Find out how you can practice first aid, water rescue and priority assessment with the most inclusive team on campus
The McMaster Lifeguard Team is a competitive athletics club that participates in physical and first aid lifeguarding events against different Ontario universities. Members get to experience a wide variety of aquatic skills with the team, including water rescue, first aid emergency situations, triages, mannequin carrying, and medley and obstacle relays.
Run by club presidents Amirhossein Moghtader and Olivia Viool, the team trains biweekly on Thursday from 8:00PM-10:30PM and Sunday from 12:00PM-2:00PM at the Ivor Wynne Centre pool.
“Our club is unique in the fact that we offer an opportunity to socialize and meet friends and be active while still offering room for studies. . . We’re very welcoming and you can work out while still having time to do the things you need to do in university,” said Viool.
Earlier this year, the club welcomed general members with two “Try-It” meetings to learn about the team and their events and practices. Students were introduced to triages and first aid scenarios, swimming in rescue drills and guarding in teams.
Team practices involve both water and land training, which includes a mixture of first aid training on land and swimming and physical exercises in the pool. The training sets are structured to accommodate those with experience in swimming and the lifesaving sport along with new members who may not have any form of certification.
“We do take time to help new members out on technique and go over having some of our older members help out with flip turns or techniques for strokes. . . I’ll split the setup [of swim sets] to provide longer breaks or less laps that the beginner swimmers could do,” said Viool.
While some lifeguarding organizations require specific certificates such as Bronze Cross, many of the regional competitions that the team attends are open to all skill levels of swimming, water rescue and first aid.
The team has also accepted volunteers to act as victims during past competitions for first aid events. Providing such opportunities of involvement helps contribute to the team’s goal of being as inclusive for students as possible, particularly for those who lack the required certification to take part in some competitions.
“When people become involved with the team, they really enjoy learning the skills themselves.
Even if they can’t compete, they enjoy the process throughout. . . We try our best to have everyone involved,” said Moghtader.
This season, the team arranged a mini intrasquad competition on Oct. 27 as their first contest of the year. On Oct. 30, members took part in an Oktoberfest competition hosted by the lifesaving team at the University of Waterloo, where they ultimately placed third overall for their efforts.
Most recently, the club has participated in the TwoGood Lifeguard Competition on Jan. 8.
In the winter semester, members will get the chance to compete in the Ontario Lifeguard Championships organized by the Lifesaving Society on Feb. 18. The team also hopes to participate in a provincial pool competition taking place in early March and arrange their own competition on Mar. 25.
The McMaster Lifeguard Team can be found on Facebook, Instagram or the McMaster Athletics and Recreation website. Students can also reach out to macguardteam@gmail.com for additional information about the club.
The Silhouette: Please introduce yourself.
Eileen O’Boyle: My name is Eileen. I'm a fourth-year kinesiology student doing a minor in biology. I am currently the president of Absolute Pitch, which is the McMaster [University] show choir. I've been part of the club for three years and this is my first year as the president.
What is Absolute Pitch?
It's kind of like Glee but without the drama. We have two performances and we practice throughout the year. Basically, it culminates in a big showcase where we combine singing and dancing on stage with a live band. We're lucky enough to have a live band that performs with us, which is a cool flair. We also have a coffee house that's more chill — there's no dancing involved in that one. People can sing and bring instruments to play to express themselves artistically and, really, that's what the club's all about.
It's kind of like Glee but without the drama. We have two performances and we practice throughout the year. Basically, it culminates in a big showcase where we combine singing and dancing on stage with a live band. We're lucky enough to have a live band that performs with us, which is a cool flair.
Eileen O’Boyle, President of Absolute Pitch
Can you tell us a little bit more just about those events?
The coffee house is mainly cast-driven. Anything that the cast wants to perform, they can audition and perform on stage. There'll be one song that the whole group will perform that's also chosen by the cast and we usually have a bake sale too. It's just very cozy. The final showcase in April is definitely a much larger scheme. Each year there's a different theme. This year we're doing musicals. As the [production executive] team, we come together and we choose a bunch of full-cast songs, so everyone in the whole ensemble can perform. We also have small groups, which usually are about a third of the cast. That usually comes out to about eight or nine songs for vocals and choreography.
