The Queen's Journal, Volume 147, Issue 15

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the

Queen’s University

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journal

Volume 147, issue 15

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Friday, November 22, 2019

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

since 1873

“Tear gas and rubber bullets”: Queen’s student caught in Hong Kong campus protests University confirms contact with 15 students on exchange in Hong Kong S ydney K o Assistant News Editor What was meant to be an opportunity to learn Mandarin abroad was cut short when Kelsey—a Queen’s student whose name has been changed to protect her identity— found herself entrenched in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests.

In recent days, the ongoing unrest in Hong Kong has worsened as violence between police and demonstrators shifted to university campuses around the city. On Nov. 17, Queen’s issued a statement urging all 15 students on exchange in Hong Kong to return to Canada.

Kelsey, who is on exchange at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), recalled the day protests first poured onto campus at 8 a.m. on Nov. 11.

“It was an ordinary day for me,” she said.

“I walked to class, but I didn’t see the teacher.

She comes a little bit earlier so that seemed a little bit unusual.”

Eventually, university staff arrived to inform Kelsey and her peers violence had broken out on campus. At 9 a.m., Kelsey received an email saying classes were cancelled for the rest of the day.

Later, she noticed groups of students wearing masks around campus. It wasn’t long before Kelsey heard two students had an altercation with a police officer that sent students rushing back to their dormitories.

Before the end of the evening, CUHK emailed students announcing class cancellations for the following day.

Through a confidential source, The Journal obtained emails sent by CUHK to students, warning them of the escalating situation.

“Considering the worsening social unrest, the severely affected public transport services, and that repairs to the damaged facilities on campus takes time, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) announces that classes will be cancelled tomorrow,” the email read.

By Tuesday morning, Kelsey received another email informing students of further class cancellations. The email said a group of individuals damaged the gate locks of the school gym and took bows, arrows, and javelins.

As the protests continued, Kelsey said international students were told to contact their respected embassies for assistance. However, following limited instructions from CUHK, Kelsey contacted the Queen’s Environmental Health and Safety organization. While she eventually reached a representative, the 13-hour time difference made contacting Queen’s difficult.

“I’m going to sit tight until I figure out a plan,” Kelsey said as she recalled the events of the week.

However, on the evening of Nov. 13, her situation became urgent when CUHK See Hong Kong on page 3

Student Choice Initiative struck down in divisional court E llen N agy Assistant News Editor In a unanimous decision, the Ford government’s Student Choice Initiative (SCI) was ruled unlawful by the Divisional Court of Ontario on Thursday.

First reported by The Varsity, the Divisional Court of Ontario ruled in favour of a collective of student groups on Nov. 21, including the York Federation of Students (YFS), the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario (CFS-O), and the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU), in their judicial review against the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU).

The Ford government introduced the SCI in January, giving students the choice of opting out of fees deemed “non-essential” by the Ministry. At universities across the province, student fees support organizations

ranging from student unions and newspapers to campus food banks and sexual assault centres.

“Ourselves and our predecessors in the AMS spent an immense amount of time reorganizing our governance structures, advocating for things that would protect student opportunities and student jobs, so it definitely was surprising to see that the [Student Choice] Initiative got struck down in court,” AMS President Auston Pierce said in an interview with The Journal.

The application for judicial review was filed on May 24 by the CFS-O, denouncing the implementation of the SCI as unlawful and an overstep of the Ministry’s mandate. The court first heard arguments on Oct. 11.

“I’m in contact with other presidents at student unions across the province right now and we’re just waiting and watching. We’ll be making a statement when we know more information,” Pierce said.

GRAPHIC BY AMELIA RANKINE

IN THIS ISSUE: SWS booking causing students stress, p. 6, Politics important year-round, p. 7, Tripp pushes athletes over the top, p. 8, CBC journalist talks Tibet-Hong Kong parallels, p. 13. queensjournal.ca

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Friday, November 22, 2019

Campus radio station hit hard by Student Choice Initiative she said.

Jansen said the January referendum, which will allow students to vote for the continuation of the optional student fee, also creates uncertainty about the station’s future.

“If we lose the referendum, there’s a possibility that the

Loss of $50,000 higher than projected, station manager says Raechel Huizinga News Editor After the Student Choice Initiative (SCI) was announced in January, CFRC station manager Dinah Jansen was prepared to fight for the radio’s relevance. When the final opt-out numbers arrived last week, she discovered the station had lost a third of its student revenue.

“If we lose the referendum, there’s a possibility that the station might have to face winding down and eventual closure.”

“We were very surprised and shocked to learn that the number was actually quite a bit higher than we had anticipated.”

—Dinah Jansen, CFRC

—Dinah Jansen, CFRC Station Manager

Station Manager

“We projected anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000 in losses and had planned for that,” Jansen said in an interview with The Journal. “We were very surprised and shocked to learn that the number was actually quite a bit higher than we had anticipated.”

The station, which receives a $7.50 student fee to make up 70 per cent of its budget, lost approximately $50,000 in revenue under the SCI, which transitioned the station’s fee from mandatory to optional.

Jansen said 26.3 per cent of undergraduate students opted out of the fee, while approximately 31 per cent of graduate students opted out.

“We had anticipated that we would see some losses similar to other campus stations around the province, in addition to conversations that we’ve had with other student groups at Queen’s University,” Jansen said.

Dinah Jenson sits at the CFRC radio station on Nov. 18.

Jansen first broadcasted music at CFRC on Christmas Day, 2006.

The following year, she would get a CFRC tattoo after the station raised $10,000, a promise she made of the funding drive was successful.

“There’s not a lot I won’t do for the station,” Jansen said, calling the tattoo her “champ stamp.”

This year, however, the station planned to raise double that amount, a number selected based on a projected loss of $30,000.

Now, Jansen said the station will fundraise beyond the month of November to the end of December to raise as much money as possible. As of Nov. 18, the station had raised $7,000 in donations.

“Certainly, a lot of community members have been very generous and forthcoming,” she said.

The additional funding losses, coupled with an upcoming triennial student fee referendum,

will likely bring significant change to the campus radio station.

Jansen said although the station already operates on a shoestring budget, the possibility exists

“There’s not a lot I won’t do for the station,” Jansen said, calling the tattoo her “champ stamp.”

that CFRC will have to cut hours or positions.

“In the short term, we will have to make some decisions about staffing, and how many hours we can pay people to do various jobs,” she said. “But at the moment right now, we have a very small

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

amount of people doing the maximum amount of work that we can actually afford to pay for them.”

Jansen said cuts to the work-study program, which saw a loss of $30,000 under the SCI in student fees this year, also complicates the station’s ability to engage with students.

While the University promised to sustain the program that secures employment for low-income students this year, Jansen said it’s uncertain whether the station will be able to offer those positions in the future.

“If we lose work-study positions, SWEP positions, and then also have to make decisions about cutting back on our regular staff, that can be damaging to the operations and programming of the station,”

station might have to face winding down and eventual closure,” Jansen said. “Even if we’re successful with the optional fee in the referendum campaign in January, next year when students opt out again, that’s compounding, and eventually, things will start to get a little bit lower and a little bit lower every year.”

While the station’s financial board of directors evaluates next steps, Jansen said CFRC will continue to remind students of the opportunities it poses for them.

In a move to advocate for the station’s relevance this year, CFRC opened up its services to recording podcasts and recently purchased new DJ equipment that will bring the station’s presence outside the basement in Carruthers Hall.

“We’re not going down without a fight,” Jansen said.

“I’m steering a great staff and working with a great board of directors, as well as 300 students and community volunteers who are as invested as I am in the station’s ability to thrive.” journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

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Fifteen Queen’s exhange students were in Hong Kong Continued from front... announced the cancellation of the full term of classes and began to pressure students to leave campus.

Kelsey said uncertainty ensued.

“We did not get clear information of what was going on,” she said.

“Most of all the information that we got was through the group chats.”

“There was a lot of misinformation,” Kelsey added, “We had trouble getting formal fact-checked information about what was going on and we didn’t get any news on the incident until only two days after it started.”

In a written statement sent to The Journal, Queen’s said it’s been in contact with all 15 of its exchange students in Hong Kong to confirm they are safe.

“We are also in contact with our

Campus map of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

partner institutions in Hong Kong, other Canadian universities with students situated there, and Global Affairs Canada, as we actively monitor the situation.”

Queen’s has also initiated an emergency support program under the Off-Campus Activity Safety Policy (OCASP) and is working with International SOS to

keep students informed about the security services available to them.

In a written statement to The Journal, Francis Tse, ArtSci ’10, who is based in Hong Kong, urged foreign students to temporarily stop travelling to Hong Kong or China for academic exchange due to the political unrest and current diplomatic tensions between

Patrick Deane talks graduate studies at Principal’s Conversation

Audience raises concerns about daycare and housing costs Rebecca lourenco Staff Writer Principal Patrick Deane met with graduate students and professors on Monday to discuss the future of graduate studies at Queen’s—the third meeting in a Conversation series Deane hopes will inform the University’s next long-term plan.

“What is the University here for? It’s not here just to ensure its own continuous existence, it’s here to do human work,” he said at the meeting.

As the Conversation began, Deane said his goal is to address fundamental questions about how to advance the University and its boundaries of knowledge. He said graduate studies are critical to the research and education of the University.

“We are in the rankings, we

are just not high enough in the rankings,” he said.

At the last Principal’s Conversation meeting, Deane spoke about how Queen’s dropped two spots in national research rankings from 2017-18, bumping the University to 13th place out of 50 research-intensive universities.

A graduate student in attendance on Monday said there needs to be clearer communication about expectations between a graduate student and their supervisor, adding new graduate students should have better ideas about what their goals are.

In response, Deane agreed there should be more emphasis on goals when it comes to students entering graduate studies for the first time.

“There is a lot to be gained by asking what the point of [graduate studies] is,” he said.

Another audience member asked how Queen’s balances its undergraduate and graduate experiences when they can often exist at odds with one another.

Deane said a student doesn’t suddenly become capable of an entirely different cognitive act

when moving from undergraduate to graduate studies, and that the institution values overall research and the capacity to ask questions, assemble evidence, and reach conclusions.

“This is not uniquely the preserve of graduate students and professors. It is the preserve of any thinking human being who is seeking to make an impact on the world,” Deane said.

Another audience member suggested Queen’s transition from a teacher-directed system to a learner-directed system.

