Alternative Welcome Week at McMaster

09/15/2012

A HUGE thank you to our amazing volunteers for helping promote AltWW 2012 by creating stunning posters: Aili Wang and Abir Abdulla! Talented duo!

09/15/2012

Welcome | Linking Research to Action: Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) at McMaster

THANK YOU everyone who came out to all the events during Alternative Welcome Week 2012!! What a fantastic turn out! Great performances, engaging conversations, and some amazing talent! Hope you feel more inclined to be involved with social and environmental justice here at Mac and beyond! Please drop by at the OPIRG office in MUSC 229 http://www.opirg.ca/welcome

We can help you iron out your ideas for changing the world, hook you up with our awesome working groups and provide you with resources you can't find elsewhere! Looking forward to hosting AltWW 2013!!Staaaay tuned!
--Peace and lots of love from OPIRG McMaster!!!

OPIRG McMaster is a student funded/student directed organization working on issues of human rights, the environment and social justice.

09/15/2012

Thank you so much Riaz and Meaghan for facilitating the Gentrification & the Art Crawl workshop! We overcame the couple of kinks in the beginning and it was quite a success! Great discussion--thank you to all the participants! For those of you who decided to go to supercrawl afterwards, hope you went in with an informed perspective of what's going on at James St.N !

09/14/2012

*CHANGE OF LOCATION* for today's gentrification & the art crawl talk--Please meet in front of MUSC 229 (OPIRG office) at 6:15pm.

09/14/2012

Join us TODAY at 6:15pm for an insightful conversation about the Art Crawl:

Gentrification & the Art Crawl- 6:15-7:15pm (MUSC 220) Before attending Supercrawl, join us for a discussion on the Art Crawl and its effect on James Street North and the nearby Landsdale neighbourhood. Important questions will be raised around who else lives in the downtown core, whose voices are excluded in city planning, and how space can be commercialized to the detriment and displacement of those at the margins

09/14/2012

*CHANGE OF INFO* for tonight's supercrawl. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Preeti (coordinator of Altww) is unable to lead participants to supercrawl! However, please feel free to still meet in front of MUSC 229, and go together with other participants. Directions on how to get to supercrawl will be posted in the OPIRG door--it is very easy!! Make sure to bring your bus pass if you have one! Sorry for the inconvenience! HAVE FUN TONIGHT!

09/14/2012

Thanks Vilma from HRES for hosting a Positive Space workshop! Always great to engage in discussion in how to make McMaster a more inclusive space!

09/14/2012

THIS IS IT! LAST DAY OF ALTWW:

Positive Space Workshop—10-12:30pm (MUSC 318) This workshop aims to increase awareness about the lives and experiences of LGBTQ-identified persons and provide participants with the opportunity to act as allies.

Coldspring Valley/Lot M Restoration HikeColdspring Valley/Lot M Restoration Hike --1-2pm (MUSC 229)

This in-campus history walking-tour includes the founding of McMaster University in Hamilton in 1930, the original six buildings meant to be "indistinguishable from the neighbouring Royal Botanical Garden parkland;" an overview of the importance of the ecology of neighbouring Cootes Paradise; the H&D Railway (1880), Cootes Drive (1936) as one of the first "modern" highways in Canada; and in the west campus, the loss of Royal Botanical Gardens' land in the 1963 as McMaster expanded an ambitious parking plan (1969) into Coldspring Valley Nature Sanctuary (1958-1963)

The hike lasts an hour, comfortable walking shoes and weather appropriate clothing required.

Hike leader: Randy Kay of Restore Cootes. Restore Cootes' seeks ways to enhance and restore natural areas on the periphery of Cootes Paradise that have been degraded or lost to development. Randy is also OPIRG McMaster's Coordinator of Volunteers.

Gentrification & the Art Crawl- 6:15-7:15pm (MUSC 220) Before attending Supercrawl, join us for a discussion on the Art Crawl and its effect on James Street North and the nearby Landsdale neighbourhood. Important questions will be raised around who else lives in the downtown core, whose voices are excluded in city planning, and how space can be commercialized to the detriment and displacement of those at the margins

Super Crawl—Experience a neighbourhood full of musicians, artists, photographers and more! You won’t want to miss it!

09/14/2012

Powerful comedy from 'Laughing Like Crazy' --incredible mental health awareness through many, many laughs--Thanks to Emma and all the performers for trekking to McMaster for AltWW!

09/14/2012

What a fantastic, engaging discussion about racial politics in comedy--Thanks Meghna George for facilitating this workshop tonight!!

09/13/2012

THANKS Andrew, Howard and Alvand for organizing the healthy living survival guide event! Delicious tomato-cucumber salad and apples!!

