Local vintage and secondhand shop Hawk & Sparrow offers unique, sustainable and affordable clothing for everyone
Hawk & Sparrow is a vintage, secondhand boutique, located downtown at 126 James St. N. Other than vintage items, they also sell secondhand designer and a mix of everything to accommodate everyone’s styles.
“I don't just do vintage, I also do secondhand designer and then . . . a mix of things. So you can expect a 1950s sweater with a ritzy top and then a Louis Vuitton bag. There's a wide range of brands,” said Sarah Moyal, the founder of Hawk & Sparrow.
Before launching Hawk & Sparrow in 2011, Moyal had a strong fashion background. She worked for Dsquared2 in Milan at their headquarters and did styling in Toronto.
She always wanted to open a clothing store. Originally, she had wanted to open a new clothing store, but she realized that buying inventory would be too expensive for her, so she switched over to second-hand. It worked for her, and it made her more interested in secondhand clothing.
“It's just so much more interesting to have one of everything. And every one of them is so unique,” said Moyal.
Moyal has experimented with making Hawk & Sparrow accessible through online platforms such as Etsy, but she now focuses most of her energy on the store itself, as she has found that it has been getting busier.
Moyal aims to make her store accessible and safe for everyone.
“I would say it's accessible to everyone and any direction of style that someone wants to go. If they want to play it a bit safe, we have that. If you want to go wild, we also have that,” said Moyal.
I would say it's accessible to everyone and any direction of style that someone wants to go and if they want to play it a bit safe, we have that. If you want to go wild, we also have that.
Sarah Moyal, Founder, Hawk & Sparrow
Most of the items are $5 to $25, and there are $5 mystery bags all year round. Moyal is also open to negotiations. She hopes that her customers will continue to find their favourite pieces at Hawk & Sparrow.
“I hope that people will kind of find their unique style here, that they'll discover something about themselves, that they'll not feel a pressure to dress a certain way or follow a certain trend, that they'll just feel free to dress how they want, how they feel,” explained Moyal.
I hope that people will kind of find their unique style here, that they'll discover something about themselves, that they'll not feel a pressure to dress a certain way or follow a certain trend, that they'll just feel free to dress how they want, how they feel.
Sarah Moyal, Founder, Hawk & Sparrow
Over the years, she has experimented with different directions –– such as only vintage (an item from another era, usually from the 1930s-70s), vintage artisan (very old and rare pieces from the 1800s-early 1900s that are typically made by hand) and only designer –– for the shop. The current iteration of her shop has had the best reception from the Hamilton community, and she intends to keep it this way for the time being.
Playing at the Burridge Gymnasium, the Marauders grabbed their second OUA win against the University of Toronto after a challenging preseason
The McMaster University men's basketball team started their preseason back in September with three games against teams outside of the Ontario University Athletics league. The Marauders played against the Mohawk College, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Concordia University.
The results from these games showed some inconsistencies in the team, as they finished with a record of one win and two losses. A notable defeat during the team's preseason was against the Concordia Stingers, as in years past the Marauders have consistently been able to beat the Stingers.
The results that came from these games showed some inconsistencies in the team, as they finished with a record of one win and two losses.
The team's up and down form did not stop after these games as the team continued their preseason at the University of Manitoba Bison's tournament where the Marauders suffered three losses and picked up only one win.
Before the OUA season opened, the Marauders suffered another unsuccessful game against Mercyhurst University but they did manage to pick up a win against the visiting University of Calgary.
The Marauders began their OUA campaign against Laurier University, where they played the Golden Hawks on Nov. 1. and picked up a win with a score of 75-72.
In their first OUA home game, the Marauders hosted the University of Toronto and they began a winning streak, beating the Varsity Blues with a score of 78-80.
A few of the Marauder players especially shined in their first game of the season at Burridge. Fifth-year Daniel Graham and fourth-year Moody Qasim tied as scoring leaders, with both players putting down career highs of 16 points. Defensively, fourth-year Nathan Charles cleaned up with three rebounds.