Deane said he supported that paradigm shift. “The learner-centric model empowers the learner long after they leave the institution.”

Deane was also asked what’s next for graduate students. He said that helping students find careers after graduate studies should be a University priority, whether they’re looking for academic or non-academic work following graduation.

At the end of the meeting, an international graduate student pointed out that Queen’s doesn’t offer free daycare for students with young children, adding that

SUPPLIED BY CONFIDENTIAL SOURCE

Canada and China.

“The reason is simple in Hong Kong’s context, universities can no longer guarantee safety of students because the government can no longer control the police force,” he wrote. “Police can now use unchecked, indiscriminate, and lethal force on anyone they deem a threat.”

Tse added it’s right for universities in Hong Kong to end the semester early.

“I believe there are very few options. My only thoughts would be to provide legal support to students who are arrested, or emotional support through

counselling services as the ongoing unrest has caused a very negative impact to psychological wellbeing to the people of Hong Kong,” he said.

“As a Canadian-Hong Konger myself, the past few months has made me reflect on how valuable the freedom and democracy Canadians have at home is. Many, including Hong Kongers, are still fighting with their lives for these values.”

Queen’s did not respond to an inquiry about how many of its exchange students have left Hong Kong in time for publication.

high international tuition fees and housing costs can make daycare unaffordable.

Being new to his role, Deane said he was unaware of the details about daycare at Queen’s, but stated he would do what he could to address the situation.

“On the daycare and the housing, I am totally sympathetic. I’m too new to know the ins and outs of why we are where we are on that, but believe me, I take that point very seriously,” he said.

The next principal’s conversation will take place at the Nov. 25 AMS Assembly.

Principal Patrick Deane talked graduate studies on Nov. 18.

PHOTO BY JODIE GRIEVE

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City shifts University District Safety Initiative communications plan No set budget for communications in 2019, City says Sydney Ko Assistant News Editor Kingston “demolished” its University District Safety Initiative (UDSI) communications budget for 2018 on one month of signage on campus, according to emails obtained by The Journal through a freedom of information request.

In the summer of 2018, the City of Kingston booked tripod signage with Curbex Media to advertise the UDSI at Earl St. and Aberdeen St., the Campus Bookstore, and the intersection of Union St. and University Ave. The signage was installed ahead of Orientation Week, and was scheduled to come down on Sept. 28.

In an email dated Sept. 18, communications officer Cindie Ashton asked Amber Bryant-Peller, special assistant to Mayor Bryan Patterson, whether the City would be going ahead with the removal of the signage or renewing until Homecoming.

“In a perfect world yes, but I didn’t realize we’d be footing the full Curbex bill the last time, so I kind of demolished our UDSI budget,” Bryant-Peller replied.

In a written statement to The Journal, City of Kingston Communications Officer Mark Nardi said the UDSI had a communications budget of $1,000 in 2018. “The cost of the Curbex signage was $671.22,” Nardi wrote.

Nardi also told The Journal that in 2018, it was always the intention of the Mayor’s Office to have the signs displayed for one month.

“Curbex, the company responsible for the signs, as a courtesy, regularly offers to extend the length of time signs are displayed,” he wrote. “The internal budget concerns were a miscommunication clarified in further conversations. The City did not extend the signs as they were part of a campaign involving multiple departments that included welcome back signage.”

Nardi also said that in 2019, the UDSI campaign project was moved from the Mayor’s office to the Bylaw Enforcement & Licensing

department, changing the budget’s structure.

While the Bylaw Enforcement and Licensing department has an annual budget New alochol policy set for 2020 implementation. of $19,000, Nardi told The Journal the UDSI funds for 2019 were not drawn from that budget.

“When the UDSI moved out of the pilot phase and was taken over by Licensing and Enforcement, the decision was made to augment our communications strategy,” he wrote. “As a result, the Licensing and Enforcement Division opted to work with community partners to use social media and print material.”

Nardi said that between coverage generated by a pre-Homecoming news release, the social media posts and printed posters that were distributed on campus, the Licensing and Enforcement Division was not required to draw upon that shared $19,000.

“The City is committed to responsible budgeting and, wherever possible, we leverage our social media audiences and pre-existing community partnerships to achieve effective communications results,” he wrote.

In an interview with The Journal, Kyle Ellen nagy Compeau, manager of licensing and Assistant News Editor

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

Updated alcohol policy to be implemented next spring

Alcohol working group reviewing feedback from campus stakeholders

“In a perfect world yes, but I didn’t realize we’d be footing the full Curbex bill the last time, so I kind of demolished our UDSI budget.”

—Amber Bryant-Peller

enforcement, said the City has been changing its UDSI outreach approach this year.

Aside from working with the University to place posters advertising the UDSI in Queen’s residences, Compeau said the City is also reconsidering placing signage at street corners, which are directed towards motorist transportation.

“We felt that a Curbex sign directly related to a motorist was maybe not the best appropriate way to message,” he said. journal_editor@ams.queensu.ca

After nearly a year of review, Queen’s revised alcohol policy is nearing implementation.

In a Nov. 14 statement, the University said Tom Harris, interim provost and vice-principal (Academic), announced the revised alcohol policy is on track to be implemented in May 2020.

“Our primary purpose as an institution of higher learning is to provide a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for our faculty, staff, and students to support our mission of education and research, not to facilitate the sale or consumption of alcohol,” Harris said in the statement.

“I’m confident the final document will reflect that purpose. We will certainly consider all of the thoughtful feedback we have before us.”

According to the statement, revisions to the existing alcohol policy were drafted with the purpose of providing a safe campus culture for faculty, staff, and students. The feedback received through the public review process is being reviewed by the Alcohol Working Group (AWG) and will be forwarded to the Policy Advisory Subcommittee for further deliberation.

The university’s senior leadership team

will make the final decision about the revised alcohol policy.

“We are in line with the University regarding our commitment to safety, inclusivity, and developing a positive environment,” AMS Vice-President William Greene wrote in a statement to The Journal.

On Oct. 8, the AMS submitted alcohol policy recommendations to the university which highlighted the society’s commitment to nurturing a safe environment in which students are allowed to make their own choices regarding alcohol consumption.

The strong campus response to the proposed revisions has carried weight in discussions since the policy’s first draft was released in September. The AMS hosted a survey about the revised alcohol policy that garnered more than two thousand responses from students. The Law Student’s Society (LSS) also published a letter submitted to the AWG announcing its opposition to proposed changes.

Proposed revisions by the University to the alcohol policy include 30-minute breaks between shots at on-campus drinking establishments, dry Orientation Week activities for both undergraduate and graduate students, and the restriction of promotional materials sponsored by groups associated with alcohol consumption.

“We are hopeful that the University will improve the policy to acknowledge the realities of our on-campus environment, and reflect the principles and concerns brought forward by students,” Greene said.

Computing Student’s Association to survey students on fall reading break

Ellen Nagy Assistant News Editor The Computing Student’s Association (COMPSA) will send out a survey to gage student opinion on the fall term break, according to COMPSA President Nana Boateng.

Following the rejection of the 2021-22 academic calendar at the Arts and Science Faculty board meeting due to concerns over the structure of the current fall midterm

break, COMPSA is looking to gather feedback from its student body.

“We are sending out surveys soon to better assess the students’ opinions and meeting with the Director of the School of Computing to gauge the staff perspective on the issue,” Boateng wrote in a statement to The Journal.

Student Senate Caucus Chair David Niddam-Dent and AMS President Auston Pierce plan to reopen discussions about the fall break at Senate on Nov. 26. The

two will seek clarification about a Feb. 26 Senate meeting at which Senator Diane Beauchemin said faculties and schools would be conducting their own initial assessments of the break.

Other student societies, including the Concurrent Education Students’ Association, Commerce Society and Engineering Society didn’t respond to The Journal’s inquiries about these assessments in time for publication.

According to the Nov. 26 agenda, Queen’s

Senate will address questions about data, if any, collected about the fall term break over its last two years, as well as the formal process behind faculty assessments, the timelines behind these processes, and whether those timelines will allow decisions regarding the break to be implemented in time for the 2021-22 academic year.

Senate will also address what measures will be taken to ensure student and faculty perspective are reflected within that decision.

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Friday, November 22, 2019

Queen’s-specific data about student perceptions of sustainability on campus.

In an interview with The Journal, Bosorogan said SCB will bring the survey’s findings to Queen’s Sustainability office.

“It’s a short survey, but I think we’re going to hit the spot in collecting the data,” she said.

“Then we’re hoping to present it and actually get the ball rolling.”

The native pollinator garden.

SUPPLIED BY ANDREEA BOSOROGAN

Environmental group hopes to make Queen’s plastic free Group also planning native pollinator garden at Four Directions for spring Raechel Huizinga News Editor

Using a five-year plan, the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) Kingston chapter hopes to lead Queen’s to a plastic-free campus.

Last summer, SCB garnered more than 700 signatures in a petition calling on the University to transition away from plastics. In December, co-chair Andreea Bosorogan, ArtSci ’20, said the group will launch a survey to collect

“We’re going to try our best to at least make Queen’s commit to a plastic-free campus.”

—Andreea

Bosorogan

Bosorogan said SCB’s previous executive had a three-step plan the current team has built into a five-year plan.

“We have a more solidified plan,” she said. “We’re going to try our best to at least make Queen’s commit to a plastic-free campus.”

SCB also plans to launch a monthly newsletter next month that Bosorogan said will raise awareness about sustainability and conservation issues in Kingston and Canada.

Currently, about 30 people have signed up for the newsletter.

“We found that sometimes, although we have weekly updates, people want to know more and more, so we thought we could have a monthly newsletter about the big picture,” she said.

She said each newsletter will

Province yet to release full sexual violence survey results Ministry reviewing recommendations from the Information and Privacy Commissioner Raechel Huizinga News Editor Nearly nine months after the provincial government released initial data from the Student Voices on Sexual Violence survey, there is still no timeline for the release of the remaining results.

In February 2018, the provincial government saw 116,627 post-secondary students participate in the survey about sexual violence. While the survey’s results were promised to institutions in the fall of 2018, the provincial government only released preliminary data from

the survey this March. Citing privacy concerns, the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities (MTCU) withheld specific data sets.

In a written statement to The Journal, MTCU spokesperson Ciara Byrne said the Ministry is still concerned about the privacy of students.

“All students deserve to be able to attend higher-education in an environment that is safe and free from harassment. While the summary findings of this report have been released to the public, the ministry must ensure that the privacy of survivors of sexual violence is protected,” Byrne wrote.

