeth whereas the new organizations get the leftovers . . . It’s very hard to get everything going and it takes us a lot of time to be able to plan for even one

show,” explained Menon.

For example, Menon has had the idea for the Decolonize Your Ears Festival for some time, but it was only recently that the theatre was able to secure the necessary funding to make this festival reality.

“We don’t see anything on stages that reflect the cultural diversity and the cultural practices of different communities.

So, Decolonize Your Ears is that opportunity for artists to express their own specific cultures and communities in ways that are unrestricted and uncensored,” said Menon.

“We don’t see anything on stages that reflect the cultural diversity and the cultural practices of different communities.

So, Decolonize Your Ears is that opportunity for artists to express their own specific cultures and communities in ways that are unrestricted and uncensored.”

Radha Menon Founder, Red Betty Theatre The festival will feature four plays. One by Menon and three others by emerging BIPOC women playwrights: Natasha Cecily Bacchus, Melissa Murray Mutch, Gaitrie Persaud-Dhunmoon and Joanne Roberts.

The festival also offers these

PHOTO C/O Red Betty Theatre

playwrights the opportunity to consult and develop their pieces with Hamilton-based playwrights Marilo Nuñez and Donna-Michelle St. Bernard.

Offering a stage and a space to share these stories is a crucial part of not only decolonizing theatre but also the larger decolonization movement.

“Until there is the decolonization of all institutions, government and non-government, we will continue to see racism, bigotry and harassment . . . Decolonization is a massive thing that needs to happen, for there to be any equity amongst people,” said Menon.

Theatre is very personal and different people will walk away from a play with different impressions. Menon especially encourages students to check out the festival and the theatre’s other work, not only if they’re interested in or studying theatre but also if they’re curious about and interested in new stories. “[T]his is the place where you will hear stories that you will never read in class or in the library or see on TV. These are stories that have been curated especially because of how unique they are and this is an

opportunity to grow. And for students, I think the point of going to any kind of institution is to grow. Universities are very colonized places and this is an opportunity to step out of that colonized space into a decolonized space,” said Menon.

Decolonize Your Ears Festival will take place from June 22 to 26, 2021 outdoors, public health restrictions permitting.

Alternatively, the event will be livestreamed. Menon hopes that the festival will become an annual event.

Organizations such as Red Betty Theatre and festivals such as Decolonize Your Ears are crucial components to sharing communities’ diverse experiences and histories with colonialism, decolonizing theatre and creating a more equitable and inclusive future.

@TheSilhouette

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A&C

Sil Time Capsule: Black students on Black Lives Matter 2020 Black McMaster students reflect on the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020

PHOTO C/O EMMANUEL GIDO

Rya Buckley A&C Editor

In the summer of 2020, sparked by the death of George Floyd, there was a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Protests spread across the United States and the world.

Businesses and individuals, both with and without a history of supporting Black communities, began posting messages of solidarity on social media and pledged to do better.

In just over a month, it will be a year since George Floyd was murdered. In addition to the killings, we have also seen how Black folks have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. For Black folks around the world, this year has been exhausting and traumatizing.

This has also been the case for Black students. All year, Black students, alumni, staff and faculty have been observing McMaster University’s response to the resurgence and continuing to advocate for safe spaces

and meaningful action.

So as this academic year comes to a close, it was important for me as a Black woman at McMaster to use one of my last articles at the Silhouette to discuss how Black students have been dealing with this tumultuous year.

Student activism in summer 2020 On May 25, 2020, in Minnesota, George Floyd was killed while in police custody, for which now-former police officer Derek Chauvin currently is standing on trial, charged with murder and manslaughter. The news and video of Floyd’s murder flooded traditional news and social media. In the days and weeks that followed, protesters took to the streets across the United States and the world.

Black McMaster students were among those protesting both online and offline last summer, continuing the work that many have been doing for years. For instance, on June 17, 2020, McMaster student organizers held a protest to de-

mand the removal of the special constables on campus and the dismissal of Director of Security and Parking Services Glenn De Caire, who has a history of supporting the highly controversial practice of carding. Students have been advocating for De Caire’s removal since 2016.

