McMaster’s Engineering Society and McMaster’s Relay For Life host a Halloween-themed fundraising event to support the Canadian Cancer Society
McMaster’s chapter of Relay For Life and the McMaster Engineering Society came together to host their first Haunt for a Cure event on Oct. 26, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The event was held at the John Hodgins Engineering Field and aimed to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Co-president of McMaster's Relay For Life, Emma Detomasi, expressed excitement about the collaboration ahead of the event.
“In a sense, it’s a mini Relay for Life event. All the funds that are raised go through McMaster relay directly to the Canadian Cancer Society … There’s going to be a luminary ceremony which is meant to honour survivors. There’s going to be cancer survivors coming to speak at the event and alongside that all the people attending the event are going to be doing different activities,” said Detomasi.
Chloe Ko, the survivors and ceremonies coordinator of Relay For Life, highlighted that her favourite part of the event is the luminary ceremony held on the John Hodgins Engineering Field. “Everybody gets a bag, it's called a luminary and they get to write why they relay ... we put a candle in it, and w light them all up and line the track with them. We just get to have a solemn moment around the track,” she said.
The main part of the event was the luminary walk-a-thon to honour lives affected by cancer. Attendees also enjoyed live music and activities including sports, line dancing and games. Tickets were sold through Eventbrite at $15 for general admission and $10 for McMaster students.
The planning for the event was a joint effort between McMaster Relay for Life and the engineering society, made possible through Kristina Siiman. Siiman is the other co-president of McMaster Relay for Life and a community integration coordinator for the McMaster Engineering Society.
“It’s our first time running it [Haunt for a Cure]. It’s in association with the McMaster Engineering Society … but all the funds go to McMaster Relay ... We’re hoping to make it an annual thing,” said Detomasi.
Both Detomasi and Ko noted the significance of including stories from cancer survivors at this event. “That’s another great way for people to feel like what they’re doing has an impact because they’re hearing it from a survivor, someone who’s walked through this journey themselves ... It’s also really great for survivors who attend the event," said Ko.
As they look to the future, both leaders expressed hope for the event’s growth. “It’s our [Relay at Mac's] 20th year and we’ve raised over 1.25 million dollars,” said Detomasi.
It’s our [Relay at Mac's] 20th year and we’ve raised over 1.25 million dollars.
Emma Detomasi, Co-President
McMaster Relay For Life
Detomasi and Ko encouraged students to get involved, emphasizing that even small contributions can lead to significant change. “Even though you are one person attending the event, just showing up, it does make a huge difference,” said Ko.
“Life is bigger than cancer. Together, we are bigger than cancer,” concluded Ko, summarizing the spirit of the event.
Life is bigger than cancer. Together, we are bigger than cancer.
Chloe Ko, Survivors and Ceremonies Coordinator
McMaster Relay for Life
The inaugural Haunt for a Cure event provided both a fun and festive atmosphere and reinforced the importance of community support in the fight against cancer. Keep up with McMaster Relay for Life and the McMaster Engineering Society through their social media platforms for future events, information and more!
The McMaster Association for Caribbean and West Indian Students hosted their first Jouvert, a traditional carnival celebration of Caribbean culture
The McMaster Association of Caribbean and West Indian Students held their first Jouvert on Sept. 14, 2024 to celebrate the beginning of the school year. The event was titled “Summer Rewind: The Colours Experience” and ran from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Ten Acre Field.
Originating from Trinidad, Jouvert is the kick-off of Carnival, the traditional cultural festivals celebrated across the Caribbean and features music, dancing and covering one another in colorful paint, oil, or powder. The MACaws had DJ Verse One HD playing music from a variety of Caribbean countries. When attendees arrived, they were given towels, which were available for pre-order and coloured powder.
In an interview with the Silhouette, MACaws co-vice president Zara Owen said that the club typically hosts a large event at this time of year and that she had suggested the idea of a Jouvert. “I’m an international student from Barbados and this particular type of event is very big. It’s a big part of our culture but it’s also a main event in a lot of our carnivals and cultural festivals back in the Caribbean. So we thought it’d be a good idea to get people engaged and introduce people to the club and a core aspect of our culture and how we celebrate our culture back home,” said Owen.
It’s a big part of our culture but it’s also a main event in a lot of our carnivals and cultural festivals back in the Caribbean. So we thought it’d be a good idea to get people engaged and introduce people to the club and a core aspect of our culture and how we celebrate our culture back home.
