Ronald McDonald's South Central Ontario location shared how flu-season has disrupted their operations and encouraged community to take steps to protect their health
Hamilton hospitals are currently experiencing issues related to over capacity. In an interview with Global News, Hamilton Health Sciences shared that the McMaster Children's Hospital reached 112 per cent capacity on Oct. 19. Furthermore, they shared the rise in admissions had led to the cancellation of their pre-scheduled care.
A press release from Public Health Ontario, shared on Nov. 3, indicated they were expecting there to be an increase in COVID-19 between Oct. 29 to Nov. 11, 2023 based on data from the previous two weeks.
Moreover, Public Health Ontario's Respiratory Virus Tool indicated a gradual increase in cases since September 2023.
This recent spike in flu and COVID-19 cases directly impacts pediatric patients residing at Ronald McDonald House, which provide families a place to stay together while their children undergo treatment at local hospitals.
The South Central Ontario location, located right beside McMaster University's main campus and McMaster's Children's Hospital, provides accommodations primarily for those in the Niagara, Halton, Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and Branford regions.
Mario De Divitiis, chief executive officer at Ronald McDonald House Charities South Central Ontario, shared that often children that stay at their location are critically ill and unable to be serviced at their local hospitals. The house allows parents of patients, who are usually not local to Hamilton, to be able to more easily visit their children and get the proper treatment.
Divitiis has noticed the uptick in cases, but he also noted that it typically occurs for them every year around this time. However, rising flu and COVID-19 cases can restrict their ability to admit patients as per usual. As demand increases, accommodation becomes more difficult.
“Yes, we've become accustomed to [over capacity] over the last few years. Unfortunately, there's no great way to prepare for it. Outside of educating the community around how to practice healthy habits,” said Diviitiis
Yes, we've become accustomed to [over capacity] over the last few years. Unfortunately, there's no great way to prepare for it. Outside of educating the community around how to practice healthy habits.
Mario De Divitiis, chief executive officer, Ronald McDonald House Charities South Central Ontario
Divitiis also shared that their staff is has been impacted by the rise in flu cases, with members falling ill with COVID and other flu-like sicknesses, which also greatly impairs their organization's ability to serve the patients and their families.
“When it does get overloaded, when it does get compromised, you're risking staff getting sick, you're risking staff to do more with the resources that they have. It's not a good recipe,” said Divitiis.
Divitiis believed the best way to manage the influx of flu cases is to educate the community. That includes emphasis on not touching one’s own eyes, mouth, nose and ears, as these are the most common areas of transmission.
Additionally, he mentioned that it’s important to check in with one’s self and ask if you’re current state of health would jeopardize those around you. If you feel that the answer leans towards no, to make sure you are taking the extra steps to protect yourself and those around you.
Would you visit your grandmother or grandfather this way? If you're that sick, would you be comfortable to give them a hug?. . . If you're not feeling that way, then maybe it's best to take a couple of extra measures by staying home that day if you're not feeling well.
Mario De Divitiis, chief executive officer, Ronald McDonald House Charities South Central Ontario
Ultimately, as respiratory sicknesses, including COVID-19 and flu, increase in circulation in the McMaster community, everyone is encouraged to do their best to mitigate transmission.
Marauders cap off a huge weekend at provincial rowing championship in St. Catharines with five medals, including two varsity bronze medals
On Oct. 27 and 28, the McMaster University varsity rowing team competed along with 13 other participating schools in the Ontario University Athletics rowing championship at the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course in St. Catharines. The Marauders secured two bronze medals in the varsity women’s single and men’s lightweight pairs.
President of the rowing team, Nathalie Hilbert placed second in her women’s single heat on Oct. 27 with a time of 8:26.100 to advance to the event’s finals.
For the men’s team, Jonny Diakopoulos and Trevor Tung competed in the men’s lightweight pair and lightweight double. In the pair event, they placed second with a time of 7:25.000 in order to compete in the next-day A finals. For the doubles race, Diakopoulos and Tung finished in second in their heat to move onto the B finals.
The next day on Oct. 28, Hilbert returned to take on the A finals for the women’s single race, grabbing a spot on the podium with her bronze medal time of 8:53.270. Competing with Sarah Cushnie, Hilbert also placed fifth in the varsity women’s pair A finals.
