The Queen's Journal, Volume 147, Issue 23

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the

Queen’s University

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journal

Volume 147, issue 23

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Friday, February 28, 2020

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

since 1873

Queen’s second-highest in province for sexual harassment, survey finds R aechel H uizinga News Editor Two years after the Student Voices on Sexual Violence survey was circulated to Ontario university students, the full results were released Thursday morning.

According to the data, Queen’s ranked fourth in the province for the prevalence of sexual assault. With 71.4 per cent of Queen’s respondents reporting experiences of sexual harassment, Queen’s was second-highest in Ontario for rates of sexual harassment, falling 0.2 per cent behind the University of Western Ontario.

More than 7,000 Queen’s students participated in the 2018 survey. The University was unable to provide an interview to The Journal on the day of the survey’s release, requesting more time to review the results.

Initial results from the survey were released last March, a year after the survey’s original launch date. Citing privacy concerns, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) withheld the remaining data until Feb. 27 this year.

The MCU didn’t respond to The Journal’s requests for comment in time for publication. The COU said it would make a statement today but hasn’t commented further.

The updated report includes gender identity and sexual orientation data of the respondents. 69.3 per cent of survey respondents identified as a woman/girl; 28.9 per cent identified as a man/boy; 1.8 per cent identified as transgender, Two-Spirit, non-binary or gender fluid.

The data also reveals that certain groups of students are more vulnerable to sexual violence. However, the report did not reveal demographic information from specific institutions.

“Prevalence rates of sexual assault, sexual harassment and stalking for women, gender diverse and bisexual students are higher than overall university sector rates as a whole. Student survey participants also experienced different rates of sexual violence based on their racial or ethnic identity,” a COU overview report of the results stated.

In its report, the COU cautioned against using the data to compare institutions to each other.

“It is not possible to determine if the differences across institutions are due to university demographic See SVSV on page 5

Pressure is mounting on Queen’s administration to reinstate Steve Boyd.

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

Queen’s cross country team, threatening exodus over coach’s firing, demands answers In wide-reaching interview, interim provost addresses Steve Boyd’s firing J ack R abb Sports Editor More than half of Queen’s cross country running team could quit if Steve Boyd, the recently-fired head coach, isn’t reinstated, The Journal has learned.

Boyd was dismissed on Feb. 19 following complaints filed by Guelph alumni, among others, who took issue with comments made

by Boyd under a Facebook post by Guelph track alumni Robyn Mildren, who had written

a statement about her time spent under now-disgraced Guelph University running coach legend Dave Scott-Thomas.

In a wide-reaching interview with The Journal, Interim Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Tom Harris said the University has no plans to reinstate him.

According to multiple Queen’s runners, as many as half or three-quarters of the cross country team could quit the program in favour of transferring elsewhere or running exclusively on Boyd’s Kingston-based Physi-Kult club team if he isn’t reinstated.

Both of his assistants, Steve Weiler and Leslie Sexton, have stepped back from their positions in solidarity as well.

Harris said that multiple athletes have already begun the process of transferring to other schools.

A petition for Boyd’s reinstatement,

started by the team, had garnered more than 4,100 signatures at the time of publishing, and the cross country team also staged a sit-in at Principal Patrick Deane’s office yesterday.

Boyd’s firing happened just two days before the OUA Championships.

In interviews with The Journal, runners say the team is in disarray, and they feel that the administration has left them out to dry. According to Miles Brackenbury, several have had to access mental health counselling in the wake of the firing.

The complaints over Boyd’s Facebook comments were the final straw for Athletics & Recreation. They had already had a meeting with Boyd on Feb. 3 concerning his online presence on the running forum, Trackie.

Athletic Director Leslie Dal Cin had See cross country on page 9

Athletes stage Richardson Hall sit-in to protest Boyd firing Athletes staging sit-in at Richardson Hall Thursday.

S ydney K o Assistant News Editor Eight members of Queen’s cross country team walked into Richardson Hall on Thursday afternoon and asked to meet with Principal Patrick Deane.

The student athletes were initiating a sit-in with Deane in response to the recent firing of Queen’s track coach, Steve Boyd.

Deane wasn’t available to speak with them.

“We felt ignored and neglected,” Miles Brackenbury, ConEd ’23, said while he stood and waited in the middle of the Principal’s office to speak with a representative.

Heather Cole, senior advisor and executive director in the Office of the Principal, led the team to a board room to proceed with

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

the conversation.

During the sit-in, the student athletes questioned whether Deane was aware of the decision made to fire Boyd.

“I will say he is aware and has been involved with working closely with the See sit-in on page 5

IN THIS ISSUE: Claiming LGBTQ+ space on campus p. 6, Students shouldn’t purchase high marks p. 7, The Alibi hosts 24-hour concert, p. 11, A cozy playlist for the winter blues p. 15. queensjournal.ca

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News

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Friday, February 28, 2020

Nursing Society president pushing for embedded counsellor It’s common for students to feel stress in the clinical practice setting, especially during their first on-site patient experiences.

According to Troiani, the SON has been directing students towards their clinical instructor for support in these cases.

However, clinical instructors aren’t trained Claudia Rupnik as mental health counsellors. They’re also Staff Writer responsible for grading the clinical practice program, a factor Troiani said discourages Nursing Society President Alex Troiani students from opening up about their and Rector Alex da Silva are pushing for concerns because anything shared with their an embedded counsellor in the School of instructor can show up on evaluations.

Nursing (SON) after a recent report found As the NSS continues to push for an more mental health support in the program embedded counsellor, they’ve been in is needed. contact with Rector Alex da Silva, who has In December, the SON presented the told Troiani that SWS is in the process of findings of their Cyclical Program Review in acquiring one for the SON. a new report. The review was conducted as However, when he followed up with part of a self-study by the SON to evaluate Erna Snelgrove-Clarke, vice-dean (Health their practices and curriculum.

Sciences) and director of the SON, about Among other findings, the report identified this suggestion, she said they haven’t been a number of vulnerabilities in the faculty, contacted by either da Silva or SWS. including concerns for student mental health.

When The Journal reached out to da Currently, a wellness coach in the program Silva for clarification, she echoed Troiani’s is available once a month. concerns and suggested the SWS is in the “The SON sent me and the other class early stages of addressing the issues at hand. presidents the report on Jan. 2, 2020,” “It can almost go without saying that the Nursing Science Society (NSS) President Alex academic experiences of Nursing students Troiani said in an interview with The Journal. are astronomically different than those of Troiani initially expressed his concerns folks in any other faculty. Simply put, most about the vulnerabilities in a Feb. 6 written other students wouldn’t ever come face report to AMS Assembly, but he thinks there to face with some of the life-and-death is an opportunity for long-term mental situations these students have to experience,” health advocacy. da Silva said.

“The NSS has been advocating for student She added that it’s important the mental health for a while,” Troiani said.

University provide support tailored to this Troiani praised the faculty for some of its specific demographic. Da Silva started this current wellness initiatives like de-stress conversation with the last NSS president, days’ for allowing students to socialize Julia Kruizinga, but said the change in with other individuals who share similar leadership at SWS and the implementation academic experiences. of the new model for care stalled progress.

While he also called the faculty’s wellness According to da Silva, Ellie Sadinsky, the coach, which was introduced last fall using current interim director of SWS, has agreed private donations secured by the SON, a this is an area with specific needs which “huge step” in the right direction, he noted the must be addressed. wellness coach is only available to students “I’ve been so happy to see the pushing once a month. that myself and the NSS have done In particular, he’s pushing for an begin to manifest into plans for tangible embedded mental health counsellor for the improvements to fill this gap. I’m hopeful SON—a professional with specific mental that this is something the new director health training tasked with supporting of SWS will take as seriously as we are,” nursing students. da Silva said. “[Nursing] students have unique “I’ve learned that this is a box that should needs—when they go to Student Wellness not be ticked off with just the addition of an Services (SWS) regarding clinical stressors, embedded counsellor. Rather, I hope that this [SWS counsellors] don’t know what it is,” is one part of a larger strategy to support the Troiani said. “You start your meeting by mental health in the SON.” explaining what clinical is. It’s not accessible.

It doesn’t work for students.”

Program’s wellness coach currently available once a month

Nursing society president Alex Troiani

PHOTO BY RAECHEL HUIZINGA

The old medical building.

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

Iranian Student Memorial Scholarship Fund sees almost $10,000 in donations Endowed scholarship will honour Queen’s student Amir Moradi and other Iran plane crash victims Ellen Nagy Assistant News Editor Nearly $10,000 has been raised in donations for the Iranian Student Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The fund was established in honour of Queen’s student Amir Moradi and the other victims of the Iran plane crash on Jan. 8. The fund, which had a donation tally of $9,690 as of Feb. 27, will be used to support Iranian students in need of financial aid.

“Our expectations were that we could certainly receive a considerable amount of support for the idea in principle,” Karen Bertrand, vice-principal of Advancement, said in an interview with The Journal.

Bertrand said the funds raised so far have been consistent with hopes she held when the fund was originally established in January.

“We have 90 donors that have contributed to the fund already, and they have raised collectively almost $10,000,” Bertrand said. “I would say [this] is consistent with fundraising for funds in memoriam of an incident or

an individual.”

The fund will provide financial support to Iranian students in financial need, but Bertrand was not able to provide information on how many students will be assisted.

“We are still actively engaging in conversation with the leaders in the Iranian community, and the Iranian student community,” Bertrand said.

Bertrand reported that the fund would be endowed, allowing people to continue supporting it in the future.

“I still strongly believe that by setting up this fund, even as time passes, that the sheer existence of the fund does protect the memory of people like Amir and others on that plane,” Bertrand said.

She added that she is optimistic that the broader impact of the plane crash will be remembered through the scholarship.

“There is an opportunity [through the existence of this fund] for us always to remember what happened and hopefully think about how to prevent it in the future,” Bertrand said.

Donations to the Iranian Student Memorial Scholarship Fund can be made through the Give to Queen’s website.

Queen’s to keep ‘O Canada’ at convocation

Raechel Huizinga News Editor Two years after the issue was raised, Queen’s has opted not to consider removing ‘O Canada’ from convocation ceremonies.

The decision, published in a memo published Feb. 25. and included in Queen’s Senate agenda, follows a question submitted by Senator Diane Beauchemin to Office of the University Secretariat in March, 2018: “If Queen’s is really serious about truth and reconciliation, why is the national anthem still played at Convocation when Indigenous people do not stand up for it and are thus singled out?”

The question was referred to the Senate Committee on Academic Procedures (SCAP), which has authority over matters

concerning convocation.

According to the memo, SCAP used a survey to solicit input from other Canadian universities and colleges, and received 37 responses.

Of the 37 responding institutions, only the Canadian Mennonite University replied that it doesn’t use ‘O Canada’ at convocation. The remaining institutions also indicated they have no plans to change that practice in the near future.

Using the Senate’s 2018 decision to keep ‘God Save the Queen’ at convocation as precedence, as well as the review of current practices at other Canadian institutions, SCAP decided against pursuing the question of whether ‘O Canada’ should be included in Queen’s convocation ceremonies.

Friday, February 28, 2020

News

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Yellow House opens its doors of finding a director for the house, Fitzgerald expressed her desire to support and assist in informing first-year students of the House, which consists of two floors, two living rooms and meeting spaces, and one sydney ko large kitchen.

