The Queen's Journal, Volume 145, Issue 21

CROSSWORDS are back,

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the journal Vol. 145, Issue 21

Queen’s University

F r i d ay F e b r u a r y 9 , 2 0 1 8

since

1873

Winter Wonderland on Campus

PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

University Street in February.

Incoming AMS executive discusses Special Assembly experience, moving forward

After being appointed in an unprecedented seven-hour-long Special Assembly, next year’s AMS executive-elect have begun their three-month transition period leading up to May 1. Team MLM sat down with The Journal to talk about their experiences and what comes next.

Team MLM is comprised of

President-elect Miguel Martinez, Vice-President-elect (University Affairs) Munro Watters and Vice-President-elect (Operations) Liam Tharp.

Martinez said the 24 hours leading up to the Special Assembly were focused on preparation. “Even at that time, our team hadn’t fully come together so it was a lot of learning about each other and how to work together,” he said.

“All the preparation leading up to the Assembly was so much

in one day. Talking to people, getting insight and getting support from various different people.

The assembly itself, it was a bit nerve-racking for me I would say,” he said.

Watters called the Special Assembly “easily the scariest thing I have every done in my life, but also the coolest.”

“I realize now that not a lot of people recognized the fact that we were put in a holding room together and it was really fun, being able to

interact with ACS and TMZ outside of that environment,” Watters said.

“That was a fun dynamic which helped ease the tension at 2 a.m.”

Martinez said following the Special Assembly, the team “took the weekend” to process what happened and “take a step back.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” Martinez said.

When asked why Team MLM was only team not to meet with current AMS President Jennifer Li before the assembly, Watters explained “because of our involvement with other campaigns during that time, it was not until less than 24 hours before that we came together as a team.”

“Since we were confident in our prior knowledge of the positions and due to the limited time that was available to us, we decided that it would be best to solidify our team dynamic and prepare for the Special Assembly,” she continued.

When asked about his experience at the Special Assembly, Tharp raised the issue of transparency. During the

NEWS

FEATURE

OPINIONS

SPORTS

SGPS election is nullified,

Rap music’s impact on campus

Former AMS Presidents urge

Caroline Livingston

student body to support

returns to hardwood after invisible illness

JDUC fee

three month injury

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Team MLM sat down with The Journal this week for a comprehensive post-appointment interview I ain S herriff S cott J asnit P abla Journal Staff

and

decision to go to assembly

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What’s Inside?

@queensjournal

@queensjournal

meeting, Sci ’18 Representative Ryan Cattrysse pushed back on the proposed secret ballot and the ban on electronics throughout the proceedings.

“I really did appreciate Ryan Cattryse’s comments at the beginning. A lot of people thought he was talking too much, but I really appreciated that he did want to make it as transparent as possible,” he said. “He wanted to make sure everyone was held accountable.”

Martinez added “it was very important for Ryan Cattrysse to stand up and challenge the process and challenge the fact that it was going to be a secret ballot.”

When asked about Team MLM’s next steps, Martinez said, “this past week has been focusing on pushing out hiring. Round one hiring is this weekend, so a lot of people who want to apply for student positions have been reaching out and it has been focusing on hiring,” he said. “After round one hiring, we’re going to get more into specific portfolios for transitioning.”

LIFESTYLE

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JUSTICE KING

Living with an

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2 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 9, 2018

ELECTIONS

ResSoc team fails to secure vote of confidence in uncontested election

Loss comes after disqualification and reinstatement last week Shivani Gonzalez Lifestlye Editor

PHOTO BY NICOLE LANGFIELD

The SGPS offices in the JDUC.

After they were disqualified and reinstated, Residence Society’s uncontested Team FAM was given a second election period. However, the team proved to be unsuccessful, as they failed to secure the necessary votes of confidence.

Team FAM consists of Presidential candidate Andrea Colasanti, ArtSci ’19, Vice-President of Residential Affairs candidate Jane Mao, ArtSci ’20, and Vice-President of Judicial Affairs candidate Kyesha Fong, ArtSci ’20.

SGPS presidential election results “ nullified by Judicial Committee President Adam Grotsky calls on committee to justify the nullification

Iain Sherriff-Scott Assistant News Editor

per cent of the vote.

In response to the Judicial Committee’s decision, current SGPS President Adam Grotsky released a statement addressing the nullification.

Given 4,554 people were eligible to vote, the team needed at least 455 votes to secure a vote of confidence. The team narrowly missed the mark, receiving 453.

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For team FAM to win, they needed at least 10 per cent of the population to vote “yes” in their second election period on Feb. 6 and 7. Given 4,554 people were eligible to vote, the team needed at least 455 votes to secure a vote of confidence. The team narrowly missed the mark, receiving 453.

The loss comes after the team’s Feb. 1 disqualification by the Residence Society (ResSoc) elections team and subsequent

In a statement released Feb. 7, the SGPS Judicial Committee announced the nullification of the Presidential election results. The committee said in the statement, While I accept the “no other election or referenda authority of the SGPS questions are affected by Judicial Committee to this decision.” nullify the results of the The Judicial Committee presidential election, I recommended the SGPS Council should “appoint either Stephanie do not accept its lack of McKnight or Tyler Morrison as the transparency. incoming SGPS President at the February 13th Council meeting.”

— Adam Grotsky, In their statement, the Judicial SGPS President Committee said each voting SGPS Councillor shall have one vote, “The SGPS relies on the as per SGPS policy. McKnight separation of powers between and Morrison will participate the executive, judicial and in a 45-minute debate, followed legislative branches of our immediately by a secret ballot vote. organization — such a system The candidate who provides indispensable checks and receives a simple majority balances on power,” Grotsky wrote. of votes will be named the “While I accept the authority of the president-elect, “subject SGPS Judicial Committee to nullify to subsequent ratification the results of the presidential

by SGPS Council at that election, I do not accept its lack same meeting.” of transparency.”

“Both McKnight and Morrison have taken a leave of absence from SGPS Council cannot their current SGPS Vice President act as both judge roles until the Council meeting. and jury.

Additionally, no campaigning will occur by either candidate — Adam Grotsky, during this time, apart from SGPS President participation in the debate,” the statement continued.

“A decision that throws aside On Jan. 31, The Journal reported the will of the student body, that Stephanie McKnight had in an election that saw the ResSoc Team FAM. received 52.5 per cent of the vote Society’s highest voter turnout and was elected President of the on record, must be accompanied SGPS. McKnight beat out opponent by a justification of that decision,” Grotsky then called on the Tyler Morrison, who received 47.5 he continued. committee to release an updated statement with a full explanation of the circumstances which led to the decision. He further noted the Judicial Committee is comprised of seven members of the SGPS Council, meaning their decision to have Council select the next

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reinstatement by the AMS Judicial Committee.

Maddie Perrault, the interim CEO who made the decision to disqualify team FAM, told The Journal that, “on Saturday, February 3, the AMS Judicial Committee resolved the issues surrounding the previous ResSoc executive election by rendering it void and declaring a new election be held this week.”

According to AMS Secretary Neil Sengupta, Team FAM was disqualified by the ResSoc CEO for “reproachful conduct.”

ResSoc bylaw 8.7.2 indicates that “no candidate shall engage in campaigning which is based on reproachful strategy.” Bylaw 8.10.1 further notes that “any violation of this policy, as determined by the CEO, may result in the disqualification of the offending candidate or team of candidates.”

Specifically ResSoc “believed the team to be threatening and harassing.

”

— Neil Sengupta, AMS Secretary

“Specifically ResSoc believed the team to be threatening and harassing,” Sengupta wrote in an email to The Journal.

Following this, Team FAM was allowed to appeal to the AMS Judicial Committee (J. Comm) on the basis that they didn’t believe

their strategy was reproachful and through questioning the ambiguity of the term “reproachful.”

“They appealed on the grounds that their correspondence with the ResSoc CEO was, in fact, above reproach,” Sengupta wrote.

The committee found no evidence that Team FAM’s behaviour was in violation of the bylaws “given the stress of an election period,” Sengupta noted.

The behaviour was deemed non-threatening by J. Comm and they overturned the disqualification.

With this ruling, the previous ResSoc election period was nullified and Team FAM is now allowed to run in the new election.

ResSoc must appoint a new CEO prior to beginning a new Election.

The Judicial Committee stipulated a one-day campaign period, followed by two days of voting.

“As a point of information, oftentimes the AMS will oversee faculty society elections in instances like this. However, as ResSoc is not a faculty society, and instead a separate corporation, the AMS Elections team is unable to oversee their elections,” Sengupta wrote. “The only reason that ResSoc can appeal to the AMS J.Comm is that it is explicitly stated in their bylaws.”

Going forward, ResSoc will hold a general assembly to figure out the next steps.

“Per our bylaws, there will be a General Assembly on Sunday Feb. 11,” Roseman told The Journal.

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PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

president “blurs the line between their support.” judicial and legislative branches.”

Additionally, Grotsky wrote he “SGPS Council cannot act as “will not tolerate the harassment” both judge and jury,” Grotsky of his peers, though it was unclear wrote. “At the start of the February who he was referring to. “The 13. Council meeting, I will call for behavior and conduct that I have a by-election to be held between witnessed is not acceptable and Stephanie McKnight and Tyler does not reflect the student body I Morrison, and I urge Council for am proudly a part of.”

News

Friday, February 9, 2018

queensjournal.ca • 3

STUDENT LEADER AWARDS

Six students receive Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award Award recognizes distinguished service, character and leadership

From left to right: Asha Gordon, Emilio Frometa, Hana Chaudhury, Alexandra Palmeri, Max Garcia and Adam Grotsky.

Maureen O’Reilly News Editor On Feb. 5, six students received the Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award — the highest tribute paid to a student for their valuable and distinguished leadership at the University.

Each year, a selection committee made up of students from a variety of faculties and backgrounds are tasked with reviewing nomination packages.

Alumni, faculty and students can nominate a Queen’s student they feel has demonstrated exceptional service through non-athletic, extracurricular activities.

Asha Gordon, ArtSci ’18

Since the very beginning of her time at Queen’s, Gordon has been involved with the Queen’s Black Academic Society (QBAS), starting as a first-year intern. She then worked as an administrator, vice-president and now holds the position of QBAS president.

In addition, Gordon serves on the Board of Directors for the Levana Gender Advocacy Centre and has had extensive involvement with the Queen’s alumni office.

Notably, she worked to establish the Queen’s Black Alumni Chapter (QBAC), which was officially formed in June 2017.

According to Gordon, co-founding QBAC was her favourite experience from undergrad. “[At the alumni office] I got to see how meaningful it is for alumni to come back not only to relive the memories of their adolescence but also to make new memories and connections,” Gordon said.