What sparked your interest in dance?
I've been dancing since I was a little kid. I started at my first studio when I was about four. My parents saw that I was always moving to music and there are all these pictures of me just trying to do weird things with my body and doing things like the splits. So they put me in dance and I really flourished. I loved it and then I was able to work at my studio. It's been a long journey and it's something that has remained the same throughout my whole life which is really nice.
Do you think your background in dance has influenced your choice to pursue kinesiology?
In some aspects. I think the major thing that influenced me to go into kinesiology was that I played lots of sports growing up. But, when I decided to go into kinesiology, I was thinking about what do I want to do with my life? This isn’t the case anymore but I wanted to go into physiotherapy. I had a really bad injury when I was playing soccer and the physiotherapists that I had were just absolutely amazing. They took me from "I can barely walk" to "I can play sports again". It was just so impactful and I wanted to help people like this.
What is one of your favourite memories with Absolute Pitch?
There are so many of them. One is that we always have one rehearsal that's for the whole day. We get to run everything with the band usually for the first time. Our band's incredible, I cannot tell you how good they are. I hadn't gotten to be there for a lot of the band rehearsals so this was my first time seeing the whole thing come together. It was a mind-blowing moment because you never know what will really work or come together when you're practicing.
What would you say to someone who is considering joining Absolute Pitch?
Put yourself out there. You don't know if you're going to enjoy it unless you try. In Absolute Pitch, we've cultivated an environment that is welcoming, open to new ideas, open to people trying things for the first time. A lot of our cast are not at all trained by professionals or anything like that. They just love to sing in the shower and then it's turned into this great passion. But you'd never know if you don't do it. Go for it. Why not?
C/O McMaster Sports Business Association
MSBA’s yearly industry conference is quickly approaching and this year's concept is looking like a winner
The McMaster Sports Business Association’s sports industry conference is back, this time taking place on March 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The annual conference, which has become a mainstay for the MSBA, is something that the organization is extremely proud of and excited to offer to McMaster students looking for opportunities in sports.
Presidents Jared Bertrim and Tenzin Choney spoke very optimistically when discussing the upcoming event, stating that it is something that their entire executive team had dedicated themselves to. There’s a reason that this is the pillar event for the MSBA.
“This is our flagship event — it’s the one we put the most time and effort into at the end of the year. It’s a three-hour long conference. In the past we’ve had it in person, due to COVID this year unfortunately we have to have it online. We’re still going to have a great lineup of guests through three different panels,” said Bertrim.
“This is our flagship event — it’s the one we put the most time and effort into at the end of the year. It’s a three-hour long conference. In the past we’ve had it in person, due to COVID this year unfortunately we have to have it online. We’re still going to have a great lineup of guests through three different panels."
Jared Bertrim, MSBA Co-President
The guest speaker panel this year features three primary sections; sports marketing, sports finance and a McMaster alumni panel. The MSBA aims to provide insight and opportunity for their members through this event by offering an elite group of speakers in each of these sections. Each section will have an allotted time of 50 minutes. Each panel will feature guests with interesting knowledge and perspectives to share.
“Those attending can expect an interactive event. I know we’ve all probably been to a lot of Zoom meetings or conferences where we sit back and listen, but we’re looking forward to being very interactive, where we have workshops [and] where you can work in breakout rooms . . . A big feature as a whole is the question-and-answer periods — that’s where we find students get the most value,” said Bertrim.
Of the three sections, both presidents seem to agree that the alumni panel is the one they are most looking forward to. It is a newbie section to the conference, but one that will surely be of interest to many students.
“This is actually our first year that we’re doing the McMaster alumni panel. The MSBA is six or seven years old and in the past we haven’t had that deep of an alumni network to pull from, to get speakers from. Now that we have a couple past presidents, a couple past McMaster students, we’re excited to have that panel,” explained Bertrim.
Choney also expressed her excitement for the new panel, explaining how interesting it will be to follow the journey of past McMaster students and past club members. It is largely viewed as an opportunity for current students to see the steps that alumni with similar academic or career aspirations have taken to get themselves into a position of success in the sports industry.