“At this time, the ministry is reviewing recommendations received from the Information and Privacy Commissioner prior to making any further decisions about the release of additional survey results.”

The Ministry did not respond to an inquiry about the timeline for the release of the results, and

the University confirmed to The Journal that it also hasn’t received a timeline.

In their updated platform, the AMS promised to advocate to the government for the release of the remaining results. In a written statement to The Journal, the Society said it’s taken those advocacy efforts to Queen’s Park over the last couple of weeks.

“In recent weeks, the AMS has been in contact with members of the Provincial Government regarding the incomplete release of data from the Student Voices on Sexual Violence Survey conducted in 2018,” the statement said.

“In our communications, we stressed the severity of the situation fa c i n g post-secondary campuses and the need to have institution specific evidence to drive positive action in the fight against sexual violence.”

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have a different theme.

“You may know a lot of people

during their transition in the spring.

“We hope that by creating a native garden, we can promote more biodiversity,” she said.

Bosorogan said SCB is planning to plant the perennial flowers, including Sweetgrass and Pearly Everlasting, in April. While the group originally wanted to plant the flowers in the fall, Bosorogan said that wouldn’t have given the plants a long enough establishment period to take root.

“It could have looked extremely pretty in the fall, but then we had a very early winter. I’m who are afraid of bats, but very glad we didn’t do they’re an essential pollinator,” t h a t because most Bosorogan said. “We’re just of them would have trying to raise awareness and died,” she said. educate people.”

Bosorogan added that SCB is also taking native planting more native pollinator pollination to other parts of gardens on campus will increase campus. After establishing student awareness about a native pollination garden native species. outside the Biosciences Complex “I find it pretty fascinating in 2017, Bosorogan said if you go on a hike and you SCB is working with Four know how to identify a Directions to plant a similar native species from an garden there. invasive species,” she She said previous members said. “It’s rewarding for of SCB had worked on the yourself, but it also rewards initiative last year, and the project the environment, because it was passed on to this promotes native pollinators.” year’s executive members

“We hope that by creating a native garden, we can promote biodiversity.”

—Andreea Bosorogan

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Features Under new system, students compete for same-day counselling IN-DEPTH STORIES FROM AROUND CAMPUS AND IN THE COMMUNITY

Student Wellness Services’ booking process can complicate students’ access to care rachel aiken

Features Editor Amelie Mahrt-Smith, ArtSci ‘21, needed to talk to someone. She called seven times, on seven different days, trying to get a same-day appointment with a counsellor from Student Wellness Services (SWS).

She started to get up early and call at 8 a.m. But by the time her call would get through, all same-day appointments were fully booked.

In an interview with The Journal, Mahrt-Smith said the new booking system made her feel like she had been consistently shot down. “It took me a while to realize I had to call right at eight o’clock in the morning or there was no chance— even if it was 8:15 [a.m.], no chance,” she said.

By the fifth time she called, Mahrt-Smith was in crisis.

Last summer, SWS revamped their system in hopes of achieving “same-day access” to counselling services. Instead of pre-booking, students call in for a 30-minute same-day appointment. These “initial access” appointments can then be followed up by a pre-booked session at the counsellor’s discretion.

The Journal spoke with 17 students via email, Facebook Messenger, and in person, to discuss the recent changes to the SWS counselling system. Of the 17, one respondent had no

GRAPHIC BY AMELIA RANKINE

complaints.

Mahrt-Smith was one of several who had concerns about how the new system affects students’ access to mental health care on campus.

According to students who spoke to The Journal, concerns arise about the stress of having to compete for same-day appointment times and the lack of security of pre-booked appointments. However, most saw the same-day appointment model as a step in the right direction, just not the final answer.

“Students who have accessed the service have been very positive about the model as it allows them to see a counsellor for an initial appointment within 2-3 days, instead of waiting weeks,” Rina Gupta, director of counselling services at SWS, wrote in a statement to The Journal.

“This time last year, the term was completely booked; now we have multiple appointments available each day for students.”

The wait times aren’t the six weeks they were this time last year. According to students who spoke to The Journal, most said they were able to get an appointment on the same day they needed one and, overall, saw the change as positive.

But according to some, the new system has its faults. In interviews, students reported waiting more than three days for “same-day access,” and trying to access those appointments was causing those in vulnerable positions further stress.

“It seems like a good idea when you haven’t actually used [the system],” said Mahrt-Smith. “But after going through it, it didn’t feel helpful—it made me feel worse about my own situation and trying to get help because I was constantly being told no.”

“Previously, even if you had to wait several weeks for an appointment, at least you had the security of knowing that you had an appointment instead of just having to race for it.”

According

to SWS, each day, there are an average of 35 same-day slots available. But this number can vary depending on counsellors’ schedules. There are currently 14 counsellors taking same-day appointments.

SWS does offer at least 10 crisis appointments per day, so that if students can’t get a same-day booking and are in crisis, they can still access the service.

It made me feel worse about my own situation and trying to get help because I was constantly being told no.

—Amelie Mahrt-Smith, ArtSci ‘21

While Mahrt-Smith could recognize she was getting close to being in crisis, she didn’t want to use a crisis appointment. She felt she wasn’t in immediate danger and thought someone else could need the appointment more.

“Nobody really tells you what a crisis is,” she said. “I don’t want to take that away from somebody else, even though I feel like I might really need this, so I’ve never really felt comfortable doing that.” ***

Mahrt-Smith isn’t alone in waiting more than a week to access care some students were able to get same-day.

Andrea Włodarczyk, ArtSci ‘21, also has concerns about how quickly appointments fill up.

In an interview, she told The Journal she didn’t understand how the service could be fully booked within one minute of it opening in the morning.

Włodarczyk said waking up and

calling, only to be declined, further impacts her mental health.

However, most of the time Włodarczyk calls, she sees someone day-of, just not her regular counsellor. And the new system means she hasn’t had to use crisis counselling at all this year.

She sees the new system as a positive change, but she doesn’t see it as an accountable system.

Włodarczyk wants to know how SWS is keeping track of wait times when there’s no “wait list” for same-day appointments.

According to Gupta, “to evaluate the new hybrid service model, [SWS is] tracking daily appointments, calls, student satisfaction and feedback, and counsellor input.”

Włodarczyk was also concerned about the 30-minute slot times.

She said a half hour, most of the time, isn’t long enough to realistically address a student’s issue.

Savannah De Franco, ArtSci ‘21, shared this concern. She likened the 30-minute appointment time to “herding cattle.” For De Franco, the new system compromises the quality of sessions if each appointment is being limited to half-hour slots.

Both De Franco and Włodarczyk agree the University should be doing more for students’ mental health. Włodarczyk said studying creates an environment where mental health issues arise, and the University should acknowledge their role in this.

“If you want to be a part of students’ success, you also have to be part of helping them through those issues,” she said.

Mitchell Hall is part of Włodarczyk’s frustration because the new building hasn’t had an impact on her experience with SWS. She feels the University prioritized its

construction over meeting the demand for mental health care.

She would rather have seen funds diverted from the new building to improving SWS.

*** Overwhelmingly, the students who spoke with The Journal said they want the University to hire more counsellors. However, the improvements have made a substantial difference to those students’ experiences.

The ratio of counsellors to students in need is not going to improve over time and the demand is only increasing.

According to Gupta, the University has established 10 additional counselling positions since 2014, but SWS doesn’t think more counsellors alone can meet the demand. The service wants to expand their options so students have multiple access points for mental health care.

If you want to be a part of students’ success, you also have to be part of helping them through those issues.

—Savannah De Franco, ArtSci ‘21

The new system has banished the six-week-long wait times for appointments, but some students are still not getting help when they need it.

Mahrt-Smith said she was aware there are services other than SWS, but feels she doesn’t know where else to go. For her, the only place she can learn about other resources is from SWS—so accessing other, less visible, on-campus and community services still require her to go through SWS counselling.

Her experience with SWS over the past few years has only made her realize how many students on campus are really in need of help.

Friday, November 22, 2019

queensjournal.ca

EDITORIALS

THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL

The Journal’s Perspective

Volume 147 Issue 15 www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal Publishing since 1873

Responsible student journalism extends to covering difficult truths People attending public protests on campus shouldn’t be surprised if their photo appears in the student paper, especially if they’re at the center of the action.

After all, while student journalism can depict activist students in vulnerable or compromising positions, their role in the public eye is necessary to accurate reporting.

In intimate school communities, student journalists are under ever-increasing scrutiny when walking the line between empathetic news coverage and censorship.

These tensions between students and university journalists on campuses came to a head this month when a Northwestern University student called out the campus paper for ‘trauma porn’ when they used a photograph of her knocked to the ground at a protest.

But at very public protests, on or off campus, news coverage is inevitable.

Attending an activist event of this nature should be accompanied with an understanding that your picture or actions might be displayed in an article.

It’s the role of journalists to cover difficult news sensitively without watering it down or compromising the integrity of stories. Reporting requires presenting every side of the story.

Otherwise, news isn’t objective and it can’t present you with the full scope of the issue.

Photography has a massive impact in framing those news stories and their importance. People say “a picture is worth

a thousand words” for a reason. Little can capture a reader’s attention and draw them into the story like a meaningful photo.

That said, student and mainstream

ILLUSTRATION BY AMELIA RANKINE

journalism share a history of leaving marginalized communities behind.

Journalists must keep this front of mind when covering events that influence these

marginalized groups, and strive to report on them responsibly.

These challenges facing the journalism community as a whole are only amplified on campuses.

Fake news, political disengagement, and a lack of understanding of the media’s role can run rampant in student communities.

Interactions with university journalists are often the first time post-secondary students see news outlets up close, which can understandably be intimidating.

That’s why empathetic journalism is so important—it’s vital that journalists responsibly represent events to avoid perpetuating existing systems of oppression.

But there’s a line between empathetic journalism and compromising journalistic integrity.

News should reflect the truth of a story. That’s something story subjects must be prepared for. There are avenues at most media outlets to express an opinion, but the news section isn’t one of them.

The work student journalism accomplishes is important. To do this work, they must remain objective and impartial in their reporting.

Student journalists have to prioritize responsible and empathetic news coverage on their campuses. In return, their communities should extend the same empathy when examining the role of these outlets.

This year’s federal election was unprecedented in terms of young voter turnout. Now that the election has passed, we have to keep that moment going, not check out of politics until the next time we have the opportunity to cast a ballot.

