The Student Representative Assembly created an Ad-Hoc Committee to investigate the establishment of a Women and Trans Centre at their Oct. 14 meeting. While the motion to create the committee did not actually mandate the creation of a Women and Trans Centre, it is part of the ongoing discussions to better service women and trans needs.
Elise Milani, SRA Services Commissioner, proposed the idea, which aims to assess the need of, and create a model for, a potential on-campus centre.
In 2009, a student referendum was held to gauge students’ opinions on the creation of a women’s centre. The referendum failed because it did not reach quorum.
Last year’s SRA mandated an interim report that explored the overall process of opening a women’s centre and looked at case studies from other universities. The report was compiled primarily by a Women’s Studies class, led by professor Karen Balcom.
A new report, another step in the consultation and research process, would offer a specific operational model to address funding issues and logistical concerns and to conduct a needs-based analysis.
Milani expressed concern about simply interpreting need based on statistical data. She stated that a focus on quantitative evidence had come up in SRA discussion but that she felt strongly that “numbers don’t necessarily represent what a need is. If one in ten women need this, as an example … is that enough? Is that not enough? It’s [about] how do you measure when a need is valid.”
David Campbell, the Student’s Union VP Administration and member of the Ad-Hoc Committee, acknowledged that the committee’s primary task is determining and measuring the need for a campus women’s centre.
“I think [the SRA motion passing] is a good sign that we should look into the issue seriously. The issue needs to be addressed, whether it be through a women’s centre, expansion of our current service or better promotion of services.”
Campbell also mentioned that the MSU operated a campus women’s centre during two periods in the 1980s. Both times the centre was disbanded; the second time it was disbanded because it had ceased to be an open, inclusive and safe space and was therefore not fulfilling its mandate.
However, this time seems different. With growing reports of campus sexual assault, most recently seen on York and Ryerson’s campuses, Milani asserted that a women’s centre represents a fundamental and distinct service, especially in providing a safe space for women to speak about sexual assault or trauma.
“This [centre is] something that women at McMaster have been trying to do for a while … from talking to other women who have experienced trauma … and they feel disconnected from the issues. They are having mental health issues. And the closest place for them to go is a 20-minute bus ride downtown.”
She suggested that “SHEC is not necessarily prepared or trained to deal with these issues. And from what I’ve heard, the Wellness Centre reportedly has long wait times … [overall] it seems like women feel more comfortable going to a women’s centre.”
Milani welcomed input into this issue and also disclosed that the committee will have a diverse body of interests represented. Members on the committee will include representatives from the MSU, SRA, SHEC, Student Wellness Centre and McMaster Security Services.
By: Alisha Sunderji
With the dark days of winter fast approaching and tan lines fading like those summer memories, tanning beds are a tempting option for maintaining that healthy glow. Equating tanned skin to good health however, is a myth. A tan is your body’s response to an injury, as skin cells respond to damage from ultraviolet (UV) rays by producing more pigment. Using a tanning bed or sun lamp isn’t much better, as some beds can expose you to upwards of 5 times more radiation than conventional seaside tanning. The World Health Organization has classified tanning beds in its highest cancer-risk category, placing it in the same league as tobacco and asbestos. Most people are well aware of the relationship between exposure to UV radiation and skin cancer. Yet, we still flock to the beach in the summer, or worse, our local tanning salon, in pursuit of golden-brown hues.
A recent study published in the journal Addiction Biology cited that people who frequently use tanning beds experience changes in brain activity during their tanning sessions that mimic the patterns of drug addicts. Researchers found that several parts of the brain that play a role in addiction were activated when people were exposed to UV rays. Just as the brain associates a reward in response to the consumption of drugs, and high sugared food, UV light triggers a similar positive response. The term “tanorexia,” used to describe excessive tanning, has been coined by popular media, (playing off anorexia nervosa, an obsessive desire to be thin). A study in 2005 by the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that a large proportion of sunbathers met the psychiatric definition of a substance abuse disorder, based on their answers to a variation of a test often used to help diagnose alcohol addiction.
