C/O Austin Distel, Unsplash
McMaster’s new podcast, Bounce, releases its first episode to share community stories of overcoming struggles
Post-secondary education is often accompanied by many stressors and the ongoing pandemic has only added to the struggles that university students face.
As a new mental health initiative, Bounce is a McMaster-based podcast that was announced at the beginning of September. The podcast aims to help students combat their stress by making them feel less alone.
According to Catherine Munn, the project lead, the idea for Bounce originated from a similar project at the University of Victoria wherein faculty and alumni feature in videos about overcoming difficult experiences that they have had.
After hearing about this project from McMaster professor David Clarke, Munn reached out to Rebecca Gagan, the professor who developed Bounce at the University of Victoria. With Gagan’s permission, Munn developed McMaster’s version of Bounce; the name Bounce signifies the importance of bouncing back from difficult situations.
The name Bounce signifies the importance of bouncing back from difficult situations
While Bounce at McMaster was originally intended to exist in a video format, COVID-19 challenges led to its creation as a podcast instead. Munn remarked that, although Bounce was originally intended to be a series of videos, the podcast format has unique advantages.
“[There are] lots of great things about the podcast, just having a longer period of time to talk to people and, in a way, a more intimate, more personal kind of chance to connect,” said Munn.
“[There are] lots of great things about the podcast, just having a longer period of time to talk to people and, in a way, a more intimate, more personal kind of chance to connect.”
Catherine Munn, Bounce Podcast Project Lead
Munn emphasized the importance of sharing stories to create community and help people through their individual struggles.
“[Sharing stories] can offer hope to people that are in a bad place and also connect us to one another as a community of people that sometimes can seem pretty far apart,” explained Munn.
Munn noted that students can often feel disconnected from faculty and even from each other; however, she hopes that with Bounce, students can feel a greater connection to others in the McMaster community.
“Our committee believes that we can help people to become more resilient by sharing stories. [W]hen we share our experiences and our stories with one another, we actually help give each other ideas about how [to] get through [difficult situations]. It helps [people] understand that [they] may not be alone in struggling with what [they are] struggling with,” explained Munn. “I think we're hoping that this helps people feel a little less alone.”
“I think we're hoping that this helps people feel a little less alone.”
Catherine Munn, Bounce Podcast Project Lead
On Oct. 1, Bounce released its first episode with Zeinab Khawaja as the special guest. Khawaja is a McMaster alum from the class of 2017 and currently a health promoter at the Student Wellness Centre. In this episode, Khawaja talks about her previous experiences as an undergraduate student and how she navigated that along with being a wife in an arranged marriage.
Students can listen to Bounce on the McMaster Okanagan website or on any major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple and Google.
C/O Travis Nguyen
A closer look at the elected first-year representatives for the MES and their hopes for the future
By: Kirsten Espe, Contributor
On Sept. 27, 2021, the results for the 2021-2022 McMaster Engineering Society elections were announced. After a year and a half of online learning, all candidates, especially the first-year representatives, were excited and optimistic about an in-person university experience.
Following a week-long campaign, six first-year Engineering students were elected by their peers to represent the biotechnology, computer science, engineering 1 and integrated biomedical engineering and health sciences programs.
Halima Banuso, one of the three level one engineering representatives, spoke about her early interest in becoming involved at McMaster.
“[The] MES were basically the ones who ran the Red Suits for Welcome Week . . . I just really loved all the activities and the Red Suits are super cool. I remember me and my friend asked ‘Oh, how do you become a Red Suit because I wanna do that [in my] second year too’,” said Banuso.
Aside from the excitement of returning to a somewhat in-person experience, Banuso was also enthusiastic to get back to doing something that she loved.
“I was that person who just really liked going to every event and planning every event and I was on my high school student council . . . Obviously school’s important, but that’s not necessarily what you’re going to remember and in a few years you’re going to remember the memories, the friends you made, the cool events you got to go to, so I really like being a part of that stuff,” said Banuso.
The first-year integrated biomedical engineering and health sciences representative, Dhanya Koshti, said that one of his main motivators in applying to the position was his desire for community.
“Everyone knows what they’re doing but they are way more for working towards collaboration over competition,” said Koshti.
Koshti made an astute connection between the distinctiveness of his program and the McMaster “Fireball Family” by comparing the bridge of engineering and health sciences.
“We’re sort of that hybrid in-between . . . We have this really unique relationship dynamic with each other and I really wanted to build on that connection,” explained Koshti.
Hetanshu Pandya, the first-year computer science representative, also spoke about the importance of his position in relation to the community at McMaster.
“[Students] can share their thoughts, their experiences, their opinions, whether it be negative or positive . . . and you can share it [with] me and I can communicate that with the council,” said Pandya.
“[Students] can share their thoughts, their experiences, their opinions, whether it be negative or positive . . . and you can share it [with] me and I can communicate that with the council.”
Hetanshu Pandya, first-year computer science representative
Pandya said his main goal is to represent first-year computer science students fairly and effectively, with hopes of exceeding both his and his fellow peers’ expectations for the year.