Assistant News Editor Members of the four student groups, AMS executives, and faculty attended Despite the cold weather on Thursday Thursday’s launch. afternoon, there was a high turnout for the According to Danny McLaren (ArtSci, soft launch of the Yellow House, a safe space ’21), board member of the Levana Gender dedicated to inclusivity groups on campus.

Advocacy Centre, the club is in the process of Selected by the University Council on expanding its library in the house.

Anti-Racism and Equity (UCARE) “I think it’s really important because I subcommittee last March, the four student feel like marginalized students don’t have groups with space in the Yellow House that many spaces on campus,” MacLaren include Queen’s University Muslim Students said. “I’m excited for the events that will Association (QUMSA), the Levana Gender happen here.”

Advocacy Centre, the African and Caribbean In an interview with Arunima Khanna, Students’ Association (ACSA), and the a psychologist of cross-culture diversity Queen’s Black Academic Society (QBAS). affairs, she said the space is important for The groups have gradually been moving into like-minded people to come together and the house since September. support as a community.

Students, staff, and faculty celebrated the Yellow House opening.

The Yellow House was first founded “Our social identities are so complex, and by the Office of the Provost and under the to me, that’s really exciting because I see a Principal’s Implementation Committee on hope for all sorts of people coming together Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (PICRDI) in trying to work into a more integrated report in 2017 with the goal of serving as student community,” Khanna said. a safe space for students from minority Khanna also said the house will ensure groups on campus. mental wellness. “Hopefully, it will be a “The house is significant because I space where everyone feels understood think we continue to work on creating an and validated.” environment of inclusion, and I think the “The Yellow House represents the space house symbolizes that for a lot of students,” for marginalized students on campus, and Corinna Fitzgerald, assistant dean (Student it’s important for us to have our own safe Life and Learning), told The Journal at and accountable space to be able to create Thursday’s launch. community, and to be able to establish She said the opening of the house is a our own connections,” Bunisha Samuels, step forward for campus inclusivity, even AMS social issues commissioner, said in though “there’s a whole lot more to do.” an interview.

While the University is still in the process

Students, staff, and AMS celebrate opening

PHOTOS BY TESSA WARBURTON

News

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Friday, February 28, 2020

“Damaging and complex”: Senate discusses recent track coach firing Patrick Deane and Tom Harris field questions about former track coach Steve Boyd

Carolyn Svonkin Assistant News Editor At a Senate meeting on Feb. 25, Interim Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Tom Harris fielded questions about recently-fired track coach Steve Boyd from Senator Diane Beauchemin, who asked Harris to elaborate on the reasons for Boyd’s dismissal.

“It has been suggested that Steven Boyd was dismissed because of his criticism of Guelph University’s handling of allegations of abuse. This is simply not the case,” Harris said. “Mr. Boyd left online comments, over a number of years that bullied many in the running community. Recently, Mr. Boyd also left online comments that shamed former Guelph student athletes for their silence.”

Harris said that the University approached Boyd about these comments, and he was “unwilling and unable to change his behaviour.” For this reason, Harris said the University was compelled to fire him.

Beauchemin responded by referencing a student petition to have Boyd reinstated.

“If he’s a bully, why would students want him back?”

Senator Jordan Morelli agreed with some of Beauchemin’s concerns. “To me, this doesn’t pass the sniff test. It seems like there’s something else behind the scenes,” he said.

Morelli went on to say he has read some of the online comments referenced by Harris. “I don’t personally feel that they rose to the level of bullying. I’m concerned we might be seen to be disciplining somebody for participating in a dialogue on issues of sexual harassment and violence,” he said.

“We really need to be careful about this. We need to be facilitating these conversations,

even when they’re difficult.”

Morelli expressed worries about the wider effects Boyd’s firing may have at Queen’s. “I’m really concerned about what chilling effect this might have on others coming forward within our community who either have experienced or witnessed sexual violence.”

Principal Patrick Deane responded by agreeing that Morelli’s concerns were valid.

“It’s caused great regret in this instance that [Boyd’s] behaviour has coincided with an obscuring of the major issues,” he said. “The way [Boyd] has spun the story has proven to be quite damaging and complex for the University.”

Senate also held a moment of silence for fifth-year ConEd student Bethany Qun Yi Yan, who passed away last month, and passed (Left) Senator Diane Beauchemin. major modifications to three graduate degree programs.

Week calendar. This led to a wider Senate discussed a recent report conversation about the balance between about Undergraduate Orientation Week, providing engaging Orientation Week submitted to the body by the Senate programming and ensuring that events Orientation Activities Review Board do not have a negative impact on first-year (SOARB). The report outlined six directives, students’ mental health. including the banning of standards exams Discussion focused specifically on from Orientation, mandatory equity hiring Engineering and Applied Science Orientation training for student hiring panels related to Week, which has a standards exam for Orientation positions, more comprehensive first-year students, although senators risk assessment protocol, further financial acknowledged there has been decreasing oversight and centralization of Orientation student engagement in Orientation Weeks finances, and the integration of leadership across campus. fees into oversight mechanisms for Deane also reported on the Draft first-year fees.

Campus Wellbeing Framework, which Senators also discussed how was released this month. More than 1,800 certain Orientation Week events are Queen’s community members participated anxiety-inducing for students. in consultations that were drafted into They debated whether events that are the Framework. Deane encouraged the popular, but may be stressful for some community to leave comments or questions students, should remain on the Orientation on an online form that will be available

QUIC’s investments in fossil fuels outweigh investments in renewables

Smith School of Business on Union St.

Industry represents more than $120,000 of counsel’s holdings Aysha Tabassaum Opinions Editor The Queen’s University Investment Counsel (QUIC), a coveted launchpad for finance hopefuls in the Commerce program, holds more investments in fossil fuels than renewables.

The counsel manages $1.4 million in assets and its analysts manage real portfolios—the club holds investments in companies like Amazon, Pfizer, and Disney.

Farthest down on their breakdown of portfolio performance is an exhaustive list of QUIC’s equity holdings in energy and utilities. The industry makes up approximately seven per cent of holdings, representing over $120,000 invested in oil and gas firms like Exxon, Schlumberger, and Canadian Natural Resources. $104,000 is invested in the QUIC Canadian Fund, and an additional $20,000 are part of the Mackenzie World Equities Fund.

Four per cent of the group’s investments are in companies focused on alternative or renewable energy.

QUIC’s investments were initially made possible in 2010 when they were formally established as a

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

until May 1. The comments received will be integrated into a further draft.

Deane also mentioned that this Friday marks Harris’ final day as interim provost.

In his report, Harris announced that Jane Philpott, who served as minister of health from 2015 to 2017, has accepted the position of the dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences. She will serve a five-year term.

Another new appointment is that of Cynthia Gibney, who will assume the position of executive director of Student Wellness Services, as of March 2, 2020. Gibney is currently the director of Health and Wellness at the University of Western Ontario.

Harris also spoke to the end of his term as interim provost and vice-principal (Academic). He said he is working with Mark Green, who will take over the position, to ensure the transition goes smoothly.

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

counsel through fundraising initiatives. an email that the fund has never These initiatives earned $500,000 contributed to the group’s operating in seed money from the Smith budget or investments.

School of Business, an amount Nerland also detailed that QUIC later matched in 2014 by a donation from currently has no negative screens on Mackenzie Investments. the fossil fuel industry, meaning that In 2018, QUIC became eligible to “rather than eliminating companies receive student funds from the Commerce based on specific factors, [QUIC] takes into Society after the two groups signed a consideration all market and consumer memorandum of understanding. trends—this includes a positive trend The ComSoc CORE fund, a Society towards renewable resources and fund that supports club activities, is sustainable investing.” financed by student fees and Those interested in learning allocated upon request. more about QUIC’s investments Prior to having access to the CORE fund, can attend weekly meetings held by QUIC relied on “ad hoc alumni donations the counsel every Monday at 7 p.m. or corporate sponsors” to support its in Goodes Hall, room 304. events. Mark Nerland, current chief executive officer of QUIC, clarified in journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

News

Friday, February 28, 2020

queensjournal.ca • 5

AJA hires 2020-21 senior management Raechel Huizinga News Editor The incoming AMS executive, consisting of President-elect Jared den Otter, Vice-President-elect (Operations) Alexandra Samoyloff, and Vice-President-elect (University Affairs) Alexia Henriques, have assembled their senior management team for the 2020-21 year.

“We’re incredibly excited to be working with our team. In the coming weeks we will work closely with our outgoing counterparts to ensure an efficient transition period,” den Otter wrote in a Feb. 25 press release. “Our team is very eager to begin advocating for and Incoming AMS 2020-21 senior management. working in the best interests of all our peers here at Queen’s.” has been hired for the position of issues commissioner.

The individuals making up the commissioner of campus activities; Olivia Stanton will take over team were announced in the press Matthew Mellon has been hired as director of clubs; Patrice release. Caroline Hart has been for the position of commissioner Oliveira will be the next director hired for the position of secretary of external affairs; and Angela Sahi of communications; and Emma of internal affairs; Charlotte Galvani has been appointed the next social Solecki has been hired for the

Cross country team hoping for second sit-in with incoming provost Continued from front...

our coach and we just want to make sure that continues to provost office,” Cole said. be considered.”

In response, Brackenbury said Brackenbury said when the the team wishes to host another issue first broke to the public, sit-in with the incoming provost, he went to the principal’s office Mark Green, and stated the team’s feeling distraught. He said he demand to reinstate Boyd. was later informed Deane wasn’t “I understand the principal may aware of the decision. be informed on the issue now,” “Numerous people have gone Brackenbury said during the sit-in. to the crisis counsellors over this,” “We feel that it’s in the interest of he added. “I can hardly pull myself Queen’s and our team to reinstate together talking on this matter,

More funding needed, COU says Continued from front... profiles, demographic profiles or survey respondents at each university, or a real difference in terms of overall rates of sexual violence and other variables reported,” the statement said.

The COU also called for more funding and resources to combat sexual violence on campus.

“More efforts, funding and resources are required to help prevent and combat sexual violence. Ontario’s universities remain committed to working with government, our partners in the sector and the community to ensure that our campuses are safe environments where students have access to the high-quality supports they need.”

In a joint statement released shortly after the survey data was

published, the University, AMS, and SGPS commented on the results.

“We welcome this information, as it provides important insights into students’ understanding of consent, perceived peer attitudes towards sexual violence, and awareness of sexual violence support services. The results also provide information on student experiences of sexual violence. We will use this information to help focus our efforts where more work is needed and make meaningful changes on campus,” the statement said.

The statement also said the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Task Force, which is comprised of students, faculty, and staff, will review the detailed survey results.

“The task force will work

PHOTO BY IAIN SHERRIFF-SCOTT

position of director of sponsorship and alumni. Kassandra Greenhalgh has been hired as the new AMS director of marketing; Eve Garrison has been hired as the next director of human resources;

Student athletes heading to Deane’s office Thursday afternoon.

and there’s been a huge outcry nationally from the community about it.”

Cole restated that Deane supports the decision to fire Boyd.

She explained they are not in charge of making HR decisions.

“We would be involved in everything right down to what’s happening at the lowest level

and the Principal would only do HR all day long and probably still wouldn’t be able to run the institution,” she said.