Black students also spent the summer further educating themselves and having difficult conversations with friends, peers and others in their life.

“I actually did summer school in June, July . . . Since I’m in political science, race [is] a topic, especially during this course. I feel like I tried, as a Black person, to educate some of my fellow peers about what we experience,” explained fourth-year student and Women and Gender Equity Network Research Coordinator, Shae Owen.

Online, many students responded to McMaster’s statements on Floyd’s death and anti-Black racism at the university with demands that they fire De Caire. Students were quick to point out that McMaster’s statements did little to address Black students’ concerns and

calls for action.

Both current and former students took to social media to share their experiences of racism at McMaster.

“I actually did summer school in June, July . . . Since I’m in political science, race [is] a topic, especially during this course. I feel like I tried, as a Black person, to educate some of my fellow peers about what we experience,” Shae Owen WGEN Coordinator Canadian football player and former McMaster student, Fabion Foote, tweeted about the systemic racism he experienced

at McMaster, which was met with support from other Black McMaster students, alumni and faculty.

However, while students were generally glad to see increased awareness, many worried that it was performative or fleeting.

“Doing nothing is no longer acceptable. However, reposting on social media is classified as hardly doing anything, because it lacks your personal tone and influence,” wrote Production Coordinator and Black Students Association Photographer Sybil Simpson in a June 2020 Silhouette article.

“Doing nothing is no longer acceptable,” Sybil Simpson Production Editor The Silhouette Effects on mental health and academics While Black students were at

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

the forefront of the activism, many also found the summer and current academic year overwhelming. Students didn’t get to take a break from their everyday lives to grieve, having to continue to work, attend summer school classes and study for tests.

“When all of this is happening, it’s not like school pauses.

You still have deadlines. I used my MSAF for the first time in four years last semester, that’s how much I just felt like everything was going on. I had to ask for extensions and I couldn’t make deadlines,” explained Toni Makanjuola, a fourth-year student and director of logistics with Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster.

For some students, these feelings of being overwhelmed were compounded by the physical and emotional isolation caused by the pandemic. Students who were not able to go home to see family often had to deal with the devastating news on their own.

“There’s a lot going on with just COVID by itself. I couldn’t see my family because of COVID and I was already planning to see them. I think I mentioned I’m an international student and my parents live abroad and my family’s kind of dispersed. So it was definitely a lonely time,” said Makanjuola.

“There’s a lot going on with just COVID by itself. I couldn’t see my family because of COVID and I was already planning to see them. I think I mentioned I’m an international student and my parents live abroad and my family’s kind of dispersed. So it was definitely a lonely time,” Toni Makanjuola Director of Logistics Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster Moreover, Black students expressed how the summer of 2020 changed their relation-

ships. Students reported that they got closer to Black family members and friends as well as non-Black allies. On the other hand, relationships fractured with those in their lives that failed to check in or speak out.

“I found myself being like, “okay, I can’t actually be friends with this person, even if they make a racist joke like here and there.” That’s now too much for me. It wasn’t too much before, but now that everything’s become more extreme, my barriers have to become more extreme,” said Aaron Parry, a fourthyear student and promotions executive on the Black Students’ Association.

Response to university initiatives During the summer, McMaster put out several statements, some of which addressed how the university intends to tackle anti-Black racism on campus.

While none of these intended actions included firing De Caire as students had demanded, some positive actions included the accelerated hiring of Black faculty, the hiring of an anti-Black racism education coordinator and the announcement of a Black student services office.

However, the fact that many plans were created without the input of Black students begs whether they’ll be helpful at all.

“They design whatever services they think that we want rather than actually actively involving us and actively asking us, “what do you want, what do you need, what are you looking for in a Black student services, what do you think will help?”,” explained Parry.

In response to Foote’s tweets, the university organized a Black student-athlete review, which was completed in October and revealed “a culture of systemic anti-Black racism within the department.”

However, many students believe the review did not do enough.

Some of those who were involved in the review noted that internal politics played a role in what actually made it into the report and how what was included was worded.