“But I also noticed … there was definitely a gap there between alumni who wanted to come back and alumni who didn’t have the best experience because of the homogeneous nature of Queen’s.”

When she first heard she’d won the award, she was grateful for the support from her peers who nominated her.

“When I heard that I had got the award, I just thought about the people who had nominated me and the fact that they saw the award description — t h ey saw character, service, leadership — and thought of me,” she said. “It was so gratifying thinking of those relationships.”

In the future, Gordon hopes students who have attended QBAC

and QBAS events will continue to have confidence in their ability to affect change on campus.

Emilio Frometa, ArtSci ’17/MA ’18

During both his undergraduate and graduate studies, Frometa founded the Kingston Autism Mentorship Program, which pairs student athletes with children in the community with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The program has worked to make sporting events — like Queen’s basketball games — more accessible to those with ASD by creating sensory-safe zones for viewing. Frometa has also visited schools in the community to speak to students about the importance of literacy and education in overcoming adversity.

Now that he’s preparing to leave campus, he has been working on passing the program off to new leadership.

“I think we’ve become the premier program in the city for families and I don’t want that to stop,” Frometa said. “Moving forward, my goal is to have the program at every university in Ontario to start.”

With plans to watch the program grow, Frometa now reflects on all the relationships he’s fostered with his volunteers and the families involved in the program, as well as with his peers at Queen’s.

It’s warming that “there’s good people

around me and in the Queen’s community, and this award is … a testament to that.

year, she sat on the Principal’s Implementation Committee for Racism, Diversity and Inclusion (PICRDI) and worked to rewrite QIAA’s sexual harassment policies, introducing bystander intervention training.

Currently, Chaudhury works as a marketing and research manager for the AMS. However, it’s her work on PICRDI that she specifically hopes to see carried on.

“I hope [to see] the work I did in PICRDI … actually enacted and change the lives of students in the next couple of years,” Chaudhury said. “Hopefully it outlines specific strategies that push the administration to complete [recommendations] and gives enough power to student leaders on campus to be able to advocate with clear plans and implementation strategies.”

Upon receiving the award, Chaudhury said she was honoured mainly for being recognized by her peers.

“I’m just really humbled and honoured that my peers felt that I was deserving of the award and to nominate me,” she said.

“The reward has been in all the people who have reached out to me afterwards.”

I’m just really “ humbled and honoured that my peers felt that I was deserving of the award and to nominate me.

”

— Hana Chaudhury, Comm ’18

While Chaudhury hopes student leaders will continue advocacy efforts in the future, she also hopes to see the University — Emilio Frometa, take tangible action towards ArtSci ’17/MA ’18 addressing pressing issues facing Queen’s.

“I think the biggest honour “I’d really like to see the about the award is it’s a reflection University take real action of the people I keep around me,” on … anti-racism, sexual violence he said. “It’s warming that there’s and a host of other issues that good people around me and in students have worked tirelessly to the Queen’s community, and this advocate for,” Chaudhury said. “I award is … a testament to that.” would like to see equal response and responsibility taken by the Hana Chaudhury, Comm ’18 administration in years forward to make this an inclusive space Over the past four years, for everybody.”

Chaudhury has been involved with a variety of student bodies, Adam Grotsky, Law ’19 including Queen’s International Affairs Association (QIAA), Queen’s In his seven years at Queen’s, Female Leadership in Politics Grotsky has held several student conference and the AMS. Last government positions, including

”

being the ASUS Academic Affairs Commissioner and the ASUS President in 2014-15. Now in law school, Grotsky serves as President of the Society of Graduate and Professional Students.

Upon hearing he’d won the Tricolour award, Grotsky said it was “certainly humbling.”

“There’s so many students every year who do absolutely incredible things, many of whom are worthy [of this award],” he said. “It was great to receive the award, but for me the best part about it was the messages after from people who I haven’t spoken to in a long time … and many of those students who reached out to me also could’ve got the award.”

In the future, Grotsky hopes the University’s leaders will continue to empower students to pursue their passions.

“I think it’s easy for someone to look at me as someone who’s had the title of president and recognize contributions to the community,” he said. “But what I’ve found in my seven years here is that the real passion and the real commitment and accomplishments are done by ordinary students who don’t feel the need to have a title and are able to make really significant contributions in the way that means most to them.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOSH GRANOVSKY

community … it’s been so overwhelming,” she said. “I think I speak for all of us when I say we have the utmost gratitude to every student, faculty member and alumni who put the time into sharing a little bit about our stories and put forward a nomination package in the first place.”

Having such an “outpouring of love

and support from the community ... it’s been so overwhelming.

”

— Alexandra Palmeri, Nursing ’18

Max Garcia, CompSci ’18

Garcia’s extracurricular involvement at Queen’s began in his first year, when he served as representative for the Computing Students’ Association (COMPSA).

He then served as the society’s Academic Affairs Commissioner and as COMPSA president in 2015-16.

Throughout his degree, Garcia has also been involved with the campus CFRC radio station as a volunteer host and in residences as a don and residence facilitator. He served as Alexandra Palmeri, Nursing ’18 the AMS Media Services Director in 2016-17, and is currently the In her own words, Palmeri has President of the Queen’s Student “been involved with the Nursing Alumni Association.

Science Society (NSS) for as many Though Garcia said he was days as humanly possible in [her] honoured to receive the award, undergraduate career.” Indeed, he believes his friends and peers Palmeri’s involvement began in were in fact happier for him than first year as an intern with the NSS. he was himself.

She then served as the society’s “Humbling is the perfect word Academics and Career Coordinator [to describe winning],” Garcia before serving three full terms as said. “I think there was a lot of NSS President. people happier for me than I was Though Palmeri has been for myself [because] the things I’ve involved in various committees been involved in I haven’t done and initiatives throughout her to get an award — I did them time at Queen’s, she said her because I enjoyed them.” biggest achievement has been In the future, Garcia hopes her “commitment to being an students will continue to find on-the-ground student leader.” ways to get involved in the “Meeting one-on-one with as Queen’s community outside many students as I can over the the classroom. course of my degree [has] certainly “I think fostering a sense of been for me the most fulfilling involvement for the students and part of my role and the thing letting them know that [they] I’ll remember the most,” can get involved in whatever Palmeri said. they want to do is important,” Palmeri called winning the he said. “There’s something Tricolour award a “humbling and out there for them, and it’s beautiful experience.” worth their time and “Having such an outpouring their talent.” of love and support from the

News

4 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 9, 2018

‘For the Culture’

Ale event raises money for Black Business Professionals Association ‘For the Culture’ was advertised entirely on Facebook.

Jasnit Pabla Assistant News Editor To kick off Black History Month, Ale House hosted its first ever ‘For the Culture’ event to celebrate Black culture and history as well as raise $2,000 for Black student scholarships.

The event took place on Feb. 1 after being advertised throughout that week by two members of the Queen’s Football Team, Nelkas Kwemo, Sci ’18, and Marquis Richards, ArtSci ’19.

“The idea behind celebrating was that we know there’s a lot of seriousness that comes out of Black History Month and there will be lots of serious moments regarding [Martin Luther King Jr.’s] speech, activist movements and civil rights, but we just wanted to shed light on that and celebrate,” Kwemo said.

Both employees at Ale House, Kwemo and Richards credited the management there with the initial idea for the event and spearheaded the logistics thereafter.

years and had them use their social media outlets to market our tickets and talk about the event as much as possible,” Kwemo said.

“They had a stake in this too because they wanted this to be successful, they are Black students as well so they see the importance of shedding light on this event.”

The $2,000 raised from the event was given to the Black Business Professionals Association (BBPA) to increase funding for scholarships for Black students.

According to their website, BBPA is a “non-profit, charitable organization that addresses equity and opportunity for the Black community in business, employment, education and economic development.”

The idea to donate directly to the BBPA came from Kwemo’s past experience with the organization.

“It’s an organization that I found out about because my brother is a recipient of a scholarship here at Queen’s for Black people,” he said. He felt it would be a “good time to raise money through this event and donate it and see this event come full circle.

For and back to Black businesses.”

thought we could get “ [W]e We want to see more Black behind this and make “ individuals in institutions it successful. like this pursuing their ” academic goals and be able to — Marquis Richards, ArtSci ’19

“Some of the owners were thinking if Ale House stood behind the idea of supporting the Black community by making an event and having T-shirts, it would send a good message,” Kwemo said. “I called Marquis up and told him this was something we could do together with our influence and our capacity of organization, we thought we could get behind this and make it successful.”

To market the idea, the two reached out to members of the football team as well as their social circles to increase awareness through circulation on social media.

“We talked to our teammates who are younger and have a lot of influence in their

accomplish what they want, not [be] limited by their lack of resources.

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— Marquis Richards, ArtSci ’19

“I had the opportunity to succeed in the academic realm but not everybody from the Black community has that opportunity,” Richards said. “We want to see more Black individuals in institutions like this pursuing their academic goals and be able to accomplish what they want not [be] limited by their lack of resources.”

Reflecting on the night’s turnout, both Richards and Kwemo believe it was

successful despite the restricted amount of time they had to advertise the event.

“We had the cumulative sum of people step through Ale that night [reach] 400 to 500 people,” Kwemo said. “If we had marketing for a whole three or four days we may have been able to sell the whole bar. With that being said, with what we had, it was a success.”

“I do think it was a success,” Richards added. “But it was also the first time we’ve

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY NELKAS KWEMO.

ever done this. We always wish for the success in that it’ll be enough to bring the event back next year. We’re just hoping for bigger and better.”

Both wished to extend their appreciation to members of the football team, and peers who helped advertise the event.

“I appreciate the Ale House management and owners, and for them to stand behind what we stand for it sets a good example for everyone else,” Kwemo said.

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News

Friday, February 9, 2018

ELECTIONS

Volume 146 Journal Editors-in-Chief elected Nick Pearce and Sebastian Bron “ready to serve students”

Iain Sherriff-Scott Assistant News Editor On Feb. 8, Nick Pearce and Sebastian Bron were elected the next Editors-in-Chief of The Journal, Volume 146. After an uncontested election period, the team secured the vote of confidence by a margin of 33 to three.

The vote saw a 66.7 per cent electorate turnout.

After the election results were announced, Editor-in-Chief-elect Nick Pearce told The Journal he’s “humbled and honoured to have the opportunity to represent the student body in this capacity.”

about stepping outside “yourIt’scomfort zone and that’s what I’m doing right now. ” — Sebastian Bron Volume 146 Editor-in-Chief-elect

“Both Seb and I are incredibly dedicated and fulfilled,” Pearce said. “The rush hasn’t worn off yet.”

