The Silhouette - March 21, 2019 by The Silhouette

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The Silhouette

/THEMCMASTER SILHOUETTE

@THE SILHOUETTE

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@MCMASTER SILHOUETTE

Volume 89, Issue 25 Thursday, March 21, 2019 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

EDITORIAL BOARD editor-in-chief | thesil@thesil.ca Emily O’Rourke @emily_oro digital media specialist | dms@msu.mcmaster.ca Aaron de Jesus managing editor | managing@thesil.ca Sasha Dhesi @SashaDhesi online editor | online@thesil.ca Yvonne Lu sections

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

FEATURES Hannah Walters Vida features@thesil.ca

features reporter

OPINION Sabrina Macklai opinion@thesil.ca

opinion editor

SPORTS Justin Parker sports reporter Jessica Carmichael sports@thesil.ca sports editor

ARTS AND CULTURE arts & culture editor Razan Samara arts & culture reporter Rya Buckley aandc@thesil.ca MEDIA Kyle West photo reporter Catherine Goce production coordinator Sukaina Imam production coordinator Sabrina Lin production coordinator Katarina Brkic production@thesil.ca photo editor

ONLINE Sasha Roshan social media coordinator Martin Burwell online@thesil.ca video editor

CONTRIBUTORS staff writer Andrew Mrozowski staff writer Rida Pasha staff writer Neda Pirouzmand staff writer Drew Simpson staff writer Graham West staff writer Eden Wondmeneh COVER PHOTO Sabrina Lin

#TBT

MARCH 17, 1988

In 1988, about 400 Ontario students rallied at Queen’s Park to protest the provincial government’s inaction on post-secondary issues. Students were protesting significant funding cuts and empty promises of funding from the government. At the time, this rally was the first of its kind in over three years.

CONTACT

LEGAL

MUSC, Room B110 McMaster University 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4S4

The Silhouette welcomes letters to the editor in person at MUSC B110, or by email at thesil@thesil.ca. Please include name, address and telephone number for verification only. Letters should be 300 words or less. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters and opinion articles. Opinions and editorials expressed in the Silhouette are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers, the McMaster Students Union or the University. The Silhouette is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the McMaster Students Union. The Silhouette Board of Publications acts as an intermediary between the editorial board, the McMaster community and the McMaster Students Union. Grievances regarding the Silhouette may be forwarded in writing to: McMaster Students Union, McMaster University Student Centre, Room 201, L8S 4S4, Attn: The Silhouette Board of Publications. The Board will consider all submissions and make recommendations accordingly.

Editor-in-Chief (905) 525-9140, ext 22052 Main Office (905) 525-9140, ext 27117 Advertising ccpc@mcmaster.ca 8,000 circulation published by the

WRITE FOR US NEWS Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. news@thesil.ca

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ARTS & CULTURE Monday at 11:30 a.m. aandc@thesil.ca Join our weekly meetings in MUSC B110!

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

The Silhouette

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News Record number of candidates run for SRA Many attribute the renewed interest in the SRA to improved advertising

The health sciences election this year featured eight candidates for two positions, building off seven candidates last year after just two in 2017.

Daniella Mikanovsky Contributor

Ryan Tse News Reporter

A record 79 candidates were vying for a position on the McMaster Students Union Student Representative Assembly general elections, which ended last Monday. Seventy-nine candidates competed for 35 SRA seats across all faculties, the highest number ever. Last year, there were just 41 candidates running for 31 seats. Two years ago, there were 50 candidates. The highest number of candidates came from the SRA science and SRA social science faculties. Twenty-five candidates ran for seven seats for science, while 16 candidates ran for five seats in social science. In 2018, there were just nine and five candidates for the science and social science faculties. Candidate turnout was higher than last year for other faculties as well.

KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

SRA commerce had eight candidates running for two seats this year compared to five last year, and the arts and science faculty had four nominees running for one seat compared to one nominee last year. Voter turnout was markedly high as well. Twenty per cent of undergraduate students, or a total of 4,283, voted in the SRA generals election, a dramatic increase from last year’s election, which saw 1,064 voters. Several current SRA members and winning candidates attributed the increase in candidate turnout to more effective advertising from the McMaster Student Union elections department this year, made up of chief returning officer Uwais Patel and chief deputy officer Emily Yang. “This year, the CRO and DRO did a really good job in doing outreach. It was a lot of promotion, and it was faculty-specific promotion as well,” said Tasneem Warwani, current SRA arts and science representative.

Candidate turnout was higher than last year for other faculties as well. “I think what they did really well was reach out to SRA members to ensure that they were reaching out to their constituents,” said Devin Roshan, current SRA health sciences representative. One new initiative the elections team took on this year was sending faculty-specific emails directly to students to remind them of nomination deadlines and how many seats were available. “On the MSU pages, social media-wise, I saw more promotion about it,” said third-year social sciences student Allie Kampan, who won an SRA seat. “More people were aware of it this year.” Some faculties also tried to host more faculty-specific events encouraging students to run.

For example, the social science caucus ran an event where they handed out nomination forms. “I think the SRA reps made it more approachable this year,” Kampman said. “There’s a stigma around a lot of MSU things, specifically SRA, which is that it’s unapproachable.” Roshan pointed out that increased turnout also comes from regular efforts through the year to educate students on issues and what the SRA is doing. The health sciences election this year featured eight candidates for two positions, building off seven candidates last year after just two in 2017. Students entering post-secondary education may also be becoming more interested in politics. “Looking at the first years specifically, in my interactions I’ve had with them, they’re very passionate about getting involved,” Warwani said. First year council elections this year featured a record high of 54 candidates running for sixteen positions.

Not all faculties saw a rise in candidate turnout. Humanities had only three nominees, meaning all three available seats were acclaimed. There were just two nursing nominees for one seat and four kinesiology nominees for two seats. SRA engineering also had just eight candidates for six available seats. All of these faculties have struggled to put forth nominees in recent years, with seats often being acclaimed. According to incoming SRA engineering representative Hawk Yang, one possible reason for the typically low candidate turnout is that the engineering faculty has a prominent engineering society, which often overshadows SRA engineering initiatives. Nonetheless, as evidenced by the SRA statistics, the MSU is still seeing refreshingly high interest in student government this year. @tweetingryantse

NEWS

Thursday, March 21, 2019 | www.thesil.ca

Local startup helps customers redeem unused gift cards Kaya Harrod and McMaster alumnus Colin Moffat have transformed GiftCash from a twoperson operation into a thriving company with seven Mac employees

GiftCash hired its first McMaster co-op student in 2018. KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

Ryan Tse News Reporter

Four McMaster students are helping a local gift-card cash-exchange company grow unexpectedly quickly in a relatively untapped Canadian market. GetCash is an online service startup based in Dundas that buys unredeemed or partially redeemed gift cards from customers in exchange for a percentage of the remaining value. The company was co-founded in 2017 by Colin Moffat, a McMaster actuarial mathematics graduate, and his partner Kaya Harrod. ““Everybody buys gift cards and everybody receives them as gifts, and, a lot of time, people don’t really want them,” Harrod said. GiftCash runs a relatively simple but effective service. Prospective clients can go onto the site and check their gift card balance before submitting it. From there, the company offers a percentage of the card’s value. If the customer accepts, they

receive an e-transfer payout within five business days. Harrod and Moffat, are both from Ontario. Before starting the business, Moffat was playing professional poker in Las Vegas while completing his undergrad. Inspired by a friend, Harrod and Moffat started the company as Moffat finished his degree. They officially incorporated GiftCash in August 2017, and hired their first employee in November. Since 2017, GiftCash has grown quickly. Currently, more than 10,000 ‘orders’ of gift cards have been submitted to GiftCash, amounting to more than 40,000 cards redeemed by clients in total. According to MarketWatch, Americans spent $130 billion on gift cards in 2017, but $1 billion were unspent. One estimate in 2011 found that Canadians spent $6 billion a year on gift cards. Because the Canadian gift card exchange industry is not as well-developed as the American market, Harrod and Moffat targeted Canadian clients at

Since 2017, GiftCash has grown quickly. Currently, more than 10,000 ‘orders’ of gift cards have been submitted to GiftCash, amounting to more than 40,000 cards redeemed by clients in total. first.

“Raise and and CardPool kind of monopolized everything in the US, and they bring in millions of revenue themselves. There’s nothing really like that in Canada,” Harrod said. GiftCash’s biggest gift-card exchange competitor in Canada is CardSwap, which was founded in 2009. However, encouraged by their early success, GiftCash

expanded to the U.S. last year. The company now already receives more orders per month from the U.S. than Canada. GiftCash has fostered a close connection with McMaster as it has grown. Including Moffat, eight GiftCash employees out of a total of fourteen in Canada are McMaster graduates or co-op students. The company hired its first McMaster co-op student in 2018. Currently, there are four co-op students working as data analysts, and Harrod and Moffat are looking to add to their team. Harrod admits that she and Moffat did not expect the business to take off as fast as it did. “Honestly, we didn’t realize how big of a market this was

However, encouraged by their early success, GiftCash expanded to the U.S. last year.

until we kind of started. We kind of just jumped in headfirst and decided to do everything that we could,” Harrod said. Harrod hopes GiftCash will be able to take the next step and become a major player in the Canadian and American market. “Hopefully, by the end of this year, we’ll have better infrastructure on the web site side, and we’ll have a larger workforce,” Harrod said. “We’ll be maybe not totally up there. I think that’s a little bit of a high achievement. But at least we’ll be making a peg in the wall as we climb up to the top with our competitors.” Students can find out more information about the startup at https://giftcash.ca/.