To round out the Marauders’ wins that weekend, Diakopoulos and Tung picked up the team’s second bronze medal after finishing in third in the varsity men’s lightweight pairs. Their time of 7:37.780 just missed the silver medal spot by a few seconds, with the rowers from Western University narrowly beating out the duo by completing the race in 7:34.030.
To round out the Marauders’ wins that weekend, Diakopoulos and Tung picked up the team’s second bronze medal after finishing in third in the varsity men’s lightweight pairs.
Along with the varsity medalists, McMaster teams also secured three more medals from their junior varsity crews.
Along with the varsity medalists, McMaster teams also secured three more medals from their junior varsity crews.
The maroon and grey team dominated the junior varsity women’s doubles race, with the pair of Brooke McCoy and Olivia Richardson winning the gold medal while Sienna Munro and Hayden Taylor took the silver.
Ben Milone, Eshaan Maneyapanda, Rahul Patel, Matthew Glenn and Shuruthi Sivadas won the bronze medal for McMaster in the men’s coxed fours.
With success from both their varsity and junior varsity rowers, the Marauders finished their season in grand fashion.
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.
This new, and rapidly growing, McMaster club is building community and fostering inclusivity through representation in music
At first glance, MOOD FM is simply a club at McMaster University where students meet to discuss and explore music on a weekly basis. However, since its ratification in May 2022, the club has carved out a unique identity and purpose for itself.
“[We focus] on addressing inequality in how music is typically thought about and consumed,” said Mara Zacharia, a club executive and third-year chemical biology student.
[We focus] on addressing inequality in how music is typically thought about and consumed.
Mara Zacharia, MOOD FM club executive
MOOD FM is focused on building community, highlighting underrepresented groups in music and bridging the gap between students and the local Hamilton music scene. The club selects a new album each week for listening parties, meetings and discussions. As of this year, the weekly albums are selected to fit one of two themes: music made by female and genderqueer artists or music made by black artists. MOOD FM alternates between these themes monthly.
The focus of October was women in goth. Each week throughout the month, the club explored a different album within this theme, including ones by Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Cocteau Twins. The listening parties are hosted online over Discord every Tuesday at 9 p.m., and the in-person discussions take place on Wednesdays in room 203 in the McMaster University Student Centre from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
MOOD FM also introduced a new playlist swap initiative this year. Club members have the option to sign-up for a playlist swap, where they will create a playlist with five songs for someone else and receive one in return every other Sunday. Over the course of two weeks, the pairs are encouraged to listen to the playlists and write a short discussion about their thoughts.
“I’ve already been [introduced to] a bunch of other bands and artists that I didn’t know before. . .it’s really fun and it’s a good way to explore new genres,” said Aidan Zeglinski, a club executive and third-year chemistry student.
MOOD FM hopes to encourage students to engage with local music and bands and has organized outings in the Hamilton community to help with this.
“When Supercrawl came to Hamilton last month, we actually went out as a group and came out to show support to the local community, but also to introduce people, like first years and people who are not as [involved] in the Hamilton music scene and art scene,” said Zacharia.
We actually went out as a group and came out to show support to the local community, but also to introduce people, like first years and people who are not as [involved] in the Hamilton music scene and art scene.
Mara Zacharia, MOOD FM club executive
The club hopes to increase the frequency and variety of their outings, which may include hikes or record store runs in the future.
The MOOD FM Discord currently has around 300 members, with around 40 to 50 active members attending events and club meetings. The club executives have also noticed an influx of new members in their growing community, especially after ClubsFest this year.
“We’re not intimidating, we’re not scary people, we’re not going to ask you what your three favourite Nirvana songs are if you’re wearing a Nirvana shirt. We’re really just music-loving people that just want to talk about music in any way we can,” said Zeglinski.
The club is looking to expand the events they offer and to potentially collaborate with other clubs and organizations on campus this year. To learn more about the club and find out what they are listening to next, visit their Instagram page or website.
The BIPOC Market celebrated diversity in Hamilton and helped attendees get started on their early holiday shopping
The annual Hamilton Day BIPOC Market came back on Nov. 4 at CoMotion on King from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. There was a local DJ, MOJ, in addition to 14 vendors, including Stone and Shadow, Ashantae Scented Soy Candles, Henna Script, Lydie Customs and Travelling Feet Books. This market was in collaboration with Momoco Donuts, Chillis & Chimneys and Recess Photo Studio who had special promos for the market.
