Simon Mills’ MSU presidential platform aims to create a more connected, inclusive and supportive McMaster community
Simon Mills, a candidate for the 2025 McMaster Students Union presidential election, is running with goals of strengthening and building McMaster's student community, improving student life and addressing issues such as mental health support, athletics and student rights.
Mills, who has worked at TwelvEighty Bar and Grill for several years, has a platform focusing on five core pillars, which are student life, athletic events and support, club engagement and on-campus well-being and safety.
Mills' vision for student life at McMaster involves revitalizing popular campus events and spaces. His platform mentions enhancing Light Up the Night, an annual campus event, by bringing in more "dynamic and engaging" performers, improving crowd management and expanding food truck offerings.
Mills also expresses a desire to revitalize TwelvEighty and Union Market, suggesting that they are underutilized spaces on campus. He plans to introduce consistent student events like karaoke, trivia and live music at TwelvEighty and stock Union Market with healthier food options and improve its look with student art.
Mills platform proposes adding additional elements to Homecoming, such as interfaculty games prior to the main football game and beer gardens. He also proposes a four day long "MSU Cup" event, which he describes as being like a "faculty olympics," as students would compete in various sports representing their faculties.
In an effort to boost student engagement with athletics, Mills wants to create more exciting game-day experiences. He wants to introduce giveaways, raffles and tailgating to attract more to sports events. Proposing to collaborate with Athletics and Recreation, he hopes to make game days more engaging with "interactive fan zones" and celebrations for important events.
Mills is also advocating for better support for student-athletes. He proposes organizing opportunities for current student-athletes to network and learn from alumni who were student-athletes. Mills also proposes organizing academic support for athletes specifically, including tutoring and study sessions and workshops to help them balance their schedules.
Mills believes that clubs play a crucial role in student life. He proposes creating a "Club Vision Program," a matchmaking tool to help students connect with clubs that align with their interests. He also calls for more frequent club fairs, two to three per year, to ensure students have ample opportunities to engage with clubs beyond the first semester.
Mills states he wants to streamline the event planning process and simplify the event health and safety approval process, ensuring clubs can organize events more efficiently. Additionally, he indicates in his platform that he wishes to collaborate with Bounce to better the ticketing system for club events.
Mills platform iterates the importance of safety and well-being for students, particularly in terms of mental health and physical safety. His platform calls for more advocacy for increased mental health resources on campus to reduce wait times for appointments with the Student Wellness Centre. He also wants to advocate for better lighting in parking lots and pathways, increased funding and new equipment for the student-run Emergency First Response Team and additional emergency call stations.
Additionally, Mills wants to advocate for online information on parking availability and shuttle bus trackers to make commuting easier for students.
Mills' platform proposes advocating for students on the issues of housing and parking enforcement. He plans to advocate for the permanent implementation of Hamilton's Rental Housing Licensing Pilot Program to increase the quality of rental conditions for students. Mills also wants to advocate against what he claims to be "predatory" and disproportionate parking enforcement in the areas near McMaster.
Mills platform also mentions creating a new service that would be called the "Academic Integrity Guardians," whose role would be to support students accused of inappropriately using AI in their course work.
Mills additionally proposes collaborating with McMaster Library services to enhance library study spaces by increasing the number of power outlets and desktop monitor accessibility.
Finally, he also plans to collaborate with Hamilton Bike Share to establish more bike rack areas outside of and near the university with high numbers of students.
Simon Mills' platform focuses on enhancing student life, supporting athletes, improving campus safety, and advocating for better housing and parking policies.
Several student groups collaborated to host Diwali Dhamaal, an unforgettable celebration on McMaster’s campus
In celebration of Diwali, McMaster’s South Asian music club MacGeet, the McMaster Gujarati Students’ Association, McMaster’s chapter of Aim for Seva, the McMaster Indian Association and the McMaster South Indian Students Association came together to launch Diwali Dhamaal.
The event took place on Nov. 7, 2024, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Hub.
