the journal
Queen’s University
Vol. 144, Issue 3
T u e s day , A u g u s t 2 , 2 0 1 6
Students unaware of administrative decision until course selection
see page 5
Victoria Gibson News Editor
PHOTO BY AUSTON CHHOR / ILLUSTRATION BY KEITH SAUNDERS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE OPINIONS
ARTS
At Queen’s students have historically been allotted 24 units of outside faculty courses towards their graduation requirements, as well as one elective within the Faculty of Law. A new limit was imposed in April by the Arts and Science Faculty Board. However, a lack of transparency around the change left students scrambling for answers the week of their course selection. The Faculty of Arts and Science, according to a statement provided by Communications Officer Jasmine Toor, will now allow only six units to be taken exterior to the Faculty, with an extra three allowed for those in applied economics. The policy also makes allowances for students doing the Queen’s Certificate in Business. To the administration, the change allows for “planning of courses and more predictable enrolment, while still ensuring the students significant breadth in their degree”. According to the statement, the recommendation was brought to the Arts and Science Faculty Board in April. “In advance of which the issue was discussed with the [Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS)] executive.” They wrote a July 21 email to the student body that the change was communicated “last week via email and social media to all students in Arts and Science.” The ASUS President and Vice-President at the time of the decision — Brandon Jamieson and Andrew DiCapua, both ArtSci’17 — had the issue brought to their attention in advance of the meeting. However, Jamieson couldn’t recall exactly how the proposed change had been explained. “Overall, I mean, it’s difficult to say exactly what I said and how they presented it,” he explained. Jamieson recalls the rationale ranging from too many students taking more courses out of their faculty than within it, See It seems on page 3
SPORTS
POSTSCRIPT page 19
African diaspora program an example for other Canadian schools
Comic Book Legion debates diverse Marvel characters
Art meets engineering in new Beamish Munro installation
Injury forces cross country runner Wilkie to the sidelines
page 9
page 10
page 11
page 13
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Faculty of Arts and Science cuts credit allotment
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Steve Love on video call with Jimmy Kimmel and Kit Harington, doing his best Game of Thrones impersonations.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
VIA JIMMY KIMMEL
From Queen’s to Game of Thrones Former student Steve Love’s TV impressions on YouTube caught the attention of HBO producers
M aureen O’R eilly Assistant News Editor In 60 seconds of fame, former Queen’s student and comedian, Steve Love, gets a finger in his backside, then beheaded, for the eighth episode of the most recent season of Game of Thrones. To him, it was the greatest day of his life. On June 12, Love, who started at Queen’s in 2011, was the subject of a gruesome on-screen beheading at the 8-minute mark of the hit HBO series’ episode, “No One”. It wasn’t until just before he boarded a connecting flight to Belfast, in Northern Ireland where the episode was being filmed, that
the reality of the situation sunk in. Benioff, invited Love to be on the An immigration officer asked show after his YouTube videos Love what kind of acting work he’d impersonating various Game of be doing during his stay. When Thrones characters went viral. Love replied, “Game of Thrones,” he According to Love, he’s been said it finally hit him that he was practicing his impressions going to be a part of what he called since grade seven. He began by “the biggest show in the universe.” impersonating Stewie Griffin from Love plays a young soldier who Family Guy, and his repertoire just is a part of a group of outlaws and seemed to grow from there. rebels called the “brotherhood In 2012, Love says he “got without banners”. He described his tired of failing at Queen’s”, so appearance as “brief”, before his he began his YouTube channel, character’s graphic murder. “DrSteveLove”, on which he posted The day after the episode aired, videos impersonating various TV Love took to Twitter to express and movie characters. his joy, writing: “Yes, I was on One of his early videos titled @GameOfThrones and it was the “Drunk Impressions”, was filmed in greatest experience of my life.” the living room of his student house The show’s producers and on Brock Street. The video went on creators, Dan Weiss and David to accumulate over 600,000 views.
Love went on to record and post his impressions of characters from Game of Thrones, and these videos saw even more success, the most popular of which hit over 1.5 million views. One such video eventually caught the attention of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who reached out to Love and asked him to appear on his late night show. “The Kimmel appearance was huge,” Love said, after the fact. “It was the only time I’ve been genuinely nervous about a performance in my life.” Love was featured in a segment of the late night show that aired on June 10, 2015, featuring Kit Harington, the actor who plays Jon Snow on Game of Thrones. Harington watched and listened as Love and two other contestants did their best impersonations of his character over video call. It wasn’t long after his appearance on Kimmel that Love received a fate-changing email. On the way up to his cottage one day, a message arrived from Dan Weiss and David Benioff inviting Love to take part in the production. “Needless to say, I started drinking copiously, making toasts to their health at every gulp. It was a good weekend,” Love said. As for upcoming projects, Love says there’s nothing big to speak of, but he is hoping to collaborate with fellow YouTube impressionist Scheiffer Bates, who appeared on the Kimmel show alongside Love. Love is also scheduled to compete in the Yuk Yuk’s Ottawa Summer Comedy Competition on Tuesday, July 26. “You don’t see many ‘impression guys’ that make it to the big time,” Love told The Journal. “If I can parlay this weird little talent into making a comfortable living doing what I love, I’ll be beyond happy.”
Sister Anna remembers 100 years of life
Kingston nun recalls the past century in Kingston and the time she spent at Queen’s M organ D odson Assistant News Editor As Sister Anna Moran celebrates 100 years of life, she also celebrates the stories and memories that accompany them — stories set in Kingston and, for over a decade, at Queen’s. Sister Anna is one of the many Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul in Kingston. 11 of her many years of life were spent completing a degree, at the selection of the Sisters, at Queen’s. Her first day at the school was in 1940, during the Second World War. The School of Nursing wouldn’t be opened until the following year. The JDUC would be built after a sweeping fire in 1947, destroying the old Students’ Memorial Union. However, the story began long before her time as a student. Sister Anna was only 17 years old when she formally joined the Sisters of Providence. Intending to complete high school in Toronto, she found herself being called to the sisters in Kingston after learning about the death of another young girl, who was set to become a sister in 1932. “A boy that I knew on the street told me I had to take her place, and that made me start thinking about the sisters,” Sister Anna recalled,
sitting in her home at Providence. If she continued on with her plan, she thought at the time, she might be losing out on her only opportunity to try out being a sister. “So, that’s what I did,” she said. “I came here [to Kingston] to try it out. And I never for a minute wanted to change it.” Once Sister Anna was settled, she continued her education at Maryvale Abbey — the boarding school run by the Sisters of Providence in Glen Nevis. After finishing her education, Sister Anna was recruited to teach. She taught for a total of 34 years at nine different schools, in Gananoque, Smith Falls, Kingston, Belleville, and Brantford. She was also the vice principal at a school in Camrose, Alberta and the principal at a school in Trenton, Ontario. When teaching in Belleville, Sister Anna explained that the class was a rented room in a house, and that the students had to stay in the classroom for their breaks. To keep the students entertained during their recess, they would dance. “My sister sent me records for dances and we danced. All the students, right up to Grade 13, were coming in for the dances,” she said. In 1940, well into her teaching
career, Sister Anna started school at I had all the qualifications that I coordinator of the Marion floor. Queen’s upon selection by the other needed for the job, but they still She retired at 84 years old, sisters, where she got her degree didn’t appreciate that I went and discovered her passion for with a major in English. to Queen’s.” poetry, which then led to three She was only a part-time student In response, Sister Anna was self-published volumes. as she was still busy with teaching, then sent to the University of She also loves to read, church work and looking after altar Alberta to get a second degree, this consuming around two library servers and classes. time in Education. In 1973, she was books a week. She particularly “I didn’t get awful good marks asked to take on a new ministry, enjoys murder mysteries. because I never had time to do my called the Movement for a Better Sister Anna hopes to continue homework,” Sister Anna said with World. The organization focused on her daily routines and the things a laugh. parish renewal. that she loves, such as visiting with She only spent time on 21 years later, in 1994, Sister the other sisters, for as long as campus during her summers, for Anna returned to the Motherhouse she can. concentrated blocks of six weeks of the Sisters of Providence, as the at a time. Sister Anna explained that being at Queen’s during that time was very different compared to what it is now. “Nobody spoke to you or anything like that.” She described the school as “business-y” and the students as “focused”. She recalled that, although she did not speak to many other students, they had “the most wonderful dean, who was especially nice to the sisters.” After Sister Anna received her degree from Queen’s, she went to teach in Camrose, Alberta. Alberta was at odds with Ontario at the time, she said, and therefore didn’t PHOTO BY MORGAN DODSON think much of Queen’s. Sister Anna smiles beside the only tree older than “They assessed my qualifications, she is at the Motherhouse.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
News
Queen’s suspends professor for a month after insubordination investigation Shirkhanzadeh suspended for the third time by University administration, warned that further discipline may result in dismissal V ictoria G ibson News Editor
violated his academic freedom, and the University agreed not to pursue disciplinary action. On June 29, Queen’s administration sent However, the settlement was declared a letter to engineering Professor Morteza null and void when the Canadian Association Shirkhanzadeh, asking him not to attend of University Teachers published a report on work or perform duties for a month. It’s the the academic freedom violations, breaking a third time in a year he’s been suspended provision in the settlement. without pay. Last July, Shirkhanzadeh was suspended, On the morning of July 2, Shirkhanzadeh without pay, for one day and again a month read the news via email from later for three days. the newly-appointed Deputy Provost, The newest suspension comes from Teri Shearer. a separate investigation initiated by Also included on the correspondence the University against him, for alleged were Dan McKeown, associate insubordination against university officials. Vice-Principal (faculty relations) and Leslie Requests had been made of him to meet Jermyn from the Queen’s University Faculty with the dean of his faculty, Shirkhanzadeh Association (QUFA). told The Journal, after receiving his University “I am writing in confidence regarding Survey of Student Assessment of Teaching the investigation into allegations of (USAT) scores. insubordination against you that I initiated,” In a letter to associate vice-principal Shearer wrote. McKeown, dated April 4, Shirkhanzadeh The letter was shared with The Journal had argued that the scores were based on by Shirkhanzadeh. unreliable data, and asking him to meet was Shirkhanzadeh has been involved in an not justified. 11-year case involving Queen’s, surrounding He wrote in the letter that the dean had allegations he has made regarding passed along his USAT scores to higher fabricated data, research misconduct administration “without considering the and plagiarism in papers published by fact that the response rate for the first two Queen’s professors. questions was only 16%”. After years of dissatisfaction with the He added that this value was far below University’s handling of his allegations, the minimum response rate of 65 per cent Shirkhanzadeh started publishing his considered representative by the Senate allegations on a personal website. Committee on Academic Development After refusing requests from (SCAD) guidelines. administration to take some of Among several other cited reasons, his posts down, the University Shirkhanzadeh wrote that when he asked opened up a workplace harassment the dean for the faculty policy she had cited, investigation against Shirkhanzadeh in 2014. he never received a copy. The two parties came to a settlement On June 26, he wrote a letter to Engineering in 2014, in which Shirkhanzadeh agreed Dean Kimberly Woodhouse, stating his wish to drop the grievance he filed against the to “make it clear that I cannot and never University concerning his claim they will obey an order to prepare a “Teaching
Improvement Plan” and present that plan in a meeting.” To do so, he wrote, would be responding to an assessment practice that “is so obviously non-transparent and in gross violation of the Collective Agreement and SCAD guidelines.” In the suspension letter that he received days later, Deputy Provost Shearer wrote that the insubordination investigation had been closed. After consulting with their investigator, she wrote that “a disciplinary measure will be imposed because there is cause.” The University cited two “acts of insubordination” as the cause. Shearer cites the Collective Agreement, stating that the intent of the disciplinary action is corrective. The appropriateness rested on the cause, and any relevant prior imposition of discipline. Due to his prior administrative disciplines, Shirkhanzadeh’s suspension would be from July 1 to July 31, without pay. Shearer asked that he “not attend work or perform duties” at this time. As well, Shirkhanzadeh’s email would be suspended for the period. “If your performance or behaviour should attract the imposition of further disciplinary measures, you are at risk of dismissal,” she wrote in the letter. As of July 3, Shirkhanzadeh told The Journal that QUFA will be filing grievances in response to the new disciplinary measures. Shirkhanzadeh also awaits the results of an external investigation through the Secretariat on Responsible Conduct of Research, to determine whether Queen’s is at fault for institutional non-compliance. According to Executive Director Susan Zimmerman in May, the final report was set to be complete by the end of July.