Zara Owen, Co-Vice President
MACaws
Owen mentioned that they spoke with other clubs for advice to ensure the event would be approved. One of these was the Hindu Students Association, which throws a Holi celebration that involves throwing colourful powder on each other. “We connected with them to figure out how they went about getting the event approved because it has similarities to what we do,” said Owen.
Owen also said that the club wanted to consider their environmental impact. “We also asked about what kind of powder, what kind of materials they use because the integrity of our fields is very important to the school and also very important to us. We wanted to make sure we weren’t using anything that would damage school property or negatively impact the soils, the environment or the grass,” said Owen.
We also asked about what kind of powder, what kind of materials they use because the integrity of our fields is very important to the school and also very important to us. We wanted to make sure we weren’t using anything that would damage school property or negatively impact the soils, the environment or the grass
Zara Owen, Co-Vice President
MACaws
Jouvert is traditionally held in the early morning. The name comes from the French words jour ouvert, meaning daybreak. Owen said that MACaws chose to hold the event later in the day to avoid disturbing the neighbouring community and to work around facility hours.
The event did not allow alcohol and was open to students aged 17 and older. MACaws president Leon Murray told the Silhouette this decision was received with some negative feedback because they often host events at clubs where alcohol is available for purchase.
Murray mentioned part of the reason they did not include alcohol was because the event was being held for the first time and it was on campus. “We're also trying to be inclusive of the first years who may not be able to attend those other events the throughout the year, so at least getting them in and having them kind of enjoy the culture for at least one party event was a big goal of ours,” said Murray.
According to Owen, the event was an overall success. “The majority, if not all the people that came said they had a great time. I had roommates of mine that have had no interaction with Caribbean culture ever before that took a plunge and came. They said this was one of the greatest parties they’d ever been to. I think it was, for people that went, a great experience,” said Owen.
I had roommates of mine that have had no interaction with Caribbean culture ever before that took a plunge and came. They said this was one of the greatest parties they’d ever been to.
Zara Owen, Co-Vice President
MACaws
Murray said that the club may consider holding another Jouvert in April, weather permitting. “Otherwise it would kind of be us handing it off to next year's team, and giving them the blueprint of what we did this year and then hoping they're able to replicate it and make it bigger for next year,” said Murray.
MACaws is accepting general members until Oct. 21. If you are interested in being involved with the club and hearing about future events, visit their Instagram page to stay updated.
The MSU makes Bounce Life its centralized management platform for campus events and club activities
The McMaster Students Union has teamed up with Bounce Life to streamline event management and boost student engagement on campus. Announced on Instagram on July 29, Bounce will be the official community and events platform for the MSU and its affiliated organizations and student clubs.
The platform will serve as centralized hub, simplifying event planning for campus services and student clubs.
In an interview with The Silhouette, MSU president Jovan Popovic detailed the platform's benefits and its prospective impact on students.
“It’s about transparency … showing people everything that’s going on, connecting people, showing you which of your friends are going to certain events. There’s a lot of nifty features where I think people can see the best of what’s happening on campus … and connect them better than any other platform that we currently have,” Popovic said.
It’s about transparency … showing people everything that’s going on, connecting people, showing you which of your friends are going to certain events. There’s a lot of nifty features where I think people can see the best of what’s happening on campus … and connect them better than any other platform that we currently have.
Jovan Popovic
President, McMaster Students Union
Bounce, accessible via a mobile app, offers robust event management tools and features to make make event organizing streamlined and to increase engagement. Most important to the MSU, its services and student clubs is that users can host and manage event listings, track attendance, communicate with participants, and offer real-time updates during events.
One key feature is that it handles ticketing and paid events. Before, student clubs would have to choose their own service, such as Eventbrite, to sell tickets and collect fares.
Other notable features include an invite back option for re-inviting previous attendees and free SMS blasts for event-day communication.
Popovic explained that other universities, including the University of British Columbia and Western University, have already chosen Bounce as their event management system for student organizations.
"It’s a relatively newer product, but it’s being rapidly adopted. UBC and Western have integrated it, and many larger student unions across the country are taking a serious look at it. We all share the same vision of unity, connection, and belonging,” said Popovic.
It’s a relatively newer product, but it’s being rapidly adopted. UBC and Western have integrated it, and many larger student unions across the country are taking a serious look at it. We all share the same vision of unity, connection, and belonging.
