Opening weekend for Marauders soccer complete after their matches against the Western Mustangs
The fall sports season is finally underway! This past weekend both men’s and women’s soccer teams kicked off their scheduled seasons by facing the Western Mustangs.
Both teams hit the road Saturday to meet the Mustangs on their home field. The women’s team kick off was first, taking place on what was one of the hotter days of the year. Third year center back, Bryanna Caldwell, was one of the athletes to play through the heat and she felt the team still did a fantastic job.
“I feel like our strong preseason, which built a positive team environment, helped to create strong team chemistry, in which we play for one another. In addition other fans and students who made the trip all the way out to Western helped to push us through,” said Caldwell.
Making the almost two-hour drive to London McMaster University students Anas Takrouri and Yasir Kosso were among those who came to support the Marauders at the kick off.
“We like to come out and support the team because we know the feeling that comes with having fans come out and support you,” explained Takrouri.
The team pushed through the heat and ended the game tied one to one. The thrilling match saw McMaster come back to level terms with less than 10 minutes left in the match. The game tying goal came from a header by Caldwell off of Emilie Calbrese’s cross.
Another thrilling match came from the men's team shortly after. However, the McMaster men’s soccer team unfortunately lost their first match of the season under new head coach Chris Markou, losing by a slim two to one margin against the Mustangs.
The weekends second day of play came with much cooler weather for both teams to compete in. The women’s team kicked off again first against a Western side irate from the match before.
Caldwell recalled the physicality of the match and the intensity in which the game was played. Both the Marauders and the Mustangs desperately wanted to walk away victorious after they walked away from the first match tied.
“We were fighting against another team who wanted the win just as badly as we did. Each player on Mac worked hard to win their one-on-one battles. Even with a couple of injuries, we pushed through,” said Caldwell.
“We were fighting against another team who wanted the win just as badly as we did. Each player on Mac worked hard to win their one-on-one battles. Even with a couple of injuries, we pushed through,”
Bryanna Caldwell, Third year center back
The game ended up going to the Mustangs, with the Marauders losing by one goal.
Just after the women’s match, the men’s team lined up to take on their contempories and eager to gain points. They ended the game with a one to nothing win via a goal by Miles Green. This marked the first win for McMaster under their new head coach.
“The pride of playing at home pushed us to get a win. We wanted to set a tone and bring energy to the home field and for the fans,” said Bryan Florent a member of the men’s team.
The fan’s made themselves heard, cheering on the Marauders until the end of each game. A new outpour of support from the crowd has had an immense impact on the players.
“The fans are like a 12th man on the pitch. It gets us going and fired up. A round of applause after a tackle, a goal or a shot, it gives us good energy,” explained Florent.
With a rigorous schedule ahead, the support of fans will hopefully continue to help push both teams ahead.
C/O Yoohyun Park
The McMaster Ukrainian Students' Association tells us how we can support their community during this time
In the few weeks since Russia’s initial attack on Ukraine, citizens have been devastated by the effects of war. It’s not only affecting the more than two million forced to flee their home, but also Ukrainian people around the world who worry for their country and families.
As the number of involved countries rises, including the latest addition of the famously neutral Switzerland joining on Feb. 28 when it declared it would be freezing all its Russian assets, Ukraine remains under attack from the Russian military.
From Mar. 7 to 9, the Ukrainian Students’ Association held a booth educating students on how McMaster can show support for Ukraine during these times. Along with their in-person outreach, MUSA has also been posting education information online. Jessica Aranyush, a MUSA member and Laryssa Pichocki, the vice-president social for MUSA, helped to collect signatures and provide resources at the booth.
The main focus of their work was getting students to sign and send letters to members of parliament and members of provincial parliament, calling for both military and humanitarian assistance, encouraging them to attend information sessions and donating to the cause.
“If you are able to donate, donations are great. We've been told monetary [support] is more important right now, just due to there being lots of fights, but even [if you’re not able to donate] just reaching out to any Ukrainian students you know . . . And then don't always ask students about explaining the whole war to [you] because you know, a lot’s going on. Do your own research,”
Laryssa Pichocki
Pichocki mentioned that it’s also possible to show support at rallies that have been happening around Canada and that MUSA has been posting the dates. The latest student support night at the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in Hamilton was on Mar. 7.
“I think [the student support night] was really good for solidarity and just support in general. Even the young people and older people that attended said it was really good to have that solidarity,” said Aranyush.
While the Ukrainian students find support in each other and the Hamilton Ukrainian Community, it is still difficult to go through school or work knowing what is happening half a world away.
“I think anyone who's been affected by war in general, not just Ukrainians, I think your life kind of shifts all of a sudden . . . [For] me directly, my grandparents are still there. Literally everyone except my parents. So, it's like now I wake up and school’s put on the backburner and instead of that I'm kind of waking up to the news every day,” said Aranyush.