@tweetingryantse

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

The Silhouette

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DJNO speaks out against violence towards people with disabilities Next week, the DJNO will be hosting a rally with the Justice for Soli movement Donna Nadeem Contributor

The Disability Justice Network of Ontario is a Hamilton-based organization launched in September by McMaster alumni Sarah Jama and Eminet Dagnachew and McMaster student Shanthiya Baheerathan. The co-founders initially got together because of their aligning interests. For instance, Jama was working with the McMaster Students Union Diversity Services as an access coordinator, trying to push the university to create a service for people with disabilities. “I always think that there is more that could be done, that the institution doesn’t do a good job of supporting people with disabilities in terms of responding to professors who don’t want to accommodate. There is still a lot from what I’m seeing as a person who has graduated,” said Jama. Last year, the co-founders received an OntarioTrillium grant over 36 months to create and run the organization.

The basis of DJNO is to pose questions to the community of people with disabilities to see what it is they want to work on and how DJNO can use their resources to support the community it serves. One of DJNO’s larger goals is to politically activate and mobilize people with disabilities who consistently get left out of conversations that affect their lives.

Last year, the co-founders received an Ontario Trillium grant over 36 months to create and run the organization. “Our goal is to politically activate and mobilize people with disabilities across the city and the province over time and to be able to hold the institutions and places and people accountable for the spaces that they create,” said Jama. The research committee for

DJNO has recently been working on data collection for a study on issues for racialized people with disabilities. According to Jama, there is a lack of data collection on this subject. The DJNO also has a youth advisory council that teaches people with disabilities how to politically organize. In just a few months of being in operation, the DJNO has hosted several events, such as a community conversation event about the Hamilton light rail transit project, a film screening and panel discussion about Justice For Soli, a movement seeking justice for the death of Soleiman Faqiri, who was killed in prison after being beaten by guards. The film screening and panel discussion was organized alongside McMaster Muslims For Peace and Justice and the McMaster Womanists. On March 26, the DJNO will be hosting an event called “Race and Disability: Beyond a One Dimensional Framework” in Celebration Hall at McMaster.

“Our goal is to politically activate and mobilize people with disabilities across the city and the province over time and to be able to hold the institutions and places and people accountable for the spaces that they create,” Sarah Jama Cofounder of DJNO

This discussion, being organized in collaboration with the MSU Maccess and the MSU Women and Gender Equity Network, will tackle “the intersections of race/racialization, disability, and gender for all McMaster Community Members.” Next week, the DJNO will also be organizing a rally with

Justice for Soli in order to speak out against violence against people with disabilities. “The Justice for Soli team has been tirelessly advocating for justice, accountability, sounding the alarm of deeply systemic issues in the prison system, namely the violence that it inflicts on racialized peoples, and people with disabilities,” reads part of the event page. For McMaster students interested in getting involved with the organization, DJNO has some open committees and is looking for individuals to help identify major community issues. The campaign committee meets at the Hamilton Public Library monthly. Students can email info@djno.ca for more information.

@theSilhouette

The Disability Justice Network of Ontario is a Hamilton-based organization launched in September. C/O DJNO FACEBOOK PAGE

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The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

It. Gets. Worse.

What do social assistance cuts mean for health care inequality in Hamilton? Hannah Walters-Vida Features Reporter

Hamilton is a city of stark inequalities. As the city’s economy booms, many Hamiltonians are swept to the sidelines as a result of a housing crisis and employment insecurity. Compared to other cities in Ontario, Hamilton also has a high proportion of working class people, disabled people and refugees, who are often the first to feel the brunt of these changes. Health outcomes over the past decade have been bleak, and according to many disability justice and healthcare advocates, show no signs of changing unless bold steps are taken to support Hamilton’s marginalized populations. The Code Red Project In 2010, the Hamilton Spectator released Code Red, a project that mapped the connections between income and health across Hamilton to explore the social determinants of health. Using census and hospital data

from 2006 and 2007, the report showed strong disparities in health outcomes between the Hamilton’s wealthiest and poorest neighbourhoods. The Code Red project shows that social and economic inequalities lead to health inequalities. The lower city, which experiences disproportionately higher rates of poverty, also has significantly poorer health outcomes. In February 2019, an updated Code Red project was released using data from 2016 and 2017. The updated Code Red project found that in general, health outcomes in Hamilton have declined and inequalities have grown. Since the first Code Red project in 2010, the average lifespan in parts of the lower city has declined by 1.5 years. Furthermore, the gap in lifespan between Hamilton neighbourhoods has grown from 21 to 23 years. Hamilton: the past 10 years These results come as no sur-

prise to Sarah Jama, an organizer with the disability justice network of Ontario. According to Jama, given the lack of political change coupled with changes in the city of Hamilton, it was inevitable that poverty would worsen and inequalities would deepen. Jama notes that health care and social services tend to be compacted into the downtown core, which has tended to have a higher concentration of people who rely on these services. However, rising costs of living within the downtown core has meant that the people who access these services are being priced out. According to a report by the Hamilton Social Planning and Research Council, eviction rates have skyrocketed in the past decade. As a result, the people who rely on these services have to make compromises about whether to live in a place with supports available close by, or a place that is affordable. “The more compromises you have to meet with regard to your ability to live freely and

safely in the city the harder it is to survive,” said Jama. Denise Brooks, the executive director for Hamilton Urban Core, works directly with

Since the first Code Red project in 2010, the average lifespan in parts of the lower city has declined by 1.5 years. Furthermore, the gap in lifespan between Hamilton neighbourhoods has grown from people at the margins of Hamilton’s healthcare system. Brooks noted that the 2010 Code Red project was a wake up call for many. “For me one of the biggest

takeaways [from the first Code Red project] was even greater resolve that this really is a political issue and that it hasn’t been looked at and is not being looked at as a crisis,” stated Brooks. The 2010 Code Red project sparked projects including the Hamilton neighbourhood action strategy and pathways to education program. According to Brooks, while these initiatives were beneficial, more robust policy is needed to substantially address poverty. “...[C]an we see any change in policy orientation? Did we see a reallocation of resources? Did we see a redistribution of priorities in any way? I would have to say no,” said Brooks. Looking ahead The updated Code Red project calls for a restructuring of the traditional health care system to include social and economic programs that contribute to people’s overall health. However, recent political changes have led many health

FEATURE

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

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Health outcomes over the past decade show no signs of changing unless bold steps are taken to support Hamilton’s marginalized populations. C/O THE SILHOUETTE PHOTO ARCHIVES

changes have led many health advocates to worry that the coming years will see change for the worse. Matthew Ing, a member of the DJNO research committee, notes that provincial cuts to a slew social assistance programs threaten to further exacerbate the existing inequalities in Hamilton. In November 2018, the provincial government announced reforms to Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program that aimed to streamline social assistance and incentivize people to return to work. Among many changes, this includes aligning the definition of disability to align with the more narrow definition used by the federal government. According to Jama, narrowing the eligibility requirements for disability support makes it likely that people will slip through the cracks. They will put the responsibility on the municipality to provide services, meaning that care is likely to differ between providers. “The onus is going to be on

individual service providers on all these people to really decide who really fits this idea of being disabled enough to be on the service versus it being like sort of supervised by the province,” stated Jama.

“The more compromises you have to meet with regard to your ability to live freely and safely in the city the harder it is to survive,” Sarah Jama Organizer for the Disability Justice Network of Ontario Additionally, in February 2019 the provincial government announced plans to streamline and centralize the health care process. Under the proposed model, Ontario Health teams led

by a central provincial agency will replace the existing 14 local health integration networks across the province. Brooks noted that this has not been the first time that the province sought out to reform healthcare. Having worked in community health for years, Brooks remarks that the changes that are made to healthcare frequently exclude people on the margins. “It’s always the people who are the most marginalized, the most vulnerable, the socially isolated and historically excluded that remain on those margins all the time regardless of the change that go through,” said Brooks. Currently, patient and family advisory committees work to inform the work of LHINs. The government has not announced whether PFACs will be retained under the new model, but Ing worries that a centralized model would leave patients and families out of the decision making process. However, Ing recognizes that the current system is far

from perfect, noting that disabled communities were not adequately represented on PFACs. According to Ing, this speaks to the much larger problem of political erasure of people with disabilities. “Disability justice means

“It’s always the people who are the most marginalized, the most vulnerable, the socially isolated and historically excluded that remain on those margins all the time regardless of the change that go through,” Denise Brooks Executive Director for Hamilton Urban Core

that we must organize across movements, and we must be led by the people who are most impacted,” writes Ing. The DJNO was created in order to mobilize disabled communities and demand a holistic approach to healthcare reform. According to Jama, this includes seeing race, income, and disability as fundamentally interconnected. However as social assistance measures are cut at the provincial level, the future for disability justice is murky. The results of the updated Code Red project paint a sobering picture of the state of health inequality in Hamilton. Given the direction that healthcare reform is taking on the provincial level, health and poverty advocates worry about the future of healthcare equality in Hamilton.

