The Silhouette - November 29, 2018

The Silhouette

The Silhouette

Volume 89, Issue 14

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Volume 89, Issue 14 Thursday, November 29, 2018

McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

EDITORIAL BOARD

EDITORIAL BOARD

FOLLOW US /THEMCMASTER SILHOUETTE @THE SILHOUETTE /MCMASTER SILHOUETTE @MCMASTER SILHOUETTE MCMASTER THESIL editor in chief | thesil@thesil ca Emily

O’Rourke @emily_oro

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

sections news editor Cassidy Bereskin news reporter Ryan Forrest Tse news@thesil ca features reporter Hannah Walters Vida features@thesil ca opinion editor Sabrina Macklai opinion@thesil ca sports editor Justin Parker sports reporter Jessica Carmichael sports@thesil.ca

arts & culture editor Razan Samara arts & culture reporter Rya Buckley aandc@thesil ca media photo editor Kyle West photo reporter Catherine Goce production coordinator Sukaina Imam production coordinator Sabrina Lin production@thesil ca

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

CONTACT

MUSC, Room B110

MUSC, Room B110

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

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

Editor-in-Chief (905) 525-9140, ext 22052 Main Office (905) 525-9140, ext 27117

Editor-in-Chief (905) 525-9140, ext 22052 Main Office (905) 525-9140, ext 27117 Advertising ccpc@mcmaster.ca

Advertising ccpc@mcmaster.ca

6,000 circulation published by the

LEGAL

The Silhouette welcomes letters to the editor in person at MUSC B110, or by email at thesil@thesil.ca. Please include name, ad dress 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 necessar ily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers, the McMaster Students Union or the University. The Silhouette is an edi torially autonomous newspaper published by the McMaster Students Union. The Sil houette Board of Publications acts as an in termediary 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 Uni versity Student Centre, Room 201, L8S 4S4, Attn: The Silhouette Board of Publications. The Board will consider all submissions and make recommendations accordingly.

Student groups condemn gender identity resolution

CW: discussion of transphobia

From Nov. 12 to 19, the trans and LGBTQA2S+ community came together to observe Trans Awareness Week. While margin alized groups were reflecting on the country’s history of trans phobic violence, the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party passed a resolution to open debate whether gender identity theory should be stripped from curriculum in Ontario schools.

The Nov. 17 resolution seeks to characterize gender identity theory as a “controver sial, unscientific, liberal ideol ogy.”

While Ford has since pledged to not proceed with the motion, it has significant implications at McMaster. The resolution has sparked concerns from student groups on campus and in Hamilton.

According to Daniel Blum from Speqtrum Hamilton, a youth-led community program for queer and trans youth in Hamilton, the non-binding

resolution has dangerous con sequences for the trans commu nity.

“Political sentiment can be every bit of dangerous as a piece of legislation because it can embolden people who have similar sentiments to act. And it can push for further legislation,” says Blum.

“My concern is that people are going to stop fighting be cause of that, and that we have to keep fighting. Especially cis people and allies out there that might think ‘oh Ford put out a statement, we are okay now.’ We are not okay. Our rights are always still in jeopardy. They can

always still be rolled back,” said an individual who is involved with both Speqtrum and the McMaster Students Union Pride Community Centre in an executive role.

They explained that the resolution may put trans rights in jeopardy.

On the evening of Nov. 17, the MSU’s PCC released a statement condemning the resolution.

“The PCC is vehemently opposed to this resolution and vows to stand with our communities as we mobilize against actions which seek to delegitimize our identities and revoke our rights and protections,” reads part of the statement.

In addition, the PCC called the resolution transphobic and colonialist. The group’s Facebook statement was shared by the MSU’s Women and Gender Equity Network.

The Hamilton Trans Health Coalition has also denounced the resolution.

“As healthcare providers and supporters of the Hamilton trans health coalition, we are

working to close gaps in care and know that we need leader ship from government, not addi tional barriers. We wholeheart edly condemn this resolution which is meant to delegitimize transgender people,” reads part of a statement on the HTHC’s website.

The Hamilton Academy of Medicine stipulates that the resolution’s characterization of gender identity is scientifically inaccurate.

“Calling it a theory erases the fact that everyone in the en tire world has a gender identity. It is not a theory for cis theory people so it is not a theory for trans people either,” said Blum. Blum also notes that there are resources available for LGBTQA2S+ students. For instance, both MSU PCC and WGEN provide peer support, either one-on-one, in groups or in drop-in safe spaces. Speqtrum also offers support groups and also promotes the Transgender Suicide Hotline, which can be reached at 1-877-330-6366.

Drew Simpson Contributor

According to student groups and community organizations, the resolution has dangerous implications for the trans and LGBTQA2S+ community.

RAZAN SAMARA / ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Trans activists express concern that the motion will put their rights in jeopardy

While Ford has since pledged to not proceed with the motion, it has significant implications at McMaster. The resolution has sparked concerns from student groups on campus and in Hamilton.

“Calling it a the ory erases the fact that every one in the entire world has a gender identity.”

Daniel Blum Executive Speqtrum Hamilton

MSU board of director’s mid-year review

Ryan Tse News Reporter

PRESIDENT

Ikram Farah has begun a series of initiatives over the first term and has mostly been on sched ule with her year-plan thus far into the academic year.

Farah worked with Metrolinx to implement extend ed Go bus hours on the busiest nights of Welcome Week and throughout the year, a prom inent platform point for her. There are now two added trip times at night for the 47 east bound and the 15A Aldershot routes.

Farah has also pushed for more bus shelters on campus. Currently, three out of the planned four bus shelters have been installed at Sterling Street and Forsyth Avenue and at University Avenue and Forsyth Avenue. While the Sterling Street and Forsyth Avenue

shelters have been completed, the University and Forsyth stop on the hospital side is still in progress.

Improving lighting on and off campus to increase student safety was also an important year-plan target for Farah. A few lights have been upgraded, but these projects will mostly carry into 2019 as Farah is working with city and university staff to complete the improvements.

A successful initiative for Farah was the recent launch of the “Tax Free Tuesdays” pilot project, which allowed students to purchase food from La Piazza at a 13 per cent discount.

In addition, Farah had discussions with university stakeholders about changes to the McMaster student absence form policy and exam sched uling, including opting out of back-to-back exams, which she initially proposed. However,

she now believes examining the current teaching methods and assessment structures at large will better address this issue in the long-term.

”We are looking at accom modations and we are looking at students’ well-being and a lot of the mental health concerns,” Farah said. “I don’t want to look at MSAFs in isolation with exams or teaching and learning and evaluations.”

Free speech has been an other important issue that has come up during Farah’s term. Farah sought out student feed back via the Student Represen tative Assembly. In November, she helped organize a town hall discussion where students could ask questions in an open forum.

In 2019, Farah aims to focus on exam scheduling and MSAF policies, lighting and lobbying for an international student shuttle bus.

V.P FINANCE

Scott Robinson outlined 26 objectives in his year-plan and has stayed busy largely with re vamping the McMaster Student Union-run restaurants.

Robinson has worked to update TwelvEighty’s menu and install new event centre flooring in the restaurant. Robinson has also helped introduce new TwelvEighty nightlife events such as trivia nights.

In addition, Robinson led efforts to rebrand and revitalize Union Market, which, accord ing to Robinson, saw increased sales over the summer.

In partnership with the Student Activity Building ad-hoc committee, Robinson oversaw the interior design con sultation campaign for the SAB, which is slated to open in 2020.

Robinson also helped implement an online loading system for the Hamilton Street Railway student presto card system through Mosaic.

In addition, Robinson is planning to release a video for the MSU in late November or early December to explain where exactly student fees go towards in the MSU. This is part of a larger effort to increase the union’s financial transparency.

Robinson has also helped improve the MSU’s social media strategy, creating video updates directly from the board.

Another one of Robinson’s projects entailed helping to implement a pilot project to use the $23,000 surplus from last year’s Welcome Week funding to buy essential items for reps

and subsidize meals.

While Robinson has added more seating area to the McMaster University Student Centre, his objective of adding more moveable tables and dif ferent furniture has been more complicated than expected.

In January, Robinson will help run the “Life After Mac” program, which helps graduate students transition into the workforce.

Over the rest of his term Robinson will focus on devel oping the MSU’s long-term food and beverage strategy and looking at the effects of OHIP+ on the MSU health plan. He also aspires to improve new SRA members’ financial literacy before they approve the union’s 2019-2020 budget.

Seven months into their term, The Silhouette looks at whether the board of directors have followed through on their year-plans

“ We are looking at accommodations and we are looking at students’ well-being and a lot of the mental health concerns,”

Ikram Farah McMaster Student Union’s President

Robinson is planning to release a video for the MSU in late November or early December to explain where exactly student fees go towards in the MSU. This is part of a larger effort to increase the union’s financial transparency.

V.P EDUCATION V.P ADMINISTRATION

Stephanie Bertolo and the education team have worked to promote student engagement in two elections and continue to cultivate relationships with politicians and student groups.

The provincial election in June and municipal election in October were two major focuses for Bertolo. She organized two respective MacVotes campaigns, which included the all-candi dates Ward 1 debate before the October Hamilton election.

During the campaign peri od, Bertolo and Farah met with all 13 Ward 1 candidates. She is also planning to meet with newly elected Ward 1 councillor Maureen Wilson in the next few weeks.

