While my undergrad has been the hardest years of my life, it has also been the most crucial to my overall growth
If you were to ask me in high school what I thought university was going to entail, I would have just told you some stress but still an overall exciting four years. Although that has been true, it does not depict or merely explain what these four years were.
From the first day of my undergrad in 2019, I was so excited to start this new life of mine. University was all I ever dreamed about, especially during the number of times in high school I was eager to leave. Now that it had arrived, it was seeming exactly like I had rehearsed over the years in my head.
Stress, loads of reading and writing, but overall growth and change; I was one step closer to my life. Yet little did I know what I was going to endure. It was the complete opposite.
These four years have been the most difficult years of my life and although it may be easy to point the finger at 20-page papers, this wasn't the only reason.
Your early 20s are the epitome of your adulthood. You grow immensely and the growing only begins. The second I walked into university, I not only lost friends, but I went through the hardest break up of my life, then had to finish the rest of the two years of my undergrad online because a global pandemic was underway.
Half of my undergrad was spent virtually, my mental health was crippling and I never felt more alone. This was university?
I had so many ideas in my head as to what I thought it would be and this wasn't it. But those ideas were also part of the problem.
I learned that I needed to let go of the idea I had and wanted and instead accept my journey for what it was. Moreover, I could always still the reigns back, so I did. In the peak of pandemic I started working on my mental health and took a chance to breathe.
I learned that I needed to let go of the idea I had and wanted and instead accept my journey for what it was. Moreover, I could always still the reigns back, so I did. In the peak of COVID I started working on my mental health and took a chance to breathe.
Healing all of the heart break and loss was immensely needed, thus I instead viewed the pandemic with admiration in ways, a lesson I learned I’ve learned time and time again.
Walking into McMaster University, I was beyond scared, selfless in unhealthy ways and overly self-critical. After spending time alone at home for so long, I learned I truly was my only fan, supporter and friend and that I needed to take care of that.
And it was when I was stuck at home that I remembered touring the campus and seeing The Silhouette’s office around my first week – all I loved to do was to write and while everything seemed so far and impossible at that point, I still thought why not? and started writing.
I started growing with my writing with the Silhouette. As I became a staff writer, I also began spacing out my studying and understanding how to do things that were best for my abilities and well-being.
I found beauty in being in my own presence, beauty in my work and craft and beauty all around me. My undergrad never stopped testing me as I dealt with more grief, stress and mental health struggles regardless of the grip I started to have.
Although one may see university as just improving your own logic for your future, more specifically within your work field, university bettered me as a human-being.
I learned how to take care of myself. I learned more things about myself when I thought I already knew it all and more importantly – I kicked university's butt and some.
I did things I never thought I could for myself and for my future self. Now I am the Opinions Editor for the Silhouette and I am just weeks away from graduating. I have learned so much along the way, met so many amazing people and gained so many new skills.
It turned out to be a lot better than what I thought it was. A lot better.
Without prompt governmental action, overwhelmed shelters and exhausted support services continue to push houseless Hamiltonians, including students, to the cold winter streets
It’s no news that Hamilton’s houseless population is surging.
For the past few years, headlines have reported and warned of the dramatic growth in the number of unhoused Hamiltonians. Yet, governmental action taken to support these individuals in the face of other critical crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and escalating inflation, has seen little improvement.
For one, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated social inequalities and resulted in an increase in unhoused families and individuals.
Alongside the hardships imposed by the pandemic, Hamilton’s housing crisis has seen no improvements in the past year as renters, like McMaster students, continue to battle sky-high prices.
Currently, rent is so unaffordable that post-secondary students make up a third of the resident population at the Covenant House Toronto shelter. With the unaffordability of housing here in Hamilton, it’s no doubt that students in our communities are facing similar circumstances, putting their well-being and education at stake.
These issues together, compounded by the current financial state of the nation, have made the sheer cost of living for an average Canadian ridiculously unaffordable. In fact, Hamilton is now ranked the third least affordable city in all of North America.
To make matters worse, Hamilton's network of homeless shelters and drop-in locations are overwhelmed as their resources are dwindling whilst the federal government’s half-million dollar Expanded Winter Response Fund has been scrapped this year.
The ongoing threat of COVID-19 and the closure of an isolation centre for COVID-positive houseless individuals is also putting shelter users and employees at risk, amid the shortage of shelter beds and space.
With a limited capacity to support those in need of shelter, this winter brings trepidation and concerns for a rise in the number of frostbite cases, respiratory illness cases, hospitalizations and deaths, as unhoused individuals turn to encampments and the congregate, high-occupancy shelters.
The current housing crisis and rise in inflation have also pushed post-secondary students to the streets.
Research at the homeless hub indicates that an estimated 80,000 post-secondary students across Canada are houseless and this number may be a lot higher with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is a need for the city of Hamilton to communicate its findings and progress in a more equitable manner to all stakeholders including the community members being affected by these decisions and further empower the participation by its residents to help make decisions about development.
Currently, rent is so unaffordable that post-secondary students make up a third of the resident population at the Covenant House Toronto shelter. With the unaffordability of housing here in Hamilton, it’s no doubt that students in our communities are facing similar circumstances, putting their well-being and education at stake.
