The Queen's Journal, Volume 143, Issue 22

the journal

Queen’s University

Black History Month

Vol. 143, Issue 22

F r i day , F e b r ua ry 5 , 2 0 1 6

Challenges in grad student supervision

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OPINIONS Bell Let’s Talk causes more harm than good

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ARTS Gender-bending Macbeth impresses

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SPORTS New CIS policy in the works for trans athletes

page 15

POSTSCRIPT Trying out CrossFit for the first time

page 20 Online:

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Rejected fee adds to StuCon troubles

Student, medical resident save driver’s life

FROM TOP: PHOTO BY KENDA PIERROZ, SUPPLIED BY KINGSTON POLICE

J ordana G oldman Assistant News Editor

Minutes prior, Josh Tobe, a 28-year-old Queen’s Family Medicine resident, was running “As I was getting my socks and along his regular route. shoes on, there was a policeman Approaching the scene, Tobe who [came] over and starts telling spotted the two women pointing us that we saved this woman’s life,” at the lake. Taking a closer look, he Josh Tobe said. saw the car and the women told On Wednesday evening, two him that someone was inside. strangers — a Queen’s student and Tobe: “I’ve taken that route medical resident — were jogging a bunch of times and I know along a path along Lake Ontario that most of the people in the when an elderly woman drove condo there are geriatric, so I her vehicle into the freezing cold figured that someone probably water of Elevator Bay near hit the gas instead of the break King St. West. and drove themselves into The two rescuers share their story: Sam Roe, Sci ’19, a member of the lake.” the Queen’s varsity rowing team, Tobe quickly said he was alarmed when he joined Roe by noticed the vehicle moving toward the east side of the water. the bay.

Roe recalls seeing the car rolling Roe: “I off a hill and crashing into the r e m e m b e r pavement about 20 feet from thinking like, where he was running. The car if I don’t at then bounced off some rocks into least try to help the water and proceeded to drift then that will be about 20 feet out into the bay. like an awful thing to Roe: “That was pretty live with. But also if traumatic to see because it looked I go out there and really violent.” be more involved After trying to get a better in this and she does look at the car, Roe noticed two die then that will other women who witnessed the also be awful, so I scene and ran over to where they remember being were standing. paralyzed.”

Roe: “They were calling 911 so Both men I ran back to where the car went in decided that they because that was the closest way to had to go in, tossing get to it, and that’s when the guy their phones and Josh showed up.” shoes to the pavement

@queensjournal

V ictoria G ibson Assistant News Editor A taxing work environment makes Student Constables one of the most difficult AMS jobs to recruit for.

And a dwindling salary incentive, drawn into focus during an unsuccessful campaign to raise their mandatory student fee, isn’t helping.

Realities of the Job

qjlongform.com IN THIS ISSUE FEATURES

since

before entering the water.

Tobe: “The water is rising, the car is sinking, and the waves are pretty strong, just kind of slapping the car around.”

Roe: “We weren’t sure really what was going on, we weren’t sure if we would be able to get her out See Heroes on page 6

CarrHarris Coverage

facebook.com/queensjournal

@queensjournal

page 13

Queen’s Student Constables often face aggressive or belligerent patrons in their line of work.

A Jan. 14 report for AMS Assembly on a proposed fee increase stated that StuCons face “a stressful work environment that is often hostile and difficult to manage”, and that the environment along with the training required make “recruitment and staff retention extremely difficult”.

According to the most recent Non-Academic Discipline (NAD) Operations report for 2015, which covers May 1 to Dec. 21, 2015, 12 cases were processed with NAD. A quarter of these incidents involved the intervention of Student Constables (StuCons).

In one incident, a StuCon was sworn at and shoved down a set of stairs after attempting to intervene when a student inappropriately touched the chest of a TAPS manager.

The case, which occurred at The Underground on Oct. 29, was included in a recently released report from the AMS Non-Academic Discipline (NAD) and was ranked as a Level 3 offense

(out of four).

According to the Operations Report, the following sanctions were given in response: a Student Wellness Services Alcohol Workshop, a three-page and a two-page essay, a nine-month Tri-Pub ban and a $100 bond.

The report states the respondent was listed as uncooperative and expressed little remorse.

After receiving a request on Feb. 1, AMS Communications Officer Jessamine Luck told The Journal via email that an interview concerning the NAD report and the difficult situations that Student Constables face isn’t possible at the time.

She wrote that the AMS is in the midst of recruiting new StuCons, See StuCons on page 6

News

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Friday, February 5, 2016

Ontario university funding formula under review

University Funding Model Review releases report with recommendations on restructuring M ikayla W ronko Assistant News Editor

allocates the majority of its grants to universities primarily based on student enrolment. The fund, The Ontario government will be made up of $2.6 billion for the revising the way they give funding 2015-16 year, allocates money to universities in the province, to universities based on its which could alter the way Queen’s enrolment trends. receives funding.

However, the December 2015 The province give grants to report states that funding based universities based on a pre-existing on enrolment growth will no funding formula that determines longer provide the sustainable how much funding a university funds universities need to cover is eligible for. However, the rising costs.

Ontario government has decided Performance funding is to re-evaluate the funding formula generally allocated on the basis due to the growth of universities of key performance indicators in Ontario.

(KPIs) — criteria that measures A consultation report by the relative success. KPIs used for University Funding Model universities are the graduation Review, a government appointed rate and the employment rates working group, was released in after six months and two years December 2015. following graduation.

The current funding formula Universities can also receive

special purpose grants in exchange for meeting specific policy objectives, or receive funding for special circumstances to meet the needs of students and institutions.

In our next issue, The Journal will report on how the proposed recommendations will affect Queen’s students.

Recommendations from the report •

That the new fund be guided by undergraduate-focused improvement.

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That it’s based on standardized and publically-accessible data and provides a rationale for differences in funding between institutions.

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That the new formula be predictable so universities can engage in more long-term financial planning.

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That teaching performance should be a major factor in deciding the allocation of funding. The performance would be measured by factors including graduation rates, graduate employment rates and students’ time-to-completion.

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That the formula recognize the differences between universities. For example, a university that offers more expensive programing could get more funding than a university that offers cheaper programing.

Police recover body of Queen’s student in Lake Ontario

The 23-year-old male was found on Monday morning after being reported missing over the weekend J ordana G oldman J acob R osen Journal News Staff

There had been an ongoing morning, out of respect to the search for the body by the unit student’s family the OPP will not since Saturday afternoon. be releasing his identity.

According to the Whig-Standard, At roughly 3:40 p.m. on A version of this article was emergency services that were Monday, Queen’s released published online on Feb. 1. dispatched included the OPP, the following statement from Kingston Police, Kingston Fire Principal Woolf: The body of a 23-year-old Queen’s and Rescue, the South Frontenac “It is with great sadness that I student, who had fallen from Fire and Rescue in a rescue boat share the news of the death of the Wolfe Islander III ferry on and helicopter assistance from The a Queen’s student over the Friday, was recovered by Kingston Joint Rescue Coordination Center past weekend. On behalf of the authorities Monday morning.

(JRCC) from Trenton. university, I offer my sincere The Ontario Provincial Police Constable Roop Sandhu, condolences to his family (OPP) confirmed that the deceased Media & Community Relations and friends. was a student.

Frontenac Detachment, said For anyone at Queen’s in need Around 4:10 p.m. on Friday, investigators have not deemed the of support I encourage you to bystanders on the Wolfe Islander incident “suspicious” and they “do contact Student Wellness Services III ferry told the crew that the not suspect any misadventure”. at 613-533-6000 ext. 78264 man had gone overboard. The Sandhu said he has been in and/or University Chaplain Kate OPP’s Underwater Search and contact with Campus Security Johnson at 613-533-2186. After Rescue Unit recovered the body about the incident. hours, I encourage students on Monday at roughly 10:20 Although Sandhu originally said to contact Campus Security at a.m. from Lake Ontario off the identity of the student would 613-533-6733.”

Kingston’s shores. likely be released on Tuesday and

The Wolfe Islander III ferry.

SUPPLIED BY JIMMY THOMAS VIA FLICKR

Greg Radisic, Colin Zarzour and Sarah Anderson of Team CSG at the AMS executive debate in January.

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

Team CSG appeals election results J acob R osen News Editor

Team had failed to rule on violations of policy, which it stated contributed to an “uneven Three days after their defeat in the playing field”.

AMS executive election by a close The AMS Judicial Committee margin of 0.6 per cent, Team CSG held an appeal hearing, which filed an official appeal to the AMS took place on Feb. 3. Members Judicial Committee on the results of Team CSG — Colin Zarzour, of the elections.

Sarah Anderson and Greg According to an AMS press Radisic — were represented by release on Thursday evening, former AMS President Allison George Collister, the Chair of the Williams while Chief Electoral AMS Judicial Committee, “received Officer Simone Markus and a complaint from Colin Zarzour Chief Returning Officer Rebecca of Team CSG to appeal several Herweyer represented the decisions of the Elections Team that Elections Team. were made during the 2016 AMS After a review of the appeal, the Executive Elections.”

AMS Judicial Committee denied Through the appeal, Team Team CSG’s claims. It’s unclear CSG sought to disqualify the at the moment why the appeal newly-elected Team LWT. was rejected.

“Given the significance of Although it was public hearing, overturning the results of the the AMS Judicial Committee failed election, with no opportunity to inform The Queen’s Journal as for further appeal by Team LWT, mandated in their policy. the Judicial Committee set a very In a second press release, the high standard requiring clear and AMS executive — Kanivanan compelling evidence that Team Chinniah, Kyle Beaudry and Sarah CSG had been treated unjustly,” Letersky — apologized for the Collister wrote in the press release. oversight and said they take all According to documents procedural lapses very seriously. obtained by The Journal, the appeal “In the coming days, together centred on alleged violations of with Jon Wiseman, Commissioner AMS campaign policy by Team of Internal Affairs, we will engage in LWT, including the continued use a thorough review of our processes of chalkboards after campaign to ensure that policy is adhered period had ended, violations of to at all times,” according to the rules surrounding the maximum joint statement. number of posters permitted in The Journal will provide more Humphrey Hall and efforts to information on this story as it pressure students to vote for LWT. becomes available.

Team CSG’s submission then claimed that the AMS Elections

Friday, February 5, 2016

queensjournal.ca

The ups and downs of graduate student supervision

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FEATURE

PHOTO BY ARWIN CHAN

Grad student-supervisor relationships can be contentious.

Positive working relationships with supervisors are key to graduate student success A nastasiya B oika Features Editor For graduate students, there’s one central relationship that keeps them in tune with their research and the university — their supervisor.

Because the majority of PhD programs depend primarily on the completion of a thesis project, the support and guidance of a supervisor specifically selected by the student for their expertise is crucial.

And while there are many resources available to alleviate any problems between students and supervisors, their success fundamentally relies on students and supervisors awareness and use of them.

Similarly, the hierarchical structure of the working relationship ensures that while the resources stress that the onus is on the department, it often falls to the student to carefully navigate their communication with their supervisor on their own, even when that relationship goes sour.

“There is a lot going on in the heads of every graduate student. There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty,” a sixth-year PhD in the Faculty of Arts and Science said during a recent interview with The Journal.

This student, and a number of others interviewed, preferred to remain anonymous, fearing that they’d lose any remaining support and the potential for positive

reference letters if their supervisors were aware that they had spoken out about their concerns.

As many graduate programs have a small number of students, The Journal has also left out their genders to ensure they’re not easily identifiable.

While professors experience few of the negative effects of a supervisory-student relationship gone badly, students can lose out on parts of their program that are crucial to the successful completion of their degrees.

“I think that the professors are in a privileged position where it’s been a long time since they’ve lived like that,” the Arts PhD student said.

To continue within the academic stream, they said, students graduating from a PhD need three strong letters of reference from tenured professors — a crucial element that can be put into jeopardy if a student frankly voices their concerns.

And while many faculty members recommend openly discussing issues with supervisors, or bringing in a third party to mediate, many students don’t view that as a viable option.

“Intervention would be shooting yourself in the foot,” the PhD student stated simply.

The Queen’s Graduate Supervision Handbook is one of a number of resources created by the University to provide supervisors and students with

Organizers of the supervision workshops, Sue Young and Kim McAuley

PHOTO BY ERIKA STREISFIELD

the tools to maintain positive working relationships.