Editor-in-Chief-elect Sebastian Bron said, “I want to thank the whole staff, I want to thank Joe, I want to thank Meg and I want to thank Nick. We’re very excited for this opportunity.”

“I’m ready to take on this position,” Bron said. He added he would “ride or die for this paper. I will take it to my grave.”

At the Editor-in-Chief open forum on Feb. 6, Pearce said the former Editors-in-Chief “saw a 19 year old and

took a chance on me. They taught me work ethic, how to tell stories and how to be

to take on this “ I’m ready position. ”

— Sebastian Bron,

passionate about something.”

Bron added at the forum, “it’s about stepping outside your comfort zone and that’s what I’m doing right now.”

Volume 145 Editor-in-Chief Joseph Cattana said, “we’re really excited for them. They’ve shown a lot of promise and we’re ready for them to take The Journal to the next step. We’re ready to pass the torch to the next generation.”

“After a long elections season, the rush is finally over,” Cattana said.

a long elections “ After season, the rush is finally over. ”

— Joseph Cattana Volume 145 Editor-in-Chief

Volume 145 Managing Editor Meg Glover said, “Joe and I have had the chance to see both Nick and Seb grow over the course of this year. We’re really proud of them for getting to this point and we know The Journal is in good hands.”

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Friday, February 9, 2018

Features IN-DEPTH STORIES FROM AROUND CAMPUS AND IN THE COMMUNITY

Rap provides outlet for students on campus Roundtable discussion focuses on racial issues tied to music Queen’s rap community continues to bring students together, despite the changing social climate on campus.

Jasnit Pabla Assistant News Editor At Queen’s, the rap and hip-hop scene has created a platform for students to discuss their university experience, specifically from the perspective of racialized students.

Rap music hit mainstream culture in the late 70s and has evolved from a genre based on simple and fun lyricism to appeal to a broad demographic. It has since sprouted to include ‘gangster’ old-school rap that characterized the 90s ‘conscious,’ where a heavier focus is given to the power of lyrics and ‘trap’ and ‘mumble’ rap, generally entertained in party settings with a focus on stronger production.

In today’s politically-charged rap era, notable artists like Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$ and Chance the Rapper have produced albums that speak directly to social and political issues like institutional racism, Trump’s presidency and personal hardship.

On campus, increased engagement with the genre and national news attention to social issues like racism at Queen’s have inspired students. Events such as Queen’s Native Student Association’s (QNSA) ‘Inspiring a Generation Poetry and Hip-Hop Night’ at The Mansion and performances on stage at Clark Hall Pub give student rappers an opportunity to share their art and skills.

The Journal sat down with local rappers Steven Wu, ConEd ’18, Sateya Defreitas, ArtSci ’20, and Ale House DJ Kenny Fuentes, Kin ’17, for a roundtable discussion about rap on campus, its reception from the student body and the implications it has with respect to student issues.

When looking at her music, Defreitas said themes of racial issues are present in the majority of her songs. Not only is this a product of her personal life, but also her experience as a Black woman on campus. In her song ‘I’m Still Me,’ she raps “mix determination, a little bit of segregation, got the power to run the nation.”

Defreitas told The Journal that rap has always been an important form of expression for her.

“It was kind of just to get my emotions out,” she said. “I was a hostile kid and it was just a way of telling people [about] me.”

By engaging with rap, Defreitas said she’s found a space where she can explore herself and release any frustrations she has.

“For me, I feel like it’s a step outside of my identity because when people see me,

they see me as this cute girl, but when they hear my lyrics, I have a lot of punchlines and disses,” she said.

Similar to Defreitas, local rapper Steven Wu cites one of his major inspirations for engaging in rap as being the racial issues and experiences he’s had on Queen’s campus. His interest in rap music began as a teenager, but seriously sprouted upon entering university.

was kind of just to get my “Itemotions out,” she said. “I was a hostile kid and it was just a way of telling people [about] me.

”

“In the beginning, I thought this wasn’t a big deal, but after a while you hear more of these stories,” he said, speaking directly to a Journal story published three weeks ago titled “Getting Jumped at Queen’s for being Asian.” “It starts to make you feel like you aren’t a part of the community and you have to do your own thing.”

Describing his transition into rap, Wu said his “anger then manifested into rap but has now become about loving the music and expressing [himself].”

Not only has Wu had his own experiences with racist micro-aggressions on campus, but he’s also heard increasingly disturbing stories from friends of racialized communities on campus during his time at Queen’s.

“My friends who are minorities tell me stories too, and tell me they don’t like how administration is dealing with the issues around racism. I feel like it’s an issue that’s not talked about and if they can, they’ll push it to the side. It’s like, even this council [Queen’s University Council on Anti-Racism and Equity (UCARE)] that was made — I haven’t heard of what they’re doing at all.”

For Wu, the raw aspect of rap as a form of expression makes it a powerful mechanism in mainstream culture.

“The biggest topics right now being racism, police brutality and Trump, I feel like through rap it’s easier to express yourself.

Some people don’t even listen to the lyrics initially, but end up spreading the message after having listened a couple of times and learned the lyrics,” he said.

Speaking to rap’s power to influence the social climate, Kenny Fuentes said songs like American rapper and songwriter Logic’s powerful song “1-800-273-8255”, can

catch listeners off-guard with their deeper implications. From him, songs like this can promote positive messages to the student body by allowing “people to find comfort through how relatable the artists’ struggles and emotions are.”

As a DJ for Ale House’s ‘Hip-Hop Night’, Fuentes told the group he’d come to see a visible change in the way students interacted with the genre.

“I’m seeing that people are more engaged,” he said. “And sometimes I’ll mute the music and let people sing or rap along, so with Nelly you hear the ‘hey!’, and with Drake’s ‘God’s Plan,’ everyone is rapping along. Definitely since I’ve started [DJing at Ale], you can see a huge wave of people engaging and listening to the music.”

Fuentes said rap is everwhere. “You can’t go anywhere without it being what someone is listening to or being part of what they wear,” he said. “The biggest thing you’ll see is people wearing [Kanye West’s] shoes and embracing sneaker culture, because that is part of hip-hop culture too. You can’t step away without the brands following you.”

that people are “I’m seeing more engaged, ”

As rap continues to gain prominence at Queen’s, campus groups like QNSA have supported open mic nights to generate more attention to student rappers and their distinct messages. But outside the confines of campus, two Queen’s students channelled the power of rap music to kick off Black History Month at Ale House.

On the eve of Feb. 1, Ale hosted its first ‘For the Culture’ event to initiate a month of history, triumph and celebration.

can’t go anywhere “You without it being what

someone is listening to or being part of what you wear.

”

Organized by Nelkas Kwemo, Sci ’18, and Marquis Richards, ArtSci ’19, the event sought to create a space for Black culture to be celebrated in an accessible way.

“This was an event to celebrate the start of Black History Month. We were saying we’re going to have music that

GRAPHIC BY JOSH GRANOVSKY

represents Black culture and we’re going to have some images displayed on the wall during the event that activists are in,” Kwemo said. “Anything that represents Black people.”

The event featured rap and hip-hop music from prominent Black artists to celebrate Black culture and recognize the issues facing Black students today.

I had the opportunity to “succeed in the academic

realm but not everybody has that opportunity.

”

“I had the opportunity to succeed in the academic realm, but not everybody from the Black community has that opportunity,” Richards said. “We want to see more Black individuals in institutions like this pursuing their academic goals and be able to accomplish what they want not limited by their lack of resources.”

According to adjunct lecturer at Queen’s School of Music, Robb MacKay, the use of rap and hip-hop to support racialized communities on campus aligns with the power music genres have to speak to social issues.

“We’ve seen hip-hop address race, gender, homophobia, social justice, addiction, domestic violence, and fighting for one’s ‘right to party,’” MacKay wrote in an email to The Journal. “There are those trying to use the music as a social vehicle and there are those who use it as an escapist vehicle. And, of course, there are many artists who do all of those things at once.”

He also wrote the “progression of maturity” that rap has followed has allowed it to “come from relative obscurity, in the streets of Manhattan, to become a worldwide phenomenon.”

“Any genre to which people pay attention can have effects. Whether an artist’s intention is about social change or simply about entertainment, or some combination of both, we know that these intentions exist in many, many musical forms,” he said.

“Music can be a catalyst for change.

Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar have released music in the era of ‘Black Lives Matter’ that has reinforced the social justice push from hip-hop.”

Friday, February 9, 2018

queensjournal.ca

EDITORIALS

The Journal’s Perspective

•7

THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL

We don’t need ‘Lady-Friendly’ Doritos

Volume 145 Issue 21 www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal Publishing since 1873

Editorial Board

Joseph Cattana Meg Glover

Editor in Chief Managing Editor

Maureen O’Reilly

News Editor Assistant News Editors

Sarina Grewal Iain Sherriff-Scott Jasnit Pabla

Features Editors

Alex Palermo

Editorials Editor

Ashley Rhamey

Opinions Editor

Caleigh Castiglione

Brigid Goulem

In a time where gender inequality is in sharp focus, it’s ridiculous of the CEO of Pepsi-Co, Indra Nooyi, to propose women need a different kind of chip to appeal to them.

In a Freakonomics interview that has since gone viral, Nooyi alluded to the possibility of Pepsi-Co, which owns Doritos, to create a chip for women.

According to Nooyi, women “don’t like to crunch too loudly in public. And they don’t lick their fingers generously and they don’t like to pour the little broken pieces and the flavor into their mouth.” As a result, she offered the possibility of creating a chip that’s “low-crunch,” leaves less residue on fingers and can fit in a purse specifically marketed to women.

Sadly enough, Nooyi is touching on something omnipresent in women’s lives: a pressure to be neater, quieter and inconspicuous in public. Nooyi didn’t invent this problem, but she isn’t advocating to solve it either.

Instead, she and Pepsi-Co proposed a chip that exploits this socialized insecurity. Instead of asking why women feel

M eredith Wilson -S mith

PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

Social advocacy extends from playlist to poster

pressured to eat quietly and take up less space, they intended to find a way to cash-in on that problem.

There are ways to improve a product without relying on gender stereotypes. The issue people took with Indra, Doritos and Pepsi-Co wasn’t that they had a plan to make a quieter, cleaner chip.

Rather, it was their plan to market this chip solely to women and perpetuate the unequal social pressures they already feel.

Corporations like Pepsi-Co have a long history of using gendered marketing to turn a profit. While men are pushed hyper-masculine versions of regular products, women are given softer, pastel-coloured versions of the same thing. Present in Bic ‘For Her’ pens, razors and Dove for Men, corporations routinely use socialized insecurities to market their products.

What makes the Lady-Doritos situation even What do XXXTentacion and Chuck Close have in common? Not only have they both been accused of sexual violence, but both have devoted fans who continue to consume their work.