“I think you have to start to articulate your position well,” she added. “I think you should understand that conversations go both ways.”

“We have been completely shut

together with students and student groups to continue to enhance efforts on sexual violence education, prevention, and response. We are committed to creating a campus culture where sexual violence is not tolerated.

Opportunities for the Queen’s community to discuss the survey results are being arranged, and details will be posted on the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response website.”

and Nathaniel Gerchikov will take over as director of information technology.

Nine new managers have also been hired to run various AMS services. Thaarane Sethunathan has been hired as the AMS pub services manager; Caroline Uchida will be the next Tricolour Outlet manager; Jessica Brender will be the next Printing & Copy Centre head manager; Wendy Li will be the next manager of Queen’s Student Constables; and Peter Mendolia has been hired as the next manager of the Peer Support Centre.

Emily Thompson has been hired as the next Common Ground Coffeehouse Café manager; Benjamin Davies has been hired as the next manager of Walkhome; Raj Brar will take over as the next StudioQ manager; and Julia Anderson has been hired for the position of Student Life Centre manager.

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

down by every single person that’s supposed to be protecting us right now,” Brogan MacDougall (Sci ’22) said.

At the end of the meeting, Cole asked the team to contact her directly to schedule future meetings on the matter. journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

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Friday, February 28, 2020

Features IN-DEPTH STORIES FROM AROUND CAMPUS AND IN THE COMMUNITY

LGBTQ+ students describe claiming space on campus.

Out on campus

Insight into seven students’ experiences of being queer at Queen’s Amelia Rankine

Production Manager

When LGBTQ+ students first arrive on campus, the low visibility of the queer community can be isolating.

The Journal spoke to seven students who identify as LGBTQ+ about building communities, developing supports, and addressing homophobia and transphobia in the academic setting. They describe some of the challenges of being “out” at Queen’s.

“You come to Queen’s and everybody looks the same, everybody acts the same, everybody likes the same things. And I’m generalizing, of course,” Alex Ciro Barber, ArtSci ’22, said. “But it really feels [like] you can’t be authentic. It feels like [there’s] quite a bit of pressure to fit in with what everybody else is doing.”

Coming from Vancouver to Kingston, Barber found that he had trouble finding a visible queer community.

Barber, who identifies as pansexual, doesn’t feel comfortable dressing as flamboyantly as he would like when he is in Kingston. He’s noticed the lack of visible support in comparison to Vancouver, where pride flags are a common fixture.

“It felt like a step back,” Barber said.

Coming out

Sydney Gilchrist, ArtSci ’17, told The Journal her first few years at Queen’s were isolating, saying she didn’t see representation on campus.

She said a turning point for her was volunteering as a Gael during Orientation Week in 2015. One of Gilchrist’s frosh pulled her aside before coming out to her as queer.

Gilchrist, who also identifies as queer, took the opportunity to also come out to her frosh.

“I think this made her introduction to Queen’s a lot more inclusive than it otherwise would have been,” Gilchrist said. She was not yet out to many of her friends at the time, so this experience helped both students affirm their identities.

Meanwhile, Barber hasn’t come out to all of his peers. Hearing those around him use homophobic slurs and push jokes too far keeps Barber from sharing his identity with everyone in his life.

“There’s just a couple people that throw around some words that they don’t think mean anything,” Barber said. “I know that the people that do say those words would probably be fine with me being [pansexual], but it’s a barrier that I can’t seem to want to cross.”

Academics

Transgender and non-binary students on campus report challenges in navigating the process of disclosing their preferred names in the academic setting.

Queen’s students can change their preferred name in SOLUS, but some students report being unaware of this feature. When asked about this option, E.C. Fletcher, ArtSci ‘21—who identifies as non-binary and goes by their surname—told The Journal they were disappointed they hadn’t known about it earlier.

For other students who identify as queer, the difficulty arises from administrative issues. Fred Hooke, ArtSci ’21, is also a non-binary student. They submitted their preferred name on SOLUS before they arrived on campus.

However, Hooke found the implementation of preferred names is inconsistent.

“Theoretically, [professors] are meant to get the preferred name, and not your dead name, which is the name generally you’re given at birth,” Hooke said, “But I found that that doesn’t always happen.”

According to Hooke, this can cause confusion for trans students in the classroom setting since some professors receive one name, while others may receive another.

“Class lists may [be] generated through the Faculty Centre or in OnQ and use student information provided by the Office of the University Registrar (OUR),” The University wrote in a statement. “These lists contain the preferred name for each student as it is displayed in their individual Student Centre on SOLUS. Class lists generated through ad hoc queries created outside of the OUR may be using name information from a data field other than preferred name.”

Currently, disclosing pronouns is up to the individual student. Hooke said that standardizing the system would make it less stressful for transgender and non-binary students, who can feel singled out.

“Now that they know that I’m not [cisgender], how’s that going to affect the way that I perform in this class?” Hooke said.

“How’s that going to affect the way they treat me? That’s not something that you should

have to worry about.”

Taylor Magee, ArtSci ’21, emphasized the importance of Positive Space training to build a more inclusive environment. Positive Space is a program run by the Queen’s Human Rights Office, the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG), and the Education on Queer Issues Project (EQuIP), and provides knowledge about the LGBTQ+ community and the discrimination that individuals may face.

While many groups on campus already receive this training, Magee believes it should be more widespread, including within AMS services and for University faculty and employees.

Needing support

This past fall, a racist and homophobic incident in Chown Hall, which prompted a police investigation, left lingering impacts on the LGBTQ+ community.

Magee emphasized that although major incidents can incite discussion and increase support, the negative impact of the incident still falls on the most vulnerable members of the community.

In the aftermath of this incident, the University raised both the Métis flag and the pride flag in support of the LGBTQ+ and Indigenous communities. The University also released statements condemning the behaviour.

However, some LGBTQ+ students, like Hooke, say they wish that support and recognition from Queen’s was proactive, not reactive. “I think that we forget that marginalized communities don’t just need support when things are bad,” Hooke said.

While the University provides a queer-positive resource list, including many groups on campus, it lists the Queen’s Pride Project, which hasn’t been active since 2017.

These clubs offer the majority of the support and social activities for the LGBTQ+ community at Queen’s. Sometimes, these clubs have to provide the mental health support that some queer students need.

When Poole sought queer-specific support from the Peer Support Centre (PSC), she was asked if she had heard of Get Real Queen’s.

Get Real staff aren’t trained to provide students with support like PSC staffers are.

Poole is also one of the co-chairs of Get Real Queen’s—the PSC’s advice was to seek support from the club that she manages.

While this advice would have been helpful to other students, Poole is worried these clubs sometimes stand in for trained

ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH WILLIS

volunteers or knowledgeable counsellors.

“The club itself is more about creating a safe environment, creating friendships and connections,” Magee said, “rather than specifically being there as a mental support for individuals because we aren’t trained to do that and don’t want to be put in that role and give the wrong advice.”

The PSC plans to implement an initiative to provide support geared towards LGBTQ+ students.

Making a difference

Poole and Magee acknowledge activism can be intimidating for students, so as co-chairs of Get Real, they focus on community building.

“I think the activism we do mostly is in terms of existing and taking up that space and being present,” Poole said.

Their events are centred around the philosophy of claiming space: Queer Prom, coffeehouse performances, and drag shows are all focused on carving out a place for LGBTQ+ identities to thrive on campus.

At one of Get Real’s coffeehouse events this February before Reading Week, Hooke and Poole sang a version of Edith Piaf’s classic song “La Vie en Rose.” They “queered” the lyrics to this song in their performance, changing the words to make it seem like the song was about a woman.

“I [usually] do not feel comfortable singing in front of people, but that was fine,” Poole said. “It was a safe space.”

Get Real’s coffeehouse event was tucked away on the third floor of the JDUC to protect the students, as they may have been disclosing vulnerable content. Through these events, Get Real is navigating the delicate balance between making sure events are visible and accessible and protecting LGBTQ+ students.

Fletcher emphasized that to increase visibility without compromising LGBTQ+ safety, there needs to be collaboration with allies and people outside the LGBTQ+ community.

“I know the queer community is willing to reach out and be more open and accepting [to] more people,” Fletcher said. “We just need that same level of respect and willingness to learn.”

Magee seemed to agree. “Education is power, and diversity is power. We have the ability to utilize both of those in our community,” she said, “I think we need to do more.”

Friday, February 28, 2020

queensjournal.ca

EDITORIALS

•7

THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL

The Journal’s Perspective

Volume 147 Issue 23 www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal Publishing since 1873

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

ILLUSTRATION BY AMELIA RANKINE

‘Credit mills’ stack the odds against hard-working high-schoolers A student’s high school transcript should speak to their academic abilities, not their ability to buy their grades.

Inflated marks from certain private schools dubbed ‘credit mills’ have made it increasingly difficult for universities to differentiate between prospective students who have and haven’t earned their high school grades. These credit mills allow students to earn competitive marks in their high school courses in exchange for steep tuition prices.

Schools that facilitate this type of grading enable academic fraudulence. The students who receive high marks without putting in an appropriate amount of work and effort are competing with other university applicants who earned their grades honestly, and to take away acceptances and scholarships from other students.

Ontario’s education system is far from balanced. Public, private, and religious school boards differ in funding, opportunities, and quality of education, even from school to school. The existence of credit mills further exaggerates this imbalance.

Credit mills further socioeconomic

and intersectional barriers to education when undeserving upper-class students are awarded coveted spots at universities and grade-related scholarships over lower-income students who can’t afford to attend these private schools, but earned their grades honestly.

These schools also hinder the learning of the students who attend them. These students, who enter university without developing strong work habits and academic strategies, often don’t have the necessary tools to succeed in university. If they’re ill-prepared for their spots at university, they may be squandering an opportunity that a peer worked hard for and didn’t receive.

Universities have developed several strategies to combat student transcripts with inflated grades. For example, the University of Waterloo appraises applicants marks based on the schools they graduated from, and deflates student’s grades if graduates from their high school have consistently performed significantly worse in their first years of university.

But this system operates on a case-by-case basis for secondary

schools—it’s a temporary solution that lumps together prospective students from the same high schools. In order to effectively combat credit mills, it’s incumbent on Ontario’s provincial government to prevent inflated marks from reaching universities in the first place.

Investments must be made in a stricter, more effective regulation system for private education in the province to prevent credit mills from slipping under the radar. Schools must be held accountable for academic dishonesty and falsified marks. Institutions that prove to prioritize a student’s wealth over their commitment to learning should have their credit-granting authority revoked.

University is a competitive environment, from the application process to academics after acceptance.

The students who deserve the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education are the ones who earned it—not the ones who bought it.

—Journal Editorial Board

Why uncontested elections are a problem for democracy at Queen’s Carolyn Svonkin

A fundamental problem at Queen’s has received limited attention and even less action: our lack of engagement in student politics.

This year, the AMS executive election for the most visible and highest-paid positions in Queen’s student government ran uncontested for the third year in a row.

The AMS isn’t the only student society struggling to attract candidates. This year, EngSoc, ComSoc, COMPSA, CESA and ResSoc all ran uncontested elections, as well as two of the three SGPS executive positions. The rector election was uncontested for the first time in more than 20 years. In fact, the only major competitive election on campus this year was ASUS. All these uncontested elections mean that next year, every student on this campus will be represented by at least one student politician who ran unopposed.

