By: Esther Liu, Contributor
C/O @alliee.c
This interview was conducted in fall 2020 by Sufyan Rather.
The Silhouette: Give me a brief introduction of yourself!
Allie C.: My name's Allie, my pronouns are she/her, I'm currently in my second-year of health sciences (I'm in the core stream, I'm not specializing) and right now I'm calling in from Ottawa.
So tell me about your channel, why did you start it?
I started my YouTube channel around the end of Grade 12. I've always liked creating videos and producing content, but I was too scared to make a public channel until Grade 12 when you're kind of at the top of the hierarchy — you don't really care what the younger years say about you.
So I just went ahead and started a channel. It was more to document fun memories with friends and it's something nice to look back upon. I guess that just kept ongoing. In first year, I gained a little bit of traction and it's just something I really enjoy doing.
What do you want to get across to your audience? Why is it important that you are the one to say it?
Especially having a smaller following for a YouTube content creator, you have a much more personal connection with your followers. They can ask you questions, you can engage with them and their comments. I think it's also giving me a platform to share my voice and opinions or to bring up matters that are important or need more awareness in society, and just educate some more people about these topics that they might not be aware of.
Stuff is still new for me, so I'm still navigating my way around that, like what's the best way to do it. I don't want to do anything that would offend anyone, but I also want to make sure that I'm staying true to myself and being able to voice my opinions to support the causes that I care for.
It started off just for fun, just me being creative and capturing memories. It's sort of always been like that, especially with making videos, you can definitely get burnt out really easily if you're always trying to follow what other people want if you're doing things just to get views or just to get subscribers. So a large part of it for me is to stay true to the content that I want to make.
I really enjoy the creative aspect of it, so getting cinematic shots, or working on different types of editing and just stepping up my skills that way. Along the way, I like to create some informational videos for my audience as well, like advice to people applying to universities, or how university life is like because I know I definitely would've really appreciated that content when I was a younger viewer. So I try to have a good mix of both with the content I create.
How has your channel changed from last year to this year?
Last year, there was a lot more content with other people, whether that was with vlogs or just sit-down talking videos with other people. I think that this year, I can't really incorporate that "fun" aspect to it so I have to think of other ways or other ideas where I can engage with my audience because I know a lot of viewers really want to see how college is like, how college campus life is like and how you make friends on campus.
That's something that's really different this year because nobody's actually on campus so you have to find ways to adjust. Even if I can't capture memories with friends right now, I'm still living at home with my family. I know that that's something that's not always going to an option for me.
How your so-called “quarantine weight” is really a damaging idea
Graphic by Esra Rakab/Production Coordinator
cw: discussions of eating disorders, food and body image
As spring and summer roll around, the rhetoric we grew up hearing about the “perfect summer body” also comes around. Despite the dialogues about body positivity and eating disorders that are increasingly creeping up in our social dialogue, the societal norms of what is an attractive body still dominate our narrative.
Many people have always experienced a certain level of pressure to have a certain physical appearance and if one does not have what we can now call “pretty privilege,” they may be discriminated against.
Studies have shown that a bias against people who are not conventionally attractive is a very real phenomenon associated with how you are perceived on dating apps and even more surprisingly, one’s ability to gain promotions at work.
Studies have shown that a bias against people who are not conventionally attractive is a very real phenomenon associated with how you are perceived on dating apps and even more surprisingly, one’s ability to gain promotions at work.
So how have the demands of beauty standards changed in our current time of the pandemic? With gyms closed and no need to dress well (albeit just a nice shirt for a Zoom meeting over your pyjama pants), how is it that we continue to be so self-conscious about our bodies, that we dread the moment our baggy winter sweaters leave us when warmer weather comes along?
Many online influencers on YouTube, TikTok and other popular social media platforms constantly preach about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through rigorous exercise and an impeccably “healthy” diet. “Quarantine workout routines” dominate the algorithms of all social media we consume, but I believe this trend to be of poor taste.
Saying that you need to maintain a rigorous exercise routine when all of us are isolated and locked in our house stems from a place of immense economical privilege, misinformation about the human body and a disregard for how our mental health is looking currently.
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with incorporating a reasonable exercise regimen and a nutritious meal plan in lockdown, for many of us, it is incredibly difficult to build a picture-perfect lifestyle as we’ve seen rich influencers do online.
