Queen's Journal, Volume 147, Issue 3

Become a contribu tor : Wr i t e , e d i t, photograph.

the Queen’s University

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journal Volume 147, issue 3

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Monday, July 29, 2019

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

since 1873

In internal emails, administration called Student Choice Initiative a “significant risk” Emails obtained by The Journal detail University administration’s response to policy’s rollout, AMS fees I ain S herriff -S cott Managing Editor

Members of the University’s senior administration expressed marked concerns about the Student Choice Initiative and its potential impact on Queen’s, according to dozens of emails obtained by The Journal through a freedom of information request.

In an internal draft presentation prepared on Jan. 23—five days after the province announced the Student Choice Initiative

(SCI)—Tom Harris, interim provost and vice-principal (Academic), wrote the policy poses a “significant risk for Queen’s.”

“Results in Australia and New Zealand where fees are opt-in and not opt-out have shown a dramatic decrease in student clubs,” Harris wrote. “An important component of the student experience is defined through their experience through clubs, conferences.”

The SCI will make most post-secondary

student fees non-essential and give students the choice to opt out of them. A narrow slate of fees the province deems “essential” would remain mandatory.

Several fees at Queen’s, which previously had mandatory status, and which were established through democratic referenda and support an array of student-led services, See student fees on page 3

Bursary applications surge after OSAP cuts University sees a 34 per cent increase in bursary admission for the 2019-20 year Sydney Ko Assistant News Editor

Professor Adèle Mercier sits in her office in Watson Hall on July 22.

PHOTO BY RAECHEL HUIZINGA

Feature: Professor wins legal fight. It took six years.

PAGE 5

Court summons now permanent for students ticketed during street parties A version of this article first appeared online on July 10.

City Council voted on July 9 to make the University District Safety Initiative (UDSI) permanent. The vote passed 11-1 in favour, with Councillor Peter Stroud, Sydenham District, casting the only dissenting vote.

During Orientation Week, Homecoming weekend, and St. Patrick’s Day weekend, individuals, whether students or not, who are ticketed by police are required to appear in front of a judge at the Montreal St. courthouse.

Under the initiative, fines can’t be paid online or by mail.

One year ago, the City of Kingston, in

partnership with Queen’s University, introduced the UDSI as a pilot project in an attempt to combat unsanctioned street parties.

For the 2018-19 academic year, a total of 429 matters were heard at court, and more than $70,000 in fines were issued.

—Raechel Huizinga

By the end of February this year, Queen’s had received more bursary applications from incoming students than it had in the entire admissions cycle the year before.

A month earlier, the province announced it would cut $670 million from the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).

In an email dated March 1 and obtained by The Journal through a freedom of information request, Ann Tierney, vice-provost and dean of student affairs, wrote the Student Awards office had informed her of the increase.

In the same email, Tierney wrote she had reviewed the University’s bursary program and what the school was doing to “look at our bursary funds for the ‘most in need’ students.”

She added that two weeks prior, the University sent postcards to all applicants to Queen’s detailing the admissions bursary program and how they could apply as incoming students.

In a written statement to The Journal, the University said the postcards were intended to “raise awareness among prospective students and their family members about the Queen’s financial aid available.”

In addition to the postcards, Queen’s said it also emailed information about the bursary program to incoming students.

According to the statement, the Student Awards office received 835 more bursary applications than it had in the 2018-19 year.

Queen’s received 3,436 bursary applications for 2019-20 academic year, an increase from 2,601 for the 2018-19 year, See bursaries on page 3

IN THIS ISSUE: Lack of accountability costs university academics, p. 6, Queen’s alum films doc, p. 9, Former Gaels quarterback tries on Europe, p. 10, Journal staff share their ideal campus spots. p. 12. queensjournal.ca

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News

2 • queensjournal.ca

Monday, July 29, 2019

AMS food bank fee no longer mandatory President, Social Issues Commissioner say the service will face restrictive budget shortfall Luca Dannetta Assistant News Editor After two years of financial stability, the AMS food bank will face funding shortfalls in the 2019-20 school year.

In a July meeting with the University’s Division of Student Affairs (DSA) to discuss ancillary fees under the Student Choice Initiative (SCI), the AMS executive was informed the food bank’s $2.00 fee would be stripped of its mandatory status, allowing students to opt out of the fee.

In an interview with The Journal, AMS President Auston Pierce said when the Society’s fee

Following fee transition, AMS food bank faces budget shortfall.

slate was passed by the Board of Trustees in May, the food bank fee was mandatory for the 2019-20 year.

“We were counting on it this year to be a mandatory fee, one hundred per cent,” Pierce said.

The University made the decision to transition the fee to comply with a provincial government directive requiring campus food bank fees to be listed as optional, according to a written statement to The Journal on July 24 by Tom Harris, interim provost and vice-principal (Academic).

“The AMS Food Bank provides a valuable service to the Queen’s community, and we hope

that students will choose to support this important initiative,” Harris said.

Pointing to the Swipe It Forward program—which allows students on university meal plans to donate food to students in need—Harris added the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) and the DSA are exploring measures the University can take to address the issue of food insecurity on campus.

The Society isn’t as optimistic.

In an interview with Pierce and Bunisha Samuels, commissioner of social issues, Pierce said the changes will jeopardize the Society’s efforts to address campus

As move-in nears, equity groups prepare for new campus space Levana Gender Advocacy Centre, Queen’s University Muslim Student Association among clubs to move in Luca dannetta & raechel huizinga

Journal Staff

Four equity-seeking groups will move into the Yellow House for the upcoming school year, three years after Queen’s students hosted the racist party that led to the recommendation for an inclusive space on campus.

The four groups the University

Council on Anti-racism and Equity (UCARE) sub-committee selected to move into the Yellow House, located at 140 Stuart St., are the African and Caribbean Students’ Association, the Levana Gender Advocacy Centre, the Queen’s Black Academic Society, and the Queen’s University Muslim Student Association.

The groups have been offered a three-year residency in the space, with the option to

Four groups will move into the Yellow House.

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

renew their agreements should they continue to meet relevant criteria, like having AMS- or SGPS-ratified status.

“Because promoting inclusion on campus is a high priority for the University, we want to enable these groups to be able to serve the student population as best they can,” Teri Shearer, deputy provost (Academic Operations and Inclusion), said in an interview with The Journal.

She added the Yellow House will also serve as an informal space for minority students to spend free time and provide bookable space for other groups that promote equity or intercultural awareness and support for under-represented populations on campus.

Shearer said the University intends to recruit a director for the space and schedule on-site hours with campus resources like the inter-cultural counsellor.

While the groups were selected for the Yellow House in March, delayed construction is stalling the move-in process.

“Summer is the busiest time for maintenance and construction projects on Queen’s campus,” the University wrote in a statement

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

food insecurity.

“Having consistent funding means we’re able to offer more, we’re able to plan better, and we’re able to provide more food for people on our campus and in our community,” Pierce said.

He added he believes designating campus food banks as non-essential shows where the Province’s priorities truly lie.

“It’s definitely disappointing that students on campus are stuck in this position where food security isn’t deemed a priority,” he said.

“It’s not deemed essential to have a full stomach. It’s upsetting.”

However, as Pierce acknowledges, there is not much the University or the Society can do to address the fee’s status.

Failure to comply with government SCI mandates could jeopardize access to core operating grants the University relies on.

One way Pierce thinks the Society can bring attention to the issue of food insecurity on campus is by running food drives.

Pierce hopes bringing the issue into the forefront will lead to increased donations.

“We are hoping to make up for as many losses as we can,” he said.

Both Pierce and Samuels acknowledged, however, that

student philanthropy cannot fill the void left by removing consistent funding, and predict food bank usage will only continue to increase, especially with cuts to financial aid tightening student budgets.

Samuels explained the Society has been working to expand the food bank to meet the growing need.

“Over the last two years, the food bank has significantly grown, even in terms of what we do in stock,” she said. “We’ve gone past non-perishable items into stocking up on chicken, meat, vegetables, meat alternatives, dairy alternatives, vegan options, expanding it to fit every single type of dietary restriction so that it’s accessible as it can be.”

These improvements come at a financial cost, however. And without funding the food bank has come to rely on, expansion is in jeopardy.

“I think it’s going to be detrimental to the people who actually have that need,” Samuels said. “We’re going to see that need go up, but not have enough resources to be able to supplement it.”

to The Journal. “It took longer than expected to get the Yellow House ready for move in.”

The Levana Gender Advocacy Centre hopes to move in before fall Orientation.

“There are some large projects we have to undertake moving in,” board member Dylyn Reid-Davies, ArtSci ’21, said in an interview with The Journal.

Since its eviction from the Grey House in 2017, Levana has been operating out of a basement—unreachable by elevator—in MacGillivray-Brown Hall, a building on the edge of campus.

“A lot of our stuff we have to move in has been unsorted, or it’s really old and outdated,” Davies said. “It’s been damaged by the flooding that happened to our storage space last year. We have to figure out what’s salvageable.”

Davies said the move to the Yellow House will improve student accessibility.

“The yellow cottage is really an affirmation that we’re actually going to be able to exist in the community, that we want existence,” he said.

Fellow Levana member Danny McLaren, Arts ’21, said the group

plans to use the undamaged items to reopen a lending library the Centre previously provided in the Grey House.

“They’ve been in boxes for the past two years,” they said.

Reopening the library is one move Levana plans to make in its return to a more prominent place on campus, according to McLaren.

The Queen’s University Muslim Association also plans to move its reading materials out of storage boxes and onto bookshelves.

“We have tons of resources to give out,” former Association Chair Zaryab Ahmed, Sci ’20, told The Journal in an interview. “Whether it may be a person who’s looking to learn more or has a bunch of questions about Islam, that’s part of what we do. We do a lot of outreach to clarify a lot of misconceptions.”

The Association currently uses its space in the JDUC to offer prayer services to students and community members.

journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

Read the rest online at queensjournal.ca

News

Monday, July 29, 2019

Administration pushed back on AMS proposals, citing ministry guidelines Continued from front. will be categorized as non-essential going forward.

In the week following the policy’s announcement, student groups had already begun to request assistance from the University, emails show.

