the journal Vol. 144, Issue 17
Q u e e n ’ s U n iv e r s i t y
Winter break news roundup
F r i day , J a n ua ry 1 3 , 2 0 1 7
since
1873
Justin Trudeau holds Q&A in Kingston as part of cross-country tour
A catch-up of campus and Kingston happenings from December and early January
Victoria Gibson News Editor While campus saw a mass exodus for winter break, the University, Kingston Police and national funding groups chugged along with new developments. Here’s what you missed while lighting the menorah, carving up a turkey, singing a carol or just taking a break from the books:
Principal’s Implementation Committee on Racism, Diversity and Inclusion Two months after an off-campus party ignited controversy for allegations of racism and cultural appropriation, the national media spotlight has begun to cool on Queen’s. In the meantime, six individuals have been tasked with a time-sensitive response, having been named to the Principal’s Implementation Committee on Racism, Diversity and Inclusion. The committee will expeditiously analyze past reports on diversity or racism on campus, and make recommendations in both the short and long term. Their role was originally to conduct new reports, but a request by the Queen’s Senate altered the committee’s function. Three of the six members were elected by Senate, with
See Police on page 4
Prime Minister Trudeau addressing the open forum at Kingston City Hall on Thursday.
Prime Minister grilled by locals and students on federal accountability Victoria Gibson and Iain Sherriff-Scott Journal Staff When Justin Trudeau walked into Kingston City Hall on Thursday Jan. 12 under a gold-tinted spotlight, a media flurry followed his every move. But before the glitz, while the Prime Minister’s aides hurriedly set up for his appearance, one of their stories set the tone for the afternoon’s discussion. The individual — a member of the technology team who’ll be hurrying around the country in coming weeks with Trudeau, as part of his open-forum tour — only began in the tech field when she was forced to work night shifts to pay for her university education. The demands of pursuing an education were frequent topics throughout Trudeau’s
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
queensjournal.ca
to furthering Indigenous education. In the fall, a briefing note to Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett revealed that the funds were impacting primary and secondary schooling rather than post-secondary. “We committed during the election campaign to removing the cap on funding for Indigenous communities, and education. We are continued to be committed to that,” Trudeau said in response. “There is an awful lot of work to be done and we know that there is a parity gap in education, accessibility and outcomes. That is a priority, not only for this government but for all Canadians.” The National Post reported in September that $90 million was sought by status Indian and Inuit students in Canada through the Indspire program. However, only $15 million was available. At Queen’s, a focus has been placed on Indigenous education in recent years, with a new minor in Indigenous studies and a 133 per cent increase over 2015 in self-identified Aboriginal student enrollment. See Trudeau on page 5
Features
Sports
Lifestyle
page 6
page 12
page 13
‘Murses’ discuss lack of representation in nursing program
Online:
visit, as he addressed questions of mental health, post-secondary funding and Indigenous learning. “We put billions of dollars of new money on the table for home care and mental health,” Trudeau told the packed City Hall chamber, “which is a personal priority for me.” Health Minister Jane Philpott has been looking into ways to reduce costs for prescription medications, including those for mental disorders, he said. During the forum, Trudeau faced emotional appeals over the malfunctioning Phoenix pay system, with others inquiring when long-term disability would be implemented for veterans and whether the Liberal government would firmly commit to Indigenous lands having access to clean water sources. Several members of the Kingston and surrounding areas’ Indigenous communities approached Trudeau to thank him for hearing out their experiences. Following the Q&A, Trudeau held a press conference in which The Journal inquired about his five-year, $2.6-billion commitment
PHOTO BY IAIN SHERRIFF-SCOTT
@queensjournal
facebook.com/queensjournal
Predictions for the Gaels’ varsity winter season
instagram.com/queensjournal
qjlongform.com
New Year, same you: why we make resolutions
News
2 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, January 13, 2017
ELECTIONS PREVIEW
AMS Executive and Undergraduate Student Trustee Candidates
Victoria Chappell Undergraduate Student Trustee Candidate
On Jan. 10, hopefuls for four roles met at an All-Candidates Meeting. These seven candidates are awaiting verification during a Jan. 19 AMS Assembly before campaigns can begin.
Life Sciences, ArtSci ’19
PHOTOS BY MAUREEN O’REILLY
Team MWT
Team JBP
Presidential Candidate (right): Aniqah Mair, CompSci ’18
Presidential Candidate (centre): Jennifer Li, ConEd ’17
Vice President Operations Candidate (left): Landon Wilcock, ArtSci ’18
Vice President Operations Candidate (left): Brian Mackay, ArtSci ’17
Vice President University Affairs Candidate (centre): Julie Tran, ArtSci ’18
Vice President University Affairs Candidate (right): Palmer Lockridge, ArtSci ’17
Palmeri first to serve three terms as Nursing Science Society President Student becomes “special exception” to policy dictating a two-term maximum Maureen O’Reilly Assistant News Editor When Alexandra Palmeri took office for her second term as Nursing Science Society (NSS) President last January, she accepted the fact that she would have to retire in 2017. However, after a Society Assembly took a surprising twist, a policy was temporarily altered to allow Palmeri — the first student to serve the previously allowed two years as president — to serve a third term. In other circumstances, NSS policy dictates that presidents can only serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. However, when a set of unusual circumstances arose, the society declared Palmeri a “special exception” to the rule. In an interview with The Journal on Wednesday, Palmeri explained that the two-term rule is normally in place for a logical reason. All executive NSS positions are to be served for a calendar year
beginning in the month of January. This is to allow senior students, who spend their final semester doing their practicum, to complete a full term in office. Moreover, to be elected for an NSS executive position, the candidate must also have had one year of experience working in the NSS in another capacity. The two-term rule was created because after gaining one year of experience in the NSS, the typical student could only serve a total of two years in office before leaving on their final practicum. Palmeri worked in the NSS as a first year intern before running for President in her second year, and she was re-elected in her third year. She entered this year ready to face retirement. “In the back of my head I always thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I could run again?’” Palmeri said. “I mean, I’m here for one more year. Imagine what else we could do!” Palmeri decided to take a fifth year so she could enroll in a broader variety of courses
was voted on. The vote came out unanimous for allowing her to re-run. “At the end of the day, we want as many students to access opportunities as possible and I would never want to be in a position where I was taking away an opportunity from another student,” Palmeri said. “I wanted to make sure that this was something whereby we exhausted all options.” In an effort to allow an unbiased selection of the new NSS team, the election process was changed so that instead of Palmeri choosing a team to run with, each candidate ran and was voted in individually. “The students, at the end of the day, have the ultimate say in who’s going to be running their society,” Palmeri said. In the election, which took place at the end of November, the NSS experienced
within Arts and Sciences while still pursuing her nursing degree. She began to reach out to other students earlier this year, who would be eligible to run after she left office. Upon meeting with them, Palmeri said that the students expressed interest, but favoured Palmeri for the position. “I was overwhelmed by students asking me to seek out the opportunity again,” Palmeri said. She said she continued to encourage these eligible students, but no candidates decided to run for president. Many, according to her, expressed interest in forming a team with Palmeri. At an NSS assembly in November, Palmeri and her colleagues held a special session to discuss the possibility of her running again considering the circumstances. Palmeri personally put forward all the pros and cons of her own re-election for debate, then left the room while the motion to allow her to run for a third term NSS President Alexandra Palmeri.
an unprecedented turnout within their society, with 50 per cent of the nursing population casting votes. Palmeri holds that the NSS constitution hasn’t changed, and the two-term rule still stands. Palmeri will tackle her third term as president alongside Vice President (University Affairs) Cortnie Lortie and Vice President (Operations) Geoffrey Tai. Her goals remain focused on continuing and maintaining the work she and her colleagues have implemented over the past two terms. “I want to make sure [things are] going to be running smoothly … so that going forward, after this year when I officially retire — for sure — we’ll be able to leave this society in a place where it can continue to grow and thrive.”
SUPPLIED BY ALEXANDRA PALMERI
Friday, January 13, 2017
News
queensjournal.ca
Sebastian Gorlewski in the revitalized space.
CAVE LECTURE 2017
Project organizer Sebastian Gorlewski hopeful about recent refurbishments
image credit: LIGO/T. Pyle
Blake Canning Assistant News Editor
Dr. Gabriela González Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University Spokesperson for LIGO Scientific Collaboration
ABSTRACT: More than hundred years ago, Einstein predicted that there were ripples in the fabric of space-time traveling at the speed of light: gravitational waves. On September 14 2015, the LIGO detectors in Hanford, Washington and Livingston, Louisiana registered for the first time ever a loud gravitational wave signal traveling through Earth, created more than a billion years ago by the merger of two black holes. A few months later, in December 2015, another signal, also from black holes, was detected. These observations marked the beginning of gravitational wave astronomy. We will describe the history and details of the observations, and the gravity-bright future of the field.
TUESDAY JANUARY 17, 2017 @ 8:00 PM Biosciences Auditorium | Free Admission 116 Barrie (Arch St. Entrance & Barrie St. Entrance)
Refreshments start at 7:00 PM - All Welcome! If you have any accessibility concerns, please contact Ms. Kyra Funk Phone: 613-533-2707 | Email: funkk@queensu.ca
PHOTOS BY BLAKE CANNING
New space to increase grad student interaction
Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy www.queensu.ca/physics
SPEAKER :
•3
Any graduate students who have ever had to compete against undergrads for a seat in Stauffer Library will be happy to hear that a new study space is about to open, reserved solely for them. Primary organizer Sebastian Gorlewski, Vice President (Graduate) for the Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS) told The Journal he is hoping the grand opening will be on Jan. 16. The space is located in Room 237 on the third floor of the JDUC. “It’s intended to be a multi-purpose room, where in the day students can use it as a study space, and then in the evening after 5 p.m. students can use it as a lounge,” Gorlewski said. “It was a lounge, but it was in pretty bad shape … so it wasn’t very frequented by students.” The new room has been equipped with study carrels, foosball, air hockey, a ping pong table, and a multitude of board games for students to use at their leisure. As a graduate student, Gorlewski admitted that “one of the concerns among graduate students is that there isn’t enough space for studying or hanging out.” During graduate studies, one’s social circle has the possibility of being greatly decreased, he said. Classes are fewer and farther between, there’s more of a focus placed on individual research, and these are issues that have the ability to put a strain on mental health. “As a grad student, you’re likely
studying what you’ve already chosen to pursue a career in, so your time at Queen’s is very centred on your research group or program,” he said. “You don’t get a lot of chances to meet people outside your department.” As a neuroscience major, opportunities to meet students in the humanities and other fields were precious to Gorlewski. His thinking with the new space was to bring graduate students together by giving them a place to both bear down on their studies and give their mind a break.
don’t get a lot “ofYou chances to meet
people outside your department.
