So what exactly is a MacPass, how you get it, and what does it cost? Let's answer those questions below.

All incoming first-year level 1 undergrad students registered for 18 or more units have had the $110 fee added to their student fees. This fee is used for the operation of Welcome Week, organized in partnership by the MSU and the Student Success Centre. The charge will appear on your student account in September. Update: Note that the fee is not part of tuition fees, but is part of student fees.

The MacPass is available to all first year students and provides you with the opportunity to invest and enjoy your Welcome Week Orientation experience! Register for your MAC Pass and pick it up when you arrive on campus. Update: MacPasses can be picked up all week.

The $110 fee will entitle you to participate in all orientation programs and events administered by the Student Success Centre, MSU and faculty societies commencing Saturday September 1 through to Sunday September 9, 2012. Currently there is no opt-out provision. These events are planned for all students including off campus (renting), commuter students (living at home), and students living on campus.

So there you have it! The MacPass is included if you're a first-year student and you'll get as part of your fee: a wristband for access to all events, a one-of-a-kind Faculty T-Shirt, Residence/Off-Campus T-Shirt, laundry bag, and an umbrella. Which is all in your swag bag of goodies!

NOTE: You can to register for your MacPass to guarantee t-shirt size if you register by Friday, July 27, 2012!

Learn more about the MacPass on the official McMaster page here.


HISTORY OF THE MACPASS

If you're an incoming student and have been told by others that you need to PURCHASE a MacPass, which is incorrect, it is because in previous years first-year students had a choice whether they wanted to by a MacPass which cost $125-150 at the time, and got you into certain 'MacPass Exclusive' events and concerts during Welcome Week and also get you a swag bag full of goodies. Now note.. there were a lot of events during Welcome Week that didn't require the MacPass so you could technically go to a whole bunch of exciting and fun Welcome Week events put on by different campus services and the MSU Campus Event staff and enjoy all of those for free - while some events required you had the MacPass wristband and have paid your extra fee to attend them.

Fast forward to March 2012. An MSU General Assembly is held, with one of the motions being to make the MacPass fee a mandatory $110 fee that all first-year students would have to pay. This way there's no confusion, everyone gets to enjoy the same events, and costs are kept lower since everyone is paying. Over 600 McMaster students showed up to vote in favour of this motion... which was incredible since you very rarely see that many students ever show up to vote and reach quorum. So it was passed, yay! Click here to read the full story.

Once again inflation and now it is combined. =s

I cant believe that the motion was passed. Students always complain of high tuition fees, yet we ourselves are hiking it up. Why would students vote to eliminate choice and force purchase?

Originally Posted by husayn12

I cant believe that the motion was passed. Students always complain of high tuition fees, yet we ourselves are hiking it up. Why would students vote to eliminate choice and force purchase?

I think the motion is an awesome thing, but yeah, I doubt the average student would 'vote' for this if they had the chance.

Lol, they did vote for this, and they did have a chance General Assembly.

And it's an amazing thing! I know Eng is making the most of it and going all out to show 1,000+ students (and not just a fraction of that this year), that they have resources in peers, that they can do stuff outside of their textbook and study area, that they can be well-rounded, and a lot of other stuff that I actually believe you can take away from Welcome Week if people don't think they're too good / cool for it...

And a lot more sponsors are jumping on board now that they can appeal to more students...

I think its in part good. I know WAY too many first year who are like I'm too cool to come. If it wasnt for the test I bet a bunch of engineers would not show up.

This in a way forces student to go out and have fun. I mean you already paid for it.

^the thing is though, most of the events that required a macpass and that were worth going to had a $5 fee last year. its probably the same this year.

Originally Posted by mike_302

Lol, they did vote for this, and they did have a chance General Assembly.

And it's an amazing thing! I know Eng is making the most of it and going all out to show 1,000+ students (and not just a fraction of that this year), that they have resources in peers, that they can do stuff outside of their textbook and study area, that they can be well-rounded, and a lot of other stuff that I actually believe you can take away from Welcome Week if people don't think they're too good / cool for it...

And a lot more sponsors are jumping on board now that they can appeal to more students...

The thing is, the students at general assembly were not necessarily representative of the student population.

For one thing, you had most of the Maroons there, who would understandably vote for this motion.