News coming out of Ukraine has also highlighted how Black immigrants and Ukrainians of colour are having more difficulty leaving Ukraine and are facing mistreatment when they are able to leave. The MUSA shared an educational post in support of Black Ukrainians along with resources for Black, Brown and Slavic Ukrainians.
The most recent rally shared by MUSA took place on Saturday, Mar. 12. To show support right now, you can educate yourself on the evolving situation through reliable, unbiased news sources and keep up to date on new ways to support the McMaster Ukrainian community by following MUSA online.
Check out these eight Canadian leaders, educators and groups for sex, gender and health advice
From providing advice on your sex life to facilitating safe and honest conversations around sexuality and gender, these eight Canadian leaders, educators and groups are here to inform, entertain and guide you through your journey.
Mela Swayze
An educator, consultant, facilitator, coach and speaker, Mela Swayze does it all. Swayze provides training and workshops on 2SLGBTQIA+ workplace equity and building trauma-informed, trans-affirming spaces. They also provide coaching on sex, gender and relationships.
They are an influential and highly respected leader in promoting queer and trans inclusion practice. Keep up to date with new programming and services from Swayze on their Instagram.
Yaz the Human
Yaz Harris, also known as Yaz the Human, is a yoga teacher and writer. They teach many different styles of yoga including Yin, Vinyasa and Hatha as well as meditation. Harris also writes about their honest experiences with sex, self-intimacy and kinks. Their feed is full of their raw self, with posts discussing body image, self-pleasures and fun dildo reviews.
Jenna Tenn-Yuk
Queer, Christian and Chinese Jamaican writer Jenna Tenn-Yuk did not have any role models growing up who shared her intersectional experiences. Today, through her various roles as a writer, facilitator, performer and speaker, she hopes to share unique stories and empower individuals to embrace their identities. She speaks on various topics such as 2SLGBTQIA+ issues, Christianity, diversity, equity and inclusion.
Dev
Dev is a queer, transmasculine, nonbinary coach in trauma-informed guided meditation and a pleasure advocate. They offer guided meditation and intuitive readings (such as tarot card and astrology chart readings) for healing and energy cleansing. The services are held and booked through their website, Retrogradient space.
If you check out their Instagram page, you will find posts carrying messages of self-advocacy, reflection and community that serve as a reminder to always practice self-love.
Kama La Mackerel
Kama La Mackerel is a multi-disciplinary artist, educator, writer and literary translator. They have worked in many different curational and community-based projects such as Gender B(l)ender, The Self-Love Cabaret and Our Bodies, Our Stories. They run an Instagram account that provides insight into their captivating, multi-faceted work.
Rae McDaniel
Rae McDaniel is a licensed clinical professional counsellor, certified sex therapist, coach, educator and public speaker. They are the founder of Practical Audacity, a gender and sex therapy practice run by queer-identified or allied, trauma-informed therapists.
McDaniel also runs GenderFck, an online coaching community aimed at helping trans, non-binary or questioning folks with transition and their experiences with gender, sexual identity and/or relationships.
Check out their Instagram page for more about their upcoming workshops and services, and get inspired by their educational and motivational posts on gender journey, mental health and transitioning.
Eva Bloom
Eva Bloom is a McMaster alumna, online sex educator and YouTuber. On Bloom’s channel, What’s My Body Doing, she discusses anti-oppressive, sex-positive and evidence-based videos. Some of her most viewed videos are on improving your sex life, masturbation and handling a pregnancy scare.
She is available to answer all of your, questions on sex and queerness and makes it easy to open up conversations on topics such as queer virginity, self-intimacy and sexting.
Speqtrum Hamilton
Based in Hamilton, Speqtrum is a youth-founded and youth-focused community for 2SLGBTQIA+ folks aged 17-29 in Hamilton. The group offers a variety of programs, one-on-one supports and community-building opportunities to promote the growth and development of queer and trans youth.
It also offers special services for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth who are new to Canada to help them develop a network and community. You can get updates about upcoming events, peer support services and opportunities through their Instagram.
If you’ve ever read Mac Confessions, you’d know that sometimes students can have a tough time balancing their full-time load, but when you add a couple of hours of practice per day, things can get particularly spicy. Not only do student athletes deal with the typical difficulties of being in university, but they also devote large amounts of time and effort to their teams in order to continue performing at high levels.
However, playing sports at a university level isn’t all work and no play; it has its benefits. Being able to access high-level physical training, connect with teammates and develop a social network early on in university are just some of the perks that come with the lifestyle. Being a part of a university sports team can also develop many life skills, such as understanding commitment, organization, time management and teamwork.