While total election voter turnout was lower than 2015, it was higher than any other election this millennium.

But political engagement has waned following the election. The month leading up to election day saw plenty of activism at Queen’s, from the climate march to the march against racism and homophobia in response to the Chown Hall note.

Since the election, campus has become considerably quieter.

Elections are one of our main chances to directly influence what happens on Parliament Hill. It’s important that we commit to engaging in politics just before we cast our votes. But we can’t let post-election fatigue, or the sentiment that we’ve ‘done our part,’ quell

the same action that characterized October.

Politics are still important, even now that ballot boxes are closed and votes have been counted.

There is good reason to believe the more progressive views of young people may have been the reason the Liberals held onto government in a tight race this fall. For the

Editorial Board Editor in Chief Managing Editor Production Manager News Editor Assistant News Editors

Features Editors

Meredith Wilson-Smith Iain Sherriff-Scott Amelia Rankine Raechel Huizinga Sydney Ko Ellen Nagy Carolyn Svonkin Andrew Schjerning Rachel Aiken

Editorials Editor

Shelby Talbot

Opinions Editor

Aysha Tabassum Brittany Giliforte

Arts Editor

Pamoda Wijekoon

Assistant Arts Editor

Jack Rabb

Sports Editor

Alina Yusufzai

Assistant Sports Editor

Ally Mastantuono

Lifestyle Editor

Tegwyn Hughes

Assistant Lifestyle Editor

Tessa Warburton

Photo Editor

Jodie Grieve

Assistant Photo Editor

Jonathon Fisher

Video Editor Assistant Video Editor

Lauren Thomas

Copy Editors

Sasha Cohen Chloe Sarrazin

Contributing Staff Staff Illustrators Hannah Willis Staff Writers Nathan Gallagher Rebecca Lourenco Contributors

Megan Afshar Pravieena Gnanakumar Haley Marando Rafi Matchen Jordan Nigro Megan Tooley

Business Staff Business Manager

Aidan Chalmers

Sales Representative

Mitch McManus Christina Zheng

—Journal Editorial Board

Engaging in federal politics is important more often than just once every four years Carolyn Svonkin

•7

don’t run on an election cycle. If we don’t continue to push, march, post, and do everything we can to make sure we’re heard in the chambers where decisions are made, not only will decisions and policy be executed in the way we might not like, they simply might not be made at all.

Many Canadians, whether due to ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or a host of other factors, don’t have the ability to check out of politics once an election is over. Just because some of us have that privilege doesn’t mean we should take advantage of it.

We’re lucky to live in a democracy, and it’s our job to keep that democracy lively and functioning.

The election may be over, but the coming months are paramount PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON in determining what comes first time in history, young people are the of those ballots we cast. We have the largest electoral block in the country. Our opportunity and the duty to be a part of generation’s ability to influence the direction that decision. of our country is massive.

While it might be easy to opt out, even for We must take advantage of that beyond a short period of time, we cannot waste it. the scope of the election.

Climate change, the cost of living, health Carolyn is one of The Journal’s Assistant care, and social equality are all issues News Editors. She’s a second-year Political important to young people. These issues Studies student.

Want to contribute?

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

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

The Journal’s Editorial Board acknowledges the traditional territories our newspaper is situated on have allowed us to pursue our mandate. We recognize our responsibility to understand the truth of our history.

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

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

The Queen’s Journal is printed on a Goss Community press by Performance Group of Companies in Smiths Falls, Ontario.

Contents © 2019 by The Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of The Journal.

Circulation 2,000

8 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 22, 2019

OPINIONS

Your Perspective

Rafi Matchen touches on the complexities of the timing of Don Cherry’s firing.

PHOTO BY JODIE GRIEVE

We need to analyze why Don Cherry wasn’t cancelled a long time ago Immigrants have been welcomed into Canadian culture, but other groups remain excluded

Anyone who’s had the displeasure of spending their Saturday nights from October to April watching the Toronto Maple Leafs lose on Hockey Night in Canada knows that if you can get through the first period without throwing the remote at the television, you see something special.

After a beer commercial or two, two men appear on screen. On the left is Hockey Night host Ron Maclean, playing the hardest straight man role on television. On the right, with a flashy suit and a white beard, is Don Cherry, ready to tell Canadians what he thinks they need to hear.

That extends to his harmful comments about immigrants in Canada earlier this month.

Part of Cherry’s on-air charm was that he was a hockey man who never quite made it. 20 years in the minor leagues before becoming a coach and then a broadcaster gave him the moral authority to talk to Canadians as a Canadian, not as a high-flying superstar preaching to the little people.

We don’t like when elites extol the virtue of hard work, but Cherry was an example of just how far gritting your teeth can get you in a world where no matter how good you are at something, a video of a six-year-old prodigy is just a click away.

There’s nothing wrong with valuing hard work. There’s also nothing wrong with wrapping yourself in the flag and talking about the hard work that gave us the Canada we’re blessed to have today, as Cherry was

Talking heads

... students around campus

What news is making you happy right now?

wont to do. other factor is at play here.

But Cherry espoused those values in ways I think our collective turn against Cherry that managed to alienate most Canadians. for this comment, unexceptional by his There’s nothing that hasn’t already been standards, reflects a certain hypocrisy in written about the myriad of groups Cherry the English Canadian psyche. His previous managed to insult over his 33 years as the comments didn’t provoke outrage broad biggest bully pulpit in Canada. enough to oust him until now because Among other groups, he attacked Russians, they were targeted at people outside our Scandinavians, Black Canadians, Indigenous ‘tribe’—the in-group afforded respect Canadians, and French Canadians. and tolerance within mainstream Canadians have been talking about Canadian culture.

Cherry’s harmful rhetoric for a long time.

Russians and Scandinavians are The final straw—calling immigrants “you unambiguously not 'us.' They’re from across people” in a tirade about his perception that the ocean, and Canadians still retain some fewer people are wearing poppies—while Cold War-era prejudice against Russians. certainly offensive (how does he know that Hockey plays a unique role here. So the poppyless folks are immigrants?), fits many of us grew up hearing about our team right into his regular pattern. beating the then-Soviets in the 1972 Summit The question is why his television Series. The mythology of an all-Canadian network, Rogers, chose to fire him now, and contribution to the fight against communism what made this time different than all of the provided the perfect justification for other times he’s offended vulnerable groups. tolerating Cherry’s prejudices.

Some have suggested that this cultural Another group Cherry targeted was moment, with “cancel culture” all the rage, Indigenous peoples. If anyone should be forced Rogers’ hand. acknowledged by Canadian society, it’s I’m not convinced of that. the people who were here first. But the Surely it would have been unacceptable average city-dwelling Canadian has almost for anyone other than Don Cherry to call no interaction with Indigenous people. That the Inuit seal hunt “barbaric,” or to say of makes it easy for people like Cherry to cast Russians, “They’ve always sucked.” Those them outside our culture, and for people like quotes are both from the last five years of me to keep watching. his screen time.

French Canadians, too, are as Canadian The fact that I had the same reaction as as anyone else, but different. If Don Cherry Rogers—to support his silencing despite thinks they’re too dainty on the ice, not watching him for years—tells me some like our hard-nosed boys from towns like

"Raptors are second in the East without Kawhi."

Diana Mirsu ArtSci '22

"Selena Gomez just got matching tattoos with Julia Michaels!"

Julia Yu

Comm '22

Kingston, then maybe the ‘damn Frenchies’ should just skate harder. French Canadians seem to form another group that the majority of Canadians are comfortable poking fun at.

This leads us to question what to make of the overwhelming response to an attack on immigrants, which places them in our tribe—a right that hasn’t been granted to the aforementioned groups.

I think it represents the ever-growing acceptance of immigrants in our community.

There’s much more work to do, of course, but we’ve come to accept newcomers to the point that we afford them the same social in-group status as anyone else.

On the surface, this is unambiguously good. There are increasingly fewer Canadians advocating against greater acceptance for immigrants.

But beyond this achievement, I think the Cherry saga betrays a tragic reality about human nature: we only care about people in the in-group. Movements towards tolerance and acceptance (certainly things we should strive for) aren’t about our relationships with people far away. They’re about growing the circle of people we care enough about to make a ruckus.

Growing the circle isn’t bad: the more people we care about, the better. But we need to do better to protect those outside the circle as well.

Rafi Matchen is a second-year Computer Science student.

"A luxury brand (Prada) signed a sustainability deal."

Jenny Zhu Comm '22

9 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 22, 2019

Arts

10 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 22, 2019

Looking back on years of Arkells concerts, closing in Kingston Max Kerman of The Arkells playing on Nov. 16 at the Leon’s Centre.

Graduating student remembers the last four years and the shows she’s attended along the way Amelia Rankine Production Manager

The Arkells never fail to put on a good show. Whether it’s singing, dancing, performing, or rallying against injustice, this Hamilton band knows how to captivate an audience.

On Nov. 16, the Arkells played the Leon’s Centre for a packed audience on the final stop of the Rally Cry tour for 2019.

With a strong repertoire of alternative rock anthems, the Arkells’ triumphant return to Kingston marks a leap forward in the band’s success.

Since their last performance at the Leon’s Centre in 2017, they have released their new award-winning album, Rally Cry, and embarked on a Canadian tour of the same name. Over the past few years, they’ve acquired a dedicated fanbase.

I first saw the Arkells perform live two years ago in November here in Kingston, but I wasn’t there as a fan.

I went to celebrate my friend’s birthday and we arrived two hours early to stand in line, at her request, despite the snow and sub-zero temperature.

We managed to get close enough to the stage that when front man Max Kerman surfed the crowd, our hands were helping to support him.

At the time, I could only sing along to a few of their songs, but I left the concert a die-hard fan.

Watching Kerman belt out each lyric with an unbridled passion hooked me from the very first song.

PHOTO BY AMELIA RANKINE

Since then, we’ve seen the fans to call and ask the band to and when they began playing, an to wear.

Arkells perform in Toronto play their favourite song. audience member lent Kerman To read more, visit twice, snagging tickets as soon One fan requested “A Little Rain,” a bright yellow rain poncho queensjournal.ca as each concert was announced and travelling hours to catch their shows.

When I found out that the Arkells were returning to Kingston this fall—my final year at Queen’s—it felt like a fitting farewell to my undergrad.