”
— Sebastian Gorlewski, SGPS Vice President (Graduate) “When I was an undergrad, [the pre-existing space] was primarily used by undergrads, and so I think the graduate students weren’t too happy with that,” Gorlewski said. The room will now have a student card requirement to prove an individual’s status as a graduate student. Room 237 is also one of the war memorial rooms in the JDUC, which commemorates veterans from Queen’s who fought in WWII. Gorlewski pointed out that the use of this room is a way to highlight commitment to service at the University. With the help of some donations from the PEC renovations, the new graduate student study space will be open for use on Monday, January 16.
News
4 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, January 13, 2017
Queen’s 2015-16 Annual Report casts sunny lens on last academic year Institution’s report focuses solely on successes Morgan Dodson Assistant News Editor Queen’s recently released its annual report outlining its 2015-16 academic year, which cast a predominant focus on the successes experienced by the institution. “In my seven years as principal, I cannot remember a more outstanding year for Queen’s University than the one outlined within these pages,” Principal Daniel Woolf wrote in a message announcing the report’s release. The report includes an overview of the University’s donations, student learning experience, research prominence, financial sustainability, internationalization and community. Donations from the academic year are also included, totalling $156.1 million. $50 million donation to Queen’s business school, the donation of late-career masterpiece by Rembrandt van Rijn, the $5 million donation invoking the creation of the Dan School of Drama
and Music, contributed to this number. development of “world-class facilities”, and Student learning experience is split individual developments such as a wireless into five subcategories. Beneath this flexible smartphone coming out of the umbrella, the report draws attention to School of Computing’s Human Media Lab. items that ignited divided opinions among “Queen’s researchers — often working students and student leaders: namely, with colleagues across different disciplines the revised student code of conduct and institutions — are tackling diverse that was approved in May 2016, which problems that demand unique solutions,” the forms the base for the non-academic report states. misconduct system, and the new Financial sustainability is the third policy on Sexual Violence Prevention listed category, and the report affirms a and Response. commitment to ensuring the institution’s Other newly-minted documents, like “long-term financial competitiveness”. In the Severe Allergy report and subsequent 2015-16, Queen’s ran a $39.5 million surplus policy, are celebrated as successes without as a result of higher-than-planned student mention of their tragic kick-starter: a enrollment, and efforts across the University student death from anaphylactic shock to constrain costs. last September. The University also released both Moving along from student learning, its Energy Matters project and Climate the report outlines highlights of Action Plan during the last academic research prominence. year, noted in the report as steps in the The research section features Professor right direction. Emeritus Arthur McDonald, whose 2015 A subcategory of internationalization is Nobel Prize in neutrino and dark matter broken down into five sections, including physics was widely-touted in University international planning and partnerships and marketing materials last year, the international recruitment and enrollment.
Police arrest suspect after chase in University District Continued from front
the remaining half appointed by Principal Daniel Woolf. Faculty members will be Yolande Chan from the Smith School of Business and Laeeque Daneshment from the Department of Mining Engineering and Mechanical and Materials Engineering. The two students serving will be Dev Aransevia, ArtSci ’17 and Hana Chaudhury, Comm ’18. Staff representatives are Nilani Loganathan from the Business Career Centre and Tim Tang from the Office of Advancement. Other Queen’s representatives will be appointed by Woolf as ex-officio non-voting members, who may provide feedback, suggestions and recommendations. Rector Cam Yung and members of both the Human Rights and Equity Office and University Relations will be included. A reference group for immediate feedback will be appointed by Woolf to address questions or suggestions of a financial, legal, structural or otherwise specialized nature. The group will be formed after the committee’s first meeting by the end of January.
Queen’s released its annual report for 2015-16 in December.
A final list of implementable actions will be submitted to Woolf by March 31 of this year, detailing priorities, timelines and measures to evaluate success. New research funding for innovation
A combined sum of $44.25 million has been given to Queen’s-affiliated research facilities as of January, from the Canada Foundation for Innovation under their Major Science Initiatives (MSI) fund. The Canadian Cancer Trials Group was given a five-year grant of $8.68 million to support its operations and statistics centre. SNOLAB, where Nobel Prize winning professor Arthur MacDonald conducted his research into neutrinos and dark matter physics, received a three-year grant of $28.57 million for its operation. CMC Microsystems received a three-year $7-million grant with an optional application for an additional two years of funding. The money will support their National Design Network by providing tools, expertise and
connections for research and development of smart technologies. The amount given to Queen’s makes up 13.5 per cent of MSI funding for 2017-22. Academic integrity tool in pilot program
The Turnitin tool, for assessing the academic integrity of student writing, will be put into a pilot program of approximately 15 courses during the upcoming semester. University-wide implementation is set for September 2017, when submissions will be cross-checked across institutions. However, the University has elected not to allow trial period submissions to be accessed by other institutions. Along with assessing the impacts and best use for students, the Centre for Teaching and Learning will analyze what supports will be needed by instructors and teaching assistants. A transition group for the online service will be chaired by Associate Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) Peter Wolf and Student Academic Success Services Director Susan Korba. Police occurrences in the student district and the hub
Officers of the Kingston Police continued to respond to serious incidents in and around the student district while
PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN
During the last year, 6.2 per cent of first-year undergraduates were considered international students. The target for international undergraduate students is 10 per cent by 2019. Community is the last category in focus for the report, divided into four subcategories. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Task Force is listed, as a response to recommendations outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s final report. Diversity and mental health are also highlighted positively, drawing readers’ attention to events on campus such as Thrive — a week-long initiative intended to “promote positive mental health and resiliency across campus,” the report says. Overall, Principal Woolf commended the year, writing that “if the 2015-16 year is any indication, the Queen’s community is capable of extraordinary things, and we will strive to maintain this momentum as we head into our milestone anniversary.” the majority of students departed for the holidays. Among reported occurrences, a 30-year-old Kingston man on a wanted list briefly escaped custody on Dec. 15. The man had been placed under arrest at Princess and Barrie Street at 10:40 a.m. at cause of a bench warrant, but broke away from Kingston Police and fled into the University District. As the man proceeded southbound, the officer chased him for several blocks before losing sight of the suspect on Johnson Street. The KP K-9 Unit was then requested on-scene, but was unecessary as the subject was located hiding in a backyard shed on William Street. Police took him into custody and charged the man with failure to comply with probation, escape from lawful custody and obstruction/resistance of a peace officer. At 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 1, a group of men intervened to an attempted sexual assault in the Burger King drive-thru at Princess and Division streets, causing the woman’s 20-year-old male assailant to flee the scene. Based on a detailed description of the suspect, Kingston Police were able to locate and identify the man and make an arrest for sexual assault around 3:45 a.m.
Want more election news? Keep an eye on all of our outlets throughout January:
Online
Longform coverage Facebook
queensjournal.ca qjlongform.com Queen’s Journal @QJNews @queensjounal
News
Friday, January 13, 2017
Moving through the crowd, Trudeau signed autographs and snapped selfies.
queensjournal.ca
•5
Laurel Claus Johnson, from Queen’s Aboriginal Council, approached Trudeau to welcome him.
Trudeau responds to youth discontent with pipeline choice Continued from front
Another query from The Journal came in the wake of Trudeau’s recent decision to approve two pipelines in Alberta and British Columbia, for which he’s experienced backlash from young Canadians in particular. In October, three Queen’s students were among the 99 detained during a parliament hill demonstration against pipeline expansion. Earlier, during the forum, Queen’s student Jonathan Shepherd interrupted an answer by Prime Minister about clean energy, shouting that his statement on pipelines was “lies”. Shepherd was promptly asked by members of the crowd to sit down. When asked by The Journal about pushback from younger Canadians, Trudeau re-affirmed the importance of engagement in response. “One thing I have recognized is how important young voices are in challenging the status quo, pushing for change in the right direction to build a better world,” he said.
Trudeau was quick to highlight his newly-minted Youth Council, brought together to advise him of matters on domestic policy. One panel is specifically focused on employment in both summer and winter terms for youth. In addition, Trudeau mentioned his government’s follow-through on making post-secondary more accessibly for non-Indigenous Canadians as well, saying “we made good on our commitment” to making post-secondary more affordable, citing a 50 per cent increase to the Canada Student Grant for low-income and middle-income students. The press conference included pressing Trudeau’s press conference following the open forum. questions about the Prime Minister’s ethics after he admitted to using the Aga Khan’s private helicopter on a recent family vacation, potentially violating rules on sponsored travel Trudeau set out for his own rules for ministerial accountability. 19 JANUARY 2017 The federal ethics commissioner will MEMBERS’ PREVIEW 5–6:30 PM begin conducting a preliminary review of PUBLIC RECEPTION 6:30–8 PM the instance in coming weeks.