“Good supervisory practice assists students in planning their research, providing guidance and research training, ensuring satisfactory progress and achieving success in completing high quality research,” the introduction to the Handbook reads.

Other resources include workshops held jointly through the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and the School of Graduate Studies (SGS), as well as guidelines for supervisor and student responsibilities, mediation procedures and an advisor program provided by the Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS).

Engineering said.

The student, who comes from a different educational background than their supervisor, had to adjust to the latter’s expectations — as their supervisor wanted them to exhibit the same knowledge of course material and language proficiency as their peers.

“They don’t take into consideration that there is a cultural difference… They think that you have to know and you have to work the same [as] everybody else that’s Canadian and has learned the way it is here,” the student said.

“It’s already tough to be a graduate student. An international graduate student — it’s even tougher.”

“Good supervisory practice assists students in planning their research, providing guidance and research training, ensuring satisfactory progress and achieving success in completing high quality research” — Graduate Supervision Handbook These resources typically address communication and mutual respect between supervisors and students and, most importantly, the need to clarify the responsibilities of supervisors and students in the partnership. The Handbook in particular states that supervisors and departments must provide an atmosphere where students feel safe discussing problems as they arise.

“While it is important to acknowledge that graduate students are partners in the university research enterprise, it is equally important to recognize that the supervisor is the senior partner who, in many cases, provides funding support.

Students may feel uncomfortable discussing issues or at risk if they complain or disagree with their supervisors,” the Handbook states.

“Therefore, the onus is on departments/programs and supervisors to promote an environment where expectations and concerns can be discussed openly and without fear of reprisal.”

Unfortunately, while the University acknowledges the hierarchical issues inherent to supervision, the power balance continues to pose problems for many graduate students.

“You just don’t know [who] you can ask for help,” a PhD student in the Faculty of

While the student was willing to work long hours, they said they found themselves consistently working 12-hour days. The workload, coupled with lacking supervisory support and understanding, meant that the student was forced to seek help through the university’s counselling services.

A graduate student in the School of Business said they had a similar experience. While they’re a domestic student, they found it difficult to see eye-to-eye with their supervisor when it came to having a practical rather than research background.

The two also disagreed on the student’s decision to make teaching a priority over research.

“There have been cases where I’ve said I’d like to take a spare course … in the Education Department looking at [curricula] or something like that. And those things have been completely shut off,” the student said.

While supervisors don’t have the authority to formally stop a student from registering in a course, there’s always the potential of the working relationship going sour if their advice is ignored.

The student added that their supervisor shifted focus to other students upon learning about their lack of research know-how, which perpetuated the problem.

All of these experiences go to the root of the same

predicament — that a poor working relationship with a supervisor can debilitate a graduate student’s ability to succeed.

While professors face fewer repercussions if a working relationship with their graduate student doesn’t work out, many professors do prioritize supervision and try to promote a positive working environment.

“You have to kind of foster a good working relationship based upon the different characteristics of the student,” Wayne Cox, an associate professor in the Political Studies Department, said during an interview with The Journal.

“Some people like to just go away and research on their own, some people need a little bit more hand holding, like to work to schedules — other people are a lot looser that way. And you can’t really decide as a supervisor how disciplined you’re going to be until you get a strong sense of how that student is going to react to it.”

Cox also added that there are mutual benefits to providing an environment where a student can thrive.

“When you work with somebody — particularly at the PhD level — your fingerprints are kind of all over their thesis … And so I like to work with the students because it helps them with the branding process and it helps me too, because I find co-writing and co-researching probably normally goes quicker than by yourself, so you can be more productive that way.”

Sam McKegney, an associate professor and the graduate chair in the English Department, said it’s important for students not to fear changing committees or supervisors, as daunting as the prospect might be.

“I think students are extremely anxious about making any alterations to a graduate supervisory committee. They feel that to do so is going to make them a pariah in the department, or people are going to think they are a hard student to work with,” McKegney said.

“But quite often, work evolves in such a way that someone who was originally imagined as the supervisor is no longer the person with the best expertise to oversee that project.”

McKegney said that while even faculty can be daunted by the prospect of a student changing supervisors, it’s not an uncommon process and is a better alternative than a partnership that isn’t furthering the goals of either party.

Continued on page 4

Features

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Friday, February 5, 2016

Continued from page 3

He also added that letters of reference from supervisors don’t necessarily make or break a career. Instead, he emphasized the importance of fostering interpersonal relationships outside of Queen’s.

While having a glowing recommendation letter from your supervisor is important, he said hiring committees are more likely to give recommendations from a professional in the same field but not directly affiliated with the project more weight during their consideration process.

Christine Sypnowich, a professor in the Philosophy Department, stated that while it may not always seem that way, supervisors have a shared experience with their students, having gone through graduate school themselves.

“I think there’s kind of a built-in empathy in the relationship, as we’ve been through it ourselves.”

Sypnowich also added that while students are the driving force within their degrees, supervisors are also responsible for ensuring the success of their graduate students.

“It’s important for the supervisor — and it’s really part of your duty — to be checking in, to be setting goals and guidelines and really making sure that the student is making progress and not let them twist in the wind.”

Hossam Hassanein, a professor in the School of Computing and one of the two recipients of the School of Graduate Studies Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision this past year, offered his advice on creating a positive working relationship with students.

“The way I handle my group is that we are a family,” Hassanein said.

While this approach sounds simple, it’s quite nuanced in its execution. Hassanein collaborates with his students, places them at the forefront in meetings

Graduate students participating in the “Getting the most from your supervisor” Expanding Horizons workshop.

with industry professionals and co-written papers, encourages teamwork between his students and maintains an open door policy — all in the interest of fostering a positive working relationship with his students.

By making his graduate students a priority, Hassanein said he allows them to gradually build confidence, preparing them for life after graduation.

“All of us in the School of Computing — this is the way we work. We help one another, we are not in competition. If we help one another, we are all doing better,” Hassanein said.

To support the efforts of individual departments, the university provides a number of resources for supervisors and students. Workshops through the CTL and SGS are one of the ways in which Queen’s nurtures positive

working relationships between supervisors and graduate students.

These workshops allow students and faculty to participate in an open discussion with their peers, providing a forum for both

graduate students as well.

This change was instigated by Sue Fostaty Young, educational developer at the CTL, in partnership with Associate Deans of Arts — Kim McAuley.

“It’s important for the supervisor — and it’s really part of your duty — to be checking in, to be setting goals and guidelines and really making sure that the student is making progress and not let them twist in the wind. ” — Professor Christine Sypnowich parties to air their concerns about communication, expectations and responsibilities throughout a student’s degree.

While initially the workshop series was only geared towards new faculty, it has been expanded to include returning faculty and

In a recent interview with The Journal, Young explained that after the previous year’s workshop, McAuley proposed adding a refresher for returning faculty.

“And I said I would like to do that only if we offer a counter one called ‘Getting the most from your

GRAPHIC BY ASHLEY QUAN

PHOTO BY ERIKA STREISFIELD

supervisor,’ which she thought was a great idea,” Young said.

She added that the newest version of the workshops is geared towards ensuring that students and supervisors are aware of the importance of communication and avoiding coming into the partnership with assumptions.

Young also said that the changes have received positive feedback from students and supervisors, as they provided a much-needed platform for open discussion.

“Everything boils down to purposeful communication, open and honest expectations [and] articulating responsibilities,” Young said.

At a workshop held at Career Services on Feb. 1, student panelists and the two organizers told the group that students need to realize that they’re the driving force behind their research, and while the supervisor should provide their students with support, there’s a level of autonomy required for graduate studies.

They also provided attendees with a list of resources and strategies for addressing tricky problems that may arise, such as lacking communication from supervisors.

Finally, they emphasized that students must also respect the advice of their supervisors and vocalize concerns as they come up, while supervisors should be aware that students decide the focus of their research and need the room and confidence to explore avenues of interest.

There doesn’t seem to be a be-all and end-all solution to problems that arise between graduate students and their supervisors.

But all those interviewed agreed that communication is a key component for any positive change.

“It’s hard to have frank conversations because you don’t know exactly where to start, because you don’t want to sound patronizing. But I think it’s important to start off with ‘this is what I’m saying, what do you understand that to mean in your own context,’ and negotiate the meaning between you,” Young said.

“And I think that’s the single most important thing to do — do it early, and do it often.”

News

Friday, February 5, 2016

queensjournal.ca

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Tricolour Society welcomes five new members Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award recipients announced on Monday V ictoria G ibson Assistant News Editor

The Office of the Rector announced on Monday that five students have received the Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award this year.

The award, which is the highest honour for distinguished student service to the University, is given out to a selected number of students annually.

The five new inductees to the Tricolour Society come from a range of programs and have contributed to various societies, clubs and support systems on campus.

Thompson Hamilton, JD ’16 & ArtSci ’13 Seven years after arriving at Queen’s, Thompson Hamilton has accumulated an impressive list of extracurriculars in the Queen’s community, whether they’re legal, judicial or musical.

Hamilton, JD ’16, said his first major involvement at Queen’s as an undergraduate was on the AMS Judicial Committee as a PHOTO BY KENDRA PIERROZ member and eventually as the Chair.

“Queen’s is pretty unique with student discipline and I’ve always thought that a campus tour guide. peer-based system says a lot about student Thompson also has quite the musical responsibility [here],” he said. resume. He played trombone for Queen’s Hamilton later served as the Vice President Wind Ensemble and Chamber Orchestra, (Professional) for the SGPS, and has spent and was in the pit band for Queen’s three years working with Queen’s Legal Aid, Musical Theatre. which he called his passion.

For him, Queen’s is about more than “Access to justice is one of the biggest his classes. problems we have in Canada right now and “In fact, I missed quite a lot of class in the I can’t put into words the importance of last seven years!” he said. Instead, he said helping those who need legal help but cannot Queen’s has been a place to work hard with afford it,” he said. his best friends.

On top of this, Hamilton has been “I’ve tried to learn as much as I can involved with Queen’s Telefundraising, the and pass that on to those who Grad Club Board of Directors, and Queen’s follow ... Enabling others to contribute and Model Court. He’s also volunteered as a help is a powerful tool.”

Michael Coleman, JD ’17 “While at Queen’s, you have two obligations.

One, be an excellent student. Two, use what you have learned in the classroom to be a stronger advocate for those who are in need,” Michael Coleman said.

Coleman, JD ’17, says he’s sought to embody that mentality during his years on campus through volunteer work and advocacy efforts.

Coleman has served as a student advisor for the SGPS, Co-Commissioner of Queen’s Law Equity and Diversity, and was Co-President for the Black Law Students Association.

Despite the demanding schedules of those roles, he carved out time to coach basketball and tutor immigrant students between grades 7 and 11 in the GTA. “I have exposed them to university life in Kingston and the various things Queen’s has to offer, and have got two students who plan on attending Queen’s in two years as a result,” he said.

Coleman has also been a Queen’s Legal Clinic Volunteer Caseworker, a Prison Inmate Tutor, a member of the SGPS Equity

Catherine Wright, ArtSci ’15 & MIR ’16

PHOTO BY ANNA MARIA LI

Issues Standing Committee and a Youth Support Volunteer.

He says his role as a student advisor had the greatest impact on him by giving him a chance to connect with graduate students and discuss their problems and concerns.

“Although we may not always get to that final solution in every case, it has nevertheless helped me appreciate how intelligent and exciting the Queen’s graduate community really is,” he said.

“Everyone should feel welcome and safe on campus, and I hope my work in the community has at least contributed to that in some way.”

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE NIJHUIS

Wright also served as a residence don in McNeill House in 2012-13 and in Victoria Hall in 2014-15.

She said McNeill had a good sense of community and she loved the energy in Victoria Hall. Being a don was one of the most meaningful experiences she’s had at Queen’s, she added.

“The opportunity to support a team of first years as they transition into university life is truly unparalleled.”

Jennifer Williams, ArtSci ’16

Graydon Simmons, MD ’16 For Graydon Simmons, MD ’16, the past four years have been dedicated to leaving the medical school community better than he found it.

Simmons has been actively involved with the medical student government, where he has served in a position for each of his four years. In his final two years, he’s been his class co-president.