Due to the partial online environment currently established at McMaster University, candidates found themselves honing their technological skills to campaign, particularly through social media.
Matthew Arias, the biotechnology first-year representative, commented on his campaign that was done on Instagram.
“[The] first thing I did was make an Instagram account because everybody’s on Instagram and it’s kind of the easiest way to reach out. I’d make Instagram posts on another website with graphic designing and I posted on there,” explained Arias.
Arias also highlighted that some of his fellow students would repost his posts without him ever asking, further driving home the sense of community the other representatives spoke about.
All four engineering representatives echoed similar sentiments to their fellow first-year students of the MES prior to the start of their official term.
“To the same extent that you all supported me, I really want to be there to help you guys. That is what this position, really, is all about,” said Koshti.
“To the same extent that you all supported me, I really want to be there to help you guys. That is what this position, really, is all about.”
Dhanya Koshti, FIRST-YEAR INTEGRATED BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AND HEALTH SCieNCES REPRESENTATIVE
“Whether things are virtual, or in-person, someone’s on-residence, or off-residence, [I hope that] we can all come together and really feel a part of the McMaster engineering community,” said Banuso.
“Whether things are virtual, or in-person, someone’s on-residence, or off-residence, [I hope that] we can all come together and really feel a part of the McMaster engineering community.”
Halima Banuso, first-year engineering 1 reps
Despite the different circumstances students may be in due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these four representatives look forward to building a strong community for first-year engineering students.
McMaster sports are back, but does the student body care?
Varsity sports have been around for a long time. At McMaster University, sports have been around since 1889, when the university used to be located in Toronto. Mac’s first varsity game was played between a group of alumni from the Toronto Baptist College and Woodstock college, competing in a match of soccer. Over time, the university developed its variety of sports offered and by 1897, McMaster made all athletics and other sport related activities a duty of the central executive committee.
McMaster University athletes’ names — Marauders — came from a former student, Bill Cline, who suggested the nickname for the men's basketball team and had his suggestion published by the Silhouette afterward.
Where do the Marauders stand now, after a whole year of inactivity? How popular are they with the general student population within McMaster? This is a question that can be posed as the new season slowly starts and fans return to the stands. Already, the tickets for the homecoming weekend football game against the Waterloo Warriors are sold out, but this does not necessarily represent the attitudes towards the Marauders and all sports teams of the student body.
In the days leading up to this publication, a survey was taken around campus and on Reddit to determine what the general student population think of the Marauders and whether they keep up with the games in general.
The following results were collected on campus, based on 50 answers from students selected at random.
Do you keep up with any varsity sports?
When asked about this question, it was evident that most of the students seemed uninterested. After 50 people were interviewed regarding this matter, 84% expressed their disinterest, while 16% mentioned that they do occasionally or commonly keep up with the varsity teams at McMaster.
Evidently, the popularity of varsity sports within the student population is not of great magnitude and the campus poll was not the only one to prove this consensus.
McMaster Reddit Poll
Although Reddit does not represent the student population as a whole, the McMaster Sub-Reddit is an internet page that has over 25,000 students, alumni and professors. Recently, a poll was conducted to get an even clearer picture of how popular McMaster varsity sports are among the students.
An identical question was posed to the Sub-Reddit: Do you keep up with McMaster varsity sports?
Although the campus poll did not show a significant popularity in terms of varsity sports, the Reddit poll showed a greater level of disinterest in varsity sports than the previous poll. Out of 277 votes recorded, only five stated that they follow the competitive leagues while a whopping 245 said no.
These polls clearly show that there is not a large interest in varsity sports among Mac students. After a long break without any university sports, it may have been expected. However, these are also a prompt for change. They signify a lack of students' knowledge about the sporting events going on around them and it would be beneficial for the Marauders to instead believe that Mac students are interested in varsity games and cheering them on.
When speaking to Catherine Zheng, a second-year computer engineering student regarding sports, she mentioned that her love for sports and willingness to follow the varsity scene is largely affected by her school workload and sometimes lack of information.
“I feel like there are many people out there that would really like to keep up or even spectate varsity sports, but the amount of university workload generally prevents people like me from having the time to do so,” said Zheng.
When asked about the effect COVID-19 had on her interest in varsity sports, Zheng mentioned that it didn't particularly diminish its appeal to her, but felt like many of her friends completely forgot about the sporting events associated at McMaster.
“I think that COVID-19 didn't really have an effect on my interest in varsity sports. I have always been a fan of school teams, especially football. Obviously, last year there were no activities to follow but even now I feel like a year of inactivity made many people forget that such things are back to normal now,” explained Zheng.
She also described how there is sometimes a lack of information about McMaster sports.
“I do feel like that at times there is not much to know about varsity sports. For example, the McMaster Instagram page barely posts anything regarding these activities, which I think doesn't inform students enough,” said Zheng.
It is evident that the Marauders are not of major interest among the student population. Although information about varsity games may not be readily available on social media, students have the opportunity to keep up with all the varsity sports through the Marauders website.