Fifth-year Daniel Graham and fourth-year Moody Qasim tied as scoring leaders, with both players putting down career highs of 16 points.
This is a promising start of for the Maurauders, following their unsteady preseason, and hopefully they are able to keep up their current form as the season continues.
After extended consultation, the McMaster Student Union has worked alongside the Student Representative Assembly to address concerns and represent students affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict
In the council room in Gilmore Hall on Nov. 12, McMaster’s Student Representative Assembly met for meeting 23J. Representatives met to discuss a motion put forward in support of students at McMaster University affected by the violence in the Middle East, as well as routine reports from the various faculty caucuses.
The statement, co-written by MSU president Jovan Popovic and vice-president Adam F. El-Kadi looks to address the ongoing Israel/Hamas conflict. In a memo to SRA members ahead of the meeting, El-Kadi wrote that he and the president had taken the time to meet with multiple student groups and individuals who have reached out to create a statement that accurately represented students.
“[This motion] was the result of multiple rounds of consultation with student groups from various backgrounds and outlooks. We have actively sought input from our diverse student body, in advance of offering a resolution to define the sentiment of student government at McMaster University,” said El-Kadi.
[This motion] was the result of multiple rounds of consultation with student groups from various backgrounds and outlooks. We have actively sought input from our diverse student body, in advance of offering a resolution to define the sentiment of student government at McMaster University.
Adam F. El-Kadi, Vice-President (Administration), McMaster Students Union
The statement's draft was read before the SRA and noted a rise in both anti-Palestinian and anti-Israeli racism at McMaster, in Hamilton, and internationally. The statement also claimed that commentary on social media has resulted in a number of reported threats towards Palestinian and Israeli students at McMaster.
The statement further made reference to the casualties of the conflict and echoed comments made by the United Nations condemning the actions of both the Israeli and Hamas government, ultimately calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
During the meeting, Popovic and El-Kadi resolved to promote peaceful events at McMaster via the MSU Clubs Department and requested that the university accommodate students affected by the conflict by way of leniencies towards deadlines and course work.
Popovic and El-Kadi also joined nations around the world condemning the violence perpetrated by both belligerents in the conflict and called for a ceasefire in Gaza to allow for humanitarian aid.
Popovic and El-Kadi pledged to make a financial contribution of $15,000 split evenly between the Palestinian Children's’ Relief Fund, Hamilton’s Anti-Racism Resource Centre, Hamilton Jewish Family Services and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement on behalf of the students union.
In his address to the SRA after the motion was presented, Popovic discussed the time that had been put into crafting the statement, consulting with many student organizations on campus and taking their priorities into consideration.
“Everyone was taken into account and everyone has points in this motion that can be attributed directly to their advocacy and contributions.” said Popovic.
Everyone was taken into account and everyone has points in this motion that can be attributed directly to their advocacy and contributions.
Jovan Popovic, President, McMaster Students Union
Representatives at the meeting were then given time to draft and put forward amendments to the statement, including changes to language and facts being presented with updated sources.
The amended statement was put to vote and passed at 9:04pm, with 21 voting in favor and 5 abstaining. The statement was released in an Instagram post by the MSU on Wednesday and the full statement was posted to the MSU website.
Other topics discussed at the meeting included the change in management of McMaster's TwelvEighty, the Grind and the Union Market. All three will now return to self-operation under the MSU which promises better food, better prices and better portions. Popovic addressed actions being taken with regards to Generative AI use by students, saying that the new regulations are restrictive and some of the tools the university is set to use to detect AI use may harm students unfairly flagged by unreliable detection software.
After a year of rebuilding their team, Marauders women's ultimate frisbee ended their successful season with a national title
The McMaster University women's ultimate frisbee team has just concluded another great season for themselves. For the third season in a row, the team was able to capture the national title, crowning them the number one team in this year's Canadian university tournament.