With gyms being closed or inaccessible, not everybody has the means to buy workout equipment, the space in their living area to do exercises or the mental energy to be able to do the latest Chloe Ting challenge.
Many individuals are unable to afford nutritious food and are eating what they can to feel satisfied and have enough motivation to fight through another day.
The idea of the dreaded “quarantine weight” is unnecessarily punishing a whole generation of young people who were already greatly impacted by unrealistic expectations from photoshopped social media pictures prior to 2020.
It may be difficult to accept, but your body has allowed you to survive in the middle of a pandemic and it is enduring unbelievable amounts of stress on your behalf.
It is tempting to beat yourself about not having a perfect sleep schedule, a perfect work schedule, or a perfect diet and / exercise schedule like you see many thin online influencers claim to have in their “Get Ready with Me, Morning Routine Edition” videos.
But it’s okay to not have a perfectly aesthetic bedroom to sleep in and most importantly, it’s okay for you to enjoy food and not feel guilty about it.
But it’s okay to not have a perfectly aesthetic bedroom to sleep in and most importantly, it’s okay for you to enjoy food and not feel guilty about it.
Organizations such as McMaster’s own Women and Gender Equity Network even took the time to host virtual initiatives such as “Bodies are Dope” which addressed many of these issues and even provided spaces for racialized bodies to talk about some of their experiences.
If you are feeling alone during quarantine, WGEN provides weekly spaces for Mac students to drop by and talk about anything they feel is weighing on them. WGEN is also able to connect you with a variety of appropriate resources, should you need them.
Please be gentle with yourself and understand that even if you are unsatisfied with your body and wish to change it later on down the line, there is absolutely no rush to do so and you are allowed to take care of yourself at a pace that is right for you.
Period Pantry aims to advance menstrual equity movement
C/O Rita Audi
Two McMaster undergraduate students are improving accessibility to menstrual products in the Hamilton community through their new public period pantry project.
Rita Audi and Meghna Varambally, both in their second year of the health sciences program, recognized how hard it was for individuals of lower socioeconomic status to access menstrual products, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The provincial lockdown closed many non-profit organizations, cutting off access of community members to free supplies.
To tackle this, Audi and Varambally started a period pantry with free supplies that will be outside and always accessible. The pantry will be community-based, with members donating and taking what they need.
One-third of Canadian menstruators under the age of 25 struggle to buy enough menstrual products every month.
One-third of Canadian menstruators under the age of 25 struggle to buy enough menstrual products every month.
This lack of access to sanitary hygiene products, also known as period poverty, prevents many menstruators from participating in work, school and social activities.
“We applied the same principles of a community fridge, which is "take what you need, donate what you can." Anyone can take what they need from it, and we hope to also raise awareness about period poverty in Hamilton,” explained Varambally.
The first pantry launched on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Dundurn Market, located at 346 Dundurn St. S, in Hamilton. This pantry project is part of a greater organization started by Audi and Varambally called Period Pop-Ups.
The organization aims to advance the menstrual equity movement in Hamilton through community engagement. They recently assembled a volunteer team to support the maintenance and logistics of the period pantry, including the expansion and creation of more pantries within the community.
“Our main goal for this is to raise awareness about [the lack of accessible] period products and spread the message that these products need to be free because they are not a privilege. They are a right to every menstruator around the world,” emphasized Audi.
“Our main goal for this is to raise awareness about [the lack of accessible] period products and spread the message that these products need to be free because they are not a privilege. They are a right to every menstruator around the world,” emphasized Audi.
According to Audi and Varambally, menstrual equity is a topic that is often overlooked and requires more effort both on the community and systems-based level.
“Menstrual products have been a high necessity for a while . . . we do want to emphasize that these are basic necessities for so many people out there and that's why we want to encourage people in the community to donate to the pantry as well,” said Varambally.
As they planned and implemented the pantry, Audi and Varambally explained the many logistics that had to be taken into consideration, such as funding and securing a strategically popular location.
The team expressed their gratitude to TakingITGlobal's RisingYouth for a $750 grant to supply the pantry. They are also grateful for support from Dundurn Market in being their first pantry’s location.
The Period Pop-Ups team plans to expand the number of pantries to the rest of the Hamilton community, along with cities such as Scarborough, Toronto and Mississauga. They hope to partner up with local community organizations to expand the number of people they can reach.