This has dramatic implications—uncontested elections are inherently undemocratic.

Democratic systems were never intended to operate based on elected officials who faced no competition. Elections are a cornerstone of democracy—they keep politicians accountable and citizens engaged.

Democracy is intended to give voters choice, and while Queen’s students do have the choice to vote ‘no confidence,’ the effect is not the same as getting a choice between multiple candidate’s visions.

Additionally, studies show that in uncontested elections, people are less likely to vote. Queen’s already has

feel like their voices won’t make a difference to the outcome.

Uncontested elections also leave our student politicians less accountable. Part of accountability for any politician comes from the knowledge that voters have chosen them over others. If that’s not the case, that accountability is weakened.

It’s not any one person’s fault that so many Queen’s elections are uncontested. It’s not incumbent on next year’s student politicians to convince students to run—they’re busy doing the jobs they were already elected to do.

No one should be forced to run in elections for the sake of competition.

But these elected positions are important: they touch the lives of every student at Queen’s through advocacy, programming, and policy.

Queen’s students deserve to choose whose vision will fill these roles.

We need to change the culture around student politics. We need more PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON students to run in order for these elections to be truly democratic, and problems with student government for voters to receive a meaningful choice. And engagement—we don’t need to further it needs to happen sooner rather than later, discourage voter turnout. The less people because we can’t wait to revamp the campus vote, the less representative our student democracy that’s essential to Queen’s. government will be. We need as many voices as possible heard in decision-making Carolyn is one of The Journal’s Assistant processes, but when there’s only one News Editors. She’s a second-year political candidate to speak for students, people might studies student.

Jonathon Fisher

Video Editor Assistant Video Editor

Lauren Thomas

Copy Editors

Sasha Cohen Chloe Sarrazin

Contributing Staff Staff Illustrators

Xinyuan Hu Rowan LaCroix Hannah Willis

Staff Writers

Rhiannon Jenkins Connor O’Neil Claudia Rupnik

Contributors

Kevin Bailie Iona Cleave Pravieena Gnanakumar Martha Hillen Elise Ngo Julia Ranney

Business Staff Business Manager

Aidan Chalmers

Sales Representative

Mitch McManus Christina Zheng

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, February 28, 2020

Your Perspective

OPINIONS

Rhiannon Jenkins discusses why we don’t always need instant action online.

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

It’s time to rethink our social media expectations Technology has granted us knowledge in seconds, but access to everyone else as well.

There are countless memes out there about how we expect a response to a text a minute before we’ve even sent it.

I’m guilty of it too. If I haven’t heard back from my mum after a few hours, I give her a ring just to check if she’s alright.

In the greater scheme of things, this isn’t really that big of an issue. However, it becomes a big issue when it comes to the news cycle and how we demand instantaneous action, even when we don’t always know the full scope of what’s going on.

In recent months, a few events have highlighted just how absurd our expectations are when it comes to wanting immediate updates on constantly developing issues.

Take, for example, the Australian bushfires.

There wasn’t a day during the winter months that passed where I didn’t see a video of a bandaged koala bear on my Facebook feed or an article about the Australian prime minister’s inadequacy in my news apps’ notifications.

None of this was necessarily bad—it brought awareness to the fires and the devastation raging across a whole nation.

However, what I take issue with is several of the calls to action that accompanied the article-sharing.

Activists—or at least some of them—took this opportunity to encourage veganism amongst the Australian population, ignoring the wider environmental issues at hand.

People losing their homes and animals burning do not equate an opportunity to promote veganism. The hashtag #GoVeganForAustralia didn’t gain much traction, but was promoted by the verified Instagram account @hotforfood. Another verified influencer, @freeleethebananagirl, called out Australia’s “flesh-fetish” for “burning [their] country to a crisp.”

Now, I’m not an expert but I am a vegetarian. You can’t blame uncontrollable fires and half a million animal deaths solely on individuals who eat meat. Maybe exploitative corporations—and a government that’s ignored proven Aboriginal practices which might have avoided the blazes in the first place—require more widespread focus instead.

Hundreds of people also shared posts to their social media stories by accounts claiming they would donate a certain amount of money for every story they were featured in. The same happened with Instagram account @tentree, which promised to plant a tree in Indonesia for every 10 likes on the original post.

But it’s hard to imagine that every person who circulated these posts checked the validity of the accounts that posted them before sharing their content online.

Similarly, following the #BlueForSudan movement on social media, it took a national news investigation to discredit the hundreds of scam accounts that gained thousands of followers after claiming they were sending meals to people in Sudan.

Despite the success of this investigation, we can’t rely on others to point out when something is suspicious. People need to do their own fact-checking and ensure they know what they’re promoting.

And it’s not just individuals and companies on social media who need to take a second sometimes. Established news outlets have done even worse.

Take TMZ reporting Kobe Bryant’s death before his family was alerted and the police investigation was complete. I can’t imagine anything worse than finding out you’ve lost members of your family through an article shared on Facebook. The world knowing you’ve lost a loved one before you do isn’t right.

When LeBron James, another Lakers

player and Bryant’s friend, started an Instagram post dedicated to Bryant, he began by writing, “I’m Not Ready but here I go.” It continued in the same vein, until he closed by saying, “There’s so much more I want to say but just can’t right now because I can’t get through it!”

People expected a response from him and so he gave a response—and a heartfelt one.

But it’s not fair that he had to do so out of a sense of duty. It’s cruel that his silence was questioned as anything but shock and pain.

Everyone should have the ability to mourn the sudden death of a loved one privately, whether they’re famous or not.

I understand that we’re used to celebrities sharing everything with us. Part of being an influencer now is sharing every aspect of your life, both the ups and the downs. It’s another way to make money and gain followers.

We feel entitled to the details of every celebrity’s life because some choose to share every aspect of them. But we aren’t entitled to anyone’s life.

Our expectation of constant online action pushes people to grieve publicly.

James shouldn’t have felt even remotely pressured into releasing a statement if he wasn’t ready. However, it might not just have been his celebrity status that pressured him into saying something. Instead, it could be our broader cultural sentiment.

When my best friend passed away suddenly the summer before my first year of university, I posted an Instagram of the two of us a few days later. It didn’t have an emotional caption attached because I wasn’t speaking to a worldwide fanbase. It was, however, a post that came from feeling like I had to share something about him publicly because other people wanted me to.

Other friends of his were uploading pictures—people who hadn’t been as close to him as I was. They wrote memorials

on his Facebook profile and sent love to his family online. I wondered if they were sitting on the other side of their screens thinking I didn’t care because I hadn’t posted anything, and I didn’t want anyone to think I didn’t care. So I posted, prioritizing their opinions over the reality of my pain.

Social media and the way we can and do share information and thoughts immediately has tricked us into thinking we should share every detail of our lives and those of others immediately.

We’ve come to believe that we’re owed information without hesitation, and that we owe our own information to others. It’s led us to cross boundaries that were only built over the last decade or so.

Don’t get me wrong: I don’t think social media is inherently bad, but this impulse still isn’t natural, especially when it comes to grief.

Maybe that impulse was what vegan activists felt when they attacked fellow Australians for a meat-eating lifestyle.

Anger is understandable in the face of adversity, and given the extreme nature of the loss, it makes sense that activists’ grief was realized in demanding radical change.

Grief for a dying planet is just as valid and overwhelming as grief for a lost one. There’s even science behind it.

But those feelings do not need to go online. Grief is and can be a private and intimate process if we give everyone the respect and privacy they deserve.

We aren’t all 911 responders. Texts and calls can wait. People can wait. And we should learn to wait.

Knowledge should be public, but grief doesn’t have to be.

“I only have class in Goodes.”

“I would say West [Duncan McArthur Hall] is probably one of the worst, and the best is BioSci.”

“I feel like the worst is probably Jeffrey.”

Rhiannon Jenkins English student.

is

a

third-year

Talking heads

... students around campus PHOTOS BY JODIE GRIEVE

What are the worst and best buildings to have a class in?

Fatin Noor Comm '23

Anisha Grover ArtSci '22

Lillian Giguere ArtSci '22

Friday, February 28, 2020

Sports

queensjournal.ca

•9

Boyd given ultimatum between job, speaking up about Guelph scandal Continued from front... requested the meeting with Boyd the day before. The subject line of the email, obtained

by The Journal, was “Immediate meeting”, and an attachment contained a screenshot of one of Boyd’s posts, made a day previous.

In the Trackie post, he questioned whether Guelph had been planning to cover up a new sexual misconduct allegation in the same manner they allegedly did in 2006, when their investigation into Dave Scott-Thomas came up short and resulted in just a one-month suspension.

Guelph alleges Scott-Thomas lied to them throughout the investigation, and stated that Scott-Thomas would have been fired in 2006 had he not misled them.

In that meeting, Boyd says he was told

by Dal Cin that the post was “inappropriate,” and that he must immediately refrain from commenting on the Guelph scandal on Trackie and to the media.

On Feb. 10, Boyd made comments on Mildren’s Facebook post about the Scott-Thomas scandal. In them, he compared Guelph runners to “prisoners of war” for how they were at once “collaborators” and victims.

He also suggested that Guelph vacate their many provincial and national championships earned after 2006 while Scott-Thomas was still leading the program.

The comments were condemned by the Guelph alumni commenting on the post, and drew the ire of many in the university running community. On the back of a number of complaints that Harris refused to quantify, Dal Cin called another meeting with Boyd for Feb. 13.

In the meeting, Dal Cin contended the comments were a breach of their agreement about online posting made in the Feb. 3 meeting. Boyd countered that Facebook wasn’t included in that agreement. An HR representative at the meeting told Boyd that he wasn’t to comment on the Guelph issue whatsoever, and for an indefinite period of time.

“I used the word ‘gagged’ and she said, ‘No, no, no, not gagged, you have a choice. You have a choice between working for Queen’s and speaking about [the Guelph scandal],’” Boyd said.

Boyd agreed to the request, but Dal Cin still told him she wanted to have a follow-up meeting the next week.

In an audio recording of Boyd’s firing at the Feb. 19 follow-up meeting, reviewed by The Journal, Dal Cin acknowledged the coach complied with the posting ban.

“Mr. Boyd failed to heed repeated warnings from the administration to stop his reckless social media activities,” Harris wrote in Queen’s official statement concerning Boyd’s dismissal.

“Mr. Boyd’s comments follow a pattern of objectionable social media commentary spanning several years, about which he had previously been formally cautioned.”

“Mr. Boyd made numerous statements on social media berating and blaming student athletes who were themselves victims and which only served to re-traumatize them.”

Harris declined to provide specific examples when asked, although he said he was confident in the evidence. “I had the totality of the of the information in front of me,” he said, while also acknowledging the University had reviewed just the last two months of Boyd’s posts.

“We were focusing, on this case, the egregious behavior [..] around the last posts around shaming and calling out former student athletes at Guelph.”

According to The Globe and Mail, which broke the news of Boyd’s firing, Guelph alumni were surprised by the firing, and they considered it “unwarranted.”

Steve Boyd has found himself at the centre of an important controversy.

In the tape of Boyd’s firing, Dal Cin said the dismissal was about “[...] the fact that [Boyd was] repeatedly being told not to comment, and then all the complaints that we’ve received regarding that.”