Actions matter. Buying into art created by harmful people legitimizes the behaviour of the artist. Advocating for those impacted by abuse is a full-time job. If you claim to do so, that responsibility extends to the media you consume.

Chris Brown abused Rihanna.

Woody Allen allegedly abused his daughter. We all know about Harvey Weinstein’s violent behaviour. Quentin Tarantino has further admitted he was aware of Weinstein’s behaviour and did nothing to stop it. Does that diminish the art they create? In an age of social enlightenment, yes it does.

Although you may convince your friends you ‘like the song, not the artist,’ when you stream Chris Brown’s “Loyal,” you’re doing nothing to stop the record label that pays and supports him.

more concerning is that Indra Nooyi herself is a powerful woman pushing a sexist marketing scheme.

Having women in powerful positions clearly isn’t going to completely solve sexism and misogyny, but holding those that attempt to exploit it accountable just might.

Through social media, the ‘Lady-Doritos’ story was shared, retweeted, joked about and even made into memes by thousands of people. It’s encouraging to know that while companies like Pepsi-Co can still have terrible ideas about gender

stereotypes, they’re no longer accepted by the public. Dorito-gate may not have solved the world’s issues with gendered marketing, but it does demonstrate a turning tide in public opinion of it, which is an important beginning.

— Journal Editorial Board

Nick Pearce

Arts Editor Assistant Arts Editor

Clayton Tomlinson Sebastian Bron

Sports Editor

Matt Scace

Assistant Sports Editor

Shivani Gonzalez

Lifestyle Editor Assistant Lifestyle Editor

Josh granovsky

Julia Balakrishnan

Photo Editor Assistant Photo Editor

Nicole Langfield

Video Editor

Max Silverberg

Assistant Video Editor

Amelia Rankine

Editorial Illustrator

Stephanie Jiang Rebecca Frost

Graphics Editor Copy Editors

Meredith Wilson-Smith Ejaz Thawer

Contributing Staff

Contributors

Alex Mikell

Nour Mazloum Eril Berkok Kanivanan Chinniah Tyler lively Staff Writers and Photographers Josh Malm Allison Williams

Business Staff

Business Manager

Abby Choudhry

Head Sales Representative LeeAnn Sverko Sales Representatives Office Administrator

Robyn McMurdy Kiera Sitzer Faith Villanueva

Want to contribute?

ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHANIE JIANG

Our culture has a history of excusing the behaviour of great artists. Egon Schiele kidnapped a minor, Ezra Pound was antiSemitic and Caravaggio was a murderer. Even Picasso once said, “there are only two kinds of women: goddesses and doormats.”

Art and media are inherently political: they shape public discourse and the values people hold. Being able to ignore the politics ingrained in media isn’t a privilege everybody has. When a person or group is maligned in art, they have no choice but to care. It’s important to stand with them.

This issue is complicated. I’m not suggesting all art created by problematic people should be censored as if it never existed.

Works such as Picasso’s are clearly essential to the artistic canon and human experience.

However, it’s essential to note Picasso’s art is in a different realm than Tarantino’s films. Movies and songs are cheaply and infinitely consumable, where a single painting hangs on a museum wall.

Paying to see an art exhibition has

no impact on a long-dead artist’s finances, while downloading Chris Brown’s songs lines his pockets.

In contemporary cases like with Brown and Tarantino, it’s important not to align yourself with the values they stand for.

When we consume the work of influential artists, we become complicit in the principles and culture they set for us. By paying for and sharing art created by harmful artists, we are legitimizing their behaviour socially and economically.

There are other songs. There are other movies. You’ll still look edgy without that Pulp Fiction poster. If you truly care about and want to advocate for a society that doesn’t accept violence and hatred, that extends to the art you consume.

The next time you hear Chris Brown on your #TBT playlist, you might want to hit fast forward.

Meredith is one of The Journal’s Copy Editors. She’s a second-year politics major.

For information visit: www.queensjournal.ca/contribute or email the Editor in Chief at journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca Contributions from all members of the Queen’s and Kingston community are welcome. The Journal reserves the right to edit all submissions.

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

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

190 University Ave., Kingston, ON, K7L 3P4 Editorial Office: 613-533-2800 Business Office: 613-533-6711 Fax: 613-533-6728 Email: journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca Please address complaints and grievances to the Editor in Chief.

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

Contents © 2018 by The Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of The Journal.

Circulation 3,000

8 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 9, 2018

Opinions

Talking heads

... how are you celebrating Valentine’s Day?

Say yes to the deal of a generation

Former AMS Presidents urge a vote in support of JDUC redevelopment “Waiting for the chocolate to Eril Burkok Allison Williams Kanivanan Chinniah Tyler Lively Contributors On Feb. 12 and 13, all Queen’s students will vote to approve or disapprove a fee to renovate the John Deutsch University Centre.

While we’re no longer part of the student community, this is an important decision that will affect Queen’s for the years to come.

This is your chance to not only redevelop the JDUC, but get a building primarily designed and developed by students, for students.

With that in mind, we’re asking you to vote ‘yes’ on the AMS’ Special Referendum.

Indeed, the AMS has been in negotiations with the University to reach a workable framework for a while. After four years of conversations, the AMS and the SGPS have reached a workable framework that will responsibly transform the JDUC into an accessible and modern student life centre.

As former student leaders, we’ve disagreed with each other a lot. But we do agree that students should vote ‘yes’ to the new JDUC because in doing so, there will be significant positive effects on the student experience that will be A recent Journal article claimed that “Agreeing your organization respects reproductive rights isn’t equal to a pro-choice opinion;” that the required attestation doesn’t threaten individual beliefs.

But “reproductive rights” means access to abortion. The Prime Minister himself said as much; the government which introduced the attestation understands it as pro-choice.

They claims to target only activities, not beliefs or values.

But freedom to believe means little without the freedom to act on beliefs. Would banning the hijab not interfere with the beliefs of Muslims? Are the beliefs of pro-life organizations not threatened, if they are disqualified from funding for acting on those beliefs? According to a recent poll, two-thirds of Canadians oppose third-trimester abortions; 23 per

guaranteed for years to come.

On a practical level, the framework not only puts students in the driver’s seat, it also provides a lot of support from the University as well. With $43 million in both direct and indirect contributions from the University, students aren’t alone in picking up the tab.

This deal allows students to build the student life centre they deserve while receiving substantial support from the University and alumni community. It’s the deal of a generation.

This new building will have 3,200 square feet of club office space — four times more than the current building. One floor alone will feature dedicated rooms for events and will deliver 8,800 square feet of new study space.

These aren’t just desires, they’re needs.

Throughout our terms, these deficiencies were consistently raised by our peers. From Ryerson to McMaster to York and the University of British Columbia, every other university has stepped up to update their student life spaces. If we don’t keep up, it will affect Queen’s ability to attract a new generation of high-quality students and subsequently have direct effects on the

value of our degrees.

When someone first comes to Queen’s, they go through an Orientation Week that’s planned, run and overseen by their fellow peers. Queen’s students are responsible for establishing so much of what we hold dear — from the love for tricolour, to the words of the ‘Oil Thigh’, Queen’s students have been at the forefront of our campus and promote the traditions it wishes to observe.

We understand change isn’t optional. In fact, it’s essential for universities to adapt new realities.

While we accept universities must modernize or be left behind, student input and involvement are typically forgotten.

In 2015, the Richardson Stadium revitalization brought about much-needed modernization.

While long overdue, the project and design of the new stadium weren’t driven by students. As a result, traditions like the halftime parade, field rush and jacket slam were lost in the shuffle, discontinued or substantially altered.

We can debate the merits of those changes, but one fact rings true: when students don’t drive projects, the result will reflect such a lack of involvement.

The framework for the JDUC that was agreed upon by

cent think life should be protected from the moment of conception.

No wonder hundreds of eligible organizations think the attestation threatens their beliefs.

If the government required applicants to tick a box saying that they respected Charter rights or values, pro-life groups would have no complaints. The Morgentaler case, which struck down Canada’s last abortion law, merely found the 1969 abortion regime, with its inequalities of access and onerous delays, to be unconstitutional; even the proudly feminist Justice Wilson did not find that restrictions on abortion as such violated the Charter.

The absence of any legal restriction on abortion in Canada – in which we resemble only North Korea and China – is the result of politicians’ aversion to controversial debates, not of

anything in the Charter. Groups that might wish to remedy this absence can hardly be said not to respect Charter rights.

Pro-lifers believe they are defending the most fundamental right in the Charter — the Section 7 right to life. Scientific consensus suggests that a human life is present from the moment of conception; abortion, then, takes a human life. If our legal definition of human life were based on contemporary science, rather than a 400-year-old misconception, abortion itself would be a flagrant violation of Section 7.

Far from violating Charter rights — more than merely respecting them — pro-life groups believe they are working to promote them. And working within the law to spread their understanding of the right to

the University, AMS and SGPS gives students control over the building’s design. Students won’t only get more study space, modern conference facilities and a more accessible building — they will get a building on their own terms.

As Principal Woolf wrote in his blog, students have shaped our physical campus in the past.

From the iconic Grant Hall to the Queen’s Centre, students have had a long history of providing financial support for capital projects. Plaques commemorating student contributions to the project still stand today.

This is your chance to pay it forward and give the next generation of students the JDUC we deserve. On Feb. 12 and 13, we urge you to vote for change — change that will preserve our traditions, put students in the driver’s seat and deliver a better student life centre for everyone.

go on sale.”

Amanda Attar ArtSci ’19

“Spending a nice candle-lit dinner with my girlfriend.”

David Bath ArtSci ’19

Eril Berkok, AMS President 2013-14. Allison Williams, AMS President 2014-15. Kanivanan Chinniah, AMS President 2015-16. Tyler Lively, AMS President 2016-17.

“We’re having a girls night

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

exec social.”

life is not remotely contrary to the Charter.

That pro-life groups reject the Charter’s rights and values is demonstrably false. To state that the attestation does not interfere with individual beliefsistoignorethemanyvoicesof Canadians — often women, recent immigrants, members of religious or ethnic minorities — who claim it interferes with theirs.

To withhold funding from groups on the basis of their pro-life beliefs is not a simple insistence that basic rights be respected; it is an attempt to influence opinion on a debatable issue, and to reward agreement with the governing party.

Rafe Fernandez, Law ’18

QWE EXECUTIVE- Emily Quimby, Danielle D., Talia Keay

“Spending the night with my girlfriend— we don’t have compatible day schedules.”