Following the messages he received, having no previous knowledge of the change himself, he placed a call to Arts and Science Assistant Dean (Studies) Sue Blake, “who’s an absolute dear,” he added. Blake requested time to consult on the issue. She returned Yung’s call several days later, and explained that the Faculty had held conversations with Jamieson and DiCapua about the feasibility for students before making the decision. She assured Yung that she had met with Johanne Bénard, associate dean (admissions and recruitment) and associate dean (studies), to discuss the new policy. Blake and Bénard had decided that for students in applied economics who had planned on taking commerce courses with their degree — who made up the majority of the students concerned with the change — third and fourth years would be grandfathered and allowed to take courses as the policy had previously allowed. These students would still be required to meet with Blake in her office to be given permission to take more commerce courses. However, to many students who spoke to The Journal, this information has still yet to be communicated.
Blake also indicated to Yung that the Faculty made the choice, in part, to focus on their funding. Yung couldn’t comment on the exact financial situation for Arts and Science, due to the private nature of the call. However, according to the Faculty’s spending plan and budget for 2016-17, they currently operate “with a structural deficit”. In order to ensure Arts and Science’s “short and long term financial sustainability, along with quality programs”, they are tasked with turning the deficit around. The projected deficit amount for Arts and Science in the coming year is $2.7 million. The set goal by the Faculty is to move to a $1.8 million surplus by 2018-19. Despite the financial situation, for Yung, it’s concerning that “appropriate steps weren’t taken” in being transparent with students about the change. “I myself will be looking to contact Arts and Science or ASUS and see what can be done to improve that kind of language or communication.” In the interim, Yung said he could only listen to students’ concerns and try to get them the answers they need.
‘It seems like they didn’t want to release this in a huge press,’ Rector Yung says Continued from front
to an issue of funding within the Faculty itself. “A big issue you get is money. A huge amount of money essentially flowing out of the faculty,” he said. While there was no formal sign-off process, he said that he and DiCapua consented to the change being made during their term, so long as some provisions were put in place. “Exemptions were agreed upon at the time, and I remember that was an issue that Andrew and I raised,” he recalled. He cited the exemption for applied economics students as an example. “It’s not as though we are greatly limiting students’ opportunities,” he said. “There are hundreds and hundreds, thousands of courses in Arts and Science.” For Rector Cam Yung, who has received several messages about the change from “upset” and “concerned” students in recent weeks, his main concern is with the Faculty’s flawed transparency. “It seems like they didn’t want to release this in a huge press, because it would concern quite a few students,” he said. From his perspective, this sort of communication behavior raises alarms.
queensjournal.ca
•3
For more news, see online Changes made to workplace harassment and discrimination policy JDUC revitalization set for completion by Orientation Week Accessibility audit data nearly compiled $2,700 of cocaine and ecstasy seized in third University District bust Homecoming halftime parade cancelled for 2016 Hospital merger not expected to impact medical school students, Dean Reznick says For full stories,
see queensjournal.ca/news
Cam Yung, rector.
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News
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
OBITUARY
Brady Faroldi leaves a legacy in lessons
Education student who passed away in June remembered for his impact on others B lake C anning Assistant News Editor
“So many little kids came to his wake and were telling me stories about ‘Mr. Faroldi,’” Roberta said. “This one little girl’s mother told Brady Faroldi might not have been able to me about how he had talked her daughter in walk across the stage at his graduation from to trying out for the talent show.” Queen’s Faculty of Education, but he left Roberta told the story of how the little a lesson nonetheless: how to leave a real girl had walked up to Faroldi when he was impact in only 23 years. doing a placement at a local middle school When Faroldi passed away suddenly and told him she’d never try out for the of natural causes on June 27, he had just talent show. completed his first six weeks of teacher’s Without missing a beat, Faroldi turned college at Queen’s. According to his mother, around and replied, “you’re going to make Roberta Faroldi, her son had always been that talent show and I’m going to be in the sure about his path in life. front row clapping you on!” “He knew he wanted to be a teacher from The little girl found faith in Faroldi’s such a young age,” she said. “Parents I don’t mentorship and went to her audition. Her even know have already messaged me about performance, as well as the entire talent show how much he influenced their children’s lives.” at the elementary school, was dedicated to She added that Brady had a unique ability, Faroldi’s late memory. to “make anyone feel like his best friend.” Faroldi’s girlfriend, Danielle Robinson, After the sudden passing of her son, remembers him as the person she loved from Roberta told The Journal that she was the very beginning and someone who loved overwhelmed with the outpouring of her just the same. support — in the form of cards, emails and “I met his parents on date number two, social media messages from friends and which was the day after date number one,” acquaintances Faroldi met throughout his she recalled. “He met my family just a 23 years of life. These included the families week later.” of the children he had encountered in his The two continued to date for a year and various teaching placements, who’s lives a half. On Faroldi’s last day, Robinson was he had managed to touch deeply in such a grateful that she was by his side. short time. “If you had asked him what he wanted Faroldi drew inspiration from the his last day to be, that would have been it,” character of Mr. Feeny of the TV show Boy she said. Meets World, whom he saw as a shining The pair spent the day watching Italy win example of what a mentor should be. a Euro Cup match and wandering through Faroldi even received a personalized video the flea market together — one of Faroldi’s message from the actor who plays Mr. favourite exploratory hobbies. Feeny, William Daniels, after completing his “We went on Kijiji and found me a pull undergraduate degree. cart for my golf bag. We ended up going to a
pretty shady part of town and as I was about to get out he stopped me and said ‘No no, you wait here.’” She laughed, recalling his chivalry. “I’ll go in for you,’ he told me. Brady wasn’t the most manly man but he went in anyway. [He] came back going ‘I smell like smoke!’” Robinson said jokingly, doing her best impression of the visibly-uncomfortable Faroldi. He spent the rest of the ride home airing out his shirt through the car window. “I told him he was my hero,” she said. When they got home, Faroldi went downstairs to do some laundry while she set to work. “I made fun of him for being the macho man while I was the housewife finishing the laundry,” she recalled. “And we both said ‘I love you.’” Those were the last words Faroldi spoke. Hours later, he had passed away by as of yet unknown natural causes. “We still don’t know what happened,” Robinson said, “but most people have just said his heart was too big for this world.” Looking back on their relationship, she noted with a laugh that the only thing they ever argued over was what to name their future son. Robinson takes solace in the words Roberta had told her before — her son had only ever wanted two things, to go to Queen’s and to really find love. The way they see it, despite his short life, he had both. Faroldi’s friends and family insist that he would’ve wanted the Queen’s community to remember him for the traits he tried to personify every day, as opposed to the things he could have been.
Brady Faroldi.
SUPPLIED BY DANIELLE ROBINSON
In his final days, Faroldi had been planning a speech for a graduation ceremony of the local Holsgrove middle school, where he had been completing a placement. Passing his words along to The Journal, Roberta hopes they offer a final lesson from her son to those coming to Queen’s. “Don’t be in too big a hurry to grow up. These are some of the greatest times in your life. Don’t rush past them. There are some great things coming and just as your loved ones are proud, each one of you should feel as proud of yourself.”
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
queensjournal.ca
•5
ENGINEERING ORIENTATION
Reaching for the tam An almost-comprehensive history of the grease pole tradition
FROSH IN FOCUS
Brigid Goulem Copy Editor Every September, first-year engineering students enthusiastically attempt to remove a tam from the top of a grease-covered pole in a pit of mud, an annual engineering Orientation Week event known as the Grease Pole. The Journal looked into the origins of the most important player in this event, the pole itself. Though widely believed to be a goal post from University of Toronto’s Varsity Stadium, some people say otherwise. 1955 — QUEEN’S STEALS THE GOAL POSTS FROM U OF T
1984 — HEALTH HAZARDS COMPROMISE THE GREASE POLE EVENT FRECs — engineering Frosh Week leaders — decided to include urine, vomit, animal guts, cow heads, and rotten vegetables into the grease pole pit, according a Journal article. Unsurprisingly, at least 25 students ended up in the hospital with hypothermia and other injuries. In an unprecedented move, the Engineering Society executives had the pole tipped over, recording a time of 162 minutes. 1993 — THE GREASE POLE IS STOLEN FOR THE FIRST TIME
The pole was stolen post-climb During a football game between by members of the Sci ’92 class U of T and Queen’s, Queen’s students who infiltrated the group of Sci rushed the field at Varsity Stadium ’93s responsible for hiding the and knocked down the wooden pole by pretending to be frosh and goal posts. driving away with it. Gord Shearn, New steel goal posts were installed originally a Sci ’93, told The Journal in the field, rooted in cement. Queen’s that the pole was then ransomed back students saw this as a challenge and to the class of ’92 for a truckload after successfully dismantling the of beer. poles, brought them back to Kingston. It’s widely accepted that the grease 1997 — THE GREASE POLE IS pole originated from the stolen goal STOLEN BY THE P.O.R.N. STARS posts. However, Vigilantes — the name for Frosh Week leaders at the A group of Sci ’99s, otherwise time — from the first year of the known as P.O.R.N. Stars (Pole grease pole tell the story differently. Observation and Retrieval Network), In an interview with The Journal, stole the grease pole and went to Jim Shearn, Sci ’59, who was present bizarrely extreme lengths to do so, as at both the dismantling of the reported by The Journal. U of T goal posts as a member of They used nine vehicles as well as a the football team and the first grease helicopter using radio communication pole climbing the next year as a to track the truck carrying the pole Vigilante, they were two completely from the grease pole to its hiding spot. separate events. Sci ’99 surrounded the truck forcing it According to Shearn, contrary to to stop, locked the steering wheel and popular belief, the first grease pole tires and made off with the pole. wasn’t made from the goal posts According to the Journal article, stolen from Varsity Stadium in 1955. rumours that the pole had been He claims that a taller pole with a hidden at the bottom of Lake Ontario, narrowing top, designed by the Chief in the woods of Northern Ontario, and Vigilante and shaped nothing like a in the cargo hold of a container ship on goal post, was used instead. a round-the-world voyage highlighted the lengths to which students would 1956 — THE GREASE POLE go to protect it. TRADITION IS INTRODUCED 2000 — THE GREASE POLE IS Another member of the Sci ’59 STOLEN … AGAIN class, David Scott, in an email to The Journal said that it was during a 2000 was not a good year to be in planning session for the Engineering charge of pole safety. Orientation Week that Tony Smith, Sci The grease pole was stolen before ’59, came up with the idea of first years the climb by a group of fourth-year climbing a greasy pole. According students who found the pole in a to Scott, the idea originated from a Physical and Plant Services shed by a tradition from Smith’s high school. stroke of luck. Consequently, the first grease The students ransomed the pole was held on Queen’s campus. grease pole to the FRECS for: 12 First years stood in a pile of mud kegs of beer, two Texas mickeys of and attempted to remove the tam as Vodka, Kool-Aid, chips, pop, pizza, upper years stood on drier land and a receipt for hemorrhoid cream threw over-ripe tomatoes. from KGH pharmacy, a notice in every Golden Words — Queen’s 1976 — FEMALE engineering publication — to say TRADITION BROKEN “Sci ’01 displaced our pole”, a letter of apology for “being so silly” to Until 1976, it was thought that the appear in a letter to the editor in The climbing of the pole was too unsafe for Journal and reimbursement for all women to participate. But, according expenses — which luckily for Sci ’03, to Journal archives, in 1976 three did not include a helicopter. “freshettes” (as they were called back The pole was stolen again in late then) participated in the climb. September by U of T’s Brute Force According to others who tell the Committee (BFC). They published story, the three women disguised their ransom demands in a pamphlet themselves as men and it wasn’t until cleverly dubbed Stolen Words, which pictures of the climb were published they distributed on campus. The that they were found out. pole was displayed during U of T’s engineering celebration, Godiva Week.
One of the three “freshettes” climbing the pole in 1976.
2001— THE GREASE POLE RETURNS! Queen’s students heard rumors of the pole’s location at the U of T celebrations and disguised themselves as U of T students enjoying the festivities to investiagte. They discovered that the pole was bound by high tension cables inside a building. Luck was on their side that night as the door was left unlocked and the pole unguarded. Their plan hit a roadblock when it was discovered that one of the legs of the pole wouldn’t fit through the door. However, they came prepared: they quickly cut off the leg with an industrial-strength grinder. Upon its triumphant return, the grease pole was put on display in front of Stauffer Library. 2015 — THE BRUTE FORCE COMMITTEE STEALS THE POLE BACK
In a press release on their website, BFC said they found the pole “neglected and unguarded” on the morning after the Sci ’19’s climb and felt “compelled to bring it to a better home.” BFC released their list of 22 ransom demands they hoped to receive in
JOURNAL ARCHIVE
return for the safe homecoming of the grease pole. The list included 26.3 pounds of Lanolin, one greasy picture of a Polish queen, a filmed re-enactment of “The Strike” episode of Seinfeld, and a recording of Queen’s frosh singing the “Pole-ish” national anthem, among many other things. 2016 — THE GREASE POLE RETURNS 2.0
A mass email was sent to engineering students containing a link to the ransom demands released on the BFC website, and a ‘Hotline Bling’ parody video in which BFC members sing about the grease pole and recreate Drake’s iconic dance moves. The video was described by Queen’s EngSoc Vice President of Student Affairs at the time, Alex Wood, Sci ’16, as an “impressive audio-visual experience”. In April, after Queen’s failed to complete the ransom list, McMaster earned possession of the pole after completing the ransom list BFC offered to other universities. McMaster returned the pole in early June. It’s now eagerly waiting to be climbed by the class of 2020.