09/13/2012

MSU McMaster Students Union

Want to volunteer around the community? Not sure how to start or where organizations need help? Check out Community Volunteer Action's Volunteer fair today, MUSC 311 @ 5:30-7pm:

http://www.msumcmaster.ca/calendar/30-volunteer-fair-2012-09

CVA is a network of weekly volunteering groups that serve the community. As a member of CVA, you can volunteer with other McMaster students at various placements all across Hamilton. Several opportunities to help at-risk children, immigrant populations, those who are homeless, adults living with dis...

09/13/2012

Laughing Like Crazy

Mental Health Awareness through comedy--what a fantastic group, meet them TONIGHT!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laughing-Like-Crazy/218357641528491

http://www.mooddisorders.ca/

A 16 week group that teaches participants how to develop a stand-up comedy routine based on their mental health issues and the mental health system.

09/13/2012

Toooooo interesting-TONIGHT (MUSC 230)-6:30-7:30pm
The Laughable Self: Exploring the Play on Ethno-racial Identities within Toronto’s Stand-up Comedy Clubs
Since the adoption of multiculturalism as part of the Canadian national image in the late 80’s there has been a rise in the popularity of stand-up comedy dealing with themes of “race” and ethnicity, such as the highly regarded performances of Russell Peters. Often these acts have been either criticized for reinforcing stereotypes or validated as a form of resistance against authorial discourses. Rather than reducing the role of stand-up comedy and the themes of “race” and ethnicity to an antagonistic relationship, I will build from my fieldwork studying stand-up comedy performances in Toronto and from popular stand-up performers to explore some of the subtle ways in which ethno-racial identities are produced and consumed through stand-up comedy performances and how this might inform our dialogues regarding ethno-racial issues within contemporary Canadian society.

09/13/2012

TONIGHT! Have a laugh, be engaged! Let comedy be the vehicle for knowledge!

09/13/2012

HAPPENING TOMORROW!!

09/13/2012

Home

Thank you Melissa from the Student Wellness Centre for hosting a stress buster workshop today morning! Internet fail at MUSC but she persevered! Check out their site for more resources: http://wellness.mcmaster.ca/

McMaster University Student Wellness Centre

09/13/2012

Full house for the dream-catcher making workshop! Haha, it was a little tricky for us to create the webs, but fun nevertheless! Thank you McMaster First Nations Students Association for teaching us this art!

09/12/2012

Wow!! What a fantastic turn out for our Bike to the Bay event! The weather was fully cooperative as well! Thanks to everyone who came out to ride! And a shout out to MACgreen, MAC Farmstand and MACycle for co-organizing this event!!! If you are up for more biking, make sure to check out our bike-in movie TONIGHT in front of Wentworth House at 7:15pm, hosted by the Hamilton Womyn's Bike Collective!

09/12/2012

DAY 3! Packed schedule! Come check out:


Stress Buster Workshop by The Student Wellness Centre—12-1pm. (MUSC 224)
Come out to learn useful tips for taking care of your mental health during the school year. FREE swag!

Bike to the Bay! -- 2:30-4:30pm (meet in front of Mac farmstand UH at 2:15pm) Enjoy a bike ride to Hamilton’s Bay area! MACycle will be hosting a D.I.Y bike repair workshop at the Bay area as well. Bring your own waterbottle! Free snacks! Co-hosted by MACycle, MACgreen & MAC Farmstand.

McMaster First Nations Students Associations Dreamcatcher-Making Workshop-- 5:30-6:30pm (MUSC 224)
The main purpose of a dream catcher is to filter one's dreams so that only "good" or pleasant dreams reach the sleeping person. The "bad" dreams on the other hand, get caught in the webbing and neutralized by the light of the morning sun. Although traditional to certain Indigenous groups, not all Indigenous peoples use dream catchers.

Hamilton Womyn’s Bike Collective Presents: A Bike-In Movie!—meet in front of Wentworth House at 7:15pm, to bike together to the Hill Street Garden. Or, we’ll meet you there at 8pm, when the movie starts! "The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom" will be screened.

09/12/2012

Thank you Amina for a fantastic (and fragrant) D.I.Y cosmetics workshop!! Full house! Great eco-fun! :)

09/11/2012

Bit of a slow Tuesday morning but we hope you can join us for tonight's movie screening of "I am". Non profits will be hosting info booths from 5:30-6:30pm. Movie starts at 7 and panel discussion starts at 8:30pm. Panelists include: Dr.Nancy Doubleday, Dr.Pradeep Kumar, Dr. Dawn Martin-Hill & moderated by Dr.Gary Warner. CNH 104!! See you there!

09/11/2012

Come to the OPIRG openhouse happening NOW, from 11-2pm! We have snacks!! We'd LOVE to meet you, and you can check out our cool resources too!

09/11/2012

TODAY! Come out for an amazing film and engaging discussion! Please note that the time has been slightly changed and the movie will begin at 7pm sharp, not 6:30pm, in CNH 104. See you there!