Diwali, commonly known as the festival of lights, is an annual celebration observed by several religions originating from India that marks the triumph of light over darkness. In preparation of Diwali, celebrants clean and decorate their homes with diyas and gather to enjoy delicious food and sometimes observe fireworks. It is one of the biggest celebrations in India with varying traditional celebrations depending on religion and region.
MacGeet is a McMaster South Asian music club that brings its community together through music and performance spanning various South Asian cultures. Jaisal Samra and Sharanya Badalera are the co-presidents of MacGeet and discussed the significance of hosting a Diwali celebration on campus with other clubs.
“I think it’s a lot about inclusivity. So we don’t pertain to a specific geographic South Asian area. We’re very open in terms of representing all of South Asia. And that’s one thing that’s really important to us . . . because South Asia is so diverse and so culturally unique, giving them an opportunity to interconnect is really important,” said Samra.
Samra also emphasized the importance of making this event accessible for all McMaster students. “So we didn’t want price to be a barrier for students to not be able to come because they don’t want to pay. And that’s really one big important thing for Diwali too, you’re supposed to be able to share and enjoy it with as many people as you can and just make this a really nice time,” said Samra.
That’s really one big important thing for Diwali too, you’re supposed to be able to share and enjoy it with as many people as you can and just make this a really nice time.
Jaisal Samra, Co-President
MacGeet
The event featured live performances by MacGeet and Gujarati Students' Association, mehndi, diya painting, food and a polaroid photo booth. Mehndi is a temporary skin decoration created with henna and a diya is a small lamp that is lit on Diwali.
“I’m excited to see the performances. I think those will be really good because the Gujarati Students’ Association are doing this dance and we're doing the singing,” said Samra.
“After the full team performance, the rest of the performance is just there for people to listen to as they walk around . . . you walk around, you mingle with people, you enjoy some activities and snacks. It’s like everything is ongoing,” said Badalera.
The dress code for the event was cultural attire which left attendees and club members very excited for the event. “We’ve told people on social media the expected attire. So people are going to be dressing up and looking very nice in traditional clothing,” said Samra.
Hosting this cultural event in collaboration with various student clubs allowed for an increased level of representation that showcased various traditional aspects of the celebration.
“I know that people can go to certain events and they maybe feel left out or they feel like they don't have proper representation. We’re hoping by including a diverse amount of clubs that we’re able to hit on a lot of target points and generally just contentment,” said Samra.
Badalera further explained the event's goal of leaving attendees with the feeling of community. “I hope people feel a sense of community when they leave, feeling nice that they got to spend time with people from their community and just have fun celebrating such an important festival,” said Badalera.
I hope people feel a sense of community when they leave, feeling nice that they got to spend time with people from their community and just have fun celebrating such an important festival.
Sharanya Badalera, Co-President
MacGeet
Samra highlighted the importance of hosting these events to strengthen cultural connectivity through personal experience. “I know growing up I struggled with being connected to my culture and it’s been a really tough journey for me. So I hope to be able to inspire others to find their culture as well,” said Samra.
“It’s also nice because there’s a lot of students who may be international and won’t be able to go home to celebrate it,” said Badalera.
If you missed this celebration. you can keep up with all these clubs on Instagram. Keep an eye on MacGeet, McMaster Gujarati Students’ Association, McMaster’s chapter of AIM for SEVA, the McMaster Indian Association and the McMaster South Indian Students Association for more fun, accessible cultural events and opportunities!
McMaster's second annual Cultural Fest held in the MUSC atrium celebrates McMaster's diverse student groups
Cultural Fest took place on Oct. 30, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. as part of the programming for International Education Week. Seventeen different clubs had tables set up in the atrium of the McMaster University Student Centre. This event was organized by the McMaster International and Exchange Students Club in partnership with the Student Success Centre.
Each club showcased their culture and club events with poster boards, flags, books and slideshows. Some clubs also offered cultural foods to students.
Attendees were given a bingo card with all the clubs’ logos to encourage interaction. To complete the card, attendees had to participate in the activity offered by each club. These activities included trivia, drawing and trying on traditional clothing. MIX, the McMaster International and Exchange Students Club, provided treat bags or cupcakes as prizes for completing at least eight activities.