So far, the city of Hamilton is allocating 125,000 dollars for the operation of drop-in overnight emergency warming centers for unhoused individuals until March 31st. While this will provide relief for several houseless Hamiltonians, it is a short-term band-aid solution.
Despite the city having an overdue 10-year Housing & Homelessness Action Plan since 2004, it’s hard to see any significant actionable change in the community.
Surely, the goals and outcomes listed in their hefty annual report sound good but there is limited evidence available on the city of Hamilton’s website to support their progress.
A case study on Hamilton by the Canadian Human Rights Commission critiqued the city’s response to encampments and revealed a number of human rights issues that needed to be addressed, further indicating that a lot of progress is needed to resolve Hamilton’s housing and houselessness crises.
There is a need for the city of Hamilton to communicate its findings and progress in a more equitable manner to all stakeholders including the community members being affected by these decisions and further empower the participation by its residents to help make decisions about development.
As the houseless population grows, we must recognize that this is a Canada-wide problem that requires federal government input.
For a country that forms alliances with others, lends a global helping hand and warmly welcomes many others to the land of opportunity, it’s disappointing to see critical issues within our nation repeatedly neglected.
This winter, houseless individuals in our community and communities across Canada are paying the price of structural neglect.
Whether it is the limited shelter capacities, heightened risk of freezing to death this winter, or the sheer unaffordability of life, this is not as good as it gets for unhoused Canadians and the governments that have sworn to serve us must step up and do better.
Pink Tax has been a prominent issue for those who menstruate but now inflation is only making it worse
When they say inflation is upon us, they’re not joking. Students are forced to limit their Fortino’s-turned-Food Basics runs to just the essentials, rethink the frequency of their Uber Eats orders and spend Black Friday at home this year and far away from one’s laptop.
Inflation is having an enormous impact on low-income households in particular, who spend more than half of their income on daily essential items. Individuals in the top twenty percent of the income quintile on the other hand, only spend about thirty percent on essentials and spend the majority of it on luxury items.
Did you know that before 2015, period products such as pads and tampons were taxed as luxury items in Canada? It was only on July 1, 2015 that the federal government realized that maybe they shouldn’t be taking advantage of a natural bodily process that individuals can’t control.
The cherry on top? Inflation impacts the price points for essential items far more than luxury goods. This means that low-income families must make sacrifices that look more like cutting back on essential items like healthy food rather than re-evaluating the purchase of a Starbucks holiday drink.
For women and those who use feminine products, the consequences of inflation are further exacerbated due to the preexisting pink tax. If you didn’t know already, the pink tax refers to the gender-specific and straight up discriminatory pricing of products that are advertised for those who identify as women.
Companies love to dangle bright colors, flowers, and passion periwinkle grapefruit-scented products to market toward women while jacking up the prices. These advertisements function to convince those who identify as women, their femininity lies within those products. The next thing you know, women end up paying thirteen per cent more than men for the same essential items.
In addition to the need for purchasing universal basic hygiene products, women and those who menstruate are faced with the challenge of ensuring their menstrual products are always stocked.
Did you know that before 2015, period products such as pads and tampons were taxed as luxury items in Canada? It was only on July 1, 2015 that the federal government realized that maybe they shouldn’t be taking advantage of a natural bodily process that individuals can’t control.
Although taxing menstrual products as essential items was a step in the right direction, this also means that these prices will be affected more as a result of inflation. With poverty disproportionately affecting individuals of color, women and those who menstruate who fall under the same category would face the same hardships, if not more.
You didn’t think I was done, did you?
For example, gender-based societal and moral obligations, like being responsible for a disproportionate amount of household shopping, means that women spend longer in stores and are therefore more likely to experience the stress of inflation.
We can also discuss the already uneven economic recovery from the pandemic that affects women's ability to purchase essential items. The gender wage gap is a problem that somehow keeps getting worse, even at a time where the world is allegedly progressing forward.
The child care crisis during the pandemic resulted in a decrease in women’s involvement in the labor force and their earnings along with it. Specifically, women with lower-wage jobs, immigrant women and Black women were hit the hardest. Evidently, inflation affects different women through different ways.
For example, gender-based societal and moral obligations, like being responsible for a disproportionate amount of household shopping, means that women spend longer in stores and are therefore more likely to experience the stress of inflation.
Without government intervention, these issues will only continue to get worse. Given that inflation has been an issue for the better part of thirty years, the research on the intersectionality of the problem is very limited. Policies need to start keeping up with inflation, meaning that preexisting federal assistance programs must expand to actually live up to the “assistance” part.
I know that this simply adds on to the never-ending list of issues the world is facing, but I guess that’s what you have to do when you’re constantly left high and dry. So students need to use their voices to help solve such problems. Vote in elections, donate, and support organizations that are fighting against things like period poverty.
C/O Jessica Yang
By accepting our individual connections, we can ensure we’re building our relationships on an honest foundation
Expectations regarding our relationships are extremely prevalent in society — especially during our post-secondary years. It is natural to see young couples posting about each other on social media, attending parties together and willingly sharing their partnership status with others. However, sometimes our personal relationships fail to follow this pattern.
We need to learn to accept our unique and individual connections and not be pressured to fit into “relationship molds.” Doing so will ensure we are bringing our most authentic selves into our relationships and building their foundations on the basis of honesty and integrity.
