The Queen's Journal, Volume 141, Issue 28

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Feature: Queen’s Scottish heritage and Robbie Burns F R I D AY , J A N U A R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 4 — I S S U E 2 8

J THE OURNAL QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY — SINCE 1873

Presidential candidates go head to head #AMSVotes

B Y O LIVIA B OWDEN S EBASTIAN L ECK Journal Staff

that is featured in SMH’s platform.

He said the beer tent is a realistic option, as opposed to WRL’s idea of a Tricolour Festival.

Wednesday night’s AMS “The Homecoming Working presidential debate saw discussion Group rejected [the Tricolour on student engagement and Festival],” he said. advocacy priorities for the AMS. “We have to be realistic as student The two presidential candidates, leaders, or we’re going to lose out Team WRL’s Allison Williams and on student programing.”

Team SMH’s Scott Mason, both Mason also brought up the ArtSci ’14, also debated about concept of introducing a deputized sanctioned Homecoming events, campus police force, akin to one at enrolment, relations with faculty the University of Toronto. He said societies and other issues facing this would put an unsanctioned the AMS. Aberdeen St. party under the When asked about Homecoming, University’s control.

Mason advocated for the beer tent “I would be a lot more amenable AND

Vogt Biographies

The show returns to its roots page 14

speaking to campus security than a police officer,” he said.

Williams said a deputized police force wouldn’t be a good idea, especially in light of the behaviour of London, Ontario’s LEARN police force, which uses off-duty police to patrol student areas.

Last September, officers gave out a $140 ticket to Western’s cheerleading team after they gave a performance on their way to a football game.

“The way they saw students treated and the way they were treated differently was concerning,” Williams said. “It’s not something See Student on page 10

Inside this issue: News

Profiling the EngSoc executive candidates page 2

News

AMS

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SAM KOEBRICH

Rector debate Candidates talk hot topics at JDUC B Y E RIN S YLVESTER Opinions Editor Yesterday’s debate between the rector candidates Aman Partap, ArtSci ’17, Marcus Threndyle, ArtSci ’16, and Mike Young, ConEd ’15, focused on student mental health and wellness.

The three candidates also debated over non-academic discipline and Orientation Week, and how they would represent students’ voices through their position.

The debates took place in the Lower Ceilidh of the JDUC. Approximately 50 people attended.

When asked about assessing the state of mental health resources on campus Partap, ArtSci ’17, said

the University is doing a “fairly decent job.”

“I’m not a professional in mental health,” he said.

Despite this, he said many students feel confused about where to go when they are experiencing mental health issues.

Partap suggested that all current mental health services could be centralized in one location.

The candidates were also asked to discuss why gender equity is an important issue at Queen’s.

“We have equality and equity amongst male and female students here,” Partnap said in response, adding that people at Queen’s only discriminate “subconsciously.”

He faced criticism from Young See Rectors on page 10

A look at ComSoc’s uncontested election page 10

Sports

QSIC kicks off page 18

Editorial

Why a one weekend Homecoming is valuable page 11

Sports

Following two of Queen’s basketball’s rising stars page 21

Postscript

Life as a commuting professor page 24 PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE GAGNIER

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NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

ELECTIONS

A transparent ComSoc Kyle Beaudry, Dipesh Mistry and Betty Lu run for society executive B Y S TYNA TAO Staff Writer

Mistry said.

“In general we have the experience and the leadership As the sole team contending for that will be good for next year,” ComSoc executive this year, Team he added.

All three team members have BML said they have mixed feelings served on the ComSoc assembly, about running uncontested.

The team consists of Kyle with Lu as Chief Policy and Beaudry, Comm ’14 for president, Returning Officer, Mistry as Chief Dipesh Mistry, Comm ’14 as Marketing Officer, and Beaudry as vice-president (external) Media and Society Relations Officer and Betty Lu, Comm ’14 as and Outreach Commissioner.

Individually, they have vice-president (internal).

“It would have been more of a served as executives on various thrill and more exciting if it was Queen’s Commerce conferences or committees. contested,” Beaudry said.

Beaudry co-chaired the Despite the lack of competition, the team is still focused on Queen’s conference on the achieving the same goals they set Business Environment Today that reached a record number of out to achieve.

“We still want to approachable delegate applications this past year. and well-known to the students,” Mistry served on Queen’s Leader, Excellence and Development Beaudry said.

The team said they are confident Conference for three years. Lu that their peers will acknowledge is currently co-chair of High School Liaison, which works in their leadership based on merit.

“From our personal experiences consultation with the Commerce we have proven ourselves as leaders, Office and the Commerce Society if you ask students that know us, to attract more undergraduates they would only say good things,” to the Queen’s Bachelor of

Commerce program.

Team BML stated in their platform that they want to increase transparency and provide more financial organization in the society.

They’re advocating for items such as the growth of the Bursary Program for students attending conferences, a detailed breakdown of the spending of all elected officials, and making the course syllabi available prior to course selection.

“For the past couple of years, the goal has always been similar: looking for more recruiting support and giving commerce students more diverse experiences,” Mistry said.

“What we’re looking to do is to give students more support academically.”

He said he believes that there were decisions made in the past, such as removal of the doubledegree option, that didn’t receive enough student input.

However, relaying these ideas to the students has been a challenge, as all three team members are away

Kyle Beaudry, ComSoc presidential candidate.

Dipesh Mistry, ComSoc vice-president (external) candidate.

Betty Lu, ComSoc vice-president (internal) candidate.

from Kingston on exchange.

“Obviously it’s difficult to coordinate … here are people speaking on our behalf,” Mistry said, “but we’re trusting our campaign managers and representatives to be the middle man or woman to relay

[our ideas] to the students, and I think we selected a good group of people.”

Voting takes place online on Jan. 28 and 29.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY WWW.TEAMBML.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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FEATURE CULTURE

Tartan-tailored tradition With Robbie Burns Day just around the corner, there’s no better time for Queen’s to embrace its Scottish heritage B Y E MILY M ILLER Features Editor Tartan and tams are only the beginning — Queen’s has plenty of reasons to celebrate Robbie Burns Day. Jan. 25 marks the 255th annual celebration of the birthday of Scotland’s national poet and lyricist, Robert Burns, whose words remain revered across the globe.

Beloved by the Scots as ‘the people’s poet’, Burns wrote during the latter half of the 18th century.

Many of his poems and songs are still recited today, the most famous of which, “Auld Lang Syne”, helps ring in each New Year in the Western world.

While Burns’ work is universal, those of Scottish heritage have been known to accompany his words with whiskey on the anniversary of his birth.

Queen’s, with its tricolour tams and tartan-kilted pipe band, is no stranger to its Scottish roots.

“You can’t go far at Queen’s without encountering a Scottish tradition,” said Duncan McDowall, the University’s historian.

Indeed, the energy of Scottish highland culture lives on here. The Gaels’ football team often plays surrounded by students chanting in Gaelic, Queen’s Bands parades proudly in tartan kilts, and every given first-year student is a tam with a tricolour rim.

According to McDowall, however, there’s irony attached to these unique traditions. The practices mentioned above are those of Highland Scots — traditionally those of Catholic origin — while Queen’s was founded by Lowland Scots, who were Presbyterians who typically spoke English.

Although Highland traditions have been a means of asserting Scottish identity at Queen’s, they haven’t been entirely true to the Lowland values on which the University was founded.

Still, Presbyterian values have made an impact at Queen’s throughout its existence. Founded as a Presbyterian college in 1841, Queen’s differentiated itself from Ontario’s Anglican universities.

“The Presbyterian religion has a very strong emphasis on doing good on earth,” McDowall said.

“The kind of values that seeped into Queen’s from that Presbyterianism were such things as doing service to the society beyond the University.”

A devotion to the Protestant religion wasn’t a necessary condition of thriving at Queen’s, however.

“This wasn’t really a religious thing; it was this notion of social service,” McDowall said. “There’s this element of a Queen’s education that extends beyond the classroom, and your exams.”

In 1912, Queen’s Presbyterianism diluted when the O n t a r i o

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

government mandated secularism as a condition of state funding for universities. While Queen’s became a secular institution, many of the Presbyterian traditions continued.

Some, like its commitment to community service, persist

today, while others such as Gaelic speaking competitions, faded away as Canadian society evolved.

McDowall referenced sociologist Benedict Anderson’s theory of “imagined communities” when describing how Scottish identity remains a unifying factor at Queen’s.

“A successful community is one that develops these rituals and badges of community that people can buy into, without making them feel excluded,” McDowall said.

He noted, however, the risk of SUPPLIED loud cultural traditions in a country as diverse as Canada.

Born in Alloway, Scotland in 1759, Burns was a self-educated poet and “Sometimes you can project lyricist. He enchanted Scots and others alike with his raw, passionate poetry. those rituals and it makes people who are certainly not Scottish appetizing, Blair said it tastes better as he advocated for a Scottish — maybe new Canadians, than it sounds, especially when identity completely separate from maybe Catholic Canadians — served with “neeps and tatties” that of England. feel uncomfortable,” he said. — or, turnips and potatoes.

“I think there’s a level on “So the Scottish traditions have This Scottish entrée is which Burns appeals to Canadians to be very carefully managed, so only peripheral, however, because he recognizes that he comes that they don’t become forces to the celebration of Burns’ from a culture that is sometimes of conformity.” treasured poems. in the shadow of England, and While Scottish heritage may According to Queen’s English yet Burns is the great voice that unite the Queen’s community, it’s professor Robert Morrison, defines Scotland in positive terms,” also a link between the University millions of people regularly recite Morrison said. and the city of Kingston, according the words of Robbie Burns, blithely Burns’ influence is deeply to Jeff Blair, President of the St. unaware of their authorship. entrenched in Scottish society, Andrew’s Society of Kingston.

Other than “Auld Lang Syne”, according to Isabelle Turner, “John Hamilton, one of the Burns’ most famous works include former Mayor of Kingston. Turner co-founders of Queen’s College at “My Love is like a Red, Red Rose” held office from 2000-03, after the time, was our first president, and “To a Mouse”, the poem that which she became president of the and his first vice-president was Sir coined the phrase; “the best laid St. Andrew’s Society for five years.

John A. Macdonald, who later plans of mice and men”.

After immigrating to Canada from became our second, forth and “Everybody knows that phrase, Scotland at the age of 21, Turner, sixth president of the St. Andrew’s and not everybody recognizes that who descends from the Graham Society,” Blair said. it comes from Burns,” Morrison clan, took her Canadian citizenship The St. Andrew’s Society of said. “He is somebody that has, before entering into local and Kingston, founded in 1840, was like all great poets, what seems like municipal politics. initially started to assist Scottish effortless mastery of phrase, and “When you come to Canada immigrants who had come to amazing ability to come up with a and you take your citizenship, Canada with dire means. phrase that everybody remembers.” you’re Canadian, but that doesn’t “The St. Andrew’s Society was Morrison noted that Burns’ prevent you from bringing the founded by fairly prominent people work would likely be better known best of what heritage you have to within the community who had had he written exclusively in share,” Turner said. means … doctors English. Still, it’s his mastery of According to Turner, and pastors and the central Scots dialect that has well-rounded education is a clergy who were made him an epitaph within the cornerstone of Scottish culture, and there to get these Scots’ history. further evidence that Queen’s was people on their Every January, Burns fans all founded by Scots. feet as quickly over the world celebrate the life of “Look at your pipe band, what as possible,” the poet whose raw talent brought do they wear? Tartan.” She said.

Blair said. candid reflections on the joys of “What is the band around your The society now everyday life, including food, tammie? Tartan. So there’s a lot of assists those in need, regardless libations and sexual pleasure. connection there.” of background.

“He talks a lot about temptation, Turner thus encouraged the “Last year we gave funds he talks a lot about passion, he celebration of Robbie Burns Day. to Beads of Hope, for kids talks a lot about seduction and he “It’s a celebration,” she said. undergoing cancer treatments,” doesn’t do it feeling guilty, feeling “People come for the food and Blair said. “This year, we actually bad,” Morrison said. “So it is fitting the fun.” focused our fundraising efforts on that there is a Burns night and on Peter Milliken, former Member the Philippines.” that night there is drink, there is of Parliament for Kingston and the Blair said the historical celebration, there is camaraderie; Islands, said he’s always enjoyed settlement pattern in Eastern there is this sense of celebrating.” celebrating Robbie Burns Day, Ontario has created a strong base Despite being one of history’s especially since he has Scottish of Scottish origin in and around the most talented poets, Burns had ancestry himself. city of Kingston. With about 200 a poor farmer’s upbringing in During his time as Speaker members, the St. Andrew’s Society rural Scotland, never receiving of the Canadian House of of Kingston celebrates Robbie the Oxbridge education of his Commons, Milliken hosted an Burns Day annually. contemporaries Shelly, Byron annual Robbie Burns Day party on This Saturday, they will salute and Tennyson.

Parliament Hill.

Mr. Burns in the traditional After introducing a simple “It’s a fun occasion,” Milliken manner, with an address to the and plain poetic language into said. “You get to taste some whiskey haggis and Burns poetry readings.

