Queen's Journal Volume 148, Issue 27

the journal Queen’s University

Vol. 148, Issue 27

Situated on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples.

Since 1873

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Richardson Stadium hosts drive-through COVID-19 vaccine clinic

Queen’s confirms plans for in-person fall term University is focused on return to class, research activity in September

Sports: When Boo-Hoo was a real bear

C laudia R upnik News Editor

Pg. 11

This story first appeared online on April 7.

Queen’s confirmed its planning for an in-person fall term Wednesday morning.

In a message to the Queen’s community, Principal Patrick Deane said the imminent roll-out of mass vaccinations has led to “a new optimism” about the upcoming year.

“Because of what our public health experts are predicting […] the University is planning for a resumption of in-person activity in September,” Deane wrote.

“There are of course still many things unknown, but we are hopeful that by the time classes resume in September, most of the restrictions will be lifted and our daily operations able to return to a condition much closer to what prevailed prior to the pandemic.”

Members of the administration, students, staff, and faculty have

Photos illustration by Tessa Warburton

been involved in discussions about the return to campus, Deane said. Current planning includes flexibility for staff with a gradual return so University can prepare to support in-person teaching and learning in September.

“As we have done throughout the last year, we will continue to work with local public health, and follow whatever guidelines they and the province provide,” Deane said. “Keeping our community safe and healthy is integral to all our planning for the future.”

The University said its first priority is getting students back into physical classrooms, though Deane said it’s also focused on supporting the advancement of research activity.

“It is likely that there will still be some restrictions in place at that time, but while these may impact our ability to host large gatherings and certain events, we believe they will not prevent our academic program moving forward.”

In this issue: Looking back at a remote first year, page 6 . darts and laurels, page 7. What QJ means to

outgoing staff, page 8. Alum Liselle Sambury talks debut novel, page 9. Journal Editors say goodbye, page 16 queensjournal.ca

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News

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Thursday, April 8, 2021

TAPS will remain closed until further notice Likely, TAPS will remain closed until the new JDUC building is complete as we have not been given access to a suitable interim pub space during the renovation,” Samoyloff added.

The JDUC renovation was postponed by a year until May 2022 because of difficulties associated Claudia Rupnik with securing the required News Editor funding for the project during the pandemic.

When the AMS hired its Senior Donna Janiec, vice principal Management team for the 2021- (finance and administration), said 22 year, one service was missing the JDUC will remain open and from the list of new hires: The in use until close to the planned AMS Pubs Service (TAPS). construction start.

“TAPS will remain closed until “It is possible that some uses further notice,” Alex Samoyloff, may transition to alternate AMS vice-president (operations), spaces prior to the start of wrote in a statement to The Journal. construction, but those details TAPS, which operates the will be communicated closer Queen’s Pub and the Underground, to the start of the project,” was closed ahead of the 2020-21 Janiec wrote in a statement to year because of COVID-19 public The Journal. health guidelines and University “The JDUC will re-open for restrictions which prevented the operations as public health John Deustch University Centre conditions allow for activities to (JDUC) from opening to the public. resume safely.”

TAPS is housed inside the JDUC. Many buildings on campus, “TAPS reopening is contingent including the JDUC, are currently on COVID-19 safety protocols closed or have limited access and the ability to break even. based on public health guidance

COVID-19 has “gravely” affected AMS job opportunities

The JDUC reconstruction has been delayed until May 2022.

and the four-week province- revenue, the decision was made wide shut down that went into as this investment, using student effect April 3. dollars, would not make sense,” “The pandemic is the only reason Samoyloff wrote. “All the revenue TAPS closed this year,” Samoyloff based AMS services have taken a wrote. “Because of this, and the huge hit this year because of the uncertain fall 2021 semester, it pandemic—to operate the services, was imperative to remain cautious we need to be able to cover the when considering re-opening operational costs such as rent the operations.” and wages.”

The fiscal uncertainty regarding “The AMS is unable to run a pub the pandemic and the decline service with the current Campus in sales seen at the Queen’s Pub Operations Group guidelines.” and the Underground over the Principal Patrick Deane past five years were also factors confirmed Wednesday morning in the decision, Samoyloff said. that Queen’s is planning for a TAPS might have faced an “even return to in-person learning in the more substantial deficit” if it fall term, based on direction from were to reopen. public health officials. However, “Because TAPS relies solely on he acknowledged that not all campus operations are likely to return to their pre-pandemic state at that time.

Should buildings be permitted to open by Queen’s and Public Health, Samoyloff said the Society plans to reopen access to the JDUC for students.

While TAPS is a source for many student jobs on campus, the AMS created additional positions as

PHOTOS BY MAIA MCCANN

part of a society-wide restructure in January.

“The AMS remains obliged to student dollars to ensure we spend responsibly—this year is riddled with financial restrictions as COVID-19 protocols have immensely affected our typical revenue numbers; while we remain dedicated to providing student employment opportunities, the pandemic has gravely affected our ability to do so,” Samoyloff wrote.

“The AMS is always looking to add fair and sustainable jobs for the student population […] [I]f we find any areas that are viable for new positions, we will take those into consideration.”

New waged and honorarium AMS opportunities are available through the Environmental Sustainability Commission, the Social Issues Commission, the External Affairs Commission, the Clubs Commission, the Marketing Office, The Journal, and the AMS Food Bank.

Applications are due May 1.

Student Wellness Services takes applications for student advisory board Eight students will be involved in improving SWS Cassidy McMackon Assistant News Editor Following student criticism this semester, Student Wellness Services (SWS) is launching a Student Advisory Committee to help improve the service.

Initially advertised March 31 on the Queen’s University Be Well Facebook page, students who are interested in applying to the SWS Student Advisory Committee can email SWS Director Cynthia Gibney explaining why they’d like to become an advisory board member, what they think the goals for the advisory team should be, and whether they are able to commit to a minimum of one monthly meeting.

Applications for the committee are due on May 1.

“Student Wellness Services is committed to listening and responding to the needs of the students we serve. While we are always happy to get informal feedback, we believe it is important to have structured mechanisms to ensure student voices are being heard,” Gibney wrote in a statement to The Journal.

Though students can provide feedback on their experiences with SWS through an online form, the advisory committee provides students with a platform

to give feedback in a formalized, routine setting. This will allow SWS to better hear student voices, according to Gibney.

The advisory committee will be composed of SWS staff and eight student representatives. Three of these seats will be reserved for a representative from the AMS, the Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS), and the Rector, while the remaining five seats will be open to the student body.

All students on the advisory committee will be involved on a volunteer basis.

According to Gibney, these seats will reflect a diverse range in backgrounds, lived experiences, and years of education completed at the post-secondary level to diversify the range in student voice,

perspectives, and ideas being heard by SWS. Gibney also said information about the advisory committee has been sent out to the AMS, the SGPS, the Mental Health Working Group, Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change (QBACC), Jack.org, and other student groups that attract a wide range of students.

The advisory committee will determine which issues should be addressed first in making SWS more accessible to students.

“Given this is the first year of the advisory group, the group will decide the mission, values and approach for this important advisory process. This exercise will determine how recommendations are gathered, assessed, planned and implemented, as well as evaluated for efficacy.”

News

Thursday, April 8, 2021

queensjournal.ca • 3

Team AJA reflects on accomplishments, challenges, and COVID-19 Julia Harmsworth and Cassidy McMackon Assistant News Editors As their term comes to a close, The Journal sat down with Team AJA to reflect on their experiences as AMS executive in the 2020-21 year.

Jared den Otter, AMS president, Alexia Henriques, AMS vice-president (university affairs), and Alex Samoyloff, AMS vice-president (operations) came into their roles on May 1 of last year, shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak of the pandemic had them learn a new portfolio and, consequently, put some things on the back-burner.

“Clearly it’s been a very difficult year for everyone at Queen’s [...] and I think that our team has really, really taken a lot of the hurdles that were put in our path and taken them in stride,” den Otter said.

Samoyloff said the pandemic had the team do a lot of “quick learning” and “quick problem solving.” She said that, when it comes to the AMS services, the team planned for the worst-case scenario—Queen’s being under lockdown for the entire year—and were “really lucky” they were able to open at all.

Henriques spoke to the difficulty of completing advocacy work remotely and the need to reassess the team’s priorities in light of the pandemic.

“Trying to connect with students and do consultations and implement programming and initiatives in an online world has proven to be more difficult than anticipated, and there was a lot of adapting and flexibility that needed to be had,” she said.

In speaking to the projects they were able to achieve as an executive, the team agreed their goal of increasing student engagement on campus was a success.

Team AJA began their term in May 2020.

‘The best shot that they could’: AMS Year in Review “It’s very exciting to see that we had a contested election this year,” den Otter said. “The next step is to keep that momentum going and to really look at the gaps that are still visible with the election process and engaging students on campus in general.”

From a services standpoint, Samoyloff said transitioning the Printing and Copy Centre (P&CC) and the Tricolour Outlet to remote operations was successful, and cited the renovation of Common Ground Coffeehouse as a major accomplishment.

“It’s really exciting to refresh that space after 10 years and make it a better space for students on campus,” she said.

One of the team’s projects that didn’t come to fruition was a partnership with the Sexual Assault Centre Kingston (SACK).

“We definitely came into the year with a lot of big goals and big dreams, and COVID changed some of them,” Henriques said.

“We weren’t able to move forward in advocating for an in-person

satellite SACK location because huge magnifying glass to be put nobody was on campus and on the organization and for us [...] we couldn’t have a safe space to figure out where those gaps on campus.” were internally and to try and Despite COVID-19 hampering ameliorate them,” he said. the project, Henriques said Henriques noted the work the AMS was able to continue that was done to affirm the strengthening its relationship AMS’s commitment to Equity, with SACK. Diversity, and Inclusion through “They are an incredible and very the report they published over important part in the community, the summer. and they fill a very large gap that “I think that that work is really Queen’s currently has for support important,” she said. “We were for survivors of sexual and gender really, really humbled to begin that based violence,” she said. “I’m work as a team and [...] really see looking forward to continuing the ripple effect with all the faculty the transition period with my societies and clubs on campus [Vice-President (University all working towards making Affairs)] elect.” campus and our community safer Den Otter spoke to the for our students.” “immense” internal changes the Team AJA agreed that team was able to make within completing their term remotely the AMS. They restructured presented significant challenges. their Human Resources Office, “I found it difficult to reach as their Advancement Office, and many people,” den Otter said. “In their Information Technology the online setting, it’s been difficult Office, hiring more permanent to shift our priorities and chat with staff members to make them students, either online or through supportive and efficient. feedback forms. It works, it gets “There was a big need for a the main points across, but it’s difficult to engage online.”

Henriques noted another

Kingston Health Sciences Centre unveils alternate health facility Queen’s property to be used in case of COVID-19 hospital capacity challenges Claudia Rupnik News Editor The Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) unveiled its alternate health facility on March

SUPPLIED BY THE AMS

29 at the former St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital—a property now owned by Queen’s.

The facility, located in the Gibson Wing at 340 Union Street, was prepared at the request of the Ministry of Health to ensure capacity for the sickest patients at Kingston General Hospital should COVID-19 patient volumes surge.

The University is leasing the Gibson Wing to Providence Care for a new transitional care centre that is expected to open later in 2021, however KHSC will use a portion of the main floor

for the alternate hospital facility.

Providence Care will be leasing this site until 2027.

Though the facility is not currently in use, it was designed to be quickly activated in the event of hospital capacity challenges. If activated, the 70-bed facility would provide care for n o n - C O V I D, medically stable patients who require clinical support.

The temporary facility is stocked with supplies, equipment, and technology, and medical support teams are prepared to be rapidly mobilized when needed.

major challenge: addressing the historical accounts of the lack of safety students feel in the AMS. “I think a lot of challenges came from the historical impact of the AMS and how safe our spaces were, but [...] a lot of really meaningful changes [were] made by our team this year that I’m really proud of, and I hope they will help the AMS continue being a sustainable and safe organization, and hopefully be more welcoming for all students.”

Den Otter, Henriques, and Samoyloff all thanked their executive team, AMS volunteers, and all AMS club members for their hard work this term.

“Everyone really stepped up,” Samoyloff said. “[I’m] definitely very thankful for the AMS team and everyone for really getting creative and giving it the best shot that they could.”