However, playing sports at a university level isn’t all work and no play; it has its benefits. Being able to access high-level physical training, connect with teammates and develop a social network early on in university are just some of the perks that come with the lifestyle. Being a part of a university sports team can also develop many life skills, such as understanding commitment, organization, time management and teamwork.
With that being said, no one can understand the student athlete experience more than, well, the athletes themselves. For that reason, we sat down with Holly Connor, a first year student on the women’s water polo team; Andrew Davies, a second year student on the men’s cross country/track team and Brandon Chong, a fourth year student on the men’s baseball team. They shared how their lives are different from regular students, how they deal with their struggles and what they’ve learned from their experiences.
As a first year student, Holly Connor just went through a major transition from high school to university-level sports.
“At the very beginning of the year when everything was so new, it was difficult, but once you get into the groove of it, it worked out better,” said Connor.
Despite the time management struggles, Connor does not regret her decision to play university-level water polo, as it has its upsides.
“Playing the sport itself helped me in so many different ways. I made so many friends through it, some of my best friends. [Waterpolo] helped me in my health because I was initially very concerned about eating habits and my exercise I’d be able to get while transitioning into university, and it really helped me stay on top of it. It was also really nice to have that outlet to go and relax and not have to think about school all the time,” said Connor.
Athletes like Connor love the opportunity to play their sport and work on their craft. They take on the mentality of getting to go to practice, rather than having to go to practice. Practices and games are a release for athletes like her. Not only do they act as breaks, but they help maintain physical health while in the company of teammates and friends. Chong has had a similar experience as Conner.
“You take your mind off school, you get to hang out with your teammates and play baseball. They always like to have fun, so it gave me a place to take my mind off school. A release for me,” said Chong.
One of the most important parts of a team is of course, its teammates. The bond between the players on the roster is so much deeper than just being on the team together. Relationships that stem from these teams can be extremely helpful for new students coming in.
“A lot of my teammates are in the same program that I’m in, and all took the same classes, so it was really nice to be able to get together and do some work together,” said Connor. “It worked really well having that unit, who I not only spent all my time in the pool, but also spent a lot of time outside, getting to know them.”
“A lot of my teammates are in the same program that I’m in, and all took the same classes, so it was really nice to be able to get together and do some work together,” said Connor. “It worked really well having that unit, who I not only spent all my time in the pool, but also spent a lot of time outside, getting to know them.”
Davies also touched on the academic benefits of having teammates, saying, “There’s definitely some people on that team that are good for advice, who have done it before and are really good role models to follow in school and an athletic sense.”
Being a second year student, Davies has picked the brains of upper year students, which made his transition much easier. Despite not being in the same program as his teammates, Davies still experienced significant benefits from the mentorship provided by his teammates. They helped him transition into university sports, assisting him with the ins and outs of time management.
Time management is critical for student athletes.
“We practice three days a week, then weekends are just double headers each day (during the season), so probably about 24 hours a week maybe. Sometimes you just fall behind because it’s a lot of hours. It’s very hard to balance, but it’s doable,” Chong said.
The support system of coaches and fellow teammates helps ease the struggle of time management.
“I would say to know your schedule and your workload and everything,” said Chong. “If you need help, talk to someone, a teammate, talk to a coach, say that you’re stressed out about something. Let him know, he’ll understand. Just make sure you have a good scheduling system for yourself.”
Chong mentioned that being a part of the team significantly improved his leadership and time management, which are critical life-long skills.
The busiest time of the year for these athletes, of course, is the regular season. Currently, all three athletes are in the midst of their off-season, but that doesn’t mean they have it easy. The off-season grind can be as strenuous as the regular season.
“Practices are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday,” said Connor. “We have to keep up with our diets, and make sure we are eating enough. The off-season is from mid-December to June, and it is the same practice schedule. However, we are less focused on skills that would apply right away, rather long-term techniques. It’s still the same amount of practicing, so it still affects me in similar ways that it did previously, but now I have better abilities to cope with that. In the summer, we have workout programs that we are supposed to do on our own, where we focus on strength and cardio training.”
According to Davis, when it comes to the off-season for cross country and track, things get a little different. Davies has to deal with longer seasons, competing during the majority of the school year, so training intensity stays up there fall and winter terms, meaning he does not get to slow down and take a break from his heavy schedule.
“We have both cross country, and track seasons, we are competing almost the whole school year. We train right from the start of the semester, up until near the last few weeks. We have competitions going throughout the year,” Davies said.
All three athletes feel that although student athlete life can be challenging, the positives outweigh the negatives. Being able to make friends through their team, receive advice from upper years and develop life skills are why they would recommend sports to future students.