Scotland’s literary landscape, Burns and celebrate a famous poet, so it Haggis is a traditional Scottish died at the age of 37. can be quite a jolly evening.” meat pudding, made from sheep Morrison said it’s easy for innards. While it may not seem Canadians to connect with Burns,

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NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Candid candidates PHOTOS BY ARWIN CHAN AND NICOLAAS SMITH

NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

ELECTIONS

COMPSA in common COMPSA candidates this year share similar vision for faculty B Y C HLOË G RANDE Staff Writer

upcoming goals and be submitted intramural participation, especially before general assembly. pertaining to the annual BEWIC Encouraging other council sports marathon.

Even though they’re running members to write goals will help “I’d like to see us getting involved separately, this year’s COMPSA COMPSA work as a team to in that more and actually having candidates share common ground. accomplish them and make sure teams go out,” he said.

Presidential candidate Erin they’re targeting students’ needs, Continuing to improve Gallagher, vice-president (university Gallagher said.

COMPSA relationships with ASUS “We want to make COMPSA is another one of his goals. affairs) candidate Christina Chan, and vice-president (operations) council something that is more “I’d like to ensure that the candidate Christopher Radford, all formal,” she added. services they [ASUS] provide Vice president (university are maximized to benefit our CompSci ’16, all said they share a focus on increasing student affairs) candidate Christina Chan computing students, as well as involvement and the society’s agrees that developing a more looking at other opportunities for professional attitude for the council their services to encompass our overall accountability.

“We all have separate ideas is important. students.”

“My focus would be to make sure but surprisingly they overlap,” Although he has no previous everyone involved in COMPSA experience on the council, he’s Gallagher said.

Unlike most faculties, COMPSA is actively working towards the COMPSA’s chair for Orientation candidates don’t run together same goal of making it a more Week 2014. presentable, professional student as a team.

Radford said he believes that One of Gallagher’s main government,” said Chan, currently the three software design students initiatives is to create an end of the internal affairs commissioner will make a strong team, despite semester survey to generate for COMPSA. not having worked together before.

In addition to serving as feedback from computing students.

“We haven’t necessarily worked “A lot of students talks about logistics chair for Orientation Week together but we’ve done activities how they don’t feel that USATS 2014, she was also the first-year and events together and we’ve seen are addressing their concerns representative for COMPSA. how each other acts and reacts in As vice-president (university situations,” he said. effectively about courses,” she said.

“Creating this end of term affairs), Chan said she would act Each candidate also expressed survey would basically get a as a voice to students who aren’t an emphasis on maintaining their combination of the majority of currently enrolled in the School of faculty’s community feeling. concerns on courses … so that Computing, such as high school “What I think is really great students can really see that students and alumni. is we all have similar platforms, “I would ideally work towards even though we’re coming COMPSA is trying to create a liaison between students and reaching out towards more of our from different perspectives,” alumni and growing our alumni Radford said. faculty members.”

“We want to show that we’re a This year’s Academic Affairs speaker program,” she said. “[I’m] also looking into having body that wants to see change and Commissioner for COMPSA, Gallagher said she also a more concrete position in we’re going to push that and not wants to increase her faculty’s representing our school to potential just float by.” accountability by having students through open houses commissioners complete formal and such.”

Voting takes place online on Jan. 28 Vice president (operations) and 29. reports, which executives can only candidate Christopher Radford submit currently.

The reports would include hopes to boost athletic and

ELECTION RECAPS AMS Vice-President of Operations candidate debates

to student culture. However, he However, Lloyd, ConEd ’13, said SMH was disappointed said such a system is currently with the rebrand, as students impossible, since the university needs to update SOLUS slowly.

Tuesday evening’s AMS weren’t consulted.

Reekie agreed The Underground The two candidates also vice-president of operations discussed the accommodation debate narrowed in on the should not be closed, but addressed management of AMS services and Asfar’s comments by stating that of various diets at Common the decision to rebrand was in a Ground.

Daya said her their budgets.

Justin Reekie, ArtSci ’13, from closed session, and therefore could team could implement halal, gluten-free, lactose-free and Team WRL, and Mark Asfar, not be disclosed to students. peanut- free food options.

ArtSci ’14, both discussed the — Olivia Bowden Lloyd said gluten-free options possibility of adding new dietary are the only feasible option, since accommodations at Common Ground, and The Brew.

Vice-President of University the Common Ground doesn’t have Affairs candidate debates the space to guarantee that no food SMH is advocating for will be contaminated. adding gluten-free, halal, kosher, However, he said the Brew has lactose-free and nut-free items at Monday’s vice-president Common Ground. WRL aims to (university affairs) debate saw space to establish a separate section offer students gluten-free options at each team emphasize the realistic for gluten-free bread.

The Brew. nature of their own platform, The teams disagreed on Teams were questioned on how while pointing out the impractical municipal election policy. Daya they would handle a situation in platform points of their opponent. said Team SMH would endorse a which Common Ground managers The two AMS VPUA candidates, student-friendly candidate. rejected their changes.

Team SMH’s Hasina Daya and Lloyd said that doing so would Asfar said he would sit down Team WRL’s Philip Lloyd, debated be “divisive” and would set a with the managers, and emphasize about the AMS endorsing a bad tone if the AMS-endorsed the need for diverse food options. mayoral candidate, accommodating candidate lost.

Reekie said WRL is only looking various diets at Common Ground In her closing statement, Daya to introduce gluten-free options at Coffeehouse and SOLUS updates. stated that WRL’s platform is a The Brew, as Common Ground The debate took place in the “typical platform” with promises does not have the resources to Lower Ceilidh of the John Deutsch cannot keep. implement other accommodations. University Centre (JDUC) and saw Lloyd rebutted her in his Candidates also discussed the area packed with students. closing statement.

The Underground, and whether Daya, ArtSci ’14, said Team “Every single thing within that it should stay open despite a SMH would implement a course platform can be done,” he said. large deficit. waitlist function on SOLUS, Asfar said The Underground although it could take up to — Sebastian Leck shouldn’t be closed, as it is integral two years.

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NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

AMS ELECTIONS

Candidates talk AMS commissions Team WRL looks to promote Housing Grievance Centre, Team SMH to promote clubs on campus B Y O LIVIA B OWDEN S EBASTIAN L ECK Journal Staff

Daya, ArtSci ’14, said some their finances,” he said.

Those financial advisors would events, such as Capture the Faculty, also inform clubs about the a campus-wide interfaculty capture numerous club grants that the the flag game, weren’t advertised Both AMS executive teams have AMS offers, so that they can apply. enough, and an additional would creative Previously, some clubs have committee promised to make changes to commissions, with both addressing been unaware as to what they can more efficiency.

Philip Lloyd, vice-president apply for, Mason said. efficiency within the AMS. He said a reallocation of funding (university affairs) candidate for Team WRL included a review team WRL, agreed that some CAC of each AMS commission in their would increase club grants.

“We want to evaluate all the club events like Capture the Faculty had platform, and addressed areas for improvement. Team SMH funds and grants, and re-allocate low turnout, and said he would focused primarily on improving based on any surplus fund that look into improving or possibly the Campus Activities Commission. would be there, into clubs,” he said. replacing the events if they weren’t Mason added that SMH plans relevant to students.

SMH’s presidential candidate He also said his team would start Scott Mason, ArtSci ‘14, said their to ensure that more students are Clubs Initiative would include aware of the location and hours selling housing security equipment increasing the number of hours of the Academic Grievance Centre at the Housing Grievance Centre that a clubs manager would work. (AGC), as the location has moved and promote the service to students and landlords.

Currently, clubs manager Clare each year.

The Housing Grievance Centre Mark Asfar, vice-president Bekenn works 30 hours per week.

Clubs should receive more (operations) candidate for Team is run by the Municipal Affairs attention and support from the SMH, said clubs are a selling point Commission and is located in of Queen’s, and require more than the JDUC. AMS, he added.

Lloyd said the equipment would “People who would like to do just volunteer committees. “[Clubs] should be getting be sold at the lowest prices possible. something different from the “We wouldn’t be looking to AMS should receive the same type a salaried individual whose sole of treatment from their student job is making clubs initiatives make a profit,” he said.

The equipment could include and ideals a reality,” Asfar, government,” he said. locks for bedrooms, frosted glass SMH plans to add portfolios ArtSci ’14, said.

SMH said they would also for doors, brighter porch lights and such as an Event Planning Committee, and a Financial reorganize the Campus Activities bars for low windows.

“We’d really want to promote Advisory Committee, to the Commission (CAC).

The team would create this, particularly to first years,” Commission of Internal Affairs (CIA) so they can better assist clubs, a committee specifically for he said.

According to Lloyd, the team event- planning in order to make Mason said.

“We’d have a financial advisory the CAC recreation and outreach would work with residence committee, so these individuals portfolio more efficient, Hasina dons to promote the Housing would be available to clubs who Daya, vice-president (university Grievance Centre.

“They could do a pit stop [during want help budgeting or to handle affairs) candidate, said.

AND

the Orientation Week campus “In terms of the budget, that’s tour] at the HGC, and then remind something that in my personal students when they are doing their opinion a lot of people don’t know search and moving in,” he said. as well as they should, myself His team will also use the included,” he said.

Commission of Internal Affairs The commission would also to better inform AMS Assembly create promotional videos for members and students-at-large, Assembly to update students on he said. motions being debated.

The commission would produce “For example, with fraternities two or three page briefs on issues and sororities last year, we’d say facing the AMS and universities ‘we’ve been discussing this motion, across Ontario, Lloyd said. here are the pros of it, here are the The topics could include cons of it, we want to hear what teaching methods, student you think,’” Lloyd said. unemployment in Ontario and AMS budgeting, he added.

Teams WRL and SMH speaking at the debates Wednesday night.

PHOTOS BY NICOLAAS SMITH

News

Friday, January 24, 2014

queensjournal.ca

•7

Elections

Six candidates vie for EngSoc executive Carolyn Fisher, Robert Thomson, Peter Davidson, Janeil Johnston, Eric McElroy, Alexander Savides run in election B y D avid H adwen Editorials Editor If elected, the two candidates for Engineering Society (EngSoc) president will have to oversee the society’s transition into a new institutional structure.

Presidential candidate Carolyn Fisher, Sci ’16, wants to improve relations between the engineering faculty and the broader Kingston community.

A Kingstonian herself, she said she’s wary of the reputation that Queen’s students have in Kingston and hopes to improve it by outreach programs using EngSoc’s External Relations Committee.

Fisher said she also thinks that EngSoc’s recent restructuring calls for fresh leadership.

“The thing that really sets me apart is that I haven’t had many of the huge powerful positions in EngSoc and so I’m bringing a much more fresh and unbiased approach with our new structure,” she said.

Fisher also touts her approachable and easygoing demeanour as a benefit, as she is wary of EngSoc’s somewhat distant reputation among students.

“As I’ve said, I haven’t had these positions so it’s a lot easier for just general students to be like ‘hey Caroline, I heard this,’” she said.

Robert Thomson, Sci ’15, said he’s passionate about improving the experiences of his peers.

After being turned down for several roles within EngSoc last year, Thomson said that he’s gained valuable experience at the AMS where he saw EngSoc from an external perspective.

“I got a different view than most students got when I started to be external. I saw a lot of the issues that people in my faculty had with the society,” he said. “That’s kind of my drive behind this campaign.”

One of Thomson’s central focuses for EngSoc president is professional development.

He wants to establish more engineer-specific online resources — like those he said exist at other universities — for engineers at Queen’s thinking about their future

careers, and work with the alumni association to connect students with alumni mentors.

In general, Thomson said he’s concerned about a diminishing student experience.

Growing class sizes and the slow erosion of engineering traditions are two things he points to in this regard. He said he’s capable of protecting student traditions and pointed to his time as Chief FREC where he was able to oversee the reintroduction of some move-in day traditions.

Thomson said he wants to explore new options for the society.

In that vein, he claimed the upper hand on his competition. “[Fisher] has very good ideas about how we can better things that already exist, I’m in a position where I can see where things can be created,” he said.

The candidates debated Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. in the ILC Atrium. Voting takes place Jan. 28 and 29, and the results will be revealed on Jan. 29 at 10 p.m.

*** The candidates for Engineering Society (EngSoc) vice-president of operations both want to increase consultation with society members about how their student fees are spent.

Peter Davidson, Sci ’16, has been the faculty board representative for Sci ’16 for two years, but it was his experience as the financial chair of the Engineering Orientation Committee that made him realize his love for the operations side of student services.

The three “pillars” of Davidson’s platform are accountability, sustainability and approachability.

“The overarching theme that is found in all these pillars is stability.

This past year there has been a lot of change in the society,” he said.

Davidson said he hopes to return stability to a society that is undergoing extensive restructuring.

Executive positions have different responsibilities than in the past.

To make EngSoc more

Robert Thomson, Sc’ 15, is also running for EngSoc president.