In looking ahead to the next year at the AMS, team AJA hopes team RTZ is able to continue filling fill the gaps in resources offered by the AMS. Team RTZ consists of President-Elect Zaid Kasim, Sci ’21, Vice-President (Operations)elect Tiana Wong, ArtSci ’21 and Vice-President (University Affairs)-elect Ryan Sieg, Kin ’21.

“Something I’m hopeful for is to see the continued efforts to increase engagement on campus,” den Otter said. “When campus starts to open again, seeing the different gaps that come from a year of remote work and having students come back to campus and allocating resources to gaps that are seen and to fill those.”

“Continue listening to students, continue to make their voices heard, and continue to make the changes you would like to see on campus.”

In leaving words of advice for RTZ going forward, Samoyloff hopes the incoming executive is able to lean on each other.

“That’s the biggest advantage you have as an executive. You run together and you build such a close relationship. Nobody else really knows what’s going on and what your job means except for the three of you,” she said.

“Lean on each other for support, be honest in the work you’re doing, and keep a positive attitude and remember why you’re here and why you’re doing this.”

News

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ASUS hires new General Manager as part of ASUS 130 reform “As ASUS has continued to grow […] we’ve realized and recognized a need for more oversight of someone who isn’t 20 and 21 years old, and who’s had a little more experience,” Matt D’Alessandro, ASUS vice-president, said in an Julia Harmsworth interview with The Journal.

Assistant News Editor The General Manager position is an expansion of ASUS’s As part of its ASUS 130 current permanent staff member initiatives, the Arts and Science position, originally a low-level Undergraduate Society (ASUS) accounting role. has revamped its permanent With the addition of the second staff position to implement a ASUS Vice-President—also part General Manager. of the ASUS 130 reforms—these Sean Thompson, ArtSci ’83, was financial responsibilities will appointed ASUS General Manager fall under the portfolio of the on March 29.

Vice-President (Operations).

Thompson will focus on Thompson will be involved long-term growth for ASUS with less bookkeeping and more and provide oversight for oversight. He will help the Vicehigher-level Society operations, President (Operations) with financial management, and managing compliance procedures, legal procedures. upholding the bookkeeping ASUS 130 is a package of system, and following other reforms intended to instigate financial procedures. long-term growth following the “[It’s] being aware and Society’s 130th anniversary. identifying all of the key steps During the February necessary to keep this society going, referendum, ASUS secured a $4.76 and then working to fill those increase to its $26.79 mandatory gaps where the [Vice-President student fee to fund the reforms.

(Operations)] might be lacking a

Executive revamps permanent staff position

The ASUS 130 reform was passed at referendum in February.

little bit in terms of just the experience that they’ve had,” D’Alessandro said.

The General Manager will also help with legal matters and collaborations with legal councils, maintaining the operation of the ASUS house, making sure the ASUS executive team follows all policies and procedures, and maintaining relationships with stakeholders across the University.

According to D’Alessandro, the role is similar to permanent staff roles in other student societies at Queen’s, like the AMS and the Engineering Society.

The General Manager will also

Lauren said the interaction with Kingston Police was strange to her.

Queen’s student says Kingston Police neglected to press charges in assault Student tells The Journal about difficulty receiving support after March incident Cassidy McMackon Assistant News Editor According to one Queen’s student, the Kingston Police don’t always press charges when students are assaulted downtown, The Journal has learned.

PHOTOS BY MAIA MCCANN

help transition student leaders student positions within ASUS, into their roles during their while implementing someone who one-year terms. can advise them,” he said.

The incoming ASUS executive Thompson has extensive work team are currently transitioning and non-profit experience. He into their roles from the outgoing is currently the Vice-Governor executive members. D’Alessandro District 6 of Kin Canada and said this results in a significant has spent 19 years with The amount of time spent learning Marlin Company. how to do their jobs.

“He was the standout applicant “It is really difficult with these in our pool by a long shot,” one-year terms to preserve D’Alessandro said. “The first institutional memory from year thing that I really liked about to year,” D’Alessandro said. “I think Sean was his personality—he [the General Manager] will make has a very warm personality transition a lot more efficient and and, when you talk to him, a lot more effective.” he’s very genuinely excited to Though the General Manager interact with you and interact will oversee ASUS operations, with students.” they will not run them. They In a statement to The Journal, are there to advise and help Thompson said he’s “thrilled to student leaders, not control them, come full circle with Queen’s.”

D’Alessandro added.

“I am truly impressed at the “I think one of the most success that David, Matt, and their important things that we looked team has achieved in the creation, at when we […] thought about the acceptance, and adoption of the new General Manager position ASUS 130 Strategic Plan,” he wrote. is how do we maintain the “I really look forward to working professional development with Alyth and Brandon as their opportunities that we offer to term starts May 1.”

odd that they didn’t ask me for any then suggested he meet her at her details,” she said. home to speak more about the Kingston Police did not respond issue. Upon arriving at Lauren’s to a request for comment at the house, she said the officer was not time of publication. wearing a mask.

Lauren said she ended up When Lauren gave the officer calling the Kingston Police five more details on the story and hours after the incident took further explained the man had place because she didn’t receive attempted to assault her, the officer a phone call from them. After told her the police were “really identifying herself as a Queen’s busy” that day, and that Kingston student and expressing concerns Police “only has so many officers to the dispatch at the Kingston on call.” According to Lauren, the Lauren* said she was walking she said the man started yelling Police Headquarters, Lauren said police officer tried to reassure her in downtown Kingston at the at Lauren before trying to punch the dispatcher informed her that by telling her that not all people corner of Princess and Division and chase her.

Kingston Police weren’t able to that call 911 are able to get help.

Streets on March 2 when she saw “I was trying to get out of the do much to rectify the situation “He said ‘Oh, there’s lots of drug a man downtown harassing a situation, I was trying to run away,” and asked her “what do you want addicts in Kingston. They’re not woman and her dog. Lauren said she said. “Another guy came up to from us?” usually aggressive so we don’t the man appeared to be under the help me, [but] the guy that was Though she was eventually usually take cases like this seriously. influence of a substance “in a really trying to assault me at this point successful in convincing the This sort of thing happens all the bad kind of way.” had walked away.” dispatcher to put her in contact time. Just yesterday one of the “He just wasn’t leaving her alone, Lauren called 911 to report the with a police officer, Lauren said drug addicts punched a guy and and nobody was really helping her,” incident. After saying someone she found their interaction strange. we did arrest him but we had to she said. “I was really concerned had tried to assault her, the “I was trying to give him details let him go. They do this kind of for her safety, so I went over and dispatch only asked for Lauren’s about the man that tried to thing all the time, where they’re on pretended to know her to try to name, phone number, and where assault me and [he] was really drugs, they don’t mean any harm,’” get her out of the situation and the incident took place before just asking me for details about Lauren said. “He told me that they away from him.” telling Lauren she would get a myself,” she said. “It seemed like couldn’t help every single person After the woman managed phone call from Kingston Police he was trying more to make that calls 911, we’re always busy.” to walk away, Lauren said she later on to give a statement. small talk than actually get down was left on the same side of the “I don’t really know how police to the situation.” *Name has been changed for safety street as the man. At this point, protocol works, but it struck me as Lauren said the police officer reasons.

News

Thursday, April 8, 2021

A total of 234 cases have been identifed at Queen’s since Aug. 31.

PHOTOS BY MAIA MCCANN

Queen’s reports 59 active cases of COVID-19 Richardson stadium event delivers 300 doses of vaccine to Kingston community Claudia Rupnik News Editor Queen’s is reporting 57 active cases of COVID-19 off-campus as of Wednesday evening. The University’s case tracker is showing 21 new cases so far during the final

week of winter term, April 5-11.

A total of 234 cases have been identified at Queen’s since Aug. 31, including 25 in residence buildings and 209 off-campus.

The Queen’s community has accounted for 23.7 per cent of all cases in the region since March 2020.

Students can book an appointment for asymptomatic testing at the Student Wellness Services (SWS) testing centre at Mitchell Hall, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Appointments can be booked by calling SWS at 613-533-2506; however, evening appointments—4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.—can also be booked through the online portal.

Queen’s retailer donates $5,000 to Black Lives Matter, local Kingston organization Oil Thigh Designs follows through on donation pledge and new business model Simone Manning Assistant News Editor Amid a year of lockdown, Queen’s only student-run, non-profit retailer, Oil Thigh Designs (OTD) rallied to donate $5,000 to Black Lives Matter and Almost Home, a local Kingston charity that works with sick children and families, as its annual charitable donation.

Mitch Kalins and Lauren Chin, OTD’s managing directors, told The Journal the executive selected these charities following a pledge last summer to Black Lives Matter and Reclaim the Block, a grassroots organization in Minneapolis that works to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget.

The selection process traditionally begins with the executives pitching four Kingston charities for consideration, including polls on social media for community input, Kalins said.

This year, the retailer decided to make the BLM donation decision internally but collected feedback for the local charity selection on a Facebook poll.

“For BLM and Reclaim the Block, both

charities [are] committed to a fight against inequality and injustice,” Chin said. “In the summer when a lot of us were just starting to educate ourselves, we wanted to follow through on that process.”

Regarding the transition to remote sales, Kalins said OTD underwent significant changes to the business over the past year.

Kalins said staff members were unable to access the brick and mortar store in the JDUC during the Fall 2020 semester due to COVID-19 restrictions. This resulted in the company storing and packing inventory at Kalins’ home. The team is also working with Canada Post to manage contactless porch pick-ups, deliveries, and shipping.

“We had to change the way we did sales as well,” Kalins told The Journal.

“Typically, we make the majority of our money from HOCO and St. Patrick’s Day, where we get most of our revenue and where we get most of the money we use to donate […] this year we didn’t have that kind of sales volume.”

Instead, OTD shifted sales to stay-athome loungewear, including sweatshirts and sweatpants.

The retailer also launched a streetwear sale, in which students could order a print of their house number and a map of the immediate off-campus neighbourhood on merchandise. The website includes a section for custom apparel.

Read the full story at queensjournal.ca/news

queensjournal.ca • 5

The Queen’s case tracker is showing 21 new cases during the final week of class.

There are currently 89 active cases in the KFL&A region. Since the pandemic was declared last March, there have been 1,005 cases, including 125 confirmed variant of concern cases and one death.

As vaccine rollout continues, Queen’s lent the Richardson Stadium parking lot to a drive-through vaccination event Wednesday evening. The event was organized by primary care providers in the Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) region.

Some local high school students volunteered to assist in directing traffic to the appropriate entrance for the clinic.

Queen’s told The Journal the clinic was part of a larger effort by primary care

providers in KFL&A to vaccinate 500 people across the region in a three-hour period on Wednesday. Clinics were also offered in rural areas by family physician offices in those areas.

Three hundred doses were designated for administration at Richardson Stadium, with an additional 200 going to the rural clinics. All available slots for vaccination were claimed ahead of the event.

“As a community partner, Queen’s is pleased to support KFL&A’s primary care providers’ efforts to fight COVID-19 by making the stadium parking area available for this immunization event,” the University wrote in a statement to The Journal.

SIC announces Equity Grant to compensate students Grant recognizes students committed to anti-oppression and social justice Simone Manning Assistant News Editor The Social Issues Commission (SIC) announced an Equity Grant open to student applicants until April 16.

According to AMS SIC social media, eligible students may apply to receive compensation for ongoing commitments to anti-oppression and social justice work.

Social Issues Commissioner Angela Sahi told The Journal that the SIC believes in fair compensation for all student labour, but limited funding resulted in a preference shown for applicants demonstrating financial need.

“The application offers a space to communicate personal circumstances that might be relevant for our consideration,” Sahi said.

“Our goal will be to offer [compensation to] as many students as possible for their work.”

The SIC budgeted a total of $20,000 toward all offered grants and bursaries, according to Sahi. This amount is allocated across the Equity Grant, Black History Month Grant, and Robert Sutherland Prize.

Following a budget review last May, Sahi expressed her disappointment in finding a steady decline of the SIC budget over the past four years. “[This left] less and less funding available to allocate towards our committees, educational programming, and grants— all of which are vital to the Commission’s operations and ability to fulfill our mandate,” Sahi said.

Sahi said she’s worked with the AMS Executive to restore the budget and allocate a substantial portion towards funding that can financially support the work of students and student groups.

The selection committee varies each year, Sahi said, with current grant

applications initially reviewed alongside internal SIC volunteers and additional AMS representatives.

Sahi said the grant seeks to recognize students who have a stated commitment to anti-oppression and social justice.