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On Sept. 26, the Canadian Union of Public Employees 3906 made history as 87 per cent of its Unit 1 members voted to authorize a strike mandate. Unit 1 represents graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants and research assistants at McMaster. This will allow for strike action, if deemed necessary.
The vote came after a series of labour negotiations between CUPE 3906 and McMaster University. Beginning in June, CUPE had presented a list of proposed changes to the collective agreement that supervises McMaster’s academic employees. The list included paid training for teaching assistants, equitable wages between undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants, an increase to the minimum number of hours on a contract, protection against tuition increases and better representation for Indigenous members.
McMaster had planned to conduct negotiations with CUPE 3906 in accordance with Bill 124, which, if passed, would nullify collective agreements and limit the annual increase of compensation and wages to one per cent. Since the bill was yet to be legally binding at the time of negotiations, CUPE 3906 disagreed with McMaster’s choice to bargain under Bill 124.
After the first reading of Bill 124, which occurred on June 5, 2019, 64 Legislative Assembly members were in favour of passing the bill and 40 members voted against it. In the end, the motion was carried forward. In order to become law, Bill 124 will need to pass additional readings.
By the beginning of September, CUPE 3906 and McMaster had failed to arrive at an agreement. When the bargaining process reached an impasse on Sept. 11, the teaching and research assistants of CUPE 3906’s Unit 1 filed for conciliation and scheduled a strike vote for Sept. 26.
According to an update from CUPE 3906, after four days of voting, a record-breaking majority voted in favour of a strike in the event that CUPE 3906 deems a strike necessary. Most of the members are unwilling to accept the conditions offered by McMaster.
CUPE 3906 represents 3,500 workers at McMaster each year. This makes it one of the largest unions in Hamilton and the largest on campus. Unit 1 alone represents about 2,700 McMaster employees, including all teaching assistants, some research assistants, markers, demonstrators and tutors.
“The bargaining team is not releasing total numbers right now … but it is by far the highest amount of people we’ve ever seen. We had more people vote ‘yes’ than have ever voted total,” said Nathan Todd, president of CUPE 3906 and a graduate student in McMaster’s philosophy department.
A statement on CUPE 3906’s website adds that the strike mandate vote illustrates the members’ commitment to the needs that the union is representing.
Despite a landmark vote, however, CUPE 3906 remains unsure as to how the timeline will look following the strike authorization. The union has not been able to return to the bargaining table; they have not been afforded the chance to change their position and they are advocating for the same changes as when negotiations first began.
At the moment, the rest of the negotiating process is in a standstill as CUPE 3906 waits for news from their provincially appointed conciliation officer. The union is aware that the conciliator has contacted McMaster but does not know how the university has responded, if at all.
“I’m not sure if [McMaster] has returned [the conciliator]’s calls or given her any updates but last I spoke with the conciliator this week, she wasn’t able to confirm any further dates … We’ve offered a number of dates this month. We’re waiting to hear back. That’s kind of holding back the timeline at this point,” said Todd.
Chantal Mancini, a PhD candidate in the department of labour studies and a delegate to the Hamilton and District Labour Council for CUPE 3906, states that McMaster has not demonstrated their support for their graduate students in this round of bargaining.
“It’s interesting that a major focus of researchers in labour studies is the increase of precarious work and the negative impact this has on the well-being of workers. Yet, in direct contrast to this research, McMaster has presented a proposal to our union that will increase the precariousness of the work that I and my Unit 1 colleagues perform,” she said.
Mancini says that the university’s proposal does not support the well-being of graduate students. She notes that although students will benefit from the priorities requested of McMaster, the university has nevertheless rejected the union’s demands.
Maybe the coolest thing while working the voting booth, was having undergrads come up and ask how they could help. Felt awesome to be supported by the whole student family. https://t.co/NEr2xyREMx
— Adam Fortais (@AdamFortais) September 27, 2019
Regardless of the administration’s silence, other bodies on campus have shown their support for CUPE 3906. The McMaster Graduate Student Association released a letter of support on Oct. 2, declaring that the GSA’s priorities align with those of CUPE 3906’s. The day after, the Department of Political Science at McMaster also announced their support for better working conditions and compensation for teaching and research assistants, hoping for a fair agreement between the union and the university.
“We’re considering reaching out to other departments as well … It seems like, in the departments we’ve spoken to, there is a good level of support,” said Mollie McGuire, vice-president of CUPE 3906.
On Oct. 6, CUPE Ontario, which represents 55,000 educators across the province, averted a strike after the provincial government made concessions in a collective agreement. This renders them the first of several unions to arrive at a deal with the Ford government since public school employee contracts expired in September. While the deal did not involve them, CUPE 3906 has stated that they stand in solidarity with CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions.