Photo charlotte gagnier

Carolyn Fisher, Sci ‘16, is running for EngSoc president.

accountable, Davidson wants to consult students about the society’s finances. He also wants to institute a mandatory 48 hour turnaround for emails sent to directors. As for sustainability, Davidson wants to ensure the EngSoc’s “self-sufficiency” going forward.

Davidson said he has had a lot of experience with EngSoc that is suited to the role.

Janeil Johnston, Sci ’15, wants more student input into the budgeting process.

“I think that at the end of the day we should all know where our money goes because if we don’t like where our money is going, we should have the opportunity to oppose that and make our views known,” she said.

Johnston said her main initiative if elected would be to create opportunities for dialogue between students and the society.

“The biggest thing that I want to do is an open forum discussion at the beginning of the year between [EngSoc] and students,” she said.

Johnston cites her personal experience working in an EngSoc service as an asset.

“I can actually say that it has

Photo charlotte gagnier

made me grow exponentially as a person,” she said.

“That experience alone has sort of opened my eyes and now I want to do that for other people.”

The candidates debated Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. in the ILC Atrium. Voting takes place Jan. 28 and 29, and the results will be revealed on Jan. 29 at 10 p.m.

*** If elected, the two candidates for Engineering Society (EngSoc) vice-president of Student Affairs (VPSA) will oversee the work of five directors: the Director of Communications, the Director of Events, the Director of Internal Affairs, the Director of Design and the Director of IT. Both candidates believe that engineering design teams need more attention.

Eric McElroy, Sci ’16, said he’s running for VPSA because he wants to be directly involved in decision making so he can enact positive change.

McElroy pointed to his experience in EngSoc and student politics, as webmaster for the Sci ’16 executive and an AMS representative, and his love for the campus community as the basis for his bid for this position.

“I feel that the role of VPSA is somewhere where I could really apply the stuff I have learned,” he said.

While McElroy said that EngSoc is making an attempt to reach out to its members, he said that he would make it a priority, if elected, to improve on these efforts. Specifically, he points to the society’s website and “general communication” as areas he intends to work on.

The design teams’ projects that allow Queen’s engineers to “apply their budding academic and practical knowledge” portfolio would be another priority for McElroy, he said.

He said he wants to see the new director for design teams — a position added during this year’s society restructure — and

the society as a whole dedicated to communicating effectively with design teams: an area that he said needs improvement.

McElroy said his professional versatility, enthusiasm and varied work experience — both within EngSoc and outside of it — are his greatest assets.

Alexander Savides, Sci ’15, also hopes to become next year’s VPSA. He said that he has seen the Engineering Society make “huge strides” during his time at Queen’s in the areas of inclusivity and communication, but that the coming year is critical for the society’s future.

“We have this opportunity with this restructure, it’s not business as usual, we have this thing and we have to define what it means for years and years and years to come,” he said.

Savides said he would also prioritize design teams if he were to become VPSA. He said that the student initiatives are the face of the society in Canada as a whole and that they should be offered as many services and resources as possible.

Savides said that he would introduce marketing seminars that would help smaller clubs “get more established” and focus the passion of students who wanted to start new clubs.

In addition, Savides said he hopes to spend his summer searching for solutions to the “growing space problem” facing clubs as they are squeezed for space on an increasingly crowded campus.

In general, Savides said that his work experiences with the society and his own experience of struggling trying to found a design team qualify him for the position.

“I think that I have the skills and knowledge to go forth and make everyone else’s years much better,” he said.

The candidates debated Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. in the ILC Atrium. Voting takes place Jan. 28 and 29, and the results will be revealed on Jan. 29 at 10 p.m.

News

8 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, January 24, 2014

Elections

Sole team aims for ResSoc executive Nathan Utioh, Cameron Young and Kisook Yoo seeks greater student engagement and access to resources B y J essica C hong Blogs Editor As early as last summer, Team NKC knew they would run for Residence Society (ResSoc) executive.

This year will be the first year ResSoc exec candidates run uncontested. Last year saw three teams vie to be the first ResSoc exec, an amalgamation of Main Council Residents’ Council (MCRC) and Jean Royce Hall Council (JRHC).

“Just because there isn’t another team there, it doesn’t diminish the qualifications of our own team,” presidential candidate said Nathan Utioh, ArtSci ’15.

“We’ve put our time in with our various positions within residence, and together we’ve come … with solid ideas and as a strong team.”

Utioh is running with vice-president of judicial affairs candidate Cameron Yung, ArtSci ’16, and vice-president of resident affairs candidate Kisook Yoo, ArtSci ’16.

“We’re a team that’s not only experienced with residence, but we’re also a team that’s passionate about residence,” Yung said.

He added together they’re a strong, cohesive team — Utioh and Yoo both work together in the same building, as a don and house president respectively.

As current members of ResSoc, Yung and Yoo volunteer at events together.

“We’re always supportive of one another, and the other thing is that we carry great communication,” Yung said.

Yung, a past residence floor representative and a current residence facilitator, said his experience gives him a perspective of the judicial side, where he sees the benefits of a student-run conduct system.

“We just want to see ResSoc continue to grow into something where students will want to continue to participate in it,” he said. “We feel very passionate about the society and we see the benefits [of] working in ResSoc,” Utioh said that his experience working with past MCRC and JRHC presidents and executives gives him familiarity with their roles and responsibilities. He’s also

worked for ASUS as a senator and rep to the AMS. Utioh, previously a residence facilitator and currently a don, said his team would strive to ensure event accessibility while diminishing financial or physical barriers, as well as increasing promotion efforts.

“If you look at Canada’s Wonderland or the Montreal trip, there’s a financial barrier to those events,” he said. “If you look at something like the dodgeball tournament there’s a physical barrier to that.”

Events will also function as an opportunity to interact with residents on a more personal level and receive feedback to better improve future events, Utioh said.

Surveys distributed after events will help to gauge response and impact future activities.

Yoo, a former floor representative and executive intern, said her current role as house president has allowed her to work under Katie Preisner, ArtSci ’14, the current vice-president of residence affairs. This allowed her to observe ways to continue transitioning the society to include both main and West Campuses.

“I’m currently the chair of the committee as well so I work closely with the president, communicating back and forth between the president and the committee,” she said.

The team also plans to use social media to boost student engagement, as well as awareness of events, resources and services in residence, she added. “[Through] Facebook, Twitter [and] Instagram, we want to continue to use those and make the society more accessible to students,” she said.

Yoo said she anticipates tweaking the current ResSoc website to be more interactive.

“The framework [of the website] is kind of like a skeleton; there could be a lot more put into it,” she said.

Voting takes place online on Jan. 28 and 29.

check out queensjournal.ca

For the latest Elections coverage

From left to right: Nathan Utioh, Kisook Yoo and Cameron Yung.

photo by Jessica Chong

News in Brief Professor honoured at Chinese university Last fall, Professor Susan Cole was appointed an honorary professor at Jinan University in Guangzhou, China.

Dr. Cole was deputy provost between 2010 and 2012, and currently teaches in the department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, as well as Biomedical and Molecular Sciences. She is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Cancer Biology, and Bracken Chair in Genetics & Molecular Medicine.

Dr. Cole has worked on projects with researchers in Australia, France, Korea and the United States, and has been making connections with academics in China.

Her appointment is part of an endeavour to attract more foreign-trained scientists to China to help further Chinese research in biomedical and clinical sciences.

Dr. Cole’s principal research focuses on drug sensitivity and why some tumor cells are drug-resistant.

Her research team discovered MRP1, a protein that acts to pump drugs out of cells so the cells don’t die. This protein is relevant to certain cancers including neuroblastoma, a common childhood cancer that develops in the adrenal glands.

Dr. Cole has been working with the Children’s Cancer Institute in Sydey for 20 years, where she works on basic biology and the institute’s scientists perform translational and clinical work. Through this relationship she gains access to more funding and graduate students, something she’s also hoping to gain from her honorary professorship in China.

— Chloe Sobel

Conference looks to attract research In September, 160 students from 14 Canadian medical schools will visit Queen’s to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Federation of Medical

The Jack Project were MHAC, the Students (CFMS).

Queen’s hosting the event Peer Support Centre and Frontenac means increased exposure for Community Mental Health the University. A keynote speaker and Addiction Services.

The Mental Health Awareness from the School of Medicine will discuss what makes Kingston Day coincided with women’s and men’s volleyball games an ideal place for a residency.

The hope is that there will against University of Waterloo.

Information booths were be more spots for Queen’s students.

The coordinator, set up at the ARC, presenting Branden Deschambault, plans mental health information and to have as many as 20 spots open for resources available on campus and in the Kingston community.

Queen’s students.

Applications for the next The conference will review the initiatives of the CFMS, vote round of funding from The Jack on member resolutions and Project are due Feb 1. listen to guest speakers — Chloe Sobel and mentors.

There will also be a Lake Ontario boat cruise and a social at Historic letter on display Confederation Place Hotel.

Deschaumbault hopes A limited edition illustrated copy that guest speakers from the of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter Kingston Economic Development From Birmingham City Jail is now Corporation and opportunities on display at Stauffer Library. for the students to engage Activist Faith Ringgold with Kingston’s amenities will visited Queen’s in September attract the Kingston community to as the keynote speaker at the the conference.

20th anniversary celebration of the Global health representatives Queen’s Human Rights Office. from each attending school She gave HRO advisor will have an internal conference Stephanie Simpson the book to decide their priorities for during her stay. the upcoming year.

Letter was written by King The conference will take place in 1963. from Sept. 19-21.

The illustrated book was published by the Limited Editions — Chloe Sobel Club in 2008.

Ringgold illustrated the book for Sports group looks to raise the LEC, creating eight serigraph awareness prints illustrating the struggles of the civil rights movement. The On Jan. 11, the Queen’s Varsity copy she gave to Simpson came Leadership Council (VLC) hosted from her private collection. a Mental Health Awareness There are only 420 copies of the Day. The event was funded by book, and their individual value is The Jack Project @ Queen’s estimated over to be $5,000.

Student Initiative Fund. The Jack After receiving the book, Project provides grants for Simpson immediately contacted mental health events and activities. librarian Barbara Teatro. She Four student-led groups hopes the book will be used as a received the first round of grants discussion point by Queen’s. from the fund: the VLC, the The book is now displayed at Canadian Undergraduate Stauffer Library, in front of the Conference on Healthcare, the circulation desk.

AMS’s Mental Health Awareness Committee (MHAC) and the — Chloe Sobel Peer Health Educator Mental Health Team.

Involved in the event alongside

Friday, January 24, 2014

News

queensjournal.ca

•9

AMS Elections

Teams SMH and WRL tackle services Both teams running for AMS executive consider new food options for Common Ground and The Brew B y O livia B owden and S ebastian L eck

costume parties and speed dating.

“We’re not just going to keep running Throwback Journal Staff until people get tired of it,” The teams running in the AMS he said.

Team SMH is also avocating executive elections disagree on what changes they see coming for for more variety of food options for students to order at Common AMS services.

Team SMH, consisting of Ground. They plan to introduce kosher, halal, presidential candidate Scott gluten-free, Mason, vice-president (operations) lactose-free and nut–free options candidate Mark Asfar and for students.

Asfar added that Common vice-president (university affairs) candidate Hasina Daya, said that Ground has the space necessary they are disappointed with the way to cater to these changes, as they The Underground was developed would separate all the items, such as dairy and meat for kosher items. by the current executive.

He said students wouldn’t have Asfar, ArtSci ’14, said he agrees with why the decision to to pay more for these options.

“I don’t think it’s acceptable to rebrand was made, but he was disappointed with the way the it charge students extra because of health or religious beliefs,” he said. was handled.

SMH said that the changes “We think a huge mistake was made with The Underground would just take extra time to when students weren’t consulted,” train employees.

Asfar said the idea could affect he said. “It was changed without their consent, and without Common Ground’s good financial record, but it’s worth the risk. any notification.”

“We are okay with offering If elected, SMH said they would spend the summer creating a survey these products at little to no profit to get a feel for what students want margin if it makes it an accessible concerning The Underground, service to everyone,” he said.

Team SMH said that Common Asfar added.

“Our plan for The Underground Ground should provide these is to make it the students’ options in order to provide nightclub again,” he said. “We’re better accessibility to services for going to ask students what all students.

“Making that inclusive space is they like.”

Asfar said the team plans to ask going to be a draw for students,” if students would enjoy live bands, Daya, ArtSci’ 14 said. “Catering

photo by sam koebrich

Executive candidates discuss plans for AMS services

to a halal diet is really easy … the Lazy Scholar does it, so does Leonard Cafeteria.”

According to Team WRL, the changes to The Underground are ongoing, and they have no plans to implement massive changes to the nightclub if elected.

Justin Reekie, ArtSci’ 13, and vice-president (operations candidate, said there has been constant communication with students thus far, and changes have been made this year.

“Throwback was off the charts of what people wanted, and people did not want other themed nights,” Reekie, the current Hospitality and Safety Services Director, said.

The Underground, which falls under TAPS management, is currently within Reekie’s portfolio.