The Marauders went into this season full of confidence, as they won themselves the national title in the year prior. However, the team had experienced a high level of turnover for the roster with several key players graduating, including captains Jessica Gao and Safeena Shanjani, both of whom had helped lead the team to last year's national title.
The team's offseason rebuild seemed to be productive, with the Marauders welcoming seven rookie players, including new captains, Katie McMullen and Allison Couwenberg.
The team's offseason rebuild seemed to be productive, with the Marauders welcoming seven rookie players.
McMaster was able to secure their bid to the national championship tournament in this year's Eastern tournament on Oct. 2. The team was able to clinch a third-place finish at the tournament, as they beat University of Guelph, Carleton University, University of Waterloo and McGill University.
This year's national championship began on Oct. 14 in Brampton. The Marauders started their national campaign facing off against McGill University. They clinched a close win with a score of ten to eight.
The final game of the tournament was played on Oct. 15, with the Marauders taking the national championship home, per fourth year player Mackinley Szumlanski, the team won 9-8 against Laval University. The Marauders were also able to bring home a major individual accolade with Katie McMullen being named the tournament's most valuable player, ending a great year and captaincy.
The final game of the tournament was played on Oct. 15, with the Marauders taking the national championship home, per fourth year player Mackinley Szumlanski, the team won 9-8 against Laval University.
With a strong roster and three years of national experience, the team will likely believe in themselves to grab a fourth title.
Report outlines cases handled by the office in the previous academic year and provides recommendations to the university for policy changes
After its presentation before the McMaster University Senate on Oct. 18, the Ombuds Office has published their annual report for 2022-2023. The report outlines the cases handled by the office in the past year and the recommendations they have put forward to the university.
Located on the second floor of the McMaster University Students Centre, the Ombuds Office is a resource for graduate and undergraduate students, staff and community members to raise concerns about student-related matters at the university. It exists to identify areas of improvement for policies and procedures at the university from the cases that it handles during its operational year.
Providing an impartial voice for conflict resolution, the office oversaw 372 cases from May 1, 2022 to Apr. 30, 2023 and assisted in 338 within its jurisdiction. The other 34 involved inquiries, meaning that they were outside the office’s mandate — not student related — or outside the office’s jurisdiction – not university related.
245 of the cases overseen by the office were brought forward by undergraduate students. 79 per cent of those cases were academic issues and 17 per cent were non-academic, the remaining were outside the duty of the office or were withdrawn.
Grading/evaluation issues comprised 20 per cent of the academic issues raised, the largest category followed by problems relating to course and program management at 16 per cent and petitions, MSAF and appeals at 11 per cent. The most prominent non-academic issue concerned fees and financial at 33 per cent.
Graduate students brought 86 cases to the office, 79 per cent of them being academic and accommodation issues being the most common concern at 15 per cent. Non-academic issues were again topped by fees and financial concerns. Almost half of all inquiries brought to the office by McMaster employees were outside the mandate of the office. Seven cases concerned issues involving a student.
Almost all the cases brought to the Ombuds Office were resolved after providing information and referrals. In 58 per cent of the cases it saw, the Ombuds Office assisted by providing advice through the explanation of policies and procedures, providing an objective look at the issue, recommending the best steps to move forward if an appeal should be launched or simply by analyzing the issues that can be resolved to achieve a fair solution.
However, 82 cases over their reporting year required intervention to find a solution. Nearly half of those necessitated clarification with all involved parties, 34 per cent needing further inquiry and 18 per cent requiring mediation/negotiation to find an acceptable solution.
The other half of the annual report contained observations and recommendations made by the office. These proposed changes concerned McMaster policies and operations that the office thinks could be improved to prevent repeat cases in the future.
The office divided its recommendations into eight sections, each containing specific issues with proposed changes to resolve each at an administrative level. Many were simple changes that can be made while some larger issues warranted a multi-point recommendation from the office to improve the university policy or code that was involved in a case at the office.