Jovan Popovic, President
McMaster Students Union
The rollout of Bounce is ongoing and the first MSU events of the school year are now listed on the platform. Tickets for the upcoming homecoming concert with Loud Luxury and Lil Tecca became available on Bounce on August 30.
Popovic mentioned that him and his team promoted the app during welcome week, offering incentives such as free items to encourage sign-ups. “Now it’s about seeing how students experience it and letting them use it. We’re at the stage where we can start communicating with them through the app and posting our events,” said Popovic.
Popovic noted that with the usage of Bounce, he hopes to see more event attendance and engagement. "We've seen a significant boost in the number and quality of events on campus and I think a lot of that will be reflected on Bounce. Bounce will help us raise awareness. Once students attend our events, it's easier to keep them coming back," he said.
Students can access Bounce by downloading the app and signing up with their university email. For updates on campus events, follow the MSU and @bouncelifemac on Instagram.
Discover fresh faces and exciting opportunities with the newest clubs at McMaster University
McMaster University has over 250 student-run clubs on campus across diverse categories that include but are not limited to academics and athletics, culture and religion and social issues.
Students have the freedom to pursue their passions that are related to their degree or independent of it. The variety of clubs at McMaster create spaces for students to connect with likeminded individuals and get involved with exciting initiatives and events.
While there is a vast amount of MSU clubs, this number only continues to grow as new intelligent cohorts join the McMaster community. Here are a few new notable MSU clubs to check out!
Eating Disorder Awareness McMaster
To raise awareness of eating disorders and their effects on people's lives, Eating Disorder Awareness McMaster aims to share helpful information to the McMaster community and resources to those affected. EDMAC is a newly created affiliate of the Collaborative Eating Disorder Awareness Association, a nonprofit organization that shares a similar mission to generate a better understanding of eating disorders in Canada. Sharing information about eating disorders spreads awareness to those ignorant to their severity and validates students that may not know how to seek treatment.
McMaster BlackPrint
Made for black men by black men, McMaster BlackPrint is a club dedicated to creating spaces to bring together and uplift black-identifying male students. Black male students are often underrepresented in university spaces. Through collaborative events with other MSU clubs and support from the Black Student Success Centre, showcased on their social media, BlackPrint creates safe spaces for mental health discussions, academic tools, and career-planning resources.
McMaster Chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society
An exclusive club that supports McMaster’s finest academics, the Golden Key International Honour Society is an invite-only club where its members are among the top 15 per cent of their field of study. The Golden Key International Honour Society is stated to be the largest collegiate society on both their social media and official website. Holding connections with over 400 universities, this club represents the McMaster chapter of this honour society. Members of this club are provided exclusive networking opportunities, scholarships, and career-building resources.
McMaster Young Liberals
Currently McMaster’s only politically affiliated MSU club, the McMaster Young Liberals are returning after
“My big goal is I want a lot of people to come out and see that politics can be fun. I want to decrease that perceived barrier of entry into it. I want to get people to come out and realize they can make an actual difference in their community and really be involved,” said Max Dressler, provincial president of McMaster Young Liberals.
McMaster Young Liberals hopes to create a space for students both new and familiar to politics to openly discuss their concerns and opinions.
“Get involved and share your opinions because those opinions may very well become law,”
Whether you're looking to meet new people or discover a new interest, consider checking out a new club this semester.
Photo C/O Catherine Goce
On Sept. 22, the Student Representative Assembly voted to de-ratify the McMaster Chinese Students and Scholars Association due to concerns that the club’s actions had endangered members of the community. An investigation by the Silhouette has found that there had been several instances of miscommunication in the months leading up to the de-ratification.
During the summer, the Student Representative Assembly were under the impression that MAC CSSA would be under probation during the 2019-2020 academic year. However, this was not the case. Miscommunication between members of the SRA and some MSU staff members led to MAC CSSA being ratified as an MSU club on July 21 without first being placed on probation. On Sept. 22, MAC CSSA was de-ratified due to reasons unrelated to this miscommunication.
Every summer, the Clubs Administrator provides the SRA with a list of groups to recommend for MSU club status, highlighting any groups that require additional monitoring. On June 18, Clubs Administrator Aditi Sharma released a memo that recommended 327 student groups for MSU club status. The memo drew attention to two McMaster clubs: MAC CSSA and LifeLine.
“Two returning clubs (CSSA & Lifeline) are marked with a double asterisk (**) which indicates certain issues that came up during the year and supplemental details for those issues,” Sharma states in the memo.