Whether I’m studying to their acoustic sets or bopping to new song “Eyes on the Prize” on my morning walk to campus, their music has been the soundtrack to my life in Kingston.

But the political messages in their lyrics make their songs more than just entertainment.

Songs about the Women’s March, investigative journalism, and corrupt politicians make for music that isn’t just escapist—it’s tuned into the concerns and anxieties of our generation.

The Arkells don’t hide their political views from their fans.

Instead, they use their influential voice and dedicated following to take a strong stance in the fight against injustices.

At the concert, their setlist featured some of their most political songs, including, “Whistleblower,” “People’s Champ,” and, naturally, “Rally Cry.” Whether it’s LGBTQ+ activism, the climate crisis, or workers’ rights, their message of support is clear.

It comes out of a love and support for their fanbase. The Arkells have three rules for their audience: sing your heart out, dance, and take care of one another.

Their main goal is making sure the audience is having fun.

Cowboy hats, crowd surfing, and romantic slow-dancing punctuate the concert.

This level of audience interaction proves how much the band cares that their fans are enjoying themselves.

A new bit the band incorporated into their Kingston show saw Kerman bring out a Bell payphone and hold it up to his ear. This was part of their toll-free request line that allows

A rts

Friday. November 22, 2019

queensjournal.ca

• 11

Ben Rogers returns to storytelling in new album Wildfire showcases artist’s exploration of rebirth through song-writing Brittany Giliforte Arts Editor

Ben Rogers lost his direction as a musician after the release of his 2015 album, but his newest album shows his return to the style of song-writing he loves most: intimate and truthful storytelling.

On Nov. 26, Rogers will stop into Kingston to open for City and Colour at the Leon’s Centre. The headlining band’s very own Dallas Green produced Rogers’ newest album, Wildfire, which was released in March of this year.

He didn’t actually seek out Green to do this, which makes the process all the more unbelievable for Rogers.

He remembers being drunk at a friend’s house when he got

a text from his band member, Matt Kelly, who plays steel pedal and was on tour with City and Colour. Kelly asked Rogers if he wanted Green to produce their next album.

“I remember texting him the next day, and I was like, ‘Was that real?’” Rogers said in an interview with The Journal.

It seemed too good to be true.

“I didn’t really know what to expect going into the studio,” Rogers said.

“It was the best experience of my life recording that record because it was crazy to see two people who cared as much about the songs, and the success of the recording of the songs, as I did—if not more.”

Before all this came to be, the musician had lost his passion for music. Since the release of his 2015 album, Blood Red Yonder, he felt spent and burdened by the pressures and demands of the new album’s deadline.

“I had an exhausting experience with that record behind the scenes and also felt like I needed a creative rebirth,” Rogers said.

He decided to take a break from music, taking six months off from touring, but couldn’t stop himself from writing for pleasure.

Gwen Benaway isn’t letting critics slow her down

Rogers said this break was a necessary step toward figuring out his place in the music industry.

“I told myself I can take that break, and from doing that, I was allowing myself a chance to deconstruct everything I’ve been doing and breathe new life into it,” Rogers said.

This spurred his exploration into rebirth in the stories he tells through his song-writing in Wildfire.

When he started writing for this album, Rogers didn’t have the pressure of deadlines to hinder his creativity.

He wasn’t aiming to make an album. He was just trying to get back his love for song-writing.

“Talking about rebirth and the disconnect from the past and the feeling of renewal—from a wildfire comes new life. That’s what the title means to me,” Rogers said.

The songs on the album tell stories centring around this theme.

Through his writing, the artist tries to relate to all types of people with vastly different lived experiences.

“I feel like somehow through writing, I can relate to that person, or convey that feeling without having felt it.”

Rogers naturally leans on stories

he hears from his friends and family, and through his experiences on the road. “A Changed Man” tells a story of domestic abuse.

He’s met many women who have gone through abusive relationships, and through his writing, he tries to convey their stories to his listeners.

“I felt the need to write about that and how it must have been for women, specifically in the 60s when I imagined the story taking place, not having a voice and how they would have dealt with it.”

His song-writing often focuses on subjects and people that have little to do with himself, but his songs are a way for him to practice compassion.

He doesn’t actively avoid writing personal or confessional songs, but he says he can’t help being drawn toward other people’s stories.

Growing up in Vancouver, he was always aware of the homeless crisis in the city. In his song “Steady Going Nowhere,” he revisits this.

“It’s sort of a love song for the people who live on the streets in Vancouver,” Rogers said.

“There’s a lot of struggle and addiction, and I’ve grown up witnessing it and felt that I needed

The Gertrudes will play at The Spire on Nov. 23.

Gwen Benaway’s Holy Wild.

Governor General’s Award winner talks new poetry and backlash Mary Tooley Contributor

Gwen Benaway’s third collection of poetry, Holy Wild, explores her experience as a trans woman and her experience transitioning.

The winners were announced on Oct. 29, and Benway scored the prize for poetry for her collection.

Normally, the announcement is an exciting occasion for chosen authors—but for Benaway, things were different.

Benaway, a Canadian writer well-known for her essays and creative nonfiction pieces, has already published three books, with two more coming out next year. Despite her established presence in the Canadian literary

PHOTO BY JODIE GRIEVE

community, she believed the Governor General’s Award would stifle her burgeoning career rather than enhancing it.

She said that after winning the award, she admitted how scary that prospect was for her in her follow-up interviews, and then was mocked by several critics after those interviews were published.

Her fears came from knowing she would be more in the limelight than ever before, not knowing what her new, wider audience would think of her.

“Right after I won that, I went through so many personal attacks—and they haven’t stopped yet,” Benaway said in an interview.

Her work has also received positive feedback, but the author doesn’t feel it has necessarily enhanced her personal life or career thus far.

She’s come to terms with the fact that as a writer, this kind of attention is unavoidable.

To read more visit queensjournal.ca

SUPPLIED BY GREG TILSON

Kingston band shows up for local non-profit The Gertrudes to perform for doula benefit concert Brittany Giliforte Arts Editor

This Saturday, the Limestone City’s music scene is showing up to support Kingston doulas.

On Nov. 23 at 7 p.m., Kingston band The Gertrudes will open for The Weather Station and the Lemon Bucket Orchestra at The Spire for the Doula Support Foundation’s benefit concert.

The Journal spoke with co-founder, chairperson, and director of doulas at the Doula

Support Foundation, Laura Pascoe to talk about the event.

The benefit concert is a fundraising effort to raise the money necessary to pay doulas working with the foundation so they can provide services to clients unable to afford them on their own.

The Doula Support Foundation was started over a year ago in 2017.

“There’s a group of us doulas in Kingston that saw the need for folks that couldn’t afford to have doula care. We wanted to be able to provide that, but we weren’t able to provide that on a sustainable basis for free,” Pascoe said.

They decided to come together to form the foundation so they could provide these services and still make a living wage.

“We wanted to create a

to write about it.”

There’s truth in all of his songs, but he says he won’t tell his listeners what to think of his album.

“Somebody might feel that it’s very melancholy, somebody might feel that it’s very jubilant, a summer record. I wouldn’t want to put a set idea in somebody’s head.”

Rogers’ song-writing is grounded in his desire to convey real and emotional stories. It’s his way of connecting with the world around him, which breathes life into his work.

PHOTO BY VANESSA HEINS

system whereby people who were categorized as low-income […] making $40,000 or less […] would be eligible for receiving doula services,” Pascoe said. “Then the Doula Support Foundation compensates the doula so they can still have a small income.”

The benefit concert is an effort to invite the community out to hear Canadian bands, one of which is born and raised in Kingston.

“We felt that doing a concert, something that was a joyful celebration of coming together and having a good night out, would be a really great way of celebrating the Doula Support Foundation and the work that we do, but also bringing people in in a way that they won’t mind buying a ticket.”

When The Gertrudes were asked to participate in the event, they agreed instantly, feeling that the event and the cause were in line with everything they value as a group.

“Many of our family members that have given birth recently. Of all the children that the band are associated with, many of them have benefitted from pre- and post-natal support that doulas offer,” Greg Tilson, singer and guitarist for The Gertrudes, said in an interview with The Journal.

To support the foundation at the benefit concert, they’ll be performing their usual folk setlist consisting of covers and original songs.

“There’s an old-time bluegrassy feel to our music, and that’s actually the style we’re going to be playing on the 23rd,” the musician said.

“We’re thrilled with the idea of [the foundation’s] initiative to try to create living wages and to support the broader community by assisting with births and pre- and post-natal care.”

They say they’re honoured to be participating in this event, and plan to bring their modernized folk tunes to The Spire to show their support for the doulas of Kingston.

Sports

12 • queensjournal.ca

Reflections of a retired athlete Alanna Richardson pens an open letter to current varsity athletes Haley Marando Contributor Alanna “Lannie” Richardson is a goalkeeper for the Queen’s women’s soccer team in her final year of eligibility.

Richardson is currently in the last year of her Kinesiology degree.

Throughout the 2019 season, Richardson held a 0.718 save percentage, making 28 saves across her 13 games in net. Richardson was dominant between the bars and allowed only 11 goals, while her fellow Gaels racked up a total of 34.

Despite these outstanding numbers, the Gaels fell hard in their quarter-final match—they lost 3-0 to the University of Toronto, forcing their undefeated season to an unexpected end.

In an open letter, written shortly after her season ended on Oct. 27, Richardson reflects on being faced with sudden retirement, her experience as a varsity athlete, and her future beyond sport.

——— It was supposed to be the perfect final season. Despite being able to graduate in four years, I decided to come back for a

fifth year at Queen’s to play another season with the Queen’s women’s soccer team as a goalkeeper.

For the first time since joining the team in my second year, the 2019 season would see only two goalkeepers on the roster, instead of the usual four. I would now be fighting to potentially play, although I was still not the starter.

Every week I had hoped I might be given my shot, but to be honest, I was really just happy to be along for the ride. So, when the unthinkable happened, and my co-keeper suffered a severe concussion after just the first week of regular season, my world was shifted upside down.

I was now the regular starting keeper without a backup to relieve me. It was a lot of pressure, but my team assured me that this was my moment, and I was ready.

Defying the odds, we ended our regular

Richardson.

PHOTO BY ROBIN KASEM

Queen’s secret weapon

Dean Tripp helps athletes maximize their performance Jack Rabb Sports Editor Queen’s women’s rugby lost to Guelph in the playoffs five years in a row. This year they won. Queen’s women’s cross country came second at nationals three years in a row. This year they won.