“[We are] immensely proud of their accomplishments at the bargaining table and beyond. The OBSCU, CUPE, their allies and their communities stood firm in resistance to authority politics and the devaluation of their work. Their accomplishments were possible due to the direct action by their members and their community and their success is a testament to the value of mobilization and the power of the labour movement,” said Todd.
Teaching and research assistants at McMaster are hoping for a similar accomplishment, referring to the strong strike vote mandate provided to CUPE 3906 as an indication of their resolve to seek a fair contract.
“It is my hope that McMaster has taken notice and is committed to negotiating a fair deal that reflects the value of the work we do for the university. Reaching a deal is ultimately the best outcome for everyone,” said Mancini.
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cw: References to sexual assault
If you were near Hamilton City Hall at around 6 p.m. on Sept. 19, you would have heard throngs of people yelling “revolution!”. If you had taken a closer look, you would have seen Danielle Boissoneau, the coordinator for Take Back The Night, standing behind a microphone on a makeshift stage and prompting each shout from the crowd with an exuberant “joyful!”
Together, they formed a chorus — a call honouring this year’s Take Back The Night theme: Joyful Revolution Always.
Take Back The Night is an annual event organized in Hamilton by the Sexual Assault Centre (Hamilton), a non-profit organization that supports survivors of sexual assault. Traditionally, Take Back The Night has been an opportunity for women and gender non-conforming folks in the community to speak out against sexual violence and to advocate on behalf of survivors. It has also celebrated with music, performances, art and tables for local organizations that support women and non-binary folks.
The first instance of Take Back The Night in Hamilton dates back to 1981. This year marks the event’s 38th year in the city and its first year in recent history without a march.
The Take Back The Night march began as a symbolic protest to the violence that women experienced when walking alone at night. Since then, it has grown into a method of raising awareness of all forms of violence in the community as well as a way to show support for survivors.
On Sept. 12, however, SACHA released a statement on their blog to announce that they decided not to march this time. The organization cited safety as a main concern, though the matter swiftly became a discussion of not only safety, but also about relationships with the Hamilton city police.
“On Sept. 4, 2019, the Take Back the Night (TBTN)Committee hosted a ‘TBTN Community Townhall on Safety’ — we wanted to hear right from the community what safety looks like for them … What was interesting was that no one mentioned the police as a place of safety,” wrote a representative from SACHA in their official statement.
The situation snowballed into a series of meetings. In consideration of the feedback and turnout from previous Take Back The Night events, SACHA attended a meeting with Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann, intending to ask for four street lanes to be closed instead of the one lane that Take Back The Night attendees used in previous marches. They were surprised to find out they were not allowed to follow the usual route used in previous Take Back The Night events.
In an effort to reach a compromise, an alternate route for the march was proposed. However, this second option required the inclusion of five paid duty officers, an unexpected fee that SACHA was unable to pay. In a prior Take Back The Night event, the city had provided SACHA with funding for three officers. There had been no such offer this year.
“We took it upon ourselves to revisit the table with the city and the police. We tried to work out an agreement … and then the agreement started to fall into bad faith negotiations, because they started trying to sneak in things at the last minute that were not acceptable,” said Boissoneau.
In the end, SACHA decided it was best to cancel the march.
Lisa Colbert of the Woman Abuse Working Group said she had not been sure at first about SACHA’s decision. As she prepared her organization’s table for the event, she admitted that the march was something she enjoyed. However, although the energy might feel different this time, she recognized that to march despite the predicament with the police would be to do the opposite of empowering those who were marching.
Similarly, Kat Williams of the Workers’ Arts and Heritage Centre said that a successful partnership with the police and all public servants would not be possible while those in power continued not to listen.
“In order to serve the people who are in the margins, the people who are suffering — those are the people we need to elevate. It’s especially important for the police industry to listen to those people, and I don’t think that has happened at many gatherings recently,” she added, taking care to emphasize that her views do not necessarily represent that of her organization.
In the same regard, Gachi Issa of the McMaster Womanists expressed support for SACHA’s decision. Taking into account Canada’s history with the police, she believed SACHA did the right thing by prioritizing the needs of the most marginalized communities.
With this in mind, Issa said that the presence of the police was always something that should be contested.
“The police had never been safe for the most marginalized communities and have been created and set up in a way to marginalize us further and to kill us. My hesitation is to always critique the involvement of police and police presence,” Issa said.
For Boissoneau, the change in this year’s Take Back The Night event was a reminder for community members to hold institutions accountable. Institutions like the police and SACHA, she said, must focus on their responsibilities to the people.