The supplemental details that Sharma was referring to, titled “Clubs Ratification Supplemental Info #2 - CSSA and Lifeline”, provides some background on the clubs. It highlights concerns that members of MAC CSSA had endangered an activist who spoke on campus about human rights issues for Uighur Muslims in China on Feb. 11. The document gives no indication that MAC CSSA was to be put on probation.
Putting a club on probation allows the MSU to monitor the group’s activities and evaluate the need for further disciplinary action. According to the MSU Clubs Operating Policy, if clubs are found guilty of certain offenses, they may be placed on a period of probation. During this period, the club is required to report all future events and meetings to the Clubs Administrator. If the club is found to violate the rules again, it is subject to disciplinary action.
During the June 23 SRA meeting, a motion was put forward to ratify new and returning MSU clubs as recommended by the Clubs Administrator for the 2019-2020 academic year. An amendment to this motion was put forward to ratify all clubs with the exception of MAC CSSA, McMaster Chinese News Network, McMaster Chinese Graduate Students Society and McMaster Chinese Professional Association. A motion to postpone this discussion to the July 21 SRA meeting was passed 19-1, citing the need for more information.
On July 21, the SRA voted 17-1 to ratify all new and returning MSU clubs as recommended by the Clubs Administrator for the 2019-2020 academic year. MAC CSSA was ratified without any probationary period, since the Clubs Administrator had not recommended that they be placed on probation.
Email correspondence in preparation for an SRA meeting almost two weeks later indicated that there was an assumption that MAC CSSA had been placed on probation. In reality, however, nowhere do the meeting minutes state that MAC CSSA had been placed on probation.
On Aug. 12, Administrative Services Coordinator Victoria Scott sent an email to an SRA member in which she mistakenly stated that MAC CSSA was on probation.
“. . .I can tell you now that the Chinese Students and Scholars Association’s ratification was contingent on providing outstanding information, plus they are on probation for six months,” said Scott in her email.
“One more clarification! They are on probation, but there wasn’t a time set,” Scott clarified through a second email that she sent the same day.
Both clarifications were incorrect.
“In my August 12 email to [an SRA member], I incorrectly referenced a memo from the Clubs Department that was circulated in June to the SRA,” said Scott, when asked by the Silhouette on Nov. 5 where she obtained the information on CSSA’s probation.
Neither MAC CSSA’s probation nor the length of time for a probationary period are mentioned in the Clubs Department’s June memo.
On Aug. 14, an SRA member, who asked to remain anonymous, sent an email to MSU President Josh Marando to clarify MAC CSSA’s privileges including their access to MSU resources and the club’s ability to attend ClubsFest.
“Towards the end of our meeting [on Aug. 13], I believe [one SRA member] had asked about the BoD [Board of Directors] about the current situation with [MAC] CSSA, to which they replied that as of now, the CSSA does not have access to MSU resources . . .” said the SRA member in the email.
“I know the end of the SRA meeting got quite confusing, I was confused as well so I apologize for that. [MAC] CSSA is currently under probation this year, which means they must keep clubs admin informed of all events they hold, are watched more closely, and will face serious consequences in the instance of another infraction,” replied Marando over email.
It is unclear whether both the SRA member and Marando are referring to an informal meeting, or whether records of this meeting are missing from the August 13 SRA meeting minutes, as this was an emergency meeting called to revoke the Dominion’s Society club status.
Almost three weeks later, on Sept. 3, the same SRA member sent a follow-up email regarding MAC CSSA’s supposed probation, which both Scott and Marando had confirmed earlier via email.
“I wanted to ask — why exactly was the CSSA put on probation? I’m not sure if I missed it, but I don’t think it was ever clear about the reason behind this [decision],” asked the SRA member. “In addition, I don’t believe that there is actually any explicit record of the CSSA being disciplined.”
“I believe the terms this year are that all events go through the Clubs Administrator as well as conditions surrounding ratification should they breach policy this year. That said, I don’t fully know,” replied Marando, offering to check and meet with the Clubs Department after ClubsFest.
After at least one month of miscommunication, on Sept. 13, Marando clarified that the Clubs Department had recommended LifeLine to be ratified contingent on a probationary period, but had not recommended this for MAC CSSA.
“I am still following up with the minutes of the meeting as they haven’t been released yet, so I would interpret it as LifeLine’s probation still stands, but the CSSA one should be put forward again [...] Again, I’m still confirming to be 100%, but I would say it’s probably best to go ahead and put forward the CSSA probation motion again at the September 22 [SRA] meeting,” clarified Marando in his email on Sept. 13.