“I don’t know the volume yet, but we have already been fielding some calls about student fundraising for student clubs as well as student aid,” Karen Bertrand, vice-principal (Advancement), wrote in an email to Harris on Jan. 23. ***

On May 10, the Board of Trustees approved the AMS’ and SGPS’ updated slate of fees for the 2019-20 academic year, accounting for the Student Choice Initiative guidelines.

“I don’t know the volume yet, but we have already been fielding some calls about student fundraising for student clubs as well as student aid.”

—Karen Bertrand Vice-Principal (Advancement)

In the lead-up to the AMS’ fee slate being finalized, negotiations with the University about how to protect as many fees as possible

were rocky at times.

According to emails from the Provost’s Office, the University pushed back on some AMS proposals to preserve certain fees, causing negotiations with Ann Tierney, vice-provost and dean (Student Affairs), to stall in late April.

The University was concerned a mandatory fee proposed by both the SGPS and the AMS called “Risk and Safety Management”—aimed at mitigating financial risk to both societies following the policy change—wouldn’t meet the Ministry’s guidelines for a mandatory fee.

When negotiations between the AMS and Tierney broke down, Harris wrote to other senior administrators to suggest they remind the Society that the University’s position on the fee was firm.

Following the Board’s May 10 approval of the AMS and SGPS fee slates, the AMS voiced concerns in writing to the University over its handling of the process to finalize the Society’s fees, The Journal has learned.

In the Board’s motion on society fees, it will require both the AMS and SGPS will be required to turn over financial documents so the University can ensure their compliance to the SCI. According to the motion, the AMS “shall provide full access to all financial records and other information” to the University to determine whether the Society is meeting Ministry guidelines. journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

queensjournal.ca • 3

Bursary applications surge, acceptances track 3500

2018-19

2019-20

APPLICATIONS FILLED

3000

2500

2000 1500

1000

500 0

GRAPHIC BY

IAIN SHERRIFF-SCOTT

Continued from front. and granted 2,252 bursaries, the statement said. This was an increase of 573 granted bursaries from the previous year.

According to the province, OSAP

grants will focus primarily on students whose family income falls below $50,000. Ford’s changes in ratio of grants to loans also means students from low-income and middle-income families will receive fewer grants.

When OSAP estimates for the upcoming year started rolling in last month, students saw funding decreases in up to fifty per cent. journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

News

4 • queensjournal.ca

Monday, July 29, 2019

‘It’s still a very sad and painful story for the family’ Mixed emotions for family of Trinidadian medical student expelled in 1918, granted posthumous degree in May Luca Dannetta Assistant News Editor Dr. Maria Bartholomew, a practicing gastroenterologist, was in the middle of a client consultation when Queen’s issued a formal apology for expelling her great-uncle from the School of Medicine.

Stifling tears, she paused the appointment to watch the livestream with her patient.

“I was very moved by it,” she said in a phone interview with The Journal. “The apology meant a lot to my family.”

A month and a half later, when the School of Graduate Studies and the Faculty of Health Sciences held convocation on May 23, Maria’s great-uncle, Ethelbert Bartholomew, received a special posthumous degree from the University.

Members of Bartholomew’s family were in attendance at the special convocation ceremony. His son, Daniel, as well as his granddaughter, Rosalind Bartholomew, and his great-niece, Dr. Maria Bartholomew, all made the journey to Kingston to witness the historic moment.

Ethelbert Bartholomew was asked to withdraw from the School of Medicine in 1918 in compliance with a ban that sought to remove Black students from the faculty.

Bartholomew was just one target of a ban enforced by Queen’s until 1965, which was implemented to show alignment with discriminatory policies favoured by the American Medical Association (AMA), an association of physicians whose stated mission today is “to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.”

The AMA also ranked North American medical schools, which made compliance with their racist guidelines important to Queen’s at the time.

The University enforced the ban for nearly 40 years and on three separate occasions—in 1978, 1986, and 1988—misrepresented historical facts of the ban when confronted with evidence.

The University was finally forced to acknowledge the ban when Edward Thomas, a former PhD candidate at Queen’s, raised the issue at a Senate meeting in September of 2018.

A motion to officially repeal the ban passed unanimously at the Senate’s October meeting.

In April, the University issued a formal apology to those affected by the ban, including Ethelbert Bartholomew’s son, Daniel, who was in attendance. At a formal dinner marking the occasion, Daniel requested that Richard Reznick, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, grant a posthumous degree to Bartholomew.

Dean Reznick said yes.

“It’s still a very sad and painful story for the family,” Bartholomew said.

Bartholomew believes Ethelbert’s inability to be certified as a physician has had generational repercussions for her family.

“What if he had graduated?” she asked.

“How different things would have been for

Ethelbert Bartholomew was expelled in 1918.

SUPPLIED BY MARIA BARTHOLOMEW

the family.”

Bartholomew said the emotions she felt at the ceremony were mixed.

“Happiness and joy that he was awarded the degree posthumously, mixed with sadness about what was stolen,” she said.

“The enormity of the injustice,

that’s what has struck me now,” she remarked. “There’s nothing you can do to correct injustice.”

Competing universities included the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Texas in Austin, and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. The winning team hailed from the Technical University of Munich, in Germany.

QHDT arrived in California on July 13 for testing week, the first time the team had progressed far enough in the competition to reach the Golden State.

After failing to make it through the competition’s preliminary rounds last summer, QHDT spent the winter building its first prototype, a feat it hadn’t been able to accomplish before due to lack of funds.

“This year, we were actually able to get enough funding to build the design that we really wanted to build,” Tsuno said. “In previous years, we didn’t have enough money, so the difference for us is whether we can make the pod or not. This year, we feel we can do so much more because we actually built the pod.”

Compared to other teams, QHDT’s budget was considered one of the lowest.

According to Tsuno, the team had between $40,000 and $50,000 to work with, while leading teams had around $500,000.

Tsuno said there was a lot to take away from the competition, despite the safety shortfalls and budgetary constrictions.

“Not only was it a great learning opportunity for us, but it has also allowed us to reflect on the support we received

during the competition, including from our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Queen’s,” Tsuno said.

SpaceX introduced the annual competition in 2015 after Elon Musk introduced the Hyperloop concept in 2013 as a potential alternative to the California High-Speed Rail system.

Not yet a reality, the Hyperloop system aims to act as a faster, less expensive form of transportation, which Musk hopes would cover around 1,000 km in an hour.

Passenger pods would have a capacity for 20 people, but Musk needs to find one that will transport them safely. His California competition allows teams to run their prototypes through vacuum tubes for safety and speed measurements.

As the competition itself continues to be refined, with the testing track length increasing from 1.25 km to 10 km for next year’s competition, QHDT business captain Fakid Hossaind, Sci’ 21, believes the team will also continue to improve.

“We exceeded expectations this year,” Hossaind said. “We are among the top universities in the year because even with this competition, we had to beat hundreds of different universities to get here.”

journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

Queen’s Hyperloop Design Team reaches California

Despite low budget, team makes it to competition’s final stage Sydney ko Assistant News Editor This year, the Queen’s Hyperloop Design Team (QHDT) was one of three Canadian teams to make it to California for the annual Hyperloop Pod competition.

While QHDT was one of 21 teams

QHDT with their prototype in California.

out of 1,500 to make it through the competition’s preliminary rounds to the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, the team failed to pass safety tests that would have allowed their pod to compete on July 22.

Director of design Andy Tsuno, Sci’18, told The Journal the experience was still positive.

“Although our team wasn’t able to pass all of the required testing for competition day, there was a lot to take away from the competition and we are thankful for such an amazing opportunity to compete with universities around the world,” he said.

SUPPLIED BY QUEEN’S HYPERLOOP DESIGN TEAM

journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

Monday, July 29, 2019

queensjournal.ca

Features

•5

IN-DEPTH STORIES FROM AROUND CAMPUS AND IN THE COMMUNITY

University ordered to pay thousands for relocating professor The east facade of Watson Hall, where the Department of Philosophy is situated.

Philosophy professor to receive $25,000 Raechel Huizinga News Editor Since 1998, philosophy professors have occupied the third floor of Watson Hall. In 2013, one professor was forced to leave.

Adèle Mercier had been teaching philosophy at Queen’s for nearly 20 years when the University relocated her to an office in Mackintosh-Corry Hall. She was one of few female professors in the department, and had an even rarer specialty in advanced logic.

“I’m a woman logician, and you can count on the fingers of a hand the number of women logicians that exist,” Mercier said in an interview with The Journal. “And in that department, you can count on two fingers the number of people who have ever studied logic.”

The relocation resulted in an arbitration that spanned six years under the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal between Mercier and the University for its treatment of the long-time professor.

In his decision, Kevin Burkett, the case’s arbitrator, called the University’s handling of the case “egregious.”

On June 10, Burkett published his reasoning for awarding Mercier $25,000 in general and punitive damages from the University, which compensated for mental distress arising from injury to dignity and foreseeable harm to reputation.

The University declined to comment publicly on its legal proceedings with Mercier.

“The university respects Arbitrator Burkett’s decisions in this matter and believes they speak for themselves. Equally, the university values its employees and its relationships with their bargaining agents,” the University wrote in a statement to The Journal on July 25. ***

It was around 11:00 a.m. on Nov. 21, six years ago, when Mercier answered her front door to a hand-delivered letter informing her she could no longer enter Watson Hall, effective immediately.

“I was gobsmacked,” she said.

The letter was a result of cross-complaints of harassment between Mercier and two secretaries in the department, who claimed she posed a safety threat. Mercier herself alleged the two secretaries had told a graduate student she was a “witch.”

In his decision, Burkett wrote it was “not unreasonable” for the University to separate Mercier from the secretaries “in the face of tension that existed in the Department.”

It was the nature of the relocation Burkett took issue with.

He wrote that, although the University

acted reasonably in initiating an investigation into complaints surrounding Mercier and its decision to relocate her, “the University’s treatment of Professor Mercier in connection with the investigation/ relocation was not only unfair, unreasonable and unprecedented but, in [his] view, deliberate and, therefore, egregious.”

