The Queen's Journal, Volume 144, Issue 10

THROUGH QJ’S LENS:

Coming home to Queen’s page 4

the

Queen’s University

journal

Vol. 144, Issue 10

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

F r i day , O c t o b e r 2 1 , 2 0 1 6

postdocs at Queen’s

92%

voted in favour of strike

Postdocs vote overwhelmingly in favour of strike

How are KGH and Queen’s adapting to doctor assisted death? page 5

Student leaders condemn video for infringements on consent

25%

Arts

Victoria Gibson News Editor

increase in minimum salaries requested by PSAC during first year of changes

Art and engineering meet in installation unveiling at Beamish-Munro page 9

story on page 3

Victoria Gibson and Adam Laskaris Journal Staff This article originally appeared online on October 18, 2016.

Sports

Ultimate Frisbee teams bring home national championships page 10

While the seats in Richardson Stadium are brand new, Queen’s dominant play in front of the 8,000 tri-coloured spectators at Saturday’s game ensured they weren’t put to much use.

The 55-5 Homecoming blowout against the Windsor Lancers put the Gaels in the OUA’s final playoff spot with just one week left in the regular season.

With the Homecoming excitement and an emotional tribute honouring former head coach Doug Hargreaves who passed away earlier this summer, the Gaels came out energized, earning their first touchdown within six minutes of the opening kick-off.

The touchdown came at the hands of running-back Jonah Pataki, rushing 67 yards on the

Gaels’ opening drive, ending it with the 12 yard score. Much to the delight of the decked-out crowd, Pataki would earn his second touchdown of the game at the end of the first quarter, following an interception and return from defensive-back Wesley Mann.

“Even though you’re running and running and running, you don’t really feel tired when you’re

push back with their first points of the game on a 37-yard field goal.

However, the Gaels defense held off most of the Lancers’ attempts through the rest of the afternoon, holding one of the OUA’s top running-backs Terrence Crawford to a mere 58 yards on the day.

Right before half-time, Pataki came back with his third touchdown of the day, giving his team a hefty 33-3. Pataki ended the day with 139 of his team’s 342 total rushing yards — compared to 78 rushing yard total.

Heading into halftime with a 33-3 lead, Sheahan stressed proper game management over the final 30 minutes to secure the win.

“I challenged them to keep the foot on the accelerator,” he said, “When you reduce your effort level in a contact sport like football, you have injuries. They get hit or somebody else gets hurt. This wasn’t personal, it was about the Queen’s Golden Gaels football team and getting ready for the weeks

Football team shines on HOCO Gaels blow out Windsor 55-5

Lifestyle

It’s 2016: Trudeau’s first year in office page 14

Postscript

An American in a foreign country page 15 Online:

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@queensjournal

facebook.com/queensjournal

moving the ball,” Pataki said after the game.

Fifteen minutes in, the Gaels were holding a 19-0 lead.

As the second quarter picked up, Gaels’ Nate Hobbs and Peter Hannon connected for a touchdown from 15 yards out.

However, the Gaels’ clear-cut lead was compromised by a fumble on a punt return mid-way through the quarter, leaving the Lancers to

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1873

Women videotaped speak out about ‘Drunk Times’ HOCO video

200

Features

since

See Pataki on page 12

The Sunday after Homecoming, a video surfaced on YouTube and various Queen’s Facebook groups entitled “Drunk Times with College Students: Queen’s Homecoming”, featuring a male in his twenties interviewing intoxicated students, particularly women.

Questions included “do you have sex on the first date?” and “can I touch your boobs?” The video also shows clips of the interviewer pointing his microphone to a women’s breasts and another male putting his face in a women’s breasts.

The video lasted roughly 48 hours online before being privatized, only to be re-publicized days later.

The video was uploaded under a YouTube channel called AroraTV. On AroraTV’s Instagram, a still shot of the video was accompanied by a caption saying “video’s public again — if you can’t handle it go watch cat videos”.

For two of the girls interviewed in the video, their response was of disappointment.

“On HOCO, like most people I was pretty blackout,” one of the girls wrote to The Journal.

She requested that her identity remain anonymous, saying she experienced discomfort and shame.

“I didn’t remember being in the video at all.”

Though she found the editing of the video amusing, she said that many women were upset by the way it sexualized females on campus. Her own segment at the end of the video made her uncomfortable.

See If on page 3

News

2 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, October 21, 2016

Elective Initiative directed at Smith School of Business

Alumni project hopes to introduce personal interest credit in commerce Jasnit Pabla Contributor

support from alumni, [the Business Career Centre], and current students,” Vyas added.

ASUS’s pioneer effort into the PIC is helping the ComSoc through the nuances of the process, Vyas said.

“The logistics are not clear as of now but we would love 6 PI credits — this allows us to broaden our academic interests in richer full year courses (e.g. Psych 101) and 2 half-year courses, rather than just scratching the surface through a course like (CISC 101).”

It’s called the Elective Initiative, explained Queen’s alumni Max Townsend and Yuting Pan, and it’s intended to prepare students in the Smith School of Business for the real world.

The pair both graduated this spring, beginning careers in New York shortly thereafter. In July, they co-wrote a commentary piece for The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business talking about the benefits of humanities and other disciplines to a commerce education.

From there, the initiative was The likelihood born. It draws from the same ideas as of now is quite from their first year at Queen’s, high because of when both Townsend and Pan the overwhelming felt an elective was irreplaceable support. within their Commerce experience.

“In first year, electives were really the only form of autonomy — Bhavik Vyas we had over our education,” Pan said. “You could discover wholly On the initiative’s site, an different perspectives.” endorsement list is available The goal of the initiative is and has received more than 100 to give Commerce students the signatures inclusive of alumni and chance to branch out and become current students, ranging from immersed in disciplines outside Comm ‘13 graduates to first-years. the business field, while also “We’ve had individuals much Maureen O’Reilly providing a sense of security and smarter than either of us write Assistant News Editor confidence through the utilization extremely passionate and of the Personal Interest Credit. candid endorsements,” Pan and Kicking off this Wednesday’s Last spring, the Arts and Science Townsend said.

AMS Assembly in Wallace Hall, Undergraduate Society (ASUS) Endorser Connor Bevans, guest speaker Swati Naidu from introduced a Personal Interest Comm ‘17, believes the Personal the Ontario Public Health Unit Credit (PIC) for ArtSci students. Interest Credit would be invaluable began with an address on the The PIC encourages students to to his degree. “[It] empowers move towards making Queen’s a try courses otherwise unaffiliated students to take challenging smoke-free campus. with their primary plans.

Naidu, along with two courses outside of their comfort However, Commerce students zone, while liberating them from of her colleagues from the haven’t previously been given such a grade-centric system which Department of Medicine and an opportunity. Though Townsend penalizes academic risk-taking,” Department of Public Health, and Pan formulated the initiative, he said. informed assembly that Commerce Society (ComSoc) As for those with differing 11 universities in Canada President Bhavik Vyas wrote to or indifferent opinions towards have already implemented The Journal that it was also a key the initiative, Pan and Townsend smoke-free systems, including platform point for the current believe they may have experienced Dalhousie, Acadia, and the ComSoc executive. personally negative electives in University of Winnipeg, but none in “Myself and Academics the past.

Ontario.

Commissioner Jeremy Brock At Queen’s, she said, exceptions However, the initiative doesn’t have seamlessly integrated it into seek to create obstacles for could be made on campus for our goal plan, and changed the students, according to it's founders. Indigenous and Aboriginal priorities of the original initiative a “Making that opportunity available students who use tobacco bit to better align with realistic and and accessible is what the initiative for cultural traditions and time-oriented goals,” he wrote. therapy. Nicotine replacement is all about.”

“It was more of an awareness Looking to the future of the and smoking cessation therapy piece to get the Commerce Smith school, Pan and Townsend could be provided through UCC (undergrad curriculum are optimistic. the Wellness Centre at no committee) to put serious thought “Changes that are cultural at cost to those who choose to into it, which happened to coincide their core take time, especially quit smoking.

Many assembly attendees perfectly with a big ticket item when they challenge the status (aka a very important item) for my quo and propose a pretty stark expressed concern about the team and I.” alternative,” they said. However, technicalities of creating a ComSoc currently hopes to they encourage Commerce smoke-free campus, raising implement the PIC for the 2017-18 students, regardless of their year in issues such as accommodating academic year. “The PIC is a higher the program, to read their initiative government-mandated smoke priority than the 1st year elective. and endorse a cause they feel breaks for employees on campus and drawing boundaries of what The likelihood as of now is quite enriches their education. constitutes “campus”. high because of the overwhelming

“

”

PHOTOS BY MORGAN DODSON

Queen’s Entrepreneur’s Competition hosts 60 second business

pitch challenge

queensjournal.ca/news

AMS Assembly debates making Queen’s campus smoke-free Student leaders discuss tobacco-free policy, filing election complaints and restructuring assembly governance This initiative is still in its discussion phase, and as a result, Naidu and her colleagues were unable to provide concrete answers to many of these questions. The speakers thanked assembly for their concerns and promised to come back with more information in the future.

Amendment to AMS Elections Complaint Policy

Elections Team during the 10-day winter referendum election period.

According to Elections Team Chief Returning Officer (CRO) Rebecca Warrian, in past years they’ve been inundated with complaints “of a petty nature” in the last couple of days of an election period.

She believed this was often used as a campaign strategy, through which opponents will hold on to evidence of campaign violations until the very end of the election to put pressure on the other teams.