In an SRA Facebook group message following the Sept. 22 SRA meeting, Marando acknowledged the miscommunication surrounding MAC CSSA’s probation and apologized for the confusion.
“Regarding the confusion and mistakes made regarding the CSSA not being informed at the meeting and the initial probation. Overall, both are big oversites [sic], but please understand that they were not intentional by any means and we have put plans to ensure they do not happen again,” said Marando in the Facebook chat.
When asked about this miscommunication at the Nov. 3 SRA meeting, Marando stated that he believed everyone on the SRA was under the impression that the Club Department’s recommendation of probation applied to MAC CSSA, as well as LifeLine.
“It was really a procedural error,” said Marando.
This was the first time that he publicly acknowledged the issue of miscommunication pertaining to the CSSA’s supposed probation.
“Trying to rectify moving forward in terms of making sure that motions are more specific when it comes to ratifying clubs also, we are doing a full review of the clubs application process through our Internal Governance committee,” said Marando.
In the President’s Report, Marando states that club policy review is ongoing.
“Overall, I am hoping to have a bulk of the policy writing time in December, with conversations happening during November. We are looking at how funding works, improvements to [re-ratifications], how and who ratifies clubs, the Club Executive Council, and what qualifies a recognized club,” stated Marando in the report.
Time will tell the impact any changes made to club policies will have on future communication within the MSU.
Frost Weeks in the past have traditionally been about events welcoming students back to the university after a long break, complete with concerts, parties and other social events. Of Gentleman and Cowards, residence parties with unlimited pizzas, outdoor skating, Arkells, Frost Fest and Alessia Cara were just a few examples of what was featured over the years.
2017’s Frost Week had a notable change in priority. Shaarujaa Nadarajah, vice-president (Administration) at the time, noted, “We will fill the week with a variety of events so there is something for every type of student to enjoy”. Frost Fest and outdoor skating continued. Events like Faculty Nights, RepFest, the Student Wellness Centre and the McMaster Student Leadership Conference were given increased priority.
This year’s complete rebrand to Life After Mac is self-explanatory as it focuses on students thinking about life after McMaster. A toast to your final semester at McMaster, a showcase of the Student Success Centre and information about grad school, the Mac Alumni services and career opportunities are all part of the events and programs.
While the focus on an underrepresented section of students is appreciated, especially given Welcome Week’s focus on new students and the introduction of Light Up the Night in 2015 as a social event later in the year, a few things should be tuned up for next time.
This pivot to graduating students has left a large number of clubs and services in an odd position with the lack of ClubsFest II that typically takes place during the week. An opportunity to engage the student body, show off what people are doing around campus and get interest for new volunteers during the second semester is gone.
While its removal makes sense with the focus of the week, ClubsFest II does not necessarily need to be during Frost Week. The scheduling in 2013 put Frost Week from Jan. 9 to Jan. 13 and ClubsFest II on Jan. 28, though this had some interference with the McMaster Students Union presidential election that ended on Jan. 31. At the time of writing, it is currently not scheduled to take place at all this year.
The absence of events for a significant portion of the student population leaves a similar issue that some of the previous years had. Life After Mac itself caters to a very narrow audience.
There is little provided for students who are not yet thinking about their lives after McMaster, students who simply are not interested in social events or comedy by Hasan Minhaj and students who have already considered their lives after McMaster. Being so relatively late in the year also means that a good portion of students who are graduating simply will not find the resources useful as they have likely thought extensively about their lives after McMaster already.
That being said, other events running independently of this such as Diversity Week and the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance’s #TextbookBroke campaign do not appear to be splitting the focus of the McMaster Students Union enough to detract from each. Both are good causes, and both would likely be less effective if done during presidentials.
The Life After Mac rebrand is a good idea given how few events are given nearly as much emphasis for graduating students. It is questionable to do this late in the year and as a niche replacement to the old Frost Week that catered to more of the student body. It is a good first step that needs a bit of adjusting to actually be effective.
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Once per term, ClubsFest takes over campus and represents a near perfect way to filter thousands of students into as many diverse organizations and email lists as possible. With over 300 clubs in five categories, McMaster has an incredibly large breadth of opportunities for students to get involved with.
However, the scheduling of the two ClubsFests still causes complications for students. If you happen to fall sick and need to stay home, tough luck. What if you have a lot of classes on Wednesday? See you next term.
