For over 25 years the McMaster Alumni Association has partnered with affinity companies to bring valuable services and discounted benefits to students, alumni as well as faculty and staff.  If you’re a student, you may have encountered some friendly folks reaching out to you to sign up for a BMO McMaster MasterCard in the Student Centre. And perhaps you might have looked into renters insurance in your second year when you moved off campus through TD Insurance Meloche Monnex.  We hope you’ve enjoyed flashing your MasterCard with the image of our beloved Edwards Arch and felt a little surge of pride when a cashier or server comments on the great looking card, or says, oh, hey, I go to MAC too! Perhaps when you graduate, you’ll need to replace your health and dental insurance and will look to Manulife Financial for that. Further on, you’ll switch that renters insurance to house insurance and may want to protect your growing family with life insurance. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves!

The MAA’s goal with the affinity programs has always been to offer a great deal or added value on a service or product you need. And, over the years, thousands of students and alumni have participated in these programs. With excellent customer service survey reports and impressive retention rates, we are confident that the programs are delivering the quality experience that we expect.

You may wonder what else the alumni association get out of these programs. You may enjoy knowing that your participation in these programs helps to contribute to programs and initiatives back here at MAC, without any additional cost to you!  Over the years, through growth in these programs, the MAA has supported student bursaries and scholarships, helped fund Alumni Field, the McMaster University Student Centre, helped bring you Light up the Night, as well as countless student group initiatives, conferences and events that contribute to the diverse learning and social opportunities that make for an awesome university experience.  

So, if you’re carrying that McMaster MasterCard in your wallet, we hope you feel good about using it and we hope you are even more stoked about the discount you received on your insurance. If you’d like to learn more about the affinity programs offered through the association, check us out anytime at alumni.mcmaster.ca – Access Benefits. Questions?  Contact alumni@mcmaster.ca or call 905-525-9140, x. 23900.  And hey, thanks for your participation!

 

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From the HSR’s “friendly Frank” to our energetic Tim Hortons cashier, Terri, in McMaster University Student Centre, the McMaster community is lucky to have Hamilton community members who contribute to the betterment of Mac.

Greater gratitude should be given to those who contribute to McMaster from the Hamilton community.

We should be taking inspiration from Diana Marginean, who created a crowdfunding campaign to thank Frank Palin  for being such a friendly bus driver.

Palin drives the 51 bus in Hamilton and through McMaster, where he engages with hundreds of McMaster students on a weekly basis.

He is known for singing his own versions of “The Wheels on the Bus” to encourage his passengers to move back and make room for more people on the bus, and for greeting everyone with a friendly hello and wishing people a great day as they get off the bus.

Marginean is a McMaster graduate who noticed how many students were commenting about Palin on the “Spotted at Mac” Facebook page and understood the importance of showing appreciation to those who have a positive impact on students’ lives at McMaster.

Greater gratitude should be given to those who contribute to McMaster from the Hamilton community.

To show this appreciation, Marginean started a campaign with donations from 77 people who raised $950 for Palin in four months, which he decided to donate to McMaster to support international students and in need.

He hopes to establish a bursary that will allow international students to have a positive experience in Canada. Palin named it the “This is Canada” fund as he hopes that it will show the way Canadians help one another out and create positive experiences for one another.

An iFundMac page has been set up with Palin’s $1,300 contribution to launch the fund. $1,700 is needed to reach the required minimum amount to establish a student award for international students.

Like Palin, Terri Marshall, who works at the Tim Hortons in MUSC, is also known to uplift students with her positive enthusiasm, even at 7:30 a.m.

Whether you’re buying a coffee or simply walking by, Marshall will be able to put a smile on your face with her radiant attitude no matter what your struggle is.

Marshall has been singing, dancing and keeping students entertained while serving coffee for the past 11 years, and has been doing her best to make students smile everyday.

She writes inspiring messages on your coffee and is known to draw hearts on your lids.

In 2015, McMaster students raised $1,700 with 142 donations to give back and show their appreciation.

They surprised Marshall with an impromptu dance party and a cheque to send her on vacation with smiles like the ones she encourages daily.

Her positivity has become an integral part of student’s university experience that most McMaster students have encountered and can reflect on.