Black Owned Hamont has been doing markets since 2021, and they host around 10 every year throughout Hamilton, Niagara and Grimsby. In 2022, they hosted their first Hamilton Day BIPOC Market on James St. N. This year, they’re shaking things up with a new DJ and five new vendors.
Hamilton Day is all about celebrating Hamilton and supporting local businesses, making it a great way to kick off the holiday shopping season. Black Owned Hamont hopes their BIPOC Market will highlight people from marginalized communities because the spotlight isn't always on them. Through their markets, they provide a space to bring BIPOC-owned small businesses to the forefront.
“This is going to be a very busy shopping season. So. . . [everyone should] just do a little bit of research to see if there's an alternative by someone who has made it here locally, [which] I think is a better choice, and sometimes the prices are comparable,” said Alexandria Montague, one of the co-founders of Black Owned Hamont.
Black Owned Hamont hopes that attendees will realize that Hamilton is diverse and has a lot to offer. They also hope that their vendors will feel supported by the community.
“We're here to support our vendors and bring them to the market. So not only to sell, but also [to get them] customers, sometimes it's a follow on Instagram, and then the customer will go back to them and get a service or good,” said Montague.
They hope their market will bring the Hamilton community together and emphasize that the city itself is shared common ground between all Hamiltonians.
Stay tuned for their next market at Market Square in St. Catherine’s on Nov. 26, which will feature over 40 vendors and will be their last market of the year.
Hamilton’s local record store welcomes its community with open doors
The digitization of music has arguably made listening more accessible for us on-the-go university students. Entire albums can be downloaded in the span of a few seconds, and mixtapes can be compiled with the touch of a few buttons. But in this pursuit of high-speed consumption, we risk isolating ourselves from communal experiences in the real world. Musician and store owner Brad Germain hopes to change that.
In 2017, Germain founded Into The Abyss, a record store which takes its name from a Nietzsche quote, as a way to provide service for his community. Now situated on 267 King St East, the store is reinventing what it means to be your local vinyl supplier. Offering artisanal t-shirts and pins, and a variety of different live events, such as poetry nights and live concerts, Into The Abyss is dedicated to nurturing a gathering space for Hamiltonians.
“I’ve always wanted my shop to be a community spot. So many of the events and shows we have are just a way to make people feel like they’re a part of something, and I think that’s a really important thing to have in a city,” said Germain.
I’ve always wanted my shop to be a community spot. So many of the events and shows we have are just a way to make people feel like they’re a part of something, and I think that’s a really important thing to have in a city.
Brad Germain, Owner of Into The Abyss
The store fosters learning as well, particularly among students. Among the crates of vinyl, Germain hopes Into The Abyss can act as a catalyst for expanding one’s musical knowledge — in fact, he thinks a visit to the store should be a prerequisite for graduating.
“You can learn a lot just by poking around in here. As a student, you go to school to learn and [I think] an extension of learning should be learning about the culture and cultural practices of the place where you are. Exposure to culture and community is a huge part of finding yourself,” said Germain.
You can learn a lot just by poking around in here. As a student, you go to school to learn and [I think] an extension of learning should be learning about the culture and cultural practices of the place where you are. Exposure to culture and community is a huge part of finding yourself.
Brad Germain, Owner of Into The Abyss
Discovering who you are, what you like and what you dislike are major revelations many of us come to during our university years. While the process can take time, finding your true self is a reward worth waiting for. In the midst of this journey of self discovery, Into The Abyss wants to be your guide.
“If you’re coming from a different city or you’re coming to a new place for school, I think community becomes a very important thing. To have places that feel comfortable and safe for you to be at, where you can experience new things and meet new people. The store is really good for that here,” Germain expressed.
Into The Abyss is open from 12 P.M. to 5 P.M. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12 P.M to 7 P.M on Wednesdays and Fridays, and 11 A.M to 5 P.M. on Saturdays. For the latest sales, shows and events, visit their Instagram account here.
MacDivest aims to better inform and increase engagement with students on climate crisis advocacy through Fossil Free Fridays
On Friday Oct. 20, McMaster Divestment Project launched their new outreach initiative, Fossil Free Fridays , which will run biweekly on Fridays throughout the semester.