Last year, Warrian said that in the first week of the election period, the elections committee received about 15 complaints a day, but in the last three days they received approximately 40-50 per day.

EngSoc Vice President (Student Affairs) Evan Dressel expressed concern that 24 hours was not long enough to file a complaint and moved that the amendment should be changed to 48 hours.

Assembly voted on Dressel’s proposed motion, but it failed, and the original 24-hour rule amendment passed on a vote of 20 for and 10 opposed.

Secretariat Miguel Martinez and Vice President (University Affairs) Carolyn Thompson introduced their amendment to AMS policy regarding the process of filing complaints to the Elections Team about candidates running in AMS elections.

The amendment reads, “When a team becomes aware of a potential violation of elections policy, they are permitted 24 hours to report the alleged violation to the AMS Elections Team.”

In past years, teams have been permitted 72 hours to file a complaint.

Martinez explained to the group that the phrase “becomes aware” means that once students realize a campaign violation, they should somehow be able to prove the time at which they noticed it. This can be done through taking a photo For full recap, see queensjournal.ca. or a screenshot of a message that would have a time stamp on it.

The purpose of the amendment is to take pressure off of the

Friday, October 21, 2016

News

‘If you can’t handle it, go watch cat videos’ Continued from front

those other girls that were ridiculed, I want has released a statement denouncing the to simply stress how demeaning situations video. Rector Cam Yung also spoke to The like these are.”

Journal about the video and it’s responses The videos shouldn’t have been taken nor on social media. posted, she wrote to The Journal, and taint “Our community often fails to recognize an atmosphere where people converge to sexual violence when it occurs,” he said. have a good time, not to get embarrassed.

“Too often, rape culture is being passed off as “We’re all just trying to have a great time ‘humour’ on social media. For myself, actions on homecoming, and if that involves acting of the individual asking questions were stupid, the only people that should be misogynistic, sexist, and inappropriate.”

Furthermore, he added, taking advantage witness are those you choose to surround of people who have been drinking shows yourself by,” she wrote.

Similar videos at other universities were disrespect for others’ integrity and their previously posted on Arora TV’s channel. reduced ability to consent.

One video — filmed at Laurier, privatized When the video was posted on the on Monday as well — featured a sequence Overheard at Queen’s Facebook group, it in which he asked one young woman the caused arguments in the comment section, with opinions on whether or not the video “naughtiest thing you’ve done in bed”.

The Journal reached out to the was consenting.

Some students wrote that there was no videomaker via email on Monday and again clear infringement on consent, and no clear on Thursday, with no response.

In the days since, the AMS executive team actions that constituted violence against the

queensjournal.ca

women in the video. The Journal received a large quantity of messages after reaching out to students on the Facebook group, all of which expressed sentiments of discomfort and frustration.

“This video does not speak to the values and beliefs of the Queen’s family,” Yung said.

“The actions by the maker of the video should not be allowed on campus and do not reflect our student body.”

He urged students to seek further education about consent and sexual violence, pointing out the student-run Bystander Intervention Program available at Queen’s.

In an email to The Journal in response to the video, Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator Barb Lotan said that “conversations designed for shock value that include questions about engaging in specific sexual acts, the frequency of sexual activity and the desirability of strangers can minimize and detract from the issues we should be discussing,” like healthy relationships, alcohol, consent and rape culture.

She says she doesn’t remember how the conversation started, or whether she gave her permission to be included in the video.

“Or motorboat me for that matter,” she wrote.

After the video was posted, she anxiously scrolled through social media, repetitively asking people to untag her in the video so family and co-workers couldn’t see it. “The whole thing made me feel uncomfortable, anxious and a little violated,” she wrote.

Though she says the feelings are temporary, that fact in itself makes her wonder about the atmosphere around consent and how it’s understood on campus.

“I feel like we’ve (even women) have been so desensitized to this kind of thing that unless it’s a severe or violent case of female sexualization or non-consensual like rape or slut shaming then we just don’t generate a reaction.”

Amanda Katz, ArtSci ’17, said that her appearance in the video — where she gives the interviewer permission to touch her breast — was only a short snippet of the conversation she had.

Though she still maintains that she consented to some of the questions, she recalls that when he asked increasingly offensive questions, “I proceeded to laugh and walk away while flipping him off. But, why would he show the part of the video when people were conducting themselves in a positive manner?”

Katz called the video and interviewer careless. “I am a confident female that isn’t taking this situation to heart. However, for A screenshot of AroraTV’s Instagram after the video was re-publicized. The Journal removed comment handles.

PSAC strike looms, union asks Queen’s to rejoin table

Queen’s says recent proposal addressed all concerns

Blake Canning Assistant News Editor Over the course of a three-day vote on Oct. 13, 14, and 17, Queen’s postdocs voted 92 per cent in favour of a strike if Queen’s administration didn’t return to the bargaining table, after their negotiations broke down last month.

“No one wants a strike, but we’re being forced by Queen’s to take action to get the dignity and equity that we think we deserve,” said Craig Berggold, president of the Post Doctoral Scholar and Public Service Alliance of Canada Local 901.

“Not only had we reached an impasse, where they had asked for a conciliator, but now the conciliator was there and they weren’t happy to give us a counter offer. At that point conciliation stopped,” Berggold said.

The conciliator was told that postdoc’s are willing to take strike action “and they will now be in touch with Queen’s to let them know. We’re asking Queen’s to come back to the table now, and if they don’t we’ll be forced to take job action and go on strike.”

When contacted by The Journal after PSAC announced their plans to vote on a strike, interim Associate Vice-Principal (Faculty Relations) Dan McKeown stated that the University was committed to reaching a negotiated agreement.

Queen’s believes it’s most recent proposal has addressed all concerns raised by the union, he wrote.

He believes that the proposal would also ensure that postdocs at Queen’s would be among the best compensated in their role across Canada, as well as ensuring childcare benefits and professional development funds.

PSAC’s request for a 25 per cent increase in minimum salaries during the first year, he noted, exceeded the proposal that the University had tabled.

When contacted post-vote, Queen’s didn’t have additional comments to add regarding the situation.

For Berggold and PSAC 901, the next step will be the forming of a strike committee. As of yet, there are no dates set for a strike, but Berggold says they’re making preparations while they await the administration's response.

When asked about what may happen in the case of class disruptions before winter break, Berggold was firm with faith in his 200 colleagues on the Queen’s campus.

“We live in a democratic society and when you vote you express your views and as a union we work together collectively,” he said.

“So we expect all postdocs will support the will of the overwhelming majority.”

According to Queen’s Archives, only three known strikes have taken place on campus.

The first, a student strike, took place in 1928. For three hours in the late 1980s or early 90s, the Canadian Union of Public Employees was on strike from midnight to just before daybreak, and Sodexo food service workers went on strike in the mid-1990’s.

According to the archives, Queen’s only began to unionize around the late 80s and 90s.

PSAC 901’s displeasure with the collective bargaining process was linked, according to a news release on the union website, to the fact only 10 of 200 postdocs on campus would see wage increases under the agreement Queen’s had proposed.

Berggold told The Journal that the situation for postdocs currently employed

by Queen’s may be more dire than people realize. One of the postdocs had written a letter, spelling out his situation and finances on a postdoc salary.

Making $32,175 per year, his take-home in a month was just over $2,200. However, he also owed $1,000 per month in student debt payments.

“It’s hard for somebody to understand that somebody with a PhD degree has that much difficulty making ends meet,” Berggold said.

With strike action imminent, if administration doesn’t return to negotiations, Berggold is resolute in his belief that equal pay should be offered for equal work.

•3

VIA ARORATV ON INSTAGRAM

“Postdocs work in the same labs, teach the same courses and have the same degree as faculty.... we’re saying to Queen’s that ‘you’re announcing huge funding for research [and] we know you need postdocs to do that work. We’re asking that you pay them a living wage.”

4 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, October 21, 2016

Through our lens

The Journal’s favourite shots from Homecoming PHOTOS BY VICTORIA GIBSON, GREG RADISIC AND AUSTON CHHOR

Friday, October 21, 2016

Features

queensjournal.ca

•5

IN-DEPTH STORIES FROM AROUND CAMPUS AND IN THE COMMUNITY

HEALTH CARE

How medically assisted dying is changing in Kingston New legislation causes Kingston General Hospital and Queen’s to take new approaches

Shivani Gonzalez Features Editor A lengthy legal process reached a conclusion in June when Bill C-14 made medically assisted death legal in Canada. Kingston General Hospital (KGH), located on the south side of Queen’s campus was one of the first hospitals in the country to begin carrying out the legislation.

There’s a set of concrete rules listed in the legislation regarding how a patient can receive their doctor’s assistance in dying. Only physicians and certain nurses are legally able to administer medically-assisted death and only based on specific circumstances.

In Ontario, the patient has to be at least 18 years of age, have an OHIP card and death of the patient without assistance must be in the foreseeable future.

Due to the recent nature of the law, the decision of who qualifies for it and how it’s to be done according to the legal parameters, is mostly left up to a doctor’s discretion, according to Allan Hammond, chair of the Kingston chapter of Dying with Dignity Canada. Dying with Dignity is “a national organization committed to improving quality of dying, expanding end-of-life choices and helping Canadians avoid unwanted suffering”, according to thier website.

“You can see in many cases that medical assisted dying is a treatment and like any other treatment, doctors have to use their judgment,” he said.

According to KGH’s official policy, requests for medical assisted death are “forwarded to an assessment team responsible for a process that includes screening and oversight.” The process, according to the policy, is done so that KGH meets all of the recommendations from the Supreme Court, as well as the professional

bodies that govern clinicians.