In Focus
6 • queensjournal.ca
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Is the University’s drinking ban during Orientation Week effective?
YES
NO
Alex Green, ArtSci ’18 Orientation Week is a time to introduce new students to the university, but inclusion shouldn’t depend on whether or not you’re willing to do a keg-stand. The residence ban on drinking during Orientation Week allows students coming from a variety of backgrounds to be welcomed to the school without the expectation of drinking. Students’ first week plays a vital role in making friends and connections within their faculty, learning about Queen’s longstanding and rich traditions and school spirit. Let that be its focus rather than drinking. Don’t get me wrong, if done responsibly, students have every right to drink and can have safe fun while doing so for every other week in the school year. However, in the case of large events, drinking adds an array of avoidable complications such as street parties, property damage or hospitalized students. The expectation is that Orientation events are safe for new and impressionable students. Upper year students can make the choice to welcome incoming classes without alcohol out of respect to the school and Orientation Week’s purpose of being a safe first
GR APHIC BY VICTORIA GIBSON
Nick Pearce, ArtSci ’18
impression. But, without a drinking policy, new students may feel that Queen’s is one big block party they can’t keep up with. By banning drinking, not only is there less social pressure on students, but the school takes a clear stance on drinking during school-run events — a problem that has been of legitimate concern throughout Queen’s history. Take the cancellation of Homecoming less than 10 years ago for example. Queen’s less-than-perfect drinking reputation was only increased by students who, despite the expectation of restraint, failed to act responsibly. Given its history, the University needs to take a reasonable stance on alcohol use during Orientation. They can’t reasonably condone drinking for incoming students, many of whom are underage. While students of age have the right to drink throughout the year, Orientation Week is not the time nor place for unsafe behaviour. It’s a time for your first Oil Thigh or grease pole climb, not your first trip to KGH.
Alex is a third-year Political Studies major.
The University needs to understand that do drink. preventing drinking in residence is a fantasy Instead of just treating our drinking but creating a healthier culture doesn’t culture’s symptoms, we can address the have to be. circumstances behind binge drinking with Though it makes the class of 2020’s first the proper resources available outside of taste of Queen’s drier than expected, the Orientation Week. Orientation Week drinking ban is still about According to its alcohol policy, Queen’s as effective as a non-alcoholic beer. “supports a healthy environment and The ban has good intentions. After two promotes healthy decisions related to alcohol tragic, alcohol-related deaths of first-year use.” If these words are to become a reality, students in 2010, a review of Queen’s the drinking policy needs to look for ways to drinking policy was in order. make it more realistic. But five years after the ban’s introduction, Patronizing policies won’t help the drinking culture has hardly subsided. first-year students mature, nor will it build Underage drinking still continues in responsible habits. Educating students, Orientation Week and beyond, but instead fostering discussion and providing mental of stopping drinking in residence, the ban health resources will have more impact than prompts students to be more secretive and pouring beer down a residence sink. possibly farther away from helpful resources On the surface, the ban may protect the on campus. University’s reputation by turning a blind eye University administration simply to drinking during Orientation Week, but it mistakes the slightly more discrete culture does little to improve the underlying culture. for a successful eradication of it. Until when the drinking policy gets There are other options. Providing dry straightened out, underage first years will events is a strong first step for students just get better at hiding their liquor. looking to avoid alcohol consumption. Likewise, promoting healthy drinking habits Nick is a third-year Global is a necessary campaign for students who Development studies major.
Undergraduate certificate programs at Queen’s From business to industrial relations, students can learn beyond their degree programs
Morgan Dodson Assistant News Editor If you think you’re limited to only your chosen degree plan at Queen’s, you may want to think again. Queen’s has a lot to offer, giving students the opportunity to explore and learn outside of their degree. Queen’s certificate programs are among some of the great opportunities to learn more about a subject you’re interested in. In the last few years, the University has begun to offer a wide range of certificates that can be earned in addition to any undergraduate degree program. It’s important for first year students to know their options since certificate applications take place between first and second year — a deadline that can sneak up. The Queen’s Certificate in Business (CIB) is one of the larger certificate programs out of the seven undergraduate certificates at Queen’s. The CIB gives non-commerce students the opportunity to take six commerce courses. Student enrolled in the CIB take courses like financial accounting and organizational behaviour to learn a business base. In an interview with The Journal, CIB Program Manager, Elisa Mullins explained that the CIB is a program that was designed for students to gain fundamental knowledge in key areas of business and enhance their career options. Established in 2014, the CIB must be applied for after first year and is completed through the Smith
School of Business throughout your undergraduate career. “The courses required for the certificate give students practical knowledge that they can use as soon as they are working,” Mullins said. In addition, the CIB intends to create less work for employers by giving non-business students the skills to perform practical business-oriented tasks. “It is important to remember that adding anything to your degree takes planning to ensure that there is time to meet all of the requirements,” said Mullins on advice to incoming first year students. Another certificate offered is the Queen’s Certificate in Employment Relations (CER), designed to help students seeking employment in labour relations and human resources management. Robert Hickey, a professor of Industrial Relations, explained that although Queen’s is only just introducing undergraduate credentials in industrial relations, many other universities have had these programs for a period of time. “We don’t have the capacity to launch a complete major, so we see this as our first step, we see our program continuing to grow at the undergraduate level beginning with our certificate program.” The CER program consists of five courses that are taken as well as courses a student would normally take with their regular degree program. Some certificate programs do have application timelines, however the CER does not. Although there is no official timeline, the certificate
is generally completed over the course of two and a half to three years. “We hope to tap a lot of the passion that students have with
issues related to workplace equity and diversity. There is tremendous need in society for leaders in both management as well as the union side of the equation,” Hickey said.
GRAPHIC BY ASHLEY QUAN
The CER is now taking applications and will be available as of September 2016.
In Focus
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
queensjournal.ca
STUDENT LIFE
•7
Farmer’s Market
A guide to Kingston’s hot spots One of the best parts of going to school at Queen’s is the town it’s in Shivani Gonzalez Features Editor
The Pier
PHOTOS BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN AND AUSTON CHHOR
Sima Sushi
Crave Coffee House Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday you can enjoy the Farmer’s Market in front of City Hall. They offer everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to baked goods and clothing.
Sipps
The pier is located behind the residences down by the lake and the park surrounding it is a great place to tan, work on an essay or throw a ball during the few warm weeks we have in Kingston. Expect it to be packed during Frosh Week.
There are many different sushi places in Kingston but this one stands out. They give big portions and the prices (especially at lunch) are reasonable. They deliver anywhere in Kingston (including res) for only $1 extra, but you don’t want to miss the experience of downing sashimi in this cute restaurant.
Crave Coffee House and Bakery opened just last year downtown. They have great pastries, a ton of different drinks and lots of room to spread your books out. Plus, they have a cozy fireplace in the winter!
Other places around Kingston: 6. 7. 8.
9.
Tommy’s Diner Mr. Donair Tir Nan Og
10. 11.
The Screening Room 12. The Brooklyn 13. The Mansion The Grad Club Dianne’s Fish Shack and Smokehouse
On top of amazing coffee drinks and food, this cute coffee shop downtown has nice big tables in the back that are perfect for a major study session with your friends.
Places on campus:
1. 13.
Cogro, or Common Ground Coffee House is one of the most popular places to study on campus. They serve great bagels, coffee (essential) and best of all: cake.
6. 7.
2.
12. 9.
4. 10.
Lazy Scholar
Lazy Scholar is a staple in the diet of every first year student. Located in the basement of Victoria Hall, it’s open until 12 a.m. every weekday and 2 a.m. on weekends.
1. 5.
Common Ground
3.
8. 11.
3.
Canadian Grilling Company
Canadian Grilling Company in Mac-Corry has the best burger on campus. But there’s more — vegan burgers, sweet potato fries, milkshakes and build-your-own salads.
4.
2.
GR APHIC BY MIK AYLA WRONKO
Check out our full list at queensjournal.ca
Tea Room
Located in the ILC, the Tea Room offers a great variety of tea, pastries and a quiet place to study or enjoy your food.
5.
Queen’s Pub
Queen’s Pub serves classic pub items like burgers and sandwiches — and nachos after 8 p.m. — at a student-friendly price.
In Focus
8 • queensjournal.ca
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
ORIENTATION
Know your Frosh Weeks
Get familiar with Queen’s Orientation Weeks and what makes them special
Mikayla Wronko Features Editor
and more. “Orientation Week embodies the spirit, collaboration, and sense of community that makes the Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science and Queen’s University stand apart,” Engineering Orientation Chair Pippa Gouinlock, Sci ’17 wrote in an email to The Journal.
Of course you’re excited for your Orientation Week, but how much do you know about the others? Queen’s runs nine, unique Orientation Weeks that welcome new students each year, frosh or not. Each Orientation Week immerses students in both school and faculty traditions. Led by passionate student volunteers, the different Orientations are often the first impression of Queen’s for students and can be their fondest memory of the university.
FIRST YEARS NOT IN RESIDENCE (FYNIR)
ARTS AND SCIENCE
ASUS has the largest Orientation Week out of all the faculties due to their incoming class size. ASUS Orientation has around 550 Orientation leaders called Gaels that can be recognized by their blue shirts. Head Gael, Becky Wieschkowski, ArtSci ’17, told The Journal that she and her Orientation Week are gearing up for about 2,700 incoming ArtSci students. ASUS frosh get to look forward to a number of events, from a semi-formal that has a different theme each year, to a carnival held in Nixon Field and participating in the Frosh Olympics, where students get down and dirty in their personalized coveralls. COMMERCE
During Commerce Orientation Week, first year students are put into Syndicates led by their Orientation leaders, known as Bosses. Bruce Meilikhan, Comm ’16, chair of the Commerce Executive on Orientation — which cleverly shortens to CEO — told The Journal via email, “Without giving too much away, notable events in this year’s week include the Mystery Road Trip, the Boat Cruise, the Commerce-Engineering Cheer Off, and our inaugural COMMapalooza.” When asked about his favourite Orientation Week memory, Meilikhan wrote that commerce students have to wait until Day 3 to find out. After the University Senate put Commerce Orientation Week on probation in Sept. 2014 due to the intensity of their events, the organizers are now focused on creating a safer, more inclusive week. ENGINEERING
With its purple-coloured, kilt-wearing Orientation leaders called FRECs (Frosh Regulation Enforcement Committee), Engineering Orientation Week is arguably one of Queen’s most iconic Frosh Weeks. Incoming engineering students are in for a wild week where they’ll get their first-ever eng-cut (a hairstyle achieved with gelatin and spray-paint), get muddy at the Highland Games, climb the infamous grease pole
FYNIR Orientation’s aim is to give students living off campus the same welcome as the ones who’ll be living in residence. Mandy Pare, ArtSci ’17, the chair of the FYNIRS program, told The Journal that FYNIR Orientation leaders — called Landlords — fulfill the same role as residence dons for the FYNIRS. Pare said that FYNIRs Orientation is a great time for first year students to build friendships outside of their faculty. “Personally, FYNIRS is where I met my closest friends — some of whom were even in my Orientation Week group!” Among the events to welcome off-campus students to Queen’s, the FYNIRs get their own lounge in the Queen’s Centre to rest between activities. NURSING
Nursing Orientation welcomes the incoming class of nurses with their 28 Frosh Week leaders known as Capes. The name Cape comes from the fact that nurses in the Second World War would wear capes as a part of their uniform, according to Head Cape, Bryn Rahusaar Routledge, Nurs `18. Today, you can recognize Capes by their blue shirts and red scrub pants. Because of their small size, Nursing Orientation partners with other faculties for joint events. Nurses join the engineers for Thundermugz — where the engineers and nurses build chariots together — see a hypnotist show with ASUS, and have a barbeque with CompSci as well as having breakfast with PHE/Kin. PHYSICAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND KINESIOLOGY
The class of 2020 will be the last class to incorporate both Physical Education and Kinesiology students due to the suspension of admissions to the Physical and Health Education Program starting in 2017. Recognizable by their bright red shorts and whistles, PHE/Kin Orientation is led by Orientation leaders called Coaches and Head Coach, Jasper Bienzle, PheKin `18, promises that they’ll be full of energy. Bienzle told The Journal that PHE/Kin orientation is highlighted by an overnight trip to Camp Oconto, as well as
JOURNAL FILE PHOTOS
a Motionball fundraiser, where students partner with Special Olympics athletes in various sports. Bienzle said that his favourite orientation event is the Amazing Race, an obstacle course with lots of mud and water. NEW EXCHANGE WORLDLY TRANSFER STUDENTS (NEWTS)
NEWTS Orientation Week is for exchange, international and Bader International Study Centre students coming to Queen’s. It’s the fourth time Head of NEWTS, Caitlin McKeen, ArtSci ’16, has been involved with Orientation Week. “As the Head of NEWTS my team of coordinators and chairs aim to make incoming students feel comfortable in their new home and give them the best possible welcome to campus,” she told The Journal. Unlike other faculty orientations, Geckos, NEWTS orientation leaders, come from all faculties and all years. COMPUTER SCIENCE
This year’s chair for Computing Orientation Week is Khamil Alhade, CompSci ’18, and according to him, CompSci Orientation Week proves that CompSci stereotypes are a myth. Computing Orientation’s leaders are called Techs. Incoming CompSci students can look forward to a trip to Camp RKY, dancing off against the nurses, and the CompSci Cup Tournament where CompSci orientation groups square off to win the most gigapoints. Alhade told The Journal that Computing Orientation Week is different in that its small faculty size allows for a closer community. “By doing CompSci Orientation Week, you'll get a chance to build up a network of people who'll help you get through the years of your degree!” CONCURRENT EDUCATION
ConEd Orientation leaders are called Teaches, and Head Teach, Emma Soars, ConEd ’17, told The Journal via email that she’s confident they’ll bring a positive energy to the week. “From sitting with someone during lunchtime or even helping people figure out timetables, Teaches go above and beyond every time.” ConEd Orientation Week will feature events like their charity event with Easter Seals, a charity that focuses on helping disabled or special needs children and adults. Soars also wrote that overall ConEd Orientation is a celebration of being yourself. “First year students come into the week probably feeling nervous and homesick, and hopefully at the end they feel more empowered and self confident than ever before.”