C/O Ainsley Thurgood
McMaster’s potentially surprising welcome to the return of in-person learning this winter
By: Bianca Perreault, Contributor
Despite the excitement of a movement back to in-person functions, the return to pre-pandemic life could be a hindrance for many people. We’ve just been through over 15 months of change, with people developing new habits and experiencing a time of instability. At McMaster University, the school is looking forward to a Back-to-Mac plan for the upcoming semester. Through scares, stress and excitement, what should we expect for January 2022? Will it be welcomed? A disaster or a debate? McMaster might have to prepare for a variety of perspectives on the return of in-person learning this winter.
There’s such a diverse set of perspectives and those determine how the movement back to in-person classes will be received. Let’s look at the parents as an example, for whom it is essential that their students get a high-quality education. Many parents believe in-personal learning is highly valuable, the method by which the majority of the post-secondary studies have been delivered before March 2019.
But what about teachers? Since the pandemic affected our academics, we must always consider the opposite party and their perspectives. It would be a lie to say that I have never heard a teacher saying that they would rather work from home for their safety. Post-secondary education hasn't stopped through this global experience, so people like professors have learned to work with it throughout eLearning and found comfort in this way of teaching. For teachers who may not want the vaccine, made mandatory at McMaster, would either have to work from home or not at all.
We must also consider the perspective of students who feel that they work better and learn more efficiently in-person. Prior to the pandemic, very few educational institutions were offering online or hybrid options. However, online learning was always there through programs such as Cégep à distance and even online programs through McMaster Continuing Education. Countless people may have assumed that online learning would be straightforward as they would have less effort to do "physically." However, it has proven to be challenging for so many others mentally. Despite considerable rise in student enrolment in entirely online courses over the last two years, given the circumstances of the pandemic, most students have still said they would prefer continuing with in-person classes if they had the option.
Despite considerable rise in student enrolment in entirely online courses over the last two years, given the circumstances of the pandemic, most students have still said they would prefer continuing with in-person classes if they had the option.
As an out-of-province student coming from Quebec, it was less trouble for me to move to Hamilton, take a COVID-19 test and show my proof of vaccination while living in the same country where McMaster is located. However, numerous online students, including one of my roommates, haven’t been able to arrive in time for the start of the school year due to the rules and restrictions for international students. How are these students handling the challenge of being in a completely different country while only wishing to be in Hamilton? Is it naive of us to assume such restrictions won’t hinder the success of international students before the winter semester?
With all these questions and perspectives in mind, it’s difficult to fully understand the impact that the move to in-person learning may have.
Photo C/O Raina Kirn
For over a decade, Ladybird Animal Sanctuary has rescued abandoned, neglected and abused animals, while hoping to establish their own farmhouse one day
By: Pallavi Mukherjee, Contributor
Melissa McClelland, Janine Stoll and Lisa Winn have been close friends for years. They met through their music and started their own music group, the Ladybird Sideshow in 2001. One evening some 11 years ago, the conversation steered towards animals. It was then they realized how many of them are abandoned or given up to shelter homes, and if these homes could no longer hold onto them, the animals were euthanized.
“[W]e thought, why can't we sort of be stewards for these animals? Why can't we go in and take some of these animals out and work hard and network and see if we can get them adopted?” Stoll explained.
“[W]e thought, why can't we sort of be stewards for these animals? Why can't we go in and take some of these out and work hard and network and see if we can get them adopted?”
Janine Stoll, Co-Founder of Ladybird Animal Sanctuary
The idea for the Ladybird Animal Sanctuary was born. The sanctuary’s mission is to provide a safe haven to abandoned, abused, neglected and “hard-to-adopt” animals, including animals with special needs, animals who have different behavioural patterns and cats with leukemia. For over a decade, the sanctuary operated through a reliable network of volunteers, veterinarians and foster homes wanting to adopt animals.
A cat named Oliver became the group’s first rescue in December 2010. A shelter cat diagnosed with feline leukemia, he was likely going to be euthanized before Winn brought him home. Oliver is now doing well, having been adopted by his foster home in 2012.
The animals brought into Ladybird are first taken for veterinary tests, before being set up for adoption. The sanctuary rescues animals not only from shelter homes in Southern Ontario but also from Central Ontario and Quebec with the help of Freedom Drivers, a community organization of volunteer drivers across the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario who transport hard-to-adopt animals from pounds to rescues.
Ladybird works immensely hard to find the perfect adopter as their aim is to find a home for them, where the animals receive constant support, where they are loved and appreciated for who they are.
Currently, Ladybird relies heavily on donations from the public. To raise funds and awareness about the sanctuary, they have been hosting concerts, events and festivals. However, the last 18 months of the pandemic made hosting any events extremely difficult as such gatherings would have seen 200 people indoors. To continue their operations, in July 2020 Ladybird initiated a 50/50 charity lottery to help raise money for homeless animals.
“The way 50/50 lottery works is people buy a ticket, all the money goes into the pot and if you win, you get half of the pot. So last month the grand prize winner got $6,000.” Stoll explained. “You just have to be 18 years or older and also need to purchase the tickets in Ontario.”