@theSilhouette

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

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

Content Warning: This page discusses themes of and statistics about sexual violence. All students deserve to be free of violence on campus and within the community. However, that is often not a reality. Sexual and gender-based violence is prevalent in many forms throughout society and on campuses. It is essential that everyone plays a role in tackling this issue. As a result of student pressure, we are seeing the different levels of government begin to take action. In 2018, the federal government committed $5.5 million to develop a Framework to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions over the next five years. On Monday, I attended a Listening and Learning session to assist in the development of this framework. Throughout the day, I was able to connect with students from across the country, who are fighting to end sexual violence on their campuses and participate in meaningful discussions. On Tuesday, the provincial Minis-

March 21, 2019 | thesil.ca

try of Training, Colleges and Universities released a report summarizing the results of the 2018 Student Voices on Sexual Violence Survey. This survey was conducted from February 16 to April 2 of 2018 to gather information about students’ experiences with sexual violence. Over 160,000 students across Ontario participated, 117,000 being university students. With it being almost a year since the data was collected, many have long awaited these results. During provincial lobby week, one of the MSU’s recommendations to Members of Provincial Parliament was for the release of this report. We believe there is great value in data collection. As students, we have always understood the severity of the problem. We experienced the violence, witnessed it, and heard the stories from our friends. However, it is impossible for people to ignore the issue when those experiences are no longer scattered throughout our communities, but rather compounded into statistics that demonstrate the prevalence of sexual violence on our campuses.

“The fight to end sexual violence will be long and arduous, but it is absolutely necessary.” According to the survey, 3 in 5 university student respondents have been sexually harassed and 1 in 4 have had non-consensual sexual experiences. However, only 1 in 5 respondents have knowledge on sexual violence supports, services, and reporting procedures. Of those who reported sexual violence to the university, only 1 in 5 were satisfied with their response. With the release of the results, the

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.

ministry announced a few immediate actions including requiring post-secondary institutions to review their sexual violence policies by September, develop a task force devoted to tackling sexual violence on campus, and report more regularly on the issue. As well, the government doubled their investment in Women’s Campus Safety Grant to total $6 million. These are small steps towards addressing the issue, but more needs to be done. The Women’s Campus Safety Grant is a great resource, but the $6 million will have be split between 45 institutions to fund everything from training to infrastructure. With the survey results highlighting the severity of the problem on campuses, the government should make significant investments if the goal is to make any strides in reducing sexual violence. At McMaster, we need an additional Sexual Violence Response Coordinator - something the MSU has advocated for in our university budget submission. This will increase McMaster’s capacity to provide training, make changes to policies, receive feedback from the community, while also providing survivors with the support that they need. We also need to see investments in local resources that support both the Hamil-

ton and McMaster communities. As the MSU, we also recognize we have a role in addressing this issue. Through our peer support services, we provide students with safer spaces to disclose their experiences. As well, the Women and Gender Equity Network and the Student Health Education Centre run campaigns centred around consent and the issue of sexual violence. Beyond that, the MSU Board of Directors is working to ensure the appropriate policies and reporting tools are in place for students and staff. The Vice President (Administration) is revising our Workplace Anti-Violence, Harassment, and Sexual Assault Prevention Policy to be more survivor-centred, ensuring the process is clear and easy to work through. She is also creating accessible reporting tools for students to access online to reduce the barrier of in-person initial reporting. To best equip volunteers, she is working with the Sexual Violence Response Coordinator, Meaghan Ross, to enhance training on preventing and responding to sexual violence. The fight to end sexual violence will be long and arduous, but it is absolutely necessary. By working together, we can make sure and steady progress towards creating safer campuses and communities.

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

EDITORIAL

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Editorial Where does my money go? Students are paying for scheduled instructional hours that aren’t running Razan Samara A&C Editor

When my night classes end early, I’m the first one to dash out of the lecture hall to catch a bus back to Mississauga. In fact, if any of my professors decided to end classes early or skip a day altogether, I would always feel relieved. It wasn’t until recently that I realized I must be losing a lot of money when classes don’t run until their scheduled end time. After a little math, the number came out to be around $1,000 worth of missed instructional hours in my three years of undergrad. This approximation is based off of the fees I pay as a student in the faculty of science. I did not include supplementary fees or classes where I missed less than an hour of instructional time. I also didn’t include missed time as a result of closures, unforeseen circumstances, or competitions between

teaching assistants to see who can clear out their lab section the fastest. It’s also important to note that I have taken a fair amount of night classes, including classes during the spring and summer sessional dates, which tend to end an hour early. According to the faculty of science office, classes typically run a standard number of hours per week, but the number is ultimately up to the discretion of the professors. In my experience, I have found that in some cases scheduling a class but not running it for instructional purposes can be beneficial. For example, for one of my courses this fall, it was indicated in the syllabus when Thursday classes would be running. When they weren’t, I was able to use this common time to work with my group members on course projects. The main problem arises when professors tell us that they will not be running a 10

p.m. class past 9 p.m. due to regularly scheduled, personal commitments or simply because they don’t have enough material planned for the entirety of the scheduled hours. In these cases, why are classes being scheduled beyond the time a professor can allot to it? Stretched between academics, jobs and extracurricular activities, ending a class early can easily be seen as a blessing, especially if it means finally having time for a meal or a nap. However, this isn’t worth losing tuition money over, especially considering it could be avoided by scheduling classes with more foresight.

to “glad u got that job tho” to the Sil staff because we’re all healthily moving on from our school commitments instead of peaking in the our undergrad to almost getting sued by Skrillex to journalism monkey headshot

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to being proficient in English to Ian, AGAIN!

to “the Sil is a self fulfilling prophecy of weird” to people standing on the go bus to crying about links to apparently I’m not qualified for my job to the Swan Song to the Bubble to everyone hating on the Sil? Like can you relax for one second? Bring us coffee or something

For school, play and everything in between the HSR wants to take you there.

puts people & planet ﬁrst

That’s why it’s time to think about the Hamilton of tomorrow and how you’ll help to shape it. Tell us how you would (Re)envision the HSR.

Take the survey: hamilton.ca/reenvision

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HUMANS

Catherine Goce Photo Reporter Simran Gill Contributor

What is one impactful story that truly represents you? I think it’s my journey to McMaster. Coming from the East End, in a different setting and never knowing that university was an option. I think when I found my father when I was 30 and realized his journey through incarceration and all that kind of stuff and getting connected to my indigeneity and learning my language through McMaster University. I have been going to McMaster since I was a baby because my mom used to take me here, it took two hours to get here to take me to daycare while my mom worked as a housekeeper for the hospital when it first opened. So, I’ve been going to McMaster since I was two or three. I’ve just never seen it as an option because of the environment I grew up in and the failures in education to that point. It’s just a long journey, it’s so hard to explain every piece of it, but it’s that journey. Growing up on welfare, my dad being in prison and once meeting him, I think that was it. That’s what changed everything. I think in the back of my mind it was always a dream that was never a possibility, but it was always a dream. There were lower socioeconomics back in the 70s and 80s where McMaster wasn’t a choice for me. In high school the counselors told you it wasn’t a choice. So you knew coming from that neighborhood in the Parkdale area

Thursday, March 21, 2019 | www.thesil.ca

that it wasn’t a choice. I think having that in the back of your mind later on that it could be a choice, that’s what did it. How would you say your story relates to the essence of the genuine human connection that the human collection seeks to help students develop? I think that being Indigenous, contemporary society doesn’t realize the hurdles that we have. We’re all from broken environments that aren’t healthy and university is really not engineered for that success. It’s different in a story of a newcomer to the land in that we’re here and we’ve been here but we’ve never actually known our own journey until we go out and discover it. McMaster has always been my home, I’ve always seen it as my home but I never knew that I actually could go home until I was in my thirties and I

“It’s different in a story of a newcomer to the land in that we’re here and we’ve been here but we’ve never actually known our own journey until we go out and discover it.” Troy Hill Vice President of the McMaster Alumni Association finally went home. I did some time in some