Many students wondered why the review was restricted only to athletics when many of the stories told are experienced by Black students across campus.

Others were eager to know what comes next.

The Silhouette

“They design whatever services they think that we want rather than actually actively involving us and actively asking us, “what do you want, what do you need, what are you looking for in a Black student services, what do you think will help?”, Aaron Parry Promotions Executive Black Students’ Association Creating safe spaces Support for Black McMaster students this year didn’t come directly from the university, but through the actions of Black students, faculty and staff.

For example, on June 11, 2020, Black staff members facilitated a Black student virtual check-in to give students a safe space to share their thoughts and experiences.

Black community members at McMaster took on this work for no pay on top of their work, school and personal lives.

Many Black students at McMaster are executives on multiple Black-focused clubs while the African-Caribbean Faculty Association of McMaster offers mentorship and events with no funding from the university.

However, because of the importance of these spaces, Black students, staff and faculty feel an obligation to continue.

Many Black students at McMaster are executives on multiple Blackfocused clubs while the AfricanCaribbean Faculty Association of McMaster offers mentorship and events with no funding from the university.

In creating these safe spaces, Black students had to be wary of other students infiltrating these spaces. On Nov. 20, 2020, the Law Aspiring Black Students of McMaster experienced a racist attack during their Zoom LABS Chat. Since then, Black clubs have been trained on how to avoid Zoom bombing and have had to take special care to avoid similar incidents.

“I was shaking because I never expected something like this to happen at a university, especially because we can’t put a face to the name. We don’t know who these people are. So it’s like, am I walking amongst people who feel this way, am I sitting in classes with people who could possibly infiltrate a chat?” said Maab Mahmoud, the vice-president of events for LABS, during diversity services’ podcast, Listen Up.

“I was shaking because I never expected something like this to happen at a university, especially because we can’t put a face to the name. We don’t know who these people are. So it’s like, am I walking amongst people who feel this way, am I sitting in classes with people who could possibly infiltrate a chat?”

Maab Mahmoud VP Events Law Aspiring Black Students of McMaster The incident served as a reminder of the importance of safe spaces, but also made it clear that Black students at McMaster are not safe among their peers.

This was also seen in the reactions to Black student initiatives such as the new Black engineering student scholarship, where non-Black McMaster students complained that it gave Black students an unfair advantage.

“Mac did the exact same thing where they just go, yeah,

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here’s the scholarship to help Black students. We’re going to ignore all that shit about non-Black students attacking Black students . . . we’re going to continually let you go to school with and live with your abusers, constantly,” said Parry.

Yet through it all, Black students have continued to be there for one another and create places where they can be seen and heard.

We do not know what the future holds and if the university will become a safer space for Black students. But I know that we are resilient. As I graduate this year, I have faith that the Black students, staff and faculty of tomorrow will continue to make McMaster a place where Black students can succeed.

@TheSilhouette

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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

A&C

What does it take to produce an online musical?

McMaster’s musical theatre community is opening the (virtual) curtains on its 2021 season musical.

A brand new component of creating online musical productions is video and sound editing. The student-produced musicals have had to navigate the technical barriers of camera setups, different recording environments and video and sound quality.

“The sense of community is really valuable . . . I really do appreciate everything people give not only in terms of the creativity and the participation but also just being themselves and the fun stories that came out as a result,” said Sean Lyeo, a fourth-year health sciences student and script supervisor for the Health Sciences Musical.

PHOTO C/O SOUNDTRAP

Sarah Lopes Sadafi Staff Writer

This article has been edited for print. Read the full version at www.thesil.ca Following a musical theatre season that was cut short in 2020, McMaster University’s musical theatre community is back and looking forward to a 2021 season full of song, dance and fun-filled departmental productions.

The majority of faculty musicals have adopted an asynchronous viewing platform for their musicals, where the final show essentially is a Zoom window. The dialogue will be simulated by editing the cast’s individual videos together. The timing of dialogue became an issue online because, when recording from home, cast members don’t have each others’ cues to bounce off of for timing. “[I]f you want to talk to somebody you pretend they’re on your right or your left. It’s the funniest thing ever when you’re filming and basically telling everyone ,“hey, can you look in that direction when you

say something to them?” It’s obviously not something that we would tell them in person, but now [the cast] has to imagine that there are these people around them and they’re just in their bedrooms,” explained Khoi Hoang, a fourth-year chemical biology student and director of the MacSci Musical.