He said it was recommended by the Retail Operations Officer that significant changes should be withheld for another two years.

“At that point, everyone who knew of the change from Alfie’s to The Underground is now gone from the University, so it’s a new selection of people,” Reekie said.

“So you need to leave it, you need to let it grow because you need to think of this as a new service.”

The teams also disagreed about feasible changes for Common Ground and the Brew.

Reekie said that SMH’s plan to introduce nut-free, lactose-free, gluten-free, halal and kosher options couldn’t be accomplished with the current environment at

Common Ground.

WRL’s platform contains plans to introduce gluten-free options at The Brew, but not at Common Ground, as the campus coffee shop doesn’t have the space.

“The way that we operate right now, [gluten-free] is the easiest to implement, with essentially no cost,” he said.

Reekie emphasized that the space at Common Ground doesn’t allow for the separation of ingredients and utensils required to accommodate many options.

“We don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, and there’s too many moving parts to guarantee it,” he said. “At Common Ground, even if something is nut-free, we have no guarantee that it hasn’t been contaminated.”

Check your webmail and vote online January 28 & 29. #AMSvotes

10 •QUEENSJOURNAL.CA

NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Student engagement a focus for teams morning show to update students.

“It would be a video at the end of every month to say hello, and have some guests I want to bring to Queen’s.”

Williams said WRL’s Tricolour Festival on to say what we’ve been doing,” she said In his closing statement, Mason chose to would be serviced by an external contractor, since TAPS and Student Constables services address his recent struggle with having his are at capacity during Homecoming already. identity stolen.

“I would be lying if I said the [theft] The candidates were asked if they feel enrolment is too high, too low or about right. doesn’t deeply affect me. [The AMS] is not Enrolment increases have been handled about this,” he said.

He then connected this to his desire well by the Faculty of Arts and Science, as they have offered new programs through to change the culture of the AMS to be continuing and distance studies, Mason said. more positive.

“We have a culture that turns people “The University’s hands are tied by the province … [they] are handling it well,” away,” he said.

“We’re supposed to reflect the diversity he said.

Williams said the enrolment White of students.

We should work hard to include every Paper she wrote with the AMS’s Thomas Pritchard and Catherine Wright, along with single student.”

In her closing statement, Williams said AMS advocacy efforts, has had an effect on Mason’s speech had brought up important enrolment policy at Queen’s.

“The amount of students they wanted to issues, and that she was amending her statement to keep it brief. enroll has been clawed back,” she said.

“We are not three individuals, but a team.

The University should seek alternative revenue streams, she said, such as programs I believe we are more than the sum of our parts,” she said. offered online or on satellite campuses.

“I hope we are able to bring When asked about the visibility of the Executive, Mason said the AMS Executive that to the AMS.” PHOTO BY JESSICA CHONG must connect better with the students Team supporters gather during the presidential debates it represents.

“Student engagement is falling.

Applications the AMS have been receiving have been on the decline,” he said.

Mason said this could be due to an atmosphere of professionalism, and negativity within the AMS. “If I was in the role [of president], I would Continued from page 1 “Mental health is one of the most been clawing back on allowing students to run try to be an advocate who was positive,” non-academic discipline (NAD) important things to me, not just as Queen’s he said. for stating there was equity between autonomously, but added it’s but in life,” Young said.

Student engagement is a pillar of the male and female students and for important to maintain student-run He also encouraged Queen’s to become WRL platform, Williams said. a national leader in mental health advocacy. saying that people who don’t choose discipline on campus.

Some of the team’s ideas include between male or female washrooms “Greater [advocacy] can save lives, degrees In his closing statement, Partap said that marketing street teams who would gather are “confused.” he wants to make Homecoming better and and relationships,” Young said. feedback from students, and a monthly He added he would lobby for Partap also said that the University has discuss mental health training for TAs. Regarding mental health, Threndyle said faculty-specific counsellors to take some of it’s a service students should expect the the pressure off of Health, Counselling and University to financially support, despite Disability Services.

He also said that the rector should be budget cuts. He encouraged students to work together and to “be a resource for a role model for inclusive language and also highlighted the importance of each other.”

When discussing equity, Threndyle gender-neutral washrooms.

Young suggested that the fears about brought up an audit done by the AMS Social Issues Commission that found that the administration causing students to lose gender-neutral washrooms were a simple their grip on NAD have been exaggerated, citing an earlier conversation with sign change or addition of a lock away.

Threndyle said there’s a need for greater the administration.

Young closed by raising the issue of sexual communication between non-academic violence on campus, saying that, as rector, disciplinary bodies.

In his closing statement, Threndyle said he would encourage positive language and there is typically a 40 per cent voter turnout, work to change attitudes on campus. but he wants to be a rector for everyone.

“As your rector, I will wear these things on Mental health issues were at the centre my sleeve,” he said.

“This is who I am as of many of Young’s responses during the debate and in his closing statement he cited a person.” the suicide of a fellow student as one of the reasons he is running for rector.

Continued from page 1

Rectors talk equity, NAD

1 2 3 ?

Mike Young speaking at last night’s Rector debates.

PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE GAGNIER

Friday, January 24, 2014

Editorial Board Editors in Chief

Janina Enrile Alison Shouldice

Production Manager

Alex Pickering

News Editor

Vincent Ben Matak

Assistant News Editors

Olivia Bowden Sebastian Leck Chloe Sobel

Features Editors

Rachel Herscovici Emily Miller

Editorials Editor

David Hadwen

Editorial Illustrator

Katherine Boxall

Opinions Editor

Erin Sylvester

Arts Editor

Meaghan Wray

Assistant Arts Editor Sports Editor

Justin Santelli Nick Faris

Assistant Sports Editor

Sean Sutherland

Postscript Editor Photo Editors

Katie Grandin

Charlotte Gagnier Sam Koebrich

Graphics Editor

Web Developer Blogs Editor Copy Editors

Jonah Eisen

Michael Wong Jessica Chong Anisa Rawhani Megan Scarth

Contributing Staff Staff Writers and Photographers Sophie Barkham Jordan Cathcart Arwin Chan Chloe Grande Adam Laskaris Sean Liebich Brent Moore Filza Naveed Nicolaas Smith Styna Tao Jerry Zheng

Contributors

Diana Anton Mackenzie Biddie Troy Sherman Stephen Smith

Business Staff

queensjournal.ca

Dialogue

Editorials — The Journal’s Perspective

“In addition to lacking adequate reporting standards, the blogs adds little in the way of analysis.”

campus affairs

Homecoming change for the best Queen’s administration has decided to switch back to a one weekend format for next year’s Homecoming celebration. The two weekend format only existed for one go-around; it was shelved because it was a strain on university resources, according to Queen’s Principal Daniel Woolf.

The administration made the right decision, as virtually no one was attached to the two weekend format. It didn’t noticeably curtail the worst of Homecoming’s problems and might have detracted from its best aspects. Having made the right call, the administration should now focus on making Homecoming the great celebration it has the potential to be.

The motivation for the change is somewhat suspect in light of the fact that the OUA football schedule effectively ruled out the possibility of having two Homecoming football games.

Hopefully Queen’s Athletics will orchestrate a less chaotic process for getting students their football tickets, as the game is still Homecoming’s central event.

While it’s possible that a one weekend format could concentrate student partying and re-inflate the Aberdeen St. party, most students treated the first weekend of this year’s Homecoming as the main party weekend.

At best, the second weekend was a convenient excuse for the most hardcore revellers at Queen’s. At worst, it was cause for anxiety as many students felt pressure to find the energy for another weekend of getting up early, making pancakes, day drinking and rah-rah nonsense.

illustration by Katherine Boxall

Hopefully Queen’s administration consulted alumni before this recent change, as it’s their celebration, after all.

It’s easy for undergraduates to forget this as there’s little programming that combines alumni and students.

A two weekend Homecoming was the wrong format, as it didn’t serve its intended purpose of taming a one weekend confluence of student partying.

In the end, it diluted the excitement among both alumni and students about our revered reunion weekend.

Journalism

Anon should stop

An anonymous blog and Twitter account called Queen’s Elections has popped up to cover the ongoing AMS elections. The content of the blog has caused some small controversies as it’s gossipy in nature and sometimes focuses on the personal motivations of those running for student politics.

In general, this type of news coverage is something to be concerned about, because whoever is behind it is unaccountable and — Journal Editorial Board is adding little to campus political life. Anonymous blogs that

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Sales Representatives

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Friday, January 24, 2014 • Issue 28 • Volume 141

The Queen’s Journal is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University, Kingston.

Editorial opinions expressed in the Journal are the sole responsibility of the Queen’s Journal Editorial Board, and are not necessarily those of the University, the AMS or their officers.

Contents © 2014 by the Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of the Journal.

The Queen’s Journal is printed on a Goss Community press by Performance Group of Companies in Smiths Falls, Ontario.

Contributions from all members of the Queen’s and Kingston community are welcome. The Journal reserves the right to edit all submissions.

Subscriptions are available for $120.00 per year (plus applicable taxes).

Please address complaints and grievances to the Editors in Chief.

Please direct editorial, advertising and circulation enquiries to: 190 University Ave., Kingston, ON, K7L 3P4 Telephone: 613-533-2800 (editorial) 613-533-6711 (advertising) Fax: 613-533-6728 Email: journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca The Journal online: www.queensjournal.ca Circulation 6,000 Issue 29 of Volume 141 will be published on Tuesday, January 28, 2014.

• 11

Alison

Shouldice

Uni blues Some might say I came to Queen’s for the wrong reasons.

Tradition dictates that arts students don’t go to university for career preparation. Instead, we come to this place of “higher learning” to develop skills in critical thinking, reading, writing and analysis. If you want practicality, you go to college.

Yet five years ago, I felt that going to Queen’s would be a good stepping stone to a job in my yet-to-be-determined career path. I didn’t know what I wanted to pursue as a career, and I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself in a vocational program.

I imagine there are lots of students out there like me.

This justification for coming to university is becoming more and more reasonable as enrolment numbers soar and job markets become increasingly cutthroat.

The problem, however, is that arts faculties at universities like Queen’s aren’t adapting to the growing number of career-focused students.

I now know that I want to be a journalist, and I’ve been lucky enough to get practical experience through my time working at the Journal. However, I still feel I could have been more formally prepared.

This feeling of unpreparedness hits particularly hard when I see my peers in vocational programs, such as commerce, graduate with finely honed interview skills, networking experience and an exchange or co-op placement under their belts.

The skills arts grads develop could be invaluable to the same employers commerce or engineering students are hoping to be hired by. For example, the oratory skills

a drama student develops could make them a key candidate for a sales position.

But the resources the University offers arts students are limited, putting us at a disadvantage.

Queen’s co-op program is heavily science- and engineeringfocused, and there are few networking, recruiting and career skills events targeted to arts students.

Many arts students are here to gain critical learning skills, but we need formal support from the University, the Faculty and our student government to translate them into practical experience. These days, we need practicality to make us as competitive as possible in a tough job market.

Times are changing, and the university needs to adapt to the shifting purpose of our education.

Alison is an Editor in Chief of the Journal. She’s a fifth-year political studies major.

spread rumours might actually increase student apathy as they make campus politics seem petty and negative.

To a degree, the author of the blog is concerned about the credibility of what he writes as he or she retracted content that was refuted. While this responsiveness is better than nothing, the fact that the author would publish something and then delete it soon after shows that his or her standards for reporting information are probably low.

In addition to lacking adequate reporting standards, the blogs adds little in the way of analysis. Some of it is simply sarcastic rumour and personal caricature. Surely this is the type of discourse that should be dismissed in favour of more incisive and constructive analysis.

Even if an organization or blog exists to smear or discredit, the people behind it should step forward and take responsibility for their actions. Those behind the NOPIRG campaign proved that this is entirely possible and they even managed to rally a modicum of student opinion to their cause.

Unlike Queen’s Elections, NOPIRG is accountable because its members identified themselves.

While everyone engages in gossip from time to time, putting content on the internet gives it a life of its own. There’s effectively no way to regulate this type of behaviour but it should be condemned as regressive.

Those apologizing for this type of content should raise their standards and acknowledge that with few exceptions, political participation should only be respected if there is someone willing to stand behind it.

— Journal Editorial Board

12 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, January 24, 2014

Emily Miller

Your story When I was 11 years old, my dance teacher asked my class to write 100 words about ourselves.

Here’s how far I got: “Emily is in grade six, and loves to dance. She also plays the piano.”

The brevity of my autobiography seemed accurate. I did love to dance, and I spent every hour outside of school at my dance studio. In high school I no longer danced my hours away.

For a long time, I had great difficulty imagining my autobiography without dance.

I couldn’t accept that I was no longer defined by one thing.

My adolescent autobiography included numerous trifles, but far too many for any one of them to singularly define me. My first year of university was agonizingly broad.

It was then I realized I had no clue what defined me.

When I was 11 years old, my dance teacher asked my class to write 100 words about ourselves.

When my editors at the Journal asked me to write a short autobiographical blurb as Features Editor, I was stumped. I could mention my love of writing, but that seemed banal given the context.