In his decision, Burkett wrote having office space on the third floor of Watson Hall “was found to have been a privilege” among faculty.

“The relocation, therefore, was significant,” he wrote.

Burkett wrote it was also significant the relocation was effected after the University knew Mercier didn’t pose a threat to the physical safety of the secretaries.

Finally, Burkett emphasized the significance of the fact Mercier had not admitted to nor been found guilty of misconduct prior to the relocation, as an investigation was still ongoing.

He referenced the original arbitration award on Jan. 29, which stated according to these circumstances, Mercier’s relocation “should have been carried out in the least impactful manner.”

“It was not,” Burkett wrote.

When Mercier walked into her new office in Mackintosh-Corry Hall in late 2013, it was all but empty.

“I didn’t have a piece of paper, I didn’t have a pencil, I didn’t have a paper clip,” she said. “They refused to deliver my blackboard.

There was nowhere for students to sit.”

Left with a desk, a chair, and an empty filing cabinet, Mercier had no access to support staff or a working phone, and her students struggled to find her.

“Finally they [would] find me, and they’d walk in, and here I [was] sitting in an empty room without a chair for them to sit on,” Mercier said. “It really looked like I was in exile.”

Decorated with a red Persian carpet, plants, and with access to support staff, Mercier said her original office was one of the most “beautiful” in Watson Hall.

She wouldn’t use it again for four years. ***

The story goes back to the fall of 2008.

In 2014, The Journal reported that, six years prior, Mercier had filed complaints with the Human Rights Office (HRO) after more than a dozen female philosophy graduate students brought her concerns of misogyny in the philosophy department.

In her recent interview with The Journal, Mercier said she and two other female philosophy professors compiled between 70 and 90 incidents of student-reported misogyny and submitted them to the HRO. According to Mercier, the incidents ranged in nature from male professors ignoring female students in class, to male students ridiculing their female classmates’ ideas, to a male superior telling a female student he didn’t believe she could complete her coursework on time.

“Together or separately, [they] suggested there was a poisoned environment in the philosophy department,” Mercier said.

While Mercier said one climate review of the department, performed by a third party following the complaints, determined there was an issue of gendered discrimination in the philosophy department, the recommendations given to the department to address the problem were only followed for a short period of time afterwards.

She decided to bring the discrimination complaints to the Human Rights Tribunal, but that’s when her labour grievances started piling up.

Shortly before Mercier filed her discrimination application at the Tribunal, she sent the documented complaints to the various respondents in her department, which Mercier said kickstarted an “academic mobbing.”

Mercier—represented by the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA) in her labour grievances—underwent discipline for cc’ing university administration in an email criticizing a department meeting. Mercier said colleagues had cc’d administrative representatives as well without facing discipline.

Mercier said she and the Union were concerned she was climbing the “discipline ladder,” as she was first warned, then suspended for one day with pay, and again for one day without pay.

As tension between Mercier and her colleagues in the philosophy department increased, Mercier said she became too sick to go to work. ***

“I basically developed PTSD,” Mercier said when asked to describe the nature of her medical leave.

In late 2013, Mercier said she had been told she could only communicate with the secretaries through a third party, and had already been disciplined for asking her husband to relay a message to them earlier that year.

It was nearing exam season, and Mercier said she had asked her students whether they wanted an extra tutorial session. When the majority of her students expressed an interest in the extra time, Mercier asked her teaching assistant to call the secretaries to book a room for the session, and then turned to the chalkboard to resume her lesson.

“I just completely froze with my hand on the chalk,” Mercier said. “I completely forgot what I was going to write, and all I was thinking was, oh my god, was I allowed to have my TA call the secretary?”

When Mercier woke up another morning that fall, she felt ill.

“I had breakfast and I was reviewing my logic class,” she said. “And then I felt completely nauseous.”

Mercier didn’t go into work that day, and shortly after her office relocation, she went on sick leave.

“It made me sick—really, really sick,”

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

she said. “I was a very, very accomplished philosopher at the time that this started happening, and it really destroyed my career.

For four years, there was nobody to teach [students] advanced logic.”

According to Mercier, her doctor said it was important for her recuperation that she return to her office in Watson Hall. The University wanted evidence. ***

Mercier said an external investigation performed by Elizabeth Hewitt, a labour lawyer, exonerated her from being a physical safety threat in 2013, but Mercier was still unable to regain complete access to her office. “[Hewitt] said there was no evidence ever that I posed any safety threat,” she said.

Mercier alleged the University told her she could not resume working in her office out of concern for her health, and required her to undergo an independent medical evaluation (IME) to determine whether she could return to her old office in Watson Hall.

The University declined to comment on this allegation.

According to Mercier, the dispute over which doctor would perform the medical evaluation took two years. Eventually, she said, QUFA provided the University with a list of names to choose from.

Once the IME was completed, Mercier was finally allowed to return to her office in Watson Hall.

When she resumed part-time teaching in 2017, she was still fighting the University on labour grievances alleging mental distress over the relocation.

Two years later, on Jan. 29, 2019, the Tribunal ruled that Mercier would receive $20,000 in general damages and $5,000 in punitive damages from the University.

Arbitrator Burkett wrote, “an award of punitive damages is required in order to both underscore the nature and exceptionality of the treatment accorded Professor Mercier and to deter such treatment in the future.” ***

Restored to her office in Watson Hall, Mercier has still decorated the floor with a red Persian carpet, but the plants are gone.

She’ll continue teaching part-time and work on a novel detailing her experiences, which she plans to call “My Brilliant Career as a Witch.”

According to Mercier, the Human Rights Tribunal wouldn’t pursue her original discrimination filing from 2008 while there were ongoing labour grievances between her and the University.

Now that the labour grievances have been settled, however, Mercier said she will return to her original complaint.

“I have applied to have the Human Rights application reopened, because now there’s no bar to going there,” she said. “We’re going to see if the Human Rights Tribunal will agree after ten years to reopen the file.”

Monday, July 29, 2019

queensjournal.ca

EDITORIALS

The Journal’s Perspective

THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL

Digital textbooks shouldn't leave print in the dust

ILLUSTRATION BY AMELIA RANKINE

Physical textbooks aren’t just a relic of past learning styles—they remain a valuable resource for post-secondary students faced with rapid modernization.

Pearson, the world’s largest academic publisher, recently announced its decision to prioritize digital learning resources over print. Beginning in the US university market and expected to spread worldwide, Pearson intendeds to phase out hard-copy textbooks in favour of expanding e-textbook subscriptions.

Pearson’s transition does not keep the best interests of students in mind.

The company will still offer physical textbooks, but only on a rental basis, and at almost double the cost of an equivalent online publication.

These digital textbooks will be updated

regularly to reflect current advances in their respective subjects. However, Pearson’s paper textbooks will be updated on a sporadic and infrequent basis.

This new policy demonstrates a complete disregard for the many students and institutions that rely on printed copies.

Pearson’s new model hinges on the assumption that students will prefer subscription-based online access to physical publications. While it’s true e-textbooks might offer a lower upfront cost, they also place a financial burden on students: online resources are worthless without laptops and tablets to read them.

For students unable to afford a computer or without internet access outside school, e-textbooks aren’t an equitable

solution. These students will be forced to rent physical textbooks at a higher price—if they can afford to—or go without the texts they need for their courses.

Even those who can pay to access print textbooks won’t have equal access to the most updated academic information, leaving low-income and rural students at a distinct disadvantage.

Moreover, the price of physical textbooks is often offset by the ability to sell the textbook after completing the course.

Many universities have prolific textbook resale communities, allowing new students to purchase cheaper used books and upper-year students to pocket some extra money.

Pearson’s new rental and subscription-based system will render these communities obsolete. Students will have no means of making back any of the money they spend on these subscriptions.

Price aside, e-textbooks are less beneficial for learning. Research shows that, when reading exceeds a page in length, students better comprehend information presented in print than on a screen.

With more studies finding that limiting screen time in youth contributes to higher mental performance and better sleep, cutting back on physical textbooks is a step backwards.

Post-secondary students should be able to choose the form of textbook that best suits their learning and lifestyle.

While printed textbooks might not follow technological trends, they still have a place in our increasingly digital world.

—Journal Editorial Board

Without academic accountability, universities suffer High schools in Ontario make a huge effort to prepare graduating students for post-secondary education, but there’s one thing they can’t prepare them for: the unregulated academics of Canadian universities.

Public education in Ontario is governed by the Ministry of Education—each school is expected to follow the same curriculum and evaluate students based on the same principles and guidelines. And while Ontario’s high school curriculum and grading system aren’t flawless, their intention is to guarantee educational consistency and fairness across the province.

Universities, on the other hand, are almost completely independent in their academic development and execution.

The autonomy of universities is vital to their purpose and integrity, and politicizing their administrations would interfere with their independent research and academic freedom. However, as institutions with an ever-increasing role in Canada’s education system, their autonomy should not interfere with the quality of their work.

While the provincial government holds public schools accountable for the education they provide, there’s no similar system to protect post-secondary students from exploitation and to ensure universities are fulfilling their academic obligations.

This lack of accountability leaves room for inconsistencies in instruction and evaluation.

University professors aren’t required to receive any formal training in teaching before stepping into the classroom, and the curriculum and evaluations of faculties don’t have to uphold any predetermined standard.

Given the amount of money Canadians invest in their post-secondary educations, university students should, at the very least,

be guaranteed a minimum degree of quality in teaching and content.

Universities may be private institutions, but their autonomy shouldn’t be so heavily prioritized that they can’t work cohesively with the rest of the education system.

The transition from high school to university remains the most difficult and unpredictable leap in a student’s educational experience. There’s a significant disconnect between what’s expected of students in high school and in university that isn’t being addressed.

Students graduate from public high school accustomed to the stability and fairness that governmental oversight provides. They’re then promptly thrust into a world of incongruous expectations.

•6

It’s next to impossible to be prepared for first year when there’s little consistency in how courses are executed within each university—let alone between institutions.

While government interference isn’t the solution, self-assessment and transparency would go a long way toward providing much-needed academic accountability at universities.

The rest of a student’s life can be influenced by their university performance.