To rectify the problem, the Health Sciences Musical and McMaster Musical Theatre found a solution where they record dialogue while in a Zoom meeting with the cast. They would listen for each others’ cues through headphones, while simultaneously recording themselves on a separate device.

Music production is also a challenge in an online environment, given that cast and band members’ home audio quality is largely variable. In a band, musicians also face the issue of no longer having each others’ cues to work from.

“Speaking from a band perspective, usually you hear everyone playing together and hearing what other people are playing gives me a cue for where to come in . . . On Zoom, what we do is we split off into different sections based on our instruments, and then we’ll

record,” said Wendy Yu, a thirdyear health sciences student currently playing trombone in the Health Sciences musical band, as well as assisting their executive of promotions and events.

Another challenge that the departmental musicals are facing is learning and teaching choreography online. “[I]t’s a lot harder to learn [choreography] over Zoom, especially because a lot of us sometimes struggle with internet connection as well. I’m one of those people, so learning these dances that are sometimes really intensive, while making sure you have enough space in your room and all this making sure the cast is in sync when we record it, has been an ongoing struggle,” said Zach Thorne, a fourth-year computer engineering and society student and assistant director for the Engineering musical.

Between the difficulties of learning choreography through the screen, constraints with space, internet connectivity issues and timing issues, choreographers have had to adapt to the barriers to teaching dance online.

“For me, the biggest chal-

lenge was definitely following and learning the choreography and all the dances. [Our choreographers] did literally the best job choreographers could do online, by providing us with a guide video for basically every song,” said Felix Hu, a first-year health sciences student and cast member in the Health Sciences musical.

Given that musicals will no longer be showing in-person, crew and backstage contributors have had to take a backseat this year. Where lighting, props and set design once played an essential role in musical production, McMaster musicals have had to become creative in their approach to incorporating the crew.

“We were concerned about how to incorporate crew because normally crew works all semester to make a ton of cool props . . . We have some physical props, which I actually drove all around Hamilton and the GTA to pick up and drop off at cast members’ homes. Then, we’re also taking advantage of Zoom and making digital backgrounds so that people can have digital backgrounds on Zoom,” explained Maeve Johnston, director of the Engineering

“The sense of community is really valuable . . . I really do appreciate everything people give not only in terms of the creativity and the participation but also just being themselves and the fun stories that came out as a result,” Sean Lyeo Script Supervisor, Health Sciences Musical Currently, the MacSci Musical is available for streaming online for $14, where all profits are in support of the Aboriginal Health Centre. The Health Sciences Musical hopes to release their productions in late spring, while the Engineering Musical plans to release their musical as an episodic series in September.

The McMaster Musical and ArtSci Musical teams are still planning when to release their final products. @TheSilhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

The Silhouette

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Strengthening familial ties during the pandemic Reflecting on changes to family relationships during the pandemic

SAMANTHA MCBRIDE/PRODUCTION CONTRIBUTOR

Subin Park Staff Writer

Homebound for over a year now, this has been a time of waiting. Waiting for school days back on campus. Waiting for a vaccine. Waiting for lockdown measures to be lifted to see friends and family again.

But despite feeling stuck in one place, there has been much change both in the world around us and in ourselves.

One of the many changes I experienced this past year has been my relationship with my family, particularly my aunt.

Standing at just under five feet tall, my aunt is the shortest but also the toughest woman I know.

She immigrated to Canada by herself from South Korea when she was just 21 years old and was forced to carve her own path in the world. She went from being a convenience store cashier, to opening her own video rental business, then to

working as a nail technician at a salon.

I moved to Canada at the age of eight with my mom and younger sister. My aunt taught my sister and I to not rely on our mom, but to do our chores without being told and to clean up after ourselves.