Talking heads: Frosh in Focus Edition
PHOTOS BY AUSTON CHHOR
If you could give advice to your first year self, what would it be?
“Remember to always organize your time as much as possible. Coming into university all the expectations can get overwhelming and everything can get clouded.” Yousuf Khalil, ArtSci ‘17
“Work harder academically. Being an Eng I underestimated how hard it would be. But other than that it was a fucking great experience socially. Sorry, I swear too much.” Keshav Sharma, Sci ‘18
“Take it easy on the pizza.” Andrew Litt, Sci ‘18
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
queensjournal.ca
EDITORIALS
•9
The Journal’s Perspective
Complex cultures need complex curriculum New Dalhousie black and African diaspora studies program a step forward for diversity in higher education
W
hen students of colour open their of racial minorities. But, placing the identities of people of textbooks to read about Canadian history and culture, they shouldn’t have to colour under generalizing umbrellas runs look to just one chapter to see themselves, if a risk of perpetuating a singular narrative about diverse populations of people. they’re reflected at all. When condensed into one unit in a class Squeezing the complex cultures of racial minorities into a few university electives, alongside several others, the complexity while continuously making room in of these societies and their people are curriculums for courses about white, immediately undermined. But, by incorporating the complex European populations, contributes to the lack of racial diversity in and culturally significant stories of African-Canadians into higher education. higher education, a lot Dalhousie University more is done than just professor Afua Cooper, who is also their James Placing the identities diversifying education at Robinson Johnston of people of colour under one university. For many youth of Chair in Black Canadian one umbrella runs a risk marginalized communities, Studies, has been of perpetuating a singular there are systematic working on a black and narrative about barriers in place that African diaspora studies diverse populations. restrict the pursuit of program for the last few higher education. years. The program “will Not being able address black people’s struggle for justice in all forms,” Cooper told to see yourself reflected in university classrooms is just another way in which The Globe and Mail. The new program is a much-needed education is inaccessible for many youth respite from the singular and underdeveloped of marginalized communities. This could also be the case for professors narrative that can result from lumping studies of Canada’s non-European people looking for jobs in universities. Without into one or two courses, or even just one unit. seeing themselves and their academic At Queen’s, the Global Development interests tangibly valued by an institution, Studies and History departments offer a they’re much less likely to want to chance to broadly study cultures and histories work there.
Programs like Dalhousie’s new black and African diaspora studies achieve much more than the obvious. They educate new and more diverse generations of scholars. Programs like this work to rewrite the book, and it’s about time. — Journal Editorial Board
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ILLUSTRATION BY KIA KORTELAINEN
Valentino Muiruri
Fight childhood obesity with screens C
hildren are becoming increasingly influenced by media and are almost constantly engaged with TV or its other forms. This should be seen as an opportunity to educate, not exploit. As one of the largest influences in children’s lives, mainstream media has the opportunity to be at the forefront in the fight against childhood obesity. People often forget that it’s our generation and our children’s generation that will face the lifelong consequences of childhood obesity. By being proactive, we have the potential to limit life-threatening illnesses and life-long hardship through positive messages and healthy habits. According to Adweek, an online media outlet, children spend an average of 32 hours
THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL Volume 144 Issue 3
www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal Publishing since 1873
Editorial Board Editors in Chief
Jacob Rosen
a week in front of a TV, and 71 per cent of to tackle the rising issue of childhood obesity, as they grow older. children between the ages of eight and 18 and it all began as a TV show where Oliver Initiatives like this that use the media also have a television in their bedroom. visited American cities and helped them try to educate kids at a young age about the A large portion of the media to lead healthier lives. importance of cooking and treating your body children consume comes in the form of The campaign aims to “provoke debate right should be much more commonplace. advertisements. Kids between the ages and inspire real, meaningful, positive change Although kids may not realize of two and 11 see an average of 25,600 in the way our children access, consume the importance of knowing how advertisements a year and approximately and understand food,” according to the to prepare healthy meals, that half of all food ads are for fast food, candy campaign’s site. skill will remain with them if and cereal. developed early. Not only do children spend a In order to end the issue of great deal of time in front of a People often forget that it’s childhood obesity, we must first screen, but the content they’re our generation and our children’s generation take the time to understand what exposed to suggests the media will work. that will face the lifelong consequences of plays an important role in With the digital world childhood obesity. childhood development. being a constant presence It makes sense that television in children’s lives, it should It’s not the only one. Healthy cooking be the primary force working against and advertisements aimed at kids should be taking a more active role to encourage campaigns such Uncle Ben’s ‘Child Chefs’ the issue. and The Kids Cook Monday aim to inspire healthy lifestyles. British celebrity chef and restauranteur young children to make healthy meal choices Valentino is The Journal’s Digital Manager. Jamie Oliver began Jamie’s Food Revolution at an early age and maintain them He’s a third-year Computer Science student.
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Contributing Staff
Arththy Valluvan
Opinions Editor Assistant Arts Editor Sports Editor Assistant Sports Editor Lifestyle Editor Assistant Lifestyle Editor Photo Editors
Sebastian Bron Vishmayaa Jeyamoorthy
Sarah O’Flaherty
Kia Kortelainen
Jenna Zucker
Adam Laskaris
Renee Robertson
Ashley Rhamey
Nick Pearce
Sales Representatives Sebastian Jaramillo
Julia Balakrishnan
Ashley Quan
Cierra Madore
Auston Chhor
Keith Saunders
Ghazal Baradari-Ghiami
Clayton Tomlinson
Jane Willsie Video Editor
News Editor
Victoria Gibson
Digital Manager
Valentino Muiruri
Blake Canning
Graphics Editor
Rachel Liu
Editorials Editor
Sydney Urbanek Contributors
Ariana Bascom
Vincent Lin
Joseph Gilpin
Zachary Chisamore
Alixandra Glance
Shivani Gonzalez
Brigid Goulem
Ronen Goldfarb
Mikayla Wronko
Irene Liu
Alex Green
Maureen O’Reilly Features Editor
Editorial Illustrator
Ramna Safeer
Copy Editors
Business Staff
Alex Palermo
Kayla Thomson
Morgan Dodson
Michelle Allan
Joseph Cattana
Production Manager Assistant News Editors
Pheonix Tapley
Staff Writers and Photographers
Erika Streisfield
Arts Editor
Nabeela Jivraj
Business Manager
Max Mclernon
Head Sales Representative
Office Administrator
Anisha Jain
Want to contribute? For information visit: www.queensjournal.ca/contribute or email the Editors in Chief at journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca
Contributions from all members of the Queen’s and Kingston community are welcome. The Journal reserves the right to edit all submissions.
The Queen’s Journal is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University, Kingston.
Editorial opinions expressed in The Journal are the sole responsibility of The Queen’s Journal Editorial Board, and are not necessarily those of the University, the AMS or their officers. 190 University Ave., Kingston, ON, K7L 3P4 Editorial Office: 613-533-2800 Business Office: 613-533-6711 Fax: 613-533-6728 Email: journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca Please address complaints and grievances to the Editors in Chief. The Queen’s Journal is printed on a Goss Community press by Performance Group of Companies in Smiths Falls, Ontario. Contents © 2016 by The Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of The Journal. Circulation 4,000
10 • queensjournal.ca
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
OPINIONS
Your Perspective
How do comic book fans respond to the new Iron Man?
Big changes are happening for the character of Iron Man in the Marvel comics, written by Brian Michael Bendis. Earlier this month Marvel Comics announced a new development in their Invincible Iron Man series. Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, will be replaced by Riri Williams, a 15-year-old black girl, who attends M.I.T.
So far only a few details about the change have been released, but it’s been met with controversy, as some readers believe this to be more of a PR stunt than a progression in the comic. We asked two members of Queen’s Comic Book Legion to weigh in on the subject.
Readers need to realize potential Make diverse characters, but not and attempt to see Riri through at the expense of interesting ones Joseph Gilpin, SSW ’18 Fans have criticized Marvel on the creation of Riri Williams, for being a ploy to cause controversy between readers and ultimately sell more books. However, Riri was not created with the purpose of simply stirring up readers — her character was developed by the current writer for Marvel’s Iron Man comics, Brian Michael Bendis. Readers need to keep an open mind to changes like Riri. She’s not a publicity stunt. Bendis is known for being inspired by real life events and Riri is no exception. While he was working on a TV show a few years back, a story about a bright young woman who was a victim of street violence and, overcoming that adversity, went on to do well in college stuck with Bendis.
only making small cameos so far, which hasn’t allowed Bendis to fully develop the character. From Marvel previews, we only know a few things about her. Unlike Tony, who inherited his wealth, Riri worked her way to a scholarship and built her own Iron Man suit with spare parts, giving her a different perspective. Tony isn’t going anywhere, he’s just not in the suit. He sees Riri’s potential and works with her as a mentor, placing Tony on a sort
Phoenix Tapley, ArtSci ’18 The controversy surrounding the announcement of Riri Williams isn’t about her race, age or gender; it’s about poor character development at the expense of an already good character. Riri Williams is part of a recent trend in Marvel’s comic books to bring more and more diversity to their lineup. This trend, while having its merits, also suffers from its fair share of problems.
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Readers need to keep an open mind to changes like Riri. She’s not a publicity stunt. Bendis is known for being inspired by real life events and Riri is no exception.
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Bendis sat on the idea for years, and only recently chose the Iron Man series as a way to introduce Riri. This isn’t the first time this has happened. When creating Peter Parker in the 60s, Stan Lee was told to scrap the idea because it was a common argument that teenagers couldn’t be super heroes. Spider-Man has since gone on to be one of their most beloved heroes. Lee went on to create Marvel’s first female superhero, Invisible Woman, and later the first ever African American superhero, Black Panther. The last five years has seen a lot of change in the comic book universe. There’s been the introduction of new and diverse characters such as a female Thor, a Muslim Ms. Marvel, a black Captain America, and probably most famously, Miles Morales who is a half Hispanic and half black Spider-Man. The recent reaction to changes in the Iron Man character is very similar to that of Miles Morales — who was also created by Bendis. SUPPLIED VIA MARVEL At the time, people claimed that Promotional art by Jeff Dekal for the new Invincible Iron Man, there was no way Miles could featuring Riri Williams. ever live up to the iconic Spider-Man; that the character was just created to of indefinite hiatus. Characters like these are great for make controversy in the press and was too This is nothing new for Marvel and there is continuing what Marvel has always mysterious and underdeveloped. no harm being done to the mythos. done over the course of their history: creating Yet, here we are five years later and the She is a new and welcome character, a diverse universe of characters that appeal character has been fleshed out and proven and like Miles, I think she’ll become to people from all walks of life. worthy of the Spider-Man title, becoming a fan favorite once we get to know For 50-plus years, Marvel has brought a big player in Marvel stories and a her better. us some of the most unique and timeless fan favorite. characters, from young Peter Parker (SpiderIf Miles was given a chance, there should be Joseph Gilpin is a Social Service Worker Man), to King T’Challa (Black Panther). no reason for Riri to be treated any differently. student at St. Lawrence College. Marvel has written characters of Riri has only been in two issues of Iron Man, different races and genders as established
heroes and in leadership roles, such as Colonel James Rhodes (War Machine), a black male, becoming Iron Man and Ororo Munroe (Storm), a black female, assuming the leadership of the X-Men. Trends of diverse characters continue to this day, an example being Steve Roger’s partner Sam Wilson (The Falcon), a black male, donning the mantle of Captain America. However, some of the more recent additions to Marvel’s diverse cast, such as Riri Williams, are nowhere near as endearing or as interesting as the already established heroes. Riri Williams, as she has been presented thus far, is a brash teenager who thinks all it takes to be Iron Man is building a suit of armour. She has no combat training or battle experience to speak of, leaving us to wonder why an intelligent character like Tony Stark would choose a teenager such as Riri to take control of the Iron Man technology. Other character introductions similar to Riri have been better executed and written to prove that the new characters have earned their respective titles. A writer must demonstrate that a new character is well thought out and interesting enough to be worthy of succeeding the original hero. So far, the series writer, Brian Michael Bendis, has not done so with Riri Williams.
