The Queen's Journal, Volume 142, Issue 15

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Photos:

pages 10 & 11

Fall sports in review F r i d ay , N o v e m b e r 2 1 , 2 0 1 4 — I s s u e 1 5

the journal Queen’s University — Since 1873

Transgender victims of violence remembered

Feature A new look at study habits

Candlelight vigil calls attention to lack of legal protection

page 3

Arts Coffeehouse explores gender issues page 12

WEATHER

Snow raises winter concerns

Over two dozen people met at Confederation Park to commemorate trans victims of violence.

B y J acob R osen and C hloe S obel Journal Staff On Thursday night, Kingstonians gathered at a Transgender Day of Remembrance candlelight vigil in Confederation Park, commemorating victims of anti-transgender violence. The vigil, hosted by the AMS Education on Queer Issues Project and Reelout Arts Project, followed a Trans* Knowledge Share event on transitioning, which was hosted by Men Who Like Feminism on Tuesday night, and a screening of Laverne Cox’s “The T Word” documentary on Wednesday. Transgender Day of Remembrance is an internationally-observed day for members and supporters of the transgender community to remember victims of anti-transgender violence and harassment. The day began as an extension of a project called “Remember Our Dead”, a website to honour victims

of transgender violence after the murder of Rita Hester in 1998 sparked awareness of the issue. AMS Social Issues Commissioner Emily Wong was one of roughly 30 people gathered in the cold, there to light 71 candles in memory of the confirmed 71 victims of murder this year. “As far as Queen’s goes, I‘d say most students aren’t very aware that these issues exist,” said Wong, ArtSci ’15. “They know that trans people exist, but they don’t realize that someone trans could be in their class and could be going through difficulties with harassment and transition.” Wong said although she’s not a member of the transgender community, she felt it was important to show support at the vigil “because this is a community that is fairly marginalized, even within the queer community”. “This is a community that might be more invisible than people who are visible minorities,” she said. “People don’t really know that

PHOTO BY JACOB ROSEN

these issues really exist.” The list of victims was read, along with a prayer, by Kingston United Church minister Ruth Wood. “People just have so much trouble understanding how somebody can be [transgender]. We’re born that way so it’s not something that we choose it’s just who we are,” Wood told the Journal. Canada doesn’t have federal legal protection against discrimination based on gender identity, an issue focused on as part of the vigil. Bill C-279 would amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to include gender identity as a prohibited ground of discrimination and the Criminal Code to include gender identity as a protected distinguishing characteristic and an aggravating circumstance to be taken into consideration during sentencing of an offender. The bill has been before the Senate for more than a year, despite having been passed by the House of Commons in 2013. Kingston See No on page 7

Peter Stroud hopes to increase priority of sidewalk clearing in Sydenham B y N atasa B ansagi Assistant News Editor The first snowfall of the year last Sunday is raising questions about winter preparations in the University District. Last winter, ice remained on Kingston and campus streets for months, posing a danger to students. Matthew Barrett, grounds manager at Physical Plant Services (PPS), said both PPS and the City have a snow removal plan in place, adding that PPS has met with the City’s public works operations team to ensure areas are “not overlapping each other.” He said Queen’s “actually kind of figured out [last winter] pretty well”, but City sidewalks surrounding the university “took a beating”. This year, he said, PPS is using additives in the salt that will enable the salt to work at lower temperatures. “We did use it last year but we’ve increased the dosage of it to

the salt to help that reaction time and get it working faster,” he said. “The good thing is it helps you reduce the amount of salt you have to use as well, so it lessens the impact on the environment as well in the areas because salt can be corrosive in areas if you use too much of it.” Barrett added that this winter will see an increase in the monitoring of sidewalks, greater frequency of sidewalk plows, more communication with contractors and the City and more snow removal in high traffic areas. He also wants to educate people on how to handle problem areas in the wintertime. “[W]e’re encouraging students and faculty and staff members that when there is an issue or if they see an area that may have been missed or is slippery, not to tweet it or not to Facebook it but to report it to the Fix It desk at Physical Plant Services so that we can get that area addressed if it’s been missed,” Barrett said. See Stroud on page 6


News

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Friday, November 21, 2014

FEMINISM

Third annual Women’s Worth Week concludes Event will rebrand to WORTH to address intersectional issues B y M ishal O mar Assistant News Editor This

week,

Women’s

Worth

Week (WWW) aimed to highlight issues of gender-based violence and discrimination. WWW was founded by Kate

Maps

AT&T

CLICK BOOK &GO

McCord in 2012 during her third year at Queen’s, to emphasize the importance of discussions on feminism, gender identity and expression. The week featured a different event each night, including a coffeehouse at Musiikki Cafe on Monday evening, a panel on masculinity Tuesday night and a “Gender Across the Disciplines” https://www.google.ca/maps/preview?q=map+of+kingston&ie=UTF-8&... event on Wednesday. WWW also conducted a “Distinctly Beautiful Photo Campaign”, where they asked students what makes them “distinctly beautiful” in order to promote self-esteem and positive PHOTO BY ARWIN CHAN body image. Collective Reflections was present at the open house. The coffee house kicked off the week, and included covers hosted a “Gender Across the be more inclusive. This event will of songs, original songs, and Disciplines” event. The speakers also feature music, a showcase poetry — all performed by students. at this event were Adèle Mercier, of the “distinctly beautiful photo On Tuesday night, panelists a professor in the Department of campaign” video and a speech were asked, “How does the social Philosophy; Deena Salem, who from Kate McCord on the history construct of masculinity play into discussed gender in the field of of WWW. social and political issues?” engineering; and Sean Field, who In following years, WORTH Brittany Moore, chair of WWW, discussed gender in geography. will address issues of gender and said this was in order to include a The event on Thursday their intersection with other facets discussion about the different facets night was an open house in the of identity, such as race, class and of gender. JDUC that showcased resources sexual orientation. “Gender is a spectrum, it’s not on campus and in Kingston that “A lot of these issues are quite two distinct things,” said Moore, promote mental and sexual health intersectional, especially with ArtSci ’16. and gender and sexual diversity. things like mental health, with race, “There are a lot of different The final event will take with people’s past experiences,” variabilities of gender; it’s a very place on Friday in McLaughlin Moore said. fluid thing.” Hall, where WWW will officially Moore said the purpose of the On Wednesday night, WWW rebrand as WORTH in order to week is to raise awareness around the fact that issues like sexism and racism still exist. CORRECTION “It opens up a dialogue and it promotes a safe-space environment, Carolyn Fisher is Sci ’15, not Sci ’16. a lot of times on issues that are maybe sometimes taboo, or that Incorrect information appeared in the Nov. 7 edition of the Journal. The people don’t want to talk about, or Journal regrets the errors. people are ashamed to talk about,” she said.