Humphrey Erizo, the co-president of MIX, explained that the idea for the event was modelled after Clubs Fest, which is held by the MSU during the first week of school.
“A lot of cultural clubs get to hold their booths [at Clubs Fest] but we have to kind of divide the attention of the people. Usually people who come to our booths or the booths of specific [cultural clubs], they come there because they are from that specific culture and so we don’t necessarily get that kind of a broader audience,” said Erizo.
Cultural Fest offers an opportunity for clubs to engage with students in a more focused setting. This event also emphasizes education about the cultures represented in addition to promoting club activities and events.
“Having culture fest concentrates it a little bit. When people who are not necessarily from any of the cultures that we have present in the event, when they see the crowd . . . they become interested . . . they get to learn about all of the clubs that are there,” said Erizo.
When people who are not necessarily from any of the cultures that we have present in the event, when they see the crowd . . . they become interested . . . they get to learn about all of the clubs that are there.
Humphrey Erizo, co-president
McMaster International and Exchange Students Club
Matt Min, one of MIX’s events coordinators, said that his favourite part of the event was meeting people from the various clubs. “I really enjoyed the fact that I got to like just talk with a lot of other clubs that I didn't know even existed. It’s really cool seeing how much I’m missing out on . . . I think talking to people with different cultures is a really cool thing. It helps me educate myself,” said Min.
Erizo shared that the Student Success Centre provided financial support and managed registration for the event. “Because it was so successful last year … the Student Success Centre caught wind of it and a sub-department of SSC which is McMaster’s international and exchange office. They coordinated a lot with us this year,” Erizo.
Min said that the number of clubs involved increased from 12 to 17 since last year. “Maybe it’ll just keep increasing. Maybe we’ll eventually have not enough space to help everybody. Seeing that diversity was really really cool,” said Min.
Maybe it’ll just keep increasing. Maybe we’ll eventually have not enough space to help everybody. Seeing that diversity was really really cool.
Matt Min, events coordinator
McMaster International and Exchange Students Club
Erizo further commented on Cultural Fest’s success and shared that roughly 450 people attended the event. “We hope to keep holding it. Even though it’s only been held two times, it’s quickly become a staple for our club,” said Erizo.
Although MIX is targeted towards international and exchange students, Erizo said they encourage domestic students to attend their events as well, especially if you are interested in going on exchange. MIX holds a variety of events throughout the year, including an upcoming pub night which will be held on Nov. 7, 2024 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Phoenix.
Get ready to laugh out loud with and interact with McMaster's improv team at the Westdale Theatre!
The McMaster Improv Team will be taking the stage on September 19 at 8:00 p.m. at the Westdale Theatre. This event promises an evening filled with spontaneous humour and engaging comedy, featuring not only the McMaster Improv Team but also a lineup of other hilarious acts including Dave Barclay, Carson and Taylor, and Smooth Comedy.
The McMaster Improv Team operates with a blend of structured improvisation and creative freedom, ensuring that each performance is both unpredictable and engaging. The team requires the use of quick wit to create entertaining narratives on the spot. “You go from club practices where you're performing scenes in front of your fellow members, which is easy, and then you go to performing in front of a crowd who might know nothing about improv.” explained Rachel Brinzan, vice president of promotions for the McMaster Improv Team.
The McMaster Improv Team creates narratives in real-time, a process that Brinzan finds very enjoyable. “If you’ve ever watched a TV show and seen a plot develop, in improv, you’re making that plot up on the spot. Sometimes, things circle back in scenes, creating a very interesting narrative,” Brinzan explained. This unscripted nature of improv allows the audience to experience a fresh and dynamic performance with every show.
If you’ve ever watched a TV show and seen a plot develop, in improv, you’re making that plot up on the spot.
Rachel Brinzan, Vice President Promotions
McMaster Improv Team
The team is divided into junior and senior divisions, with two student coaches and a head coach. The junior team consists of beginners who are new to improv and is under the guidance of student coaches Gabby Pelosini and Keon Madani.