Anyone with an Instagram or Snapchat account will tell you they often see couples put each other’s initials in their bios, share posts about their happy times and be carefree in sharing such details. These behaviors are so widespread that they feel like the ‘norm’ and what we have to do to for our relationship to be considered ‘normal’ in society. Placing such general expectations on our intimate relationships can do more harm than good.
We are each distinct and unique individuals and that is what we should be bringing into our relationships. If a person was not fond of social media before entering a relationship, but now feels as though they have to in order to meet society’s standards, the truth within such a union is belittled. Changing or sacrificing one’s own values because of one’s perception of society’s expectations is almost always detrimental, especially when another person, especially one close to you, is involved. If we are not being honest with ourselves about who we are and then share that version with others, we only get farther away from our invaluable individuality.
So, while it can be fun and completely acceptable to follow through with trends, one shouldn’t be judged if they choose not to do so. Especially while dating as young students: it’s okay to want to have a ‘date night in’ rather than going out to a student house party. It’s also okay to not want to share who you’re with and keep that private aspect of your life to yourself.
At the end of the day, your relationships are all your own and you are not obligated to share that with anybody but yourself.
Keeping true to these values can also help to maintain the authenticity of a relationship by not compromising its honesty and integrity — honesty and integrity that is essential to the relationship’s foundation. Instead of sharing the version of yourself that society expects of you, you are sharing the real you. It can be hard to understand what we really value when we’re surrounded by a multitude of tools that distort perception, especially in the media: filters, photoshop and being selective of what one posts paints an inaccurate portrait of reality. However, finding our true self — or even aspects of it — is invaluable and we should protect it from inconsistent external expectations as much as possible. This way, we stay honest to ourselves alongside maintaining sincere connections in our life.
In sum, trying to fit into a mold our aesthetic-driven society has created is only detrimental to ourselves and our most personal, intimate relationships. We should celebrate who we are as individuals and refrain from changing ourselves simply because we live in new or different circumstances. Be who you want to be, date how you want, share how you want (or if you want) and cherish your own relationships in a way that aligns with what you and your partner individually desire.
“All-in” lifestyles surrounding students and the fitness industry are a dangerous mix
C/O Fistum Admasu/Unsplash
By: Ardena Bašić, Contributor
Students often find themselves living a life on the extreme side of a continuum. Sacrifices made for good grades and academic success often involve trading sleep for coffee, physical activity for hours at a desk and interpersonal connections with endless citations.
It can be seemingly impossible to find balance with so many tasks, leaving little chance for a lifestyle of moderation. It is difficult to accept, but it often seems like a necessary sacrifice at this point in one’s life to foster further success down the road.
The fitness industry, on the other hand, perpetuates another extreme type of lifestyle that is the exact opposite of educational institutions.
Instead of readings and calculations, this industry can project that excessive exercise and strict, often dangerous, diets are the keys to flawless aesthetics and health.
Instead of readings and calculations, this industry can project that excessive exercise and strict, often dangerous, diets are the keys to flawless aesthetics and health.
SlimFast, for example, preaches meal replacements that are laden with sugar and sodium and can worsen one’s health in the long run. Moreover, many used to praise the show “The Biggest Loser” for transforming the lives of overweight individuals.
However, they did not realize that contestants completely destroyed their metabolisms through excessive movement and extremely low-calorie diets.
The media is actually leading us to pursue dangerously unsustainable and unhealthy lifestyles in pursuit of better health.
What we see on social media especially seems to portray the “perfect” body, constructed through rigorous workout routines and diligent dedication to certain lifestyle regimes. Although we are seeing an increasing number of honest influencers trying to make a “fit lifestyle” seem more accessible to the average person, many still associate being fit with having to give up any normalcy or moderation in their lifestyle.
It is difficult to believe the likes of Kayla Itsines, who preaches listening to your body alongside a moderation in both exercise and nutrition pursuits, when most bodybuilders do not disclose their regimens, making it seem like their constant posts of lifting heavy weights and limiting diets are the keys to a good physique.
As a result, it seems as if there is little room for other hobbies or priorities in one’s life if you are to meet the standards of fitness that society has created. What happens when these two extremes meet?
What happens when these two extremes meet?
If students, most of which are already making sacrifices in various areas of life for their education also feel the need to do so for their health and wellness, then they will inevitably perpetuate the consequences of these extreme lifestyles even more.
If a student now decides that they must maintain a 12.0 GPA, intensive extracurriculars and obtain the best physical physique and overall health possible, there is little room for leisure.
Interpersonal relationships are pushed to the side, motivation and enthusiasm for life become strained and physical and mental health suffer immensely.
Furthermore, consider what happens to students as they succumb to the traps of the fitness industry. Adopting the “no-pain-no-gain” mentality is a poor decision for anyone, as it can significantly increase the stress on one’s body and mind.
For students especially, many are already perpetually sleep-deprived and have full schedules; having to put copious amounts of effort into workout or diet routines would only add to the physiological and psychological stress.
Moreover, focusing on aesthetics rather than health, as the fitness industry attempts to make us do, can lead one to try products like detox teas, waist trainers and others.
These can harm one’s physical body and also cause significant guilt if one cannot attain the “goal body” they want. Add all these pursuits on top of a school or general workload and one experiences undue amounts of stress that can severely impact their mental health.