“We have gotten a great response from the community [so far]. People have reached out to volunteer with us or to donate with us already, so have really good hopes about this in the future,” said Audi.
Program launched to allow current and former foster children opportunities to attend McMaster University tuition-free for undergraduate and graduate degrees
C/O unsplash
Although there are many benefits to receiving post-secondary education, many Canadians are not able to attend university or college, due to financial barriers. Current and former foster children are particularly underrepresented in Canadian post-secondary institutions.
McMaster University is attempting to address this inequality by setting aside 20 places for current and former foster children to attend university tuition-free, starting in the fall 2021 semester. This initiative has been launched in partnership with Child Welfare PAC, an organization that aims to support and uplift those who have been and are currently in foster care.
Associate Vice President (Students and Learning) and Dean of Students at McMaster University, Sean Van Koughnett, explained that many of the details of this initiative are still being decided, specifically regarding the fees that this initiative will cover.
“We’re trying to figure out how best to support these students,” Van Koughnett explained. “If they have an OSAP grant covering tuition, we want to find other ways to support them. We don’t want to just cut it off at tuition,” Van Koughnett added.
Jane Kovarikova, founder of Child Welfare PAC, explained the importance of post-secondary education in helping current and former foster children to thrive.
“We know, scientifically, that the only evidence-based pathway that levels life outcomes for foster children compared to their same-age peers is post-secondary credentials,” Kovarikova said.
“We know, scientifically, that the only evidence-based pathway that levels life outcomes for foster children compared to their same-age peers is post-secondary credentials,” Kovarikova said.
According to Kovarikova, the idea to waive tuition fees for those who have been in foster care originated in British Columbia. Vancouver Island University implemented this program in 2013 and later reached out to Child Welfare PAC to make them aware of it. Since then, Child Welfare PAC has helped bring this initiative to post-secondary schools across the country.
Van Koughnett explained that McMaster announced a new access strategy in 2019 and has since been looking for ways to support students from underrepresented groups.
“We’re always trying to find ways to increase access. . . We felt that [this initiative] aligns perfectly with some of the other things we’re trying to do at the university,” Van Koughnett said.
According to Van Koughnett, this initiative will affect future McMaster students, as well as current students.
“There are a number of details that we still have to work out, but we have already had inquiries from current students who came through the [foster care] system, and we would like to support them as well,” Van Koughnett explained.
Giving more post-secondary opportunities to current and former foster children has the potential to benefit other underrepresented communities as well. For example, it may increase access among Indigenous students, as Indigenous children are overrepresented in the foster care system.
One important aspect of this initiative, as Kovarikova explained, is that it does not have any age restrictions.
“When you leave foster care at age 18, you face really difficult, traumatic circumstances. . . Life can be really complicated in the early years, so you might not be hitting the life milestones at the exact same time as your peers,” Kovarikova said.
In contrast, Kovarikova noted, most government programs aimed at this population will have an upper age limit. Further, according to Kovarikova, university policies are both more effective and more stable.
“When governments do this type of thing, they lose every four to eight years, so you have to fight for the policy again, whereas institutions are there permanently,” Kovarikova explained.
Though the institutional approach offers more permanency, the program is not yet widespread as each individual institution must adopt the program.
Kovarikova emphasized that even a small number of places, such as the 20 at McMaster, at each post-secondary institution available to current and former foster children will be extremely impactful.
“If every [school offers a few places], then the opportunities will be available everywhere, and no one will have to leave their community,” Kovarikova said.
“If every [school offers a few places], then the opportunities will be available everywhere, and no one will have to leave their community,” Kovarikova said.
McMaster’s move to eliminate tuition fees for current and former foster children will make it the eighth school in Ontario and the first school in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area to do so.
Further, Kovarikova explained that many participating institutions have only provided current and former foster children with tuition-free undergraduate-level opportunities.
However, McMaster has also provided them with the chance to attend graduate-level programs without tuition fees.
Student concerns after presidential acclamation lead to SRA review of elections bylaws
C/O The Silhouette Photo Archives
The Student Representative Assembly has been discussing possible changes to Bylaw 7/A, which outlines the electoral procedures of McMaster Student Union electoral at-large elections. The change could add a vote of confidence to the procedure instead of acclamation.