It’s the responsibility of the post-secondary institutional community to provide each student with an equal and fair opportunity to succeed.

Shelby is The Journal’s Editorials Editor.

She’s a second-year English student.

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

Shelby Talbot

Volume 147 Issue 3 www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal Publishing since 1873

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7 • queensjournal.ca

Monday, July 29, 2019

OPINIONS

Your Perspective

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

Auston Pierce believes there’s a place for everyone to engage on Queen’s campus.

Queen's offers students a chance to make their mark AMS President details opportunities available to Class of 2023 When you return home after your first semester at Queen’s, you might struggle to describe why it feels so special to be part of the Queen’s community.

You might struggle to tell your family what it felt like to put your tam on for the first time. You might find it hard to explain to your friends why you’ve spent all afternoon humming the Oil Thigh. You might question how to explain to your high school classmates why Queen’s is unlike any of the other institutions dotting our country.

It’s all hard to explain because these traditions—and the feelings accompanying them—can only be understood after considering the context of our institution’s history, along with the people and stories who have contributed to the foundations of our community. All of this allows the continued survival of this “tricolour spirit.”

For the next four years, thanks to that tricolour spirit, the Class of 2023 will have the opportunity to embrace and contribute to the history of this place.

For nearly two centuries, this University has hosted some of the world’s greatest minds, leaders, and educators. All of these people have been influenced and shaped by the traditions and values of togetherness and community unique to Queen’s. The stories of these former and current students—and the challenging times they faced—contribute to the story of our university and to the traditions and spirit we value.

Upon arrival on campus, we hear stories Clubs like Jack.org and Step Above Stigma climate change, and financial uncertainty, it’s about students who came before us and have fought for mental health awareness and certainly possible—and for Queen’s students, strove to leave us with a community better action. Their efforts have inspired us in the it has precedent. We’ve constantly united than the one they found. This includes AMS, who have been working to implement around our traditions and around a common the stories of students leaving Queen’s a new online counselling support system for spirit predicated on the desire to do good to contribute to past war efforts and the our peers. When it comes to the environment, and to give back to our community. students who spent almost a decade Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change We have to continue to use this advocating and protesting against Queen’s (QBACC) has hosted protests calling for long-standing spirit in the actions we connections to Apartheid in South Africa. divestment from fossil fuels and have been take to better the lives of our peers and This history is important. It allows us working with campus stakeholders to our University. to recognize, celebrate, and confront the implement new sustainability measures.

I would like to challenge the Class of legacies of our predecessors. It explains Seeking the removal of barriers to 2023 to take up this mission to follow what Queen’s is and reminds us what makes post-secondary education, Students for their predecessors and strive to make this Queen’s so special—as a community full Students stepped up to raise money for place—and each other—even better. of students who have historically united to those affected by OSAP changes.

Add your names to the list of other Queen’s advocate for issues they believe in.

These groups are just a sample of the students who pursued their passions and Unfortunately, we’re now at a crossroads thousands of individuals and hundreds strove to make a difference on campus and in the history of Queen’s as a lack of student of clubs here at Queen’s who champion beyond. Go out and get involved, step out engagement erodes the student experience. different issues. They follow their passions of your comfort zones, join a new club, and In my time here alone, I’ve seen and do all they can to leave this place better pay it forward so the future of Queen’s and clubs struggling to engage students at than when they arrived. the student experience is stronger than it their events. I’ve seen long-established This is what Queen’s spirit is about—and was before you got here. conferences collapse seemingly overnight. we need more of it.

I hope you all look out for one another, I’ve even seen high-level student elections go Now more than ever, we must follow remember how your actions can impact your uncontested time and time again. Meanwhile, the trend of engagement established by our peers, and strive to contribute to something we’re facing the burden of problems predecessors at Queen’s. We must all look bigger than yourselves. Most importantly, I unique to our generation on a new scale, out for one another and work together to would like to challenge you all to have fun like climate emergencies, food insecurity, address the problems facing us as students and pursue what makes you happy. barriers to education, and mental and as engaged members of our community.

To everyone at Queen’s and in the health concerns.

Here at Queen’s, students have the incoming Class of 2023, I invite you to Despite increasing student opportunity to pursue their passions and engage in what makes Queen’s so special. disengagement, examples of Queen’s to make meaningful and impactful change. students’ desire to do good can be seen Although it may seem daunting to address Auston Pierce is a fifth-year Political Studies across campus. complicated issues like mental health, student and is the President of the AMS.

Talking heads

... students around campus PHOTOS BY TESSA WARBURTON

What are you most looking forward to about the first week back at school?

“Probably Orientation Week."

“For all of my friends to come back to town."

“How peaceful Kingston is."

Callum Stephenson

Olivia Doheny

Sophia Ku

Kin '20

ArtSci '20

ArtSci '20

Arts

8 • queensjournal.ca

THEATRE

Driftwood Theatre rolls into Kingston The “bard’s bus tour” presents a musical rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream Brittany Giliforte Arts Editor Driftwood Theatre’s 25th annual Bard’s Bus Tour is stopping into Kingston to show audiences a new way of enjoying Shakespeare.

Queen’s alum Jeremy Smith, ArtSci ’96, is the creative director and founder of Driftwood Theatre, an outdoor summer touring Theatre Company.

On August 6, Smith will return to Kingston with his troupe, stopping in at Battery Park where they’ll perform Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Smith’s travelling troupe puts on the bard’s plays the way they were originally performed: outdoors.

What Driftwood Theatre does differently, however, is add a contemporary flare to the pieces.

This year, Smith conceived a way to convey one of A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s most

prominent theme—communication—with the use of a modern prop.

Specifically, he gave the characters cell phones.

Throughout the play, the characters are ineffective communicators. There’s constant confusion about who’s romantically interested in whom.

Smith saw this as an opportunity to make a statement about communication in the world today.

Smith noticed that people in the world around him were relying on their devices to keep them connected to their friends and family, but they were getting worse at communicating with people face-to-face.

“I was interested in having conversations about community and conversation and the way we have less communication person-to-person in favour of electronic conversations,” Smith told The Journal.

“I think that inhibits our ability to make meaningful contact in relationships.”

This realization inspired his decision to give the characters cell phones that eventually stop working when they enter the forest—forcing them to re-learn how to communicate with one another.

Smith’s emphasis on the importance of human connection isn’t just present in his take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream—it’s a crucial component of Driftwood Theatre itself.

As a travelling theatre group, Driftwood

Monday, July 29, 2019

Arts Driftwood Theatre performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

relies on audiences welcoming the troupe into their communities and coming out to watch them perform.

“We literally drop into a park and say anyone is welcome,” Smith said of their touring style.

The outdoor setting allows the troupe to welcome all audiences.

The parks are accessible for anyone who’s interested, and the shows are free to the public.

Though they do sell reserved seating tickets for the front rows, it isn’t necessary to buy one to watch the show.

Smith’s love of drama and Shakespeare’s great works inspired him to start the troupe, but the experience of performing for people and telling stories keeps that love going.

During his time at Queen’s studying drama, Smith learned about Shakespeare’s outdoor performances in his theatre history class. He had also just attended various Shakespeare in the Park performances in both Toronto and Montreal.

He was intrigued by the idea of performing outdoors and couldn’t shake it.

Before the end of his third year, Smith sought out his dad’s blessing to try putting on his own outdoor Shakespeare show, as the creative idea

SUPPLIED BY DAMIEN NELSON

wouldn’t make money.

The first year of the show, Smith, and his friends from Queen’s and his hometown Oshawa, along with his neighbor and other volunteers, put on their own production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They performed it in four parts of the Durham region: Oshawa, Whitby, Port Perry, and Bowmanville.

“We spent nothing on the show, everybody was volunteering their time—it was really in the spirit of … doing a special thing,” Smith explained.

Their shared love of the dramatic craft and reaching audiences across Ontario have helped Smith and the rest at Driftwood Theatre keep up their work over the past 25 years. According to Smith, they all feel it’s a very “special thing.”

For Kingston audiences, Smith hopes people will come out to Battery Park on Aug. 6 to “inhabit space together, put our phones down, and enjoy a story together.”

“I hope they come and they laugh and they take the light and the mischief and the misery of other people for a little bit, and they get their toes tapping,” he said.

GALLERY

Northern Canadian artwork travels south to Kingston Original Cape Dorset works come to Studio 22 Brittany Giliforte Arts Editor Cape Dorset prints are famous for depicting Northern Canadian landscapes and lifestyle, but they’re rarely shown in their original form in Southern Ontario.

Thanks to the July exhibit at Studio 22, however, original artwork by four Cape Dorset artists will be showcased in Kingston until Sept. 10.

The gallery on King St., across from Springer Market Square, is giving Kingston art lovers the rare opportunity to see Cape Dorset original works up close due to a collaboration with print curator Ellen Fraser.

Fraser—former owner of Cornerstone Gallery in Kingston—promotes the artwork coming out of Cape Dorset through her online art gallery, Print Inuit.

Fraser developed her love of Inuit artwork while teaching jewelry-making at Nunavut College.

After selling Cornerstone, she kept her Cape Dorset art collection so she could continue her work promoting it throughout Kingston.

The work comes out of Cape Dorset

on Baffin Island, where local artists have the opportunity to sell their work to the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative every Tuesday and Thursday.

The Co-operative is then responsible for sending the purchased artwork to Toronto’s Dorset Fine Arts, where it’s made into prints and distributed for gallery shows and sales across the country.

From its start in the 1950s, the Co-operative’s work has earned Cape Dorset the reputation of being the Inuit art capital of the world.

“Once a year, the print co-operative up in Cape Dorset puts out an annual collection of prints—usually about 30—and I promote those,” Fraser told The Journal.

The earnings generated by these sales equal approximately $4 million annually. It’s a valued and necessary source of income for the community, said the owner of Studio 22, Ally Jacob.

Cape Dorset prints have an easily identifiable style. They’re made from simple materials—pencil crayons, pencils, and blank paper. Many of the pieces depict animals found in the Northern territories, along with mountain landscapes and mythical creatures.

The subject matter depicted in the Cape Dorset prints are always unique to Nunavut.