What changed?

“They did not quit on the one-yard line.

They pushed it through.”

That was Dean Tripp in an interview with The Journal. Tripp is in his fourth year as Queen’s mental training coach, and that ‘finishing’ mentality is what he tries to instill in athletes.

When Sean Scott was named director of Queen’s High Performance Sport Operations, he wanted to model Queen’s Athletics after the Canadian Olympic program, with a focus on pillars of performance.

One pillar he singled out was mental training. Enter Tripp, a Queen’s psychology professor.

The mantra Tripp introduced to the women’s rugby team this year was, “Make people quit.”

“You want to make your opponent quit.

You want to take away their will to fight and cross that one-yard line, you want to make them believe that they're going to lose. You want to put them in a mental position so that their performance starts to sag because they lose their confidence.”

Not many other teams in the OUA have a mental training coach. It’s not the same as a sports psychologist, Tripp was quick to clarify.

“That’s a protected term,” Tripp laughed.

“It would be illegal to call me that.”

A native of the Halifax area, Tripp graduated from Dalhousie University with a PhD in clinical psychology. After a short stint working at Acadia University, Tripp

came to Queen’s strictly as a scholar. Nearly two decades later, it’s still a great, albeit slightly different, fit.

Tripp now works with every varsity team on campus, as well as a lot of individual athletes addressing anything from “pregame anxiety to stress associated with performance to focus, or lack of focus, in performance mode, or distraction and lacking confidence during performance.”

“There are times in an athlete's life where their head is noisy, it's full of all these things like doubt, confusion, not sure what I'm supposed to be doing, worried about what the coach thinks of me,” Tripp said. “Mental training is about trying to take those things on in a way, either through your behaviour or through your thinking, to dismantle the impacts they have on you emotionally.”

“When you start to lose your confidence, you start to lose your focus, and if you lose your focus, you lose your performance.”

This truth isn’t lost on Tripp’s teams.

“Doc Tripp was one of the points of difference that we brought in to help nudge us across the finish line,” said women’s rugby Head Coach Dan Valley in a phone interview with The Journal.

“We initially brought him in to chat with the group. Our big mental hurdle [...] was just getting ourselves that notion that we can go and we can not only hang with Guelph, but we can beat Guelph.”

“That was a mindset that we knew we had to go after, and we figured that Doc Tripp would be the best resource that we could possibly employ to help us with that.”

The women beat Guelph in a convincing fashion, 46-17.

Men’s rugby Head Coach Dave Butcher also turned to Dr. Tripp to help his team zone in against the Gryphons. He asked him to speak to the team before their OUA Finals game.

“Many people quit before they’re successful,” said Tripp. “People quit on that one-yard line all the time, and they don't even know they're on the one-yard line.”

So at the game, Tripp centred his talk around not being the team that blinks

season undefeated with a 12-0-2 record, a feat that hasn’t been achieved for the women’s soccer program since 2005.

On Oct. 27 of this year, my university soccer career came to a shocking end. We had lost 3-0 to the University of Toronto, a game everybody expected us to win.

When the final whistle blew, I cried—the really ugly, heaving, and uncontrollable kind of cry. This was supposed to be a perfect final season. Instead, our first loss of the season saw us exit the playoffs without even making a Final Four appearance.

To say the team was disappointed is an understatement. The three of us who were graduating had not prepared to be playing our last varsity game ever.

For me, there is no next time. It’s finished.

I’m no longer a varsity athlete at Queen’s. This realization feels as if a part of my identity has been stripped from me. For the first time since I was three years old, I don’t know when or where I will next play organized soccer.

This is where I want you, a current varsity athlete, to really pay attention. My advice may sound clichéd, but I promise that it comes from my most vulnerable and genuine thoughts: Training To begin, I want you to know how important it is to make the most out of every 7 a.m. lift or 7 p.m. practice.

Every rep and every drill should be done with integrity and drive because it has such an important purpose. Don’t lose sight of the fact that you have the ability to make a difference for your team.

Friday, November 22, 2019 Keep your head down and grind out that last rep in training. Maybe even go for one more.

Privilege I want you to recognize that you’re currently playing at an elite level of sport, while also getting an education at a prestigious university. You are one of a select few in Canada that holds the unique status of student-athlete.

It’s important for me to note that this life is an extreme privilege. You’re privileged with free tutoring, discounted athletic therapy rates, exceptional strength and conditioning coaches, and world-class facilities to train and play on.

Take advantage of these privileges; they are all in place to help you be successful in every aspect of your life, not just in athletics.

The Team Players graduate, injuries happen, and you lose a playoff game you were expected to win.

You never know when it’s going to be the last time you’ll all be together in the same room.

Soak in every moment.

The Next Chapter There will come a time when this crazy wild ride that you embarked on is all done.

When this time comes, don’t wait forever to realize just how incredible your journey has been. I may not have won an OUA Championship or a National banner, but when I look back at my experience here, it’s not the hardware that I’ll remember—it’s all the lessons I learned.

Although I don’t know where my next path will take me, I hang up my jersey with pride and accomplishment, knowing that no matter what, I will always be a Gael and I will always have a place to call home.

Read the full story online at queensjournal.ca.

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY DEAN TRIPP

Tripp juggles his professorship with providing mental training to varsity and pro athletes.

first, and “believing that there's just one more yard to get done to be successful, one more push, one more play.”

“The emphasis was really on this concept that when it gets really hard, when you're at that position of the game where you're starting to feel a bit of panic, that's when you push twice as hard.”

Queen’s scored 10 points in the final minutes of the game to beat Guelph, winning the OUA Championship and securing the second seed at nationals.

“It seemed to resonate with a lot of the players. [After the win] they looked at me, and any guy that I talked to, they all said to me, ‘Tripper, we didn't quit.’”

One of Tripp’s specialties, something he’s published pioneering studies on, is the idea of catastrophizing, which describes the implications of the human tendency to imagine worst-case scenarios.

“We're designed to be emotional.

Nervousness and fear are huge signals for survival. If we talk about our brain stem, if we talk about neuroscience for a second, we have a very old part of our brain that responds to the fear cue, and it responds to fear strongly.”

“All athletes have this feature of being a human being. I don't work with dogs and I don't work with hamsters, I work with human beings.”

Tripp, who also works with the Ottawa Senators and their AHL affiliate, has his athletes identify and write down the worst fear they associate with their sport. He has them explicitly go through just how bad it could be—if every throw was an interception, if every kick missed, if they bungled the game-winning play.

He has them think through how likely that situation is (and it’s generally very unlikely). Then they consider how bad things would be if it actually happened, what they would do if it did, and the resources they would have at their disposal.

Finally, Tripp asks the athletes what they would do if their best friend was in this catastrophic situation they just invented.

“We are the worst at helping ourselves out of situations,” Tripp mused. “But I'm pretty quick to help my best friend in the world, and probably with real good advice.”

Before the meat of the talk, Tripp asks the athletes how much power their specific situation has over them. Rated out of 100, they generally estimate around 90 per cent.

But afterward, with their potentially paralyzing fear put in perspective, that number drops to 20 per cent.

“And that is Dean Tripp’s magic right there.”

LIFESTYLE

Friday, November 22, 2019

queensjournal.ca

• 13

POP CULTURE

Don’t cancel your Netflix subscription for Disney+ just yet Neither streaming service is perfect, but Disney’s service arrives incomplete Nathan Gallagher Staff Writer

While you were busy trying to find a movie to watch on Netflix, the major studios and tech companies were busy putting cable on the Internet.

Once upon a time, Netflix was one of the only streaming sites around and it didn’t have any competition when it came to licensing content for its service.

But today, the streaming world is a lot more crowded.

There’s Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Crave, and CBSAllAccess, to name a few.

Netflix is no longer the idyllic alternative to paying for cable television. Each streaming service squirrels away its own licensed properties and original content, tantalizing you and coaxing money

from your wallet.

The latest to toss their hat into the streaming ring is Disney, a goliath of a company that boasts a wide array of popular franchises, namely Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar. It was on the backs of these properties that the Mouse launched Disney+ on November 12.

So how does Disney+ square up against Netflix, its chief competitor?

As a benefit, Disney+ is cheaper than Netflix at $8.99 per month versus Netflix’s $16.99 a month.

Beyond that, Disney+ delivers the first ever live-action Star Wars show, The Mandalorian. However, the episodes roll out weekly as opposed to Netflix’s model of releasing entire seasons at once to allow for binge-watching.

In addition, the free trial for Disney+ is only seven days—short compared to Netflix’s month-long trial offer.

Currently, Disney+ has most of the Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar movies, save for a few, that will remain on Netflix until those deals expire. For example, despite Avengers: Infinity War being listed on Disney+, when you click on the title, it reads, “Due

CULTURAL COMMENTARY

ILLUSTRATION BY

MEGAN AFSHAR

Lifestyle

to existing agreement this title will be available on June 25, 2020.”

While there’s a lot more original content coming to Disney’s new streaming service to please Star Wars and Marvel fans, such as an Obi Wan Kenobi TV series starring Ewan McGregor and a Loki TV series starring Tom Hiddleston, these will not arrive for at least another year.

Even though Netflix is losing its Marvel and Star Wars content to Disney+, in 2026 it will regain those released from 2016 to 2018 due to a previous deal struck between the companies before Disney decided to enter the streaming game. Because of this, movies like Black Panther will disappear from Disney+ at that time.

Nonetheless, thanks to Disney’s

A hockey fan’s open letter to Don Cherry A Queen’s student expresses his disappointment to the sports commentator Jordan Nigro Contributor Dear Don Cherry,

It was a shame it had to come to an end like this.

But now that the smoke has blown over a little, it’s time to ask how I, a hockey fan, will remember you.

As long as I (and many hockey fans) can remember, you were the face of the Canadian institution called

Hockey has outgrown Don Cherry.

Hockey Night in Canada. For over 30 years, families, friends, colleagues, and bar-goers alike quieted down to hear what you had to say at the end of first period every Saturday night. You were a hockey evangelist preaching hockey’s good news and why the sport is important to our nation’s fabric.

Your success on the ice as a one-time coach and off the ice as a broadcaster is unparalleled.

Even those who don’t know anything about Gretzky or what an offside is knows who you are. They might not understand why you’re so important, but they know that you’re a Canadian icon.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ALLY MASTANTUONO

That’s why your comments on Nov. 9 were so disappointing.