Secondly, voting was not done in the best way and was subject to bias. I remember them telling us to go stand at one side of the room depending on whether we voted FOR or AGAINST. That was not very effective.

I also remember everyone who voted FOR this motion cheering loudly. This is an issue in itself. Firstly, since when did a major vote like this become a competition? Secondly, the fact that one side of the room was more loud and cheery than the other side biases people to join their side. And the people who voted against this motion were more likely to be introverted than the people who voted for (esp. considering a LOT of the people who voted for this motion were Welcome Week reps).

And finally, the people who were most likely to go to General Assembly are the more outgoing, involved, extroverted crowd (particularly people who were involved in planning Welcome Week / actively participate in Welcome Week). It's no surprise this vote was passed, considering the crowd at General Assembly.

I remember going back to a group meeting after GA and informing them about how the vote went - all 7 of my group members were surprised this vote passed. But, no, it wasn't really surprising.

Originally Posted by TheCrucible

The thing is, the students at general assembly were not necessarily representative of the student population.

For one thing, you had most of the Maroons there, who would understandably vote for this motion.

Secondly, voting was not done in the best way and was subject to bias. I remember them telling us to go stand at one side of the room depending on whether we voted FOR or AGAINST. That was not very effective.

I also remember everyone who voted FOR this motion cheering loudly. This is an issue in itself. Firstly, since when did a major vote like this become a competition? Secondly, the fact that one side of the room was more loud and cheery than the other side biases people to join their side. And the people who voted against this motion were more likely to be introverted than the people who voted for (esp. considering a LOT of the people who voted for this motion were Welcome Week reps).

And finally, the people who were most likely to go to General Assembly are the more outgoing, involved, extroverted crowd (particularly people who were involved in planning Welcome Week / actively participate in Welcome Week). It's no surprise this vote was passed, considering the crowd at General Assembly.

I remember going back to a group meeting after GA and informing them about how the vote went - all 7 of my group members were surprised this vote passed. But, no, it wasn't really surprising.

Either way it is better for everyone to enjoy this experience. I have spoken to students in their first year that didnt get a macpass because they were not sure what it was..then regretted their decision.
This way they all know they get it and they can choose to make use of it.
Another thing is welcome week costs alot to plan and so it is better if the planners know the amount of money expected so they can budget accordingly.

If ref to your opinion on how the voting went. I think its like any vote. Only those interested in the issue at hand will go out and vote, so the fact that there were more outgoing people there means nothing. In political debates and meetings we see political people....its all based on what interests you and what you feel is best for the community.

Originally Posted by Silver

^the thing is though, most of the events that required a macpass and that were worth going to had a $5 fee last year. its probably the same this year.

Because you know, 5 dollars will so break the bank for most students? Its 5 dollars, how cheap is everyone?

Originally Posted by Chris23

Because you know, 5 dollars will so break the bank for most students? Its 5 dollars, how cheap is everyone?

youre confused. macpass was 100-125 bucks. most people i know only used it to get into the event that cost 5 bucks without the macpass which was one of the only few events worth going with a macpass.

Originally Posted by kimzy

Either way it is better for everyone to enjoy this experience. I have spoken to students in their first year that didnt get a macpass because they were not sure what it was..then regretted their decision.
This way they all know they get it and they can choose to make use of it.
Another thing is welcome week costs alot to plan and so it is better if the planners know the amount of money expected so they can budget accordingly.

If ref to your opinion on how the voting went. I think its like any vote. Only those interested in the issue at hand will go out and vote, so the fact that there were more outgoing people there means nothing. In political debates and meetings we see political people....its all based on what interests you and what you feel is best for the community.

I agree that this is beneficial for planners, and that it is better for everyone to enjoy this experience. But people shouldn't be forced to "enjoy the experience." The main flaw of the previous system was that MacPasses were limited, and that people who wanted them either didn't get them in time or didn't know it existed; therefore, they missed out on Welcome Week. This problem was fixed by making the fee mandatory, and that's a good thing - now everyone can enjoy Welcome Week! But the only reason I was against it at all was the fact that there was no way to opt out of this fee. You can opt out of other MSU fees, such as the Health plan, but this one you can't. This means that students who can't attend Welcome Week for whatever reason, or students who don't want to attend Welcome Week, or students who really need that extra money, lose $110 and can't do anything about it. Again, this is my only beef with this fee.

