For those in the know, McMaster Volleyball has long been a force to be reckoned with. Over the years the program has sent players overseas to play in professional leagues such as the Polish PlusLiga, seen its graduates make Olympic appearances and taken down National Collegiate Athletic Association Division one teams. To those who didn’t already know all this, the Can Am Volleyball Holiday Showcase helped shed some light on McMaster’s success.
The Can Am Volleyball Holiday Showcase, which took place Dec. 28 to 31 2019, was a set of three matches that pit three of the top Canadian university volleyball programs against strong American foes.
Other than McMaster, two other Canadian universities at the Can Am tournament were the Trinity Western University Spartans and the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The three Canadian teams made their way to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre to face off with the Long Beach State 49ers, the Lewis University Flyers and the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins.
McMaster is no stranger to the strength of Long Beach State’s volleyball program, having played them over four times in the past two years. McMaster has come out on top in two of the last three matchups. Unfortunately, they fell just short in this year’s match with a final score of three to two.
What it looks like when @MACMVB wins a thrilling 5 set victory over perennial national volleyball powerhouse @TrinityWestern Spartans! Congratulations to Coach @DavePreston1 and this gutsy Mac team! @mcmastersports #hamont pic.twitter.com/9mFweD4h44
— Terry Cooke (@TerryCookeHCF) January 4, 2020
Following the Can Am Showcase, McMaster moved forward with their second act of holiday break tournaments with a two day showdown against the west coast’s Canadian volleyball powerhouse, Trinity Western University, upsetting them in the first match with a thrilling kill to bring home the W in the fifth set. The Marauders also took home another win on the fourth, securing two straight wins against the Spartans. This success provided McMaster with the confidence to enter the continuation of the season with a brand new perspective.
Looking forward to the new year ahead, McMaster holds the top seed in the western conference of the Ontario University Athletics. They are preparing to face several opponents throughout the OUA.
First off will be Ryerson University on Jan. 17 and Trent university on Jan. 18. Ryerson, who is second seeded in the OUA’s eastern conference, will surely be a tough fight for the Marauders. However, if Mac continues to utilize the fast attack and strong offensive structure seen over the past few matches, we may see the Marauders to swoop in on the Rams.
The Trent University Excalibur coming to town will likely be a relief for the Marauders as the Excalibur is currently in last place, without any wins. Following this game, Mac will face more difficult interconference opponents such as the Brock University Badgers and the Guelph University Gryphons over the rest of the month.
McMaster is currently tied for first in all of the OUA with their Toronto-based rival, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. Looking to take the season away and start 2020 in the same fashion as the 2019 season, the men’s volleyball team could have the opportunity to end their season as number one.
We are looking to see another winning season, which will hopefully lead to another run for the national championship. McMaster volleyball’s winning tradition is in the midst to continue for another year in 2020.
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University fees are projected to increase by 13 percent on average over the next four years, according to a report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
In their September report on Managing the Optics of Provincial Tuition Fee Policies, the CCPA projected the average cost of tuition and compulsory fees for full-time undergraduate students to rise from an average of $6,589 in 2013-14 to $7,755 in 2017-18. For comparison, the average cost in 1993-94 was $2,320.
The report tabs the declining role of government involvement as one reason for tuition hikes. In 1991, public funding accounted for 79 percent of university operating revenue. That figure has dropped to 55 percent in 2011. This is mirrored by a rise in tuition fees as a share of university operating revenue, of which have doubled from 18 percent to 37 percent over the same time period.
Similarly, additional compulsory fees outside of tuition costs have been on the incline. The report notes that compulsory fees -- which are mostly unregulated on the provincial level -- have also been a means by which universities charge students, at times to avoid government fee caps. Again, the report notes this practice is done in part to offset declining public funding. In Ontario, compulsory fees have increased by 239 percent over the past 20 years.
Cost increases have varied by province. Tuition and compulsory fees in Newfoundland and Labrador, for example, are projected to increase by just $16 over the next four years -- an increase of less than one percent. Meanwhile, a 22 percent increase is projected for Quebec.
