The Silhouette - January 19, 2017

S The Silhouette Thursday, January 19, 2017

Who they are, what they stand for and why you should care MSU presidential coverage Pages 3-5

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Volume 87, Issue 17 Thursday, January 19, 2017 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

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For the 1973 McMaster Students Union election, we put the all-male group of candidates in a band. Two banjos was probably overkill, but the 70s were a different time. And yes, that is Ted McMeekin, who represents AncasterDundas-Flamborough-Westdale at Queen’s Park.

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News THE 2017 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Chukky Ibe #Trustyourdopeness Sasha Dhesi News Editor

Stressing feasibility and student outreach, Chukky Ibe offers a vision of building upon the current foundation of the McMaster Students Union.

Ibe is a fifth-year Political Science student who cites his competitive edge as his experience both inside and out of the McMaster community Within the McMaster community, Ibe has held positions on the Student Representative Assembly, worked with MSU Diversity Services for 2 years, as well as work for the Student Success Centre on Welcome Week programming such as IRIS. In the Hamilton community, Ibe has worked for city hall

Political Science V

as well as being a large part of Hamilton’s spoken word scene through his involvement with the Hamilton Youth Poets.

Ibe’s platform runs on the idea of feasibility. Divided into eight pillars, Ibe’s platform spans a wide array of topics, ranging from improving wifi on campus to lobbying alongside the Ontario government for open-source textbooks. A simliar program exists in British Columbia.

His biggest points among these eight are the Neighbourhood Assistance Program, which aims to foster better student-resident relationships, his affordable textbook strategy, which calls for the implementation of an open-source system similar to that of British Columbia, and the MSYou initiative,

chukkyibe.ca

where students are asked to vote on different platform points for a president-elect based on the platforms of other candidates and student surveys.

In addition to these larger points, Ibe’s platform also includes smaller points aimed to improve student life. Ibe wishes to expand the Mac Breadbin Good Food box program to send subsidized groceries to each member’s home. The current system requires members to pick up their box on campus.

Additionally, Ibe plans on creating more bus shelters on campus and expand the current ones on campus to protect more students from the cold. The main stops on campus without bus shelters would be the stop in from of the McMaster University Student Centre and the

stop by at Sterling and University.

Among his many platform points, Ibe cites his point concerning expanding childcare for parents attending university as his most difficult to achieve.

“I say child care because it’s a heavily regulated industry by the province but also the municipality so we’re going to be working with a lot of those partners,” Ibe said.

Opponent’s platform he’s fond of: The exam bus shuttle service on Aquino’s, Patricia’s and Shaarujaa’s platofrm When asked which candidate’s platform point he admired the most, Ibe cited the shared point of a shuttle

bus service on campu, which is currently on the platform of Aquino Ingio, Patricia Kousoulas, and Shaarujaa Nadarajah.

“I think they’re super important and whatever the outcome I’m dedicated to make those happen,” Ibe said.

Platform he’s most critical of: When asked which candidate he was most critical of, Ibe declined to comment. @SashaDhesi

Aquino Inigo #BetterTogether

Daniel Arauz A&C Editor

Aquino Inigo’s approach to the MSU presidency is one which attempts to address wide range of complex, and fundamentally different student issues.

The Level IV Life Science student, Student Walk Home Team volunteer, McMaster Science Society Vice President (Academic) and Student Representative Assembly member plans to tackle campus safety, increase the amount of street-

lights in student neighbhourhoods, lowering textbook costs, adding a counselor for first years to the Student Wellness Centre, all the while introducing new faculty conferences and a campus art crawl.

In comparison to this year’s MSU President, whose platform was focused on relatively set issues and a central campaign message emphasizing sustainability, Inigo is taking a shotgun approach to the candidacy.

To Inigo, an MSU president needs to try and serve the needs of as many students as possible. This is reflected in the sheer scope of his campaign, which will need to collaborate with university and faculty administration, as well as Secu-

Honours Life Sciences IV

rity Services and Hamilton city council.

“Over the last three years, I have worked hard to bring change to McMaster….I have a passion for the school and I think the passion is really what qualifies a student to be president,” said Inigo.

Inigo identified his most ambitious platform point to be the implementation of an online open access database for university courseware. He cites a similar system that was implemented in the University of British Colombia, where students are able to access open text books, lesson plans, hand outs, and other course material shared by educators.

One of the stand-out points of Inigo’s platform is the prom-

ise to increase campus safety.

This involves the implementation of 2-5AM exam season shuttle busses that run from campus to nearby Westdale and Ainslie Wood stops and the introduction of a student volunteer patrol team that will work campus security and special constables to deter crime.

Opponent’s platform he’s fond of: Chukky’s platform “I think he his platform is overarching in the sense that he has many points to tackle student problems, things like getting better food security, as well as better Wi Fi... small things that can be tangibly done...so I think what I like about his platform is that it’s

aquino2017.ca very overarching.”

Platform he’s most critical of: Patricia “The reason for this is that her platform is good in the sense that it brings people together but I believe that many of her points are sort of things that already exist on campus.

Her point on bringing a lot of multicultural things together is already done by a club called Pangea in a big way.

I think just putting the name MSU on it and making it in a bigger way is a good way of going about it but I believe she can bring more to the table.”

@danielarauzz

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NEWS

Thursday, January 19, 2017 | www.thesil.ca

Patricia Kousoulas #CreateYourStory Steven Chen News Reporter

Kousoulas is currently an Honours Life Sciences IV student and has a plethora of McMaster experiences on her résumé.

Kousoulas has served as Welcome Week Faculty Societies Coordinator, Horizons Conference Leadership Developer, Spark Team Leader and as a Student Representative Assembly member.

Kousoulas’ platform, branded as #CreateYourStory, centres around three pillars which Kousoulas believes should reflect the feelings of all McMaster students while attending this school.

The “Feeling Valued” pillar plants itself around the sentiment of celebrating student community. Kousoulas wants

Life Sciences IV to create a large-scale event where cultural groups can come together and celebrate the diversity of McMaster from a holistic perspective.

Her second pillar, “Feeling Prepared” aims to take a larger stance in facilitating the transition of students out of university. While Kousoulas is appreciative of the services provided to help first-years get used to university life, she believes that there is lack of resources that serve to help graduating students be successful following formal education. She hopes that by partnering with the Student Success Centre, Alumni Association and department career initiatives, they can develop a one-stop system for all students getting ready for the working world.

“Feeling Well” is a pillar

patricia2017.ca

focused towards supporting students in everything they do here at McMaster. While in itself broad, one of the key points of this pillar is to make the stressful three-week exam period as centralized with student services as possible.

For instance, Kousoulas feels frustrated with the fact that although the university offers lots of services during exam time, the organization is hindering students from being able to fully benefit from them.

Opponent’s platform she’s fond of: Chukky’s platform on Community Service and Civic Engagement This platform, which is designed to reward and support students who volunteer their time in the Hamilton commu-

nity, is something that appeals to Kousoulas.

“I think it connects Hamilton with the students, which is something I also believe is extremely important. Hamilton is our city and for many students, they have no idea how pointed out the redundancies to feel more engaged in what that comes with Aquino’s plans. the community has to offer” “As someone who very much works with their own Platform she’s most critical faculty society, I am aware that of: most faculty groups are already Aquino’s platform on Enhancing taking the approach of putting Professional Development on a conference. [As a result], I do not believe that a conferAquino Inigo’s platform ence is the best way to support envisions a conference that will graduate transition.” encourage career options as students by working with groups @steven6chen such as Student Success Center and McMaster Alumni Affairs.

Speaking on behalf of her own experience, Kousoulas

Shaarujaa Nadarajah #HaveSomeFire

Alexandra Florescu Features Reporter

Shaarjuaa Nadarajah had completed her third year of Life Sciences when she was elected vice president (Administration) by the Student Representative Assembly. As vice president (Administration), she has worked alongside the current president Justin Monaco-Barnes and with student managers across campus.

Nadarajah was also involved with Relay for Life for three years, becoming co-president in her third year. As SRA (Science) for a year, she was in

the unique position of representing student voices.

“You recognize the challenges of representing students at one time because you are balancing your opinions with the opinions of the mass majority that you are trying to represent,” said Nadarajah.

Nadarajah’s biggest platform points are those of women and resilience and campus safety. To accomplish the latter, she will focus on running a shuttle bus during exam hours.

The busses would ideally be the same that currently shuttle from Lot M to Mary Keyes.

The Student Life Enhancement Fund’s pilot project funding can contribute to the fiscal cost of the project. Another important point for Nadarajah is to make bystander intervention training for Community Advi-

Life Sciences III

sors and TwelvEighty security guards, increasing safety at large group events. Nadarajah has consulted with Meaghan Ross and the Women and Gender Equity Network and all groups are excited about the prospect of offering sexual and gender-based violence training to the larger student community.

Nadarajah also wants to focus on optimizing student space by restructuring TwelvEighty for group events and late night study hours. Nadarajah has set out achievable environmental goals set on improving McMaster’s energy consumption through lighting changes. A longer-term goal and more difficult goal to complete is the incorporation of photovoltaic and thermal solar panels.

Nadarajah believes her platform point about women and resilience will be the

shaarujaa2017.ca

most difficult to achieve. The platform focuses on advocacy, representation of marginalized groups and empowerment of groups that currently stand for these issues.

“It’s hard because when people look at leadership, they look at the measurable things at the end of the year that you can check off on a project basis, and this is not a project-based platform point at all. It is a visionary platform point,” said Nadarajah. One approach is to back groups such as McMaster’s Women in Engineering with money and infrastructure so that they are better able to carry out their mission.

Opponent’s platform she’s fond of: Aquino’s safety pillar

go most. Both their platforms value student safety, though they do not always go about it in the same manner.

Platform she’s most critical of: Chukky’s “Shorter Lines at the Underground” Nadarajah is most critical of Chukky Ibe’s platform, questioning how he will achieve some of his platform points in a year and find the fiscal backing for the endeavours.