Troy Hill Vice President of the McMater Alumni Association CATHERINE GOCE/PHOTO REPORTER

horrible places and I came to McMaster without ever writing a paragraph in my life and never reading a book. The support I had from my physicians that I worked with at the hospital helped me write essays. I finally saw the academic arts of doing that and started off part time and feeling alienated because I felt different because I was older than everyone else. I also had some hurdles there because people who were in indigenous studies at that time were from the reserve and I grew up in the east end of Hamilton, it’s a different world. But I got accepted in my own community of Six Nations and that’s where I landed and without McMaster I wouldn’t have landed there. Do you have any advice that you would give to those who may be in your shoes? Don’t wait for one defining moment. You’ve got to wait for a series of them or find the series of them and I believe you can wait for the series of them when you’re ready or you can find them or they can find you. I always get asked “what turns you around” because I had some tough time with being arrested and a lot of poor decisions. It wasn’t one thing that turned me around it was a whole bunch of sequences of events that happened that turned me around. I think in society we think that there’s one defining moment when you see a faith or racing and I don’t think it’s that, I think you should wait it out and when one good thing happens, notice it and then when the next thing happens notice it and start adding up all the good things that happen. Because

then you can see that it is a possibility. Society is engineered to tell people like me that it’s not a possibility. Where are we able to get a chance to speak with you on your story? There’s no one in my old neighborhood that came to university and then to find your identity through McMaster is the story that I think is what needs to be shared. I find academia is way more interested in my journey because they know what the odds are. And the people who aren’t in the university and don’t see that it’s a possibility, it doesn’t get to them, which is ironic. I hope that from the human library, if people see that they can do a study that will help people. My book, Becoming Well Re(a)d that’s part of that Human Library is becoming well read from the perspective of Western thought and getting a university degree, but what happened with that was becoming more read as an Indian and becoming more of that. I’ve got to balance my Indigeneity in one and Western thought in the other and it’s a heck of a struggle. I was neither well read Indigenous, nor was I well read academically. So I’ve gathered both of those and that’s what the title is about. When they presented the Human Book to me I was like ‘that’s brilliant’. What a great idea for people to listen to other people’s stories because no one’s going to know my story unless they hear it. I find it’s better from an oral tradition that it’s better for us to tell it through speaking than it is through

writing. I love the concept. I look forward to someone who’s on this other side of the world taking out a book of Becoming Well Re(a)d and hearing that story because I find the people who might be disenfranchised on the other side of the world from their place and when they come here not knowing that there are people disenfranchised on Turtle Island and once we share that we’ll find our commonalities and our differences and then we’ll bring those stats of the hate instances down. I hope the rest of the world gets how amazing Indigenous people are, whether they’re from Somalia whether they’re Indigenous people from Scotland, wherever the Indigenous people are, our commonalities are huge, they’re about disenfranchised oppression and still staying strong. The event is on April 4th in the HSL pavilion from 9-3pm. The purpose of this event is to allow the natural human interaction that digital technology prevents us from achieving, whether it’s learning how to get past awkward conversations or eliminating judging thoughts of someone before you have even spoken to them. It brings everyone together to celebrate their uniqueness and learn about the diversity we have at McMaster and what different perspectives present.

facebook.com/ HumansOfMcMaster

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OPINION

Thursday, March 21, 2019 | www.thesil.ca

Opinion Protecting students in residence All community advisors should be required to complete vulnerable sector checks Sabrina Macklai Opinion Editor

Students entering university are faced with many new things: new classes, new friends and sometimes even new living arrangements. But students living in on-campus residences should not have to worry about their safety. To help students transition into living away from home, and to enforce the rules of residence life, McMaster University community advisors live with first-year students in their residences. Their purpose is to â&#x20AC;&#x153;develop and maintain an environment that is conducive to learning and personal growth.â&#x20AC;? To be a CA, one must fulfill many qualifications including maintaining a minimum sessional average of 6.0, being a full-time McMaster University student, demonstrating responsibility and leadership abilities

and have a working knowledge or building community within students. But for all the listed requirements, CAs are not required to complete any sort of police background check, including a very important vulnerable sector check. VS checks are a collection of offence information that is restricted to applicants seeking employment or volunteering in a position of authority or trust over vulnerable persons in Canada. They can be obtained easily from the police service in your residing jurisdiction. The lack of VS checks for CAs is problematic for many reasons. For one, many incoming students are under 18-years-old. In these cases, it is evident that these students are considered vulnerable persons and subsequently require additional protection from those in positions of authority and trust like CAs.

The lack of VS checks for CAs is problematic for many reasons. For one, many incoming students are under 18-yearsold. But even for incoming students who are legally adults, their role as a first-year student inherently places them in a lower position of power relative to their CAs. This power dynamic can be harmful if the CAs have a history of offensive behaviour. CAs have a lot of influence over the first-year students under their supervision. CAs are oftentimes studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first interaction with upper-year students and are meant to be the go-to person for questions about campus and residence life. To not

conduct a proper background check on them is negligent of the university in ensuring that students are protected. The lack of VS checks is not an exclusive issue of CAs. In addition to CAs, residence-affiliated positions such as the residence orientation representative are not required to complete VS checks. In fact, part-time managers, the board of directors and other McMaster Students Union positions do not require the completion of a VS check. Considering that almost all of these roles involve interaction with and power over a vulnerable population of students, it makes no sense why these roles do not require VS checks. If anything, the lack of VS checks puts students in avoidable danger. In addition to VS checks, McMaster University should do a more thorough job of ensuring that individuals hired

If anything, the lack of VS checks puts students in avoidable danger. for their positions are positive reflections of the university. This includes ensuring that these individuals have not been reported to university administration or asked to withdraw from their positions previously. The lack of sufficient and necessary screening of individuals in positions of power within the university is alarming. For McMaster University to truly commit to ensuring student safety, they must create better hiring policies that begin with implementation of VS checks.

@_sabrinawitch_

Community advisors who live with students in residence are currently not required to complete background checks. KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

OPINION

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

| 13

A mess of a move out policy McMaster University’s end-of-term move out policy does not account for the lives of students who are not getting what they paid for Eden Wondmeneh Staff Writer

As a first-year student living in residence, I had to cough up an outrageous amount of money for a mediocre living experience. Following a $600 residence deposit, residence can cost anywhere from $5,800 to $8,825, not including the additional, mandatory cost of a meal plan that ranges from $2,975 to $4,735. Separate from the fees, incoming students wishing to have a guaranteed residence space on-campus must achieve, at minimum, an 81.5 per cent in their senior year of high school. It’s as if an acceptance to McMaster is not enough to attend the university, with residence being the only option for many out-of-province students. Even if you find yourself as one of the almost 3,700 students living on McMaster residence, you are expected to move out promptly after your final exam

in April. In fact, you are expected to leave residence by 3:00 p.m. on the very next day. With the average cost of living at Mac being just under $12,000, this deadline does not fit with what students have paid for. It likely exists in order to stagger students’ departure as a way to prevent chaos and large wait times, but for many students it’s an impossible deadline to meet. As it is an odd request for students to pack up their entire dorm so quickly after their final exams, students with ‘legitimate’ reasons for not being able to meet the deadline can apply for an extension. Those that can apply for this extension are international and out-of-province students with travel requirements, those with exceptional circumstances or those with academic requirements to fulfill like a new exam or deferred lab. But even if a student has one of these ‘legitimate’ reasons, there is still a chance that the extension won’t

With the average cost of living at Mac being just under $12,000, this deadline does not fit with what students have paid for. be granted. Ultimately, the terms of the extension application are made so that students who have assignment accommodations, need time before their new lease or sublet agreements take affect, have extracurricular commitments or have storage needs till the end of term have no options and are scrambling to find alternative accommodations. It’s as if these aren’t legitimate reasons to need to stay in a dorm room, which you have already paid for, until the official end of term. I am currently struggling to figure out what to do come the

end of term. My exams happen to fall on the earlier spectrum of exam season, and since my family is scattered across America during my assigned moveout date, I’m stuck between an alarmingly expensive taxi ride back home or a cheaper but nightmarish, impossible Go Transit bus trip with my 40 pieces of luggage. My situation is much easier to deal with than those who are from out of town or students with accessibility accommodations, who need to stay in Hamilton for a few days or weeks extra. The entire purpose of residence is to make university life, both academic and social, accessible and convenient for students; a goal that the moveout policy directly opposes. Students shouldn’t have to request an extension at all, but for the sake of staggering departure times, students should be able to request and receive an extension for a much broader list of reasons than that which

As it is an odd request for students to pack up their entire dorm so quickly after their final exams, students with ‘legitimate’ reasons for not being able to meet the deadline can apply for an extension. currently exists. In doing so, McMaster can make exam season a little less strenuous for the students who paid to live on-campus until the end of term.

@theSilhouette

Students should be allowed to move out on the last day of term, as opposed to the day following their final exam. KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

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OPINION

Thursday, March 21, 2019 | www.thesil.ca

What is the point of student politics? The Student Representative Assembly needs to do a better job at engaging first-year students Rida Pasha Staff Writer

I am a first-year student who wasn’t aware of the Student Representative Assembly until just a few months ago. I am not alone in this experience. Many first-year students only became aware of the presence of the SRA after the recent election campaign, with posters plastered around campus. It is not news that it is difficult to find clear information about what the SRA does as the supposed voice of McMaster University students. There are plenty of upper years that are still oblivious to the SRA’s workings, so imagine being a firstyear and all of sudden receiving dozens of Facebook notifications to like election pages and vote for certain candidates. If you go to the McMaster Students Union website and search the SRA, you’re met with a very vague explanation of what this assembly does, and to someone who knows little to nothing about how their meetings work, it can be very confusing. As first-year students

make up a large percentage of the McMaster population, it is essential that the SRA increases its engagement with these students, especially considering that many are simply unaware of the function of student governance at McMaster.