Alex Green ArtSci ’18

Friday, February 9, 2018

STUDENT ARTIST

Victoria Kim paints the anxieties of introversion

queensjournal.ca

•9

Arts

Student artist explores isolation of social media C layton T omlinson Assistant Arts Editor For Victoria Kim, painting her feelings has typically been easier than explaining them.

Ever since she was young, Kim, BFA ’18, can remember drawing, doodling and sketching. As a child she said it was one of the few ways she could confidently express herself to others.

As a current fine arts undergrad, Kim’s artistic abilities continue to allow her to digest her daily nerves and emotions. She uses these skills to demonstrate how introverts are left out of society today.

In an interview with The Journal, Kim disclosed how her own discomfort experienced in social situations heavily influences her artwork as she explores her sensory overload.

For this artist, it comes down to one major theme, Kim asks what socializing does to the state of our mental health, whether it’s online or in person.

“I’m really introverted, I don’t have social media, I don’t go out — my whole day is pretty much spent alone … and so this is what [the world] feels like to me,” Kim said, referring to her artwork.

She works to communicate this

introversion in her work, using materials like string and wire to make the piece physically fall off the canvas, symbolically invading the viewer’s space. To Kim, this is what life feels like — even one-dimensional objects like a framed painting can be invasive.

“I want the paintings to take up more space than they were intended to,” Kim said. “I guess what I’m trying do is to have things come out and be a lot — I want to show figures who are overwhelmed too,” Kim said, comparing her work to her own emotions.

In the paintings she’s working on now, Kim peels off edges of the canvas so they extend outwards and occupy more space than a typical framed canvas is meant to.

Kim explained her process of applying paste to the canvas, twisting and rearranging it until it physically juts off of the frame. Now having hardened, the three-dimensional paste works to create the feeling that the paintings are surrounding you.

Kim is pursuing this method on three large canvas pieces she’s currently working on, in a hope to further explore the importance society often places on extroversion.

ALUMNI

Guy Simser’s poetic homecoming Alumnus’ book includes snapshots of Queen’s in the 50s N ick P earce Arts Editor After a globetrotting career with stints in the military, journalism and diplomacy, it was time for Guy Simser to come home.

His 2016 book, She Don’t Mean A Thing If She Ain’t Got That Swing, presents a memoir and poetry

collection both dedicated to his wife and the wide-ranging life they spent together. This also includes poignant snapshots of Queen’s in the ‘50s.

In an interview with The Journal, Simser said the work stemmed from the reflective nostalgia he began to feel as he got older.

“I was closing in on 80 and [when] you go to sleep at night, you look back over things.

Because I had a wide variety of experiences over three continents, I thought I’d just write something about it,” he said.

Growing up in then-Fort William, Ontario, Simser first explored the world through magazines— periodicals like Life, Weekend and Liberty were staples of

Though far from completion, these works are all dense, layered canvases, featuring mainly warm blues, reds and yellows hemmed in on all sides of the painting by darker shades.

As Kim pointed out, she starts by painting her initial strokes several times over, making it look like the darkness is radiating off the pieces in the painting. This is because the darkness only partly covers up the light in some places.

This technique works to reflect Kim’s own concerns of being self-conscious in social situations.

She said art is the only way she feels like she can accurately communicate this feeling.

Before she goes on to pursue an MFA after graduation, Kim explained her desire to explore her roots so she could better express her heritage through her art.

“I’m half-Korean and it’s a part of myself that I’ve always wanted to talk about,” she said. Kim’s dad was born in Korea but emigrated at a young age. his childhood.

It wasn’t until he came to Queen’s for a general arts degree that he felt himself begin to really grow, despite not being a “top student.” Simser added his Queen’s career was like his professional one — “a little bit of everything.”

“That’s the great thing about university,” he said. “Particularly when you’re from a small town in northern Ontario, the world suddenly opens in front of your eyes.”

He remembers the “raucous” football trains that would go to Montreal and Toronto, where he “got to meet a lot of people up and down the train.”

More than that, attending Queen’s proved to be a formative period of Simser’s life that would go on to influence his later works as a writer.

Simser reminisced about watching Professor George Wally’s poetry readings held at the school, rapt by the professor’s Oxford-inflected English accent that lent the poetry added effect.

He said the readings had “something that echoes right into you. Not academic stuff — that’s the feeling.”

As Simser calls it, this “feeling” is a recurring theme in his work.

While his books tend to draw on history and cultural observation over the course of his wide-ranging travels, he said his poetry captures something other styles of writing just can’t quite satisfy.

More than the recitation of events, it’s the feeling and reactions to them that count in his poetry.

Kim’s workspace.

PHOTOS BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

Kim expressed her hope of getting in touch with this side she felt somewhat disconnected from by returning to Korea for a few years to teach English. “I don’t really feel like I have a right to say anything because I don’t really know anything about that side of myself,” she added.

Kim believes that people who are less outgoing often have

difficulty finding comfort in today’s highly-connected society. Referring back to the connection between her introverted personality and her three-dimensional artwork, Kim said, “In the end, everything becomes a lot and the figure is fighting with the space as much as the things in the space itself.”

“I just write what comes to me. And if it pleases the listener or reader and if it creates an emotional impact, whether it’s humour or reverence or sadness, I’m happy with that,” Simser said.

He carries that philosophy over into his other 2016 book, Shaking the Basho Tree, a work of short poetry that draws on Japanese aesthetics.

In addition to his spending five years in Japan, Simser said he cultivated this style of short poetry forms while he travelled.

He described writing five line poems on train, plane and bus seats and redoing them 10 times over, improving them each

PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY GUY SIMSER

time. Unsurprisingly, he simply didn’t have the space or time for short stories.

These trips, jotting down poetry in his seat, took him across North America and overseas, totaling three continents, all while raising four children with his wife.

“These things kept accumulating,” Simser said, explaining why he released his two books in the same year.

It came out “like a burp” in 2016, he added.

This compiled work becomes a warm, human conclusion to his career, his voice as relevant today as it was when he arrived at Queen’s decades ago.

Arts

10 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 9, 2018

ART COMMENTARY

To MFA, or not to MFA A look at the benefits of graduate studies in the arts Clayton Tomlinson Assistant Arts Editor

A Masters of Fine Arts is worth it — if you can afford it.

It’s clear there are benefits to pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA); you’re guaranteed access to brilliant professors and established artists as well as a place to fully dedicate yourself to your passion.

Typically, an MFA is a two-to-three-year graduate program that includes the study of visual arts, photography, performance arts, graphic design or even creative writing.

Even so, there’s a question I’ve often heard being pondered: is the degree really worth the price tag?

A big problem with these programs is that student applicants must be financially stable in order to realistically consider them.

If you have the money, the highly structured creative education is beneficial for most budding artists, especially when it can bridge the creative work with its potential real world applications.

Creating art that reaches enough people to be financially viable or to influence social change can be a tough undertaking, but an MFA has the power to make it more practical.

An MFA works to teach artists how they can make the most of their abilities, with

Our ongoing coverage from Reelout’s 19th year Josh Malm & Amelia Rankine Journal Staff

Girl Unbound: The War To Be Her

Directed by Erin Heidenreich, Girl Unbound: The War To Be Her is a tender yet matter-offact documentary exploring the intersections of gender, religion and war through the perspective of a Pakistani athlete.

The story follows Maria Toorpakai as she reflects on her career as an internationally competing squash player. The film’s interviews with Toorpakai explain how the Taliban severely restrict women’s freedoms in Waziristan — even when it comes to playing squash.

In response to these conditions, the young athlete revealed she would dress like a man in order to attend her squash competitions.

This wasn’t the first time her gender shaped her experiences and circumstances; even as a child, Toorpakai chose to dress like a boy

the added bonus of having faculty members who understand the industry and are willing to pass on their knowledge.

Regardless, a lot of students find themselves unable to pursue a graduate degree because of the cost of the programs. In an attempt to remedy this common barrier, several universities have offered support through teaching assistant positions specifically for grad students.

Nonetheless, at a school like UBC, for example, this support ends up financing just a fraction of an average student’s overall cost of living — only covering around $3,000 compared to typical total living costs of around $19,000.

Ideally, these additional expenses can be covered with scholarships, awards and bursaries — though this isn’t always the case.

Despite these financial barriers, the fact remains that an MFA is the best way for a

young artist to get their name out there.

For one, many programs have publications and galleries open to student contribution that can give artists an early leg-up and exposure to the industry. Publications like UBC’s PRISM International can also be a major kickstarter for a young writer.

As well as allowing for this publicity, the program forces students to think of creating art as their job.

It’s easy to shake your head at the structure and rigor of an MFA program, especially considering the creative nature of the fine arts. But these programs have the ability to structure that creativity and provide the motivation needed to diligently create.

For two years, art stops being a side project or a hobby and becomes a

MFAs may not be worth the price tag.

day-to-day focus.

At their core, most MFA programs are the same — with variations coming in quality of materials, staff and students. Most offer effective

FILM REVIEW

Queer Film Festival serves up “Reelness” Maria Toorpakai from Girl Unbound.

so she’d have the freedom to play outside without judgement.

Toorpakai said she doesn’t feel like a boy or a girl, but instead admitted she hasn’t quite yet figured out this part of her identity.

At one point in the film’s interview footage, Toorpakai is seen smiling while recounting her sister’s suggestion she take some time to pray to discover her own personal truth.

Retelling the unique tale of Toorpakai’s life, Heidenreich’s film offers viewers hope and optimism mixed with stories of hardship and political struggle.

The Girl Unbound includes shots of familial love alongside clips of their abandoned family home, police escorts to ensure their safety while travelling in Waziristan and threats against the family from the Taliban.

Since her athletic career gained prominence, Toorpakai and her sister Ayesha, a young politician, are often in the public eye despite coming from a Taliban-controlled region, making the entire family a target for violence.

The film artfully articulates the many challenges the family face together. Attacks against her parents for being educators and

threats to her sister for being a female politician are common in their lives.

The strength of the Toorpakai family is made clear by the evident support they give one another – singing, playing squash or doing volunteer work together.

Girl Unbound: The War To Be Her shows the audience something seemingly as simple as playing squash can be extremely dangerous for someone in Maria’s position. Even so, squash remains a tool for her rebellion against the Taliban.

— Amelia Rankine

This review used the film’s use of pronouns to refer to Toorpakai C’est La Vie: French Shorts Program On Thursday evening, Reelout presented C’est La Vie: French Shorts Program, a touching collection of French language shorts from France, Belgum and Quebec.

The program’s seven films explored diverse subjects pertaining specifically to the LGBTQ2+ community, as well as

SUPPLIED BY MATT SALTON

more universal topics relatable to all viewers like loss, heartbreak and intergenerational conflict.