On top of this, he’s been the coordinator for the Queen’s Medicine Orientation Week, worked on curriculum development in the School of Medicine and worked on events such as Queen’s Medical Variety Night.

With such expansive involvement in the School, Simmons says he “always struggle[s] with singling out one particular involvement as the most meaningful or important.”

He said that each of them have a special significance to him, although he also admitted that he’s “the kind of person who has difficulty answering what my favourite band or movie is.”

However, he said his involvement in student government has been particularly important.

Catherine Wright’s involvement in the AMS has been a huge part of her time at Queen’s.

Wright, MIR ’16, served as Municipal Affairs Commissioner during the 201314 academic year, where she worked with community partners to advance the University District (UD) project.

The project included lobbying City Council to put up “University District” street signs and campaigning to change the way students referred to the area. It had long been referred to as the “student ghetto”, which Wright has worked to change.

“I hope that more students start to take up [‘University District’] instead of “ghetto.”

When we call it like a ghetto, it gets treated like a ghetto — not only by us, but by landlords,” she said.

The change in name was a part of a larger campaign to foster a positive attitude from students and residents towards the neighbourhoods surrounding the university.

SUPPLIED BY GRAYDON SIMMONS

“Studies can be very stressful, and to be able to serve on the student government to support your peers in all aspects of their university life is truly an honour and a privilege,” he said.

He added that it has been rewarding to have been trusted and held accountable by his peers to improve student life, whether through extracurricular activities, social events, academic support or advice.

“Queen’s has an extraordinary history of excellence, tradition and spirit,” he said.

“I would want to be remembered as someone who respected that history, but was not afraid to push for change and work tirelessly to make that history even better.”

Jennifer Williams, ArtSci ’16, says her time at Queen’s has been nothing short of a “whirlwind”.

Throughout her undergraduate years, Williams has racked up a staggering number of positions within the University in a variety of services and clubs.

She has served in the Clubs Office as an intern, deputy and manager, a Life Sciences Student Council, a Majors Night student coordinator, and a Bounce Back Facilitator, along with a number of other positions.

“There was simply so much to try!”

Williams said. She said she learned a lot at the Clubs Office and Student Life Centre, while her time as a Bounce Back facilitator was her most meaningful experience.

“I had the opportunity to watch one mentee in particular develop from a student who was heading towards academic probation to now excelling all expectations,” she said.

“This was the first time I felt like I had a profound effect on someone’s life. This experience actually inspired the creation of Majors Night.”

In the work that she’s done, Williams says

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE NIJHUIS

she has focused on less-engaged students at Queen’s — those struggling academically or experiencing barriers to participating in extracurricular activities.

She says she hopes that Majors Night, the Orientation Volunteer program and the clubs bursary program will make getting involved more accessible and leave a lasting impact at Queen’s. “[At Queen’s] people inspire you and push you to do great things, provide you opportunities to get involved, and, as many of my mentors and friends have done, support you unconditionally,” she said.

After dedicating the last three-and-a-half years to Queen’s, she said she’s “grateful for every moment — the good and the bad.”

News

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Friday, February 5, 2016

StuCons struggle with poor retention this story once recruitment is finished”, province. In 2012, the training cost roughly specific criteria for external groups applying requesting to speak at a later date in March. $700 per new hire, and $80 per rehire. for funding and prevented groups who have and has historically experienced difficulty In the four year period following the been defeated during the referendum period recruiting for the position.

A History of Financial Struggles introduction of the Bill, QSC started running from returning to referendum that year.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know that we a continual and incremental deficit.

In the most recent winter referendum, can take this interview at this time since QSC is the only service of its kind in Despite altering hours and staggering shift QSC reported further financial concerns. we’re right in the middle of recruitment, North America, acting as a safety service starts, in 2012, the deficit was projected The AMS Consolidation Report for which includes recruiting from to uphold the AMS and University rules at between $15,000 and $25,000, by 2015-16 lists the difference between their StuCons,” she wrote. at sanctioned events and venues since then-AMS Hospitality and Safety Services budgeted and actual deficit as $13,310 more “This is always one of the toughest the 1890’s.

Director, Gracie Goad. than expected. The service has budgeted for positions in the AMS to recruit for but A March 2012 Journal article highlighted The deficit was taken to an AMS Annual a deficit of $11,888. one of the most crucial to fill and I’m the changes to the service since Bill C-159 General Meeting (AGM) in March at the In response, the AMS placed a fee increase concerned that highlighting one of the more was passed in 2005 and later came into effect time, where the QSC secured a mandatory onto the winter referendum. If passed, it extreme incidents of being a StuCon will in December 2009. fee increase from $8.34 to $10. would have increased their mandatory fee deter potential applicants.”

The bill mandates that StuCons be The AGM had historically been an from $10.53 to $11.53.

She added that she would love to “revisit officially trained and licensed throughout the avenue for voting on student fees outside of In a statement published in The Journal to the referendum. The system required groups promote their fee increase in the referendum, to present their cases to members of the QSC stated that the fee would increase AMS Assembly.

StuCons’ wages, which was intended to In order to bring a fee to the AGM, resolve the low applicant numbers and poor groups had to satisfy a two-thirds vote of the retention rates.

TIMELINE total membership of the assembly.

The minimum wage in Ontario when the fee was increased in 2012 was $10.25.

However, Ontario raised its minimum wage The Winter Referendum in June 2014 and again in Oct. 2015. The and Alterations to the rate now sits at $11.25 per hour.

Bill C-159 is passed, which Student Fee Policy Student Constables, meanwhile, are currently paid $12 per hour in their first year, specifies that Student A new motion, passed during an October $14 per hour as returning staff and $15 per Constables must undergo AMS Assembly this year, erased the option hour as senior staff.

Ontario provincial security of AGM for clubs and services, leaving a However, when the results of guard licensing exams. referendum as the sole option. the referendum were announced, Bill C-159 comes into On Oct. 22, Vice President (Operations) QSC — along with Golden Words — was effect and extra training Kyle Beaudry brought the motion to vote denied the increase. becomes an additional in an AMS Assembly, which suggested QSC cannot appeal the decision, and alterations to the Student Activity Fees policy. must wait until next year’s referendum to expense for QSC. The alterations removed the AGM as an request any changes to their fee. avenue for addressing student fees, created Continued from page 1

QSC Fees and Policies 2005

Dec. 2009

March 2012

June 2014

The Journal reports on the financial situation of QSC. QSC goes to AGM and is granted a fee increase from $8.34 to $10.

Ontario raises its minimum raise from $10.25 to $11 per hour.

May 1 - Dec. 31 2015 October 2015 Ontario raises its minimum wage again, from $11 to $11.25 per hour.

Operations Report lists 12 cases processed by the Non-Academic Discipline (NAD) system between the two dates.

An intervening Student Constable is shoved down stairs after a student inappropriately touches a TAPS manager’s chest at The Underground.

A motion passes in AMS Assembly to erase the AGM option of fee increases. Assembly members express their concerns about altering the NAD system.

Jan. 27 2016 QSC are informed that they didn’t receive the votes needed in the winter referendum to increase their fee from $10.53 to $11.33.

GRAPHIC BY ASHLEY QUAN

SUPPLIED BY SAM ROE

Heros honoured at hockey game Paramedic Services to the hospital as a precaution. once we got there, we weren’t sure if she Tobe and Roe were forced to sit in a was conscious.”

Kingston Fire and Rescue truck to wait for Both men waded their way out to where their adrenaline to go down. the sinking car was. Roe recalls that the water Roe: “Honestly, I had always wanted level was just below the car window. to go in a fire truck so getting to go in was Once they reached the car, Tobe said he pretty cool.” saw an elderly woman with short-cropped Aside from being cold and minor cuts grey hair inside. Both men waded their to the bottom of Tobe’s foot, both men way out to where the sinking car was. Roe were unharmed. recalls that the water level was just below the Once they were permitted to leave the fire car window. truck, Roe and Tobe ran home together.

Once they reached the car, Tobe said he Tobe: “I joked with him, I said ‘if you saw an elderly woman with short-cropped were a faster runner, if you were in any grey hair inside. better shape she would have hit you.’”

Tobe: “She looks at me, I look at her, we Roe: “It was very traumatic because we exchange no words. She is looking at me like, weren’t sure — is the car going to sit there? ‘where am I, how did I get here, and who are Is the car going to sink? Is the woman going you’ but there is an understanding that I am to drown? Are we going to get out there to there to get her out.” watch the woman drown or is it going to Tobe said there wasn’t much water in the be fine? I remember waking up today just car when they arrived, but when they opened thinking this was weird.” the door water began to rush in.

According to the Whig, the vehicle was left Roe grabbed the woman’s shoulders overnight in the water and was removed the while Tobe took her legs, and together they following morning. waded her onto the shore where police and The two were honoured for their heroics first responders were waiting. before Thursday night’s Carr-Harris hockey According to the Kingston Whig-Standard, game. Roe was in attendance while Tobe was the woman was treated by paramedics for unable to attend. minor injuries and was taken by Frontenac

Continued from page 1

Oct. 22 2015 Oct. 29 2015

Sam Roe and Josh Tobe after working together to save an elderly woman.

Friday, February 5, 2016

Referendum

queensjournal.ca

•7

SPGS winter referendum statements The Journal provided this free space for parties on the ballot.

Not all groups submitted a statement. All statements are unedited.

CFRC CFRC is Queen’s campus and community radio station since 1922: a non-profit, volunteer-powered source of alternative news, music and culture with a mission to empower and celebrate the diversity of our communities. The fee provides all SGPS students with membership in CFRC, ensuring free access to broadcast training and on-air opportunities, special events, giveaways plus career-building internships and jobs.

CFRC is the Kingston area’s only campus-community radio station, offering diverse music, political and cultural programming available nowhere else in the local media landscape. Tune in (101.9fm/ CFRC.ca) and vote YES! QUEEN’S INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ASSOCIATION The Queen’s International Affairs Association is a student-run organization dedicated to promoting dialogue on global affairs and providing enriching opportunities for all students at Queen’s. We host speaking events with critical figures such as Samantha Nutt, Romeo Dallaire and the very popular Edward Snowden event. We run an academic magazine, an award winning radio show, Model UN team and other initiatives, which are open to all for no charge. Remember to vote YES to QIAA this February 10th and 11th and find out more about our programming at qiaa.org or Queen’s International Affairs Association on Facebook.

THE LOVING SPOONFUL CHARITY Loving Spoonful makes fresh, good food available to those in need,

L

ast week, The Journal published a letter to the editor penned by Law Students’ Society (LSS) executives and signed by members of the Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS) executive.

In the letter, the writers state that The Journal has not covered graduate students adequately and that the failure to raise our fee in last year’s referendum was emblematic of a disconnect between us and graduate students.

We agree with the writers on one point: historically, The Journal has provided significantly more coverage to undergraduate issues than those of interest to graduate students. This is in spite of the $3.50 fee SGPS members pay to support our newspaper — although it’s worth noting that there are around 13,000 more undergraduate students who each pay a fee of $8.16.

Like the writers, we agree that this imbalance must be addressed. However, this year’s Journal staff have made strides to address this very issue and will continue to do so.

Last issue, we published a small piece featuring the new SGPS Parenting Room and the week before we wrote on law students helping refugees settle in Canada and the challenges facing executive teams in both the AMS and SGPS. Last semester, we reported on graduate students’ mental health, the

and promotes environmental sustainability and healthy, local food.

One Program: Food Reclamation Reducing food waste and feeding people Loving Spoonful volunteers collect surplus fresh food from local farmers, restaurants and caterers (including Lazy Scholar, Donald Gordon Centre, Location 21 and Queen’s Centre), and deliver it to 27 agencies that feed women escaping abuse, youth and the homeless. 70,000 pounds of food provided in 2015 alone! www.lovingspoonful.org QUEEN’S WORK STUDY The Work Study program is jointly funded through the student activity fees and Queen’s administration. In the past the Government of Ontario also provided funding for the work-study program, however, the funding from the government was discontinued in 2012-13. The objective of the work-study program is to provide an opportunity for students in financial need to receive priority for certain part-time jobs (generally on campus) during their academic studies. Each year approximately 600 students participate in the program.

