The Plumbline

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The Plumbline^[1] is a humor publication of the ^[2] (MES) of McMaster University. Popular among the students of McMaster Engineering, The Plumbline is famous for publishing everything from obscure engineering memes to informative articles. The Plumbline was started by a group of Engineering students in 1967, developed from a single sheet MES news letter. In 1971, the editors decided to turn the newsletter into an 8-page tabloid format newspaper.

By the early 1990s, it was clear that student and administration acceptance of sexist and xenophobic content was dropped. In this climate, The Plumbline reformatted, dropping any offensive content from its masthead, developing a new form of satirical and parody genres of humor and abandoning misogyny as fodder for comedy.

In October 2012, The Plumbline converted to a digital format, due to declining readerships and large print costs.^[3]

Some public opinion of the early 2010's was shared that the McMaster Engineering community felt that the Plumbline was unfairly targeted by the remainder of the campus for its controversial content and potentially offensive subject matter, and that it was subjected to a harsher, more restrictive standard than other on-campus events (such as the misogynistic lyrics of Choclair who performed on campus) and publications organized by other groups (like the campus wide newspaper The Silhouette).

As of 2022, the Plumbline releases 2 print editions per semester which are reviewed by the MES editorial committee prior to distribution. These journals are handed out to students at no cost from the MES student run store, 'The Drain'. The Plumbline of today consistently features meme submissions from students, bingo cards for SAGM (the MES Semi-annual general meeting), opinion pieces, horoscopes, and hilarious articles promoting upcoming events and holidays. The Plumbline editorial team aims to foster community and humour inclusive of all students in the faculty.

Although The Plumbline is a publication of the MES, the material contained within it is not in any way affiliated with McMaster University, and does not express views or opinions shared by all, if any, students at the University.