The MSU's president-elect for 2021/2022 was recently acclaimed. Bylaw 7/A outlines the procedures for acclamation: “If the number of valid nomination forms submitted is fewer than or equal to the number of available positions, the [Chief Returning Officer] shall declare all nominees duly elected by acclamation.”
Nominees in this circumstance are automatically acclaimed to the position, as there is no vote of confidence available to the student body. The bylaw applies to candidates for SRA, MSU presidential and MSU First-Year Council elections.
In response to the presidential acclamation, the first in at least 40 years, the MSU Board of Directors tasked the SRA Internal Governance Committee to do a review of Bylaw 7/A. The IG committee has completed research on the bylaw and will propose updates at the March 7, 2021 SRA meeting.
In response to the presidential acclamation, the first in at least 40 years, the MSU Board of Directors tasked the SRA Internal Governance Committee to do a review of Bylaw 7/A. The IG committee has completed research on the bylaw and will propose updates at the March 7, 2021 SRA meeting.
Over the past month, general students and SRA members have expressed interest and thoughts on what the changes should look like, including the implementation of a vote of confidence for would-be acclaimed seats.
To specify what this vote of confidence would look like, SRA representatives conducted polls on social media within their faculties to collect data. Most SRA representatives asked students to identify whether a vote of confidence should be implemented, who the vote of confidence would apply to, who the vote of confidence electorate should be and which elections the vote of confidence should apply to and in which circumstances.
Considerations included whether the student body at-large or the SRA, whether it be the incoming or outgoing group, should take the vote of confidence. Further, some SRA members proposed a vote of confidence from the outgoing SRA for each incoming SRA member, including those elected by the student body.
The SRA caucus data results were presented at the Feb. 21 meeting. While each caucus had slightly different results, the majority reported a favour in adding a vote of confidence for MSU presidential elections.
There was a mixed consensus from all faculties on having a vote of confidence on SRA and First-Year Council elections, as well as whether the student body or SRA should be taking part in the vote of confidence.
In the meeting, SRA Social Sciences caucus members explained how some students’ concerns from the data indicated that they should be given more power in the vote of confidence, especially as a step towards building more trust with MSU. This data was collected by a Google Form that was circulated in Avenue groups and social media posts.
25 students responded to the survey. For the results, 84.6% of students wanted there to be a vote of confidence. Out of those who voted, 100% wanted students to have that vote. 50% of students said all elections (would-be-acclaimed and those with a surplus of candidates) should have a vote of confidence, 25% said they did not know, and 25% said they only wanted would-be-acclaimed ones.
Moreover, 83.3% of students said all elections that fall under that Bylaw (SRA, MSU President, and FYC) should have a vote of confidence, and 16.7% said only the MSU President should have a vote of confidence.
There was also a large concern from SRA Social Sciences members about potential conflict of interests with those running in elections.
These concerns were echoed by the McMaster Political Science Students Association, who worried that the change would require any incoming SRA member, including those elected by the student body, to undergo a vote of confidence by the outgoing SRA members.
“There was a universal push back [within our association] against [this] sort of move. We believe that the student voices should remain to the students and that it shouldn't be taken out from them in any capacity,” said Gurwinder Sidhu, MPSSA president.
The MPSSA has started a petition, which all MSU members can sign, against the suggestion of outgoing SRA members conducting a vote of confidence on the incoming SRA members, both elected and acclaimed.
The form states the association’s concern that these vote of confidence changes will compromise student democracy by giving the current SRA members the power to determine the members of the assembly, regardless of student votes.
“The key thing here is that people need to pay attention to what the student government is doing, because at the end of day, this affects them more broadly,” emphasized Sidhu.
During the Feb. 21 meeting, MSU President Da-Ré clarified to all SRA members that the discussion was not about SRA vetoing someone that was chosen by the student body, emphasizing that this would be very undemocratic. He explained that the voting body cannot change. For positions elected by students, such as SRA members, the voting body would remain students.
During the Feb. 21 meeting, MSU President Da-Ré clarified to all SRA members that the discussion was not about SRA vetoing someone that was chosen by the student body, emphasizing that this would be very undemocratic. He explained that the voting body cannot change. For positions elected by students, such as SRA members, the voting body would remain students.
The SRA has forwarded the student data to the SRA IG committee for further analysis and interpretation, in addition to their committee research. The IG committee has put forward their proposed changes to Bylaw 7/A along with a memo to summarize and explain the amendments.