The senior team includes those with more experience, further honing their craft under the direction of head coach Kevin, who oversees the entire group. “Kevin is an experienced improv coach with over 10 years of acting experience. He teaches us the curriculum and helps us develop our skills,” said Briznan.
The upcoming event at the Westdale Theatre will provide the team with a diverse audience off campus. “We’re excited to perform at the Westdale because it’s a great way to reach out and meet people who aren’t just on campus,” said Brinzan.
The McMaster Improv Team’s show is not only a chance to enjoy some great comedy but also an opportunity to try out improv for yourself. As Brinzan puts it, “Improv is all about having fun and enjoying the moment. Even if you’re not an actor, you can come and enjoy the performance or even consider trying it out yourself.”
Improv is all about having fun and enjoying the moment. Even if you’re not an actor, you can come and enjoy the performance or even consider trying it out yourself.
Rachel Brinzan, Vice President Promotions
McMaster Improv Team
McMaster Improv also includes an interactive element where the audience has influence on the performance. The performers will occasionally prompt someone in the audience for a subject, then the improv team creates a storyline from it. “You [the audience] can shape the way the scene is. If you want a scene to be about tomatoes you can have the scene about tomatoes. It's just a really fun interactive event. And you get to see how other people are going to interact with you, with your scenarios and with the people up on stage,” said Brinzan.
This event will be a great way to experience the creative energy and community spirit of the McMaster Improv Team. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to witness a night of spontaneous comedy and interactive fun. Grab your tickets, bring your friends, and get ready for an unforgettable evening of laughter at the Westdale Theatre on September 19th!
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.
McMaster Film Production Club co-presidents, Amanda Dam and Hala Jaber, discuss what their new club has to offer students
Breaking into the film industry can be an uphill battle, especially as students, who often have little to no connections within show biz and lack any previous experience to qualify for opportunities in the present. Upon realizing this collective struggle among their peers, two McMaster University students, Amanda Dam and Hala Jaber, looked for a way to bridge this gap between theory and practice. Now the co-presidents of the newly ratified McMaster Film Production Club, Dam and Jaber sat down to talk with the Silhouette about how the club came to be, the production for the club’s first short film, what students can look forward to and the importance of fostering young filmmakers.
Before we start, could you tell me a little bit about yourselves and what you were doing before MFPC?
Amanda Dam: I’m currently a fourth-year student enrolled in the Arts and Science program combined with Media Arts program.
Hala Jaber: I’m in my fourth-year pursuing an honours degree in Media Arts. Amanda and I first met during our second year of university as coworkers and instantly bonded over our mutual passion for film and media production.
Why did you start MFPC and when did it go from idea to conception?
Jaber: After our second year, we felt that McMaster lacked a community for students interested and passionate about film production. We shared this vision of having a film or media production club that could unite students interested in film and provide a platform for collaborative projects. The idea had always been there, but we started taking it seriously during the summer of 2022 while we were sitting in a dessert restaurant.
Dam : And when we presented the proposal in December 2022, the response was incredible. We had around 100 students sign up, and that’s when we knew that our idea was becoming a reality. Since then, MFPC has been a club that works towards bringing together passionate students and fostering a vibrant creative community on campus.
That’s amazing to hear. For students who may still be hesitating, what can they expect from joining?
Jaber: Joining MFPC as a team member means gaining hands-on film production experience and collaborating with other McMaster students on the creation of a film throughout the academic year. Students are given the chance to be involved in various film production stages, including script writing, cinematography, sound design, and post-production.
Dam: The club also aims to give members the chance to contribute to all of these stages. It provides an excellent opportunity for students interested in the film industry to gain resume-worthy experience while also connecting with others who share similar interests.
Why do you think it’s important to support young filmmakers and creatives?
Jaber : We believe it is important to support independent and student-made films and creatives, as it gives the opportunity to promote diversity, different perspectives and representation of various issues.
Dam : It is also important to support fellow students and to listen to what they have to say. Student-made films foster a supportive community of those who share the same passion.
To become a MFPC member, check out a club membership here and visit the club’s Instagram page @McMasterFilm for the latest updates.