These can harm one’s physical body and also cause significant guilt if one cannot attain the “goal body” they want. Add all these pursuits on top of a school or general workload and one experiences undue amounts of stress that can severely impact their mental health.
Student-athletes especially must maintain excellent academic standards to play their sport at the collegiate level. There is insurmountable pressure to meet the standards of “perfection” for both educational and wellness lifestyles.
While some could argue that excellent time management skills can balance these two priorities, others see the stress that these athletes exhibit. Having to prioritize two major sectors of life means having to give up relationships, career advancement and other variables that contribute to our holistic view of life.
What is the takeaway from this? Firstly, students have to appreciate that they are in a season of their life where it is difficult to balance more than one paramount in their life.
While it can be a difficult pill to swallow, students need to take a more intensive approach towards their studies and other priorities, such as paying for their education, as opposed to falling into the many traps of the fitness industry.
Secondly, we need to beware of lifestyles where there is no possibility for moderation. It is the simple concept of an opportunity cost: in order to do more of something, we have to give something else up.
We should ensure that we scrutinize the value of what we are putting in and taking out of our life to ensure that we are contributing to a more positive lifestyle.
Overall, there can never be true, holistic happiness in any lifestyle of extremes, especially when they are compounded together. We need to appreciate that we have different focuses in varying areas of life as we move through its seasons.
McMaster’s idea of equity protects the university rather than the students
CW: sexual violence, anti-Black racism
It’s time that we talk about equity and inclusion at McMaster University.
Throughout the summer, McMaster has been implicated in several issues. Since February 2020, multiple sexual violence allegations have arisen against faculty and one graduate student in the psychology, neuroscience and behaviour program. In addition, there have been many calls from students for Mac to remove Glenn De Caire as the director of parking and security services due to the controversy surrounding his actions during his time as the police chief of the Hamilton Police Services. In 2010, De Caire established the Addressing Crime Trends In Our Neighbourhood team which performed “street checks” on individuals. The McMaster Students Union has also passed a motion to call for the firing of Glenn De Caire and the removal of the special constable program.
Amidst all of these issues, the Equity and Inclusion office has been integral in addressing anti-Black racism, providing sexual violence reporting options and offering support to students. However, when you use a critical lens, the EIO has been unable to be fully equitable, unbiased and supportive of the student body if it is an office run by McMaster — the same university that has inflicted harm on its students.
However, when you use a critical lens, the EIO has been unable to be fully equitable, unbiased and supportive of the student body if it is an office run by McMaster — the same university that has inflicted harm on its students.
I have had personal experiences dealing with the EIO. On Mar. 7, 2019, the Director of Human Rights and Dispute Resolution, Pilar Michaud, contacted me to inform me that McMaster initiated a third-party investigation due to my public allegations against my perpetrator. This was something I did not agree to and had indicated that I did not want to proceed with a formal investigation to the sexual violence response coordinator a couple of months prior. Because the investigation also involved my residence representative position, my application was put on pause, and the EIO assured me that I would be able to interview after the investigation had concluded. Despite this, I was implicated in a 10-month long investigation (which meant that I was unable to even be considered for a residence rep position before Welcome Week had passed) where I had to discuss the detailed events of my sexual assault to a third-party investigator, who was also a white man.
During the investigation, I felt incredibly alone. I was told not to discuss any details related to my assault or the investigation to anyone who may be a potential witness to facts or details of what occurred. This severely restricted my support system, as I had discussed what happened to me with many of my friends and because of that, they could have been considered a witness for this investigation.
In a time that the EIO was supposed to support me, I felt scrutinized for speaking about my traumatizing experience and worried that somehow they would conclude that I inflicted harm on my perpetrator instead of the other way around. Although McMaster had concluded that my perpetrator had violated the sexual violence policy, the university refused to provide any details regarding what consequences he would face, other than that he cannot contact me — despite the fact that I did not ask for this sanction to be put in place. Why does the EIO think that being survivor-centric is creating sanctions that the survivor did not ask for?
Throughout my entire interview process, the most support I received were from my peers, not the EIO. All the EIO did was involve me in a traumatic investigation process and occasionally emailed me with a list of resources that I could access.
Throughout my entire interview process, the most support I received were from my peers, not the EIO. All the EIO did was involve me in a traumatic investigation process and occasionally emailed me with a list of resources that I could access.
It is also notable that the person who signed off the letter regarding the decision made for the investigation was Sean Van Koughnett, the dean of students and associate vice-president of students and learning. Van Koughnett is a white man whom I’ve never met — so why did he have a say in whether my allegations were true or not?
The fact that the EIO involved Van Koughnett, someone who has not held a formal role in sexual violence prevention, made it clear that they were not here to make a decision that was supposed to support my wellbeing. Had they truly wanted to help me, they would have had someone knowledgeable of sexual violence sign off on the decision instead.
Don’t get me wrong — the Equity and Inclusion Office has held meaningful events such as the “Let’s Talk About Race” workshop series and Black student virtual check-ins. However, a lot of their advocacy work falls short if they continuously fail to tangibly support students who want to report the harm that they have experienced at McMaster. Although I’d like to say that my experience with the office was an outlier, I know of many other students who have been failed by the EIO.