As with alcohol, not everyone who is exposed becomes hooked on getting that “tanner’s high.” But there certainly are abusers, notably among adolescents and young adults, with one in five university students identified as being “tanorexic.” The appeals of tanning lie beyond the aesthetic, from providing relaxation to being a form of socialization.
The added benefits of tanning pale in comparison to its negative consequences, namely the fact that people under the age of thirty who use tanning machines increase their risk of skin cancer by 75 per cent. There are different definitions of what constitutes too much tanning, but the underlying message is clear: even brief exposure to UV radiation can cause mutations in the DNA of skin cells. Accumulate enough mutations and skin cancer can result.
Tanning in pursuit of vitamin D is often cited in defense of tanning beds. For the majority of the population, incidental exposure to the sun combined with normal dietary intake of vitamin D, provides adequate vitamin D intake for a healthy body throughout the year. During the winter, many head to tanning salons as a solution for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a.k.a. winter depression. “People often think of sunbathing as the antidepressant essence of light exposure. Wrong! Light therapy acts through the eyes, and requires visible light, not UV,” writes Michael Terman, PhD., Director of the Center for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms at Columbia University in New York.
In the immortal words of Katy Perry, “California gurls, We’re unforgettable, Daisy Dukes, Bikinis on top, Sun-kissed skin, So hot we’ll melt your popsicle,” - the concept of linking tanning to beauty and health might be around for a while. There are some alternatives to roasting on the beach like a beef patty, such as using bronzer or tanning cream. For the endorphin release, exercise can be a healthy and effective coping mechanism. These simplistic suggestions aren’t in any way attempting to dismiss the seriousness of tanorexia. Over-using tanning, as a form of self-medication or otherwise, demands professional help. For the less serious cases, if the statistics aren’t enough to scare you out of the bed, taking active measures in the tanning salon, from wearing protective eyewear to waiting at least 48 hours between sessions to allow time for cell reparation, can make the process a little safer. The pursuit of beauty has often been convoluted, but the stakes have never been higher, so perhaps a change in the status quo is only a matter of time.
By: Alon Coret
Drunk. Tipsy. Inebriated. Intoxicated. Hammered. Trashed. Sloshed. S***-faced. Slizzered. F***** up. Our extensive vocabulary says it all: alcohol consumption is very common in our society, especially on university campuses. For many first-year students, getting drunk has almost become a rite of passage. Alcohol is a substance that allows people to relax, feel less inhibited and be livelier, making it an integral part of any social occasion. Problems arise when alcohol consumption becomes excessive, leading to higher risk of negative physical and/or sexual behaviors, violence, vomiting, and in extreme cases even death.
It is easy to establish a dichotomy when it comes to drinking patterns by labeling people either as ‘alcoholics’ and ‘non-alcoholics.’ This oversimplification is not only wrong, but also gives many regular (and sometimes heavy) drinkers the chance to avoid the classification of alcoholism. Instead, we should be thinking of alcohol consumption as a continuum, ranging from normal, socially acceptable, and healthy drinking to detrimental, long-term drinking. The McMaster Student Wellness Center (SWC) outlines four main ‘types’ of drinkers that we should be aware of:
While most university students fall into the first two categories, gradually developing a more serious dependence on alcohol is not as big of a jump as one might think.
The SWC also identified possible risk factors for becoming an alcoholic. These include: beginning to drink early (before age 16), drinking more than one to two drinks per day, being under a lot of stress, having an underlying psychiatric condition or being a smoker. One or more of these risk factors likely applies to many university students.