McMaster’s Terry Fox Club is hosting their first run since the start of the pandemic on Sept. 21 at McMaster Track Field
McMaster University has been hosting a Terry Fox run since the tradition began in 1984. In 2020 and 2021, the event had to be conducted virtually due to COVID-19, but this year, on Sep. 21 at 10:30 a.m., the Terry Fox Club is bringing the tradition back to campus.
The Terry Fox Club at McMaster raises money for the Terry Fox Foundation, who donates the funds for cancer research. The club also hosts several fundraisers throughout the year, though their most notable is still the annual Terry Fox Run.
Despite limitations during the peak of the pandemic, the Terry Fox Club continued to host events over the past two years year. The club hosted one event last year where they sold T-shirts and bracelets and raised $700. With their in person events this year, they hope they can surpass that record.
The Terry Fox Run will take place on the McMaster Track Field and will begin with speeches, followed by the self-paced run. Towards the end of the event, there will also be closing speeches.
Kristine Braun, vice president of the Terry Fox Club, along with the rest of the team are very excited to be bringing the run back to McMaster for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
“I'd say a lot of people are coming to campus right now for the first time. And I think one thing that they can bring from high school is Terry Fox, in a sense, because he's always around, like through our childhood, through high school. And this is one way that we can get out there and then also support a good cause like cancer research,” said Braun.
"I think one thing that they can bring from high school is Terry Fox, in a sense, because he's always around, like through our childhood, through high school."
Kristine Braun, vice president, Terry Fox Club
The Terry Fox Club hopes that students participating in their event also have the opportunite to meet other students
Braun explained the club will also be hosting a fundraising competition for students living on residence. Each residence is encouraged to raise between $500-$1000 and the residence that can raise the most will receive a prize.
“That's a way that the residences can also connect during September since they're all meeting each other for the first time. It all adds a little bit of fun to the whole event,” said Braun.
For more information visit the Terry Fox Club via their Instagram @TerryFoxMcMaster.
C/O Kevin Patrick Robbins
MSU clubs that had to improvise during online school reflect on their first year back in person as they look forward to fall 2022
Last September, many McMaster Students Union clubs restarted in-person meetings after a school year spent online. During the pandemic, some MSU clubs found it difficult to maintain their numbers and had unique challenges to work around because of the nature of online connections.
With online school, Mac Improv did their best to continue the spirit of improvisation over Zoom calls and shows. Vice President of outreach and soon to be Co-President of Mac Improv, Dabeer Abdul-Azeez, spoke about how online meetings may have hindered improv, but also allowed the team to try new things using technology.
“[We] held online practices still. They were held over Zoom, so it was very awkward because a lot of improv has to do with being onstage and body language. [It’s] very awkward when you're just sitting [and] the camera can only see so much of your person. But we tried, nonetheless, and still held practices,” said Abdul-Azeez.
Despite the added challenges, Mac Improv still put on a few virtual shows during the year using new types of online games they wouldn’t usually get to use to improvise with such as Among Us.
“There were some digital games that we tried that we normally wouldn't have done in person. [We used] technology to help provide suggestions for the scenes or things like that,” said Abdul-Azeez.
This year, Mac Improv was almost back to pre-COVID practices, with exceptions for McMaster’s COVID safety rules. After meeting together twice a week this school year, Mac Improv is working on putting together an in-person show on April 14 at the Westdale Theatre.
Absolute Pitch, McMaster’s official show choir, also felt a hit to their club during online school. Unfortunately, their 2020 annual show was scheduled just one week after McMaster closed. Club President Haleigh Wallace expressed that having a year’s worth of work not end up on stage was frustrating, but that the club was able to adapt using individual recordings and mixing them together virtually.
“Our vocal directors ended up getting really good at audio mixing and we all would sit alone in our rooms and record our own vocal lines and then they would all get mixed together so that we sounded like one in person choir,” said Wallace.
Wallace also mentioned that there were fewer new faces during the online year, but is hopeful that with in-person meetings coming back, first-years will be excited to join new clubs. Their show this year, Retro Rewind, took place on April 3 in person live at Kenneth Taylor Hall.
