Aurora Coltman
Silhouette Intern

Spending time on campus means that you may not notice things around you. One such overlooked feature of campus is the White Lady, the marble statue with the Gene Simmons-like mask that existed in the shadows near the daycare at the former Wentworth House. Now, in the midst of the construction, she sits behind the Michael DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery, her history slowly being forgotten by those who pass by.

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Despite our curiosity, few people know the whole story behind the White Lady. The statue, built between 1959 and 1962, was designed and created by the artist Elford Bradley Cox (1914-2003), a Canadian sculptor born in Botha, Alta. His primary mediums included limestone, marble, alabaster, wood, precious and semi-precious stones, porcelains, and various metals. Cox sculpted everything from animals seen in Canada – bears, lynxes, owls – to the human figure – several torsos, stylistic faces.

Cox started the statue in 1959 when a Canada-wide art competition was begun for a “sculpture of a family group” that was to be placed outside the City Hall in Hamilton, Ont. Six sculptors, Cox's among them, were promised $250 each, and submitted models for consideration to the jury. It was decided on Jan. 19, 1959 that Cox would receive the award, and create a sculpture to adorn City Hall.

Only members of the jury had ever seen the draft for the statue, meaning it was to be a surprise at the unveiling. However, the statue was never placed in front of City Hall due to controversy between city officials.

Despite research by the McMaster Museum of Art and other interested parties, what happened to the statue afterwards was never fully discovered.

It did end up at McMaster, and there are two theories as to how. The first theory, the only proof being written in a letter by Dr. George Wallace, a McMaster professor from 1960-1985, wrote that William Kilbourn, another professor, and one of the members of the jury for the competition, suggested that McMaster University, “recompense [to Cox] and [place] it in front of Wentworth House.”

An alternate theory suggests that Lloyd Kyles, architect of Wentworth House, was the donor of the Cox sculpture.

Whatever the case, it is clear that Kyles was involved in bringing the statue to McMaster in 1962.

Plans to place her on the circular patio outside former Wentworth House failed, as she was not ‘appropriate’ for the setting, looking apparently unappealing against the brown brick, and being considered scandalous for the figure’s lack of clothing. The statue wound up next to its final resting spot next to the nursery.

The White Lady was moved slightly in 2001 when art conservator Sandra Lougheed was invited to repair the statue by the McMaster University Future Funds project. As the statue had been secluded, taggers had taken the opportunity to cover its torso and face in black acrylic paint. Lougheed took it upon herself to restore the statue to its former glory, fixing cracks, cleaning dirt and mould from the surface, and peeling away the acrylic paint.

Naturally, vandals reclaimed it mere weeks later, replacing the Gene Simmons mask with almost an exact copy. There has been no discussion since of restoring the White Lady.

Photo credit: Aurora Coltman / Silhouette Intern

How many times a day would you like to take the shuttle and go to Lot O, one of the most remote parts of campus? Once? Maybe three times? Certainly not five, right?

That is what faced the McMaster Muslim Students Association in March of 2013.

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Before the demolition of Wentworth House, the MSA had prayer, storage and office space in the building.

“The prior MSA office had a room for brothers and sisters, and it was connected with a door in the middle,” said Zarak Aslam, the MSA’s public relations representative.

“The Wentworth space was great—very central, and the room set up was such that you could very easily interact between brothers and sisters.”

When news of the building’s impending demolition reached the MSA and other tenants of Wentworth House, like MACycle and the Photo Club, they were told that an adequate replacement would be found.

Initially, a temporary structure near Lot O was suggested as a space for the MSA. Lot O is one of the most far-reaching points on campus—accessed via shuttle, taking passengers over the bridge behind Mary Keyes Hall. Because space can be hard to come by, this was seen to be the only option for the University.

The problem is that many Muslim students pray five times each day—a ritual made incredibly inconvenient if one needs to shuttle to prayer every time.

Once word got out about the troubles facing the MSA’s acquisition of new space, McMaster and Facility Services began to reach out and look for more feasible solutions.

“After the article was written in The Silhouette last year, things got moving… It brought attention to the problem. Not only our problem, but also the other organizations in that building,” said Aslam.

He continued: “[McMaster] was willing to do whatever it took to get our accommodations set up.”

Between April and August of 2013, while the school was less crowded, Facility Services worked to ensure that a new space would be ready for September’s arrival of students.

Now, two former classrooms in T13—the bunker-type building next to the Engineering Technology Building—are devoted to the MSA, to be used for storage, meetings and daily prayer.

The University even paid for changes to be made with the aim of accommodating the club. Carpeting was installed (necessary for men and women who spend their prayer time kneeling) and other adjustments made.

“[Facility Services] let us choose what kind of carpeting, we were able to get that in—they installed that over the summer,” said Aslam. “Since we are in two rooms now, they even offered to set up an intercom in-between. So now we have the speakers and the microphone going between rooms.”