I still remember one incident when I was still in elementary school and my sister and I forgot to bring our food containers to the sink after school, one of my aunt’s biggest pet peeves. We woke up the following morning to find no lunches on the counter. Instead, we had to make do with our own emergency five-minute bagels with cream cheese for lunch.

My aunt was extremely strict with us but even stricter with herself. Growing up in her hands with my mom always busy at work as a single parent, I adapted her independent mindset. It has been a fundamental part of who I am for as long as I could remember.

There is not a single memo-

ry I can recall of seeing my aunt crying. She always bottled up her pain, hardships and struggles and never revealed when she was having a tough time.

Everyone thought she was built like an unbreakable soldier.

On Christmas Eve of 2016, my aunt was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer with metastasis. It was a shock to everyone who knew her well. I didn’t understand how a person as fierce and resilient as my aunt could come down with such a vicious disease.

I only later learned that my aunt had suspected something was wrong with her body for some time, but she was too scared to admit it. By the time we figured it out, her x-ray lit up like a Christmas tree.

The cancer had metastasized everywhere and all too much to undergo surgery.

When I saw her for the first time quietly laying in her hospital bed and heard her heavy, stertorous breathing, she suddenly didn’t seem all that mighty. That Christmas, for the

first time, I saw how frail she was, how vulnerable she was, how afraid she was.

For the first time, our family opened up to our deepest, rawest feelings and emotions.

For the first time, all of us were willing to admit that we were scared.

Fast forward five years to today, my aunt is currently receiving palliative care, but to me, she is still the same strong, mighty warrior I saw her as when I was a child. Although I miss many things from before the pandemic, I’m appreciative of the extra time I got to spend with my aunt and family at home.

I was able to be there for my mom every time she had to take my aunt to the hospital.

I also learned more about my aunt — her favourite foods, what she was like when she was my age and friends and people she’s met.

I used to resent her for not telling us about her pain, which would’ve helped to get her diagnosis earlier, but I realized that

as a female Asian immigrant, her stubbornness and resilience were characteristics necessary for her to survive.

Most importantly, I got to reflect on old memories and create new, truly special memories together with the precious time we have left.

We sometimes feel the need to conceal our emotions from our loved ones out of fear of looking weak or to avoid making them worry.

However, these days, my family is unafraid to forfeit our emotional barriers and simply be soft, vulnerable people. Especially during times of hardship, grief and uncertainty, there is nothing more powerful than family to give us hope, support and comfort.

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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

Sports Jakub Szott — from Mac to the CFL

Former Mac football offensive lineman Jakub Szott takes us through his journey as a rookie to working for a spot on the CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks

Krishihan Sivapragasam Sports Editor

It all began in Summer 2016 when Jakub Szott went from high school to a training camp with the McMaster University men’s football team. Moving from a small team to a team full of veterans, Szott was able to grow both as a player and a person.

“Honestly, I just tried to approach every single day with the same work ethic when I first came into the school . . . I have to keep fighting,” said Szott.

Aside from field play, teammates spend most of their time in the locker room. As a firstyear player, Szott did recognize the age difference among the players and as years passed, he emulated the same experience for the rookies during his senior year.

However, it’s not always about shining bright in the locker room. During Szott’s third year on the team, their head coach was fired towards the end

of the season.

“We were just completely wondering what’s happening with our future. Everyone is working super hard in the off-season,” said Szott.

“Honestly, I just tried to approach every single day with the same work ethic when I first came into the school . . . I have to keep fighting.

Jakub Szott Former Mac football player

Fast forward to the following season, Szott’s fourth season on the team, when the team advanced to the prestigious Yates Cup, the trophy awarded to the champions of the Ontario University Athletics conference.

After being down 10-0 to start the game, the Marauders fought

back to defeat the favoured Western Mustangs by a score of 29-15 and claimed the Cup. “Beating Western for the first time in my four years at university was truly an awesome experience . . . it goes to show how tightly knit our group was, to overcome everything that happened the year before and for us to grow and to be able to accomplish something like that,” said Szott.

