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Students urge Queen’s to address anti-Black racism following incident
Law professor used
place in the law school’s ongoing curriculum, the University said in a statement to The Journal.
Following the incident, students in the class issued a concerned letter to the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Colleen Flood, which she received on March 28. The Journal was unable to reach students in the class in time for publication.
Queen’s lays off 16 employees ahead of September
‘When I was being laid off, I felt like a burden they were shrugging off’
resources told Lily she’d been laid off. Given little time to process the news, Lily described the meeting as traumatizing.
“I was just trying not to have
most psychologically damaging part. It was very difficult to truly understand what was going on,” Lily said.
For Lily, the narrative the University has spun about the operating budget deficit is confusing. Despite claiming academic excellence is their top priority, the University has failed to protect staff who help them sustain that mission,
Shared service’s budget will be cut by 1.5 per cent in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years, according to the 2024-25 Final Operating Budget Report
“It just feels like, with everything going on, everything staff has been working towards achieving [in their roles] is being undermined. The fabric you’ve been a part of. The job you’ve been doing,”
Further fueling Lily’s lack of trust in the University is a report from Huron Consulting Group. Separating strategic priorities from the budget model has led the University to prioritize undergraduate enrollment at the expense of other revenue sources like research and donor
The report deems the University revenue and expense allocation as complicated, inhibiting academic units’ ability to prepare for the future. The University gives stakeholders little insight into the budgeting process,
Susan*, another laid-off staff member, echoes the report’s conclusion that the University on page 3
A wave of change ripples through Queen’s senior administration team
Three senior administrators leave the University amid budget deficit
Skylar Soroka & Sofia Tosello Journal Staff
Richardson Hall says hello to fresh new faces, and goodbye to some notable administrators.
Queen’s is experiencing changes in their senior administration team as they battle a projected $35.7 million operating budget deficit. This year, the University welcomed Provost Matthew Evans, and next month, Bob Lemieux will join as the new Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS).
Shelagh Rogers stepped into the role of Queen’s Chancellor in July, with predecessor Murray Sinclair ending his tenure and assuming the role of Special Advisor to the Principal on Reconciliation. Janice Hill, former associate vice-principal (Indigenous initiatives and reconciliation), retired this March after three decades at the University.
Barbara Crow, dean of FAS, Jane Philpott, dean of the Faculty
NEWS
of Health Sciences (FHS), and Karen Bertrand, vice-principal (advancement), are three notable senior administrators who recently left or are soon leaving their positions.
Barbara Crow
After battling her faculties structural deficit, which garnered national media attention, Crow is going on administrative leave.
On July 18, Crow announced her departure from her role as the Dean of FAS. With her term scheduled to conclude in June 2025, she’s ending her tenure early on Aug. 1.
It was a difficult year for FAS, currently dealing with a $13.8 million operating budget deficit.
Crow and Provost Evans were at the helm of a chaotic townhall meeting about the University’s budget in December 2023.
Following the meeting, Crow stayed silent at another townhall with the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS). Faculty and student representatives questioned her leadership at a faculty board meeting in January.
She broke her silence in an interview with The Journal in February where she explained FAS’s structural deficit. Six months later, she’s making her exit.
Bob Lemieux, dean of science at the University of Waterloo, will replace Crow as Interim Dean. The search for Crow’s permanent replacement is set to
end in the 2025-26 academic year.
Karen Bertrand
Karen Bertrand swapped her Tricolour for Mustang Purple in June, assuming the role of Vice-President (Advancement) at Western University.
The former Vice-Principal (Advancement) raised $139 million this year for the University. She secured a $100 million donation from alumnus Stephen Smith and a $25 million gift to Cara & Murray Sinclair Cancer Research Institute (SCRI).
The University is setting their sights on a $1 billion fundraising target. As Bertrand departs, the new Vice-Principal who will undertake this significant responsibility hasn’t been announced.
Jane Philpott
Despite being the University’s highest earner this year, Philpott’s taking her health policy and system expertise elsewhere.
Philpott has decided not to seek a second term as the Dean of FHS. Philpott, the first woman to assume the role, started her five-year term in July 2020.
The dean’s last day will be June 30, 2025.
Drama students left without a stage after curtains close on Rotunda Theatre
Students still allowed to book theatre for rehearsal
Allie
Moustakis Editor in Chief
Seats in Rotunda Theatre will be empty this year as the curtains close on student productions.
Students were notified on July 22 by the Director of the DAN School of Drama and Music, Julia Brook, the Rotunda Theatre, one of the only on campus theatre spaces, is no longer hosting student productions, according to an email obtained by The Journal.
“I am writing to inform you that, after much consideration, the DAN School is no longer able to rent the Rotunda to events that require technical staff. I recognize that [student groups] have a long history of using our spaces for their performances, but unfortunately, we no longer have that capacity,” Brook said.
The Journal reached out to the University for confirmation, but they were unable to comment in time for publication.
The Rotunda Theatre inside Theological Hall has been home to many student productions, including performances by Queen’s Musical Theatre (QMT),
a club providing students with opportunities for education and community for over 55 years.
According to the President of QMT Robert Herz, Comm ’25, the student-run club has been renting out the Rotunda Theatre for the past 10 years.
After paying the DAN School over $9,000 in venue fees and $3,000 dollars in equipment rentals to host their productions of The Prom and The Addams Family last year, QMT will no longer have access to the venue for their upcoming performances.
This announcement came after QMT had already confirmed two performances in the Rotunda Theatre this upcoming fall and winter, leaving them with limited venue options.
“Since 1969, Queen’s Musical Theatre has offered all Queen’s students a safe community to express themselves through a medium they love. While we recognize the pressure that led to this decision, it is regrettable that we were informed after our capacity to pivot to another venue had passed,” said QMT Board of Directors in a statement to The Journal.
Students suspect the decision to close the Rotunda Theatre is connected to the University’s financial woes.
In January, the University announced it would be making cuts to 12 music courses that don’t meets the mandated
minimum course enrollment of 10 students. The cuts include both mandatory and elective courses offered to music and non-music majors.
“Although the department’s decision may seem abrupt, we understand they were made under immense pressure from the University to implement financial cuts. However, we want to clarify that the DAN School is not a financial burden on the University,” Rachel Rusonik, ArtSci ’26, and Giselle Castillejos, ConEd ’26, co-presidents of the DAN Department Student Council, said in a statement to The Journal.
“Historically and still, our
department has been a strong net contributor to the financial health of [the Faculty of] Arts and Science, bringing in great revenue, and we ask that budgeting reflects this. Without the arts, Queen’s loses a vital channel for expression, creativity, and cultural understanding. They are essential to our identity and growth, and must prioritize them,” Rusonik and Castillejos added.
Rusonik and Castillejos reassure students they’re working to find alternative venues and solutions so student productions can continue to flourish.
New campus café
Café Union sources coffee from Indigenous provider
White Buffalo
Lauren Nicol Assistant News Editor
Students can indulge in a chorizo breakfast wrap, focaccia panini, and more at Café Union opening in Goodes Hall on Aug. 28.
The café will offer food and drink options with ingredients sourced from local partners, farmers, and food producers such as White Buffalo, an Indigenous coffee bean provider that supports Indigenous farmers. Taking over the space where Starbucks used to be, Café Union will offer indoor and outdoor seating as well as to-go items.
“Café Union is a full-service barista-style café offering a diverse range of hot and cold espresso and , tea-based beverages, along with a selection of local, freshly made food items such as artisan sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, salads, and a variety of fresh made baked goods,” Jennifer Pete, director of buisness development and communiations (housing and ancillary services), said in a statement to The Journal.
The ethos of Café Union centres around its collaboration with local partners, including Juniper Café, located in the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning, and Queen’s Bee Honey, an on-campus bee farm, Pete explained.
“The name of the café, Café Union, reflects the union of partnerships that the menu features,” Pete said.
The café accepts debit, credit, flex-dollars, or trade a-meals (TAMs). Student’s grabbing an apple cinnamon loaf or hot latte before class can order ahead on the Transact Mobile App.
Prices are “mindful of student budgets,” Pete explained.
Story contiuned online at queensjournal.ca/news
CORRECTIONS
Gender diverse students celebrate their identites on wellness retreat
A previous version of this article incorrectly reported the length of the retreat and the activities conducted. Incorrect information was published in the June 24 issue of The Queen’s Journal
Incorrect information appeared in the June 24 issue of The Queen’s Journal The Journal regrets the errors.
PHOTO BY NELSON CHEN
Students were informed on July 22.
JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
Racist Incident in Queen’s Law
....Contiuned from front page
The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) of Queen’s University sent a separate letter to Flood expressing their outrage on April 1.
“As law students, we do not expect to come to a higher institution tasked with teaching students to uphold the law and be subjected to an environment that allows for such blatant reminders of the slavery that our ancestors were subjected to,” BLSA said in the letter.
Adding to BLSA’s concern, the professor used a hard “er” ending, whereas the artist employs an “a” ending.
The N-word is used within the Black community to reclaim the historical purpose of the phrase, which was to degrade free and enslaved Black people, BLSA’s letter explains. However, the reclamation of the word does not permit its use by individuals outside the Black community, BLSA added.
Flood then met with members and the President of BLSA Queen’s to discuss their concerns on
April 4. The professor also sent an apology letter to the class and the members of BLSA, which The Journal was unable to obtain copies of.
The University took days to issue an apology, leading Black students to question the sincerity of the letter when it did come, BLSA President Joshua Lafond explained in an interview with The Journal. The professors use of the N-word should have been condemned by the University immediately, Lafond added.
“It served no pedagogical value,” Lafond said.
Over the summer, the Faculty of Law has been more willing to discuss the incident, which is part of a larger issue of anti-Black racism on campus.
Queen’s hiring practices and lack of training allowed the incident to happen, underscoring the systematic nature of anti-Black racism at the University, Lafond explained.
“I talk to many Black alumni that have gone to Queen’s, and they tell you, ‘you’ll survive.’ But I don’t believe that surviving is sufficient for a post-secondary institution,” Lafond said. “Queen’s should be an institution
where Black students are able to thrive like everyone else.”