Ultimately, the Ladybird Animal Sanctuary’s dream is to establish a physical space for the animals and the Ladybird community to live and grow together. McClelland, Stoll and Winn are hoping to create this space in the form of a farm somewhere in Southern Ontario.
Ultimately, the Ladybird Animal Sanctuary’s dream is to establish a physical space for the animals and the Ladybird community to live and grow together.
“For 10 years we’ve been a system of volunteer foster homes. We want to have a home base. Our original vision was to have a sanctuary, but we had to learn what we were doing first, finding out about animal rescue and how to run a charity. Now we feel like we’re ready,” said McClelland in an interview with the Hamilton Spectator in December 2020.
In December 2020, Ladybird hosted a virtual music concert with a number of artists, including Bryan Adams, Jann Arden, Sarah McLachlan and the Barenaked Ladies, among others, to help fundraise for the farm. The concert also featured a special reunion of their own band as well. Almost 3,000 people tuned in to view the concert virtually while 100 monthly donor members signed up that day.
An act of kindness goes a long way. Giving another individual a second chance at life doesn’t only mean the world to them but it can also change the way you see life. Other than volunteering, providing foster homes or adopting animals rescued by Ladybird, students can get involved through many fundraising activities.
C/O Khadija Hamidu
McMaster alumna Khadija Hamidu has created an online platform to showcase Black culture and the BIPOC community in Hamilton
Activism and social justice movements around the world have greatly shaped this past year. Across Canada and the United States, thousands of people joined in on public demonstrations, protests and initiatives, like defunding the police, while other forms of activism and support took place online. Melanin Market Hamilton is one of the many online communities that have emerged during the pandemic in response to these social justice movements.
Founded in late January of this year, Melanin Market Hamilton is a project started by Khadija Hamidu, McMaster University alumna of 2016 and now an executive director of Workforce Planning Hamilton. The Instagram page represents her love for community development. It aims to highlight and celebrate Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) creators, businesses, achievements and opportunities in Hamilton. Previously, the page has featured Blackspace, a student-run club at McMaster, as well.
The Instagram page represents her love for community development. It aims to highlight and celebrate Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) creators, businesses, achievements and opportunities in Hamilton.
“I started doing experiential learning at McMaster and then going into community developing. And that's what made me fall in love with community work and community development as a whole.” explained Hamidu.
Prior to starting the Instagram page, Hamidu worked at the YMCA Hamilton as a teacher. She forged a real connection to the Hamilton community during her time at McMaster and had decided to stay in the city. Although her passion for community work dates back to her undergraduate years doing experiential learning, it wasn’t until the pandemic she found the spark she needed to start Melanin Market Hamilton.
“I think the pandemic just started this whole new era of Khadija—trying to do new things, trying to focus on things that truly make me happy. Things that I really wanted to focus on was definitely something that highlighted the change of the pandemic,” explained Hamidu.
Hamidu recognized the struggles of the small businesses during the pandemic and she was inspired to create a platform for them. Melanin Market distinguishes itself from Blk Owned Hamont, an online space for Black entrepreneurs and businesses to showcase themselves, by carrying a broader focus on the BIPOC community as a whole.
“I think there's a huge community here that needs to be almost uplifted and I wanted to be a part of that and give people the opportunity to showcase the work through my lens, through Melanin Market,” said Hamidu.
“I think there's a huge community here that needs to be almost uplifted and I wanted to be a part of that and give people the opportunity to showcase the work through my lens, through Melanin Market.”
Khadija Hamidu, Melanin Market Hamilton Founder
As part of this goal, Hamidu runs a series called Spotlight Fridays on the page where she interviews BIPOC creators, leaders and business owners, sharing their missions and goals with her audience.
She is also looking for more collaborative projects with local organizations to better connect members of the community. For instance, she has been talking to Hamilton Bike Share to organize outdoor activities for the Black community and promote healthy living.
“I think we as Hamiltonians are very proud, and I want to be able to put that into the Black community as well because we are very much focused on local businesses . . . but sometimes, I don’t see that transferring over to the Black community. I want to be able to connect the two a little bit more,” said Hamidu.
“I think we as Hamiltonians are very proud, and I want to be able to put that into the Black community as well because we are very much focused on local businesses . . . but sometimes, I don’t see that transferring over to the Black community. I want to be able to connect the two a little bit more.”
Khadija Hamidu, Melanin Market Hamilton Founder
Engagement on Melanin Market Hamilton has been great so far. In the early days of operating the platform, Hamidu had to search for businesses and people to feature by visiting different parts of Hamilton and scrolling through social media. However, more people have begun to reach out to her as well. It has grown into a platform well appreciated by both folks from Hamilton and other cities such as Montreal where she promoted a few businesses during her trip there this summer.
“Being able to celebrate the Black community, no matter where I am, I think is the ultimate goal. I’m the type of person to always embrace where I currently am . . . It was just transitioning from Hamilton to Montreal but still keeping the same theme alive,” said Hamidu.