She is particularly critical of his idea to make Underground services more mobile and to increase staffing, wondering if Underground’s vision matches his own. @TheSilhouette

Nadarajah admires Aquino Ini-

For more coverage, visit thesil.ca

NEWS

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Matthew Vukovic #MaybeYourPres Ruchika Gothoskar Contributor

Matt Vukovic is excited to run for president, not because he’s been planning on doing it for months or years like other candidates, but simply because he’s taking a rather unconventional approach to the presidential race.

Vukovic has been an active member of the McMaster Engineering Society in the past, but has no previous experience within the McMaster Students Union, something he states is an advantage due to his extensive time spent as an “outsider to [the MSU’s] system”. He also has yet to critically evaluate the platforms of the other five candidates, but believes staunchly that those running for president are more often than

Engineering V not interested exclusively on “leaving a legacy”, oftentimes “at the expense of the very students the MSU is charged with representing”.

Matt’s platform focuses on three pillars, which he has yet to decide on where to put, and is supposedly “waiting on a quote back from a contractor”. With attention on food, campus washrooms and the SRA, Vukovic hopes to achieve some rather outlandish goals.

He admits that his most difficult platform point to integrate within the McMaster community will be the the replacement of all campus foods with nutrient rations and meal replacements such as Soylent, but agrees that pushing further to ultimately abolish the SRA is a close second.

“There is a very strong dis-

matt2017.ca

connect between the SRA’s action and what the desires of the faculty body are – there have been multiple attempts to remedy this, and obviously none of them have been effective,” he explained. His website even suggests even more extreme measures, vouching for the fact that the attachment could range from a simple pair of handcuffs to a conjoining organ graft.

Vukovic remains firm in his belief that, although he hasn’t read all the platforms, those advocating for more student space have goals that are too lofty – including the candidates who will be voting YES to the Student Activity Fee referendum, allowing for expansion for the Athletics and Recreation department.

“Even though we might need the space, I don’t think it

should come at the expense of the students anyway,” he said.

“Hearing what the fee structure is supposed to be, I strongly disagree with the plan.”

Vukovic believes that his platform is ultimately focused on making the MSU evolve into something it should’ve been from the start – fast, efficient and attentive to the needs of the students rather than the desires of the SRA or the Board of Directors. After being a student for five years, he says that he has yet to see any real change, and although there might be internal differences, there’s no tangible change seen for the average student. @TheSilhouette

Leanne Winkels #Winkels2017

Emily O’Rourke News Reporter

Leanne Winkels is a Level IV Honours Political Science student. Her decision to run for MSU president stems both from noticing a disconnect between the McMaster Students Union and the student body and her passion for the sense of community that is here at McMaster University.

Throughout her time at Mac, Winkels has maintained a Welcome Week position with the Society of Off-Campus Students for three years, held a seat on the First Year Council

and has joined the Quidditch team.

Although she has not been directly involved with the MSU, she maintains that a lack of involvement should not stop anyone from becoming president.

Winkels has conducted extensive research with different student groups on campus and regarding the function of the McMaster Students’ Union overall to address the interests and concerns of students. By encouraging student involvement and listening to student groups, Winkels has built a platform around breaking barriers.

Winkel’s platform is centred on breaking barriers of accessibility, integration and community.

Her first pillar surrounds breaking down barriers of

Political Science IV accessibility on campus. This pillar addresses the need for accessibility on campus through increasing availability of counselling services at the Student Wellness Centre, enforcing microphone usage from professors during lectures and pushing for professors to podcast their lectures.

The second pillar aims to break down integration barriers. This pillar focuses especially on student involvement, from popping the MSU “bubble” to faculty mentorship programs.

This pillar also sees the resurgence of the Freedom Credit, which Winkels identifies as her most ambitious platform point.

The Freedom Credit would allow students to take elective courses outside of their faculty or major at a pass or fail rate, rather than being graded on a percentage basis and ultimately having little effect on their

winkels2017.ca

overall GPA. Winkel’s final pillar surrounds breaking down community barriers, which sees student space as a priority. This pillar also reflects on the role of the Society of Off Campus Students on campus, and looks to establish this society as a non-voting speaking member of the SRA. Further, this pillar addresses the lack of space for clubs and cultural groups on campus and attempts to revisit McMaster University’s contract with Paradise Catering. Currently, student groups can only get catering for events through the on-campus Paradise Catering operation and TwelvEighty.

Most Supported Candidate Platform Chukky’s affordable textbook strategy

ky’s point on cheaper textbooks, the amount that students have to pay each semester for course ware is unfeasible.”

Platform she’s most critical of: Chukky’s platform on Improving the Off-Campus Experience “There is an Off Campus Resource Centre in the basement of MUSC that has educational resources on the Hamilton region. Additionally, Chukky’s neighbourhood assistance program will only hire a limited amount of students, and will not do enough to create a sense of inclusion in the Hamilton community for the average student.”

“ I really appreciate Chuk-

Voting runs from Jan 24-26

@TheSilhouette

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FEATURE

Thursday, January 19, 2017 | www.thesil.ca

“

We have counsellors and therapists with a wide variety of experiences...

We have counsellors who specialize in relationships and emotion focused approaches.

THE DIVERSITY OF APPROACH University students seeking help for their mental well-being are often met with a lack of resources that prevent them from getting the immediate care they want.

In comparison to some universities McMaster has shorter wait times from drop-in to appointment.

Some students say current mental health support on campus isn’t enough. Why are appointments so hard to get, and what can be done to change that?

Debbie Nifakis Associate Director of the SWC

Alexandra Florescu Features Reporter

The availability of mental health supports on campus is not always well known among the student population. Anecdotal accounts of long wait times paint a dire picture, discouraging students from seeking the help they need. On the other hand, the Wellness Centre is open from 8:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Monday to Thursday and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The office only closes for lunch on Fridays, further increasing hours of operation.

Peer supports provide an alternative to tide students over between Wellness appointments, but these do not completely replace a student’s need for a counsellor.

Other students are calling for greater diversity among the services offered by the Wellness Centre, finding that the current help isn’t always applicable to those coming from immigrant backgrounds. Perfect or not, it is most important that students reach out.

Debbie Nifakis, Associate Director of the Student Wellness Centre, sustains that any help is good help, whether it is through the wellness centre or elsewhere. When dealing with an issue as important but sensitive as mental health, it is a matter of meeting needs.

The First Meeting For those struggling with mental health problems who are just recognizing the need to reach out, it can be a daunting task to walk down the steps to the basement of the student centre and wait in line at the Student Wellness Centre.

The SWC accepts students using a consultation approach, where students going to the SWC in person should be able to get a consultation appointment on the same day. However, the system works on a first come first serve basis, and the limited number of spots per day fill up quickly during peak times of the semester.

One student, who wished to remain anonymous, started going in February last year.

“I was at a point where

I felt like I couldn’t handle my problems on my own any more… It was one of the scariest decisions ever, to stand in line at the Wellness Centre and wait my turn. I was turned away twice during the drop-in sessions because, in my experience, they filled up quickly. But after I got in with a counsellor it was a very transformative experience.”

Another student was similarly turned away during the first drop in session she sought to attend, and she did not try again until a month later.

It is imperative that students recognize that after being turned away twice, they will be booked for a meeting on the third time they come in. The SWC is cautious about adopting a pre-booking structure for all consultation appointments, fearing that possible missed appointments will take time away from another student who needs it.

Cathy Jager, Education/ Nurse Manager at the SWC, says she hates turning people away. Both she and Nifakis recognize what an intimidating feat asking for initial help can be, and they are constantly worried about people slipping through their fingers.

For those in obvious distress, an exception is made.

“If somebody comes in in a crisis, we have a crisis mental health spot open every day with a physician and a counsellor,” said Jager. “That has been super helpful, whereas before we were trying to see where we can squeeze them in. We also have a mental health nurse. If the staff at the front are worried, they will come and get us and even if it is full for the day we will get someone to see them.”.

For those who are turned

FEATURE

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, January 19, 2017

away, the SWC staff would love nothing more than to see you the following day.

Not Always Wellness Once students are able to secure a consultation appointment, they are assessed based on their need, but that need is not always met by the SWC. The SWC provides individual counselling, group counselling focused on skill building and physician consultations if medication is an option.

“Sometimes they might be better off somewhere else, such as student accessibility services or in the community,” said Nifakis. The SWC will help facilitate the transition best suited to the student.

Wait times can be a problem at this point as well, though those who express a need are usually given priority. “The wait time from the consultation to where they are going will depend on where they are going. If they are going to see a counsellor, the wait could be two, three weeks, sometimes maybe even four weeks,” Nifakis explained. “However, depending on the intensity of the need that the student presents with, some students may be able to see their counsellor more frequently like maybe every second week, where someone else might wait every third or fourth week.”

In the past, discouraged students have stopped seeking help. Kay is a student who has continued to seek help but has questioned its value in the past. “With my mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder is something that you have to deal with [through] a lot of therapy, so it is not enough for me to see a counsellor every 3 weeks. I have had a good experience with a counsellor that I have seen, but I have also had an experience where I gave up, almost, because if it is going to take me a month almost to get in, I am not even going to try.”

For students requiring more intense support than can be offered by resources on campus, the SWC will facilitate a referral for a private clinician who is more frequent, albeit expensive.

Alternate supports are hospital or community programs, although the wait time for those lasts months. The SWC commits to seeing students until they get into those more specialized programs.

In between SWC sessions, peer supports can be of great help. Kay attributes much of her progress to the Women’s and Gender Equity Network on campus, which tided her over between counsellor sessions.

“

If somebody comes in in a crisis, we have a crisis mental health spot open every day with a physician and a counsellor.

Cathy Jager Education/Nurse Manager Student Wellness Centre

“

A counsellor is a counsellor and by the time I will get in to see her the urgency will be gone.

Ell Veinot Student

However, she hopes to see a day where the school relies less on peer support, as it can be a draining experience for the students.