For Lafond, only time will tell if the University’s genuine in their efforts to address anti-Black racism, turning discussion points into tangible action plans.
The University told The Journal they’ve outlined a series of “near-term measures” the administration will take to prevent racist incidents from happening on campus. Measures include developing a “Queen’s Law Style Guide” for staff and faculty, providing guidance on issues concerning race, gender, and sexual orientation.
They’re also requiring equity, diversity, and inclusion and anti-Black racism training for visiting lecturers and adjunct professors, reviewing academic procedures, and developing a process whereby law students have a dedicated contact to raise issues.
“We acknowledge that it was unacceptable to use [the N-word] in the classroom setting, and we understand the pain it caused as a result,” the University said.
This is not the first time in recent history racist incidents have occurred at Queen’s.
Racist comments were made at a Queen’s women’s rugby game last September.
In February 2023, a racist image of an AMS executive candidate was made public. The University condemned the incident.
Back in 2020, business students went public detailing their racist and discriminatory experiences at the University on the Instagram account, Stolen by Smith.
Layoffs
...Contiuned from front page
Avoiding messiness and gossip surrounding monetary matters is a priority for the University, leaving staff in the dark and undervalued, Susan explained.
“When I was being laid off, I felt like a burden they were shrugging off,” Susan said in an interview with The Journal.
If the University had been fully transparent about the restructuring of FAS and had clearly communicated staff layoffs were imminent, Susan would have actively looked for other job opportunities sooner.
“I don’t think the University has been transparent about their priorities. I don’t think that they’ve been communicating in a way that would give staff as much autonomy as they could have,” Susan said.
While Susan has the option to seek reemployment within other departments, she’s been left with a bad taste in her mouth. If given the opportunity to return to the University, she doesn’t know if she’d take it.
However, for Susan and Lily, the University is a sum of its parts. While the former employees question senior leadership’s priorities, they both described their co-workers as exceptional.
Their previous colleagues have the power to create change , Lily added.
“I think that unions are well positioned right now to pull together and make a change,” Lily said.
*Names changed to protect employment agreement
—With files from Jonathan Reilly
House Hunting
Ten per cent of first-year students not
guaranteed residence
Lauren Nicol Assistant News Editor
With over 5,000 incoming first-year students and around 4,740 beds available in Queen’s residences, a handful of first-year students are forced to seek off-campus housing options.
Students who were sent an offer of admissions on or before April 15 were guaranteed residence for the 2024-25 academic year, the University said in a statement to The Journal.
Students accepted after April 15 were put in a lottery for access to residence, the University added.
While 90 per cent of first-year students were guaranteed residence, the students who were denied access to university housing scrambled to find off campus housing. Few students sought out advice on social media.
Ferko was concerned she wouldn’t get her room of choice after receiving a late time slot for residence selection. First-year students receive a randomized time to pick their preferred residence and those with later times have less options for rooms, often assigned unknown roommates.
While it was difficult for Ferko to find an off-campus house, with students usually signing leases by the end of April, she managed to find a place to stay.
“I’m a first-year [student] that didn’t get residency. What should I do? I’m searching on [Facebook] also,” one user said on Reddit. Even students who were guaranteed residence like Kyra Ferko, ArtSci ’28, took to Facebook to find an off-campus house in the University district.
AMS petitions for tenant protection amid hot Kingston summer
Student renters not equipped with proper cooling systems are in danger of illness and death
Elizabeth Provost Copy Editor
With record-breaking temperatures—July 15 being the hottest day ever recorded globally—students living on campus are in danger.
The AMS and local organizations, including 350 Kingston, and SCAN! Kingston are petitioning the City to pass a by-law which would mandate landlords to maintain rental unit temperatures below 26 degrees Celsius without imposing additional charges on tenants. The petition, posted to AMS Commission of Environmental Sustainability’s Instagram, garnered 269 signatures by June 24.
The by-law, however, will not go into effect this year. The provincial government first needs to finalize Bill 97, Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act. With temperatures on the rise, student renters not equipped with proper cooling systems are in danger of illness and death.
“This is about protecting student health and well-being, but also about adaptation and being
proactive about acting on the health risks that climate change is going to pose to people,” Anne Fu, AMS commissioner of environmental sustainability, said in an interview with The Journal.
Fu considers students the most vulnerable group of renters in Kingston, a city with the highest number of occupied units in the province.
In a recent study of over 450 tenants in Kingston, 48 per cent of respondents said their apartments were too hot during the summer.
“It was very clear to me that this was a big issue students wanted
Biking across Ontario for HIV and AIDS awareness
Ted Robinson’s 16th year participating in the Friends for Life Bike Rally
Ella Arnold Assistant News Editor
Ted Robinson won’t stop fighting for HIV and AIDS awareness.
Robinson is getting ready for his 16th year participating in The Friends for Life Bike Rally taking place Aug. 4 to 9. Via bicycle, the Kingstonian will travel from Toronto to Kingston, then Montreal. The rally raises funds for those living with HIV and AIDS in the three major cities. Robinson is $1,333.79 shy of reaching his $5,671.49 goal this year. If successful, he will have achieved his $100,000 fundraising goal over the course of the 16 years.
Fundraising supports local businesses in Kingston, Robinson explained in an interview with The Journal.
Trellis HIV & Community
Care (Trellis) aims to provide education and support to those affected by, at risk of, or living with HIV and AIDS. Robinson is the Board Chair at Trellis.
Robinson experiences a range of emotions while fundraising for a sickness that has taken and affected countless lives, some of whom he knew—he pedals for them.
“I think about all the people who we have lost over the years, and I’ve known quite a few. I think about the struggles of the folks that I know who are still living with the virus,” Robinson said.
Pedaling along Lake Ontario, Robinson also reflects on his own experience coming of age during the HIV and AIDS epidemic.
Story contiuned online at queensjournal.ca/news
to deal with. Not just for their personal comfort and safety, but also because a lot of students are concerned about what this might mean for their future,” Fu said.
Without any formal legislation, City staff and Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health (KFL&A) shared with
Kingstonians ways to stay cool and set-up cooling centres in public libraries and community centres.
“We know that [these resources are] not enough. We’re going to develop a heat strategy that will go further,” Conny Glenn, city councillor for Sydenham, said in an interview with
The Journal.
Landlords will be provided resources from the heat strategy to make their units more comfortable in the summer. For example, the City will help landlords enhance insulation or install celling fans, improving their buildings infrastructure.
The strategy will utilize resources already in place—such as the Better Homes Kingston Program, offering zero-interest loans to homeowners hoping to make their properties more climate-friendly—and will look at other funds provincially and federally.
These steps are paramount as, without the heat by-law, residents are responsible for creating cool, liveable conditions themselves.
Megan O’Connor, MA ’24, questions whether airconditioning units should be seen as a luxury, or if they’re simply a necessity for healthy living.
Story contiuned online at queensjournal.ca/news
Newly renovated Queen’s Pub opening date undecided
The pub will provide jobs to over
80 students
Jonathan Reilly Assistant News Editor
With the long-awaited JDUC re-opening this fall, the newly revitalized Queen’s Pub (QP) will return with it.
QP is a restaurant, bar, and on-campus spot where students and Kingston residents can sit back and enjoy food, alcohol, and non-alcoholic beverages. With the addition of an outdoor patio, the total capacity is 110 diners.
Samanth Barton, QP head manager, will run the service with Jordan East, restaurant manager. The Journal was declined an interview with Barton. Her first day of work was July 22 and the team wants to make sure she has a smooth transition and is granted a chance to settle in before service picks up, the AMS said.
Overseeing the pubs operations is AMS Vice-President (Operations) Ayan Chowdhury, who claims to put student interests first when determining the pub’s operations.
“The restaurant is a student-focused service where students are at the heart and forefront of all decisions made,” Chowdhury said in a statement to
The Journal.
When asked about the opening day for the restaurant, Chowdhury was unable to give a definitive answer. The JDUC project team has not provided enough information to determine an exact date, he explained. Originally supposed to open in August, the JDUC will have a staged occupancy starting in September, the Queen’s Gazette reported on July 23.
Chowdhury clarified efforts are being made to open QP as soon as possible.
When QP opens to the community, it will provide over 80 student jobs and leverage StuCons, an AMS service that provides peer-to peer security for on campus events, to ensure the space remains a safe spot for customers, Chowdhury explained.
As for the menu, QP is taking a dynamic approach, Chowdhury explained. The menu will change three times a year, offering the best seasonal ingredients to customers. Students can enjoy unique fusion plates, signature cocktails, and fresh specials with Rick Doucett, QP head chef, running the kitchen.
“From sourcing as much Ontario grown ingredients to minimizing food waste through innovative techniques, every effort will be made to reduce our environmental footprint,” Chowdhury said.
QP will reintroduce popular events like Bachelor Night, where weekly episodes of The Bachelor will be streamed on the restaurant’s TVs. Chowdhury also hinted at trivia nights.
City of Kingston to implement heat strategy.
PHOTO BY ALLIE MOUSTAKIS
Shattering the stigma surrounding on-campus emergency services
Queen’s experienced the highest number of sexual assaults in 10 years
sarah adams & aaniqa karmali
Features Editors
Mya Haines, ArtSci ’26, senses a stigma around the use of emergency services on-campus.
She believes this reluctance stems from a fear among students, painting them as vulnerable and deterring them from seeking the help they may urgently need.
Since 2020, the number of criminal, misconduct, and safety incidents at Queen’s has steadily risen. In 2023, Queen’s reported a total of 10,630 incidents through the Office of Risk and Safety Services, with the highest number of sexual assaults in 10 years.
According to the Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health, trust in law enforcement is relatively low among racialized, immigrant, Indigenous, and students with mental illnesses, largely due to the overrepresentation of these groups in fatal police interactions. This has made campus security a somewhat contentious issue for students and security personnel alike.
“I feel protected by the Queen’s emergency services I’m aware of, but I feel my knowledge of what is available to me is limited—I think I would feel more protected if I was more educated on the extent of these services, where I can find them, and how to contact them,” Haines said in a statement to The Journal.
A lack of awareness is not the only thing preventing students from using services like Walkhome.
