The Marauders track team kicked off their season on Jan. 12 and 13 in Windsor, Ont. with the Can Am Classic. After a winter break’s rest, the team was able to pick up some great results in the opening weekend.

On Jan. 31, the McMaster University Marauders announced that the men and women’s volleyball, wrestling and swimming teams all placed in the top ten of U Sports sports rankings. 

After the departure of notable players, including Sam Cooper and Mateusz Wlodarski as well as head coach Dave Preston, the McMaster University men's volleyball team knew they would need to rebuild. Led by new head coach Brad Douwes, the Marauders looked towards newer players to fill in these gaps for the season.

On Jan. 23, all four McMaster Students Union presidential candidates engaged in the annual all-candidates debate. The debate was moderated and all questions delivered by the MSU speaker.

Jovan Popovic's campaign platform is an extensive one which aims to alleviate food and housing insecurity faced by students, improve the MSU's engagement with students, and improve the experience of commuter students. However, it falls short with its insufficient consideration for students that follow unique diets and it lacks environmentally-mindedness in aiming to make driving more accessible for more students.

While McMaster Students Union presidential candidate Luca Bernardini’s platform suceeds in addressing a wide range of student issues and proposes innovative technological additions to student life, some platform points are reminiscent of current MSU initiatives and would benefit from further research. Additionally, many of Bernardini's claims are not proven to be reflective of the student body, while others are not differentiable from his fellow candidates. 

For this year's Thrive Week, the McMaster Museum of Art is hosting a mini zine-making workshop. The workshop will be hosted on January 23 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Before the semester starts getting busy, take a break and stop by these events to explore and learn more about Hamilton!

For most students, the weeks leading up to winter break can create a slew of changes to their routines and schedules. Final exams and assignments, the dramatic change in weather or even evenings getting darker earlier in the day can all cause a frenzy. 

Kicking off their season on Nov. 1., both the McMaster University men and women’s basketball teams began their Ontario University Athletics seasons on the right foot against Laurier University. The women’s basketball team was able to pick up a win against the Golden Hawks with a score of 80-75 while the men’s team finished 75-72.