PHOTOS BY IAIN SHERRIFF-SCOTT
SEASON LAUNCH NEW EXHIBITIONS 7 JANUARY–9 APRIL PICTURING ARCTIC MODERNITY North Baffin Drawings from 1964
Developed with the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, Quebec
THE HOLD
Studies in the Contemporary Collection
THE UNVARNISHED TRUTH
Exploring the Material History of Paintings Organized and toured by McMaster Museum of Art
TWO OF A KIND
Pendant Prints in Eighteenth-Century Europe
KEY WORKS UNLOCKED Peel and Suzor-Coté
Presented with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts; Ontario Arts Council; Government of Canada; City of Kingston Arts Fund and George Taylor Richardson Memorial Fund, Queen’s University
Media Sponsor
Queen’s University 36 University Avenue Kingston ON K7L 3N6 (613) 533.2190 www.agnes.queensu.ca
6 • queensjournal.ca
Friday, January 13, 2017
Features
IN-DEPTH STORIES FROM AROUND CAMPUS AND IN THE COMMUNITY
Why are male nurses outnumbered? Queen’s male nurses discuss whether they see their rarity as a concern Mikayla Wronko Features Editor
to the undergraduate level. The School of Nursing currently has one male faculty member. “A male nurse with a PhD is pretty rare — so for us to have one is good,” Medves said. Where there are male nurses, Medves said she finds that men are attracted to more sub-disciplines than others. “You wouldn’t find many men, for example, in maternity. But you do tend to find more men in emergency nursing, ICU and interestingly, mental health.”
For Griffin Bastedo, being one of the six male students that make up the first year nursing program makes him feel special, rather than a minority. “ We ’ re nicknamed the ‘murses’,” Bastedo, Nurs ’20, said. In an interview with The Journal, Bastedo said he knew before coming to Queen’s to do his degree in nursing science that both the program and the profession are overwhelmingly female-dominated. “When I came here, I thought that I would encounter some If you’re empathetic rude ‘manly-mans’ in other and provide the best programs who would have set care, gender doesn’t views that nursing is a female come into play. It’s profession. I have not yet met one person that has said, at important to want to least to my face, that nursing is a be there and want to women’s profession.” be the best. Gender gap aside, Bastedo said going into nursing was important to him after seeing — Alex Faroldi, Nurs ‘18 the difficulties experienced by his grandmother with the Cheryl Pulling, associate care she received care from director (Undergraduate her nurses. Nursing Programs), said she “As long as you love your finds there are more male program and you enjoy your applicants to the Queen’s time at school, you’ll go into Advanced Standing Track the workforce and have a program — a two-year fastjob you’ll actually like. That’s track program — rather than what’s important — not other the four year degree program. people’s opinions.” “We recruit equally. I do have Bastedo belongs to a single some parents or male students digit percentage of men at ask if we give preference to Queen’s who are studying to male students. No, we don’t, earn their Bachelor of Nursing we’re always looking for the Science (BNS) — a prerequisite best candidate,” Pulling said. degree for becoming a For Queen’s student Registered Nurse (RN). Alex Faroldi, Nurs ’18, after In the BNS graduating volunteering with Kingston class of 2016, out of 123 General Hospital, he realized students there were only 10 that nursing would allow male graduates. for him to develop strong The route to becoming relationships with the patients. an RN is academically “You see patients really rigorous relative to other remembering their nurses GRAPHIC BY MIKAYLA WRONKO Approximately eight per cent of students in the nursing program at Queen’s are male. nursing certifications offered more than other healthcare in colleges. providers because they’re there Becoming an RN requires a Bachelor’s From Raby’s experience in the nursing “His mom at one point mentioned that a all the time,” Faroldi said. degree in nursing science along with the program, h e a t t r i b u t e s the gender girl he knew ‘wouldn’t want anything to do Comparing his experience at a co-ed completion of an additional examination. gap in the nursing program to two main with him anymore’ because she was going to high school to an essentially all female At Queen’s, a competitive average to obtain reasons: the inevitable differences in be a dentist and he was going to be a nurse.” program, Faroldi said that he can’t think of one of the over 90 spots in nursing is in interests between men and women, and the “I think to get more men involved in any differences in terms of his education the low 90s, with supplementary essays of perception that men who choose to go into nursing, male nursing students and nurses experience in either. personal experience. nursing are less respected or impressive have a role to play in dispelling that attitude “We’ve all been treated the same — I’ve On campus, there are numerous student than if they had instead gone into a and promoting the field as a whole, and to never once went ‘well, this is because I’m a initiatives — such as a Robogals and male-dominated field. be role models for the next generation.” guy.’ We’re all students in this program, and Scientista — that are aiming to promote According to Jennifer Medves, director it is a difficult program.” gender equity where there’s a lack of women of the School of Nursing and vice-dean With the few men in the nursing program, I think to get more men in science, technology, engineering and math (Health Sciences), the percentage of male Faroldi said he finds the male nurses have (STEM) majors. nurses in Canada has been static at four close friendships with one another. involved in nursing, male However, there are no formal groups or cent for years. It’s only within the last “We’ve had a bunch of conversations nursing students and nurses per awareness campaigns at Queen’s addressing 10 to 15 years that the number has risen about it’s funny how no one really cares have a role to play in dispelling to eight per cent. Most sources corroborate about the low enrollment of men in nursing the gender gap in nursing. that attitude and promoting this trend. For Spencer Raby, Nurs ’18, he doesn’t programs, it’s been stuck on engineering have the patience to argue over which “Twenty-five years ago, there were less and maths — which is great because it’s the field as a whole, and to be minority has it worse in each program. tracks open to women and you saw a high super important but it’s also interesting.” role models for the “In any program, you’ll have setbacks and concentration because they could be nurses “I think the most important thing in next generation. you can always play the game of blaming or they could be teachers but some of the being healthcare providers, and especially it on some unfair disadvantage which has other disciplines were very difficult to get to the patients, is that you care. If you’re — Spencer Raby, Nurs ’18 befallen you,” Raby said in an email to into. Women have as much of a choice, you empathetic and provide the best care, The Journal. need to make sure men recognize they have gender doesn’t come into play. It’s important “I know there are a fair amount of groups Raby said he believes these perceptions as many choices,” Medves said. to want to be there and want to be the best.” and initiatives with the goal of getting are partly the reason why his housemate, Medves commented that the gender gap women involved in STEM, but I’ve never who was also a male nurse, left exists in the faculty as well, with the number seen the equivalent for men in nursing.” the program. of male professors in nursing in proportion
“
”
“
”
Friday, January 13, 2017
queensjournal.ca
EDITORIALS
•7
The Journal’s Perspective
For AMS Speaker policy change, timing is everything Amendment to AMS constitution allows Speaker to secure two seats A recent push to change the AMS Speaker policy just before the AMS election season seems too hasty. At AMS Assembly on Dec 1, a motion arose to amend the AMS constitution, which before had prohibited the Assembly Speaker from running for AMS executive in the January election. The proposed amendment would not only allow future Speakers to run, but specifically allow current AMS Speaker Palmer Lockridge to run for an executive position this year. ASUS representative Craig Draeger, who lost the bid for AMS executive in 2013, and his former teammate Alexander Prescott, argued that the change should only take place after the current
AMS Speaker completed his term. Prescott questioned whether the heated argument over the motion’s immediate passing “is an implication that the current Speaker is looking to run in the coming AMS election” and that is the only reason this issue is relevant at this time of year. When the CEO and Speaker position were held by the same person, as was the case several years ago, there would be a conflict of interest for the Speaker to place a bid for AMS executive. Since the
positions were separated, the conflict of interest doesn’t exist anymore and changing the policy is the next logical step. But all of that still applies if the change was to be made for next year, not having an impact on this year’s election cycle. When policy changes affecting individuals are
made in the AMS, they should be made with their successors in mind. Changing policy surrounding positions that immediately affect those who fill them means making changes that the person never agreed to, or that they stand to materially benefit from. If the policy change had been made to render
someone ineligible to run for AMS executive instead of the other way around for instance, it would seem blatantly unfair. It may also be true that students have turned away from applying for the job when they realized that they wouldn’t be eligible to run for AMS executive.
When policy changes “affecting individuals are
made in the AMS, they should be made with their successors in mind.
”
It’s unfair for someone who has already guaranteed themselves one position to apply for the other, when students may have faced limitations in the same year. The only reason this practice would change seems to be Lockridge’s own interest in a bid for AMS executive, and this sets a bad precedent for a self-serving system. — Journal Editorial Board
ILLUSTRATION BY VINCENT LIN
Mikayla Wronko
Polarizing opinions block productive dialogue
After a tense and divisive online reaction to the controversial countries-themed costume party that happened last semester, I still can’t explain the reason for such polarizing conversations and I’m still not confident about what qualifies as a racist costume. All I could really tell you was
THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL Volume 144 Issue 17
www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal Publishing since 1873
Editorial Board Editors in Chief
Jacob Rosen Jane Willsie
Production Manager News Editor Assistant News Editors
Kayla Thomson Victoria Gibson Blake Canning Morgan Dodson Maureen O’Reilly
Features Editor
Shivani Gonzalez Mikayla Wronko
that were costumes that offended to some and not others and, at the end of the day, there ultimately wasn’t a conclusion to what is considered appropriate — that’s the problem. Ultimately, forcing anyone out of a controversial costume without them understanding why is blatant censorship and only creates an illusion of progress. Silencing someone doesn’t mean you’ve opened them to a new perspective. It’s impossible to have everyone conform to a certain Editorials Editor
Ramna Safeer
Opinions Editor
Arththy Valluvan
standard of sensitivity. As Queen’s students, we’re privileged to live in the country that we do and we need to understand, in a time of heightened sensitivity, that feeling safe and actually being safe are two different things. On Tuesday, six members of the Queen’s community were named to the Principal’s Implementation Committee on Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion — the long-winded name to what the school claims is the solution to calming controversy. Two faculty, two students, and two staff are responsible for Contributing Staff
Staff Writers and Photographers Zelia Bukhari
Erika Streisfield
Arts Editor Assistant Arts Editor
Sebastian Bron
Alex Palermo
Bryan Cuypers
Joseph Cattana
Sports Editor Assistant Sports Editor
Vishmayaa Jeyamoorthy
Sarah O’Flaherty
Kiera Liblik
Jenna Zucker
Lifestyle Editor Assistant Lifestyle Editor
Gabi Sandler
Ashley Rhamey
Matt Scace
Julia Balakrishnan
Photo Editors
Iain Sherriff-Scott
Auston Chhor Video Editor
Ghazal Baradari-Ghiami
Digital Manager Graphics Editor Editorial Illustrator Copy Editors
Valentino Muiruri Rachel Liu Vincent Lin Zachary Chisamore Brigid Goulem Irene Liu
Clayton Tomlinson Heather Park
Contributors
Business Staff Max Mclernon
Business Manager Head Sales Representative
Renee Robertson Sales Representative
Sebastian Jaramillo
creating a list of actions, coupled with performance indicators, to essentially cleanse our school of tension. When you think about it, that’s a lot of pressure to have on just six people, who have to decide what’s wrong at a school of almost 25,000 students. Though I’m generally skeptical about the overall effectiveness of task forces — sometimes they seem to be half-heartedly formed as a way to bureaucratically dance around a problem — I’m hesitantly hopeful that this new committee Office Administrator
Anisha Jain
Want to contribute? For information visit: www.queensjournal.ca/contribute or email the Editors in Chief at journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca Contributions from all members of the Queen’s and Kingston community are welcome. The Journal reserves the right to edit all submissions. The Queen’s Journal is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University, Kingston. Editorial opinions expressed in The Journal are the sole responsibility of The Queen’s Journal Editorial Board, and are not necessarily those of the University, the AMS or their officers.