ATHLETICS AND RECREATION Did you know that SGPS members have visited the ARC over 51,000 times since September 1 or that over 1500 SGPS members play in intramural sports? As an SGPS member your student fees include a membership to the ARC, which allows you to participant in intramurals, use the pool and gym equipment, attend fitness classes, receive free Gaels tickets, and more.

Queen’s Athletics & Recreation encourages you to vote in favour of the Athletics & Recreation question on February

10 & 11. With a YES vote, all SGPS members can continue to utilize the ARC. Learn more at gogaelsgo.com/sgps POSITIVE SPACE The Positive Space Program believes that all people have the right to visibility and acknowledgment of their sexual and gender identities, and to access to resources.

To promote those things at Queen’s, Positive Space offers an information session to all people in the Queen’s community who would like to post our sticker in an area under their control and commit to assuring that area will be such a “positive space.”

OPIRG The Ontario Public Interest Research Group is a community and campus-based organization that inspires research, education, and action for a more socially and environmentally just Queen’s University and Kingston community.

In the past Queen’s students have supported our work with an optional student fee and we are asking for your support for another three years. Your contribution helps OPIRG fund research that we use to inform educational and action-based campaigns for meaningful, lasting change in our community.

To find out more information about our organization please visit opirgkingston.org.

QUEEN’S STUDENT REFUGEE SUPPORT The Refugee Student support funds collected through the SGPS and AMS student activity fees are used for the annual WUSC service fee, books and supplies and basic living expenses for the refugee students at the rate of 100% for year 1; 75% for year 2;

Editor’s Note

alleged harassment of Political Studies TAs by students and the concerns raised by graduate students about the transparency of decision-making in the SGPS. We also hired a graduate student onto our staff for the first time. Anastasiya Boika, a PhD candidate in History, was first hired as a Copy Editor and promoted to Features Editor at the start of this semester. Since she was hired, she’s been involved in several grad-centric stories, including a story on supervisor-student relations published in this very issue. That particular story has been in the works for several weeks.

Furthermore, we respectfully disagree that the Student Election homepage demonstrates an “attention deficit” in regards to SGPS elections. The SGPS elections hadn’t yet begun when we received the letter to the editor, and it seems premature to provide coverage of elections that hadn’t started.

Now that they’ve begun, the website includes a graduate student section.

As for the Law Students’ Society (LSS) elections — which were in progress — we were unaware that they were occurring at all before receiving the letter. The election dates and candidates were not listed on the LLS webpage, Facebook or elsewhere online, and we had not been contacted by any LSS representatives or candidates about an ongoing election.

For this reason, we assumed that LSS campaigns would begin at the same time as the SGPS executive elections.

However, to address only the letter’s specific complaints would ignore the genuine sentiments beneath them. We understand that there is frustration among graduate students about a lack of coverage of issues that are important to them.

We’re here to give a voice to students and the last thing we want is for grad students to feel ignored.

But graduate students must also understand that The Journal is not omnipotent and does not have extensive resources to draw upon. Our News Team is made up of four unsalaried staff members, who each work a minimum of 35 hours a week. And while we do use outside volunteers, those volunteers need training and each of their pieces requires extensive editing.

This lack of resources means that not all stories can be adequately covered, especially if we are forced to go digging for them. Our front-page story on law students helping Syrian refugees, for example, should have been released a week earlier — but we had no staff or volunteers available to cover it during AMS election season.

Those limitations are not an excuse, however. We have worked to expand

50% for year 3 and 25% for year 4. In addition, the University with a commitment from the University’s financial aid resources and by funding available from the Principal Wallace Freedom of Opportunity Fund covers tuition, fees and first year residence.

The support from the SGPS is an essential and important contribution as we partner together to support refugee students.

THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL The Journal has been the main student-run newspaper on the Queen’s campus since 1873. The Journal publishes news, features, op-eds and lifestyle content along with arts and sports coverage twice a week. Long considered the unofficial journalism school of Queen’s, The Journal provides an opportunity for students to learn about journalism and express their views on campus. The SGPS fee allows The Journal to hire graduate students and cover issues that affect graduate students.

ALL FEES ON THE BALLOT Class A Mandatory 1. CFRC Radio ($7.50) 2. Queen’s Journal ($3.50) Class A Optional 1. International Affairs Association ($1.00) 2. Grad Club ($20.00) 3. Queen’s Food Centre ($1.25) 4. Kingston Coalition Against Poverty (KCAP) ($2.50) 5. Loving Spoonful ($2.00) Class B Mandatory (indexed to inflation) 1. Queen’s Work Bursary ($5.30) 2. Athletics and Recreation ($165.76) Class B Optional (indexed to inflation) 1. Positive Space Program ($0.33) 2. Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) ($4.66) 3. Kingston Youth Shelter ($0.98) 4. QISS Bursary Program ($0.70) 5. Student Refugee Support ($3.32) 6. Sexual Health Resource Centre ($0.91)

graduate coverage and we will continue to do so. And the SGPS fee is important to ensure that we can continue to hire graduate students and devote resources to graduate-related coverage.

However, we also need graduate students to engage with us. Email us your story pitches and event details, submit op-ed pieces and write for our sections. You are the students who are most qualified to write about your student societies and the issues important to you. Without your voices in the mix, there’s only so much a rag-tag group of undergraduate student journalists can do.

We’re open to new ideas and to criticism — but we need you to meet us half way.

Sincerely, Sebastian Leck and Anisa Rawhani, Editors in Chief If you’d like to pitch a story or give us a tip, email journal_news@ams.queensu.ca.

If you want to be a volunteer, email journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

And if you’d like to write an op-ed or a letter to the editor, email journal_letters@ams.queensu.ca.

8 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 5, 2016

EDITORIALS

The Journal’s Perspective

AMS

Student fee policy leaves StuCons hanging Democracy is usually the best policy, but the AMS shot themselves in the foot when they made referendums the only avenue for passing fees.

This year, the AMS changed policy so that student activity fee increases no longer have the option to be debated and passed through an Annual General Assembly (AGM).

They’re instead included on a student body-wide referendum.

While decisions that affect students should include student feedback, there are exceptions to every rule — and the Student Constables (StuCon) fee increase that failed to pass is one of them.

It isn’t difficult to understand why students would vote against StuCons getting more money.

Apart from it being a mandatory fee that comes out of your pocket, StuCons are the ones who kick you out of the bar at the end of the night.

But the point of the service is to keep other students safe.

Moreover, discipline often works far better coming from a peer who may be able to sympathize.

And StuCons weren’t looking for this fee increase to buy themselves some party hats — they needed the money.

The provincial government requires expensive and mandatory security training. Without this training, StuCons can’t do their

job, but this increases the cost for student groups to book StuCons for large events or events where alcohol is served.

StuCons are already underpaid, because while minimum wage has increased, their salary hasn’t.

In their report to the AMS, StuCons identified difficulty in hiring and retaining employees due to the low compensation and high demands of the positions.

StuCons also fulfill part of the AMS’s mandate to provide job opportunities to students. But the current compensation for a StuCon doesn’t make it a very desirable opportunity.

Despite their legitimate need for more funding, the StuCon fee increase didn’t pass, likely because students don’t realize how beneficial StuCons are to Queen’s student life.

Without StuCons, we wouldn’t have Queen’s Pub, the Underground or Clark Hall as we know them. We wouldn’t have formals, conferences or the Frosh concert. And the list goes on.

Without having a security force present, these places or events aren’t allowed, and clubs and societies are very limited in the scope of events they can hold.

It’s the AMS’s responsibility to do what’s best for students.

But evidently the outcome of this referendum isn’t what’s best for the student body.

ILLUSTRATION BY KEITH SAUNDERS

Complicated fees tend to get lost in the white noise of elections. And with the addition of the nullified fall referendum questions, wading through the winter referendum became more onerous than usual.

In the end, this fee really should have been thoroughly

discussed, instead of ending up as a one-line question on a ballot for students uninformed on its importance to vote on.

An AGM that allows huge and unnecessary student fees isn’t desirable, but there needs to be a way for services that are

Kayla Thomson

Keeping up with reality Despite their close ties to real life, reality shows perpetuate harmful and outdated gender stereotypes.

I can’t deny that The Bachelor is one of the most entertaining shows on television. I can’t count the number of times I’ve cringed when one of the women said something vapid, or swooned to a man’s grand declarations of love. It’s absolutely ridiculous and demeaning to all involved. However, I keep finding myself, along with my friends, watching it week after week.

THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL Volume 143 Issue 22 www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal Publishing since 1873

Editorial Board

Why is that? Most would straying from the understanding to intersect. attribute it to the escapism most that these stereotypes are unrealistic, But despite this push, reality reality shows provide — it’s so and fall into an oppressive mentality. TV remains a place where people far from everyday life that you The media is now open to go to escape from their daily can’t help but be intrigued. But the grey area that falls between lives. And while it’s entertaining escaping into these shows does masculine and feminine ideals to watch someone embarrass more harm than good.

— for instance, Louis Vuitton’s themselves on national television, All surface-level productions, Spring 2016 campaign features using these shows to escape from from television to movies, follow Jaden Smith in womenswear. our much more complicated a very strict dichotomy of men and A world without gendered lives slides us back into a women. Men are always masculine labels is on the horizon, which mindset ruled by constructed and buff, women are always means that the gender binary will gender dichotomies. pore-less and emotional. When become less rigid and stereotypes Although entertaining, shows we escape into these shows, we’re of men and women will start like The Bachelor represent an

Nick Pearce Editorials Editor

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Opinions Editor

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Arts Editor Assistant Arts Editor Sports Editor Lifestyle Editor

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necessary to receive the funding they need.

If we don’t have that, we risk damaging the services that are supposed to make student life better.

— Journal Editorial Board understanding of the world that’s no longer legitimate, and viewers must remain aware of that.

Don’t use these shows as an escape from your day-to-day life, but watch them to revel in the relatively free and open world we now have.

In the future, I hope the “reality” of reality TV will reflect our changing gender roles.

Hopefully then it will no longer be shocking when individuals don’t conform to traditional male and female stereotypes.

Because life and dating aren’t as simple as The Bachelor — and they don’t need to be.

Kayla is The Journal’s Digital Manager.

She’s a fourth-year Computing and Creative Arts major.

University, the AMS or their officers.

190 University Ave., Kingston, ON, K7L 3P4 Editorial Office: 613-533-2800 Business Office: 613-533-6711 Fax: 613-533-6728 Email: journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca

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For information visit: www.queensjournal.ca/contribute

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Please address complaints and grievances to the Editors in Chief.

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Contents © 2015 by The Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of The Journal.

Circulation 4,000

Friday, February 5, 2016

queensjournal.ca

•9

OPINIONS

Your Perspective

Bell, let’s talk

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE NIJHUIS

Elisha Corbett argues that ending mental health stigma takes year-round support, not a one-day social media campaign.

Elisha Corbett, ArtSci ’16 My father has passed down many wonderful things that to me: my red hair that’s never quite straight or curly; my sarcastic sense of humour that has a tendency to get me into trouble; my knack for making small talk with just about anyone.

But there are also some things that my dad passed on to me that make my life significantly more challenging. The biggest one is my mental illness.

Mental illnesses are largely hereditary, but can also be a by-product of a person’s social environment. My grandmother, who recently passed from her own mental illness, was, like me, genetically predisposed.

While my anxiety and anorexia nervosa has hindered many experiences in my life, other things I’ve inherited from my dad have aided me. My dad taught me to always stand up for what I believe in, trust my instincts and criticize things that don’t make sense to me.

These qualities have shaped me into the woman I am today.

This is the reason I did not participate in Bell Let’s Talk.

Bell Let’s Talk celebrated its sixth anniversary on Jan. 27. Since 2011, Bell has committed to raising over $67.5 million for mental health

While it’s admirable to have a campaign that focuses on ending the stigma surrounding mental health, it’s a short fad that lasts on people’s newsfeed for a day and disappears the next.

In the past, whenever I’ve openly criticized the campaign, I’m always met with the same response: even though the campaign is only one day, it’s a good start to ending the stigma surrounding mental health and the monetary contribution to mental health initiatives is much needed in Canada.