The first section covered course management and identified three key areas where changes can be made to course outlines and setup. The office recommended changes to several components of the Undergraduate Course Management Policy.
The Ombuds Office recommends that the grades for all components of a course should be released without students making specific requests, as the case in an unspecified department who said that it is against department policy to release final assessment grades.
They also recommend that midterms scheduled outside of regular class time be displayed on Mosaic before course enrollment. This will give students time to identify timing conflicts before finalizing their course selections.
The other sections in the report covered timeliness, decision making authority, user-friendly policies, student conduct, academic accommodations, academic integrity, and graduate student issues.
A full list of all recommendations can be found in the report available on the Ombud's website.
The Silhouette: Please introduce yourself.
Yumnah Jafri: My name is Yumnah Jafri. I’ve been a part of [the Student Walk Home Attendant Team] for two years now and this year I've taken on the role of being one half of the public relations and promotions team.
What is SWHAT?
SWHAT is the student walk home attendant team. It's a service that's fully run by a group of volunteers. We have around 100 volunteers who basically work together to provide safe and confidential walks to any student who needs them on weekdays from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
SWHAT is the student walk home attendant team. . .We have around 100 volunteers who basically work together to provide safe and confidential walks to any student who needs them on weekdays from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Yumnah Jafri, public relations and promotions team, Student Walk Home Attendant Team
What drew you to SWHAT?
Our volunteers are responsible and reliable people who are very passionate about making campus a safer place. So, what we have is a really strong community and connection with each other. It’s one that becomes stronger every day that we spend at our home base chilling, playing board games together, eating SWHAT provided snacks, making fun stories to promote our service or just attending our specific volunteer-based appreciation events. That's actually a huge reason why I joined SWAT. As a student who spent her first year fully online, when I first applied in my third year, I just really felt like I still hadn't really made those deep connections with the McMaster University community at all. I just felt very disconnected.
So, when I applied to SWHAT, it was to get to know my fellow volunteers, the students who use our service and the local neighborhood and area around campus. I just really love and I feel very strongly about what we're able to do for students who feel unsafe or uncomfortable walking home late. It just makes me feel like I'm a part of something bigger. As an executive, I've been exposed to reaching out to so many new people, services, events, things that I never even knew existed and I don't think I would have ever been able to know about by hadn't had this opportunity to be a part of this amazing team as a whole.
What’s one memory that helped you feel like a part of the SWHAT community?
One of my fondest memories is on a seemingly normal weekday night. Our team worked together to make, I feel, one of our best stories of all time. We parodied Brooklyn Nine Nine’s “I Want it That Way” scene with our volunteer team. People were singing and they were so involved with it. Just seeing that made me appreciate that we don't just have a volunteer team that goes on walks and helps the community feel safe, we have such a good connection with each other and we make so many good memories just being on shift with each other.
What do you hope to see for SWHAT in the future?
As a PR executive, I have a huge hope that more and more people use our service. Even if it's not for them personally, I hope they’re able to direct others who do need SWHAT. For our walkathon specifically, we’re fundraising for this amazing charity: Niwasa Kendaaswin Teg. We donate a dollar for each walk to this charity, which is a multi-service Indigenous organization that provides services and helps foster Indigenous identity formation as well as, generally, a sense of belonging in culture and language for Indigenous peoples.
I know a lot of people feel uncomfortable or even scared of booking a walk. People can also feel awkward: “Oh my god, am I just gonna walk in silence with these two random strangers?” This service is here for you. It's fully confidential and all of our volunteers are open, friendly, individuals who would love to help students home with a walk.
For our walkathon specifically, we’re fundraising for this amazing charity: Niwasa Kendaaswin Teg. We donate a dollar for each walk to this charity, which is a multi-service Indigenous organization that provides services and helps foster Indigenous identity formation as well as, generally, a sense of belonging in culture and language for Indigenous peoples.
Yumnah Jafri, public relations and promotions team, Student Walk Home Attendant Team
What are some of the benefits to using SWHAT?