(Read the rest online at queensjournal.ca)

Photo of Jet Stream by Ningiukulu Teevee.

SUPPLIED BY ALLY JACOB

Monday, July 29, 2019

Arts

queensjournal.ca

•9

FILM

Student’s doc tells story of perseverance

Tennyson filming Latifi training.

‘Limitless’ follows the success of triathlete Pamoda Wijekoon Assistant Arts Editor From her start making movies as a kid on her family’s desktop computer, Natasha Tennyson (ArtSci ’19) hasn’t lost her love for storytelling.

Now finished her final year of Queen’s Film and Media Studies program, Tennyson’s first documentary, Limitless, has inspired her to pursue a career in documentary filmmaking.

Tennyson chose to create a documentary for her final project because she wanted to challenge herself with something she had never tried before.

PHOTO BY STEVE FLECK

Her goal was to make a film that mattered to viewers, focusing on something important.

She found the perfect subject in family friend and tri-athlete Michael Latifi, who overcame a number of obstacles to achieve athletic success.

When Tennyson approached Latifi in September of 2018, she asked if she could tell his story in her documentary, and he agreed.

For five months, Tennyson followed his story relentlessly on a path that led her from Kingston to Toronto to Hawaii.

For the young filmmaker, Latifi’s story is one that resonates with anyone, whether an athlete or not.

When Latifi talks about his goals in the documentary, his voice radiates determination.

At 25, he’s won two Ironman triathlons, competed in both Canada and

the US, and can only see more success in his future. His aim is to win gold in Olympic triathlon, and he’s confident that whether it will take two years—or ten—it’s on the horizon.

“I’m 25 years old now and I don’t even think I’ve scratched the surface of my potential,” he told Tennyson.

“I control my destiny—how great I can become.”

This is a far cry from the Michael Latifi of two years ago.

As an undergraduate student at King’s University College in London, Ontario, he descended into depression.

Stress, toxic relationships and a lifelong struggle with anxiety led to binge-drinking and drug use.

He was a pack-a-day smoker and admitted to feeling lost both during his undergrad and after.

He finished his undergraduate degree in business and moved on to culinary school without finding his true passion.

At the end of 2016, Latifi, suffering with his mental health and 40 pounds overweight, hit a mental wall that drove him finally try to turn his life around.

With nine months to train and no competitive swimming or biking experience, Laitifi signed up to compete in his first Ironman competition: a long-distance triathlon hailed by many as the one of the most difficult sporting event in the world.

In September, he won in his age group. In Florida the following year, Latifi came in first place.

In early 2019, celebrated by his coaches for his unprecedented progress, he boarded a plane to Kona, Hawaii to compete in the 2018 Ironman

World Championships. This time, he was accompanied by Tennyson, who caught almost every second of his time at the tournament on camera.

“I never stopped shooting, never stopped filming. The next best thing could be when you’re not recording,” Tennyson told The Journal.

For Tennyson, who had struggled to find her voice in the world of film, his story resonated beyond their friendship.

“I’m not one to challenge myself,” she said. “[But] … being a creative person, you have to be confident in yourself, and that’s something I didn’t have before.”

“When I watched [Latifi] and what he’s done in his life, I was like, ‘I can do this. I can go into film,’” Tennyson said.

“He put his mind to something when he was in one of the darkest places in his entire life, and look what he accomplished.

I think the story itself can speak to anybody [and] anything they want to do in life.”

When the pair arrived in Hawaii in March of 2019, Tennyson would film Latifi from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, accumulating 300 video clips, which she edited together in a week.

Although inexperienced in documentary filmmaking, Tennyson’s time with Latifi stirred a passion for the genre.

“The hardest part about making a documentary is it’s not your story, it’s their story,” she said. “I love the fact that I was showing his story to people on a bigger platform than he could do.”

“Every day, it was inspiring to watch him,” the filmmaker explained.

“It just made me want to do so much more.”

10 • queensjournal.ca

Monday, July 29, 2019

In conversation with Nate Hobbs The recent graduate talks about finding his groove in Europe Jack Rabb Sports Editor Nate Hobbs completed his fifth year at Queen’s this past spring and left the program as one of its best. He ends his tenure with the Gaels ranked second all-time in passing yards, third in passing touchdowns, second in completions, as well as holding the record for throwing the longest passing touchdown in Queen’s history—a 108-yard strike to Matteo del Brocco. Hobbs’ play elevated him to the pantheon of Queen’s quarterbacks, to be mentioned in the same breath as Danny Brannagan or Tom Denison. The Journal reached Hobbs in Copenhagen to discuss his transition from Queen’s football to playing in Germany’s Bayern Sud Liga.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

QJ: What’s the competition level like compared to the OUA? NH: Very poor. Basically what happened was I had a few options when I was trying to come over and a lot of them started earlier, and even the CFL tried to hook me up with this one team in Vienna and there’s this place that does the rankings of Europe and this was in the top ten or something. They wanted me to come in March and I had to graduate and I couldn’t go, so I’m stuck down here, I’m stuck in the little German league. It’s been fun. It’s been a little easier for sure.

QJ: The CFL was trying to hook you up, how does that work?

NH: Because I did the internship program before with the [Montreal] Alouettes. I had a contact who set that up and I think their quarterback went to play [in the States] and they needed someone and then they reached out to the CFL, and they contacted me.

QJ: Have you ever been to Europe before? Is this all new?

NH: My brother did this last year and I went to visit him for 10 days last summer and that was my first time in Europe.

Funnily enough, the team I’m with, when they were talking to me, they saw my brother throwing, and they were like ‘Hey, we need another import, and he’s a good enough athlete, do you both want to come?’

So me and my brother are playing for the

Hobbs has been plying his craft in Germany recently.

same team.

QJ: You’ve played against him, he started for the [Toronto Varsity] Blues for a long time ... what was it like playing with him?

NH: It’s fun. It’s kind of like playground football, it’s like we’re back in high school. It’s a good time, you just do whatever you want.

QJ: Do you think you’re ever going to get into coaching?

NH: Yeah, well I am kind of involved in that.

QJ: Because you did it with the [Kingston] Grenadiers before.

NH: Yeah, I did. In the spring around exam time, I was applying to my master’s, I didn’t get in anywhere, but I had emailed a bunch of coaches where I applied and asked them if they had a spot. And then after all that had all played out, a coach at UofT reached out to me who used to play for Queen’s, Tom Dennison. He reached out to me and asked me if I was going to be in town and was available to help out, and I said yeah, so I’m going to be on the staff kicking around this year at UofT. We’re going to try it out and see what happens. I’m also going to get a graduate certificate at Ryerson or UofT, I haven’t decided what yet.

QJ: What is your actual coaching position with UofT? Is it like a Brendan

SUPPLIED BY QUEEN'S ATHLETICS

Coffey [Queen's Defensive Graduate Assistant] type position?

NH: I’ll coach a position, probably receivers a bit, then help with the film breakdown and stuff like that. I’ll probably be in the booth for the games QJ: Did [your German team] do well?

NH: Well, it started off really badly. We started off—well, I wouldn’t say really badly, we were 1-4—but the games were close, then it just go to the point where I was like I’m just going to start calling my own plays.

We came back and went 4-1 and we finished the season at .500.

"Times changed, to put it simply."

— Nate Hobbs, former Gaels quarterback

QJ: Were there playoffs?

NH: No, we just missed out. We had to beat this one team, our defence was really bad, we were in this game that we had to win and we lost 45-38 or something.

QJ: Are your German friends going to come back and look at this and be like, Jeez, Nate threw me under the bus?

NH: They know how it is. Nobody shows up to practice, it’s one of those things where we have no personnel, the whole defence got hurt somehow over the course of the season somehow because it’s just middle-aged men who go and play games on the weekend. We just have linemen playing linebacker and stuff, the receivers going both ways, playing receiver and DB. QJ: Do you think you would play again?

Not necessarily on that team in Germany, but you were saying there were some really good teams in Italy—would you do this again?

NH: Yeah, I’ve been trying to stay flexible because, like I was saying, I’m doing a certification in the fall and then I’m going to decide if I want to continue with a job or more school, or if I want to go back. I have to make that decision in January-ish, because if I wanted to go somewhere good like Italy, for example, those guys start up, you go over there in February or something. Ideally, I would get with a better team, so I might try and ask the CFL if they have anything so I’ll see what happens. Just trying to keep my options open.

QJ: Is the CFL doing that strictly as a [benevolent act]? Do they see an opportunity to try to connect you, or is this like a farm league [for them]?

NH: I think that’s what they’re trying to do because when they reached out to me about the possibility, they were like, Are you interested in the possibility of continuing playing,’ like keeping your options open, as they put it. That’s kind of how they framed it, but I wouldn’t expect anything to come of that, to be honest.

QJ: When you were playing, what was the base [language] of communication?

Was there a language barrier?

NH: It was weird, to be honest. The team my brother was on last year, he said the coaches would talk to everyone in English when the coach addressed the team, but on this team, they always just spoke it all in German. So you’d just stand there, twiddling your thumbs. I don’t know what they’re saying. There’s that and then most of the guys speak good English so it’s fine. But during the game, you try to talk to the referee or the other guys and you just get blank stares. No one can really tell what you're saying.

Continued on page 11

Graham departs university basketball with FISU swan song

The Gaels graduate contributed to a solid showing by Canadian universities at the international Universiade Alina Yusufzai Assistant Sports Editor Over the course of July, Queen’s Tanner Graham represented Canada and the Gaels in Naples, Italy, as he competed in the International University Sports Federation (FISU) Summer Universiade.

The biennial multi-sports event gathers star university athletes from all over the world to compete in their respective disciplines.

“I felt honoured to be able to represent Queen’s. It was a once in a lifetime experience to wear a Canada jersey and this experience was only made possible through my development at Queen’s,” Graham said in an interview with The Journal.

Graham was one of seven Gaels to

participate in the games, with Queen’s athletes from the basketball, soccer, volleyball, and cross-country teams also making the journey to Italy.

“I think that’s a reflection of how great our athletic department is,” Graham said.

Canadian men’s basketball ended the tournament with a 4-2 record, landing them a sixth-place finish—their best showing to date.