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FEATURE

PHOTO BY ARWIN CHAN

ACADEMICS

Revising exam study strategies Experts say most common study tactics are the least effective B y M ishal O mar Assistant News Editor Many students focus on rote memorization and cramming to prepare for exams — but these strategies are rarely the most helpful, according to education professor John Kirby. As the December exam period approaches, learning experts say students should prioritize more effective study strategies to better understand the material they learn in class. Students tend to focus on test-taking strategies without actually learning and processing the material given to them, Kirby said, rather than engaging in critical analysis. “[It’s] essentially ‘how can I beat this test? I don’t want to learn anything I don’t have to learn, but I do want to get an A’,” he said. Kirby, a professor emeritus in the Faculty of Education, said students often get stuck on particular study tactics without knowing their purpose. Learning strategies can be divided into techniques that are deep and relational which connect important concepts together, and those that are superficial and rote-memory based, he said. Both types of strategies are important when studying, he added — but if the goal is to achieve higher learning, relational strategies are superior. “The evidence from around the world is that the deeper strategies are associated with higher-level achievement, and with what most universities claim to be about,” he said. “Queen’s doesn’t advertise that if you send your children here, we will teach them how to do multiple-choice questions.” Summarization is one example of an effective relational study strategy, Kirby said, where students read through their textbook or class notes and rephrase them in their own words. Students often reread course material without any pause to self-test, he said, so independent summarization shows students whether they’re truly processing and understanding the information. “Concept-mapping” is another relational strategy. Students should create a visual concept map by

breaking down the content of a course or a reading into small parts, and then connecting concepts to each other. “People who study learning know that most knowledge is relational. Everything is integrated into a network structure,” Kirby said. “This sort of concept mapping makes you do an overview, a plan in a sense, and that plan then gives you a structure for remembering what you’ve got.” Superficial strategies, such as rote memorization, may work in some courses, Kirby said. “They’re better than nothing, because the fundamental part of a study strategy is to figure out what it is you’re trying to learn. You have to figure out what’s important.” Studying in groups, meanwhile, is only effective when done correctly, according to Kirby, as students can often end up being distracted by their peers, rather than learning from them. “At least in early years in the university, there’s not a lot of evidence that studying in groups is a good thing. Some people even said it’s negatively associated with learning,” he said. Despite this, Kirby said study groups that include members with different academic strengths can improve learning and reduce stress. “If you can get a study group together, especially one that has mixed abilities, so one guy has a strength in one thing and one woman has a strength in something else. Not only is that exactly like the workplace people want to move into, but it’s also a great way of teaching,” he said. Students faced with large amounts of weekly readings must prioritize them based on the professor’s focus when studying for exams, Kirby said. “Take a look at the professor and try to figure out what the professor and the course’s main points are.” Elizabeth Parsons, a learning strategist from Student Academic Success Services (SASS) — which helps students with writing, presentations and exam preparation — said students can prioritize information by thinking about what parts of readings will help them prepare for an exam.

“For example, if I’m reading a biology textbook, I need to get the bolded definitions and understand the concepts,” Parsons said. “However, if I’m reading a sociology text, I need to know some of the definitions, but I also need to know some of the big-picture concepts and how things relate and what the themes are.” For content-heavy courses that involve a large amount of memorization, Parsons said students should spread out their study time — ideally over three to five days — to allow them to process and store information. “If you feel like you need to study for 12 hours for an exam, rather than cramming that 12 hours into the day before the exam or the day of the exam, spread that out, say, for three hours or four days prior to that,” she said. According to Parsons, commonly used study techniques may not be as beneficial as some students think — especially cramming, where students spend several hours studying in the day prior to the exam, without taking breaks. “What we actually encourage is to take a short five- or 10-minute break every hour of studying, and then every three hours of studying, take a much longer break of about an hour or two,” she said.

“It gives your body and your brain a break, so that when you come back to studying you can be that much more efficient, focused, and retain and remember what you’re learning.” Parsons said common methods of studying — such as writing summary notes or doing practice problems — should be combined. Even if an exam largely contains quantitative problem-solving questions, she said, it’s important to focus on the processes behind solving the problems, rather than the rote steps. “Practice problems are really important, but it’s also really important to do summary notes so that you’re thinking big picture about ‘why am I doing these steps that I’m doing?’,” she said. Parsons said sacrificing sleep isn’t an acceptable way to study for an exam, even if the student only has a limited amount of time to study. According to Parsons, research shows that students’ cognitive abilities after 19 hours without sleep are equal to their abilities if they had a blood-alcohol level of 0.1 per cent. ‘You want to make sure in the process of studying, you’re not burning yourself out to the point where you’re actually unable to perform on the exam,” she said. “You might feel like you’re learning the content, but it really does affect your cognitive ability the following day.” Rida Sakina, ArtSci ’16, said she uses the study techniques outlined by Kirby and Parsons, adding that she finds it particularly useful to

A concept map of effective study strategies.

summarize material after reading it. “I feel like that way, you know what you took away from it, and you know what the important themes and concepts are, as opposed to trying to wrap your head around everything,” Sakina said. Sakina added that she spreads out her studying time, but not excessively. “I do tend to study well under pressure, so a lot of my studying will be spread out over the two weeks before an exam, as opposed to a month,” she said. “I feel like I get more done when there’s a little bit more heat.” Owen Berringer, Nurs ’16, sometimes finds himself cramming for exams, which he said usually works for him. Berringer said students should focus on the fundamental elements of a course to study effectively in a limited period of time. “Follow the primary course objectives from each week’s reading, making sure you know those really well,” he said. Maxine Gravelle, Sci ’17, told the Journal via email that she thinks students should partake in self-care during exam periods. “During exam periods I make sure I get at least eight hours of sleep and that I take time to do something I enjoy at least once a day,” she said. “It is important to focus on your own mental health during exams because the best results stem from a healthy mind.” — With files from Sebastian Leck