“One of the concerns that we have [about peer support] is that it is up to the person to [reach] out to a peer, which some people aren’t necessarily comfortable with,” said Lainey Stirling, WGEN coordinator. “It is also particularly draining for a volunteer… if we are consistently required to essentially pick up the slack in some cases.”

Day One Counsellor Ell Veinot is another student frustrated with the wait times, wondering how she can get a doctor’s appointment the same day but a counsellors appointment the next month.

“When I asked if I could maybe get a closer appointment with a different therapist the receptionist said ‘they prefer you to stay with the same therapist’,” Veinot said. She does not care which counsellor she sees. “A counsellor is a counsellor and by the time I will get in to see her the urgency will be gone.”

While the SWC does make changes, it is usually if there is not a good fit between the counsellor and the student. “[Other times] the student and counsellor have worked together for a while and they have reached a plateau and the person doesn’t feel like they are progressing further,” said Nifakis. Some students enjoy seeing a regular counsellor with whom they can build a rapport, but Veinot would sacrifice that relationship for shorter wait times.

Not Just Us Other prominent universities have come under fire for long wait times to see a counsellor.

The Ubyssey, the University of British Columbia’s student newspaper, published a story about the outpouring of frustration on social media about the two-week wait time for an initial consultation with a counsellor.

In this regard, McMaster fares much better, promising to set up an appointment within three days as long as the person continues to come in to the wellness centre asking for help. However, this process is contingent on the student’s ability to ask for help more than once, which can be a barrier for those struggling with mental health issues.

The University of Toronto’s student paper, the Varsity Magazine, published a story about the structure of the services offered through their university. The article mentions a student who

was assessed in late January, called back in February and began her therapy in March, a quick case for U of T. Other students have reported wait times as long as eight months. At McMaster, two weeks to a month of waiting is the norm, significantly less than even University of Toronto’s quicker cases.

Eye to Eye Neha Malhotra is a third-year student who was inspired to do a project on mental health services on campus after she used them herself.

“One aspect of mental health that is difficult is the way in which we define it.

One definition is westernized, where medication and cognitive behaviour therapy is the main focus, whereas people from, say, an Indigenous background have a very spiritual definition where associating with nature and healers is a huge aspect of how you deal with mental health issues,” Malhotra said.

“For other people, religion is a big part of it. In my opinion, and in how I have interacted with mental health services on campus, this diversity isn’t accounted for even though McMaster is one of the most diverse student bodies in Canada” she said.

This dissonance between services offered and student response is surprising, given the variety of services offered by the SWC. Among these is evidence-based therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, supportive counselling, shortterm focused counselling, art therapy, mindfulness, yoga and sexual assault counselling.

“We have counsellors and therapists with a wide variety of experiences,” said Nifakis “We have counsellors who specialize in relationships and emotion-focused approaches. We can match people up to what their needs are… We understand the transitional issues that students deal with, we understand all of the complexities of figuring out where you want to go, building new relationships, relationships breaking up.”

“From the perspective of Indigenous needs, we want to be respectful of the fact that they have elders and an Indigenous counsellor,” she added. “Usually if the request is related to that, we refer them to the Indigenous counsellor through the Indigenous office.”

The counsellors have all also undergone significant cultural training. “All of our counsellors have had multicultural sensitivity training and in their training have had many courses on deal-

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ing with diverse communities,” Nifakis said.

Malhotra felt like the different backgrounds between her and her counsellor made it hard for her to open up or get the help she needed.

“There have been studies showing that patients have a difficult time opening up and relating to their counsellor if they are from a different background because they believe they are from different circumstances,” she said.

Malhotra feels this leads to inefficient counselling, because the root issue is never addressed.

“It is like addressing test anxiety or relationship issues, but not addressing that domestic violence is higher in South Asian families or that the pressure to succeed is a lot higher in Asian families. There are other universities like Harvard that have recognized this and have committed to diversity in their mental health services to ensure that they meet student needs.”

She hopes that this change can take place at McMaster as well.

“I am not saying separate the services, I am saying add the option so that people who may need different avenues for support,” said Malhotra.

Change is not out of the question. The SWC welcomes change to their programs. In the past, student demands have lead to SWC collaborating with student groups on campus, allowing them to expand to be more inclusive of diverse groups around campus with differing needs. Recent training programs have focused on sexual assault and gender identity.

New Beginnings Jager and Nifakis are both looking to the future.

“We are fortunate to be moving into the Living Learning Centre when that is built, and that will give us extra offices for physicians and counsellors, so we are hoping it will grow us in capacity as well,” said Nifakis.

“We will be right in that building with residents and alongside the child care centre… At the moment we pretty much run at capacity all the time… We never have an office free.”

With the wellness centre running at capacity but students still asking for more, it will take a change in the process or a greater commitment of money to bring about any major changes.

For now, students are stuck navigating McMaster’s maxedout system.

@alexxflorescu

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

January 19, 2017 | thesil.ca

is intended for initiatives that demonstrate commitment to improving and enhancing student life and is administered by the Student Services Committee (SSC). The membership of the SSC consists of equal representation of the MSU and the University.

McMaster students, new seating, lounge space, Compass improvements, microwaves and electrical outlets were installed in the Student Centre. Over the years, the Student Life Enhancement Fund has provided the financial means to acquire numerous resource libraries, buy the 3D printer available for free student use in the Lyons New Media Centre, I can’t wait to see what support the creation of the McMaster Teaching & Community great ideas will be RYAN Garden, upgrade spaces across funded this year. campus to be more accessible, as MACDONALD well as supplying equipment and Vice President (Finance) infrastructure enhancements This fund is a great mechato student groups and venues. I vpfinance@msu.mcmaster.ca nism for students to turn their can’t wait to see what great ideas 905.525.9140 x24109 ideas into meaningful action. will be funded this year.

If you have a great idea, it only Once the idea portal closes Do you want to make a positive takes a minute to submit it on- on January 27, each submission impact on student life here on line and potentially make a huge will be reviewed for financial and campus? The Student Life En- impact on student life. Last year, logistical feasibility, and then cathancement Fund is now taking thanks to the ideas and voting by egorized into themes and adaptsubmissions for ideas to help enhance student life and/or student services on campus. No idea is too big or too small, and with innovative ideas being exchanged at the moment with the 2017 MSU Presidential Election, it’s a great time to contribute your own. Submit your ideas at http:// enhance.mcmaster.ca until January 27, 2017.

Comprised of a portion of the ancillary fee students contribute via the Student Services Fee, the Student Life Enhancement Fund is a pool of money designed provide seed capital and financial support for student-run and University-based service providers, to expand their programming, infrastructure and/or operations. The fund

ed into deliverable projects with a proposed budget and timeline for completion. This process will take a week or so, then a new portal will open, on the same webpage. This will be a voting portal, with a list of logistically feasible and fully fundable ideas, presented in a preferential voting format.

Voting will occur February 6-12, and the winning idea will be tabulated no later than February 17. All full-time undergraduate students can vote.

Based on the projected costs of the projects, at least one idea will have guaranteed full funding.

The highest ranked idea(s) after the voting period will come to fruition.

Visit http:/enhance.mcmater.ca and share your ideas to enhance student life at McMaster University!

MSU_McMASTER

MSUMcMASTER.ca

@MSU_McMASTER

/MSUMcMaster

TEXT ‘MSU’ TO 71441

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.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, January 19, 2017

The Silhouette

| 9

Editorial Don’t buy the hype Some presidential candidates are promising big ideas, but what are their priorities?

Scott Hastie Editor-in-Chief

Presidentials has gone overboard.

This year sees some ambitious and infeasible platforms. The massive plans mislead students because it is impossible for them to find out what the candidates are truly going to work on during their term. There are too many ideas and too little time.

I appreciate the optimism from the candidates and their broad platforms, but let’s be serious. Universities are large institutions that tend to move slowly. The city of Hamilton struggles to even get bike lanes implemented. Anything beyond the control of the MSU requires an incredible amount of work and time.

For proof, we can revisit the accomplishments of recent presidents. The 2014-15 MSU president Teddy Saull made more lighting in student LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Hastie slams Councillor Johnson for an alleged “belief that there can be too many people from a certain demographic in one area.” That sounds discriminatory. But is it wrong to want diverse neighbourhoods, rather than monoculture? There are many areas around Mac where only students live. 99% of these residents are between 17 and 30.

No children or early teens. No seniors. No full-time workers.

No recent immigrants. No families.

As a life-long resident of Ainslie Wood, I like student neighbours, but if more houses on our street become rentals (many of them illegal firetraps), this will not be a good place for kids. Student monoculture

YO!

neighbourhoods part of his campaign. This point still appears on platforms in 2017.

The 2015-16 MSU president Ehima Osazuwa wanted to get gender-neutral washrooms. That project remains at a standstill.

Current president Justin Monaco-Barnes campaigned on environmental sustainability.

As reported in December, plans to expand the teaching and community gardens had not come to fruition, as well as the installation of solar panels. For Monaco-Barnes, there’s still time, but not much.

So I’m pessimistic when I see candidates naming multiple projects that involve the university or municipality. It takes time to get these groups on board, and time is not something the presidents have with a 12-month term. I am not saying these presidents failed at their jobs; there are just so many hours in a week and some projects have to get left behind.

The “pillars” of their

platforms are not framed in terms of priority, and that is by design: as a candidate, you don’t want to alienate the voter who supports your education ideas by ranking that platform point last.

This leaves you, the voter, in a situation where you are guessing what truly matters to the candidate in their dozen or so platform points.

They simply cannot achieve everything, and you have to hope that the reason you are electing them is for the goals they plan to achieve. The candidates will say that they can achieve all the goals, but let history be your educator here.

Be critical of the candidates with broad platforms and talk to them – not the campaign managers or team – about their top priorities and how they plan on achieving them.

You aren’t out of line; you’re holding a political candidate accountable.

The MSU can always use more of that.

will have forced another family away.