In September, Bertolo helped lead the Ontario Un dergraduate Student Alliance #TextbookBroke campaign, which advocated for the adoption of open educational

resources at the university.

Bertolo helped write the MSU’s university budget sub mission, which included OERs, and increased funding for sexual violence response.

Over the past few weeks, the education team, led by Bertolo, wrote three policy papers for the MSU on on-cam pus infrastructure, student engagement and retention and tuition and student financing in post-secondary education.

Bertolo is also involved with OUSA and co-wrote their tuition framework, which calls for tuition freezes and regulated international student tuition increases.

As part of her “Unsettling Campus” year-plan initiative, Bertolo has begun discussions with the McMaster Indigenous Student Community Alli ance and the Cooperative of Indigenous Studies Students

and Alumni, two Indigenous student groups.

“I’m working with CISSA right now to set up a meeting with [McMaster president] Pat rick Deane,” Bertolo said.

In January, Bertolo is plan ning to soft launch the landlord rating project for students. The rating system was originally planned for first semester, but it was pushed back.

The landlord licensing project is an ongoing city-wide initiative that Bertolo is hoping to work with Maureen Wilson and other city councillors to implement.

Over the rest of her term, Bertolo will help run the expe riential education campaign in partnership with OUSA, finalize the municipal budget submis sion for Hamilton and further develop the unsettling campus project.

the past few weeks, the education team, led by Bertolo, wrote three policy papers for the MSU on on-campus infrastructure, student engagement and retention and tuition and student financing in post-secondary education.

Kristina Epifano’s year-plan in cluded thirteen objectives. Her other ongoing responsibilities entail supporting MSU parttime workers and reviewing Welcome Week and MSU hiring practices.

As promised in her yearplan, Epifano has scheduled bi-weekly or monthly meetings with each part-time manager and has held two feedback meet ings for all the PTMs.

Epifano has also updated job descriptions and required skills for each MSU job opening to aid the hiring board.

She also restructured the SRA training back in May, spe cifically by bringing in different full-time staff to speak. Epifano promises more changes for SRA training next May.

To support MSU staff and volunteers, Epifano has also renovated the committee room to provide a better space for

students to work.

Epifano chaired the first strategic themes advisory committee, which prioritized four themes for Welcome Week: responsible drinking, sexual vi olence response and prevention, mental health and wellness and community engagement.

Throughout the year, Epifa no, Bertolo and Farah have been in talks with McMaster sexual violence response coordinator Meaghan Ross to fulfill the ob jective of making campus safer.

“There was a survey that went out last year that we are still waiting to get the data from, and we want to advocate to the university to increase the sup port we have for Meaghan Ross and survivors of sexual assault on campus,” Epifano said.

Another priority for Epifa no was increasing SRA trans parency. The SRA bi-weekly meetings are now live-streamed

on the new SRA Facebook page, which has resulted in signifi cantly increased views.

Epifano is currently creat ing Welcome Week planner job descriptions, which she hopes will better ensure that hired in dividuals are qualified. She has also been collecting feedback from first years and looking into the possibility of turning the welcome week planner role into a paid position.

In January, Epifano will oversee the second round of hiring for PTMs, present her Welcome Week research findings and begin planning training for PTMs and the in coming SRA. Beyond that, she will begin planning the strategic themes for Welcome Week 2019 and continue her support of sexual violence education and response.

Kristina Epifano McMaster Student Union’s Vice President of Administration

Over

“There was a survey that went out last year that we are still waiting to get the data from, and we want to advocate to the university to increase the support we have for Meaghan Ross and survivors of sexual assault on campus,”

Something’s rotten in the city of Hamilton

What’s next for Hamilton’s Central Composting Facility?

As a result of severe odour issues this summer, Hamilton’s central composting facility has been shut down for the past five months. The odour issues bring up questions about the long-term future of the plant and its place in the city.

Hannah Walters-Vida Features Reporter

The Dirt on the Plant

The Hamilton central compost ing facility opened in 2006 after a citizens’ committee appealed to the city to implement a waste diversion plan.

In 2012, the city set the goal of diverting 65 per cent of its waste from landfills by 2021. As of mid October of this year, only 45.4 per cent of total waste was diverted.

The city identifies the cen tral composting facility as a key component of the waste diver sion strategy.

According to the 2017 Public Works Odour Mitigation update, “The CCF is a major component of the City’s integrat ed waste management system which strives to increase overall waste diversion to extend the lifespan of the City’s Glanbrook Landfill.”

Raising a stink

Over the past two years, citizens have been affected by unpleasant odours coming from the plant.

While the plant is locat ed in the industrial sector on Burlington Street East, it is close enough to north end residential neighbourhoods for the odours to carry over.

The cause of the odours likely stems from a 2016 pro vincial ruling that increased the mandatory moisture percentage for curing compost.

According to Cornell Uni versity, compost that is too moist can produce a strong sulfurous odour due to anaerobic condi tions that arise.

Following the provincial ruling, there were isolated complaints of odour coming from the plant. In 2016 the city received 20 odour complaints related to the CCF, and in 2017

they received 10.

However, in June of 2018, the odour problems intensified. Residents in the Grenfell Avenue area began complaining of pu trid odours.

For two weeks, the smell was so strong that residents had to shut windows to prevent the smell from entering into their homes.

According to councilor Sam Merulla, until this past summer the odour problems coming from the CCF had been isolated. The city had plans in place to deal with the odour issues on a smaller scale.

“It went from being an acute problem to a chronic problem, but we had a plan in place to deal with the acute nature of it,” stated Merulla. “But then when it became chronic it was just beyond repair, that’s why we had to shut it down.”

No Time to Waste

On June 25, the CCF stopped accepting new organic material and the city went about the process of temporarily shut ting down the facility.

Waste management staff began an investigation into the underlying causes of the odour issue. It was announced that operations would not be re sumed until the issues had been addressed.

Immediately following closure, green waste was shipped to the Glanbrook landfill.

This past September, coun cil directed staff to seek out of town compost facilities to take some of Hamilton’s green waste.

The Hamilton public works department did not return a request to comment on the current state of out of town shipments. The city has also not made it clear how much, if any, green waste is being diverted to landfill while the plant awaits its reopening.

Beginning April 1, the city will temporarily ban leaf and yard waste from green bins. It

will instead be composted in open air piles in the Glanbrook landfill.

Another short-term initia tive that the city implemented in response to the shut down was to offer free in-house com post bins for wards one to five residents to compost household waste in their own backyards.

According to environment Hamilton executive director Lynda Lukasik, this could be a viable strategy to ease pres sure on the CCF even when it reopens.

“To encourage people to keep the stuff if they’ve got a backyard, keep those organics on their property and put them to good use, supplementing garden soil, that’s a pretty good idea,” stated Lukasik.

Mulch More to do

The city is currently work ing towards a startup plan for the CCF. The plan will identify the cause of the odours and outline a strategy for responsibly reopening the plant. The plant cannot be reopened until the province approves the plan.

The city was expected to submit the plan by Nov. 14, but as of yet it has not been com pleted.

Key long-term issues for the plan to address include odour mitigation, capacity, location, and operation.

Odour mitigation

When the odour issues be gan in 2016, the city investigated a number of odour mitigation methods.

Carbon filters were recom mended, as they were the sim plest, required the least modifi cations, and were the most cost effective.

The city was waiting on pro vincial approval to implement carbon filters when the chronic odour problems at the plant began.

The startup plan will have

to outline strategies for odour mitigation in order for the province to grant permission to reopen the plant.

Capacity

The CCF has been accept ing green waste from Halton and Simcoe regions to increase revenue. However, recent odours cast into question whether the plant has the capacity to accept more waste from neighbouring communities.

Lukasik stated that the facil ity should aim to fulfill Hamil ton’s needs first, and then think about bringing in waste from other communities.

“[The challenge is] striking the right balance between en suring that Hamilton is properly served and then figuring out, ‘is there any space left that we can safely use to bring in more?’” said Lukasik.

Location

The location of the facility has been contested since its inception. Its proximity to res idential areas in the north end of the city causes odours to be noticeable from people’s homes.

Air quality issues have historically disproportionately affected residents in the lower city. A 2011 mobile air monitor ing study conducted by Rotek Environmental Inc. demonstrat ed that the north end of the city experiences higher than average levels of air pollutants.

Merulla contested the loca tion when the plant was built in 2006. He argued that it should be placed somewhere further away from residential areas.

“I personally believe there should be a policy in place that it has to be within a certain radius of a residential area,” said Merulla. “So I thought that a rural setting would be better.”

Lukasik noted that its current location also has its benefits. Namely, the proximity to users reduces the length of routes.

“If you think about the fact that the bulk of the population is much closer to where the facility is located right now, versus if we had the facility on the outer edge of the city, just from a collection and delivery to the facility point of view, to me it makes sense that it’s here,” she said.

Operation

The operation of the plant is another long-term question to consider.

The city owns the plant but AIM Environmental operates it. In 2012, city council voted to extend AIM Environmental’s contract until 2020.

Especially in light of the recent odour issues, Merulla has been advocating to publicize the plant’s operations.

“Anything to do with what I see as essential — public transit, waste management, the core services that we provide, I’m a true believer that they should never be within the hands of the private operator,” stated Merulla.