When asked whether she believed the cancellation of the march had a profound effect on Take Back The Night this year, Boissoneau stated that it had. She admitted the people were disappointed about not having a march — but this disappointment, at the same time, was causing them to re-evaluate how they defined reclamation.
“A lot of people are like, we must march to be able to be powerful. I don’t necessarily think that that’s true. I think that people have the ability to reclaim their autonomy … There’s so many different ways to do it. Marching is only one of those ways,” said Boissoneau.
Jessica Bonilla-Damptey, SACHA’s director, did not agree that there was a palpable difference. She acknowledged that the march had always been a big component of Take Back The Night but that despite its absence, joy was the dominant feeling in this year’s event.
“I am seeing lots of folks — folks from everywhere, all different nationalities, all different walks of life, all different languages. Everyone is smiling, everybody’s participating. Everybody’s around the tables, looking at what kind of resources are available in our community and everybody’s celebrating … I see joy and I hear joy around me,” she explained.
For Bonilla-Damptey, the priority was to embody this year’s theme of joyful revolution. The importance was in the community coming together to celebrate each other and show support for survivors, regardless of the role that the police played in the event-planning process and regardless of what might have been different this year.
Issa felt that the same sentiment was applicable to the idea of community care.
“We are safe because of each other. Not because of police or because of security. We make each other safe. In order to get to a revolution, we have to be able to sustain each other and to find joy within each other,” she said.
On Sept. 19, there were no buses waiting to accommodate people who could not march alongside the assemblage and, as the sun set over Hamilton City hall, there was no crowd following SACHA’s usual route.
There was, however, music and spoken word. There were tables that belonged to groups that supported women-identifying and non-binary folks. There were t-shirts and there were signs that said We Believe You and Empower Others.
Despite the aftermath of SACHA’s nuanced relationship with the police, Bonilla-Damptey stressed that one facet left unchanged in this year’s Take Back The Night was its ability to facilitate connections within the community.
Attendees lined up for food. They took buttons and pens as they stopped at each table to speak to the person running it. They gathered to hear the story of Lucy, an elderly survivor for whom the crowd chanted, “We believe Lucy!”
People tend to believe, according to Boissoneau, that revolution began at an individual level. She argued, however, that when individuals get together and collectively reclaim their space, as hundreds of people did on Take Back The Night — that was revolution.
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By Mads Clement, Contributor
cw: mental health, suicide
In 2018, the Student Representative Assembly voted to rescind the Peer Support Line (PSL), an anonymous hotline that existed to support students and their mental health.
PSL offered students a place to chat with another student trained in peer support about difficulties that they were experiencing. These challenges could range from relationship issues to academic problems.
According to a former vice president (administration) of the McMaster Students Union, the main reason the PSL was rescinded was because it received too many “crisis calls”, which posed a liability to all parties involved. Given student staff were not trained in crisis management or how to address calls with students experiencing suicidal ideation, this is a reasonable concern.
WGEN is a peer support and community building space on the second floor of the student centre.
However, closing a mental health-based service has had negative impacts on the student body. We have lost one more resource on our already very small list of mental health resources. Anonymous peer support is extremely valuable. These services can be accessed without the fear of your name being officially attached to your mental health issues and because peers can relate to you on levels that adult therapists often cannot. Having someone who can relate to you without worrying about whether you will be institutionalized is an important facet of mental health care.
For these reasons and many others, students were outraged by the closing of PSL. We took to Twitter and Facebook, asking for answers as to why such a valuable service would be rescinded. It’s hard to find mental health care on campus, and reducing our options makes it even harder.
I actually received a reply from a member of the SRA to my outraged tweets where they wrote; “actually, there are 4 new counsellors that have been added to increase 4,000 hours of counselling to decrease the waiting time that students face when accessing the Student Wellness Centre.”
There are three main reasons why this resolution is an issue.
Problem number one: as mentioned above, going to a therapist is not the ideal option for everyone, as some students are likely to have minimal shared experiences with therapists. This especially applies to marginalized folks; patients of colour are less likely to find a racialized therapist that understands the impacts of systemic racism on their mental health. 2SLGBTQ+ students face a similar struggle when dealing with cisgender, heterosexual therapists. The same can be said of various other marginalized identities.
The second problem is that four more therapists isn’t enough. Ask anyone who goes to therapy at the SWC about how long they wait for appointments. In the majority of cases, there’s a two week to one month gap in between appointments. This is not adequate. On top of that, the therapists and counsellors are so swamped with students that they rarely have time to dedicate care to their patients beyond a surface level interaction. Mental health problems often run a lot deeper than what therapists are able to deal with because of their volume of patients.