As for the Canadian women’s team, they opened the games with a setback to China, and then losses to Australia, Finland, and Slovakia. However, the women managed to end the games on a high note with back to back wins against Argentina and Mexico.

This year’s games included more than 9,300 athletes from over 128 countries.

In 2017, the Canadian men finished in 16th place in Taipei, China. Overall, Canada took home 13 medals (four gold, five silver and four bronze) at the last Universiade.

It took more than talent to get Graham to Naples.

The Gaels star had to crowdfund in

order to afford to represent Canada, and the basketball community came together in a big way. Graham’s gofundme page was shared nearly 200 times and raised $3,470 to subsidize travel costs.

The now-graduated star forward leaves Queen’s with a strong legacy. Graham was on the OUA all-rookie team, and started every game in the 2017-2018 season on his way to an OUA third-team all-star selection.

This past season was perhaps his best.

Graham racked up 15.6 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game and 3.1 assists per game, but his biggest moment was off the court, where he was named the winner of the USPORTS Ken Shields Award for his great play coupled with his remarkable contributions to his community.

Graham’s departure is sure to leave a hole in the men’s basketball team and Queen’s Athletics as a whole.

However, being finished at Queen’s doesn’t spell the end of Graham’s career.

He will be continuing to play in Germany, lacing up for the Tübingen Tigers of the Graham's versatility—and verticality—got him to Italy.

ProA league.

PHOTO BY JULIA

BALAKRISHNAN

Sports

Monday, July 29, 2019 Continued from page 10 QJ: Even before you graduated, [former head coach] Pat Sheahan was shown the door. Do you think that timing was coincidental?

NH: I think it’s kind of the cycle in general, Coach Pat always talked about that, it goes in cycles. It made sense, when you’re pushing for success with a senior quarterback, you’ve got to take your shot. There’s a lot of changes in the program like that as I’m sure you know. And with that coinciding with a lot of players graduating, including myself, it just felt like the team was kind of turning over. With us having a lack of success,

I feel like they obviously wanted to go in a different direction with the coach as well. Times changed, to put it simply.

QJ: What do you think about Steve Snyder?

NH: From what I hear, he’s just a phenomenal leader. The guys love him, they’ll run through a brick wall for him. He coached [Queen’s football alumnus Matteo del Brocco] when he was playing in Windsor growing up and he has nothing but great things to say about him. From what I hear it’s mostly like the leadership thing, he’s a top quality leader so I’m excited to see what happens with the program.

Sports in Brief Commemorative Spikeball tournament at Richardson Stadium to honour Gage Foster On Aug. 10, Richardson stadium will play host to the First Annual Gage Foster Memorial Spikeball tournament. Foster, a first-year receiver on the Queen’s Football team, passed in a tragic car accident last summer.

His keen athleticism made him a standout in his hometown of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Pat Sheahan, former Queen’s Football head coach, spoke at Gage’s funeral and referred to him as one of the town’s “golden boys.”

Kingston to host two Sailing World Championships

Later this summer, Canadian Olympic-training Regatta Kingston (CORK) will host two sailing World Championships. The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) Laser Radial Youth Worlds will take place July 24-31 at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour followed by the ILCA Laser 4.7 Youth Worlds from August 16-23.

All told, CORK will host more than 500 athletes and coaches from 42 countries.

“With two major youth World Championships, you will be seeing the future of sailing,” says Randolph Bertin of the ILCA. Founded in 1969, CORK has been the host of many international

The day will kick off at 10:00 a.m. and will feature live music, pizza, drinks, along with prizes for the top teams. All proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Gage Foster Athletic Scholarship Fund, created by Gage’s family to honour his memory.

Imperium Social, a digital marketing company, is hosting the event. Those who are interested in registering for the event are encouraged to visit www.gagefostermemorial.ca for more information.

—Matt Funk

competitions—most notably the 1976 Olympics. However, this summer’s competition bears a special significance, as it’s the regatta’s 50th anniversary.

Aside from offering a great spectacle for the city, CORK also yields economic impact.

“This summer, we estimate these events will provide $4.5M in total economic impact to Kingston and $6M to Ontario,” Megan Knott, executive director of Visit Kingston said.

“CORK has been a major contributor to sport tourism in Kingston for 50 years, and what a way to celebrate by hosting two world championships.”

—Matt Funk

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• 11

LIFESTYLE

12 • queensjournal.ca

Monday, July 29, 2019

STAFF PICKS

Journal staff ’s favourite spots on campus From coffee shops to libraries: the places at Queen’s where we feel comfortable, energized and happy Journal Staff Queen’s campus is full of nooks and crannies where students can hang out, and everyone seems to have a personal favourite. From coffee shops to campus pubs, here are The Journal staff’s favourite spots to relax, catch up with friends, and work on papers. ***

My favourite spot on campus is definitely the Queen’s Pub (QP).

I can’t remember the first time I went to QP, but it must have made a great impression on me because I go every chance I get.

QP holds a special place in my heart because it’s been a constant throughout many of my Queen’s milestones. It’s where I went to stress with my best friend after we applied for our jobs at The Journal, and it’s where we went to celebrate getting hired.

It’s also a great place to go when I have a break between classes, or if I’m having a really bad day. No matter my mood,

QP holds up as a reliable nook of comfort, good music, good drinks, and great company.

—Brittany Giliforte, Arts Editor

My favourite spot on campus is the microwave room in the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC).

Having a place to warm up food honestly adds a level of unexpected comfort to my day.

This past year, I would always microwave a muffin or cookie on a rainy day before class to warm myself up with a little treat.

Especially if you don’t live on campus in your first year, utilizing the microwave room for your lunches can save you some cash and make what you can pack a little more versatile.

If you walk through the Khao restaurant entrance and take the first turn, it’s right there.

—Jodie Grieve, Assistant Photo Editor

I started going to The Brew—a small eatery in the

Spikeball is best enjoyed near the Gord Edgar Downie Pier with friends.

STUDENT LIFE

Why Spikeball nets the love of Queen’s students Breaking down the sport’s popularity on campus and in Kingston

Shelby Talbot Editorials Editor

In the warm summer months, it’s practically impossible to visit Breakwater Park without spotting a game—or five—of the latest craze to hit the beach: Spikeball.

In recent years, Spikeball’s popularity has skyrocketed and

Lifestyle With a little digging, these students have found their perfect hideouts.

JDUC—frequently in the second half of my third year. I wanted somewhere I could go that wasn’t completely silent like Stauffer Library but also not crazy busy like Stauffer, which made The Brew the perfect spot.

A mini version of Common Ground café, The Brew has a healthy supply of outlets, calming strings of fairy lights, and soft—albeit sad—music playing often in the background, which contributes to the spot’s peaceful atmosphere.

While the JDUC is pretty cold in the winter, the tables directly across from the café are next to some almost adequate heaters.

There are also fun seasonal drinks or soups of the day you can buy from the café itself to stay warm.

Located on the second floor of the JDUC, The Brew is a great place to do readings and grab coffee

ILLUSTRATION BY AMELIA RANKINE

many beach-goers have found themselves falling in love with the game. Kingston’s student population is no exception.

With so many identical black-and-yellow nets covering the sand near the Gord Edgar Downie Pier, it’s almost as if the equipment was installed by the City for public use—and if you’re not careful, you might lose your net to a group of confused newcomers.

If you’re unfamiliar with the sport, it might seem intimidating at first. But if you’re prepared to dodge a few flailing limbs and eat a little sand, you have what it takes to be a Spikeball champion.

with a friend, but it’s also just a nice place to sit, look out the window, and not think about anything for a while.

—Raechel Huizinga, News Editor

It might be hard to believe, but West Campus really is best when it comes to finding the peace and quiet that’s essential for long hours of studying. Come midterm season, you can find me in the Education Library in Jean Royce Hall on West Campus.

Is it far from main? Maybe.

Although a 15-minute walk never hurt anyone who needed to shake off some exam stress.

Am I overly attached to it because I spent my first year living in Jean Royce? Definitely. Although you can’t really blame me for loving being a frosh on West and feeling nostalgic every time I go back.

Essentially, that’s what makes the Education Library such a special place to me. It’s not really about escaping the hordes of people you’ll find in the crowded halls of Stauffer and Douglas, nor is it about the adorable bright ornaments that line the walls and make that exam you’ve been stressing about feel a little less Think volleyball, but on a smaller scale.

The game is played in teams of two, and the goal is to hit the ball off the circular net so that it can’t be returned by the opposing team. When returning a serve or shot, a team has three touches to successfully bounce the ball back on the net. Like volleyball, the general strategy is to utilize the three touches to bump, set, and spike.

Spikeball is extremely versatile and lends itself to virtually any location and skill level.

All you require to play is a flat surface, the net, a ball, and three semi-coordinated friends. The minimal equipment results in an activity that’s both extremely portable and fairly affordable—characteristics which appeal to just about every student.

Though it’s often lumped in with lawn darts and Bocce, Spikeball is not just popular as a casual game—it’s a fast-growing competitive sport with many dedicated players.

Each year, the Spikeball Roundnet Association hosts dozens of

ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH WILLIS

dire. It’s all about finding a spot to cram the night away in a place that feels like home. That’s what the Education Library means to me.

—Andrew Schjerning, Features Editor

It’s all about finding a spot to cram the night away in a place that feels like home.

My favourite spot on campus where I can relax or get some work done is Common Ground Café (CoGro), one of the campus coffee shops. The best part about CoGro is that it’s always busy, so you’re almost guaranteed to run into a friend or classmate. Nothing brightens my day more than unexpectedly seeing a pal in line for our lattés.

Plus, nobody can deny that the bagels at CoGro make the ultimate study lunch. I can’t count the number of hummus and veggie bagel sandwiches I’ve scarfed down in front of my laptop at one of the tables.

—Tegwyn Hughes, Assistant Lifestyle Editor

official Spikeball tournaments across the United States, and many other tournaments just like them are held around the world.

Branded by Spikeball as “the next great American sport,” Spikeball boasts more than four million players internationally. Take that, lawn darts.