The city has two years until the contract with AIM Environ mental runs out, at which point they will decide whether to bring operation in house.

Looking forward

Hamilton’s rapidly expand ing population and ambitious waste diversion targets will put increasing pressure on the city’s composting facilities in the years to come.

Merulla noted that it is important to take the time to properly deal with the issues before reopening the plant.

“The thrust of the initiative is to do it right, not hastily,” he stated. “Once we are confident that the issue has been dealt with and it’s not going to be repeated, then it will be up and running.”

IKRAM FARAH President

president@msu.mcmaster.ca 905.525.9140 x23885

The past seven months as MSU president have been filled with both challenges and successes. It is surre al to think that at this time last year, I was in the process of finalizing my platform for the presidential election. What began as plans on paper, have transformed into realities, within the scope of improving student life. I look forward to the next five months, as there will be various opportunities to further satisfy my commitments to students. That said, I feel it is import ant to acknowledge that thus far, my values and vision for the MSU and the University more broadly, have at times faced unique challenges, en couraging me to adapt to dynamic circumstances in order to continue doing what I believe is best for Mc Master students.

This year witnessed many sig nificant developments in the world of politics. We had a change of gov ernment at the provincial level. After 14 years of a Liberal government, the Progressive Conservative party won

a majority government. In addition, there have been changes to Hamil ton City Council, which included the election of a new Ward 1 Councillor. Rather than viewing change as a bar rier, I see it as a chance to ask our selves how we can build relationships with those who do not view students as stakeholders, while simultaneous ly advocating for students and their priorities. Reflections are necessary in order to determine new and im proved ways to support and uplift the voices of students.

I came into the 2017-2018 aca demic year as a fourth year student who knew she wanted to make a dif ference on campus. At the centre of this desire was my want to give back to communities often forgotten with in presidential platforms. My time as president and the actions I have tak en therein, focused on putting those goals into action.

plans to pursue the MSU presidency. When I lacked confidence and faith in myself, it was difficult to actualize my goals. Though, over my time on campus, I have come to find it helpful to use this period of time in Decem ber to consider how I can take initia tive and pursue my future goals, rath er than focus on the expectations or criticisms of others. Believe in your self, never doubt your capabilities, set expectations, and hold yourself ac countable. That is the formula I used to turn plans into action.

I challenge everyone to embark on new journeys in order to grow in healthy and positive ways. Stepping

out of my comfort zone in order to pursue the role of MSU president was the best choice I ever made. I want to encourage others to take the necessary actions in order to realize their potential, whether that is get ting involved in a service, speaking your thoughts and feelings out loud, or applying for that summer job op portunity that thus far, makes you doubt your ‘qualifications’. With a clear vision and a heart full of deter mination, you won’t lose. As always, if I can help or support you as a student of McMaster University, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or visit the MSU office in MUSC 201.

It took more than a few words of encouragement from trusted voices for me to embark on my journey to become MSU president, a path I once thought I would never pursue. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that un doubtably, there will always be people who cause you to doubt yourself and make you believe you don’t have the necessary experience or skills to suc cessfully attain a dream. Personally, believing in myself was the most dif ficult challenge I had to overcome, as I set my pen to page in drafting my

The President’s Page is a space sponsored and used by the McMaster Students Union (MSU) Board of Directors (BoD) to com municate with the student body. It functions to high light the Board’s projects, goals, and agenda for the year, as well as the general happenings of the MSU.

“I challenge everyone to embark on new journeys in order to grow in healthy and positive ways.”

Standing in solidarity with The Gateway

A note on the danger of silencing what you don’t agree with

On Nov. 19, Conservative Member of Parliament for Edmonton-Griesbach, Kerry Diotte, sued the University of Alberta’s student newspaper, The Gateway, in response to two articles that Diotte asserts are defamatory to his character, asking for $150,000 in damages.

As per Diotte’s statement of claim, the first article criticized the University of Alberta Stu dents’ Union’s president, Reed Larsen, for tweeting a photo of himself with Diotte, noting that Diotte “has a history of making racist remarks.”

The second article was an editorial which criticized Diotte’s relationship with Faith Goldy, a white nationalist who recently ran as a candidate in the Toronto mayoral race. The article referenced a tweet from Diotte in which he and Goldy are seen posing for a photo.

Diotte, who worked as

a journalist before entering politics, has an extensive history of discriminatory and bigoted behaviour. Several critics inter preted a variety of his columns as racist, including one in which he called refugees from the Czech Republic coming to Can ada “g*psies,” an offensive term typically used against Roma people.

Following the lawsuit, The Gateway retracted portions of the articles and issued an apol ogy. Diotte, however, did not drop the suit against the publi cation, which demonstrates the baselessness of a lawsuit to this degree.

As journalists, it is literally our job to hold those in power accountable for their actions. For a “strong defender of free speech”, as he noted in his lawsuit, Diotte’s legal actions against The Gateway resolve to be a cowardly attempt at silenc ing criticism.

As noted by the Canadian University Press, Diotte appears

to be pursuing a strategic law suit against public participation. SLAPP aims to silence critics by stifling them with expensive legal costs until they abandon their criticism.

While Ontario has an ti-SLAPP legislation to protect cases like this, Alberta has no legislation to protect people from lawsuits intended to cen sor or intimidate critics.

The Silhouette stands in solidarity with The Gateway in this time, and concurs with CUP that Diotte’s response is disproportionate, exceeding an intention to protect his own reputation. We strongly condemn MP Diotte’s gutless lawsuit against The Gateway and will always fight for a #FreeStu dentPress.

to ANDREW THE CONTRIBUTOR to Hamza doing crane kicks Friday to jewel tones to communist otters to Charlie Chaplin coming to McMaster to it being Dec. 1 this Saturday to discovering an at tic in your house to the end of the se mester to going to a salon rather than DIYing it

to midterms to exams to falling up the stairs to scheduling every minute of your life to Cat getting two black eyes in a month #cheerleadin gisdangerous to broken laptop chargers to getting stuck in your attic to the last issue of 2018 :’( to cold weather

The Silhouette Editorial Board

@theSilhouette

Tell me about your work here at McMaster and why you do it?

I wear a couple different hats. My main role at McMaster is senior manager of Academ ic Sustainability Programs, I also teach part-time, and I’m a part-time PhD student for the faculty of social sciences. In the Academic Sustainability Pro gram’s office, we oversee four main programs. Within those classes, students come from all faculties, so we actually cap it at the course level so that students are getting a truly interdisci plinary experience in terms of the content their exposed to but also with the people they get to work and learn with. We play a supporting role in students’ education, help provide mentor ship, guidance, project plan ning, design, ethics, reporting, connections, anything that they need that might not typically be supported through, maybe, an academic supervisor. We also spend a lot of our time main taining connections, finding real and awesome challenges that are also fabulous learning opportunities and connecting students to mentors that can help guide their experiential

learning in a different way that we might not be able to.

As an educator, as an administrator, as a student, I came to McMaster in 2008 and I’m on my third degree here. My educational philosophy is first and foremost that the best thing we can do is educate and inspire students a desire to continue to learn and give them the tools to do that for themselves. After you leave this institution, you’re kind of on your own and if we’re going to be the type of people who go out into the world and tackle these really complex social sustainability issues we need to know how to learn. We need to learn how to work, collaborate, find common value and find solutions together rather than in isolation.

I focus on sustainability because I think this is some of the most complex issues that our future generation will need to tackle and hopefully this is some unique learning oppor tunities that will be able to give students the tools to do that and hopefully have some fun and be inspired.

Where does your passion for sustainability come from?

It was my mom for sure, she taught me how to garden,

how to upcycle, hem my jeans and do all these things that I thought were normal. I had some really great teachers and educators, especially in elementary school. My one teacher developed a teaching and learning garden when I was in grade 5 and my mom was the help champion. I kind of lost it a little bit as I was going into high school and focusing on academics and trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a career, but it was always part of my every day. I always thought of my method in life as minimalism because I didn’t like waste and I didn’t like more stuff. I’m a year-round cyclist for example, and to be honest if I had to drive everywhere or take the bus everywhere, I wouldn’t.

extra resources, so everything we prepare is available online.

The MSU (McMaster Student Union) runs a sustain ability education committee where they look for represen tation there, so there’s different ways on campus where you can get involved, but there’s so many off-campus, as well. For students looking to have an impact; Go volunteer, take leadership roles, sit on a board, get introduced to those types of communities that you can tackle projects to work with people who are different from you, even if it’s outside of the academic community.

What are some important initiatives you and your team have done here at McMaster and why is it important for people to learn about them?

Having a bike is the best way to get around, even when it’s cold. I’ve realized that I don’t want to have these negative impacts in the way I live my life so I guess it all came full circle as I started to realize this was a way of life but also has some common values that I stuck with afterwards and now doing it in a very intentional way.

What can students do to get involved?