More specifically, a patient can ask their doctor about the options of physician-assisted dying. Any doctor can be trained in how to do the procedure and it’s up to the doctor’s discretion whether a patient is a candidate or not.

The rule at this time is that death must be in “the foreseeable future”. According to Hammond, what the foreseeable future is, is defined by individual doctors.

If the patient fits this criteria and their doctor agrees, Hammond explained, the patient fills out a form that’s signed off on by their doctor. The request then goes to another doctor who also has to sign off — two doctors have to agree for the procedure to take place.

You can see in “many cases that

medical assisted dying is a treatment, doctors have to use their judgement.

”

— Allan Hammond, Kingston chair of Dying with Dignity

The patient can choose if the procedure should happen at home or if they want it to be done at the hospital. Currently, according to legislation, doctors can either prescribe pills for the patients to take on their own or administer a lethal injection.

KGH’s implementation of medically assisted dying raises questions due to its merger with Catholic-based hospital Hotel Dieu in June.

While the board and the financial aspects have merged, they will remain two separate locations and KGH will continue to perform doctor assisted dying, while

Hotel Dieu will not, according to Dr. Tony Sanfilippo, cardiologist at KGH and associate dean of Queen’s undergraduate medical education.

The Queen’s School of Medicine curriculum won’t be changing drastically, Sanfilippo said, as medically-assisted death is something doctors can choose to learn later in their specialties, without it needing to be explicitly taught in the first few years.

Additional information about doctors’ legal obligations in regards to assisted dying will be added to professionalism and ethics courses that are already part of the curriculum.

Even though medically assisted death has moved from theory to practice, controversy over the newly-legalized practice still exists among the Canadian public, and also among doctors themselves.

Sanfilippo himself struggles with the concept of allowing people to choose to end their lives.

Since his specialty is cardiology, he won’t have to perform the procedure himself. It’s a choice for each physician, but he doesn’t condemn people who offer the procedure.

“I have a lot of trouble saying ‘here is the point where we can’t do anything’ because there is always more medicine we can try,” he said.

For Sanfilippo, the problem also comes when trying to make distinctions of who’s eligible.

“Suffering to one person isn’t the same to everyone,” Sanfilippo said. “Therefore, it’s hard to make a decision about who is making an informed decision about their lives and who thinks that they do not have other options when they possibly do.”

He also talked about the concept of trust. Sanfilippo argues it’s possible patients might be frightened a doctor might jump to the conclusion that doctor assisted dying is the best option without trying to think of other options to help a suffering patient.

“What that does to trust — I

don’t know the answer to that but it’s something I worry about.”

For Allan Hammond, he sees it in a completely different way.

“The reason I became a member of Dying with Dignity was because I liked the idea of being able to be independent. I have seen people who are struggling with debilitating conditions and being able to be independent in times like that is important.”

It’s been a long road for medically assisted death, but according to Hammond it’s far from over.

It started in September 1993, when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against Sue Rodriguez who had ALS and wanted a physician to assisted her dying.

In 2005, a Bloc Québécois MP, Francine Lalonde, introduced Bill C-407 which would allow a medical practitioner to aid someone in death if they had a terminal illness or were in severe physical pain — the bill didn’t pass. She would introduce it again in 2010 as Bill C-384, but it was defeated again.

In June 2012, the British Columbia Supreme Court deemed Canada’s ban on doctor assisted dying unconstitutional because it discriminated against the physically disabled.

In February 2015, 22 years after it first ruled against it, the Supreme Court unanimously voted to overturn the legal ban on doctor assisted dying.

Finally, on June 17, 2016, the bill allowing doctor assisted dying became law.

In the overturning of the ban, the terms used for the procedure have also changed.

Formally known as “doctor assisted suicide”, the term “doctor assisted dying” or “medically assisted dying” are common usage, for one, to avoid the negative connotations of the word “suicide”.

Additionally, as medically assisted dying often occurs in the hospital and is performed by a doctor,

PHOTO BY AUSTON CHHOR

it’s incorrect to term it suicide at all, according to Dying with Dignity Canada.

As of right now, the legislation passed requires the patient themselves to be able to consent, not leaving room for a next of kin or guarantor to make the call.

I have a lot of “trouble saying

‘here’s the point where we can’t do anything’ because there is always more medicine we can try

”

— Dr. Tony Sanfilippo, associate dean of Queen’s undergraduate medical education “Our members and supporters are disappointed that the legislation doesn’t recognize any advance directive,” Hammond said.

“If I had Parkinson’s for example, when I couldn’t recognize any of my family or friends, I would want to end my life, but I couldn’t anymore when I was at the stage where I was incompetent.”

Dying with Dignity is working towards that allowance being made, as their next goal.

The long-theoretical concept of doctor assisted death has moved to a currently-happening reality, but there remains issues to be worked out as hospitals adjust to the growing pains of a new practice. Questions like who can consent or a patient’s reasons for wanting to die may remain on the table.

For Dr. Sanfilippo, some of these questions of why a patient might choose death are unanswerable.

“It can’t be legislated because it’s so personal.”

6 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, October 21, 2016

EDITORIALS

The Journal’s Perspective

THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL Volume 144 Issue 10 www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal Publishing since 1873

Editorial Board Jacob Rosen

Editors in Chief

Jane Willsie

ILLUSTRATION BY VINCENT LIN

Maureen O’Reilly Mikayla Wronko

Stop holding onto outdated traditions

Editorials Editor

Ramna Safeer

Opinions Editor

Arththy Valluvan Erika Streisfield

Arts Editor

Alex Palermo

Assistant Arts Editor

”

R

Shivani Gonzalez

Features Editor

“

J

Blake Canning Morgan Dodson

uying textbooks comes at a high cost that may add up to a couple months’ worth research possibilities. While OER would prioritize accessibility for student success, for students, but the price of more of rent.

Although professors make a percentage the lack of acknowledgement for their own accessible resources is one we may not be of the profit when students buy their research may ironically make success in willing to pay yet.

Open education resources (OER) are textbooks, students should be paying for academia inaccessible or at least elusive for educational materials that can be freely course materials that also enrich their many academics.

It may be worth exploring how accessed, distributed and — in the case education, not just make money. post-doctorate students — who of classroom use — reworked are often students as well as to accommodate the needs of teachers — can step into the the course’s content. Licensed Although professors make a percentage of the under creative commons, they profit when students buy their textbooks, students world of research if academic journals fail to recognize cost far less than textbooks should be paying for course materials that also open texts. copyrighted by authors enrich their education, not just make money.

In addition, entirely and publishers. replacing the use of copyrighted, It’s this open approach that When planning a course, professors need referenceable materials with open some faculty at UBC are adopting in the hopes to combat the financial burden put to be aware that not all their students can educational resources isn’t just a matter equally access the material they’re assigning. of teaching approach — it’s a matter of on students when buying textbooks.

There’s nothing wrong with the intention If a change is needed, it’s especially in intellectual property. If the move were to be for the shift to openly accessible educational courses where students barely have to made, it would require a rethink of how we materials. In fact, courses that incorporate read the required textbooks that cost them perceive knowledge and its cost.

Even so, changes to intellectual accessible online materials are a welcome hundreds. With OER allowing for free access, ownership have been made in the past. move for most students — many of whom it seems like an obvious shift. consider foregoing purchasing textbooks The problem, however, may arise when Copyright laws have emerged and shifted to suit changing ideas of knowledge, according putting it into practice.

Perhaps the largest barrier to OER is to the times.

Perhaps it’s time for that same kind of the lack of recognition that an original researcher would receive for an open overhaul again. Perhaps, to lower the price textbook, as opposed to a textbook with a tags of our textbooks, we need to explore how we view who owns information publisher and copyright.

Academics pursue research to be and knowledge.

— Journal Editorial Board recognized for their work, leading to further

some of the traditions students held dear have been cleaned up. However, some have acob osen been dragged along, changing at their core, but continued in a poor effort to prove they still have value.

Grease Pole has become increasingly exclusive, when it was once meant to bring upper-year students and frosh together. Commerce Frosh Week is almost unrecognizable after undergoing probation.

Arts and Science Frosh Week, once known for its excessive drinking and crude chants, With 175 years under its belt, Queen’s is has become the tamest of them all. nationally recognized for its long-lasting Most recently, the Homecoming halftime traditions and spirited student body. But alumni parade — including the inevitable many of the traditions that students cling to student field rush — was cancelled. no longer serve a purpose.

Regardless of who made the decision and In their prime, Queen’s traditions were why, from a student safety standpoint, the fueled by passion and excitement, creating decision fits the trends of other schools a sense of togetherness on campus but only across North America who’ve been trying to within very select groups. They originated in get rid of the tradition as well. a very different time, when attitudes towards While some say the cancellation of the what was appropriate behavior were half time parade takes away from the school vastly different. spirit, consider this — Queen’s students as But, for better or worse, factors like a whole haven’t cared about their football the University’s increasingly corporate and team in years. There’s no use in continuing risk-averse attitude as well as their efforts to a tradition based on enthusiasm for a sports appeal to a wider demographic of students team that students no longer have, especially have drastically changed the campus when safety concerns have stripped it of its landscape — proving many traditions original form. obsolete, offensive and some even dangerous.