Notably, the amendments propose a student body vote of confidence. The changes will be debated and likely voted on at the March 7 SRA meeting.
“We [SRA Internal Governance Committee] are suggesting a Vote of Confidence for FYC, SRA and Presidential Elections when the number of candidates is less than or equal to the number of positions available. The vote of confidence will be conducted by the student body where there would have previously been an acclamation,” wrote Associate Vice-President (Internal Governance) Michelle Brown in the memo.
According to the SRA discussion in the Feb. 21 meeting, there cannot be any bylaw changes made to the upcoming SRA elections. However, these could be implemented in the next election cycle.
Prior to the March 7 meeting and likely vote, MPSSA plans to continue their advocacy with their petition and by reaching out to other McMaster clubs and organizations for support. They are also currently in touch with SRA members to encourage them to vote against any changes that would compromise students’ democracy.
“I have good faith that this will be solved in an adequate manner… only time can tell that,” said Sidhu.
The Silhouette will continue to follow this story. For an in-depth explanation of the 2021 Presidential Acclamation and Bylaw 7/A amendment procedures, read: “The election that wasn’t: MSU president acclaimed.”
Mac women’s water polo team continue annual Motionball fundraiser during COVID-19
Graphic by Sybil Simpson, Production Editor
In 2020, the McMaster women’s water polo team helped raise over $33,000 in their annual motionball fundraiser to send athletes with intellectual disabilities to the Special Olympics. Now with the pandemic, they have continued their fundraising efforts in a more creative fashion.
Motionball supports young people who have intellectual disabilities, including (but not limited to) autism, Asperger syndrome and Down syndrome. These athletes are working hard to raise funds and help these families succeed in sending their athletes to the Special Olympics.
“Normally motionball is a one-day event where people fundraise. Then we have the event, receive all the donations and we’re done. Now it’s a month-long and full of events,” said Samantha Campione, a student ambassador at the DeGroote School of Business who is involved with motionball.
“Normally Motionball is a one-day event where people fundraise. Then we have the event, receive all the donations and we’re done. Now it’s a month-long and full of events,” said Samantha Campione.
The bigger challenge for the event stems from the social distancing guidelines put in place during the pandemic. This means that donors and the athletes cannot meet face-to-face.
“People can’t meet their special olympic athlete, which makes it a lot harder to bond with them and get to know the intricacies and wonderful qualities of the athlete . . . It’s definitely harder for fundraising and for event planning, but what I worry about the most with COVID is people not getting the full experience with the athlete,” said Campione.
It may be harder to raise funds this year between the limited fundraising opportunities, the financial crunch many have gone through resulting from the pandemic and the limited interaction between the donors and the athletes, yet there are other ways for people to help.
“I have just been asking everybody if they can just share and spread the word. Even if you can’t donate, the more you get the word out about it is honestly the best. As much as fundraising really supports the event and the people who are a part of it, the awareness is one of the biggest parts of it as well. We just want people to know about it and the more people that do know about it, the more that we will reach other people and we’ll be able to get more people involved,” said Paige Hamilton, a second-year athlete on the women’s water polo team.
“I have just been asking everybody if they can just share and spread the word. Even if you can’t donate, the more you get the word out about it is honestly the best. As much as fundraising really supports the event and the people who are a part of it, the awareness is one of the biggest parts of it as well. We just want people to know about it and the more people that do know about it, the more that we will reach other people and we’ll be able to get more people involved,” said Paige Hamilton.
Whether or not the team reaches their fundraising goal of $27,000 this year, the team wants to make sure the message is heard and that those in their community are aware of what they are working towards.
The motionball events will take place through the month of March with weekly events throughout. Students who sign-up will still have the opportunity to meet with the athletes being supported in the planned events and games during the month. For additional information on Motionball McMaster, check the official website here.
Conversations at Mac Athletics about Black History Month and beyond
Graphic by Sybil Simpson, Production Editor
In November 2020, McMaster University and the athletics department announced a five-point action plan addressing anti-Black racism, stemming from the numerous allegations of racism in the athletics department. The action plan included a variety of components, such as financial awards for Black student-athletes and paid internships for recent Black graduates.