“This year it’s going to be super exciting because of the alumni panel. We get to ask them how they started at McMaster to where they are now, so kind of following along their journey after grad,” said Choney.
"I think this year it’s going to be super exciting because of the alumni panel. We get to ask them how they started at McMaster to where they are now, so kind of following along their journey after grad."
Tenzin Choney, MSBA Co-President
Although they are disappointed to have to host the conference online this year, they are happy to reap the benefits of a virtual conference, for example drawing in large crowds of student audiences.
“In the past we’ve stuck to local Hamilton guests, who have been great, but this year we get to go further and beyond. One of our panel alumni members works in Montreal right now for their hockey team, so we’re excited to have some further stretched members join our event,” explained Bertrim.
With the school year nearing a close, the MSBA is hoping to cap it off on a high note with their industry conference. Exams are a stressful time for nearly everyone and an event like this could be a great way to relieve some stress and enjoy it.
“We usually like to end the year with a bang. Exams are around the corner, so we want to end the year great,” said Choney.
“We usually like to end the year with a bang. Exams are around the corner, so we want to end the year great."
Tenzin Choney, MSBA Co-President
Speakers have not yet been announced, but will continue to be revealed as the date of the conference arrives. Those interested in attending must purchase club membership for five dollars. More information can be found on the club’s social media accounts on Instagram or Facebook.
C/O Yigi Chang
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Ark & Anchor Espresso Bar remains a beloved café and community hub
Nestled between King Street West and Queen Street North is the Ark & Anchor Espresso Bar. Established in the fall of 2015, the café is not only a hotspot for avid coffee drinkers in the Strathcona neighbourhood, but also an important community hub for folks around the city.
Partners Patrick Guilbault and Yigi Chang are the faces of Ark & Anchor. With over 10 years of barista experience, Guilbault is in charge of brewing all the coffee and tea beverages in the café. Chang, on the other hand, is interested in health and nutrition and works in the kitchen, baking delicious pastries and fresh food items for breakfast, lunch and snacks. Chang also has a background in illustration and is the artist behind the incredible murals found throughout the building.
Although the couple is originally from Toronto, they were drawn to Hamilton by their friend who moved to the city in 2014 and introduced them to their current café location.
“We had already been looking for real estate in Toronto [to open a café], but it was all completely out of our reach. But we were able to find this beautiful building here and all the stars aligned,” said Guilbault.
The same friend who showed them the building gave the couple inspiration for the name of the café as well. While doing research about the neighbourhood, they were inspired by the Scottish Rite located kitty corner to the café and the symbol of the ark and anchor from Masonic history, which represents well-grounded hope and a life well spent.
Although Guilbault and Chang had no intentions of picking a religious name for their business when their graphic designer friend drew the ark and anchor logo for them, they felt it was too beautiful to pass up. The symbolism also resonated with their story.
“[The ark and anchor] means being comfortable with taking things with you as well as leaving things behind and it felt really great as an idea for us moving cities and all that kind of stuff,” explained Guilbault.
Since the opening of the café, the couple’s vision for the business has been to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive space. It serves as a hub for everyone — from those seeking a space for studying, having meetings and hanging out with friends to those looking for a community. Community is an especially important part of the café’s culture.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous clubs and events were hosted at Ark & Anchor, such as the Ship’s Log Book Club, Monday Night RPGs for monthly role playing games and On Board for board game nights.
They started the clubs about four years ago due to high interest from their customers. The couple had also been wanting to create a space for sharing books and playing games for folks who aren’t comfortable participating in evening culture or can’t stay out too late.
“My big reason for wanting to [start the book and game clubs] was I was finding it was hard to find spaces for games and book clubs that weren’t nighttime spaces. So, if you didn’t feel like you had to get a beer or you had to get dinner. We were able to use the top [floor] of the coffee shop as more of a clubhouse to come and play games,” said Guilbault.
Maintaining and promoting inclusivity and safety of the space was crucial to the clubs’ operations. For instance, at the beginning of the Ships’ Log Book Club meetings, the captain’s code was read out loud which outlined zero tolerance for transphobic or ableist comments or harassment of any kind.