There are many other worthwhile As campuses have become increasingly traditions at this historic school that get aware of the detrimental impacts of hazing, overlooked. Queen’s is the only Canadian alcohol and rape culture in recent years, university to have a student rector. Prior

Kayla Thomson Victoria Gibson

Assistant News Editors

Replacing textbooks is a bigger change than we might think B

Production Manager News Editor

to recent changes, Queen’s was unique from most other universities in having a non-academic discipline system overseen by its student body. The AMS student government, the CFRC radio station and The Journal itself are some of the oldest campus establishments of their kind in North America.

However, some [traditions] “have been dragged along, changing at their core, but continued in a poor effort to prove they still have value.

”

These are traditions worth fighting for — traditions that still serve a greater purpose to the student body beyond having a long legacy.

It’s time to let go of the traditions that no longer serve a purpose so that new traditions, that create something positive on campus, like ReUnion St. Festival and QPOP!, can continue to grow.

Embrace and foster the traditions that truly make Queen’s special, not the ones that are celebrated because you’re simply told ‘its tradition’.

Jacob is one of The Journal’s Editors in Chief. He’s a fourth-year English major.

Joseph Cattana

Sports Editor

Sarah O’Flaherty

Assistant Sports Editor

Jenna Zucker

Lifestyle Editor

Ashley Rhamey

Assistant Lifestyle Editor

Julia Balakrishnan

Photo Editors

Auston Chhor Ghazal Baradari-Ghiami

Video Editor

Valentino Muiruri

Digital Manager

Rachel Liu

Graphics Editor

Vincent Lin

Editorial Illustrator

Zachary Chisamore

Copy Editors

Brigid Goulem Irene Liu

Contributing Staff Sebastian Bron

Staff Writers and Photographers

Greg Rasidic Clayton Tomlinson Kailun Zhang Daniel Baum

Contributors

Dave Bross Bryan Cuypers Rafe Fernandes James Hynes Nabeela Jivraj Jasmit Pabla Iain Sherriff-Scott Katherine Thornton

Business Staff Max Mclernon

Business Manager

Renee Robertson

Head Sales Representative Sales Representatives

Sebastian Jaramillo Cierra Madore Anisha Jain

Office Administrator

Want to contribute?

For information visit: www.queensjournal.ca/contribute or email the Editors 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.

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Circulation 4,000

Friday, October 21, 2016

queensjournal.ca

OPINIONS

•7

Your Perspective

It’s not enough for “someone to identify

that there is a trigger inside of them because it’ll always have the ability to be pulled, unless addressed.

”

PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

Clayton Tomlinson argues that trigger warnings are harmful and encourage students to avoid addressing their problems.

Trigger warnings pose more problems than they alleviate Clayton Tomlinson, ArtSci ’18

Shielding ourselves from material that makes us uncomfortable is a step in the wrong direction

so that they can evaluate and assess their reactions to what they’re being exposed to.

Students need to know themselves.

Spreading across campuses nationwide is a It’s one thing to have a safe space, but it’s wave of mental health awareness that has another thing to simply refuse to combat inspired many post-secondary institutions the things that are deemed difficult without to take measures in combating these issues. acknowledging the validity of material that According to statistics released by the can strike a nerve.

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Life isn’t going to stop happening and a (CAMH), half the population of Canada will lot of the time as much as we want to avoid have experienced some form of mental certain topics, eventually we’ll have to talk illness by the time they reach 40. It’s pretty about them. Different forms of expression clear that as we’ve become more aware of should help individuals deal with their the mental health issues that Canadians issues and all trigger warnings do is allow face, we’re beginning to address them them to avoid the problem. more adequately.

It’s not enough for someone to identify Evidently, this has encouraged many that there is a trigger inside of them because universities to increase student access to it’ll always have the ability to be pulled, mental health resources. As a result, within unless addressed. classrooms we are seeing an awareness of I think it’s necessary to combat the issues that were previously overlooked. issues surrounding mental illness, as both a However, within these same classrooms sufferer and a member of Canadian society, there have been increased measures taken so that it’s possible to move beyond them to shield people from material that they and not be dragged may find difficult to down by anchors that deal with using trigger were never intentionally warnings. These can Life isn’t going to stop happening and a lot of the dropped. often be irksome. It time as much as we want to avoid certain topics, Trigger warnings seems to me that eventually we’ll have to talk about them. prevent this sort they’re a way to simply of growth. avoid the issues that I’ve never understood students have faced They serve as a form of bowing out why people feel the need to take on and such avoidance is unhealthy.

Places that offer comfort, like the to the problems that students face. It’s a the world by themselves, without help Wellness Centre, are a great tool for people way to let someone anchor themselves from others.

Attending Queen’s or any other university, who suffer from mental illnesses and other to one experience in their life and let that students are very often separated from their issues of a similar nature. The same can be define them. said for the shift on Canadian campuses Articles, books and paintings should be home for the very first time. All the support that have called for classrooms and student a way for students to engage in an inner systems they previously had are likely centres to operate as safe spaces. Detractors dialogue, to ask themselves about what distances away and new ones have yet to claim such areas are emblematic of the is happening inside their mind and body, be found.

“

softening of our society but if a person says they need somewhere to decompress, to get away from all the stressful things that are making matters that much more difficult for them, I don’t see why they shouldn’t be provided with one.

In spite of that, we need to ensure that the right types of measures are taken when trying to offer support to the students who need it.

Trigger warnings can be seen as a positive because they show that we are valuing the power of mental health issues and the different things that can affect a variety of people, however, they don’t provide any solution to whatever is causing people to need these warnings in the first place.

Many articles’ content can be inferred from their title and the same can be said for other materials used when teaching difficult lessons in the classroom, therefore deeming trigger warnings unnecessary.

”

Seeking support during difficult times is crucial when trying to overcome any problem.

More recently, we’ve seen the introduction of what we need in this era that stresses mental health awareness and sensitivity toward those who are suffering, but it needs to be done in the right way.

I’ve never understood “why people feel that they must brave the world by themselves, without others helping them.

”

Addressing mental illness on university campuses is definitely a step in the right direction.

Wellness centres are a great example of this new awareness and directly help not only everyday sufferers but people who just need a break from their stress.

But, just because society is becoming more equipped to deal with mental health it doesn’t mean that every new step will be in the right direction.

Trigger warnings are this misstep.

They’re like a safety net for people who don’t need one. They don’t promote progress of any form but, rather, allow people to separate themselves from the issues they most direly need to solve.

Clayton Tomlinson English major.

is

a

third-year

Talking heads ... around campus

PHOTOS BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

What’s getting you through midterms?

“The stress is pushing me.

Can’t wait till they’re over.”

Miriam van der Maten, ArtSci ’17

“Just keeping my head above water.”

Aaron Lin, ArtSci ’19

“Trying to stay positive.

It’s a scary time.”

Samantha Ruckenstein, ArtSci ’18

“Knowing it’ll all be worth it.”

Connor Moffatt, Comm ’20

8 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, October 21, 2016

ARTS NIGHTLIFE

Spinning in Kingston A look into the life of a student DJ

Allan spinning at Ale House in downtown Kingston.

Iain Sherriff-Scott Contributor

through the walls. I was always asking for his music, ended up borrowing his turntable, started It’s Friday night, the week is over messing around and really picked it and you’re ready to dance your up. I loved it so much, I eventually assumed his job when he sorrows away.

That’s where James Allan comes graduated. Been DJing since then. in. Having spun at Kingston’s handful of nightclubs, including Q: DJing is considered an art.

Fluid, Ale, Stages and the newly- How does this relate to you? opened, Trinity Social, Allan is no Allan: I’d say the art in DJing is stranger to the DJ scene.

I caught up with him to discover probably in the connection with what it’s like as a student and the audience.

I like my sets to progressively resident DJ at Kingston’s nightlife be building in energy until they destinations. eventually crescendo, at which Q: When did you first point I can start bringing the energy down — usually around start DJing?

1:30-2 a.m. But along the way you Allan: I first started DJing as a have peaks and valleys of small hobby, probably in my sophomore spikes and more relaxed moments.

I think there is a real intimacy year — so probably in my second in building this energy with the year of high school.

I went to boarding school in crowd, because at the end of the the States and I lived next to this day I’m there for them. guy who was actually the DJ at Q: What’s it like performing our school.

I constantly heard his music in front of a student crowd? Is

For Allan, DJing is all about reading the audience and finding your groove.

there pressure to perform?

Allan: When you perform enough times the pressure starts to go away.

It’s probably because I’ve become familiar with the crowd here at Queen’s, but more importantly I’ve gotten a good sense of my own skill and what I can expect in my own performance.

When you get into a good groove with the crowd, good music choices just seem to come to me. It’s all about finding that groove.

Q: What are some of the most challenging aspects of being an resident DJ in Kingston?

Allan: I remember when I first started DJing at Ale, and in general, it was the technicalities of it — having the seamless transition, some people can be very OCD about that and it has to be perfect.

I would say I focus less on transition and more on song choice. I think people really care

SUPPLIED VIA UNSPALSH

about what the next song is and the DJs ability to read the crowd.

One mistake would be to ignore the crowd and focus too much on the particulars of the actual work you’re doing.

SUPPLIED BY JAMES ALLAN

was brutal.

I spent more money than I should have on Selena Gomez’s recent albums and I just begrudgingly played every single song.

Q: Do you have as much creative Q: If you were perpetually freedom as you would like DJing trapped in a single year’s music scene, which year would in Kingston? you pick?

Allan: That’s a very political question. If you want to get into the Allan: I would definitely say the nitty gritty of it, Fluid used to have 90s. A lot of the rock is really good, a very liberal music agenda. You alternative rock. I love playing that could play whatever you wanted, especially at the clubs, people love a throwback. which was pretty nice.