For Hamidu personally, Melanin Market has opened many doors for new connections. Prior to starting the Instagram page, Hamidu explains she very much disliked Instagram and was unaware of groups like Blk Owned Hamont that existed to celebrate the Black community in Hamilton. However, through this initiative, she has been able to discover new businesses and people she never knew existed before.
Moving forward, she is excited about expanding her work as a community connector and increasing her outreach to include more collaborations with other organizations.
“The love of Hamilton is clear. I’m happy to be a part of this community and I’m happy to showcase the work that’s being done in this community as much as I possibly can. My love for Hamilton is always going to be here and it’s just connecting the two between my love of the Black community and Black culture as well as the Hamilton area,” said Hamidu.
Yoohuyn Park/Production Coordinator
Do grades have to be everything?
By: Hadeeqa Aziz, Contributor
This one is for all the first years. So you’ve heard your grades will drop and you’re rather terrified of what the next couple of years will bring. And rightfully so, because according to data collected by the University of Waterloo, the average Ontario high school student’s grades will likely drop by a factor of 16 percent. Some of you may not worry too much because you’re confident in the way your high school conditioned and prepared you for post-secondary education.
After all, you’ve earned your way into your program, haven’t you? The feeling of accomplishment is even more incredible now, especially since admissions averages have been steadily increasing over the last few years. For example, according to student observations on r/OntarioUniversities, McMaster’s life sciences gateway program has seen an increase in cutoff averages since 2019, from high 80s to low 90s.
There’s nothing short of a plethora of reasons to explain these increases, from larger applicant pools to better overall student performances, especially in light of online learning. There’s one factor, however, that remains prominent — one that we all know exists but seldom find the courage to thoroughly talk about: grade inflation.
It’s a sensitive topic because implying the existence of grade inflation is an implication that not everyone sitting in your lecture hall has rightfully earned their way into their program. The onus, however, is not on the student, but seemingly on the high schools they come from.
All Ontario universities value grades when assessing high school seniors for undergraduate admissions, taking the form of an average of your top 6 courses in Grade 12. It appears to be the most plausible evaluation tool, as it’s supposedly designed to gauge your competence as an academic. Here’s a shocking revelation though: not all students have been to the same high school. What does this mean? It essentially implies that a 95 percent average at one school may not hold the same value as a 95 percent at another.
Grade inflation is often rooted in a decrease in academic standards or when faculty don’t have clear expectations of their students. This leads to grade inequality, meaning that equal qualities of work are assigned different grades across schools, departments or courses.
Many speak to the problematic nature of grade inflation, while others outright deny that it’s even a problem. When inflation leads to increased admissions averages, it sets grade standards to an all-time high, so much so that some career prospects may be taken away from students who fail to reach those standards.
The process of achieving the ridiculously high grade requirements for the University of Waterloo’s engineering programs, for instance, is not the same for all students. Those who don’t reap the benefits of grade inflation would have to work much harder than those who do. Here, universities risk being unfair to the students who have more rigorous marking standards. And we haven’t even touched upon other factors that contribute to student issues such as socioeconomics, race or geographics.
Entering university with inflated grades isn’t all that fun either. If inflation leads to misinterpretations of a student’s competence and studying habits, perhaps it can lead to similar misinterpretations on a student’s fitness for their program of entry. Students unprepared for the demands of university education may be more vulnerable to mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression.
In an attempt to be fairer to high school applicants, the University of Waterloo used data from their engineering program to develop a list of what they call “adjustment factors” for each high school. This factor uses a student’s admission average and their first-year average to gauge the effects of grade inflation by measuring the “gap” between the two grades. Essentially, the higher the gap, the higher possibility that the student’s grades were inflated in high school. The faculty supposedly take this adjustment factor into consideration during the admissions process.
Schools at the top of the list argue that Waterloo’s student sample is too small to reflect the hard work of their teachers and students. From their perspective, it’s quite difficult to collect robust data on inflation and adequately prove such a claim.
Instead, more individuals wish to see a discussion on whether or not standardized testing can play a role in the solution. Standardizing students, however, comes with its own set of issues and instead, I think most students would appreciate more individualized assessments of their accomplishments. If universities continue to treat grades as “everything,” they’re effectively missing the bigger picture.
C/O @nthenyoudie_
Hamilton-native Paulo Leon discusses the evolution of his music and where his drive to pursue his passion has led
By: Edwin Thomas, Contributor
Music has been a significant influence throughout Paulo Leon’s life. Chilean folk music and poetry was the soundtrack of his childhood. His mother, Nancy, was a guitarist and singer for a Chilean folk band in Kitchener, while his father, Marco, was an avid hip-hop fan and introduced him to Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Gustavo Cerati, an Argentinian psychedelic singer-songwriter.
In the eighth grade, Leon spent a lot of his time around his older brother, Gabriel and his brother’s friends. He admired their ability to freestyle rap with each other. Gabriel eventually took Leon under his wing and inspired Leon to make beats for his raps.
