By: Lauren Beals
Many students on campus have developed a relationship with T-13. The home of first-year math exams and chemistry tutorials, this supposedly temporary building has been a student staple for over 40 years.
But room 127 is creating a new type of legacy. Recently outfitted with upgrades including projectors, white boards and student seating on wheels for easy movement, 127 has transformed into an active learning space created for student interaction.
The changes mark one step in a larger movement away from passive learning and towards the active learning missing from many university classrooms.
Arshad Ahmad, McMaster’s Associate Vice-President of Teaching & Learning says that there are many drawbacks to traditional lectures. “It really is an old-school thought. [Lectures] were an efficient way of conveying information when information was not accessible, but now the information is very accessible. If a student can go online and read the information they are not going to find it very interesting in class,” he explained.
Unlike traditional lecture halls, 127 provides students with the opportunity to apply knowledge and collaborate with peers to solve problems.
Projector screens along all four walls allow instructors to display multiple resources, while white boards encourage students to actively work out practice problems. A central screen and command system also preserves instructor control over the busy classroom and its technology.
Ahmad thinks that students want to learn actively from an early age. “It brings out the best in people by giving them the opportunity to show motivation and interest,” said Ahmad. “If you ask a parent how their child completes a project, it isn’t just by sitting and watching them. They are moving around, they are doing things, that is how they learn.”
Despite the advantages, the spread of active learning across campus requires more renovations, smaller class sizes and the commitment of instructors to reshape course structures. Students must also prepare to embrace group work and more frequent problem-based evaluations.
“There are definitely a lot of real challenges associated with this type of learning, that is for sure. But we need a cultural shift where this type of learning is the norm. This needs to be the norm. Students and teachers need to demand this type of learning,” said Ahmad.
Currently, room 127 can be requested for use by student groups by contacting student Conference and Event Services. Faculty can request academic booking by contacting the registrar’s office.
“We need a cultural shift where this type of learning is the norm.“
For students who wish to pursue active learning in other ways, Ahmad urges them to speak with professors and peers about how they learn beyond the course outline. “You would be surprised how many people are willing to have that conversation,” he said.
By: Chukky Ibe
What happens when we treat student politics like warfare?
With ideas as our weapons, we convince ourselves we cannot concede one inch of ground lest we lose. Direct opposition becomes the only acceptable way to win. Debates and arguments replace collaboration and dialogue, and there is no honour in changing one’s mind once you have stated your position. This adversarial style of debate does not incentivize moral diversity. It does not explore various ideological certainties and the experiences that lead people to reach their diverse moral and ideological predispositions. This warlike culture is pervasive in all aspects of society. It limits the information we get rather than broadening it. It is the knee jerk reaction you experience – but may not entirely think through – when you hear something you disagree with. It is the Bill O’Riley of dialogue.
This paradigm is exactly what we have seen happen with debates surrounding vice presidential elections on campus. Last year, a proposition was put forward to the General Assembly that students, not the SRA, should elect their student body Vice Presidents (Education, Finance, and Administration). Debates on VP reform have been framed as the two sides – students and representatives – in opposition to each other; as direct democracy versus representative democracy. Some basic nuances have been lost.
The VPs have different portfolios and are responsible for different facets of the MSU. To compare them is to compare apples and oranges. Is it useful for the VP Administration to be elected by a referendum? Should the general manager and the comptroller, as people directly involved in the MSU’s accounting, get more say about the VP Finance? What do the VP Education, and VP Administration have in common? Should they be chosen the same way? Giving students the simple choice on their ballot of “yes/no/abstain” doesn’t allow Marauders to explore or understand the intricacies of each position.
This dichotomy that students have been forced to choose from has stemmed from the “argument culture” – or warlike debates – surrounding the issue. By presenting the options as oversimplified extremes, argument culture has limited our understanding rather than expanding it. Rather than seeking various forms of evidence, the debate has simplified complex phenomena with a “Yes” or “No” binary that does not account for all available possibilities. The truth has become the winner of the debate, and the perspectives of the losers are nullified and invalidated. Issues have been presented as having only two sides; winner takes all.