“[We had] a couple book club members say, ‘The fact that you’ve actively said nobody is going to do this, we are not only going to save space for you, but keep safe spaces for you, made it a lot more inviting,’” said Guilbault.
However, since the pandemic, the clubs have been put on hold. The last book club meeting was in February of 2020. There are a few members who have continued to hang out and play games online, however, the book club did not make the transition to a digital platform.
“It’s been really hard with adjusting to the pandemic because for everybody who was coming to these events, it was really like a big community thing for them. [But] it just never really made the switch to digital,” said Guilbault.
Guilbault and Chang unfortunately don’t have the capacity to run the clubs again themselves while running the business, citing concerns about long business hours and overworking. However, they hope members will continue the clubs in the future.
“The dream is that some of the community members will pick up the mantle and say, ‘I’m willing to organize more, I’m willing to do more,’ as we kind of move into the next stage of things,” said Guilbault.
Despite all the changes and challenges to the café amidst the pandemic, the community has been supportive and patient. Currently, the couple is working hard to keep up with the new developments and residents entering the neighbourhood. They recently reorganized the second floor of the café to allow more indoor seating with proper physical distancing and are open from Tuesday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Guilbault emphasizes Ark & Anchor has not forgotten about its community. As life slowly returns to normal, more people move into the area and with enough demand, Guilbault and Chang are open to launching more community-focused programming and use their spaces to serve the interests of the community.
If it felt like there were millions of new raptors fans this past summer, that’s because there probably were. There’s nothing quite like the first National basketball asociation championship in Canadian history to bring people together, one of the great powers of athletics. Whether it’s playing sports or watching the Toronto Raptors dominate the Golden State Warriors, sports have a habit of uniting people together over a common interest. This sense of inclusivity is also why intramurals play a big role in the off-campus community here at McMaster.
When you live off-campus, it can be hard to feel like you have a home at Mac. School can be a place associated with academic stress and not much else. This is why the society of off-campus students runs intramurals every week. Intramurals can be a great way to get to know more people who are also in a similar situations. Here’s what the president of the society of off-campus students, Jeremy Sewnauth, had to say about SOCS and intramurals.
“Sports are a universal thing that everyone can bond over whether you’re talking about it or playing it,” Sewnauth said. “At intramurals, we end up doing so many different sports, this term we’re running soccer, water polo and frisbee and those were the sports that the members of the society voted for.” Sewnauth said.
Taking part in the PlayFun division is a great way to get involved in sport through a relatively non-competitive environment, where no one takes things too seriously and everyone is just looking to have some fun. There’s no need to have extensive knowledge in the sport or know every detail about the rules. PlayFun is a casual level of sport where students can meet one another.
“You don’t have to have any experience, you don’t have to know how to play any sports, if it’s something you’re interested in or you just want to kill some time, you can just pop in and play. If you don’t know how to play it everyone that’s there is willing and able to teach you how to play,” Sewnauth mentioned.
Playing sports chosen by SOCS members themselves makes it likely that people will come out, as they are going to be playing the sports they voted for. This type of engagement with everyone in the club is part of why SOCS is so successful.
“Every single weekend we’ll have a full squad come out for soccer, frisbee and water polo which gives you the opportunity to bond with people. A lot of people after games end up hanging out and every time I’ve met so many people,” added Sewnauth.
SOCS aims to offer off-campus students a way to feel connected and provide a home at McMaster. They offer multiple ways of trying to do that but, sports and intramurals are definitely one of the best ways to accomplish their goal.
“A lot of the times you’ll see groups of people, like a floor in residence or something they’ll put together a team or that same group of students that were all friends before. In later years they’ll keep doing these intramural teams every year. We try to create something similar where we’re creating a community among sports,” said Sewnauth.
Being an off-campus student can often feel lonely but it doesn’t have to be. Intramurals are a great way to connect with other students. You can get a SOCS membership in the basement of the student centre and they’ll be more than happy to help you sign up for their intramural team.