Instead of focusing on sexuality as the basis of struggle or as being central to the plotline, many of these films showcase lesbian, gay or transgender characters whose sexual orientation is relevant, but not necessarily the crux of the plot progression.

The film’s characters face everyday struggles most of us typically encounter.

Deemphasizing the sexuality of the characters in these films is a sign of changing cultural attitudes and increased acceptance within society.

The best short of the night — Séverine de Streyker and Maxime Feyers’ Calamity — is about a young man who brings his transgender girlfriend home for dinner to meet his shocked parents. It’s a nuanced study of generational divide and cultural schism.

When it’s revealed that Romain’s girlfriend is transgender at a family gathering, his parents are dumbfounded and struggle to understand their son’s decision.

A clear depiction of the present generational gap between parents

ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHANIE JIANG

professors, access to studio space and equipment that artists wouldn’t necessarily be able to obtain themselves.

For many artists, this is draw enough alone.

All in all, it comes down to a matter of knowing yourself.

If it’s an issue of financial insecurity, a reality for many students, it becomes a question of risk versus reward. If money isn’t an issue, however, pursuing an MFA is the most beneficial way for artists to make a career of their passion.

and children, Romain’s brother and his girlfriend are accepting of Romain’s new relationship and the girl’s sexuality never registers with or seems to affect them.

However, the parents are never pigeonholed as the homophobic, bigoted counterparts to the whollyaccepting younger generation.

Their concerns are more based around fear, confusion and an inability to keep up with recent social and sexual developments in society. Romain’s parents are from a different time, with different values and conceptions of what sexuality and relationships are supposed to entail and they simply don’t understand his decision.

The film brings forth two important messages: the first is fear of difference is usually rooted in misunderstanding; the second is that social progression takes time and occurs over the course of generations.

To the parents, their son bringing home a transgender girlfriend is the worst thing that could ever happen. To Romain, his brother and his brother’s girlfriend, it’s a complete non-issue.

According to the film, we’re moving towards a world where people are choosing to take the latter stance.

— Josh Malm

Friday, February 9, 2018

queensjournal.ca

• 11

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Caroline Livingston returns to the hardwood Gaels get boost as Livingston prepares to make comeback in time for playoffs Matt Scace Assistant Sports Editor Caroline Livingston remembers the moment she came down on her ankle all too well.

“November 10th against Guelph — second set,” Livingston told The Journal in the ARC’s alumni lounge, thinking back to the game that nearly ended her season.

In the middle of the second set against the Gryphons, Livingston jumped up mid-point to retrieve the ball. In a miscommunication with a teammate, the two players collided. On the way down, Livingston’s ankle rolled against the hardwood.

In a flurry of adrenaline, Livingston got back on her feet and played two more points. But while she tried to chase down the ball later in the game, she realized something was wrong.

“I just couldn’t really move my body — my body wouldn’t let me go for [the ball],” Livingston recalled. She sat out the remainder of the match once her ankle started to swell.

A day later, she was told she’d have to sit out six to eight weeks with a convulsion fracture on her lateral malleolus — the rounded bone on the outside of the ankle.

Assigned a cast and knee scooter, the 2016-17 OUA All-Star began her road to recovery.

But that was three months Josh Granovsky Assistant Lifestyle Editor

Following their first-place finish at the Jesters Squash Championships in Toronto last weekend, the men’s squash team is going into Friday’s OUA Championships on a high note.

Over the course of the weekend, the team was led by standout performances from Spencer Lee, William Atteck and team captain Cameron Boyle — each of whom went undefeated. Euan Hannigan also secured a crucial victory in his match against McMaster. His win propelled the Gaels to the finals and eventually, the program’s first ever tournament win.

Subsequent to their 4-3 victory

ago. And with the women’s volleyball team putting together unprecedented success in the regular season’s final stages, the Gaels are ready to bring back one of their strongest players.

Livingston’s ascent to becoming one of the Gaels’ best on the court hasn’t been a long process.

After being recruited from Kelowna, B.C., Livingston played 15 games in her first season as a Gael and was named to the OUA All-Rookie Team.

After seeing steady improvement in her second season, Livingston rose to prominence in her third year.

Following the loss of four players to graduation, Livingston found her role as a leader on the team.

That season, she finished second in the OUA with 271 kills.

“I got a lot of volume, a lot of touches, and we fended really well for ourselves,” Livingston said. During the 2016-17 season, Livingston was one of the three oldest players on the team despite only being in her third year.

With every intention of carrying the team’s momentum into this year, the injury was a blow for Livingston, who’s never experienced a lengthy injury in her career. Even with a positive attitude entering her recovery process, Livingston said her first

extended period of time away from volleyball was harder than she anticipated.

“It was almost exciting, I had this new sick scooter and I had a game plan,” she said. Initially, the recovery period was set for six to eight weeks. But after the damage appeared to be more severe as the swelling in her ankle went down, eight weeks turned into 10. The unknown timeline made the chance of playing again this season uncertain.

“I’ll talk to my physio … my doctor, [I’m] doing all the right things, taking all the right stuff but there’s no answer. I think that was the most challenging part,” Livingston said. Since hitting her first ball three weeks ago, the biggest challenge thus far has been trying to stay off the court during game day.

“Injury or not, you want to be on the floor,” Livingston said.

One thing that’s allowed Livingston some peace of mind during her recovery has been her team’s play. Currently, the Gaels sit in second in the OUA East with an 11-4 record and have recently defeated the nationally-ranked McMaster Marauders.

The team’s development this year hasn’t shocked Livingston, who saw signs of greatness going into her game against Guelph this

SQUASH

Sports Caroline Livingston in 2016-17.

past November.

“I felt like we were starting to pick up,” Livingston said.

Throughout the course of a season, she said tensions can sometimes start to grow amongst teammates and playing becomes emotionally taxing. “This year, [our strength] hasn’t been a second thought — we’re still connecting and thriving, so it’s all been about peaking at the right time.”

The team’s success has only added fuel to Livingston’s fire, who’s tentatively set to make her return to play this Sunday against RMC. After going through her first

Men’s squash wins first Jesters Squash Championship Gaels host OUA Championship this week

over McMaster in the semi-finals, the men’s team faced U of T for the gold medal.

“Our goal was just to do our best in the finals,” Hannigan said. Prior to facing off against the Varsity Blues, Hannigan said the team expected to face off against the Western Mustangs for the championship.

Gaels head coach Eugene Zaremba echoed Hannigan’s expectations. In an email to The

Journal, he said his team “w[as] fairly confident of medaling, but certainly w[asn’t] expecting to win.”

According to Zaremba, U of T’s unexpected victory against the Mustang’s initially “concerned [him], especially after having lost to Toronto 5-2 the last time we met.”

But following seven tense matches, the Gaels came away with a 4-3 victory. It clinched

The men’s squash team posing with the Jester Squash Championship banner.

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY SHAWN MACDONALD

the men’s program their first Jester Squash Championship.

“We were extremely excited to win,” Hannigan said, reflecting on their success a few days after the tournament. “It’s the first time we’ve won the Jesters Squash Championship since its inception [in 2009].”

Meanwhile, the 13-time OUA Champion women’s squash team came up just short at the Jester Squash Championship. After narrowly losing to U of T, the Gaels finished in second.

Coming off an undefeated fall semester and an impressive start to their winter season, the women’s team had high hopes for themselves at Toronto.

“We came [into] the season with great expectations,” team captain Alysha Anzik said. “So last weekend was a little bit of a humbling experience for us.”

The women’s team started strong with their 6-1 victory against Brock in the semi-finals.

Unfortunately in the finals against U of T, things didn’t fall in the Gaels’ favour. “[It] could have gone either way,” Aznik said of the Gaels’ 4-3 loss to U of T.

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY ROBIN KASEM

two-hour practice on Wednesday evening, Livingston appreciates the simpler things from sport.

“Now that I’m coming back, I think every time I’m putting in a rep at the weight room I have a little extra motivation,” Livingston said. “I get excited now and then when I go up the stairs.”

And now that she can play volleyball again, Livingston’s excitement to get back on the court is more than apparent.

It’s something she hopes to tame when she’s back on the court.

“I’ll definitely be pretty giddy, but the goal will be to manage those emotions and give my best,” she said.

Although Anzik said the team had strong performances from Jenna Dhanani and Nora Abdelrahman Ibrahim, the captain said the team’s second-place finish gives the Gaels a chance to reevaluate their strategy before they host the OUA Championships at home this weekend.

“I think going into this next tournament, there will be a different focus of solidifying the group across the board, rather than just having a few top players,” she said, alluding to the upcoming OUA Championships which the team won last season.

Ironically, the women’s team’s loss in the finals may have been the motivation the men’s team needed to win their own.

“Right before our final match, the girls lost their finals, so we knew we had to really perform and bring home a title for Queen’s,” Hannigan said. He also believes the championship outcome has large implications for men’s squash on campus.

“I think the win for Queen’s definitely puts our name out there,” Hannigan added.

“And [it] will hopefully attract new players to actually consider coming to play squash [here].”

Both teams are back in action this coming weekend when they host the OUA Championships at the ARC.

Sports

12 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 9, 2018

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Stephanie Pascal leading the way

Gaels goaltender ready to bring Queen’s to OUA glory after stellar regular season Matt Scace Assistant Sports Editor This year, the women’s hockey team has been making a lot of noise in the OUA as the conference’s best team. Quietly behind all this success has been goaltender Stephanie Pascal.

After spending the 2015-16 season on the injured reserve with a concussion, Pascal’s journey to become one of the league’s top goaltenders has come with very few hiccups along the way.

In her first year back, Pascal finished the 2016-17 season third in the OUA in saves and wins — 538 and 13 respectively.

With a full summer to prepare for

this season, Pascal was excited to see where her game could go next.

“If that was what I could accomplish without really playing over the summer, I was kind of curious to see how much better it could be if I spent the entire summer focusing on getting into shape,” Pascal said in an interview with The Journal.

For the goaltender, things have gotten a lot better.

With two games to go before the playoffs, Pascal owns an OUA third-best goals-against average at 1.31. Moreover, six of her 13 wins have been shutouts.

With the full summer to improve her fitness and no concussion to restrain her training, Pascal said her summer training

Veronika Lavergne (left) and Katrina Manoukarakis (right).

POINT-COUNTERPOINT

has been a contributing factor to her recent success.

“It wasn’t like I was trying to catch up mid-season,” Pascal said, noting that the 2016-17 season was largely spent trying to feel confident and comfortable back in the net.

Although Pascal has had a successful two seasons, she knows her team still has room for improvement. Now in her fourth year at Queen’s, Pascal has yet to see her team get past the first round of the OUA playoffs.