Since there are many students floundering for mental health care outside of the SWC and PSL, more pressure has been put on the MSU peer support services: Women and Gender Equity Network, the Pride Community Centre, Student Health Education Centre and Maccess. These services, like PSL, are run by students who have entry level peer support training and are not compensated for their work. They are not equipped to handle the volume of students coming to them for help, let alone the degree of mental distress some of their space users are in. These students are not trained therapists.
Additionally, the majority of students that volunteer for these services are marginalized, which leads to the issue of marginalized students taking on all the mental health work on campus. These students, because of the pressures in their own lives and the added pressures of dealing with the mental health crises of others that they can’t always handle, often develop their own mental health problems and also need support or therapy. This system is unbalanced and unsustainable.
We need a balance of both therapists and peer support services. Therapists can provide specialized care to those who need it, but they are at capacity at McMaster University right now. We need more therapists; specifically therapists who have experiences with marginalization. It’s super weird talking about institutionalized transphobia with a cisgender, heterosexual person. This needs to change.
In addition, the MSU peer support services need more funding and volunteers should be compensated for their work. They put hours of unpaid labour into an unforgiving system that does not support them.
McMaster needs to rework its mental health support systems, and it needs to do this as urgently as possible. Everyone suffers when mental health services are limited, not just mentally ill folks.
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By: Elizabeth DiEmanuele
The Student Success Centre and Graduate Studies have introduced new positions for 2019-2020 to support the academic, personal and professional success of international students.
“Enhancing the experience and academic success of our international students is a shared responsibility, which is why we are excited about creating a campus-wide support network around our students,” says Gina Robinson, assistant dean of Student Affairs and director of the Student Success Centre. “We want international students to know that we all care about their individual needs and are working together to get them to the right services on campus.”
Ana Pereira has supported McMaster’s international students for eight years. In this role, she helps students adjust to their new lives at McMaster and in Canada through transitional services, personal development and the International Student Buddy Program.
“Being an immigrant myself, I understand many of the challenges facing students and love helping them feel comfortable in this new place they now call ‘home’,” Ana says.
Francesca Hernandez joins the team in this role and will focus on establishing campus-wide partnerships that can support and contribute to the development and success of international graduate students.
“We want to ensure that the academic, social and cultural needs of international graduate students are met through new programming and engagement opportunities,” Francesca says.
“We also want to expand promotion of existing programs and services so that students and their families are aware of supports offered by McMaster and the broader community. We want them to enjoy a successful journey in their new country.”
In addition to programs and services, one-on-ones are also available. Andrew Staples, student success coach, will support both graduate and international students with their academic concerns, financial difficulties, transition, and navigation of university life. This position will support students on an individual basis and provide a more seamless support system.
Andrew shares, “We want to make sure students feel supported and welcomed during their time at McMaster, so we are encouraging students to ask questions and share any concerns they may be experiencing.”
Lajipe Sanwoolu, immigration and mobility advisor, can provide immigration consulting from both an inbound and outbound perspective, including international and domestic students who are interested in working in Canada or abroad.
“International students contribute greatly to our community,” says Lajipe. “It is important and beneficial that we continue to provide them with opportunities to contribute and develop themselves.”
International students provide an invaluable knowledge and perspective, both in and outside of the classroom. Lajipe’s role will support developing relationships between international students and employers, providing education about international hiring and dispelling hiring misconceptions.
Appointments with Andrew Staples and Lajipe Sanwoolu are bookable through OSCARplus.
For those interested in collaborating on initiatives to support international student success, email iss@mcmaster.ca.
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Two long weeks after The Silhouette released an article regarding the gaps within the McMaster Students Union sexual violence disclosure processes, MSU President Ikram Farah finally released a statement.
The statement, which reads as a rambling pat on the back, condemns sexual violence and commits to a systematic review of the Maroons and the MSU as a whole, something that two Maroons representatives brought forward when they suggested a full audit of the service back in September 2018.
In the fall, a regularly scheduled service audit was conducted in which Maroons representatives made it known that an additional reporting tool would be useful. They also noted that the MSU’s workplace policy on harassment, discrimination and sexual violence should be more survivor-centric.
In response, the MSU vice president (Administration), Kristina Epifano, developed an online reporting tool and reportedly consulted with volunteers, staff and experts to update the workplace policy. But once released, it was discovered that this online reporting tool was not nearly as thorough or inclusive as the Maroons representatives had hoped.
Additionally, there is no evidence that the board of directors made any effort to lay the groundwork for investigation of sexual assault within the Maroons.
These Maroons representatives spent six months advocating for a full service review of the Maroons that focused on sexual assault. It was only when they made a public report to The Silhouette that the MSU president pledged to begin investigating sexual assault within the service.
Farah’s statement comes two weeks too late and six months after the fact that the two Maroons representatives reported the culture of sexual assault within the Maroons to Epifano.