With that being said, many Black students feel there is a disconnect Black student-athletes and non-athletes, as Cheikh Tchouambou, a third-year McMaster men’s soccer player, explained. During last month’s Black History Month initiatives, a specific event Tchouambou helped moderate — Bridging the Gap — explored this disconnect and aimed to alleviate differences.
“It was a perception that we [Black student-athletes] were staying quiet because of privilege, and we want to change that,” said Tchouambou.
Bridging the Gap facilitated discussion focused around understanding each others’ perspectives and holding departments and the university accountable.
“I still think students look up to the athletics department and athletes . . . if we are fighting this racial inequality on two fronts, can we as athletes push the department to be a professional example and get other departments to follow,” said Tchouambou.
“I still think students look up to the athletics department and athletes . . . if we are fighting this racial inequality on two fronts, can we as athletes push the department to be a professional example and get other departments to follow,” said Tchouambou.
From a broader perspective, professional athletes are seen as role models for youth, as seen as using their platform for social causes such as voter registration. On a smaller scale, Tchouambou looks up to his fellow community members, but also believes the youth look up to local athletes, such as those at McMaster.
For the youth, Tchouambou wants to change the narrative for lower socioeconomic students such that their post-secondary options are not only in the field of arts, music, athletics or employment.
“Let’s make being a doctor cool, let’s make being an engineer cool . . . Let’s make student-athletes cool, but mainly the student part,” said Tchouambou.
Tchouambou explained that as a Black student, the duality of parental pressure and schools not believing in you, where stereotypes are thrown around on how you talk and dress.
“People don’t understand it creates doubt in your subconscious,” said Tchouambou.
The student-athlete is also involved with Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster. He aims to address these accessibility barriers for future students by providing them with mentorship and assisting them with job opportunities.
“This gives future students the space to succeed without feeling imposter syndrome, anxieties of not being there and microaggressions from peers, teammates and teachers,” explained Tchouambou.
“This gives future students the space to succeed without feeling imposter syndrome, anxieties of not being there and microaggressions from peers, teammates and teachers,” explained Tchouambou.
As a Black student in the Bachelor of Health Sciences program, Tchouambou understands that representation in healthcare is important; however, the lack thereof leads to disproportionate health impacts among races. Through his involvement in BAP-MAC as a vice-president, Tchouambou takes a significant role in providing avenues to streamline Black students into healthcare professionals.
“We grow up as kids dreaming of changing the world. That's virtually impossible; we should be changing our reality and circles instead. If everyone does that, imagine what change would happen in the world,” said Tchouambou.
With Black History Month concluding at the end of February, Tchouambou still feels like there is a long way to go.
“BHM was entertaining, but I always wondered why the onus on making BHM a good month is only on Black clubs,” asked Tchouambou.
He further detailed that this appreciation continues next year, but with improvement, as it is never satisfactory.
With that being said, he notes a lack of minority representation on McMaster sports teams. By having adequate representation, less microaggressions will be learned as players are in an environment that is socially acceptable and equitable for all.
Tchouambou calls on McMaster to support their Black students with simple advocacy.
“How can you fix yesterday’s wrong today. It will never be perfect, but as students, we should always hold our schools accountable and stay committed to social issues . . . There’s always more to go; it’s a dynamic process,” said Tchouambou.
Psychology students get their five seconds of TikTok fame in IntroPsych TikTok competitions
C/O MacIntroPsych
MacIntroPsych is turning the nightly routine of scrolling through TikTok into an educational habit, with psychology-themed posts and TikTok competitions for IntroPsych students. To get students engaged in the online learning environment, the course has taken to social media to make course content fun and accessible.
As the course was originally taught in a blended learning format, IntroPsych was well-prepared for the shift to online learning. A major difficulty faced by the university in transitioning to an online learning environment was transferring in-person lectures and tutorial components to an online format.
@intropsychtiktok visual processing?? ... light work ##foryoupage ##fyp ##retina ##photoreceptor
♬ original sound - Lucas Geling
“[This year, we saw] such an outpouring of support, love and gratitude for the work that we put in and that definitely made it all worth it. Not to mention, we saw a huge increase in enrollment in PSYCH 1XX3 compared to previous years — we have 100 additional students this semester. I really thought this year would be like the rest of 2020, a bit of a dumpster fire, but it ran better than I could have expected. The students were engaged, happy and funny,” said Dr. Cadieux.