You’re someone who means so much to Canada’s game. I as both a hockey fan and a descendent of immigrants expected more from you. You not only othered groups from Canadian society, but you othered them from the game of hockey: a sport that’s already overwhelmingly made up of privileged white men.

However, I’ll admit that as a regular of your program, I was also not surprised.

The last 10 years or so have been hard for you, both on and off camera. As a hockey icon, your age has caught up to you.

As you’ve gotten older, it’s clear you’ve remained stuck in the past, refusing to see how hockey and Canada have changed.

For those who are unfamiliar with how hockey was played in the 70s, when Cherry coached, some quick browsing would show you how the game was played then. That era of hockey was exemplified by the Philadelphia Flyers, known as the “Broad Street Bullies,” because of their aggressive playstyle and habit of injuring opposing players almost every game.

acquisition of Fox, Disney+ also features all thirty seasons of The Simpsons, another insanely popular franchise. Yet there is another drawback here, because Disney converted the show’s earlier seasons from their original 4:3 aspect ratio into widescreen, cropping out some sight gags in the process. They’ve promised to fix this in early 2020.

Beyond Star Wars and Marvel, Disney+ features other famous properties, including all the old films and TV shows you loved as a kid, from its classic animated films like The Lion King and Aladdin to shows like Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place.

While these can be great for a brief nostalgia trip, they don’t invite full re-watches unless you’re a die-hard fan.

Sure, Disney’s service has a ton of old films, but don’t mistake quantity for quality. Aside from their most enduring work, the company made a lot of crummy films in the twentieth century and into the early 2000s.

Remember The Million Dollar Duck? Neither do I. How about

The Country Bears? Boy, I wish I could forget The Country Bears.

The site boasts plenty more bland family-friendly movies like these.

Since Disney+ features content mostly aimed at families and little kids, Netflix offers far more in the way of mature content.

What’s more, Disney+ features some of Fox’s films, but they’ve neglected to add many more.

The X-Men films, for example, are nowhere to be seen.

Although Disney+ has a slate of original content in the works, it’s all under the label of either Star Wars or Marvel. In contrast, Netflix creates truly original content by supporting new projects outside the emblem of existing franchises.

But unfortunately, Netflix is also losing popular shows like The Office, which is switching over to NBCUniversal’s streaming service in 2021.

For now, Netflix has the edge over Disney+. But due to the proliferation of streaming services, you’ll never find all the content you want under one roof. In these streaming wars, the real loser is the consumer.

Players were slower, less agile, and less skilled than they are today.

Goalies’ equipment was smaller, making it more difficult for them to make saves. Today’s NHL relies more on skill than muscle. Players are rewarded for having the puck often and hitting those who do have it.

Don, you tried hard to keep this tradition of aggressively physical hockey alive, but the game evolved—and you didn’t.

When I started to watch hockey in the early 2010s, you were well into your mid-seventies. The game was moving faster than you could keep up with. The analysis just wasn’t there, and at some points, it was painful to watch you try to analyze a sport you could barely recognize.

Just as you tried to create an alternate reality of what “good hockey” looks like, you tried to create a phony reality of what a “good Canadian” or an “ideal Canadian” looks like. Sometimes, good hockey and being a good Canadian weren’t mutually exclusive, as shown through your comments calling Quebecois players “sissies” for wearing visors. Your patented label “good Canadian kid” only applied to those who played the way you saw as being organic to the sport.

I, like many, thought you were invincible. I complained week after week these last few years about how you were losing your marbles and that you were a shadow of the icon you once were. I honestly thought you’d die on air, because I’ve never known a world of hockey without you.

You had an idea of what hockey should look like based on your experience behind the bench in the 70s. You also had an idea of what Canada should look like from your experience as a privileged person in our society. But ultimately, your tragic flaw is that you were never willing to adjust.

Whether you want it to or not, hockey has evolved and so has Canada. In the same way hockey has outgrown fighting and toughness, Canada has outgrown its past of ignorance and white supremacy. You served Canada and the hockey community well, but both the country and the game have outgrown you.

Though you were a great advocate for the game on the ice, your comments made you a bad influence for the game off the ice.

Stick to sports, Don. Best, A Hockey Fan

LIFESTYLE

14 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 22, 2019

LIFE HACKS

The ultimate breakup playlist Songs and steps for getting over heartbreak Jodie Grieve Assistant Photo Editor No matter how a relationship ends, whether it’s amicable or one-sided, breakups suck.

Other than trying the classic method for dealing with heartbreak—dipping into a pint of ice cream and having a good cry—there is no clear route to moving on. It may even feel like you’ll be heartbroken forever.

Listening to music is a great way to both forget and deal with the emotions of following a breakup. Here are songs, paired with relevant tips, to help guide you through your breakup: “I’m Gonna Find Another You”

by John Mayer

Get rid of things that may trigger memories of your relationship.

While your ex-partner’s hoodie

and a ticket stub from your first date might have been special while you were together, you don’t need to be reminded that it’s over every time you get cold or open your junk drawer.

This goes for social media too.

If you find yourself obsessing over romantic posts from when you were dating, archive or delete them for a little peace of mind.

“Don’t Feel Like Crying”

by Sigrid

While you probably can’t help yourself from reminiscing about the other person, you can control what you think about. Gather your thoughts by making two lists, one titled “Things I Learned” and another titled “Things I Didn’t Like.”

In the list of things you learned, write about what your ex did that made you better. This list can be silly or serious or a mixture of both. The lessons can range from improving at sex, getting more body-positive, or learning to be more open. This list acknowledges that although the relationship is

WORLD POLITICS

No matter how your relationship ends, breakups suck.

over, you didn’t come out on the other side worse for wear.

In the section for things you didn’t like, write about the deal breakers. Stuff like long distance, bad communication skills, and picky eating will remind you that the relationship wasn’t as perfect as you might be remembering.

person back. It hurts to hear, but finding out what went wrong won’t change what happened.

Closure can be as simple as reminding yourself that the relationship just wasn’t meant to be. Sometimes, the only thing you can do is realize that you did the best you could.

After a breakup, you might be left questioning why things ended.

If you’re constantly thinking of things you could have done differently, acknowledge that this feeling comes from wanting that

While you’re in a relationship, it’s easy to forget about your friendships. Not only will spending more time with old friends help distract you, but it can also be a great reminder of how your ex wasn’t the only person who knows how great you are.

If you find yourself wishing you had someone new in your life, try finding people with similar interests. A new

“I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” by Dionne Warwick

CBC journalist believes Hong Kong needs help Rignam Wangkhang explains the importance of student activism Jack Rabb Sports Editor Tsering Dorjee Wangkhang was one of the first two Tibetans to immigrate to Canada.

At 13 years old, he fled his home and traversed frigid mountain passes in the region known as the “Roof of the World” with his family to seek shelter in India.

He was among the first in Tibet to feel the cold embrace of the People’s Republic of China’s homogenizing policies. Estimates vary, but at least a million people have been driven out of Tibet, running for their lives from a government that holds veto power on the United Nations' Security Council.

Great Britain ceded control of Hong Kong to China in 1997 under the agreement that Hong Kong would continue operating within its capitalist framework for 50 years.

This year (22 years later), Beijing overstepped that agreement with a hotly contested

extradition bill that plunged Hong Kong into turmoil, inciting record-setting protests against China’s paternalism.

Tsering Dorjee Wangkhang and his wife Tashi had a son in Canada, Rignam, who grew up to attend Queen’s University. After he graduated with a degree in political studies, he went on to work with the UN. Now, he’s a journalist with the CBC. Rignam Wangkhang spoke to The Journal about the similarities he sees between the struggles in Tibet and Hong Kong.

“I find the parallels in the movements. I think that we're all on the same page, we’re all fighting for the same thing [...] it's a battle against colonialism, it's against oppression and a lack of freedoms,” Wangkhang told The Journal in an interview.

The Hong Kong protesters have been subjected to escalating levels of police brutality, with reports of officers hiding in ambulances to ambush injured protesters or attacking pregnant women. Recently, the Hong Kong Police issued a statement that they may soon resort to using live rounds on their own citizens.

The journalists covering the protests haven’t been spared from

the violence. Despite their clearly marked uniforms, journalists have often been fired upon with rubber bullets, beaten with batons, and pepper-sprayed.

According to the Hong Kong

Police, the protests often constitute riots, and the police are well within their rights to defend themselves and behave towards the protesters in kind. “[The protesters and journalists are] not stopping, even if their lives are in danger [...] because they know that this is the last

“With A Little Help from My Friends” by The Beatles

stance. It’s the tipping point. If China ‘wins’ this battle, then I think most Hong Kong people would say that Hong Kong is going to be lost as a truly democratic and free and independent country, and that's why they're fighting so hard. They know that this is the final frontier,” Wangkhang said.

Citizens of Hong Kong are rightfully afraid, considering how Chinese Muslims are being placed in detention camps for having beliefs that deviate from those endorsed by Beijing.

China is unique in that it has no reservations in terms of throwing around its economic weight in non-traditional arenas to incite dissent. As such, global powers—governments, corporations, celebrities—have been reticent to step in despite the protesters’ pleas.

Take for example the Daryl Morey situation. The Houston Rockets GM tweeted support for Hong Kong, and within days TenCent, a Chinese telecom company, threatened to axe billions of dollars’ worth of broadcasting agreements with the NBA. Morey and the NBA both issued apologies.

“They've been trying to push that soft power, and the suppression of free expression around the world,” Wangkhang said. “It's quite scary, because now governments are practicing it, where they're self-censoring

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

relationship doesn’t have to be romantic—new friends might be just what you need to get out of your funk.

“I’ll Still Have Me” by CYN

Being single allows you to focus on the most important person in your life: yourself.

While you might want to crawl into bed and cry, try going to a park and crying there! Just kidding.

Breakups are the perfect time to revamp yourself. Discover new interests by taking yourself out to a movie, studying in a coffee shop, or trying a new activity. *** Getting over a breakup is no easy task, but no matter how long it takes, it will happen. We’ve all heard it a million times, but there are plenty of fish in the sea.

or there's so many examples of companies that apologize to China after something, or ‘didn't realize that they did something wrong’.”

A year after Wangkhang’s father’s escape, the Dalai Lama, the de facto spiritual leader of Tibet, was also forced to sneak out of Tibet. He fled to the safety of India, where he operated his government-in-exile. He was never allowed to return.