Fossil Free Fridays aims to engage with students, raise awareness about the climate crisis and educate students on McMaster University’s investments in fossil fuel companies.
MacDivest was initiated three years ago as a McMaster OPIRG project. Their goal is to advocate for the university to pull out of their investments in fossil fuel companies and to increase awareness about the climate crisis.
“For three years as a group we've been pushing for the university to take its money out of fossil fuel investments, and to reinvest in green energy,” said Mila Py, a member of MacDivest.
Presently, McMaster holds 2.7 per cent of its investment portfolio in fossil fuel companies. Additionally, McMaster is building four natural gas-powered electric generators near campus on Cootes Drive, which was protested by MacDivest last spring with a hunger strike.
Fossil Free Fridays were first discussed by the group this past summer. Py stated that the intent is for them to be friendly and welcoming to attract students with a focus on raising awareness.
"With a high student turnover [and] so many new people on campus every year, the message that Mac is investing in fossil fuels doesn't stay in the minds of students,” explained Sydney Szijarto, another member of MacDivest.
With a high student turnover [and] so many new people on campus every year, the message that Mac is investing in fossil fuels doesn't stay in the minds of students.
Sydney Szijarto, member, MacDivest
Through these events MacDivest hopes to ensure that new students are made aware of McMaster’s reluctance to shift its fossil fuel investments into industries whose actions are not major contributors to rising global temperatures.
For their first Fossil Free Friday, a picnic was held on campus in front of the Burke Science Building and cookies were given out to students who stopped and engaged with MacDivest members. Informative flyers and stickers were also given out to students.
For future events, Py explained that many ideas are being considered, including having a climate-related chalk-art event, a coffee house, a potluck and sharing art and poetry relevant to climate activism.
Future updates on these events as well as others by MacDivest will be posted to their Instagram, @mcmasterdivest.
The Silhouette: Please introduce yourself.
Rijaa Khan: My name is Rijaa, my pronouns are she and her and I'm the [Women and Gender Equity Network] director this year.
What is WGEN?
WGEN is a peer-support service. We cater to women, trans folk, nonbinary folk and people who generally identify outside the gender binary. We also cater to all survivors of sexual and gender based violence, so, to people from all gender identities. We provide a safer space on campus and we're on the second floor of MUSC, room 204. People can come in and just chill. We have a library and many different resources. We run events throughout the year as well, and we have community care groups.
WGEN is a peer-support service. We cater to women, trans folk, nonbinary folk and people who generally identify outside the gender binary. We also cater to all survivors of sexual and gender based violence.
Rijaa Khan, Director, Women and Gender Equity Network
What inspired you to join WGEN?
When I was in first year, it was the year right before the pandemic, [so] everything was in-person and I would come to the space a lot as a service user to read or talk to people. For me, it definitely was a safe space. When you're on campus, you're always running around and it can feel really overwhelming. There wasn't really any space like WGEN on campus that I felt truly comfortable in. Then, because of my love for that, I became involved afterwards. I've been a part of the exec team since then, for the past five years now. Just because of the ways that the service helped me, I was inspired to join and provide that support for other people.
What is your fondest memory from your past five years with WGEN?
It was during the pandemic. We were running a music exchange event where we were sharing our favourite BIPOC artists for our campaign Bodies are Dope. I almost didn't want to go, but I decided, "I’ll turn my camera off and just be there." A lot of people came to the event and I think, like me, they came just to do something. But we ended up going past two hours because everyone became so comfortable talking about music and our favourite artists. I was in the trenches during the pandemic, and I'm sure everyone was, so this memory is so fond to me from this genuine feeling of community that I was reminded still exists.
I was in the trenches during the pandemic, and I'm sure everyone was, so this memory is so fond to me from this genuine feeling of community that I was reminded still exists.
Rijaa Khan, Director, Women and Gender Equity Network
I really appreciate that. I think the community aspect is really hard to come by even with life in person.
I think it's one of the biggest difficulties in running a service but it's one of the most important things. It can be really hard to make friends. When I was in first year, even though it was in-person, I struggled because I was in this huge program and you rarely see the same people every day. So, the only avenue to make friends for me was through services like WGEN, which is something I hear to this day from other people too.
What do you want others to know about WGEN?