Hastie claims that Ainslie Wood / Westdale residents oppose student complexes on Main Street West. That is incorrect. There has been only one such project completed -- West Village Suites -- and that was supported by the community.

Recent proposals for student complexes on Main at Traymore and at Longwood have met no resistance. Neither the Ainslie Wood community association nor the Westdale community association has opposed these projects. The controversial Leland Street project -- which violated zoning and planning bylaws and was rejected unanimously by Hamilton’s elected councillors, then allowed by the unelected Ontario Municipal

Board -- was opposed by longterm residents and the Ainslie Wood Community Association because it is off Main Street and sets a troubling precedent.

Bad landlords, not students, are why more by-law officers are needed on patrol.

Fines will hit landlords, not (as Hastie states) students.

Most long-term residents consider Mac students a blessing. You make this area lively and support local businesses.

But a student monoculture, forcing out other groups, is bad.

Councillor Johnson is doing good work on student-community relations and has a positive, progressive vision for our shared community.

Do you love the Silhouette? Do you hate the Silhouette and think you could make it better? Good news!

The Silhouette is hiring for next year’s Editor-in-Chief! If you have a passion for journalism, writing, design, coffee and having good times, this job could be for you!

Mark Coakley / Ainslie Wood

to campfires that start at 4 p.m. and end at 4 a.m. to Corinne from “The Bachelor.” to the first week of friendship. to Bautista resigning. to ginseng. to “Hard Bodies.” to going to the show anyways. to change. It keeps me alive. to the new Japandroids jam. to 2000s emo. Some think it’s terrible, but it’s Actually Good.

to Big Platform. to new job postings.

I’m officially a lame duck. to the job non-search. to Fact Check Week 2K17. to decomposing roofs.

Will my landlord fix it? Who knows! to the inauguration. to buying tickets to a show three months in advance and getting strep throat the day of. to my Goldfish elitism. to the lack of payment for my fantasy football championship.

to Shoot Your Shot 2017.

to Trudeau in Sherbrooke. J.T., come back to us.

to Aaron Rodgers.

to burnt gloves.

DEBATE! The Silhouette is hosting its annual presidential debate on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 3:30 p.m. via Facebook Live!

We have our own questions, but want to hear from you too! Submit questions via the Google form at thesil.ca/ presquestions.

Visit msumcmaster.ca/jobs to learn more!

S

10 |

HUMANS

How have you grown as a person since your first year at McMaster?

I was thinking about that the other day, and I think that I have definitely grown as a person over the years. I remember that being in first year I used to make a lot of mistakes. I did not know what to do with my life, but I think that each year I have grown to accomplish more and more. I have become way better than I was, and I think that’s how we’re suppose to be.

What do you miss the most about your life before university?

I was really sheltered in high school–not that it was necessarily good thing but I had my parents, and my friends closer

Thursday, January 19, 2017 | www.thesil.ca

to me. Of course, living in a city that was new to me was different. It definitely is a struggle because you are on your own. I miss the younger me, who had less to worry about. Being out in the real world is not easy.

Raisa Khan Environmental Sciences III

Who is that one person that you are really close to?

I am really close to my best friend, other than my parents.

We met at a Bengali party when I was about six years old, and she thought I was really cool because I used to have an iPod. We definitely were in touch but our friendship grew after we came to McMaster. We became more close, and since she is a year younger than me I look out for her as an older sister. It is something I am grateful for.

What do you see yourself doing four years from now?

If I were to be honest, I would say I don’t know, because it is

Meagan Lazio Psychology II

still a work in progress. Everyday I would want to do something different, but I am really interested in fashion. I would like to do work in the fashion industry, more so the social media aspect of it. If I am un-

able to do so, then I would like to become a teacher and go to teacher’s college for it, although, it will be difficult because of the low job demand and high supply of teachers.

What has changed in your life over the past two years?

What do you see yourself doing in the next four years?

From two years ago, I have become an entirely different person. Two years ago I was naïve about the world, and the last few years of my life have really pushed me to see what the real world is like. It’s tough, and I now see how hard you have to work in order to achieve things you want. Two years ago I was 17 and I wouldn’t have expected my life to be the way it is now at 19.

In the next four years I want to have grown as an individual and travelled a lot. I can work and live an ordinary life, but I would like to experience something beyond that. It’s a bit cliché, but life is full of clichés.

What did you have in mind when you moved to McMaster?

GAGANGEET KAUR/ PHOTO CONTRIBUTOR

When I transferred from UOttawa to McMaster, I wasn’t expecting much, just a super ordinary university experience, but transferring back to Mac, I’ve already experienced so much more than I did there, and I feel like its where I should’ve started off. Basically, don’t have unrealistic expectations, just let life bring you the experiences you need to have.

What do you miss about Ottawa?

It would be easy to say I don’t miss anything about Ottawa, but it was definitely unique to be able to live amongst the embassies. I miss the people I met there the most.

facebook.com/ HumansOfMcMaster

Yung Lee Photo Reporter

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, January 19, 2017

The Silhouette | 11

Opinion Stay alert, stay safe Looking at the promises of campus security from MSU presidential campaigns Rebecca Abelson Contributor

Discussions around campus safety have permeated the agendas of several of the McMaster Students Union presidential platforms. Shaarujaa Nadarajah, Patricia Kousoulas and Aquino Inigo are the three out of six candidates who have proposed various avenues to implement newfound security practices.

These efforts have both yearlong and exam-time applications.

A nightly shuttle bus service is one of the more notable programs put forth.

All three candidates propose a shuttle bus service that will transport students during late exam hours to their respective neighbourhoods. This will act as an extension of the Student Walk Home Attendant Team, which currently operates from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. every day by providing students with a safe, reliable form of transportation after hours. Nadarajah’s platform discusses campus safety in tandem with the prevention of sexual violence, and the implementation of the shuttle service is rightly considered.

Under Kousoulas’s platform point of “Feeling Well,” she highlights the importance of providing extra support to students during exam time.

The shuttle bus proposition complements her objectives by alleviating the fears associated with late nights on campus.

In doing so, students would be able to avoid long waits at distant bus stops, cold walks home and unwanted catcalling.

The shuttle system is a feasible on-campus resource that can be used to improve the academic and personal well-being of McMaster students.

In a similar vein, Inigo’s platform also proposes a call-in service where students can contact a volunteer to accompany them on the phone during their walks home. Like the shuttle

SILHOUETTE ARCHIVES

McMaster students must be able to rely on their university and the support it provides. bus, this call-in service acts as an extension of SWHAT by allowing students to have contact with a trained volunteer during the later hours of the night.

Expanding familiar campus services is an excellent way to incorporate students into new security initiatives.

In addition, the propositions put forth also tend to the security of the volunteers by creating additional avenues for safe commutes. In the case of the shuttle bus program,

SWHAT volunteers would be able to use the service after late nights spent serving McMaster students.

Increased lighting in poorly lit student neighbourhoods is another focal point of Inigo’s platform. By working with Ward 1 councillor Aidan Johnson and SWHAT, student neighbourhoods lacking sufficient lighting are promised to be identified and made more visible. This would contribute to feelings of safety and security among the student-body.

From the initiatives explored, it becomes apparent that all three candidates emphasize the value of harm prevention.

Through the implementation of bus services, call-in programs and brighter neighbourhoods, the presidential candidates

aim to reduce the likelihood of assault by taking preventative action. These activities exemplify the active pursuit of MSU candidates in eliminating widespread issues within university campuses.

As an off-campus student, I’d argue that on and off-campus security should continue to be at the forefront of presidential campaigns. Since most students live off campus, it is integral that their safety needs are not overlooked. The route home should not burden on and off campus students, nor should it deter students from late nights at the library.

McMaster University is the home away from home for a multitude of diverse students.

The responsibility to uphold their well-being should not end

where the campus perimeters are drawn.

These obligations must be extended to students in their commute home, to school and while on campus. Moreover, the pertinence of on and off-campus safety measures in the 2017 MSU presidential campaigns reiterates the value student well-being poses to the McMaster Students Union.

McMaster students must be able to rely on their university and the support it provides.

Shaarujaa Nadarajah, Patricia Kousoulas and Aquino Inigo have done an effective job in raising awareness of prominent and relevant safety concerns and should encourage other presidential candidates to follow suit.

12 |

OPINION

Thursday, January 19, 2017 | www.thesil.ca

A place for everyone

Justin Monaco-Barnes Official Yes Side

January is an exciting time of year for student politics at McMaster. MUSC tables begin to overflow with excited students in bright colours, so full of passion for student life that they can barely contain it.

Over the course of my time at McMaster, I’ve heard some great ideas come out of presidential candidates. I find that the mark of a great platform is one that blends tangible ideas with a unified vision for the union. In 2014, Teddy Saull was elected with his vision, “Community Matters.” The following year, Ehima Osazuwa was successful with his equity-focused platform, “Forward Together.” Then in 2016, students elected a nerd in big, round glasses, focused on health, sustainability and wanting to “Be the Change.”

Community, equity, health, sustainability — each important themes that the MSU has worn over the past three years, each pillars that students here at McMaster have voted for. However, each year, some of the tangible pieces of these platforms have gone uncompleted. Community kitchens, more lounge space, multi-faith prayer space, larger athletics space and sustainable infrastructure are all great ideas that haven’t yet come to fruition. And it all comes down to one thing: space.

Enter this upcoming referendum. There are essentially two pieces to it: Athletics/ Recreation space, and a student space expansion that we’re calling the Student Activity Building.

Let’s talk first about the Athletics/Recreation space. This plan is calling for an expansion to the Pulse that would increase

Vote yes to the space expansion referendum

the space by 60,000 square feet, more than doubling the space of the current facility, and some immediate upgrades to existing space and programs. These include a female-identified only fitness space, funding for club teams, a 50 per cent discount on intramurals, yoga, pilates and extended hours. The biggest change that students would see immediately is the inclusion of a 12-month Pulse membership within their student fees at great value.