Leon taught himself FL studio using a combination of YouTube tutorials and experimentation. This do-it-yourself mentality became a core value he would carry forward in his music and into his label later on. His beats then were inspired by the music he listened to at the time — Donald Glover’s Because the Internet, Kanye West’s Yeezus, J. Cole’s Born Sinner and Coldplay’s X&Y.
Around this time, his mother also pushed him to write and perform with the Hamilton Youth Poets. Paulo was initially hesitant to participate. He was always a shy kid but had an innate desire to perform. He was encouraged by his first slam poetry performance, which was well received by the audience.
“People were responding to me, to what I was saying on stage,” said Leon. “People snapped and people yelled, ‘that was a bar’ in the crowd. That was really the moment when I was feeding off of it, I liked when people were enjoying my work.”
His time with the Hamilton Youth Poets improved his confidence performing in public and taught him to feel more comfortable expressing his true self.
In high school, Leon would also write poetry during independent study time in class. He found his creative flow was best during class.
“The best part [of writing] for me is when the world feels like it’s going past you,” said Leon.
Over time, he transitioned from writing poetry to writing rap songs. Leon started making beats for his raps, though he would not publish them initially. His first songs were heavily influenced by Kanye’s stripped-down, soulful style. It was also during his time in high school where he released Glass Plates, his first single. He recalled being excited when people in his high school were listening to it.
“That feeling still sticks – getting excited that people are tuning in,” said Leon.
“That feeling still sticks – getting excited that people are tuning in.”
paulo leon, musician
Leon released his first album, Casablanca, in 2017. Casablanca’s reflective storytelling coupled with powerful instrumentals made it a strong alternative hip-hop record. Leon was heavily inspired by Jay-Z’s discography and Kanye’s production style, seen on songs such as Calling it Quits.
Leon enrolled in McMaster University’s Humanities program for English and Cultural Studies in 2019 with plans to become an English teacher. He became more comfortable with singing in public by performing in the half-circle sing-alongs in the courtyard between Matthews Hall, Moulton Hall and Wallingford Hall. During first year, he was surrounded by musically-inclined peers who also helped propel his growth as a singer, encouraging him to try new things and step outside his comfort zone.
During the pandemic, Leon was not able to perform, losing his main source of income. He also struggled with the lack of opportunities to collaborate with other musicians due to COVID-19 restrictions.
At this time, he was at a crossroads with what he wanted his future to look like. On one hand, he wanted to follow his passion and focus on his music career. On the other hand, he wanted to continue studying at McMaster because it was a more secure option for him. Ultimately, he chose to defer from McMaster and this was a pivotal moment in Leon’s life.
“I decided to defer from McMaster to throw myself into my work and spend my time, money and energy into something I was passionate about,” said Leon.
His decision to leave McMaster and pursue his passion was the inspiration behind his 2020 album, Partly Stabilized, Partly Curious.
A typical day for Leon now consists of working all day with fellow collaborators from the label, Whak and Mo, in the home studio of his parents’ house. Besides working on music, Paulo would also work with andthenyoudie’s releases. The consistency in Leon’s work life is a structure he emphasizes.
“Always keep creating,” said Leon. “I’ve suffered from writer’s block. You have to feel the block but also don’t be afraid to keep creating.”
Drawing from his own life, he offered further advice to other future artists.
“Do not hesitate to get uncomfortable, be yourself,” said Leon. “And don’t hesitate to reach out to others around you for help or feedback. A lot of my time was spent not playing [music] for anybody, just because I was nervous.”
“Do not hesitate to get uncomfortable, be yourself. And don’t hesitate to reach out to others around you for help or feedback. A lot of my time was spent not playing [music] for anybody, just because I was nervous.”
paulo leon, musician
Leon is now working on his next album, Mr. Show Missed his Show, a reflective album of Leon’s decision to jump into music. Over the pandemic, he took a liking to folk and psychedelic rock, as well as getting into Tame Impala, The Beatles, Violent Femmes and Joy Division. The psychedelic aspect of Tame Impala’s music will be featured in his upcoming album, along with more singing and guitar production. He is looking forward to releasing and performing the album, which comes out in late September. In the meantime, his prior work can be found here.
C/O @k33ping6
Keeping Six is destigmatizing drug use and homelessness through arts-based initiatives
With a worsening homelessness crisis in Hamilton and the recent prohibition of encampments and vaccine passports further increasing barriers to access for Hamilton’s homeless population, services seeking to help and provide a voice to homeless people are needed more than ever. From cleaning encampments to creative writing, Keeping Six is working to change the perception of people with experiences of homelessness and drug use by destigmatizing their experiences through awareness and providing them with a platform.
Keeping Six is the result of the need for advocacy for people with lived and living experience of substance use. Upon seeing the lack of service for those groups in the community, Jody Ans, Denielle Delottinville, Robert Etherington and Iain James founded Keeping Six to defend the rights and dignity of people who use drugs.