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The McMaster Students Union recognizes over 350 clubs. According to the MSU Clubs page, the purpose of these clubs is to “provide an insightful and meaningful contribution to the McMaster and Hamilton community.”
Being a MSU recognized club affords certain privileges including being eligible for funding from the MSU. This funding comes directly from the MSU organizational fee, a $130.26 fee that all full-time undergraduate students pay. Within this fee, $8.02 are collected per student to support MSU clubs.
As students are paying for the operations of these clubs, the MSU has a responsibility to ensure that these clubs are not deliberately sharing and promoting misinformation that can be harmful to students.
McMaster Lifeline is the pro-life group on campus. Their mission statement is “to advocate with loving care the legal rights and social support of pregnant women and their unborn children.”
While the presence of a pro-life group on campus is already cause for controversy, the issue at hand is not solely the groups’ existence but that they use student space and resources to share information that is factually incorrect.
The group can often be found at a table in the McMaster University Student Centre, a privilege of being a MSU club, spreading scientifically false information on abortions and reproductive health. In addition to misinformation, the group is known for distributing graphic and potentially triggering images.
Groups like McMaster Lifeline should not be given a platform by the MSU to disseminate false information about individuals’ health.
Namely, the group fails to state that abortions are safe, medical procedures that are fully legal in Canada. Instead, they spread the false rhetoric that “abortions are never medically necessary”, which is simply a lie.
In fact, any student-run group on campus does not really have the credentials to provide healthcare information or advice to students. Abortion is a serious topic that should be discussed with a healthcare professional who can provide factual, non-judgemental information, not with students who some of which have “no experience engaging with people on the topic.”
The MSU should be cautious in ratifying clubs that provide this type of information, as the results can be extremely harmful to students.
With over 350 clubs, it can be difficult for the MSU to ensure that operations of each of their clubs are aligned with the core goal of supporting students. However, that is not an excuse for allowing this behaviour to occur.
Multiple students have on many occasions voiced their concerns against these clubs’ actions. The MSU failing to take action blatantly goes against their responsibility towards their student constituents.
The MSU Clubs Operating Policy states that the MSU “will not attempt to censor, control or interfere with any existing MSU club on the basis of its philosophy, beliefs, interests or opinions expressed until these lead to activities which are illegal or which infringe upon the rights and freedoms of others”.
Due to this policy, on March 22, pro-choice students who were protesting McMaster Lifeline’s table in MUSC were removed and not allowed to distribute pro-choice pamphlets. A claimed “victory for free speech on campus” by the MSU only served to help promote the misinformation on campus.
While the actions of McMaster Lifeline may not be illegal, they certainly are harmful to students and may actually be violating the Clubs Judicial Policy, stated under the MSU Clubs Operating Policy.
Specifically, their actions may be considered to “unnecessarily cause a significant nuisance for an individual or group” (5.1.1.3), have “conduct unbecoming of an MSU club” (5.1.2.7) and most importantly, actions that “unnecessarily jeopardize the safety or security of any person or property” (5.1.3.3).
If the MSU truly wishes to provide a meaningful contribution to the McMaster and Hamilton community, it can begin with properly investigating clubs that may be found guilty of any offences described by the Clubs Judicial Policy. Only then can they truly ensure that their clubs support and protect McMaster students.
If students do wish to learn about their options with respect to their reproductive health, the Student Wellness Centre offers birth control counselling. If a student wishes to speak in a more informal setting, the MSU Student Health Education Centre offers relevant literature, referrals and peer support.
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By: Andrew Mrozowski
Big cities are beautifully illuminated at night, however one drawback is that it’s not often you can look up at the night sky and see constellations and planets. Hamilton is unique as it not only features a lot of green spaces that set the scene perfectly for stargazers, but also has a dedicated group of astronomers to keep the interest as alive as the stars in the sky.
One group that takes advantage of the clear, starry nights is the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers. The non-profit organization is the Canada’s largest independent astronomy club and is made up of 200 members who range from beginner to expert level astronomers.
“We strive to further not just the understanding of this fascinating science but also, and most importantly, the enjoyment of it,” said John Gauvreau, chair of the HAA.