While winning the Yates Cup was a remarkable achievement for the athlete, his journey was nothing short of challenging.

“We suffered a ton of different injuries, we were having the next guy up and up, having to rotate guys in there shows our tight-knit group,” said Szott.

Fortunately, for Szott himself, while he suffered a concussion, he did not miss time as it happened during his bye-week.

Furthermore, as a leader on the team, Szott understood that he needs to instill personal responsibility into his own mistakes but also keep the team

“Beating Western for the first time in my four years at university was truly an awesome experience . . . it goes to show how tightly knit our group was, to overcome everything that happened the year before and for us to grow and to be able to accomplish something like that.”

Jakub Szott Former Mac football player

morale up after losses.

“Trying to be level-headed and positive and understanding the coaches’ goals and moving past everything that comes,” said Szott.

Aside from winning the Yates cup, Szott’s personal favourite game was their homecoming game against the Waterloo Warriors in his most recent season.

“They didn’t want to dress as many defensive linemen, so I kind of took that as a challenge as an offensive lineman and we rushed for over 200 yards that day,” said Szott.

When McMaster’s defence was able to shut down Waterloo’s offence that day, a unit that featured one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, Szott knew the team had something special on their route towards the Yates Cup. After the fourth season of his undergraduate career, it was tough to adjust when COVID-19 locked down Ontario last March. That being said, Szott was fortunate enough to

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NIGEL MATHIAS/PRODUCTION CONTRIBUTOR

“They didn’t want to dress as many defensive linemen, so I kind of took that as a challenge as an offensive lineman and we rushed for over 200 yards that day.”

Jakub Szott Former Mac football player

gain access to training equipment with gyms being closed.

“I’ve had some great guys that were able to hook me up with some racks to lift some weights . . . At the start I remember working with just bands and it’s not the same,” said Szott.

As Szott graduated this past December, he was still participating in activities with the McMaster football team since training camp in August.

“I did try to attend all the meetings that I got invited to and to stay in the loop because I can still come back . . . I don’t want to close any doors because I did enjoy my time at Mac,” said Szott.

Although he maintained his ties to the Marauders’ program, Szott was ultimately drafted by the Ottawa Redblacks in April 2020’s CFL Draft.

“I have to be physically ready regardless of where I get drafted if I want to make the team,” said Szott.

As draft day approached, circumstances were quite unusual with online interviews, yet Szott enjoyed the process of dressing up and doing it within the comfort of his home.

Despite being drafted and successfully signed by the team, Szott still has lots of work to do to earn a spot on the final roster.

While having an extra year to maintain conditioning and be physically ready for the tryouts, Szott’s coaches at McMaster have also been encouraging on

“I did try to attend all the meetings that I got invited to and to stay in the loop because I can still come back . . . I don’t want to close any doors because I did enjoy my time at Mac.” Jakub Szott Former Mac football player

his route to the CFL. As the former Marauder mainstay has to compete against other offensive linemen at the training camp for a spot, Szott knows that he will most likely have to once again take that extra step to beat someone out and earn his spot.

“It felt amazing. You could ask any of my friends from

high school and they all knew that this has been something I have been working towards for years. It was something that I expected, so when I first came to McMaster I set my goals high so that one day I would be able to achieve an astounding accomplishment like this,” said Szott.

Szott has been rigorously training for this milestone event in his sports career, knowing that he has to keep pushing if he wants to make the most of this opportunity. At the combine, Szott will have to prove himself to be better than those around him, and do whatever it takes to get ahead.

“I’ve been working out six days a week, with two of the days involving two workouts in a day. They consist of weight training, plyometric work as well as sprint training. Changing my diet and ensuring that I am fueling my body with the right food has helped me significantly in this process. On top of just the physical aspect, I have been doing research into questions I will be asked in interviews, and

the people that I am competing against. This film study and self-reflection has helped me grow a lot,” said Szott.

The offensive line isn’t exactly the sexiest of all positions on the football field, with the quarterback generally being the star in the eyes of fans.

However, don’t get it twisted. A solid offensive line can be the backbone of a team as it gives the quarterback time to make the proper reads in the pocket or open up the right lanes in the running game. Lineman can even be the key piece to a good ole fashioned trick play.