Ale was very strict, very conservative; they said strictly Q: Do you record your own top 40 or songs people knew, so tracks? If so, do you get the you have no creative freedom in opportunity to play them? that sense.

I despise top 40 music. I’m never Allan: I’ve messed around with happy when you see me playing making my own music. Never top 40, but back at Trinity, I can played any of my own produced play pretty much whatever I want. I music, but I definitely have a bunch kind of want to incorporate the old of mashups and bootlegs that I play at the clubs all the time.

Fluid vibe.

They are a lot of fun and always Q: In what direction do you see get a great reaction from the crowd. the DJ scene going in Kingston and as a whole, going in the next Q: What are some words of wisdom you might offer few years? somebody wanting to enter the Allan: I am probably less in touch DJ scene in Kingston? with the EDM culture as a whole. I Allan: DJing in Kingston: nepotism. don’t go to a whole lot of festivals.

I would say as far as Kingston Its all who you know, so feel free goes, you would see a further to reach out to me. Honestly as consolidation of the hub much as these clubs hire based on clubs — mainly Stages and Ale merit, you also have to know the becoming more top 40 and more right people.

So my words of wisdom would pop, which I just don’t enjoy.

You’ll see Trinity, for example, be: be persistent, definitely try to kind of become the outlier and figure out who the DJs are at all play everything else that people the clubs because we are a very close-knit group, so if you talk to appreciate. one of us, you can talk to all of us.

Q: What particular night stands alone in infamy/memorability Q: Has DJing in Kingston inspired you to pursue it at a more for you as a DJ in Kingston? serious level?

Allan: So I had a night last year, I was the junior DJ at Ale, there Allan: That’s the dream, right? was one guy who was a year older Realistically, I’ll probably never be than I was, and we had this Bieber a DJ again, but I think in some fantasy you could see me on the versus Gomez night.

Unfortunately, being the junior stage at Coachella or Ultra in Miami. guy I had to take team Gomez. It

Arts

Friday, October 21, 2016

queensjournal.ca

•9

ART IN TRAVEL

Van Gogh in Amsterdam

Kailun Zhang Staff Writer An afternoon wandering through the Van Gogh Museum was an intimate experience as I came to know the misunderstood genius behind the iconic name — Vincent Van Gogh.

Where other museums have admittedly lost me to eventual boredom and disinterest, this one had me wound up in its world right until the last exhibit.

Known for both his artworks and his troubled life, the Dutch painter remains one of the most iconic and enigmatic artists to ever

CAMPUS EXHIBIT

SUPPLIED BY KAILUN ZHANG

live. His museum in Amsterdam is a homage to his life as not only an artist, but a man, brother and friend.

My friends and I began our time with a small detour when we found out we’d visited the museum on a day featuring a free painting workshop.

Though not part of his most famous works, several Van Gogh paintings feature pairs of shoes.

Equipped with aprons, acrylic paints and a handful of brushes, we joined fellow museum goers in painting still lifes of our own footwear.

The six colours we were given to

work with were chosen to imitate the palette Van Gogh used. My friends and I tried to mimic his short, thick brush strokes, the way he used colour to create dimension, and quite honestly, his overall artistic abilities.

We also had a quiet laugh over one aspiring Van Gogh who insisted on not taking his painting with him despite the supportive urgings of the workshop coordinator. Perhaps he didn’t think his finished product was a masterpiece worth lugging around for the rest of the day, but we carried out our paintings in the provided plastic bags proudly.

The rest of our time at the museum was spent winding our way through the four floors of art collections that spiralled upwards through a central staircase. It was like being woven into the story of Van Gogh’s life.

The museum featured pieces dating back to when the master first delved into art in his late twenties, while he was living in rural parts of the Netherlands.

These earlier paintings were almost unrecognizable to me as Van Goghs.

They were monochromatic pieces depicting peasant life.

One of the most renowned paintings to come out of this collection of work was called The

Kwest installation unveiled for Homecoming Brigid Goulem Copy Editor Last Thursday, Queen’s kicked off Homecoming with the unveiling of a magnificent, 38-foot-tall installation that marries art and engineering in the BeamishMunro foyer.

The grand sculpture entitled Synapse was unveiled on Oct. 13 in honour of Queen’s 175th anniversary. Synapse is composed of steel, wood, acrylic and paint — materials reflecting the Faculty of Engineering.

The tri-coloured piece is installed on a vertical axis, running up the foyer of BeamishMunro. It’s absurd angles and garish colors give the piece a graffiti-esque feel.

The piece is set on a wall of the foyer, between two full length windows that on a sunny day cast cool shadows under the piece’s raised beams. The sharp, dark lines

of shadows on the underside of the piece’s geometrical shapes give the installation the appearance that it’s split into multiple parts.

Arguably, the installation appears most striking on a darker, more typical, Kingston day, when the piece brightens up an otherwise grey space filled with tired engineering students.

Synapse was created by Toronto-based graffiti artist Kwest, who worked with a committee of students to create the piece.

Committee members were selected based on an essay about engineering and creativity.

The collaboration between Kwest and the students makes the piece more authentic, as it gave the artist more profound knowledge about the university.

Over the span of a few days, the students worked with Kwest exploring questions such as what has stayed constant in Queen’s Engineering? What does Queen’s

Potato Eaters — a telling name to the type of subject matter he focused on in this period of his life.

As Van Gogh moved to France and became influenced by modern and Japanese art, his painting style changed to incorporate the brighter colours and distinctive techniques that he’s now best known for.

Tucked into the art were glimpses into Van Gogh’s personal life. There was a darkness and bleakness to these details, such as his bold brushwork and emotional colour pallet that expressed his innermost struggles with life — most people can recall that Van Gogh cut one of his ears off under the grip of psychosis and mental illness.

You may also know that Van Gogh only sold one painting — The Red Vineyard at Arles — while he was alive.

This painting of workers among red vines seemed all the more gray against pieces like his multiple self-portraits, his vase of Sunflowers and the Bedroom in Arles sketches — so vibrant, lively and beautiful.

One of the floors, Van Gogh Close Up, was filled with letters exchanged between

Van Gogh and his family and friends.

In his lifetime, Van Gogh sent more than 600 letters to his brother Theo, whose financial support allowed his younger brother to devote his life to painting, and they remain the most touching for many people.

It was clear to me why I could sense the hopefulness, dread and recounting of daily minutiae that you only confide in those with whom you’re closest.

Reading some of these letters was one of my favourite parts of the museum. But mostly, I admired how all of it came together to feel like getting to know the man behind the name, even if just in the slightest way.

Engineering mean today? They attempted to answer these questions by visiting the Queen’s Archives to see what Queen’s Engineering looked like in the past.

According to Max Lindley-Peart, who was involved in the project, they discussed the “spirit of collaboration, a real sense of pride, and ownership over the university where students are highly involved.”

In addition to understanding the legacy of engineering on campus, the students wanted the ILC’s installation to act in conversation with the other art on campus and not just as an independent piece.

It was with these principles in mind that the group sat down with Kwest and created some sketches. The use of materials was very important in creating the piece as the materials represented different Engineering disciplines. As well, the tri-colour paint is a show of Queen’s pride.

The beauty of the Synapse is undeniable.

The electrifying piece is impossible to miss as you walk into Beamish-Munro, but beyond being beautiful, the piece serves a real purpose. According to Lindley-Peat the piece is a reminder to engineering students of the creativity involved in their discipline.

“It’s something that a lot of engineers don’t realize, it’s a profoundly creative profession, The new Kwest and this is an important reminder of that.” instillation in the ILC.

PHOTO BY AUSTON CHHOR

10 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, October 21, 2016

SPORTS

ULTIMATE FRISBEE

Men’s and women’s teams sweep the National Championships

The men`s team succe

Camaraderie and community: A look at the Queen’s ultimate program

ssfully defended their 2015 title.

The women’s ultimate frisbee team won the Canadian University Ultimate Championship in Montreal during Homecoming weekend.

Sarah O’Flaherty Assistant Sports Editor While most students were celebrating Homecoming this past weekend, the Queen’s Ultimate Frisbee program had their own reason to celebrate. Both the men’s and women’s ultimate teams were victorious at the Canadian University Ultimate Championship (CUUC) in Montreal.

During round robin play, the women’s team won their matches against Laval and McMaster, but lost to Ottawa by a single point.

While some teams might have become discouraged by the loss, the women’s ultimate team didn’t lose hope of their chances. Queen’s rolled through their quarter and semi finals, winning by a combined 24-9 against Carleton and Western.

According to ultimate player Laura Kinoshita, after their win against the Mustangs in the semifinals, they were prepared for a tough game against Toronto in the finals. “We knew we would have to rely on our ability to outperform them.”

In the final against U of T, the Gaels took a 12-7 victory to win

the 2016 National Championship.

The CUUC Championship win was a special moment for the women’s team, particularly because many of the players on the team are graduating this year. “For a lot of people, especially those who are graduating, it was a sense of excitement and fulfillment,” Kinoshita said.

This championship was the culmination of a successful year for the team. Earlier in the year, they won the Canadian Eastern University Ultimate Championships in Kingston, as well as the Steeltown Classic in Hamilton — a feat matched by the men’s team.

And while the two combined are one of the most successful teams at Queen’s, Kinoshita admits that the ultimate program doesn’t have the same amount of recognition as some other sports on campus, which can be a challenge.

“I think ultimate frisbee, in general, isn’t really seen at the same level as other sports, like basketball or football,” Kinoshita said. “I think it is hard to explain why you’re spending all

CROSS COUNTRY

your time doing this.”