Some of the more “recent additions to
Marvel’s diverse cast, such as Riri Williams are nowhere near as endearing or as interesting as the already established characters.
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Comic book fans are well aware of this and the declining sales of the Invincible Iron Man title prove readers’ distaste for uninteresting characters like Riri. According to Diamond Comic Distributors — the largest comic distribution company in North America — sales of the Invincible Iron Man barely stayed in the top 50 since Riri Williams was introduced. When someone writes a character that doesn’t hold readers’ interest, they stop buying the comic. If Bendis doesn’t start to develop this character’s depth, sales for the title will continue to go down and Riri Williams might only be remembered as a character for the sake of diversity. Ultimately, while it’s good that Marvel’s writers continue to create diverse and unique characters, it should not be at the expense of interest and likability. Time will tell if Riri Williams will prove me wrong. Unfortunately, I’m not hopeful. Phoenix Tapley is a third year Philosophy major.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
queensjournal.ca
• 11
ARTS THEATRE
Storefront Festival opens doors in Kingston Kick and Push debuts festival that use empty storefronts to break through theatre barriers
Chloe Payne in the Storefront Festival’s production of Fake Nerd Girl.
Julia Balakrishnan Assistant Photo Editor
This July, a series of productions took place along downtown Princess Street, using abandoned storefronts as their stages. The concept of storefront theatre began brewing in Toronto when struggling theatre troupes that couldn’t afford costly stages took theatre to abandoned buildings. The Kick and Push Festival used this format from the fringe and put it at the forefront of the Kingston drama community. Brett Christopher, artistic producer of Theatre Kingston and one of the organizers of the Storefront Festival, said the idea hit him in the middle of the night as he was brainstorming new ways to “bring innovation” to Kingston theatre. “Kick and Push is all about making theatre projects that are interesting and new, and bring a fresh perspective on how people experience the art”, Christopher said. “Nobody had spearheaded a
fringe festival here, despite there being a lot of student work and emerging artists.” The unique spaces offered an affordable outlet for aspiring playwrights and actors to debut, while also encouraging business flow to the recently reopened Princess Street. As audience members shivered with anticipation in the dark of a Blockbuster at 226 Queen Street, the Storefront rendition of the classic Canadian play Danny, King of the Basement convincingly turned the space into the basement where homeless Danny Carter begins to build a home. Two hours later, Anybody Can Be Pussy Riot transformed it into a garage for an uproarious punk band. “It’s interesting how it’s possible to adapt these spaces,” Christopher said, noting the deserted Indigo location on Princess Street had been a construction space when the festival began work on it. It became the most successful of the three venues, the third being the
former XO Lounge. However, it wasn’t only the space that challenged the norm. The festival featured multiple productions that openly denounced traditional thought and discussed real experiences of oppression. Fake Nerd Girl, written and starring Chloe Payne, is a proudly-nerdy, feminist one-woman comedy. It’s so approachable and well thought out that even angry nerd boys would be hard-pressed to find anything bad to say about it. Payne plays the character of Olive, a girl in love with nerd culture — in this case, comics, video games, and sci-fi — since she started watching Star Trek: The Next Generation in grade school. Olive goes through multiple encounters with men who harass her in online video games and question the authenticity of her love for comics. The script is painfully real to the experiences of women in the subculture, and Payne’s acting and comedic timing is so good, the audience was alternating between
laughing and crying from minute to minute. The best-selling of all the Storefront productions, Anybody Can Be Pussy Riot, makes a point of not making their audience cry, but getting them angry. In a simultaneously hilarious and beautiful performance that combines scripted characters and real-life interviews, Pussy Riot was more of an experience than a show. Rebecca Benson and Tracey Guptill play two women from the Russian feminist punk rock protest group Pussy Riot, who were arrested and persecuted for their protest performances that demanded religious freedom, LGBTQ+ rights and labelled Russian President Vladimir Putin a dictator. The duo are fabulously funny and have a great chemistry on stage. Under their makeshift masks, they make the audience laugh, but also discuss serious themes with guests like journalist Meredith Dault and Aboriginal
CAMPUS
PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN
rights activist Georgina Riel. In between breaks, the punk rock band PELT plays accompanying live music that bursts the eardrums and Kala Seraphin amazes with interpretive dance. At the heart of it all is a comically-wrapped refusal to accept the patriarchal status quo. Benson and Guptill, as well as the hilarious Anna Sudac, a guest performer, target local examples of oppression — such as Kingston’s love of Sir John A. MacDonald. Throughout the show, they encourage people to examine the world with a critical eye – everyone has it in them to challenge authority. The Storefront Festival certainly brought a refreshing addition to the mid-July calendar. With both humour and heart, shows like Fake Nerd Girl and Pussy Riot showed another side of Kingston. “Pussy Riot is a little on the risqué side,” Christopher said. “A friend of mine said, ‘I didn’t think Kingston was like that.’ But we are. We’re here.”
New installation to be built in Beamish Munro Foyer SU
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Alex Palermo Assistant Arts Editor This fall, Beamish Munro Hall, commonly known as the ILC, will host a contemporary installation by Toronto-based artist Kwest. In the early 90s, Kwest began making his mark in the Toronto art scene. His
One of Kwest’s design installations located under the Gardiner in Toronto.
original works have painted downtown Toronto for years, bringing life and colour to Queen Street West, Kensington and the High Park areas. Kwest was originally known as a young, graffiti artist who rode Canadian rails, painting on any available surface including the moving boxcars themselves. Today, Kwest has received commissions from the likes of Drake to design large-scale installations for recording studios, restaurants and homes. When Kwest first heard of the call for public art by the Faculty of Engineering he felt a strong connection to the potential project.
“My mom went to Queen’s, so I thought that was really cool,” he said. He travelled to Kingston for several days in the early spring to meet and collaborate with a number of engineering students. “It was really cool [to] figure out what it takes to be an engineer and what the comparison to being an artist was,” the artist explained. Based on his description of the piece, the engineering students’ influence is undeniably present in the installation. Paying homage to its exhibition space , the sculpture itself will be a feat of engineering. Using reclaimed materials such as hardwood and steel, the piece will dominate the entryway, See Toronto on page 12
Arts
12 •queensjournal.ca
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
ART IN TRAVEL
Playing with fire
Visiting the CHIHULY exhibit at the ROM in Toronto
Dale Chihuly’s Red Reeds on Logs on display at the ROM.
The Laguna Torcello sculpture featured in Chihuly’s Botanical Gardens.
PHOTS BY ERIKA STREISFIELD
Erika Streisfield Arts Editor The other week, I found myself gawking at glass. This wasn’t just any glass — they were massive, intensely-coloured, blown glass objects at the CHIHULY exhibit in the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). Dale Chihuly is an American glassblower known for his large scale and otherworldly architectural installations. An integral part of revolutionizing the studio glass movement, Chihuly’s work encompasses the grandeur, imagination and pure artistry of the art form. Chihuly first encountered the studio glass movement while studying interior design at the University of Washington. After completing his degree in 1965, he devoted himself to the medium, attending the first American glass program at the University of Wisconsin and later working for the Venini glass factory in Venice. His larger-than-life installations are featured in over 200 museum collections around the world, including the ROM in Toronto. Being the fine art fanatic that I am, I decided to venture over to the exhibit and see what all the fuss was about. What could be so interesting about this glass? One elevator ride later, I arrived in the
basement of the ROM, also known as the Garfield Weston Exhibition Hall, to find out. The exhibit hall was dark for all of two seconds before large glass installations overwhelmed my eyes with vibrant colours in all shapes and sizes. It was as if I had walked into a psychedelic era, full of vibrant, groovy shapes. A plaque in the exhibition hall quoted the artist: “I want people to be overwhelmed with light and color in a way they have never experienced.” And, overwhelmed I was. The first installation I came upon was a boat filled with what seemed like balloons, but were actually glass balls of various sizes and colours. Entitled Float Boat (2014), the sculpture was inspired by Chihuly’s early years as an artist, when he floated glass down a river. Local teenagers would chase after them in rowboats, collecting the glass piece by piece. While this inspiration seemed a bit unusual — how often do you see glass floating down a river — it fit for the rest of the exhibit, which was anything but ordinary. As I walked through the exhibit, past its 11 unique installations, it seemed as though the sculptures were growing in size and colour. In one of Chihuly’s most iconic installations, what looked like flower sculptures stood contained
under a glass ceiling. The bright and beautiful piece, entitled Persian Ceiling (2012), was inspired by the colors and organic shapes throughout Persian art. The best part of the piece was the beanbags lying on the floor. Viewers were invited to lie down and stare up at the intense ceiling. I ended up getting lost in the colours above me as crowds of people waited their turn. While Persian Ceiling was a fan favourite, Chihuly’s Red Reeds on Logs was my preferred piece. While at first it seemed simple in its composure, after standing in front of it with my head tilted to the side for several minutes, the true striking beauty of the piece hit me. If I could sum it up in words, imagine large birch trees lying on their side, pierced by three-meter-long vividly red glass reeds — beautiful. Despite visiting some of the world’s premiere museums, it happened to be at home in the city of Toronto, where I found my favourite exhibit of them all. Posted on the wall of the exhibit, Chihuly explains: “Glass has the ability, more than any other material, to bring joy and a certain happiness to people.” This couldn’t ring more true, as I left the exhibit with a stupefied smile plastered across my face.
Continued from page 11
way is very tall and narrow. It’s going to be a lengthy piece.” When revealed this coming fall, the connection between engineering, arts and their collective dependence on design will be clearly reflected in the piece. “Personally I’ve found a lot of success in my work just from being original and really carving out what your style is”, Kwest said. The artist also drew inspiration from the students he met with when brainstorming for the project, and their enthusiasm and love for engineering. The projected finishing date for the piece is September 2016, just in time for Queen’s 175th anniversary year.
Toronto artist brings art and engineering together
showcasing the structural techniques engineers are notorious for, according to Kwest. While the installation’s design is underway, its construction will begin in early August. For the past months, the process was largely about bringing together two separate disciplines and sourcing materials that reflect both. “We were thinking about possibly trying to get railroad ties … another was [gathering] reclaimed metal, possibly going to some of the local scrap yards,” Kwest said. The most impressive aspect is certainly the height and scale of the piece itself, which isn’t exactly new territory for Kwest. “I’ve done some pieces that have been tall, but they were in different configurations,” he said. “The shape of that entrance
— With files from Erika Streisfield
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
queensjournal.ca
• 13
SPORTS FEATURE
Hitting the runner’s wall A rare bone condition gives Alex Wilkie a 30 per cent chance of returning to competitive running Alex Wilkie set a course record at the Western Invitational on September 25, 2015 with a time of 24:35.
J oseph C attana Sports Editor “Dad, its over.” Inside St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto, Queen’s cross-country runner Alex Wilkie had nothing more to say as he stared down at his CAT scans and a collection of paperwork for the upcoming months of physiotherapy. Due to a rare genetic bone impingement caused by abnormal contact between two bones in his left hip and the hardening of his labrum — the soft tissue that protects joints from grinding against each other — doctors gave Wilkie a 30 per cent chance of returning to competitive running. An OUA champion and CIS bronze medalist in his first three years at Queen’s, it felt like it was all coming to an end for Wilkie in that moment at the hospital. As his son sat in the waiting room crying, Chuck Wilkie remained optimistic. He reminded Alex of the challenges he’d seen his favourite professional athletes overcome. Though there might not be a direct comparison between star athletes and a cross-country runner from Almonte, Ontario, something his father told him that day inspired Wilkie not to give up. “You don’t know how it’s going to work until you try,” Wilkie
recalls his father telling him. “You don’t want to wake up when you’re 40 or 50 and say how you could have had this surgery and continued on to do the thing you loved.” Not willing to call it quits just yet, Wilkie will have to undergo surgery on his hip and likely face three to four months of rehabilitation without running. Even with the daunting future that awaits him, Wilkie says he will attempt a comeback.