To put this in perspective, a 12-month Pulse membership is currently $192, and an 8-month membership is $144. For students who purchase these memberships currently, approval of this project means immediate savings of $97 for compared to a 12-month membership and $47 for the 8-month. This means giving you the extra cash in your wallet to buy a lot more delicious slices of banana bread from Union Market.

Onto the Student Activity

Building. This new building would be an expansion to the Ivor Wynne Centre, and would be a 40,000 square foot space designed by students, for students. Multi-faith prayer space is a priority for this building, and beyond that, the possibilities are endless. Food collective centre, permanent local, fresh food grocer, movie theatre, event space or a new cafe; it’s up to you, but all of these are possible with the Student Activity Building.

While not every student may use a prayer space or access a food collective centre, the space will be designed with the principle that everyone can use it for something.

To fund this project there would be an immediate $95 increase for next year, giving a 12-month membership to the Pulse among other benefits to students in starting in September. The cost for the expansion to students would only kick in when the building would

THE UNION MARKET. WE ACCEPT CASH, DEBIT, AND CREDIT OPEN LATE, WITH EXTENDED EXAM HOURS!

be completed in 2019/2020. If students vote in favour of the Pulse and the Student Activity Building, current ancillary fees will rise by $3.95 per unit capped at 30 units, which works out to $118.50 for students taking 30 units.

Again, if you’re a full-time student, this means you’re paying an additional $95 starting next year to cover the Pulse membership and additional Athletics and Recreation benefits.

In September 2019, when the new Pulse and new Student Activity Building would open, fees would rise by an additional $128.50 consisting of the $3.95 per unit increase to the building fee and an additional $10 to the activity fee.

Let’s be clear, the fees here are not low, and students at McMaster are already paying high costs to attend this institution.

I understand that. However, for many students who already purchase a Pulse membership or

another gym membership, well over half of the student population, accepting these changes will cut their costs rather than add to them.

Even for students who don’t use the Pulse, this project truly is meant to have something that all students can find value in.

By having cheaper food options, or more accessible multi-faith space, or discounted intramurals and yoga, this is a plan not just designed for one type of student, but for all.

This January, you have the opportunity to vote for next year’s MSU president, but you also have the chance to say yes to the dreams and ideas of all the students that came before you. Let’s say yes to “Community Matters,” and to “Forward Together,” and to “Be the Change” and to whichever lucky slogan may be crowned the winner this year: let’s build the space to make this campus a place where student life and leadership can really happen.

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OPINION | 13

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, January 19, 2017

Too many extras Vote no to the space expansion referendum

NICK BOMMARITO / PRODUCTION EDITOR David Philpott Contributor

For the last four years, I have been using the Pulse. My experience has been fantastic but I will be the first to say that there are some problems. What stands out the most to users is that the Pulse is overcrowded.

There have been times over the summer when the staff has had to put up wet floor signs because it was so busy that the humidity created puddles.

Even now in January during peak hours, you can expect to see a line of three or four people waiting to use a bench press. It is good that so many students are looking to live a healthy lifestyle, but something needs to be done. Turning away students is not a good solution, so the obvious answer is to expand the Pulse.

Knowing this, I was very pleased last year to see the incoming MSU president, Justin Monaco-Barnes, was campaigning on the platform of a Pulse expansion. Justin’s work since then has taken the form of a

referendum that will be voted during the upcoming presidentials. The referendum presents you three options: Option A A $95 increase to the student Athletics and Recreation fee (in addition to the $259.09 already being paid). This will increase to $105 by 2020.

A $3.95 per unit increase fee (to a maximum of 30 units).

The fees will go towards a Pulse expansion, a new student activity building and a 12-month Pulse membership for all students.

Option B The same as option A except the per unit fee would be $1.97 and there would be no Student Activity Building constructed.

Option C No Pulse expansion, no student activity building and no Pulse membership for all students.

It pains me to say this, but I implore all undergraduate students to vote for Option C. The Pulse desperately needs

expansion, but the alternatives are fundamentally flawed.

This is because it is not in the interests of students to have a compulsory 12-month Pulse membership.

For one, not all students use this service. Commuting students, those who prefer to use another gym, those who don’t work out regularly and those too busy to work out will all be required to pay for a membership that they will not use.

The current system at the Pulse is that students must, in addition to their student fees, purchase a Pulse membership.

Those students who want to use the gym can buy in to this service at a lower cost than other community gyms. Additionally, students can choose between four, eight or 12 month memberships depending on if they are in Hamilton over the summer or leave for a term.

This system is good because it offers flexible options for students and does not make memberships compulsory for non-users. Additionally, the

buy-in aspect limits the number of users of the Pulse to those serious about working out and thus serious about safely using the equipment. This system works well and should be kept.

I want the Pulse expanded, but not like this.

Secondly, the presented schedule would have memberships become compulsory before the Pulse expansion is completed. This would mean the number of members would increase from approximately 11,000 to over 20,000 while simultaneously the space available would decrease during construction. This would only exacerbate the issue that students are having.

In addition to the compulsory membership, students would begin paying the additional fees next year. Many of those students would graduate before every seeing what their money paid for. This ‘pay first,

use later’ approach has been used to fund other buildings on campus, but that doesn’t make it right. It is hard for someone like me, who will be graduating soon, to accept this cost.

So although I applaud Justin and VP (Finance) Ryan MacDonald for their hard work, I must ask you to vote down the proposed referendum. When students say we want the Pulse to be expanded, we mean we only want the Pulse expanded and not all the other things this referendum offers. If option A or B were passed, it would mean increased overcrowding at the Pulse and increased costs for non-Pulse users. I want the Pulse expanded, but not like this.

Disclaimer: the author of this article has worked at the Pulse for the last three years.

14 |

OPINION

Thursday, January 19, 2017 | www.thesil.ca

Hamilton politics and McMaster Hamilton’s Ward 1 councillor responds to McMaster-related concerns Aidan Johnson Councillor for Ward 1

This article is in response to our Jan. 12 editorial “Who represents student at city hall?” and is presented as it was received.

In October 2014, I had the honour of being elected city councillor for Ward 1 (West Hamilton). Many students voted for me. I remember those votes every day. I’ve been able to build a relationship of trust with the student community. It is a bond that I value.

The primary concerns I hear from students relate to ecology and human rights.

Both spheres of policy are constantly on my mind. To make a greener, bluer City, I have put wheels in motion to ban sale of bottled water at all municipal sites. I am also working constantly for deeper protection of Cootes Paradise – the fragile marsh-land that rings campus. To address climate change, I’ve worked successfully

for a $1 billion investment to build light-rail transit (LRT) in Hamilton – a potent alternative to cars. Our new LRT line will begin at McMaster.

On the human rights front, I have been working with Hamilton’s transgender community to create a Trans and Gender Non-Conformity Protocol.

This policy will help secure the equality rights of trans citizens, student and non-student alike.

I am hopeful for the Protocol’s enactment. I have also helped secure an investment of $50 million in Hamilton anti-poverty initiatives, which will benefit low-income students.

On January 11, the Sil published an editorial by Scott Hastie, arguing – rightly – that I have work to do, to strengthen my bond with the student community.

The editorial makes several good points. However, it also makes some points that I take issue with.

Hastie refers to my work to protect Westdale Cinema.

I am advocating for Heritage protection for this beautiful, old building (now for sale). I have asked Mac to consider partnering for use of Westdale Cinema as a lecture hall, or for other purposes -- e.g. art space, meeting space.

The editorial calls my suggestion that the Cinema be used as lecture hall “an insult to students”. Hastie’s point is that it’d be hard to get from class at the cinema to a class on campus immediately after. This is fair.

However, trying to involve Mac in saving the cinema is not “an insult”, to anybody. The fact that many students enjoy Westdale Cinema is one of the reasons I’m advocating to save it.

Hastie refers to a recent motion passed by Hamilton Council to hire two co-op students as bylaw officers for our Mac neighbourhoods. Hastie asserts that this decision “deepened the divide between McMaster students and residents”.

But it is not clear how ad-

Call For Nominations McMaster University invites nominations for the President's Award of Excellence (Student Leadership) This annual award recognizes deserving undergraduate students who have made a significant contribution in improving and developing the intellectual, social, cultural and/or athletic fabric of the McMaster community.

Nominations are open to undergraduate students who are in their graduating year. Nominations may be made by faculty, staff and students.

For more information on the award, or to obtain a Nomination Form, visit http://studentaffairs.mcmaster.ca/president_award_student.html

THE DEADLINE FOR RETURN OF NOMINATION FORMS IS FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 2017

ditional enforcement will harm students. Bylaw enforcement targets landlords. It does not target student tenants. Indeed, I would argue that better bylaw enforcement helps students, as it will create a safer and more hygienic neighbourhood. It will hold landlords to better account.

Hastie refers to Council “dragging its heels” on landlord regulation. This criticism is justified. In my two years as councillor, I have advocated

On January 12, the Sil published an editorial by Scott Hastie, arguing – rightly – that I have work to do, to strengthen my bond with the student community.

constantly for landlord licencing. I am hopeful that we can make real progress on this soon.

Hastie calls for students to become more politically engaged. I strongly agree with this. Students are already significant leaders. Hastie himself is a good example. It makes sense for all students to become more involved in politics.

Hastie’s editorial offers me a good challenge: “reevaluate the way you consult students”. I am grateful for this invitation. I visit campus often. I meet with students regularly, and have student interns in our Ward 1 office every year. But I appreciate the need to consult even more.

I am looking forward to further deepening my working relationship both with the whole student community. @aidan_johnson

PIZZA GRATUIT!

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Answer these simple questions, tweet the answers to @theSilhouette or come to our office at MUSC B110 with a copy, and we will give you $15 in Pizza Pizza gift cards!

How many candidates are there for the MSU presidential election?