will offer valuable insight by having the dialogue our students failed to have. I’m cautiously hoping that this task force won’t be bullied by the political correctness that effectively restricted the initial conversation at the time of the party but will be able to come to a consensus on a problem that divided us so deeply. Mikayla is The Journal’s Features Editor. She’s a thirdyear Applied Economics major.
190 University Ave., Kingston, ON, K7L 3P4 Editorial Office: 613-533-2800 Business Office: 613-533-6711 Fax: 613-533-6728 Email: journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca Please address complaints and grievances to the Editors in Chief. The Queen’s Journal is printed on a Goss Community press by Performance Group of Companies in Smiths Falls, Ontario. Contents © 2016 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
8 • queensjournal.ca
Friday, January 13, 2017
OPINIONS Talking heads ... around campus
Your Perspective
Advocacy starts young Student involvement in reconciliation efforts is a necessary step
PHOTOS BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN
What New Year’s resolution are you already failing?
“Being less stressed.” Olivia Litt, ConEd '18
Darian Doblej argues that Indigenous issues are to be combatted by all Canadians — Indigenous and non-Indigenous.
Darian Doblej, ArtSci '18
“Cooking for myself more.” Madison Kent, ConEd ’18
“Going to the gym everyday.” Sophie Travaglini, ArtSci ’20
“Sleeping on time.” Matt Spanton, ArtSci '20
“Attending all my classes.” Claire Root, ArtSci ’20
One of the first things I saw this morning was a Toronto Star article concerning more First Nations kids taking their lives, and chiefs calling for help to deal with the suicide crisis. In conversation with a friend about it, she said to me “I wish I could help, but as a student I just don’t know how.” Talking about it more with her, she expressed that she felt as if she couldn’t do anything because she’s non-Indigenous, but also far away both socially and physically from the issues at hand. But that’s simply not true. It needs to be known that we are all treaty people, and reconciliation needs to be a national movement with 100 per cent of Canadians being a part of it, both non-Indigenous and Indigenous. Everyone has a role to play, especially young people. When I received my appointment earlier this year to work in the Office of the Minister of Youth, the Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, part of my mandate was to help figure out what the Youth Service Initiative would look like. Essentially we were asked what nation-building activity for youth would encompass. For me, a nation-building activity would focus on reconciliation and the position that young people play in it. The issues reconciliation addresses are widespread, and don’t stop or start in any one place or level and students have been championing reconciliation and advancing the agenda for many years now. At all levels, you have strong, passionate, young people leading the way. My own inspiration being Maatalii Okalik, who dedicates her life as the President of the National Inuit Youth Council, advocating at all times of the day for Inuit youth.
It goes to show that students youth these days don’t even count and young people alike are both as Status Indians because their leaders today and of tomorrow. blood deems them less than 50 Youth involvement and per cent. With all this to take into placing young people at the consideration, it’s not surprising forefront of advocacy like Okalik is that Indigenous students populate absolutely necessary. such a low percentage of students By taking a step back and at Queen’s. looking at the local aspects of During a conversation I had reconciliation the importance of with the Indigenous Affairs getting young adults involved in Minister’s Representative on these movements is clear. Child Welfare, Dr. Cynthia Wesley Indigenous people make up -Esquimaux, she said many things four per cent of the population of that resonated with me, including Canada, yet according to internal this phrase that continuously Queen’s numbers they make up inspires me: “The foundation much less than that, around one of reconciliation is inclusion; per cent. When I mentioned this conversation brings us close in debate with my partner as I enough to know one another well wrote this article, he rebutted “but enough to care, we can’t reconcile if education is free, then that’s what we don’t know or care about, not an issue of the university, but and we can’t include what we the student.” don’t see!”
if every Canadian took the time “toImagine learn and then discuss the benefits of
reconciliation — we’d be in a much different space than we are now.
”
Needless to say, he got himself a This, for me, provided free education for the next hour on reassurance that this year’s why he’s wrong. Queen’s Native Student Association These issues that are addressed Conference here at Queen’s is on by reconciliation are systemic, and the right track by the nature of don’t start or end with the students being inclusive to all. Its theme themselves, however, they are the focuses on empowering young ones who remain most vulnerable people and is adequately entitled to the problems. “Inspiring a Generation.” A common example is the myth By engaging in discussions, I’m of a free post-secondary education contributing to reconciliation, as all for all Indigenous peoples, which individuals at a learned institution does not match the realities young, like Queen’s should be doing. struggling students face. Of the Imagine if every Canadian took current federal funding model, the time to learn and then discuss only roughly two out of every the benefits of reconciliation three of the students who apply — we’d be in a much different can access funding. Think of this space than where we are now. in the context that out of a class All of this reinforces the notion of 15 that I grew up with, only 12 that young leaders on campuses graduated. This is coupled with like Queen’s need to make the fact that many First Nations reconciliation a priority in their
PHOTO BY AUSTON CHHOR
community because the impact will be felt across Canada. If we make the conscious effort now to normalize these conversations that often fuel movements, then future generations will be able to take the steps to ensure reconciliation is a thing of history. Everyone within the confines of the Canadian border is a treaty person — me, you, every Canadian citizen, Indigenous person, landed refugee, permanent resident, and visitor. We as university students have the means to help build Indigenous youth up and champion a human rights movement. Reconciliation requires both the 96 per cent of non-Indigenous Canadians and four per cent of Indigenous Canadians. Everyone being treaty people means we all have the responsibility to uphold treaty and Aboriginal rights, and to ensure that children aren’t discriminated against simply because they hold Indian Status. It means we need to let go of stereotyping and myths, like the aforementioned full education funding, that obscure the real challenges Indigenous students face. As Queen’s students, and leaders today and of tomorrow, we must learn and do what we can to leave Canada a better place than when we were born. It all starts by joining, and creating debates that matter. Darian is a third-year Political Studies major and Indigenous Studies minor. He is also the elected Primary Advocate for Youth of the Independent First Nations and recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Lincoln Alexander award.
Friday, January 13, 2017
queensjournal.ca
•9
Arts Journeying through Mystical Landscapes ART IN TRAVEL
Early twentiethcentury art at the AGO Alex Palermo Assistant Arts Editor After spending three consecutive days in my pyjamas over the holidays, I booked an ambitious 10:30 a.m. timed-ticket and made my way downtown in Toronto for a spiritual experience like no other at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). In a few short weeks, Mystical Landscapes — a temporary exhibit at the AGO in Toronto will be shipped off to the Musee d’Orsay in Paris for display in one of France’s most famous art museums. The exhibit focuses on both Canadian and international art created between 1880 and 1930 — years of war and rampant urban growth. It demonstrates artists’ ways of understanding these trends and processing them. The AGO has had its fair share of world class exhibitions, with works regularly being shipped from both Europe and the United States, but rarely is the focus so heavily placed on Canadian art. Works by Lawren Harris, Tom Thomson and Emily Carr are prominently featured, and will be on display for the first time in Europe when the exhibit moves later this winter. Mystical Landscapes began on an interesting note, with a trio of Paul Gauguin’s paintings of Jesus Christ including The Yellow Christ (1889), classic colonial paintings that
THE AGNES
despite their common birthplace, have never been shown together in a museum. The first room also housed several paintings by Claude Monet fueling the exhibit’s first foray into the truly mystical. Monet’s Grainstack (1891), Poplars (1891) and the ever-famous Water Lilies (1907) illuminated the small space with their soft, glowing colour palettes. A small crowd of people were gathered around Water Lilies, however, Poplars stood out the most to me. Monet painted it as a landscape from more than one perspective, blending warm and cool colours to highlight seasonal changes of the trees. The next room was a foray into the darker side of mysticism — literally. Eugene Jansson’s Scandinavian waterscapes, awash with bright blue and black, were a shock to the senses after Monet. This room was dedicated in part to the artistic shift induced by WWI and was a far cry from the serene and ethereal images from previous rooms. Canadian artist A.Y. Jackson’s Gas Attack, Lievin (1918) is a sobering and barren landscape with eye-catching, neon lights visible in the distance. This room is less mystical, but contains more detailed landscapes that rely on sheer visual impact rather than context. The following section showed mostly Canadian artists work from the late 1900s. Three Emily Carr paintings cast their dark, ethereal shadow across the space, depicting towering trees and churches hidden in forest clearings. In a glass case near the
middle of the room, some of Tom Thomson’s smaller paintings of the unmistakable Georgian bay shores were interspersed with less eye catching forest landscapes. Unlike the Scandinavian and French artist’s rooms, these works are unmistakably Canadian. While these works were important snapshots into Canadian art history, I questioned their place in the exhibit. They didn’t evoke the airy ambiance that I had come to expect from my experience in the other rooms, and the juxtaposition was palpable. Most of the other rooms had an otherworldly atmosphere with paintings and drawings clearly chosen for their subtle mysticism. The final room of the exhibit A picture of Lawren Harris`Decorative Landscapes (1912). sat in both darkness and silence, with the exception of overhead spotlights angled at the paintings to give the illusion of backlighting. Georgia O’Keeffe’s Red Hills (1927) series dominated the far wall, and seemed to glow in the darkness. Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night Over the Rhone (1888) hung on the inside wall, a crowd gathered around it. The piece shows a view of the Arles riverside at night time, stars shining brightly overhead, casting longing reflections in the black water. Beside the painting, a quote from Van Gogh was painted on the wall, commanding as much attention as a painting might, and perfectly summing up the last room of Mystical Landscapes: SUPPLIED BY LOULOU RAILS “When I have a terrible need of A picture of Vincent Van Gogh`s Starry Night — shall I say the word — religion. Over the Rhone (1888). Then I go out and paint the stars.”