ILLUSTRATION BY MICHAELLA FORTUNE


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News

Friday, November 21, 2014

SUSTAINABILITY

Students urged to recycle coffee cups Commerce students launch sustainability initiative on campus to promote recycling, divert waste B y C hloe S obel News Editor A new campaign run by commerce students is urging Queen’s to “Do A Goode Thing” and recycle coffee cups. The campaign promotes coffee cup recycling in order to divert waste. So far, it’s placed stickers on recycling bins at Goodes Hall to show students that cups can be recycled in plastics bins, and plans to expand to other buildings in the future. It may also install coffee cup-specific recycling bins at Goodes. Coffee cups have been recyclable at Queen’s since 2011. A survey of campus food outlets asking how many to-go coffee cups they sold annually showed that 1.1 million coffee cups went into the waste stream in 2011, according to Llynwen Osborne, recycling coordinator at the Sustainability Office. Cameron Prouse came up with the idea to encourage recycling while he was living in a University of Toronto residence this summer and working at Deloitte Canada. “I noticed that at U of T they actually have a separate bin for just coffee cups,” said Prouse, Comm ’15. “Everyone drinks coffee all the time, and they go for coffee breaks, and the biggest thing that I noticed was they don’t use reusable mugs, ‘cause it’s too much of a hassle to wash. “My initial plan was actually to do it where I worked this summer at Deloitte, but it just so happened that there was actually a class that we needed to do a change project for, and then this was the idea that we went with.” Prouse and his partners, Guanneng Ng, Ilona Huynh, Jennifer Van der Wee and Erynn Linehan, launched Do A Goode

Thing on Tuesday at Goodes Hall. He said they’re working with the Sustainability Office to potentially spread the campaign to other buildings at Queen’s, including Beamish-Munro Hall. The campaign has also been approached by the Queen’s School of Business Centre for Social Impact (QSB CSI), which Prouse said has raised $100,000 and is looking to use that to fund similar projects at the School of Business. “They’re thinking about launching an annual Do A Goode Thing campaign off of that,” he said. He said the CSI has offered to buy coffee cup-specific bins for Goodes Hall, which was the group’s original plan. He added that they’d looked at bins from a company in Texas that were $40 each, but the group on its own didn’t have the money to purchase the bins. In the meantime, they’ve placed stickers on recycling bins at Goodes. “It makes it idiot-proof,” he said. “That’s why U of T, I think, is so successful, because it’s just a coffee cup bin.” Prouse said the response to the campaign has been “unbelievable”. “Everyone’s been very, very engaged in terms of social media with the response to it,” he said. He said he thinks they’ve been so successful in terms of engagement because it’s a campaign run by students reaching out to students. “We can reach out to the students more directly than the faculty or the staff saying ‘let’s do this’.” Do A Goode Thing didn’t come up with success metrics for the campaign, he said, but rather are seeking to just raise awareness and making throwing out a coffee cup frowned upon.

“It’s very cliche but … we’re saving the world one coffee cup at a time,” he said. “All you do is you take off your sleeve, you put your sleeve in the paper, and then

you put your cup and lid in the plastic cans recycling. And it’s so easy to do, and we can divert so much waste from landfills,” he added.

Do A Goode Thing launched at Goodes Hall on Tuesday.

PHOTO BY CHLOE SOBEL

CAMPUS CALENDAR Fri. Nov. 21 “Person First Language” Photo Campaign Queen’s Centre, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Mon. Nov. 24 Marijuana What’s With Weed Sanction Workshop LaSalle Building, 3:30 - 5 p.m.

Sat. Nov. 22 Downtown Kingston! Santa Claus Parade 5 - 9 p.m.

Tues. Nov. 25 Festive Business Mixer I Women Mean Business Delta Kingston Waterfront Hotel, 5 - 10 p.m.

Sun. Nov. 23 Philosopher’s Café: Confronting the New Realities inside Canada’s Prisons Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 2:10 - 3:15 p.m.

Wed. Nov. 26 Queen’s Improv Presents: ‘Prov Perfect The Brooklyn, 8 - 10 p.m.

Write for News: Email journal_news @ams.queensu.ca


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Friday, November 21, 2014

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HISTORY

Social histories get a voice

CFRC and Archives partner to revitalize Stones Project B y J acob R osen Assistant News Editor For the past eight months, CFRC and Queen’s Archives have been collaborating on a revitalization of the Archives’ “Speaking Stones” website guide to the social history of Kingston. Kristiana Clemens, operating officer at CFRC, said their initial plan was to create audio walking tours of certain locations around Kingston. When she realized that the Archives had already compiled information about walking tours in Kingston for their “Stones” Project, the two organizations paired up, combining both ideas for a newly designed website. CFRC held a launch and reception party in City Hall on Thursday night to introduce the website’s new features, which include audio walking tours, interactive mapping and enhanced French-language resources. Clemens said CFRC’s interest in the project stems from the organization’s mandate and mission to “celebrate and empower the diversity of the Kingston and Queen’s communities”. A large part of that empowerment, Clemens said, is “growing awareness and enriching the historical legacy we have all around us of the experience of diverse communities in Kingston”.

The new audio tours will be described by members of the communities that the historical Kingston sites hold significance for. This feature “helped foster that engagement and awareness” the CFRC is looking for, Clemens said. The new website is meant to be more accessible to mobile devices and more user-friendly, something David Parker said he’s been working to ensure. Parker, CompSci ’14, redesigned the website’s navigation and maps to be able to display content in a more friendly way for mobile devices without making a full-fledged app. The website features a map of Kingston with markers to point out historical sites that when clicked display the option to look at the historical information about the site and the audio guided tour. Parker got involved by volunteering at CFRC, helping with IT, and says the project has been “a learning experience”

for him. The Stones Project was initiated in 2005 when the Archives rented trollies and offered guided tours of Kingston with a focus on social history for their annual archive lecture. After the tours, Heather Home, public services archivist at the Archives, said she remembered wondering “how is it that we can make this accessible, because it was really popular with a lot of people in the community”. Four years later, they created the Stones Project in partnership with the Kingston Frontenac Public Library and local web designers, with the help of a Canadian Culture Online Strategy grant. Home said they’re constantly trying to improve the project. “We’re just trying to build and build on what was a good thing to begin with and we’re just trying to make it better with each incarnation.”