“I think the two main things we're really excited about are hopefully an in-person clubs fest or some sort of similar event where we can recruit a lot more new members because our cast is very small this year,” said Wallace.
The McMaster Musical Theatre opted to keep their show online this year. Carly Black, Vice President External of McMaster Musical Theatre, spoke about keeping members during their year online.
“Our plan and our hope was to be back in person . . . We got to go back into a few rehearsals in-person, but by that time, we lost so much rehearsal time already because of McMaster pushing back its opening day to February. It was just going to be so difficult to pull together the show when we lost so much time,” said Black.
The Musical Theatre also saw a drop in students auditioning during the online school year similar to Mac Improv and Absolute Pitch.
“I definitely think there were less people that auditioned when it was online. Just because, you know, lots of people want to do an in-person show. It's just very different online . . . [For] a lot of people, things changed in their lives during the pandemic. So, a lot of people just didn't do as many things [or] join as many clubs, which is completely understandable,” said Black.
A consensus across clubs was that recruitment dropped significantly throughout the pandemic, as it was difficult to predict whether we would be online or in person or what the clubs would look like.
However, with McMaster soon to drop mask mandates campus-wide, MSU clubs may look very different come this upcoming fall. Hopefully, more in-person engagement and connections are to come.
C/O Effective Altruism McMaster
McMaster students get involved with the Effective Altruism movement to discover the career paths that enable them to do the most good
Effective Altruism is a social and philosophical movement focused on helping people have positive impacts on the world, both in their careers and in their lives generally. This movement began at Oxford University and has since amassed a number of chapters around the world.
Wim Howson Creutzberg, a second-year student at McMaster and co-president of the Effective Altruism McMaster chapter, explained that Effective Altruism attempts to use logic and reason to discover the most impactful ways to help others.
“We try to question conventional understandings of what the best ways to do good are, or even what good is. And, as it turns out, some ways of helping other people are way more impactful than others and so we do them,” said Creutzberg.
“We try to question conventional understandings of what the best ways to do good are, or even what good is. And, as it turns out, some ways of helping other people are way more impactful than others and so we do them."
Wim Howson Creutzberg, Co-president of Effective Altruism McMaster
For example, according to Creutzberg, the Effective Altruism movement has been advocating for increased resource allocation towards pandemic prevention and mitigation since before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
More generally, Creutzberg also explained how the movement has investigated what makes charities most effective at helping people. Thinkers in the movement have analyzed numerous charities and determined which ones are most effective, so that people donating to charities can consider how to have the greatest impact with their donations.
Thinkers in the movement have analyzed numerous charities and determined which ones are most effective, so that people donating to charities can consider how to have the greatest impact with their donations.
Effective Altruism is a relatively new movement, with Giving What We Can, the first international Effective Altruism movement, launching in 2009. According to Creutzberg, the McMaster chapter of Effective Altruism is even newer.
“We're really excited about this stuff because what we’ve realized is that, even as university students, our potential to do good is kind of crazy,” said Creutzberg.
While the Effective Altruism group at McMaster is not currently ratified as a club, they are hoping to achieve this status in the future. They have other future ambitions as well, such as potentially developing a small course for McMaster students who are interested in the movement.
“There's a lot of ground to cover when you start [introducing a] movement and sometimes a self-directed approach is better for some people, [whereas] sometimes being systematically introduced to ideas can be really helpful,” said Creutzberg.
Creutzberg described the Effective Altruism group at McMaster as a small but rapidly growing group of students who meet to discuss how they can have the most positive impact on the world.
“I think it could help ambitious students find meaningful careers and interesting and genuinely valuable ways to spend their time and money. And I think that could, at the very least, enrich the discussion around trying to create a better world,” said Creutzberg.
“I think it could help ambitious students find meaningful careers and interesting and genuinely valuable ways to spend their time and money. And I think that could, at the very least, enrich the discussion around trying to create a better world."
Wim Howson Creutzberg, Co-president of Effective Altruism McMaster
Emphasizing the potential of the Effective Altruism chapter at McMaster, Creutzberg said that the movement can impact the lives of students by helping them decide where to direct their energy for meaningful action.