These commitments include anti- racism efforts; LGBTQ2S+ rights; decolonization; Indigenous solidarity; financial literacy; EDII, cultural & ethnic representation; accessibility; sexual & gender-based violence prevention and support; gender-based advocacy; and food insecurity.

Regarding the importance of the grant, Sahi said students have been explicitly clear about the need to increase existing and new avenues for financial aid.

“We also recognize the significant amount of unpaid student labour that the University and student governments rely upon to inform their work,” Sahi said.

“While Queen’s [Senior Leadership Team] understands the value students bring and have communicated the intention to create more opportunities to compensate students for their labour, we have yet to see any concrete efforts towards completing this goal.”

According to Sahi, the Equity Grant is expanding to incorporate opportunities to recognize and provide financial support for students engaging in equity, social justice, and anti-oppression work.

“While the Social Issues Commission stands for fair compensation for all labour, we also recognize the distinct challenges and barriers that accompany anti-racism/ anti-oppression work,” she said.

Sahi said students are dedicating time and effort towards emotionally burdensome and exhaustive work, yet continue to be unrecognized and undervalued.

“With the drastic increase in mainstream attention on anti-racism and EDII, this year has been especially difficult for student activists who have been called upon to educate and inform their peers while also trying to navigate their own lived experiences,” Sahi explained.

“I want to acknowledge that the Equity Grant does not offer an ongoing initiative that can sustain itself, but rather a short-term method to offer compensation that the University should be supplying.”

6 • queensjournal.ca

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Features

PHOTOS BY MAIA MCCANN

‘It’s split us in half ’: First-years look back on a year of COVID-19 Virtually finding a place at Queen’s Julia Harmsworth Assistant News Editor Phoebe Schneider, ArtSci ’24, spent half the year in residence. She told The Journal that, because of this, her first-year experience likely didn’t mirror those stuck at home.

After an academic year dominated by remote learning due to COVID-19, The Journal sat down with three first-year students to compare their experiences.

Schneider spent the fall term living in Leonard Hall residence. Since winter break and the December provincial lockdown, however, she’s been at home in Prince Edward Island.

“The whole reason I went to residence in the first place was to experience campus, so when they shut down the libraries and the study buildings and the dining halls, it just wasn’t worth it money-wise for me to go back,” she said in an interview with The Journal.

When COVID-19 cases rose in the Kingston region in December, the University closed libraries, the ARC, and other services.

They were opened later in the winter term, but last month, after an outbreak was declared in Watts Hall, they were shuttered again.

“I really miss it, I really liked residence. It just was not worth the money to be locked in my room and just be scared of COVID all the time,” Schneider said.

Residence was not guaranteed this year.

Only single and single plus rooms were offered, reducing residence capacity by approximately 50 per cent.

Students in residence were expected to eat and socialize within their ‘households,’ or the fellow students living on their floor.

Floors were not supposed to mix.

Despite the changes made to residence this year, Schneider still said she “loved it.” She was able to meet people and build friendships despite the remote environment, and most of these friends came from her floor.

“There was definitely a lot of COVID fear […] but I think it was a really great way to get to know Queen’s and get to know a lot of people,” she said.

“If I didn’t move to res in the first place, it would have been a completely different year, and I feel very, very sorry for the people who didn’t get the chance to come to res, because I think it’s split us in half.”

Schneider isn’t in touch with anyone from her frosh group—her frosh leaders were great, she said, but only a couple of first-

years showed up to each virtual session.

Despite this, she still feels involved in the campus community. Schneider volunteered at the Good Times Diner, is an executive member of Queen’s Period, and is an Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS) intern, meeting a number of people through these experiences.

“It’s been a really, really great way to feel part of the community,” she said. “If I’d stayed at home, I likely wouldn’t have done any of those things […] so I can totally understand how it’s really difficult to feel connected at all to Queen’s if you’re not on campus.”

Though she does feel connected to campus and has made some strong friends, Schneider said her first year at Queen’s has been “disappointing.”

“Queen’s does have that social life reputation […] and the fact that we didn’t get it this year is sad, but I just think that it’s gonna mean that after COVID, it’s gonna be even better than before.”

Schneider will be living off-campus next year with some people from her floor. She said off-campus living is a “huge issue” for those who didn’t land a spot in residence this year—without being on campus, it’s hard to find housemates and learn how Kingston housing works.

“To be in residence, where I’d be stuck in my room, alone […] would be really hard”

Ezri Wyman, ArtSci ’24, is also living off-campus next year in a house with three other students. She knows two of them—one she met in her physics tutorial, and one she knew from before Queen’s.

She’s signed a lease but has never seen the house.

Wyman has lived at home in Toronto throughout the entire 2020-21 academic year. She applied to live in residence in the fall term but deferred her acceptance to the winter term to see how the pandemic would progress.

She eventually rejected her spot altogether because she lives in a highrisk household thinking that, should she come to residence, she wouldn’t be able to visit home.

“To be in residence, where I’d be stuck in my room, alone, and not be able to see other people, or cook, or bake, or any of that stuff, would be really hard,” she said.

She added living at home while studying at Queen’s has been “a little weird.” Though she lives with her sister, who also goes to Queen’s, she would’ve liked to be around more fellow Queen’s students.

“It would be nice to be with other people doing the same kinds of things,” she said.

Wyman said she’s barely been able to meet anyone in her first year at Queen’s.

She’s made two friends in her Physics tutorial group, the only people she’s stayed in touch with.

She doesn’t think her experience would have been much different if she lived in residence.

“I haven’t met a lot of people, but I interact with people from time to time, and there are people who I’m friendly with, but I think it’s harder online,” she said.

Like Schneider, Wyman hasn’t stayed connected with anyone from her frosh group. She said that, though she paid the $40 ASUS Orientation fee, she didn’t really get an orientation—her group had one Zoom meeting that was announced 30 minutes prior to its starting time, and that was it.

Despite the remote environment, she’s been able to get involved with some clubs and activities on campus—she’s next year’s head of the Juggling Club and has written and illustrated for The Journal.

Overall, Wyman said the pandemic and remote learning has negatively impacted her social experience at Queen’s and, like Schneider, she doesn’t feel she’s attained that traditional first-year Queen’s experience. “[COVID-19 has] really made it a lot harder to make connections,” she said. “I think that the online environment can be really anonymous, and especially in some of my asynchronous courses, I don’t know any of my classmates.”

“I think professors, in terms of scheduling their courses, underestimate how important it is for students to be able to work with each other, and that makes it a lot harder when you’re really isolated.” “[H]ad [I] been in residence, I would also have had the opportunity to at least find a community where I felt [less] different.”

Andrea Santalla, ArtSci ’24, had a similar experience to Wyman. She originally planned on living in residence but opted to live at home in Markham for the fall and winter terms because of COVID-19 safety and financial concerns.

“I felt it wasn’t worth it to pay for the cost when I wouldn’t really be getting the full benefits of being in residence—you know, meeting people, that kind of stuff,” she said.

Santalla said that, had she lived on campus, she likely would have been able to meet more people and feel more accepted into the campus community.

“Being a person of colour, visibly so […]

I have to open my laptop and see a Zoom gallery full of people who are lighter than me, and they all look pretty much the same, and then I’m the only different one,” she said.

“I feel like, even though I would still have to face that if I had been in residence, I would also have had the opportunity to at least find a community where I felt [less] different.”

For the 2021-22 year, she’s planning on moving to Kingston, where she’ll live off-campus with her boyfriend. She’s considered trying to find other housemates but didn’t want to solicit housemates via Facebook—she doesn’t want to live with someone she doesn’t know.

Santalla said she’s been able to cope with remote learning on the academic side of things, though connecting with the Queen’s community or making friends has been a struggle.

“While I’ve met some people that I liked in my classes, I really can’t say that I’ve made any connections, because even once I meet those people […] it takes a lot more effort to keep up with them,” she said.

Like Schneider and Wyman, Santalla isn’t in touch with anyone from her frosh group.

She said the transition to remote Orientation Week was “the best [the University] could do” given the circumstances but, past that, it wasn’t ideal.

“They did their best,” she said. “I met people, like in passing, [but] I didn’t form any friendships or lasting relationships.”

She said she went to one of the Zoom meetings, but few people showed up and it felt “half-assed,” so her attendance stopped there.

“That’s what all this is: a big disappointment”

Santalla said she hasn’t been involved in as many clubs as she would have liked due to the remote environment. She was involved in Down There Piece of Mind, a show on campus. She liked the other people involved, but after the performance, those connections ended.

“We’re not in the same city, so the situational circumstances aren’t there for us to maintain the relationship,” she said.

Santalla met most of the people she knows through the PSYC 100 Discord group. She became a helper there and made connections with the other first-years in the group.

“We would go and rant about how lacking the PSYC 100 situation is,” she said.

“It’s different because all I know is their profile picture […] and the weird usernames.

It felt good to be supported even though it was anonymous.”

Santalla agreed with Schneider and Wyman—all three said they didn’t feel they attained the traditional, Queen’s first-year experience.

“That’s what all this is: a big disappointment,” Santalla said.

Thursday, April 8, 2021

queensjournal.ca

EDITORIALS Darts

Stolen by Smith Account details systemic violence at Queen’s School of Business: Over the summer and into the school year, the Instagram account ‘Stolen by Smith’ provided a platform for QTBIPOC students to share their experiences of discrimination at Queen’s School of Business. The account is a reminder of the painful experiences our fellow classmates have had to, and continue to, endure at Queen’s. ‘Stolen by Smith’ served as a prelude to Reform Smith: the hard work of a lot of students culminating into a list of reforms the University has mostly failed to act on.

Flags vandalized at Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre: Flags outside of Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre were vandalized last summer, only eight months after the antiIndigenous, anti-LGBTQIA2S+ incident at Chown Hall. The investigation was closed

by Kingston Police without any charges or arrests. Despite the University’s vows to make institutional change, little has been done to improve anti-racism on campus since.

School of Religion apologizes for “distressing violation” by hacker at Zoom event: An event held by the School of Religion was hacked by an anonymous user who portrayed swastikas, as well as other hateful and violent imagery including pornography, and used anti-Black, anti-woman, and Queerphobic language. Those affected witnessed the gross intrusion from their own homes—a further violation of personal safety and reminder that hate witnessed in a virtual setting is just as distressing as in person. While the University spoke about increasing cybersecurity, it failed to follow

Laurels Sir John A Macdonald officially scratched from law building: The removal of Macdonald’s name from Queen’s law building is a positive step toward recognizing the former prime minister’s violent legacy and working to create a safe space for students of all backgrounds at Queen’s. It shows the power of a community working together to advocate for change and is an example of the University listening to its students and enacting efficient change as such.

Queen’s to install free menstrual product dispensers next week: The free menstrual product dispensers installed on campus are just one example of the impactful work the Queen’s Period club has done over the past few years. While the dispensers should’ve been recognized as necessary a long time ago, and should be present in all washrooms, their installation is the result of women looking out for women.

Undergraduate Trustee looks to add definition of racism to the Student Code of Conduct: Undergraduate Trustee Shoshannah Bennett-Dwara’s work looking to add a definition of racism to the Student Code of Conduct is a prime example of the power of advocacy and students taking charge where the University has failed to.

This proposed addition is just one step toward addressing racism on campus and will hopefully hold students accountable for their actions in future.

Queen’s approves revisions to sexual violence policy: The revisions came after

The Journal’s Perspective

up with those affected the same way Queen’s Hillel and other student groups did following the incident.

“It was like a ghost town”: Inside Queen’s isolation residence: Students in Queen’s isolation residence following the Watts Hall outbreak raised concerns about the food and water quality as well as the academic impact of isolation. Stories shared by these students showed both the University’s lack of communication and bare minimum efforts to support its students in isolation.

Tipi damaged at Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre: Less than a month after the five Pride and Indigenous flags outside of the Centre were vandalized, Four Directions shared that the tipi in its backyard had been violated. The proximity of the two events highlights the continued racism on Queen’s campus. It’s yet another example of no one being held accountable by Kingston Police for a hateful act that threatens the safety of students on campus.

Queen’s won’t say how it’s disciplining students breaking COVID-19 regulations: After a series of house parties in the University District led to an increase of COVID-19 infections in December, Queen’s wouldn’t specify how it would hold students breaking public health directives accountable. Queen’s COVID-19 cases have only gone up since then, and its students now make up 23.7 per cent of Kingston’s total cases. The University’s noncommittal response to reprimanding students is part of a larger trend of Queen’s refusing to take hard stances for fear of deterring future applicants.