The MSU leadership has spent more time and talent defending outlandish claims than advancing their ideas. Suggestions for dialogue are laughable. Both sides are in the pursuit for victory and not truth. There is little consideration that current options may be inadequate, because opposition is viewed as our only method of inquiry. When opposition does not acknowledge complexity, then argument culture is doing more damage than good.
Issues have been presented as having only two sides; winner takes all.
Although the issue is going to referendum, the outcome is now of little significance. The union leadership continually showcases its inability to embrace its diversity of opinions. Warfare and argument culture remains its default position. In this, Marauders will always lose and common sense will never prevail. Democracy dies when debate trumps dialogue.
Photo Credit: Jon White/Photo Editor
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On Jan. 10 the Student Representative Assembly voted to terminate MacGreen as an MSU service following the end of the 2015-16 academic year, quietly ending the sustainability program that had been in place since 2003.
Based on comments from VP (Administration) Giuliana Guarna, the recommendation came after several months of discussions with the SRA's Executive Board, MacGreen's Part-Time Manager and staff from Ath&Rec that had been instrumental in creating MacGreen over a decade ago.
“When we create services, we do it to fill a gap, to meet a need that isn’t being met on campus. At the time, MacGreen was the only sustainability or environmental group on campus, but because of the pressures from creating MacGreen [as well as] general student interest, the university had to respond,” said Guarna.
Since MacGreen's inception, a number of initiatives have come to overshadow the necessity of having a service dedicated solely to sustainability issues.
MacGreen’s operating policy states that one of its primary objectives was to work in conjunction with other University bodies to raise awareness of environmental issues and disseminate relevant information.
Guarna noted that the original intent was for a green service focused on education and advocacy, but many of the expectations and policies at the time have now been taken up or fulfilled by the university. Much of MacGreen's work today involves educational and recreational events, ranging from a hiking series to a conference planned for later in the semester.
The academic front is amongst several steps made by the university towards improving sustainability on campus. In 2008, the Office of Sustainability was established, and while the sustainability program is tied to the Engineering faculty, any student today is able to complete a Minor in Sustainability.
Considering the influx of new MSU services over the past few years — including Maccess at the beginning of this academic year and WGEN the year previous — it's surprising to see a cutback in the programs the MSU offers. However, as Guarna explained, the MSU services ultimately exist to meet the needs of students, which continue to shift and expand over the years.
Michele Zaman, part-time manager of MacGreen, explained that while discussions had been open between her and the Executive Board, talks about the continual viability of the service have gone on for a few years.
“I understand why the MSU is doing this, and the reason I’m okay with this is that I know the MSU will continue to advocate for sustainability," she explained.
No formal outline has been made on how to replace MacGreen, but Zaman expected discussions to continue and come up with an alternative before the end of the year.
“Sustainability is really popular on campus," she commented. "[Several] MSU clubs advocate for sustainability ... and McMaster is really involved with sustainability and the environment in Hamilton, but I would still feel so much more comfortable if, before the end of this term, something is set in stone.”
Guarna stated that the current plan was to put resources into creating a committee within the MSU, and her hope is for it be specifically focused on addressing and educating students about key issues on sustainability.
"While it's important to take an overview of sustainability practices, I don't think we can truly be sustainable unless people are educated on how to be sustainable," she said.
The importance of education and advocacy was reiterated by Zaman, who is hoping to end the year on a bright note.
“I’m just trying to end the year off positively, make sure that this runs over smoothly and hopefully there’s something else that comes in place of MacGreen."
“I can’t make an event and give someone sustainability; it’s something they have to do themselves.”
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This past week, the full staff of The Silhouette attended an annual journalism conference hosted by the Canadian University Press. We had a great time; we got nominated for a few awards, met amazing leaders in the industry, got super drunk and danced to Drizzy, the list goes on. We were there for four days, and when we returned, our student staff members were ready to get back into the swing of classes. Everyone was attending their classes like normal, feeling out their course selections, and then, like magic, almost out of nowhere, course add/drop day popped up on our calendars.
In that short, one-week amount of time, students were required to make a decision about how their education for that term would be shaped. Changing a course doesn’t necessarily sound like a huge issue, but consider how one hated course could affect your transcript, or how one selection from a list of suggested courses could lead to you missing a prerequisite for a seminar?