At the end of the day, EIO acts more like a corporate entity — it’s not here to protect students, it’s here to protect McMaster’s reputation.
How McMaster’s response to sexual violence on campus is failing
By: Maddie Brockbank, Contributor
CW: sexual violence, racism
On June 18, CBC News released an article that stated that Scott Watter, a McMaster University associate professor for the department of psychology, neuroscience and behaviour was formally charged with sexual assault. Since then, three McMaster faculty and one graduate student from the same department have been suspended and banned from campus, pending an investigation into ongoing allegations of sexual misconduct and violations of the sexual violence policy. On Aug. 6, a letter penned by the dean of science was shared by a number of local reporters on Twitter. It indicated that these times are “without precedent at the university” and emphasized the importance of the current investigation into the “culture” of the PNB department.
NEW@McMasterU suspends a graduate student and bans them from campus as the sexual harassment and misbehaviour scandal in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour finds more incidents. The university has an outside law firm investigating. #HamOnt #cdnpse pic.twitter.com/s0uFxa5Ty2
— Joey Coleman (@JoeyColeman) August 6, 2020
I have found myself wondering how exactly McMaster University’s administration can continue to name these experiences as “unprecedented.” A quick dive into a recent history paints a significantly different picture.
In January 2019, the former coach of McMaster’s wrestling team was charged with sexual assault. The assault occurred during his coaching tenure, although details had not been released about whether the survivor was a current student at McMaster.
In March 2019, the Silhouette published an article delving into the culture of sexual violence within the Maroons, a student-led group that seeks to connect incoming undergraduate students with the McMaster Students Union and boost school spirit. The survivors that the Silhouette interviewed described being assaulted by fellow Maroons and how the MSU’s investigative processes failed to support them, as they were pushed out of potential solutions.
In 2019 alone, the vice-president of the Equity and Inclusion Office indicated that there were 90 reports of sexual violence on campus. Of those, 60 turned into official complaints and merely five moved forward into a formal investigation. Furthermore, the Sil has previously published on students’ experiences of being failed by the system of reporting, investigating and adjudicating experiences of sexual assault. The article describes their experience of a system that causes survivors to go through an emotionally (re)traumatizing process that enforces a type of gag order on survivors (under the guise of confidentiality) and fails to deploy a rape shield protection (that protects survivors from having their sexual history and past behaviour called into question in an effort to discredit their claims during an investigation). Moreover, this process puts survivors in a long period of limbo and at the end, does not always inform survivors of any sanctions placed on the perpetrator in the event that they are found to be in violation of the policy.
The numbers listed above could also be inaccurate and fail to represent the pervasiveness of sexual violence on campus. In the Student Voices on Sexual Violence survey, facilitated across Ontario postsecondary campuses in 2019, McMaster saw 63.7 per cent of respondents indicate that they had experienced sexual harassment on campus during their student tenure. Moreover, 75.7 per cent of McMaster respondents reported that they had witnessed sexual violence or an incident that had the potential to become sexual violence. Sexual violence continues to be one of the most underreported crimes in Canada, with merely five per cent of sexual assaults being reported to police and 83 per cent of survivors never disclosing their experience to a helping professional. It’s clear that the statistics we have available about this issue could only be the tip of the iceberg.
In response to the suspensions of PNB faculty, McMaster’s president, David Farrar, similarly released his own statement on behalf of the university. The letter emphasized the investigation’s exploration of the “culture” of the PNB department and urged students impacted to reach out to the Sexual Violence and Response Office, the Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area, the Student Wellness Centre and McMaster Security Services, among others.
A few things stand out here. Firstly, the mention of SACHA seems to omit the reality that, in 2019, McMaster cut a $9000 contract with SACHA to train Welcome Week reps despite the fact that SACHA played an integral role in ensuring McMaster even had a sexual assault policy. Secondly, the exclusion of the Women and Gender Equity Network, who have carried peer support for survivors at McMaster for several years, fails to acknowledge their contributions to ensuring the campus is a safer place for survivors. Lastly, the mention of Security Services reads as quite inconsiderate in the wake of mounting student pressure for McMaster to terminate its contract with head of security, Glenn De Caire, for his stance on racial profiling practices, such as carding, and connections to Hamilton Police Services (where 70 per cent of sexual assault cases were improperly labelled as “unfounded” by HPS in 2019).
It’s troubling when McMaster’s administration continues to emphasize that these times are “unprecedented” and that the solution is to merely examine the “culture” of a singular department. Sexual violence is, frankly, an issue impacting every facet of campus.
It’s troubling when McMaster’s administration continues to emphasize that these times are “unprecedented” and that the solution is to merely examine the “culture” of a singular department. Sexual violence is, frankly, an issue impacting every facet of campus.
The experiences discussed above — and my own — speak to this reality. In 2018, I booked a meeting with the then-director of athletics, Glen Grunwald, about how the Marauders could support sexual violence prevention efforts by attending my event on engaging men in anti-violence efforts. Grunwald never showed for the meeting. Another representative in the department promised me that athletics would support the event by getting student-athletes to attend. Former football coach, Greg Knox, promised the whole football team would attend. Countless emails to other coaches were left without replies and by the day of the event, zero representatives of McMaster Athletics showed up.