Ford government to appeal Student Choice Initiative court ruling in March: Over a year after it was struck down in court, the Ford government appealed the Student Choice Initiative (SCI) court ruling. If

uproar from the Queen’s community about the previous sexual violence policy, which introduced language that mandated professors to report disclosures of sexual violence to the University. The revised policy is more survivor-centric and places an emphasis on confidentiality; these are good steps, even if the policy overall has a long way to go.

International PhD students to pay the same tuition as domestic students: The lowered tuition fees for international PhD students is yet another example of student advocacy leading the way for change. The Instagram account ‘International at Queen’s’ raised discussions about the inequalities international students face on campus. While there’s more to be done, lowered tuition opens the door for more accessible education to a diverse range of applicants that will benefit Queen’s and its students alike.

Queen’s secures an increase of $258,000 in mental health funding: The Student Wellness Centre has a rough reputation on campus. Increased funding for mental health services is a positive step toward improving the centre and will hopefully go towards hiring more therapists, particularly those for marginalized students, Indigenous students, LGBTQ+ students, etc.

The additional funding is also a chance for Queen’s to be transparent about how it’s using the money to support students.

International graduate students now eligible to hold TA & RA positions: The pandemic hit international students particularly hard, forcing many to navigate travel restrictions, different time zones, and lost positions at Queen’s. The University originally claimed it could do little to help international graduate students looking to

•7

THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL re-instated, the SCI will disrupt fees deemed mandatory by the student vote. A decision won’t be made for a couple months, bringing only further uncertainty to the students inheriting campus clubs and organizations next year.

Student speaks out after ARTH 292 offers no course material for final six weeks of classes: ARTH 292 (Architecture 1900 to the Present) abruptly stopped offering students course material after Week Six, a direct contradiction to the University’s repeated claims that remote learning would be up to par with in-person classes. Students pay a great deal for their education and deserve to get their money’s worth; half a course just doesn’t cut it. The incident is just another example of students being expected to adapt to the pandemic, while some professors get away with less than the bare minimum.

AMS says ‘violence’ & ‘vandalism’ kept menstrual product dispensers out of men’s washrooms: According to the AMS and University, fears of vandalism kept menstrual product dispensers out of men’s washrooms after a “Take One, Leave One” box was vandalized earlier in the year.

The incident is a painful reminder of the transphobia on our campus and something the University and AMS have failed to follow up on or investigate further.

Queen’s misses initial deadline to collect donor funding for JDUC renovation: As of October, the University had raised only $3 million of the needed $10 million in funds for the JDUC renovation, yet another roadblock for the project. The amount of club space, in addition to the timeline of the project itself, is uncertain, highlighting a lack of transparency and communication from the University for a project that will impact students to come.

hold Teaching Assistant (TA) and Residence Don (RA) positions, but thanks to the work of students, they will now be eligible, giving international students equal opportunity and making Queen’s more worldly as a whole.

Project to bring more green spaces to campus: After a remote year, students can expect to see more green spaces on campus next year. This project is the result of the AMS commissioner of environmental sustainability—a fairly new position that’s already creating institutional change within the Queen’s—and will focus on reintroducing pollinator gardens to campus.

Queen’s National Scholar 2020-21 program supports Black Studies: Queen’s Black Studies Minor has been awarded two positions through the Queen’s National Scholar program. Considering Queen’s history of racism, this program is a positive step toward making campus a better, more equal place for all, particularly in academia—which, historically, has been white and colonial.

Queen’s Black Academic Society asks University for $12,000 minimum to support Black lives: Queen’s Black Academic Society (QBAS) was a force to be reckoned with this year. While it’s disappointing the University failed to give any money, it was inspiring to see QBAS unite campus groups at Queen’s and raise money to support Black lives. QBAS’s work was an impressive moment for Queen’s students.

It sent a clear statement that the student community supports its Black students, and even led Principal Patrick Deane to release a commitment to anti-racism.

—Journal Editorial Board

Volume 148 Issue 27 www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal Publishing since 1873

Editorial Board Editor in Chief Managing Editor Production Manager

Raechel Huizinga Matt Scace Tessa Warburton

News Editor Assistant News Editors

Claudia Rupnik Julia Harmsworth Simone Manning Cassidy McMackon

Features Editors

Carolyn Svonkin Aysha Tabassum

Editorials Editor

Chloe Sarrazin Ashley Chen

Editorials Illustrator

Ben Wrixon

Opinions Editor

Nathan Gallagher

Arts Editor

Alysha Mohamed

Assistant Arts Editor

Matt Funk

Sports Editor

Angus Merry

Assistant Sports Editor Lifestyle Editor

Shelby Talbot

Assistant Lifestyle Editor

Kirby Harris Jodie Grieve

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Maia McCann Lauren Thomas

Video Editor Assistant Video Editor

Francesca Lim Ryland Piche Hannah Strasdin

Copy Editors

BIPOC Advisory Board Members Audrey Henry Aisling Martins-Ezeifeaku

Meena Waseem

Contributing Staff Katie Bell Sarah Brodmann

Contributors

Staff Writers

Emily Clare Dharmayu Desai Julia Stratton

Business Staff Business Manager

Christine Mao

Sales Representative

Bronte Simon Yoli Wang

Fundraising Representative

Sonya Patel

Want to contribute?

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

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

Situated on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The Journal’s Editorial Board acknowledges the traditional territories our newspaper is situated on have allowed us to pursue our mandate.

We recognize our responsibility to understand the truth of our history.

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

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

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Contents © 2021 by The Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of The Journal.

Circulation 1,500

OPINIONS

8 • queensjournal.ca

Thursday, April 8, 2021

WHAT WILL YOU MISS MOST ABOUT THE JOURNAL? JODIE GRIEVE

TESSA WARBURTON

VOL. 147 ASSISTANT PHOTOS EDITOR

VOL. 146 ASSISTANT PHOTOS EDITOR

VOL. 148 PHOTOS EDITOR

VOL. 147 PHOTOS EDITOR VOL. 148 PRODUCTION MANAGER

Who knew that when my dad off-handedly suggested I join a student newspaper in first year, this would become my home away from home. I will miss all the laughter the newsroom Took me one year at The Journal to know I never wanted to work as a journalist, but I stayed holds on Thursday nights, coffee runs, making TikToks and all my good friends. I will not miss two more years because of the amazing people I met and knew I would meet. Aside from the Borat impressions, listening to Taylor Swift, and formatting for web. people, I’ll miss walking through the maze of chairs in the layout room, watching anyone but myself lay out their section, and the amazing sleep that always follows a Journal press night.

Now I have to find out what to do with 3 years worth of papers, I guess it's time to get into CLAUDIA RUPNIK paper mache.

VOL. 146 ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

VOL. 148 NEWS EDITOR

CHLOE SARRAZIN VOL. 147 COPY EDITOR VOL. 148 EDITORIALS EDITOR

I accepted this job a couple of days before Queen’s cancelled classes last March, imagining a more typical, in-person year at The Journal. Instead, thanks to Raechel and Matt’s leadership, my remote news room amazed me from afar with their enthusiasm for pursuing stories—and doing so with humour and empathy. This was a massive year for news, and the newsies rose After working for The Journal the past two years, there’s so many things I’ll miss: getting to to every challenge. I feel so lucky to have worked with this team of writers. meet and hangout with so many amazing people on staff (both at the house and over Zoom!), the adrenaline of a 3 a.m. pressnight, and the many, relentless Crig jokes I can only hope next year’s staff won’t be subjected to. Having Thursday nights free again just won’t be the same!

MATT FUNK

SIMONE MANNING

VOL. 148 SPORTS EDITOR

VOL. 148 ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

What I’ll miss most about The Journal are all the amazing stories that were shared with me in interviews. While the prospect of covering a year without sports seemed daunting initially, I think it allowed us to shine a light on the people that make Queen’s Sports so special.

I have had such an enriching and incredible experience at The Journal, gaining first-hand knowledge within a remote newsroom. Thank you to my outstanding section head and fellow staff members for the mentorship and support! Best of luck to incoming staff and contributors, I look forward to seeing what is in store for Volume 149.

CASSIDY MCMACKON

JULIA HARMSWORTH

VOL. 148 ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

VOL. 148 ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Even though I only got to know The Journal in my final year at Queen’s, I loved it with my whole entire heart. Aside from missing the excitement of getting assigned a big news story and seeing my name in print every week, I’ll miss the incredible community I got to spend my time with this year, both online and in-person. I’m beyond excited to see what all of us Though it involved a lot more Zoom than I was anticipating, I loved my year on The Journal. I'll do after The Journal, and excited to watch on as Volume 149 crushes it in the coming year. miss the thrill of reporting on a breaking news story, the satisfaction of getting a really good Thursday nights will forever hold a special place in my heart. quote, and the stress of student elections season. Most of all, I'll miss this team—they're some of the most passionate, intelligent people I've met at Queen's, not to mention the biggest Taylor Swift fans. I hope to be back for Volume 150, but, until then, good luck to 149.

ASHLEY CHEN

VOL. 148 EDITORIALS ILLUSTRATOR

NATHAN GALLAGHER VOL. 148 ARTS EDITOR

Being an editorial illustrator for The Journal has been one of the most memorable experiences I've had at Queen's. I'm going to miss the fun Zoom socials, weekly ed boards, and the late night rush to get my visuals in. I'm also so appreciative of having the room to experiment with my illustrations and personally grow as a result of it. Even though our time this year Writing for The Journal has been more fulfilling than any class or essay. I’m going to miss was virtual, I still felt like I was a part of the family. Thank you to the entire team for your interviewing amazing artists every week, and getting free early access to songs and movies. support, and congratulations to everyone for your accomplishments this year! Best of luck to Being Arts Editor for Volume 148 was the role of a lifetime and a privilege I won’t soon forget.

Volume 149!!

Arts

Thursday, April 8, 2021

queensjournal.ca • 9

Queen’s Creative Writing alum Liselle Sambury talks debut novel Blood Like Magic Sambury grateful for Professor Carolyn Smart’s mentorship

her how to be an active critic, to go in-depth with your comments and figure out how to help others with their writing in a way that’s constructive and meaningful. She said the experience made her a better writer and self-critic too.

“I’m really, really happy I had Carolyn for a professor,” she said.

“She’s always gone above and beyond. She kept contact with me throughout my time after Queen’s and that really meant a lot to me.

It shows she cares a lot about our careers as we go beyond.”

“I was really happy to have taken the class. It’s always great to have a community of other writers that are passionate about writing that you can discuss craft

with and that you can learn with. I think that’s what was great about [Smart’s] classes, is that there were so many people with different types of writing styles.”

Along with providing creative writing students with the space to work and a network of like-minded students to collaborate with, Smart provided Queen’s students with necessary technical writing skills, the stuff Sambury referred to as “plain craft skills.”

“I was very, very bad at formatting my dialogue and doing things like that. That was something that Carolyn had directly helped me with,” she said.

Blood Like Magic debuts on June 15, 2021 but it’s not the first

time Sambury has written a fulllength novel.

“One I wrote when I was 18 and it was not very good,” she laughed.

Her second book she wrote at 22 and actively tried to get it published but with no success—a combination of bad writing and bad solicitation etiquette, she said.

It took a lot of research on how to properly pursue publication but on Blood Like Magic, she had much less difficulty getting noticed.

“I queried for a month and a half before getting an offer from my agent.”

Her agent Kristy Hunter at Knight Agency then helped Sambury revise the book for six months. They sent it to editors and

after four months she received an offer from Simon and Schuster.

“Blood Like Magic is about a family of Black witches living in a near-future Toronto and in particular, [it’s about] 16-yearold Voya Thomas, who is forced to choose between killing her first love or losing her family’s magic forever,” Sambury said.

“It’s very steeped in Toronto. I’m from Toronto, and so I wrote it very much into the city but jumped over 50 or so odd years into the future and, of course, with magic.”

At Queen’s, Sambury wrote primarily mature literary fiction, meaning sophisticated and grounded stories, but eventually she decided to write in the style she likes most.

“Let me dip my toes into trying to write what I’m primarily reading,” she said.

By making her writing more personal, Sambury has found success.

“There’s a lot about family and strong family ties, and what it means to have expectations on you from your family when you’re still trying to figure out what you even want from yourself.”