If they want to get involved in the educational aspect of it, take a sustainability course. The first two courses have no pre-requisites, they’re open to students in any faculty, and there are aspects of the course that might be desirable to stu dents as they don’t have a final exam and the type of content we’re teaching, an exam might not be the best way to assess the type of learning we’re trying to achieve. There’s also no text book so from a sustainability perspective, you’re not paying the money, you’re not using

One that might be inter esting to students is that there’s a group of three SUSTAIN 3S03 students who are working with Hospitality Services and they’ve revamped the student catering menus. The menu had no visual identifiers that would say if the meals were vegan or vegetarian or any sort of allergens. So the students have taken that list, they’ve worked with the dietitian, the chefs, they have the ingredient list, they created visual identi fiers where there were dietary gaps in certain things. They’ve been able to add in additional items for the vegan and vege tarian diet, which is pretty cool. As far as I know right now, they’re actually creating a list of ingredients that will match each menu item, so it’ll make it more accessible to people who have dietary restrictions.

Our 3S03 project sympo sium is Dec. 4th in the evening and it’s available to everybody to register online, that’s where all the projects will be show cased.

Having done your studies at McMaster yourself, what is some advice you’d give to students?

I remember standing in line at a coffee shop talking to my friend and I said “I just don’t know what someone would pay me to do”, and the person in line in front of me snickered. At the time I clearly thought “How am I going to contribute to society

or a company?”, “What would someone hire me for?”. My degree was in geography, and I chose it because it was the least specific degree I could find. There were various electives to take and I really didn’t have any disciplinary specific knowledge and I thought I didn’t have a specific skill. It wasn’t until sec ond semester in my fourth year of undergrad that I took a class that was cross-listed between engineering and geography and I had this project team that was half engineers and half geog raphers and every project was built upon each other to get to this final analysis of this issue. I was working with the engineer students and then I remem ber bring the findings to the geography students, explained what the numbers meant and they got it. All the way through the project, I pretty much did no work. I saw what they were doing and I thought “someone would pay them to do this!”, but by the end of it I realized this is what I’m good at. I did my entire degree knowing a little bit about a lot of things and I found out what I was good at.

When I work with my students now in the fourth year level, and I ask them to write a list of three things you love to do, a list of 10 things you are really good at and a list of 10 things you think the world needs and then find out where this interacts and where you could find your niche. When ever I ask them, the hardest list is the things that you’re good at. My assumption is because we all usually go through academia, with people who study, learn and engage in the same type of things, we think we’re just like everybody else and don’t often get the chance to put ourselves in teams that we can figure out what we’re good at, what we like to do, what the world needs in a way that’s unique to us and to see our value.

Get outside your comfort zone in terms of what you can do. Find something in the community and take a poten tial risk in something that you might not perform the best or be natural good at, but open to the risk to get uncomfortable to potentially fail and learn a lot.

Catherine Goce

Photo Reporter

Kate Whalen Senior Manager, Academic Sustainability Programs

C/O CATHERINE GOCE

McMaster Students Union’s

Events Calendar

Santa at Mac

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Where: MUSC Atrium Time: 10:00am - 4:00pm

MSU Charity Ball is hosting Santa at Mac once again! Come get you picture taken with Santa and help us raise money for Mission Services of Hamilton - Willow's Place!

The Calm Before the Storm

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Where: Bridges Cafe Time: 8:00pm - 11:00pm

An evening of de-stressing and studying tips. Hosted by FYC in collaboration with FCC, SHEC, Macademics, Maccess and Maroons.

National Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence Against Women

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Where: L.R. Wilson Hall Community Room 1003 Time: 11:30am - 1:30pm

The Anti-Violence Network and Indigenous Studies Program are hosting a commemoration in remembrance of the 14 women murdered on December 6th, 1989 in the event that has become known as the “Montreal Massacre”; remembering the 5 women from the McMaster community who have been murdered; and remembering the 1,200 or more Indigenous women who have been murdered or remain unaccounted for, including loved ones of students, staff and faculty at McMaster University.

Join us on December 6 2018 to commemorate the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women at 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM in L.R. Wilson Hall, Community Room 1003.

Rethinking merit

McMaster University should funnel more of its money into creating needs-based scholarships

It’s scholarship season. If you’re like me, you probably spent a few days scouring Mosaic to find a list of awards to apply to, in hopes of receiving a subsidi zation of your degree, no matter how small. Many of McMaster University’s largest scholarships are merit-based, which strikes me as odd; would it not be more beneficial to assist students demonstrating financial need?

A good example of such a merit-based scholarship is the Wilson Leadership Scholar Award, awarded annually to three undergraduate students and three graduate students. Recipients of this award, known as Wilson leaders, receive up to $25,000 and gain access to an incredibly exclusive leadership program, meant to connect them with other leaders.

If you are a Wilson leader, you are probably a bright and capable person and there is no denying that. But it is important that we interrogate what being a person of merit typically means and how other factors may af fect someone’s ability to achieve that image of success.

A high grade point average and involvement in extracur ricular activities often help someone win merit-based awards. But there are very obvi

ous roadblocks that can hinder someone’s ability to achieve both, especially if they do not have financial support.

More often than not, lower-income students take on part-time jobs in order to pay for school, taking away valuable time that may otherwise be used to study or be involved in the community.

These students are still incredibly impressive; it is no small feat to finish a degree while also supporting yourself. Many students are also still engaged within their commu nity, but in ways that cannot be put on a resume; running a babysitting ring in your neighbourhood, for example, does not have the same ring as volunteering for a daycare centre despite it being similar work. It just seems a little unfair to pit students who may not have the time nor resources to be involved with multiple clubs, maintain their GPA and live

comfortably against those who do.

No matter how successful these students are, it can feel daunting to apply to major merit-based scholarships with the knowledge that someone without any financial barriers is also applying and was able to dedicate more time into resume-building activities.

This is not to say that wealthier students do not work hard and should not be offered any sort of award—we should

just reconsider what that award should look like. This also is not meant to deride merit-based awards as a whole; people should absolutely be recognized for their hard work, no matter their financial situation. But it is worth considering how students would benefit if scholarships were restructured.

What if, for example, the Wilson Leader Scholarship offered their cash prize on a needs-based system, but offered the mentorship program to all those who receive it? A simple change would not only incen tivize lower-income students to apply, but it would still preserve the program’s goal of recogniz ing student leaders.

Offering the title and its other benefits still recognize a student’s accomplishments but providing the monetary award on a need-be basis allows Mc Master to support students with financial need. Imagine how much more a student leader

could do if they were able to quit their shitty part-time job?

While it is important to recognize student merit in whatever shape it takes, McMaster should take a more formalized approach to support students who demonstrate financial need. Offering large scholarships on pure merit alone does not ensure that funds are being distributed equitably, and efforts should be made to mitigate that.

Sasha Dhesi

Managing Editor

Many of McMaster University’s largest scholarships are merit-based, which strikes me as odd; would it not be more beneficial to assist students demonstrating financial need?

These students are still incredibly impressive; it is no small feat to finish a degree while also supporting yourself.

@SashaDhesi

C/O MADELINE NEUMANN

Mac’s snow disappointing policy

The university should revise their inclement weather and examinations policies to reduce student confusion over rescheduled exams

scheduled to finish exams within the first few days.

Sabrina Macklai Opinion Editor

December is fast-approaching: holiday shopping is underway, the weather is dropping and students are beginning to pre pare for final examinations. But with this winter forecasted to be especially harsh, students should also prepare for the possibility of rescheduled exams.

For the fall 2018 term, Mc Master University plans to run final examinations for a 12-day period from Dec. 7 to Dec. 20. While students are given their exam timetable at least a month in advance, there is an expec tation for students to remain available throughout the entire examination period. With many students creating their travel and holiday plans around their final exams, is this a fair expectation?

During the past winter term, McMaster was closed on Apr. 14 due to inclement weath er. Exams scheduled to be writ ten that day were rescheduled to Apr. 22, which fell within the examination period. Students, however, had mixed reactions to this rescheduling. Many had made travel plans under the assumption that their last exam was on Apr. 14 and questioned the seemingly arbitrary eightday push.

Universities should pri oritize safety and close when inclement weather has the po tential to create unsafe situations for anyone on campus. However, the policies surrounding inclem ent weather and exams need to be made clear and more com prehensive to reduce student confusion when closures occur.

McMaster’s Undergraduate Examinations Policy states that “Students must be available for the entire examination period as listed in the Sessional Dates section of the Undergraduate Calendar. Examinations will not be re-scheduled for purposes of travel.”

Though this policy makes sense in the event of rescheduled exams, the university should understand that students have commitments outside of their studies that often must be made well in-advance. It seems unfair to make students plan to wait out the entire examination period, especially when they are

The current policy also fails to have any buffer room for exams that must be rescheduled nearing the end of the exam ination period. For example, if there was a snow day on the very last day of the examina tion period, would students be expected to write exams during their holidays? Would they be pushed to the deferred examina tion period, taking place months after the scheduled time? The policy as-is does not address these important questions.

In fact, the only mention of how exams are rescheduled is found in a separate Storm Emergency Policy, which states that in the event of inclement weather, exams are scheduled to the following Sunday within the examination period. However, this still does not address the possibility for a closure late in the examination period.

One solution could be to have a dedicated few days for rescheduled exams. Rather than have a test and examination ban that few classes adhere to any ways, the term could be short ened. Thus, instead of ending classes on Dec. 5 and starting exams on Dec. 7, classes could

end Nov. 30 and exams can start virtually a week earlier on Dec. 3. This then provides the necessary buffer time in the Dec. 17 to Dec. 20 period that can be used for rescheduled exams as necessary.