09/11/2012

Accessibility 101—1-3pm (MUSC 224) Enhance your understanding of what accessibility means in the McMaster context and develop skills to advance accessibility on campus. Led by Human Rights & Equity Services' lovely Raihanna!

09/11/2012

OPIRG McMaster:Who are we? What do we do? What books,dvds, zines (and more!) do we have to offer at our OPIRG office? Come meet our staff(we'd love to meet you!), eat some food, and check out our resources/goodies at our annual OPIRG Resource Centre Openhouse, happening on Tues. Sept 11 from 11am-2pm, MUSC 229!!

09/11/2012

Wow! So amazed at the energy (and turn out!) at all of our events today! Pirgtopia was fantastic, the fairtrade brunch was a HUGE success, our rebellion workshop yielded interesting discussion and our open mic night revealed some incredible talent! Special thank you to Jeff (CVA drum circle ), Melanie (Many Hands art group), Brian (OPIRG), MACgreen, MACycle, Louis Stroud & Klyde Broox for such an AWESOME start to AltWW 2012!!!!

09/10/2012

Mandate

This is it!! We are officially kicking off AltWW 2012 today!!!! See you at Mills Plaza from 11-2 for pirgtopia! Meet our amazing working groups and discover how you can be involved with social and environmental justice causes! There will also be a drum circle (bring your own rhythm instruments if you can!) and an amazing visual display by many hands puppet group: http://www.manyhandsart.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=34&Itemid=62

Many Hands Art, Giant Puppet, Puppet Making, Hamilton Ontario

09/10/2012

SCHEDULE FOR TOMORROW:

PIRGtopia--11:00 am – 2:00 pm (Mills Plaza) A showcase of the various OPIRG working groups that cover a range of social and environmental issues. We assure you that you will find a group which will interest you!
From 11:15-12:15pm: a drum circle. If you can, bring your own rhythm instruments!
From 12:30-1:30pm, “Many Hands” Puppet Group , an amazing visual display!

FairTrade Brunch--12:30pm-2:30pm (MUSC 230) A delicious assortment of fairtrade food for FREE. A great opportunity to learn more about the importance of fairtrade. Co-sponsored by MACycle, MACgreen & Camino.

Rebellion 1A03- 3:30-4:30pm (MUSC 230)
In this discussion, we're gonna talk about rebellion; why we do it, and why you should, too! We'll touch on recent events such as the Quebec Student Strike, Occupy Wall Street, and the Toronto G20 summit and branch out into brainstorming on how to reclaim our lives from the misery and boredom of industrial capitalism. Come chat! (or listen or whatever).

Dub Poetry Workshop/Open Mic Night—8-10:30pm (Bridges Cafe)
8-9pm- Poetry Workshop with Louis Stroud:What is a quote? Why are some so important to us? Here we will play around and create our own "famous" quotes. -One day i hope my writing will become so infamous... that even i will quote them- me
9-10:30pm- An open mic night facilitated by Hamilton’s legend, Klyde Broox! Bring your talent or support our local poets!^

SEE YOU THERE!

09/09/2012

Happening TOMORROW!! At Bridges! Don't miss out! 8-10:30pm!

09/09/2012

Mark your calendars!! This is TOMORROW (Monday)! You don't want to miss out!

09/09/2012

A fantastic workshop is happening THIS Thursday, in MUSC 230 (6:30-7:30pm), hosted by Meghna George, a grad student and (awesome)OPIRG volunteer here at Mac:

The Laughable Self: Exploring the Play on Ethno-racial Identities within Toronto’s Stand-up Comedy Clubs
Since the adoption of multiculturalism as part of the Canadian national image in the late 80’s there has been a rise in the popularity of stand-up comedy dealing with themes of “race” and ethnicity, such as the highly regarded performances of Russell Peters. Often these acts have been either criticized for reinforcing stereotypes or validated as a form of resistance against authorial discourses. Rather than reducing the role of stand-up comedy and the themes of “race” and ethnicity to an antagonistic relationship, I will build from my fieldwork studying stand-up comedy performances in Toronto and from popular stand-up performers to explore some of the subtle ways in which ethno-racial identities are produced and consumed through stand-up comedy performances and how this might inform our dialogues regarding ethno-racial issues within contemporary Canadian society.

09/08/2012

Aaah! Only 2 more days till the fun begins! Hope you're as excited as we are!! =D

09/07/2012

Alternative Welcome Week at McMaster's cover photo

09/06/2012

Life can be stressful, especially as a student! Make sure you know how to take care of your mental health! You may have noticed that we have quite a few mental health awareness events happening during AltWW--a stress buster on Wed Sept 12(there will be free swag!) and a stand-up comedy performance by 'laughing like crazy', a comedy troupe that raises awareness on mental health via comedy (cool, eh?!)--don't miss out!