The SRA should be heavily involved in Welcome Week so that firstyear students at least have the opportunity to learn the basics of student governance and politics This engagement should begin at the beginning of the school year at many students’ most memorable time of university, Welcome Week. Welcome Week is dedicated to making first-year students feel comfortable and aware of

the different clubs, services, resources and events available on campus. The SRA should be heavily involved in Welcome Week so that first-year students at least have the opportunity to learn the basics of student governance and politics. Not only would this be a great way for students to understand that the SRA works to improve the experience of all students, but it is also an excellent way for SRA members to build connections and truly represent the student body. However, it can’t just stop there. While there needs to be more interaction between SRA members and all students, firstyear students should be specifically targeted because they are a demographic that is often not given enough attention. While upper-year students are at least able to have fellow SRA members in their years support and speak on their behalf, most first-year students are left out of the picture since apart from the few first-year representatives, rarely any firstyear students attend assembly meetings.

There are plenty of upper years that are still oblivious to the SRA’s workings, so imagine being a first-year and all of sudden receiving dozens of Facebook notifications to like election pages and vote for certain candidates. Though all students have the opportunity to speak at a meeting in order to bring up an issue, what is the likelihood that the average first-year student is confident enough to speak up at a meeting with 35 upper-year students ready to debate, let alone know that the SRA is a service that they can turn to? It is important that firstyear students recognize that the decisions the SRA makes

impact us the most. These are decisions that may directly affect us not just for this year, but for years to come. Many SRA members will be graduating in one to two years so the decisions made won’t be affecting them later on. But as first-year students will likely be here for another three or four years, we need to be made aware of the issues, topics and decisions that are being made. It is time that the SRA finds better ways to reach the students they are representing. While the SRA mailing list is a start in updating students, more has to be done. This engagement has to go beyond emails and become a more interactive experience with first-year students that remains consistent throughout the year. So for the newest elected members of the 2019-2020 SRA term, what will you do to build a connection with first-year students? @theSilhouette

First-year students need to be more aware of their role in student governance and politics. KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

OPINION

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

| 15

Job automation won’t doom students As long as university students embrace their skills and stay informed, automation doesn’t pose a threat to their careers prospects and is even creating a new job market

In our increasing digital age, students should ensure they develop soft skills that give them a competitive edge. CATHERINE GOCE / PHOTO REPORTER Evonne Syed Contributor

The topic of integrating artificial intelligence and robots into the workforce rouses the concern of anyone wishing to enter the job market, and the same goes for postsecondary students. Fortunately, the future is optimistic for students as automation is not expected to prevent graduates from attaining their career goals. In fact, the rise of automation actually improves career prospects for university graduates, as it is creating a new job market. Forbes Magazine reports that artificial intelligence is predicted to create 58 million jobs as 2022 approaches. As the popularity of automation systems and the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace becomes more widespread, there will be more and more people required to actually build and develop these systems. This will open up opportunities for those who wish to enter the fields of robotics and information technology. BBC News anticipates the prominence

of data analysts, social media specialists and software developers, as a result.

As the popularity of automation systems and the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace becomes more widespread, there will be more and more people required to actually build and develop these systems. For this reason, while one may argue that automation has resulted in the elimination of certain jobs, the introduction of automation in the workforce is actually creating more jobs and opportunities in our current digital age.

Luckily, McMaster University has many programs to equip students with the necessary skills to flourish in our digital age. The recent construction of the Hatch Centre shows McMaster’s testament to students advancing in these fields. Even if one is not interested in working in the field of automation, that does not mean that they are otherwise at risk of being unable to obtain a job. There is an increasing demand for “human skills” in the workforce since these skills are what distinguish robots from actual human beings. University graduates tend to seek out careers that require a higher level of education which simply cannot be programmed into automation systems. It would be way too costly and time consuming to teach a robot the knowledge a person has acquired from their post-secondary education. There are also plenty of skills, academic and otherwise, that students learn and develop through their time at university. Education and experiential opportunities prepare students

to apply their knowledge in a variety of situations. For example, critical thinking skills and problem solving are transferable “soft skills” that employers seek and students develop during their time at university.

There is an increasing demand for “human skills” in the workforce since these skills are what distinguish robots from actual human beings. Some jobs require humanistic qualities, which are simply not possible for a machine to replicate. For instance, no matter how much technology advances, robots may never be capable of understanding human emotions and experiences. The interpersonal skills,

empathy and compassion that people develop by interacting with one another are skills that are beneficial for the work environment. These skills equip anyone to thrive professionally as the future of the job outlook changes. Technological advancements such as automation will inevitably impact life as we know it, and that includes changing our work environments. However, these changes are not inherently harmful and the possibilities for post-secondary graduates remain promising. Students must be proactive, take initiative to educate themselves as much as possible and work on developing these skills. Provided that students make the most of their university experience, and are willing to undergo some extra training to keep their learning sharp, robots are sure to have nothing on them.

@theSilhouette

OPINION

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

| 13

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A&C

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

| 17

Arts & Culture New makers’ market opens Vine Street Market is sharing their extra space with Hamilton’s makers

98 VINE ST. MARKET 98 VINE VINE Rya Buckley A&C Reporter

When partners and food and beverage producers Ryan Chelak and Jules Lieff went looking for a production space, they came across a building at 98 Vine Street. While the space was larger than they required for their businesses, they decided to take it. Now they are sharing the extra space with Hamilton makers with their first Vine Street Makers’ Market set to take place on March 30. The two-storey redbrick building was once the home of Hamilton Pure Dairy, which opened in 1907 to provide healthy, safe and pure milk to the community. It has been home to other businesses over the year and now houses Vibe Kombucha and FitOrganiX. Chelak is the founder of Vibe Kombucha, a craft brewer of raw, organic kombucha tea. Lieff founded FitOrganiX, a daily meal delivery system that uses local, organic ingredients. They will be using the second floor of the building for production. The main floor will be open to the community as studio and event space. While Chelak and Lieff are still determining exactly how they will use the space, they know they want it to cater to creatives in Hamilton. “In talking to a number of artists in the community, in Hamilton, there seems to be a need, particularly where we are downtown, for creative space. All of the workshop, event spaces, they’re all pricing a lot of these people out of the market,” Chelak explained.

The desire for space can be seen in how the market sold out of vendor space within a day and a half. By providing space at an accessible price point, Vine Street Market is allowing emerging makers the chance to bring their product to the public. The markets are currently slated to be monthly, but Chelak said that they might change depending on the demand. Starting in May, they will also host a bimonthly thrifted, vintage market. However, the main floor will be more than just market space. At the back of the main floor, there will be collaborative workspace for artists to work out of. This would also allow artists to have wall space in order to display their work for clients. Vibe Kombucha and FitOrganiX will also be selling their products at 98 Vine Street. Chelak and Lieff hope to have a cafe counter where people can buy their products, along with food and beverages from other local producers. Another important use for the space will be the workshops that makers can host. Having gotten into kombucha by giving workshops, Chelak appreciates the opportunity to share skills with others. “You know sharing that knowledge is really what community is all about, whether it’s making something to eat or drink or making… music or arts. People need outlets like that, maybe now more than ever when everything is fast-paced and we’re so immersed in technology and our work… [T]hat

time to create it is important,” Chelak said. The market will provide an opportunity for Hamiltonians to interact with and buy from local makers. While there is no restriction on where the makers hail from, the market will primarily host local creatives. Chelak believes that the local creatives are leaders in Hamilton’s resurgence. However, more than helping to grow the city, Hamilton artists are also providing a welcoming and collaborative space for emerging artists to develop. “Hamilton seems to be, from my perspective… a city that is collaboration over competition… And I think when you have that mindset where you’re looking to promote each other and/or share information or opportunities… then people are more apt to do the same back in return and the adage that when you first give and then you’ll receive, it’s really what it’s all about,” Chelak said. By creating an environment where artists can work together, Vine Street Market is joining the tradition of collaboration within Hamilton’s artistic community. Having this new space for makers to make and sell their art will allow more individuals with small businesses to flourish in this rapidly changing city. In turn, Vine Street Market will grow as well. @theSilhouette

C/O @VINESTMARKET

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The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

The socio-economic status of artists The Division of Labour exhibit highlights the precarious situations artists are placed in

KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

Drew Simpson Staff Writer

The Division of Labour exhibit portrays sustainable ways of creating art while also looking at the difficulties of creating a sustainable art career. Housed in the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre’s main gallery space until April 20 and accompanied by a panel discussion, Division of Labour warns of the scarcity of resources, labour rights and living wages of artists. Division of Labour also serves as an educational tool to communicate and start discourse around the issues regarding sustainability. The Socio-Economic Status of Artists in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area discussion, which was facilitated by Divisions of Labour curator, Suzanne Carte, and included panelists Sally Lee, Michael Maranda and Angela Orasch, encouraged artists to be vocal and seek action. “People want to be around artists, but they really don’t. If they were living in the reality that a lot of artists are living in, it would not be favourable. What they want is the pseudo creative lifestyle. They want to be around beautiful things and smart people, but they don’t really want to be assisting with making sure artists are making a living wage and that artists are being supported financially,” explained Carte.