Aside from these hypothetical situations, consider this issue: how can someone properly assess a course when they’ve only had the opportunity to attend one lecture?
I understand that classes need to get started and students need to be learning course materials as soon as possible, but as of right now, there is no way for a student to become acquainted with a course without attending it (unless of course they want to trust outdated information on MacInsiders). Could it be an option for students to add courses to their schedule by a certain, early date, but be able to drop them later on without a charge? Could a solution like this allow students the luxury of trying new courses without being concerned with the financial effects of dropping?
Ours is one of many universities that is currently working to implement more interdisciplinary programs for its students. Programs like Sustainability, Health Sciences and Arts and Science have given students the chance to branch outside their predicted fields and try courses from different programs and faculties. With this in mind, shouldn’t McMaster be working to provide this privilege for the rest of its students? Giving students the chance to try courses for a longer length of time while still being allowed to drop them (without a fee), could encourage students to broaden their horizons and gain the full interdisciplinary experience McMaster is striving for.
Our current course selection structure should strive to make education accessible.
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Ehima Osazuwa - MSU President
Ehima Osazuwa is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the McMaster Students Union. As President, Osazuwa acts as the key advocate for the student body in matters within the university and beyond. Osazuwa’s vision for the MSU has been notably progressive, and has been characterized by significant promises to improve student equity. These include plans to promote women in governance, improving interfaith accessibility, introducing more gender-neutral washrooms and updating university infrastructure to better serve the needs of students with visible and invisible disabilities. Osazuwa has generally focused on better addressing the diverse needs of the McMaster community, while also tackling long-term issues such as tuition and diversity.
Communication
Osazuwa has still been extremely communicative and accessible when needed. The President uses social media to frequently promote MSU Services and initiatives, and has even started a vlog series about his platform and role within the MSU via their Youtube channel. While this content has not been effectively promoted, it nonetheless provides a more effective way of communicating his platform for those who seek it out.
Fulfilling Job Description
So far, Osazuwa has delivered on his promises to improve the McMaster Clubs infrastructure and increase funding. He has also improved food accessibility by helping to increase Kosher and Halal food options, as well as installing new vending machines in Mills Library.
However, due to the long-term nature of his platform, the majority of the President’s goals are works in progress. The extensive amount of behind-the-scenes work will, for better or worse, will not see their completion or corresponding campaigns until next term. Tuition 101, MSU Wants You, gender neutral washrooms and OUSA’s provincial advocacy information campaigns are all slated for next semester.
Nonetheless, the President has taken all the necessary steps by meeting with various MSU services, clubs and university administration to tackle those ambitions. Reception to these efforts has been positive overall, and all parties are satisfied with the level of communication and collaboration.
Time is of the essence for Osazuwa, and he himself admits the difficulties of slow administrative processes when dealing with external parties. Osazuwa identified his frustration, but also stated, “I think my team and I have done a good job managing that time, but we only have 24 hours in a day, right? There’s only so much you can do in that time, so I think that’s been the biggest challenge.”
Giuliana Guarna - VP Administration
A graduate of McMaster Biology, Giuliana Guarna is this year’s VP (Administration). She previously served on the SRA for two years and has experience with multiple MSU services. As the Chief Administrative Officer for the MSU, Guarna is in charge of overseeing the MSU’s services.
Communication
Despite coming from different presidential campaign teams, this year’s Board of Directors seems to mesh seamlessly. For Guarna, this means that she comes to work looking forward to collaborate with people she can rely on.
“In my interactions with past boards, I’ve never seen a team integrate so well together. We definitely disagree, which is important because how else do we have progress, but I think we are very respectful of each other and very supportive in every aspect.”
Fulfilling Job Description
While Guarna’s platform points remain largely unresolved, she says it is because she has had to adapt to the role, putting platform points on the backburner in order to focus on other issues. For Guarna, this has been the highlight of her term. “I think it’s discovering unexpected areas to improve your portfolio,” she said.
Among the newer projects, Guarna implemented behaviour descriptive interviewing, with the goal of creating a more transparent system in which experience working within the MSU is not as high a priority as skills an applicant learned in a different environment. The process has already been used to hire three PTMs.
Another task she took on later was the creation of a PTM onboarding package, which is distributed to newly hired PTMs as a how-to guide for navigating the early days in their role.