Apart from feeling safer when you're walking with a team of two people, when you request a SWHAT walk, you also get the chance to chat about life or whatever you're going through. I would say that's another big aspect of SWHAT. We provide accompaniment and comfort to people who may or may not be needing it and will always be there to chat with them about life.
Even though my first year was online, I definitely would have used SWHAT in my first year because it tends to be the year when people feel a little bit more uncomfortable being on campus as well as not knowing a lot of people. So, when you book a SWHAT walk, you have these really nice volunteers to chat with you. I think that's an amazing aspect and it just makes you feel so much better about being a part of our broader McMaster community.
So, when you book a SWHAT walk, you have these really nice volunteers to chat with you. I think that's an amazing aspect and it just makes you feel so much better about being a part of our broader McMaster community.
Yumnah Jafri, public relations and promotions team, Student Walk Home Attendant Team
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.
As the country’s economy weakens, students need to prepare for the financial consequences of a recession
The Canadian economy has undeniably been facing a rough patch for the past year. With the cost of living rising and wages lagging far behind, inflationary pressures left many Canadians squeezing their wallets dry.
However, experts predict things are about to become much worse for Canadians as the economy nears a recession.
A recession is defined as a period of economic decline. Marked by a decrease in a country’s gross domestic product, a recession brings severe job cuts as businesses reduce production, sales suffer, and consumer spending falls.
So, why should you care?
While the weakened state of the economy affects everyone, students, and especially socioeconomically disadvantaged students, are more disproportionately burdened by the consequences of a recession.
Students already grapple with a range of education-related costs, on top of their basic necessities, but the volatile economic state could lead to even further financial constraints and unexpected expenses.
As universities also begin to feel the effects of a recession, educational budget choices become difficult, often resulting in cuts to financial aid programs to support students.
The lack of financial aid, joined with the hiking interest rates on existing student loans, makes students more vulnerable to accumulating debt during a recession. Of greater concern, however, is the fact that some may end up digging themselves an even bigger hole, as they’re forced to borrow more money as a means of short-term relief.
Beyond these financial constraints, graduating students and those who are employed or searching for employment will need to navigate an unstable job market. The rise in layoffs may hit some working students, but graduating students and those searching for work will face a range of challenges securing a job as employment opportunities become scarce. The inability to secure a job during a recession only magnifies the financial hardships endured by students who rely on employment to support their day-to-day needs and pay off their student loan debt.
Though the recession will widen economic disparities, stretching students thinner than ever, preparing now can help mitigate the way you experience the economic downturn.
As with inflation, reducing spending on unnecessary purchases is a fundamental starting point to saving up for the heightened financial pressures brought by a recession. However, paying bills and credit card balances on time is also vital to ensuring you aren’t slammed with late fees and high interest charges during an already stressful period.
Since the recession will hit individuals with less skills and work experience harder, graduating students will need to think more about the implications of entering the job market during this time.
Not only will they face worse job prospects, but research also suggests that students who leave school for work face a range of long-term consequences.
For instance, those graduating in a recession are dealt lower wages and lose out on initial earnings compared to students who graduate prior to a recession. Research also suggests that these students are less likely to hold managerial or skilled positions by their thirties. These issues in employment, however, translate to more concerning impacts such as lower socioeconomic status and poorer health outcomes.
While the prospect of graduating in a recession is daunting, preparing yourself for the unstable job market through career counselling and making yourself more hireable are important steps in increasing your chances of employment. The basic advice for advancing your competitive edge in the job market has always been to diversify your skillset through further training or taking on job and volunteer opportunities that contribute to professional development – and that advice is still valuable.
The bottom line is recessionary pressures will affect you no matter what – but doing your research on how best to prepare and taking preventative actions can help to reduce anxiety and mitigate some of the effects of a recession.