But after playing at the U Sports Championships last March and having first place in the OUA now within arm’s reach, Pascal has

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

Point-counterpoint: MVP of winter varsity teams The Journal’s sports team make their pick for the best winter performer Sebastian Bron And Matt Scace Journal Staff Veronika Lavergne, Women’s Basketball After transferring from the University of Albany to Queen’s in the summer of 2016, Veronika Lavergne has been the engine of the women’s basketball team that’s shown no signs of slowing down this season.

Currently, the second-year post

leads the nationally-ranked eighth women’s basketball team in points, free throw attempts, field goal percentage, rebounds and blocks.

And she’s doing it in just 21.2 minutes per game.

Talent and value are often paired in the same line of thought — but they couldn’t be more different. While a player of great talent catches the eye for their skill, a player of value typically hovers under the radar, acting like the glue that keeps a team together.

But Lavergne is both.

Her numbers speak to her skill while her efficiency speaks to her value. Irrespective of how much floor time she sees, she uses every second she can to her advantage.

Lavergne started just two of 19 games last season with the Gaels — her first with the team — and averaged a modest 8.0 points, 4.7 boards and 0.8 blocks

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

Stephanie Pascal has 13 wins this season.

per game. Now, with a bigger role on the team, she’s started all but one game, averaging 14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and OUA-best 2.1 blocks per game.

Unlike other basketball stars, Lavergne picks her spots on the floor, knowing when and where to exploit teams. Her value isn’t dependent on her stat line, but rather the rate at which she creates.

Of the top 18 scorers in the OUA, Lavergne, who herself ranks ninth in the conference, averages the least minutes. And what’s more, she isn’t even in the top 50 among the OUA’s leaders in minutes this season.

If that’s not value — I don’t know what is.

— Sebastian Bron Katrina Manoukarakis, Women’s Hockey

her sights set on making a deep postseason run.

“Hopefully we make [nationals],” Pascal said. “I think our team, as long as we’re giving it our all and everyone’s working as hard as they can, I think we’ll be pretty successful.”

At the same time, she understands wins are never guaranteed — even if the team has led the OUA for the majority of the season.

“It can be pretty intense,” Pascal said. “We’ve had a pretty successful year, but I think when playoffs come around, it doesn’t really matter how it went. Any team can beat any team.”

Pascal has also seen herself

and the team find confidence from their run at nationals last season, which saw them finish in sixth.

“I think just being there was such a great experience,” Pascal said. “We saw nationals and how well the team could play. All the girls that were returning were like, ‘okay, we can do this.’”

Currently having won four of their last six games, Pascal and the Gaels are riding a wave of confidence with hopes of treading into the late stages of the OUA playoffs. And if the Gaels can be sure of one thing, it’s that Pascal will be there every step of the way.

Now in her third season as a Gael, Katrina Manoukarakis has established herself as one of Queen’s top athletes. In the midst of a career season, her success has come as a surprise to few.

Manoukarakis’ success dates back to when she first stepped on campus. In her starting season as a Gael, Manoukarakis was named 2015/16 OUA Rookie of the Year after a season that saw her finish with 25 points and an OUA second-best 15 goals. In her second season, Manoukarakis scored only four goals but managed to finish second on the Gaels in points with 15.

Since then, things have only gotten better.

With two games remaining, Manoukarakis is sitting at an OUA-best 27 points with her closest follower four points behind.

Moreover, her stats sheet has been filled with less celebrated statistics.

Manoukarakis is currently second in Ontario for game winning goals and assists — a testament to her ability to be the major difference in a game. It’s a well-known fact hockey is a team sport and it’s clear Manoukarakis isn’t out to prove otherwise.

It’s no secret the women’s hockey team has seen a significant improvement this year — owning the first spot in the OUA is a clear indicator of that. This year more than ever, Manoukarakis has proved her rookie season was only the beginning of something great, and has now been a significant contributing factor in bringing the Gaels to becoming one of the nation’s best programs.

— Matt Scace

— With files from John O’Flaherty

INFORMATION FOR ALL STUDENTS IMPACTED

BY SEXUAL VIOLENCE GET HELP, GIVE HELP queensu.ca/sexualviolencesupport Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Coordinator, Barb Lotan bjl7@queensu.ca

Friday, February 9, 2018

queensjournal.ca

Shivani Gonzalez Lifestyle Editor February can be a really stressful time around Queen’s campus — we’re at our busiest in terms of school work and burdened with the pressure of figuring out where we’ll be in just three months time.

If you’re graduating this year, it means there are just under 90 days left at the place you’ve called home for the last four years. And even if you have a couple of years left here, knowing the end of the year is approaching can still make you feel on edge.

In the flurries of due dates, extracurricular activities, meetings, job and graduate school applications, as well as endless internet searches for future opportunities, it can get seriously overwhelming.

But regardless of all the responsibilities this month seems to bring, it’s equally important that we make conscious efforts to stay in the moment.

Without a doubt, the future is extremely important. But it’s also important to know when to take a step back and make sure we’re soaking in all the time we have left at Queen’s.

Being in the final year of my undergraduate degree, I’ve definitely started to feel the panic of not having the time to get everything I can get out of Queen’s.

For me, this means my experience has felt like it’s going away a little bit more each day. I decided at the beginning of the year that I wasn’t

Lifestyle Balancing schoolwork with plans with friends.

MINDFULNESS

PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

The importance of staying in the moment Balancing stress of the future with where you are now

going to say “no” to any sort of plan, event or experience if I didn’t have a legitimate reason to pass it up.

As a result, there have been times I’ve been exhausted, grumpy, had a sore throat and

dreamt of my bed but pushed myself to engage in an activity anyway. I can safely say some of those days and nights when I decided to make the most of my situation became memories I’ll cherish forever.

It can be harder said than done to simply decide to do all we can at this school when there are very real things lying ahead to think about and plan for. Even so, it’s important to remind yourself to take a breath,

BUSINESS

step back and realize how little time we’re granted here at Queen’s.

When your days feel packed with a seemingly impossible number of things to do and if your first thought in the morning is wanting the day to be done, try taking a step back to look at the bigger picture.

Doing well in school and participating in extracurriculars are extremely important steps we need to take to make the most of our time at university. It can be equally valuable to remember to appreciate the other opportunities we have as students.

We’re living in a very unique time in our lives. On one hand, we’re independent adults living alone or with friends and making our own decisions. On the other, we’re still provided with those safety nets that steer us in the right direction. It’s like adulthood with training wheels — and that’s what can make this time so fun.

Even though there’s more at stake than when we were in high school, there still needs to be an emphasis on doing things you can proudly (or embarrassedly) tell your children in 10 years about your time at university.

Keeping up with school work and working towards the future is undoubtedly important but every once in a while, make sure you’re breaking out of the school blues to appreciate the friends, city life and campus culture that surrounds you.

Student start-ups: Losers Weepers Vintage Two Queen’s students discuss their online vintage store

Vintage denim.

Nicole Langfield Assistant Photos Editor Losers Weepers Vintage, a clever wordplay on the common phrase “finders keepers, losers weepers,” is the latest student start-up sweeping through Queen’s campus.

Kara Altow, Comm’ 19 and Karina Rebellato, Sci ’19, met in their first year at Queen’s and quickly bonded over a love for fashion — or more specifically, vintage clothing.

Over their three years at Queen’s, both girls had noticed a lack of vintage clothing available in the Kingston retail community. In an effort to fill this gap, they came up with the concept for Losers Weepers in the summer of 2017.

“Both of us were finding there wasn’t so much access to cool, vintage clothing in Kingston or online, so we thought ‘why don’t

PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY LOSERS WEEPERS VINTAGE

we just make our own store?’”

Altow told The Journal.

Losers Weepers is an online store where customers are able to buy specially curated vintage clothing via the website, losersweepersvintage.com and the duo’s Instagram.

As a new company, Altow and Rebellato said their “vision is constantly evolving,” but started with the intent of giving people who love vintage clothing access to it in Kingston.

All of the clothing and accessories the partners sell are handpicked, so there’s only one of each item. Customers are warned against hesitating to buy pieces since they may be gone the next time logging on — hence the ‘Losers Weepers’ title.

According to the co-founders, one of the best parts of the job is curating the clothing and spending hours sifting through overcrowded

racks of clothing to find the perfect pieces. However, they understand this particular interest may not be for everyone.

“A lot of people like the clothing [we feature] but don’t necessarily know where to find it or want to spend all the time to go through the racks,” Rebellato said.

The girls based their rollout strategy on young adult-geared companies and found the best way to market their store was through a strong, stylish and creative Instagram account. Outdoor photo-shoots provide customers with inspiration for how to style a piece and make it easier to visualize themselves wearing it.

Altow and Rebellato noted a key strategy in developing their business is capitalizing on Queen’s relatively small campus size and relying on the power of wordof-mouth to raise awareness for their company.

Although they carefully handpick and love every item they sell, they have a couple of favourites to keep an eye out for in their upcoming collection.

Rebellato’s favourite is a reversible, vintage Nike bomber jacket; Altow prefers a winter sports jacket.

You can find Losers Weepers on their website or @ losersweepersvintage on Instagram.

Their next clothing drop comes out Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 6pm.

• 13

14 •queensjournal.ca

Lifestyle

Friday, February 9, 2018

STUDENT LIVING

Brunching in Kingston Popular breakfast spots near campus Geneva Crepe Bistro

Nour Mazloum Contributor Do you love brunch? Trust me, I do too.

With midterms just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to grab your friends for a much needed study break while you explore the best brunch places in the city.

To fill your fix, The Journal has compiled a list of five popular brunch spots in Kingston.

Toast and Jam

Toast and Jam will always have a special place in my heart. The food is great, they accommodate all dietary restrictions and diets, the staff is really friendly and their menu is seasonal, showing their commitment to providing fresh, local food. After enjoying a sit-down meal, you can end your visit by stopping by their bakery Bread and Butter on your way out and head home with freshly made study snacks.

What to get: Eggs benedict, T&J poutine, scram bowl.

PHOTOS BY NOUR MAZLOUM

Pan Chancho

Whether you’re craving sweet or savory crepes, Geneva is the go-to crepe place for brunch in Kingston. The menu offers lots of options to choose from — sweet crepes, savoury crepes, waffles, salads and more.

The restaurant itself is cute and cozy, perfect for first dates or catching up with friends. It’s locally owned and sourced and the kitchen is operated by one cook, which will make your visit a unique experience.

What to get: Parisian, Bombay, Deep Dutch sundae brownie crepe Cacao 70

Do you have a big sweet tooth? Cacao 70 is sure to be your new favourite brunch place, offering all things chocolaty. The chocolate is so rich, the fruit is always fresh and the combinations of the two are endless.