For emerging artists, this exhibits presents a valuable learning experience as it informs them of community issues. This topic is particularly important since emerging artists are often asked to work for free, often under a pretense that the work will add to their portfolios or lead to exposure. However, Carte argues that asking artists to work for free devalues the work they do. “Because you are emerging, and because you’re new to the practice does not mean that any institution, organization or individual business, whatever it might be, can take advantage of you and use it as exposure… it’s not about gaining experience — I can gain experience on the job. I can gain experience while being compensated for what I do,” explained Carte. While Carte encourages individuals to stand up for themselves, she understands that many artists may not be in a position to be able to reject sparse opportunities. She, alongside the panelists at the discussions, further discussed ways emerging and established artists can fight for their rights. Lee gave an overview of organizations and advocacy groups that focus on bettering labour and housing situations and are making communities aware of gentrification and the living experiences of artists in Hamilton and Toronto.

Maranda added that lobbying for bigger grants or funding is not enough. The community also needs to be advocating for the improvement of artists’ economic status through establishing a basic or minimum hourly wage, affordable rent and transportation. Recently, Maranda was a quantitative researcher for the Waging Culture survey. The survey investigated home ownership in Hamilton compared to Toronto. Maranda concluded that Hamilton artists are less reliant on the private market and contribute more to the public art community. The survey also suggested an artist migration from Toron-

to to Hamilton due to Hamilton’s lower rent and higher artist home ownership. This leads to a domino effect as real estate agents and developers follow the migration and aid gentrification. Orasch stated that real estate agents and developers have secretly attended similar panel discussions. The panelists speculated they do so to learn how to market housing to artists. However, the overall sentiment was that they crossed into an artist-designated space to further exploit artists. “Developers are taking advantage of the language that we have been able to construct for ourselves, to be able to be at-

tractive to other artists or other individuals who feel as though they want an “artsy” experience out of life,” explained Carte. Lee emphasized how all these surveys and discussions need to reach key decision makers. The Division of Labour exhibit and the panelists at the discussion have repeatedly stressed that talk is merely educational, the true goal is action and change. @theSilhouette

A&C

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

| 19

Follow the yellow brick road to Emerald Coffee Co. Emerald Coffee Co. celebrates one year of coffee in the heart of Barton Village

Andrew Mrozowski Staff Writer

Tucked away on Barton Street East are a ton of local Hamilton shops with a lot to offer. On Barton Street East and Emerald Street North, a coffee shop is quickly approaching its oneyear anniversary. Aptly named Emerald Coffee Co, the space creates a larger than life quality that has been ten years in the making. Owner Phil Green grew up in Montreal. For the past ten years, Green worked in the automotive industry and lived in the United States, but he yearned for change. Leaving his job with thoughts of opening a coffee shop at the back of his head, Green made the choice to move back to Canada and live in Hamilton. “I was walking my dog and saw that this place had a lot of potential. The neighbourhood was filled with young families, but they had to walk 15 minutes to get a coffee…A coffee shop is the hub of a neighbourhood and I wanted to create that hub here,” said Green. In the summer of 2017, Green embarked out into Hamilton to try and find a place. Setting up home base on Barton Street East, the owner knew that he was taking a chance with this spot. “I took a risk and opened in a location where most people wouldn’t have but once the idea was in my head, I wanted

Barton Street. We wouldn’t have been the same if we opened somewhere else,” said Green. The doors to Emerald Coffee Co. were officially set to open in February 2018 but had to be delayed as the building was not up to code. Green eventually opened a month later on March 31, 2018 and received an unanticipated warm welcome. “It’s been great! The neighbourhood has been amazing, I’ve met amazing people, and the coffee scene in Hamilton is friendly. It doesn’t feel like competition here, it feels like we are all friends. There is a real sense of community,” said Green. Emerald Coffee Co. is a unique coffee shop as everything they use is natural. Green makes

his own vanilla syrup using vanilla beans, a rose syrup from dried rose petals, and goes to the United States to get hazelnut milk. With a wide range of espresso-based beverages such as lattes, and americanos, Green also has kombucha and coldbrew on tap all year around. Emerald Coffee Co. also gets in a different roasts of coffee every two weeks to keep things fresh. A fan-favourite of Emerald is their hazelnut latte made with real hazelnut milk instead of using traditional hazelnut syrup. “We try to make everything as genuine as possible,” said Green. About once a month, Green also develops a special seasonal

drink. Bringing back a fan-favourite, the rose latte will be featured for the shop’s one-year anniversary along with one-dollar coffee throughout the last weekend of March. Aside from coffee drinks, the shop also has sandwiches and salads for customers to enjoy as well as sweets from local Hamilton bakeries such as Donut Monster. Currently, Green is trying to develop a way to bring a nightlife crowd to Barton Street East. “It’s a really gay-friendly neighbourhood with a lot of the owners being queer, and we are welcoming to everyone. Hopefully in the near future, I’ll have some coffee cocktails to

serve in the evening because we really need a nighttime crowd in the neighbourhood,” explained Green.

Emerald Coffee Co. is a unique coffee shop as everything they use is natural. Green makes his own vanilla syrup using vanilla beans, a rose syrup from dried rose petals, and goes to the United States to get hazelnut milk. Isolated from the hustle and bustle of the downtown core, Emerald Coffee Co. is a great place to study or enjoy a great beverage with friends in a warm and inviting atmosphere amongst a community that is working together to show more of what Barton Street East has to offer.

@andrewmrozowski

Phil Green prepares a cold brew at his cafe on Barton Street East. KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

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The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

Culinary Class Act

Panini and Ice Cream

The weather and you will be warming up to these treats in no time Razan Samara A&C Editor

What is it: The Panini and Ice Cream shop makes some of the most unlikely of combinations pleasantly intriguing. And I’m not just talking about the brilliant sweet desserts and savory sandwich mixes on their menu, but the space itself consists of a couple wild combinations. The shop takes up one half of an expansive space shared with a convenience store. The Panini and Ice Cream half has bar seating along a window overlooking Main Street East. Photographs of happy customers from over the years hang from fairy lights slightly obstructing the view of traffic. A walk past the kitchen will lead you to an open space that can facilitate a study session with friends, a date night on couches, or a small kids party under the disco laser lights, exclusively and all at once. Since opening in 2015 and renovating their space this past summer, Panini and Ice Cream has built a good reputation in Hamilton’s east end. They serve Hewitt’s ice cream, which is made by Ontario dairy farmers, an incredible selection of milkshakes and of course sandwiches, one of which is their coveted Doritos chicken panini.

How to get there from campus Let’s face it, if you’re only in Hamilton for school, you probably haven’t been to the east end. Panini and Ice Cream is definitely an east end gem worth making the trip to. Luckily, the commute is easy. It’s just a matter of staying on the bus for a while longer on the same route students typically take downtown. Your easiest route would be to take the 1 Hamilton Street Railway bus from Sterling Street and University Avenue heading east and get off at Main Street East at Tragina Avenue North. Panini and Ice Cream will be a one minute walk westbound on Main Street East. You can save a few minutes by taking the 10 heading east

from Main Street West and Emerson Street. Hop off at Main Street East and Kenilworth Avenue North. Walk eastbound for five minutes along Main Street East. Panini and Ice Cream will be on your left just after Cope Street.

The cost Starting with the basics, one scoop of ice cream goes for $3.10, while two, three and four scoops go for $4.29, $5.30 and $6.19, respectively. There are 32 flavours to choose from, including your classics flavours, strawberry cheesecake, chocolate caramel fudge brownie, butterscotch ripple and watermelon sherbet. They also have a selection of ice cream floats for $3.99. Sundaes range from $6.49 to $7.99 and include flavours like the unicorn sundae consisting of bubble gum and cotton candy ice cream topped rainbow candy and cotton candy. Milkshakes are $6.19 for the regular size, $7.09 for the large size, and can be made with any ice cream flavour of your choice. Last but not least, the panini menu ranges in price from $4.42 to $7.99, and you can add extra chicken or bacon to order for $2.00. Some menu items include classic grilled cheese, pizza pepperoni grilled cheese, and the Montreal smoked meat panini.

ence, the half and half menu is your way to go. You can choose any ice cream flavour for a shake at the bottom, any flavour for a sundae on top, one topping and one sauce. A regular half and half goes for $7.29 and a large half and half goes for $8.39. If you can’t choose which flavours to get, they have a couple ideas displayed on the menu, like my personal favourite; the cookie monster which is made up of a cookie dough shake and a chocolate chip cookie sundae, topped with a variety of cookies. They also have the options of getting a salty caramel (pralines and cream shake, salty caramel sundae) or pina colada (coconut shake, orange pineapple sundae).