Students would still be expected to remain available throughout the examination period, but at least there would be a clearer understanding on how exams are rescheduled and reassurance that they will not interfere with the official holiday period.

Although there is a level of accountability towards students to understand the expectations of the university, the university must also make their expecta tions clearer. The office of the

registrar’s official site for exams does not clearly outline this information without requiring students to find and read both the McMaster’s Undergraduate Examinations Policy and the Storm Emergency Policy.

As of now, it appears that only the DeGroote School of Business explicitly warns their students against making travel plans within the examination period.

While the responsibility to read both policies falls on students, there is no reason to not publicize their expectations more. Including a comment on students’ exam timetables on Mosaic can easily reduce some of the confusion that arises during rescheduled exams.

In addition to increasing the delivery of their expecta tions to students, the univer sity should strive to publicize announcements of closures in a more effective manner. Not all students have or check social media. Sending an email to students better communicates closures and rescheduled exam details, and should be included in a revised inclement weather and exam policy.

It is evident that McMas ter University should revise

their current examinations and inclement weather policies to be more comprehensive regarding final examinations. Ideally, this information should be made ac cessible to students in a singular, readily-available policy.

At the very least, the uni versity should be more vocal to students about their expecta tions to avoid confusion over the upcoming examination period.

Although there is a level of accountability towards students to understand the expectations of the university, the university must also make their expectations clearer.

The current policy also fails to have any buffer room for exams that must be rescheduled nearing the end of the examination period.

The test-evaluation fallacy

The need for more distributed testing to improve student learning

University testing is the Neapol itan ice cream of student evalua tion. With its two midterm tests and single exam, this format has become known to students as an imperfect trifecta. As this format continues to be observed by students across classes, it becomes clear that university testing needs to change.

Within McMaster Universi ty, infrequent heavily-weighted tests have become the standard. Their proponents argue that they offer a pragmatic solution to the demands brought on by an increasing student popula tion. This seems reasonable con sidering approximately 26,780 undergraduate students attend McMaster.

Yet, despite a relatively large student body, as many as 62 per cent of undergrad uate courses have less than 60 students registered. Of the remaining third, another nine per cent is accounted for by first-year, faculty-core courses, where non-standard assessment methods have already been ad opted. Thus, only 29 per cent of McMaster courses have rationale on the grounds of large class sizes for the current evaluative structure.

While the limited time that our professors possess is

valuable and should be allocated appropriately, students pay an underreported opportunity cost that is similar in consequence.

As students, university is in tended to be a time to quench curiosity and inspire potential. This opportunity is contingent on our instructors’ abilities to teach.

With the recent push by the McMaster Students Union to eliminate evaluations weighted 50 per cent or greater, it seems that a new horizon is bound. However, while removing grade-defining exams will func tion to ease student anxiety and

diversify grade distribution, it does little to correct an inher ently flawed system of learning.

Cognitive psychologists have known for decades that proper learning involves the deep and repeated consideration of material. The more you prac tice retrieval of information, the better your long-term memory will become.

Distributed learning involves learning material over time while interleaved learning involves practicing several units of content in rotation. Science states that adoption of these two learning techniques leads to re silient memory when combined with levels of deep practice such as testing.

For a full-time student, with roughly 62 days of content from five courses compressed into three testing instances per course, the present assessment scheme hardly encourages dis tributed learning.

Given the current structure, it is not difficult to under stand why students cram for major evaluations. It has been shown clearly that cramming behaviour produces improved short-term results when com pared to the long-term strat egies of distributed and inter leaved learning.

While long-term strategies promote lasting memories, a majority of students are hesitant

over using them. The current grading structure is unforgiv ing, and students frequently resort to suboptimal learning techniques given the cost of fail ure. But as the goal of classes is to foster long-term retention of material, the university should diminish the value of cramming and reward optimal strategies.

To craft an ideal course, one must first break the asso ciation between testing and

evaluation. After decades of ex perimentation, testing has been established as the strongest way to induce resilient learning; the average person, however, views constant studying as preferable.

What we need is more testing in university courses. Not only does this greatly im prove student performance on final examinations, but also a majority of students claim that they prefer frequent, low-stakes testing in comparison to infre quent, high-stakes testing.

And even better, testing does not only reference closedbook, sit-down evaluations. The evidence for open-book testing, textbook homework, and take-home assignments is overwhelming. Any con tent that provides students an opportunity to elaborate on their knowledge in a distributed manner will produce worth while results.

At this point, there is no question that frequent testing improves learning, as we have seen with the recent success of blended learning. The major challenge lies within the feasi bility of adoption. Will instruc tors and teaching staff take on the extra effort to provide their students with a framework for success? Only future transcripts will tell.

C/O GRANT HOLT

For a full-time student, with roughly 62 days of content from five courses compressed into three testing instances per course, the present assessment scheme hardly encourages distributed learning.

What we need is more testing in university courses. Not only does this greatly improve student performance on final examinations, but also a majority of students claim that they prefer frequent, lowstakes testing in comparison to infrequent, highstakes testing.

Brent Urbanski

Contributor

Our misunderstood neighborhood

When you think of down town Hamilton, I wouldn’t be surprised if the first thought that comes to mind is “sketchy.” Downtown, specifically along King Street and anywhere east of Queen Street North, has often been considered as a run-down ghost of what was once a thriv ing, central hub.

Centered around the Jack son Square complex, my mother — a born-and-raised Hamilto nian — has told me many stories of how she and her friends used to hang around the area. The mall was initially built as an attraction for residents across the city, and for a short time, it was just that.

Now, however, it feels like that same downtown area is only a hub for the homeless and the number of clubs that exist nearby. If anyone heads to downtown Hamilton, it’s usually to visit Locke Street South or James Street North, where one can typically find highly-recom

mended restaurants and quaint little spots, and avoid the much less recommended walk along King Street.

But is King Street really so bad? Is that downtown stretch so vastly different from how it used to and was intended to be?

I would argue it’s not. Hid den behind the stigma of being run-down, there are some great, welcoming spots in downtown. In the east end, if you walk west down King Street, you’ll soon find 1UP Games. This retro video game store may look inneed of a facelift, but upon entry you are greeted instantly by one of the many employees that can recommend a game or tell you about one of the many events the store runs.

To highlight how welcom ing this store is, my brother, a 23-year-old-man with special needs visited the shop this past Sunday. Due to his learning curve, my brother has never really excelled at or even enjoyed many video games. However, not only was he welcomed, he was given valuable assistance and taught how to play by the community, and he now plans to return as often as possible.

For a fancier vibe, you can continue down to James Street North and head north for one block to King William Street. Although this isn’t exactly on

King, you can find a stretch of nice restaurants and just across from Club Absinthe, you find Mezza, a great little Italian cafe with some high-quality pastries and drinks.

to being transported around the world in about 30 minutes. You can buy fresh fish and produce from around the world, as well as pre-packaged products only found on other continents and my personal favourite, Chi nese-style roasted peanuts.

None of these places are particularly “sketchy” or rundown; in fact, all of them are fairly well-kept and are run by friendly, enthusiastic staff who you could not feel more com fortable around. For students it’s definitely worth a look! Perhaps you’ll end up changing your definition of downtown Ham ilton.

Even going inside Jackson Square, you can find two of my favourite spots. First, Landmark Cinemas, which has perhaps the nicest luxury seating I’ve ever experienced in a movie theatre. Picture full-motorized reclining seats in pairs of two, absolutely amazing for a date. Then there’s Nations, a grocery store which contains some of the most unique items I’ve ever seen. Going into Nations is

Downtown Hamilton may have a poor reputation but it’s filled with hidden charms

akin

If anyone heads to downtown Hamilton, it’s usually to visit Locke Street South or James Street North, where one can typically find highly-recom mended restaurants and quaint little spots, and avoid the much less recommended walk along King Street.

For a fancier vibe, you can continue down to James Street North and head north for one block to King William Street.

Sam Marchetti Contributor

@theSilhouette

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Budgets Make Your Dreams Come True

Mac’s Money Centre wants to encourage and support your quest to become money savvy and successful. We know that you all have dreams and money is one of the fundamental tools that can help you make those dreams a reality. We know that is message is old and boring, but the truth is that designing a budget is the key to mak ing your wants a reality. The “B-word” has really gotten a bad rap! So let’s try and make it less averse. If we call it a spend ing plan and talk about spend ing with a purpose perhaps I can entice some of you to keep reading further.

The whole idea of tackling your finances seems over whelming, an exercise in deter mining priorities and donning a straitjacket that will keep you from doing what you want. But that couldn’t be further from the truth!

It’s really all about being aware and intentional with what you do with your money. It ulti mately is about deciding what is important to you and following your values. When your spend ing plan is aligned with what you want, it provides a road map to how you will reach your goals – and that’s empowering. You will find ways to meet your commitments and pursue a future that is based on your goals, preferences and needs for flexibility and creativity.

Hey, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that a plan can initially make you feel restrict

ed but you need to see this is a temporary condition. Once you figure out where your money is currently being used, you can then decide if these expendi tures are a good use of your resources. Is it a change to your life style? Or a realignment of your priorities? Of course. But once you start to spend on items or experiences that add meaning to your life it’s not so hard to give up some of the oth er things that you thought you needed.

Most of us let money take control over ourselves but a spending plan allows to be in control.