From Lake Effect 6 to Blood Like Magic, Sambury is grateful for the mentorship of Carolyn Smart.

In a written statement to The Journal, Smart said of Sambury, “I always found her huge imagination thrilling, and was impressed by her hard work and kind workshop attitude.”

the house and saw something interesting,” Mugabe said.

“In lockdown, there isn’t much motivation to draw especially because I’m in the same environment. Who wants to draw their room over and over?”

Most students have been struggling with feelings of burnout and a lack of motivation as online school progresses.

Balancing schoolwork and attempting to create art has been a draining process for Mugabe, who noted the frustration of not being able to complete largescale art projects.

“I draw a lot, but I haven’t completed any substantial art pieces,” Mugabe said. “It’s really frustrating to feel like you’re not advancing in your art style or in the ways you learn art, especially since I had plans to take studio art classes this year.”

She was planning to expand her artistic range before the pandemic hit, but ever since the first lockdown, her work has been limited to primarily digital pieces.

“I’ve been doing digital art for a couple of years, but before

lockdown I had a good balance between traditional and digital art,” Mugabe said.

Mugabe has also been struggling with the lack of resources to create art and not wanting to expend the resources she has in case of another lockdown.

“Because stores are closing every other week, I can’t really go get new painting supplies, and I don’t want to waste the ones I have. I haven’t completed a lot of projects I feel proud of.”

The emotional impact of not being able to create art as an artist can be damaging.

By cutting off our access to the resources of normal life, eliminating studio spaces where art is created, and removing in-person environments where collaboration boosts creativity, COVID-19 has severely stifled artists.

“It feels like my style and my skill is waning; I don’t feel accomplished because I can’t have a physical painting in my hands,” Mugabe said.

After lockdown, Mugabe is most looking forward to collaborating with other artists and developing

her traditional art style by taking in-person classes.

“I really miss being able to talk with other students, specifically art students,” Mugabe said.

“When you’re painting with a lot of people, there’s a lot of sharing resources, information, and techniques—that’s part of learning when you’re able to talk in

person with people,” Mugabe said.

Although Mugabe has capitalized on the events of the past year to flourish as a digital artist, she will be grateful for the chance to round out her skills once again.

“I’m excited to practice traditional art again because it’s essential when you’re an artist.”

Nathan Gallagher Arts Editor Carolyn Smart’s Advanced Creative Writing class was the first time Liselle Sambury, ArtSci ’13, had her work published, but it won’t be the last.

Sambury will publish her first novel, Blood Like Magic, in June.

According to her, it wouldn’t have been possible without the mentorship of Queen’s creative writing professor, Carolyn Smart.

Sambury majored in English at Queen’s and took Smart’s Poetry and Prose course in her third year before gaining acceptance into Advanced Creative Writing where a handful of talented students collaborate on an anthology called Lake Effect.

“Having the class gave me a dedicated space to really focus on honing my craft and getting better,” Sambury told The Journal.

“It was good to have that group critique environment. You read your work and then everybody says something about it, and you get that direct feedback. It can be harder to find—once you’re outside of the school setting—to find critique groups like that.”

Sambury said Smart taught

Liselle Sambury’s first novel will debut June 15, 2021.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JODIE GRIEVE

Artists during lockdown: Visual artist Clanny Mugabe talks pandemic’s impact on practice Digital artist and painter talks to The Journal Alysha Mohamed Assistant Arts Editor Clanny Mugabe, ArtSci ’23, is a second-year student who explores themes of decolonization, mythology, and speculative fiction in her artwork. Like many artists, Mugabe has struggled to continue creating art as quarantine and lockdowns continue in Canada.

“COVID-19 has affected me for the worse,” Mugabe said in an interview with The Journal. “I know it’s cliché but going out into the world helps me feel more creative.”

Mugabe offered that in past years, her art was consistently inspired by the places and people around her. Naturally, quarantine has limited her sources of inspiration.

“Last [school] year, I was going out and I could sketch buildings and people. I would bring my sketchbook every time I left

Clanny Mugabe misses working with real paint.

SUPPLIED BY CLANNY MUGABE

10 • queensjournal.ca

Queen’s Journal alum Omar El Akkad talks upcoming novel What Strange Paradise El Akkad was published in the first Queen’s Creative Writing Anthology Lake Effect Nathan Gallagher Arts Editor On July 20, Omar El Akkad’s second novel What Strange Paradise will debut. But El Akkad’s creative writing career began on a different day: September 11, 2001, in Professor Carolyn Smart’s creative writing class.

“Our first class was Tuesday September 11, 2001. It was a few hours after the planes crashed into the towers. It was the first creative writing class I ever did, the first time I met Carolyn Smart. That was a day where there were a lot of terrified kids in that class and Carolyn did a herculean job of calming us all down,” El Akkad, CompSci ’04, told The Journal.

After his first class with Professor Smart, El Akkad was accepted into Advanced Creative Writing and become part of the first ever anthology Lake Effect, which publishes the work of Smart’s advanced students.

Nathan Gallagher Arts Editor The Grand Theatre, a performing arts hub of downtown Kingston, has been empty since the first lockdown of March 2020. Now, four artists will be given the chance to grace the stage.

Perhaps more than any other art form, the performing arts have been hit hard by the pandemic and social distancing measures. In response, The Grand Theatre Local Arts Residency was developed to support performers.

The deadline to apply is Apr. 23 and more details can be found on the City of Kingston’s website.

Thursday, April 8, 2021

“We sat there arguing about a name. One of the other guys in ‘What Strange Paradise’ comes out July 20, 2021. the class really wanted to call it Olive. So, it could have been called it out until 2 a.m. in the morning,” El was. College was an opportunity to the Olive Anthology if we hadn’t Akkad said. reset and see what type of person I overruled that and finally decided “In a sense The Queen’s Journal was going to be.” to call it Lake Effect,” El Akkad said. was a more difficult job in terms What Strange Paradise is “For me personally, and a lot of of what you were required to do to El Akkad’s second book after others in the class, it was the first get the thing out the door. It was an American War. time we had ever been published amazing education in how to exist “What Strange Paradise is a in a book. as a journalist that I still think is a repurposed fable,” he said. “It’s El Akkad’s first day as a student better one than I would have gotten the story of Peter Pan repurposed of Smart’s was overshadowed by if I had gone to journalism school.” as the story of a contemporary the tragic events of 9/11. Since While he cherishes his time child refugee.” then, American imperialism, unrest at The Journal, El Akkad said he The idea for the novel was in the Middle East, and the global identifies more as a novelist than prompted by his coverage of the refugee crisis have defined El a journalist.

Arab Spring for The Globe. While Akkad’s career in journalism “I was never particularly good at living in Egypt, he noticed that rent and fiction. it, but I spent 10 years at The Globe, prices for refugees were much “Everything I learned, I and I still do the occasional article higher than the normal rate. He basically learned at The Journal. every now and then.” began thinking about how Syria My entire education at Queen’s Born in Egypt, El Akkad came and Egypt used to be one country, basically came down to Carolyn to Canada for the first time when but now the idea of Arabs helping Smart’s creative writing class and he was 16.

Arabs seemed like “bullshit.”

The Queen’s Journal.”

He reflected on arriving at “I started sketching out this idea When he graduated from Queen’s for the first time. “I was of repurposing a fable because Queen’s, El Akkad ended up at the coming off of two years of fairly when I was writing this, there had Edmonton Journal and then The extreme culture shock,” he said. been this migrant crisis of ships Globe and Mail where he still writes “Where I grew up, we didn’t sinking across the Mediterranean, the occasional article. have public transit, we didn’t and no honest accounting of the “When you’re coming from The have taxes, we didn’t really have dead. These people fell to the Queen’s Journal there is this sense sidewalks. It’s difficult to overstate bottom of the sea and they were of, okay, sure the assignments are what leaving Qatar in August never given an honest accounting higher stakes and, obviously, more when it’s 50 degrees outside of their lives, their names were people read what you write, but at and coming to Montreal where never written anywhere, they least I don’t have to put the paper three months later it’s minus 40 just became ghosts. It’s an together myself afterwards. At outside—it’s hard to overstate how incredibly cruel abdication of least, I don’t have to sit there and lay much of a jarring experience that human responsibility.”

City council launches new Local Arts Residency at The Grand Theatre Residency will be first use of theatre space since March 2020

Arts

The Journal sat down with Danika Lochhead, manager of Arts and Sector Development at the City of Kingston, to discuss what they’re looking for from applicants.

“The [residency] is the most recent program that tries to think about how we can use the Grand Theatre in a way that supports local artists in Kingston,” she said.

“The goal of the residency is to provide the Regina Rosen space, offer professional development opportunities and support artists in the creation of new work.”

Four artists or teams of artists will be selected over the course of the summer. Each recipient will be offered the Regina Rosen Auditorium for a week to engage in any self-directed creation process of their choosing. Residents will also receive professional guidance from Grand Theatre

staff, and a $1,000 honorarium for artistic expenses.

“This residency aims to animate the Regina Rosen, but it will not be open to live performances,” Lochhead said.

“Essentially how it’ll work is artists will be able to come in to use the stage for rehearsal, practice, research. It will really be a chance for them just to focus on their own work, and then there will be one component of the residency that will include a [digital] public presentation.”

Lochhead touched on how damaging COVID-19 has been for

the performing arts community and how the residency seeks to undo some of that harm.

“The performing arts, particularly, is a gig economy. So many people have lost jobs in the performing arts sector. Venues are closed. Musicians, artists, actors are not able to perform in the way that they used to.”

The idea for the residency came about when Lochhead and her team were brainstorming ways to provide spaces for artists to work during the pandemic.

Rather than allow the Grand Theatre to continue going

Residency will reanimate The Grand Theatre.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JODIE GRIEVE

The true origins of the Peter Pan fable reminded El Akkad of the lives lost due to the refugee crisis.

“When we talk about peter pan syndrome, we usually talk about the man who won’t stop being a boy, the man who won’t grow up, but the original roots of that fable are related to [creator] J.M. Barrie’s brother who died as a child. He never got the chance to become old. It’s not a man who won’t stop acting like a child, it’s a child who never got the chance to become a man,” he said.

“I wanted to reinterpret that fable in the context of what is called the migrant crisis but is in in fact a crisis of institutional cruelty.”

El Akkad is unsure of how his book will be received but noted that it’s a very different book than American War. “The first four people I sent the manuscript to, had four differ interpretations of what happened in the novel, which was very surreal to me because I thought it was a fairly straightforward narrative.”

El Akkad’s contemporary fable What Strange Paradise will be published on July 20, 2021. unused, they realized that space could be offered to performers in Kingston who have been eagerly waiting to get back on stage.

“We had space which generally had been occupied by performances and events in non-COVID times, and we recognized an opportunitytousetheGrandTheatre in a way that it hadn’t been used before for the local arts community,” said Lochhead.

PHOTO BY JODIE GRIEVE

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Sports

Sports

queensjournal.ca •11

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON, WITH FILES FROM QUEEN’S ARCHIVES

Boo Hoo first arrived on campus in the early 1920s.

Bears and Gaels: Making sense of Queen’s symbolism

Looking at the origin story of Queen’s resident bear on campus and the later-adopted ‘Gaels’ identity Matt Funk Sports Editor Queen’s symbolism can be downright confusing. Many students end up graduating without ever finding out what a Gael is, and much less what its teddy bear mascot, Boo Hoo, has to do with anything.

The answer to the first question is relatively straightforward, which will be addressed later. But how a vest-wearing bear came to be Queen’s mascot is, for lack of a better word, strange—and still shrouded in mystery.

It’s believed that Boo Hoo first came to Queen’s in the early 1920s when Queen’s football trainer, Billy Hughes, started bringing his pet black bear to the Tricolour’s games, where she was walked up and down the sideline on a leash, eliciting cheers and battle cries from raucous Queen’s crowds.

Students and spectators took a shining to the cub almost immediately, so much that Boo Hoo was the inspiration of numerous pieces of music, like ‘Boo-Hoo’s march for piano’ and ‘Boo Hoo’s Queen’s Dominion Victory March.’

An excerpt from The Ottawa Journal in 1922 noted that Boo Hoo conducted herself in a “queenly demeanour” in a game against the University of Toronto.

According to a Queen’s yearbook in 1924, the legend of Boo Hoo soon spread “throughout the whole dominion of Canada.”