I can appreciate and even

applaud Bell for the amount of money that they’ve contributed to the CAMH Foundation, Kids Help Phone, Brain Canada and many more well-deserving companies.

These groups help increase mental health resources in Canada, educate Canadians about mental health and help end the stigma surrounding mental health.

However, I believe that Bell Let’s Talk has more negative impacts on those suffering from mental illness and the discourse surrounding mental health than positive.

So Bell, let’s talk.

Bell Let’s Talk contributes to the “slacktivism” of our generation. People feel that they are making real changes by tweeting or sharing a Facebook post. The reality is that they aren’t. People may be making a monetary contribution to mental health initiatives when participating in the Bell Let’s Talk campaign, but they aren’t actually ending the stigma surrounding mental health.

The stigma around mental health will never cease to exist until people are educated about mental health. A quick share of a Facebook post or tweet with the #BellLetsTalk raises five cents, but it doesn’t teach Canadians

about mental illnesses or mental health resources.

The most upsetting part about the campaign is that Bell is using mental health as a marketing tool. I cringe at every post I see about Bell Let’s Talk because I feel that Bell is using my mental illness—aswellasthementalillnesses of one in four Canadians — as a marketing strategy.

I’m sick of my peers telling me that these feelings aren’t warranted because of the monetary contributions the campaign makes and the discussion it generates about mental health. If Bell was truly committed to ending the stigma surrounding mental health, they would donate a portion of all their sales to mental health initiatives in Canada, not just five cents from every tweet, text, or Facebook post one day a year. The reason they don’t is because Bell Let’s Talk isn’t a mental health campaign; it’s a marketing campaign.

Battling mental illness isn’t a simple, one-time event. And any responsible effort to educate people shouldn’t be either. It requires ongoing dialogue.

Mental health stigma won’t end with Bell Let’s Talk Day. We need to talk every day.

“A musical trip through New York City.”

“Classical music and popular culture.”

“Talking to ordinary people about different topics.”

“A show about desserts.”

Megan Batty, ConEd ’16

Peter Ballyk, MSc ’16

Francesca Brzezicki, ArtSci ’15

initiatives across Canada. One day per year, for every tweet or share of #BellLetsTalk, Bell Canada will donate five cents to eliminating the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Last Jan. 27, I was running on the treadmill in the ARC, desperately trying to burn off the few calories I’d consumed that day.

As I was running, I scrolled through my Facebook newsfeed to see many of friends and family posting about Bell Let’s Talk.

I felt an overwhelming sense of anger. Many of these friends and family members who were posting to support the campaign, were both unsupportive and unresponsive to me during my worst battles with anorexia. Many of these people posting to help end the stigma surrounding mental health actually contributed to the stigma that I suffer daily.

After leaving the gym, I felt compelled to write an article criticizing the Bell Let’s Talk movement, but I was talked out of it by many of my friends. Instead, I wrote a letter about the lack of mental health resources at Queen’s, which was published in The Journal last year.

However, my sentiments towards Bell Let’s Talk haven’t

subsided any more than my mental illness has. And since I’m my father’s daughter, I feel an overwhelming need to criticize things that don’t make sense to me.

Bell Let’s Talk isn’t an effective way to end the stigma surround mental health. The campaign is one day. Mental illness is every day.

Many of these people posting to help end the stigma surrounding mental health actually contributed to the stigma that I suffer daily.

Elisha Corbett is a fourth-year Political Studies major.

Talking Heads ... around campus PHOTOS BY EMMA SEWELL

If you hosted your own radio show, what would it be?

Miranda McKinonn, and Alanna Gujarati, both ArtSci ’17

10 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 5, 2015

ARTS THEATRE

Something wicked this way comes The School of Drama and Music’s production of Macbeth stuns with its unconventional approach SUPPLIED BY AKHIL DUA

Macbeth, the School of Drama and Music’s Winter Major, will be playing at the Isabel Bader Centre until Feb. 11.

N ina R icciarelli Staff Writer Macbeth began just outside the Isabel Bader Centre with a firelight fight scene that burned brightly against the inky night sky.

Lit by burning torches and glowing yellow lights, the cast twirled swords daringly in the patio of the Isabel as they began Shakespeare’s epic tale of ambition and murder.

From start to finish, the Queen’s School of Drama and Music’s Winter Major Macbeth is a feat of design and character acting. The play’s energy and soul comes from its precise direction, which provided a good balance of ensemble work and individual performance.

This particular production is different than most. Director Kim Renders, a drama professor, took a gender-blind casting approach, which resulted in every character other than the Witches being played by female actors. When I asked about how they approached playing traditionally male roles, Heather Abrams, who played Donalbain and Young Siward, said they never really focused on the gender identity of the characters.

“It stopped feeling like we were playing guys. It stopped feeling like we were dudes,” she said. “It was just like, why can’t this person just be a person?”

Leading roles in theatre are usually written for male actors, especially when it comes to plays considered classics such as Shakespeare’s works. By ignoring traditional gender roles, the production broke through the gender barriers that make theatre less accessible to women.

“When I was backstage today at the end of the show, all I was thinking was how normal it feels to have all of these girls playing these roles, and I was trying to picture Macduff as a man — because I was listening to Hannah [Komlodi] doing her thing — and I couldn’t,” said Pascale Behrman, ArtSci ’17, who plays Ross in the show.

The show never gave the impression of female actors playing men. There’s no cross-dressing, comedic deepening of voices or drawn-on facial hair. They’re women playing characters that are canonically men.

The gender-blind approach helped the production focus on Shakespeare’s themes of ambition, loss and the dichotomy between free will and fate.

Hannah Komlodi and Tess Richards, both ArtSci ’16, — who play Macduff and Macbeth, respectively — are perhaps the most riveting parts of the show.

In Act IV, Malcolm tells Macduff to “dispute it like a man” after he hears that his entire family has been brutally slaughtered.

“But I must also feel it as a man,” Macduff says in response. Komlodi’s delivery of the line was heart-wrenching and striking.

Seeing the stoic Macduff fall to the news of his family’s death was a real moment of raw grief.

“From the start to finish, the Queen’s School of Drama and Music’s Winter Major Macbeth is a feat of design and character acting.”

this was especially true for the Macduff murders. They’re meant to be a turning point for the audience, but the staging of that particular scene made it lose its dramatic weight.

Macbeth is infamous for being the most violent of Shakespeare’s plays. Shielding the audience from the violence felt like putting a hand in front of a child’s eyes during a scary movie. More specifically, the end portion of the Macduff-Macbeth fight scene was anti-climactic in comparison to the way it begins.

In its entirety, Macbeth is a welcome

change from the typical productions of the Drama Department. By distancing itself from extravagance — and trying to emulate a Broadway-level show — and focusing on putting on a good show that leaves a lasting impact, Macbeth makes itself a special anomaly.

“It’s thrilling,” Komlodi said. “It’s great to be able to speak words that have meant so much for so long, and speak it in a completely new way.”

It’s that thrill that helps Macbeth achieve what most shows do not — producing a piece of theatre that resonates.

Tess Richards’s Macbeth, however, was the true driving force of the show.

Standing tall and regal, with lips red like the metaphorical blood on her hands, Richards’ performance is riveting. Macbeth isn’t a light role, but Richards maneuvers Shakespeare’s difficult text so it doesn’t feel like you’re sitting through a Shakespeare play.

Macbeth’s design team also seemed to take a leaf out of George Miller’s book, as many of the costumes and set were reminiscent of Mad Max: Fury Road.

The costumes, designed by Jillian Wakarchuk, were especially intriguing: they made the characters look like they belonged to a dystopian biker gang.

One drawback, however, was the choice not to use the patio for any scene other than the prologue’s fight sequence. After the prologue, the audience and action were moved to the studio theatre, where they remained for the remainder of the show. The director may have missed an opportunity by conducting the epic Macduff-Macbeth fight sequence in the theatre rather than outside — especially because the yellow light outside gave the illusion of lightning flashing overhead.

I was also disappointed to see that very few deaths took place onstage. The majority of the gruesome murders were conducted offstage or in the wings, which downplayed the severity of the play’s violence. I thought Many canonically male roles were gender-bent and played by female actors.

Arts

Friday, February 5, 2016

queensjournal.ca

• 11

ARTIST PROFILE

The complexities of girlhood

Second-year student explores sex, adolescence and identity in her debut exhibit R amna S afeer Arts Editor Caitie Annear, ArtSci ’18, is full of ideas for multimedia art — and each piece is an act of fiery social commentary and personal reflection.

This Saturday, she’ll make her artistic debut and give students a chance to see inside her head.

Annear’s exhibit at the Tett Centre, titled “Precarious Work,” will explore the complexities of the teenaged girl’s identity — elements of trauma, love and sex will each be making an appearance in her featured pieces.

One piece, called The Impossible Dichotomies of Sex at 16, is an attempt to make the sexual complexities of female, teenage adolescence into something universal and tangible.

It consists of two panels, each with a separate photograph of her in different times in her life. Each picture is slightly burnt, symbolizing socially-imposed shame.

“At its core, it’s about high school — it’s about everything I had to go through to get to this point in my life,” Annear said, referring to the exhibit as a whole.

“It’s about what it means to be a girl and a teenager and both at the same time.”

The exhibit will feature multimedia pieces and found art. The found art is an effort to imbue meaning onto things she has stumbled upon over the years, including stray diary entries and trinkets.

Annear said her choice of

medium reflects the spontaneity of the venture.

“I went to Dollarama and I found a sheep that had duct tape around it,” she said, laughing. “I thought it was cool and when I went home, I made several pieces just with that.”

As Annear’s first exhibit ever, the process of bringing all the pieces together has been a cathartic and educational one.

According to her, the experience has taught her most about herself — her adolescence, mental health and journey towards better understanding her sexuality.

As the process of creation and inspiration continued, Annear found that most of the art amalgamated pieces she had accumulated over the years. She said that process only added to the feeling of catharsis.

“I realized that I was using scraps of journal entries and scraps in my room and photos and they came together to create something bigger,” she said. “It was about using things that were already to create a coherent narrative.”

Because so many of the pieces are motivated by her teenage years, the raw emotion of the art could make some people uncomfortable.

But that’s the point, she said.

“A few photographs are semi-explicit,” she said.

“They’re of myself in various stages of my life. Some people might be uncomfortable, but I want that. I want girls and undergrads in general to think of themselves and their own sexual, emotional development.”

Artist Caitie Annear’s first ever exhibit will open this Saturday at the Tett Centre.

Annear’s The Impossible Dichotomies of Sex at 16 explores the complex process of understanding sexuality.

I could sense the anticipation in her voice when she talked about the project. I asked if she’s excited

CFRC

The making of a radio show A peek behind the scenes of the campus radio station

The radio room at CFRC, where the magic happens.

L auren L uchenski Assistant Arts Editor CFRC DJ Jordan Kokocinski relies on his musical ear to construct the perfect set of progressive rock songs.

Like every DJ at CFRC 101.9, Kokocinski was required to create a mandate for a show on a genre of music he’s passionate about while incorporating new music and discussion.

Kokocinski, ArtSci ’16, hosts Natural Prograithm — a music

program occupying the 1 p.m.

Tuesday slot.

Three years ago, Kokocinski pitched the idea of a progressive rock show on CFRC because the student radio station didn’t have a show that played his music of choice.

“I don’t think we have a show here that’s quite like mine in any way. So that’s kind of why I wanted to start doing it — to share that music,” Kokocinski said.

CFRC, which was founded in 1922, has a mandate to fill in the

PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE NIJHUIS

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE NIJHUIS

gaps of mainstream media outlets.

Unlike most radio stations, which have a set format, or a playlist of a few hundred songs they play, CFRC is an open-format, community radio station.

Kristiana Clemens, CFRC’s operations officer, said that as an open format radio station, CFRC can pick from an endless selection of music to broadcast.

“We’re also obligated to highlight local Canadian artists and independent music that’s not being heard anywhere else on the dial,”

for the launch and she laughed.

“I’m terrified,” she said. “You can make photo blogs and publish your work online but that lacks a certain physicality. It’s not as nerve-racking.”

She was silent for a few seconds.

“At the same time, it’s not about how many people come,” Annear

said. “It’s about seeing my art on the walls of a gallery and all that hard work becoming something real and concrete.”