While McMaster Athletics is under its own investigation into student-athletes’ experiences of anti-Black racism, it feels pertinent to note that these instances are not isolated and are not “without precedent.” Issues of racism and sexual violence are interdependent; they rely on each other to function and are borne from the same system that enables marginalization of and violence against students to occur. In other words, racism enables violence to happen and it affects marginalized students disproportionately. When the system or personnel responsible for redressing instances of violence face allegations of racism themselves, it allows a cycle of violence to continue.
“We still have work to do” LOL. Y’all never started shit to begin with. Start by firing Mark Alfano. How about that? I’ve experienced a lot of systemic racism during my time at McMaster. Myself and other black student athletes brought it up to Mark & Glen and they brushed us off. https://t.co/W2F37z8sCL
— Fab (@Fabloescoo) June 28, 2020
McMaster’s continued emphasis on siloing these issues and depicting them as “breaking news” means that they fail to acknowledge that these experiences are the lived reality of generations of students. Launching yet another (reactive and redundant) investigation into the “culture” of individual parts of campus life, again, discredits the countless narratives provided by students about their experiences of violence and marginalization. Why aren’t their stories enough proof? Why is McMaster responding in this way now, when this isn’t the first time these things have come up? What is the end goal of these investigations and will anything change?
Sexual violence in the PNB department, among many other issues affecting McMaster’s campus, is symptomatic of a much larger issue at the university and in the broader Hamilton community.
Sexual violence in the PNB department, among many other issues affecting McMaster’s campus, is symptomatic of a much larger issue at the university and in the broader Hamilton community. When one in four women will experience sexual violence during their time at a postsecondary institution, it is not unprecedented or isolated. When Hamilton reports the highest hate crime rate per capita in Canada, it is not unprecedented or isolated. When a number of current and former Black, Indigenous and racialized students and student-athletes disclose years of racism and abuse at the university, it is not unprecedented or isolated.
When McMaster continues to treat these times as “without precedent” and reflective of singular facets of campus, it continues to fail students and invalidate their long-standing experiences of these issues.
Historically, McMaster Students Union presidential candidates often have big dreams to tackle issues concerning marginalized communities. Topics that reappear every year include accessibility, reducing financial barriers and sexual violence support. While these platform points can be well-intentioned, they can often be examples of poor allyship instead. Using people of colour, the 2SLGBTQ+ community, disabled people and survivors as talking points for campaigning can be insensitive if candidates are unable to follow through with their platform points.
There are clear examples of platforms that have done this. In 2018, past MSU president Ikram Farah campaigned on reducing financial barriers by re-evaluating the Ontario Student Assistance Program’s structure and reworking it to accurately reflect tuition cost discrepancies between different programs. This would mean that two students who paid different tuition amounts, and who previously qualified for the same amount of financial aid, would instead receive aid that was proportional to their costs. Although Farah completed her presidential term in April 2019, any advocacy done surrounding OSAP hasn’t had a huge impact on OSAP’s structure.
In 2019, current MSU president Josh Marando promised to hire an additional sexual violence response coordinator to address the lack of support for survivors of sexual violence. Marando still has three months left in his term, but the efforts into hiring a new sexual violence response coordinator seem to be lacking. So far, an additional sexual violence response coordinator has yet to be hired.
In addition to an absence of follow-through, candidates also often fail to consult adequately. This year, MSU presidential candidate Krystina Koc aimed to address student safety due to the Westdale and Thorndale break-ins that occurred last year, and to increase support to Maccess. However, Koc’s consultations about student safety were limited and she failed to consult Maccess regarding how to best improve support.
Incoming MSU President Giancarlo Da-Ré’s plans to improve accessibility by making the MSU website compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and increasing the number of courses that use Echo360 to record lectures. He also wants to implement consent culture modules that would be mandatory for welcome week representatives. Although Da-Ré states he has done 100 consultations and has platform points surrounding accessibility and consent, he did not consult Maccess or the Women and Gender Equity Network prior to campaigning.
Evidently, solidarity with low-income students, people of colour, survivors and disabled people have been a large topic of discussion within presidential platforms. However, these campaign points are rarely acted upon or are executed poorly. This leaves me and many others with questions: if these points don’t result in any visible change, why have them in your platform at all?
During campaign season, presidential candidates are trying to win students’ votes. Therefore, it’s usually important to maintain a good public image. Nothing looks better than advocating for a marginalized population. Regardless of whether these candidates actually care for the marginalized populations they’re advocating for, if they’re coming from a place of privilege and put us into their platforms, it can seem like they’re trying to win brownie points for being good people.
Additionally, this allyship quickly becomes performative if the candidates don’t follow through when it comes to supporting marginalized communities — which they often don’t. Even if you have the best intentions to help others, it is hard to change systemic oppression in a one-year term because these structures have been in place for centuries.
Typically, advocacy movements are initiated by marginalized communities themselves, not presidents. This can be seen with the WGEN, which was created to provide a safe space for women and trans people, as well as students that face sexual violence. WGEN was approved by the Student Representative Assembly because of a community survey that provided statistics of students who faced assaults, misogyny and sexism on campus. Although the SRA did come into play with the creation of this service, consultations and surveys were important in its creation, which is what the presidential candidates have been failing to do. In addition, WGEN was spearheaded by women, trans people and survivors advocating for its existence, proving that marginalized communities have always been at the forefront of these movements — not the MSU president. If the MSU president is serious about advocating for marginalized communities, then they need to consult with the groups who represent the needs of these students.