Agnes honoured with three awards from OAAG Zelia Bukhari Staff Writer Recently, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre was recognized by the Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG) with three awards that celebrate the outstanding work of art galleries in the province. The OAAG supports and encourages public art galleries province-wide, ensuring that excellent standards are met, while promoting arts culture within local communities. The OAAG Awards celebrate the richness of multiple sectors throughout art production
in Ontario’s public art galleries. Each year, awards are presented in nine distinct categories. This year marked the 39th award ceremony, at which the Agnes was honoured with three awards in different categories. Jan Allen, director of the Agnes, described the big win in an interview with The Journal as an unfathomable moment that’s hard to convey. “Particularly because there were three awards, and each of them highlighted distinct aspects of our work,” Allen said. “It’s really reinforcing for our team — we’re not just making a difference in one
area of expertise — but across the spectrum of what we do.” The Innovation in a CollectionsBased Exhibition award was won by the Brendan Fernandes: Lost Bodies exhibition that showed at the Agnes from January 9 till April 10, 2016. By incorporating Fernandes’ background in dance through the use of visual and choreographic work — for instance, the exhibit uses ballet to represent a connection to colonial France — the exhibit explores French African Art and the postcolonial constructs, providing a base in critical discourse.
According to the OAAG jury, Fernandes’ “work is important and challenging for the institution and audience. The work puts forward difficult ideas in a non-linear way and opening up the collection to a wider audience.” The Artist Herself: Self-Portraits by Canadian Historical Women Artists won the Digital Project Award. This design prize was awarded to Kelsey Blackwell and Jonathan Gallivan of Studio Blackwell for the engaging and interactive web piece co-produced by the Agnes that complemented the exhibit. The three works featured in the exhibit are Pauline Johnson’s Performance Costume, Lady Marie-Reine-Josephte Belleau’s Sentiment Album and Marion Wilson and Margaret Frank’s Button Blankets. The online environment created a mobile forum for the material to come to life.
The association described the work as “a great use of the medium to tell the story and great use of colour along with an intuitive, interactive interface.” The final award went to a tenyear member at the Agnes, Jennifer Nicoll for her accomplishments that have benefited not only the gallery, but the community as a whole. Nicoll is the winner of the Colleague award as she excels in her roles of Exhibition Coordinator and Collections Manager. Despite the Agnes’ relatively small scale gallery located on a university campus, the awards recognize the rich and vibrant collections that decorate its interior. The honours not only put the gallery on the map as a rich cultural centre for the arts, but Queen’s, too. According to Allen, the awards affirm the excellence the gallery is achieving as a creative and intellectual space for students and art enthusiasts alike.
Arts
10 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, January 13, 2017
RESEARCH
The Disraeli Project wins award forty years in the making Queen’s research project honoured with international award Gabi Sandler Staff Writer
EXHIBIT REVIEW
PHOTOS BY AUSTON CHHOR
A thought-provoking bookshelf Union Gallery’s off-site project offers a question of identity Vishmayaa Jeyamoorthy Staff Writer We all know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but can you judge its author? Union Gallery’s off-site project, Union Gallery Bookshelf Selection Project, curated by fourth-year history student Christopher Grant, asks a similar question. The project is visually underwhelming; a locked bookshelf just outside of Union Gallery with a few books isn’t exactly eye catching. But when I took a closer look, I was struck by what exactly this project was trying to do. The project is a response to the Union Gallery’s current exhibit, Reveal, in which artists explored “what influences or determines sense of self, and the socially and culturally constructed nature of identity.” Where Reveal looks at social structures in identity creation, the Union Gallery Bookshelf Selection Project aims to comment on the role of language in the formation and understanding of one’s identity through the use of book covers. Grant’s claim is that books can and often do express a person’s identity, but that books covers are expected “to remark on the identity of the book itself, as chosen by the designers and publishers.” Like a cool outfit or funky hairstyle, a book cover expresses the identity of the book “in a brief moment … enticing [passersby] to delve deeper into the book.” When you’re young, you learn that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover because the cover is just a small piece of the whole package, and this metaphor is used to teach
us not to do the same thing to people. But the opposite argument is that a cover is a form of self-expression for authors and publishers. Grant puts it best: “These visual elements can help us self-identify, as well as identify the groups with which we associate.” This is true. Engineering students wear their jackets because they are engineers, and at Queen’s, we can all identify engineers because of their jackets. The same goes for Queen’s in general — have you ever seen someone wearing a Queen’s hoodie in your hometown and thought “Hey, they’re like me!?” I have. Grant asks a question that I’m not sure I can answer. In fact, I’m not 100 per cent sure what the question is. Identity is complicated and it can be expressed in so many ways. I spent hours writing this article because I struggled to determine what it was I was reviewing. An art review looks at the art, right? But if I spent 500 words talking about whether or not I liked the covers, I would have misunderstood the project entirely. The project forces you to reconsider what makes up your self identity by drawing comparisons to the books displayed. What do the covers say about the books? What do your outfits say about yourself? What is an identity and how important is it to explain it? Does it matter? Who knows? I certainly don’t. All I know is that with a bookshelf and sign, Grant has sent me spinning. That’s good art.
Michel Pharand and his colleagues are joining the ranks of the many Queen’s faculty and alumni to be recognized for their innovative work in academia. Pharand — a professor at the Royal Military College — and his team have been selected by a panel of judges to win the Robert Lowry Patten Award, which recognizes exceptional work in research focusing on British Literature from the nineteenth century. The award has been given in acknowledgement of Benjamin Disraeli Letters, Volume 10: 1868 — a project spearheaded at Queen’s. The work was selected from over 270 submissions. In a press release, the award judges commended the work as a “monument to editorial excellence and a beacon of scholarship.” Benjamin Disraeli was a British politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for two terms in the late nineteenth century and played a crucial role in the development of the Conservative Party and his ideals of the ``Tory Democracy”. Aside from his political career, he’s famous for his writing, which includes novels, poetry, non-fiction and plays. Legend has it he was one of the few writers Queen Victoria praised, despite her difficulty to please. Benjamin Disraeli Letters, Volume 10: 1868 is the 10th and final volume of the project. It’s the only volume to focus on a single year, the year Disraeli became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the first time. The project began in 1972 when John Matthews and D.M. Schurman of the Queen’s Department of English and the Department of History, respectively, began looking at Disraeli’s uncovered letters. This later led to the official establishment of The Disraeli Project in 1975, with J.A.W. Gunn, Head of Political Studies at the time, joining the team. The project has grown substantially since the initial sabbatical work, including the reorganization by M.G. Wiebe of the Department of English in 1984. Over a span of thirty years, Professor Wiebe was able to obtain grants and sponsorships from an agreement between the public and private sectors for the project. By the 1990s, it was funded entirely by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRCC) and later jointly funded with a group of private corporations until 2000. In 2007, Weibe played an integral part in obtaining a grant from The Andrew W.
A portrait of Disraeli.
Mellon Foundation. A second grant from the Foundation allowed the whole collection of Disraeli’s letters to be made available online. Dr. Pharand, and his research associate, Ellen Hawman, took over from Professor Weibe after receiving the first grant and after Weibe’s retirement as the director of the Disraeli Project. However, Wiebe and Mary Millar, a longtime co-editor of the project, still acted as advisors. Sandra den Otter also acted as a consulting editor. Dr. Pharand and Dr. Erika Behrisch Elce, (Royal Military College), had begun work on the next volume, but the project closed in November 2015 due to the expiration of the grants from SSHRCC and The Mellon Foundation. There are roughly 12,000 letters in print and approximately 6,000 left unpublished. Despite the cessation of the project, it remains a token of the high level of research and academic standards set by Queen’s in the field. Dr. Pharand accepted the award on Jan. 6 at a reception in Philadelphia, which was held by the editors of SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500-1900. “I’m astounded and humbled,” Dr. Pharand stated in a press release. “All of us are thrilled. Editors lurk behind the scenes in introductions and footnotes and appendices, so we’re delighted that our achievement has been recognized with such a distinguished award.”
Benjamin Disraeli was famous for his political career and writings.
PHOTOS VIA UNSPALSH
Friday, January 13, 2017
queensjournal.ca
Sports
Queen’s student represents Canada at Youth Sailing World Championships
SUPPLIED BY SAILING ENERGY
Matti Muru at the Youth Sailing World Championships.