When the Fall term of 2013 began, the room was prepared for occupancy.

Of the transition, Aslam said, “We are pretty much settled in and things are going well. Honestly, it’s been a great blessing.”

When Amina Khan and Yusra Munawar were told last year that their on-campus prayer room would be torn down, they didn’t hit the panic button.

Khan and Munawar, executive members of the McMaster Muslim Students Association, were assured by the university that they would be relocated before Wentworth House, home of their space, was demolished.

Now, with a few weeks left until eviction, the MSA and other student groups in Wentworth House are still looking for answers.

“Everybody’s scrambling. They’re trying to find spots for us in random places on campus, trying to find temporary solutions. We don’t know how long we’ll be in those spaces and it’s just really frustrating,” said Khan.

The MSA has more than 1,000 Muslim student members at McMaster and has two rooms in Wentworth House that allow up to 100 students to pray at a time.

“We were clear about our requirements – that the [new] space needs to be carpeted. It needs to be a large, accommodating area that’s accessible to campus in order for Muslim students to pray there. Surprisingly, the space we were given is anything but that,” said Khan.

Recently, several tenants including the MSA were told they would likely be moving to a portable unit in Lot O. The lot is about 1.5 km from campus, located past the bridge behind the Mary E. Keyes building. Shuttle buses run from campus to Lot O between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. Monday to Friday.

“Muslim students pray five times a day between classes,” said Khan. “A place that needs a shuttle bus to reach is completely unacceptable to the Muslim community.”

Khan and Munawar said if the MSA had to temporarily move to Lot O, students would end up praying in various nooks on campus.

“You can’t fit a thousand Muslim students in hallways of libraries and little corners across campus,” said Khan.

About two weeks ago, representatives from four groups located in the Wentworth House came together in hopes of getting their individual needs across with more impact.

“We’re deeply concerned there hasn’t been uniformity in the communication between McMaster and the tenants,” said Norm Pase, vice-president (external) of CUPE 3906.

Pase started an open Facebook group Monday called “Save Our Space: Wentworth House Shutting Down” to create a forum for the parties involved.

The MACycle bike co-op, owned and operated by the McMaster Students Union, finds itself in the same position as the MSA and CUPE 3906.

MACycle director Connor Bennett knew that relocating would be a big project. He did some research on his own last summer, feeling a “slight sense of urgency.” Even so, he assumed a space would be secured by March.

“When you’re told not to worry, it’s nice to hear, especially when you’re dealing with school. I feel silly at this point, seeing how unprepared they are. Now we’re getting to the end of March and they’re saying, ‘we need your help,’” he said.

Bennett said MACycle having to move twice is the worst-case scenario because it has so many pieces of bike equipment.

“This has worried me a lot. I care about MACycle. A lot of people care about it,” said Bennett. He said that moving to Lot O temporarily would discourage cyclists from using the co-op because of the uphill ride afterward.

Roger Couldrey, McMaster’s vice-president of administration, said he was surprised tenants were worried about going to Lot O. He added that, so far, it’s only been decided that the McMaster Children’s Centre will move there by the end of April.

“It seems that what I’m being told isn’t fully understood by the tenants or wasn’t communicated to them,” he said.

Couldrey said an alternate space would be proposed to the MSA at a meeting on Friday. He said finding a space for MACycle would be more challenging but discussions are still ongoing.

However, Facility Services coordinator Robert Craik confirmed that Lot O would be a default solution if no other arrangements are made by the end of April.

For the tenants, getting mixed messages from Facility Services and the university's administration isn't new. David Campbell, the McMaster Students Union's VP (administration), expressed similar frustrations. He’s been advocating for some of the groups and asking for updates throughout the year.

“The first I heard about the Lot O decision was in January, and I was disappointed that that was the decision they came up with,” said Campbell.

The Photo Club's darkroom manager, Myles Francis, has been reaching out to administrators on his own since last spring, concerned about the darkroom being left behind.

“I felt like if I didn’t go out there and tell people that it existed, the building would have been demolished with the darkroom still there,” said Francis.

The Lodge, a temporary space for off-campus students in Wentworth House this year in lieu of the old Phoenix bar, seems to have been scrapped due to lack of space, according to coordinator Jennifer Kleven.

Francis didn’t want the same thing to happen to the darkroom.

Since February, Francis has been researching darkroom spaces in the downtown core, where he says involved students would be willing to go.

“I don’t like the idea of things being done for me that I feel I should have a hand in. I mean, nowadays who knows how to create a darkroom? Who knows what the darkroom needs, other than me?”

While they’re unsure of long-term plans, tenants aren’t giving up on their cause. But they’re not buying university officials’ advice to not worry.

“I think it’s an issue of prioritization on the university’s end,” Khan said. “Each club has different needs, but we’re united in that we all share the same space. Whatever we can do to help each other, we will.”