One platform point that did not make it off the page was a checklist for event planners to use to ensure that events are accessible. Monthly feedback forms from PTM also did not make the cut, with the first SRA feedback form being addressed this Sunday and the PTMs undergoing a mid-year evaluation process now. On the other hand, the traditional bi-monthly meetings with PTMs have allowed Guarna to gather feedback while circumventing the tediousness of forms.
While Guarna could not have forseen the factors that led her to refocus her efforts, the vice-presidential candidates are largely chosen based on the merit of their platform. By voting for a candidate, SRA members voice their support for platform points they want to see realized. While this could be a flaw of the electoral process, or an issue specific to the role of the VP (Administration), Guarna was ultimately elected on her platform and she will hopefully be able to revisit some of her popular platform points in the next term.
Daniel D’Angela - VP Finance
The VP (Finance) is primarily responsible for overseeing the budget of the McMaster Students Union. In addition to the day-to-day finances and responsibilities, the VP (Finance) acts as the chair of the Silhouette Board of Publication, and is expected to involve themselves in projects that relate to the financial standing of the MSU.
Communication
One of D’Angela’s major goals as VP (Finance) was to improve the transparency and communication associated with his position.
However, his platform also included a communication strategy surrounding the new health and dental plan, which arguably hasn’t had a significant effect beyond Welcome Week, and a “Budget Townhall” at the beginning of the year outlining the use of student money, an event with a relatively small turnout.
Despite this, D’Angela has been making a concerted effort to communicate in new and logical ways. SRA members who have worked closely with D’Angela echoed that sentiment, and one noted that he’s been very receptive to working individually with SRA members seeking help with their own year-long goals.
Fulfilling Job Description
D’Angela has made significant strides towards completing his platform, and has been most successful so far in improving financial transparency for the Union and for its student representatives. The previously noted implementations of financial training for SRA members and monthly financial reports are good examples of tangible and sustainable efforts to improve financial literacy.
His biggest project remains in the works however, as he is hoping to implement a multi-year plan to provide solutions for student space on campus. While this goes beyond the infrastructure expansions planned for MUSC and is currently in a survey-phase, it is unclear how successful this plan will be yet.
“It’s preliminary for me to say what it will exactly look like,” he said. “Getting that information is what I really want to be one of my long-term goals this year so that next year’s team can clearly see ... what’s the best plan.”
Some more ancillary platform points are on schedule, including the improvement and protection of services at the Underground.
D’Angela did note he believes he needs to spend more time working on his platform of improving transit advocacy, but considering that he has been on-schedule with the rest of his platform thus far, it’s fair to expect a similar, consistent effort.
Spencer Nestico-Semianiw - VP Education
The VP (Education) portfolio is known for the vast range of initiatives it covers. Despite that, Spencer Nestico-Semianiw has not only taken on the duties of the MSU’s lead advocate, he was also elected as the President of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, the provincial lobbying organization the MSU belongs to. The Arts and Science student’s initiatives are varied and tackle multiple issues important to McMaster students, from federal and provincial advocacy to improving course evaluations for students and faculty. Prior to being elected as the VP (Education), Nestico-Semianiw served as the External Affairs Commissioner for the SRA.
Communication
Nestico-Semianiw has so far been very communicative with the MSU at large. He is highly active on social media and responds to correspondence quickly. He has a blog on the MSU website that he updates on a monthly basis, and while he posts links to it on his Twitter account, it could be promoted better, much like Osazuwa’s vlogs. He did mention that internal communication with other members of the BoD had been somewhat problematic. “I think a challenge that we sometimes have with the board is who is in charge of what aspects of a portfolio,” he said.
Fulfilling Job Description
Again, much like Osazuwa, many of Nestico-Semianiw’s platform points are still in the process of being implemented. He has taken on a large portion of the President’s affordable tuition plan, a task he said he was not expecting to play such a large role in organizing. In the time he has held the position of VP (Education), Nestico-Semianiw has organized OUSA’s general assembly, however he hopes to be able to focus more on a collaboration between the MSU and the to encourage Mac grads to work in Hamilton after earning their degrees. “We’ve had a lot of progress on individualized work with employment … during our Municipal Advocacy Week we met with city managers and Hamilton Economic Development to talk about more employment issues for the city … but so far nothing has materialized in terms of a comprehensive system,” he explained. Looking towards the new year, Semianiw is faces the challenge of implementing his remaining platform points.