Matti Muru fulfills childhood goal of representing country in sailing competition Sarah O’Flaherty Assistant Sports Editor While most students were bundling up and sleeping in during the winter break, Matti Muru travelled to Auckland, New Zealand to compete in the Youth Sailing World Championships for a week on the Dec. 14. Muru’s love of sailing began early in his life with his father’s heavy involvement in the sport, which meant that Muru grew up around the water and boats. He began to competitively sail at the age of nine and by age 14 was training with the goal of attending the Youth Sailing World Championships, what
he refers to as “every young sailor’s dream.” The unpredictable nature of the sport drew Muru in from an early age. “Unlike most sports, there are a ton of variables involved. From changes in wind direction to currents pushing boats ahead, just about anything can happen in a sailing race,” Muru said. “To me that’s what makes sailing so exciting, you can never be certain of what’s going to happen.” Muru found out he would be competing in the Laser Radial Boys category of the Youth Sailing World Championships in late September, when Sail Canada called him with the news. His reaction was immediate happiness. “As soon as I heard, my roommate and I were jumping on the bed celebrating,” Muru said. “I couldn’t have been more happy to be given the opportunity.” Preparation for the Youth Worlds is years in the making. To attend the competition, each
• 11
participant must be considered the best youth sailor in his or her country. This level of expertise from the competitors makes the Championship the “pinnacle of youth sailing” for Muru. Muru himself had put in “countless hours on the water and in the gym” in preparation for the competition. While Muru was thrilled to be able to attend the Championship, he decided to treat the competition “like its just another day in the office.” Due to the significance of the event for young sailors like Muru, it’s easy to become overwhelmed or nervous. “Going into an event like Youth Worlds, it’s really easy to get caught up with all of the spectacle. For everyone there, it’s the most important sailing event of their life so far, so it’s really easy to get nervous,” Muru said. Nerves are natural with the level of competition. “There are so many great sailors that you can’t afford to make any mistakes,”
Muru said. “It was one of the toughest fleets I’ve ever raced in. Although it was challenging, it was a great experience to be able to sail on the world stage.” The Championships’ structure consisted of two races each day over a span of four days, followed by one race on the final day — nine races in total. Muru found each race to be a unique challenge. “Every race brought different conditions, making it super challenging for the sailors. I had some great moments, but in general I was having a tough time calling the wind shifts, which left me with some inconsistent scores.” Muru said that emotions were particularly high before the first race. “Everyone is very tense. Our entire lives we’ve spent training boils down to this one event, and at the end of the week, someone is going to be crowned the World Champion.”
In the end, Muru’s result wasn’t what he had initially hoped for. “I finished 26th of 60 boats. My goal was to be top ten, so obviously I was pretty disappointed by my result,” Muru said. “I’ve competed in three other World Championships, my best finish being 12th. Although it was not my best finish, I gained lots of experience competing on the world stage. Every mistake for me is a lesson learned, so I’m using the Worlds as a learning experience to continue improving my sailing.” Muru is now starting to think about his next steps in sailing. While he is going to focus on school during the winter and spend the summer sailing, he hasn’t lost sight of his goals. “The Olympics have always been a dream of mine, and attending Youth Worlds means that I am on the right track to get there.”
On the road to success Both men’s and women’s basketball teams competed in Halifax tournaments Sebastian Bron Staff Writer If we’re being frank, road trips usually blow. Roadies with family are fine for the first hour or so. But when your playlist loops a second time over, the drive becomes somewhat of a drag. For sports teams, however, hitting the road is exciting and generally helps teams grow. Players bond by way of a collective purpose — namely, to win games. A few weekends ago, both men’s and women’s basketball teams were an example of this, as they headed out east to Halifax for invitational tournaments. The men pulled out a 1-2 record at the Mike Shoveller Invitational and the women posted a 2-1 finish at the Thunder Selects CIS Holiday Classic. For the men, the tournament was a precursor to the second half of their regular season. It was the first time they’ve played in a little under a month and a rusty output was expected, said fifth-year guard Sukhpreet Singh.
“Playing is always a little awkward because you’re off for a month during exams, but it’s also helpful,” he said. “It gives you chance to see what went well, what didn’t, and how the team can address those issues in time for the regular season.” Playing in a new setting, too, posed its own set of difficulties, Singh mentioned. “Basketball [in Halifax] is much different than what we’re used to. It’s a lot more up-and-down play, they love to get up and play in transition — that’s their thing.” “We play a slower game with more skill work, run more offense, and they have more of a green light than we do.” Women’s head coach Dave Wilson praised his team’s play, emphasizing the importance of simply getting in a groove before their regular season picks up again in January. “Getting everyone back into this sort of team mentality, game-shape form is critical after the break,” he said. Both teams’ performances, albeit important, don’t necessarily
capture the gist — or purpose — of their trips. Rather, the road presents players a chance to bond and get a feel of what they’re really like off the court. “Whenever you’re stuck on bus or a plane with teammates, you have to interact with them. And we’re fortunate enough to be on a squad that has a very inclusive environment,” Singh said. “Everyone gets along.” Getting a feel for one’s teammates inevitably reveals the very fabric of a team, and it certainly shows on the court. The better the chemistry off the floor, the better the team plays on the court and this largely holds true from recreational sports all the way to the pros. Wilson agreed, noting that time together away from the game is imperative for a team to grow. “Whether it’s a bus, plane, or hotel, they all provide opportunities for the team to come together. And all of that culminates into a better performance on the court, because players are committed more to each other
Sammy Ayisi has been a standout player this season.
than just to the challenge at hand.” While the benefits are clear, the main concern for team’s hitting the road is that players could get caught up in the experience of being away. In other words, how do coaches and players alike find the appropriate balance between business and pleasure? “It’s always a little bit of both,” said fifth-year guard Emily Hazlett. “You obviously want to get a win, but in these tournaments where they span over a few days we go out and see some sights. And when its game-time we’re always ready to go.” Road trips ought to be complemented with some kind of cultural component, Wilson
JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
added. Business and pleasure are often seen as conflicting interests, but the head coach thinks of the two as effective ways to boost team morale. “I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive,” he said. “One of our goals for this program has been to include a cultural or learning component when we go out of province for a tournament.” “When you’re travelling some distance, there’s more to it than just basketball.” Both teams will open the second half of their seasons at home this weekend in back-to-back home games versus the Ryerson Rams and the U of T Varsity Blues.
Sports
12 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, January 13, 2017
Men’s volleyball team looks forward to season’s second half Gaels open new semester with game against RMC Matt Scace Contributor Returning to class with the cold winter upon us, volleyball season is just starting to heat up. The men’s team begin the second half of their season this weekend against a 2-7 Royal Military College team, looking to continue their strong start to the 2016-17 campaign. When the season began, there were several unknowns about how the team would find success with a roster that appeared to spring from the fountain of youth — the roster contains nine freshmen out of the team’s 18 members. The Gaels roared out to a 5-1 start, one that wasn’t unexpected, but very exciting for head coach Brenda Willis. Willis, reflecting on her team’s success thus far, said, “we’re doing so many things well that
I’m so pleased about, especially given the youth of our roster in particular.” The final three games of the fall semester didn’t bring the same success as the first six. The Gaels dropped contests to a trio of very strong squads — Nipissing, York and Guelph. Despite the losses, the efforts have highlighted what the Gaels will need to improve on in the coming weeks. Against Guelph, Queen’s had numerous chances to get a hold on the game, but allowed it to slip in the crucial moments of the match. Willis attributed this to the team’s youth and lack of late-game experience, something that’s consistently being integrated into their practices. “We’re working on drills that force us to be aggressive in finishing stretches,” Willis said. “That’s an experience thing. You have to have a lot of confidence to really go after it when it matters.” This is something that Willis saw improve over the winter break as the team participated in the
Zac Hutcheson, Dylan Hunt and Jamie Wright at the net.
York Excalibur Volleyball Classic exhibition tournament. In two five-set losses, the youthful Gaels managed to hold strong in the finishing stretches against some of the more experienced squads like Western and International Budo University — a Japanese international school. In addition to the improvements made in the late-game play over the tournament, Queen’s put on a sensational defensive performance against the “incredibly skilled” Budo, according to Willis.
“I said to the guys, the way they played defense in that match is the bar for how we measure whether we’re playing good defense because now we know that we’re capable of doing what we did.” Through the middle of the season, Queen’s has also had some standout individual performances. Outside hitter Markus Trence is currently third in Ontario in kills per set and leads the OUA in total kills with 143. Meanwhile, outside hitter Zac Hutcheson leads
JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
the OUA in total digs with 72, a comfortable margin of 11 digs on Trence trailing behind him in second with 61. Willis is optimistic about the second half of the season as the Gaels prepare to host RMC on Sunday afternoon. “We’re going into the second half of the season with a schedule that allows us to ramp up gradually and play tough teams late.”
QJ predictions for the winter varsity teams
Men’s hockey and women’s basketball holding strong, women’s volleyball likely to stumble Joseph Cattana and Sarah O’Flaherty Journal Sports Staff
Women’s Volleyball Currently: 5th in the OUA East Predicted: 6th in the OUA East
JOURNAL FILE PHOTOS
Women’s Basketball Currently: 1st in the OUA East; 5th in the country Predicted: 1st in the OUA East The women’s basketball team is one of the hottest teams in Canada right now. Currently ranked fifth in the nation, the team is both a defensive and offensive force. Unlike others in the league, they boast a balanced attack. Of their six highest scorers, none average more than 15 points per game, but instead combine for 59.3 of the team’s 76 points per game. Importantly, the team holds a lot of the games’ possession. By leading the OUA in offensive rebounds and currently second in total rebounds, they give their shooters more possibilities to score, while limiting the other team’s opportunities. With an average 10.8 steals per game, limiting their opponents to just 30.7 percent from the field and a mere 23.5 from behind the arc, Queen’s is efficient. After years of coming close to the U Sports Final 8 Championship, it looks like the Gaels have a real shot at bringing a banner home.
The women’s volleyball team had a tough first half of the season and is currently ranked fifth out of seven teams in the OUA East. The Gaels hold a record of 3-6 and will have ten more games before the OUA quarterfinals take place on March 3. The team had 11.56 kills, 10.81 assists and 15.47 digs per set this season — putting them in the top five amongst the entire OUA East league in these categories. While the young team struggled to close out sets successfully in the first half of the season, they’ve continued to improve defensively thus far and grow together as a cohesive unit, especially in terms of passing. The team won’t finish this season on top of the division with successes similar to previous seasons, but they will be able to take these matches and learn for a more experienced season in 2017-18.