“[We’re] changing the perception of people who use drugs as not having any direction or desire, not having focus, when that is only one aspect of their lived experience . . . part of our advocacy was about destigmatizing drug use, and also giving an opportunity for people to have a voice,” explained Kelly Wolf, Keeping Six’s Arts Coordinator and founder of Open Heart, a Hamilton-based theatre company.
“[We’re] changing the perception of people who use drugs as not having any direction or desire, not having focus, when that is only one aspect of their lived experience . . . part of our advocacy was about destigmatizing drug use, and also giving an opportunity for people to have a voice."
Kelly Wolf, Keeping Six’s Arts Coordinator
The organization currently hosts a number of community outreach initiatives, with many of those rooted in harm reduction through the arts. Their current programs include dance classes, writing drop-ins and art supply grab-bags. By providing people with lived experience with homelessness and substance abuse an outlet for creative release, Keeping Six hopes to make Hamilton a better place for those who need it most.
Dance Classes
In collaboration between Keeping Six, the Hub and local artists, weekly dance classes were started as a community initiative to bring people together to stay active and release energy. Every Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. at the Hub on 78 Vine St. Keeping Six runs dance classes taught by Jammy Lo.
Lo is a dancer and activist working in the Hamilton area and is a core member of Keeping Six. She finds her inner Britney Spears on the dance floor week after week to mixes of high-octane songs, like a soldier called to battle.
“I know a lot of people who are involved in fights, people getting robbed, so part of it is to stay active and the other part is to build stamina in case anybody gets into that type of situation. I want to provide an adequate outlet for all that pent up aggression and tension and convey a good message,” said Lo.
Meant as a space for community building and involvement, Lo hopes people leave the class with a positive attitude, confidence and the momentum for success.
“We wanted to emphasize that [the classes] are for all people, all bodies, all abilities. We also want all people to come out because part of our work is about people coming together . . . There’s an easygoing warm up and it’s always a lot of fun with great music, so that everybody can feel welcome. It’s not just for people who are marginalized; it’s for everyone,” said Wolf.
Writing Drop-In Sessions & Quarterly Zine
During the month of October, Keeping Six will be running writing sessions on Wednesdays from 2-4 p.m. at 140 King St. E. #10. The classes are run in collaboration with the Center for Community Engaged Narrative Arts at McMaster University and are open to anyone in the Hamilton community. Notebooks and pens will be available on site for those requiring them.
“There will be a bit of freewriting at the beginning where you can share your writing and have a PhD student give you feedback on style and content if you want to improve your writing skills. There are people there to help you, but if you just want to freewrite and be with people, that’s okay too,” said Wolf.
Keeping Six also runs a quarterly Zine. Those attending writing workshops are encouraged to submit their work for publication, but submissions are open to anyone in the community, with an emphasis on those with lived experience of homelessness or substance use.
Produced in collaboration with The Muse, a medical humanities initiative at McMaster, the Zine was created as an opportunity for people to share their experiences through art. Including poems, artwork, short stories, biographies and more, the Zine attempts to create space for artistry and storytelling, providing an artistic outlet to those who need it.
Furthermore, through distribution in the community, the Zine fosters understanding and compassion for those with lived experiences.
Art Supply Grab-Bags
Currently limited to people who are unhoused, Keeping Six offers take-away bags of art supplies at Wesley Day Centre. Normally, the organization runs drop-in art sessions for the community, but has had to adapt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grab-bags are their alternative in the interim, consisting of take-home art supplies that Hamiltonians can take and use from wherever they’d like.
“There are people who are fortunate, who can stay and make art in their home, but there are people out there who have no access to resources. And there’s not even anybody letting them know that it’s okay to make art. You feel like it’s all about survival, but what you want to do is create an environment where people feel valued, where they have a voice, where they can be heard,” said Wolf.
“There are people who are fortunate, who can stay and make art in their home, but there are people out there who have no access to resources. And there’s not even anybody letting them know that it’s okay to make art. You feel like it’s all about survival, but what you want to do is create an environment where people feel valued, where they have a voice, where they can be heard."
Kelly Wolf, Keeping Six’s Arts Coordinator
The goal of the grab-bags is to provide people with a creative outlet - the ability to produce something of your own. Additionally, Keeping Six hopes to empower people with experiences of homelessness and substance abuse. The organization seeks to help those with experiences of homelessness and substance abuse feel that their voices deserve to be heard.
Through engaging in the arts, Keeping Six hopes to provide Hamilton’s homeless population with purpose, drive and inspiration.
“When people do art, they relax. Creative endeavours are harm reduction. It’s good for morale and mental health . . . we need an art outlet for people,” said Wolf.
For students looking to become involved in Keeping Six’s initiatives, their dance classes and writing workshops are available to all Hamilton community members. Keeping Six is also actively looking for volunteers.
PHOTO C/O Govind Krishnan, Unsplash
Midnight exams, sky high airfare and unpredictable COVID regulations now a reality for many of Mac’s international students.
