Protecting students in residence Students applying to be community advisors should be required to complete vulnerable sector checks
Photo by Kyle West Students entering university are faced with many new things: new classes, new friends and sometimes even new living arrangements. But students living in on-campus residences should not have to worry about their safety. To help students transition into living away from home, and to enforce the rules of residence life, McMaster University community advisors live with first-year students in their residences. Their...
Giving students naloxone Students should be aware that the life-saving naloxone is currently available on and off campus
Photo from Silhouette Photo Archives Canada is currently plagued by an opioid crisis. Opioids such as fentanyl are drugs that are commonly used to relieve pain. These drugs, however, can be extremely addictive and their misuse has led to thousands of overdoses and deaths. In 2017, 88 Hamilton residents died from opioid overdoses. So far into this year, Hamilton Paramedic Services has already responded to 161 incidents of suspected...
Valedictorian for who? If McMaster University wishes to keep the tradition of valedictorians, they should allow graduating students to vote for their representative
Nominations for spring 2019 valedictorians closed on March 4. Interviews with the selection committee are taking place until March 29, with decisions releasing in early April. In total, the spring 2019 convocation will consist of 11 valedictorians, one for each convocation ceremony, with representation from McMaster University’s different faculties and programs. Historically, the valedictorian is the student with the highest ranking...
Enough with the poster sales If outside vendors are allowed to sell art on campus, students should be afforded the same opportunity
Photo by Kyle West Every so often, students walking through the McMaster University Student Centre are met with faces of The Beatles, large maps of the world and even prints of Banksy’s most popular works. The Imaginus poster sale, which has been touring Canadian university and college campuses since 1975, is a staple of the university experience. It is not uncommon to see their posters plastered over the walls of dorms and...
Less talk and more action surrounding mental health McMaster University needs to implement meaningful change to help students struggling with their mental health
Photo from Silhouette Photo Archives If you browsed through social media on Jan. 30, chances are you saw #BellLetsTalk circulating around. Political leaders, celebrities, corporations and even McMaster University shared the hashtag in support of “ending the stigma” around mental illness. But like #BellLetsTalk, McMaster’s mental health initiatives seem more performative than anything else. While offering “self-care” tips and hour-long...