Men’s Basketball Currently: 3rd in the OUA East Predicted: 2nd in the OUA East
Men’s Volleyball Currently: 5th in the OUA Predicted: 4th in the OUA
The men’s basketball team has been delighting their fans this season with strong performances. The team’s record is currently 6-2 and they’ve managed to maintain a fast pace and cohesive team structure from game-to-game. They average 77.8 points per game, but more importantly, the team has a depth of talent this season that means those points could originate from any player. Particularly strong performances from the powerful trio of Isse Ibrahim, Sukhpreet Singh and Tanner Graham mean that the Gaels maintain consistent control of the game. When these players come together on the court, they become an unbeatable force who constantly make plays and dominate.
The men’s volleyball team currently holds a 5-4 record and has nine more games until the OUA quarterfinals. The team averages 12.53 kills, 11.64 assists and 10.50 digs per set this season — putting them in the top two amongst the league in these categories. Where they seem to be struggling is in blocking, with an average of 1.56 blocks per set — eighth in the league —and second for attacking errors with 181 total. Coming off a second place finish in the OUA last season, this season has proven more difficult with a large portion of their team graduated. The few returning players have lead the team thus far, such as outside hitters Markus Trence and Zac Hutcheson, which will hopefully allow the team to finish the season on a strong note.
Women’s Hockey Currently: 6th in the OUA Predicted: 5th in the OUA With only 10 games left until the OUA playoffs, the women’s hockey team still has a long way to go. They currently hold an 8-6-0 record and sit just above the median at sixth place out of 13 teams in the province. The team averages 2.21 goals per game on an average 27.5 shots a game. The team could have a chance to prevail this season and make a comeback — which is often their style in games. Players like Addi Hallaway, who leads the team’s scoring efforts with seven goals this season, will be key in the Gaels playoff push. In their final 10 regular season games, the Gaels will be facing a slew of teams that they by far out rank in the OUA, with the exception of two teams: the No. 3 Waterloo Warriors and the No. 4 Western Mustangs, twice. The team is also hosting the 2017 U Sports Championship, which will take place during the weekend of March 16.
Men’s Hockey Currently: 2nd in the OUA East; 5th in the country Predicted: 1st in the OUA East
The men’s hockey team is one of the best in the country. The Gaels have had a successful season thus far, thanks largely to the strong leadership of scoring leaders Eric Ming and Slater Doggett, and defenseman Spencer Abraham. They’re currently ranked second in the OUA East and have a 14-5-0 record with a four-game winning streak. The team trails closely behind the No. 1 team in the OUA East, the McGill Redmen. Both teams have strong defense and goalkeeping, with only 45 goals against, however the Redmen have a stronger offence with 77 goals for, compared to the Gaels’ 59. If the Gaels keep this trend going and manage to rouse their offense against the Redmen, they’ll have a chance to secure that No .1 spot.
Friday, January 13, 2017
queensjournal.ca
• 13
Lifestyle CULTURE COMMENTARY
A watchlist to watch out for One writer’s opinion on the best TV for this season
Clayton Tomlinson Staff Writer The Sopranos In my opinion, one of the best shows ever. I have no particular order in terms of the shows in this list other than this is number one. It details the daily struggles of Tony Soprano as he grapples with depression, running the mob and his oddly normal family life. The Sopranos ran for a total of six seasons, each one offering a rich cast of talented actors. Creator David Chase laced diverse themes and storylines throughout the show, making it much more than merely a mob show, but another world to get lost in. If you are struggling with anything in your life, from the grades you receive, to your mental health, or just really like shows with guns — The Sopranos is for you.
Insecure New to HBO, the same station that televised The Sopranos, Insecure is based on creator and star Issa Rae’s webseries Awkward Black Girl. The show fits the New Year with its funny spin on what life is like for many millennials, while also addressing black identity and how it affects one’s outward experiences and reactions to life. At Queen’s, some diversity coupled with hilarity can do everyone some good. Master of None
I think this is the most underrated show Netflix has produced. Recently-announced host of SNL Aziz Ansari’s wonderful writing and performance about a guy just trying to figure out how to live is nearly a perfect transportation of real life onto the screen.
OPINION
It eerily voices all the awful things in our society and shows us how banal they are. We’re all just trying to figure out what the hell to do with ourselves after we get our degree. In the same way the main character is trying to figure out if acting is the profession for him while also juggling friends, family and his love life. Plus, it’ll have you laughing out loud — what’s not to like? This Is Us
self-image. The parent’s storyline, well-acted by Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia, deals with the sacrifices they are forced to make to support their kids. The show is stunning for its ability to show us real life from behind a screen. It informs people of our age of the reality that nothing is set in stone, and meaning is what you make it.
This Is Us is considered by many to be the best new show of the year. It focuses on the lives of a family of three kids, one adopted and twins, alongside their parents. The show is an exploration of what it means to be a family today, and how that has changed in the last half century. The show explores two times of life, one when the kids are nine and another when they are grown and dealing with careers, love and
This drama is borne from the mind who shaped Lost and deals with the aftermath of two per cent of the global population vanishing one day. The ones “left over” are besieged with questions of purpose, guilt and the weight of their actions. This is the darkest show on the list, but it explores how people perceive the world based on the influence of those around them. For students, going to school
Leftovers
allows you to start fresh, to consider why you do things and for whom these things are done. This show is fantastic because it attempts to ask these questions while also being unique. I can’t think of a show I’ve seen quite like it. The Office
I put this on the list for those stragglers who have somehow not seen it. Every person I come across, when they’re asking for a show recommendation, I will say The Office. This is by far the funniest thing to happen to television recently, plus it’s damn heartwarming. For a time of disgusting blizzards and incoming marks, I can’t think of a better show to lose yourself in for a few episodes, or to share with someone important to you. It’s a show that provides distinct lessons on what it is to find love, a family and a sense of purpose.
What makes Jan. 1 the day to be a better person? Reflecting on the origins of New Year’s resolutions Jenna Zucker Lifestyle Editor If I actually practiced New Year’s resolutions as they were originally intended then I’d have to give up half of my wardrobe, and not because I started hitting the gym all the time. While today we often look at the New Year as a chance to start afresh with new habits and lifestyles, the practice is commonly held to have originated with a less self-motivated intention. In Babylonian times, a 12-day religious festival called Akitu marked the New Year, which
occurred during the month of March according to the Babylonian calendar. During this time they would resolve to repay debts and return borrowed objects in the hopes of being looked upon favourably by the gods in the upcoming year. Like I said, the gods would be frowning upon me as I continue to hoard my roommates’ clothing. I’m probably not the only one either. Studies suggest that only about 8 per cent of people actually keep their resolutions. I think I’ll keep my roommates clothes for just a little longer. Like Babylonian traditions that revolved around a king, the Roman New Year also consisted of re-affirming loyalty to the emperor. Sorry Justin Trudeau, although I won’t be bowing down, I’ll be admiring your jawline from afar. Early Christians began their New Year by reflecting on their
Pinky-promising to keep resolutions, this year.
behavior of the past year, similar to today’s practices and in 1740, John Wesley invented covenant renewal services. These services took place around the New Year and Christmas as a way of celebrating the New Year with prayer and devotion. These services are still practiced within evangelical Protestant churches where people gather to pray and make resolutions for the New Year in a communal setting. Today’s secular traditions have less to do with religion and more to do with
self-improvement. Rather than praying to god, most people are praying for their bank accounts to let them keep their gym memberships — “this year, I’ll actually go.” But if we were to continue to start the New Year like the Babylonians, what would we be returning? As university students, this can range anywhere from your next-door neighbours’ frying pan to thousands of dollars in students debts — the limit, unfortunately, doesn’t exist.
PHOTO BY JULIA BALIKRISHNAN
But rather than burdening ourselves with tangible change, we resolve to bettering ourselves with small steps forward, because if we don’t, who will know anyway? As the clock strikes midnight and people around the world celebrate the New Year, I can’t help but do the same. To combat the insignificance of a mere date change, we use it as a chance to start anew, making resolutions to better our lifestyles and ourselves come the New Year.
LIFESTYLE
14 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, January 13, 2017
SPORTS
All the right moves
Varsity athletes share their signature plays Heather Park Contributor ILLUSTRATIONS BY VINCENT LIN
Sukhpreet Singh, ArtSci ‘16 Men’s Basketball Position: Shooting guard Team Nickname: Sukh
Douglas Scully, ArtSci ‘17 Men’s Rugby Position: Wing Team Nickname: Scully
“I’d want to say a right-to-left-hand crossover, but I’ll never hear the end of it if my teammates and coaches read this. I’d have to say shot-fake into a right-low rip and drive. I feel my ability to get into the lane is superior to my shooting ability, so that’s what I use to give myself the best opportunity to do so.” Taylor Herrington, ArtSci ‘17 Women’s Field Hockey Position: Team Captain, forward Team Nickname: Tay
“My signature move would have to be a toe drag. You basically just flip your hand around and pull the ball back, and then move forward with the ball in a quick motion — change of pace is key.”
“My signature move is a tough question. Individually we have guys on our team like Kai Lloyd and Will McArthur that can step their way through the other team’s defense. But my contribution to the team is a product of our team’s offensive system. As a winger, I get the ball with the expectation that I score. I often use a fend which basically means I use one arm fully extended to push other players out of the way.” Thomas Ellison, PhysEd ‘17 Men’s Volleyball Position: Setter Team Nickname: Tony
“My signature move is going up for a block. The hitter hits it into my hands and it bounces on the other side of the net. I like to stare down the guy who hit the ball I blocked after.”
Robyn Pearson, Comm ‘16 Women’s Basketball Position: Post Team Nickname: Rob, Robbie, Smooth Rob
“My signature move is probably the right hand hook, from anywhere on the floor. Two dribbles left, spin back right to the right jump hook, or the same thing two dribbles right, to right hook. Works most of the time.”
The finished product.