Starting on Jan. 29, 2021, alongside the Canadian government requiring all international travelers to Canada submit proofs of negative COVID-19 tests administered at time of landing, new quarantine restrictions for travelers were introduced amidst rising concerns for more infectious variants of COVID-19. The differing and often conflicting COVID-19 travel restrictions administered by governments globally only exacerbated pre-existing difficulties and delays travelers outside Canada experience, and, as a result, transformed international traveling into a grim, confusing undertaking for even the most experienced of travelers. The impact of ever-changing travel policies imposed in early 2021 hit the new and returning international students of McMaster hard, where reaching campus for many has become a source of difficulty. While all of McMaster operated from home in the 2020-2021 academic year, the hybrid 2021-2022 academic year poses interesting challenges for the upcoming plans of international students.
Vaibhav Arora, a second year health sciences student from Kolkata, India who, after a year of online school, has finally moved to Hamilton, and has faced many barriers due to COVID-19
“COVID had an immense impact on my travel plans and I think the same can be said for pretty much any student coming from India . . . We all had to take long indirect routes to come to Canada, and when landing in other countries, we had to submit negative COVID tests. As a result, obviously air fares were much higher. So, getting to Hamilton in and of itself was a huge challenge,” explained Arora.
“COVID had an immense impact on my travel plans and I think the same can be said for pretty much any student coming from India . . . We all had to take long indirect routes to come to Canada, and when landing in other countries, we had to submit negative COVID tests. As a result, obviously air fares were much higher. So, getting to Hamilton in and of itself was a huge challenge.”
Vaibhav Arora, Second-Year Health Sciences Student
Kimia Tahaei, a second year arts and science student who completed her first year online from Tehran, Iran, and is choosing to stay in Iran for the Fall 2021 semester also faced a similar situation.
“It’s really hard to get a visa from Iran to Canada normally and even more so now that there is COVID, and Iran's vaccination and travel policies are very different from Canada’s. Since I would have to make such a huge move despite the uncertainty of the Winter semester being in person or not, on top of the cost of airfare, it financially made more sense for me to resume school from home for now,” explained Tahaei.
While travelling has become increasingly difficult and inaccessible, many international students are frustrated about the trend of rising tuition this academic year, especially for programs that tend to receive more international students, like engineering. Unlike domestic students who have access to financial aid bursaries and provincial benefits such as the Ontario Student Assistance Program, international students do not have any such services in place for them, and hence are subject to significantly higher tuition.
Tahaei maintains that the online accessibility of all her classes and the accommodations made for her two in person classes following her academic experiences last year has greatly impacted her decision to stay in Iran for the Fall semester.
“Online school wasn’t the most pleasant experience, especially the seven and a half hour time difference. The time zone was really hurting me because I had a really difficult time figuring out when to sleep or do class. My classes ran from 10 p.m.-4:30 a.m., which really messed up my sleep schedule since I would sleep [until] 2 p.m. and consequently I would only have a few hours before classes to get all of my work done. Now everything is posted so that I don’t have to do that as often,” explained Tahaei.
Arora shares Tahaei’s mixed sentiments about online academics.
“Tests were all situated at midnight, which was really difficult, and it was hard coordinating group meetings with my classmates about different projects. But I think academically besides that, it wasn’t too bad. Most lectures were recorded, most assignments had 12- or 24-hour submission windows. Profs were really understanding if I had to submit assignments late for any reason,” explained Arora.
While campus and provincial policies such as MacCheck and vaccine passports respectively allow some reassurance to professors eager to resume in-person lectures, faculties across Mac have nonetheless been going above and beyond to make all academic work equally as accessible online. The willingness to accommodate the academic needs of international students who are still not on campus is an initiative students doing school from abroad have taken to.
“There is only so much professors can do for me. It will always be hard, but at Mac I would not even have to contact my academic advisors. I would just email the profs about my situation and they would be down to help. I was not expecting this much empathy, so it was extremely appreciated and is a really positive thing I’ve noticed at Mac,” explained Tahaei.
“There is only so much professors can do for me. It will always be hard, but at Mac I would not even have to contact my academic advisors. I would just email the profs about my situation and they would be down to help. I was not expecting this much empathy, so it was extremely appreciated and is a really positive thing I’ve noticed at Mac,”
Kimia Tahaei, second year arts and sciences student
Unfortunately, many international students, both abroad and who have recently moved to Hamilton, feel highly alienated from the McMaster community and campus life. There are over 300 clubs under the McMaster Students Union, many of which are centered on identity, religion or culture. Despite this, many international students are unaware about these clubs, or unsure about how to join them. This has been detrimental to their ability to engage in campus life.
“There were certainly issues in getting involved with clubs and extracurricular activities for Mac students from India as most of the club meetings would be held in Eastern Time. However, I wish Mac had done more to help second-year students new to the country for the first time adjust to university life. I know the university has many events that are offered virtually, but many international students are not even aware of what those resources are. There is no way to know anything if they are not actively following social media pages or receiving mandatory emails,” said Arora.
As of now, Mac will continue its hybrid learning approach, with plans to expand vaccination status monitoring on campus. There are currently no released plans for the Winter semester in the event provincial and health regulations impose lockdowns. McMaster has made no comments on the position of its international students.