Like Palin, Marshall’s impact on students is one that works towards improving student mental health and encouraging positive attitudes in the McMaster-Hamilton community.

Their contributions to the McMaster community are priceless and have an important positive impact and that should be shown appreciation that is as consistent as their positivity from McMaster students, like the efforts that have been made to give back to Marshall and Palin.

These are efforts that should be extended to community members who work to empower McMaster students and create a positive environment in the community.

Likewise, McMaster university should find ways to thank these wonderful individuals and individuals of the Hamilton community alike that work towards the betterment of students’ lives.

Whether it be our institutional partners or individuals like Palin and Marshall, who help make out daily lives easier and more positive, it is important to show appreciation to those who help McMaster students’ daily routines run smoother.

This will create a feedback loop of gratitude and will work towards encouraging positivity in all interactions at McMaster.

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Randall Andrejciw
The Silhouette

Like most students, I reacted with excitement when I heard that Starbucks would be opening in the Student Centre. But my joy quickly turned to incredulity when I considered the many drawbacks.

I understand that this is a good business move for Starbucks and McMaster Hospitality Services. Starbucks certainly owns the premium coffee market, into which many students fit. (On a side note, I chuckle to myself whenever I observe students in Starbucks across the street complain about how school fees are too high while shelling out for venti macchiatos). However, the hassles faced by students who have to deal with Starbucks and its effects on student centre congestion and student bank accounts outweigh any potential trickle – down effect produced by the profits Starbucks is sure to rake in.

The largest problem that Starbucks will create is logistical in nature. Think back to when Booster Juice – also poorly located and overpriced – first opened in MUSC. Do you remember the lineups and hallway congestion? For those who missed it, Booster Juice wait times were comparable with the wait times to get in the bookstore during the first week of classes. Assuming that the MUSC Starbucks will be as busy as Booster Juice was on it’s opening, imagine that kind of congestion at an entrance where thousands of bodies pass through each day. McMaster’s First Law of Mathematics states that the shortest distance between two points on campus is a straight line, unless that line goes through the teeming mass of humanity that is MUSC. Speaking of lines, I’d rather wait an hour for textbooks in thirty-plus degree heat again than try to walk through the inevitably large queues of students that Starbucks will attract on a daily basis.

As mentioned earlier, Starbucks is, at least in my opinion, overpriced for the quality of its product. Don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkin spice lattes as much as the next guy. However, I don’t love having to pay over five dollars for a cup of liquid that will eventually end up in the sewer. Why would the university choose to place such an expensive coffee shop in its busiest building, especially when Tim Horton’s and Union Market offer similar caffeinated products? Assuming that the university takes a portion of the profits from Starbucks, when the profits that Starbucks is sure to receive are taken into account, it is clear that Starbucks is a hot, tasty attempt to gouge students, most of whom don’t have excessive amounts of disposable income, for even more money.

When Starbucks does open, I hope students speak with their wallets and send a clear message to the MUSC Starbucks that they will be an inconvenience in many ways. I intend to continue to visit Union Market for my on-campus coffee needs, and I encourage my peers to do the same. As for Starbucks, I will bear the long, arduous journey across the street should the urge for a latte strike. Unlike MUSC will be once Starbucks opens: it’s an easy walk.

With coffee competitors around the corner, UM wants to remain a student hotspot

The Student Centre is bustling again and the Union Market is starting the year off with a fresh face. The student-run store is in the process of adding a third cash register and a new layout for easier coffee service. The store has already added a large grab ‘n’ go fridge along with gluten-free options. A grand reopening will take place in October, once renovations are complete.

The Union Market, owned and operated by the MSU, will soon have to compete with a new Starbucks moving into the Student Centre at the end of October.

“When the Starbucks went up on Main Street, we felt a bit of pressure,” said Matthew Bergen, Union Market manager.

Bergen said the Union Market will continue to bank on the student atmosphere that has kept regulars coming in over the years. He also wants to reach out to first years who may not know about the store because it doesn’t accept student meal cards.

“When you’re in first year, you’re just walking through the Student Centre - you’re in that bubble,” he said.

Bergen started working at the Union Market as a student two and a half years ago.