Clemens said.

What listeners hear during programs, however, is entirely dependent on the musical tastes of CFRC’s volunteer DJs. To get a show on the air, DJs must create a demo submission for their shows that outlines the show’s mandate, target audience, content ideas and context.

The submission is designed to judge how a DJ’s program idea fulfills CFRC’s mandate of “celebrating and empowering the diversity of Queen’s and Kingston” and how it would differ from other programs on CFRC. After those preliminary steps, Clemens said creating an engaging and creative music program depends on the quality of the music and the mix of songs, which is much more calculated than simply creating a playlist.

A good mix of songs will consider music that’s similar in instrumentation, time signature, key and production technique, Clemens said. But it doesn’t stop at the musical content of the program — a good radio show will also educate listeners about the music.

Kokocinski’s program showcases progressive rock music — a genre of music he said is hard to define.

“The definition isn’t so cut and dry. But it … was conceived in the 70s and it’s rock music that strived to push the boundaries,” Kokocinski said. “It incorporates a lot of classical and jazz themes in it.”

For example, bands like Pink Floyd and Rush fall into the category of progressive rock, he said. Although he’s a big believer in doing his show live as opposed to pre-recording, Kokocinski structures his show neatly. As a musician who plays the piano and guitar, Kokocinski considers tempo and key when constructing his shows. “[For example] this song ends on a certain cord, these keys don’t match up so why would I transition into that? It would be kind of awkward,” Kokocinski said.

He added that it’s important to educate listeners on the music they’re hearing on his show. He often discusses the history of bands on his show and provides analyses of the music theory of progressive rock songs.

“You don’t really get that much extended discussion or detailed discussion on most radio stations,” Kokocinski said. “I like to keep people interested and really push the genre.”

Caitie Annear’s exhibit “Precarious Works” will be at the Tett Centre this Saturday at 2 p.m.

12 •queensjournal.ca

Arts

Friday, February 5, 2016

GALLERY

Seven photos by seven artists “7 x 7” displays small moments and life-changing experiences N atanya L evine Contributor In a photograph, the world appears to have stopped. But in reality, people and objects on the other side of the lens continue to move.

It’s a sense of motion — often lost in still photographs — that connects the wide range of photographs displayed in Raymond Vos’ “7 x 7” exhibit.

This is the second year that Vos, a photographer, framer and owner of Gallery Raymond, has put the show together in downtown Kingston.

The exhibit features seven different artists, each displaying

The photography exhibit “7 x 7.”

Winter Photo Contest Winners

seven different photographs. Vos said he asked each artist to either choose seven images on a theme or show diversity amongst their work.

Iris Van Loon, one of the featured photographers, chose to display seven diverse images.

She said she rarely shoots on a specific theme.

“I carry my camera with me always,” Van Loon said. She said she doesn’t go out with an intention in mind, but instead simply sees something and knows when to take out her camera.

“I want to capture the beauty of something that is mundane,” she said. She showed me a photograph of a bag of apples and one of wilting tulips entitled The

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE NIJHUIS

Last Dance.

Van Loon said she was about to throw the tulips away, as the petals were shriveled and about to fall.

But her photographer’s instincts tapped her on the shoulder and she snapped a picture.

“They speak to me still,” she said, even though it has been two years since she took the photograph, and she has taken many more since.

Her more recent work plays with a minimalist aesthetic. Her photographs, such as one of a single tree featured in the exhibit, often convey feelings of stillness and calm.

When I spoke to Vos about his photographs, he said he’s always had an “eye for photography.”

Vos’ bright photographs reflect his time in Kenya, which he spoke of with fondness. His seven pictures feature a variety of aspects of life in Kenya, portraying everything from grinning schoolchildren to a river with bright splashes of people washing their clothes at the bends in the stream. A sign under a blown-up photograph of three grinning schoolboys said all the profits from his photographs will be donated to the Kenya Initiative, an organization that raises money to send children to school.

He told me about going to a school in Kenya and laughing with the kids as they waved and pretended to take pictures of him.

“I was swarmed by kids,” he said. “[It was] one of the most exhilarating moments of my life.”

The display will be on until Feb. 29 at Raymond Gallery, 334 Princess St.

1 Eunice Kim 2 Vanessa DelZotto Hammond 3 Jessica Gilmore Counter-clockwise from left: Switzerland ‘13 (Kim); Skiing above the clouds in Zermatt (Hammond); Arrowhead Provincial Park (Gilmore)

Friday, February 5, 2016

queensjournal.ca

• 13

SPORTS

PHOTOS BY KENDRA PIERROZ

Eric Ming (center) scored three goals on the night, upping his total to 15 this year.

“Our goal was to play hard, and put a good 60 minutes together and not get too overwhelmed by the crowd. Fortunately I got lucky on a few shots, and was able to put a few pucks in the net.”

— Gaels forward Eric Ming

QUEEN’S RMC

6 2

“It’s always exciting to win, you never want to lose it ... It’s such a huge thing for our team and a huge rivalry in Kingston.”

— Gaels forward Patrick McGillis

Gaels topple Paladins in Carr-Harris Cup Eric Ming, Patrick McGillis stand out in annual Kingston rivalry game at the K-Rock Centre A dam L askaris Sports Editor Gaels forward Eric Ming’s goal two minutes into the first period set the tone for an unsurprising result in the 2016 Carr-Harris Cup on Thursday night.

A record 3,363 fans from both Queen’s and RMC packed the K-Rock Centre for the annual game. The Queen’s-RMC rivalry match up, the oldest standing hockey rivalry in the world, dates back to 1886. In 1986, the Carr-Harris Challenge Cup was initiated by the International Hockey Hall of Fame, named in honour of the Carr-Harris family, which has connections to both Kingston schools. It was Queen’s 20th victory in the event.

In Thursday night’s game, Ming added two more markers to complete his hat trick and earn MVP honours in the 6-2 game.

“I just wanted to shoot as many pucks on net as I could,” Ming said. “Fortunately I got lucky

on a few shots.”

Though RMC’s picked up just three wins this season, the Paladins’ 2-1 victory in 2014 remained in the minds of many third and fourth-year players.

“They come out hard,” Ming said of RMC. “The intensity that’s in this building, you’ve got to be ready right off the start.”

After Ming got the scoring started early, a rogue bounce off the end boards landed right in front of the Gaels net, which was slotted in after a goalmouth scramble.

After the score was tied, a pair of first-period goals by Patrick McGillis then put Queen’s up 3-1 entering the second period.

Ming added another goal early in the second period, and completed his hat trick in the third period.

Additionally, Alex Stothart scored the Gaels’ fifth goal in the second period, his second of the year.

Queen’s record moves to 15-8 this season as they sit just a

point out of fourth place in the OUA East.

For McGillis, the game adds special meaning, as it’s his final Carr-Harris Cup. He looks to graduate this year, alongside Joseph Luongo, Taylor Clements, Andrew Wiebe and Yannick Laflamme, who were honoured post-game.

“This was a good way to go out with a bang,” he said. “You never want to end your career with a Carr-Harris Cup loss.”

The Gaels head off on a road trip this weekend to play Waterloo and Laurier, before matching up against RMC again next Wednesday night in their most packed stretch of the year. And while the schedule is already tough, there are other hurdles on the team’s plate.

“We’ve got midterms coming up next week, but we try to keep getting to the gym and doing recovery workouts, while having short light practices. Hopefully we’ll be ready and rested,” McGillis said.

PHOTO GALLERY AVAILABLE ONLINE AT: QUEENSJOURNAL.CA/SPORTS SCORING SUMMARY -- 1st -Queen’s 2:29 Eric Ming (Steve Trojanovic, Ryan Bloom) RMC

9:33 Owen Gill (Aidan Orbinski, Patrick Durgy)

Queen’s 10:23 Patrick McGillis ( Spencer Abraham, Patrick Downe) Queen’s 13:32 Patrick McGillis (Darcy Greenaway) -- 2nd -Queen’s 0:59 Eric Ming (Ryan Bloom, Slater Doggett) RMC

1:21 Scott Domenico (Aidan Orbinski, John Livingston)

Queen’s 9:54 Alex Stothart (Braden Mercier) -- 3rd -Queen’s 14:24 Eric Ming (Steve Trojanovic, Ryan Bloom)

Sports

14 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 5, 2016

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

A standout at the net

Scott Brunet looks to finish strong in his final year at Queen’s C ameron N ewell Staff Writer Standing at 6’8”, Scott Brunet’s defensive presence on the volleyball court has caused headaches for opposing coaches and teams this year.

A fifth year from Calgary, Alberta, Brunet’s become one of the premier men’s volleyball players in the province, with 53 total blocks this year placing him second in the OUA, while he sits third in blocks per set.

But while he’s a team veteran and key cog in the Gaels’ 11-4 record so far this season, a fresh face has joined the team this year — his younger brother Chris, a first-year.

“I still remember when he was just a little kid running around my high school team’s practices ... and now he is on the court playing next to me every day,” Scott said. “It has really been an amazing experience for us as brothers.”

Scott and Chris aren’t the first family to attend Queen’s, though

they did follow in their parents’ footsteps. Their mother, Caryl, completed her Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy in 1982, while their father, Grant, was in the medicine class of 1983.

The elder Brunet started playing volleyball in grade 7. Though he wasn’t interested in the sport at first, he was hooked by the time he entered high school and joined a local club team.

When it came time for university, it was more than Queen’s academic reputation that brought Brunet halfway across the country to Kingston.

“It was definitely a big part of my decision to play for a competitive volleyball team where I could continue to improve my skills,” he said.

With four players on the team in their final year of eligibility, and six first-year players, Brunet and the other veteran Gaels have a short window to provide leadership.

“Every year you become more confident in your understanding of the game as well as what your

team needs from you as a leader,” he said.

“I hope that the younger players on the team this year can learn something from me and the other veterans as well so they can continue to be successful.”

Sitting at third place in the OUA standings with an 11-4 record, the Gaels look to continue their strong season on the road in Guelph against the Gryphons on Friday,before travelling to Waterloo the next night.

Brunet’s goals for his final season in a Gaels’ uniform are lofty, but ones he believes are realistic considering their strong graduating core.

“Since it is the final year of volleyball for a bunch of us, it would be amazing to win an OUA championship and qualify for nationals,” Brunet said.

“We have a lot of skill, and if we make the necessary adjustments we need to as a team, we can be very successful in the playoffs.”

Scott Brunet is second in the OUA with 53 blocks.

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

SUPPLIED BY QUEEN’S SQUASH

Queen’s women’s team poses with their second Ontario banner in a row.

SQUASH

Champions once again Women’s squash secure second straight OUA title H enry J eong Contributor Once crowned as champions, it’s often believed that the toughest job is to repeat. For the women’s squash team, this was no issue.

At the OUA championships, the Gaels dominated in spectacular fashion, winning all 40 of their matches against Western, Toronto, Waterloo, McMaster and Brock over the weekend in St. Catharines.

The Gaels came out on fire as they swept through the championships with a 5-0 run.

For head coach Lisa Coates, this year’s team is different than any other team she’s coached.

“This was a very special team,” Gaels head coach Lisa Coates said. “Not only we didn’t drop

any match, we also held all our opponents shutout this year, which was sweet since U of T and Western are always very strong opponents.”

In addition to the championship banner, the Gaels also won a few individual accolades. The 2014 OUA Women’s MVP Heather White, and Penn State transfer Ali Richmond, were named to the OUA All-Star team.

However, it was the team’s depth that really stood out to their coach. The Gaels, Coates said, had an excellent corps of players which gave them a marvelous depth compared to other programs.

“From one [player] to another, this group of talented, hardworking individuals, really challenged each other to strive and continue the momentum to the championship,”

she said.

The men’s team didn’t fare as well as their female counterparts.

They finished sixth overall after a tough 1-5 campaign.

After a 6-2 win against Guelph in the second game of the weekend, the team struggled to continue their momentum as they were shut out in their last four games.

The top-ranked Western Mustangs led by legendary coach Jack Fairs captured the 33rd consecutive title while the Gaels’ Cameron Butler, after a strong showing during the championships, was awarded the Gael men’s solo accolade as Rookie of the Year.