There seemed to me nothing that stood out — no particular talent or hobby to

categorize me. So I did what anyone stuck in a melodramatic, quarter-life crisis would do.

I tried to dilute myself.

Perhaps I could be defined by astronomical grades. All I needed to do was ace every subject. Right?

Or, I could reshape my body until it was utterly perfect — maybe that could define me. Spoiler alert: there is no such thing as the perfect body.

I now know an autobiography changes continually, based on who you’re with and where you are. Because people are not simple. They are infinitely complex, and all the more beautiful for it.

There are pieces of your autobiography that will never be widely known. Of course, these are the best parts — the parts only those fortunate to get to know you closely will get to see.

Or, I could reshape my body

until it was utterly perfect — maybe that could define me. Spoiler alert: there is no such thing as the perfect body.

Few know that Winston Churchill was a talented painter, and produced over 600 artworks during his lifetime.

Famous shoe designer Christian Louboutin took a hiatus from footwear to design gardens before once again making red soles enviable. In his spare time, Louboutin also practices trapeze work.

Some goals are worth pursuing. Limiting yourself isn’t one of them.

I now look forward to my next autobiographical endeavour, knowing it will be a time capsule of myself, not a stone-carved checklist of interests and traits.

Autobiographies are interesting. Only you can write yours, so don’t leave anything out.

Emily is one of the Journal’s features editors.

She’s a third-year political studies major.

Nomination packages are now available for the 2014-15

Editor in Chief of the Queen’s Journal

No Journal Experience required

Open to all AMS members

Please contact journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca

Dialogue

Friday, January 24, 2014

queensjournal.ca

• 13

Talking heads

Opinions — Your perspective

... around campus Photos By Erin Sylvester

Are anonymous blogs about the character of a politician valuable?

“It’s hard to legitimize something anonymous and it’s hard to see it as something other than gossip.”

Stephen Murray, ArtSci ’16 The campaign managers for Teams SMH and WRL watch their teams debate.

pHOTO by sAM kOEBRICH

Point/Counterpoint — AMS Elections

They hope they manage to win The campaign managers for SMH and WRL discuss why you should vote for their teams

Stephen Smith, ArtSci ‘15

could be.

The SMH focus on improving and reconfiguring existing services, such as the Underground or CoGro menu options, come directly from his vision.

Hasina Daya, Team SMH’s vice-president of university affairs candidate, is one of the most enthusiastic people I’ve ever met.

She’s the sort of person who leaves no stone unturned and no job unfinished, and this has really come through in her work as ResSoc President.

She is particularly skilled at getting into the details of a project without losing sight of the big picture. Hasina is not afraid to think outside the box, which is where the SMH plans to create new AMS functions, such as the co-curricular transcript, come from.

Together, the three candidates each add something different to the team’s vision. SMH is a team that cares about everyone in the Queen’s community.

Shortly after the winter break, Team SMH had its first volunteer meeting. Dozens of people trekked through the freezing cold and over treacherous ice to offer their help to elect Scott Mason, Mark Asfar and Hasina Daya as the next AMS executive. I’m not surprised.

Over their years at Queen’s, each of the SMH candidates has demonstrated, unequivocally, that they’re the right person for the job they’re seeking.

Scott Mason has done tremendous work as ASUS president, implementing the changes he promised on his campaign, such as having the society fully audited. His clear commitment to both honesty and transparency is reflected in Team Dozens of people trekked SMH’s guarantee that all but two through the freezing of their platform points can and cold and over treacherous will be implemented in a year ice to offer their help or less.

Scott is a strong and to elect Scott Mason, inspiring leader, but he is also Mark Asfar and humble — he is consistently Hasina Daya ... I’m mindful that he is not surprised. running not for his own benefit, but for the students’. An With a platform built on AMS with Scott Mason at the helm making AMS services accessible to is one that will thrive.

I’ve never seen anyone who every team, club and student on loves Queen’s quite as much as campus, SMH stands for a more Mark Asfar. He has unparalleled inclusive Queen’s community. knowledge of the history and SMH wants a more open and traditions of this institution, and transparent AMS and more he even he even has a collection student engagement in the broader old yearbooks. The work Kingston community.

In the presidential debate, Scott he’s put into the school is equally as impressive. As Student Life Mason made it clear that you put character or Centre Administration Manager, cannot he has taken a fledgling part of management style in a platform. the AMS and given it definition But these are his, Mark Asfar’s, and and purpose.

Hasina Daya’s strongest qualities.

I’ve personally watched him That’s why I’m voting for SMH, do the same thing in the Queen’s and it’s why I think you should too.

Debating Union as its equity officer. His talent is seeing not just the way something is, but the way it

Director, has worked tirelessly to improve the operations of the services under his portfolio and earn the respect of his management teams.

Justin understands that the AMS can’t be stagnant and must continuously look to improve its services. The introduction of The Brew is a clear example of how Justin hopes to work as vice-president of operations — through collaboration and consultation.

Mackenzie Biddie, ArtSci ‘15, and Troy Sherman, ArtSci ’14 During an AMS executive election, students are looking for a few things: integrity, honesty, creativity and innovative ideas.

When we first got involved in the campaign, we knew that Allison Williams, Justin Reekie and Philip Lloyd exemplified these qualities. They want to genuinely engage students in their student government and their university.

Many people talk the talk but few people actually have the drive and interest to see their ideas through.

Allison, Justin and Philip have spent countless hours over the past three months working on a comprehensive platform and brainstorming ideas to better the AMS. We can confidently say they are some of the hardest working and most committed people we’ve ever worked with.

Their platform is extensively researchedandtouchesonavarietyof issues prevalent in the Queen’s community. They also have the passion to work for and with students.

Allison, as this year’s AMS Academics Affairs Commissioner, has dedicated the past eight months to being an advocate for students, and her extensive knowledge of this university is showcased in their platform. Her experience working with the administration on issues of an academic nature will allow her to start the job May 1.

Justin, as this year’s AMS Hospitality and Safety Services

Many people talk the talk, but few people actually have the drive and interest to see their ideas through.

Philip, as last year’s Concurrent Education Students’ Association (CESA) President, brings a fresh view of the AMS to the team because he’s never actually worked for the Society. As CESA president, he worked hard to bring the Association outside of its bubble and better interact with faculty societies and the AMS. His leadership was put on display last year at AMS Assembly where he asked tough questions and represented his constituents with integrity.

As a team, they bring a unified vision of the AMS to the table and they would work diligently to enhance the student experience and give students the support they need to get the most out of their university experience. Team WRL recognizes that today’s challenges are tomorrow’s opportunities. Allison, Justin and Philip are the best candidates to tackle those challenges and pursue those opportunities and their platform is a roadmap to that end.

We’re extremely honoured to be the campaign managers for Allison, Justin and Philip. On Jan. 28 and 29, we hope that you vote alongside us for Team WRL — an AMS team committed to the well-being of Queen’s students and one that is ready to get the job done.

“If it’s bringing up relevant points then it’s OK.” Min Jin, ArtSci ’14

“It’s more distracting than helpful because you can’t verify the source.”

Ted Zhao, MSc ’15

“For people who read all about the candidates it would only play a small role in affecting their opinions. For those who see that specific blog it would play a large role.”

Lily Helmer-Smith, ArtSci ’16

“I think the character of a politician is extremely important, however an anonymous blog might not be the location because of the suggestion of slander.”

Tobias MacFarlane, ArtSci ’14

14 •QUEENSJOURNAL.CA

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Honesty on stage

ARTS

Vogt Biographies returns to its roots

Vogt returns with a raw, experimental and comedic series focusing on human life.

B Y D IANA A NTON Contributor Vogt’s own brand of light-hearted comedy shines in their second installment of the year, Vogt Biographies.

The production is comprised of a series of intimate biographies dealing with love, finding yourself and fighting against expectations.

These four one-act plays, Voice of an Angel, Shaifta, The Ballad of Afife Jale and Beco[me], explore the stories of people from different cultures worldwide, from Turkey to Kingston.

With the combination of humour and quirky characters, this emotional installment brings to life the personal histories of

fictional people.

Each year, three times a year, Vogt Studios puts on a series of one-act plays. Each play has been conceptualized, directed, written and produced by Queen’s students with the help of the drama department.

Despite the at times comedic nature of the characters, the difficult themes within these plays are handled with the utmost care. It’s apparent the actors take their roles seriously, even through comedy.

Sean Meldrum’s Voice of an Angel is full of entertainment with provocative language, drugs and vastly different characters.

The scene opens with a talentless writer, Max, coming home with a

PHOTOS BY SOPHIE BARKAM

seemingly-typical prostitute named Annabel. Max reveals to Annabel that he wants to use her as the basis for the main character in his novel about a prostitute with big dreams.

What ensues is a series of delightfully funny attempts at seduction and forwardness, as well as unexpected twists. Sometimes the real story has been in front of you the whole time, just waiting to be written.

Opening with the traditional low vocals of Middle Eastern music, Shaifta tells the story of Mustafa Khan Shaifta (Zack Fedora), a famous poet who fell in love with a popular and beloved courtesan from the Sapphire Palace.

The society’s beliefs, however, See An on page 17

FILM

Looking through a lens of self-discovery Queen’s grad Michael Kenney says Canadian LGBT films and productions are breaking societal boundaries B Y F ILZA N AVEED Staff Writer Doing what you love is a journey of self-discovery, something Michael Kenney, ArtSci ’08, found through filmmaking.

Kenney’s film Playing it Straight was voted as a Festival Favourite at the 2013 Cinema Diverse! Palm Springs Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. It will be playing at the Reelout Film and Video Fest in Kingston on Jan. 30.

“I was inspired to direct this film for very personal reasons. Two months before I decided to write my thesis, I came out of the closet,” Kenney said. “This was a very hard time in my life, and putting my creative energy into making a film about being gay really helped me to cope.”

Since then, Kenney said he’s been on an amazing journey, which has allowed his work and his confidence to flourish.

“Writing has really helped me enhance my creative energy and I feel very in touch with myself now,” Kenney said.

He had always been deeply inspired by films.

Even though he didn’t expect to be pursuing a career in TV

production, his early childhood was spent in front of a TV screen.

“I loved watching movies with my siblings. A lot of people call television the idiot box. To me, it was an amazing place where I could let my imagination run wild,” Kenney said. “I wanted to create characters of my own and that’s how I was inspired to pursue filmmaking.”

When reminiscing about his entrance into film, Kenney recalled his time at Queen’s with nostalgia, citing his work with Queen’s TV (QTV).

He majored in political studies but his involvement with QTV

inspired him to apply to film school after graduating.

After studying television at Humber College and witnessing the television scene in Toronto drying up after the financial crisis in 2008, Kenney was on his way to California to pursue his dreams.

“It’s still a struggle here trying to establish yourself. I was very young and naïve when I first came here but I have learnt a lot from my peers,” he said. “It See Straight on page 17

Michael Kenney, ArtSci ‘08, premieres his short film Playing It Straight at the Screening Room on Jan. 31. His filmmaking process has been a journey of self-discovery.

SUPPLIED

ARTS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

QUEENSJOURNAL.CA

INTERVIEW

Butler’s back home Mike Butler is living in the moment and enjoying every minute B Y J USTIN S ANTELLI Assistant Arts Editor Mike Butler is coming back to an old home.

A former Queen’s graduate with a degree in math and economics, Butler returns to Kingston this Saturday night not as an accountant, but as a country singer.

“I put out an EP a few months back in 2013 which I recorded here in Toronto. It’s my first solo project that I’ve done,” Butler said. “It’s a mix of songs that I’ve written on my own as well as with a couple other folks.”

When it came to crafting the self-titled three-song EP that would serve as his first solo statement, Butler said he took it seriously.

The record was made at Noble Street Studios, a studio that top-tier pop artists like Drake and Justin Bieber have worked in — a real “state-of-the-art type deal”, as Butler himself described it.

“It’s the most intense recording project I’ve gotten into so far and I got to work with some absolutely top-notch musicians,” he said.

Despite the attention he brings to recording, Butler said his heart is still in touring and performing live, as the attendees at his upcoming headlining set at The Mansion will learn.

Former Queen’s grad Mike Butler recorded his debut in Toronto.

“My favourite two things are writing songs and performing, because it’s a party for us.

You’re hanging out with people, everybody’s having a good time and everybody’s dancing and you can’t be upset about it,” he said.

Butler’s live show specializes in a mix of covers of classic and contemporary country as well as his own Bruce Springsteen and Brad Paisley-inspired originals.

“I play with a pretty great band and they’re some of the tightest musicians I’ve heard, so it’s always pretty fun for me,” Butler said. “I love getting up onstage and going to new spots, making new friends and meeting new people.”

Butler will be playing a mix of covers and originals on Saturday.

SUPPLIED

SUPPLIED

Music was always a primary interest for Butler, even during his time at Queen’s. He’s played in bands since high school, making home studio recordings. “[I] left Queen’s, started working, continued playing a little bit and eventually decided if I was gonna take time to pursue it I would rather it be now than in 25 years,” he said.

