For most of McMaster’s undergraduate population, Hamilton serves as a second home from anywhere between three to six years. While these three to six years are about expanding personal boundaries, it only makes sense to expand physical boundaries as well. 

So, why are so many McMaster students so afraid of Hamilton’s downtown core?

While there are plenty of reasons to stay on campus, from the McMaster Museum of Art to Cootes Paradise, there are more reasons to discover the city you will be calling home. The imaginary borders surrounding the McMaster community, commonly referred to as the McMaster Bubble, allow students to venture off campus, while staying close enough to their comfort zone. 

The Bubble is safe and eventually becomes familiar but there is more to Hamilton than Westdale and, quite honestly, the Bubble does not do Hamilton justice. I am not suggesting that discovering a new city is not frightening. It can be overwhelming to step outside of your own bubble. But what I am suggesting is that Hamilton, if anywhere, is just the place to do it.

Hamilton’s core is not what it used to be and it seems as though the social stigma surrounding the core, although slowly losing its edge, is to blame as to why students are out of touch with the opportunities and experiences downtown has to offer. 

What previously had the reputation as a gritty, working-class steel town has grown and shifted into a prospering city, chock-full of opportunity and things to discover. The city’s focus on the arts, entertainment and professional development has ultimately brought a new sense of vitality to the core, with unemployment rates being at their lowest in over ten years.

Hamilton has also seen an abundance of investing and development opportunities geared toward students and student retention. In fact, the City of Hamilton identifies the attraction and retention of students and young professionals as a priority in their Economic Development Strategy.

In collaboration with the McMaster Student Success Centre, among several other community partners, the city is working to ensure that Hamilton the leading choice for young professionals through job fairs, information sessions and networking opportunities.

The city really does have a way of turning ambition into practice. Between writing term papers in local cafes or taking SoBi rides to Bayfront Park, I would be lying if I said that who I am today has not been shaped by my experiences downtown Hamilton. So, trust me when I say getting out of your comfort zone will be worth it.

Dyson Wells

The Silhouette

A new app has been released to burst the campus “bubble.”

MyHamilton, a new community-based app, was released last Thursday at a City Hall event. The app was produced by a collaboration of McMaster University, Mohawk College, Columbia College, the City of Hamilton and Weever Apps.

While still in the growing stages, there are high expectations for the interface, which was named through a contest open to McMaster/Mohawk students.

The MyHamilton app attempts to address the issue of students not being connected with the community by offering students an interactive way to explore Hamilton and explore the culture and spirit of the city.

The McMaster Students Union conducted a survey last year to gauge students’ plans following the completion of their studies. Of the 800 students polled, 40 per cent stated they would not consider living in Hamilton following graduation, 24 per cent said they would not look for a job within the city and 34 per cent said they would only take the job as a last resort.

The app currently focuses on the downtown area, spanning from the escarpment to Bayfront Park, and from Wentworth Street to Dundurn Street.

Kathy Woo, Social Media and Digital Communications manager at the Student Success Centre, explained the app’s use of Twitter, as opposed to other social media platforms like Facebook.

“Hamilton is such a huge Twitter community, and that seems to be where a lot of the students are engaging right now. It’s immediate, it’s real-time, and it’s on the fly,” said Woo.

The app, using Twitter and Google Maps, enables users to explore Hamilton, sharing their finding with friends.

Once a post is made, the tweet, along with picture provided by the user, will appear as a pin on the map that will then be visible to other users.

The app also includes a list of discounts for local events and businesses, as well as directions and methods of transportation to navigate the city.

It is expected to give a leg up to local businesses in Hamilton while helping students find those “hidden gems” throughout the city.

The app’s profiling feature, in which students enter information such as their name, email, faculty and year of study, allows businesses to track their client demographic.

Talks regarding the development of the app have been going on since May. Discussions about the app’s progress and features will take place once feedback regarding the app has been received.
Gisela Oliveira, Employment Services Coordinator at the Student Success Centre, said, “the best part about this app is that it’s a student telling a student, or it’s a young professional telling a student [about local businesses].”

“It’s not necessarily the businesses shoving it down their throat that Hamilton is the place to be,” said Oliveira.

To get the app, students must scan a QR Code.

To join the Twitter conversation with MyHamilton, users must tweet a picture with the geolocation setting on and include the hashtag #MyHamilton.