Both Haines and Walkhome staff recognize the stigma surrounding emergency services, but finding a solution remains even more challenging.
“We have noticed there is a stigma when it comes to using Walkhome among the student body—through data, we have spotted a trend in male-identifying individuals who, due to the pressure of social stereotypes and expectations, use Walkhome less than other identities,” Head Manager of Walkhome Andrew Dam said in a statement to The Journal.
“This stigma is a product of the culture among young adults across Canada,” Dam said.
“Changes in culture take place over the span of years. As much as we try our best, it’s not realistic in the short-term for us to change what has unfortunately been embedded in our society,” he added.
Given the slow pace of cultural change, emphasis is shifted to what can be adjusted in the near term.
“What we can do then is change the perception of our service,” Dam said.
At its core, Walkhome hopes to promote a safer space in our community, he explained. However, it can just as much be a social service.
“Sometimes, after a long, arduous day, it can be nice to debrief with pairs of non-judgmental ears rather than walk home alone with nothing but the sound of your thoughts roaming around in your head,” Dam said.
“To resolve stigmas around
FEATURES
the use and emphasize the importance of these services through increased awareness and testimonials or reviews from individuals with positive experiences,” Haines said.
Campus security refers to the measures, personnel, and policies in place to ensure the safety and security of students, faculty, staff, and visitors on-campus. This can include a dedicated campus police force, security officers, surveillance systems, emergency response plans, and safety education programs.
“Students and staff at these services can work together to make using services more accessible by ensuring students are aware of the resources available to them, and informing the greater student body of how positive and important these services can be,” Haines said.
Haines has become more comfortable using emergency services throughout her years at Queen’s, believing it’s mainly due to a shift in increased feelings of comfort and familiarity with the Queen’s campus.
“It takes more strength to ask for help than it does to avoid it,” Haines said.
Chris Scott, director of Campus Security & Emergency Services (CSES) at Queen’s, believes campus security is a key component of student wellness.
Working to tackle misconceptions about campus security, Scott hopes to ultimately reframe CSES as a facet of student wellness.
Scott comes from a background in law enforcement
PHOTO BY SKYLAR SOROKA
and has held his position for the past nine months. In the role, he hopes to reshape student perceptions of campus security as a support mechanism rather than as an extension of law enforcement.
“When you look at Queen’s CSES, security is obviously the highlight,” Scott said in an interview with The Journal. “But I don’t really see it as that. I see us really as here to enhance the comfort level of our students and see us more as an advocate.”
CSES gets approximately 10,000 calls per year, according to Scott. Many of these calls relate to mental health crises from victims themselves or from concerned friends or family members.
One major safety issue at universities across Canada is fatal drug supplies, said Scott. Educating students about the dangers involved in drug use in a judgment-free manner is key to protecting students on campus. While this may only affect a small portion of the student body at Queen’s, the consequences can be devastating without intervention.
“It’s a very small percentage that may experiment, but at the same time, the risk for that small percentage is very high,” Scott said.
In addition to issues like mental health crises and drug overdoses, there are safety issues that affect racialized students uniquely.
“Students, staff and faculty at some of Canada’s largest universities say they have experienced anti-Black racism on campus, and that they were
targeted if they spoke out about their treatment,” an investigation by The Fifth Estate found.
Black students must navigate institutional obstacles created by Canada’s colonial history, which can take a significant toll on these students’ overall wellness.
“Experts and activists say cases of anti-Black racism are plaguing the hallways of higher learning and that students are not the only ones dealing with it—they say systemic racism is prevalent and universities and colleges alike are failing Black Canadians,” CBC reports.
While CSES is responsible for addressing harassment and hate crimes against students, some students, especially those from minority groups, do not feel comfortable reaching out for help.
“Not all student populations have positive relationships with police and police-related services—many groups, and possibly the individual that you are supporting, have had historically antagonistic relationships with policing services that have led to negative outcomes,” the Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health reports.
This is a key consideration for Scott. CSES has historically partnered with local police liaisons and other emergency services.
“We want to normalize the presence of security, but at the same time, we want to be sensitive that our presence can cause some people discomfort,” he said.
By prioritizing effective communication and engagement between security personnel and students, Scott hopes to improve trust in CSES, especially among marginalized students. He wants all students to feel comfortable around security personnel so that they are more likely to ask for help when it is needed.
“We have to continue to build bridges with marginalized communities and overpoliced communities, and we can only do that if we present ourselves in a positive manner,” Scott said.
Continued online at queensjournal.ca/features
Safety incidents have increased since 2020.
Dean Barbara Crow’s sudden departure from Queen’s has filled the faculty and its students with more uncertainty than ever.
On July 18, the Queen’s Gazette released their one and only statement on this administrative change, announcing that Dean Crow would be commencing her administrative leave this August after seven years with the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS).
The former dean’s decision to step down from her position in the FAS almost a year earlier than stated in her contract, which was set to end in June 2025, feels staggering given the precarious state she’s leaving the faculty in, and the $13.8 million deficit she is stepping away from.
ILLUSTRATION
With little information to work with, it’s easy for students to villainize high-level administration for their dwindling support in uncertain times.
It’s no surprise, then, for students to speculate Crow’s sudden departure has little to do with personal reasons and everything to do with severing associations with the accountability and backlash of running the FAS.
The gap where an explanation is owed adds to the on-going transparency battle between Queen’s administration and its students, especially during the recent wave of staff layoffs, budget cuts, and changes to classrooms.
Transparency in sTudenT governmenT is a Two-way sTreeT
Allie Moustakis Editor in Chief
Elected student representatives, who campaign on platforms built on openness and accountability, must understand that transparency is a two-way street.
The few students who do run for student government, whether that be the AMS, SGPS, or Faculty Societies, often promise to be the voice of the student body, pledging to listen, act on feedback, and remain accessible.
Yet, this pledge is hollow when they respond to criticism with defensiveness rather than engagement.
Last year, after the second AMS Special Assembly in which this year’s AMS executive was elected, The Journal published an editorial titled “AMS Assembly should be ashamed.” Here, The Journal called out the AMS for its blatant disregard for governmental due process, and their lack of clear communication and professionalism during the election process.
The editorial also raised concerns about the AMS’s insularity and cliquey nature.
Rather than addressing these issues or taking accountability, team KMV—the first all-female Executive
Queen’s faculTy of arTs and science is more unsTable now Than ever
Coming out of these financial troubles will not be easy for FAS, and students need a long-term
team—responded defensively to the critique about the AMS being cliquey, framing the feedback as unwarranted, and chalking it up to harmful gender stereotypes instead of using it as an opportunity for constructive dialogue.
Blaming this critique on gender stereotypes rather than engaging with the substance of the concerns undermines the opportunity available for genuine improvement. Such responses do not contribute to meaningful reform or better governance, they only serve to dismiss and deflect from the real issues at hand.
When student leaders are more focused on evading criticism than addressing it, they risk alienating the very people they are supposed to represent.
True transparency and accountability require more than a superficial openness, they demand a commitment to engage with and address criticism with honesty and constructiveness.
Without these qualities, student governments cannot effectively fulfill their roles or earn the trust and respect of the student body they were elected by and are paid to serve.
If this defensive attitude continues into this year’s executive team, it will only perpetuate the cycle of disengagement and trust that already plagues student governance at Queen’s.
As students, we deserve leaders who aren’t only willing to listen but also willing to act on feedback. Anything less undermines the very principles of transparency and accountability that led them to be elected in the first place—that is if you’re even elected.
Allie is a fourth-year Political Studies student and one of The Journal’s Editors in Chief.
leader who’s dedicated to guiding us through the major structural changes.
With interim Dean, Bob Lemieux filling in until the search for a permanent dean is complete, Lemieux is undoubtedly going to be the face of change. Yet it’s hard to say when the climate of Queen’s Arts and Science will truly reach stability, again.
At the minimum, students deserve to feel stable in their education, but this isn’t possible when faith in their institution is at an all-time low. Anxiety from current students regarding the future state of FAS can and will impact the school’s public perception, perpetrating the cycle of prospective students who are willing to join.
Transparency and stability are not as easily guaranteed as they are demanded, but for tuitionpaying students the University relies on to keep afloat, they are certainly deserved.
Queen’s needs to work on lessening the gap between administration and students if they want to build trust. Repairing the FAS is a work in progress, but the first step is to come clean.
—Journal Editorial Board
The acTions of Two shouldn’T cloud The values
of Team canada
A scandal within the Paris 2024 Olympics took place before the official games even began. To our disappointment, it was Team Canada’s beloved women’s soccer team that bore the face of it.
Three days before Canada and New Zealand were set to face-off, a drone accused of recording New Zealand’s women’s soccer team during their practice session sent home an analyst and assistant coach from Canada Soccer immediately.
The rest of the consequences for Team Canada are only beginning to unfold. Following the incident, the head coach of Canada’s women’s team, Bev Priestly, withdrew herself from the upcoming match. At the very least, this act of taking accountability and responsibility for her team admirably demonstrates integrity is still intact.
This incident opens doors to deeper ethical issues in high-level sports, where the stakes of representing a nation under the global eye places copious amounts of pressure on teams to perform their best, by any means necessary. But cheating simplydefeats the principle of fair competitionupon which the Olympics are defined.
The process of spying on the opposing team to gain insight almost undermines the essence of winning through your own team’s skill and effort.
But upholding fairness is easier said than done. The use of drones and video recording has become common in a world where technology and sports are so interdependent.
Continued online at queensjournal.ca/ editorials.
BY ELLA THOMAS
PHOTO BY SKYLAR SOROKA
The
Canada
Disability Benefit
is unjust—and the Government is okay with that
Rector’s Digest: Student support systems
Niki Boytchuk-Hale Contributor
Exactly one year ago, I laid out four things I learned from four years at Queen’s. Now that I've made it through another year and another degree, I thought I would keep the tradition going.
First, students don’t rise to their goals—they fall to their support systems.
Queen’s has so many resources. It can be difficult to know them all or when to use them.