A budget will outline the core costs of your living needs: housing, transportation, and communication expenses. But then there are the costs associ ated with expenditures that are, to some degree, discretionary

and determined by your goals and values. Your budget is unique and driven by what you have predetermined to be necessary to make your life fulfilling. You are in charge of what you spend and that gives you flexi bility.

Sponsored by:

A budget doesn’t limit your freedom; it gives you freedom!

Arts & Culture

Showcasing a work in progress

Southern Ontario artists showcase their fragile side with a piece of unfinished work

make ends meet, they need to be confident that the work will sell.

For many artists, creating their work is a very emotional experience, forcing them to go through various stages. At one point they could feel wonderful and happy before immediately turning to disappointment. This creates a fragile state for artists and makes them feel vulnerable with their unfinished piece.

On Nov. 30, 13 various art ists from Mississauga to Niagara Falls will come together to share pieces that they are working on, amongst other pieces they have done in the past. As they get ready to showcase what they have in store for viewers, three sisters meticulously plan out the second annual Work In Prog ress art exhibit, taking place in Hamilton’s industrial district.

Michelle Teitsma, lead artist and curator, came up with the idea after she considered the financial investment that is typically required to participate in other shows, costing artists upwards of a few hundred dollars to display their work. To

“When you go to a show, you want to see real artists. People who have spent years working on their craft. You also want diversity. Not everybody is into the same type of art, but you still want a nice taste of everything. So, when I put it out to the art world about doing [Work In Progress], my sisters wanted to help out with it,” explained Teitsma.

artists a small fee with all profits from the event going back into the artists’ pockets.

“It’s our hope that the art ists leave with more than they put down to be a part of this,” said Teitsma.

For Teitsma, this is the culmination of almost 30 years worth of work in the art world.

Graduating from Sheridan College for traditional-style animation in 1983, Teitsma was fascinated with learning differ

munity of Dundas has its own particular vibe that inspires her.

“I’ve been doing a lot of street scenes from Dundas. Although, I’m very taken by the feel of Hamilton… Hamilton has a lot to offer with its history, the people, it’s a very working, hands on, soul to the earth men tality, and I think that is really expressed in the paintings,” explained Teitsma.

Teitsma is just one of the thirteen artists who will have their work displayed at the art exhibit. Various artists across many disciplines working with paint, ink, photography and ma terials including leather, pottery and real flowers will showcase their work. Not one artist is the same as the other and all the works will be in progress.

explained Teitsma.

With the event being sponsored by Marie Philips and planned by Helen Campbell, the trio of sisters are only charging

ent mediums before eventually settling on oils as her medium of choice.

Setting up shop in Dun das, Teitsma has found herself captivated by the world around her. Just stepping outside of her door and experiencing the com

“With artists showing their fragile side, it opens up conver sation between them and the viewer with the hopes of getting them to understand what the artist is trying to do… I want them to leave with their minds opened a little more than they arrived. To see things that they might not have expected to see,”

Work In Progress will take place on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Cotton Factory on Sherman Avenue North.

“It’s our hope that the artists leave with more than they put down to be a part of this,”

Michelle Teitsma Artist and curator

@theSilhouette

Teitsma is just one of the thirteen artists who will have their work displayed at the art exhibit ... Not one artist is the same as the other and all works will be in progress.

The

following pieces of art, from left to right,

are by Amanda Hammill, Beverly Allen, Drew Taylor, Helen Griffiths and Michelle Teirsma.

For Teitsma, this is the culmination of almost 30 years worth of work in the art world.

Andrew Mrozowski

Contributor

Sleigh the Season

Rya Buckley A&C Reporter

Holiday Market at McMaster

The Phoenix Bar and Grill will be hosting the first ever Holiday Market on campus. The patio will be decked out in twinkling lights and local vendors. Complete your holiday shopping while sipping on hot drinks and snacking on festive treats, or get creative at the crafts stations to make your own festive arts. No holiday market is complete without a photo with McMaster’s very own Santa. Entry to the market is free but make sure to bring cash for shopping at the vendors!

Craftadian Christmas Market

CLOSE TO HOME LOCKE STREET DOWNTOWN

Looking for a lovely homemade gift that you don’t have to make yourself? Check out the Craftadian Christmas Market on Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at McMaster Innovation Park. Over 80 local makers will be there selling unique and beautiful gift ideas, from a toy for your baby cousin to a scarf for your Secret Santa pick.

Winter Wander in Westdale

Head down to Westdale on Dec. 7 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for some wintry fun. There will be live music and entertainment, a vendor market at the Westdale Public Library, horse and car riage rides and late night shopping.

Into the Abyss December Shopshows

Record store Into the Abyss is putting on two of its intimate inshop shows during December. Head down to the store on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. to see Toronto singer-songwriter Adrian Underhill, Montreal pop duo, Best Fern and Hamilton singer-songwriter, Gareth Inkster. On Dec. 13 at 7 p.m., the set list includes Toronto songwriter and poet Steven Lambke and duo Construction and Destruction will perform in celebration of their joint EP. Hamil ton’s own Wish Coin will also be performing.

Feminist Trivia Night

Looking for some feminist fun that supports a good cause? On Dec. 3 at 7 p.m., take a night off studying and attend Broad Conversations’ Feminist Trivia Night hosted at Toast Wine Bar. Admission is PWYC with 100 per cent of the proceeds being donated to Sexual Assault Centre (Hamilton Area). Open to ev eryone, this is a great chance to unwind with your friends and win some cool team prizes!

HAMILTON’S

Hamilton Downtown Christmas Market

Head down to Gore Park between Dec. 7 and Dec. 9 for the an nual Christmas market. On the opening Friday, the market will kick off with the Christmas tree lighting at 5 p.m. and there will also be free live music from the Troy Harmer band. Throughout the rest of the weekend, check out local vendors such as Red Church Café, Toast Wine Bar, Collective Arts, Hamont Doodles and Hamilton Hobos. In addition, there will be a fully licensed mulled wine and hot cider bar, DJs playing throughout the weekend, a mistletoe kissing station and much more. The best part is that entrance to the market is free.

Polyester Queersmas Party

On Dec. 15 from 9 p.m to 2:30 a.m. Polyester will be hosting a drag show and dance party at This Ain’t Hollywood as part of their monthly events in Hamilton. The show will feature drag performances by Beautiful Baby Bel Bel. A mix of pop, house, remixes and beloved Christmas jams will be included in DJ sets by Rosé and Mia. Polyester hosts positive and safe party envi ronments that are open to everyone. Cover is $10.

Gore Park Ferris Wheel

The Christmas Ferris wheel in Gore Park will be up through the entirety of exam season, from Dec. 7 to Dec. 23. Taking a free ride on the Ferris wheel makes the perfect downtown study break, providing both a layback outing and a spectacular view of downtown Hamilton. Stop by Redchurch Café and Gallery for a warm drink and stroll through their latest exhibit.

Crystal Mala Bracelet Workshop

On Dec. 8 at 2 p.m., check out this workshop for a chance to create your own semi-precious stone or crystal bracelet to aide in mindfulness and personal growth. The history of this process, how to care for your bracelet and the stone options will be explained in a booklet given at the workshop. In ad dition to making the bracelets, the workshop will begin with a guided mediation. The workshop cost $15 for the bracelet and a hand sewn bag to store it in. If you want to make more than one bracelet, additional bracelets cost $8. If you’re think ing this would make a perfect gift for someone, you can get your bracelet gift wrapped for $4.

HAMILTON’S HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS THIS DECEMBER

A little vintage soul in this geek

Drew Simpson Contributor

A maroon building nestled between shops on King Street East right before Jarvis Street is home to VintageSoulGeek. As the aged gold letters spelling out the shop’s name suggest, it’s a vintage boutique selling cloth ing, jewelry and accessories. Owned by couple Nik and Con nie Bulajic, where Connie is the curator and Nik calls himself the shop boy or shop keeper.

As the curator, Connie carefully picks the clothing pieces that make the store’s selection. Much of her method remains a secret, but Nik sim plified it to her following trends and just knowing what people want. He calls her a huntress and trusts her intuition while he runs the other aspects of the shop.

Many describe visiting the store as an experience. Although the walls are simply white, there’s an earthy under tone to the place. The pictures hanging on the wall mirror the tone of the hung clothing. The right side of the shop from the entrance is where you’ll find jewelry, broches and Nik at the counter.

The left side of the store is where all the clothes are. From lavish fur coats to hats sitting on golden mannequin heads. At the very back you’ll find stunning gowns. Every compo nent of the store comes together

to contribute to a home-like feeling.

“The store is just built on love and I think people can fell it when they walk in here,” explains Nik.

Walking through the store is like walking through your grandmother’s closet as she narrates the story each clothing holds, but the closet is warm and it smells good. Although vintage clothes are second-hand, Nik assures they steam everything. So in truth, they smell like nothing, while the cinnamon air freshener fills your lungs as pieces grab your interest.

Perhaps an earlier visit to the store would’ve felt like going through a time machine to explore fashion pieces from the 1800s to 1990s. A visit today speaks volumes to how much modern trends and fashion influences are drawn from the past. The Great Gatsby themed clothes and jewelry tags are easily recognizable by even the youngest of shoppers.