McMaster community members share what they believe this report means for the community, particularly with regard to possible use of GenAI Turnitin
To better understand how generative artificial intelligence could be used in educational settings at McMaster University, a Generative Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning Task Force was created in May 2023. The finalized report was then released to the McMaster community by Susan Tighe, provost and vice-president (academic), in late September 2023.
Erin Aspenlieder, the coordinator for the task force and associate director at the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching, first heard about ChatGPT in Nov. 2022 on a podcast. She had been fascinated with GenAI technology and was curious about what this could mean for educational settings. Since then she has been learning about GenAI and its many functions.
As Aspenlieder learned more and began to speak with the McMaster community, she found there were some who were excited about GenAI’s future while others were apprehensive.
Jovan Popovic, McMaster Students Union president, was brought onto the Task Force by Kim Dej, vice-provost (teaching and learning). Popovic and MSU vice president (education) Abigail Samuels were both task force members and were heavily involved in conversations surrounding implementing GenAI.
Popovic expressed in an interview with the Silhouette that the final report reads to him as a discouragement to the use of GenAI in classrooms. He believed that GenAI is one of the most powerful learning tools and he worried that, by discouraging its use, McMaster students may fall behind a society that is utilizing GenAI as a tool to assist learning.
Popovic also shared that he is disappointed that despite students being discouraged to use GenAI, one of the items included in the final report is the possible integration of GenAI Turnitin. Turnitin is a software that is utilized around the world to detect plagiarism by comparing work with resources that already exists.
Popovic also shared that he is disappointed that despite students being discouraged to use GenAI, one of the items included in the final report is the possible integration of GenAI Turnitin.
Popovic has shared written statements of disagreement about the integration of GenAI Turnitin with both the task force and the broader McMaster community.
Popovic referenced a piece by the Washington Post that examined the negative influences of GenAI Turnitin in educational settings. He also highlighted his concern for students falsely accused of cheating by the software and wanted to make sure that something will be done to ensure these students are protected.
“The biggest concern at the immediate moment is the Turnitin AI detection software. The concern of academic integrity cases flying through the roof on students who really shouldn't be going through [it] . . . I strongly believe that this may not deter the dishonest from continuing to use such resources, but it will deter those who study with ethics, seeing it potentially as a frightening threat,” said Popovic.
The biggest concern at the immediate moment is the Turnitin AI detection software. The concern of academic integrity cases flying through the roof on students who really shouldn't be going through [it] . . . I strongly believe that this may not deter the dishonest from continuing to use such resources, but it will deter those who study with ethics, seeing it potentially as a frightening threat.
Jovan Popovic, president, McMaster Students Union
Aspenlieder explained that McMaster is currently conducting a privacy risk assessment and cost/benefit analysis for the use of GenAI Turnitin and acknowledged that the software does come with some uncertainties. Currently, she says that its implementation at McMaster will be dependent on the results of the previously mentioned PIA and cost/benefit analysis.
Lucas Mei, a fourth-year linguistics student, shared in an interview with the Silhouette that he has been keeping up with the development of GenAI for a while. Despite being very impressed by the technology, he disliked its use in academics. He stated that he thought using GenAI tools, such as ChatGTP, in academics could often cause students to not problem-solve through their work by themselves.
Mei also expressed that when he read the task force's report he felt that the person who wrote the report may not necessarily be the most knowledgeable about GenAI. He attributed this impression to the fact that many people in higher positions are often unaware of the applications of advanced technology.
Ultimately, Mei hoped that as the university continues to look into GenAI there are people on the task force who can better speak to the understanding of newer AI.
“I'm hoping that someone [on the Task Force] is of our generation or a millennial . . . and can actually understand AI. I'm just really hoping for that. Because I've seen way too many times things completely fall through because of lack of expertise and poor management and egos getting in the way,” said Mei.
As the next steps begin to be explored McMaster students are encouraged to attend the November townhalls organized by the task force, which will be announced later in the semester.
If you are unable to attend the town halls Aspenlieder also shared they are working on the open feedback form and Popovic encouraged MSU students to reach out to Samuels and himself through their emails with any comments or concenrs.