I dream about our school using an AI chatbot to navigate the Queen’s website. I’ve noticed even under the best circumstances, it can be difficult to find the right information. Until a robot takes over this task, my office will continue serving as a connector for students. I can’t fit it all into a 400-word column, but here’s a start.
Brock Mutic Contributor
While I don’t claim privileged epistemic access to the nature of justice, I believe I can recognize obvious injustices when I see them.
Consider, for instance, the conditions facing people with disabilities in Canada. Poverty is relatively rampant among Canadians experiencing disability, with an estimated 10.6 per cent of people with disabilities over 16—or almost one million people—having faced poverty in 2021. This was twice the national rate among Canadians without disabilites.
For many such individuals, paying next month’s rent is never a guarantee, nor is having enough food this month. 'Luxuries,’ like a cup of coffee, a night out at the movies, or buying a book, are commonly, and entirely, out of the question.
This is real, not fictional. It’s a reality for hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens. If you’re not someone with a disability, or don’t know anyone who is, pause for a minute to consider what this means.
Politicians often express shock over the plight of our disabled neighbours, but really the situation is not surprising. Rather, it’s a logical, and entirely predictable, implication of our political economy. The market economy is structured to distribute income exclusively to the ‘factors of production,’ such as labour and capital.
As a consequence, individuals who neither work, nor own capital, receive no income from the market. To ensure all Canadians have access to a basic livelihood, a welfare state is thus in-principle necessary to transfer income from workers and owners to non-workers.
Since many Canadians experiencing a disability cannot work, through no choice of their own, they cannot choose, under our current economic model, to avoid poverty. The
hardship faced by so many Canadians who are disabled is therefore the expected outcome of our mode of economic organization.
This isn't a shocking aberration.
Though the status quo is not surprising, I would argue it’s nevertheless deeply unjust. Everyone in our society should have access to the social and material goods required for a flourishing life, regardless of their ability to ‘succeed’ in the market.
Our elected officials fail to adequately recognize this, as consecutive governments of different parties have, for years, largely permitted the plight of disabled citizens to continue.
Despite the bleak historical record, cause for hope arose in April, at least briefly, when the Trudeau government released the 2024 federal budget. Among the initiatives therein, the Liberals announced their intention, after years of promising, to create a new federal program to support Canadians living with disabilities. Over the next six years, $6.1 billion will be allocated to create a Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) to provide support to Canadians with disabilities in the form of monthly cheques, supplementing existing provincial programs.
The allocated funding will provide a maximum benefit of only $2,400 per year to eligible individuals—a mere $6 a day.
Previous analysis conducted by the CSA Public Policy Centre has shown that to address the deepest poverty experienced by disabled Canadians, a benefit of at least $7,200 per year—or $19 per day—is required, corresponding to Canada’s poverty benchmark Rather than “offering real hope,” experts say the new CDB will likely instead leave many “still well below the poverty line.”
Concern has also been raised over the CDB’s application process being tied to a professional health assessment. This could potentially cost hundreds of
dollars and prevent many from applying. If individuals successfully apply, they won’t receive benefits until at least June 2025, five years after the government initially promised to help in the throne speech of 2020. One man from London, Ontario, currently receiving support from the Ontario Disability Support Program, called it something which will “not do anything to help anybody,” another called it a “slap in the face.”
Since the new benefit will, according to experts, likely be insufficient to address the poverty faced by Canadians with disabilities, the program therefore actively permits serious societal injustice. Coming as the conclusion of a years-long process promising, to some of our society’s most marginalized, that adequate help was on the way, is particularly cruel.
The Prime Minister, and the relevant ministers involved, ought to be ashamed of themselves. Our elected leaders are showing that as a society we still don’t care about our disabled neighbours, and it's just tragic.
The government’s attempts at self defense have been pitiful. Pressed on these points, Crown ministers argue—after first equivocating, in typical Liberal fashion, on how there’s ‘more work to do'—that while the new benefit is inadequate, it can only be expanded once provinces guarantee they won't claw it back as it’s meant to supplement existing provincial programs.
The claim, implicit in this defense—though not explicitly said—is that ensuring new federal programs adhere to proper principles of federal-provincial jurisdiction is more important, morally speaking, than immediately ending the suffering of disabled Canadians.
Made explicit, few would accept this: ensuring the most disadvantaged in our society don’t suffer is of greater importance than petty jurisdictional squabbles.
Consequently, the clear moral onus on the government is to make the CDB large enough to raise recipients out of poverty even if provinces claw back their own programs entirely, and to negotiate with provinces to shift funding responsibilities afterwards if necessary.
No doubt, in addition to jurisdictional concerns, the government’s also worried that imbuing the CDB with actual efficacity would be untenably expensive. But if the Liberals did avoid making the benefit adequately sized to keep costs down, they therefore implicitly regard the ability of Canadians with disabilities to live with dignity as not worth, morally speaking, the price it would cost to bring that dignity about.
This, too, is an indefensible position, given the common and plausible intuition that justice requires our national income to be distributed in a manner respecting the dignity of all citizens. By implication, justice plausibly demands the government ensure all are able to live with dignity, whatever that may economically ‘cost.’
At the very least, I hope even readers who disagree with my views of justice will join me in expecting and demanding honesty and clarity from our government.
Instead of being satisfied with equivocations, we ought to demand the Liberals publicly defend the true arguments motivating their decisions. If they truly think either jurisdictional concerns, or concerns of cost, can justify the continued suffering of Canadians experiencing disability, they should at least have the courage to stand up and make that argument explicitly.
If the government refuses to do right by our disabled neighbours—when doing so is well within its power—then at the very least, I think we are all owed a real explanation as to why.
Brock is an MA student in the economics department and an ArtSci '23 graduate
You might not think you know what the Division of Student Affairs (DSA) is, but you certainly use it on a regular basis.
Wellbeing-wise, there’s the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) that runs reduced-cost fitness classes and Student Wellness Services (SWS) offers physical and mental health appointments.
The Registrar answers questions related to financial aid, exams, and graduation. If you’re facing an emergency expense and don’t meet the requirements for another support option, look into the Rector’s Bursary.
If you need help developing skills like giving conference presentations, check out the Student Academic Success Service (SASS). I hear they have a great workshop on beating procrastination…but I’ve never gotten around to it.
If you’re looking for strong community connections, visit the Yellow House, Four Directions, the International Centre, Faith and Spiritual Life, or the Ban Righ Centre.
Outside the DSA, the Ombuds office, a lesser-known resource, offers impartial guidance on procedures, advice on rights, and referrals. My office enjoys collaborating with the Ombudsperson to identify systemic issues.
You also have two student governments. The AMS and SGPS work closely with the University administration to advocate for your needs and correspond with external groups like StudentCare to facilitate your Health & Dental plan. These departments and offices don’t run themselves and employ hundreds of students annually.
In my first year, I utilized the Queen’s Pub (QP) to memorize art history flashcards. Six years later, I owe a lot to all those fries which led me to apply for a job, and later brought me into student government.
Who knows, the next Rector might be serving you a cold one this fall.
At your service, Niki
JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
Dr. Robert Colautti aims to enhance tick-borne disease detection
‘To prevent the next Lyme disease epidemic’
Oluwamisimi Oluwole Business, Science, & Technology Editor
A mild Canadian winter has led to an early tick season in Ontario, raising concerns about Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.
Robert Colautti, a biologist at Queen’s, is leading the charge with his research being carried out in partnership with the myLyme project. Harini Satheeskumar, ArtSci ’27, Sofia Marino, ArtSci ’27, and Devin Abergel-Preston, ArtSci ’25 are three undergraduate students
from Queen’s on the project alongside Colautti.
The collaboration between Colautti’s research and myLyme involves researchers collecting ticks from various field sites.
Collaboratively, they extract the DNA and sequence these nucleic acids to identify bacterial pathogens. Put simply, they’re looking at the genetic material of ticks to find harmful bacteria. The project builds on research done with the Canadian Lyme Disease Research Network (CLDRN).
“The main idea of this project is to prevent the next Lyme disease
epidemic. Humans and their pets tend to share exposure risk—that is, the ticks found on pets are a good sample of ticks that pose a threat to humans. This project will give us a better picture of the range of bacteria found in ticks in Ontario,” Colautti said in an interview with The Journal. Colautti’s research involves developing a set of protocols that use high-throughput sequencing and machine learning to screen all bacteria simultaneously, contrasting with current screening methods which require a separate test for each pathogen.
“The more ticks we screen, the better chance we have to detect new and emerging pathogens that could pose a threat to human health,” Colautti said.
The myLyme project has developed the Bacterial Amplicon Tick Test (BATT). This test uses advanced genomics, which studies the genetic information of organisms, and machine learning, which extracts meaningful information from large datasets and builds models from this data to screen for all bacteria and genetic variants in ticks.
“We use machine learning to help identify the tick species, morphological variation in ticks, DNA sequences, and the particular bacterial species or variants that are present,” Colautti said.
BATT uses advanced bioinformatics—the use of computer tools to understand biological data—to study DNA sequences. Algorithms then sort and identify the DNA to find specific bacterial pathogens. This method quickly and accurately identifies both known and new bacteria.
“The rate of coinfections in ticks is higher than expected based on previously published studies using conventional testing. Coinfection means that the tick carries more than one pathogen and could potentially transmit multiple pathogens to humans,” Colautti said.
This research has shown there is a high diversity of bacterial communities within individual ticks as the creatures can carry multiple bacterial pathogens at
the same time.
“Surveillance of ticks is expensive, which means that most ticks are only tested for a few pathogens and therefore won’t detect new and emerging pathogens or new genetic variants,” Colautti said.
The researcher spoke about how the project ensures accuracy and reliability in its testing methods.
“Controls are used at every stage of DNA extraction, sequencing and data analysis. Multiple replicates are employed and findings are validated with independent methods. The bioinformatics pipeline includes steps to remove potential contaminants and correct for sequencing errors,” he said.
The interconnectedness of animal and human health is a significant consideration in this research. According to Colautti, collaboration with veterinary clinics is crucial for a comprehensive approach to disease prevention.