Dal Cin didn’t cite the welfare of the former Guelph student athletes affected by Boyd’s comments as a reason for his firing. Harris denied that the volume of complainants played a factor in the firing.

As per whether there is a record of formal cautions to Boyd, Harris said, “This is a

Three Gaels runners medal at OUAs

Gold, silver, and bronze at York meet Alina Yusufzai Assistant Sports Editor This past weekend, the track and field team headed to the OUA Championship meet with high hopes, but without their Head Coach Steve Boyd.

The Queen’s track and field team returned from the weekend with three medals: Robert Kanko won bronze in the 3,000 m, Kara Blair won silver in the 3,000 m, and Mitch de Lange won gold in the 1,500 m race.

Blair is celebrating doubly, because

Human Resources matter, and we will not discuss it.”

Boyd denies he was ever given a formal caution: “No, never formally. There were discussions [...] but there's nothing formally, I've never got a piece of paper to sign. Nothing.”

Harris said there were a range of disciplinary actions at his disposal, but the “egregious” nature of Boyd’s comments compelled him to take the most extreme measure.

Boyd has since become a persona non grata in Ontario running.

Flanked by security guards who threatened to call the police, York Athletic Director Jennifer Myers demanded Boyd leave the viewing area at last weekend’s OUA Championship, citing its designation as

alongside teammate Marley Beckett, she was named to the national team that will represent Canada at the FISU World University Cross Country Championships in Morocco on March 7.

Due to the unexpected firing of Boyd on Feb. 19, and the subsequent stepping-back of his assistants Steve Weiler and Leslie Sexton, Queen’s track and field athletes were left to compete without a coach.

The runners used the controversy as fuel en route to their medalling performances, but it wasn’t an easy road.

“The atmosphere at the OUAs was toxic.

It was by far the worst experience I have had at meet,” de Lange told The Journal. “I just wanted to attend the meet to celebrate and enjoy running but the officials were checking Queen's athletes for any form of protest and

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

private property.

The track is public, owned by the City of Toronto, and according to Boyd, he had been a quiet spectator for just more than five minutes when he was thrown out.

“It's frightening to me,” said Queen's star runner Branna MacDougall in a phone interview with The Journal. “It's just, the whole reason the sexual violence was allowed to go on [at Guelph] was because [Megan Brown] was silenced and because the administration kept that silent.”

“You're physically silenced, you're not even allowed to be in a public area? It just it felt as though our administration was not protecting us.”

“It was unfortunate that we could not stand on the podium wearing Queen's gear because we feel our administration has let us down. We also could not celebrate these accomplishments with our coach, who we wanted to thank after the race because we owe these medals to his commitment to us as athletes,” de Lange said.

He continued to explain how the accomplishments were felt for him and his teammates: “What should have felt like a breakthrough race only felt disappointing.

Running isn't about the medals or the championships you win, it is about running for what you love and believe in.”

Boyd did show up to support his athletes, but he was ejected from the venue after just over five minutes by York Athletic Director

kind of shows me that […] we're not as far as we thought we are.”

While the University says Boyd’s firing is strictly a matter of him breaking various codes of ethics he’s bound to as a U SPORTS coach, others see the issue as a matter of free speech.

A statement issued by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) read, “While Boyd did not hold an academic post at Queen’s, CAUT Executive Director David Robinson says universities have a special obligation to respect the exercise of free expression, within the law, of all members of the campus community.” “‘Free expression is crucial to the university,’ Robinson wrote. ‘Academic freedom cannot thrive in an environment where free expression is suppressed.’”

Where Guelph running under Scott-Thomas' leadership has been documented as a “win-at-all-costs” environment that suppressed athletes’ voices, many athletes say Boyd had attempted to do the opposite with his team.

“We did it the right way,” said Brant Stachel, the head coach at UBC who was Boyd’s longtime assistant coach at Queen’s until last summer. “We had women who weren't afraid to talk about mental health issues, menstrual cycle issues, disordered eating, how they feel about being empowered in sports, and really just had an amazing atmosphere that was protective and empowering young women.”

“I look back on my time at Queen’s with Steve and that team and, through all the provincial titles and national team members and individual performances and stuff, I think the part that's most meaningful to me is that atmosphere we provided and how we were able to empower so many young athletes, in particular women, in the sport to stay with it in a healthy way that was compatible with continuing on long-term in the sport.”

Boyd was at the forefront of the fight to get women and men’s cross country teams running the same distance in competition—the 2016 Queen’s Invitational that he organized marked the first time in Canadian history in which both genders ran the same distance (8 km) in an inter-university race.

At Queen’s Feb. 25 Senate meeting, Senator Jordan Morelli expressed apprehension about the broader implications of Boyd’s firing. “I’m really concerned about what chilling effect this might have on others coming forward within our community who either have experienced or witnessed sexual violence.”

In a statement posted on Facebook, Boyd said, “I wear my outspokenness – and indeed, my firing for it – as a badge of honour, not of shame.”

“If there's one thing I would take away from my eight or nine years with Steve,” said Stachel, “It’s that you always got to do what's right, and you want to be on the right side of history. And you want to leave this sport in a better place than when you got there.”

Jennifer Myers and a pair of security guards.

“The greatest moment for me,” said de Lange, “was seeing the members of my team fight through adversity and still perform the way they did despite the lack of care Queen's administration has shown our team.”

“It takes great courage to step on that line and I'm proud of every one of my teammates for doing so.”

The past weekend was a triumphant one for the team but an equally difficult one as the fate of their program hangs in the balance.

However, they are not ready to give up.

“Maybe fighting back is just showing you can persist no matter what they try and take away from you. The one thing they cannot take away from you is your passion, your courage, and your persistence.”

Sports

10 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 28, 2020

Thank you, Abes Former teammate pens farewell to legendary grad Kevin Bailie Contributor Kevin Bailie, ArtSci ’16, Law ’19, writes a thank-you letter to his long-time friend, teammate, co-worker, and soon-to-be fellow alum, Spencer Abraham—an individual widely regarded as the best defenceman in Queen’s Varsity Hockey history.

I don’t think I need to spend much time convincing any readers that Queen’s University is full of special people and alumni.

Chances are that if you’re seeing this, you’re one of them.

Students in Kingston have the privilege of rubbing shoulders with a countless number of brilliant and beautiful human beings from every corner of the globe—from Nobel Prize Laureates, to Olympians, to military veterans, to social movement leaders, to astronauts and beyond.

Personally, I enjoyed hearing everyone’s unique stories and seeing how they used those experiences to add another distinct fingerprint to a community which is, in my humble opinion, the greatest student experience our country has to offer.

If I was given the chance, I would gladly give each and every one of you the public

recognition you deserve. But today, I’m here to give praise to somebody I, and a tremendous number of others, owe a lot to.

Spencer Abraham.

When Spencer arrived on campus in September, 2014, we knew we were getting an extremely talented athlete who was also respected for being an outstanding person.

What we didn’t know was that we had just received an individual who would end up being arguably one of the greatest contributors to the reputation, development, and success of Queen’s Athletics of the decade.

Spencer, I watched you day in and day out dedicate every fibre in your being to becoming the best student and athlete you possibly could, unapologetically pursuing your goals with class and passion.

As you wrap up your final semester, I thought it’s only fitting that you should receive this graduation gift—a small token of collective appreciation from the teammates, students and institution you inspired and gave your whole self to for six years.

So, Abes, thank you.

Thank you for deciding to come to Queen’s, showing the hockey world that academics and athletics aren’t mutually exclusive.

Thank you for your quirky humour, giving us all that well-timed laugh when it was needed most.

Thank you for turning down professional contracts every summer, prioritizing your education and the special program you were in the midst of building here.

Thank you for your leadership and

Wiercigroch guides Gaels

Quirky outside hitter provides role model for rookies Julia Ranney Contributor Three years ago, Julia Wiercigroch had a dream to take the Queen’s women’s volleyball program to new heights.

Now, she’s leading the way for Queen’s to win its first OUA championship since 2012.

“When I came in, we were OUA underdogs.

We made playoffs but hardly got past the first round,” Wiercigroch said in an interview with The Journal.

After her first season, she became a

PHOTO BY ROBIN KASEM

dominant member of the starting lineup and developed into one of the OUAs top rookies. Now at the end of her third year, the co-captain’s leadership and determination has made it possible for the Gaels to take down big names like the University of Toronto and Western University.

Her athletic resume boasts being the OUA East Division Rookie of the Year and an OUA Second Team All-Star in 2018, as well as being named to the U SPORTS All-Rookie team. After her first year she was in the OUA top 20 for kills per set (2.65), hitting percentage (0.204), and points per set (3.1).

“At first I wanted to work hard and be open to feedback,” says Wiercigroch. “Now I want to prove to the OUA that Queen’s is a force to be reckoned with.”

Queen's Head Coach Ryan Ratushniak

Captain Abraham raises the Queen's Cup for the first time in a long

community service, demonstrating that people with a platform should use it for a greater good.

Thank you for taking on “too much,” epitomizing the pursuit of personal excellence and proving that mental capacity truly is a state of mind.

Thank you for having the intestinal fortitude to attempt a backhand toe-drag against the Canadian World Junior team, netting a historic shootout winner that still gives me goosebumps to this day.

Thank you for not only choosing a legal education, but for starting your career at Stikeman Elliott, providing us with an opportunity to continue our collaborative success well into the future.

Thank you for each of your 117 regular season points as a Gael, surpassing an

knew she would make an instant impact after watching her at the 2017 Canada Games.

“A dedicated and engaged player like Julia who gives her all in every situation is going to end up a success,” says Ratushniak. “She’s competitive, pushes herself to be her best, and is a special part of our leadership team.”

Although Wiercigroch is aware her hustle has earned her respect, she credits Ratushniak for allowing her to grow both on and off the court.

“Ryan gave me an opportunity to earn my spot, but it’s more than that. It’s about contributing on the court and getting wins, but also setting standards for a positive team culture.”

Gaels rookie Ella Mickelberry is in full agreement.

“As a captain, she is pushing everyone to be their best and taught me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it,” said Mickelberry to The Journal. “She’s so welcoming and is one of the most supportive

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

equally amazing person in Aaron Fransen and breaking the all-time defensive scoring record in our program’s 134-year history.

Thank you for being the first captain to raise the Queen’s Cup in 38 years—at home and in front of a sold-out crowd, just how you drew it up, right?

Thank you to your parents, Gary and Kim, and brothers, Brayden and Bryce, for raising a man of such incredible character.

And finally, thank you for the tears in my eyes every time I recall the lifelong memories you’ve provided us all with.

Sincerely, Queen’s University and encouraging teammates I’ve ever played with.”

This success hasn’t come without struggles. As an engineering student, it can be a challenge to balance her punishing academic schedule with the demands of being a varsity athlete. Luckily for Wiercigroch, she’s found an interesting hobby.

“I tame squirrels,” explains Wiercigroch.

“It was the summer before grade 12, and I thought it might be fun to try to tame one who came to my house by giving it peanuts.

It kept coming back and was super calm—it still comes to my house to this day!”

Wiercigroch continued this hobby into the summer before her second year at Queen’s. She was in Kingston working for a professor, and on lunch breaks she would improve her coding skills while feeding the local squirrels. It was then that she spotted the famous ‘Golden Squirrel.’