Data courtesy of CCPA's Sept. 10 report. Four-year period reflects changes in total tuition and compulsory fees for full-time undergraduates between 2013-14 and 2017-18
Percent increases, however, don't necessarily paint the entire picture with respect to costs. Ontario laps the field in both current and projected total fees; in 2013-14, the average total of tuition and compulsory fees for full-time undergraduates in the province was $8,162, with Saskatchewan ranking a distant second at $6,882. The gap figures to narrow slightly over the next four years, but Ontario schools are still projected to be the most expensive across provinces in Canada in 2017-18 at $9,483. The projected 2014-15 figures are listed below.
Data courtesy of CCPA's Sept. 10 report. Figures reflect total tuition and compulsory fees for full-time undergraduates
The report also mentions that Ontario tuition fees have repeatedly broken through capped figures for tuition fee increases. Prior to 2013, the Ontario government mandated that tuition fees were not to increase by more than 5 percent annually. The cap dropped to 3 percent in 2013, but the report cites that tuition fees increased by 4 percent last year. These figures also don't factor in to fees of non-undergraduate students, of which are also believed to have experienced even steeper increases.
Circumvention of provincially mandated caps, however, is a problem that afflicts multiple provinces, not just Ontario. Similar strategies of tying capped increases to inflation have also been implemented to varying degrees in Saskatchewan, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, but the report denounces the move as more PR-related than effective. According to the CCPA, these trends reflect "an increasingly patchwork, privatized and individualized system of university financing," and that it "undermines our commitment to the principles of universal accessibility and affordability."
Author/ Ronald Leung/ Silhouette Staff
Students back at table in Lakehead University tuition hike discussion
The chief representative for students at Lakehead University has regained the right to vote on tuition hike issues. Student governor Daniel Basca was originally muzzled in an April 2012 ruling that declared student governors in a conflict of interest and stopped them from participating in any meaningful matter at board of governor meetings regarding tuition hikes. This outcome was swiftly met with challenge from the Lakehead University Student Union (LUSU), which threatened legal action. The Lakehead Board of Governors reversed their decision at a Feb. 1 meeting.
Gender neutral washrooms introduced at University of Regina
After two years of campaigning by the group University of Regina Pride, talks about choosing the location of ten gender neutral washrooms on the UR campus are underway. While not new to Canadian institutions of higher learning, with universities such as Dalhousie having their own gender neutral bathrooms, the introduction of these spaces represents the fruits of the labour of student-administration communication at UR. The new project is aimed at reducing harassment and providing an alternative to those who find it uncomfortable to use washrooms for men or women.
Sexual complaints arise over Greek Organization at MUN
The Memorial University of Newfoundland Students’ Union (MUNSU) is dealing with controversy over whether it should officially recognize the Greek Philanthropy Society (GPS). Although the GPS pledged to focus on raising funds for charitable causes, allegations of sexist behavior clouded its case. One MUNSU board member brought up an example of parties hosted by the GPS that charge a lower cost to women, who are then encouraged to wear togas. The MUNSU purports to expect all member clubs to support sex and gender equity.
B.C. research universities feel left out over large grants for nearby trade schools
The B.C. provincial Liberal government is sticking to its plan to support trade and technical programs at key schools, in spite of growing complaints from the province’s research university brass. Faced with an overall $41 million in cuts for post-secondary grants, administrators such as University of British Columbia president Stephen Toope have argued that trade schools, while helpful in addressing unemployment, don’t help students become “versatile and agile leaders.” However, B.C. Liberal Minister of Advanced Education John Yap told The Ubyssey that “Taxpapers invest $5 million … to support the B.C. post-secondary system,” and that the four major research universities – UBC, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria and University of Northern British Columbia – “receive more than half of the operating grants provided to 25 institutions.”
U Ottawa lecture series spotlights bilingualism and biculturalism in Canada
The University of Ottawa has worked with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism in Canada. Originally established in 1963 by André Laurendeau and Davidson Dunton in order to address language issues between Anglophones and Francophones, the Commission led to the establishment of the Official Languages Act and the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL). U Ottawa, being a strongly bilingual institution, sees itself as a child of the original commission. The lecture series will be featured all across Canada in Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Moncton.
Ronald Leung
Silhouette Staff
Ontario teacher’s college applications drop by 50 per cent
The Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) reports that only 8,199 applications have been filed for teacher’s college in the 2012-2013 cycles, compared to 16,042 in 2007. The University of Windsor has been especially hit hard, with a downward trend starting in 2008 resulting in almost a 75 per cent reduction in applications. The shrinking job opportunities in Ontario for newly-graduated teachers are most likely to blame. Doing part-time supply teaching has become a reality for new teachers while they wait for full-time position opens up.