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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, April 8, 2021

Concussions — from the field to post-mortem As children continue to enter contact sports, concussions will undoubtedly go up — but so will the chance of CTE Krishihan Sivapragasam Sports Editor

Traumatic brain injuries are everywhere, from the workplace to sports. It is estimated that there are nearly 500 TBIs per 100,000 individuals annually in Canada; to narrow that down, one person in Canada would suffer a TBI every three minutes.

A TBI occurs due to shaking of the brain caused by blows to the head. It is the most apparent cause of death among young adults. TBI can range from being either mild, moderate or severe, depending on the results retrieved from neurological assessments. A concussion is often referred to in clinical settings as mild TBI. Concussions can typically resolve spontaneously after 7-10 days with close monitoring of symptoms but can lead to immediate impairment of neurologic function with subsequent head injuries. Common symptoms present in the diagnosis of a concussion include headaches, dizziness, nausea, lack of concentration, memory impairment and tiredness.

It is estimated that 200,000 concussions occur per year in Canada alone, and of that, children under the age of five were the most prevalent demographic to experience a concussion.

Now, when looking at sports-related concussions, football is the most common sport in which concussions are diagnosed, where a study showed it accounted for more than half of all 2561 concus-

PHOTO C/O BU CTE Centre

PHOTO C/O Molly Ferguson

sions reported.

In the NFL, the position played is an important factor for predictions on concussions and brain injuries, where offensive and defensive linemen are more prone to concussions than any other position. However, these concussions may be caused by low impact hits due to the short distance between the hitting and receiving players, whereas a quarterback would receive stronger hits at a lower frequency.

Though as players become sidelined for injuries, the media has a tendency to blow up injury stories and depending on fan support, the player may be ridiculed for not playing, as opposed to receiving empathy.

Thus, many players who may indeed have a concussion go

undiagnosed to ensure they are not portrayed as “weak” in their own perspective, in addition to the media’s and fans’ perspectives.

Now as players become injured with concussions repeatedly, long-term neurodegenerative effects may result and more specifically, chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Impulsivity, aggression, and suicidal behaviour encompass the clinical presentation for CTE, alongside the loss of memory and muscle spasms. However, a key limitation with the diagnosis of CTE is the requirement for it to be post-mortem.

CTE has gained recent attention from a study in 2017, where the CTE centre in Boston University concluded that CTE was diagnosed in 110 of 111 former deceased NFL players.

More specifically, there was global attention on the specific case of Aaron Hernandez.

Hernandez was on route to becoming one of the greatest tight ends at the time. However, his life turned upside down when he was convicted guilty in 2015 and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for the first-degree murder of Odin Lloyd in 2013.

Just two years after his con-

viction, Hernandez committed suicide in April 2017. But after further studies by the Boston University CTE centre, it was found that Aaron Hernandez suffered the most extreme case of CTE ever found in anyone of his age.

Ann McKee, director of the BU CTE centre, was shocked to find Aaron being diagnosed with Stage III CTE at only 27 years old, exclaiming that his problem-solving, judgement and impulse control behaviours may have been compromised.

“This would be the first case we’ve ever seen of that kind of damage in such a young individual,” said McKee at the time.

When looking at concussion rehabilitation programs, it is never that simple, especially for children and youth; but at McMaster University, the CanChild research centre has a specific attention to youth and children with disabilities, and in this case, concussion education and rehabilitation.

More specifically, the centre developed evidence-based protocols for Return to Activity and Return to School for children and youth, led by Professor Carol DeMatteo. It was found that roughly 50 per cent of children and youth adhered to

the protocols, and it is primarily dependent on education and awareness of concussion protocols.

To help with adherence, DeMatteo and her team developed the Back2Play app, where concussion symptoms are regularly monitored with an apple watch and real-time activity data is recorded. With that being said, return to school has happened quicker than return to activity.

As children consistently enter themselves into contact sports leagues, it will be no surprise that the prevalence of concussions will rise. However, with greater emphasis on the education of brain injuries, further concussions can be avoided and prevent the unfortunate cases of CTE.