“I was paying my own way through school, so I needed a job. I really liked the environment here and how it was student-oriented. Everyone was on the same level,” he said. Bergen liked the student vibe so much that he applied to be manager twice.

When he started his term this past May, Bergen made it his mission to renovate the store. Since the Union Market first opened with the Student Centre in 2002, the store hasn’t had much more done than a few paint jobs.

Over ten years, the Union Market has seen its sales and traffic grow along with the student population. Now, with thousands of people passing through the Student Centre each day, the store is trying to catch up with its increased foot traffic. The Union Market currently sells between 2500-3000 cups of coffee a week.

While all full-time undergraduate students pay $122 toward operating costs of MSU services, the Union Market is one of the only MSU businesses that makes enough profit to help financially support other services.

Bergen said the Union Market is in a unique position as both a business and a part of a non-profit student organization.

“Our goal isn’t to widen our margins as much as we can or to mark up the prices,” Bergen said. “The Union Market is the only place on campus where you can get a coffee, yogurt, and fruit for under five bucks.”

The line for a free Steve Aoki, Dragonette and Young Empires concert started on the third floor of the student centre Wednesday morning. It stretched down the hall, down the stairs, across the entire second floor and into the stairwell leading to the first. Ticket distribution began at noon, with the pickup location of MUSC 319 announced only 45 minutes in advance. McMaster found out on Oct. 4 that it had won the show in the TD Pump It Up Contest, beating out Queen's University in the heavyweight division. There are about 3000 tickets available for the Nov. 22 event, which will be held in the Wentworth Room of the Hamilton Convention Centre.

Staff cleaners were responsible for clearing out the Occupy McMaster area last week.

An investigation conducted by McMaster Security Services, prompted by a theft report, found that cleaners had thrown away furniture, blankets, promotional materials and other items from the couch space in the corner of the student centre.

According to Security Services Staff Sergeant Cathy O'Donnell, the area was cleaned as a result of a miscommunication.

Lori Diamond, director of the Student Centre's administration, confirmed that the directive did not come from her office. A supervisor of the night shift, she explained, had told employees to clean the area, but not to clear it out completely, when they asked about whether students were still using it. The employees mistakenly proceeded to throw away everything except the bookshelf and its contents.

Diamond explained that, although MUSC staff have the authority to throw away items left in MUSC, it is not in the philosophy of her administration to do so. Cleaning staff have mainly left the Occupy McMaster area untouched since it began residing there last November.

Members of Occupy have been rebuilding their presence in the space since they found it empty on the morning of Sept. 18, which was the day after the one-year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street.

Two years after it was allocated, the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) continues to hold $1.1 million in student money, and both the McMaster Students Union (MSU) and the University, along with the part-time students association (MAPS), are looking for a way to spend it.

The money came from excess student fees collected by the MSU in 2010-11, which were collected to pay for the remaining portion on a loan from the University to fund the MUSC’s construction ten years ago.

The money will either go toward a new capital project to improve the Student Centre or toward discounting occupancy fees of its resident businesses and services.

The decision of how the funds will be spent now sits with the MUSC Board of Management, which includes representatives from the MSU, the University and MAPS.

John McGowan, who is the general manager of the MSU, explained that details on how, exactly, the money will be spent have not yet been worked out.

The money was not originally earmarked for projects of a certain kind.

“In all scenarios, it will help benefit undergraduate students,” he said, given that a reduction in occupancy costs for MSU services would mean more funding for other areas, and that a capital project would, presumably, benefit at least some students.

The issue began in 1987 when the MSU held a student referendum about the construction of a student centre. As a result, they started to collect a yearly amount from students to finance their portion of the Student Centre. In order to pay for their share, the MSU borrowed money from the University, to be paid back over a number of years.

MUSC was completed in 2002. However, the final loan payment from the MSU to the University didn’t occur until April of 2011.

“Leading up year of the retirement of the capital debt on the student centre, there was a lot of discussion between the University and the MSU on exactly what was outstanding,” said McGowan.

“The project had been going on for an extended period of time and the many stakeholders had changed. When sorting out the remaining balance, there were a couple of discrepancies that all parties needed to clarify regarding contributions to the student centre versus loans for the student centre.”