Dead ducks sent to Memorial University administration
For the past 15 years, approximately 50 ducks have lived on the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) campus. Local community members have fed the ducks during the winter at the central campus pond, until MUN administration posted signs discouraging feeding due to an alleged rat infestation problem. Biology professor Ian Jones noticed duck carcasses appearing on the outskirts of the pond. He voiced his concerns to MUN admin, but without receiving a serious response he opted to send two dead ducks directly to the Administration. Jones has said he will contact the SPCA if no further action is taken.
B.C. Government gives more than $500,000 to trade school
The B.C. government has donated over half a million dollars to the University of the Fraser Valley in support of their Trades and Technology Centre (TTC). New equipment will give students more hands-on experience and will upgrade their skills to be more compatible with potential employers. This donation comes after several pledges by the B.C. government, including $1.5 million to three other B.C. universities and $113 million to the Emily Carr University of Art and Design for a campus makeover.
Outcry over million-dollar budget cuts at the University of Regina intensify
The University of Regina is facing multi-million dollar cuts and students have expressed their concern at the lack of transparency with the Academic Review process (ARP) that plays an instrumental part of determining what gets scaled back. Concerned students have formed the Students Against Austerity, a group that also encompasses the University of Saskatchewan, also facing multi-million dollar budget cuts. Studentas and faculty are most concerned about the liberal arts, the department widely believed to be on the chopping block first.
HRSDC under fire for handling of student loan privacy breach
After a major security breach on Nov. 5, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has just introduced credit monitoring services starting at $14.95 a month. This service is targeted for those affected by the breach but students have argued that, “those affected should not be out of pocket for the way the government has mishandled their information.” One-third of those affected by the breach have still not been contacted because contact information is still missing.
Ronald Leung-The Silhouette
Ryerson students turn to ‘Sugar Daddies’ for income
It’s not easy surviving financially as a university student – tuition, rent, food and entertainment attack from all sides as debt piles up. More than 150 Ryerson students, mostly female and in need of cash, have turned to dating website SeekingArrangement.com to find “Sugar Daddies”: older businessmen looking for company. These “Daddies” pay the students large amounts of money for dates, friendship and even sex. While not illegal, it certainly is a concern that some of today’s students are turning to prostitution to pay for education. (Reported by Diana Hall, The Eye Opener)
Memorial University theatre students get hate mail from Church in Kansas
The theatre class of Memorial University recently put on a production of Laramie Project, focused on the true story of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old who was physically attacked and left for dead in 1998 after being identified as homosexual. Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas turned its sights on the Newfoundland university by sending hate mail such as “God hates fags.” The Church has been known to picket the funerals of AIDS victims, American soldiers killed in the Middle East and individuals identified as “nation-destroying filth.” (Reported by Laura Howells, The Muse)
Burst reservoir floods McGill campus
Water freely flowed from the McTavish Reservoir on Jan. 28. The location of the reservoir, just uphill of McGill, allowed the leak to sweep through campus, resulting in hundreds of cancelled class and laboratories and over hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. Although a home-made video of a student being swept away in the middle of the street by surging tides has gone viral, no injuries were reported. (Reported by Erin Hudson, CUP Quebec Bureau Chief)
Plans for new B.C. law school criticized for allegedly homophobic rules
The plans of Christian-based University Trinity Western to open a new law school on the West Coast has ignited controversy for proposing that all future student must sign a “Community Covenant” that outlaws pornography, alcohol on campus and limits “sexual intimacy” for “marriage between one man and one woman.” This gives the University sweeping powers to theoretically suspend or expel students displaying homosexual behaviour. Deans of law schools across the country have strongly opposed this point, arguing that Trinity Western crosses a moral boundary and is promoting discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Reported by Laura Rodgers, CUP B.C. Bureau Chief)
University of Toronto sex-based student party sparks controversy
The University of Toronto Sexual Education Centre recently held a controversial party at Oasis Aqua Lounge, where students were invited to spend the night exploring their sexuality. With pornography freely playing and piles of condoms and lube stacked in corners, it’s not surprising that this event ignited heated discussion on the online Toronto Star article page, which got thousands of shares on Facebook. Critics argue that “it says something about where our society is going morally,” but some students are proud of how accepting the event was. (Reported by Kristine Wilson, The Ryersonian)