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One year later: Mac athletes speak about their 2019-2020 season With sports getting shut down just over a year ago, Marauders reflect on their last games before the pandemic Jovan Popovic Staff Writer

It was March 2020, just over a year ago, when McMaster University decided to suspend or cancel all in-person classes, shut down sports and force students out of residences to completely close down its operations at the start of the pandemic.

For student-athletes, many would begin their individual home workouts, which seemed temporary at the time. One year later, this has become the new norm, as teams haven’t had a single game or match since the March 2020 cancellations.

After having missed an entire season, many of these athletes have been looking back at some of their best moments, and what made the 2019-2020 season so special for them.

Declan Sweeney, a pitcher for the McMaster men’s baseball team, recalls quite a few memorable moments during their season last year.

“Our first four games we played were [University of Toronto and Ryerson University], and the next day [University of Ottawa and Carleton University], and we ended up going 4-0 in those games. That was the weekend we realized we were going to be one of the better teams that season,” said Sweeney.

Sweeney reflected on the year that the team had, mentioning the somewhat frustrating finishes, but also the massive improvements in the team.

“This season was one of those that kinda sucked because we got walked off twice in two of our tournament [elimination] games, but overall it was a very successful season,” said Sweeney.

“We had the [Ontario University Athletics] Cy Young [winner], and the OUA MVP. Along with that, we made a bunch of improvements throughout the team and had a team we felt would be very good for many years. Although it hurt that we lost these two

ESRA RAKAB/PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

walk-off games on the absolute soul-crushing semifinal games, I felt that as a team we were developing in the right way, and were moving towards becoming the team to beat,” Sweeny said on the high points of the team.

Tyler Kato — a member of the men’s wrestling team — had also been reflecting on his past season, but in an attempt to continue improvement.

“I had a bit of a stagnancy with wrestling where I wasn’t seeing the progress I wanted to see . . . I just wasn’t feeling the drive and the fire that I used to,” explained Kato.

Since the season’s end, Kato has worked to rekindle that fire he once had. Kato used the pandemic to continue getting better by working with other world-class wrestlers, which not only helped with fundamental improvements but also the mental aspects of his game.

“For me to wrestle with them [McNeil’s], nitpick their brain all the time, and have the McMaster coaching staff helping me through technique Zoom sessions myself. . .

Through what I’ve been doing now, and realizing what worldclass wrestling really is, I’ve re-instilled this motivation back into my system,” said Kato on his growth over the past year of training.

Another athlete who spoke out about his last season was Justice Allin, a running back for the men’s football team. After the successful year the team had, even bringing home the Yates Cupafter snapping Western University’s , there was a lot to reflect on with many emotional moments for the team.

The last game of the season for the team was against the University of Calgary Dinos in the Mitchell Bowl, one of two semifinal games for U Sports football.

“Going into it we felt really good. We were prepared mentally and physically, and we went out there and played the best game that we could’ve. Due to some self-inflicted injuries — we like to call it — we lost the game.

It was emotional, as is every last game, but for some of the guys you’ve grown up with and

played against for a couple of years, to see them play their last game was emotional for me, and for everybody,” said Allin.

Despite a frustrating finish to the season, Allin still reflects on the year fondly, as one would expect after a Yates Cup victory.

“The tournament [Yates Cup] was probably the biggest thrill that I’ve ever had . . .Going into it — from the beginning of the year really — we were thinking, “we are gonna win the Yates.” We had our goal set for the year, and we won the Yates,” stated Allin.

“The tournament [Yates Cup] was probably the biggest thrill that I’ve ever had.”

Justice Allin McMaster football team Allin reflects on the 20192020 season as a very successful one for the football team, explaining how significant of an

achievement a Yates Cup victory was, and how well the team played to get there.

“On a team level, that’s the best we’ve ever done since I’ve been here . . . This year was very team-oriented instead of an I. We were all individuals part of a greater scheme. Everybody got together collectively under one idea, and that was to win as a team, and we got the job done,” said Allin.

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