It’s not just long-term or dependent drinkers that experience negative effects on their health. Episodic, or binge drinking, can have serious health ramifications as well. A study conducted at the Complutense University of Madrid showed that binge drinking causes general brain deterioration similar to that caused by old age, such as dementia. Binge drinking has also been shown to damage the hippocampus region of the brain, affecting cognitive performance and long-term memory. Binge drinking is defined as five drinks or more in one sitting for men, and three or more drinks for women – this is not an uncommon amount to drink at a party.
While the responsibility of living a healthy and safe lifestyle lies in great part with the individual, their environment also plays a crucial role. On the McMaster campus, there are two venues serving alcohol to students – TwelvEighty and the Phoenix (you could also try the Faculty Club, but that’s a different story). There are numerous alcohol-infused parties and events taking place every year on school grounds, not to mention the countless off-campus alternatives. There is nothing illegal about having these options for students of drinking age, and there is nothing wrong with having a great time. It’s just important to recognize the environmental pressure on students - from venues as well as peers - that may encourage drinking.
The bottom line: most of us are aware that alcohol negatively impacts our health, but we should realize that it can do so even at quantities which we consider normal, or quantities that would ‘only make a lightweight drunk.’ The line separating healthy, typical drinking and alcoholism is often a fine one. Lastly, nobody should feel pressured to drink when coming to university. While it might seem as though everyone enjoys Thursday night clubbing, many surveys show that the majority of students do not see alcohol as being important at a party.
If you want to drink, that’s cool – just be smart about it.
By: Matthew Greenacre
When one thinks about eating and body image disorders, the picture of a muscle bound behemoth benching twice his weight is one that rarely springs to mind. Rather, extensive public health campaigns focussing on anorexia and bulimia have planted the image of a skeletal teenage girl in the public consciousness to exhibit the gravity of a previously ignored and very real disease. This image isn’t untrue - despite the fact people of both sexes, of any age can be sufferers - the majority of cases of anorexia and bulimia occur in young women. Thus, for many people it may be difficult to consider the antithetical case of a young man with an uncontrollable desire to gain muscle mass as a similar type of disease.
Muscle dysmorphia is the term given to individuals who have intense anxiety about their physique, driving them to undergo strict dieting, obsessive weight lifting and exercise regimes. However, a person striving to sculpt not just a six or eight but a ten pack does not necessarily have dysmorphia. Like many psychological disorders, it can only be defined as a disease when it disrupts a person’s life or is a source of unhappiness. For example, if a person’s concern about his or her muscularity is extreme, negative, or interferes with his or her social or professional life, there may be an issue. It is not just a question of whether one takes steroids or lives in the gym. Regardless of how much muscle persons with dysmorphia develop, or fat they trim off, they remain self conscious and unhappy with their appearance.
The criteria that are used to diagnose muscle dysmorphia can be found in a brief questionnaire called the Muscle Dysmorphia Disorder Inventory, and the similarity to anorexia is undeniable. Unsurprisingly, muscle dysmorphia affects men more than women. It closely mirrors anorexia in that it is more prevalent among a specific gender in a defined age range. There is a genetic component to muscle dysmorphia, and it usually begins in mid to late adolescence. Also, both disorders manifest with the same extremely rigid routines of diet and/or exercise, and overbearing shame and guilt if this regimen is broken.
For those of us who were not lucky enough to be handed a six-pack along with acne and social awkwardness, worrying about one’s physique is a normal part of male adolescence and young adulthood. But why does the mild nagging sense of insecurity that many of us feel turn into an obsessive addiction to the gym for some? Just as glossy images of pencil thin models and photoshopped actresses have been blamed for anorexia, cultural values and popular media play a role in propagating muscle dysmorphia by fuelling the inadequacy that one study claims 95% of young men feel.