McMaster’s international student population faces struggles navigating the housing market, including housing scams, communication barriers and exploitative landlords.
For McMaster University students, navigating the Hamilton housing market can be a challenging experience. With a housing crisis on the rise and rent prices rapidly increasing, many McMaster students struggle to find affordable and accessible places to live.
International students in particular face unique struggles with finding housing. Fourth-year international computer science student Nisheet Kumar Sobti explained how communication barriers between international students and landlords complicate the already difficult process of finding student housing.
“First, you need to understand how difficult it is to find a house for an international student. Especially if you're coming from a different country and you speak a different language. A lot of students when they come to Canada don't even know how to speak English,” said Sobti.
First, you need to understand how difficult it is to find a house for an international student. Especially if you're coming from a different country and you speak a different language. A lot of students when they come to Canada don't even know how to speak English.
Nisheet Kumar Sobti, fourth-year computer science student
In the 2022-2023 school year, approximately 6,500 of McMaster students were international, making up 17.5 per cent of the student body. Sobti explained that the struggles specific to this student population are real and ongoing, which became most apparent to him during his experience finding housing.
“Finding a house the first time was so difficult. There were a lot of scams going on. A lot of landlords, they didn't want to give a house to international students because we couldn’t meet in-person,” said Sobti.
Housing scams can include advertisements for houses that don’t exist or already-rented properties, suspicious requests for money or false lists of amenities. Many incoming international students are unable to attend in-person house showings prior to signing a lease, making them subject to misleading advertisements or housing scams.
Second-year software engineering student Aysu Özdal echoed Sobti’s sentiments. Özdal explained that despite feeling apprehensive to sign her lease, she was desperate to find somewhere to live for the upcoming school year.
“Until the day I moved into that house, I was so scared that it could be a scam. I paid first and last months’ rent and I was so scared that it would be a scam, because there's no getting the money back,” said Özdal.
Until the day I moved into that house, I was so scared that it could be a scam. I paid first and last months’ rent and I was so scared that it would be a scam, because there's no getting the money back.
Aysu Özdal, second-year software engineering student
Özdal explained that although her lease agreement ended up being legitimate, this is not the case for every student put in her position. Beyond language barriers and physical distance, international students aren’t always well informed on their rights as a tenant and navigating potentially exploitative landlords.
McMaster arts and science graduate and current CFMU community outreach coordinator Sharang Sharma spoke on this barrier, explaining that international students a prime target for exploitative landlords.
“Half the time [international students] don't know what the laws are, what our rights are … So those kinds of predatory practices are particularly effective,” said Sharma.
Half the time [international students] don't know what the laws are, what our rights are … So those kinds of predatory practices are particularly effective.
Sharang Sharma, arts and science graduate and CFMU community outreach coordinator
McMaster does have programs in place, such as International Student Services office, that aim to address these barriers and assist international students in their transition to Canada. However, many international students still face these struggles and are victims to scams and unlawful housing conditions.
Fourth-year international health science student Vitoria Murakami Olyntho shared her thoughts on this shared circumstance and suggested some potential avenues for McMaster to get involved.
“I wish McMaster could take more of an involved role in helping students find housing. Maybe having groups of McMaster accredited landlords or regions where there's kind of a partnership between the school and the housing market…It would be easier to navigate, it would be less confusing and [feel] more trusting,” said Murakami Olyntho.
Not only does this student population face specific barriers when navigating finding places to live close to campus, such as facing housing scams and communication difficulties, but they also are often scapegoated market.
This year, federal government officials stated that the growing number of international students entering Canada has put a strain on housing availability and as a result has driven up rent prices.
Rates of issued international student study permits in Canada have increased by 75 per cent over the last five years. and this increasing blame has resulted in the federal government considering an international student cap.
Conversations around an international student cap are ongoing, all the while incoming international students continue to struggle to find secure and affordable places to live. For more information on resources for international students, visit the International Student Services office.