Because the discrepancies could not be sorted out until after fees were to be set early in 2010 for the following school year, the MSU has a decision to make. Should it collect only what it thought the remaining balance on the loan was, or collect the same amount as the previous year, increased with inflation, to cover their bases?

They opted for the latter. When the dust settled and the University could not produce proof that the MSU owed more than it thought it owed, it turned out that the MSU had collected roughly $1.13 million more than was required.

As per an agreement between the University and MSU, which was clarified when the final year’s fee was set, that surplus was transferred to the MUSC, which has a separate administrative body that is jointly managed by the MSU and University.

“That’s full-time undergraduate money that students said they wanted to spend on the MUSC,” explained McGowan about the money sent to MUSC.

 

An optometrist’s office has been selected to replace Travel Cuts in the student centre, between Union Market and the pharmacy.

The decision comes after considerable effort by the McMaster Students Union over the past year to gather student input on what kind of business should get the main-floor space in MUSC. A proposal for the MSU to push for a grocery store, which was the most popular choice of a poll on the Students Union’s website, was brought to the MSU’s General Assembly in March, though there was not quorum at the Assembly at the time of the vote.

The decision was made by the student centre’s Board of Management, which includes representatives of both the MSU and the University.

The optometrist was one of four businesses that responded the call for expressions of interest by the Board of Management in December. Each of the others were expansions or relocations of services already existing on campus. Proposals were received from the McMaster Credit Union, the Athletics and Recreation department and Compass Information Centre.

The same group that owns the dentist’s office behind the Travel Cuts space will own and operate the optometrist. The two offices will likely share the storefront that faces the main seating area in the student centre.

Despite having received proposals only from McMaster and MSU organizations, MUSC director Lori Diamond said that a request for expressions of interest was sent to current vendors, vendors who have expressed interest in the past, the Westdale Business Improvement Area (BIA) office and other universities that might have interested vendors.

Although a grocery store was not among those businesses that responded to the Board of Management’s call for expressions of interests, Grocery Checkout Fresh Market was brought in informally to discuss the possibility. Grocery Checkout has locations in the student centres of both Queen’s University in Kingston and Western University in London.

Representatives explained that Grocery Checkout’s operation would require the space of both Travel Cuts and the University Centre Pharmacy next door.

At the time, the Pharmacy and MUSC were in negotiations over a lease renewal. With the Shoppers Drug Mart going in across Main Street and the Pharmacy’s place in MUSC somewhat up in the air, the possibility of using both spaces for a grocery store was open.

Last December, the Pharmacy was asked to suggest a rental price for a new deal. The Board of Management countered with a different number. The counter-offer remained on the table for the few months that followed.

At around the same time as the March 25 General Assembly, then-MSU president Matthew Dillon-Leitch talked with Diamond about the possibility of a grocery store using both the Travel Cuts and Pharmacy space. It was between that discussion and the April meeting of the MUSC Board of Management that Diamond informed the MSU that the Pharmacy planned to accept the Board’s counter-offer.

“I don’t think it’s in good faith in terms of projecting a good business environment that it really would have been all that moral or ethical to pull [the contract offer to the Pharmacy] back because we had potentially another offer for that space,” said Diamond.

There were a couple of key reasons behind the choice to go with an optometrist, said Diamond. Bringing in a third-party vendor, rather than a business or service of the MSU or University, guarantees revenue for MUSC. An optometrist also does not duplicate a product or service already offered in the building.

Dina Fanara

Assistant News Editor

 

The Travel Cuts location at McMaster closed its doors in the Student Centre (MUSC) not long before the end of first term. Now, it’s space next to Union Market is up for grabs.

When Travel Cuts closed, it promised students that its services would still be offered from an alternate location.

Travel Cuts been in existence on campuses throughout Ontario since the 1950s, and was owned for the majority of that time by the Canadian Federation of Students, a student lobbying group, with the goal of providing discounted travel rates for students.

According to McMaster Student Union (MSU) president Matthew Dillon-Leitch, Travel Cuts made the decision not to renew their lease contract with the University, as they are currently in the process of downsizing. They are removing their on-campus locations from several other schools as well.