“We have spent the last six years refining these methods, but this pilot study with vet clinics will be our first test of these methods in real life. These clinics provide valuable field data and access to tick samples from various hosts. This enhances our understanding of pathogen transmission cycles,” Colautti said.
The pilot study is set to launch this year, and veterinary clinics in southern Ontario will be provided with BATT.
Continued online at queensjournal.ca
Over half of third year on-campus Health Sciences graduates head to medical school
Students were among the program’s second cohort to graduate
Jayden Jeong Business, Science & Technology Editor
The majority of on-campus students graduating from the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) with a general degree will begin their medical school journey this year.
Students graduating from the FHS on-campus program graduated on June 19, being the second cohort of graduates the program has seen.
FHS offers an on-campus program and an online program, with FHS online first accepting students in 2016, and the on-campus program enrolling their first cohort in 2019.
The program offers an option to graduate with a general degree, lasting three years, or a four-year honours degree. Students pursuing their honours may decide to leave after three years, graduating with a general degree.
According to the University’s convocation
booklet, 59 on-campus graduates received their general degree this June, with 51 students graduating with distinction. The University’s academic regulations outline the requirements to graduate with degrees with distinction, which includes a minimum of 3.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA).
The Journal obtained the list of graduates through the University, and confirmed their career trajectories using LinkedIn, Instagram biographies, and personal contacts.
Forty-eight graduates were contacted while 11 were unreachable
Approximately 58 per cent are entering medical school out of the 59 total students graduating with a general Bachelor’s of Health Sciences (BHSc). Of the 34 students entering medical school, roughly 45 per cent of students are attending the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
Of the 59 total graduates, 10 per cent of graduates are entering dental school. Of the 6 students pursuing dentistry, 5 students are heading to the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry. Three students are attending graduate school to become a physician’s assistant (PA) while one
graduate is entering veterinary school.
Four graduates declined to comment or are pursuing non-traditional careers.
According to the websites of various Ontario graduate schools, some students may remain on waitlists too long to apply for graduation. For example, at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University, the Doctor of Medicine (MD) program waitlist remains open until the first day of classes when the final cohort is finalized.
“There are always late additions to the degree list that are provided to the Registrar’s Office after the senate committee deadline, but due to the timing, those names do not appear in the convocation booklet,” Queen’s said in a statement to The Journal.
“We certainly do attract a group of students who are interested in medicine, but that’s by no means what we are trying to tell students,” said Nikki Philbrook, director of the BHSc program.
Philbrook emphasized the Health Sciences program, both on-campus and online, can lead to many careers within the healthcare industry and advises students to come into the program with an open mind.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY QUEEN’S UNIVERISTY
Warmer winters lead to a longer tick season.
Jessie Mercer primed to tap into Queen’s Golf’s potential
New Golf Head
Coach details her plans and hopes for sport at Queen’s
Aidan Michaelov Senior Sports Editor
On June 27, 2024, Jessie Mercer was named the new head coach of both the Men’s and Women’s Golf programs here at Queen’s.
Mercer has been involved in golf since the age of 13, where she admitted she was sort of forced into it by her father.
Luckily for Mercer and her father, she was good at it. Most notably, Mercer sported purple as a Western Mustang, where she was named OUA All-Star for all five of her seasons in the OUA.
Throughout her university career, Mercer was able to achieve three First-Team honours and two Second-Team honours. Her dedication to the sport earned her a spot on the 2015 FISU World University Games Team, where she placed ninth overall.
When speaking with Mercer, she noted how the state of Canadian Golf is in a peculiar situation, and really is up for grabs in terms of who’s going to step in and capitalize on all it has to offer.
Canadian university golf goes untapped, Mercer said. She believes it can continue to grow if OUA golf and U SPORTS golf is on the radar.
“For high school students, that are looking, for how they want to compete in post-secondary, if we can keep, a few more athletes in Canada, knowing the competitiveness across the OUA, I think it can only get bigger, better, [and] more competitive,” Mercer said in an interview with The Journal.
Canadian university’s should be looking to get on par with the likes of U. S. programs.
In terms of leveraging the opportunity provided by Canadian Golf, Mercer believes she’s the perfect fit for Queen’s.
Previously being heavily involved at the provincial and national levels for Golf in Canada, Mercer believes her experience with the sport will allow her to navigate
the loads of talent at Queen’s in an efficient manner.
“On the Golf Ontario side, I was lucky enough to be really involved in junior golf,” Mercer said.
The new coach is wellversed in the journey stemming from growing up with the sport.
“I’m pretty familiar with the landscape of junior golf, you know, where kind of those good players are playing, to hopefully tap in a little bit from a recruiting standpoint.”
One thing Mercer wants to see out of her programs are a bit more activity. Although they’re short seasons, Mercer believes staying more active will help set our Gaels up for success.
“Adding a few events will set us up when we get to the national championship. We’ll have a few more events under our belt, a few more good memories on the golf course, to feed off and build momentum into those bigger championships,” Mercer said.
Having such events is important due to a short season for the varsity sport, taking place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 4.
Mercer was very clear the more opportunities players have to compete and practice throughout those few weeks, the more consistent and comfortable they’ll be come the championship events.
Golf is on the come-up in Canada, especially within younger demographics and the addition of a young new face in Jessie Mercer, who’s well established within the junior golf community in Canada, is an exciting opportunity for the Gaels— not only to bring more talent to Queen’s, but to help establish a new generation of successful golf in Kingston.
Beginner’s guide to athletics at Queen’s
How to get involved with all A&R has to offer
Aidan Michaelov Senior Sports Editor
The shift from secondary to post-secondary school comes with enough challenges, finding a way to stay fit or enjoy your favourite sports shouldn’t be one of them. When people think of university, they usually think of freedom. When it comes to athletics, this means the freedom to choose how, when, and why you want to stay active. No longer will you have gym class, or organized sport to the same degree that your parents had enrolled you in since you were a child. You’re on your own.
Luckily, Queen’s offers a wide variety of programs, teams, clubs, and leagues to help entertain and keep students involved. Their state-of-the-art facilities provide everything you could ask for in athletics and recreation.
The ARC, located at 284 Earl Street, is the hub for all things athletic—equipped with basketball courts, squash courts, and various rooms for recreational clubs like spinning or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Queen’s Athletics & Recreation (A&R) is in charge of creating and providing a wide range of both competitive and recreational athletic programs to members of the Queen’s community.
Full time students have access to ARC facilities through their tuition, with the opportunity to purchase extra services including towel and locker rentals, and a group fitness pass. Group fitness passes can be purchased each semester and registered members are eligible to attend any class on the Fitness Plus Schedule.
Some of the classes include Spin, Yoga, Pilates, and Zumba—all taught by student and community instructors. The one downside is they fill up quickly, so you’re lucky if you can secure a spot.
Right outside the ARC, located inside the Queen’s Centre, there’s places to fuel
your body such as Booster Juice, Pita Pit, and a Tim Hortons.
Apart from the ARC, Queen’s maintains a number of facilities that are typically open for public use. Tindall Field is located just outside MackintoshCorry Hall and is a frequent home to frisbee, spike ball, soccer, and other pickup sports. Nixon Field, which is located just behind Kingston Hall, is usually reserved for club sports, but can occasionally be seen housing recreational activities as well. For those of you who are looking for more of a recreational setting to remain active, intramurals at Queen’s come in a wide variety of skill level, and competitiveness. From ultimate frisbee to innertubewaterpolo,everythingyou might need can be found on Queen’s A&R website, at gogaelsgo.com Following along with the Gaels is another way to get involved with the Queen’s community, and The Journal is an excellent place to stay up-to-date with your fellow Gaels as they compete for national championships.
The golf season starts on Sept.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY A&R
Here’s how to make the most out of your ARC membership.
JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
Past and present Gaels punch their ticket to Paris
Members of the Gaels athletic community travel to Paris for 2024 Olympics
Herbert Wang Assistant Sports Editor
Athletes will be competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics from July 26 to Aug. 11. Of the approximately 10,500 athletes travelling to compete for Olympic glory, over 20 athletes and one coaches are past members of the Queen’s athletics community.
Chloe Daniel and Taylor Perry (Rugby Sevens)
Chloe Daniel, Comm ’25 and Taylor Perry, ArtSci ’24 will be travelling to Paris together, both having played for the Queen’s Women’s Rugby team.
Chloe Daniel will serve as the vice-captain for the sevens squad. She made her debut with the senior sevens team in 2021 at the age of 18. Since then, she has only added to her international playing experience in numerous series including as a reserve at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2022, and by scoring 131 points for Team Canada during the 2024 HSBC SVNS Series.
In her one season played for the Gaels in 2021, she was named the OUA Rookie of the Year and an OUA All-Star.
Taylor Perry will serve as the team’s travelling alternate. She also has experience representing Canada on the international stage, being selected for the 2021 Rugby World up team before an injury forced her to withdraw.
Perry had an abundant career with the Gaels, being namedanOUASecondTeamAll-Star
last season, and a U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian in 2019. Women’s Rugby Sevens will compete from July 28 to 30 with their next match against China on July 29.
Will Jones (Sailing)
Will Jones, Sci ’18 was a member of the Queen’s Sailing team from 2013-17 where he helped the team win the Canadian Intercollegiate Sailing AssociationNationalChampionship every yearhe was a member.
He will be competing in the Men’s 49er sailing event, in his second straight Olympics, after having competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games
and finishing nineteenth with his partner Evan DePaul.
The Men’s 49er sailing event runs from July 28 to August 1.
Jackie Boyle (Cycling–Track)
Jackie Boyle, ArtSci ’19 will be travelling to Paris as an alternate for Canada’s Cycling–Track team.
She was a member of the Queen’s Women’s Volleyball team from 2016-19, playing as an outside hitter. After graduating, she took part in the RBC Training Ground program, which led her to be recruited by the women’s national cycling and bobsleigh teams.
Since choosing cycling, she has competed for Canada at numerous international events, winning silver in the team sprint at the 2023 Pan American
and bronze
the team sprint at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. Cycling–Track events will run from Aug. 5 to 11.
Cassidy Deane (Rowing)
Cassidy Deane, PheKin ’19 will be making her Olympic debut as part of Team Canada’s Women’s Eight Rowing team.