Both men’s and women’s teams will be playing at the Jester’s League Finals in National Squash Academy, Toronto on Feb. 27.

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Sports

Friday, February 5, 2016

queensjournal.ca

• 15

INCLUSION

Gender’s place in CIS sports Recent IOC policies may have effects on University level sport in Canada V ictoria G ibson Assistant News Editor When it comes to gender identification in Canadian university athletics, two boxes predominantly remain: Men’s team, or women’s team?

For athletes who identify outside of the binary divide of man and woman, finding a space in the athletic world can be a taxing ordeal.

The CIS board, which governs Queen’s athletics, doesn’t have a policy addressing non-binary, gender-fluid or trans athletes, nor where they should or can identify in order to compete.

However, following the Jan. 24 announcement of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) policy on transgender participation, this may soon change.

Amongst other guidelines for transgender and transsexual athletes, the IOC policy eradicates a surgical requirement to compete.

Trans men can now compete “without restriction,” and trans women must solely prove that their testosterone levels are below 10 nmol/L for 12 months before competition.

In the wake of the announcement, Tara Hahto, CIS Manager of Compliance and Eligibility, said that the CIS has begun to rethink their lack of policy on gender identification.

“Generally what we do in the sports

world is really align with all of the other bodies of sport,” she said in an interview with The Journal.

This realignment helps ensure an athlete competing under CIS, who’s potentially of Olympic or international calibre, doesn’t face different rules when rising in competitive level.

However, while the CIS sorts out their own policy on trans participation, Hahto says gender identification is an “institution-by-institution process,” meaning Queen’s identification system is left up to coaches and athletic administration.

When contacted, Queen’s Athletics and Recreation declined to comment on their policies, saying there wasn’t anyone available to speak on the matter at this time.

Contentious discussions surrounding sports and gender identification aren’t a novelty. High-profile incidents, such as the 2009 gender-test of Caster Semenya, upon her outing as intersex, have made headlines worldwide.

Meanwhile, boards such as the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CAA) require transgender athletes to show documentation of one year of hormone therapy to compete on their level.

Dr. Mary Louise Adams, a Queen’s professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies and the Department of Sociology, has an academic focus on athletic experiences with sex, sexuality and gender.

Caster Semenya (left) sparked talk on gender identity of athletes in 2009.

“[Sports are one of the] key institutions in our society for reproducing and advertising normative understandings of sex and gender,” Adams wrote in an email to The Journal.

She added it’s becoming increasingly clear that a neat divide between body parts and their associated genders doesn’t work for everyone.

“Misunderstanding and discriminatory attitudes around gender variation have made sport a difficult space for many transgender and transsexual people,” she wrote.

Queen’s openly transgender Minister, Ruth Wood, said students grappling with questions of gender identity already experience a great deal of “inner turmoil” — and that’s without considering a question of athletic identity.

“Being different in any way is hard in a society that places a high value on conformity. I don’t think it is fair for us to put an additional barrier in someone’s way [in sports],” she said.

SUPPLIED BY ERIK VAN LEEUWEN VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Rather than waiting for an individual to fight for change, Wood said athletic boards, whether intramural or inter-university, should be taking a lead on educating themselves about the issue.

However, it’s not simply a matter of creating policies to allow self-identification, as Wood said gender-neutral facilities in athletics are critical, and single showers and change rooms would be a welcomed step.

“While some transgender people are perfectly comfortable using the facilities designated for their felt gender, others are not,” she said. She added that this extends beyond trans athletes to those seeking privacy for personal reasons.

“In the end, whether we are transgender or cisgender, we all need to be true to who we are if we are going to grow up to be who we are meant to be,” she said.

“Students who do not fit into the gender binary may also be passionate about a sport, and should not be denied the opportunity to take part in it.”

Sports

16 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 5, 2016

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

Shannon Neville strikes a serve at a home matchup earlier this season.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Veteran leads rising Gaels Fourth-year Shannon Neville taking charge of turnaround R yan A ceman Contributor With seven rookies and five sophomores on the women’s volleyball roster, growing pains are inevitable. But following an underwhelming 0-3 start, the team saw themselves in a hole.

In an unfortunate position, the team’s veterans took it upon themselves to initiate a change.

Among them is fourth-year outside hitter Shannon Neville, who’s been teaching her teammates the value of her experience.

Thanks to a combination of strong play and experience, Neville has come into her role as a leader on the team.

“We were a pretty fresh team to start off the year,” she said. “But coming into the second half we really worked hard over Christmas break and had a strong start in second semester.”

The fourth-year outside hitter has improved her play with each new campaign and has already achieved new career highs in kills, kill percentage and blocks this year.

She registered 13 kills in a 3-0 win at Lakehead, plus 12 kills,

2.5 blocks and an ace in a four set victory versus Waterloo earlier this season.

Since the rough start, they’ve been on a tear, winning eight of 12 matches, good for fourth place in the Eastern conference. This stretch includes a 3-0 victory against York and a 3-2 comeback win over the rival Western Mustangs.

Neville played volleyball throughout high school, including five years of club and two years of provincial rep.

“All my experiences playing for a variety of teams across a wide breadth of performance levels prepared me well for where I am today,” she said.

Shannon’s older sister, Katie, played four years with the Gaels including Shannon’s first year on the team — which drew her to the program. Katie also picked up an OUA championship in 2011-12, in Shannon’s final year of high school.

After a tough quarterfinal loss to the U of T Blues in last year’s playoffs, Queen’s is now on track for another postseason appearance as they sit fourth in the OUA East.

The Gaels will have to maintain their solid play as the match ups

get more challenging come playoff time, but Neville is confident in the team’s preparation.

“Every person on the team has been going so hard in practice so we’re even more prepared when we go into those games against the big dogs.”

As she looks back on her time as a Gael, Neville said she’s been thankful for it all.

“I loved being able to be part of such a high-performance athletics program and still manage to enjoy it every step of the way — even through all the roller coaster fifth set games and tough 7 a.m. workouts,” she said.

Although this is her final year of undergrad, Neville is looking at the option of attending graduate school for engineering at Queen’s, and would continue to play volleyball if she can. However, if this is her final year as a Gael, Neville will look back on her time here with fondness.

“I’ve made the closest of friends in my teammates and will be able to cherish those relationships even after we’re all done university.”

ON DECK CIRCLE Women’s Basketball:

Women’s Volleyball:

Women’s Hockey:

6 p.m. Friday vs. Guelph @ The ARC

2 p.m. Saturday at Brock

5 p.m. Friday at Nipissing

1 p.m. next Saturday vs.

Ottawa @ The ARC

3:50 p.m. Saturday vs.

Laurentian

Men’s Basketball:

Men’s Volleyball:

Men’s Hockey:

8 p.m. Friday vs. Guelph @ The ARC

8 p.m. Friday at Guelph

7 p.m. Friday at Waterloo

7 p.m. Saturday at Waterloo

5:30 p.m. Saturday at Laurier

6 pm Saturday vs. Lakehead @ The ARC

8 p.m. Saturday vs. Lakehead @ The ARC

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Friday, February 5, 2016

queensjournal.ca

• 17

LIFESTYLE

Carissa Gordon (middle), President of the African Caribbean Students’ Association, is one of many people celebrating and honouring Black history this February.

PHOTOS BY KENDRA PIERROZ

STUDENT LIFE

The importance of Black History Month C arissa G ordon Contributor

I’d like to say that it was a 2015-16 President, which The unfortunate answer is learning, where others can learn cruel joke, but rather it was a sad has been nothing short of an that without the dedicated month, about the great contributions that display of ignorance, something eye-opening experience.

Black history wouldn’t otherwise Black people have made. It’s also This article was originally all too common at Queen’s. This For the past couple months get the recognition it deserves. a reminder of the tribulations published online on Feb. 1. is not the first time a student ,various student groups on campus, The reason we don’t have a and turbulent past that our Black has told me that my club serves including ACSA and the Queen’s White History Month is because ancestors went through to try to arlier this year, I experienced zero importance.

Black Academic Society (QBAS) white history month is every single achieve equality and justice. It possibly the most awkward For me, Queen’s will always be have been working in partnership month of the year — including allows people of colour to be the first date of my life. my second home, most importantly with the Kingston community February. Many of the key figures focal point in history for once and My date asked me why a club because of the family I’ve formed to organize the Kingston Black we study in class are those of White reflect on how far we’ve come. like the African Caribbean Students’ through ACSA. Through this History Month. But as I continue descent, and so the history that Unfortunately, it continues to Association (ACSA) existed. He club I’ve made new friends and to work on organizing events, we’re being taught is actually quite be a necessity, as equality hasn’t yet then proceeded to state it’s the found a way to share my culture. there’s a re-occurring question. incomplete. Until various cultures been accomplished. same thing as having a “White This year, I’ve had the honour of What’s the purpose of a Black and identities can be appropriately Personally, this Black History person’s club.” representing my club as the History Month? represented in our textbooks and Month, I want to focus on and classes, Black History Month remember the struggles that many is needed so that our history is people of colour face in the present.

BODY IMAGE never forgotten.

Added to our history books will No, that one unit on the history be the Mizzou racist incidents, the of slavery doesn’t constitute Black Lives Matter movement, inclusion of Black history into the and children like Tamir Rice who curriculum. Instead it paints a very lost their lives. Until this can be small portion of what makes up properly done in the classroom, I need Black History Month to the diverse history.

Black History Month serves tie together my past, present as a condensed time period for and future.

E

#AerieREAL more than just good marketing

K ailun Z hang Assistant Lifestyle Editor Aerie was the place I bought my first bra, as it was for a lot of my fellow undergarment-wearing ladies. The store was and still is inviting to women of all sizes, especially today with their on-going #AerieREAL campaign.

In 2014, the lingerie company vowed to stop casting supermodels and airbrushing women in their ads. This meant showcasing less of the tall, lean and leggy crop and introducing a greater cohort of un-retouched models with bums, hips and chests of all sizes.

Two years later, Aerie’s global brand president Jennifer Foyle describes their #AerieREAL initiative as something that “started as a marketing campaign and has grown into a movement.”

Looking at the numbers alone, their success is clear. In the year the #AerieREAL campaign was introduced, Aerie saw quarterly sales go up by 9 per cent. Its most

recent quarterly report, released at hinged on their ability to show the end of 2015, reported an even authenticity. As such a large company, their mass marketing can greater climb at 21 per cent.

But there’s a much greater speak far and loud, but it’s not picture than financial statements. enough to preach self-love and Of course, businesses want to make then be done with it.

Bombard us with glossy, a profit — as a commerce student, I can tell you that much. But strategized marketing all you consumers aren’t spending their want — it’s not going to work money deluded. Behind all the unless we listen.

Aerie recently revealed sales is an important conversation.

Seeing as their target market their newest campaign model, is between the ages of 15 and 22 19-year-old Barbie Ferreira. Ferreira, years old, the people that their a former American Apparel model, brand is speaking to are primarily has been vocal about her disdain for what the media deems a “normal” young women.

Amongst people in that group, body. Although she garnered a body image has never been a following on Twitter and Instagram prior to the new modelling gig, hotter topic.

Yet when Victoria’s Secret she’s been thrust into a whole new released their similarly natured kind of spotlight.

Love My Body campaign in 2010, Upon Aerie’s announcement it wasn’t met with nearly the that she would star in their same response. Victoria’s Secret new installment of ads, Time, decorated their message with the Cosmopolitan and Elle Magazine same, oiled-up VS angels they all posted articles about her. always have — and they were Meanwhile, “Real Talk with Barbie,” the 30-second teaser shut down.

Aerie’s contrasting success has that Aerie released on YouTube,

Aerie, a sister-store of American Eagle, sells lingerie to a primary market of 15- to 22-year-olds.

has already gained almost 1.4 million views.

This is a signal of a sentiment that extends far beyond just doing business. This is hundreds of thousands of young ears ringing.

It’s so important to be kind to yourself. It’s also important

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that those who have the power to tell us otherwise make a conscious decision to rewrite that media standard.

Aerie may be making millions, but it’s not for no good reason.

They’re supporting us, and we’re supporting them right back.

Lifestyle

18 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 5, 2016

SELF EXPRESSION

For the love of body art Not every tattoo has to be meaningful C ameron T reanor Contributor People generally think tattoos should be intensely personal and insightful or else you’ll regret it later.