What CFL team does Mike Daly play for?

club night

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Thurs.Jan 19 DOORS 10:00pm $2 before 11pm $4 after 11pm

$4.25 DOMESTIC BEER $4.25 RAILS

EVENTS CALENDAR MSU Presidential Elections and Referenda: Presidential Debate When: January 19, 2017 from 4:00PM until 6:30PM Where: MUSC Atrium All students are encouraged to come out to the Presidential Debate, in order to get to know their candidates and make an informed vote. Information on all MSU elections and referenda can be found at www.msumcmaster. ca/elections.

She’s the First McMaster, The F******* Word Art Showcase When: January 19, 2017 from 08:00PM until 11:00PM Where: Bridges Café The F******* Word is an art showcase dedicated to educating the McMaster community about gender equality through slam poetry,

singing, dancing and visual art. The F in the title, which stands for feminism, is a play on words meant to highlight the stigma around this movement towards equality.

Bridges - WGEN Presents: Audrie & Daisy (Documentary Screening) When: January 23, 2017 from 08:00PM until 11:00PM Where: Bridges Café WGEN will be showing a film and leading a discussion surrounding rape and sexual assault.

Community Volunteer Action Join a Weekly Volunteer Group!

When: January 23, 2017 from 12:00PM until 01:00PM Where: MUSC 2I5k CVA is a network of weekly groups where

you volunteer with other McMaster students at placements across Hamilton. Your group facilitator helps you find your way to the placement and facilitates a discussion for 15-20 minutes after each volunteer session.

We currently have 10 weekly groups that are in need of volunteers, so visit our website to view how you can get involved: www.OpenCircle.mcmaster.ca/volunteer

MSU Presidential Elections and Referenda: Voting Dates When: 9:00AM January 24, 2017 to 5:00AM January 26th Where: MSUMcMaster.ca/Elections A link to the third-party online voting system (Simply Voting) will be sent via McMaster email to all full-time McMaster undergraduate students. The Presidential Election is conducted with a preferential ballot: student voters rank candidates by order of preference, selecting as many or as few candidates as they wish. The Referendum question is binary: voters either favour or oppose the proposal.

MARAUDER WEEKEND 2017

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20 BASKETBALL VS YORK GAMES AT 6 & 8 PM

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 VOLLEYBALL VS WESTERN GAMES AT 12 & 2 PM

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 VOLLEYBALL VS WINDSOR GAMES AT 1 & 3 PM

BASKETBALL VS QUEEN’S GAMES AT 6 & 8 PM

Please drop by the THINK PINK table on the MEZZANINE during the varsity games to show your support

The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, January 19, 2017

| 17

Arts & Culture An artistic game of Musical Chairs James Street store Chaises Musicales houses incredible selection of music, movies and finely uphostered chairs Michelle Yeung A&C Reporter

Among the coffee shops and art galleries on James Street North sits a quaint store with a well-curated window display.

Named Chaises Musicales (or Musical Chairs) after its constantly-rotating floor of products, owner Jeremiah Boyler offers a selection of mid-century modern furnishings, films, records, books and other carefully selected art pieces.

At a glance, the store’s modest space is rife with treasures; five Hans J. Wegner chairs hang on the wall. A Charles and Ray Eames creation is stacked atop a beautiful rosewood and teak desk.

Two mustard-coloured Eero Saarinen chairs peek out the side of the window display, its next feature yet to be decided.

After spending a decade in Montreal, Boyler moved back to his hometown of Hamilton to open what has now become a

James Street staple.

With an eclectic collection of so many forms of art, one wonders if music, design, film and even chairs, have been interests of his since childhood.

“Film has always been a big part of my life… but it’s probably only until a decade ago that I really got into design,” said Boyler.

“I started noticing all the different types of design that’s used within film and within life… [Through experience] and a little bit of reading, I began to develop an eye for it myself.

And chairs… I love that they’re all functional yet really quite appealing.”

Although Chaises Musicales cemented itself as nirvana for vintage finds, things have recently taken an interesting turn.

Since December of 2016, Boyler has been selling both old and new through the introduction of the Gus Modern line, a collection of mid-century modern inspired furniture hailing

A pair of vintage chairs nestled into the small store.

YUNG LEE/ PHOTO REPORTER

from industrial designer David Podsiadly’s Toronto-based furniture company. “[Introducing the Gus line] was really difficult for me because I have said for so long: why do we need to produce new things when so many beautiful things already exist? But we are getting to a point in time where all the great designs from the 50s and 60s need to be reupholstered… I struggle with [my decision] all the time, but it’s nice to have a happy medium… and the Gus designers [are great, Canadian designers] which is awesome,” he said.

With so many rare finds at hand, Boyler’s treasure map intriguing to say the least.

Noting a beautiful Adrian Pearsall sofa I’d been enamoured with ever since spotting it in his window display, Boyler explained that, like many of his wares, he found it at an estate sale.

“I was really scared when I first [opened my shop] but after you take the first step [it all makes sense].”

Jeremiah Boyler Owner Chaises Musicales

“I went into the basement of an estate and it was really dark. It was buried. I didn’t even know what it was at first.

I looked and I thought, ‘Oh that’s kind of cool, it’s got great lines’… but it was covered in pillows and fabric and blankets…

I just chose it and I didn’t really even notice until I pulled it out and I got it outside and thought, ‘Wow, this is amazing!’”

Boyler was ecstatic when he discovered the sofa was, in fact, an early Pearsall.

Currently, notable items in his store include a pair of 1939 Maurice Utrillo prints that depict a scene of the tranquil streets of France.

He counts a dreamy lamp hanging at the centre of his shop as one of his rarest and dearest finds.

When asked if he had any advice for aspiring business

owners who hope to stray away from textbook ideas and follow their interests instead, Boyler has one thing to say.

“Just do it… I’m glad somebody kicked me in the butt and told me to just do it. I was really scared when I first [opened my shop] but after you take the first step [it all makes sense]… if you believe in whatever it is you’re selling, if you love whatever it is you’re selling, then other people will,” said Boyler.

“I kind of love everything in here. I love films, I love great novels. I love music. I love design. Everything I sell is filled with love. So if I love it so much, I’m hoping that my taste is good enough that other people are going to appreciate it.” @mich_yeung

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A&C

Thursday, January 19, 2017 | www.thesil.ca

East and west meet in new art show Local artist Paul Cvetich presents his work alongside 19th century prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi C/O MCMASTER MUSEUM OF ART

One of the many Cvetich installations, included in the exhibit.

MADELINE NEUMANN / PHOTO EDITOR

Michael Dennis Contributor

When walking through the McMaster Museum of Art this season, you can expect to come across the elegant and refined works of Bertin and Boucher from the Enlightenment.

You might also discover powerful, thought-provoking works from Indigenous artists like Rob Noganosh and Jane Ash Poitras. But there is no other exhibition quite as curious, fun and explosive as the work of Paul Cvetich.

In his most recent work titled Kuniyoshi vs. Cvetich: Gangnam Style, Hamilton-born artist, and McMaster alumni, Paul Cvetich ties together his own playful sculptures with

elegant woodblock prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.

Paul Cvetich was raised in East Hamilton before completing his undergraduate studies in Fine Arts and Art History at McMaster, and his master’s in Fine Arts at University of Guelph. In the Hamilton community, he is best known for his Day of Mourning monument in front of City Hall, as well as his twisting, colourful, polychrome wood sculpture pieces.

Kuniyoshi, on the other hand, was one of the late masters of Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting.

He died in 1861.

His work demonstrates a unique blending of Japanese artistic conventions and a western representation of landscape

BETA-H STUDY

painting and caricature.

Kuniyoshi’s prints often depict images of battle, landscape, and Japanese mythic heroes, which contrast Cvetich’s abstract sculptures that will jump out of the wall at you in a mixture of colour and shape.

Yet Cvetich’s sculptures were not directly inspired by the prints that accompany them at the McMaster art gallery.

Rather, Cvetich discovered and fell in love with Kuniyoshi’s art while teaching in Japan.

He was unaware that McMaster had a collection of Kuniyoshi’s prints, and he found a connection between the shapes and movements of the historic prints, and his own abstract works.

“I'm having fun and I hope

people can read that from the work,” Cvetich said. “[I hope] they feel that this guy must be having a ball, and then… maybe make these associations with the other work, [Kuniyoshi’s prints].”

While Cvetich’s work depicts a cross-cultural union spanning over a 150 year period, it more accurately aims to simply show fine art’s more playful side, a trait often lacking in cold and austere art galleries.

Through this, Cvetich also wants to put on display parts of McMaster’s incredible collection unknown to members of the public. One of the most striking aspects of Cvetich’s work is the title itself. Kuniyoshi vs. Cvetich: Gangnam Style is named after the popular pop single written

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To find out if you are eligible, call 905.522.1155 ext. 39009 or 39712 OR email: beta@mcmaster.ca Version 1.0 August 17, 2016

by South Korean pop star Psy. Like Psy's music video, Cvetich’s work when paired with Kuniyoshi’s prints evokes the same sense of playfulness and imagination.

“I thought something kind of goofy, like Kuniyoshi vs.

Cvetich: Gangnam Style… might appeal to people who think art is so serious. It's not that there isn't a place for it, but I've come to think why not? Why not a bit of goofiness?”

Kuniyoshi vs. Cvetich: Gangnam Style is available for public viewing from Jan 12. to April 15. at McMaster’s Museum of Art. There will also be an artist’s talk on the piece at Mill’s Hardware in Hamilton on Thursday, Jan. 19, 7:30 pm. @theSilhouette

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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, January 19, 2017

Indigenous art show at McMaster Unapologetic: Acts of Survivance honours 11 barrier-breaking Indigenous artists Abeera Shahid Contributor

McMaster University is located on the traditional territory shared between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Anishinabe nations, but the history of this land is often unfamiliar to the larger McMaster community.

The resilience of Indigenous people can be witnessed through the Unapologetic: Acts of Survivance exhibition at the McMaster Museum of Art, which opened on Jan. 12.

