The Queen's Journal, Volume 145, Issue 1

Page 1

the journal

Queen’s University

Vol. 145, Issue 1

M o n day , M ay 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

Concurrent Education applicants directed to study at the BISC

since

1873

Prospective students told no space on main campus, offered spot at the BISC despite not applying I ain S herriff -S cott Assistant News Editor

PHOTO BY BLAKE CANNING

The Bader International Study Centre located in Herstmonceux, England.

Levana Gender Advocacy Centre to be evicted from the Grey House

AMS and Levana conflict on a series of errors that led to loss of club status S arina G rewal Assistant News Editor After operating in the Grey House for 42 years, the Levana Gender Advocacy Centre (LGAC) is now being evicted from the property and has lost their official club status with the AMS. When LGAC — under the name Women’s Centre — was founded in 1975, it functioned as an advocacy group focusing solely on women’s interests. The group changed its name to Levana Gender Advocacy Centre in 2010, and has since expanded its mandate to include and engage in other topics relating

to feminism and equity. Throughout the club’s 42 year history, they operated from within the Grey House on Bader Lane. With the loss of club status decided by the AMS, Levana is now being evicted and will look to find another home on campus. This all stems from the requirement by all clubs in the AMS to complete the re-ratification process in April of this year. Since they didn’t go through the process, Levana is no longer listed in the AMS Clubs Directory, due to what they described in a post on their Facebook page as a “clerical error.”

Failure to re-ratify In an e-mail to The Journal from Levana board member Marion Gonsalves, she clarified the error, explaining that it was “in regards to the new re-ratification process.” On March 3, the AMS Clubs Office released space allocation and re-ratification packages with a March 27 deadline. The LGAC board claims that there was a lack of clear communication in regards to re-ratifying. “There were some re-ratification forms we needed to fill out, but they changed from previous years and they [the AMS] were not

transparent,” Gonsalves wrote. After missing the deadline, the LGAC received an email on April 4 from the Clubs Office with notice of their loss of status. The LGAC then reached out to re-ratify and were directed to the proper forms by the AMS on April 6, with an extension provided until April 11 to complete the packages. LGAC unable to access portals

Gonsalves stated that, “by the time we understood how the new re-ratification process worked, we couldn’t access the online portal that

See LGAC on page 5

“Because of the high quality of your application, you are eligible to receive an offer to our Concurrent Education (Arts) program, or to the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) program, at the Bader International Study Centre (BISC) in East Sussex, UK. We no longer have space in Con-Ed (Arts) on our Kingston campus, and we hope you will seriously consider this option.” Several prospective Queen’s students who applied only to the main Kingston campus received emails this spring from the University claiming there’s no space on main campus for them. As an alternative option, the university has offered them a spot at the BISC for their first year. In an email to The Journal, University Communications explained that this is the first year that incoming Con-Ed students have the option of studying at the BISC in their first year of the program. Carly Silverberg, a prospective Queen’s student, received an email from the University in May stating that they no longer had space to accept her to Con-Ed on main campus, but that she could opt to enroll in her first year of Con-Ed at the BISC. “I was initially upset that I didn’t get into Con-Ed [on main campus] and a little confused because [the email] gave very minimal detail and I wasn’t sure if I was on some type of waiting list,” Silverberg told The Journal via email. “I think it’s a cool opportunity for maybe later on but I don’t feel ready to go all the way to England for my first year. I’d rather just do BA than go away first year and come back and be in Con-Ed.” University Communications told The Journal that “the response has been very positive” and that they “anticipate a good number of these students will be attending the castle this September in either the Arts or Con–Ed Arts program, and will continue at the Kingston campus for the start of their second year.” This isn’t the first time these kinds of emails have been distributed. Katie Sherriff-Scott, a former

See Applicants on page 5

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

NEWS

FEATURES

EDITORIALS

ARTS

POSTSCRIPT

Hugh Horton takes over as Executive Director of BISC in England

A historical view on the importance of Levana on Queen’s campus

It’s time to weigh Universities and Colleges equally

Students and Professors remember Art History Professor Allison Sherman

Trip to Nepal leads to a changed perspective on life for travelers

page 3 Online:

queensjournal.ca

page 6

@queensjournal

facebook.com/queensjournal

page 7

instagram.com/queensjournal

page 12 qjlongform.com

page 18


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
The Queen's Journal, Volume 145, Issue 1 by The Queen's Journal - Issuu