An obituary in that same yearbook mourned the loss of the ‘original’ Boo Hoo, who had died shortly after been given to a zoo in Watertown, NY. “She was at all times gentle and playful until with increasing age she grew rather

ferocious,” an excerpt read.

While it’s unclear how the name ‘Boo Hoo’ came about, it became the namesake of at least five bears, spanning the 1920s to the 1950s.

Although adored by the students, Boo Hoo’s level of care appears to have been quite shoddy. While there are no formal records of its residency at Queen’s, a previous Journal article noted some have suggested that Boo Hoo once lived in an animal enclosure on Barrie Street during the offseason, while other disturbing reports claim that Boo Hoo lived in the boiler room of the former Jock Harty Arena with Alfie Pierce.

At times, Boo Hoo was not kept in an enclosure at all, but rather roamed campus unsupervised.

In 1926, Kathleen Ryan, an Arts graduate, gave a speech where she described Boo Hoo roaming the campus, freely sitting atop Ontario Hall’s windows during early morning lecture hours.

“She was at all times gentle and playful until with increasing age she grew rather ferocious.

The bears were rarely kept until fully grown. Much like how they were acquired, where they went after their time at Queen’s is also a mystery. That same Journal article noted that some believe the bears were released to Algonquin Park, while others have claimed they were exiled to an island.

One thing, however, is clear, and it’s that Queen’s loved to be known as the school

with a bear on campus.

“I guess then they just loved having a bear mascot and were known for it so they just kept getting others,” Queen’s archivist,

Boo Hoo in 1927.

CREDIT: QUEEN’S ARCHIVES

Deidre Bryan, told The Journal.

By the mid-1950s, the growing impracticality of having a live bear on campus alongside a growing concern regarding animal rights lead Queen’s to discontinue the Boo Hoo lineage. However, the notion of Queen’s being represented by a bear stuck around.

In 1980, ‘Boo Hoo’ reappeared, but it was now donning a plaid tam and

vest—appearing like a cousin of Yogi Bear—and was embodied by a member of Queen’s bands inside the suit. Even in its new form, the students’ admiration for Queen’s mascot persisted.

In 2015, The Journal spoke with the woman behind the Boo Hoo mask, Claire Frye, who described what it was like to act as Queen’s mascot.

“It was amazing. The unconditional love that people had for whoever personified the bear both inside and outside of the suit was really encouraging and sweet,” she said.

As for what a Gael is?

According to Merriam-Webster, a Gael is a Scottish highlander or a Celtic, especially Gaelic-speaking inhabitant of Ireland, Scotland or the Isle of Man. Prior to 1947, Queen’s teams were referred to as the Tricolour, however, the new name was coined by The Kingston Whig-Standard after Queen’s had started donning golden football uniforms. The first reference to the new name read in a headline: “The Golden Gaels of Queen’s University were thumped 52-3

by Western.”

Much like Boo Hoo, Queen’s team name also started by happenstance, but just caught on. While a bear might seem like a weird manifestation of Queen’s Gaelic heritage, it might be for the best.

“All our teams are labelled ‘The Golden Gaels’,” Frye said. “But, if you ask me, that’s not a very relatable or fun figure to look to for encouragement during a game.”

“This is why I think Boo Hoo, or any animal-type mascot, is particularly important for the Queen’s community.”

With files from Rachel Herscovici

12 • queensjournal.ca

Sports

The COVID year: Queen’s student-athletes look back on the lost season

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Queen’s pioneers cycling association as Gaels lead the peloton in inaugural virtual championship Virtual cycling championships an all-around success Dharmayu Desai Staff Writer

In light of COVID-19, the Queen’s cycling team adopted a unique and innovative approach to provide an exciting season over the past year, which culminated this past weekend.

The Journal reached out to Ben Ernewein, the President of Queen’s Cycling Club, to gain more insight into the cycling season and the team’s founding of the Canadian Collegiate Cycling Association (CCCA).

“One of the biggest struggles with COVID has been losing a lot of the in-person team events, especially because the social aspect is such a big part of our sport,” he said.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JODIE GRIEVE Zane Grossinger (left) and Erik Siksna (right) reflect on a truly unsusual year.

The team traditionally competes in the Ontario U-Cup Mountain Bike Series nothing,” he said.

“Queen’s implemented a really good during the fall, which takes place over four Luckily, at the tail end of the summer, he return to play protocol,” he said. “So weekends all across Ontario. In the spring, was offered a spot at Volleyball Canada’s whenever we were able to go back they then compete in the ECCC road series National Excellence Program, which acts into the gym, it was in progressions in the US. as a training ground for some of the best that aligned with the public health These events were cancelled, and with talent in the country. Due to the year-long safety regulations.” no Canadian competitions there was an sports cancellation, he ended up staying “Through those small groups, we evident issue for the cycling team. Hence, the in Gatineau with the program for most of got a lot of reps, individual reps, which CCCA was founded to make progress in the this year. allowed us to build our technical skills. We Canadian cycling scene during a season that “The original plan was the program was never got a chance to play actual team otherwise wouldn’t have happened.

Angus Merry supposed to be September to December, volleyball, which is something I miss dearly, “The creation of the CCCA was inspired by Assistant Sports Editor because they were hoping the university but we got to build the foundation that the lack of national organization to connect season would resume in January,” he said. will benefit us a lot in the future when and highlight collegiate teams from across With the school year nearly over, it’s safe However, after the second COVID-19 we compete.”

Canada. One of the biggest issues right now is to say that this year hasn’t been ideal for wave in December, they extended the Noting how team morale has been that students simply don’t know that cycling anyone—student-athletes included. program to the rest of the year. consistently high throughout the year, clubs and teams exist at Canadian schools,” Following varsity sports being cancelled Siksna said working with high-level Grossinger lauded the team’s coaching staff he said. indefinitely back in the fall—with many coaches like Dan Lewis, a former libero for placing an emphasis on interpersonal “We want to provide students and restrictions forbidding team gatherings and for the Canadian national team, has communication. He felt that the level of administrations with resources to help build practices—student-athletes have had to worked wonders for his game, particularly support they’ve provided has gotten them teams or clubs at their own schools.” adjust to seeing and being with their team his passing. through the tougher times over the past The association held a series of virtual far less over the past 12 months.

“I felt like I improved a ton, just in all few months when greater restrictions have events starting in a virtual setting of The Journal sat down with two members aspects of my game,” he said. been in place.

Montreal, followed by Vancouver and of the men’s volleyball team, second-year “Honestly, I can’t even say enough about it, While Grossinger is graduating Toronto. The championship followed a outside hitter Erik Siksna, Comm ’23, and how much I felt that it benefitted me.” this year, he said the team is heading virtual route in Kingston and was dubbed fourth-year setter and Co-Captain Zane Looking forward to next year, Siksna said in the right direction down the the Kingston Cup. Depending on the category, Grossinger, Kin ’21. that although the fate of the season is still line, citing the strides they’ve made the race was either a 60 or 80 kilometreFresh off their second OUA uncertain, he and the rest of the team are toward stronger passing as one of the long route around Kingston using cycling championship in three years, the volleyball nonetheless preparing as if it’s still going primary reasons. simulation software. team was poised to make a deep run to happen.

“At the end of the day, if you can pass and Ernewein believes another such event is at last year’s U Sports championships “The way we’re looking at it, we’re just serve well, you’re going to win volleyball inevitable. in Manitoba. Yet, a day before their first saying, ‘okay, we’re ready for next season if it matches,” he said.

“There’s already lots of interest from the quarterfinal game, the tournament was comes in October,’ and until someone tells us “We were already good at it, but we’re other teams to host some version of it every cancelled due to COVID-19. otherwise, we’re going to be ready for that,” even better now, so they’re going to be year. I think it would fit well into our race Siksna, who was awarded U Sports he said. dangerous next year.” schedule in January and February to help rookie of the year last year, felt bittersweet Zane Grossinger, one of the team’s Looking back on his experience prepare for the ECCC road season when about how the season ended. captains, discussed his experience from the over the past 12 months, Grossinger it resumes.”

“By the end of OUAs there, we were kind past year. said it was unfortunate he wasn’t able “For the near future we want to continue to of playing at our best that we had been all Echoing a similarly bittersweet to play competitively again, but it has showcase the Canadian collegiate scene and year, so obviously, having it cancelled, you sentiment about the 2019-2020 nonetheless given him ample time to look keep growing it as much as possible. Long know, the day before our quarterfinal game season, Grossinger said being unable to back on how much he’s enjoyed his time term the possibilities are endless. Hopefully, at nationals wasn’t ideal,” he said. “But that compete at nationals was “heartbreaking,” at Queen’s. the association will spur the creation of new being said, it was still an awesome year. I especially considering the men’s volleyball “It’s given me a chance to reflect on all the teams and events right here in Canada.” really enjoyed it.” program has never medaled at the amazing moments I’ve had while wearing Queen’s finished the Kingston Cup Over the summer, Siksna was unable to U Sports Championships. that Queen’s Gaels jersey […] time to reflect comfortably ahead of the rest of the pack play volleyball for long stretches of time; Unlike Siksna, however, Grossinger and be grateful for my coaches and my with 895 points on the circuit—superseding after the tryouts for Canada’s junior national was on campus this year with the team, teammates and everyone who’s helped me the University of Toronto with 766 points team were postponed, he wasn’t sure and spoke to how they have adjusted along the journey.” and the University of Ottawa with 549 when he would be able to get back on the to safety protocols resulting from “It is sad to look back and know that this points. Notably, Ryan Rudderham and Chloe court again. the pandemic. was my last year, but nothing from this year DesRoche represented Queen’s, finishing “It was kind of weird because I went from The first thing he mentioned was Queen’s takes away from all of the great things that in first place in their respective races. Gaels playing full-on volleyball every day to just handling of athletic reintegration. have happened in the past three.”

Mitchell Robinson and Kaitlyn Shizake also ended their races in podium positions.

Queen’s volleyball’s Erik Siksna and Zane Grossinger weigh in on their experiences over the past year

LIFESTYLE

Thursday, April 8, 2021

queensjournal.ca

• 13

Lifestyle

If your partner consents to having sex with a condom, it must stay on the whole time.

PHOTO BY JODIE GRIEVE

Stealthing: what you need to know about this form of sexual violence The dangers of non-consensual condom removal Katie Bell Contributor This article discusses sexual assault and may be triggering for some readers. The Journal uses “survivor” to refer to those who have experienced sexual assault. We acknowledge this term is not universal. The Kingston Sexual Assault Centre’s 24-hour crisis and support phone line can be reached at 613-544-6424 / 1-800-544-6424.

‘Stealthing’—the non-consensual removal of a condom before or during intercourse—isn’t a sex trend. It’s a form of sexual violence that can pose serious health risks.

Not only does stealthing increase the risk of pregnancy for people with vaginas and potentially expose the perpetrator’s partner to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), it also breaches trust and violates consent.

When someone consents to sex, it doesn’t mean they automatically consent to having sex without a condom. If you want to know if your partner would like to have sex without a condom, an explicit, direct conversation needs to happen. If your partner only consents to having protected sex with a

condom, their consent to have sex with you doesn’t grant you the authority to make that decision for them and take off the condom.

Men may decide to commit stealthing because they claim sex feels better for them without a condom, but it can also bring with it an enticing sense of power and thrill. Nonconsensual condom removal is rooted in misogyny—it allows the perpetrator to feel like they have authority or dominance over their sexual partner.

Perpetrators may remove the condom if they are in a dark room and think their partner cannot see. Certain positions also make it easier for someone to take off a condom without their partner knowing.

Some men even purposely damage the condom before it’s put on.

Every person’s story is different. Some people may not know they have been violated until their partner has ejaculated.

Others may not know until the next day once the perpetrator decides to notify them.

People who commit stealthing are putting their sexual desires over their partner’s health and comfort.

Not only is there an increased risk for contracting an STI for both parties, but there’s a higher risk of an unwanted pregnancy. Stealthing also violates someone’s sense of trust that they had put in their partner beforehand, and it can make someone feel violated and disrespected. Consensual sex is something both parties have agreed to engage in, and one person not

respecting the other’s boundaries is extremely demeaning.

Personally, I’ve experienced stealthing myself. At the time, I didn’t realize it was sexual assault because no one ever talks about it. It took me close to a year to really come to terms with it. When I began talking about it, I was surprised by the number of people I knew who had experienced something similar. Like me, they felt violated and wronged at the moment but weren’t sure where to go from there.