The store itself is also quite young. Even though it opened up four years ago, it has many returning customers who describe VintageSoulGeek as a great place to buy gifts and shop for clothing that’s affordable. While their highly anticipated annual garage sale took place on Nov. 25 and boasted many $5 items, the store is a place where you can find unique additions to your wardrobe all year round.

For almost 50 years and over three generations, Connie’s family has been vintage fashion collectors. Her grandmother started collecting pieces in the 1960s, then her mother started in the 1980’s and Connie picked up the passion in the 1990’s. However, the idea to sell some of that collection originated out of necessity.

“It all came out of necessity. When Connie and I first started dating, I knew that she and her family were collecting but I didn’t understand the vastness of the collection. Once our relationship bloomed and we purchased a home together and

started our family that’s when all the stuff just started coming in,” explained Nik.

“She came home one par ticular day and she had to rent a truck to grab everything that she purchased from this place. That was before we had our business and it was like… if you want to buy more stuff, we have to start selling stuff,” explained Nik.

With three bed rooms-turned closets in their home, Nik describes their entire house as a giant closet. There were more than enough clothes to fill a store. Beyond the

store’s contents, there’s about a thousand pounds of jewelry. To this day, over half of the store’s contents are from the family collection.

VintageSoulGeek started off with online sales before gaining exposure from vin tage trade shows where they encountered their first of many instances with the film industry. Katy Holmes wore three outfits in Return to Chamelot that had pieces from their collection.

Now VintageSoulGeek holds some prestige. It outfitted the cast of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and the Os car-winning movie, The Shape of Water. Pieces from the store will also appear in the upcom ing Netflix movie, The Umbrella Academy

While VintageSoulGeek pieces will catch eyes on big and small screens all around the world, the little shop will always be unique to Hamilton. Beyond the vintage wardrobe, the pieces speak to decades of family his tory and an exciting future for the Bulajic’s business.

Downtown vintage clothing shop has more in store than a wardrobe

KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

Perhaps an earlier visit to the store would’ve felt like going through a time machine to explore fashion pieces from the 1800s to 1990s. A visit today speaks volumes to how much modern trends and fashion influences are drawn from the past.

“She came home one particular day and she had to rent a truck to grab everything that she purchased from this place. That was before we had our business and it was like… if you want to buy more stuff, we have to start selling stuff,”

Connie Bulajic Owner of VintageSoulGeek

In the Kitchen

WITH BRANDON JACKSON

The ultimate student hack on CARBONARA WITH INSTANT RAMEN

Influenced by Jackson’s ramen restaurant, Slurp Ramen, this recipe incorporates the fresh and high quality produce found at his fingertips at the Hamilton Farmers Market. While Slurp Ramen’s kitchen is steps away from some of the city’s best local produce, cheese and meat vendors, you too can be inspired by the ingredients and flavours of the downtown market. This recipe takes your instant ramen noo dles to the next level by using parmesan cheese and pancetta from Sam’s Meat and Cheese and some fresh eggs. The instant ramen carbonara dish is student-friendly, serves two to three people and incorpo rates some Western influences for a quick, simple and delicious meal.

THE CHEF: BRANDON JACKSON

Jackson has over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, spending just under half of that time traveling the world learning and experiencing cuisines from different continents. He spent a year in Asia, two years in London, England

an other year running a restaurant in Australia. He was part of the management team

a restaurant where he can express his love for local produce, community and ramen.

INGREDIENTS:

⬜ 2 large free-range eggs

⬜ 40 g parmesan cheese, finely grated

⬜ 150 g piece of pancetta, skinned and chopped into cubes

⬜ 3 packs of instant ramen noodles

⬜ 1 clove of garlic, finely diced

⬜ extra virgin olive oil

⬜ salt and pepper

⬜ spring onion, chopped

INSTANT RAMEN CARBONARA DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the ramen noodles according to the packet instructions.

2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the parmesan using a fork. Season with salt and pepper and put it to the side.

3. Cut the hard skin off the pancetta and set it aside. Chop the meat into small cubes.

4. Rub the pancetta skin (if you have any) all over the base of a medium frying pan for added flavor or use one tablespoon of oil before placing pan over medium-high heat.

5. Add garlic to pan and leave it to flavor the fat for one minute before stirring in the pancetta.

6. Cook the pancetta for four minutes or until it starts to crisp up.

7. Reserving some of the cooking water, drain and add the ramen noodles to the pan. Toss well over the heat so it that it really soaks up all that lovely flavor before remov ing the pan from the heat.

8. Add a splash of the cooking water, toss well and season with salt and pepper.

9. Pour in the egg mixture, the pan will help cook the egg gently, rather than scram bling it. Toss well, adding more cooking water until it’s a glossy texture.

10. Serve with a grating of parmesan and an extra twist of pepper to taste. Finish with topped chopped spring onion.

running a French restaurant and

at The McEwan Group before opening up Slurp Ramen,

KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

Sports

Setting the table

Coming off a blazing-hot start, third-year David Doty talks about maintaining the competitive mindset, new team leadership and his own role on the team

With the departure of veteran outside hitter Brandon Koppers after capping out his eligibility last season, a void was created in the McMaster men’s volley ball team. Starting the season with a blistering 6-1 record, it’s safe to say the Marauders are managing well enough, thanks in part to the dependable play of third-year setter, David Doty.

Recognition was quick to come to Doty, who received the McMaster Pita Pit Athlete of the Week award following his strong early performanc es against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the highly-ranked University of Windsor Lancers, both in threeset sweeps.

“It wasn’t really something I was expecting,” said Doty. “I think I was more concerned about coming out of Windsor

with a win. Going into some one’s gym when they’re sixth- or fifth-ranked in the country, and you have a chance to take them down in their gym, it kind of takes over your mind over your own personal [performance]. I mean, it was nice to have that recognition and I’m very thank ful for it, but I think it’s more concerning myself with coming out of Windsor with a big win.”

As the starting setter for the Marauders, Doty is respon sible for leading the offence on the court.

“Coach [Dave Preston] and I, we meet twice a week or so,” Doty said. “We go over how we want to run an offence against a team. We have a pretty good idea of how we like to run our offence. I think we have this idea of, if something’s working, just keep going at it. If some thing’s not working, we adjust and go from there.”

But even the best-laid plans

need to be executed. You can toss up a pass, but someone’s got to smack it down. In the early parts of the season, that someone has been outside hit ter, Andrew Richards. Second in Ontario University Athletics in hitting percentage at .374, Richards has been a force to be reckoned with over the team’s first seven games. The chemis try between Doty and Richards is hardly new; the two have been playing together over the past six years, both getting their start at Oakridge Secondary School in London, Ontario.

“Over the years it’s gotten easier and easier connecting with him cause we’ve played together that much,” said Doty. “We kind of just know what each other are doing. And he’s a freak human. He’s able to get up, to jump to balls I don’t ex pect him to, but you know every time he gets up there, he seems to cut the ball off at the highest

point possible.”

Doty was quick in pointing the off-the-court leadership of Richards, along with the team’s other fifth-year, Connor Santo ni, who is currently sporting a handlebar moustache, matching Doty’s own. Previously acting as a utility player for the team, Santoni has started to see in creased playing time in his final season.

“[Richards] and Santoni, the leaders of this team, the two fifth-year guys, they’ve always done a good job of leading us,” Doty said. “They put their blood, sweat and tears into this program, so we appreciate everything they do.”

And needless to say, that effort has been paying off. Despite Doty’s assertion that the competition this year is fiercer than ever, with most teams in striking distance of one another, the Marauders opened the season with two sweeps. The

Queen’s University Gaels were able to put a damper on the early momentum after a tough 2-3 loss.

“Well the first two sets against Queen’s, they played outstanding,” said Doty. “They were passing well, they were digging some balls we weren’t really expecting them to be digging up. And we made too many errors, which is why we lost that game.”

That game seemed to only be a slight hitch for the Maraud ers who have since bounced back with four straight three-set sweeps over the Royal Mili tary College of Canada, Trent University, the University of Waterloo, and the University of Guelph. So far, Doty and the rest of the team have been putting together a run that is shaping up to be a fitting sendoff for the team’s two fifth years.

The men’s volleyball team has swept their last four opponents since losing to Queen’s. KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

Coby Zucker

Contributor

Catching fire

The women’s basketball team is off to a red-hot start this season. Currently ranked fifth in the country, the Marauders have been spreading the ball effectively all season, averaging an Ontario University Athlet ics-leading 19.2 assists per game, allowing several players to con tribute to the team’s 7-2 record.

Two of the team’s biggest contributors this season are second-year guard Sarah Gates and fifth-year forward Linnaea Harper, who sit first and second respectively in points and three pointers made per game for the Marauders.

“It’s been a good start. We have a lot of good moving pieces coming into this season,” said Harper. “We’re a very fast team and that really helps with our game…We’re really excited this year.”

The stat sheet reinforces this good start. Harper started off the season with a bang with the venerated forward posting a her second double-double in three games, with 26 points on 11 of 19 shooting and 10 rebounds in their win over Brock University. Adding two more double-dou bles to her total, Harper finds herself in the top 10 of the prov ince in points per game (14.6), rebounds per game (8.0) and assists (3.8).

Not only leading on the stat sheet, Harper is one of the key veteran leaders on the Maraud ers this season in her fifth year with the team, which she credits to her experience and having strong teammates supporting her.