In the past, IntroPsych held meme competitions on Twitter, where students sent in their best original psychology-related memes leading up to important examinations. The TikTok competitions emerged from the Twitter competitions, in a natural shift to the up-and-coming social media platform.
The transition to TikTok competitions was driven by the IntroPsych TAs, who turned their joke of becoming “TikTok famous” into a reality. They started the TikTok account in January 2020 but started posting videos more frequently in fall 2020. Now the most popular video on the IntroPsych TikTok account has surpassed 40,000 views.
“One of the awesome things about both the professors is they’re very much down to try anything that’s interesting or anything that the TAs are passionate about. The IntroPsych team isn’t afraid to have fun and incorporate learning into fun and vice versa and I think that’s what really helped set the foundation for this TikTok sphere that we made,” said Zoe Thompson, a fourth-year psychology, neuroscience and behaviour student in her second year as an IntroPsych TA.
The TAs were inspired by Darrion Nguyen, a TikTok creator who produces educational and accessible science content for students. The teaching team creates their own psychology-related videos based on difficult course concepts throughout the semester with the goal of making course content more digestible for students.
The next TikTok competition will be around the April exam period. To enter the TikTok competitions, students can let their creativity run wild and post any TikTok related to IntroPsych course content with the contest hashtags.
The top two entries are chosen by the number of likes, while there are two additional TAs’ choice runner-ups. UberEats gift cards are reserved as prizes for the top four entries.
@intropsychtiktok Be critical when reading papers to understand their weaknesses! Charity: Empowerment Squared ##macintropsych ##macintropyschtiktok
♬ original sound - best clips
“[Creating TikTok videos] is a form of elaborative rehearsal. It takes a lot of thought because you have to know something about pop culture, but you also have to know something about the concept that you’re teaching [to put] them together in a thoughtful way,” said IntroPsych professor Joseph Kim.
The IntroPsych team encourages students to make the most of their university experience and take responsibility for their learning in and outside of classes.
@intropsychtiktok ♬ original sound - Camila
“The onus is on the instructor [to facilitate student engagement], but at the end of the day, it’s also up to the students to put in an effort and make an investment in their own learning,” said Kim.
New initiative by Spectrum and YWCA Hamilton helps newcomers connect with the community
C/O Calum Lewis
There is something incredibly special about cooking with someone. Many of us have happy memories associated with a certain kitchen or certain meals. For newcomers, cooking can not only be a way to stay connected to culture and something familiar in a foreign place, but it can also be the foundation for building a new community.
While building community in a new place is never easy, the pandemic has made it much harder. Noura Afify, the 2SLGBTQIA+ newcomer youth support worker at Speqtrum and YWCA Hamilton, has created an innovative solution in the form of her Food Talks series. Her goal is to help foster a sense of community for newcomers in these difficult days.
Prior to the lockdown, Afify had hoped to organize food tours to showcase businesses that carry important ingredients that many mainstream grocery stores may not and to help newcomers get oriented to Hamilton.
In its place, she has developed a wholesome series featuring conversations between herself and community members about their relationship to food.
“[Food Talks] is a space for us to talk about what food means to us as people — the emotions, the feelings, the memories, the ways that food connects us to those things and connects us to our cultures and to diasporic identities and stuff like that. But also, on the other hand, talking about how food can and has always been used to build community,” explained Afify.
“[Food Talks] is a space for us to talk about what food means to us as people — the emotions, the feelings, the memories, the ways that food connects us to those things and connects us to our cultures and to diasporic identities and stuff like that. But also, on the other hand, talking about how food can and has always been used to build community,” explained Afify.
The episodes serve as a way to introduce newcomers to members of the community and are also connected to the virtual community kitchen, Mother Tongue.
Food Talks is catered towards elders and youth. The episodes of the series are posted on both Instagram and Facebook, which Afify hopes will allow both demographics to engage with it.
So far, the series has been received warmly by both the viewers and the interviewees.
“It's been really sweet. We've been having folks leave really sweet comments. And folks who did partake in the interview said they really enjoyed it and almost everybody wanted to come and co-facilitate a community kitchen with us. It was really lovely to see that because that is my goal, to have them meet newcomers in person or virtually, so that means a lot to me. And I'm sure it will mean a lot to the newcomers to be able to make those nice affirming connections and create support systems,” said Afify.