Read the rest online: queensjournal.ca/sports

A rts

Friday, February 28, 2020

queensjournal.ca

Refreshingly Biblical played at the Alibi on Feb. 27.

Queen’s chapter of MSF raises money through music Nathan Gallagher Staff Writer

The Queen’s chapter of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) is losing sleep—literally—for their commitment to their cause.

The event, called Rockters Without Borders, is taking place at the Alibi. It started at 6 p.m. on Thursday night and will continue until 6 p.m. on Friday, with all proceeds going to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a charity that helps provide medical assistance to people in conflict zones and places affected by endemic disease.

Rockters Without Borders features more than 20 musical performances by local Kingston artists and Queen’s student bands, each of which are eager to rise to the challenge to stay up all night to support a good cause.

All proceeds from ticket sales will go to MSF. The Journal spoke to Febri Kurniawan (ArtSci ’20), one of the event coordinators with Friends of MSF, about the challenges and the excitement of putting together a 24-hour-long event.

Kurniawan explained that while this isn’t the first Rockters Without Borders event, it’s the first to run for this length of time.

“We were looking at venues to hold this event and we came across the Alibi where the owner Bruce [Davis] had this idea of having a 24-hour concert,” Kurniawan said in an interview.

“The biggest challenge would have to be […] finding artists who were willing to play at 3 a.m. or at 5 a.m. because it’s just such an odd time,” Kurniawan said. “But a

Friends of Médecins Sans Frontières hosts all-nighter charity concert lot of the Kingston community did reach out to us.”

The 24-hour concert—or, more accurately, an array of 20-plus concerts strung together—is being carried out one act after another, without the aid of lengthy intermissions.

“It’s just pure music live,” Kurniawan told The Journal.

There will be a mixture of musical styles as different as jazz, acapella, electronic,

Refreshingly Biblical.

and rock, among others.

Kurniawan hopes the event will allow people will experience great music and learn more about what MSF does.

“I find that most people know Doctors Without Borders, but they don’t really know what they’re doing currently,” continued Kurniawan. “ T h ey ’ re st i l l p ro m o t i n g their campaign, No Tears

SUPPLIED BY REFRESHINGLY BIBLICAL

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SUPPLIED BY REFRESHINGLY BIBLICAL

Left to Cry.” No Tears Left to Cry is a mission intended to compel the multinational company Johnson & Johnson to lower the cost of bedaquiline, a breakthrough drug in the treatment of tuberculosis.

The Journal also spoke to Refreshingly Biblical, a Queen’s student band that played at 11 p.m. on Thursday night.

The group is an alternative rock group that got their start playing Radiohead covers, but are now starting to mix together and perform more original work.

Thomas Wright, a third-year mechanical engineering student and one of the group’s guitarists, talked about how they got involved with the event and what it’s like for student bands attempting to gain more traction.

Wright said Refreshingly Biblical booked this gig the same way they’ve booked many others: by responding to a post on the popular student Facebook group, Overheard at Queen’s.

“A lot of the time people will post on Overhead saying, ‘Hey, we need a band for this.’ That’s how we wind up booking a lot of our shows.” Wright said.

He continued, “It’s a great way to make a name for yourself.

I always recommend it to anyone who’s talking about forming a band. It’s a great piece of advice to not be afraid to put yourself out there.”

The Rockters Without Borders concert is an example of a diverse group of people coming together to support a charitable cause.

While hosting a 24-hour concert is a first for Friends of MSF, and is no easy task, the Kingston community has clearly risen to the challenge.

Arts

12 • queensjournal.ca

Canadian screenwriter talks creative process ahead of Kingston Canadian Film Festival

Friday, February 28, 2020

Winter Tekenos-Levy is proud of Canadian television

Claudia Rupnik Staff Writer

Canadian TV is thriving, according to prominent Canadian television writer and story editor Winter Tekenos-Levy.

In recent years, she’s written for the Emmy-nominated Schitt’s Creek, the critically-acclaimed Kim’s Convenience, and long-running show This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

In 2018, she was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for her writing on CTV’s The Beaverton, as well as earning two nominations at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival (KCFF) in the category for Writing, Variety or Sketch.

“A movie seems so crazy to me, I like the world of TV—that it’s a continuing thing that evolves over time,” Tekenos-Levy said in an interview with The Journal.

She will be in attendance for the

Winter Tekenos-Levy (bottom right) talks writing for Canadian TV.

Behind the Scenes panel discussion at KCFF on March 14, where she will discuss the ups and downs of the creative process, building a career in Canada, and what it’s like to bring characters to life.

“For first-timers, [writing a script] can be daunting,” she said.

“If you don’t want to quit after your first draft, you’re not doing it right.

It’s always horrendously bad and it never gets easier. My advice is, don’t worry about it.”

Placeholders jam their way to the top of the Kingston music scene

Local band makes their mark on funk Julia Harmsworth Staff Writer

Local funk band Placeholders hopes to bring light to new artists and have an impact on Kingston’s soul and funk scenes.

The band has two local shows coming up: the Rockters Without Borders 24-Hour Charity Concert at the Alibi on Feb. 27 and 28, and another at BLUMartini on March 7, which will feature Queen’s band MINT. Playing a mix of funk, neo-soul, and jazz music, Placeholders’ members don’t allow themselves to be defined by any one genre. Instead, they prefer to switch up their music to keep things exciting for both the audience and themselves. Their sets include adapting covers of other artists’ work to the band’s unique sound.

“We like to play songs that are kind of popular—we put a bit of a spin on some songs. We really like to open things up and jam,” bassist Greg Ivens said.

Placeholders is made up of eight local Kingston artists: Reid Cunningham on lead vocals, Nicholas Lennox on saxophone, Mike McKitrick on keys, Dylan Lodge on guitar, Nicolas Pacheco on trombone, Ryan Stilwell on drums, Brittany Smith on vocals, and Ivens on bass.

Many of the members studied

music at Queen’s. Ivens graduated with a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education in 2018, Pacheco earned a master’s degree in Arts Leadership in 2019, and Lennox just finished his Bachelor of Music and is currently earning a Bachelor of Education.

“That’s how a lot of us got to meet each other. I was able to find the guys that I really loved playing music with and build a group around that,” Ivens said.

The band has been growing steadily since their start in September 2019. They recently recorded two singles that will be released in the near future.

The band’s name came about by accident. When opening for a Toronto band early in their career, the group didn’t have a name to give promoters.

Panicked, they chose to submit ‘Placeholders’ while trying to figure out what name they’d choose permanently. Ultimately, Placeholders stuck as their name.

When asked what he enjoys most about performing with Placeholders, Ivens discussed the bond he has with his bandmates.

“My biggest philosophy in playing music is that you need to be able to hang out and chill with the people that you’re playing with outside of the context of music, so that when you’re playing music in a live setting, you can read each other,” Ivens said.

“We have so much fun opening up and jamming on stage. We’re able to just get funny, go on stage,

This piece of wisdom comes as a reflection of her own journey into the television industry, which started here in Kingston.

Before she even knew that writing for television was an option, she was a student at Frontenac Secondary School, an institution that lacked significant arts programming.

“I took calculus, which is insane because I’m so bad at math. In high school, to be cool, you have to be good at math and science—that’s the hot thing.”

She was convinced that

pursuing an arts degree would be a waste of time, so she enrolled in the commerce program at the University of British Columbia.

After her first semester, she changed her mind.

“That was the first bold choice: do the thing that makes you happy,” she said.

“I was [in commerce] because it’s what you’re fed—to always take the thing that’s going to equal more money.”

After finishing an undergraduate degree in the arts, she completed a one-year Television Writing

Placeholders played at the Alibi on Feb. 27.

get weird, and play some music.”

Ivens also noted the gap in Kingston’s funk music scene that the band hopes to fill.

“Kingston doesn’t necessarily have a large pocket of musicians that are playing funk music with a horn section.”

“We were fortunate enough to be like-minded individuals who were interested in that type of music but also had the skill sets to back up their playing [...] We want to directly try and make an impact on the soul and funk scene in Kingston.”

In the future, Placeholders aims to begin playing summer festivals.

Ivens hopes that this exposure and experience will help the band build their performance as a whole.

Queen’s students may also be seeing a lot more of Placeholders soon.

“We always have a lot of fun playing events at Queen’s and we’re really gonna try to start playing more in the Queen’s circuit,” Ivens said.

SUPPLIED BY WINTER TEKENOS-LEVY

and Producing program at Humber College before interning at Bell Media and working as a production assistant.

“I was reading other scripts and thinking they weren’t very good and that I could do that.

I still wasn’t sure if I was funny or if I could write a funny script, but I knew I was interested.”

Eventually, she decided to become a freelance writer.

“The courage to be like, ‘Now I’m actually freelance and I do my own thing’ took years.”

Now she’s writing a pilot for a sitcom inspired by her experience working as a babysitter in her twenties for the ultra-rich.

Unlike the process of writing for a network television series, she’s the only writer developing the script for this project.

“You’d think [writing alone] would be more fun because of the control, but I really prefer working with people,” Tekenos-Levy said.

“For comedy, you want the richness of everyone’s experiences, you want to hear everyone’s voice. My one brain isn’t going to generate the funniest thing.”

She’s proud that young people are growing up and watching some successful Canadian comedies on television, especially those who are interested in working in the industry one day.

“Doing anything in the arts is a bit of a risk, but there’s lots of good stuff here [in Canada] to sink your teeth into.”

FROM PLACEHOLDERS ’ FACEBOOK

LIFESTYLE

Friday, February 28, 2019

queensjournal.ca

•13

Lifestyle STUDENT LIFE

The history of spring break ILLUSTRATION

BY XINYUAN HU

From Fort Lauderdale swim meets to the rise of the all-inclusive Iona Cleave Contributor The notorious, highly anticipated, and relatively new tradition of spring break (known as Reading Week at many Canadian schools) has become a symbol of North American university life.

For sleep-deprived, vitamin D-deficient university students facing midterms and low Canadian temperatures, this break never comes soon enough.

Though it may seem like nothing more than an academic tradition meant to thwart mass student burnout, the history behind this yearly phenomenon is

far more colourful.

According to Time magazine, the origin of spring break can be traced back to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the 1930s. In 1936, one college coach decided to train his swim team in the city’s new Olympic-size swimming pool—the first one in Florida—which quickly lead to a nationwide tradition for college swimmers. After a swim forum was established two years later, swim teams gathered at this destination yearly, and soon, the time and place became equated with partying.

This tradition continued into the 1960s, and even inspired the 1960 coming-of-age film Where the Boys Are. The film follows four college girls’ spring break trip to Fort Lauderdale as the attempt to have fun-filled beach romances and engage in wild behaviour.

After that, Fort Lauderdale became widely characterized as a crazy and untameable wonderland for young people. By the 1980s,

STUDENT STORIES

hundreds of thousands of inspired students were descending upon the city, causing trouble and gaining a bad reputation.

Predictably, after a particularly rowdy year and thousands of arrests in 1985, the city worked to shut spring break partying culture down. The municipality implemented anti-drinking laws and made a public announcement to warn students they were no longer welcome.

Despite this, the concept of spring break lived on and spread to other destinations eager to welcome an influx of happy, drunk, money-spending university students.