Aspirational advertising for men has been used long before the Bowflex infomercials placed an unused hunk of metal in everyone’s garage. From the 1920s onwards, the Italian bodybuilder Charles Atlas made a fortune selling the Dynamic Tension muscle-building program to millions of people. Part of his advertising was the story of how he turned himself from a “97 pound weakling” into a “muscleman” after having sand kicked in his face by a bigger, stronger boy. This almost laughably cliché story is actually reminiscent of case studies of muscle dysmorphia in which an incident, such as an offhand comment about a person’s appearance heightens his or her insecurity, triggering an obsessive anxiety about their body image. The sheer success of this industry suggests that it takes little more than a bodybuilder with a shake-weight to trigger men’s anxiety about the state of their biceps.
For the majority of people this anxiety is kept in perspective and does not govern our lives or prevent us from spending time with friends, as is the case for some. Though this disorder is only just being recognized and few people have been treated, case studies of patients that have received counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy show that these measures can be effective and eliminate sufferers’ misconceptions about their body. For some such men, it might be helpful to keep in mind a study that showed that women do not prefer broad shouldered, body builder body types any more than slim and slight male bodies.
By: Palika Kohli
I have been a vegetarian for the past five years of my life. Despite the increasing popularity of the vegetarian diet, I still constantly get hit with the question: why?
It’s possible I get asked a little less than some people. After all, the Indian-vegetarian-girl fits a certain stereotype, and for many, my religious background is sufficient explanation.
Except that it’s not. I may have been raised in a Hindu household, but growing up, there was nothing - no food, no pet, no person – that I loved more than chicken. It was only as I got older that I began to learn about the environmental consequences of eating meat products and by-products. This awareness eventually caught up with me, striking a particular chord. So I finally removed meat - that is, all products that I describe as being “once alive” – from my diet.
I learned afterwards that this personal choice and description had a name: ovo-lacto-vegeterian. There are many varieties of vegetarians to describe almost any combination of dietary restrictions. Here are some of the specific labels for various degrees of vegeterianism:
Semi-Vegetarians: basically these people don’t eat red meat, but eat just about everything else.
Ovo-Lacto-Vegetarians: people who consume both eggs and dairy products, but no fish, meat or poultry.
Ovo-Vegetarians: people who eat eggs, but no other meat or dairy products.
Lacto-Vegetarians: people who consume dairy products, but no other meat or egg products/by-products.
Vegans: people who don’t any animal products or by-products whatsoever. Instead, they opt for meat “alternatives” – food that is high in protein, like tofu, soy, lentils, peanut butter, etc.
Raw Vegans: raw vegans don’t eat any meat or meat-related products, nor do they eat food cooked over 480C (1180 Fahrenheit). They tend to limit themselves to fruits, vegetables, roots, fresh juices, nuts and the like.
When considering vegetarian diets, most people are concerned about a decrease in protein intake. No need to worry though - most vegetarian foods contain at least a little protein, from nuts (which are high in protein), to soy, wheat, and even dairy products. What vegetarians can also do is something known as ‘protein-complementing’. Protein complementing is when two different foods containing higher amounts of certain amino acids are paired up. This compensates for the other food’s lack of the amino acid and ensures that people are still obtaining their necessary amino acids.
While it is possible that for some people, becoming a vegetarian means that their choice in food is limited – it doesn’t have to be! Starting here at Mac, there is the wonderful Bridges café, which is great for those who are going to miss eating meat-like food. There is also Creation X within La Piazza at the Student Centre, where you can get the vegan version of all their wraps.
For off-campus, here’s a list of fantastic vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Hamilton.
August 8: 1 Wilson Street. Of the many local sushi places, this is definitely one of the best in Hamilton.
Bangkok Spoon: 57 King St. West, Dundas. This restaurant serves some of the most delicious Thai food in the area. You can order just about everything and ask for it to be made “without the meat”!
Basilique: 1065 King Street West. Right around the corner from campus in Westdale village, Basilique has amazing pizza and Mediterranean food options.
Earth to Table Bread Bar: 258 Locke St South. Lots of options and some of the best specialty pizza out there!
The Himalaya: 160 Centennial Parkway North. A small restaurant with a more specialized selection of vegetarian Indian food.