Photos by Anqi Shen.

It’s well known that McMaster’s enrolment is high and the campus is short on space, but this month, off-campus and commuter students at McMaster will be given a new place to hang out.

A new lounge is opening on campus, dedicated to off-campus and commuter students. The lounge, named “The Lodge,” will occupy the space in Wentworth House that was formerly taken by The Phoenix.

The aim of the space is to help commuter students of all years connect to Mac by giving them a place to relax and study.

Jennifer Kleven, Director of the Off-Campus Resource Centre, thinks the lounge will make a noticeable difference to off-campus and commuter students, who may not feel the sense of community that residence students do.

“Sometimes they feel this disconnect,” she explained. “And it’s been shown that the more connected they feel to the school, the higher their grades will often be. And we think that’s really important.”

The project of establishing the lounge was started early in 2012, and it has been a joint effort between the Off-Campus Resource Centre and McMaster’s Office of Student Affairs, with input from the Society of Off-Campus Students (SOCS).

Gina Robinson, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and a major advocate for the lounge, had a hard time hiding her excitement about the project.

As a Mac grad and a former commuter student, Robinson appreciates the needs of students today.

“I’m really passionate about the commuters,” she said. “I can remember being a commuter student—it was difficult at that time.

She described how students once used Hamilton Hall as a communal space, before the student centre was built. With straightforward amenities—tables and chairs, a couple TV’s, and a microwave—it felt to her like a home away from home. She hopes current commuter students can have that same feeling.

Robinson and Kleven looked at research on commuter students from American schools such as the University of Ohio and University of Miami, as such research hasn’t been produced by Canadian universities, despite the trend of “refocusing on off-campus and commuter students.”

Although the idea has been widely praised, questions have been raised about the choice of location for the lounge. The old Phoenix, while it can accommodate a large number of students, is in Wentworth House, which is set to be torn down this spring to make way for the university’s new Wilson Building for Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences.

Kleven explained that they saw the space as a good opportunity to launch the initiative as a pilot project.

“We all know space is tight on the campus,” she said. ”So why not take advantage of it while we can? It was going to sit vacant, nobody was going to be using it, so why not use it?”

“We wanted to create a space now,” explained Robinson, emphasizing that there is a pressing need for a lounge.

With a temporary space, however, they needed to be careful with money.

“When we were spending money we were trying to do it very carefully,” said Robinson.

The project received $25,000 from the Student Life Enhancement Fund for the project, which will be spent on furniture for the space. The remaining $20,000-$25,000 that have been budgeted will come from the Office of Student Affairs.

Although some of the costs are one-time—for example, the wireless will cost about $5000—Robinson and Kleven believe it’s worth it.

“It’ll be good money spent if this is a successful initiative, and then we can find more permanent space,” said Robinson.

Finding permanent space for The Lodge is something the team can only hope for at this point. Although Kleven and Robinson have appealed to the university administration for a permanent space, it’s not easy to find on such a packed campus.

Explained Kleven, “we’re hoping that we’re going to get hordes of students…[so] this will be an obvious example to the administration that we need this type of space on a permanent basis.”

 

 

After several months of delay, the Phoenix bar and restaurant has cleared a major hurdle in its move over to the Refectory building, above Bridges Café.

The liquor license application by McMaster’s Graduate Students Association, which owns the bar, was held up by an objection from members of Parents Against Drunk Students (PADS), a Westdale residents’ association led by lawyer Lou Ferro. The new license was required for the move.

PADS took out an advertisement in the Hamilton Spectator in May, which attempted to rally residents against the bar’s move, warning of “the volume of drunk Animal House students spilling into our west campus streets.”

Phoenix management was informed on June 29 that they had won in their appeal of the objection, and that they could continue their pursuit of the license. Only fire, building and health inspections, followed by a liquor inspection from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, are the remaining steps before the move can take place.

The news follows an announcement that the site of Wentworth House, which is set to be demolished, will be the home of the new liberal arts building, to be called L.R. Wilson Hall. While the Graduate Students Association offices will move along with the Phoenix, other tenants of Wentworth House, including the Muslim Students Association, the McMaster Children’s Centre and MacCycle, will need to find new locations.

The building was announced last year following funding commitments from the Ontario government, McMaster’s Chancellor Lynton (Red) Wilson and the McMaster Association of Part-time Students (MAPS).

According to Sue Blythe, General Manager of the bar, the administrative work for the Phoenix license should be finished up in the next few weeks. She estimated that the relocation will happen between late-July and mid-August, “but certainly before September.”

The Phoenix will remain in its current location, on the upper floor of Wentworth House, until then.

Construction, according to Blythe, was the larger factor in the delays, which have pushed plans well beyond an initial January end date. The final stages of the liquor license process will only add a couple of weeks, she said.