In her three seasons at Queen’s from 2016-19 with the Women’s Rowing team, she earned a total of three OUA gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal, along with two bronze medals in the Canadian University Rowing Championship.
She will be a part of a team that looks to defend its Olympic gold medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Women’s Eight Rowing competition runs from July 29 to Aug. 3.
Claire Meadows (Basketball)
Claire Meadows, ArtSci and PheKin ’07 will be making her way to Paris as part of the bench of the German Women’s Basketball team, after being named an Assistant Coach for the team.
She began her career with the Gaels in 2002 as a member of the Queen’s Women’s Basketball team. In her five seasons with the team, she was named the OUA East First Team All-Star in 2006-07 and OUA East Second Team All-Star in 2005-06.
She finished her career as the Gael’s second all-time leading scorer.
She returned fourteen years later to coach the Queen’s Women’s Basketball team and has led the team to their most successful seasons in program history, winning a U SPORTS silver and bronze medal in her first two seasons while taking home an OUA Coach of the Year award in 2022-23. ***
Numerous other Queen’s Alumni, and current full- and part time students will be competing alongside members of the Gaels community. A full list of Queen’s community members that will be competing can be found online on the Queen’s Alumni website. Livestreams and past broadcasts of all events can be accessed for free on CBC Gem.
Gaels Hockey roster updates
Find out what moves our Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams have made this offseason
Aidan Michaelov Sports Editor
Throughout this offseason, the Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams were challenged to fill the massive holes in vital roles left by graduating players on their respective rosters. Tracking roster changes can be challenging, so here’s a condensed list of players to watch this upcoming season.
Men’s Hockey
Ethan Larmand
At 6’0” centreman from Midland Larmand who most recently played with the Greater Sudbury Cubs of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Ontario native was selected 26th overall in the OHL Priority Selection in 2019 and has since crafted effective offensive and defensive skillsets.
This past season, Larmand played 18 games. Along that stretch, he posted 13 goals and 12 assists, totalling 1.39 points per game.
Larmand’s assets include his inclination to lead, and his ability to control the pace of play with his stickhandling skill.
Five Gaels rise to the top.
GRAPHIC BY SKYLAR SOROKA Championships,
in
Horoscopes: First Year in Focus
First year will be a year to remember for the star signs
The Psychic Scholar Staff Writer
Aries (March 21 – April 19)
After the challenging summer you went through, don’t be afraid of the year ahead, Aries, great opportunities are waiting for you. The uncertainty you’re feeling about the future will eventually die down, putting your anxieties to rest. Have faith in what’s to come and lean on your loved ones when you need support—asking for help doesn’t make you a burden.
Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
Taurus, you probably won’t be happy to hear this, but your love life will be a mess. It’s a good year to be open to new relationships but try to do so while still maintaining your own sense of self. It’s unlikely you’ll find a committed relationship your first year in university, so embrace the chance to explore and grow.
Gemini (May 21 – June 20)
Gemini, think carefully before you speak. While you’re admired by many, you also tend to hurt those around you with your harsh words. You’ll probably run into some drama with friends and acquaintances this year but don’t fret, you can always try again in second year.
Cancer (June 21 – July 22)
Cancer, this year is going to turn your whole life upside down. You’ve always felt like a big fish in a small pond, but soon you’ll realize there are plenty of fish in the sea. This can be intimidating but there are many who are perfect for you. Cast out a line, invite a friend to eat with you in the dining hall, exchange numbers with the girl sitting beside you in your lecture, and knock on your neighbour’s door.
Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22)
Your academic life will be going to s—t, Leo. Whether you want it or not, the parties and Stage rages will catch up to you. There may
be times this year where you will find yourself begging your professors for extra credits to pass the course and given your sweet nature, they might just agree.
Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22)
You’re about to enter a world dominated by hookup culture and Tinder but don’t fear, Virgo, as you’ll leave with a lover on your arm. Remember, studying doesn’t have to be done alone and invite that special someone on a library date. Indulge in your wholesome and loving side. You won’t regret it!
Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22)
Libra, nothing has been set in stone for you yet, but don’t worry—everything will fall into place in due time. This is a great year to step out of your comfort zone, explore the hidden gems of K-town with your friends, and let life guide you to where you’re meant to be.
Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21)
Scorpio, you might be facing the biggest betrayal of the year. It seems the friends you relied on during first semester are planning to move into a house together without you. It would be wise to stay cautious and watch for certain people to avoid unnecessary drama and heartbreak.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21)
Calling all party animals! Don’t bite off more than you can chew, Sagittarius. As fun as O-Week and Homecoming can be, remember that you have a good head on your shoulders and school is for academics too (wink wink). Embrace your wild side, but don’t forget how to tame it.
Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19)
Even if you aren’t a student athlete, Capricorn, it’s time to play the field. Breaking up with your high school sweetheart might sting at first, but you’ll soon discover
the excitement of meeting new people. Your first year will bring newfound freedom—embrace the single life and enjoy your new experiences.
Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18)
Prepare for an intellectually stimulating year, Aquarius. Your inquisitive nature will make you a stand-out, even in a 500-person lecture. You’ll thrive in group projects and tutorial discussions, where your ideas will captivate all, especially in an 8:30 a.m. class. It’s time to show the world just how brilliant you are.
Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20)
Hey Pisces, get ready for a whirlwind of a first year. Expect your patience to be tested by dorm life and quirky roommate habits. However, you’ll soon master the art of compromise and form lasting friendships through communal bathroom convos and late-night study sessions. Embrace the chaos that is residence and enjoy the resulting camaraderie.
Need a place to write down your thoughts? journal_ac@ams.queensu.ca
ARTS & CULTURE
GRAPHIC BY ARDEN MASON-OURIQUE
From Liz, with Love: Dos anD Don’ts oF Dating at Queen’s
The ultimate guide to love, friendship, and everything in between
Elizabeth Provost Copy Editor
Hi, I’m Elizabeth—Liz, for short—and I’ve long experienced the highs and lows of dating and friendship. Some will say I've always been in my lover girl era.
Despite being in a very happy long-term (albeit very long-distance) relationship, I've had my fair share of questionable and character-building experiences. Call it growth or maybe it's my frontal lobe developing.
I’ve been writing “From Liz, With Love” for three years. Over these years, I’ve replied to questions on all sorts of topics—from the basics of getting boo’ed-up, to dealing with toxic relationships and friendships, to more serious topics like pregnancy, personal traumas, and insecurities. I’m at your disposal for my final year at Queen’s for any and all questions to be answered in this bi-weekly column.
As my first act of service for you, here’s five dos and don'ts of dating at Queen's.
Do: Get to know people from other programs / Don’t: Take dating so seriously
Expanding your social circle by meeting students from different programs is a great opportunity to make new friends and spark inter-faculty romance. It’s a great way to find new study buddies, party companions, or someone who can explain calculus to you. But, don’t take dating so seriously you start planning your wedding after the first date. University is a time for exploration and fun, not crafting a 10-year relationship plan. Enjoy the moments, laugh at the awkward ones, and remember not every date needs to lead to eternal love—or even a second date.
Do: Bond over pumpkin spice at Balzac’s / Don’t: Spend your date on your phone
Arguably the best café in Kingston, Balzac’s is the perfect spot for a cozy first date.
Queen’s Players captivate audiences with modern wedding comedy
Meghrig Milkon & Madison Taylor Journal Staff
Queen’s Players and audiences say “I do” in latest show.
But don’t spend the entire date scrolling through Instagram or checking your messages. Nothing kills the mood faster than competing with a phone for attention. Your latte art deserves an audience, but your date deserves your undivided attention even more. Unless you’re sending an S-O-S text, your BFF can wait until after the date for updates.
Do: Keep yourself honest and accountable / Don’t: Date your TA
You’ll meet many different personalities in university, all with their own dating goals. If you have an idea of what you’re looking for romantically or platonically, make yourself clear to those around you to avoid any hurt feelings. Honesty is key in any relationship, and keeping your dating life free from unnecessary drama makes everything smoother. But dating your TA? That’s a plot twist that belongs in a bad rom-com. Keep the romance for someone who isn't grading your papers!
Do: Study dates in Douglas Library / Don’t: Engage in excessive PDA
Libraries have a perfect mix of a studious atmosphere and cozy nooks for some quality study bonding. Whispering flirty lines is fine, but no one wants to witness a full-on make-out session in the stacks. Save the affection for more private moments when you’re not surrounded by caffeine-fueled zombies.
Do: Let loose at the clubs occasionally / Don’t: Forget your safety
The club dance floor is the ideal place to display your killer moves (or at least your enthusiastic attempts) with your friends. But don’t leave your drink unattended, and make sure you have a plan to get home safely. Keep an eye out for your friends, too—because a memorable night shouldn’t end with a frantic search party or an impromptu sleepover in the emergency room. Be wary of who you meet on a night out. I heard the varsity soccer players have a wall covered with women’s bras and I wouldn’t want you to lose yours.
Queen’s oldest club, Queen’s Players, held their 2024 summer show, “When Freaky Met Friday: I Now Pronounce You Liked and Subscribed” at The Mansion from July 17 to 20. The show followed the plot of a tumultuous engagement and wedding, with a revolving cast of characters, and accompanied by a live band proving the Queen’s Players experience as one of a kind.
Running for over 100 years, all proceeds from the shows go towards charitable organizations in Kingston and across Canada. Last year, Players donated approximately $20,000 to various charities, including the Indian Residential School Survivor Society, AMS Food Bank, Martha’s Table, and many others.
The show’s Director, Noah Hill described the show as akin to a Saturday Night Live (SNL) but with more music, funny skits, and a great time that involves getting progressively drunker as the night goes on. With the summer heat ripping through at The Mansion, the audience was encouraged to buy drinks for the cast to keep them refreshed and hydrated between costume and character changes.
With an extraordinary number of moving parts, the Queen’s Players put on a memorable show that involved, acting, singing, dancing and sharp comedy that was both current, and witty.