Early success October 31, 2015 Waterloo
Recognized by most of his coaches as a short distance runner, not a lot was expected of Wilkie, ArtSci ’17, coming to Queen’s. Under head coach Steve Boyd’s heavy mileage running program, the team’s plan was for him to become accustomed to longer distances during his first season, building towards “something special” in third or fourth year. What neither athlete nor coach knew was that the success would come early. In his second season with the Gaels, Wilkie finished his 2014-15 indoor track campaign in style, placing 3rd in the 1500-metre race at the CIS National Championships in Windsor. His success continued to build into his third season, with strong
outings in the 2015-16 season — including a course record at the Western Invitational. He made something clear to his competitors: 2015 was going to be the year of Alex Wilkie. At the 2015-16 OUA Championships in Waterloo, the twist and turns of the trail caused the runners to take a slower pace — playing to Wilkie’s strength of late race sprinting. In the first two kilometres, a familiar pack of strong runners — including Wilkie — got out to a sizeable lead. With the pace increasing every passing kilometre, a few runners would fall out of the pack and out of contention. It wasn’t until the final 700-metres that there were only two left — Wilkie and Windsor’s Paul Janikowski. The final obstacle was a short hill that leads to an open grassy field. Seeing Boyd in the distance telling him this was the moment to go for gold, Wilkie gave his coach a simple nod and passed Janikowski on the rising hill as he sprinted to a provincial championship. “Once Alex gets his step, you can’t get it back on him,” Boyd said. While they took a moment to celebrate the achievement, the Queen’s team was already looking ahead to the national championships just two weeks later in Guelph, where Wilkie would be a favourite going in.
“At that point we didn’t know how significant it was going to be. Because looking back now, it might be the last win he ever gets,” Boyd said.
The first signs November 14 2015 Guelph
Just ten minutes into the 2015-16 CIS National Championships, Wilkie felt something wrong as he struggled to keep up with his competitors. After being pegged for gold, Wilkie finished a disappointing 31st overall. But the discomfort he felt wasn’t a one-race abnormality. For the past two years, whenever Wilkie picked up his pace, he’d lose coordination in his left leg. Described as a biomechanical anomaly, Wilkie’s condition limited him in the final sprint. While he thought it was just fatigue, Wilkie knew professional help would give him answers. During initial visits with doctors, Wilkie was told he had a partial labral tear. Over time, the rubbery tissue between the two bones in his hip joint began to rip. Rest was the prescribed treatment. It was only after seeking a second opinion from a former university-runner-turned-doctor, in Toronto that Wilkie found out, in addition to a partial tear, the labrum in his left leg had ossified,
SUPPLIED BY MAXINE GRAVINA
turning this muscle into bony tissue.
Next steps 2016-17 Kingston
Currently, Wilkie is awaiting surgery, but he continues to train periodically so that he can maintain his level of stamina. During surgery, doctors will replace Wilkie’s labrum with a portion of his hamstring. Once surgery is complete, he will spend the first month and a half on crutches, using his whole fourth year for physiotherapy. During this time, he says it’ll be important for him to continue to be a part of the team. “To sulk in my room or whatever because I’m not racing, that’s not a leader type thing to do,” Wilkie said. “I will be out there just as I ever was.” Like other athletes, Wilkie has dreamt of representing Canada. Known as a passionate runner, he would picture making the perfect move in a race, pushing the world’s best athletes to earn a once in a lifetime moment — the Olympic games. Even though he still hasn’t wrapped his head around the rehab and is unsure whether he’ll ever run again competitively, Wilkie knows that he’ll continue to do what makes him successful — putting one foot in front of the other.
Key matchups for the 2016-17 Gaels
J oseph C attana Journal Staff
W
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S ebastian B ron
ith varsity seasons quickly approaching, Queen’s teams are starting to gear up in their quest for a championship. Some will succeed and others won’t, but there’s sure to be a lot of action in the coming season. Just last month, the OUA released the full schedule for all varsity sports. With the grand opening of the newly revitalized Richardson Stadium in September, the 2017 women’s hockey CIS national championships in March and all the rivalry games in between, we’ve compiled a list of the key matchups for the coming season.
FOOTBALL
September 17 at Richardson Stadium
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
October 30 at the Memorial Centre
vs. Western University
vs. Guelph University
In recent years, Queen’s and Western have been one of the biggest rivalries in the OUA, with the teams meeting in the provincial championship Yates Cup final in 2009 and 2013. Last year, the Mustangs were the envy of the OUA, going undefeated during their regular season. With most of the Queen’s team coming back, another chapter in the rivalry will be written at Queen’s as they host the Mustangs at the newly revitalized Richardson Stadium.
The Gryphons are coming off an OUA Champion season, only losing two games in regulation. In their two match-ups last year, Queen’s was outscored 7-1, dropping both games. For the Gaels to be a legitimate contender for the CIS National Championship in March — which will be hosted by Queen’s at the Strathcona Paper Centre in Nappanee — they’ll have to be more competitive against the OUA’s highest scoring team.
For more info on these games and other top picks, head over to queensjournal.ca/sports
Sports
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Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Gaels announce final set of recruits for the 2016-17 varsity season S arah O’F laherty Assistant Sports Editor With the successes of last year behind them, many Queen’s teams have had to say goodbye to graduating athletes. To fill the void left by the players, many teams have added fresh faces to change the landscape of next season.
Men’s hockey
After finishing ninth in the OUA in goals per game, the men’s hockey team addressed depth in this years recruiting class. “We felt as a staff we needed to add a high end defensemen and needed more depth throughout our forward lines. We feel we have addressed this with this class,” said head coach Brett Gibson. The team is mostly gaining their forwards from Ontario and British Colombia, including Dylan Anderson (Greely, ON), Luke Bertolucci (Montrose, BC), Eric Margo (North Vancouver, BC) and Ted Hunt (Toronto, ON). Defenceman Nevin Guy (Mountain, ON) joins the team fresh off his time with the OHL Ottawa 67’s , for whom he played 268 games over four seasons. Familial connections will run
deep on the team this season. Newcomer and youngest recruit, Andrew Ming, 20, (Williamstown, ON) will be joining his older brother and fellow forward, Eric Ming on the roster this fall. Kingston brothers, Brock and Luke Edwards, will both join the team as forwards — having spent time playing at Niagara University as well. The team’s regular season kicks off at home on Friday October 7 at the Memorial Centre in Kingston against the Carleton Ravens.
Men’s soccer
In an attempt to bolster his defence, head coach Christian Hoefler rounded out his 2016 roster with the announcement of the final two recruits for the upcoming season: Ottawa goalkeeper Tyler Gowdy and east coast defender Cameron Mackinnon (Halifax, NS). Gowdy and Mackinnon join fellow recruit, midfielder Michael Chang from Mississauga, whose commitment and signing was announced in the spring. 18-year-old Gowdy will be joining Queen’s from the Ottawa Fury FC Academy, a professional soccer club in the North American Soccer League where
he has played since 2014. The environment and gameplay at Queen’s will likely be a familiar one for Gowdy, as head coach Hoefler came to Queen’s after spending time on the Ottawa Fury staff. Mackinnon will be joining the team from Nova Scotia, where he spent four years as the captain of the provincial soccer team and won four Atlantic Championships. Signing earlier in spring, Chang will be joining Queen’s fresh off his time playing with Sigma FC in League 1 Ontario. Chang has also experienced both provincial and national championships during his time with the North Mississauga Soccer club. The men’s soccer team will begin their regular season on Saturday September 3, in Kingston when they face off against the Nipissing Lakers.
Women’s hockey
Head coach Matt Holmberg announced the signing and commitment of four recruits his team for the upcoming 2016-17 season. Hailey Wilson (Pickering, ON) and Robin Ketcheson (Toronto, ON) will be joining
the team as forwards. Devon Greenough (Arnprior, ON) and Bryce Desa (London, ON) will be joining the squad as defence. The new recruits are all young, but make up for what they lack in age with experience and skill. Wilson played 56 games over two seasons with the Whitby Jr. Wolves. Wilson has experienced a number of successes on the ice, including one silver and one bronze medal in the 2015 and 2016 Provincial Women’s Hockey League Final Four respectively. Ketcheson spent the 2015-2016 season playing 74 games with the Burlington Jr. Barracudas. Greenough spent the last two seasons playing for the Nepean Jr. Wildcats, during which time she played 66 regular season games and had 15 points. Desa has played for the London Jr. Devilettes for the last two seasons. Desa was ranked 14th in scoring among defence in 2015-16. The women’s hockey team will begin their regular season on Saturday, October 15, when they host the Nipissing Lakers at the Memorial Centre in Kingston.
ILLUSTRATION BY KIA KORTELAINEN
Men’s volleyball
Head Coach Brenda Willis announced seven more recruits to the Gael’s men’s volleyball team for the upcoming season, rounding out the largest signing class she’s ever brought in to the program. Joining the Queen’s squad for the upcoming 2016-17 season are left-side Brayden Stoffers (Frankford, ON), right-side Jonathan Reid (Oakville, ON) and libero Lukas Kaufman (Stratford, ON). Coach Willis has also brought in four middle blockers, Luke Beelen (Toronto, ON), Dylan van Eeden (Aurora, ON), Luka Mijacevic (Oshawa, ON) and Malcolm Prentice (Oakville, ON). The height of the new recruits ranges from 6’ to an impressive 6’6”. The large signing class comes at a time when close to half of last season’s team has graduated, which has made way for new, fresh talent. According to Willis, having a large signing class allows there to be competition between the players for a spot on the roster. The team will begin their regular season on Saturday, October 29, with a home game against the Trent Excalibur.
Sports
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
queensjournal.ca
• 15
ALUMNI PROFILE
Queen’s grad finds success in NHL
Former Queen’s defenceman helping to rebuild the Calgary Flames A dam L askaris Staff Writer As a defenceman on the men’s hockey team at Queen’s, the possibility of bringing the Stanley Cup home to Oshawa was a long shot for Ryan van Asten. Nine years after graduating Queen’s — with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in 2003 and again in 2005 with a Bachelor of Physical Education — he’s won two. To be clear, van Asten’s accomplishments didn’t come as a player. During his time as a Gael, van Asten posted a mere 13 points as a defensemen on an underachieving Queen’s team. It was after his time in Kingston where he found his calling. Interested in human movement and kinesiology, van Asten moved from his hometown of Oshawa to Calgary to get a Masters of Exercise Physiology in 2005 — calling the city home ever since. Working as a professional strength and conditioning coach for various organizations, he’s now a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Los Angeles Kings and an Olympic gold medallist with the Canadian women’s hockey team. Currently the strength and conditioning coach for the NHL’s Calgary Flames, van Asten’s career has taken a number of twists and turns since his days as a Gael. Beginning his career in 2008 with an internship at a well-known sports performance institute in Florida, van Asten has jumped around from east coast to west coast and back to where it all began in Calgary, collecting much of his hardware along the way. After three years working with the national hockey and luge programs in Calgary — as they prepared for the 2010 Olympics — in 2011 van Asten jumped at a job offer from the Los Angeles Kings, where he’d stay until 2014.
But with his wife Jackie, who he met at Queen’s, and his children in Calgary, the Queen’s graduate felt like it was his duty to help in the team’s turnaround, coming on at the start of the 2014-15 season. The Flames’ place in the NHL varies from that of the Kings in a number of ways. While the Kings were already earning a reputation as one of the league’s best on-ice teams in van Asten’s first year with the organization, the Flames are still in a stage of rebuilding, having missed the playoffs each of the past five years before he came to the organization. During his career, Van Asten has seen a rise in younger players. “The main difference is the level of physical maturity of most of the players,” he said. Los Angeles currently has the ninth-oldest average age in the NHL, while Calgary has the seventh-youngest, according to NHLNumbers.com. And while old-school hockey culture often looks at the most basic physical characteristics, van Asten says players like Johnny Gaudreau, who scored 75 points this past season — despite being listed at just 5’7” and 157 pounds — are changing that stereotype with new types of strength and conditioning exercises that are becoming commonplace across pro sports. “For most guys, we never focus on getting them to a certain weight,” van Asten said, while adding that there are many more characteristics in an athlete’s fitness than their height and weight. Despite working in professional sport, van Asten still looks back on his Queen’s days fondly and keeps in touch with many of his teammates, who he says are among his closest friends. “I still talk to those guys to this day.”