This attitude towards seizing the moment is the real drive behind Butler’s choice to leave his job as an accountant and follow music, he said, for practical reasons as well as passion.

“I never want to complain, [because] it’s a lot of fun. But when you’re out playing bars and it’s 1:30, it’s a rowdy crowd, and the bar owner comes over and says ‘Can you guys go to 2:00,’ you’re not getting home until 3:00, 3:30,” Butler said.

“And if I was 40, 50 years old that would kind of be out of the question,” he said. “But right now I got the energy and the time. So why not?”

Mike Butler will be playing at The Mansion on Jan. 25.

Top 10 Charts

For the week ending January 21th

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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Old Haunt Destroyer Dog Day The Arcade Fire The Pack A.D. Soft Serve Crissi Cochrane Three Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra Coeur de Pirate James Vincent McMorrow

Empty Heart Five Spanish Songs Fade Out Reflektor Do Not Engage Sink Deep Little Sway Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything Trauma Post Tropical

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Friday, January 24, 2014

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An experimental and emotional direction Continued from page 14

dictate that their life together wouldn’t be possible. Despite having a less dramatic plot than the other plays, this story stands out visually with authentic and colourful costumes in the country’s traditional style.

The Ballad of Afife Jale tackles themes of discrimination and escapism with heart-wrenching wordplay. A precocious little girl named Anna, played by Tiana Prince, ArtSci ’13, recounts the story of a Muslim girl named Afife.

As Anna tells us this story, we start to see her own desire to escape from her reality through make-believe games. Prince’s dynamic expression and passion allowed Anna’s exuberance and adventurous spirit to shine.

The final piece of this installment, Beco[me], is a cabaret created with overlapping monologues, in which the students play themselves. The

audience is granted five minutes with each character as they share their intimate thoughts, fears and secrets.

The set is mostly bare, save a few microphones and a piano.

The set’s simplicity complements the continuous soft and nostalgic melody to the piece, the dim lighting and the rawness of the stories.

Vogt remains consistent with their discussion of social issues, which, in the past, have included themes like religion and sexuality.

In recent years, the four-part series Vogt B is a series of intimate biographies dealing with relevant themes to students. has focused on comedy.

With this new series, however, Vogt seems to be moving in a more experimental and emotional direction — back to its roots.

Vogt B is playing in Carruthers Hall in the Vogt Studios on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m., Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $4.

Arts Calendar Music

Art

Image Repertoire and Freelove Fenner The Artel Jan. 24 at 8:30 p.m.

Arctic I: Sovereignty in Pink Agnes Etherington Art Centre Jan. 25 to April 6

Chris Koster The Mansion Jan. 27 at 9 p.m.

Film

Barenaked Ladies K-Rock Centre Jan. 30 at 7 p.m.

Philomena, Dallas Buyers Club, 12 Years A Slave The Screening Room For showtimes, visit: www. moviesinkingston.com

pHOTO BY sOPHIE bARKHAM

Straight up honesty Continued from page 14

helped me discover what I’m really interested in pursuing, and I realized I love writing comedy, and hence Playing it Straight took form.”

Playing it Straight is a film about a young man, Patrick, who wakes up on the day of his wedding after a drunken night with his future bride’s brother.

“It’s a film about acceptance and honesty. It’s really important to be comfortable with who you are if you want to be true to yourself,” Kenney said.

Canadian LGBT films and TV productions are breaking boundaries by striving to change society in order to make it more tolerant and accepting, he said.

Playing it Straight was inspired by Kenney’s love of comedy.

“I really admire what producers did with the show Degrassi,” Kenney said. “Allowing the characters in the show to deal with issues on being gay and transgendered really made it an outstanding production.”

Supplied

Playing It Straight will be screening on Jan. 31 at 9 p.m. at the Screening Room. Tickets are $8 for students.

Visit www.reelout.com for more information.

18 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, January 24, 2014

SPORTS Business

Conference audibles Ninth annual QSIC eyes new perspectives on sports industry B y N ick Faris Sports Editor Like the star athletes they want to work alongside, Russell Reeves and Vaanan Thiru are game changers.

They’re the co-chairs of this year’s Queen’s Sports Industry Conference (QSIC), an annual three-day event run by the Commerce Society that attracts delegates from across Ontario and speakers from the business of professional sports.

This year’s conference kicked off yesterday at Goodes Hall and runs until tomorrow. While much has stayed the same from previous years, Reeves and Thiru have spearheaded a number of tweaks — all in line with the weekend’s omnipresent motto.

“Right from the get-go, we adopted the slogan and mantra, ‘Change the Game’,” said Reeves, Comm ’15. “We’re not just bringing the exact same experience every year. We want to give [delegates] different perspectives on the sports industry.”

Reeves is in his second year on QSIC’s organizing team; Thiru, Comm ’14, has held an executive

spot since he arrived at Queen’s.

The conference dates back to 2006, making them the ninth set of QSIC leaders tasked with providing a unique glimpse into the sports industry.

Recent conferences have followed a standard format: two to three speakers per day, with a sponsored case competition on Friday and socials each night.

We’re not just “bringing the exact same experience every year.

”

— Russell Reeves, QSIC co-chair

the same goal: maximizing the conference’s value for all delegates that attend.

“We want to get as many people into the sports industry as we can,” Reeves said. “We understand it’s a different industry to get into, so if we can help out in any way, that’s something we want to do.”

The biggest addition they’ve made, according to Reeves, is “Simulation Saturday,” in which delegates will be split into agencies, relocate to various rooms around Goodes and embark on a two-hour free agent frenzy.

Agencies and teams will only be able to communicate by phone or Co-chairs Vaanan Thiru and Russell Reeves (left to right, PHOTOS BY SAM KOEBRICH See Mock on page 23

above) will oversee this weekend’s conference, with 130 delegates on hand.

That hasn’t changed this year, but certain features are new, including a panel discussion on the professional hockey industry and a mock NBA free agency period, with all 130 student delegates assigned the role of player, agent or team executive.

Ever since Reeves and Thiru hired their 19-person executive team last March, every decision has revolved around

Men’s hockey

RMC romped

coaching

Redmen, Gaels tied for first in OUA East after Queen’s earns midweek shutout

Secondary bench boss

B y A dam L askaris Staff Writer

Often overlooked, Gaels assistants connect with players individually

Men’s hockey earned two key points in a midweek victory over their oldest rivals.

On what was its shortest road trip of the season, Queen’s defeated the RMC Paladins 3-0 at Kingston’s Constantine Arena in Tuesday night’s matchup. The victory pushed the Gaels into a tie for first place in the OUA with the McGill Redmen, at 33 points through 22 games.

Head coach Brett Gibson understood the importance of this win in relation to the standings. He

said the team “got the points [they] needed” in the victory.

RMC came into the game in last place in the OUA and didn’t present much of a challenge to the Gaels.

Queen’s was dominant, putting up 50 shots over the three periods and scoring one goal in each frame.

See Rematch on page 23

B y S ean S utherland Assistant Sports Editor Their title isn’t flashy, but Gaels assistant coaches play invaluable roles on their teams.

At the university level, both

head coaches and their assistants are focused on developing talented players and winning programs — but they go about their jobs in different styles.

Women’s basketball assistant coach James Bambury has been on

inside SIDELINE COMMENTARY

Evaluating each varsity team’s post-season hopes.

PAGE 19

ATHLETE PROFILE

High school mates make mark for men’s basketball.

PAGE 21

weekend wrap-up

Hockey, basketball and volleyball recaps.

PAGE 22

Assistant coach James Bambury counsels players at Wednesday’s women’s basketball practice.

PHOTO BY SAM KOEBRICH

both sides of the coaching spectrum.

Before joining the Gaels last season, he served as the head coach of the RMC Paladins women’s basketball team from 2012.

Other than a four-month stint as an assistant with Leeds Metropolitan University in England, Bambury has been a head coach his entire career. Shifting to assistant from head coach, Bambury said, allowed him to interact with players in a different way.

Head coaches, he said, don’t get the opportunity to coach individual players during games, since they have to focus on the overall action.

“All the small conversations I wanted to have with players during games, I’m able to do that now,” Bambury said. “Each time a player comes off, I do my absolute best to be able to communicate with them things they can improve on, things they did well and things we need to keep doing.”

Along with men’s basketball assistant coach Chris Aim and several football coaches, Bambury is one of only a few assistants employed full-time by the University.

Full-time status gives him more opportunity See Esteemed on page 23

SPORTS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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• 19

SIDELINE COMMENTARY

Playoffs? We’re talkin’ ‘bout playoffs The Journal’s sports editors pick Gaels men’s and women’s hockey to skate deep into OUA post-season Men’s hockey

Men’s basketball sits well behind Carleton, Ottawa and Ryerson, but they’re within striking distance of the playoffs.

B Y N ICK FARIS AND S EAN S UTHERLAND Journal Staff

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

Women’s basketball

Men’s basketball They’re a casualty of the OUA’s skewed divisional set-up, but the Gaels could do more to help their playoff chances.

Grouped in the OUA East with three of the country’s top five teams, Queen’s results reflect this disparity. At 7-7, they’re well behind Carleton (14-0), Ottawa (12-2) and Ryerson (11-3).

Those clubs are the class of Canadian basketball, but the Gaels have faltered against lesser competition. Losses to Laurentian (10-4) and York (8-6) propelled both of those teams up the standings, while lowly Algoma (4-10) pulled a massive upset up north last Saturday.

The road ahead is rigorous. Five of Queen’s final eight regular season games come against the division’s top trio, though Laurentian and York face similarly brutal stretches.

Winning three of eight could be enough to jump York for fifth place. Limited offensive production beyond the starting lineup has been an issue, but there’s time to fix it before the first round.

Only two points behind OUA East co-leaders Ottawa and Carleton, Queen’s is gunning for a first-round bye.

Boasting the only trio in the East this season to each average 10 points per game in Jenny Wright, Gemma Bullard and Liz Boag, the Gaels have an ability to spread the ball around, which will make them dangerous come playoff time.

Though their defence sits fifth in the division, the team is one of only three in the OUA East to score more than they concede, due in part to their ability to create turnovers.

This weekend’s games against Ottawa and Carleton will indicate where the Gaels truly sit. One or more wins could vault the club into a top-two position, which could eventually mean a playoff bye.

When they meet up with one of these two schools in the playoffs, the results will be in Queen’s opponent’s favour. Still, the Gaels have a shot to go one round further than their East semi-final exit last season.

— Sean Sutherland

— Nick Faris

Three losses is nothing to fret over, especially in the midst of a revelatory campaign.

Even after suffering consecutive defeats to Carleton and McGill (twice), men’s hockey is knotted atop the OUA East ladder with the rival Redmen. Three of their six remaining games should be easy wins; at this rate, anything below a third-place finish would be disappointing.

In front of a dynamic pair of rookie netminders, the Gaels’ defence leads the league with just 44 goals against. Their offence is producing at a similar rate to past years, but Queen’s is now grinding out victories, rather than narrow losses.

Two straight tilts with third-place Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) will provide a formidable test to end the year. The Gaels will split those games, roll through the first playoff round and unseat UQTR in a second-round rematch.

McGill will prove to be too strong in the OUA championship, but with an unusually capable core of first- and second-years, the Gaels will only build from here.

Women’s volleyball The switch to division play in the OUA has the Gaels on the outside

— Sean Sutherland

Women’s hockey Though Queen’s currently sits third in the OUA at 13-2-3, only the Laurier Golden Hawks truly stand between the Gaels and a second straight OUA title.

Queen’s still has critical matchups with not only top-seeded Laurier, but also the Guelph Gryphons and Toronto Varsity Blues, who sit second and fourth in the province, respectively.

If the Gaels can hold on to a top-four spot and the home-ice advantage that comes with it, a semi-final series against one of Laurier, Guelph or Toronto is a given.

The Gryphons boast the OUA’s best defence and have three of the league’s top five scorers, but Queen’s strong two-way game will be enough to negate that if the two squads meet up.

Likewise, the presence of veterans Morgan McHaffie, Shawna Griffin and Mel Dodd-Moher should drive the Gaels past a Toronto team lacking in playoff experience.

Laurier proves a more difficult test, as their 3-2 shootout victory over Queen’s earlier in the year attests. If the two teams meet up in the finals, Laurier will probably hold the extra home game and prevail in a three-game series.

Men’s volleyball

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

— Nick Faris

looking in for this year’s playoffs.

The top five teams in the province last season all are members of the OUA East, and with only four playoff spots available, it looks like Queen’s will be the odd team out.

The Gaels currently trail Ryerson for the final playoff spot by only four points, but have been hindered by an inability to string wins together this season. Coupled with injuries to libero Becky Wilson and outside hitter Shannon Neville, the Gaels’ road to the playoffs is perilous.

In York, Toronto and Ryerson, Queen’s still has to face three of the four teams currently ahead of them in the standings, as well as OUA West third seed McMaster.