Through free monthly events, the HAA holds meetings that are open to the public. At each of these events, a speaker showcases a presentation on astronomy or a related topic.
January 20/21 lunar eclipse shot during maximum at approximately 12:14AM from #BurlON. #LunarEclipse2019 #HamOnt #moon pic.twitter.com/VduPvVh3KK
— HAA (@HAATweet) January 21, 2019
Kevin Salwach, a member of the HAA since 2009, presented A Step Back and a Look Up on March 8. Since the event was catered towards the general public, Salwach dropped all technical aspects of astronomy and highlighted the importance of amateur astronomy. He encouraged attendees to take a look at the bigger picture of the universe.
“I find stargazing to be one of the most humbling and relaxing hobbies out there. There is something about sitting under a clear, dark sky that brings me complete peace of mind,” said Salwach.
Starting from a young age, Salwach found himself fascinated with the world of astronomy after visiting the William J. McCallion Planetarium at the Burke Science Building on campus.
“I remember the student doing the presentation pointing out Orion’s belt on the projector, and then going home later that night and seeing the belt in the night sky with my own eyes got me hooked. I’ve been going back every Wednesday ever since,” said Salwach.
Originally opening in 1954, the Planetarium was the conception of William McCallion, a professor in the department of physics and astronomy. Before finding its permanent home in the basement of BSB in room 149, an old war-surplus parachute was hung from the ceiling and used as a planetarium dome. The planetarium was the first of its kind in Ontario to offer public shows.
Featuring two shows every Wednesday night, graduate students who are studying astronomy create and design a one-hour show on the topic of their choice.
Two upcoming shows at the planetarium are based on pop-culture. One show is set around the Star Trek universe. Attendees will be taken around the universe to explore different stellar objects and phenomenon that have been featured in the show. The other is set around the theme of Harry Potter as many names of the book’s characters are inspired by the field of astronomy.
For PhD candidate and manager of the planetarium, Ian Roberts, the space has become a second home during his time at McMaster.
“For me, I think it’s a totally unique experience — something that you are not going to get a chance to do in many places, to come in here when a show is going, it’s totally dark [in the room],”said Roberts. “The first time the night sky comes up, it is completely amazing. It’s very striking. Getting the opportunity to come to a facility like this is something that is super unique.” he added.
Between the McCallion Planetarium at McMaster as well as the numerous other events that the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers run every month, there is room for anybody to study the night sky, whether they have a general interest or are aspiring astronomers themselves.
“Anyone can go out and take a look at the night sky, it belongs to all of us. Especially for a university student who is bogged down with study and schoolwork, stargazing is a nice repose to the stress of school,” said Salwach.
There’s a lot of life down here on Earth, but if you take a look up, you will be introduced to a brand-new world filled with wonder and awe that is sure to strike your curiosity.
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The month of March is an exciting time for Canadian university sports. Varsity teams across Canada spend most of March battling it out in arduous tournaments to bring national recognition to their university.
Especially during this time of year, it is easy to get swept up in the action, focusing solely on medals won or opportunities squandered, and the human side of the athletic community can be quickly forgotten. While all student-athletes at McMaster grind it out over the school year to bring home another banner, many members of the McMaster athletic community also dedicate their time to another important cause.
McMaster Athletes Care is a volunteer program whose vision is to “utilize sport as a tool to teach valuable life skills and empower youth to believe in their dreams”. In addition to community events such as January’s annual Think Pink Week, the program gives Mac athletes an opportunity to volunteer in the Hamilton community.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuVMUKYFYNv/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
From hospital visits and bringing kids to Marauders home games, MAC hosts weekly volunteer visits to the Living Rock Youth Resources program, the Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club of Hamilton, and the Routes Youth Centre. During these weekly visits, volunteers will utilize gym space to get kids active.
“It’s a really easy way to get volunteer hours to just sign up and go play sports, which is not really volunteering — it's a lot of fun,” said MAC’s Living Rock coordinator Mike Cox. “It’s a productive procrastination where, if you watch two hours of Netflix, I feel like I don't really get anything done and I feel kind of bad about that. But if you go and volunteer, you're giving your time and it's a nice break.”