Despite Koc and Da-Ré’s well-intentioned platforms for improving peer support services and consent education respectively, they failed to consult the communities that are directly affected: Maccess and WGEN. How will you help improve support and remove systemic barriers if you do not talk to those that are directly affected?
Becoming the MSU president doesn’t mean that you suddenly have the ability to support marginalized people. Anyone and everyone can support movements to dismantle oppressive barriers — instead of campaigning on the idea that you will support marginalized people during your presidential term, start by supporting them in your everyday lives. Talk to the people you know and ask them how you can support them. Actually consult the marginalized communities you hope to support, not the institutions that oppress us. Even if you can’t make a huge change during your one-year term, you can still make meaningful change through your individual actions as a person. But if you’re not willing to commit to your platform and actually support marginalized students, please leave us out of it.
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By Anonymous, Contributor
As a non-Chinese faculty member, I have been following events unraveling around the Student Representative Assembly’s decision to de-ratify the McMaster Chinese Students and Scholars Association. As an associate chair of my department, I interact with undergraduate students on a daily basis, which is why I was troubled to hear about how the Student Representative Assembly proceeded with the de-ratification of a student-run group on campus. Recent reports reveal that SRA representatives believed that they had placed Mac CSSA on probation for six months, while the group itself was not notified. Furthermore, Mac CSSA was de-ratified during a meeting on Sept. 22 for which the club was not given due notice.
From reading the SRA meeting minutes and watching live streams of the SRA proceedings, I was struck by the unanimity of it all. Many questions were raised but not discussed and many comments were made but not challenged. Some SRA members even mentioned the absence of Mac CSSA or any rebuttal document at the final de-ratification meeting. Yet, no one in that room tried to table the motion to de-ratify Mac CSSA. What would have changed if the proceedings had been delayed to allow for a chat with the Equity and Inclusion Office, to consult a lawyer and, at the very least, to allow CSSA members to attend the de-ratification meeting? By not properly engaging with opposing voices in the SRA chamber, the rush to judgement that occurred with the de-ratification of Mac CSSA seems to have emerged from a groupthink mentality.
Given my experience as an equity-seeking person myself, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, watching this unfold has made me extremely emotional. By speaking with one voice, rushing to judgement and bypassing the regular procedures, the SRA’s actions threatened not a single group on campus, but the entire institution. This type of prosecution, though clearly not at the same level of magnitude, has shades of the Lavender Scare or even McCarthyism. In those times, as the guilt of the accused was decided prior to the public accusation, any irregular process to convict them was sufficient. Never mind that once accused, there was no chance of defense. Only after the Sept. 22 de-ratification and after Mac CSSA had initiated an appeal process themselves did the SRA give Mac CSSA a chance to answer questions regarding the allegations put forward to de-ratify them. The evidence presented by Mac CSSA in their appeal was dismissed and the SRA denied their appeal.
I’m not defending the actions of Mac CSSA and I’m not even saying that the MSU is wrong to censure a club. But I strongly believe that the cornerstones of our democracy are the right to a fair trial, the right to defend oneself and the right to be presumed innocent. In a fair system, if your arguments are valid, your evidence is sound and your process is unbiased, there is no reason to fear the presence of the accused. Particularly when dealing with an equity-seeking group, it is imperative to ensure that all the necessary steps of a process have been taken with care so there is no questions about the outcome. Even if the outcome may not be different, a fair and transparent procedure is necessary. The process is what protects our values. It is what protects us from fear-mongering, from undue influences and partisanship.
Joshua Marando has admitted that he made such mistakes with regards to CSSA “not being informed at the meeting” as well as the miscommunication of the “initial probation”. While he referred to them as “big oversights,” they were downplayed as “not intentional by any means,” implying to me that even a compromised process can be justified.
The SRA should not be allowed to get away with this. When we compromise procedural justice, even the most righteous of intentions can lead to significant unintended consequences. In this case, the irresponsible management of Mac CSSA’s de-ratification has had profound consequences. Due to my position as an associate chair, I interact with many Chinese undergraduates, graduate students, staff and faculty colleagues, all with varying views. This incident has led to the alienation of a large group of people who may have differing political views, but who are still important members of the McMaster community.
As a student government body that represents people with diverse backgrounds, it is critical for the MSU to maintain an impartial political stance, and treat everyone equally and fairly, which includes international students. The MSU should not forget that Mac CSSA is a club of their own fellow students. They are not some nameless and faceless foreign government entity that some SRA members may have implied in the height of their groupthink euphoria.
The Mac CSSA de-ratification reveals the kind of power the SRA has — in terms of club de-ratification, they are able to act as witnesses, judge, jury and executioner in a decision-making process. It must be made clear to them that such power comes with the trust of the McMaster community, which should be used to strive for equality and inclusivity, instead of dividing the campus by abusing it.
This should really be a wake-up call for the MSU that undue procedures can be a slippery slope that you cannot come back from. The step to de-ratify a club that consists of fellow students is a serious one and deserves thoughtful action. With that being said, this Mac CSSA-gate fiasco could provide an opportunity to establish precedents and norms to prevent it from happening again, similar to the development of the Miranda rights for people accused of criminal actions.
