The Queen's Journal, Volume 141, Issue 17

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Celebrating 140 years of circulation — since Oct. 25, 1873

AMS

Mayor makes mark with students

Inside this issue:

Mark Gerretsen expresses his thoughts on Homecoming at AMS Assembly

Features

Exploring the world of student pets in the Ghetto

page 3

PHOTO BY SAM KOEBRICH

B Y A BBY A NDREW Assistant News Editor Mayor Mark Gerretsen was last night’s guest speaker at AMS Assembly, where he spoke to students about his opinions on Homecoming. Gerretsen, who spoke at the beginning of Assembly, later opened up about his social media presence during the Homecoming festivities. “I know there is a topic that is probably on your minds,” he said to Assembly. “I imagine that what many of you are thinking about

is Homecoming.” Gerretsen said he had plans to speak at Assembly for a while as a result of the tension that resulted from his remarks. “Unfortunately, the message that was left is that our office is displeased with Queen’s students [in general],” Gerretsen said. However, he later added that this wasn’t the case. He said his posts on Twitter, which disapproved of student’s actions the weekend of Oct. 8, weren’t directed to every student. “Who were my remarks directed at? The individuals on the street.

I don’t think that the activity is appropriate,” he said. Gerretsen said that not every Queen’s student is guilty of the behaviour. “I’m probably 100 per cent certain that no one in this room was on Aberdeen St. on the first night of Homecoming weekend,” he said. “Expressing my displeasure was the way that I was going to handle it, and quite frankly was the way that I think was appropriate.” Gerretsen said that the behaviour on Aberdeen St. was inappropriate, but that the football games ran smoothly.

He spoke in support of the AMS’s “let’s not fuck it up” campaign, which aimed to promote appropriate behaviour during Homecoming. “It was a great campaign quite frankly,” he said. He said that the Aberdeen St. festivities have strained the relationships between the student body and the City, and that Twitter conversations between himself and Queen’s students have built on that. “There’s no doubt that … these events have … placed tension on town-gown relations,” he said.

Opinions

Our contributor describes the Swedish reaction to Alice Munro’s Nobel win

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See Gerretsen on page 7

REFERENDUM

OPIRG opted-out Public group loses fee a second time B Y O LIVIA B OWDEN Assistant News Editor

PHOTO BY SAM KOEBRICH

The Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) has lost their opt-outable student proposal fee for the second time in two years, making the organization’s future uncertain. OPIRG Kingston is one of 21 Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) that exist on university campuses nationwide. PIRGs are student-funded organizations that seek to engage students and members of the community in research initiatives, as well as participation in student-oriented events. OPIRG lost its fee for the first time in Feb. 2012 after it had been

present within student activity funds since 1992. A Queen’s University Conservative Association-backed “no” campaign emerged in Jan. 2012, titled NOPIRG, to contest OPIRG’s student fee. Hostilities between some members on both groups lead to student constables escorting members around campus for safety reasons. OPIRG’s legitimacy was questioned earlier this week by a flyer distributed to student’s mailboxes around the Student Ghetto. The flyer, published anonymously, accused OPIRG of anti-Semitic and homophobic behaviour. “These allegations are not See Anti-Semitic on page 7

Arts

Ex-convict Kelly Rose uses creative expression as therapy in women’s prisons

page 12

Sports

Men’s and women’s soccer onto OUA quarterfinals

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