A new cheese for the New Year
Spice up your salads while keeping your resolutions Kiera Liblik Staff Writer The “new year, new me” mindset is inescapable. As the gym becomes packed with resolution-ers and diets switch from Christmas feasts to healthy eats, the perfect opportunity arises to learn a few staple healthy recipes. We all know that veggie-packed salads
SUPPLIED BY KIERA LIBLIK
are good for you, but they get boring. If you’re looking for a way to make that kale salad more appealing, consider the gift from the Middle East that is halloumi. It’s the best kind of food — it tastes like it should be bad for you, but isn’t. This is no ordinary cheese. The heatresistant, salty, mozzarella-like cheese can be grilled or fried, creating a browned, crunchy outside. With over 20 grams of protein per serving, it’s also a good meat alternative for vegetarians. It’s relatively quick and easy to prepare: Ingredients: • Desired amount of halloumi • Olive oil
Directions: 1. Slice your halloumi into 1-inchthick pieces 2. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat setting 3. Put your halloumi on the pan and let it fry until golden brown — usually 3-4 minutes on each side — or if you’re grilling it, simply put it on the barbecue until it’s golden brown
LIFESTYLE
Friday, January 13, 2017
queensjournal.ca
• 15
Get more Lifestyle online at queensjournal.ca/lifestyle
HEALTH
PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN SMITH
My week using a fitness tracker You can’t always count on counting calories
Ashley Rhamey Assistant Lifestyle Editor As someone who occasionally polishes off family-sized bags of chips without help, spending a week tracking what I ate wasn’t something I was looking forward to. I started this fitness app challenge with the goal of finding motivation to eat better and exercise and I found the cons outweighed the pros — pun not intended. Overall, I would say my fitness is stuck somewhere in the middle of the spectrum between active and sloth-like. So for this challenge, the focus wasn’t to lose weight, but to make better choices with my diet, exercise and see if tracking those choices would help motivate me to improve my lifestyle. MyFitnessPal is an app that uses a diary format to log your caloric intake and your caloric output for each day with a goal of a certain number of calories. It uses your Body Mass Index to give an estimate of how many calories you need to consume each day to reach the goal you’ve set. On paper, this makes perfect sense. My issue with actually using this app for a week was how difficult matching that number can actually be, and how many other things factor into your health than a number. Using the app is simple, but time consuming. Everything I snacked on, from an apple to a goldfish cracker, had to be documented if I wanted accurate results. Realizing exactly how many different times a day I ate was a little shocking. The app would warn me if I was getting close to my limit on sugar or fat and updated the big numbers at the top of the screen to show me how many calories I had left to spend. If I wanted to eat more, I had to make the calories up in exercise. Since I usually enjoy cardio, this wasn’t too hard at first. But by the end of the week, my daily run felt more like a chore than an activity, and I’d never wanted to do it less. I did more strength training than I ever had before, but for the sole purpose of eating another cookie. The app did give me motivation
to change my habits, but the longer I used it the more my approach to food and exercise became about addition and subtraction rather than feeling good. While the app made me feel momentarily gratified when I ate a healthy meal or had a great workout, its format made me feel guiltier, deprived and obsessed with superficial numbers than I ever want to be. My experience turned me away from fitness apps for the most part. What it did lead me to was an alternative kind of exercise app that motivated me to exercise without using guilt. CharityMiles is an app that let’s you log your run, jog, or walk for distance travelled, and earn money for a charity of your choice as you go. The further you go, the more you raise. No run is a waste, even if it wasn’t your best. Every time I go for my daily run I feel good about finishing, no matter how slow or short it was. It won’t guilt you for not going when you don’t feel up to it, but will instead give you a pat on
the shoulder when you do. After seeing just how bad certain foods in my diet were, I’ll be more discerning about my food choices. But I’ll certainly not miss refereeing my life. In my case, positive reinforcement was the approach that worked in getting me some motivation for a fitter life.
THE LIFE OF BRYAN
ILLUSTRATED BY BRYAN CUYPERS
LIFESTYLE
16 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, January 13, 2017
POSTSCRIPT
Reporting on a whistleblower The story behind a months-long Journal investigation, from our staff’s eyes Victoria Gibson and Mikayla Wronko Journal Staff “That red circle is a few millimeters off,” a member of Journal staff points out. It’s Sept. 9, the morning after a gruellingly late press night. The paper copies of The Journal are hot off the presses, stacked on wooden crates. Issue 4 is splayed out in the Features section, where a months-long investigation into a multi-year story has finally gone to print. That staff member was right. There’s a circle in our layout that should be a few millimetres to the left. It’s a miniscule mistake, but after months of painstaking editing and fact-checking the story’s content, the irony of our visual layout having an error isn’t lost on anyone. “Ah, shit.” The situation was almost laughable. We’d finally finished the biggest project the two of us had ever undertaken. The story was iron-clad, fact-checked within an inch of its life. We’d sent it through our lawyer to make sure we’d proofed ourselves, and the paper, against libel allegations. We’d spent hours upon hours researching, interviewing, redacting documents and concocting game plans to dig deeper. But here we were agonizing over the placement of a little red dot. That red dot marked the
Morteza Shirkhanzadeh’s academic freedom case in current day — a story that had been in The Journal’s consciousness for the past year. However, the battle between Shirkhanzadeh, an engineering professor, and the University itself had spanned over 11 years with the paper trail to prove it. To make a very long story short, Shirkhanzadeh accused Queen’s of neglecting serious allegations of academic misconduct in engineering papers published by their faculty. Some of the papers had been retracted by academic journals but the allegations of institutional noncompliance against the University have since become dormant. We spent hours upon hours working to decipher the bureaucratic paper trail of accusations and rebuttals. Each exchange of dryly written letters
had at least one sentence of invaluable information disguised as mundane. Knowing how much legal trouble we would be in if we misconstrued any bit of information was what kept our brains from glazing over. As much as we can complain about having to sift through the bureaucracy, we had the benefit of working on an already “broken” story. When writing any sort of story, journalists essentially stand on the shoulders of each other as new information comes out. Any previous articles by trusted news outlets can feel like water in a desert when working on a difficult story. In May 2015, The Journal was informed of new developments in Shirkhanzadeh’s story that had until then gone unreported by previous Journal staff. We published an expository
The newsroom in action.
Mikayla and Victoria’s story in Issue 4 of The Journal.
story, summarizing as best we could his 10 year case along with a digital timeline chronicling each important event and as many documents we could find on Shirkhanzadeh’s website. In researching the case in more depth — since we were reporting primarily from Shirkhanzadeh’s perspective because the University consistently refused to open up on the details of the case — we needed to be careful that our writing wasn’t accusatory or biased. After all, we were dealing with serious allegations that by their nature are difficult to confirm. We needed to write something that would still be credible in the event that Shirkhanzadeh’s claims of institutional non-compliance against the University were never proven. In other words, we needed to be as non-biased as possible. Despite feeling like she knows him after reading and writing about him for months, Mikayla hasn’t ever met Shirkhanzadeh. Other editors had spoken with him over the phone several times last year, but Victoria was the one who built a relationship of trust
face-to-face. The first time out of many that Mort met with Victoria, his demeanor was a surprise. Here was a man who had fought tooth-and-nail against his employer for over a decade, and he was surprisingly soft-spoken. He fumbled to find the right words to capture his emotions, but was clear and methodical explaining the facts. It was for this reason that we chose to begin our story — the thousands of words it ended up becoming — with his emotions. They were a rare glimpse inside his mind, despite the many hours we’d sit across from one another over the course of three months. The story never felt more necessary than in moments he let his guard down and revealed how lonely he was feeling. How scared he was the mounting pile of legalities he had in front of him.
PHOTO BY JULIA BALIKRISHNAN
At the same time, as journalists, these moments created our biggest challenge. Maintaining our neutrality, giving the chance for the allegations to be responded to, was tough when confronted with a man in our offices just looking for answers. An important step in any allegation against an institution is giving them ample time to respond. Carefully, we compiled a list of each allegation and sent them over to the Queen’s Communications team, who are the bridge between our paper and any administrators. If we want questions answered by anyone hired by Queen’s, we ask them for permission. As Shirkhanzadeh’s case was a web of legalities and HR complications, we knew we were likely not going to get much more than a “no comment” response, but the step was necessary nonetheless. What made this story different from the stories that we regularly put out in The Journal was its sheer size. We had collected enough information for a long-form — a style of
narrative journalism that’s used to cover longer than usual stories. We had 4,000 words of dense content and we needed to figure out a way to present the story in a way that wasn’t just a never-ending wall of text. With the help of our digital manager, Valentino, we crafted the story its own site where we could break up the story into smaller section for comfortable reading. Decorated with digital elements and real documents from the case. To us, the site was perfect. Up until the very last edit, the story terrified us. There are very few things that shake you more than noticing an error a few hours before print — a redaction missing from a letter, which could have landed us in significant legal trouble — and wondering if there’s anything else we missed. We didn’t walk home until the sun was rising the next morning. There was no glory the next day. In fact, it was rather mundane. Besides small doses of kudos from members of the journalism community, the months of work became just another story in the roster. And that was just fine by us. It was out there. It was honest. In a private email that day, Shirkhanzadeh wrote to Victoria. The contents of that email will stay between The Journal and him, but the feeling it evoked was worth every minute. A few weeks later, Morteza Shirkhanzadeh was fired from Queen’s University. To this day, we don’t know if our story had anything to do with it. Whether him talking to us tipped the school over the edge, whether it was entirely unrelated, we’ll never know. We know we did our jobs, to the utmost integrity we could muster, but those questions are still tough to swallow. At a union hearing in a downtown hotel, the University and Shirkhanzadeh were set to discuss his termination. The Journal was asked to attend by supporters of Shirkhanzadeh, but was promptly asked to leave by the University Communications team. He was unable to speak with us again after the doors closed. We still don’t know if the skewed red dot was the end of the Shirkhanzadeh story. We don’t know if more claims of plagiarism will be found or if the University will be penalized. Ultimately, what might be a 10 minute read for one person characterized our summer. As thankless as grueling over documents and grieving over the slight details was, the reward came from reporting the Shirkhanzadeh case as honestly as we could.