The MSU should really reflect on why they were so quick to compromise their own processes — what was their justification and what would have been the harm of following the correct procedures? The MSU should take measures to counteract groupthink by assigning a devil’s advocate or equity champion, by consulting a specialist before making a decision, by involving third-party members to get impartial opinions or by setting up a rule that the leadership should be absent from discussion to avoid overly influencing decisions.
The MSU should also be aware of the systematic barriers and implicit biases that may have played a role in their flawed procedures. They have an obligation to reach out to the less privileged groups of students to help them be a part of the community, to have a voice at the table, to communicate and connect and to be valued.
As David Farr, acting president of McMaster, recently said, “Equity, diversity, and inclusion are critical to our academic mission and vital for innovation and excellence.”
The MSU should play a leading role in that mission, rather than acting against it.
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By Ember, Contributor
cw: fatphobia, disordered eating
Food is what fuels our bodies. So why is it that there is an ever increasing rise of popularity in dieting and diet culture? A movement that encourages us to deprive ourselves; to aspire to be thin. To put it plainly? A hatred for fat bodies that results in widespread disordered eating.
The way we frame different topics and discussions is very important. This especially applies to the way we talk about food, our bodies and other people’s bodies.
Caloric science is based on outdated Western scientific methods from the nineteenth century by Wilbur Atwater. It is the estimate of how much energy is contained in a portion of food by burning it in a tank submerged in water, and measuring how much burning the food increased the temperature of the surrounding water.
However, it is hard to accurately predict the energy stored in food; our bodies do not work as simply as a furnace burning fuel. There are many factors that influence the calories of the foods we eat, like how the food is prepared, if cellulose is present and how much energy it takes to digest the food.
Not to mention, there are additional factors that affect digestion, such as metabolism, age, gut bacteria and physical activity. Labels on food do not accurately represent what we’re putting into our body nor what we’re getting out of it.
Ever since Canada enforced the Healthy Menu Choices Act back in 2016, which requires food establishments to list the amount of calories in their products, there has also been an increasing number of discussions surrounding the negative impact of the addition of calories to menus.
Another measurement that is often used to determine how healthy we are is body mass index, even though it is an inaccurate measurement of “health” for multiple reasons. It was meant to analyze the weight of populations, not individuals, and doesn’t take into account whether mass is fat or muscle. As a result, BMI is a biased and harmful method to gauge health.
Along with measurements like calories and BMI, language surrounding food can also be dangerous. You may hear things like “carbs are bad”, or you may hear discourse on “healthy” versus “unhealthy” foods, “cheat days” and “clean eating”, to name some examples. This language can contribute to the notion that we should feel bad for eating food, when it simply is a way to nourish ourselves and additionally, something to enjoy.
Diet culture is so pervasive and present in society. It is encouraged by menus listing calorie amounts, peers, elders and healthcare professionals in various ways. Thoughts like “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” stem from conflating “health” and “weight”, which has roots in racism, classism and fatphobia.
Diet culture is so pervasive and present in society. It is encouraged by menus listing calorie amounts, peers, elders and healthcare professionals in various ways. Thoughts like “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” stem from conflating “health” and “weight”, which has roots in racism, classism and fatphobia.
Hannah Meier, a dietitian who contributed to a project tackling women’s health, writes about how society glorifies dieting. In Meier’s article titled A Dietitian’s Truth: Diet Culture Leads to Disordered Eating she writes, “I was half-functioning. I remember filling pages of journals with promises to myself that I wouldn’t eat. I planned out my week of arbitrary calorie restrictions that were shockingly low and wrote them all over my planner, my whiteboard, the foggy mirror in the bathroom.”
For many of us, the mindset of diet culture swallows you whole, consumes your every thought and waking moment, then spits you out like rotten food.
Oftentimes, people aren’t advocating for diets because they want to be “healthy”. Instead, they often feel passionate about dieting because of their hate and disdain for fat people since they associate being “fat” with “unhealthy”, “unhappy” or “unlovable”.
It’s also important to note that views on fatness and fat bodies change depending on the time period and culture; renaissance paintings often depict fat women in angelic and celestial aesthetics. As well, certain cultures, both past and present, value fatness as a symbol of privilege, power, wealth and fertility.
Diet culture, eating disorders, and fatphobia are so tightly knit together that they are like an ill-fitting sweater woven by your grandmother that you didn’t want or ask for. Sometimes you think about wearing it, to make things easier or simpler. But it won’t. You will only become a shell of your former self; a husk that is barely scraping by.
Any joy derived from depriving yourself is temporary. A scale will weigh how much of you is there, but it won’t weigh how much of you has been lost to an eating disorder. It is a mental illness, a distortion of reality and external factors that influence how you think. You can’t just stop having an eating disorder on a whim.
Calorie counting isn’t healthy, demonizing certain foods isn’t healthy and having preconceived notions about someone’s health based on how their body looks isn’t “just caring about their health.” Stop calling food “unhealthy” or “healthy”, start calling it “nourishing” or “not/less nourishing. Eat food that makes you happy and makes you feel good. Bodies are so many things, including wonderful and complex. You only have one — so treat it with kindness.
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