This hasn’t deterred Kinoshita from staying involved. She says she stuck with it in university because of her love of the sport and admiration of the unique sense of community and camaraderie.

While the season is over, the women are gearing up for a possible spring season tournament in the United States in the coming year and looking forward to developing their young team next season to defend their title.

For the men’s team, this year had a different narrative. After spending the last few national championships within reach of the title, last year the team finally attained their goal. The defense of their national title defined this year’s season.

Head coach Pete Galbraith said that going into the tournament, the team was looking forward to a challenge and that in preparing for the championships, “a big mentality on the team was to be uncomfortable.”

The men eased through the first day of the tournament with wins against McGill, Toronto and Carleton. The second day saw a

stiffer competition for the team, as they faced Western in the quarterfinals, a tight match against Laval in the semifinals and a win against U of T. The team’s success in the final against U of T, warranted more of a celebration than any other typical championship. The team was in a unique position, playing their entire roster in their victory — a point of pride for both captain Ben Blackford and coach Galbraith.

“I think it speaks a lot to the depth of the program that we were rolling out guys who are lower on the roster but they were still contributing and scoring points,” Galbraith said. “I don’t think any other team can say that they rolled as many people through their rosters as we did.”

Galbraith praised Blackford’s work ethic and rare balance between a positive and competitive spirit as helpful to the team. “He’s played offence when we won, he’s played defense when we’ve won, it’s a unique combination to have national championships on both sides [of the team].”

Of the past sixteen years, the

SUPPLIED BY ED KUNG

men’s team has made the finals in the championships eight times, and this season marked the third year in a row they went to the finals of the CUUC. For Galbraith, Blackford and Kinoshita, the reason why they were drawn to the game was community. Unlike the classic conception of rivals that’s often seen in other sports, they get along well with their competitors and often play with them outside of the university season. “You play man to man with people a lot of the time,” Blackford said. “You just have a chat, be friendly.”

As for the future of the Queen’s ultimate program, Galbraith hopes to see it continue on its current positive trend.

“I just want it to grow. I think the way we do things is a bit of a model for how I want people to live their lives,” Galbraith said with a smile. “Pursuing fantastic things, being really positive, understanding that it’s okay to put in work and do things that no one pays attention to for a while with a little bit of reward at the end.”

Gaels on top at historic run

Claire Sumner wins gender-neutral Queen’s Invitational Kayla Thomson Production Manager At typical races, Gaels’ cross country runner Claire Sumner sprints the last few-hundred meters to the six-kilometer mark, ending her race. At the Queen’s Invitational this past weekend, she held her pace with the front pack.

With two additional kilometers to go, Sumner knew she could finish strong.

The Queen’s Invitational shifted the competitive world of running, hosting the first ever university cross-country meet in Canada that had men and women compete at equal distances.

Up until this past Saturday, men have raced ten kilometres, whereas their female counterparts have raced the much shorter distance of

six kilometres.

At the Queen’s Invitational, cross-country head coach Steve Boyd set the distance for both men and women at eight kilometres.

“I’m used to stopping [at 6km].

Actually, at that point, I was feeling really good,” Sumner said in an interview after the race.

Sumner led the women’s pack, placing first with a time of 27:50:91 — her first inter-collegiate title. Her teammate, Julie-Anne Staehli finished right behind, in second place.

Sumner explained that many schools aren’t ready for the change in regulations.

“There’s some schools that are more middle distance focused so they are not about the longer distance. They wouldn’t want [the equal-distance change].”

On the men’s side, the team came in one point behind Western, with Gaels’ Eric Wynands finishing second at a time of 24:48:94.

Gender equality in crosscountry has been a long-time passion for coach Boyd. Since he joined the Queen’s team in 2010, Boyd has tried to make it his legacy as a coach to overcome the “inexcusable” gender inequality, working to get equal distances instituted.

“There’s a basic inequality at the core of our sport, and the basis of it is that we give opportunities for a certain kind of male athlete, one with more aerobic long distances and endurance potential that we don’t give to their female counterparts,” he said.

Boyd explained that historically Julie-Anne Staehil (left) and winner Claire See Gaels on page 12 Sumner at the 2016 Queen’s Invitational.

PHOTO SUPPLIED ROBIN KASEM

Sports

Friday, October 21, 2016

queensjournal.ca

• 11

SEASON PREVIEW

High hopes for men’s basketball

Team has ‘chance to do something that’s never been done’ Sebastian Bron Staff Writer After years of being in the basement of the OUA standings, last season the men’s basketball team put themselves on the map.

A second-round exit in the post-season, failed to highlight the leaps and bounds the team had made all year. Winning a playoff game for the first time in six years wasn’t just an accomplishment, it was indicative of the program turning over a new leaf.

“Our team next year has a chance to do something really special,” veteran guard Sukhpreet Singh told The Journal last March after an agonizing playoff defeat to then number one ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees.

With a healthy amount of experience under their belt and an offseason of practice, the Gaels look poised to make the jump; to finally be considered amongst the CIS’ best.

Now, with the regular season tipping off in a matter of weeks, the team finds itself hoping to ride the wave of momentum that carried them through last season.

This past weekend, as hosts of the Tindall Invitational Tournament, the Gaels put their plan to the test.

In their only tournament of the preseason, the team got off on the right foot with a 87-63 win against Memorial University.

While head coach Stephan Barrie liked the way his team played, he knew there were things on both sides of the ball that needed polishing.

Their next two games, however, were less than promising. The Gaels were handed two losses to cap off the weekend, dropping their Saturday game 73-65 against Alberta and their Sunday re-match with Ottawa 64-60. Finishing with a 1-2 record, their inconsistent play — with 16 turnovers and out rebounded 40-32 against Ottawa — left more questions unanswered than not.

Basketball isn’t a game of luck, rather success is predicated on preparation — and that’s something the Gaels are looking to hone in on before the season starts, according to coach Barrie.

“We don’t have any issues with practice, intensity or effort.

It’s just about having the players understand the system, and that’s not about effort. The team works their tail off and it’s easy to coach them that way,” he said.

The challenge at hand for the Gaels is, as Barrie alluded to, having players understand the system the coaches are trying to

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

Last year Sammy Ayisi (right) averaged 4.4 points and 1.3 assists per game.

implement. And with a lot of new players, it makes the continuity from last year that much more difficult.

Of the 14 players listed on last year’s roster, six were lost due to either graduation or injuries, leaving new players with bigger, unexpected roles. Even with a handful of fresh faces, Barrie said time, patience and secondchances will be paramount in the team’s plans.

“It’s going to take some time for the new guys to know exactly what’s going on, because putting anyone into a new system takes time. If they make mistakes, we’re not just going to take them

SEASON PREVIEW

out and bring another guy in — it’s about them getting through those mistakes.

“Having seniors at this level makes all the difference in the world. But again, we expected having eight or nine guys coming back, now we’re left with five, so it’s definitely a hit,” he added.

The expectations for the team should still be fairly high, though.

Their play last season warranted excitement. It was time for the school, and the CIS, to pay a closer look at Queen’s basketball. And that’s something the coaching staff preaches to its players — to recognize that the work they put on the court could have

a meaningful impact on a campus itching for more athletic success.

“We talked to them about the legacy they could leave here.

We let the team know, ‘you guys have a chance to do something that’s never been done. You get to nationals, that’s never been done.

You win an OUA championship, that’s never been done,” Barrie said.

“And if you get to nationals for the first time in the program’s history, that’s something you’ll remember for the rest of your life,’” “They have a chance to be special.

It’s certainly going to be tough but they’re eager to face the challenge.”

A bright future ahead for women’s basketball Tindall Invitational Tournament shows promising success for the 2016-2017 season

James Hynes Contributor Last weekend, the Gaels’ woman’s basketball team showed that they have the potential to top the CIS this year.

The Gaels continued their preseason, hosting Acadia University, Laval University, and the University of Alberta for the Tindall Invitational Tournament.

The Gaels finished off the tournament with a 2-1 record, only losing to a skilled Laval squad.

In last year’s regular season, the Gaels finished with a 14-5 regular season record, giving them second place in the OUA Eastern Division standings. However, the Gaels’ playoff run was cut short by the McMaster Marauders, who beat the Gaels by a score of 65-55 in the quarter finals of the OUA championship.

For this upcoming season, the Gaels plan to surpass last year’s success.

“Our goals are as high as they possibly can,” said assistant coach James Bambury. “This is one of the deepest teams that we have possibly seen here.”

After this weekend, it’s clear that Queen’s is a defensive minded team. The Gaels utilized a variety

of pressure defenses that led to turnovers and missed scoring opportunities for opposing teams.

On Saturday, they forced 31 turnovers against Alberta, which led to 25 points to secure the Gaels’ victory.

“We are going to play a high intensity game, not letting the other team rest on offense or

defense,” Bambury said.

At the heart of this effort was Queen’s defensive leader, guard Emily Hazlett, with nine steals this weekend.

This upcoming basketball season is the last for Hazlett — an experienced veteran whose entering her fifth and final year of CIS eligibility. Bambury recalled

Last year Emily Hazlett averaged 10.5 points and 2.0 steals per game.

that when Hazlett stepped onto Queen’s campus, she was relatively unknown.

But the Gaels’ coaching staff received the best possible outcome from Hazlett.

Through multiple seasons of consistent improvement, Hazlett transformed herself from an uncertain prospect, into a floor

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

general on a very promising Gaels’ squad.