While their other two games against RMC and Nipissing are winnable, the tough competition will be too much for the Gaels to overcome and they’ll fall short on their playoff bid this season.

— Nick Faris

— Sean Sutherland

Men’s volleyball has only lost once to a team below them in the standings, but they continue to languish in the middle of the OUA.

and won six. (The lone anomaly: a 3-1 loss to ninth-place Toronto in late November.)

Now, they’re smack in the middle of 11 Ontario teams, virtually assuring the Gaels a playoff berth and a practically simultaneous first-round exit.

That represents a downswing for the rebuilding club, who were upset at home in last year’s first round after clinching fourth place.

The return of outside hitter Mike Tomlinson from injury has injected a recent spark, but this year’s squad no longer has a shot at cracking the league’s upper echelon.

Three games apiece remain against better and lesser teams.

True to form, the Gaels will finish 9-11, lose in four sets in their playoff opener and set their sights to next year.

Delightfully ordinary results have left the Gaels in OUA no man’s land.

So far, Queen’s (6-8) has played seven games against teams above them in the standings, and lost them all. They’ve played seven games against teams below them,

Assistant captain Mary Coughlin and the women’s hockey team are seeking a repeat OUA championship.

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

20 •queensjournal.ca

Sports

Friday, January 24, 2014

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

SPORTS

QUEENSJOURNAL.CA

• 21

ATHLETE PROFILE

For Gaels guards, hardwood harmony High school teammates go from the park to the ARC B Y J ORDAN C ATHCART Staff Writer From the playground in the second grade to the pinnacle of high school basketball, Roshane Roberts and Cy Samuels have followed the same journey.

The friendship between the second-year Gaels guards goes back to the days of recess and Velcro shoes, when they first started playing basketball at their elementary school.

Fast-forward just over a decade and you can find the two endlessly practicing their game at the ARC. The natives of Vaughan, Ont., were clear when they were being recruited to Queen’s that they were a package deal.

“I based my decision on his decision,” said Roberts, who’s averaging 11.2 points per game as the Gaels’ starting shooting guard.

“If Queen’s was going to get us, it was going to be a double deal.”

ON DECK CIRCLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Friday, Jan. 24, 6 p.m.: Gaels (9-5) @ Carleton Ravens (10-4).

Winning seems to come naturally for the former high school teammates. Roberts and Samuels won back-to-back Ontario championships at Vaughan Secondary School, playing on the country’s top-ranked team two years running.

They also played alongside some of the top talent in Canada, including current Kansas Jayhawks forward Andrew Wiggins, the world’s number one college recruit this year.

“We had one goal and we knew how to reach it,” said Samuels, who’s sitting out the 2013-14 season after a solid freshman campaign.

“There were some tough times, but our time [at Vaughan] made us stronger and taught us how to be better teammates.”

Samuels and Roberts complement each other on and off the court. The outgoing Samuels is a 6’5” jack of all trades, while Roberts stands at six feet and is known for his hard-nosed defence, a deadly three-point shot and a reserved demeanour.

Samuels wasn’t shy when it came to complimenting his teammate’s competitiveness and all-around game.

He likened Roberts to Newmarket native Kevin Pangos, a star guard for the NCAA’s Gonzaga Bulldogs.

“He always goes out and competes and

PHOTO BY SAM KOEBRICH

Roshane Roberts (above, left) is averaging 11.2 points per game in a starting role, while Cy Samuels (right) is sitting out the year after a solid rookie season.

it seems like coaches overlooked how good he was,” Samuels said. “We would have never won championships in high school if Roshane didn’t play as well as he did.”

Coming from the mecca of high school hoops to a Queen’s team that just went 2-20 in 2011-12 was a big step for Roberts and Samuels.

Newly hired head coach Steph Barrie told the pair he was essentially cleaning house, and planned to move forward with a rookie-heavy roster.

“I knew it wasn’t a strong basketball program,” Samuels said. “Coach told us he

Saturday, Jan. 25, 6 p.m.: Gaels @ Ottawa Gee-Gees (10-4).

MEN’S BASKETBALL Friday, Jan. 24, 8 p.m.: Gaels (7-7) @ Carleton Ravens (14-0).

Saturday, Jan. 25, 8 p.m.: Gaels @ Ottawa Gee-Gees (12-2).

WOMEN’S HOCKEY Friday, Jan. 24, 7:30 p.m.: Gaels (13-2-3) vs. Waterloo Warriors (7-8-4).

Roberts (shooting) has played 27.8 minutes a game in 14 starts.

Saturday, Jan. 25, 7:30 p.m.: Gaels vs. Laurier Golden Hawks (14-2-3).

MEN’S HOCKEY Friday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m.: Gaels (14-3-5) @ Carleton Ravens (14-5-1).

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Saturday, Jan. 25, 2 p.m.: Gaels (7-6) @ Nipissing Lakers (0-13).

Sunday, Jan. 26, 2 p.m.: Gaels @ York Lions (11-2).

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL Saturday, Jan. 25, 4 p.m.: Gaels (6-8) @ Nipissing Lakers (2-12).

Sunday, Jan. 26, 4 p.m.: Gaels @ York Lions (10-4).

WRESTLING Sunday, Jan. 26, 9 a.m.: Gaels @ Queen’s Open (Kingston).

PHOTO BY SAM KOEBRICH

was clearing out most of the team and going with eight recruits and we will see where this goes … it was the perfect situation for us.”

They’ve done a good job so far of trying to bring Vaughan’s winning culture to Queen’s.

Last season, the Gaels went 10-10 and made the playoffs. They’ve notched seven wins this season and hope to make a second straight post-season appearance.

The two have impressed individually for the tricolour. Roberts is starting every game and playing 28 minutes a night, while Samuels averaged four points and four rebounds as a rookie last season.

Although Samuels is redshirting this season, he’s looking at it in a positive light.

“This year is helping me and getting me extra focused. I realize things that I didn’t quite see last year,” he said. “I learn things from listening to [my] coach talk to me. It’s opened my eyes to new things and adjustments on the court that I didn’t see prior.”

Both players have set goals for themselves to achieve during their time as Gaels, on the hardwood and in the classroom.

Samuels said he hopes to eventually become an Academic All-Canadian. On the court, he’s eying the success he and Roberts enjoyed in high school.

“I want to see where training and working hard can take me as a basketball player, and to see how good I can become,” he said. “I want to be a champion. I miss that feeling, so I want to touch back on that.”

SPORTS

22 •QUEENSJOURNAL.CA

WEEKEND WRAP-UP

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

FOR

FULL VERSIONS OF THESE RECAPS, GO TO QUEENSJOURNAL.CA/SPORTS.

Men’s hockey: Close loss, shutout win

Men’s basketball: Two defeats up north

Women’s basketball: Lowly squads topped

They suffered a tight defeat on Friday, but men’s hockey rallied the next day to claim a shutout victory.

Queen’s suffered a tough 2-1 road loss on Friday to their nemesis, the McGill Redmen, pushing their losing streak to a season-long three games. The Gaels were able to salvage redemption Saturday afternoon with a dominant 4-0 victory over the Concordia Stingers.

Head coach Brett Gibson didn’t think the three-game slide was cause for concern.

“There were three losses in a row but they were nationally-ranked teams,” he said. “Unfortunately, we came out on the losing end.”

After a Redmen goal early in the first period on Friday, there was a long scoreless stretch before forward Tyler Moore tied up the game for the Gaels with just under six minutes to play in the third. McGill’s Mathieu Pompei responded just 27 seconds later with the game-winner.

“We were right there,” Gibson said. “We had a bit of a rough first period but [Gaels goaltender] Kevin Bailie was the difference, he made some key saves. We came on strong in the second and third period.”

The loss was the second in as many games to McGill for the Gaels, following a 4-3 home loss the previous Saturday where a comeback attempt fell just short.

Queen’s then stormed into Concordia’s barn with purpose on Saturday, putting four goals past the Stingers on just 10 shots in the first period.

“I told the guys [after the first] we already had enough goals,” Gibson said. “We just had to play disciplined hockey to set up a long, drawn-out game where we sustained pressure throughout.”

Men’s basketball’s play went south on their road trip up north last weekend.

The Gaels dropped consecutive decisions to the Laurentian Voyageurs and the lowly Algoma Thunderbirds.

Friday saw the Gaels take a 84-76 loss to the Voyageurs in a game that had major playoff implications. The Gaels started well, taking a three-point lead after the first quarter, but found themselves down four heading into halftime.

Laurentian won the final two quarters, giving them the victory. The Voyageurs shot the lights out on an impressive 50 per cent from field goal range and won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding the Gaels 40 to 30.

The Gaels caused havoc defensively, recording 17 steals and forcing 26 turnovers, but the effort was to no avail.

Forward Greg Faulkner continued his hot performance for the Gaels, dropping 28 points after scorching the net with a 37-point performance last weekend versus the Toronto Varsity Blues.

Gaels guard Roshane Roberts credited poor execution and inconsistent play for their loss Friday night.

“I think throughout the game we had bad stretches and bad turnovers that really cost us the game at the moment,” said Roberts. “We just had bad opportunities and missed layups that cost us the game.”

On Saturday, the Gaels lost to Algoma 83-76 in a game they expected to win.

The Thunderbirds entered the game with three wins, sitting second to last in the OUA East. The Thunderbirds led the game wire to wire, forcing the Gaels to commit 13 turnovers and shoot a paltry 25 per cent from three-point range.

The Gaels are back to their winning ways after a perfect weekend record.

On Friday, Queen’s pulled out a 63-60 win against the Laurentian Voyageurs and then went on to defeat the Algoma Thunderbirds 54-35 on Saturday.

Against Laurentian (3-11), the Gaels (9-5) were down 13 points at one moment in the final minutes of the third quarter, but went on a 13-0 run to tie up the game heading into the fourth. Wing Jenny Wright and guard Emily Hazlett spearheaded the run.

Head coach Dave Wilson believed his team still struggled.

“It wasn’t by any means our best performance,” Wilson said. “We struggled with our ball handling and our shooting was so-so, but at the same time we showed determination and resolve.”

Wright had a season-high 27 points, going 4-7 from beyond the three-point line.

The only other player to score in double digits was guard Liz Boag who finished with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Algoma Thunderbirds (0-14) are a new addition to the CIS and are in their first season. The Gaels handily beat the Thunderbirds on the road, holding them to single digits in the first three quarters. In the second quarter, the Thunderbirds went scoreless for 6:13 before Courtney White made one of two free throws.

The Thunderbirds shot 26 per cent from the field and committed 29 turnovers.

— Adam Laskaris

— Jordan Cathcart

— Jerry Zheng

Men’s volleyball: Yet another weekend split Another 1-1 weekend kept men’s volleyball in playoff contention.

The Gaels edged past their positional rivals, the Windsor Lancers, 17-25, 25-18, 25-21, 18-25, 16-14 on Friday, before falling to a strong Western Mustangs 25-23, 20-25, 22-25, 17-25 on Saturday.

With Windsor only two points behind the sixth-place Gaels, Friday’s matchup had playoff implications.

The Gaels started out slow, mustering only six kills in the first set. Outside hitter Marcus Trence was brought in late in the set to shake things up and stayed in for the rest

of the contest.

Gaels head coach Brenda Willis took note of the hostile Windsor crowd.

“The fans were very active. It was a good opportunity for us to practice focus,” she said.

The men began serving more consistently, and took the second and third set. The Gaels stifled the Lancer offense by controlling the middle of the court.

This aggressive play petered out in the fourth set, which Windsor took by seven points.

“We weren’t playing with the level of urgency we needed in that set,” Willis said.

— Brent Moore

Women’s volleyball: Five-set loss, four-set win The injury-plagued women’s volleyball team bounced back with a win against the Western Mustangs this weekend, after suffering a narrow defeat at the hands of the Windsor Lancers the day before.

Queen’s (7-6) fell to the Lancers (8-5) Friday evening despite a solid effort.

The Gaels suffered injuries to two key players — fourth-year left side Shannon Neville and second-year libero Becky Wilson — during the contest. The injuries weren’t overly serious, although it’s unsure when the two will be back.

The women charged back after losing the first set 25-15 before taking the lead with two straight set wins of their own. The Lancers didn’t roll over though, taking the fourth set 25-17, and the fifth 15-8, ultimately leading to Queen’s loss.

The team’s attack was relatively balanced on Friday with Niki Slikboer, Kelsey Bishop and Katie Hagarty each contributing 13 points. Hagarty also contributed on the defensive side of the ball, posting 22 digs, a team high.

Second-year setter Ali Shamie managed the offence and contributed 44 assists.

Shamie’s strong play since the holidays has helped her earn a larger role on the team as of late, especially due to the recent injuries.

The team managed to bounce back on Saturday to earn a four-set victory against Western (3-10) by scores of 25-23, 21-25, 26-24 and 25-23.

— Sean Liebich

Sports

Friday, January 24, 2014

queensjournal.ca

• 23

Rematch with Ravens goes tonight in Ottawa Continued from page 18

Men’s hockey will face RMC again in the Carr-Harris Cup on Feb. 6. They cruised 7-2 in last year’s marquee matchup at the K-Rock Centre (above).