Spikeball’s appeal to both casual and competitive athletes makes the sport the perfect summer game. It’s a great way to get active in a friendly, social environment. Whether you’re playing at the beach, the park, or in your backyard, you’re guaranteed to have a blast, regardless of how skilled you are.

With September and the fall term fast approaching, it’s time to get out there and try Spikeball for yourself—if you haven’t already. Grab some friends and a net, mentally brace yourself to take a few spills in the name of summer fun, and head down to Breakwater Park for the afternoon. Chances are, you’ll wind up loving the game.

LIFESTYLE

Monday, July 29, 2019

queensjournal.ca

• 13

POP CULTURE

Are You the One? is television’s most fantastically fluid dating show How MTV’s underground reality dating show is breaking barriers Tegwyn Hughes Assistant Lifestyle Editor

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

BY ALLY MASTANTUONO

Despite countless reality dating shows focusing on the love, drama, and sex lives of straight people, no show has effectively explored the LGBTQ+ dating experience.

Until now.

Thanks to the eighth season of MTV’s Are You the One, sexually fluid viewers can finally see themselves represented on screen in a non-sensationalized way.

Are You the One is an MTV reality dating show hinging on the premise of contestants working together to find their perfect

match in a house full of good looking, single 20-somethings. In other words, players have to figure out who they’re most compatible with on the show. At the end of each week, cast members pair up with whomever they believe is their match in a match-up ceremony, and are then told how many correct matches they have altogether, but not which matches are correct.

If, by the end of the show, all contestants can correctly find their perfect matches, they split a $1-million prize. With this goal in sight, the cast of Are You the One spend their weeks together partying, hooking up, and engaging in plenty of drama in their search for true love.

While the show has spent seven seasons pairing men and women together, its newest contestants are no longer limited by the gender identities of

CULTURAL COMMENTARY

Casting Halle Bailey in The Little Mermaid is a splash in the right direction Black actress to star in Disney's 2021 live-action remake of a beloved classic Zier Zhou Staff Writer

This July, Disney announced that Black actress and R&B singer Halle Bailey will star as Ariel in its upcoming remake of The Little Mermaid. This decision marks the first time a woman of colour will play a traditionally white heroine in one of Disney's live-action adaptations. It's an event worth discussing, particularly in today's society, where diverse media representation can not only influence how minorities are perceived by others, but also how they perceive themselves.

Although Bailey doesn’t have the fair skin, blue eyes, or red hair universally recognized in the cartoon version of Ariel, director Rob Marshall said in a statement he was confident the actress "possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance—plus a glorious singing voice—all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role."

I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the news. Given the recent remakes of Beauty and The Beast and The Lion King, it seemed like Disney was set on creating live-action films that closely mirror their animated originals. Disney’s casting of Bailey as Ariel proves otherwise, and shows that the studio isn't afraid to break away from tradition and appeal to diverse, forward-looking audiences.

Disney’s casting of Bailey as Ariel [...] shows that the studio isn't afraid to break away from tradition

As viewers tend to look to their favourite movies for ideas and inspiration on how to take on the world, the representation of characters becomes increasingly important. It's easier for young girls of colour to connect to the storyline and imagine their own possibilities for a “happily ever after” of their own making when they see themselves reflected onscreen.

This is especially true when actors and actresses in leading roles have skin tone or cultures similar to their own.

Growing up as a Chinese-Canadian, I loved watching Mulan. This was largely because it was exciting to have

a Disney princess who shared my physical features and to see reflections of my own culture on the big screen.

However, not everyone views Bailey's casting in a positive light.

The announcement has sparked an extensive debate online about whether it was the right choice, as the hashtag #NotMyAriel started trending on Twitter after Bailey’s casting was made public. Some critics and fans argue that the live-action version should remain true to the 1989 animation, while others draw attention to the discrepancy from the fairy tale’s Danish origins.

[T]he hashtag #NotMyAriel started trending on Twitter after Bailey’s casting [...]

People should remember that what makes these stories so special in the first place is that they aren't bound by the rules of reality. When we open our minds to enter an underwater world with adventurous mermaids and wicked sea witches, the accuracy of Ariel's skin colour should sink to the bottom of our worries.

Unlike Mulan, where the country and culture are key components of the plot, The Little Mermaid centers on the love story between a mermaid and

their peers.

The eighth season of Are You the One premiered on June 26 and features 16 sexually-fluid cast members who have to work together to figure out the eight perfect matches among them. Each week, they’re given challenges, dates, and other opportunities to help explore their potential partners and figure out where they can improve in relationships.

This season, MTV even brought in relationship expert Dr. Frankie to help the cast navigate their feelings.

Although the cast numbers have been reduced from previous 20- and 22-contestant seasons, the fact that someone’s perfect match is no longer restricted by gender means there are more possible combinations of couples than ever before. As contestant Danny puts it in episode one, “from a naive statistical standpoint, this is going to be 345 times harder than any previous season.”

What makes this season of Are You the One all the more exciting is its great treatment of a sexually-fluid cast on a mainstream television network. Instead of playing up the contestants’ gender and sexual expressions for the audience’s entertainment, the show has portrayed LGBTQ+ issues as realistically as it can for TV. There’s Kai, a transmasculine non-binary person who has chosen to have top surgery—the medical

removal of breast tissue—and take male hormone therapy, whose weekly testosterone injections are shown on screen and explained to the audience.

Then there’s Paige, who used the show as an opportunity to come out as bisexual to her friends and family back home, and who expresses her fears about being seen as too new to the LGBTQ+ scene to truly know her identity.

There’s also Basit, a non-binary person whose use of the pronouns “they” and “them” is never shown in a negative light. They experiment with gender expression using their wardrobe throughout the show, even debuting their drag persona, Dionne Slay, during a themed party.

Although the show adapted to accommodate a sexually-fluid cast, the drama that viewers know and love hasn’t changed in the slightest. The tears, make-outs, and shouting matches that make Are You the One so addicting are still there.

It goes to show that no matter what your sexuality is, you can still be an absolute mess on TV. If you’re looking for a show to fill your time and your every waking thought, especially with the Bachelorette finale quickly approaching, then I suggest you catch up on Are You the One—it might be your perfect match.

her prince, and its dilemma lies on choosing between the land and sea. Casting a minority as the protagonist achieves remarkable diversity—and it does so without disrupting the story and its message.

Bailey’s casting may be unexpected, but it's a step forward.

People shouldn't be quick to criticize her suitability for the main role, especially when they have yet to see her performance.

After all, Ariel's authenticity is revealed through the character's optimistic energy and charming curiosity—qualities which certainly don't run skin-deep.

LIFESTYLE

14 • queensjournal.ca

Monday, July 29, 2019

TV REVIEW

Stranger Things 3 exceeds expectations by keeping true to its roots Netflix’s hit thriller stays suspenseful while forging new character dynamics The third installment of Stranger Things is as binge-worthy as ever.

Lauren Trossman Contributor

More than a year and a half after its last season, Netflix released the third chapter of Stranger Things on July 4, bringing fans back to the 1980s. Season three invites us to once again experience the world of the Upside Down, Eleven’s nosebleeds, and the all-powerful villain, the Mind Flayer. This season doesn't hold back on the classic Stranger Things suspense, exceeding all the expectations its long break built up for fans.

Season three invites us to once again experience the world of the Upside Down, Eleven’s nosebleeds, and the [...] villain, the Mind Flayer.

This time, the story starts off a year after the events of the second season, and the show does a great job catching us up on what we’ve missed in Hawkins,

Indiana. Over the past year, Mike and Eleven have begun dating, Nancy and Jonathan have started internships at local newspaper The Hawkins Post, Joyce has been busy mourning the death of her boyfriend Bob, and Dustin has been away at summer camp, returning with a homemade radio.

Nothing is quite the same with the gang of kids, with Mike and Eleven often sneaking off to be alone, Max and Lucas in an on-again, off-again relationship, and Dustin and Will left as the odd ones out. After failing to bring his friends back together, Dustin attempts to use his radio to contact his girlfriend from camp.

Instead, he picks up what sounds like Russian code.

Given that the US was in the midst of the Cold War with the then-Soviet Union in the 1980s, this radio interference is a pretty big deal. After discovering that the signal is coming from Hawkins, Dustin enlists the help of Steve and two excellent season three stars: Robin (Steve’s co-worker) and Erica (Lucas’ younger sister).

Meanwhile, Will is worried

last season’s antagonist, the Mind Flayer, may be back, despite Eleven banishing it at the end of season two’s finale. Max’s stepbrother Billy begins acting strange and violent after crashing his car. And, as if Hawkins didn’t have enough craziness, the town’s rats begin exploding and turning into goo that slithers into the sewer grates.

Despite these many and seemingly unrelated storylines, Stranger Things excels at weaving together various mysteries over the course of the season to create a cohesive experience. Though after a few episodes viewers understand how the various plotlines intersect, the show constantly leaves you in dark, which makes it difficult not to binge-watch. Throughout most of the first few episodes, I found myself completely confused as to what was happening, but still having a great time.

This season keeps the parts of Stranger Things that have been special from the start. Even though there are intense, suspenseful mysteries, the show never fails to highlight the relationships between characters and the

moments they share.

GRAPHIC BY AMELIA RANKINE

the girls support each other through their romantic relationships and breakups.

This season keeps the parts of Stranger Things [Stranger Things] that have been special succeeds in building from the start. and complicating relationships between For example, one scene in episode five flashes back and characters, showcasing forth between a deadly hospital the difficulty of teenage chase and a tender moment relationships [...] between Mike and Eleven. This keeps the show from being a traditional thriller by digging into the intricacies of each character, humanizing them in the face of the extraordinary supernatural challenges they face.

While this season of Stranger Things is extremely plot-heavy, the show succeeds in building and complicating relationships between characters, showcasing the difficulty of teenage relationships and highlighting the importance of female friendships. One major high point of this season is the show’s exploration of the friendship between Eleven and Max, as Max helps Eleven adjust to typical teenage life and

Season three of Stranger Things has everything we know and love about the franchise—suspense, terrifying monsters, brilliant acting performances, and still no Barb—while keeping it fresh with changing character dynamics and storylines moving beyond what they were in earlier seasons.