Wangkhang was active with the Queen’s chapter of Students for a Free Tibet, which is a nonviolent organization dedicated to raising awareness for Tibet’s plight through activism. They fundraised and held demonstrations and awareness campaigns.

One demonstration he remembers vividly was a 24-hour vow of silence the group took.

“It was symbolic because we [felt] that Tibetans didn't have a voice inside of Tibet, and we wanted to show that parallel,” he said.

As a CBC journalist now, Wangkhang’s platform encourages him to speak truth to power.

“I'm just trying to get to the truth, send the facts out there and show people what is happening and really stand up to injustice,” he said.

To read the rest of this article, visit queensjournal.ca/ lifestyle

LIFESTYLE

Friday, November 22, 2019

queensjournal.ca

• 15

STUDENT LIFE

Your life isn’t a Hallmark movie­: it’s just cuffing season Being lonely shouldn’t be a reason to pursue a relationship Pravieena Gnanakumar Contributor In recent weeks, the cold weather might have you wondering if the warmth of hand-holding could be a solution to winter’s chill.

Twinkly lights decorate houses and dorm rooms, creating the perfect mood lighting. Mall holiday displays and promotions urge you to buy gifts for your significant other. Suddenly, the world seems cozy and romantic, and you’re seeing couples everywhere. That’s typically when you realize that cuffing season is upon us.

If you’re feeling a little lost, let me fill you in. Cuffing season is the time during the colder months when everybody sheds their independent singlehood and tries to cozy up with a boo.

It comes around this time of year every year: as soon as it starts to get chilly, people try to avoid loneliness by settling down and

getting into serious relationships.

This comes with the first snowfall—so many of us see the snow and think it’s the beginning of a magical Hallmark love story.

The problem is that just as the snow melts, chances are, your romance will too. Then, you’ll be left to grow from the heartbreak and spring back to normal.

Cuffing season is meant to be seasonal.

Some are caught off guard by romantic pursuits this time of year, and others are well prepared. Some embrace it, and others steer clear. I’m definitely the latter in both cases, and I’m here to remind you that it’s okay to be alone during cuffing season. In fact, I’m actively trying to stay that way.

Cuffing season forces feelings of loneliness and desperation, and it makes us question if we can be happy without a partner. After all,

POP CULTURE

life is so beautiful that it just needs to be shared.

I’m not angry about this—I just think that there shouldn’t be

ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH WILLIS

anything wrong with being single.

Cuffing season is just a cultural phenomenon encapsulating our collective fear of being alone.

Apologizing to the women of pop culture Open letters to the famous women society wanted me to hate Aysha Tabassum Opinions Editor Women in pop culture have always been subject to overwhelming (and, frankly, stupid) criticism for absolutely everything they do.

What follows is a list of women and genderqueer people that society tried to convince me were monsters by incorrectly labelling them ‘sluts,’ ‘traitors,’ and ‘idiots.’

Some of these people are very problematic, and every one of them is flawed and human— but that Miley Cyrus.

doesn’t mean they don’t deserve our respect and decency.

Kristen Stewart

It used to be cool to know everything about Twilight, but for a much longer period it was cooler to despise it—and that was meant to extend to you (but never to Robert Pattinson

or Taylor Lautner).

I realize now how amazing it is that you’re loud, queer, and unapologetic. The misogyny that infected the Twilight series, and the fact that they’re just boring movies, was never your fault.

You took on a crappy role to make it in the industry and advance your career, but we all would have done the same.

Miley Cyrus

You’re a bit of a mess right now, but we all are, and none of us had to grow up having our sexuality policed as rigidly as you did. After all, it’s not common to have upskirt shots taken of you at 14 years old.

You were talented, and you still are talented. I’m sorry that Disney was hell-bent on using you as a prop, and for the ways I took part in belittling you for taking agency over your own body.

I’m sorry creepy men took your power away, but I’m overjoyed you’re taking it back now.

Ke$ha

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ALLY MASTANTUONO

I don’t know why I pretended not to like your music. I was fine with it when Ne-Yo and Pitbull wanted to sing about partying. But the second you did it, I felt like it was a crime.

I should have known how

Don’t get me wrong: I’m a firm believer in love, a huge fan of rom-coms, and I love seeing elderly couples hold hands. I can’t wait to find somebody special, but I’m not rushing into all of that myself just because the snow is falling. I want to take my time and feel comfortable with being alone, regardless of what season it is.

I’m not here to crush the idea of relationships and love, but merely to question their roots, especially d u r i n g cuffing season.

During this time, people may simply want to get into a relationship because they don’t want to be alone during the cold, dark winter. Others couple up just because they don’t want all the glitter, snow, and holiday cheer to go to waste. strong and benevolent you are, instead of assuming otherwise.

I wish someone had paid more attention to your pain, because the people that were supposed to support you—your peers, producers, and fans—were not there for you, and neither was I. I wish that you had more people to provide love and reinforcement when you were facing sexual abuse and an eating disorder, because your words and music gave me these things when I was facing some of the same struggles.

I’m not the only one who failed you—we all did.

Think about every Hallmark holiday movie: the protagonist never ends the movie without a perfect kiss, and they always end up getting cuffed by somebody they’ve only known for a few days. It’s great to watch on TV or Netflix, but we shouldn’t let these kinds of stories scare us into thinking that being single during the holidays or winter season is bad.

Cuffing season emphasizes how much pressure we put on ourselves to find a romantic partner, but we should be able to appreciate life on our own.

Winter is my favourite season, and I hate to see it tainted by cuffing season.

Society drills the idea into our heads that we shouldn’t be alone, especially not during the chilly winter months. Don’t be fooled by the idea of linked arms in wool coats, and instead, be cautious about cuffing season.

I’m not telling you to resist romantic connections—but, instead, be a little more critical of people’s motives while snow is on the ground and mistletoe is hanging from ceilings.

Nicki Minaj There was never any way that our racist culture of rape apologists was going to avoid hypersexualizing you, whether you wore a shapeless paper bag or a paper-thin thong.

To read the rest of this article, visit queensjournal.ca/ lifestyle

Friday, November 22, 2019

queensjournal.ca

• 16

POSTSCRIPT

Switching out of science changed my attitude about university

Shelby realized that pursuing English was more worthwhile.

Realizing pursuing my passions is more important Shelby Talbot Editorials Editor

Last year, as I walked home to West Campus in the dark after a three-hour lab, wishing I was doing anything else, it dawned on me that maybe a science degree wasn’t for me.

As a first-year student, it was easy to blame how little I was enjoying my studies on homesickness, early morning lectures, or just ‘needing to adjust’ to the university lifestyle. I made excuse after excuse for why I didn’t have much of an interest in what I was learning because it was easier than admitting I’d made a mistake.

When I finally stopped to think about it, though, it became clear that I was unhappy because I wasn’t passionate about science.

It’s a fairly typical experience, I think, to be funnelled out of high school and into university believing that pursuing a degree in a science-related field is one of the only worthwhile paths.

Often, it’s viewed as pragmatic to choose to study science or math.

Peers and adults toss around phrases like “Arts degrees are a joke,” and “You can’t get a good job with a background in the arts.”

The STEM fields are incredibly

valuable, and many students benefit from being encouraged to pursue a degree within them.

But for those of us who find documenting chemical reactions and performing titrations an unrewarding chore, being steered in the same direction can be ill-advised.

In high school, having a love for writing and English and a disinterest in chemistry made me the odd one out in my friend group. Surrounded by hopeful doctors and engineers-to-be, it was easy to get wrapped up in the idea of career prestige during university application season.

I never stopped to consider if studying science was what I truly enjoyed doing.

When I applied to universities, I only considered one undergraduate path in an arts program: pursuing English at Queen’s. Going into a discipline other than science wasn’t an idea I ever seriously entertained.

As a science-oriented high school student, I was too worried about upholding people’s expectations to consider taking a leap and studying the arts at university. I took those dismissive sayings about arts degrees to heart, and let my insecurities

around what people thought of me dictate what I was going to study. I cared too much about proving that I could hack it in the sciences, and it barred me from pursuing my actual interests.

In my first-year science classes, I felt a bit like an imposter. As much as I feigned it, I couldn’t relate to my friends’ genuine excitement to mix chemicals or learn about DNA replication.

After months of frustration, I was finally ready to accept that I’d been foolish to stick with science just because I was hung up on what people would think of me. There is nothing lesser about studying for an arts degree, and once I got to university, I realized that most of my peers would agree.

I took those “ dismissive sayings

about arts degrees to heart.

”

A course load of full-year courses meant I was pretty much locked into finishing my first year at Queen’s studying science, but I was determined to change that for my second year.

It’s not fun to realize that you might be in the wrong program or on track for a major you’re not interested in. Looking at the work I would have to do to choose another path was daunting, and it didn’t help that

the university’s resources seemed to contradict themselves when I was searching for the steps I would need to take to switch to another program.

It took one six-credit summer course and a lot of patience, but I started school this

September as a second-year English major, and I couldn’t be happier about my decision.

University life can be demanding, and no matter what I’m studying, there are always moments when my motivation dips. But you don’t want to wake up for lecture every morning with no interest in hearing about cell biology, or walk to weekly labs with a sense of dread. Being excited, driven, and passionate about what you’re learning is a huge part of academics. For me, it’s what makes all the hours spent in lecture halls and working at the library worthwhile.

excited, driven, “Being and passionate [...] is a huge part of academics.

”

This year, I’m studying something I really enjoy learning about, and that’s made all the difference.

PHOTO BY JODIE GRIEVE

It’s frustrating to think that when I applied to Queen’s almost two years ago, I could’ve accepted my offer to pursue an arts degree right off the bat. Instead, I spent a year of my undergrad unhappily using calculus to model the spread of a hypothetical virus in a population of mice.

Whenever I get too down on myself about my decision, though, I remember that I could’ve accepted my Engineering offer and spent the year studying science and being dyed purple.

Since starting my undergrad, I’ve learned that just because you find success in something doesn’t mean you should pursue it.

Just because you find “success in something doesn’t mean you should pursue it.

”

As someone accustomed to the binary of right and wrong answers in math and science, the subjectivity of English has brought many academic challenges. But these are challenges that I’m happy to accept, because I’m driven to improve and build on my learning in a way I never was when I studied science.

There are plenty of other students out there, like me, who have realized that the decision they made in high school doesn’t reflect their interests today.

As much as I may wish I had made a better decision when I first accepted my offer to Queen’s, what’s important is that I’m passionate about what I’m learning now.