The MUSC management team is currently receiving proposals from prospective businesses and services who have interest in renting the 500-square-foot space.

Ideas are pouring in for what should go in place of Travel Cuts. But as Dillon-Leitch pointed out, “there are restrictions in the student centre on what we are and are not allowed to place.”

Rarely do students have an opportunity to give their opinion on such an important matter, admits Dillon-Leitch. “It’s a fun chance to get it right.”

A decision facing the MSU is whether they want the space to house a business of their own creation or to allow the space to be leased to a private vendor. The first option involves financial risk, while the later forgoes any potential profit or significant control.

Prior to the final decision being made, Dillon-Leitch would like to launch some further initiatives to find out what students would like to see in the place of Travel Cuts.

Suggestions include retail, a food outlet, a grocery store, banking locations, extra seating space and a coffee shop. Student input will help differentiate between the proposals set forth, or drive management to search for further options.

Kacper Niburksi

Assistant News Editor

 

Ever notice how, when you walk through the Student Centre (MUSC), something doesn’t feel quite right? No, it’s not the noxious, lingering smell of cheese pizza at every step. Nor is it the zoo of students bustling through its doors at any hour of the day.

Instead, it is much, much worse: there are cobwebs where there should be smoothies.

In September, the popular smoothie, ice cream and Jamaican patties vendor located beside Tim Horton’s in MUSC closed its doors. Under a sub-lease with McMaster Hospitality Services, the kiosk chose to terminate its agreement with McMaster last summer.

With students unaware, saddened and smoothie-less, the following months saw discussions in the McMaster community, specifically the McMaster Hospitality Services (MHS), and a variety of would-be franchise owners. Many showed interest, and numerous deals were offered, but among the lot, a smoothie magnate came out on top: Booster Juice.

First mentioned publically by MSU president Matthew Dillion-Leitch, an approved agreement between MHS and the Booster Juice franchise was reached in December of 2011.

Glenn Tucker, Director of International and Non-Traditional Development at Booster Juice, said that the chain had “long coveted such a store at McMaster.”

Perhaps due to Booster Juice’s commitment to providing healthy options, or maybe because of the exhilaration that comes with change, the student-run website, Macinsiders, was barraged with an array of sneers, cheers and jeers regarding the approval.

On the site’s discussion forum, the post obtained near to 4500 views and received 77 replies. Among the many – some of which were emphatic, others shadowed more so in cynicism – a common complaint seemed to underline the discussion: the price of smoothies. To a student operating on a three-penny and bellybutton lint monthly allowance, this grievance may certainly hold water. But like many of the vendors in MUSC, such as Pizza Pizza, who have offered concessions to better fit the student lifestyle, Booster Juice may too offer a price reduction – although this has neither been confirmed nor denied by either the MHS or Booster Juice itself.

Despite the excitement and consequent questions that the approval has caused, a binding agreement has yet to be signed between MHS and Booster Juice. This isn’t necessarily an uncommon practice. In most cases, the MHS buys the franchise license and then works out the details regarding the storefront itself.

In this case, however, since no signed agreement has been reached. Booster Juice has delayed all documents and potential design options to McMaster University, although some preliminary documentation was sent on Jan. 10.

As explained in the sent documents, the Booster Juice franchise will be in the same location as the smoothie bar in MUSC but “with a slightly larger footprint,” said Lori Diamond, Director of the MUSC. Considering that this is a clustered location that is nested nearby an already overwhelmingly packed Tim Horton’s and La Piazza, the line-ups for the franchise will extend into a corridor that will be created between the Booster Juice and Tim Horton kiosks. To do this, the construction is planned to begin in early February and extend to March if need be. Ideally, the Booster Juice kiosk is to be completed after Reading Week.

Diamond reminded, however, that details such as the size of operation, construction dates, and menu offerings are not concrete without a signed agreement. Tucker mirrored this sentiment: “Until a signed agreement is in place, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on specifics.”

Considering the numerous details that need to be addressed, there is still much that must be done before Booster Juice comes to McMaster. Questions need to be answered, deals need to be made, agreements need to be signed and construction needs to begin. In other words, the operation has yet to put the “smooth” in “smoothie”.