This chapter of the show builds on the world of the Upside Down and connects it to the politics of the time period.

However, as in previous seasons, make sure you clear out your day if you decide to watch, because once you start, it’s impossible to stop.

LIFESTYLE

Monday, July 29, 2019

queensjournal.ca

• 15

REALITY TV

The Bachelorette star stands up for bodily autonomy Sex-positive Christian Hannah Brown confronts slut-shaming Amelia Rankine Production Manager

On a recent episode of reality show The Bachelorette, star Hannah Brown shocked audiences when she announced, “I f—ked in a windmill. And guess what? We did it a second time.”

On the long-running dating reality show, The Bachelorette, 30 men compete for one woman’s affections over a couple of months.

The last man standing not only gets engaged to the bachelorette, but also typically garners some social media fame along the way.

This season, the bachelorette is pageant queen and interior designer Hannah Brown from Alabama.

The episode with the infamous windmill line revolved around drama that had been culminating for weeks. The drama was all thanks to Luke Parker, one of the contestants who has consistently stolen the show with displays of toxic masculinity, petty drama, and self-centred behaviour.

Luke is a born-again Christian who claims he encountered the Holy Spirit while showering and has reclaimed his own virginity. In a story that he shares over multiple episodes, he claims this epiphany led him to return to his faith. He now plans to save his sexuality for marriage.

And as he made very clear on the latest episode, he expects Hannah to do the same.

Traditionally on week nine of the show, the bachelorette can invite the remaining contestants, individually, into a “Fantasy Suite.”

The Fantasy Suite is a private room in which the couple can spend an intimate night together

without cameras or microphones.

At this point in the show, Hannah only had four men remaining: Peter Weber, Tyler Cameron, Jed Wyatt, and Luke Parker.

During his one-on-one date in Greece, before the Fantasy Suite was offered, Luke inquired about Hannah’s intentions regarding sex.

“Let’s talk about sex,” Luke began playfully—but the conversation quickly devolved into slut-shaming.

“Let’s talk about sex,” Luke began playfully—but the conversation quickly devolved into slut-shaming.

"If you told me you're having sex or you had sex with one or multiple of these guys, I'd be wanting to go home, 100 per cent,” Luke told her. He continued by saying partaking in the Fantasy Suite is not something his future wife would do.

In response, Hannah, visibly upset by his

words, explained how inappropriate he was being, and that he had no right to expect that information from her.

To the relief of most fans, Hannah didn’t take his insincere apologies that followed. Instead, she explained that he has no right to use religion to police her actions and sexuality.

“I have had sex,” Hannah said to Luke, “and Jesus still loves me.”

Throughout this season, Hannah frustrated other contestants by keeping Luke around despite the drama he caused. Feuding with most of the other men, Luke quickly made his name as the show’s villain.

Speaking to the camera in the latest episode, Hannah admitted she was finally seeing what others saw in Luke all along. She saw his behaviour for what it had been throughout the show: toxic, not romantic.

She saw his behaviour for what it had been throughout the show: toxic, not romantic.

Despite feeling like it was love at first sight with Luke, Hannah sent him home after the conflict, confident that “[her] husband would never say these things to [her].”

The current Bachelorette star faced disaproval from a slut-shaming suitor on a recent episode of the hit show.

This season, Luke consistently disrespected and disregarded Hannah’s autonomy, sexuality, and opinions. He attempted to manipulate and mislead her, regularly saying that she “misconstrued” what he said or that he “never said [something]” at all.

Luke used his faith in an attempt to control Hannah’s body and actions. Luke and Hannah’s shared sense of religion—something that bonded them early in the season—doesn’t negate the fact that Hannah, like Luke, has the right to practise her faith in any way she chooses.

People like Luke should have no say in what she does or does not do with her body.

Luke and Hannah’s shared sense of religion [...] doesn’t negate the fact that Hannah, like Luke, has the right to practise her faith in any way she chooses.

If Luke wanted his wife to be a virgin, going on a reality show where a woman dates 30 men

simultaneously may have been his first mistake.

Luke is an example of social realities today, where some men believe they have the right to control women’s bodies. Whether it’s policies restricting access to reproductive choice or a man telling a woman she’s only desirable to him if she limits the number of sexual partners she has, it’s all wrong.

The Bachelorette brought us awareness of this kind of abusive behaviour and, just maybe, we can all learn from it.

A woman has the right to have sex in a windmill—twice—if she wants to. No man should tell her otherwise.

Follow the Lifestyle section on Twitter at @QJLifestyle

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AMELIA RANKINE

LIFESTYLE

16 • queensjournal.ca

Monday, July 29, 2019

POSTSCRIPT

Overcoming inadequate feelings as a first-year student How my transition to Queen’s taught me the importance of community

In first year, Luca struggled with feeling like he didn't have a place at Queen's.

Luca Dannetta Assistant News Editor

One month into my first year at Queen’s, I wanted to drop out and go home.

There wasn’t anything wrong with Queen’s. In fact, it was the opposite: there was something wrong with me—or so I told myself. Early in the year, I decided that I was wholly inadequate and unqualified to be a Queen’s student, that I was a simpleton destined to toil away in mediocrity for the rest of my life, and that I would never thrive at this university because everyone else was better than me.

I was also desperately and helplessly lonely, had no social life to speak of, and felt that no one would really notice if I were gone.

I came from a pretty small high school. There were about 250 students in my graduating class, and I knew every single one of them. I knew each of my peers’ first and last names, what courses they excelled in, the sports they played, and the clubs they were members of. Even outside of my own grade, I rarely saw a face at school I didn’t recognize.

In addition to attending a small high school, I was also involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities.

I was an elected campus leader and part of student government and the varsity lacrosse team.

This extracurricular involvement made me an active part of even smaller sub-groups where I was surrounded by friends.

All of this is to say that I felt deeply entrenched in a small community where everyone

seemed to know everyone. I loved and valued my school community, and I felt that its members reciprocated those sentiments.

I’m not afraid to admit that I felt special in high school. I felt that I was good at what I was doing, and that people recognized that.

I felt that my absence would be noted. In short, before I came to university, I felt like a big fish in a small pond.

like a big fish in “I felt a small pond. ”

But Queen’s is a gigantic pond.

There are almost 20,000 full-time undergraduate students here, and all of them excelled in high school.

And that’s a big part of why coming to Queen’s was a tough transition for me.

Queen’s is a very good school with some very good academic programs, athletic teams, and extra-curricular organizations. As such, it attracts some of the best and brightest: the team captains, the valedictorians, and the student government presidents from all over. It attracts a lot of big fish.

When I started, it felt like everyone was either smarter than me, better at sports than I was, or had more friends and a loftier social status. It felt like everyone I met got high grades, captained their high school sports team, was the president of every club, volunteered at animal shelters on the weekends, and saved babies from burning buildings (or something similarly heroic).

By comparison, it felt like I wasn’t good enough to be mixed in with this bunch of people. In

my eyes, I was unremarkable among all the varsity athletes and geniuses.

This new and unfamiliar feeling of inadequacy is one that many Queen’s first-year students experience.

But it was more than just a feeling of inadequacy—it was a feeling of overwhelming loneliness.

I remember walking around campus during my first couple of days and realizing every single person I saw was a stranger—and that was jarring. I felt completely unmoored and rudderless in a sea of new faces, something I’d never really experienced beforehand.

I developed pretty serious depressive symptoms, and anxiety kept me firmly anchored to my comfort zone. I rarely left my residence room other than to go to class or eat, and I took a lot of naps. Naps became my coping mechanism: I wasn’t lonely or inadequate or homesick when I was napping.

The worst part was that I felt this way even though I had friends at Queen’s, friends that I’d known in high school and remained close to. These are people that are still wonderfully supportive, never fail to put a smile on my face, and are my best friends to this day.

But part of what makes mental illness brutal is that it can convince us we’re alone even when we’re not. It can take the real world, full of sunshine and opportunity, and sap the light out of it.

I remember one recurring thought I had was that the Queen’s community was so huge and full of so many people that if I disappeared, no one would

notice or care.

This mindset and my unhealthy coping mechanisms held me back. I missed out on some great experiences and opportunities in the early days of my first year. While other people were out joining clubs and meeting like-minded peers, I was consuming myself with self-doubt and homesickness.

So how did I get out of this vicious downward spiral? I figured out what I was passionate about and I chased it.

I joined the varsity lacrosse team and instantly made 40 new friends. I wrote an opinion piece for The Queen’s Journal on a topic that I was passionate about, and they liked it and encouraged me to apply for a role as the Assistant News Editor. I did, and I got the position. I played shinny on the outdoor rink in Victoria Park, and made friends with other hockey lovers.

In other words, I shrunk my pond. I took this massive environment and I carved out a little niche where I feel comfortable and can be my best self.

I took this massive “environment and I

carved out a little niche where I can feel comfortable.

”

I now have a wonderful group of friends and a strong support network that helps me through moments of self-doubt and loneliness. I feel I have a sense of purpose, goals to work towards, and a mission that gets me out of

PHOTO BY ALLY MASTANTUONO

bed in the morning.

What I learned is that it takes patience and work to feel at home in a new community. Feeling displaced and untethered in a new environment is exceedingly common, and it doesn’t mean you’re defective or inadequate.

It can mean a lot of things. In my case, it just meant I hadn’t found my niche yet.

That’s why my first piece of advice to incoming first-year students is to actively seek out your niche. Anchor yourself to something you’re passionate about and use that to construct a community where you feel like you’re a part of something. Join a club, foundation, or team.

I’m probably the first of a hundred different people that will tell you to get involved in your first year, but it’s genuinely the most valuable thing you can do.

Ask yourself what you are passionate about, what drives you, and what makes you happy, angry, or want to shout from the rooftops.

There’s almost definitely a club or organization for it at Queen’s.

Find that club and join it. It’s the best way to shrink your pond.

You might never feel like a big fish here, but at least you won’t flounder in a sea of missed opportunities and unfamiliar faces.

My second piece of advice is to always remember that you belong here. You are smart, capable, and extraordinary, and you will find a niche here where you excel and stand out.