The exhibit brings together works of prominent Indigenous contemporary artists from the 1980s whose work continues to challenge assumptions about Indigenous arts and affirm a presence for Indigenous artists in the modern art world.

Curator Rhéanne Chartrand began to conceptualize the exhibition in 2015, during which she worked on the Aboriginal Pavilion at the Pan Am Games.

She is currently the first Indigenous Curatorial Resident at the museum, and earned her Bachelor of Arts in History and Anthropology from McMaster.

“It seemed that my interests and what I wanted to explore conceptually, artistically, could be fulfilled at McMaster… I was interested in looking back, acknowledging where we, [Indigenous people], came from,” said Chartrand.

The show includes a range of works, from a mixed media piece with the writing, “Pre-

serve our language and culture,” splashed across the centre, to a piece titled, “If You Find Any Culture, Send it Home,” which features an ancestral mask with a corresponding letter from a father to his son about selling the mask. The observer is prompted to reflect on the ongoing challenges Indigenous people face as a result of colonialism, and the way in which these issues are confronted in galleries and museums.

Chartrand selected the pieces through a non-linear and often chaotic approach.

“For me it’s about really allowing the works to speak to me… I am very interested in how works relate to each other, the conversations I can create with work. The process is very much back and forth, trying to map out the narrative I wanted to construct,” said Chartrand.

The conversations created by the show are as bold as the artists involved. The artists featured in the exhibit include, Carl Beam, Bob Boyer, Robert Houle, Gerald McMaster, Shelley Niro, Ron Noganosh, Jane Ash Poitras, Edward Poitras, Pierre Sioui, Jeff Thomas and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptu.

Chartrand sees naming the artists as an important part in acknowledging their activism to create a place for Indigenous work in the contemporary art world.

In the 1980s, these artists spoke against the exclusion of Indigenous art in contemporary art museums and how they were only featured as a relic of the

past in history or anthropology museums. They challenged the norm, becoming documentarians of Indigenous experiences at the time, and paved the way for current artists to continue the work.

The exhibition honours the contributions of these artists, but it also makes the job of curating their work intimidating.

“I initially felt very daunted with taking on the responsibility of curating work by such foundational artists… it was really overcoming my insecurities as an emerging curator and saying I do have something of value to say about this work, I do have a new analysis to offer,” said Chartrand.

When we talk about indigeneity, sometimes diversity is neglected. However, this exhibition features artists from different Indigenous groups in various geographical contexts.

Government policy and popular representations have often tried to treat all Indigenous groups as the same, but each group has its own unique perspectives which are reflected in their art. For instance, Bob Boyer’s blanket painting uses motifs and symbols from the plains, referencing the traditions of his respective region.

The exhibition, open at the museum until Mar. 25, conveys Indigenous people as survivors rather than victims of hardships they have endured. It is a powerful depiction designed for all of us to rethink our relationship to the land we stand on. @theSilhouette

Bob Boyer. Sun Dance Shield, 1980.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES TO McMASTER’S GOVERNING BODIES

Elections will be held in March 2017 to fill vacant undergraduate and graduate student representative seats on McMaster’s governing bodies.

Board of Governors: One undergraduate student representative Senate: One undergraduate student representative from each of the following Faculties: Business, Health Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences One graduate student representative from each of the following Faculties: Engineering, Humanities, Science, Social Sciences Completed nomination forms must be received in the University Secretariat office by 12:00 noon on Wednesday, February 8, 2017. Nomination forms and information about eligibility, terms, and election procedures are available on the University Secretariat website: www.mcmaster.ca/univsec/elections/index.cfm.

All approved candidates are required to attend a mandatory campaign information session on Thursday, February 9, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. in MUSC, Room 318.

Carl Beam, Self-Validation in Columbia Ice-Fields, Collection of Art Gallery of Hamilton, Gift of Wintario, 1980 © Carl Beam, Visual Arts-CARCC, 2017

Questions may be directed to the University Secretariat, telephone, 905.525.9140 x24337, or email unielec@mcmaster.ca

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A&C

Thursday, January 19, 2017 | www.thesil.ca

Culinary Class Act

Harbour Diner Timeless brunch restaurant is worth the trek to the north end of the city Rachel Katz Managing Editor

What it is Brunch is my favourite meal of the day. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and savoury, going out and being lazy. And at the Harbour Diner, the staff have nailed that balance.

Offering a range of omelettes, fried eggs, bacon and sweet treats, this restaurant is a must-try for anyone serious about brunch.

For its seasoned patrons, the restaurant is a neighbourhood favourite and it’s no wonder it has been featured on You Gotta Eat Here! and many other food blogs and websites. The diner’s plain exterior reveals a cozy collection of tables and chairs inside, welcoming both regular guests and new fans.

How to get there from Westdale/Ainslie Wood Hop on any downtown bus (1, 5, 51) and get off at Main and Bay. Walk north half a block on Bay Street to the Bay and George stop and wait for the 4 Bayfront bus. The Harbour Diner is just south of the James and Picton stop.

How much For brunch, prices range from $7 to about $15, but the average price is around $10. For lunch and dinner, prices start a little closer to $10, and the restaurant website recommends making a reservation.

What to get It’s no secret that I love bread, so my go-to at the Harbour Diner is their cinnamon raisin French toast. It’s everything I’m looking for in a brunch dish: a

little crunchy around the crust, but the centre of each piece is fluffy, creating the perfect, oh-so-important bread to syrup ratio.

To cut the sweetness a little, order a side of their home fries (or steal them from your brunch date). They’re crispy, a little greasy and delicious.

Why it’s great Between the old, slightly peeling wallpaper and the mismatched retro furniture, the Harbour Diner feels like home from the moment you walk in.

The food is presented without pretension on a variety of plates that could have been scooped up at a selection of yard sales and the Motown and 70s pop playlists only add to the restaurant’s cozy atmosphere.

I love the Harbour Diner because its vibe feels perfect no matter what time of year it is.

It’s close enough to the bus stop that you’re not left to the elements for terribly long in the winter, but it’s also a short enough walk from Hamilton’s bayfront that in nicer weather, your day out practically plans itself.

My first trip to the Harbour Diner was with a good friend after a pretty rough week last winter.

It was that kind of heavy, miserable weather so common in Ontario in March, but I could feel the coziness of the diner from the moment we walked through the door.

Food may not be a cure-all, and it can’t cancel out a bad day, but if any food could, it would be from the brunch menu at the Harbour Diner. @RachAlbertaKatz

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www.thesil.ca | Thursday, January 19, 2017

The Silhouette | 23

Sports Buck-wild McMaster men’s volleyball defeat our American neighbours Lauren Beals Sports Reporter

The Mac Men kicked off the new year by going head to head with some stiff US competition, including defending their win against the reigning NCAA national champions Ohio State.

Here’s why you should add “swept the buckeyes” to your list of McMaster bragging rights.

I don’t know how to put this, but they are kind of a big deal.

It seems like Ron Burgundy had it right on Dec. 30, when the ball hit the floor for the final time, handing the Marauders a 32-30 win in the final point of a three set stunner over Ohio State.

It was team captain and fourth-year veteran Brandon Koppers who laid the final hit of the night, just one of his four kills and six aces in the contest.

But for Koppers, the chance to play on a greater stage was just as sweet.

“It was amazing,” said Koppers. “Playing in front of a crowd that was that packed…

I don’t think we’ve ever sold out our crowd before. I know

nationals we came close, but I think that was a first.”

So what was all the fuss about anyways?

Close to 2,000 fans were in attendance, not including the extra spectators without tickets cheering from the mezzanine. Ohio State was making headlines already with a No. 1 national ranking and a 28 game win streak in league play, extending to before their national title. Even the name resonates with fans. Ohio State as a brand is responsible for generating over $160 million in Athletics revenue annually, primarily thanks to tickets sales, licensing and sponsor contributions.

“Ohio State as a name, is popular. People understand it,” said McMaster head coach Dave Preston. “They are familiar with it because of the promotional machine that is the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Even if you weren’t a volleyball fan, you have heard of [them].”

It also just so happened that Ohio State as a school was gearing up for a NCAA playoff football run against Clemson, and Canada’s World Junior Hockey team was set to square off against the USA, fueling the

Pawel Jedrzejewski getting under the ball.

C/O FRASER CALDWELL

Celebrating their big win.

C/O FRASER CALDWELL

fire of another classic Canada versus USA matchup.

“It ended up being an experience for the student-athletes like we never imagined,” said Preston. “It started off just getting ready, and it just morphed into [a whole different game]. It was really neat. “ Marauder fans were eager to see a repeat of last year’s win on home court, a year after McMaster sent shock waves through the volleyball community by upsetting the Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio. Both teams are sponsored by Nike, who helped promote the event with an exciting social media campaign.

As for the teams’ history, Dave Preston and Ohio State’s Head Coach Pete Hanson have seen a parallel rise in their programs over the last decade.

In 2006, McMaster finished third in the Ontario University Athletics division, while Ohio State finished fourth in their Midwest conference, both far cries from the national title runs made in recent years. Preston and Hanson have also sat at the helm of Canada and USA’s junior national teams respectively, extending their their relationship through scrimmages to prepare for international competitive runs.

But why set up such a colligate match between the two teams in the first place? While it was a great experience for the fans, the players are only

halfway through a long and grueling season that will see them play two more months of league games before playoffs.

They were also coming off a month long hiatus from exams, and will not see any teams from the states for the remainder of the year.

The answer boils down to preparation.

“The entire purpose of those matches is to get everyone ready for the second half of the season… with less competitive cost,” said Preston. “When you play someone in your league and you are trying new systems or tactics… they can see what you are doing and they can game-plan, but with NCAA we don’t see them in the playoffs.”

“It ended up being an experience for the studentathletes like we never imagined…

It started off just getting ready, and it just morphed into [a whole different game]. “ Dave Preston Head coach Men’s volleyball

The same logic applies to the road trip the Mac men took shortly after their win at home, when they travelled to Irvine and Malibu, California to square up against the likes of Concordia and Pepperdine University. Although the Marauders would do battle with 16-hour travel days and ultimately come up short against the west coast competition, the chance to replicate the competitive environment of big games will mean less adjustment come playoff time.

