Nichole Fanara
The Silhouette

I read once that opinions articles should encompass all the possibilities of the issue at hand and express all the potential of the future. But I also believe that the capital, the system, should always be questioned, should question itself, and ultimately, be accountable for its actions.

So here I want to make McMaster University accountable for suspending the Engineering group called “Redsuits” from Welcome Week 2014 by telling my personal welcome week story from my first year four years ago.

I came to McMaster University in September 2010. I was (and still am) a proud off-campus commuter from Hamilton, and alongside joining SOCS, I looked to my faculty to inspire school spirit within me. Unfortunately I did not find a home within the Humanities reps. I found them off-putting because I felt that they did not care. I have seen tremendous attempts by the Humanities reps to change (and I believe they are only going to get better) but four years ago, their reps were not inspired to engage with the first years (or at least, I did not meet the ones who were). So on faculty night, a fellow Hummmer and I went with our Engineering friends to their faculty night.

Now, faculty nights are traditionally off-campus, and as unofficial off-campus rules go, cheers can be sung that are not allowed on campus. I was not told anything about the Engineers having a dirty songbook. My Eng friends did not have access to a handbook that said “Prepare yourself for the scandal.” On campus during the week, we had seen their superheros running around with plungers, we even heard a rumor that their reps drink beer (all the reps?! Aren’t they, like, 20 years old?). So we were prepared for a fun night out, meeting reps and fellow first years.  And then we got onto a bus. And that is when the truth came out about the Redsuits.

Reps came up to me, talked to me, tried to get to know me, my interests, what classes to take and profs to watch out for. The Engineers made me feel so accepted and included in ways my own faculty didn’t that I will always remember that night as a real welcoming to academia. It was the most amazing feeling to come to a new place and have people actually care that you are a person, not some firstie. I cannot say that for more than half of the classes I have attended at this school. But I can say that for the Engineers.

McMaster University is making a huge mistake in suspending the Engineers from Welcome Week 2014. The MSU is only backing them up because they have to. And the other faculty groups should take a stand against this if the Engineers are banned from participation. That group has the most fun and offers great help and support to so many young adults coming into school. If they are banned from Welcome Week, then I am ashamed McMaster cannot understand the great social impact they have versus the stupidity of a few students to publish such profanity.

Those cheers have been around since at least the 1980’s. Every rep group has cheers that are dirty, that go back to our parents’ time, and are not sung. They come out at reunions, sometimes off campus. But the fact that they exist within every group means that the Engineers are being persecuted for – quite literally - the sins of our parents.

The Redsuits as a whole do so much good that it is completely uncalled for the University to punish them all.

Long live the Redsuits.

 

 

Nichole Fanara
The Silhouette

I have mixed feelings about volunteer work, mostly because it can be used and abused by the people who already have enough money and power. But I hope to inspire you, student, to look for something to be passionate about, to apply for an exec position next year, and to keep the good work alive at Mac.

Volunteer work for the sake of volunteer work. There is just some work that is too important to not be done, and yet a paycheck is not involved. These are the things that make us who we are - the free work we do. These are the stories that give us a passionate heart and a compassionate mind, and a sense of being needed, of giving back. And in University, working two jobs, homework, and volunteer work is almost impossible. It can feel thankless. But hold on there, the bright side is coming.

When you give back to the community and don’t ask for anything in return, your web of inspiration falls so deep and touches so many hearts that you can’t possibly see or understand how far it rippled. Volunteer work makes the world go around. It gives people a chance to connect; it helped me understand the importance of sticking with a cause even if the cause isn’t something affecting me personally. No matter what, there is volunteer work out there somewhere for you to do, and even if you’re looking for pay and can’t find it, this could be a good way to realize your potential. McMaster has a million and one places to put your volunteer time. Imagine all the people waiting to meet you, to be inspired by you, to feel less exhausted looking into eagerness and content as you all work together and do something good.

We are lucky. McMaster University has one of the biggest volunteer bases in Ontario, with clubs about virtually anything that will connect you to all kinds of passions and people. I’ve seen words of wisdom shared through cursive letters, galas for those less privileged than the perfectly able-bodied, even working shifts at the Ronald McDonald House next door to our campus.