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

Mock free agency added Continued from page 18

the personalized emails set up for them by the QSIC executive. As deals are arranged, players and teams will walk to the Goodes lobby, pose with a QSIC jersey and sign a fake contract, as the executive breaks the news on Twitter.

“It’s really difficult to mimic a real free agency in sports, since there are so many variables, but we think it’s a pretty fun exercise,” Thiru said.

The simulation was the brainchild of third-year executive member Christian Alaimo, who also helped coordinate today’s case challenge, sponsored by Labatt.

The case, a staple of the annual conference, gives delegates the chance to design a business endeavour for whichever corporate sponsor is heading the event. The mock free agency, meanwhile, offers something new.

“I think everybody that comes to QSIC that really has a passion for sports really wants to be in a front-office position,” Thiru said. “The case, while it’s related to sports, it

doesn’t really allow you to experience that kind of role.”

Presenting a broad scope of roles within the sports industry was another objective.

While last year’s QSIC featured multiple speakers from the Toronto Blue Jays, according to the co-chairs, this year’s slate includes representatives from the UFC, NBA Canada and the Ottawa RedBlacks football franchise.

Several recurring sponsors have returned, including Chubb and CI Financial, while Labatt is newly on board. Thiru said attracting speakers and sponsors requires the same components: a database chock full of contacts and months of persistence from the executive.

Ten months removed from the start of their hiring process, they’re finally seeing their plans — and changes — come to fruition.

“Our exec team has been killing it all year long,” Thiru said. “Everybody has played a really big role in helping this develop, and it’s something we’re just excited to see unfold.”

“A lot of our shots were from the perimeter [early on],” Gibson said. “But then we finally started going down low and things were working for us.”

Netminder Kevin Bailie earned his second shutout for the Gaels, stopping all 15 shots he faced.

The shutout marks the second in a row for the Gaels, following a 4-0 victory over Concordia on Saturday with Chris Clarke in net. Low-scoring games have been a habit for the Gaels this season, as they’ve given up just 44 goals so far — an average of two per game — while remaining first in the OUA. Yannick Laflamme, Jordan Coccimiglio and Braeden Corbeth all tallied goals for the Gaels. Coccimiglio also added an assist to lead the Gaels in scoring with two points on the night.

The matchup was Queen’s first of the season that didn’t fall on a weekend, and Gibson was appreciative of the change of pace.

“It’s nice to have these midweek games,”

he said. “It breaks up the monotony of having four practices in a row.”

The Gaels get back in action tonight for one of their most important matchups of the season.

They’ll travel to Ottawa to face off against the Carleton Ravens, who currently sit just four points back of the Gaels and the Redmen in the incredibly tight OUA East division, with two games in hand.

The first time the two teams met, back on Jan. 10, Carleton beat Queen’s 4-1, the Gaels’ largest margin of defeat to date.

“They’re a great team,” Gibson said.

“They exposed us pretty bad [the first time we played].”

The schedule also has an added benefit for the Gaels, as they play just one game this weekend as opposed to the typical two. It’s especially beneficial for the coaching staff, who are looking to rebound from their last outing against the Ravens.

“You can strategize a lot more,” Gibson said. “Having only one game on the weekend now allows us to focus on just Carleton and what we need to do to beat them.”

Follow @QJSports.

Esteemed experience Continued from page 18

to work with his players in individual on-court sessions to improve their skills.

Bambury said that he and women’s head coach Dave Wilson complement each other in their coaching styles. Bambury is more vocal, while Wilson takes on a subdued approach.

“I think I bring outward energy and he brings a quiet competitiveness that I think some of the players find themselves following,” he said. “Some like the more outwardly enthusiastic.”

For men’s hockey assistant coach Tony Cimellaro, serving in his position is about complementing the head coach and acting as an extension of them on the bench.

In hockey, assistants will often take charge of specific on-ice units, reducing the burden on the bench boss.

“I’m in charge of our defence during the game, I’m in charge of our penalty kill,” Cimellaro said. “Other things like practice plans, lineup decisions, recruiting, those are all things [head coach] Brett [Gibson] has sole confidence in me.”

With recruiting playing such a large role in the university game, assistant coaches such as Cimellaro take on additional duties in getting players to come to Queen’s.

“I have a lot of connections in the [Ontario Hockey League],” Cimellaro said.

ACROSS

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

Tony Cimellaro played two games with the 1992-93 Ottawa Senators.

“The guys I have really close connections with, if they’ve got players, those are the guys Brett will give me to call.”

A former pro hockey player who spent two games on ice with the Ottawa Senators, Cimellaro said his experience helps him with coaching.

“I think when I use my experience from playing at that level and playing pro hockey, the kids see it is used at a higher level,” he said. “It helps with credibility. The kids know that it’s not a guy who’s reading it from a book and has studied it.

“The kids know I’ve done it first-hand, and I think that goes a long way.”

Cimellaro said one of the greatest aspects of his coaching experience is the relationships he’s formed with his former players.

“When the game is done, it’s the friendships that I have with these kids,” he said. “Somewhere along the way, I’ve done the right thing for these kids that they want to stay in contact with me.”

1. — Hopkins University 6. Moved to the music 12. Garage job 13. Insight 14. Things known to only a few 15. To the center 16. Color worker 17. American Beauty, e.g.

19. Shuffleboard stick 20. Rainout cover 22. Request 24. Ophthalmologist’s concern 27. Decays 29. Newspaper pg.

32. 1967 Poitier movie 35. Swear 36. Angry 37. X rating?

38. Pump up the volume 40. Untouchable Eliot 42. Express 44. Right on the map?

46. Mimic 50. End 52. Less refined 54. — -Lorraine 55. Vagrants 56. Was up, maybe 57. Long

DOWN

1. Court panel 2. Former 3. Essence 4. Sister 5. Brownish songbirds 6. Speaker’s place 7. Sleep problem 8. Fresh 9. Nut 10. Beige 11. Fellow 12. Slight amount 18. Choices

21. Schedule abbr.

23. Scale member 24. List-ending abbr.

25. Thee 26. Bacon or Lamb 28. Elasticized 30. Leading lady 31. Hideaway 33. Doctrine 34. Cock and bull 39. Tranquility 41. Cousteau’s equipment 42. Wound cover 43. — breve 45. Hewed 47. Stench 48. Hammerhead part 49. Cent. fractions 51. Wrestling surface 53. Fish eggs

Last Issue’s Answers

24 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, January 24, 2014

postscript

The road often traveled If they aren’t Kingston residents, the hours a professor spends traveling can take a toll on their family life Photo By Charlotte gagnier

B y J essica C hong Blogs Editor For students who miss home, a weekend trip back to cities like Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, are short, providing only a tease of the comforts of home.

But professors living out of town also face the implications of commuting, whether out of necessity or personal choice, and the consequent impact on their life.

Four out of 28 faculty members in the English department alone commute and live in another city.

On a typical work day, Scott-Morgan Straker is a six-hour commute away from his children.

His daughter will finish her dance routine and look out at the audience, remembering her father isn’t there — he isn’t even in the same city.

“There’s certain commitments I can’t miss at work … even though I’m doing all this traveling to be with [my family], there’s still absolutely things I have to miss,” Straker, Undergraduate Chair and professor in the English department, said.

Missing out on these parental experiences unfortunately happens more often than not for Straker, who commutes from Kitchener to Kingston two or three days a week.

“Either I spend more time going back and forth, but I get to be with my family as much as possible, or I spend more time in Kingston and I’m not around to be with them,” he said.

In the past, he arranged and attempted many living arrangements; for one year, the couple lived in their respective university towns — Straker in Kingston and his wife in Kitchener — but they didn’t see each other much.

To rectify the problem, he explained, they lived in Toronto for a few years and commuted to their respective universities.

“We realized there’s no point in

being married to each other if we can’t actually spend time together,” he said.

Throwing kids into the equation prompted a new living arrangement. A coin flip determined their next big move.

His wife won, so they were moving to Kitchener — that was 11 years ago.

“If you add up all the traveling, it takes me about 12 hours of travel for the sake of about five or six hours in Kingston, so it makes for a really long day,” Straker said.

Straker said that he and his wife often arrange to have opposite teaching schedules in order to be around for their children.

That doesn’t always work though, he said. They have extensive arrangements for babysitting when both parents have to be away.

“When the kids were younger we had complicated daycare arrangements. Half-day kindergarten was a nightmare,” he said.

Straker said the English department makes accommodations, scheduling his classes in the afternoon. While a few of his colleagues commute from Toronto, he confirmed that his commute is the longest.

“I’ve been very, very lucky, but I’ve heard from colleagues … that not all departments are as accommodating,” he said.

When meetings occur on days that he doesn’t have class, Straker often stays at a bed and breakfast overnight. He said that this a lot more cost-effective than a hotel or maintaining a secondary residence in Kingston.

“I had to meet my commitments to the department and that included committee meetings,” he said. “So if I have a committee meeting on a day I would be out of town, well, tough luck I just have to stay overnight.”

He said in the past, he has split apartments with faculty members who have a commuting schedule opposite to him, but he’s found

the bed and breakfast option involves “the least fuss.”

Straker said he wouldn’t recommend a commuting lifestyle to anyone, citing the exhaustion and large expenses for travel and accommodation as his main reasons. Straker commutes by catching a bus from Kitchener to Toronto, and takes the train to Kingston from the city.

He said it’s particularly bad in the winter when the trains are delayed and the buses are slow.

“Every year, I say to my wife, ‘This is the last year. I can’t do this anymore’ … And then the next year comes around and what choice do I have?” he said.

Both he and his wife enjoy their work, however, and asking either of them to sacrifice their career would be out of the question, Straker said. People are increasingly establishing relationships with other professionals, he explained, where both spouses are in the workforce.

“This way of living has become more common, certainly among the academic profession,” he said.

Others, like adjunct professor of geography Philip Bonnaventure, commute out of necessity. “[M]y wife was expecting a baby … I made the decision basically to stay in Ottawa where we were established at that point,” Bonnaventure said.

He said that after finishing his postdoctoral fellowship at Queen’s, the department was looking for an adjunct professor to fill sabbatical and personal leaves relatively quickly. He imagined, however, that the position — and commute — would only be temporary. “[M]y issue is the stability more than anything else. If I were a tenured-track position professor here at Queen’s, I would move here,” he said.

Bonnaventure said that though he has a two-and-a-half year old daughter, he has a strong support system at home, where childcare is structured around

graduate supervision work, which his work schedule.

“Both a combination of my can span more than three days, in-laws and my parents watch my Toronto also functions as a space daughter so we have a very weekly to think without interruption, she said. routine,” he said.

Preferring to stay overnight in Bonnaventure, who is on contract as a commuting adjunct Kingston, Varadharajan explained professor, has both his travel that she never makes the commute and accommodation expenses back and forth in a single day.

“I have to find ways of staying paid for him, but said that living in another city has impacted in Kingston — so sometimes I stay in a B&B, sometimes I stay his leisure activities.

“It really does cut into your with friends,” she said.

In addition to holding regular, hobbies though, in the sense [that] it’s difficult to [do] things like on-campus office hours, both physical fitness, things like skiing Varadharajan and Straker hold online office hours, using Skype in the wintertime,” he said.

For some, like Asha Varadharajan, as a way to ensure their students also a professor in the department have access to them even when of English, the decision to live they’re off campus.

“I might stay later in the evening in Toronto came after several years of living in Kingston, and or I might come earlier in the morning, but it hasn’t been a a desire to live in a larger city. problem,” she said.

Commuting often comes Every year, I say to down to negotiating what is truly my wife, ‘This is the important, Varadharjan said, as last year, I can’t do this tenure-track opportunities are anymore’ ... And then often difficult to come by. the next year comes “It’s difficult for people to get jobs in the same place and people around and what have to go where the money is,” choice do I have? she said, “but as a consequence we have to think more seriously — Scott-Morgan Straker, Undergraduate Chair of about how … we’re going to create the English Department community and citizenship in the institution.”

Varadharajan, who has been As a result of being single, she said, the decision was solely commuting from Toronto to Kingston for about 10 years, dependent on her.

“I also had a stable community admits the difficulty of maintaining of friends [in Kingston],” a neat separation between Varadharajan said. “That has, teaching and other academic the move, from my perspective, been really responsibilities; important to avoid feeling like I’m however, has helped her detach herself when she’s in Toronto, living in limbo.”

Commuting offers a relaxing, where she primarily focuses if only temporary, respite, on research.

She said that while on Varadharajan said, and allows these professors the opportunity campus, she immerses herself in to maximize their productivity participating in the institution by catching up on emails and teaching.

“So I think in my case it has or marking. “[T]raveling by train or bus produced a more healthy actually gives us a chance to gather relationship between my work our thoughts … before we get and my life,” she said. “So I into the hectic schedule of the can distinguish who I am from the work that I do. And, that’s week,” she said.

With committee meetings and been important to me.”

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