“Personally, I know it helps me prepare for the big games later in the season,” said Koppers. “The amazing thing about those kind of games is that win or lose the cost is pretty much zero. So we are able to play at the intensity, try new things, and try and play at the emotional level.”

“We also [have players] that have been through it… we know how to treat it, how to stay level headed and not get too excited. I think its great for some of the younger guys that maybe haven’t had that feeling yet,” he added.

In a sport where practice dictates performance, McMaster’s preparation on a grand stage should send a clear message to the rest of the OUA. If they are a big deal now, they can only get bigger. @theSilhouette

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SPORTS

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Daly returns to Marauders Following Greg Knox’s off-season hires, newly hired defensive assistant Mike Daly opens up on his relationship with Knox and his expectations for the 2017 season.

Eamon Hillis Contributor

In preparation for the upcoming 2017 season, the McMaster football program has made significant staffing changes within their organization.

Spearheaded by head coach Greg Knox, these changes come following a disappointing 2016 season in which the Marauders were eliminated in the Ontario University Athletics semi-final

by Wilfred Laurier.

One of the team’s most intriguing additions this off-season is the former All-Canadian Marauder Mike Daly as defensive assistant. Daly, who is currently a defensive back for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, saw much success during his time at Mac. Throughout his five seasons as a Marauder, he recorded and impressive 95 tackles and 10 interceptions in 38 games and was an integral part of McMaster’s historic 2011 Vanier Cup victory.

During Daly’s years at McMaster (2008-2013), Knox worked as the team’s defensive coordinator. Under Knox’s leadership, Daly and the Marauder defence were tremendously successful, earning a reputation as one of the best units in the nation. During this time, Knox and Daly built a strong relationship, one that has continued to this day. When coach Knox decided to make adjustments for next season, Daly was on the shortlist.

“Knox was my defensive coordinator when I was at Mac for four of my five years,” Daly said. “He went on to coach the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as I was playing for the Tiger-Cats, and we kept our relationship going. As soon as he got hired back at McMaster, he got in touch with me and offered me an opportunity to become involved. I jumped all over it.”

This is Daly’s first full-time coaching position, but his hir-

ing does not come as a surprise.

The Ti-Cats DB has continued to assist the program with its recruiting and player development during the off-season.

“I had been playing in Hamilton, so it was easy for me to stay involved with McMaster,” Daly said. “I had a really great experience here and built good relationships with the coaches. I always wanted to give support and I figured that if I could help with the coaching while still playing, I could set myself up well for the future and I could continue to learn from the more experienced guys.”

Considering the Marauders’ OUA semi-final loss this past season, many have speculated that the reason for Knox’s adjustments is a sense of dissatisfaction with the team’s overall performance. But Daly seems understanding of last year’s outcome, and does not feel that significant system changes need to be made.

“It’s tough in football when the success of your season is dependent upon on a single playoff game. I would say however that the consensus within the coaching staff is that the team underperformed. I don’t believe there will be major changes made to the defensive system…

Knox has been a coach in this league for a long time, and his systems have proven to work.”

Daly will continue his career as a Hamilton Tiger-Cat next season, while also serving as defensive assistant for the Marauders. Daly has played 49 games with the Tiger-Cats over the past three seasons, recording 53 tackles and four interceptions.

“Coaching is something I love doing, and I would do it for free. If somebody is willing to pay me, I’ll accept that too.” @theSilhouette

Mike Daly (35) will be joining Greg Knox and the rest of the Marauder coaching team starting in September 2017.

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SPORTS | 25

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017

Second half, second chances Learning from their mistakes in the first half of the regular season, the McMaster men’s basketball team looks to start the winter semester on a winning note Justin Parker Contributor

After a rough five-game road trip saw the Marauders lose four games, back-to-back wins last week got the team back on track.

A dominating win at home against Laurier on Jan. 11 featured Matt Quiring shooting a perfect game, and a one-point nail-biter win over Guelph on Jan. 14 ended when David McCulloch drained a free throw to ice the game. These games stand as perfect anecdotes for how the Marauders’ season has gone so far, standing as a team that is still trying to find its identity despite pulling out six wins and staying in the University Sports top ten.

The Marauders currently boast an Ontario University Athletics record of 6-5, with an impressive 4-1 record at home.

What has worked for the Marauders this season in particular has been the team culture and the leadership, according to head coach Amos Connolly.

“I really like our team culture, they’re pretty committed to each other,” Connolly said. “I think they understand that they can hold themselves accountable without taking it personally. I think that’s a real

credit to the leadership.”

“I think Connor [Gilmore] and Dave [McCulloch] are two of our leaders, but I think Rohan Boney, Lazar [Kojovic] and Elliott [Ormond] as fifth-year guys who are mature and humble are able to provide support and leadership,” he added.

While the Marauders sport good leaders and role models, the team has only three players averaging double digit points per game (Gilmore, Boney and McCulloch), an example of the disparity between their starting lineup and their bench.

As the Marauders try to find some more depth, the team is still searching for an identity as their two games at the start of the winter semester displayed.

Against Laurier, McMaster came out of the gate quickly and led 46-21 at the half as they continued to dominate the glass throughout the game, ultimately out-rebounding the Golden Hawks 47-35 by the final buzzer. Then, against a Guelph team coming off of a loss to Laurier the night before, the Marauders struggled to pull ahead until the third quarter, but then gave up 28 points in the fourth to allow the Gryphons a chance to come away with a win. This was similar to the 32 point third quarter the Marauders gave up to Laurentian in their 95-87 loss on Jan. 7.

It seems to be that the final quarter gets away from the Marauders in most of their games this season - a sentiment echoed by Connolly.

While the Marauders seem to defensively struggle in one quarter, they have been a top defensive team throughout the season. The

McMaster forward Matt Quiring (10) goes up for the board in Mac’s 85-54 win over Laurier on Jan. 11.

C/O ALISTAIR BOULBY

team continually holds their opponents to poor shooting percentages, ranking at second best in the OUA in opponents’ three-point percentage (28.8 per cent) and fourth in opponent field goal percentage (39.2 per cent). The Marauders also do a

“I really like our team culture, they’re pretty committed to each other. I think they understand that they can hold themselves accountable without taking it personally.“ Amos Connolly Head coach Men’s basketball

great job getting to the net and drawing fouls when necessary, attempting 20.6 free throws a game that places them fifth in the conference. That ability for the Marauders to get into the paint has won key points in close games, like McCulloch’s game-winning play against Guelph.

Helping these stats comes an emerging forward in Matt Quiring. Quiring is coming off a hot game against Laurier, shooting a perfect 10/10 from the field while adding eight rebounds in the process. Quiring’s athleticism, commitment and maturity all bode well for the future of the Marauders beyond this season.

Third-year forward Connor Gilmore continues to lead the team in points per game (19.7) and in rebounds per game (9.3), fourth best in the OUA in both categories. To complement Gilmore, Rohan Boney

is currently in the middle of an excellent 2016-17 campaign after seeing his minutes increase from last season.

Boney is putting up 15.5 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, and 4.5 assists per game, all averages he has increased since last season.

“I think his awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the group and the strengths and weaknesses of himself and how he can contribute I think is what we’re starting to see emerge,” Connolly said, complimenting Boney. “I’m really impressed with what he’s done as a leader for this group.”

Entering the home stretch of the season, the Marauders are hoping to iron out their creases while gearing up for the postseason. Mistakes made now will become invaluable tools to success come playoff time. @theSilhouette

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SPORTS

Thursday, January 19, 2017 | www.thesil.ca

Cold on the court Cullum Brownbridge Sports Editor

It is time for the McMaster women’s volleyball team to find their early-season groove.

Following their gold medal performance at the Thanksgiving Classic in October, the women’s volleyball team started the season undefeated before losing their last two games to the Western Mustangs (9-0) and the Guelph Gryphons (6-4).

Their hot start to the season came as no surprise. Starting the season ranked sixth in the University Sports top ten rankings and a number of fourth and fifth year veterans returning from last year’s campaign, the Marauders made quick work of their opponents, who up to this point in the season have a combined record of 22-36.

Winning their first seven games of Ontario University Athletics conference play, the Marauders never gave up more than one set in each game, losing only a total of four sets in that span.

Up to that point, the team looked unstoppable in the OUA West, reaching No. 3 in the U Sports top ten rankings, behind only Alberta (12-0) and the OUA East division leaders Toronto (8-0). Things were looking up for the Marauders, until they suffered their first loss of the season on Nov. 26 to the Mustangs in London in their last game of the fall semester. Even though the Marauders were swept in three sets, the first two sets were decided by a combined seven points, showing that this team on their best day can compete with top level competition.

Following the winter break, the Marauders travelled

After starting off the season hot, the McMaster women’s volleyball team has dropped their last two games

There are still 10 games left for the Marauders to fine-tune their game and set themselves up for success come postseason play. to Guelph on Jan. 14 to face the Gryphons, who they had previously defeated in the gold medal game of the Thanksgiving Classic and the opening game of the regular season.

Unfortunately for Mac, they were unable to replicate their previous success, losing the match in four sets, the last two of which were decided by two points apiece.

This has the women’s team sitting second in the OUA West division, with a 7-2 record. As of Jan. 17, the team has dropped out of the U Sports top ten rankings entirely.

Their next game takes place on Jan. 21 at 6pm, where the Marauders host the visiting Mustangs, and will look to evenge their first defeat of the season. The next day, the Marauders will welcome the Windsor Lancers (3-5) to Burridge Gym, who currently sit fifth in the OUA West division.

While their start to the winter part of their schedule is not what they hoped for, there are still 10 games left for the Marauders to fine-tune their game and set themselves up for success come postseason play, and a return trip to the OUA Final Four. @Curtains1310

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