Emma Chown (white shirt) playing her first games for Canada Rugby 7s in Wales.
SUPPLIED BY ROGER CHOWN
Ryan van Asten holds the Stanley Cups he won as part of the Los Angeles Kings organization.
SUPPLIED BY RYAN VAN ASTEN
WOMEN’S RUGBY
From Oil Thigh to O Canada
Emma Chown represents Canada at FISU games S arah O’F laherty Assistant Sports Editor After breaking onto the scene as one of the most dominant players in women’s rugby, Emma Chown temporarily swapped her tri-colour uniform for a red and white kit. Chown was one of just 12 players selected to represent Canada at the 7th Summer Universiade Games (FISU) , which took place on July 7 to 9 in Wales. The Canadian squad enjoyed a perfect 4-0 record during the first two days of the tournament, with wins against Portugal, Spain, Australia and China. Chown played her part, scoring one of the tries against Spain. In the semi-final, Canada defeated China in a tight 7-5 match to advance to the final against France. Canada lost big time to France with a final result of 31-5 — Chown assisting Canada’s only score. Even though Chown was confident in her showing at the June tryout camp, she didn’t expect that this would be her year to make the team, due to the relatively short time she’s spent playing rugby. “I got an email during my lunch break at work and I opened it and thought it was going to be a ‘thank you for your participation but we’re not choosing you this time’ email and I opened it and had a great day at work,” Chown, ArtSci ‘17, said with a laugh. It’s been a long time coming for Chown. After trying out for the Queen’s women’s hockey team and not making it, she went out for rugby and spent her first year as a redshirt — part of the practice squad. After limited playing time in her second year, Chown started on the wing for the Gaels last year, finishing second in scoring for the OUA with 12 tries. Selected as an OUA All-Star and winning a CIS silver medal all in the past year, Chown has begun her ascent in the
national program. She spent the latter-half of last year training with Rugby Canada 7s Ontario U20 Regional Development Program. During the three-day tournament in Wales, Chown was immersed in an Olympic-type atmosphere. With opening and closing ceremonies, sharing meal halls and dormitories with athletes from across the world, Chown was left speechless. “All of it was amazing, we just took it day by day and we did pretty well.” The fanfare and viewership of the FISU added a new level of excitement for Chown. “It was honestly maybe a bit more stressful, but it was stress that motivated you to do your best,” she said. Still, the support from the viewers at home helped to quell any nerves. “I knew the games were being streamed back home and it was nice to know that my teammates and my friends and family were watching online.” One of the most important things she hopes to take away from her time in Wales was how quickly the team came together. Since they only spent eight days together — some of the members met at the airport — Canada had a short amount of time to rally together for a run at the finals. “During the Queen’s season, you have such a longer time together and I think it’s really important that our team is able to bond like we did at FISU because I think that really contributed to our success.” With Gaels training camp starting in August, Chown is ready for the season to start. “I’m just really excited that we have some good recruits and a lot of strong players coming back. We had a really great season last year and everyone is excited for the upcoming season.”
16 •queensjournal.ca
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
LIFESTYLE
PHOTO BY AUSTON CHHOR
The Brexit vote will further isolate immigrants writes Editorials Editor, Ramna Safeer.
QJ POLITICS
Brexit: an immigrant’s perspective What Britain’s newfound ‘independence’ really looks like R amna S afeer Editorials Editor
T
he hate towards immigrants that has risen exponentially after the Brexit vote is sending chills down my spine an ocean away. According to the BBC, several mosques in London were sent a suspicious white powder with “Paki filth” scrawled on the envelopes. Britain’s National Police Chief’s Council reported a 500 per cent rise in hate crime incidents just before and after the referendum. As a daughter of two proud immigrants, who planted their Pakistani roots in Canada a few years after their marriage, I can’t help but feel targeted. While dozens of post-Brexit comments on my social media attempted to steer attention away
GAMING
from the anti-immigrant focus of Campaign Leave, I couldn’t help but wonder what the “take back control of our borders” rhetoric and its violent aftermath must look like to Britain’s many immigrants. Taha Khan is a university student and Youtuber living in a town just outside Cambridge. His Pakistani parents moved to the United Kingdom 13 years ago from Saudi Arabia, where they were also immigrants. The post-Brexit atmosphere is definitely a racially charged one, Khan said, with underlying tensions bubbling to the surface. “When I go to the villages and towns around Cambridge, where I live, they predominantly voted Leave,” he told The Journal over the phone. “That changes your preconceptions about people when
you know that they might have voted on racially prejudiced lines, you’re a lot more wary.” Khan, who is Muslim, said he and his family might be reacting subconsciously to the exponential rise in hate crimes against Muslims. “The sharp increase in confidence of racists has led to the sharp decrease in confidence of minorities to be visible,” he said. The end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is called Eid. Celebrated by billions of Muslims across the globe, Eid is a chance to spend time with family and wear cultural clothing such as shalwar khameez — a cultural outfit often worn by Pakistanis on special occasions. Due to the upsurge in attacks against Muslims, Khan said Muslims may be feeling increasingly hesitant
about wearing such clothing in public and in general, not being “outwardly Muslim”. “On Eid, I wore trousers and a shirt. Now that I think about it, I don’t recall it being a conscious choice, but I didn’t wear a shalwar khameez, maybe because it’s such a white area. We kind of live invisibly in this predominantly white city.” According to The Independent, British Muslims are experiencing a rampant rise of faith-based attacks, particularly people who outwardly identify as Muslim, such as women who wear the hijab — even though British Muslims aren’t exactly few and far between. As of 2011, over two million Muslims called Britain home. As the referendum result was finalized on the night of the vote, leader of the Leave campaign
Nigel Farage claimed that June 23 would go down in history as the country’s “Independence Day”. As a colonial and imperial superpower that once exercised an often violent control over what is now India, Pakistan and Bangladesh — and given the backlash against these same people following the referendum — Farage’s “Independence Day” isn’t just ironic. It’s downright mockery. Without the benefits and resources that Britain reaped from these colonies, there would be no “great” in Great Britain. But with one word, five letters, “Leave”, Britain has turned its back on the millions of immigrants whose lives are woven into the country’s history, while halfway around the world, I still feel the violent consequences of the referendum.
Pikachu and the gang are back
Pokémon Go: a wild goose chase through our childhood, looking for the characters we grew up with M ichelle A llan Staff Writer
Yesterday I found myself hopping the fence into a stranger’s backyard, running through a church parking lot and straight into traffic. As I narrowly dodged an oncoming city bus, I caught myself whispering, “gotta catch ‘em all.” Trespassing and almost getting hit by a car in pursuit of a virtual monster is the norm for millions of people now. Nintendo’s newest app is taking over. For the uninitiated, Pokémon Go is a location-based augmented reality game available for free download on smartphones. Like previous games in the franchise, players catch, battle and train virtual “pocket monsters.” Using your smartphone’s GPS and camera, Pokémon — a portmanteau of “pocket” and “monsters” — appear on device screens at real world locations.
This time, instead of residing in a video game, the Pokémon are waiting to be discovered in your immediate surroundings. Around campus, you can spot countless trainers doing the telltale zig-zag while staring at their phone walk in search of their next Pokémon. For university students, it’s a nostalgic return to a beloved franchise that blurs the line between the real world and the Pokémon universe. As kids we watched Ash’s adventures on TV after school, traded the cards at recess, ate fruit roll ups out of our Pikachu lunch boxes, and stayed up long past bedtime battling gym leaders on the Gameboy Colour. One such lifelong enthusiast is René Puerta, Comm ’16. “Growing up, I played all three generations,” Puerta said. “I stopped playing like, seven years ago, almost half my life ago, and it somehow comes back.
It’s crazy.” It’s the accessibility of the augmented reality aspect of the game that really sells the fantasy of Pokémon existing in the real world. Augmented reality in the past has required expensive gear like consoles and headsets, but Pokémon Go can be installed for free on the phone you already own. “For millions of people, this is the first experience they’re having with augmented reality,” Puerta said. “I’ve played a VR game before, but it was only okay ... Virtual reality is usually really expensive. Pokémon Go is so cool because it’s accessible.” Along with a rocky release — it was made public in parts of the world but delayed in others and in certain areas was only available on Android for some time — Pokémon Go has been questioned for being a danger and public nuisance. Since its release earlier this summer,
players have crashed their cars, stumbled upon dead bodies, and into robberies and tiger pits while playing. The game frequently freezes, crashes, glitches and malfunctions. With the combination of data usage and augmented reality draining users’ phone batteries, the app is barely functional at best. None of these issues seem to be deterring anyone from playing. “It’s like an abusive relationship. The app always crashes on me, startup time is slow, it logs you out of your account. My phone crashed on me as I was about to catch a Scyther … but I keep coming back,” Puerta said. Despite its flaws, Pokémon is undeniably bringing people together. “I love playing with other people, it’s so fun. We talk and walk and see new parts of the city.,” Puerta said. Two nights ago, I was going for a walk near U of T, we found this area with four Pokéstops in one
area, and there was a crazy amount of people there, all using lures to attract Pokémon. People were mingling, chilling, it was a really cool environment,” Puerta continued. For me, I had a similar experience while on my way to get gelato with a friend one evening. We cut through Confederation Park and stumbled upon a gathering of fifty people milling around the fountain. There was chatting, the sharing of phones and snacks and even a re-charging area. I quickly realized I had stumbled into a gathering of strangers who had nothing in common except for a love of Pokémon. A girl in a Pikachu hoodie looked up from her phone, smiled at us, and said, “Hey! There’s a Snorlax here” and we immediately forgot all a b o u t the gelato. VISUALS VIA POKÉMON GO
LIFESTYLE
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
queensjournal.ca
• 17
Screenshot from Kanye’s “Famous” video, where he and Kim Kardashian are portrayed naked in bed with other celebrities.
R onen G oldfarb Contributor
K
anye West isn’t totally unlike cilantro. Some people go crazy for cilantro, they love it in their burritos, in their curry, their smoothies salads and pretty much anything else. Some people just really, really like cilantro. Others can’t stand cilantro. They think it’s overpowering and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. They find it outspoken, arrogant and kind of an asshole. But I digress. The night The Life of Pablo (TLOP) was first expected to be released I stayed up well past midnight, switching between the forums on Kanyetothe.com and r/Kanye on Reddit, becoming increasingly aware that this album wasn’t going to drop tonight, as promised. Which came as no surprise. This was an album that had already undergone a cover change and three name changes as well as two different track lists released on Twitter just days apart. The
CULTURE COMMENTARY
Posting those Snapchat videos purportedly showing Taylor Swift agreeing to the lyric she denounced reassured everyone who has been defending Kanye for the last five months that Taylor Swift is indeed a snake. This sent Taylor Swift And I don’t think it’s the fans back into the fiery rage musician that polarizes people’s from whence they first heard hate so much as this schtick that that song in February. has become seemingly inseparable What I’m getting at is it doesn’t from the man himself. really matter that Kim released That’s why the album itself drew those Snapchats and it certainly so much flack: the name changes, doesn’t matter what Kanye the updated lyrics, the guess the released as the music video for what TLOP stands for to win a ‘Famous’.; It was going to be either pair of Yeezys, are all part of this over the top or absolutely genius schtick of a creative genius beyond regardless of whether or not it everyone else. featured a bunch of celebrities, So, of course people are going Caitlin Jenner and George W. Bush to get up in arms when Kanye included, all having a great big orgy. declares he’s “pretty sure me and If he released a three minute Taylor might still have sex/ Why? I close up of an old McDonald’s made that bitch famous.” cup in a urinal and called it an Because that’s what Kanye does, homage to Duchamp’s ‘Fountain’, he makes inflammatory remarks some people would advocate it in really public forums. Kanye likes be played in the MoMA and the getting people riled up. rest would advocate throwing it in And evidently so does Kim. the trash.
I miss the old Kanye Whether you agree or not he still thinks he’s a genius
Life of Pablo couldn’t just be released like any run of the mill hip-hop album, after all it was meant to be “the album of life” or something along those lines. As I sat up until 2 a.m. sifting through the comment sections of subreddits and websites devoted exclusively to Ye, one thing became clear: Kanye wasn’t the only person who thought this was going to be the greatest album ever made. Fanboys were already gushing, after having heard only the five or so tracks that had already been released. This ‘Kanye West might actually be a God among us’ sentiment was only taken further with websites like Pitchfork calling the album “the sound of a celebrated megalomaniac settling for his place in history,” — the
review I’m sure Kanye knows it deserved. But not everyone was so quick to designate TLOP a masterpiece ready to be locked away in the Smithsonian with everything else that has shaped Western culture as we know it today. Popular music vlogger Anthony Fantano gave The Life of Pablo a relatively disparaging review, as did The Guardian, which called the launch “at turns, rambling, chaotic, deeply underwhelming, impressively audacious, and completely infuriating, which, whether by default or by design, made it a perfect match for The Life of Pablo, an album that’s also all of those things.” This brings me back to my initial point: people have already made up their minds about Kanye.