Spring break culture hit screens through the TV show MTV Spring Break in the 1990s and early 2000s, epitomizing teenage fantasies of sex, drinking, and partying in excess.

The program’s usual spectacle involved artists such as NSYNC and Destiny’s Child in short shorts

Five days of living waste-free as a student A Journal staffer shares the findings of her zero-waste challenge Jodie Grieve Assistant Photo Editor It’s a confusing time to be environmentally conscious as a Canadian.

For one, our country has declared a climate emergency, but also just agreed to expand a damaging pipeline. On top of that, we’re always facing the underlying responsibility to do our part as citizens and consumers, which can be an overwhelming and intimidating task.

Though it’s become the norm to hoard reusable cups and go thrift shopping, many of us are left wondering if we’re doing enough to salvage the planet in our daily lives. As someone experiences the common phenomenon known as climate grief, I recently decided to use my anxiety about the future of Earth as a call to action.

Packing my lunch in

Tupperware containers, avoiding fast fashion, and reducing my meat consumption have been some of the more common ways I’ve tried to reduce my personal waste.

But since watching a few videos about going zero-waste, I’ve often wondered how feasible that habit would be on a student schedule and budget. The zero-waste lifestyle entails a closed-loop system, where you reduce your waste exponentially, reuse what you can, and compost.

So I set out to live as waste-free as possible for a full week at Queen’s, trying to avoid even recyclables and food waste as much as I could. Here are a few struggles and triumphs of the week I spent living waste-free.

Monday (Day 1)

In classic university student fashion, on Monday night I made a giant batch of pasta to eat for dinner all week.

Since most easily-accessible meat comes in packaging, this week’s sauce was vegetarian and packed with carrots, celery, and onion. Buying my vegetables from

the bulk section of the grocery store and my pasta from Bulk Barn in a reusable jar made this meal essentially waste-free.

My first piece of (mostly) unavoidable waste was the empty tomato sauce jar, which has officially become my bulk rice jar for the next time I need rice. While I could have roasted and blended bulk tomatoes to prepare my sauce, being on time for my night class was my priority.

Tuesday (Day 2)

By day two, I was craving snacks. I hadn’t thought about anything but my meals when I did my weekly shop, so a trip to Bulk Barn with two cleaned-out sauce jars was in order.

Cramming one jar full of fruit gummies and another full of jalapeño Cheetos, I realized another piece of waste was about to come my way. My items were weighed out, and as I tapped my card, I heard those all-too-familiar words: “Would you like the receipt?”

Knowing the machine would print a receipt off even if I said no, I glumly tossed it in my backpack.

and tight tank tops performing to crowds of screaming students, while women took their tops off.

Activities included bikini contests, whipped cream fights and body-shaking competitions.

After almost decades of this hit MTV show on air, spring break has become synonymous with drinking, swimming, and sunshine.

The Canadian version of this holiday isn’t too different from its Florida origins: hazy, drink-filled, sunny days on the beach. For a typical Canadian university student, particularly in their final year of school, the break involves EDM, posting Instagram stories, and screaming while spraying beers in an attempt to get onto Canadian Party Life.

Warmer cities like Cancún and Panama City welcome this tide of students year after year.

However, today, unlike back in Fort Lauderdale, students are now largely contained within all-inclusive resorts.

Wednesday (Day 3)

By Wednesday, I was already getting tired of my pasta—and tired of this challenge. The receipt and the jar were deterrent enough that I wanted to call it quits.

I left the house in a rush, not having time to make coffee with my drip machine and reusable coffee filter.

After class, I rushed to The Brew and searched my bag for the coffee tumbler I thought I’d tossed

All-inclusive vacation packages—preferred by most student spring break vacationers—boast unlimited drinks, so-so food, and shared rooms. In some cases, transportation is even thrown into the package. It’s all about no-hassle, stress-free booking.

It’s a win for the students and a win for the cities: throwing students into an enclosed space is a clever solution to avoiding a Fort Lauderdale-type fiasco.

For many students, this week isn’t an opportunity for studying and re-energizing for the rest of semester. Instead, it’s a chance to laze by the beach or the pool with a cocktail in hand—an homage to the break’s Fort Lauderdale origins.

So, here’s to the Reading Week which, for many, involves no reading at all. And to all of you returning from the break, hopefully you got the relaxation you deserve. in to grab a coffee on campus after.

Realizing it wasn’t there, I spent a moment wondering if anyone would really know if I just got a coffee anyway.

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

LIFESTYLE

14• queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 28, 2019

MOVIE REVIEW

To All the Boys sequel delivers for viewers The film isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s a sweet fantasy Ally Mastantuono Lifestyle Editor To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You is nothing if not charmingly predictable.

So, even when protagonist Lara Jean glumly slips her perfect, paper quilled Valentine’s Day card into her bag instead of gifting it to her boyfriend, Peter—the first sign of trouble in their shiny new relationship—there’s no question that all their problems will be solved by the time the credits roll.

In the original, Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Korean-American teen Lara Jean (Lana Condor) begins fake-dating

“

high school king Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) after all the secret love letters she’s written to boys are delivered without her knowledge, including the one addressed to him. Their plan is simple, if silly: she dates him so that her sister’s ex-boyfriend—another recipient of one of her love letters—is thrown off her trail. Peter dates Lara Jean to make his ex-girlfriend jealous.

But of course, somewhere along the way, the two fall in love.

Chances are, you’ve already watched the first film, released in 2018. It remains one of the platform’s biggest success stories, at least in terms of young adult viewership. But if you want to dip straight into the sequel, Lara Jean’s little sister also offers a great recap in the newest film when she attempts to impress the sisters’ moody, phone-obsessed cousin at a family gathering.

“That’s cool, actually,” the cousin concedes after hearing how Lara Jean and Peter fell in love. The sisters fist bump. And

somewhere, I’m sure, the film’s producers pat themselves on the back for their hit love story—one that set things up for a few money-making sequels.

In the sequel, To All the Boys tackles what happens after the happily-ever-after.

ILLUSTRATION BY ELISE NGO And since no film, The sequel's storyline fails to live up to that of its predecessor. and no relationship, is without conflict, it isn’t long after pick things up where they left off first film spent almost its entire the couple promises to never in sixth grade—which, though runtime proving that Peter is break each other's hearts that they the film tries to make their young the perfect guy, peddling him begin to—you guessed it—break love seem earth-shattering, was as a bit of a jerk is a hard sell each other’s hearts. reading Harry Potter books in for viewers.

The linchpin of the sequel a treehouse. is that one of the love letter Lara Jean’s time with John recipients, John Ambrose (Jordan Ambrose, combined with her Fisher), sends a letter back to Lara dwindling faith in her relationship Jean. Though she doesn’t reply, with Peter, leads her to question fate intervenes and the two end whether she and her new up volunteering at the same ritzy boyfriend will last. retirement home. John, unaware The love triangle is a familiar of Lara Jean’s relationship with rom-com trope, but this one’s his old buddy Peter, is ready to a little difficult to buy. Since the

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

Why we’re done complaining

Two Journal staffers on campus attitudes toward racial minorities Aysha Tabassum & Sydney Ko Journal Staff “I’m still angry after 19 years on Earth.

I’m angry every time someone has a conversation with my chest, or asks if my parents—who I assume they envision as Islamic tyrants—would be okay with me dressing provocatively. I’m angry every time I look at the sea of white faces surrounding me and question if I deserve anything I have, or if I’m just a token representing slow and meaningless change.

I’ll always be angry. I just wish people would stop mistaking my anger for misery.

For most of my life, coping with this anger involved me staying silent in an effort to convince myself that the oppression I faced only existed in my own head.

I came to Queen’s because I thought it would end my anger.

I hoped immersing myself in a backwards-thinking university would prepare me for a lifetime of charging forward despite insurmountable barriers in my path.

Being thrown into this conservative environment drove me to accept that my anger didn’t make me a ‘complainer.’ It meant that I needed and deserved change, and it was a relief to admit that to myself.

Instead of staying quiet, I decided to write articles, participate in debates, and funnel all my energy into convincing my peers to care about issues of race.

But that’s worn me down too.

Every plea dissolves into a conversation that ends with a peer equating their struggles with mine—those that come with being queer, a woman, and low-income—without realizing the impact of those identities intersecting with having brown skin. Worse, I’ve faced blatant racism and xenophobia, with people accusing me of pointing fingers when all I want is to be able to occupy the same space as my privileged peers.

It’s pointless to debate people when they’ve already made up their minds about anyone who dares to complain.

So I’m done complaining.

My anger will remain behind closed doors with people I know and trust, who encompass the same range of identities and/or possess an ounce of empathy.

That doesn’t mean for a second that I’ve diminished the power of rage.

It just means that, for me, this power is best harnessed a m o n g those who

understand it, too.”

—Aysha Tabassum, Opinions Editor

“Queen’s was a strange place to me when I first arrived in September 2018. I was overwhelmed by the people, the slang, the traditions, and the pop culture references. I often found myself looking at my peers in confusion. Thankfully, they often stopped to explain what was going on or being said.

As a student born and raised in Taiwan, I felt the need to fit in and was often uncomfortable with conversations revolving around where I come from, the country’s

political uncertainties, and my struggles with my Taiwanese identity. Then, my race started to be brought up in lectures and in conversations I had with my friends.

It started with my friends telling jokes based on Asian stereotypes.

As lighthearted as these jokes were, these stereotypes slowly began alienate me from my peers.

It felt like my racial identity was the only thing that defined me.

A part of me wanted to laugh it all off and pretend that what they said was a proper representation of who I am. But I wouldn’t be writing this if I were able to suppress my feelings.

I spoke up and, for once, our conversations no longer revolved

ILLUSTRATION BY ROWAN LACROIX

”

around how Asians are bad drivers or make weird food.

Cafeteria conversations suddenly revolved around politics in Asia and stigma surrounding Asians in pop culture.

This year, I felt the most empowered following the controversy at Queen’s that targeted the Asian community.

The Coronavirus-themed party was controversial. It was uncalled for and has had a massive, negative impact, but a part of me can’t help but feel relieved it happened because it started dialogue. My people started conversations—and they were loud.

I felt empowered because the Asian community rarely expresses anger and discomfort with such intensity. For once, everyone was ready to be uncomfortable and talk about problems on campus.

The micro-aggressions piled high enough to finally be expressed.

It may seem like we’ve exhausted the topic of racism on campus, but I don’t think I’ll ever stop having these conversations with those like me who are affected by it.

The incident didn’t just validate my feelings—it also showed me that I’m not alone. I’m surrounded by a community of people who feel the same way I do.

There’s nothing more empowering than knowing you’re not alone, especially when home is a 16-hour flight away. I’m done complaining, but I’ll never stop having important conversations.”

—Sydney Ko, Assistant News Editor

LIFESTYLE

Friday, February 28, 2020

queensjournal.ca

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QJ PLAYLIST

The Journal’s winter 2020 playlist

ILLUSTRATION BY AMELIA RANKINE

Songs for braving the cold—or avoiding it altogether Tegwyn Hughes Assistant Lifestyle Editor

I tried to make this season’s playlist applicable to everyone—I really did. But if you were to take a look at my Spotify history this winter, you’d see that I’ve just been listening to the same three lo-fi acoustic indie albums on repeat while lying in bed and waiting for spring.