I had explicitly said to the person I was only going to have sex with a condom, but he had asked prior to go condom-less. I remember the room was dark, and I couldn’t see that he had taken off the condom. When I noticed, it was too late. I was in shock, and I froze. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I felt helpless.

Looking back now, I realise what had happened was not okay—not just the fact that he did it against my consent, but because he didn’t care about any of it at all.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t thought twice about it afterwards. He didn’t care about potential pregnancy or STIs—the only thing he cared about was himself.

Some countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany, are classifying non-consensual condom removal as a form of rape or sexual violence. In 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada sentenced a man to 18 months in prison after he deliberately pierced holes in the condom without his partner’s knowledge.

Canada and some European countries have brought action against men in court who were found guilty of non-consensual condom removal, as it violates the concept of conditional consent. This means that even though someone has consented to one thing, this does not mean you consented to something else, including the removal of a condom. Additionally, in many countries, knowingly transmitting an STI without telling the other person is punishable by law.

In hookup culture, like that at Queen’s, perpetrators may believe they are more likely to get away with stealthing because they never plan on seeing the person they’re having sex with again. In this context, it’s dangerously easy for someone to use their power over another and see it as unproblematic.

If you are a victim of stealthing, it’s not your fault. Your partner chose to break your trust and your consent, and they are fully responsible.

You may find it helpful to talk to your friends or a counsellor who can support you and help you through any emotions that you may have from the experience. Additionally, you can also get tested for STIs and take a ‘morning after’ contraceptive if needed.

Sex is meant to be enjoyable for both parties, not just one. It’s also meant to be safe and consensual, not something that breaks your trust. Stealthing isn’t an acceptable part of hooking up. It’s sexual violence—and you should never, ever choose to commit it against your partner.

diagonally in a southern part of the Suez Canal on March 23, completely blocking traffic through the waterway. Diggers and tugboats worked tirelessly to dig out and re-float the ship, successfully doing so almost a week later, on March 29, after a combination of high tides and 13 tugboats managed to free the 220,000 metric ton ship. Cheers and honks were heard from the salvage teams that helped free the ship.

It’s obvious, given the intense public focus, that the six days Ever Given spent stuck in the Suez Canal was an important event—but why?

The Suez Canal is an artificial waterway that connects the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. It’s one of the most important shipping lanes in the world since it allows

ships to avoid sailing around the Horn of Africa to travel between Europe and Asia, reducing travel by thousands of kilometres.

The canal opened in 1869 and took 20 years to build. It’s had immense impacts on maritime shipping routes—before the Suez Canal, boats would have to travel around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa through dangerous and turbulent waters. Because the canal cuts down on fuel use and travel time, the shortcut now sees over 10 per cent of global trade pass through it.

Memes aside, this blockage was a monumental problem for the shipment of cargo. Over 360 ships were stuck in a traffic jam behind the Ever Given, and many others were rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, a costly venture in time and money.

In addition to costs for rerouting, the blockage held up $9.6 billion in goods for each day Ever Given was stuck. The cost of damages and losses from the blockage is an estimated $1 billion.

The massive ship is now anchored in Great Bitter Lake—a lake along the Suez

Canal—and there will be a thorough investigation into how it became stuck.

Egyptian authorities and other experts will look into the canal pilots aboard the Ever Given and their possible role in the grounding, as well as potential mechanical failures and the impact of high winds, all to figure out why the Ever Given veered off course during bad weather to become lodged in the canal bank.

In an attempt to clear the backlog of boats trapped behind the Ever Given, Egyptian officials are hoping to more than double the number of ships passing through the Suez Canal. The blockage was costly and disruptive, but incidents like this in the canal are exceedingly rare.

Although the Ever Given provided the world with a news story that was quite light-hearted compared to most of our regular news these days, we should be glad the big boat is unstuck so that global trade can continue as normal.

Understanding the Suez Canal crisis

Breaking down the event beyond the memes Sarah Brodmann Contributor By now, you’ve probably heard about the large boat that was stuck in the Suez Canal. It took the internet by storm, prompting the birth of many memes and piquing the interest of people around the world. Everyone wanted to know what was happening with the ship named Ever Given.

The Ever Given, one of the largest container ships in the world, became lodged

LIFESTYLE

14 • queensjournal.ca

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Why Paris Hilton is #BreakingCodeSilence Explaining the movement to expose the Troubled Teen Industry Kirby Harris Assistant Lifestyle Editor

A good night's sleep is essential.

PHOTO BY JODIE GRIEVE

Four tips for a better sleep Quick advice to help you improve your rest Julia Stratton Staff Writer We’ve all been here: you have an important day of exam prep to do tomorrow, but you just can’t fall asleep.

You know you need to get to sleep because you have a busy day ahead, but you can’t get comfortable.

Despite repeatedly reminding yourself that you must fall asleep, your mind keeps playing out random situations or annoying songs until you eventually drift off into a restless snooze.

The next morning, you still have work to do—but now you have to do it with a foggy, sleep-deprived brain.

If this resonates, you’re in the right place. Getting a good night’s sleep is something I’ve struggled with on and off throughout university. Over time, I’ve come up with a list of things that, when practised consistently, help me settle down and rest.

Keep your phone outside your bedroom

We all know that looking at your phone before you go to bed is bad for sleep.

For most of my life, I kept my phone in my room and was fairly good at not looking at it right before going to bed. Some days, however, I would get pulled down an internet rabbit hole.

When I eventually pulled myself back to reality, I’d have an ominous feeling that I was about to have a terrible sleep.

Now I put my phone in the kitchen before I go to sleep.

This eliminates any temptation to look at my phone and signals to my brain that it’s

time to put my busy life away and relax.

Pro tip: Whenever I tell people that I don’t keep my phone in my room they ask, “Well how do you know what time it is and what do you do for an alarm?”

Simple: get a clock.

Create and stick to a wind-down routine

When done consistently, a wind-down routine tells your body it’s time to go to bed soon. I like to do this after I put my phone away so I can completely dedicate my time to relaxing.

Your wind-down routine can be anything as long as it’s relaxing. Personally, I like to read and write in my journal in my living room.

Not doing either of these activities in my bed is important, because then as soon as I get in my bed for the night, I’m relaxed and my body knows that it’s time to sleep.

Make your bed

There’s something satisfying about getting into a made bed before going to sleep. No matter how many unchecked boxes are on my to-do list is, when my bed is made, I feel like I’m a productive person who has earned their right to relax and sleep.

Don’t listen to music that hypes you up

I enjoy listening to fun music when I brush my teeth.

However, my choice of music would be more appropriate for pre-ing before going to a club than getting ready to shut my brain off for the night.

Whenever I do this, I always regret it when I get in bed and can’t get my brain to quiet down and stop replaying songs. If you’re going to listen to music before going to bed, listen to things that help you wind down rather than pump you up.

Back in September of 2020, Paris Hilton’s YouTube documentary, This is Paris, gave viewers an inside look at what life is really like for the Hilton heiress. The documentary focused mainly on her movement to speak out against the Troubled Teen Industry, using her platform to bring more awareness to the abuse that happens within the institutions that make up the industry.

The Troubled Teen Industry is a for-profit industry in which institutions are paid by parents or guardians to put their teenage children through a boot camp-style program for a number of months.

Each program can look different: some are marketed as outdoor wilderness retreats where adolescents spend months hiking through the woods; others resemble a boarding school where students are to remain on the campus until ‘graduation,’ sometimes unable to leave for years on end.

The #BreakingCodeSilence movement didn’t begin with Paris Hilton. #BreakingCodeSilence first began in 2013 to encourage former victims of the Troubled Teen Industry to speak out about the abuse they experienced within these programs.

The #BreakingCodeSilence website hosts hundreds of

testimonials from survivors who have been through abusive programs within the Troubled Teen Industry.

‘Code Silence’ refers to a common punishment used within the Troubled Teen Industry, designed to control children using forced silence.

Institutions use punishments like this in order to take away the voices of the minors in their care.

Former victims of the Troubled Teen Industry are now breaking that silence, exposing the emotional and physical abuse that’s all too common within the industry.

Paris Hilton was part of one of these programs as a teenager, attending Provo Canyon School for 11 months in 1999 prior to her eighteenth birthday.

Provo Canyon School is in Utah, a state that is home to about 100 similar programs for adolescents. From 2015-2020, over 12,000 teens were sent to Utah to complete one of these programs. Parents pay at least $30,000 for their children to be sent away.

Institutions that run Troubled Teen Programs boast a “structured environment” for young people whose parents have been “unsuccessful” at reining in their unruly behaviour.

Parents will send their children to these programs for any reason they see fit, from drug and alcohol abuse to excessive partying.

Sometimes called 'emotional growth schools,' parents are made to believe that these programs will take away bad influences and provide their children with a healthy environment to grow in. In most circumstances, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Hilton was sent to Troubled

Teen Programs by her parents because she had been sneaking out to clubs since the age of 15. Hilton’s parents, worried about how her behaviour would impact their family’s reputation, decided it would be best to send her to one of these institutions.

Like many other parents, they watched as ‘transporters’ took her from her bed in the middle of the night and took her to Provo Canyon School. This is common practice within the industry, designed to catch teens off-guard.

Upon arrival, teens are faced with punishment after punishment, designed to “break” them into docility.

Hilton recalled being forced to sit in a chair and watch the wall all day long while being hit or screamed at, as well as being given heavy medications that left her feeling “tired and numb.” Hilton, like the hundreds of others who have taken part in the #BreakingCodeSilence movement, described the whole ordeal as a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

The goal of #BreakingCodeSilence is ultimately to bring permanent change to the Troubled Teen Industry and shut down programs that continue to abuse kids and teenagers.

Even more, #BreakingCodeSilence is about healing for the thousands of people who are put through these abuses each year.

According to Paris Hilton, it’s the “best feeling in the world” to know that her voice has the ability to save children from the torture she went through in her own youth.

Thursday, April 8, 2021

An introduction to Queer-inclusive sexual health Shelby Talbot Lifestyle Editor For almost two decades, elementary and secondary school students in Ontario were learning from a sexual-education curriculum that hadn’t been updated since 1998.

Canada legalized same-sex marriage in 2005; in 2012, Ontario became the first province in Canada to recognize gender identity in its human rights legislation, the Ontario Human Rights Code. Needless to say, teaching a sex-ed curriculum from 1998 didn’t match the progress being made for Queer folks in Canada.

In 2015, Ontario’s Liberal government introduced a new and more inclusive sex-ed curriculum, one which discussed gender identity, masturbation, and consent. That curriculum was scrapped by the then-new Progressive Conservative government in 2018, only to be replaced a year later by a nearly-identical revised curriculum—with the requirement that school boards allow parents to exempt their children from certain lessons and content.

There’s much to learn about gender inequalities, and even more to teach

queensjournal.ca

Things you may not have learned in sex-ed but should definitely know Across Canada, students are being taught different sex-ed curricula in every province and territory. Additionally, there’s little to no guarantee that every topic mandated by curricula is being taught by every teacher charged with sex-ed.

All of this is to say that, if you grew up in Canada, the information you learned about sexual health could be drastically different from what someone else who lived across the country was taught. Most university-age Canadians likely have gaps in their sex-ed education, many of which exclude Queer experiences.

In an effort to provide anyone whose sex-ed may have been lacking with a starting point to fill in these gaps, I’ve assembled a short list of things that—whether you identify as LGBTQIA2S+ or not—you should know about sexual health.

stimulated, what’s actually being stimulated is part of the clitoris, which is much larger than the external tip located at the top of the inner labia.

Because of this, there’s no guaranteed exact location on every person with a vagina where you can internally stimulate the clitoris. If you’re trying to find it, on yourself or a partner, the best place to start is an inch or so inside the vaginal opening, on the upper vaginal wall.

It’s also important to note, though, that not all people with a G-spot orgasm from vaginal stimulation alone. In fact, a 2017 study reported that only about 18 per cent of people with vaginas achieved orgasm from strictly penetration. If you feel better with hands, toys, or mouths involved, that’s perfectly normal.

Debunking the G-spot

There are more barrier contraceptives than the external condom

The Grafenberg spot, or G-spot, is an area inside the vagina that, when stimulated sexually, may lead to orgasm. However, it’s not actually a distinct part of a person with a vagina’s anatomy—rather, it’s a part of their clitoral network.