Mex-I-Can: 107 James Street North. Right on bustling James Street, this is a super cute Mexican restaurant that offers amazing vegan options (like cooked cactus!).
Vegetarian food isn’t just for vegetarians: a varied diet is important whether you eat meat or not. If you’re interested, want to know the names of more restaurants or cook yummy vegetarian recipes on your own, contact the Mac Veggie Club at [email protected].
By: Yashoda Valliere
Living with roommates has become a staple experience at McMaster - there are 3700 spots in residence, the vast majority of which are in double rooms - and many off-campus students share housing in order to reduce costs. Whether in res or off campus, you’ll likely be sharing your space with at least one fellow student during your years at Mac. Living with roommates can be one of the most gratifying experiences of university – although sometimes they make you want to tear your hair out. However, by learning to compromise and solve problems with a complete stranger, you’re likely to grow as a person and you may end up gaining a lifelong friend. Here are a few tips for surviving (and enjoying) the experience:
Be clear about your expectations from the beginning – things you’re looking forward to this year, things you’re nervous about, things that really irk you, and any other info that can help you understand each other better. You might find that you have more in common than you thought (you both want to join the McMaster Quidditch Team – let’s say), but it’s also good to know your roomie’s pet peeves in advance so you don’t constantly annoy them without realizing.
Respect your roommate’s space. Believe it or not, it is actually okay to not be BFFs – and even if you are, everyone needs alone time, at least on occasion. As long as you treat each other with mutual respect and agree on basic responsibilities such as cleaning and quiet times, feel free to do your own thing.
Don’t take, touch, use or borrow anything without asking. This may seem ridiculously obvious, but you would be surprised how many people think “she won’t mind if I use her $60 shampoo” or “he won’t miss just one yogurt cup from his 8-pack”. Trust me. They will.
Take turns and compromise. When the two of you want to use your space for different things such as sleep vs. having friends over, consider which activities really require the use of the room – you can study, party, talk on the phone and eat outside your bedroom, whereas sleep and sex take precedence! If your roomie’s got a brutal cold and really needs to rest, consider moving your One Direction dance party to the common room.
When it comes to having friends over to prep for midterms in the upcoming weeks, a few alternative meeting places include your residence common room, Bridges Café, and the libraries. You can book private study rooms at the library up to two weeks in advance, or even book a meeting room in MUSC online. Lesser known haunts include empty lecture halls and tutorial rooms in the Arts Quad basement (CNH, TSH and KTH) and the McMaster Children’s Hospital. Of course, you don’t have to use these rooms to study for exams – it could be to rehearse presentations, work on group projects, meet with clubs, or whenever you just need some quiet space.
Be flexible… after all, you came to university to step outside of your comfort zone and open your mind to new ideas! Living with another person means give and take, and 50% of the time the person giving has got to be you.
But at the same time, don’t be afraid to stand up on important issues. Don’t compromise on the fundamentals like your quality of sleep – these can seriously affect your physical and mental health as well as your grades! If you’re feeling worn out or depressed during the year, keep in mind the multitude of resources available to McMaster students – the fees are already covered by your health insurance plan or the MSU. Drop into the Student Health Education Centre (SHEC) for peer counseling with a fellow student, or make an appointment with a health professional at the Student Wellness Centre.
Use the supports in place. Take the roommate contract seriously – it could help you out later in the year if your roommate isn’t following through with what you had agreed upon. On a similar note, make good use of your C.A. (it’s what they’re being paid for)! These live-in staff members just down the hall are trained to efficiently resolve roommate conflicts every year. If for any reason your C.A. is unhelpful or unable to resolve your problem, don’t be afraid to reach out to other C.A.’s in your building, or even the Residence Manager.
If all else fails, just follow the Golden Rule. Things aren’t going to be perfect, but with an open mind, clear communication and perhaps a pair of earplugs, you’ll be ready for any adventure.