Mike Cox has been involved with MAC for the last few years, initially volunteering as a member of the men’s lacrosse team to earn volunteer experience in pursuit of a teaching career. Cox eventually found himself making the weekly visits to Living Rock, a program for at-risk youth, and it became more than just a fun way to give back to the community.
“It's a reality check too, to go out and to do all that stuff,” Cox said. “It just kind of makes your bed a little warmer and your food taste a little better and all that stuff, so I know that it puts things into perspective. I started out doing it because I needed volunteer hours but like once you get out there, it kind of sucks you in and obviously I've been there ever since.”
Upon returning to Mac for a master’s degree in mathematics last year, Cox took over as MAC’s Living Rock coordinator. Enthusiastically organized by McMaster’s Coordinator for Community and Alumni Engagement, Nicole Grosel, the executive committee is full of members like Cox, each committed to coordinating the various events of the program.
Living Rock focuses on an older age group compared to the other weekly visits, so while it can be a challenge to get the older kids to participate in physical activity, which is the program’s main focus, the quality time spent with the members of these programs is still important to them.
“It feels good to see these people who stop coming for good reasons, like they don't have to be there because they found an apartment or because they've found a better job or they moved on,” Cox said. “It's a cool feeling to kind of see them through all that stuff and see where they started and see where they ended up.”
In addition to giving kids an outlet and an additional support system, getting varsity athletes to interact with kids in the community serves MAC’s goal of inspiring and motivating kids. In addition to showing them the importance of living a physically active life, student-athletes can share opportunities that can come from playing high-level sports, like scholarships and important relationships.
“Volunteering is always important and all of those kids they appreciate it, and I know they do. It's just good for McMaster and it's good for your soul,” Cox said. “To show that the athletes do have, amongst their busy schedules, that we can give back a little bit and show that McMaster Athletics isn't just about winning championships, it's about showing that we can give back and that we can recognize that we're very fortunate people.”
Not only does MAC help student-athletes appreciate their position, but it also allows some of the lesser-covered sports to gain some recognition as important parts of the Marauders community, such as the women’s lacrosse team who brought in a sizeable donation for a clothing drive and logged the most volunteer minutes for Think Pink Week.
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Giving student-athletes from any sport a fun and easily accessible way to give back to the community, MAC continues to be a great service that deserves to be recognized as an invaluable resource for the Hamilton community. While giving student-athletes an opportunity to appreciate their own lives, MAC is helping to inspire a new generation of athletes.
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On Feb. 2, Sonia Igboanugo, a fourth-year McMaster biomedical discovery and commercialization student and co-founder of Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster, received the Lincoln Alexander scholarship at the John C. Holland awards, which celebrates African-Canadian achievement in Hamilton.
Igboanugo and McMaster grad student Kayonne Christy launched BAP-MAC during the 2016-2017 school year to support Black McMaster students striving to become physicians and other healthcare professionals.
Igboanugo was inspired to create the club following her attendance at a University of Toronto summer mentorship program geared towards Indigenous and Black students interested in health sciences.
“I felt like that program changed my life in terms of inspiring me in what I thought I could do and what my capacity was as a potential health care professional,” Igboanugo said. “I felt very empowered and I felt very interested in this in bringing the same experience to McMaster.”
Since then, BAP-MAC has steadily grown. Currently, the club has over 100 members, proving a variety of resources to its members.
As part of the BAP-MAC mentorship program, younger students are paired with a mentor who provides academic and career guidance.
Throughout the year, BAP-MAC also arms students with information about research opportunities and hosts workshops and talks led by healthcare professionals.
At its core, however, BAP-Mac simply serves as a community for Black students on campus.
“For me, the biggest part has been connecting with older students who can help me navigate through university,” said first-year kinesiology student Ida Olaye, who aspires to go to medical school. “BAP-MAC gives you that support group, to know that you’re not alone, that there are a lot of people trying to pursue the same dream that you are pursuing and it is very doable.”
This past year, BAP-MAC received a three-year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
The grant has allowed BAP-MAC to host a conference for the first time. The event is scheduled for this upcoming May.