For WGEN, people know us only through the purple room or from our events. One thing I try to emphasize is that we’re involved in a lot of the events they’re talking about. We have three campaigns every year: Transforming Mac in November, where we run the Trans Day of Remembrance vigil with the [Pride Collective Centre] and the [Queer and Trans Colour Club]; Bodies are Dope in February, which is a campaign centered around bodies, body neutrality, racialized bodies; and Making Waves, towards the end of the year, which is very workshop-focused. I've heard that these sorts of things aren’t available for people across campus, but I want to emphasize that they’re here.
What would you say to someone who is uncertain about visiting WGEN?
One user told me she circled the space for two weeks before stepping in. That was so relatable because it's something that I did in my first year. But, as soon as I stepped in, it was so welcoming and comfortable that I couldn't figure out why I was scared in the first place. I was someone who I was always scared of going to events too. We’re mindful to create events where, if you don’t want to socialize or talk to people, you can still come and do something together, like watch a movie or make art. Even if you're feeling anxious or shy, you can just be present and get to know everyone. It is really scary, and I want to validate those fears – I had those anxieties too – but it can potentially be one of the best memories that you have in your undergrad. Taking that leap was the best thing I could have done for myself. So, give yourself and the people in the space a chance to get to know you. From that, you can see how much you like it and whether you want to keep coming back.
McMaster Performance and Women’s Athletic Leadership Committee’s new program supports female athletes by offering educational resources and events
On Oct. 11, McMaster Performance and the McMaster Women’s Athletic Leadership Committee announced the launch of the McMaster Female Athlete Health Program on their Instagram.
In their post, the groups explained that the initiative is focused on informing female athletes on how to better their health and athletic performance. Part of MFAHP includes providing educational events on these topics, such as nutrition, breast health and the hormone cycle.
The MFAHP plans to support female athletes’ health and performance by providing resources for them and connecting them with others in the community.
In line with the initiative, the MFAHP will be hosting two educational nights on Oct. 26 and Nov. 30.
The first of the events was held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Ivor Wynne Centre in room E201. There was discussion on strength training and the hormone cycle, featuring guest speakers Alena Luciani, founder of the performance coaching service Training2XL, and Alysha D’Souza, a McMaster University PhD candidate in the Department of Kinesiology.
While guest speakers have yet to be announced for the Nov. 30 event, the topic will be related to nutrition, performance and self-image.
Students can register for the session free of charge on the MFAHP page.
The MFAHP program represents an excellent opportunity for McMaster female athletes to connect over shared experiences and grow their knowledge about their personal health, wellbeing and performance.
For witchy and paranormal experiences as well as last minute costume shopping, here are three local businesses to help you get into the Halloween spirit
Metaphysical Mojo - 4 Hatt St.
Metaphysical Mojo is a local business that caters to their customers’ spiritual and metaphysical needs. Most of their products and services, such as psychometry and channeling as well as trance medium readings, are offered in collaboration with local artisans. Psychometry readings involve trying to read the energy of items by touching them. Channelling and trance medium readings involve an individual entering a trance-like state, in search of answers to their deepest life questions. Throughout the year, Metaphysical Mojo hosts events and workshops, such as Mojo Sunday Fundays, Meet you Spirit Guide classes, How to Astral Travel classes and paranormal investigations. They are currently offering ghost walks in which they tell tales of the most haunted places in Dundas. They also offer a “not so scary” ghost walk in the afternoon.
Penny Pincher Costumes Inc. - 529 Concession St.
Penny Pincher Costumes Inc. was established in 1980 and offers affordable, high-quality Halloween costumes for people of all ages. They also offer rentals, alterations and repairs for costumes and they strive to ensure their business is as accessible and affordable as possible. Penny Pincher Costumes Inc. is a great place to check out for last-minute and affordable costumes!
The Witch’s Fix - 78 George St.
The Witch’s Fix is a magical gift shop that aims to provide their customers with simple, unique items to live an enchanted and magical life. They want customers to discover the power within themselves and challenge how they view the world around them. They sell various mystical items, such as supernatural remedies, curious oddities and mysterious gifts, such as crystals, divination tools, candles and pendulums. The Witch’s Fix also offers tarot readings and events and workshops at an affordable price, including Samhain and Halloween Fire Ritual (involves calling back on ancestors and witch powers with offerings), Tarot Learning and Practice Night and Drink and Paint Night.