To your second paragraph: taking time out of your day and physically going to General Assembly is quite different from an online referendum that takes at most five minutes of your time. There's no disputing that the more outgoing personalities are more likely to show up at GA than the reserved people. Therefore, the decision to make this fee mandatory for all students was made by a biased sample of students. I agree that only people who are interested would take the time to vote, and an online referendum wouldn't completely eliminate this problem. But at least it would be a bit more representative.

ANYWAY, what's done is done. The positive result - at least people won't get left out of Welcome Week this year! Enjoy it first years, it's a blast

Originally Posted by TheCrucible

I agree that this is beneficial for planners, and that it is better for everyone to enjoy this experience. But people shouldn't be forced to "enjoy the experience." The main flaw of the previous system was that MacPasses were limited, and that people who wanted them either didn't get them in time or didn't know it existed; therefore, they missed out on Welcome Week. This problem was fixed by making the fee mandatory, and that's a good thing - now everyone can enjoy Welcome Week! But the only reason I was against it at all was the fact that there was no way to opt out of this fee. You can opt out of other MSU fees, such as the Health plan, but this one you can't. This means that students who can't attend Welcome Week for whatever reason, or students who don't want to attend Welcome Week, or students who really need that extra money, lose $110 and can't do anything about it. Again, this is my only beef with this fee.

To your second paragraph: taking time out of your day and physically going to General Assembly is quite different from an online referendum that takes at most five minutes of your time. There's no disputing that the more outgoing personalities are more likely to show up at GA than the reserved people. Therefore, the decision to make this fee mandatory for all students was made by a biased sample of students. I agree that only people who are interested would take the time to vote, and an online referendum wouldn't completely eliminate this problem. But at least it would be a bit more representative.

ANYWAY, what's done is done. The positive result - at least people won't get left out of Welcome Week this year! Enjoy it first years, it's a blast

I agree with your point that I bolded, but I relate that to other supplementary fees we pay in tuition that I would gladly opt out of but I know that this fee is needed to maintain the facilities. A few are bolded to show what I mean.

Students taking 18 or more units pay:
Student registered in 18 or more units at ANY time during the session will be reponsible for the following
fees:
Athletics & Recreation Activity Fee 110.7- I have my own track and swimming pool in my community

Student Health Services 56.64
Solar Car 1.06
Engineers Without Borders 0.36
Ontario Public Interest Research Group 7.47
(OPIRG)

McMaster Student Union Fees:
Student Organization Fee 120.92
Health Plan Premium 56.71
Dental Plan Premium 113.41
H.S.R. Bus Pass 126.15-res kids dont use this as much
WUSC Student Refugee Fee 1.45
Ancillary Fee for CFMU-FM 17.29- what if I dont want to listen to McMaster radio (most dont anyways but we still pay)
Ancillary Fee MARMOR Yearbook 9.00
Incite Publication 0.94
MSU Sub Total 445.87

Originally Posted by kimzy

I agree with your point that I bolded, but I relate that to other supplementary fees we pay in tuition that I would gladly opt out of but I know that this fee is needed to maintain the facilities. A few are bolded to show what I mean.

Students taking 18 or more units pay:
Student registered in 18 or more units at ANY time during the session will be reponsible for the following
fees:
Athletics & Recreation Activity Fee 110.7- I have my own track and swimming pool in my community

Student Health Services 56.64
Solar Car 1.06
Engineers Without Borders 0.36
Ontario Public Interest Research Group 7.47
(OPIRG)

McMaster Student Union Fees:
Student Organization Fee 120.92
Health Plan Premium 56.71
Dental Plan Premium 113.41
H.S.R. Bus Pass 126.15-res kids dont use this as much
WUSC Student Refugee Fee 1.45
Ancillary Fee for CFMU-FM 17.29- what if I dont want to listen to McMaster radio (most dont anyways but we still pay)
Ancillary Fee MARMOR Yearbook 9.00
Incite Publication 0.94
MSU Sub Total 445.87

I don't ever get sick, should I have to pay taxes that support public health care?
(that's the same sort of logic)

Originally Posted by MacPack

I think its in part good. I know WAY too many first year who are like I'm too cool to come. If it wasnt for the test I bet a bunch of engineers would not show up.

This in a way forces student to go out and have fun. I mean you already paid for it.

That's true..i don't think I would have went that day if we didn't have the test !