Indulge yourself: queensjournal.ca/lifestyle
LIFESTYLE
18 •queensjournal.ca
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
DIY
Taking tattoos into your own hands A look inside the body art trend
Putting the sterile needle in the back of a pencil will increase design accuracy.
N abeela J ivraj Contributor Tattooing your friends is a good time, but your friends tattooing you … not so much. Nevertheless, the age-old practice of needle and ink has gained popularity in the past year. With ““do it yourself” tattoo tutorials readily available on Youtube or Tumblr, the form of body art is spreading. The Journal spoke with two tattoo artists to get some professional insight on the trend. Jason Goettler is the owner and an artist at Ink Well Tattoos and Piercings in Kingston, and Stephanie O’Handley is a professional handpoke tattoo artist based in Samara, Costa Rica. The most important thing anyone considering a homemade tattoo needs to think about is hygiene. Using needles that will
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come into contact with blood brings with it a risk of infection or blood borne illness. “A tattoo is a pseudo-surgical procedure for which you need a pseudo-surgical environment,” Goettler said. “Often, people will think that if they heat a needle under a flame for a bit they’ve disinfected it adequately to use, but that’s not necessarily true. There are certain healthcare standards which a professional studio meets that an individual is not held to.” For studio tattoo artists, understanding the skin takes time and practice. He recommended that if you want a tattoo, finding a professional is the best way to go. “Whether or not people did the tattoos themselves, [they] will sometimes regret a tattoo and want to have it fixed,” Goettler said. But, there’s a possibility for fading whenever an amateur is tattooing, he said.
There are artists trained in all different types of tattooing, including exclusively using the hand poke method — like O’Handley. It’s safe to say they’ll likely do a better job than your friend using a sewing needle and ink for the first time. While Goettler advised against home tattoos without access to proper equipment and hygienic conditions, O’Handley said that with proper thought, research and attention to safety, DIY can be done with great success. “It’s a whole subculture of tattoos to explore, as long as you’re doing it safely,” she told The Journal by phone. O’Handley herself first learned to do handpoke at home, before getting an apprenticeship at a professional studio specializing in the technique. She pointed out that while handpoke has been getting more attention recently, there’s also some stigma around the practice,
In case you missed it...
Trump’s shenanigans aren’t the only thing plaguing the world J enna Z ucker Lifestyle Editor It’s been an eventful month, but with our attention turned to our Southern partner’s political circus it was difficult to look away. Here’s a briefing of some important events that have occurred in the past month: July 3: Bombings in Baghdad kill almost 300 Two attacks were the deadliest since a major US-backed Iraqi victory in expelling the Islamic State from their nearby stronghold Falluja last month. One bomb was reported to be a refrigerator van packed with explosives while the other was a roadside device. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. July 9: Steinbach hosts first ever Pride Parade with PM’s support
Steinbach, Manitoba, known as Canada’s most charitable community with the exception of LGBT rights, hosted its first ever Pride Parade. Despite local officials not attending, Justin Trudeau, who had become the first sitting PM to
march in Toronto’s Pride Parade only days earlier, tweeted his support to the community.
July 8: NATO summit sees Canada take a leading role
Canada joined the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany as the fourth “framework” nation to form a multinational, high-readiness military brigade in Eastern Europe. Canada will deploy at least 450 troops in Latvia as a part of a 1,000 strong NATO battle group. July 14: Terror attack in Nice, France leaves 84 dead, 304 injured
but failed when President Tayyip Erdoğan called for his supporters to take to the streets in opposition to the military. Over 15,000 people were detained, over 8,000 arrested and over 60,000 fired or suspended including judges, journalists, prosecutors, police and teachers, according to CNN.
July 18–24: Four attacks in Germany occur in the span of a week
July 18: A 17-year-old asylum seeker armed with an axe and knife injured four people on a train in the
PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN
primarily due to a lack of regard for safety. “It is accessible, but because people don’t necessarily do it safely, it’s not always as well respected by tattoo studio artists,” she said. She urged first-time hand artists to do their research, get gloves, proper needles, and (if possible) the best ink, before starting out at home. O’Handley said the difference between a tattoo done with a gun and one done by hand is “like oil versus watercolour, you can tell them apart.” Apart from aesthetics, each style also differs in terms of tattooing, healing and general care. Handpoke tattoos are often regarded as a more therapeutic and less painful process, according to O’Handley, in part because the experience is more pleasant with no sound from a machine. With regards to general care, handpoke tattoos generally heal very gently. According to O’Handley,
since many people opting for handpoke tattoos are looking for line and dot work, there is less to heal. “As long as the depth is right and care is proper, it shouldn’t need to heal more than a regular tattoo,” she said. Tattooing is an art form, so regard for technique is important. O’Handley recommended that if you want to start out at home, practicing your drawing is essential. With any style of tattoo, sometimes you realize that what you wanted yesterday isn’t what you want tomorrow. O’Handley has the following advice for any aspiring DIY-er: “If you’re interested in getting into it: work on your drawing, practice your art, and be safe. Be really aware and take the time to practice and get to know it before you start!”
south of Germany. July 23: Beginning outside of a McDonald’s, an 18-year-old gunman made his way into a shopping centre in Munich where he killed nine people.
Germany, while reaffirming her goal of integrating hundreds of thousands of refugees, a task she called “historic.”
July 24: A 21-year-old Syrian refugee killed a woman and injured two other people with a machete. He was arrested after being hit by a vehicle. July 24: Although denied asylum, a 27-year-old Syrian living as a refugee killed himself and wounded 15 others with a bomb at a wine bar in Ansbach.
July 28: German Chancellor Angela Merkel reaffirms migrant policy despite attacks “All of this puts a great test before us,” Merkel said of the attacks in
August 5: Rio Olympics set to begin, despite multiple issues
Despite multiple issues — the Petrobras oil scandal which wreaked chaos among highranking politicians and business people, untreated sewage in the bay used for sailing and swimming events, the Zika virus outbreak and concerns over a terror attack — the 2016 Rio Olympic Games are set to go forward as planned. After a turbulent month, the triumphant stories of athletes achieving their dreams will be a welcome event.
Three days of national mourning overtook the capital of the French Riviera after a cargo truck was driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais. The driver was shot by police attempting to halt the vehicle. July 15: Military attempts power coup in Turkey The Turkish military attempted to takeover the Turkish government
Stenbach, Manitoba’s, first Pride Parade.
VIA WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
LIFESTYLE
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
queensjournal.ca
POSTSCRIPT
Being the one in four
• 19
ILLUSTRATION BY ASHLEY RHAMEY
How I faced my experience of campus sexual assault M ichelle A llan Staff Writer
was so compassionate. Some of my Turner is just one of many rapists who took are also blind to the injustices in their former friends sided with my rapist, advantage of their system. The fact that he own community. A lot of the ‘keyboard and I encountered people who were was punished at all was a miracle when the warriors’ who were quick to condemn It’s a typical university party, with reluctant to believe me — but I didn’t majority — close to 97 per cent according Brock Turner, might not say anything if they alcohol, loud music and friends. One expect to face these obstacles with to several estimates — of sexual assault saw a friend of theirs take home a girl who’s too privileged white male and one university employees. offenders never spend a day in jail. drunk to stand. unconscious girl. When I met with a human rights officer Brock Turner’s case is something One of the people who tried to The scene I’m referring to sounds at the University, I told them how afraid the Internet can collectively be angry at. discredit my claims in first year, telling a lot like the case of former Stanford I was of him. I told them that after the You would be hard pressed to find me that my rapist was just drunk and an student Brock Turner, who was recently assault, he followed me around campus, someone who hasn’t shared a link to some overall a good guy, expressed how convicted of three counts of felony showed up at parties he knew I’d be at Buzzfeed-like article about what Turner “disgusting” Brock Turner’s parents were for sexual assault. and told mutual friends how much I was means for feminism or written a long status defending him. Judge Aaron Persky’s decision to ‘asking for it’. about how sad the ruling made them feel. The rape culture on campuses will only sentence Turner to a meager six months I asked the human rights officer what But, the mob justice of the Internet is change when students start caring and in county jail — the maximum sentence they could do about it. I remember the notoriously fickle and although every taking responsibility for the environment being 14 years in federal prison — has look the office lady gave me — she one of your Facebook friends is an and culture we create on our own campuses. attracted widespread controversy just pursed her lips, and told me they activist right now, in a month or two, people and criticism. didn’t really have a set protocol for this will find something else to be mad about. But, when Brock Turner’s story came type of case and then tried to direct me The story of Brock Turner will eventually Although I love this school to light, I couldn’t help but compare it to to counseling services. be forgotten. Many people who are outraged very dearly and will be proud my own experience in first year. I’d seen But I didn’t want a counselor. I now will soon turn around and tell you how to continue studying here, at that scene before. wanted justice. ‘progressive’ campus has become. times they’ve made it hard for When I was in first year, I went to a When I pressed her further, she What people fail to realize is that Brock me to do so. party with a few friends from my floor. admitted that no Queen’s student has Turner is just a symptom of a much larger In between rounds of beer pong, I was ever been expelled for sexual assault. problem. According to one New York Times talking to a seemingly nice boy who They offered to push my exams back article, women on American university offered to pour me a beer. but I left feeling like I’d been offered a campuses have a one in four chance of I understand I may face backlash After that beer, I suddenly started to cheap bribe: deferred exams in exchange being sexually assaulted before they graduate. for this article. I know a lot of people will feel sick and dizzy, so that seemingly for my silence. But that survey doesn’t even come close disagree with my decision to publish it nice boy offered to walk me home. By the Three months later I heard he’d done to the actual number of victims in our society with my name, instead of anonymously. time we made it back to my room the same thing to someone else. if you consider how often sexual assaults But I don’t feel ashamed of what in residence I was barely clinging Although over time I eventually moved go unreported. happened to me. to consciousness. on and became my regular cheerful Too many of my friends have some sort of The only people who should be ashamed I woke up in my room, naked, self again, campus is no longer a place ‘close call’ story, as I’m sure many of yours do of rape should be rapists. I will not be disoriented and in incredible pain. To where I feel safe. I no longer have the as well. Some of them get away, but a lot don’t. held guilty of a crime committed against me. this day a lot of the details remain luxury of being naïve to the dangers that Sometimes it feels like growing up female is a Is it so radical to want to live in a hazy, but I still remember some sort of exist here. series of close calls, and not all of us get lucky. society where I don’t have to watch heavy weight on top of me, and saying While my experience in first year was over every drink I have, assuming “no” over and over again as I slipped in negative, to say the least, I don’t hate Queen’s someone might have slipped something and out of consciousness. By the time we made it for it. Sexual assault is a touchy topic to into it otherwise? Is wanting no other You know how these stories go, so I’ll handle, and it’s easy to make a mess of it. human to experience what I had to back to my room in residence spare you the graphic details. But I missed Although I love this school very dearly experience a fantasy for ‘feminazis’ or ‘social I was barely clinging class the next day so that I could sleep off and will be proud to continue studying justice warriors’ only? to consciousness. whatever was in my drink that night. here, at times they’ve made it hard for me to When did we accept that rape I was too sore to ride my bike to do so. Universities are failing sexual assault is just an unavoidable part of class anyway. Since my assault, Queen’s has publicly survivors, and another nail is the university experience? Missing one class snowballed released a new campus-wide sexual hammered into the coffin whenever a So yes, the verdict of the Brock into missing most of my classes and, assault policy to deal with cases like student is told by their school not to Turner trial was a gross miscarriage becoming a recluse, I relied on stockpiles mine. But for me, it feels like more of bother seeking justice. of justice, but a sentencing at all is a of ramen noodles and sliced bread to a claim to how progressive they are However, as students, we are also best-case scenario for a lot of victims. minimize the amount of times I’d have to in ‘taking action,’ while the fear of responsible for the safety of our environment. Brock Turner’s case is only a small glimpse of a leave my room. tarnishing their good name prevents When we’re complacent in watching our much larger problem: a problem that we all Fortunately, I was blessed with the University from taking any real university campuses become rampant with need to take part in solving. a supportive, tight-knit group of action to protect their students. sexual assault, we’re part of the problem. The price of a university education friends who helped me through the Universities are allowing their campuses Many people who’ve expressed shouldn’t include a one in four chance rough parts. However, not everyone to become hunting grounds, and Brock outraged over the Brock Turner case of being sexually assaulted.
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20 •queensjournal.ca
Tuesday, August 2, 2016