PHOTO BY JACOB ROSEN

Speaking Stones launched on Thursday.

News in brief Consent Day returns The Queen’s ASUS Women’s Empowerment Committee (WEC) held their annual Consent Day event last Friday to raise awareness of consensual sex within the Queen’s community. Montana Hauser, one of the co-chairs for WEC, told the Journal via e-mail that Consent Day has always been a successful event. “We usually raise around $100 by donations but it’s more about the community building and the conversations we have with our community that make it so successful,” Hauser said. “It’s an awareness event and we find that every year we have more people openly discussing and agreeing to consensual sex.” WEC had a table set up outside of Stauffer Library where they sold baked goods, gave away free hot chocolate and started conversations with passersby about sex. “We also had a banner with our slogan for the year ‘Ask First,’ which we had people sign as a pledge to participate in open, enthusiastic, consensual sex of any kind,” Hauser said. She said while there are the occasional people who don’t wish to sign the pledge, there are always more Queen’s students who enjoy having the conversation. “Usually the Queen’s community is really perceptive and open about talking about consensual sex and this provides that platform,” Hauser said. “It’s important to recognize the value of positive reception and this

ongoing conversation we hope to continue.” WEC will continue to hold the annual Consent Day in the fall, followed by the organization’s annual production of Down There in the spring. — Kylee Pedersen 96 Queen’s students receive SSHRC awards The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) has granted over $3.35 million in fellowships and scholarships to 96 Queen’s graduate students and post-doctoral trainees. The SSHRC is a board appointed by the federal government to embody the interests of the academic, public and private sectors. The board members’ role is to ensure that the needs of Canadians are met through grants and fellowship programs. The competition for the SSHRC grant is highly competitive, as it distributes approximately $340 million annually to fund over 8,400 research projects. Brenda Brouwer, vice-provost and dean of the School of Graduate Studies, told the Journal via email that Queen’s success highlights its students’ potential. “The success of our graduate students and trainees in this competition speaks to their excellence, their academic accomplishments to date and their extraordinary research potential,” Brouwer said. “The results of the competition are a reflection of the research

intensity that Queen’s prides itself on — it is an excellent achievement and testament to the scholarship of our research trainees.” These fellowships are granted in order to help support emerging researchers and leaders to develop academically, according to the SSHRC website. The SSHRC grant recipients from Queen’s are conducting research on an array of topics including bullying, social anxiety and eating alone. “The scope of projects is incredible from a Psychoanalytic investigation of religiously motivated violence to Fiscal policy in the financial crisis and the aftermath to studying the Effects of multimedia instruction and active learning classrooms on learning quality,” Brouwer said. Queen’s saw 44 Joseph Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship — Master’s Program winners, 21 Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program — Doctoral Scholarship winners, 27 SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Program winners and four SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellows. “[Queen’s is] among 5 Ontario universities that each received more than 90 awards,” Brouwer said. Brouwer added that there’s been an improvement in Queen’s performance. “Last year Queen’s received 78 SSHRC CGSM, CGSD, Doctoral Fellowships and Post-doctoral fellowships and this year we received 92, we are very pleased with the results,” she said. — Jenna Zucker

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News

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Friday, November 21, 2014

Stroud hopes to sit on transportation committee Continued from page 1

priority level for clearing after snowfall. The classifications, in descending order of priority, include arterial, bus route, Residential 1 and Residential 2. The designations are based on street traffic rather than pedestrian traffic. Barrie and Union Streets are deemed arterial roads while Division St., Stuart St. and University Ave. are classified as bus routes. Stroud said most sidewalks in the University District are Residential 1 or Residential 2. In order to improve sidewalk clearing, he said, some classifications should be upgraded “for pedestrian purposes” — from bus route to arterial, for example. “I’m asking for the sidewalks to be bumped up a category for winter snow clearance,” Stroud said. “The roads, not necessarily, because University Avenue doesn’t need to be plowed as often as Union, that’s true — but the sidewalks do.”

Sydenham District councillor-elect Peter Stroud said the majority of Sydenham residents saw last winter’s sidewalk ice clearing as “very inadequate”, citing extreme weather conditions and “the inability of staff to adapt”. As councillor, Stroud will sit on two of the City’s four Standing Committees — Environment, Infrastructure & Transportation Policies (EITP), which he said is his first choice; Administrative Policies; Arts, Recreation & Community Policies; and Planning. Sitting on the EITP, which reviews pedestrian and transportation safety, would allow him to influence policy, he said, but the cost of better equipment to treat ice on sidewalks may be “prohibitive”. “And that’s actually where the problem would lie, ‘cause Public Works would probably tell me, the staff would probably say, ‘okay, this is the cost to enact that policy, this is the extra cost and the budget doesn’t allow for that extra cost’,” Stroud said. However, he said, some of the funds from a possible increase in the City’s Public Works budget this year should be designated towards “sidewalk safety apart from road safety”. “If we’re buying new equipment, some of it needs to be sidewalk equipment, ‘cause it is different equipment,” Stroud said. “We need the City to consider pedestrian traffic as part of traffic and when you’re clearing snow and ice, it’s not just for cars.” He added that if a policy were developed in the EITP, whose first meeting will take place in ad theAIRPORT middle of December, it likely Q journal 7 flights 2014_airport ad 03/06/14 2:50 PM Page 1 wouldn’t come into effect until next winter. The City classifies roads based on Matthew Barrett, grounds manager at Physical Plant Services (PPS), said PPS has a snow removal plan in place.