It's very important to Afify that Food Talks fosters a sense of community for 2SLGBTQIA+ newcomers, showing them that there is a space for them in Hamilton. She hopes Food Talks will help ease some of the worries newcomers have about finding connection and community in a new place during these times.
Afify also recognizes the importance of making long-term connections, especially for newcomer students. She hopes that Food Talks will give them an opportunity to create these kinds of connections with the larger Hamilton community.
“When I was a student, I was fairly isolated and it was hard getting support only from other students because exams and everybody was so busy all the time. Whereas if you want to connect with an elder in the queer and trans community that's off-campus, they will make time for you. So you're also building connections that are going to support you for the rest of your life. You are meeting mentors, you are learning from people. Most of my learning happened from people, not from classrooms,” explained Afify.
As of publication, only two episodes of Food Talks have been released but more are in the works. Going forward, Afify also hopes to film episodes in languages other than English to help overcome any language barriers.
“This whole project is to give a warm, virtual, community hug to newcomers who are super isolated right now and are really, really struggling. It's one thing to be a newcomer, it's another thing to be a newcomer has to go through all the struggles and barriers in the middle of COVID,” said Afify.
New cross-university initiative helping students connect during the pandemic and beyond
C/O Campus Knct
Creating and supporting community connections has been top of mind for many this year, but it’s important to remember that for university students this isn’t a new concern.
Even prior to the pandemic, many students found it difficult to make connections and form a community at university and often in a new city. Initially created in a response to this concern, the cross-university initiative Campus Kcnt has only become increasingly relevant and welcome since the pandemic.
“It all started in Switzerland in September as all four of my fellow co-founders study there . . . We wanted to build an app that solves the problem. Building an app takes a long time, so decided to find ways to foster more tight-knit communities at university from the get-go,” explained George Batra, one of the founders of Campus Knct.
As they developed the app, Batra and his co-founders launched the Knct podcast series where they interviewed other students to highlight the passions and personalities of their communities.
Furthermore, in the months since they first conceived the idea Knct has grown exponentially and now has representatives at numerous universities around the world, including McMaster University.
Campus Knct at McMaster kicked off with a special New Year’s campaign encouraging students with the resolutions to connect with others to sign up. This campaign was part of the lead-up to the launch of the Knct desktop app at the beginning of February.
Through the app, students are able to join spheres based on their interests, hobbies and program of studies. These spheres help connect students and allow for conversation and activity.
“[Campus Knct at McMaster] is a community-minded organization that works to help students but also to help anyone looking for meaningful connections and pursuing any of their passions,” said Safwan Sarker, one of the student representatives at McMaster.
The Knct app attempts to mimic the kind of spontaneous interactions more typical of in-person interactions on campus than of the virtual environment, such as meeting someone in a lecture hall or at a campus event.
One of the benefits of the Knct app is that everything for each sphere is all in one place. Most campus clubs and organizations have clubs with an online presence on at least one, if not multiple social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram among others.
But this can be overwhelming and difficult to manage for students, as they may need to maintain multiple accounts for each group they may be a part of.
“The whole point of Knct is to just put all those clubs all in one accessible place,” explained Sarker.
Additionally, a lot of community building in the pandemic relies on students taking a proactive approach and seeking out community themselves, but it can be difficult to know where to start, especially for first-year students. Having everything in one place, the app also makes seeking out a community a bit easier.
Ultimately the goal of Knct is to help students find a community, whatever that may look like for them.
“I think it depends on person to person, right? Because I feel like what [Knct] is tailored to is having the user choose their own experiences . . . Someone might be looking to make new friends, especially first-years who haven’t gotten a chance to actually go on campus, have [an event] like Welcome Week. And so they might try to get involved with first-year chats,” said Sarker.
These are still very early days for Campus Knct at McMaster, but so far hundreds of students have signed up and more continue to do so.
Moving forward, Sarker anticipates that the app, which is still in its beta phase, will continue to evolve, especially as more students join Knct. Knct is also planning to develop a mobile version of their app in the coming months.
Additionally, looking to the eventual return to campus, Sarker expects that Knct will continue to grow and look for ways to continue helping students connect, whatever the circumstances.
Sarker also encourages students to reach out if they’re interested in getting involved with Knct. He spoke animatedly about his own experiences with Knct and the opportunities it has offered him to give back not only to the McMaster community but with other students beyond McMaster as well.