Of course, this isn’t always the case. Lots of people get tattoos for other reasons. For me, as an artist and lover of body art, my tattoos weren’t always about symbolizing a significant part of my personality.

My tattoos were small pieces of me, things I like in beautiful pictures, displayed on my body like one might place a picture on the mantel.

My first tattoo was a Star Trek tribute, not the sort of thing you envision any sensible person putting on their skin forever. It was a simple piece, all black-line work, in Vulcan calligraphy: dif-tor heh smusma, Vulcan for “live long and prosper.”

I got it just after the death of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who’d played Spock in the original Star Trek series. It may not be the “right” kind of tattoo, but it’s beautiful and important to me. It’s a symbol of something I love.

My second tattoo was a shoulder piece, much less painful than my first piece down my spine. It was designed by my tattoo artist, Jason at Ink Well Tattoos and Piercings.

It’s a depiction of a colossal kraken, tearing apart a ship in its long tentacles. I was told by several people that I’d regret it. I lied to my mother when she asked me what it symbolized.

I’d known she’d ask, and I told her that it symbolized my strength and my resilience. She accepted that answer with a forlorn smile.

In reality, I just wanted to feel like a pirate.

Treanor’s first tattoo (left) is a Star Trek tribute, while her second (right) is a depiction of the legendary kraken.

Not everyone feels the same way I do when it comes to their tattoos. Many people get tattoos that do have deep sentimental meanings to them, whether it’s to honour a loved one or to symbolize a struggle that they’ve overcome, such as the popularized

semi-colon tattoo.

There are also lots of people who, like myself, get tattoos just because of the aesthetic appeal.

Tattoos are pieces to put on display, just like any other form of art, and some people would simply rather have them on their skin than

hanging on their walls.

And both of these options are perfectly valid. There’s no wrong way to get a tattoo. It doesn’t matter if you want something deep and meaningful or if you want something aesthetically pleasing.

Your body is your temple, but

PHOTOS BY KENDRA PIERROZ

more than that, it’s your own.

It’s yours to craft and create and sculpt. And you know better than anyone what you want to put on it, whether that’s a semi-colon to symbolize your struggles or a kraken to make you look cool.

If it makes you happy, go for it.

Lifestyle

Friday, February 5, 2016

2/4/2016

queensjournal.ca

• 19

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The hipster isn’t dead — it’s just evolving.

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POP CULTURE

From hipster to yuccie: The transformation of a privileged generation

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K yle C urlew Staff Writer

The yuccie embodies neoliberal ideologies — individualism is everything.

Self-actualization is the supreme motivation.

Every generation has its cliché, creative folk Just a little more yoga (while sporting those toting liberal arts degrees and the privilege hot Lululemon pants), a healthy diet of of a middle class existence. You know the organic, raw superfoods and a compostable kind — you see them in the line at Starbucks cup of Starbucks coffee.

However, the real motivation of the in Goodes Hall every morning; tidy beards with patchouli beard oil, slicked back hair yuccie is to be visible. It’s to be seen at the hottest yoga studio, to show off the with a sweet fade and tight pants.

The millennial generation is moving into witty packaging of their organic food, to prominence. They booted out the hipsters be seen in the lineup of a chaotic Starbucks of yesteryear and replaced them with the between classes.

If this visibility isn’t physically possible, yuccies. But is hipster actually dead? Or has the hipster, the neo-bohemian, just it’s accomplished through social media. The transformed into something new to keep up yuccie thrives on Instagram photos and sweet Snapchat stories. The yuccie looks for with generational trends?

A hipster is a collage of subcultural constant validation through retweets, likes snippets, taken from the Beats, the hippies and up-votes.

Queen’s, like many universities, is a home and the punks, sown together by (typically) middle-class, progressive youth. This of yuccies seeking to fulfill their dreams. Our subculture tends to revolve around (non) culture is all about selling these dreams. We all come here with a sense of entitlement and mainstream alternative music and lifestyles.

The thing is, according to “The Death a burning desire to express our creativity.

The hipster isn’t completely dead. Just like of the Hipster” by Rob Horning, there’s no clear definition for the hipster subculture. all subcultural niches, the hipster is changing to suit the needs of a new generation of There’s also no clear-cut beginning or end.

In fact, the genesis of the word privileged creatives. Hipsters are trading in hipster emerged from other subcultural their vinyls for iPhones, their torn jeans for niches — the bohemians, Beats and hippies. dress pants and their beanies for slick hair.

The yuccie is a manifestation of a privileged One thing that all of these groups have in common is that they’re on a constant quest generation that only cares for what’s on the surface, but that isn’t too different than the to be trendy.

So is yuccie just another hipster? No, hip generations who came before them. not really. If the hipster is a trend follower, the yuccie is the narcissistic pinnacle of the hipster dream. The yuccie emerged when the hipster became too trendy. In reality, the yuccie is the new hip.

The yuccie was originally coined by a Mashable blogger named David Infante who claimed himself to be a yuccie — the privileged, entitled “creative class.”

ACROSS 1 Several scenes 4 Track circuit 7 Root for 12 Feathery accessory 13 Actress Thurman 14 Sill 15 Branch 16 Joey and his parents?

18 Hi-tech SFX 19 Be philanthropic 20 Contraband measure 22 Author Brown 23 Got up 27 Vast expanse 29 Successful horticulturist 31 Upright 34 Pint fraction 35 Hitting sound 37 Plead 38 Gardener, at times 39 Hosp. section 41 Sharpen 45 Poe topic 47 Scale member 48 Dime portrait 52 Midafternoon, in

a way 53 Trip around the world?

54 Lawyer’s due 55 Superlative ending 56 Dams 57 Engine additive brand

58 Alternative to white DOWN 1 By surprise 2 Welsh pooch 3 Sri Lankan language 4 “Star Wars” hero 5 Blake or Bynes 6 “Kung Fu ___” 7 Talon 8 That girl 9 Tokyo’s old name 10 Id counterpart 11 Scale members 17 Talent show prop 21 PBS curmudgeon 23 Coarse 24 Possess 25 Moment

26 Before 28 And the like (abbr.)

30 Fish eggs 31 Biblical verb suffix 32 Pi follower 33 Lamb’s dam 36 Chicken ____ 37 Ammo unit 40 Staff leaders?

42 Wickerwork willow 43 Loud 44 Upper crust 45 Wagers 46 Pace 48 Tier 49 Raw rock 50 Sapporo sash 51 Round Table address

Last Issue’s Answers

20 •queensjournal.ca

Lifestyle

Friday, February 5, 2016

POSTSCRIPT

Do you even lift, bro?

One Journal staffer tries CrossFit

M ikayla W ronko Assistant News Editor

with me, taking the time to make sure I was comfortable, pointing out where I needed improvement An out of shape university and praising me when I student walks into a CrossFit showed progress. gym for a lesson. That sounds After getting the gist of the like the beginning of a joke, right? push jerk, I felt confident enough Normally, that’s be something to throw on an extra 10 lbs on I’d laugh at, but I was that my barbell. I was now lifting the out-of-shape student. weight of an even bigger small dog.

Let’s just say, I felt every slice of When I’d performed a clean pizza, every bag of chips and every push jerk, for lack of better phrasing, day where my iPhone pedometer I felt like a bad ass — almost as if said I only walked two kilometres.

I belonged in a DMX music video.

It was like every poor health Then there were times I would decision I’d made in the last couple lose the rhythm of the execution of months had come to throw me and I would just flail around with a surprise party. the barbell.

If you don’t know what CrossFit After we got the technique is, don’t beat yourself up — I only down, it was time for the WOD. learned about it a couple days For my lesson, the WOD was to before my class. CrossFit is a core alternate, with a partner, between strength and conditioning program burning 50 calories on the rowing that has a reputation for being machines and doing 30 pull jerks, vigorously intense, as well as for its and to do as many as we can in equally hardcore cult followers.

15 minutes.

A Google image search of I’d be lying to you if I said there CrossFit will yield photos of wasn’t a moment where I felt like Greek god people working out in I was going to puke during those franchised gyms dedicated to the 15 minutes. Kate and I would practice and philosophy. take turns on the rowing machine, Prior to my CrossFit lesson, I then lift. I would also be lying wouldn’t describe myself as a prime Our brave Assistant News Editor, Mikayla, took a trip to CrossFit Queen Street. to you if I said I kept up with specimen that radiates fitness. In Kate. She ripped into the rowing fact, as my body trembles and I’m machine and did her pull jerks like practically immobilized by soreness, a beast, while I feebly tried to keep I can confidently say that CrossFit up. Though, I do stand by the fact didn’t transform me overnight. that I put in my best effort.

Sure, I was intimidated by the There was a point during Greek god people on the Internet, those 15 minutes where my arms but what kept me committed was felt like deflated pool floaties. I that everyone who’s ever done was convinced I could no longer CrossFit had to try it for the first continue lifting 35 lbs. When I time. Maybe my first time wouldn’t reached to take the extra weights be a graceful first time, but it was off my barbell, Matt stopped me going to be a first time nevertheless. and yelled, “WHAT ARE YOU I had my lesson at CrossFit DOING?” I tried to defend myself, Queen Street, which isn’t too explaining that I was just simply far from campus — in case you too tired. thought the gym being too far “We never remove weights. was a valid excuse for not going Never. We rest when we are tired yourself. The CrossFit gym itself is until we are strong enough to in the basement of what was once keep lifting.” a church.

At the end of the lesson, Before entering, I was beyond Matt called everyone around daunted by what I had probably and scribbled down our best gotten myself into. I didn’t want weights on the whiteboard. to be carried out on a stretcher “MIKAYLA – 35”. The members after all. of my class even gave me a small But when I walked in, I realized round of applause at the end of the that the CrossFit gym was a lesson. At that point, I was more labor of love. A polaroid collage sweat than woman. of every gym member grinning Though one lesson definitely engulfed the wall. The space was left a mark — my arms are failing PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE NIJHUIS decked out with equipment and Cult followers of CrossFit participate in a vigorous strength and conditioning program. me as I type — I understand you chalkboards with gym members’ can’t fully appreciate CrossFit from personal records. myself in front of. them straight — into your from your hips to heave the one lesson. The program is about I then met my instructor for the For our warm up, half of us original position. You know you’re barbell overhead. seeing yourself get stronger, as well class, a merciful man named Matt. alternated between a rowing out of shape when the as getting stronger with Merciful Matt probably had the machine and the “inchworm”. For warm-up feels like the your CrossFit community.

When I’d performed a clean push most chiseled legs I’d ever seen on those of you who are unfamiliar full workout.

As for myself, I realize a human being, to the point I was with this gym term, the “inchworm” I was so grateful that that university isn’t an jerk, for lack of better phrasing, I beginning to wonder if Photoshop is an exercise where you begin our Opinions Editor, excuse to let your health felt like a bad ass — almost as if I extended to reality. standing with your hands flat on Kate (who is an actual habits slide. Whether you belonged in a DMX music video.

I happily signed the release the ground, and then walk your CrossFit practitioner), do CrossFit, go to the gym, form — in case I was actually body out into a plank position had accompanied me. eat carefully or try to get carried out on a stretcher Now, my outside as much as you can, — and I was ready for my friends, I suppose I can Then when we graduated to never take your body for granted When I reached to take the extra only speak for myself, actual barbells, Matt set me up — because I, myself, really wish I lesson.

A typical CrossFit lesson but the “inchworm” isn’t with a barbell weighing a grand could move again. weights off my barbell, Matt is comprised of three parts: friendly those who are total of 15 lbs. I’m not joking stopped me and yelled, “WHAT normallytosedentary. a group warmup, a skills when I say I have the upper body ARE YOU DOING?” portion and the workout Matt then called us into strength of a T. Rex. of the day, lovingly known a circle for the skills portion I practiced at my own pace to as WOD by CrossFit goers. of our lesson. We practiced perfect my push jerk, trying to My lesson was a smaller class made while keeping your legs straight. with batons the proper technique keep good form as I clumsily tried up of around seven people, so And finally, walking your legs for a push jerk — an exercise to lift the weight of a small dog there were less people to embarrass back — again, while keeping where you use the momentum over my head. Matt was so patient