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News

Friday, November 21, 2014

No legal protection for transgender people Continued from page 1

and the Islands MP Ted Hsu voted in favor of the bill when it passed the House. Wood criticized the fact the bill is still facing the Senate despite having been passed by the House of Commons in Oct. 2013. “I think it’s really significant that the legislation to protect trans people is still being debated and that it’s taken that long for people to get around to acknowledging that trans people have the same basic rights,” she said. She added that one of the major issues facing transgender people is employment discrimination. “I hope the more awareness there is, the more people realize that this is something that occurs and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t employ us. “At the moment, it’s still a big issue for us.” Wood said she hasn’t experienced any personal incidences of anti-trans violence, but knows people who have been hassled for being transgender. She added that washrooms are often the place where harassment comes to a head. “For trans people, the single biggest thing

is that people just have so much trouble understanding how somebody can be that way,” she said. “We’re born that way, so it’s not something that we choose, it’s just who we are and yet people have so much trouble accepting us and allowing us to be who we are.” She said people tend to be most accepting of those who “pass” — transgender people who others don’t recognize as transgender. “There are so many of us that can’t do that … and it’s really hard and yet they should be accepted nonetheless,” Wood said. “Passing shouldn’t be something where you allow someone to be transgender if they pass but if they don’t pass you say ‘no you can’t do that’.” She added that while there’s official acceptance of trans people in Kingston, there’s still discrimination on an individual level. “The fact that we’re here on city property, that they flew the trans flag all day here at City Hall, that’s at least recognition that we exist so officially we are accepted,” she said. “But I think on a person-by-person basis I think you still find some discrimination here.”

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Friday, November 21, 2014

DIALOGUE

Editorial Board Editors in Chief

Nick Faris Vincent Ben Matak

Production Manager

Sam Koebrich

News Editor

Chloe Sobel

Assistant News Editors

Natasa Bansagi Mishal Omar Jacob Rosen

Features Editors

Sebastian Leck Laura Russell

Editorials Editor

Anisa Rawhani

Opinions Editor

Olivia Bowden

Arts Editors

Olivia Loncar-Bartolini Kashmala Omar

Sports Editor

Sean Sutherland

Assistant Sports Editor Lifestyle Editor

Brent Moore

Chloë Grande

Assistant Lifestyle Editor Photo Editors

Kate Meagher Arwin Chan Alex Pickering

Assistant Photo Editor (Video)

Emilie Rabeau

REFERENDUM

Turnout needs to keep up Higher turnout in this year’s AMS fall referendum is a positive sign, but there’s still much to be done to make this year’s uptick last. Last week saw the highest voter turnout in an AMS fall referendum since 1995 — 34.1 per cent, up from 15.8 per cent a year ago. All proposed fees passed successfully. Even though 34.1 per cent is the highest turnout in years, it’s still significantly low. The relatively high turnout was partially a result of the implementation of a new, user-friendly online voting system. The AMS made noteworthy efforts to encourage students to vote by establishing polling stations and circulating students with iPads around campus — tactics which should

students are unaware of how critical referendums are to student life and the health of clubs and organizations on campus. Rather than simply publicizing the referendum dates, the AMS needs to relay to the student body why they should vote in the first place. This could be done in the executive’s monthly video updates or by speaking to classes. Allowing students to abstain from voting on certain fees this referendum was an effective move. It helps deter the possibility of clubs and publications

Graphics Editor and Editorial Illustrator

Michaella Fortune

Web Developer Copy Editors

Karen Chen

Leigh Cameron Christine Ellis Chandra Erickson

Contributing Staff Staff Writers

Contributors

Alicia Hai Adam Laskaris Ryan Pardy Kylee Pedersen Jerry Zheng Jenna Zucker

Sebastian Gorlewski Mohammad Kasraee

Business Staff

Business Manager

be reused in the coming winter referendum. But what really drove the vote was the presence of popular fee proposals, such as the Bus-It and SHRC fees. Bus-It, in particular, was central to the AMS’s overall advertising effort for the referendum. H i g h turnout can’t sustain itself from year to year through similar circumstances. The majority of

David Worsley

Marketing Manager

Hayley Square

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Fraser Bruce Jacob Rumball Teddy Taggart Flora Wu Friday, November 21 • Issue 15 • Volume 142

The Queen’s Journal is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University, Kingston. Editorial opinions expressed in the Journal are the sole responsibility of the Queen’s Journal Editorial Board, and are not necessarily those of the University, the AMS or their officers. Contents © 2014 by the Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of the Journal. The Queen’s Journal is printed on a Goss Community press by Performance Group of Companies in Smiths Falls, Ontario. Contributions from all members of the Queen’s and Kingston community are welcome. The Journal reserves the right to edit all submissions. Subscriptions are available for $80.00 per year (plus applicable taxes). Please address complaints and grievances to the Editors in Chief. Please direct editorial, advertising and circulation enquiries to: 190 University Ave., Kingston, ON, K7L 3P4 Telephone: 613-533-2800 (editorial) 613-533-6711 (advertising) Fax: 613-533-6728 Email: journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca The Journal online: www.queensjournal.ca Circulation 6,000 Issue 16 of the Journal will be published on Thursday, November 27, 2014

LEIGH CAMERON

More to English

“English … ah.” The conversation tends to end there, often because people think they know everything there is to being an English major. She must want to be a writer or poet. She must wear glasses and live in Starbucks, despise the sciences and debate the meaning of life using obscure metaphors. What if I said I wasn’t a great writer and that poetry really

confuses me? What if I said I wanted to be an editor? Or a medical journalist, a lawyer or an aid worker? What if I said I was trying to figure out what I want to do and that I’m taking English for practical reasons? Recently, there’s been a lot of coverage by the media concerning the practical use of a humanities degree. English majors have in some ways become the poster child of this predicament, as they’re often seen as a bunch of hipster readers without a practical skill set. But this stereotype is wrong. We’re not all snobbish debaters with useless degrees who read too much into things. We’re learning, and we take away practical skills from our seemingly impractical degrees. One of these is the ability to do close readings — when you read a text slowly, searching for underlying meanings. By learning to close read different documents, we learn to discover biases in a

losing their ability to operate simply because students have never heard of them, and are therefore inclined to automatically vote “no”. The AMS made good use of the referendum by posing a plebiscite question on the Homecoming ReUnion Street Festival. This means of garnering student feedback should be used more often heading forward.

Editorials — The Journal’s Perspective “A more holistic, critical understanding of Macdonald ... the good and the bad — is needed, rather than celebrations and denunciations.”