Sometimes volunteer work doesn’t feel worth it. You can lose your focus when the work you put into running a society drains goodness from other places in your life. Sometimes you put all your efforts into campaigns that become less than what you expected. Remember who you are doing it for, remember why you keep it going, and understand that by doing work like this, you’re making a difference in so many different lives that you could not map it out. You’ll see, one day, when a thank you comes from someone you barely know, just how far out of your personal bubble your helpful hand has reached.

Keep on reaching, volunteers.

By: Nichole Fanara

 

Dear Fellow Chocolate Aficionados,

 

Heed my words. Listen to my tale.

"Dear Google", I began, "why am I hopelessly devoted to Nutella?"

Google worked its hardest and in 0.12 seconds showed me the answer to all my burning questions. Turns out the answer is quite simple - chocolate is addictive.

But I couldn’t accept this. Chocolate is so good to me. I couldn’t accept that this love was simply chemical Stockholm syndrome.

So I searched further.
What I found was that chocolate has properties (other than cocoa-y deliciousness) that make you want it all the time, really badly. Like really badly. The little devils are actually the same addictive chemical found in alcohol.

I also found that apparently women crave it more than men - 40% of women in an Answers.com article crave it over only 15% of men. This has something to do with our menstrual cycles. When women are low in magnesium, there is a tendency to crave it. Thus, many women crave chocolate. Just as Mother Nature intended it.

Have I mentioned chocolate’s connection with marijuana yet? No, no it can't be found in chocolate, but according to some studies done at the University of California, a pleasure-inducing chemical found in marijuana is also found in chocolate. Here’s to hoping that the FBI doesn’t know though, because it would be a real shame if the government banned chocolate.

So friends, with all the chocolate your hunny (or you yourself) will be bringing you today, remember this one important message: practice safe chocolate.

 

(Hershey) hugs and kisses,

Mlle. Chocolate

Nichole Fanara

The Silhouette

 

The president and three VPs of the McMaster Students Union delivered their annual State of the Union address on Jan. 26.

Under the stage lights of TwelvEighty, alongside president Matt Dillon-Leitch, were Alicia Ali, vice president of education, Duncan Thompson, vice president of finance and Katie Ferguson, vice president of administration.

The State of the Union address and accompanying 36-page document aimed to inform students about the current state of affairs in the MSU. Issues such as budget, clubs and on-going projects were discussed as a way of offering students a true understanding of where their money is being spent.

This year, the MSU aspired to show students early on that they could positively influence everyday student life at McMaster, exemplified through one of Dillon-Leitch’s first pilot projects, the extended hours of Thode library during the exam period. “The results were so quick, and to then see people actually using the library was phenomenal,” said Dillon-Leitch.

It was stressed that, because students contribute financially to the Union, students should be the primary beneficiaries. For example, the talk included an issue raised to Members of Parliament of how one is only eligible for OSAP if they have a minimum 60 per cent course load.

The forum outlined key issues surrounding university life at McMaster, followed by an in-depth review of three fundamental goals central to further development within the MSU.

High enrolment at McMaster is indicative of the University’s growing popularity as a school of choice for an increasing number of high school graduates, though such a trend comes with increased demand on the University to provide quality education and adequate space.

In keeping with the Student Union’s commitment to serve as a liason between students and the University administration, communication has been central to the process. While the MSU aims to maintain its online presence through social media, it has also successfully pushed for change to the University’s email system, changing from the MUSS (McMaster Undergraduate Student Server) to Gmail.

As part of the MSU’s goal to remain a student-centred organization, the Student Life Enhancement Fund has been better explored to derive as much benefit out of the resource as possible.

Under the umbrella of community engagement, students were surveyed about their views on the surrounding Hamilton community in an effort to bring down the barriers plaguing relationships between students and the city at large.

The MSU’s final goal as a representative of the student body aims to support the diversity of thought and culture that characterizes the McMaster community through support for various affiliated campus groups.

At the end, the floor opened to those in attendance for a question-and-answer period. Unfortunately, McMaster’s most vocal and active students didn’t do much to challenge the Union leaders.

Dillon-Leitch explained that he was “hoping for more questions.” He further expressed concern that “not all of the presidential candidates showed up, which is frustrating when you want to show them what they can do with the Students Union.”