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After a long and controversial campaign, the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign’s demands became an official part of the MSU’s purchasing policy following last year’s General Assembly. However, one full term following the vote, the MSU and BDS McMaster have yet to produce a final list of companies to divest from.
The BDS movement identifies itself as a non-violent campaign that seeks to divest from all companies involved in the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. The campaign was met with opposition from Israeli student groups, and garnered comments from the former Harper government condemning the movement and its policies as instances of hate crime. However, the BDS campaign at McMaster has been slightly revised, only boycotting companies involved in specific illegal settlements, and not all Israeli companies.
In mid-September, members of the BDS McMaster, a group of about 15 students along with about 200 volunteers, were tasked with forming a comprehensive purchasing list for the MSU. The current MSU vendors list is made up of almost 3,000 companies and individuals that the MSU both purchases and receives money from. Individual BDS members and volunteers researched about 200 different companies each, primarily using online search engines, and occasionally contacting companies to further inquire about their involvement in occupied territories. The estimated number of companies to be affected by the policy has not been finalized.
BDS McMaster group member Lina Kuffiyeh explained, “This list basically has everything and we have to spend so much time figuring out which companies we should boycott because the list is so huge.” Kuffiyeh expressed the desire for a smaller list from the university that excludes students that have given money to the MSU.
While there are no clear plans for future initiatives for the group, Kuffiyeh hopes that the enthusiasm for the campaign will continue after it has been fully implemented. “A lot of students take the BDS movement personally,” stated Kuffiyeh. “I know it’s personal to me because I still have family back home in Palestine who are directly targeted by the occupation so I hope it continues to resonate with students on campus. I also hope students realize that BDS isn’t just about Israeli occupation, it actually relates to a broader umbrella of ethical purchasing.”
The small group of BDS students are currently verifying the companies that are slated to be boycotted, while also juggling academic responsibilities. Members of the group are aiming to have the list completed by the end of the school term, or January at the latest.
Photo Credit: Alex Young
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There are two university staff members that I see everyday who look like me. They are both women, and they are both very soft-spoken. We don’t ever exchange more than a “Hello” with one another, but between us there seems to be an unspoken agreement that we acknowledge and respect one another’s work. It’s not often that I see university staff faces with a similar bone structure to mine, the same skin colour as mine, or whispered hints of accents and languages that remind me of my family and my ancestors. But, I see these traits in these two women, and for that, they are the closest things to visual role models I have on campus.
Both of these people are custodial staff, and for the most part, they are the only staff members on campus that I have seen with faces like mine.
It is alarming to me that the only adult faces I see like mine on campus are the ones that are forced to work behind the scenes, not the ones actively being portrayed as representatives of our university. During my time as an undergraduate at McMaster, I only ever had one minority professor, and I was only ever taught by her for one of my four years. When it comes to minority women on campus, the message I get is quite clear: your role is best served in service, unless you’re willing to try and beat the odds.
I’m happy to have the role models that I do on campus, our service staff work hard for our campus and community. But I hate that I very rarely see these same role models at the heads of classrooms and hosting office hours — the same roles that I would like to see for myself and my sisters. Where’s my big family of Asian, Latin, Black, Brown, Middle Eastern and Indigenous female professors waiting to welcome me into their academic arms? Where’s my professors who look like me and who are happy to look like me and want me to learn from their visual example?
According to a 2010 study by the Canadian Association of University Teachers, only 17 percent of university faculty were minorities, without a report of how many of those were women. This may seem representative given that Canada has, according to the last census, a population consisting of 20 percent minority citizens, but how is this percentage of staff distributed through the university? Does one faculty have more exposure to minority role models than another? Another disappointing statistic comes in the form of unemployment research. The largest group of unemployed professors in Canada is that of female visible minorities, with eight percent unemployment — a sizeable feat compared to the roughly four percent unemployment running across their male and white counterparts.
It isn’t a matter of there simply not being enough racialized women with PhDs and credentials; we know they’re out there, they are just not being hired as much as other groups.