The fact is that over the course of the two weeks following release of our article, the Maroons were actively hiring new representatives and ignoring the calls to action from the McMaster community.
Though Farah stated that Maroons events will be suspended for the time being while the review is underway, it is unclear whether the Maroons will be involved in Welcome Week this fall.
There’s a lot to say about the statement. We could mention that within the statement, Farah makes a note that she personally has not found any “actual reports” of sexual violence within the Maroons team this year. While she does acknowledge that the lack of reporting does not mean that harassment or assault hasn’t occurred, this tangent is absolutely unnecessary and self-praising.
What’s more is Farah’s claim that the MSU’s “practices and disclosure protocols are exemplary of the sector.”
What does exemplary mean if the practices and disclosure policies have not been consistent, thorough nor inclusive before these past few months? In what way is taking two weeks to release a statement regarding the matter exemplary?
Within the MSU, the lines between personal and professional are constantly blurred. Given that the MSU has consistently protected individuals accused of sexual assault, it is no surprise that survivors may not feel comfortable disclosing their sexual assault.
Whether the perpetrator was a member of the Student Representative Assembly or a presidential candidate, the MSU has continuously failed to support survivors.
This is indicative of a larger issue within the MSU: there is no independent human resources department to respond to complaints and initiate reviews.
Maroons representatives spent six months advocating for change, and it took two weeks and dozens of community members, volunteers and MSU employees taking to social media to demand a response from the Maroons coordinator and have the MSU commit to a full service review.
In order to properly address sexual assault at a systemic level, the MSU needs to overhaul its sexual assault policy and oversight process.
The MSU has proven time and time again that it is poorly equipped to properly respond to sexual assault allegations. It is left entirely up to the board of directors to ensure that policies are upheld, but they are not trained or qualified to respond to issues of this magnitude.
The MSU needs an independent HR department to consistently and proactively address concerns so that students do not have to turn to public disclosure in order to initiate a review process.
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By: Drew Simpson
The McMaster Muslims Students’ Association recently held Finding Your Momentum, a leadership and empowerment workshop specifically curated for Muslims. Its objective was to increase youth engagement to improve community involvement.
While MacMSA maintains a busy calendar, the process of organizing this event began well before the school year started. While decisions were being made around the structure of MacMSA’s exec-director team, the team realized a recent and significant drop in engagement with the association and the community.
Typically, directorship positions with the MacMSA would attract about 50 applicants each, in recent times however, these numbers have significantly dropped to one or two applicants. The senior executives became worried about MacMSA’s future leadership and lack of engagement with younger cohorts.
MacMSA leaders also saw a lack of Muslims being represented in leadership positions in the McMaster community, such as through the Student Representative Assembly.
Feedback gained from focus groups found a common rhetoric of Muslims opting out of leadership positions to focus on academics. They also found that many individuals were under the misconception that they are not needed by the community.
One workshop attendee and MacMSA representative noted that a lot of students experience a lack of confidence in their abilities and felt that they aren’t equipped with the appropriate skills to take on leadership responsibilities.
The Finding Your Momentum workshop was created in response to these concerns. The MacMSA team realized that they needed to empower their members and create a space where attendees can have open conversations about bettering themselves as Muslims and leaders in the community.
While one of the aims of the workshop was to increase attendees’ engagement with the community, the MacMSA team had to first figure out a way to increase engagement with the workshop itself.
From previous experiences, the organizers found that many people needed someone to both encourage them to participate and attend the event with them. This was often facilitated through invitations by word of mouth.
The organizers of Finding Your Momentum took advantage of this promotion strategy, and it worked. One attendee noted that in order to facilitate empowerment, individuals need someone to give them a little push of encouragement and support.
“When you hear ‘word-of-mouth’, you think of just going and telling someone ‘hey we have an event, just come’. But it’s actually investing in the Muslim community on campus…A part of being a leader is having a community that can look up to you and support your vision,” explained Faryal Zahir, MSA Director and Finding Your Momentum organizer.
“A big part of this year has been making that vision very very clear, and then having people inspired to support that vision.”
This workshop consisted of interactive activities and discussions that focused on introspecting on attendees’ relationships with themselves and others. There was also a focus on utilizing leadership opportunities to serve the community and building connections.
At every MacMSA event, building connections is a recurring goal. The team believes that building connections enables individuals into action.
Finding Your Momentum, like other MacMSA events, aims to break down the barriers that repress interaction, and encourage attendees to have one-to-one connections, first with themselves, then with their peers and greater community.
Time will tell if the MacMSA achieved its goal of encouraging workshop attendees to take on more leadership positions, but one thing is for sure – Finding Your Momentum created a much needed space for empowerment and meaningful engagement for Muslim youth.
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