NATIONALISM

Mark Sir John A.

While it’s inappropriate to celebrate — Journal the bicentennial of Sir John A. Editorial Board Macdonald’s birth, the date still needs to be marked as a critical event in Canada’s history. With the 200th anniversary of Macdonald’s birthday set for Jan. 11, how the date should be celebrated has become subject to local debate. Kingston’s attraction as a tourist destination is partially predicated on the city’s identity as Macdonald’s hometown. As a result, Canada’s first prime minister is often idealized and celebrated, while the episodes of racism and oppression that occurred throughout his tenure are omitted — in particular, those towards Canada’s Indigenous and Chinese populations. As a city that resides on Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee territory, Kingston can’t continue to ignore certain parts of Macdonald’s past. Holding a nationalistic celebration of his birthday would effectively exclude members of the population who he mistreated as prime minister. There’s often a moral dichotomy in how historical figures are viewed; they’re painted and remembered as either heroes or villains. But no political figure has ever been unanimously loved or opposed. A more holistic, critical understanding of Macdonald as an individual and his impact on history — the good and the bad — is needed, rather than celebrations and denunciations. Macdonald’s bicentennial is ILLUSTRATION BY MICHAELLA FORTUNE a great opportunity to have an important conversation on how Canada approaches its history text that aren’t readily apparent on — particularly, the subjugation and mistreatment of certain peoples. its surface. For this reason, Macdonald’s This is hardly an impractical skill, when you consider that texts birth should still be marked in influence the way people think and Kingston, to ensure that we don’t attempt to ignore the darker parts society runs. English majors aren’t all of our history, but instead continue unemployed poets. Many of us the dialogue. have particular careers in mind — Journal Editorial Board that require intensive reading and writing skills. Lawyers have to close read laws and cases to effectively argue a majors are learning how to write case. Scientists, corporations and and analyze them. government officials all need Next time a person tells you editors, publishers and marketing they’re an English major, don’t agents in the production and picture them reading Dickens in a distribution of their products. All of coffee shop with a snobbish look these professions require the skills on their face. Picture them as you developed in an English degree. picture yourself: working towards Some of us do want to be whatever future they have in mind. writers, but what’s wrong with that? Novels and poetry affect Leigh’s one of the Journal’s Copy the way we see the world, reveal Editors. She’s a second-year emotions we didn’t know we had English major. and make us laugh until tears fill our eyes. Literature brings these moments to life, and English


Friday, November 21, 2014

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Opinions — Your Perspective

HEALTH

Mental health illness not a choice The science behind mental health illness shows that the answer lies in the brain and blood

PHOTO BY ARWIN CHAN

Sebastian Gorlewski, ArtSci ’15 One piece of advice commonly given to people struggling with a mental illness is to “get over it — it’s all in your head.” Despite all the anger, pain, and contempt that this phrase inspires in people who have or have had a mental illness, including myself, the second component of the phrase is partly true. Mental illness does have to do with your brain, but it’s certainly not a choice. And this is what neuroscience tells us. Many people continue to assume that dealing with a mental health illness is a choice and one can simply “snap out of it”. This misconception harms and stigmatizes those who are dealing with mental illness. In order to truly support and help those dealing with mental illness, we need to educate ourselves more on the root cause of mental health illnesses and to combat misconceptions and stigmas associated with it. From dealing with my own

mental health issues during my time at Queen’s, I’ve realized that it’s something I didn’t have control over. I couldn’t just “get over it” and that’s something important for others dealing with mental health issues to realize. Through a friend’s help, I was able to better deal with my mental health issues, and this is why we should work to better understand the science behind mental illness and how to help others out. If it weren’t for a friend checking in with me and walking with me to Health, Counselling and Disability Services almost exactly three years ago, I wouldn’t be writing this op-ed right now. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. and attend the Society for Neuroscience Conference, an annual meeting consisting of over 30,000 neuroscientists from around the world. Among the research presented at the conference, there was an emphasis placed on research regarding mental health and mental illness, especially depression — a disorder that will affect at least one in five North Americans in their lifetime. Many of the talks were centred on the neurological root and

genetic causes of depression. There are studies showing the difference in brain structure and function of those who have undergone depression compared to those who haven’t. What the neuroscience community has known for years and continues to reinforce with research is that depression isn’t a choice. You can’t simply get over it. In September, a study published in the Journal of Nature found differences, called biomarkers, in the blood of persons living with a major depressive disorder compared to people who weren’t. The blood of people experiencing depression is bio-chemically different than those not experiencing it. Differences in the blood can be seen in other diseases and disorders, including cancer. Yet those diagnosed with cancer would never be accused of choosing to have it. Depression and cancer are very different diseases. However, they’re similar in the sense that both can be treated and recovery is possible. Perhaps one of the most wonderful parts about helping someone with depression or any other mental illness — such as anxiety disorders — is that we can all provide help. Not everyone

needs to be an expert. A friend’s help can make all the difference. The tricky part of recognizing depression in people we care about is that it can manifest itself in diverse ways. That said, there are common signs to look out for; usually, people suffering from depression will experience some sort of decreased mood or decreased interest in activities. If you’re ever unsure whether to ask, know that it never hurts to show you care. The most embarrassing outcome is a good one: the person you ask will be feeling fine, and all that asking means is that you care about their well-being. If they’re feeling down, listen to them. Express that you care about their well-being. You don’t even have to carry on the conversation because mostly, it will probably be them talking. Sometimes, the conversation will have long silent pauses. Silence is okay — the person who you’re supporting is making themselves vulnerable to you and sometimes it takes time them for them to think of what they say next. Let the other person know that they shouldn’t feel pressured to say anything that they don’t want to say. Thank them for sharing with you.

Talking heads... around campus How do you feel about the higher AMS fall referendum voter turnout?

“It makes me realize that I missed out on something important.”

“They should advertise it more.”