“She enjoys defense. She enjoys locking down someone,” Bambury said. “Her love for defending really spearheads what we want to do with this team.”

While the team has a lot of veteran experience, the Gaels have a bright future. Recruits Adriana Conti, Emma Ritcey, local high school star Bridget Mullholland, and University of Albany transfer Veronika Lavergne, they showed that these young players have the potential to contribute greatly for the squad this season.

“They can actually set a corner stone going forward.”

Bambury said. “They are really one of the best recruiting classes in the country, and we couldn’t be happier with all of them.”

The Gaels will continue their preseason on Friday, October 21, against Thompson Rivers University in the first game of the Metro Gelebe Tournament in Ottawa. The Gaels will kick off their regular season in Toronto on November 11, where they’ll face York.

Sports

12 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, October 21, 2016

Gaels go one and two Continued from page 10

there are some athletes who struggle with shorter and middle distances, but excel at the 10 kilometre run — an all-male competition. He explained that female athletes with a strength for long-distance “would never get a chance to discover their abilities … it’s basically just not fair to women athletes who have those abilities.”

This inequality goes beyond the university level. Canadian athletes are brought up running unequal men’s and women’s distances once they’re in high school, which continues through their university careers.

Boyd explained that his runners are “products of the system in which they came up … they’ve been athletically socialized to accept shorter distances.”

This sentiment was echoed as the women’s team was initially worried about the added two kilometres, but performed despite the nerves.

With limited formal opportunity to meet with other OUA cross-country coaches to address the distance-gap, Boyd used the Queen’s Invitational as a way to make the changes he sees necessary in the sport.

Despite his unsuccessful motions for equal distances at OUA and CIS coach meetings in the past, he said he still plans to continue making a push for it, as he’s done since 2013.

Boyd is hoping to gather a caucus of OUA coaches who support equal distances, and present a plan at an upcoming CIS coaches meeting.

The women’s cross-country team has been preparing for the 8km distance under Boyd’s guidance for years, according to Sumner.

When comparing her training for 6 km races to the 8 km preparation, she said, “I would say [our training] is pretty similar to how they’ve been for the past couple years. Steve’s been ready to have us run 8K for a long time.”

The cross-country team will be competing at OUA and CIS meets in the coming weeks with the traditional distances of 6 km and 10 km for women and men, respectively.

However, Sumner will continue to stand by her coach’s vision.

“After racing 8K I feel like it’s not much longer than 6K. I would support Steve if he wanted to change it.”

Members of the women’s cross country team racing during Saturday’s meet.

SUPPLIED BY ROBIN KASEM

The Gaels huddle during their 55-5 win on Homecoming.

Pataki leads Gaels homecoming route Continued from front page

moving forward.”

With this week’s win, Queen’s moves into sole possession of the sixth and final playoff spot in the OUA with a 3-4 record. With just one week remaining in the season, Sheahan repeated his message from earlier in the week that this was a must-win contest, and hopes to ride the momentum into next week’s matchup against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. “I thought the kids gained some great confidence today,” Sheahan said. “Every win or loss at this point has consequences for everybody.”

Sheahan didn’t shy away from being confident after the Queen’s victory. “Whatever momentum you get by being at home, we had it,” he said.

Standing out individually in Queen’s defensive efforts was third-year defensive-back Wesley Mann, who had a pair of interceptions, including a 60-yard touchdown return halfway through the third quarter.

“He scrambled and threw up a prayer and I was just lucky to be on the other end of it,” Mann said of his second interception leading

directly to a score.

Queen’s was without a pair of their key performers for the majority of the game. Kicker Nick Liberatore sustained a foot injury in practice and did not participate, while the team’s leading receiver, Chris Osei-Kusi, injured his leg in the game’s first quarter and sat out for the rest of the contest.

Sheahan was confident however that both players would be available next week.

The Gaels face Ottawa next Saturday at home, and can clinch a playoff spot with a victory. While Ottawa has already secured a spot in the postseason, there’s still seeding implications on the line and no one on the Queen’s sideline is expecting an easy game.

However, Queen’s is hoping that the momentum from the Homecoming win will signal good things in the future.

“Hopefully it kickstarts a run of consecutive wins for us,” quarterback Nate Hobbs said.

The victory was the team’s highest offensive point total in two years, dating back to a 57-10 victory over York on Homecoming 2014.

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE NIJHUIS

OUA Standings

1. Western (6-1)

2. Laurier (6-1)

3. McMaster (6-1)

4. Ottawa (5-2)

5. Carleton (5-2)

6. Queen’s (3-4) GRAPHIC BY JOSEPH CATTANA

Friday, October 21, 2016

queensjournal.ca

• 13

CULTURE COMMENTARY

The Chance for authentic creativity

Rapper provides example of advocacy in mainstream music

LIFESTYLE Nabeela Jivraj Contributor Now that music is mostly free to access, listening to anything is easy.

But does that mean creativity is diluted or set free?

As listeners, purchasers and fans, when we indiscriminately support — or fail to support — everything we see on the Internet, creativity gets devalued.

But the example Chance the Rapper provides demonstrates that the rise of music distribution on the Internet has allowed some amazing young talent to flourish, so long as we prioritize the music over the money.

His tunes are catchy, equally fun to bump at parties or while you’re grinding out an essay. You might

be a huge fan already, or maybe you heard his verse on Kanye’s album once. In any case, there’s no question that Chancellor Bennett — aka Chance the Rapper — is on a continual up.

Here’s what sets him apart: throughout his career and the recent spike in publicity, Chance has demonstrated a sustained commitment to his creative values.

Despite offers from multiple labels, merchandise sales and touring are still his sole source of income while he relies on word of mouth and Soundcloud to spread his music.

While clearly capable of creating chart toppers, a closer look reveals an intelligent young artist who cares about more than just making hit singles — his approach follows a long standing tradition of using

music as a political and personal statement, which sometimes falls to the wayside in current iterations of pop music.

He attributes his personal need for musical autonomy as stemming from the influence of his father’s life (Chance’s dad currently acts as the chief of staff to Rahm Emmanuel, mayor of Chicago).

Advocacy is a large part of the rapper’s work outside of music, specifically in Chicago. He hosts “Open Mikes,” alongside programs to engage with youth, advocates for Black Lives Matter and against gun violence.

Chance was named a Chicagoan of the Year in 2015 for his musical and social contributions to the wider community.

His lyrical construction reflects strong community ties and a call for fixing what needs to be fixed.

In the track ‘Angels,’ Chance opens with reference to the need for political change in the city: “When every father, mayor, rapper jump ship/ I guess that’s why they call it where I stay/ Clean up the streets, so my daughter can have somewhere to play.”

Chance’s choice to use his music for political expression isn’t necessarily unique, nor is his commitment to community advocacy. Hordes of artists have used their music and public influence to this end. However, Chance’s success serves as a prime case to highlight increasing divides in the music industry.

“For my life to be an interesting

VIA VIMEO

narrative and a consistent one, I need to be that guy, there is a success in self success,” he said, in an interview with Ellen.

And that’s fair enough — but as listeners and consumers we also have a responsibility to give recognition where it’s due.

Whether that means paying attention to the political causes of those artists or supporting them through other means — as consumers we, too, have some autonomy and responsibility in dictating what’s valuable as art for our generation, what isn’t and why.

The way you do that is to do you. In the words of Chance: “be ‘bout that jam.”

CAMPUS PROFILES

Voices from behind the doors: John McDonald Hall

VIA AVE BROSS

There I was in my first class of law school. I came from an undergrad where I didn’t do the readings, so I wasn’t as prepared as you should be for a law school class.

We had this professor who everyone warned me about because he ‘cold-calls.’ I didn’t even know what that meant.

The second class in, things got intense — he cold-called me.

I took notes on the case and I felt pretty prepared. The first question he asked me was: “where is this case from?”

I confidently say “Canada,” as I had assumed that all the cases we looked at were from Canada.

He replies, “Are you sure?”

I’m trying to read his emotions, my voice cracks, and I say I’m sure.

Jenna Zucker He goes, “well it’s from Australia.”

Lifestyle Editor I just say, “okay” and everyone is laughing.

You come in thinking you’re going to be a hard-working, intense, ready, on-the-ball type of guy and then…

But even in a cold-calling environment, it’s still fun. If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not learning.

— Ave Bross, Law ’18

The curious cases of Queen’s Law students

I actually re-wrote my LSAT when I was on exchange in Madrid in order to get into the joint commerce-law program. So that was a bit of a strange process.

I wrote my LSAT at the University of Navarra in Pamplona.

I got on a train back to Madrid, but no one spoke English so I wasn’t sure I was actually going to Madrid. I just got on and hoped it got me back. I had to transfer like four times and it took three hours.

It was insane.

What’s the environment like within the faculty?

There are two hundred of us in first year now, so it’s really small and intimate. There are eight sections of twenty-five kids, so you really get to know your section pretty well.

The upper years really make a strong effort to include you in what they’ve planned and what their events are. Right off the bat there are plenty of opportunities and mentorship. I find it really inviting.

— Daniel Baum, Law ’19

What I would be concerned about is that when you’re working for a firm you don’t necessarily get to choose your clients.

You might find yourself essentially advancing the interests of some sort of corporation or people when you don’t believe in the cause at all.

This might not be a case that I would be involved in but who knows? For instance, a corporation that you think is having a bad impact on the environment or something like that, and you end up not doing anything shady in terms of your work, but you don’t really want to be representing them at all.

Or, let’s say, one that has outsourced all of its manufacturing to a place where you know human rights abuses are going on.