This summer’s show was different from the ones performed previously as the showmakers wanted to
Queen’s Players tie the knot with comedy in ‘When Freaky Met Friday’
maintain a continuous plot throughout the play making it easier for the audience to follow along. In contrast to previous shows where a series of distinct sketches with different characters were featured throughout the performance.
The summer show followed a young influencer who’s engaged to be married with various disruptions, from a bachelor party and dress-fittings to family drama and resurfacing past relationships. Additionally, the show incorporated elements of the digital age, featuring references to influencers’ “Get Ready with Me” videos and the constant recording of their lives.
Hill wanted the cast to experience being in a summer show and playing various characters while maintaining the continuous show with 12 characters portrayed by different players as they appeared on stage.
The show featured characters unlikely to interact anywhere else. Among others, Sid the Sloth from Ice Age, Mr. Clean, and Carrie Bradshaw shared the stage, making for a comedic and memorable performance. The standout character was Drew Barrymore and the cast was on point playing the controversy about how she converses with her guests on her talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, and the lack of personal space she has
for people.
Audience participation was encouraged, with members instructed to yell ‘seamless’ after an obvious line fumble, and ‘sing’ when a song title is mentioned
The cast showed off their impressive vocal range with songs between scenes, ranging from Chappell Roan, Abba, Fleetwood Mac, Crazy Frog, Olivia Rodrigo and much more.
While the choice of songs is ultimately up to cast members, with suggestions from the vocal and music directors the songs picked either ‘clash’ with the characters or is ‘on brand’ for them.
“A lot of the times there will be a connection between the song and the character,” Cameron Dunn, vice-president said in an interview with The Journal.
An important aspect of being a player is being able to foster the environment that has been present since the 1980s with a very inclusive, respectful, and welcoming space open and accepting of everyone.
“It’s a club of welcoming newcomers, making them feel like they’re a part of something greater than themselves.”
Continued online queensjourmal. ca/arts&culture
Liz shares her tips for daing.
The show ran from July 17 to 20.
PHOTO BY MEG MILKON
Summer is calling, and The Empties answered The Mansion came
meghrig milkon & Madison Taylor Journal Staff
Sometimes the best music is right in your own back yard.
Bursting with local talent, the Summer Kick Off Fest rocked The Mansion’s back patio on July 6. Spearheaded by The Empties, the day featured performances from Luella, Fifth Avenue, Kyra, The Healey Brothers, Alex Mick, and Roses. The day’s familial feeling and diverse range of music offered something for everyone, serenading summer’s arrival into the city.
For The Empties, this event was a homecoming, both physically and musically. Alhough now based in Toronto, most of the band members consider Kingston their hometown. Much of the crowd, merchandise vendors, and even some of the other musicians were the band members’ friends and family, giving the day a warm, friendly atmosphere, matching the heat of the day.
Zeke Wilson, lead vocalist, and Ethan Flanagan, lead guitarist, are no strangers to The Mansion. As the place where they had their ‘big break’, it’s a venue close to their hearts.
“It’s definitely a home of sorts for us,” Flanagan said in an interview with The Journal It’s very full circle, especially surrounded by family.”
Despite their name,
alive with Kingston’s Summer Kick Off Fest
The Empties’ full sound overflowed, exuding skill and experience. With a polished set almost entirely made up of originals, their explosive performance was one the crowd had been waiting for.
The five-piece played familiar favorites like “Fool’s Gold” and “Leave Me Be,” as well as unreleased tracks from their new record, set to drop later this year.
“I think it [moving to Toronto] really is indicative of the direction we’re going musically,” Wilson said. “As far as songwriters go, it felt good to
get to really stretch our wings [...] I think the important part was having a body of work that we felt proud of, that could hopefully propel us into being able to write and record more music.”
The Empties were clearly a crowd favourite, bringing almost everyone to the dance floor, taking the mellow evening up a notch. There was a celebratory feeling in the air, with friends and family of the artists involved in every part of the event. The band closed the night with a powerful rendition of the
Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” alongside fellow performer Kyra, who matched the formidable vocals of Merry Clayton on the original track.
Kyra took the stage solo, engaging the crowd with her impressive vocal range, and guitar skills. Featuring unreleased songs fresh from the pen, Kyra’s talent for storytelling enchanted the audience. Her latest single, “Ticket to Heaven” was a standout, proving Kyra is one to watch. Her performance featured tracks from her recently released EP After the Dance,
showcasing a pared back sound that felt authentic and intimate.
As a Kingstonian currently based in Toronto, she was happy to be visiting home. The close music community added something special to the experience.
“It feels different in Kingston. I feel like everyone who’s going to shows really loves music, live music especially,” Johnston said in an interview with The Journal.
For Alex Mick, a Montreal based artist, the Summer Kick Off Fest marked his first performance in Kingston, and hopefully not the last. Visiting the city just for the day, Mick’s warm vocals seemed effortless with a smooth sound easy to groove to.
Mick described the Kingston crowd as “awesome,” highlighting the way live music is celebrated here.
Accompanied by a talented band of musicians, Mick wasn’t afraid to let them shine. Mostly made up of McGill University jazz students, their skills spoke for themselves. Alongside Mick’s original songs, the instrumentalists broke it down, with a blues interlude which allowed each musician to show their expertise.
The 2024 Summer Kick Off Fest showed no shortage of musical talent, cementing the sun is here to stay. With new releases on the horizon, these artists’ tunes may just keep you going through the colder seasons to come.
Four emerging BIPOC Artists challenge traditional boundaries during Twofold Residency
Twofold Residency 2024 explores human connection through art
Eva Sheahan
Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
Twofold Residency for Emerging BIPOC Artists, led by Co-Directors Berlin Reed and Jill Glatt, is helping to enrich Kingston’s art scene by offering local artists professional mentorship, access to studio and workspaces, and most importantly, time to create.
The Twofold Residency 2024 has provided four talented and upcoming artists—Sumera Khan, Alicia Udavari, Shanique Peart, and Shamara Peart the opportunity to commit to their practices throughout the summer in collaboration with the Union Gallery and Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre.
Sumera Khan
Oil-painting in an impressionist style, taking inspiration from Monet, Khan paints still lifes and interiors.
As a mother of three,
it can be challenging for Khan to find time for herself and her art. Having children and less time has brought Khan to her impressionist style as it’s a fast practice, built by quick and small strokes.
Each painting holds a personal story for Khan and an emotion that was deeply felt. Every seemingly mundane item she paints holds a deeply personal note. Throughout her residency, she continues to work on her interiors and still lifes. Khan’s artwork is inspiring as she continues to embody the spirit of an artist while simultaneously being a mother which is a demanding full-time job.
Her work is inspiring to mother’s everywhere that anything is possible if you make it happen.
Alicia Udvari
Alicia Udvari, a Queen’s BFA ’23 graduate, mainly works with sculpture, animation, and printmaking. They draw constant inspiration from media, especially cartoons, and nature.
Throughout the residency, they’re working on a puppet which will be part of their ongoing series Little Guy, a stop motion animation which subtly depicts
a chapter in their life.
Udavari’s personal philosophy with art combats the stigma that art requires expensive materials. Udavari uses their large imagination to create using various crafty materials, like wood and found objects.
“I think it’s important to dismantle our idea of being an artist as spending a lot of money,” said Udavari in an interview with The Journal.
Shanique Peart
Shanique Peart is a multidisciplinary artist who works with choreography, dance, and photography. She explores movement through various styles of dance such as Hip-Hop, Urban Contemporary, and Afro-fusion.
Peart is working on two main projects throughout her residency. The first is a goal to create a collaborative dance celebrating womanhood and body positivity. The second will be creating studio portraits depicting different people’s lives and their personal struggles such as mental health, dealing with neurodivergence, and more. Dance has always resembled
a second language for Peart, a translator to express feelings she could not convey using words. Dance and photography have offered Peart an opportunity to communicate what she needs to say without being ridiculed or belittled.
“Being a Black woman, people are going to come to a conclusion [about me] before I even open my mouth, but you can’t deny my message when it’s portrayed through art,” Peart said in an interview with The Journal.
Shamara Peart
Shamara Peart, Queen’s English MA ’23, mainly focuses on creative writing, as well as sculptures and visual collages. She’s a scholar, currently working on publications for Acta Victoriana, Multilingual Matters, and the Edinburgh University Press.
Peart is using the residency to create her chapbook—a collection of her poetry with sculptures and visual collages that accompany the poems. Her writing represents facets of her identity as a Caribbean-Canadian woman, often toying with religious themes
and symbolism.
Peart is currently exploring Afro-horror within her writing which examines the Black Canadian and minority experience using eerie stylistic choice. Peart describes suspense as that feeling as though someone is standing right behind you, watching you.
Horror literature and film revolves around the idea of what to do when you have an overwhelming force against you. That idea can speak to the minority experience in general because you’re dealing with an overwhelming societal force, said Peart.
The Twofold Residency has chosen four multifaceted and talented people who all share the goal of fostering human connection and being understood through art. Whether that be through animation, dance, painting, or writing, these four artists inspire us to think deeply about the art we’re interacting with—reflecting on how much care was placed into creating it by the artists, and how the work makes us feel.
The crowd went wild for the show of the summer.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY SAMSEDGWICK
Making the most out of your Queen’s meal
Throughout the school year, we put a lot of strain on our brains and food is fuel
Eva Sheahan Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
As a passionate foodie, I’ve learned a thing or two during my past two years at Queen’s, including how to make the most out of the meal plan and how to get a bang for your buck.
Queen’s dining plan offers two options, trade-a-meals (TAMs) and dining hall swipes. Dining halls offer different buffet style options—grill, salad bar, pizza, pasta—and large seating areas where you can enjoy your food with friends. TAMs are offered at various locations across campus such as the Lazy Scholar (Lazy), Location 21 (Loco), and more. They offer specific meals you can ‘buy’ using a TAM.
In my first year, specifically in the first semester, I often found myself overwhelmed due to the abundance of options available. I wanted to grab everything and try everything, and so I did. While doing so, I learned a few things in the process.