Laura Kaikman, ArtSci ’17

Katie Brotherton, ArtSci ’17

“If you have such a low voter turnout, why have an election at all?” Stefanie Sprong, ArtSci ’16

PHOTOS BY OLIVIA BOWDEN

“It’s encouraging to see student interest in our student government.” Sebastien Darcel-Sinclair, ArtSci ’15

Be aware that our resources at Queen’s are here to help. HCDS and the Peer Support Centre (PSC) are two services that will help you or who you’re supporting in every capacity they can, or point you to a more useful service. Even if you’re unsure of what to do, they’ll provide the expertise in how to move forward. Depression stems from legitimate neurological issues within the brain. If we’re to treat depression and mental illness effectively, we need to realize that what is psychological is also physiological. Depression, like other disorders of the body, need to be treated appropriately, not just by telling someone to get over it. With exams right around the corner, the stress in our community is immense. Realize that you have the incredible power to help those in need, including yourself. Finally, remember that we have amazing support services just a phone call or email away. You pay your student fees to them — use them. Sebastian Gorlewski is a fourth-year Life Science major.

Send Letters to the Editor: journal_ letters@ ams. queensu.ca


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Friday, November 21, 2014


Friday, November 21, 2014

queensjournal.ca

THE BEST OF FALL SPORTS PHOTOS BY ARWIN CHAN, ALEX PICKERING AND EMILIE RABEAU

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Friday, November 21, 2014

BAND PREVIEW

Dear Rouge finish off Canadian tour ARTS Husband-and-wife duo perform in Kingston weeks before album release B y K ashmala O mar Arts Editor Optimism and hard work takes you far in life, and fast — just ask Dear Rouge. T h i s Va n c o u v e r - b a s e d synth-rock duo band officially launched in 2012, and they’ve devoted their lives to their music ever since. The band consists of members Danielle and Drew McTaggart, who met prior to forming of the band and married in 2011. Despite being a mere two years old, Dear Rouge has won the radio Grand Prize Summit Award and the Shore 104 Best of BC award, both for which 20 B.C. bands participated. They’ve also released two EPs so far: Heads Up! Watch Out! and Kids Wanna Know in 2012. The band’s EPs were successful and led them to work with acclaimed Canadian producers Gavin Brown and Howard Redekopp on their upcoming album, Black To Gold. The band’s achievements are majorly due to the couple’s motivation. “We’re so grateful,” Drew said. “We feel that we worked so hard for our success, and when we started gaining recognition it was very satisfying. All the work we’ve put into our debut album is starting to flourish now. “[The producers] showed us a different level of the Canadian music industry, and it was cool to get their take on our music.” At the moment, Dear Rouge is on tour and plans to release their new album in early 2015. According to Drew, the new album will be a more intricate, fleshed-out dialogue compared to the past EPs. “This [album] is way more planned — I like to think of it as a longer conversation,” Drew said. “EPs are like having quick

conversations whereas on a full album we do some songs we wouldn’t do before, so there’s a lot more diversity.” The singer said they’ve noticed that mainstream singles on albums aren’t necessarily always the most popular among fans, and slow songs for bands are key. For this album, they were able to expand their musical range owing to a bigger budget and extended production time. Working together as husband and wife throughout these endeavours has proved to be both positive and negative for the duo. “The fact that we get to travel The husband-and-wife duo will release their debut album in early 2015. together and be together full time, and we have this extra connection together, is really cool,” Drew said. “But music is really all-consuming and it takes over your whole life, so sometimes because we’re husband and wife we’re brutally honest with each other. “Sometimes the hardest thing for us in the studio is writing songs, because we both care so much about it and clash over that.” He’s proud of the fact that it’s not always easy, Drew said. They’re both invested in the music and as long as they continue to get better at working together, the difference of opinion is fine. Dear Rouge has learned to set goals and work diligently to achieve Incunabula included 24 historical manuscripts. them. It seems to be working, considering the fact that they’re EXHIBITION about to add a full debut album to their list of accomplishments. “Danielle and I like to set goals together, as a married couple,” Drew said. “We’ve taken a step back and looked at how amazing this has all been. We both feel, right now, that there’s some big stuff B y O livia L oncar -B artolini that was prominent during any ahead of us.” Arts Editor given time in history. Dating back to the mid-1400s Dear Rouge performs at the Mansion From the rich gold leaf décor of when the first moveable type on Dec. 5. the byzantine era to the bright hand printing press was invented colour and detail of the gothic era, by Johann Gutenberg, the ancient analyzing text is an effective way books on display at Incunabula: for us to learn about the society An Exhibit on 15th Century Printing hold much of the history of language and print within them. The second floor of Douglas library is home to the W.D. Jordan Special Collections and Music Library, where around 24 books and manuscripts are enclosed behind glass cases, welcoming curious students to take a look. The items were taken from Queen’s University Library’s collection, as well as Principal Daniel Woolf’s personal collection. The first case when entering the exhibit holds three books of differing sizes. The biggest book, with its browning pages, stands apart majestically from its smaller counterparts. The parchment leaves — commonly made of cow, sheep, or goat skin or bark — used as paper for the book showcase the precision that went into hand printing the calligraphic letters of the time. Although each letter is small, none lack detail. No trace of error was found throughout the perfectly

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PHOTOS BY ALEX PICKERING

Incunabula makes impression Collection of historical manuscripts on display at Douglas

spaced Latin scroll. The largest book in case number one is Fasciculus temporum (the first universal chronology) written by Werner Rolevinck, a Carthusian monk. The book chronicles the biblical creation — or year one as it’s commonly referred to — all the way to the time of the book’s creation in 5983 B.C. This brings context to the everyday life as well as the belief system of that time. The other four cases include works of text and manuscript such as Biblia integra written by Basel Johann Froben in 1491, and Juvenal’s 1475 Satires. Several of the books on display include annotations by famous historians such as Domizio Calderini and Nicholas de Lyra, which provide greater context to the writings. Beyond showcasing the books themselves, the exhibit focused largely on the styles of calligraphy, language and decorative detail used during that time, documenting the drastic change in lettering styles through history. The exhibition runs until Dec. 1 in the W.D. Jordan Special Collections and Music Library.


Friday, November 21, 2014

Arts

queensjournal.ca

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Arts

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Friday, November 21, 2014

COFFEEHOUSE

Women’s Worth Week hosts empowering show An array of acts perform poetry and songs at Musiikki Cafe to bring attention to gender issues

PHOTOS BY ARWIN CHAN

Students perform a variety of acts at Musiikki Cafe for Women’s Worth Week.