C/O PANINISICECREAM

They serve Hewitt’s ice cream, which is made by Ontario dairy farmers, an incredible selection of milkshakes and of course sandwiches, one of which is their coveted Doritos chicken panini.

What you get

Why it’s great

The menu choices can be overwhelming on a first visit; we’ve just covered the basics for the sake of simplicity. There’s a lot to consider, from your ice cream cone and topping choices, to the option of getting plated desserts, to skipping the menu altogether and getting creative by making your own dessert. If you’re looking to stay in for a relatively well-rounded, filling and cost-effective meal, pairing the classic grilled cheese or a chicken panini with a regular milkshake of your choice is the way to go. I chose the pralines and cream milkshake on my first try! For the ultimate experi-

Paninis and Ice Cream keeps its doors open all year long, so you can indulge in their cold treats no matter the season. In fact, my first visit was the day after one of our infamous ice storms this winter. The staff are super friendly, the space is pleasant and the options and combinations are endless.

C/O @RING.LE.THAI

Still can’t choose from all your options? You just can’t go wrong with a classic ice cream on a waffle cone.

@theSilhouette

C/O @TASTEHAMONT

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR

Vice-President Adisti • Eduon • Fin

& Speaker

NOMINATIONS OPEN Saturday, April 6, 2019 Uni te SRA meg 10:00am | Gilmour Hall 111

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Vp’s

Meet and mingle with your VP candidates! Food provided. Tuesday, April 2, 2019 5:00pm to 7:00pm | TwelvEighty

We’re hiring! Ever wanted to work wit us? Now’s your chance! We’ll be putting out applications for reporter, coordinator and editor positions over the coming weeks. Stay tuned to our social media channels to learn more.

msumcmaster.ca/vpelections

SPORTS

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

Sports Facing a familiar foe

Despite missing out on a national medal, Andrew Richards helped the Marauders continue to build on their legacy in his final season

The Marauders will head into a long offseason, as they prepare to retake their championshop status in 2019-2020. KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

Graham West Staff Writer

Returning to the U Sports National Championships, the McMaster men’s volleyball team suffered a tough loss against the second-seeded Trinity Western University Spartans in the opening round; a familiar foe ending the Marauders’ hopes at winning another national medal following last year’s bronze. This sent the team to the consolation semifinals where they took a heartbreaking loss in a rematch of the provincial finals against the Queen’s University Gaels. Even though the outcome of the tournament did not go the Marauders’ way, they still gave it their all to finish off the season. Going into their first game, the team knew it would be a tough road getting past Trinity Western as they’ve played before in the national tournament.

The Marauders, following their Ontario University Athletics silver medal, was given a disadvantaged position as the seventh seed in the tournament, setting them up to face No. 2 Trinity. Mac was well aware of this possibly-discouraging matchup but tried to use the familiarity with their opponent to their advantage. “They’re obviously a very good team and they’ve had some serious success in the past,” starting outside hitter Andrew Richards said. “We’re going into this the underdogs and we’re going to take that mindset and use it to our advantage. For us we have nothing to lose and we’re just going to give it all we have.” Ultimately this was not enough to give the maroon and grey the win, losing 3-1 to their British Columbian foes. Despite the early exit from the tournament, the week did feature a bright spot.

Over the weekend, Richards was awarded All-Canadian Second Team honours for his contributions to the Marauders’ success on the court this year, placing in the top 10 in Canada in aces per set (0.51) while leading his team with 185 kills over the season. Richards was also awarded the Dale Iwanoczko Award for being an outstanding student-athlete and demonstrating excellence off the court. Richards is the first Marauder to win the award since its inaugural year in 1994. “It’s a good way to end my five-year journey at university,” Richards said. “It’s an individual award, but I really can’t take all the credit for it.” “I’ve had some amazing mentors and leaders in my life that have always challenged me to do that, so without them I really would have never been recognized for something like this.” Richards added.

Richards’ mindset going into nationals was the same one which has made him such a great player in the first place: a mindset predicated on fierce competitiveness, mutual respect from his teammates and a genuine love of the game.

“I want to look back and know that I enjoyed my last matches and competed hard and that I was a good teammate and regardless of the outcome.” Andrew Richards Men’s volleyball team This was Richards’ last chance at competing for a national championship and he took the opportunity just like he

takes all of his games. “I was talking to one of my coaches today, and he wanted me to sit down and think about once I’m done from Mac, in a couple of years, how do I want to think back and remember these last couple of days?” Richards said. “For me, I want to look back and know that I enjoyed my last matches and competed hard and that I was a good teammate and regardless of the outcome.” This year marks the last year Richards will be wearing maroon for the men’s volleyball team as his years of eligibility run out. While the team’s finish at nationals may not have been ideal, they still left their all on the court. Richards, and the teams he has been a part of, have left behind a tremendous legacy of numerous records, medals and trophies, and is one that will surely not be forgotten. @theSilhouette

SPORTS | 23

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

A bright future

Missing the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, OUA All-Star Jessie Nairn discusses the women’s volleyball team’s competitive season and its bright future Justin Parker Sports Editor

After bringing home the provincial silver medal last year, McMaster’s women’s volleyball team missed the Ontario University Athletics playoffs for the first time since 2003-2004. At the end of last season, a large part of the team’s veteran players decided to move on from the program, leaving an obvious hole that needed to be filled. Jessie Nairn, a third-year commerce student, suddenly found herself as one of the more veteran players on a young squad in a new starting position. One of the youngest players on the court a season prior, Nairn took some time to wrap her head around her new role. “It was definitely a big change, but I think I’m starting to really enjoy the role of being a leader on the team, and we’re definitely really starting to try understand what our new culture is,” Nairn said. “Being able to shape that as a leader on the team is definitely super cool and something I’m really excited for, even the next year coming.” While they were not able to ultimately finish where they wanted, the team played well considering their drastic roster changes and the fierce competition in the OUA West. The young Marauders were able to stay right in the playoff race until the very end of the season. Although they didn’t really consider themselves underdogs, they knew the road to the playoffs wouldn’t be easy. As the team adjusted to having significantly less upper-year players than last year, including several OUA all-stars, the Marauders needed to find what their new identity would be. “I think this year was a big start to try to decide how we want to be as a team, and really how we want to act and prove ourselves.” Nairn added. “I think we’re ready, we know what we have to do next year and we’re excited for sure.” One major highlight of the season for this year’s squad was Nairn’s nomination to the OUA All-Star First Team. Making the most of her opportunity, Nairn posted team-highs in aces (34), kills per set (2.97) and points

In her third season, Jessie Nairn led the Marauders in aces, kills per set and points per set. KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

per set (3.8). “This summer I realized I’d have to step up and be a big role on the team coming into this year,” Nairn said. “From there, I was never really aiming to be on a First Team or Second Team, but I was more so aiming to do everything I could to get the wins for our team and do the best I could.”

“I was never really aiming to be on a First Team or Second Team, but I was more so aiming to do everything I could to get the wins for our team and do the best I could.” Jessie Nairn Women’s volleyball team As one of the tallest people in her Grade 8 class, Nairn was originally convinced to play volleyball because “you can’t teach height”. Her love for the sport snowballed from there

and her talent soon followed as volleyball became a large part of her life. “I was definitely big into volleyball and I knew that volleyball is kind of what I wanted to do, so I knew I needed to go somewhere where I would have the training that I could trust in,” Nairn said. “Tim Louks is just one of the best coaches out there, and definitely in the OUA. So, I was really honored when he asked me to be on the team and that’s definitely one of the major parts of why I came to the school.” Also initially attracted to Mac’s engineering program, Nairn entered into Mac and soon found herself surrounded by all-star talent, inspiring her in her young volleyball career. With many nationally-recognized on both the women’s team and the men’s team with whom they are close, Mac’s volleyball program has a palpable competitive environment of success, which helped push Nairn in her career. This aided in Nairn’s transition from second-year double-sub to third-year starting right side. While the move was initially shocking, she was ready for it, spending much of last year

in the front row blocking, which got her excited to attack the offseason with enthusiasm.