Always be sure to use the Queen’s ‘Today’s Menu’ website to look ahead and see what’s being offered. This is a helpful hack to decide whether you should use a TAM or instead have a sit-down dinner at Leonard Hall ‘Lenny’. Some advice, if they’re offering pulled pork mac and cheese, run as fast as you can, grab a tray, and enjoy. If they are offering trout, I would steer clear, as dining hall fish is certainly ‘fishy.’
While it’s no University of Guelph, the dining hall’s omelette bar is consistent. The line is often incredibly long, but worth the wait. They also offer simple fried eggs—an easy source of protein if any of the meat is looking off-putting.
Speaking of eggs, the breakfast at Lenny is one of the best meals offered, especially encouraged on a Sunday morning after a long weekend. Options range from eggs, hash browns, yogurts, and even a make your own waffle bar with whipped cream and sprinkles.
The daily salad bar is another healthy and highly recommended
option, taken go-to. Everyone knows eating your greens is good for you and it can be hard to remain healthy while eating off the meal plan. The salad bar is another great place if you’r looking for more protein, offering hard boiled eggs, chickpeas, nuts, and at least five different salad dressings.
Keep your eyes peeled for themed-days, sometimes dining halls plan special events which bring a fun twist to what becomes routine day-after-day. Last year, Jean Royce Dining Hall partnered with student representative for Dumpling Day where all dumplings were handmade.
Lenny can become extremely busy with a seating capacity of 700 people. If you enjoy the rush of bumping into people you know and don’t mind waiting in line, arrive around 7 p.m. If you’re there to eat and get out, try to eat around 5 p.m.
Ban Righ Dining Hall can be a unique alternative to Lenny. It’s less busy and the food quality is often better. With large windows and long wooden tables, it has a Hogwarts-esque atmosphere
staFF Picks: ‘the JournaL’ staFF share their best anD worst memories From First year
First year is filled with ups and downs, one day they’ll be memories you fondly remember
Journal Staff
As I’m about to enter my fourth year, I’ve found myself reflecting a lot on my time at Queen’s. Especially, my first year.
Coming to Queen’s in the middle of the pandemic was not ideal—orientation wasn’t what it was or is now, we had to wear masks in residence, and classes were moved online after winter break until the end of February.
While first year seems like ages ago, there’s still so many memories that have stuck with me, both good and bad.
My hands down best memory from first year was Fall Orientation. It was extremely unconventional, and festivities were split up into two weekends, nothing like it is now. The second weekend consisted of coverall painting on West Campus, after that, one of the girls in my Orientation group dragged everyone to Jean Royce Hall to show us her room. Realizing how strange she, and frankly everyone else in our group was, this one girl and I decided it was time to leave.
We spent the entire 20-minute walk back to Main Campus talking about how weird everyone in our group was, how much she wanted a new tattoo, and the reasons, which will remain undisclosed, why we both had to run to West that morning after sleeping through our alarms.
Those 20 minutes, while it sounds cliche, changed my life. The girl I met during orientation three years ago is now my best friend. Our friendship wasn’t instant we didn’t actually become real friends until the middle of second year.
Looking back, I guess I have that one girl who tried to hold us hostage in her room that second weekend of orientation to thank.
—Allie Moustakis, Editor in Chief
A moment from my first year at Queen’s I’ll never forget is the time I had the squeakiest shoes ever. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but at the time it felt utterly embarrassing.
To set the scene, it was a rainy October day and I was rushing to one of my classes. I had put on a new pair of shoes that morning, Salomons. All was well until I began to walk down the corridor to class. That’s when the squeaking began. It was so loud, and I felt like everyone was staring at me. I frantically stopped in the bathroom to try wipe my shoes, but to no avail. I had to squeak my way into class and try to find a seat. It wasn’t my most discreet entrance when late for class.
It’s safe to say I never wore them in the rain again.
—Madison Taylor, Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
My favourite memory from first year is meeting my best friends. I met most of my current best friends at the dining hall. It’s funny to me that it was in Leonard Hall where I happened to sit beside people who are so funny, conversational, and who would come to mean so much to me.
The first time I met my friends, I had an eclectic mix of food on my tray—a makeshift Shirley Temple (orange juice and cranberry juice), Jell-O, soup, and butter chicken. They lightly teased me for my random choices and we started talking and never stopped. I’m grateful I had the courage to sit with people who I didn’t know super well because that bravery will reward me for the rest of my life.
— Eva Sheahan, Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
Continued online queensjourmal.ca/ arts&culture
which helps students romanticize their lives and absorb the magic of campus. Starbucks TAMs can be very tempting, but they’re a rip off. You can either get a bagel with a small coffee or tea, or a Grande of any drink but I wouldn’t fall for that, as you aren’t getting any nutrition out of it. If you rely on TAMs too often, you’ll be out well before the end of the year.
I hope this serves as a guide to finding yourself full and satisfied during your first year at Queen’s. It can be difficult to find your way around such a large campus and with so much change
going on, it’s easy to forget to nourish yourself. To prevent this, I’ll leave you with some important parting words. Lean in close, make sure nobody else can see this: TAM a Loco sandwich for lunch and you’ll never regret it, dining hall cake is some of the best I’ve ever had, Wally’s in Botterell Hall is an underrated breakfast spot (get the yogurt or warm grain bowl), and finally, in Mackintosh-Corry Hall, go to Flip It! and get a south-west cobb salad, with hard boiled eggs, dressing, cherry tomatoes, and bacon—you won’t regret it.
GRAPHIC BY ARDEN MASON-OURIQUE
How to hack the halls.
Finding home in Queen’s Fall Orientation
How welcoming traditions paved the way for growth, passion, and community
Maddie Ronan Contributor
In every role I’ve embraced during Fall Orientation—from being an incoming student, to a ConEd Orientation Leader “Teach,” Head Teach, and now, Orientation Roundtable Coordinator, one undeniable truth prevails—there’s a transformative magic to Fall Orientation that brings forth one’s finest self.
After a demanding month of May where I balanced a full-time job with a rigorous student teaching placement, I returned to Kingston to face an unwelcome task, deep cleaning my bedroom.
Three years at Queen’s University had turned my space into a cluttered mosaic of memories, filled with dusty textbooks, crumpled uniforms, and overflowing stationery.
As I undertook the ritualistic purge that had become a tool
second day at university.
Clad in a baggy, oversized bright green T-shirt, chatting nervously with my mum on the phone, I was coaxed into attending ConEd Orientation. I wish I could have silenced my doubts that day.
Entering ConEd Orientation was an exhilarating experience. It was a vibrant whirlwind of tutus, tams, cheers, the Con-Ed Cup, pulsating music, and even louder personalities. From those early moments, it was clear I was surrounded by peers who weren’t just dedicated but truly inspiring.
Each person I met was a beacon of enthusiasm, kindness, and unwavering support.
This dynamic community became my second family, offering a sanctuary where every challenge was met with collective resilience and every success was celebrated with joy. It was this nurturing environment that motivated me to wish for, and eventually take on the role of ConEd Orientation Leader, or “Teach.”
The initial months of my university experience were tumultuous, marked by a deep emotional struggle as I adjusted to the significant life change.
watching the transformation of 16 incoming students, 67 devoted Teaches and 300 first-year Con-Eddies was a treasured gift. Their growth and enthusiasm were the very heartbeat of ConEd Orientation 2023, and their journeys left an indelible mark on me.
At its heart, Queen’s Fall Orientation is a tapestry of diverse individuals woven together by a shared sense of purpose and connection. This sense of community is not merely a byproduct, but the very essence of what makes Fall Orientation so transformative.
Orientation is more than a series of activities—it’s a manifestation of a collective dedication to excellence and learning. The roles I undertook as Head Teach demanded not only hard work but also a deep-seated passion for creating meaningful experiences. The commitment to delivering exceptional Orientation programs drove me to push my limits, to innovate, and to strive for excellence in every detail.
The experience was a continual cycle of learning and growth. I was immersed in an environment where excellence was the norm, not
development. The myriad of challenges I faced provided invaluable opportunities to stretch my capabilities and broaden my perspectives.
However, the most significant personal growth has not stemmed from the logistical or operational tasks but from guiding others. Leading
these elements—the bonds we form, the dedication we bring to our work, and the growth we achieve along the way.
Sitting on the foot of my bed on that Saturday in June, I closed my journal and reflected on my time at Queen’s thus far, realizing the cluttered room and the dreams written long ago were not just remnants of the past but
In the end, the transformative magic of Queen’s Fall Orientation is a reminder the pursuit of fulfillment and belonging isn’t a
members who inspire this meticulous work. The intricate planning, the precision required
needed to design engaging
The orientation
own passion for education and leadership, that demonstrating can transform routine tasks into extraordinary accomplishments. The commitment to excellence instilled during Fall Orientation
The personal growth I’ve to becoming Orientation Roundtable (ORT) Coordinator stands as the most of my transformative testament to the program’s impact on personal
every panicked phone call or text message and every moment spent laughing and crying with Orientation Executives, I’ve experienced the most beautiful journey of friendship and leadership. These connections and shared experiences have enriched my life beyond measure, making every challenge and triumph a cherished part of this remarkable adventure.
Somewhere between painting coveralls, building events from scratch, operating a 10 foot U-Haul, liaising with University administration and stakeholders, and managing a budget of $630,000, I’ve found peers who inspire me, a community that uplifts me, and a home that continually opens new doors to personal growth and leadership development.
As I reflect on my journey, it becomes clear Queen’s Fall Orientation has been a crucible for personal and professional growth. It has provided a framework for understanding the true essence of community, the importance of passion in pursuing excellence, and the profound impact of personal development. The experience has taught me true fulfillment lies in the intersection of
solitary journey but a shared experience enriched by the people we meet, the passions we cultivate, and the growth we achieve. It’s a journey that shapes us, uplifts us, and leaves us forever changed for the better.
With just 37 days until Fall Orientation 2024 begins, I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of emotion as I anticipate the new journey that await. The thought of welcoming over 5000 incoming students to Queen’s University, each one about to be embraced by an Orientation experience that promises warmth and lasting connection, fills me with profound gratitude. I’m so fortunate I get to be part of creating such a special moment in their lives.
Want to write a postscript? Email Journal_postscript@ams.queensu.ca for more details.
Maddie reflects