My post-holiday winter blues inspired a lot of my music choices this season, but don’t assume that means this playlist will make you feel sad. Melancholy songs can be just as enjoyable as upbeat ones, so I hope this collection of

introspective tracks keeps you company throughout the final dreary weeks of winter.

Most of the tracks on this playlist are considered “bedroom pop,” with DIY sound-mixing and unsophisticated equipment.

But, just like a disposable film camera, the imperfections in the songs help to make them all the more enjoyable.

So enjoy these intimate, cozy songs the next time you want to sleep the winter blues away or stare out the bus window pretending you’re in a teen movie.

You’ve earned it.

“Show Me How” by Men I Trust

Men I Trust is a Canadian band that originated in Montreal in 2014.

The group’s grown impressively in the past six years, and they even performed at both Coachella and Lollapalooza last year. Their music can be best described as dreamy

indie, and their 2018 single “Show Me How” is no exception to this rule.

This track’s dreamy vocals pair so well with its strong instrumentals that you’ll find yourself nodding along to the slow beat instinctively. The song’s minimal lyrics match its surreal vibes perfectly, too.

The first verse embodies this theme right away, when vocalist and guitarist Emma Proulx sings, “Show me how you care / Tell me how you were loved before / Show me how you smile / Tell me why your hands are cold.”

“Drifting Away” by khai dreams

If I had to pick any song on this playlist to perfectly encapsulate the feeling of nostalgia, it would be “Drifting Away.” From khai dreams’ 2017 album Summer Is Like a Dream, this song is characteristic of the singer-songwriter’s balanced blend of R&B and lo-fi indie vibes, drifting seamlessly between melodic chorus and

CULTURAL COMMENTARY

contemplative prose.

The lyrics, written to the singer’s love interest, capture the feeling of wanting to freeze a moment in time forever, with lines like, “If it's all just a dream / Then I don't ever want to wake up,” and “Now I just want me and you / To watch the sun set just soak in the view.”

These lyrics are rife with images of summer breezes and fading skies, which are sure to double your longing for warmer weather.

What makes this song so fun are the little instrumental quirks and samples popping up in the background of the song. Once you’ve heard the song a couple times and get past the amazing vocals, you’ll start to notice the twangs and peeps—for lack of better descriptors—that make this song so fun to play on a loop.

“Blueberry Skies” by Audrey Mika

This artist, who started out on YouTube covering artists like Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, has grown her following in the last few years after beginning to release her own material. “Blueberry

Reflecting on the Disney channel’s problematic past How childhood favourites furthered biases Martha Hillen Contributor

It’s not news that Disney’s older princess films can be broken down with one anti-patriarchal punch. However, even the shows we grew up watching reflect worrisome trends.

Tokenism and advancement of stereotypes are recurring themes in many of these shows, apparent in the casting of many shows’ characters.

Routinely, these shows endorsed the body-shaming of token characters. This is

extremely evident on The Suite Life on Deck, where Woody, played by Matthew Timmons, was regularly the punchline of weight jokes. In a similar fashion, Kirby the security guard was critiqued for his lack of exercise, over-eating, and body shape in general. What was a favourite show for many young kids may have had an impact on the way people see body weight now.

Like many others, I was quick to subscribe to the streaming service Disney+ when it was released this past November.

My first few shameless benders were dedicated to revisiting Disney Channel favourites from my childhood. After making my way through these shows, I started to notice some underlying themes I found problematic: tokenism, stereotyping, and toxic masculinity. When reflecting on these concerning patterns in the television shows, I couldn’t help but wonder how these childhood staples The Disney Channel's older shows reflect problematic trends. shaped our generation.

Tokenism is equally evident when you look at the Disney Channel’s casting of people of colour. Most main characters were white, while side characters who weren’t white were depicted through extreme stereotypes about racialized people.

Esteban of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody embodied Hispanic stereotypes with five middle names and a thick Spanish accent that was

Skies” comes from Mika’s 2019 EP Level Up, which the singer revealed in a Paper Magazine interview she produced herself on GarageBand.

Despite the low production value, “Blueberry Skies” still flows beautifully, both in its inspiring lyrics and simple acoustic instrumentals. The song is about personal growth and perseverance, and it really shows, considering Mika made the entire thing herself.

Lyrics like, “Was at an ultimate low point / So grateful that I was put there / Because then I wouldn't be where I am now,” are poetic on their own but truly shine when Mika sings them, the emotion evident in her voice.

“Mindwinder” by Cuco

“Mindwinder,” off 2016 mixtape Wannabewithu by artist Cuco (Omar Banos), which was self-released when Banos was only 16, is one of the sadder songs in this season’s mix. The track may be under two minutes, but it still manages to capture so much emotion in such a short period, describing the singer’s struggles with a failed relationship.

Banos sings, “I poured my feelings / And I thought you felt it / Now nothing's changed / I really regret this.” These lyrics, simple as they are, perfectly encapsulate heartbreak in mere seconds.

The song’s length makes it an interlude in the mixtape, but when listened to as a standalone track, and even played a couple of times on repeat, its sadness is even more apparent. regularly ridiculed. Ravi’s character on Jessie was built on stereotypes about Indian people, acting as the nerd of the cast and even owning a giant Asian Water Monitor lizard as a pet.

Across the network, Disney placed the same stereotypes on the few people of colour they included. Black women and girls validated stereotypes like the “sassy Black girl” in shows such as That’s So Raven and Good Luck Charlie. With so few non-white characters on TV already, writing them based on stereotypes can create damaging public perceptions of race, especially for susceptible viewers like children.

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

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AMELIA RANKINE

16• queensjournal.ca

Friday, February 28, 2020

POSTSCRIPT

Our failure to acknowledge different perspectives sets back our progress

Pravieena believes that complacency isn't only a Queen's issue, but a global one.

Pravieena Gnanakumar Staff Writer

passionate people. The Dons I worked with were dedicated to fostering a safe, educational environment geared toward social change and advocacy work.

Then the racist party of 2016 happened. I was shocked when I saw photos of students actively participating in cultural appropriation. I’d surrounded myself with so many thoughtful people at Queens, which also meant I’d been living in a bubble of naivety—I assumed that everyone was like those thoughtful peers.

When I was in my final year of high school at a diverse school, I remember telling my friends I was planning to accept my offer to Queen’s. I was instantly told about the university’s stereotypes: that it’s a snooty school that’s predominantly white. I brushed off these comments and refused to let my friends kill my vibe—I was excited to attend a school that had such a beautiful campus, and that embraced traditions and community.

Then, I went on to complete my first year at the Bader International Study Centre (BISC) in the UK. I distinctly remember feeling out of place—there weren’t many students who looked like me. It didn’t prove an issue for me though, since our mandatory BISC courses focused significantly on culture and community. While the castle wasn’t a perfect experience, I met some of my best friends at the BISC. The next year, all 100 or so of us in first year at BISC came to Kingston. Here, we split into cliques. I was a Don in my second year and, as I met other Dons, I encountered some really nice,

The incident reminded me of my high school friends’ comments about Queen’s stereotypes. The University started making national headlines. My family members in the GTA started texting me to ask what was going on, and if I was okay.

In that moment, I didn’t know if I was okay. I reminded myself the party was wrong, and as a self-proclaimed optimist at the time, I challenged myself to speak up using social media.

I shared Facebook posts that condemned the students’ actions, supported my residents and peers, and talked to the Residence Outreach Counsellor.

That same year, a student called me an “exotic mitt” on social media. For those who don’t know, those are two deeply offensive words. "Exotic” was presumably referring to my Sri Lankan background, whereas “mitt” is a horrible derogatory term used to describe women. I barely knew this student and had no public presence on campus, so I couldn’t understand why he did it.

Over time, my complacency about campus advocacy has transformed into a desire for change

I’d been living in a “ bubble of naivety [...] ”

During the next few years of my undergraduate degree, I noticed that these hate-fueled issues on campus were becoming increasingly frequent. With each of these instances on campus, I felt more and more hopeless.

When Jordan Peterson came to campus in 2018, I found myself disagreeing with those who protested him. I wondered why we couldn’t have peaceful conversations to educate each other on different perspectives. I remember thinking at the time that Jordan Peterson had every right to speak about what he believed in— free speech is an essential right.

But the more people talked about his speech, the more uneasy I felt. I realized that, no matter how important free speech is, I didn’t know the other side of the story to the true extent—that basic human rights were being dismissed based on discrimination against people with different gender identities.

I based my opinion on what I was initially hearing: complaints about protestors and people being “too sensitive.”

As a result, I began to surround myself with people who had differing opinions about the protests and the speech. I used to think of it as seeing “both sides of the coin” until I realized that there are actually more than two sides to every story.

This comes up all too often in my studies as a global development and gender studies student. When I tell people what I’m studying, they either give me a blank stare or ask me about my job prospects.

But I also encounter a handful of those who ask: “So, are you going to change the world?”

This question has always bothered me. One person can’t change the world, especially

when we constantly finding ourselves divided.

I see it on campus all the time: when we disagree with each other, we decide to argue about it on the Internet. I’m guilty of this, too.

After the Coronavirus-themed party, I felt a sense of hopelessness once again. We’re one of the most prestigious schools in the country, the admission process is supposedly competitive, and yet we’ve made national news for hosting racially insensitive costume parties more than once?

I decided to use the Facebook to showcase my resistance and frustration. I posed the question, “Why are y’all so racist?” to the 30,000-member group, Overheard at Queen’s. I sincerely wanted answers. More than 700 people expressed similar feelings in the comments or by liking the post, but a large amount of people questioned me. Most of the students were white. It made me even angrier.

White people told me—a brown woman who has experienced racism on campus—that my broad statement implied that Queen’s as a whole is racist. The hypocrisy of that frustrated me.

Of course, I don’t think that everybody is racist at Queen’s.

But I do think that as students, we are often more inclined to be complacent of our school’s racist history, and the gaslighting that occurs on this campus.

“Gaslighting” is when you make somebody feel that their experience isn’t valid enough to turn into a progressive conversation.

A lot of people on campus tend to gaslight others, telling them how they should feel.

I was gaslighted by the students who challenged my question on Facebook. But as a student here,

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

I have every right to question the system that makes me and so many others feel this way.

I have every right to “question the system

that makes me [...] feel this way.

”

As an outspoken student, I’ve been told on numerous occasions to “let go” of certain things or to “accept” opinions different than my own to broaden my horizons.

But the road to broadening my horizons has been made more difficult in the face of adversity, and I know I’m not alone.

When I reflect on my years at Queen’s, I can identify what helped me when I felt like I wasn’t being seen, heard, or validated on campus. Specifically, I joined extracurriculars with anti-oppressive mandates and surrounded myself with students that take part in and support equity initiatives. I made an effort to find people to listen to me and to talk to people who share their differing or similar opinions, without negating my feelings and experiences.

On top of all of this, I adopted the mindset of not expecting to find people that agree with me about everything. I think that would be a boring way of looking at the world.

Complacency isn't just a Queen’s issue. It’s a global one. Our failure to acknowledge different perspectives sets us back as a whole. But listening alone won’t create change either. We have to question the systems that divide us.

We need to collaborate with the people who are willing to listen—the bigger the group, the more perspectives.