The grant also allows the club to expand its vision to empower Black youth on a larger scale.
“Because we have a pretty good campus presence, I would say, but the goal was to address the issue of lack of diversity on a more systemic front,” Igboanugo said.
Part of that is a new initiative aimed at incorporating high school students into the BAP-MAC program by connecting them to undergraduate student mentors.
Second-year human behaviour student Simi Olapade, who is also the associate director of multimedia for BAP-MAC, sees a lot of value in the initiative.
“Reaching out to those high school students is an opportunity that I even wished I had to be honest. Seeing someone like you in a place where you want to be helps so much in terms of making you focus more on achieving that goal, making you more goal-oriented and making you more focused,” Olapade said.
Reflecting on the award she recently received, Igboanugo says the work she does as part of BAP-MAC only reflects how others have helped her.
“It was very humbling to actually be recognized for the work because it is the greatest thing or greatest privilege I have to always serve my community or use my strength to better my community and the people around me,” Igboanugo said.
Students wishing to get involved with BAP-MAC can learn more about the group’s initiatives on BAP-MAC’s Facebook page.
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At exactly 10:30 p.m. once a week, you can find the McMaster women’s hockey club happily taking the ice in Wentworth Arenas. The majority of the players have just finished a long day of classes, some even worked, but because of their love for the sport they are present and ready to go.
There are 20 universities that make up Ontario University Athletics, 13 of which have provincial women’s hockey teams. McMaster is not one of them. This is no surprise especially because McMaster’s director of athletics Glen Grunwald has shared that it is not in the plans to bring OUA hockey for either men or women to the school anytime soon.
However, this does not stop the 17 women in Mac’s hockey club from working hard to keep their team afloat. For third-year kinesiology student Laura Gelowitz, her love for hockey makes late night practices and low financial support worth it.
“I play hockey because it relieves stress and it’s a great way to meet people who you end up forming a close bond with,” said Gelowitz. “I have an older brother but never had sisters and I consider these girls like the sisters I never had.”
The team is led by volunteer coach Terry Morgan. Morgan, a barber at Emerson Studios on Emerson Street, volunteers around six to 10 hours a we
ek coaching the girls who compete in the Golden Horseshoe Women's Hockey League.
The GHWHL is a Senior AA / Senior A competitive women's hockey league that plays in Hamilton and its surrounding areas. Right now, the Marauders are not where they would like to be in the league, sitting second last in the nine-team league.
“We are not doing as great as we hoped, but our league record does not display how good our team really is and how good we work as a team,” said Gelowitz. “We have a lot of tough competition in this league, but I think everyone is still having a lot of fun which is the most important thing for us.”
With the team being classified as a club they do receive some funding from McMaster athletics department, but with the club’s yearly budget being around $16,000 it unfortunately does little to cover costs. This is one of the main reasons that practice is so late in the evening. Since the ice time is cheaper at night, it is the only time they can afford to practice.
“’It is hard to focus having practice at 10:30 p.m. when everyone is tired and have had a long day of classes,” said fifth-year player Jennifer Collingswood. “If the school could help getting better practice times or a rink on campus that would be great.”
The chance of that coming true any time soon is highly unlikely but does not stop the team from hoping for more support from their fellow students.
“No one really knows too much about the club and what we are,” said Gelowitz. “So it would be nice to get our team some more exposure, because it’s some good hockey and I feel like a lot of people would love to watch it.”
Not only would they like support on the ice but they would love it outside of the rink too. This year, the team held their first annual charity game against the Hamilton police in support of a program within the Boys and Girls Club of Hamilton called "Skate the Dream”. By the end of the event, $1,000 was raised for the program between ticket and raffle sales. Though the event was successful, more backing from the McMaster community in the future is what they would like to see.
With the team’s regular season finale scheduled for Mar. 17, the women still have a few weeks to improve their 2-13-1 record and the McMaster community still has time to show their support. Head over to nearby Wentworth Arenas to see some hard work, entertaining hockey and a whole lot of heart.
Next home games: Feb. 3, Feb. 10, Mar. 3, Mar. 17
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