In other words, when the G-spot is

Yes, sex between someone with sperm and someone with eggs may run the risk of pregnancy, and that same risk isn’t applicable to sex between two cisgender gay men. But sex between people with the same or similar genitalia still has the potential danger of

sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and using the appropriate barrier contraceptive is important for sex between anyone who has the potential to spread or contract an STI. For penises, there’s the external condom—something almost everyone is familiar with. What you may not know is they’re also good to use on sex toys if you’re concerned about the material or just want to be sure it’s always clean. External condoms can be used for vaginal, oral, or anal sex.

There are also internal condoms, which can be placed inside the vagina or anus to provide protection during intercourse. If you’re using an internal condom anally, there are a few extra steps you need to take to be safe and comfortable.

The unique benefit of an external condom is that the part of the condom that rests outside of the body provides extra barrier coverage of the surrounding area.

Barriers you might not be familiar with—at least in a sexual context—are gloves and finger cots. These can be used any time you want to avoid touching someone’s genitals directly, preventing getting bodily fluids on your hands, or just to make

Emily Clare Staff Writer This article discusses sexual assault and may be triggering for some readers. The Journal uses “survivor” to refer to those who have experienced sexual assault.

We acknowledge this term is not universal. The Kingston Sexual Assault Centre’s 24-hour crisis and support phone line can be reached at 613-544-6424 / 1-800-544-6424.

In the midst of conversations about sexism, violence against women, and toxic masculinity, the phrase ‘not all men’ has become a popular response to defend male perspectives. This narrative is extremely problematic and minimizes the opportunity for further conversations surrounding female oppression. Yes, not all men are physically or sexually violent toward women, but too many are.

A recent study from The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women found that 97 per cent of women have experienced sexual assault in the United Kingdom alone. The shocking statistic caused a rise in online dialogue surrounding violence against women and the need to talk about women’s rights to safety.

As someone who has experienced sexual assault, I find these conversations to be long overdue. I was taught by society to expect men to be dangerous, to hurt me, and to make me uncomfortable.

Don’t go for walks at

ILLUSTRATION BY EZRI WYMAN

What we can learn from ‘Not All Men’ but 97 per cent of women night—and if you do, make sure you’re prepared to defend yourself.

Don’t leave your drink alone at a bar. Most importantly, if you’re wearing something revealing, make sure you aren’t alone, because if you’re assaulted people will assume you were ‘asking for it.’

The current discussions emphasize the need to put an end to gender inequalities, but many haven’t dug deeper into how we can go about creating a world that’s safer for women. I think that

part of the solution lies within the necessity of teaching boys at a young age about the dynamics of what it means to be a woman and what they can do to make women feel more comfortable.

Many journal articles, feminist blogs, and news pieces address the need to have conversations with boys at a young age about respecting women, but few delve into what that actually looks like. Perhaps this is a result of a patriarchal society that leads us to believe that public discourse

about male misbehaviour is a taboo topic. However, the reality for women isn’t just discomfort—it’s endangerment, which is exactly why these conversations are necessary.

After consulting my female friends and asking them what they think we should be teaching boys, I was given a lot of input on how to mitigate inequalities through parenting and teaching practices.

A good place to start is talking with boys about the difference

• 15

clean-up easier. They are good for vaginal or anal fingering, clitoral stimulation, and hand-jobs.

Finally, there’s the dental-dam: a sheet that can be used during cunnilingus and analingus to prevent the sharing of bodily fluids and reduce skin-to-skin contact during oral sex.

Penis-in-vagina sex isn’t all there is

Sex-ed often puts a huge emphasis on cisgender, heteronormative sex—penetrative sex between a man with a penis and a woman with a vagina. This can be invalidating for people who engage in Queer sex.

Sex can mean something different to everyone. For some, sex may involve orgasms; for others, it may not. Penetration, while touted as the be-all-end-all of sex in many contexts, is far from necessary if it’s not something that’s important to you or your partner.

What’s important is that you feel safe, supported, and validated during sex and that everyone participating can consent or not consent with confidence and clear-headedness. Taking the time to self-define what sex means to you, and to engage in conversations about what sex means to your partner, is the most important part of sex—not what it looks like. between sympathy and empathy.

Because men don’t share the same lived experience as women, it’s important to acknowledge how difficult it is to fully comprehend what a survivor has gone through. Addressing this can bring validation to a survivor and reassure them that their trauma is real and important.

We should also be speaking to boys about the importance of consent and how it extends past sexual intercourse. For me, something that seems very mundane, like a man giving me a hug when I’m not expecting it, is very triggering.

Asking permission before you touch someone can make a world of difference.

As the next generation of boys grow into men, we should be teaching them that allyship should go beyond respecting your mom, your sister, and your female peers.

Men must respect all women, not only the ones they know.

It’s extremely important for these discussions to continue to be had when no women are present. It shouldn’t be a woman’s responsibility to fight for her rights, inform men of her boundaries, and protect herself from predators. Men need to be taking on the work to educate other men—many women have already provided them with the tools to do so.

The solution to women’s oppression isn’t simple, and it’s far more complex than simply teaching boys to respect women. But allowing for these conversations to be explored is essential to deprogramming misogyny and toxic masculinity from our society and making this world a safer place for women to live.

It may not be all men, but it should be none.

16 • queensjournal.ca

Thursday, April 8, 2021

POSTSCRIPT

The editors of The Queen's Journal, Volume 148.

Raechel and Matt say goodbye to The Journal Raechel Huizinga Editor in Chief This year, the Journal house was mostly empty.

190 University Ave., for me, had always been a hub of activity: layout room laughter, couch room banter, a place to hang out in between classes, last-minute writing, and just plain chaos.

Losing all of that would be reason enough to become dispirited, but you, our staff, didn’t.

I’m so, so thankful for everything you accomplished this year. I might be biased, but this has been my favourite year at The Journal so far, and it’s all because of you. You sat in bedrooms across the country pushing yourself through remote course work, public health regulations, and the anxiety that comes with living through a global pandemic. Despite this, you put out a whole Volume of incredible student journalism.

You deserve all the credit in the world for that.

From late-night copy editing and hard-hitting stories to beautiful illustrations, photos, and videos, your positive attitudes never faltered, and that takes a lot of strength. It’s the people who make The Journal resilient, and you guys proved that this year. Aysha, you were already the paper’s leader this year in places where I couldn’t be, and I’m really thankful for that.

Rachel, my Sister News, thanks for being there when I needed to vent or go for a walk. Dray, you came in like a light through the window this year. Davi, you’ve been with me on this journey the longest, and you’re the person who got me to this point. Brittany, you were the best part of all of it.

To Nick and Seb—thanks for knowing I was a newsie. Your support and encouragement in

PHOTO BY JODIE GRIEVE

Last words

Volume 146 and beyond has meant more than you know. To Meredith and Iain—watching you lead the paper through the Student Choice Initiative with such strength and care is something I will always respect. Your hard work built the platform QJ stood on this year, and we accomplished so much because of that—thank you.

To Matt—you brought me so much joy this year. I feel really lucky to be able to say I smiled every single day of this pandemic because of you. I’ve never experienced a working relationship accompanied by such care and thoughtfulness, and I would never have made it through this year without you. I think people respected you this year for your intelligence and dependency, but they’ll remember you for your kindness and warmth—I know I will. Even on days when we sat in an empty house we hoped would be full, I want you to know I never felt unfulfilled when I was with you. I’ve experienced enough loss in my life to know when I’m gaining something, and your friendship is one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. This year you showed me patience, forgiveness, and how to hope for better things.

You taught me a new standard I can hold myself and others to, and for that, I’m thankful. I hope our psychic QJ connection never breaks. I’ll finish this off with a twist on one of your favourite references: I don’t just like, I love.

And to Aysha and Shelby—you are going to have a wonderful year, not because of allowable deficits, fewer restrictions, and a potential return to campus, but because you are wonderful people. I’ve watched staff, including myself, learn from and look up to you for the past two years. You know what The Journal is at its heart, and you believe in what it can be. Your vision for QJ has been a long time coming and having you as my successors is why I feel peaceful in leaving.

On the hard days, remember The Journal has existed for almost 150 years and you’re not going to be the reason it comes crumbling down. Keep those who want to

see you succeed close to you, and when people try to vilify your strength and resolve, remember you were elected to these positions for a reason. This can sometimes be a thankless job, so remember to thank each other. There’s no clear finish line for this pandemic, so know it’s okay to grieve what might have been.

On a more traditional note: you’ll never get the floors clean; the door to the basement doesn’t unlock; and yes, the mysterious doorbell noises are definitely ghosts.

I wish you, your staff, and contributors a year filled with laughter, progress, and a commitment to truth and integrity.

High pageviews, masthead growth, and bigger budgets are all great things, but they’re not what should mark your success at The Journal, because that’s never what it’s been about; it’s about making The Journal a place where people can learn to love and believe in themselves.

At least, that’s what it did for me. The rest will fall into place.

Raechel is ready to say goodbye.

Matt Scace Managing Editor Trying to define the past year feels unoriginal, like pulling from a word cloud of terms we’ve heard a hundred times. But when we look back on this year, I’d bet the concept of stillness, both individual and collective, will stand the rigorous test of time.

The Journal experience has always been anything but still. I’ve always seen 190 University Ave. as a living thing, inhaling and exhaling as a small group of overworked student journalists pour in and out, doing everything they can to keep this paper humming, its lungs stained black with coffee but enough laughter and love to make up for the lost hours of sleep.

That, of course, changed this year. Slack status emojis replaced overheard conversations in the couch room, Zoom panels the only windows into our staff’s

lives. One of the most painful aspects of this experience was the absence of sound filling the house, a reassurance that everything—at least for an hour or a day—was okay.

There’s that saying about ducks—that everything above the surface appears effortless while its flippers spin furiously below water. It’s a perfect characterization of Volume 148, who spent this year largely alone, toiling away at stories for pennies on the hour, work which would flash up on Raechel and my screens at some point during the week as if it’d effortlessly materialized out of thin air. It felt like a small miracle each time.

I can’t get all this out of my head when I think about this year. A place that could once be described not as a first home evolved into a brutally monastic existence isolated to a bedroom, phone, and computer. How this group got through this year will never register in its entirety for me. If it’s any consolation, your work landed on a few screens—nearly 1.5 million times, to be exact.

I don’t believe in perfection, but you were as close as it gets, Volume 148.

To my little cult of runners: I came to you with a hole in my heart, and you filled it. You’ve been my balance outside this job, a gift of immeasurable proportions.

Jeff: your friendship and loyalty defy language. You’ve seen every ounce of joy and pain this place has brought me, and I couldn’t be more lucky to have you as a best friend.

Mom, Dad, and Johnny: in this job, it’s easy to feel like you’re floating in outer space. You three were, and always will be, my tether and the most important people in my life. I love you.

Joe and Meg: what part of this don’t I owe you? In a year that changed my life, you believed in me before I did, which has carried me further than you know.

Sebi and Nick: I’m not afforded the word count to describe 146, but for everything it was, you gave

me what I needed. All I can say is this: I waited on it.

Raechel: I write this with you sitting across the hallway, knowing we only have a few more days of this left—an existence I’m frankly not prepared for. While this house was the quietest it’s ever been, it felt more than full with you.

This job is hard enough sparing a health crisis, yet each day I could guarantee laughing until I cried.

A leader through and through, you’ve been an empathetic and graceful editor beyond comprehension, not to mention the best partner I could’ve asked for.

Our psychic connection may take a few years to fade, but you’ll have me around for far longer.

Finally, to Aysha and Shelby: as much as I don’t want to see this sun set, it means I wouldn’t get to see the stars. And goodness, you two are going to be a shining pair to watch.

The Journal is ready for—and needs—the changes you’ll bring, an ability which you’ve shown more times than necessary this year. If I have some parting advice, it’s this: failures can be gut-wrenching, but they’ll make you incalculably better. Spend at least half your days laughing with each other, remember there’s a life outside these peeled walls, and take care of yourselves the same way I know you will your staff.

You’re ready for this.

I wrote a postscript a few years ago where I described myself not smiling through pain, but at it, which feels apt at this moment. My relationship with The Journal will always be complicated. It’s a place I’ve loved and resented, at times simultaneously. But the twilight of a Journal career is a reminder, particularly as I write this final farewell and watch Volume 149 move in, that it exists to serve far more than one person. For all it’s been, I get teary knowing dozens more unsuspecting but hopeful souls will enter that house and find a home, just as I did four years ago.

Matt is ready to run with it.