— Rafe Redmond Fernandes, Law ’18

PHOTOS BY JENNA ZUCKER

This is a helpful LSAT tip: Have a watch, and at the beginning of each section, set it back to 12:00 so that you’re not adding the initial start time plus the time per section.

You can just look at your watch and say ‘now it’s thirty minutes past’, or ‘fifteen minutes past’, and you don’t have to do the addition in your head.

It just saves a second, but it could be useful.

— Katherine Thornton, Law ’18 These interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity.

LIFESTYLE

14 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, October 21, 2016

POLITICS

Trudeau’s year in review from a student’s perspective How did Trudeau’s changes impact students?

Iain Sherriff-Scott Contributor “Sunny ways my friends, sunny ways,” said an ambitious and freshly-elected Justin Trudeau in a reference to Sir Wilfred Laurier’s famous doctrine.

A year into their first mandate, the Liberals have been busy implementing the enthusiastic agenda that Canadians were promised during the 2015 campaign trail.

Promises like putting a price on carbon, renewing Canada’s middle class, marijuana legalization, improving Indigenous affairs, and a host of other policy proposals.

So how do the promises stack up a year later?

For starters, one thing is for sure, “real change” has certainly transpired. The Liberals have fulfilled 34 promises since forming government and have 64 more in the works. Fulfilled commitments range from cutting the middle class tax bracket from 22 per cent to 20.5 per cent, restoring mandatory long-form census, to launching an investigation into missing and murdered Indigenous women and, most recently, is challenging the provinces to impose a price on carbon pollution.

Last year’s election showed that, above all, young Canadians and first-time voters were motivated sincerely by Trudeau’s strategy. According to Statistics Canada, voter turn-out for people aged 18-24 increased by a dramatic 12 points, with a similar 11-point increase for voters aged 25-34.

So what have young Canadians chosen for themselves?

Within the 2016 Liberal budget, there’s a direct emphasis on the accessibility and sustainability of post-secondary education.

Primarily, and perhaps the most exciting, is the 50 per cent increase in funding to the Canada Student Grant. This policy increases grants for both low and middle-income household, however, is most beneficial for low-income households, with an increase from $2,000 to $3,000 per year.

The 2016 budget also looks to increasing the student loan repayment threshold. This would assure that students graduating with debt wouldn’t have to begin repaying until they are earning at least $25,000 per year.

These changes are being paid for largely by eliminating student tax credits, reinvesting them into grants and simplifying the financial aid system.

Despite the positive impact these strategies will have on undergrads, it may feel the opposite for graduate students, who don’t receive federal grants. Correspondingly, many graduate students with incomes seek tax credits to ease the load, suggesting that they may struggle the most due to the shift.

Alongside the Liberal’s rewiring of financial aid for post-secondary education, they also haven’t forgotten about the sometimes-gloomy nature of finding summer employment as a student.

Starting in 2016, the Liberals plan on pouring $339 million over three years, into the Canada Summer Jobs program. With

VIA FLICKR

consist of young Canadians aged 16-24 and will advise on matters of domestic policy.

With the first round of 15 youth selected, there is excitement around the perceived inclusivity of the Trudeau government.

One year in and Trudeau’s Liberals have largely made a good impression on students, with policy showing that they take youth employment and post-secondary affordability seriously.

It appears that the Liberals not only garnered youth support, but have also started to deliver on it. Time will tell whether the financial investments into student well-being will pay off.

this investment, Trudeau committed to creating 5,000 green jobs for young people annually, many of which will be guides and interpreters for Parks Canada.

However, despite the large budget commitment, there were only 1,636 students employed by the agency this summer.

This was an increase of 435 from the previous year and it’s expected to surpass 2,000 by the end of the fiscal year, however, despite being a massive improvement, it falls short of the committed target.

Another benefit of the Liberal’s focus on Canadian youth is the creation of the Prime Minister’s Youth Council. The council will

COMIC

The life of Bryan

ILLUSTRATED BY BRYAN CUYPERS

Queen’s General Bursary Deadline: October 31, 2016

Queen’s General Bursary is a non‐repayable grant directed to those students with the greatest financial need and the fewest options to fully finance their education. This financial assistance is offered in addition to your government student loans and grants for the academic year.

APPLY NOW on SOLUS! Just click the ‘Queen’s General Bursary Application’ link in the Financial Aid section.

Check SOLUS at the end of December for decisions and disbursement details.

LIFESTYLE

Friday, October 21, 2016

queensjournal.ca

• 15

SUPPLIED BY SHIVANI GONZALEZ

Shivani, age six, in Paris.

Shivani Gonzalez Features Editor

POSTSCRIPT

Before I was born, both my parents had separate love affairs with the city of Paris.

A high school French teacher and a renown philosophy professor, the city of love had provided them a haven of amazing literature, art and food to continuously appreciate.

In 2001, they both received news that for the first time in their seven-year marriage they would be getting a sabbatical — a paid year off of work — from their respective jobs, at the same time. It wasn’t hard for them to decided that they were going to take this opportunity to move to Paris for the year.

So in September 2002, just twenty days before my sixth birthday, we packed up the majority of our belongings, drove from Upstate New York to JFK airport and set out on our trip to Paris.

When we arrived my parents grappled with the idea of sending me to an English school that existed mostly for politicians’ children. After all, the only French I’d ever heard was during the few times I went to my mom’s classes when I had the day off of school and she didn’t.

Being “the American” “and the person who

was an outsider was something that I had never experienced before.

”

They ultimately decided that the best thing for me would be to send me to a public French school. At the age of five, a child’s brain is able to pick up languages more easily than an adult’s so they figured, why not have me become fluent in French.

The first few weeks of school were terrifying. My friends now know me as a loud, outgoing person but when meeting people I don’t know why, but I get pretty quiet and reserved. Being five and being in a foreign country made that all the more real.

Anyone’s an outsider One American’s experience with xenophobia in Paris Everyday for the first few weeks I sobbed when my parents dropped me off at school, one time so hard that I actually injured myself from screaming — hey, I never said that I wasn’t dramatic.

Three weeks after the first day, and around my sixth birthday, I came home speaking fluently. My mom was surprised but also happy that her initial thoughts about sending me to public school were right and that my initial struggle was worth something.

Though I’d managed to figure out the language, my struggle to fit in was only beginning.

The date was September 11, 2002, one year after the deadly 9/11 attacks in New York that changed everything for Americans.

While I was in Paris eating croissant, baguette and macarons everyday, my home country was struggling to feel safe and struggling to figure out the next move.

By September 2002, President George W. Bush was trying to convince the people of the United States that Iraq was protecting Saddam Hussein, the man believed to be responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

At this point, it was obvious to the rest of the world that invading Iraq was an awful idea, but the Bush administration was using the fear rhetoric to gain the support of terrified and upset US citizens. The United States was also trying to garner the support of their allies and France was not shy about voicing its opinion on the stupidity of this war.

As a six-year-old, I didn’t understand the politics at work, and neither did the kids in my class. I remember seeing news reports or hearing my parents talking and being a bit scared, but not really understanding what was happening.

Around a month after beginning at my

new school I’d made a couple of really great friends. I was also aware that a lot of my classmates hated me. They would refer to me as “the American” and not my name.

Even as a six-year-old, I was very aware of the fact that they hated me, not because of who I was as a person, but because of where I was from.

Being “the American” and the person who was an outsider was something I’d never experienced before. The United States is a world power in more ways than one. We have one of the loudest voices on the international stage, our music, movies and books are embraced by most of the world and many people in foreign countries are learning English as their fluent second language.

Even though most of these kids were six or seven, because of the state of international affairs, their parents had taught them that Americans were bad for starting the war and that translated to many children that it was okay to bully someone just for being American.

Being American didn’t automatically mean that my family supported the war. In fact, it was the exact opposite. My dad said from the beginning that it was an awful idea for the United States to go to war with Iraq even though he too had been pretty shaken up by 9/11. My Canadian-born, United States resident alien mother didn’t even slightly understand the rationale behind the war.

But the bullying wasn’t just teasing and hitting, one incident stands out the most for me. That November, I was sitting at my desk, business as usual, when a girl in the class who clearly didn’t like me, turned around from her desk in front of me.

She told me to smell her scissors because they smelt like strawberries and

as a six-year-old that can be very enticing.

As I leaned forward, she swiftly leaned closer to me and cut my cheek with her scissors. And I don’t mean like a small cut, I mean blood everywhere and me blacking out from shock.

The concept of feeling so strongly about a group of people, the way the French judged Americans at the time, can be pretty damaging for not only world relations but someone’s life and experiences in France.

While it was completely justified for the parents of all the kids in my school to feel frustrated and upset by the fact that the United States was starting a war for no reason, it’s never okay for parents to teach their children to blindly hate anyone.

People often refer to the United States as a ‘melting pot’ of cultures, but it has been proven time and time again that the world is more exclusive then we’d like to think. I understood this when I was seven in Paris and I’m seeing it again in the current election cycle in the United States.

The concept of feeling so “strongly about a group of

people ... can be pretty damaging for not only world relations but someone’s life.

”

Hateful rhetoric against Muslims, Mexicans and anyone who is considered “other” proves to me that this divide is a transnational issue.

Luckily for me, the bullying I experienced in France didn’t have a long term effect on me.

As an American student attending school in Canada, I proudly tell people I’m from New York. But, what I thought at the time was just the stained relationship between France and the United States is a much deeper issue about the lack of understanding that is so prominent between many people and cultures.

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Friday, October 21, 2016