Adding to the charm of the place, the menu changes seasonally, currently featuring their famed hot chocolates perfect for a cold winter night. And if your brunch partner doesn’t have a sweet tooth like you do, worry not: Cacao offers a selection of savoury foods to satisfy any craving.

The chefs at Pan Chancho are known

by Kingston residents for their reputable culinary talents and their weekend brunch menu is just as sure to hit your craving spot.

The food options are unique and delicious; made with high-quality ingredients sourced locally.

The staff are friendly and attentive and will go out of their way to make your visit worthwhile. You can end your visit by stopping by their bakery for their famous loaves of bread, macaroons and other baked goods.

What to get: Curry and eggs, Eggs benedict with salmon.

Tommy’s

Looking for a big meal for a good price? Tommy’s has your back with their all-day breakfast menu. And what could be better than enjoying a mimosa with brunch at a classic 50s style diner with a modern twist? Tommy’s also has a foosball table and a selection of board games available for customers to play while you wait for your food. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get to see the eponymous Tommy hanging around the joint to say hi.

What to get: Steak and eggs, pancakes, ultimate French toast

What to get: After-party waffle, Choco-nut waffle, American-style hot chocolate.

Reward your studying efforts this midterm season by enjoying a much-needed brunch break out with your friends — you won’t want to miss out on the options Kingston has to offer.

Lifestyle

Friday, February 9, 2018

queensjournal.ca

• 15

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOSH GRANOVSKY

Ann Perkins and Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation.

Crossword

HOLIDAYS

How to celebrate Galentine’s Day The joy of Valentine’s Day’s platonic counterpart Shivani Gonzalez Lifestyle Editor As Leslie Knope said in Parks and Recreation, “February 14 is about romance. But February 13 is for celebrating lady friends.”

While Knope had a great circle of ladies surrounding her at the time, Galentine’s Day can be reworked to be a day to celebrate general friendship love.

Whether or not you’re in a relationship, having a day to celebrate the friends you love is great. Mothers and fathers get a holiday, your partner gets a holiday, friends need one too — and now we finally have Galentine’s Day. To celebrate your other soulmates, there are lots of things you can do this Tuesday to remind your friends how much you love them.

Grab a drink

Of course you’ve probably shared drinks with your friends before but pre-ing in a crowded house with a lukewarm beer isn’t the same as going out for nice cocktails and some appetizers. It’s a small thing to do that makes for a special way to celebrate the day. It’s also a great way to get some face time and catch up with your favourites.

Great places for drinks and appetizers around Kingston are Megalos, Milestones and Stone City Ales.

Homemade pizza party

This Galentine’s Day, hosting a pizza party will help bring the fun of dinner and friendship to a whole new level. Grab enough pizza dough as well as an assortment of popular toppings for a DIY dinner party, making heart-shaped Instagram-worthy creations. Friends and pizza? Doesn’t get better than that.

Stock up on Galentine’s Day gifts Those cute stuffed animals, heartshaped chocolates and pink and red everything don’t need to be gifted for a significant other — they can also be for your friends.

Coming home to a pink unicorn and chocolates on my bed from my housemate last Galentine’s Day made me so happy — gestures as simple as this can really help to show your friends how much you care. And if you don’t want to wander through the red and pink filled aisles of Shoppers, giving a handwritten note to tell your friends why you love them works to show the same sentiment.

Throw a Galentine’s Day party

So what that it’s a Tuesday in the middle of week six? 20 years from now, will it be the essay you managed to finish, or the great time you had celebrating Galentine’s Day with your friends that you’ll remember?

Your party can range from being completely on theme to a chill gathering with friends. Whether you want to grab all the Valentine’s Day decorations at Dollarama, have a signature drink and get dressed up or you just want a reason to see all your friends in one place, Galentine’s Day parties can be a good excuse to have everyone you love surrounding you.

As Knope profoundly reminded us, “it’s the greatest day of the year … it’s wonderful and should be a national holiday.”

We couldn’t agree more. So let’s make her proud and show mad love for the people that love us unconditionally, even when we may not deserve it.

ACROSS

DOWN

1 Muppet master Henson 4 Wile E. Coyote’s supplier 8 Low- ____ diet 12 Mimic 13 Make dinner 14 Medley 15 Preside over 17 Walden, for one 18 Mountain goat 19 Feudal lord 20 Choir members 22 You 24 Slender 25 Mao Zedong’s title 29 Encountered 30 Band section 31 Praise in verse 32 Like kebab 34 Greek letters 35 Walk in the woods 36 Expositions 37 Less 40 Sicko, for short 41 Rue the run 42 Steep 46 Bistro name starter 47 Shakespeare’s river 48 Plaything 49 Broadway prize 50 Wilson predecessor 51 Ram’s ma’am

1 Predicament 2 Wall St. debut 3 Indulge in

reflection 4 Farm statistic 5 Wheedle 6 Witticism 7 ___ out a living 8 Office machine 9 ____ vera 10 Circle 11 Olympic skier Miller 16 Black, in verse 19 Island neckwear 20 Charitable donations 21 Onion relative 22 Crowd?

23 Full house, e.g.

25 Stopper

26 Spur on 27 Hebrew month 28 Loch ___ Monster 30 Estate recipient 33 Asthmatic, maybe 34 Deserve 36 Pretense 37 Datum 38 Reverberate 39 Timely query 40 Campus VIP 42 Wrestling surface 43 Actress Gardner 44 AAA job 45 Storm center

Last Issue’s Answers

Lifestyle

16 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 9, 2018 have the energy to make dinner, but my only goal right now is bed.

For me and the thousands of others who suffer from chronic pain and illnesses, Tuesday is an everyday reality. It’s waking up in the morning and recognizing you have to make a choice between exacerbating your pain or giving up your school, your work, your friends and life. Being in the final year of my undergraduate degree, the thought of having to put all of my efforts and dreams on hold after years of work is almost as bad as the pain of my illness.

When I first started experiencing bouts of pain in October of 2016, I initially figured I’d just pulled a muscle or spent too much time sitting in an awkward position. At the time, I was highly active; biking to and from school daily and going to the gym three days a week, so a related injury was the only logical conclusion.

But a month later, what had started as a couple of hours of discomfort quickly turned into having to go weeks without relief.

I’d wake up in the middle of the night without warning feeling like my joints were on fire. One time during a movie with friends, the pain became so bad that I blacked out for almost a third of the film. As the days got colder, going to class became harder and harder until I consecutively missed an entire week, barely leaving my bed.

What followed was six months of doctor’s appointments, blood tests, genetic testing, x-rays and MRIs. In the end, the results revealed inflammation and pockets of fluid stemming from the sacroiliac joint between my spine and hips, as well as a genetic defect marker that signified a strong relation to auto-immune and inflammatory disorders. By May of 2017, I had a tentative diagnosis and a treatment plan.

classes, “Between extracurricular

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NICOLE LANGFIELD

Feeling as if your disease is invisible on campus.

POSTSCRIPT

Living with an invisible disease Navigating Queen’s while struggling Alex Mikell Contributor When I woke up last Sunday morning, I knew it was going to be bad.

Within seconds of waking up, the soreness has already spread from the joint connecting my spine and hips. This feeling radiates up my back and around my abdomen, also sending spikes of pain down the backs of my thighs to my knees.

On Monday, I can barely move.

I don’t go to my classes. Instead, I do my physiotherapy and

stretches and do my readings in bed in the brief moments I have between periods of exhaustion.

I was pursuing certain “goals and activities for the wrong reasons.

Not out of personal enjoyment necessarily, but to distract myself from my own persistently negative feelings.

”

Come Tuesday, I have no choice.

Wearing the easiest clothes to fit over the chemical heating pad that’s stuck to my lower back, I carefully make my way to campus. I have to hand in a written assignment and then attend an important seminar in a required course. Even with the accommodations I’ve been granted, these aren’t things I can afford to miss if I want to graduate by the end of April.

By the time I finally make my way home, each step sends painful tremors from my hips. The rest of the day is a bust. If I’m lucky, I’ll

activities, socializing, studying and finding time for basic necessities, we have the potential to fall into the trap of self-neglect.

”

But being given a long, medical name and some pills isn’t the end.

Chronic illnesses like my own have no cure and successful treatment of symptoms is sporadic and experimental.

Pain management is a ‘Band-Aid solution’ since conventional painkillers lose their effectiveness over time and powerful medications often come with dangerous side effects including addiction. Medications designed to stop or delay the progression of such diseases — known as biologics — are experimental, can take years to find the correct one and are rarely covered by government healthcare or insurance. This can force patients to seek compassionate coverage or pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for a single dosage. Even with medical innovation, just a glance at online support groups shows a strong narrative of self-medication, unemployment, depression and suicide as a result of the diseases.

Most of the time, my pain isn’t visible. After finding a medication that works for me, I generally can go through my days now with limited mobility problems. I can go to class, take the stairs, ride my bike or walk to and from campus.

If I end the day more sore and tired than most, it isn’t obvious. With the exception of those who were in the loop before my diagnosis, few know or ever notice something is wrong.

But this isn’t always the case.

Times like last week, when the treatment isn’t enough — known as flares — are just something that will continue to happen in my life. Before this, I’d gone the entire fall term without my condition impacting my ability to live my life. But the pain I awoke with on Sunday morning served as a stark reminder pain will always be a part of my life.

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Living with chronic pain has highlighted to me the ways in which Queen`s — even with its services, movements, and options — remains inaccessible.

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Living with chronic pain has highlighted to me the ways in which Queen’s — even with its services, movements and options — remains inaccessible.

There’s no option within Student Wellness and Accessibility Services here which would allow me to complete my degree in a way that doesn’t cause or worsen my pain in some way. And even if there was, if I could take all my classes and exams from the comfort of my bed, participate in events and activities with a mobility device or through a futuristic robot and maintain a social life through the wonders of social networks, would I want to?

The choice between living without pain and experiencing life doesn’t have an easy answer.

Knowing how difficult I find my situation now and realizing just how much harder it’s going to be in the future is terrifying.

Reaching the end of university is a scary experience under any circumstances, but not knowing if you’ll even be able to chase your dreams after putting in all this hard work? It goes beyond fear.

My greatest hope lies with knowing that even though there’s currently no cure or solution, things are bound to get better.

Stories like mine push action in accessibility movements and services, increase awareness and reduce ignorance of chronic and invisible illnesses. They can often be the inspiration for new innovation and progress in medical fields.

Even if it doesn’t come within my lifetime, there’s a strong belief many chronic conditions could be cured or prevented within a generation thanks to new technologies such as genetic therapy. Even Queen’s has labs and research teams studying people who suffer the same way I do and working on cures.

For now, there’s little I can do but hope. Still, hope is sometimes a better medication than anything I can get from a bottle.