“I think I’m a calming presence on the floor,” Harper said. “Being in my fifth year, I’m kind of seen as more of a leader and that’s the role that my coach wants me to play. In terms of offensive and defensive commu nication, and having a strong presence, I think that’s that’s how I really fit into that. I might no be the top scorer every game, but I’m definitely contributing in other ways and helping out others to contribute as well.”

Gates has been contribut ing consistently as well, having some hot games in her own

right. Notably, Gates caught fire against Nipissing Univer sity, shooting six of eight from beyond the arc on her way to 24 points. That game was the first of three straight 24 point games for Gates, who shot 50% from three over that stretch.

at least three times a week on her own in addition to team practices. Obviously that work has paid off, especially thanks to support from head coach Theresa Burns.

“My coach has never told me not to shoot, which I kind of need,” said Gates. “Sometimes I shoot when I probably shouldn’t shoot it, but I think that positive encouragement has just led me to becoming more like a confident player on the court, and knowing I can shoot with a defender on me, or from far back or driving.”

This past weekend, the Mac women faced a tough test against the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, two of Canada’s top teams.

I think that coming into this De cember break, we need to really dig in and just try to get a full 40 minute game together, and just keep playing because these teams won’t give up.”

Harper and Gates faired well over the weekend, with Harper accounting for 24 points, six rebounds, six assists and three blocks, while Gates added 22 points and 17 rebounds her self. The team managed to leave the nation’s capital with a loss and an impressive win. Harper knows that there will still be many more challenges for the team ahead.

moving forward.”

It is evident that the basket ball team features an incredibly balanced roster, with every player adding to the box score, any one able to catch fire at any time. That is where their success derives from. With their sights set on returning to the national tournament this season, players like Harper and Gates will need to continue to produce to make that dream a reality.

Gates spends a lot of time working on her shot, practicing

“They’re very strong teams and have had a lot of success this year already, just like us,” Gates said before the games. “So

“As a top-ranked team, you always have a target on your back,” Harper said. “I think just maintaining our poise, and knowing that we can control games is going to be our biggest thing, and hope that will help us out with getting those wins and

Sitting on top of the OUA West, the women’s basketball team is stuffing the stat sheet on their way to another successful season thanks to a balanced roster

Justin Parker Sports Editor

Starting forward Linnaea Harper is averaging 14.6 pts. and 8.0 rbs. per game.

KYLE WEST / PHOTO EDITOR

“Honestly, I can’t do my role if everyone else isn’t doing theirs, if we’re not all working together. It’s more of just a team effort.”

Sarah Gates Women’s basketball team

Where luck meets preparation

How Meghan McPeak went from calling McMaster basketball games to becoming a trailblazer in NBA broadcasting history

When Meghan McPeak first picked up a basketball as a young girl, like a lot of basket ball-loving kids, professional dreams were soon on her mind. Growing up with a family who watched and played sports, a father who played baseball and a brother who played both baseball and soccer, sports were destined to be a part of McPeak’s life.

Being a tall kid growing up, a friend of McPeak’s encouraged her to try out for her basketball team, and right off the bat, she fell in love with the sport.

“As a kid, it was a great way to exert my energy and run around with friends, so I just loved it,” said McPeak. “But as I’ve gotten older, the love of the game has not only grown, it has changed in a way for me, now that I’m in broadcasting.”

McPeak knew early on that she would have a career in broadcasting but she did not expect it to come this early. A former varsity basketball player for Humber College, McPeak had plans to play basketball professionally overseas, but at the same time she was always planning for life beyond playing basketball.

“When I was in school deciding what program I would take, [broadcasting] was more thinking life after basketball,”

said McPeak. “It wasn’t until I finished college with a really bad injury and realizing that it may not be the pro route for me, I realized that I had to real ly focus on broadcasting.”

A career-ending injury is not an easy thing for any athlete to endure. After dedicating so much time and effort to one thing only to not get the result one wants, it is easy to want nothing to with the sport at all. But that is not how McPeak ap proached the situation. A firm believer of everything happens for a reason, she knew this was not the end of her basketball story.

“Life after basketball hap pened sooner than I expected but it was the right time for me,” McPeak said.

Luckily for McPeak, her first job came shortly after she graduated. After her co-worker at her part-time job forwarded her a McMaster email that was looking for a play-by-play an nouncer for McMaster basket ball games, she jumped at the opportunity.

“I emailed Jamie Tennant, CMFU Program Director at the time, and it kind of went off from there,” said McPeak.

From 2009 -2012, McPeak called Marauder basketball games. She also got to do work with Cable 14 when they would cover the games, and it really put her degree to good use.

“It was great because it’s not typical that you can graduate

and within six months you’re working in the line of work that you want to be in and went to school for,” McPeak said.

“Not being a Mac student or graduate, I got really lucky that Jamie was willing to give me the opportunity.”

giving me the opportunity for those four seasons,” McPeak added.

Though some may con sider her lucky for getting the opportunity that she did, it has been nothing but preparation that has carried her the rest of the way.

“I think early on the timing was lucky with me, but I would say over the last five or six years, it’s where my luck and prepa ration met at the right time,” said McPeak. “I think I’ve been able to prove that through my preparation, I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunities I’ve gotten.”

The career McPeak has had up to this point is nothing short of amazing. Following her four seasons with the Marauders, she was a play-by-play announc er for the Canadian National Basketball League and then the National Basketball Association Development, now Gatorade, League team, the Raptors 905.

affiliate.

Though McPeak’s latest ma jor accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, “breaking barriers” is not why she does it.

“To be quite frank with you, it’s because it’s what I want to do,” said McPeak. “I want to call basketball games 52 weeks of the year. My ultimate goal and ideal work situation would be to call NBA games with a national network or direct NBA team during the NBA season, then continue on into the WNBA season doing the same thing.”

“Hopefully he’s looking back now and realizing that without him taking a chance on me, I may not have had the career that I have had up to this point. So I thank him a lot for

Most recently, she became one of the first women ever to call play-by-play for an NBA game. Currently working for Monumental Sports Network in Washington, D.C., the historic moment was made when she called the Washington Wiz ards’ pre-season win over the Detroit Pistons. For the 2018-19 G League season, McPeak and former NBA player Tony Mas senburg have been the broad cast team for the Capital City Go-Go, the Wizards’ G League

When asked by The Wash ington Post why she was chosen for her current role, Zach Leonsis, the son of Monumen tal Sports and Entertainment founder Ted Leonsis and the network’s general manager, felt that, out of almost 40 announc ers who applied for the position, McPeak stood out. “Ultimately, Meghan was the best because she was the most dynamic and knowledgeable candidate,” Leonsis said. “It’s as simple as that.”

Wanting to be the best in the room, regardless of gender, is what has given her a seat at the table and she’s not stopping here. Through preparation and hard work, McPeak has gotten where she is today, so get used to her name because this will not be the last you hear of it.

@JaayCarmichael

“I think early on the timing was lucky with me, but I would say over the last five or six years, it’s where my luck and preparation met at the right time. I think I’ve been able to prove that through my preparation, I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunities I’ve gotten.”

Meghan McPeak NBA G League Broadcaster

Jessica Carmichael Sports Reporter

GAMES

Across

1- Lawyer’s org.; 4- Finely powdered earth; 8- Calls on; 14- Storage container; 15- To Live and Die ___; 16- Hitching posts?; 17- Director Lee; 18- Cries of discovery; 19- Less fatty; 20- Capital of Utah; 23- French summers; 24- Peter and Franco; 25- Exec’s degree; 28- Oozed;

Down

1- Humbles; 2- Borne in pairs; 3- “The Ice Storm” director; 4- Old phone buttons?; 5- Clumsy; 6- Quench; 7- Stun gun; 8- Traveling bags; 9- Belinda Carlisle’s “Should ___ You In?”; 10- Hang around; 11- Actor Holm; 12- Uno + due; 13- Georgia, once: Abbr.; 21- Recipe abbr.; 22- Crownlike object;

30- Prepares; 33- Toastmaster; 36- “The covers of this book are too far ____” — Bierce; 40- Ages and ages; 41- Male duck; 42- Spontaneous abortion; 45- Run-down hotel; 46- Plant swellings; 51- Give ___ break!; 52- Passover feast; 55- Broccoli ___ (leafy vegetable); 56- Tentative; 59- Italian sausage;

25- Paul Sorvino’s daughter; 26- Call’s partner; 27- 1975 Wimbledon champ; 29- Founded: abbr.; 31- Assisted; 32- ___ es Salaam; 34- Participant in a business meld; 35- Hawaiian food; 36- Kind of radio; 37- Heap; 38- Cruising; 39- Nipper’s co.; 43- Grating; 44- Republic in central Europe; 47- Sea eagle; 48- Country singer Kathy;

62- 365 days; 63- Mao ___-tung; 64- ___ Island Ferry; 65- Kind of cod; 66- Dusk, to Donne; 67- Monetary unit of Thailand; 68- Spoollike toy; 69- Citrus cooler

49- Humiliated; 50- Greek goddess of the moon; 53- Without emotion; 54- Refrain in a children’s song; 56- I could ___ horse!; 57- Marvel superheroes; 58- Thus; 59- Draft org.; 60- ___ snail’s pace; 61- Back muscle, for short;

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