Even when I was hired for my job and then was hiring positions for this paper, I heard one of our former staff members say blatantly sexist and racist micro-aggressions about hiring multiple women of colour (FYI, they asked “are we hiring too many?”).
I hold a position of power among my student body, and I acknowledge that. I am a minority woman who is filling a job that, aside from a single digit number of exceptions in our 85-year history, has consistently been held by white people (and only 12 of those white people being women). With this being said, it is part of my intrinsic nature of holding this position to feel a need to represent my sisters of all colours and try to be the professional role model many of them have yet to encounter on campus.
In general, I see a variety of colours and cultures on campus, but very rarely do I see them outside of our student body and our service staff. At this point, I don’t even care if I see professors and staff who are the same genre of minority as me, I just want to see more than one person representing minority women from the side of faculty.
So McMaster, I get that you’re trying, and I know that we work hard to promote a diverse campus, but I’d like to propose a New Year’s resolution for you: let’s get a female university staff in a range of colours — I want to see women of colour on campus clearing off chalk boards for more than one reason.
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McMaster’s Human Rights and Equity Services has just launched the university’s first-ever Sexual Violence Response Protocol.
Spearheaded by Meaghan Ross, the recently hired Sexual Violence Response Coordinator, the protocol is an effort to provide university staff and community members with the information needed when accepting a disclosure about sexual, gender-based or other related violence.
“The response protocol is really about ensuring that survivors who have experienced violence receive a consistent response and a response that is survivor-centered,” said Ross.
The SVRP was developed through two primary initiatives — the work of the Anti-Violence network as well as a joint program between the Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and the YWCA, which involved research on current disclosure responses on campus.
“We know that it’s been people’s experiences [on campus] that when they disclose instances of gender-based violence that they could get really good responses or they could unfortunately get very victim or survivor-blaming responses. So it’s meant to provide some clear guidelines about ways to be more consistent in providing responses that really honor what those survivors are saying,” she said.
The protocol was officially implemented at the end of November with the launch of a website outlining its details as well as references and HRES contact information.
The website also includes a series of important definitions of terms like sexual violence, gender-based violence and survivor-driven response, that are meant to give community members a better understanding of the disclosures they may receive and how to react to them.
The protocol itself has nine bullet-pointed concrete commitments including a “highest priority on survivor safety and ensuring that the campus is welcoming, safe and inclusive for all members of our community” and “Communicating that sexual violence is not — and will not be — tolerated and will be actively addressed on an ongoing basis.”
Ross explained that in particular there were two parts of the protocol that she was impassioned about discussing and including: confidentiality limits and creating a non-judgemental space.
“We know that survivors have come forward to speak to make disclosures, but they haven’t always been informed about what the person receiving the disclosure’s confidentiality limits are. And the difficult thing about that is that survivors start to tell their stories and they don’t know where that information might go,” she said.
Limits of confidentiality refers to the fact that not every community member has been trained to safe-guard the information they have been provided, and may feel the need to share the information they have been told with someone else who can then in turn deal with the disclosure. Both Ross and the website explained that if someone is coming to you with a disclosure, you need to make it clear to them that their words will remain confidential.
“Folks need to be aware of their limits, and if they have questions about that or they are worried about that then I have a very high level of confidentiality so they can refer it to me,” said Ross.
In terms of creating a non-judgmental space, Ross and HRES want to ensure that those receiving disclosures are not asking any leading questions, or providing inappropriate advice or comments.
“So folks aren’t asking questions about what the survivor did or didn’t do, or making any sort of assumptions about that. And that they also are not providing advice … it really needs to be about the survivor and what makes sense to them,” said Ross.
Ross and HRES will be hosting three information sessions about the SVRP during the upcoming week: Dec. 7 at 12:30 p.m. in MUSC 224 and 5:30 p.m. in MUSC 313, and Dec. 9 at 3:30 p.m. in MUSC 224.
The protocol and its corresponding website are both very comprehensive and its existence is a formidable step for McMaster as an inclusive and understanding community.
“It signals a good moment in McMaster’s history, that we’re really saying that we have a commitment to survivors,” said Ross.
“It’s a really good starting place that the university has this commitment.”
Photo Credit: svrp.mcmaster.ca
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