Whatever reason you have, the ability to put names and faces to clubs could pass you by with few alternatives available. Even if you didn’t know what you wanted to be a part of, the ability to browse what’s available and see what interests you could eventually lead to big changes in your university experience. Your best opportunity for finding clubs in the next four months was five hours in the middle of the week.
These wouldn’t be issues if the clubs directory and Clubza did a good job of allowing students to browse clubs, but the system remains inefficient. Some don’t have sufficient or specific enough tags to search, so finding one that fits your interests might be difficult. Even the subtle change from “gaming” to “games,” for example, leads to eight different clubs with only one appearing on both, and fails to include any poorly tagged clubs that might fit in these categories.
There is insufficient contact detail on each page, often with only an email and no website or social media for clubs that have them. While the MSU Clubs Operating Policy states that clubs must respond to any correspondence with the Clubs Administrator within six days, this rule doesn’t apply for any students attempting to contact them.
A select few in the clubs directory aren’t even a part of the five broad categories the system uses to group general interests together. If ClubsFest can organize all of its participants into an eight-colour legend based on location, then why can’t they do it for their online service?
The best courses of action would be to either fix up Clubza, a good online presence for such a large amount of clubs should be a priority in any case, or extend the presence of ClubsFest.
An extra day, either tacked onto the first or later on in the term, would help alleviate issues that student have with the currently restrictive schedule. Even “Mini-ClubsFests” could highlight a specific few every once in a while.
It would allow the extensive number of clubs increased opportunity to appeal to students and give clubs that want additional members the attention they deserve. As an added benefit, the additional hours would help cut down the density of students if the pressure of “now or never” is alleviated.
While there are financials involved, the final proposed Budget for 2016-17 having an expense of $6,000 compared to a $5,400 revenue, the ClubsFest events have also made money for the MSU in the past. The original Proposed Budget for 2015-16 shows a net gain of $2,571.64 in the 2012-13 year end and $1,025.63 in the 2013-14 year end.
The only real issue is the time spent setting up and cleaning with clubs taking on the work of manning the tables. The extra time spent on more ClubsFest hours and improving Clubza will have a positive influence on a significant portion of the McMaster experience. No one should feel like they’re being left out for a term by missing five hours.
Spencer Nestico-Semianiw / The Silhouette
McMaster's ImMACculate dance team came away with a first-place finish at last weekend's North American Culture Show (NACS) competition in Brampton, ON.
On Mar. 9, dance teams from ten universities and six colleges across Ontario competed at the NACS. The show featured four types of South Asian dance forms: Bollywood, Classical, Bhangra and Western Fusion. McMaster’s team, consisting of 30 undergraduate students and 10 executive members, travelled to Brampton’s Powerade Centre. The team ended up receiving the competition's top award, beating out last year’s winners, Waterloo-Laurier.
McMaster’s team has been practicing since November 2012 for the NACS competition. After winning the competition two years ago, the team hoped to reclaim their position as Ontario’s best NACS team.
Jasleen Singh, one of McMaster’s dance team coordinators, attributed the success of the team to specializing in all four styles of dance.
“We do everything across the board, all the way from South-East Asian to Western dance styles, so we offer a competitive dance team that provides you with the opportunity of learning different styles of dance," said Singh.
Because of low funding, many NACS team students needed to purchase their own costumes this year, costs that rose to more than $100 per person. Due to community sponsorship and receiving a $5,000 prize for their performance, however, the team’s financial status remains stable.
On the morning of the competition, Brampton’s Powerade Centre, which has a capacity of 5,000 people, began to fill up as students, parents and friends from all over Ontario filtered in. The competition opened with Western University’s performance, followed by Brock University's and then McMaster's.
Despite the size of the arena and turnout from fans, McMaster choreographer Avani Dave explained how McMasters’s team, especially its new members, retained their composure.
“You’re never alone, and that motivation and enthusiasm that we all have pushes anybody who is in first year into doing it for their first time as well," said Dave.
Aside from the competing dance teams, performances by Canadian singers Jonita, Joti Dhillon and Karl Wolf were included, in addition to a dance performance by Canada’s Got Talent finalists, Broken Dance.
The announcement of McMaster’s first-place finish was met with ecstatic relief from ImMACculate team members and the over 200 fans who came out to support them. Both Singh and Avani attribute their success to past dance members returning to the school to provide advice and wisdom. As they both graduate this coming spring, there's no doubt they will do the same.