“I’m excited. I think our team is going to be very strong next year mentally and physically because I think this offseason is going to be one of the hardest we’ve ever had just because of the outcome of this year.” Jessie Nairn Women’s volleyball team “Starting this year was definitely, but more so mentally, to get into the game and be a big role on the team was hard to get used to,” Nairn said. “But once I did, it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed myself, and I think this year for me was just a really big year, and kind of proved to

me what I can do and the places I can go and what I want to do with it.” Heading into next season with a much more cohesive team, and the incredible administrative and fan support the team receives as praised by Nairn, the Marauders are poised for an exciting season. “I’m excited. I think our team is going to be very strong next year mentally and physically because I think this offseason is going to be one of the hardest we’ve ever had just because of the outcome of this year,” Nairn said. “I think it’s really going to drive us to be a very good team. I’m excited for the competition because I know none of the schools around us are getting any weaker, they’re only getting better.” While this might have been the first year they have missed the postseason in recent memory, having players like Nairn, Hailey Kranics and Zoe Mackintosh, along with an assortment of rising stars, the future looks bright. There probably won’t be any missed playoffs anytime soon. @writingparker

24 |

The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

C/O NOAH HOFFMAN

The Silhouette

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

AGAINST THE ODDS How first-year McMaster basketball guard Jordan Henry proved those who doubted him wrong

Jessica Carmichael Sports Reporter

After you lose the trust of basketball coaches around Ontario University Athletics, how do you bounce back to show them that you were worth a shot? You get named to not only the OUA All-Rookie team but the U Sports All-Rookie Team too. After just one season with the McMaster men’s basketball team, first-year guard Jordan Henry has proven a lot of naysayers wrong. Henry, like most basketball players, first encountered the game through street basketball at just three years old. He first joined a team when he was in the fifth grade and has had quite a journey since then. Shorter than the average basketball player, Henry did not let his height stop him from going after what he loved. “My love for basketball came from just watching it on television,” said Henry. “Watching players like Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant, I wanted to be just like them when I was younger.” Henry’s talent started to speak for itself when he was in the tenth grade and he went to Pine Ridge Secondary School, a school in Pickering, ON with a well-known basketball program. During this time, he also played for Team Canada along with first-year Duke sensation R.J. Barrett and was part of history when the under-19 team became the first national team to win gold in basketball at any International Basketball Federa-

tion or Olympic event. The national team was led by the Ryerson University Rams’ head coach Roy Rana, so it seemed like the obvious fit for Henry to commit to Ryerson when it was time for him to choose where he would take his talents in post-secondary. But things didn’t go exactly as planned. Shortly after making the verbal decision, Henry decommitted. This decision had a lot of people scratching their heads, but for Henry, his decision was one that many high school students have made. With Ryerson’s campus downtown and close to his home, he knew he would not be getting the ‘university experience’, and class in a concrete jungle was not what he wanted. Searching for his destination and before he landed at McMaster, he took a pit stop in London, ON. “I committed and went to Western [University] but unfortunately, that didn’t work out,” said Henry. “I was not focusing on school and I knew if I continued, I was going to flunk out. So, after playing one game, I decided to leave Western.” Unfortunately for Henry, according to U Sports’ Eligibility Rules, a student-athlete who transfers from one U Sports member institution team to another after having been assessed one year of eligibility, must not participate in any competition (conference or non-conference) for a period of 365 days. However, the one-year wait was the least of Henry’s

After bouncing from Ryerson to Western, despite his talent and accolades to prove it, a lot of coaches did not think he was worth the risk, except for Mac’s head coach Patrick Tatham. problems. After bouncing from Ryerson to Western, despite his talent and accolades to prove it, a lot of coaches did not think he was worth the risk, except for Mac’s head coach Patrick Tatham. “I knew Patrick from high school, and he took a chance on me,” said Henry. “I gained PT’s trust by working hard and showing him I wanted this just as much as he did.” So far, after just one season together, that chance has paid off for both Tatham and Henry. “Mac has been a good fit for me,” Henry said. “At the start, it was kind of hard basketball wise and I thought I lost my rhythm, but as I worked hard and pushed through, I became more comfortable and it’s been easy ever since.” That in combination with a better understanding of university life thanks to his time at Western, and a few friendly faces including ex-Western teammate Damiann Prehay who

also came to Mac this season, set Henry up for success. In a season of ups-anddowns for the Marauders, Henry was one of Mac’s most consistent players this season. Henry played in all 24 regular season games, starting 21, and had a total of 113 assists by the end of the season, which placed him fourth in assists in the OUA. He also averaged 11.9 points per game, so it was no surprise when he was named to both the OUA and U Sports All-Rookie Teams. Though the recognition was a humbling honour for Henry, getting to prove those who doubted him wrong throughout the season are the moments that will stick with him forever. “Winning the big games against Brock [University] and [the University of Wilfred] Laurier are moments I’ll remember,” said Henry. “But winning against Western will stick with me forever because not only did it show them that they lost a good player, it showed me that I made the right decision coming to Mac.” The team player in every sense has a bright Marauder career ahead of him over the next few years. With goals to get better at basketball and one day make the U Sports Men’s Basketball All-Canadian First Team, he hopes to one day play professional basketball and maybe even get into fashion. @JaayCarmichael

| 25

GAMES

www.thesil.ca | Thursday, March 21, 2019

Games

ACROSS 1- Landlord; 7- Bran source; 10- Crime boss; 14- Expenditure; 15- Spy org.; 16- Riyadh resident; 17- Lubricant; 18- Superlative suffix; 19- Freelancer’s encl.; 20- Acuteness of the vision; 23- Ships’ officers; 26- U-turn from SSW; 27- Some locks; 28- General Bradley;

29- Snaky curve; 30- Half of D; 31- Two wheel vehicle; 33- Zip; 34- “Fancy that!”; 37- Land in la mer; 38- Exploit; 39- Lord, is ___?; 40- Hasty escape; 41- Allow; 42- Transgression; 43- Due to the fact that; 45- Bolted down; 46- Bodybuilder’s pride;

47- Antlered animal; 48- Minute Maid Park player; 51- City in GA; 52- With reserve; 53- Gimmick; 56- River of Tuscany; 57- Pie-mode link; 58- Recluse; 62- Regrets; 63- Hi-___ monitor; 64- Iroquois tribe; 65- Auction site; 66- Needle hole; 67- Talks back to;

DOWN 1- Limb of a felled tree; 2- Where It.’s at; 3- Canonized Mlle.; 4- Bondage; 5- Fertile area in a desert; 6- Some whiskeys; 7- Vast seas; 8- Grocery lane; 9- Ciao!; 10- Offhand; 11- Thin as ___; 12- Stickum; 13- Follows orders; 21- Unobserved; 22- Like the tides or the seasons; 23- It merged with Exxon; 24- Miss by ___; 25- Be silent, musically; 29- Borden cow; 30- Quotes;

32- Habitual practice; 33- Bite gently; 34- Sticky; 35- Studio stand; 36- Board for nails; 44- Sticks; 45- Large merchant ship; 46- Comfortable; 48- Alert, knowing; 49- Small tree; 50- Fungal infection; 51- Narrow street; 52- City in Tuscany; 54- River in central Switzerland; 55- Pi followers; 59- Fire starter?; 60- Ox tail?; 61- Univ. aides;

KEEP ALL WIPES OUT OF YOUR PIPES

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I AM DROWNING IN TESTS, ASSIGNMENTS AND LABS, DON’ T TALK TO ME UNTIL MAY S9

THURSDAY

THE

HAMILTON SPECULATOR GHOSTING BOYS SINCE 1934

MARCH 21, 2019

NOTSPEC.COM

It’s a new year and a new you

Pisces season is OVER, Mercury is exiting retrograde and my skin is clear again Sagittarius | Nov. 22 to Dec. 21

Gemini | May 21 to June 20

Capricorn | Dec. 22 to Jan. 19

Cancer | June 21 to July 22

Repeat after me: I am a bad bitch. Bad bitches don’t text while drunk. Bad bitches ESPECIALLY don’t drunk text boys with four-letter names — don’t message him babe!

I’m convinced that all Capricorns are robots. Like, legit, robots. They’re gonna run the world one day, but man, can y’all download some empathy? Some human decency? An ability to cry???

I know everyone shits on Geminis but I actually don’t have anything negative to say about them, mostly because y’all are pretty irrelevant. C’mon folks, we can do better than that.

I would literally die for you. I would KILL for you. Seriously. Send over the name of that goodfor-nothing Scorpio and we’ll handle it.

Leo | July 23 to Aug. 22 Aquarius | Jan. 20 to Feb. 18

We get it, you think horoscopes are evil. She didn’t dump you because you’re an Aquarius. She dumped you cause you’re emotionally unavailable and literally only wear basketball shorts.

Pisces | Feb. 19 to March 20

You’re going to spend this season crying that everyone you love is going to leave you in a month! Having attachment issues is cool, baby!

PSA: Hoe clothes are officially on sale. Now’s your chance to blossom into the corporate thot you were destined to become.

Virgo | Aug. 23 to Sept. 22

Tbh I feel bad for Virgos. It is SO hard to be a called a racist for hating on diversity in the workplace. Obviously you’re not a racist. Obviously.

Aries | March 21 to April 19

This is the season of productivity! Hand in that assignment, wash your sheets, take down the MSU and make some overnight oats. We’re counting on you, Aries.

Taurus | April 20 to May 20

A piece of advice: invest in a water bottle. The next time you feel tempted to slide into the Slack DMs of some unsuspecting girl at work, take a sip. The thirst will pass.

Libra | Sept. 23 to Oct. 22

Do you want cheese or pepperoni? To stay in or go out? Are you in love with him or are you just bored? WHAT DO YOU WANT???? (Libras: It’s not that simple.)

Having a shit 2019? Don’t fret! The year literally restarts today. Happy Nowruz!

Disclaimer: The Hamilton Speculator is a work of satire and fiction and should not under any circumstances be taken seriously. Unless you’re a Scorpio. Why are you so serious all the time? Take a chill pill, please.

PER ISSUE: Crying over thesis without doing thesis INCL. HST, PST & A supermoon.