Daily News

Posted on Jan. 9: Seminars explore death, dying, bereavement

McMaster students from all parts of campus have the opportunity to learn first hand about the fields of palliative care and cinima viriti in a series of events geared to exploring the topic of death and dying. Professor Ellen Badone, who is affiliated with the departments of religious studies and anthropology, has brought together a leading expert on the sociology of death and bereavement, a special screening of an acclaimed film on dying and the Canadian filmmaker and staff from the hospital where the documentary was filmed. Badone has arranged for a special screening of Dying at Grace, a film produced by renowned filmmaker Allan King. The film will be shown during a regularly scheduled class of this term's Death and Dying: Comparative Views course, taught by professor Donna Seamone. The film, which drew wide acclaim when it was first shown at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival, chronicles the experience of five patients dying in the palliative care unit of Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre. The screening is on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Information Technology Building, Rm. 137. King, hospital palliative care unit staff including director Jean Jackson, chief physician Colette Hegarty and major Phyllis Bobbitt, director of pastoral care, will join Hooker Distinguished professor Tony Walter, an expert in the sociology of death, dying, bereavement, funerals and afterlife beliefs for an interactive question and answer session to enable students to discuss the film, express their opinions and gain further information.

Posted on Jan. 9: Members needed for Joint Rating Committee

The Joint Job Evaluation Steering Committee (JJESC), established by McMaster University and the McMaster University Staff Association (MUSA), has been working on the development of a new job evaluation tool for positions in the MUSA bargaining unit. The JJESC has the responsibility to establish a Joint Rating Committee (JRC) who will be trained in the use of the new job evaluation tool and responsible for evaluating jobs in preparation for the implementation of the new system on June 16, 2005. Members of the Joint Job Evaluation Steering Committee are Susan Birnie, Carmela Civitareale, John Drake, Daina Green, Heather Grigg, Marvin Gunderman, Kathy Ouellette, Gord Slater, Rosemary Viola, Nancy Vukelich. The JJESC is now seeking members for the JRC.

Posted on Jan. 8: McMaster student named Rhodes scholar

McMaster University student Maureen Hogan has been awarded a prestigious Rhodes scholarship. The Newfoundland native, who is a third-year medical student, received the news that she has been selected as her province's representative among the 11 Canadian Rhodes scholars for 2004. The scholarships, valued at $100,000 each, provide students from around the world the opportunity to study at the University of Oxford in England for two to three years. Maureen, 23, plans to study for her masters of science in research beginning in October 2004. Her program in the neurogenetics of mental illness will be self-directed, a way of learning she appreciated during her medical training at McMaster. "I'm excited about the opportunity to study with people from all over the world and exchange different viewpoints. I'm also looking forward to consolidating what I've learned so far, and to broaden my knowledge of mental illness."

Posted on Jan. 7: Students bike, walk 24 non-stop hours for women

Beginning today at 9 a.m., Naomi Amaria will experience one of the most demanding challenges of her life. The third-year women studies student is riding a stationary bike non-stop for the next 24 hours in an effort to raise awareness about women's studies. She's joined by women's studies students Jim J|tte on a stationary bike and Kim Clarke on a treadmill, who are participating in the Walk and Ride for Women event in the McMaster University Student Centre. The challenge is presented by the newly created McMaster Student's Women's Studies Society. "This is going to be one of the hardest physical challenges of my entire life," says Amaria, "but it's a physical challenge. My emotions, my dignity, my pride and my self-esteem are not on the line this time." The trio began at 9 am this morning and will continue until 9 a.m. Thursday. In the meantime, they hope others will see them and be inspired. "We hope to raise awareness at McMaster and also in the community about women's issues and the need for the women's studies program," J|tte says.

Posted on Jan. 6: Vital signs of McMaster’s Emergency First Response team

It's 4:30 a.m. and all is calm in the Emergency First Response Team (EFRT) office. With the occasional yawn, the on-call emergency responders rub their eyes in an effort to stay awake. They pass the time doing homework, playing cards or just talking about life. When they're tired, they steal to EFRT's bedroom for a nap. Then without warning, the dispatch sounds and the team is called to an emergency on campus. They have two minutes to get there. The atmosphere undergoes a quick transformation. Immediately, the three-member team begins to prepare. They put on their fully-equipped backpacks and grab their bikes, they adjust their psyche into medical responder mode, and they prime themselves for anything it could be as simple as a slip and fall; it could be as deadly as a cardiac arrest. "It's really a nerve-racking experience to hear the tone go off in the middle of the night," admits Brenna Ammons, first-year EFRT member and bachelor of health sciences student. "You have to calm down, relax and listen to the dispatch carefully so you know where to go." When they arrive on scene, they immediately assess the situation. They've learned every call is unique.