B y A licia H ai Contributor In an intimate upstairs space lit up by tinkering and twinkling white Christmas lights, impassioned discussions and artistic reflections on the pain of gender abuse were held. On Monday night, Musiikki Café hosted a coffeehouse as part of Women’s Worth Week (WWW), in hopes of promoting new and alternative ways of thinking about gender. Performances included piano ballads, monologue pieces, poems and guitar covers, each of which served to recreate the emotional pain experienced as a result of gender abuse. Upon entering the venue, I could feel myself settling into a night filled with open hearts and an open dialogue on violence against women and self-esteem issues. One particular monologue by Elliot Maxwell called to attention what it means to be a man and resonated with me most

— entitled “And You Call Yourself a Nice Guy”. It was this phrase that encapsulated the monologue: “A man does not see a woman — he sees expectation.” The fast-paced nature hit audiences right to the bone and brought forth the very purpose of WWW: to not be held down by gender. He encouraged the audience to think about how we see ourselves in light of his own experiences. “How many of you have looked in the mirror and been pleased with your appearance? Sometimes we just have to learn to take the makeup off and see the beauty from within ourselves,” said one of the female vocal leads of the Queen’s music club’s folk group, before covering Colbie Caillat’s hit ballad “Try”. In a world where we are surrounded by Hollywood-level perfection, we’re urged by society to change in order be better physical versions of ourselves.

What the cover pleaded for us to do was bestow a stronger sense of self-worth and self-love within the image of ourselves — the primary function on which WWW operates. The venue of the downtown café, evocative of an ‘alternative’ coffeehouse vibe, allowed for these student artists of all kinds to reflect on their experiences of gendered worth in what was a marvelous start to the week ahead. Adriana Sgromo presented her series of poems, one of which focused on a positive sense of self-worth and how that brought a positive romantic relationship for her. The closing lines of this poem stood out among the rest: “One of these days in the shade/I’ll learn how my light is made. “Indeed, the lesson to learn from here, more than focusing on women’s issues as a whole, is the most important relationship most we must cultivate: the ones with ourselves,” Sgromo said.

THEATRE

Phantomwise: the story behind the story 5th Company Lane puts on a captivating production B y O livia L oncar -B artolini Arts Editor With the enchanting set of all white

drapery and girls twirling around 18th-century ball gowns, it was easy to for the audience to get lost in the magical world of Alice in

5th Company Lane’s production of Phantomwise. Themes of coming of age, relationships and a world of fantasy

Madison Horton (far left), who plays the role of Alice, and her fellow co-stars in action.

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versus reality, this spin on Lewis Carroll’s famed tale of Alice in Wonderland was executed with both whimsy and passion by the cast members. Traditional acting dialogue was coupled with interpretive dance, creating an impactful and intriguing delivery. The fast-paced storyline and in the visual elements and actions that took place on stage made it hard to look away or lose interest. Since most actors played multiple roles, the reassembling of characters caused a little confusion. At times, it could be hard to keep track of which actor was playing who at what time. But overall, the delivery of the lines and the movements made the characters believable and breathed life into the story. The play, which mostly focused on both the real and fantasy life of 11-year-old Alice Liddell (played by Madison Horton), included an exploration of her infamously suspicious friendship with Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll (played by Jacob Millar) that has been under scrutiny for centuries. The production team, including executive producer Devon Jackson, ArtSci ’15, was excited to see all their behind-the-scenes hard work come to fruition.

“My job is to make sure the show goes up and is publicized well and people know what it’s all about and buy tickets. I have to get people excited to see the show,” Jackson said. “Essentially, this story is the real story behind Alice in Wonderland. The story behind the story.” Allie Gottlieb, ArtSci ’16, who is the head of publicity for the show, stressed that putting on an all-student run production is not a walk in the park, but she believes that all the hard work pays off come opening night. “One of the biggest struggles is the commitment of time that people who act in the plays have to schoolwork and other things. Since most of the actors are in the drama department many of them are doing other shows and are very involved with several productions,” she said. “What really makes it worth it is the passion students have for this which permits for a beautiful and striking show. 5th Company Lane is known for putting on risk taking and heartfelt shows.” Phantomwise runs in Theological Hall today and tomorrow at 8 p.m.


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queensjournal.ca

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

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SPORTS

Three standout frames

Dominant 60 minutes drive women’s hockey past Ridgebacks B y S ean S utherland Sports Editor An offensive onslaught in the first period fueled women’s hockey’s most dominant performance of the season. Head coach Matt Holmberg said the team’s 6-1 victory over the UOIT Ridgebacks last Saturday was “arguably the best 60 minutes that we’ve put together all year.” For the Gaels (7-1-2) to come away with the win, they had to put to rest a series of sluggish opening frames that plagued them in recent games, including a three-loss skid in early November. They did so in spectacular fashion, notching three goals in the first period and taking a stranglehold they didn’t relinquish. “[It was] really important for us to get off to a good start,” Holmberg said. “The slump that

we had — if I can call it that — a couple of weeks ago, in each of those games I thought we had poor starts and the other teams got some chances. I challenged the players before the game to set the pace for themselves and be the ones to dictate the pace of play.” Centre Fiona Lester got the Gaels on the board just over three minutes into the game, taking a feed from Addi Halladay in the slot and firing it past UOIT goalie Cassie Charette. She added her second goal seven minutes later, scoring on a near-identical play, this time set up by Taryn Pilon. Clare McKellar extended the lead to three before the period’s close. Holmberg said the Gaels made sure not to become complacent and let UOIT (5-4-1) back in the game. Once the game was out of reach, though, the coach gave his

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Finishing foibles Scoring struggles mar early-season games B y J erry Z heng Staff Writer The Gaels’ rocky start to the season continued with split results at the ARC last weekend. Queen’s dropped the Waterloo Warriors 67-52 in their home opener last Friday night, before falling to the Laurier Golden Hawks 56-53 on Saturday. After last season’s run to the OUA final, early-season struggles are a surprising result for the Gaels (1-2). Their early inconsistency is owed to their lack of confidence on the offensive end, according to head coach Dave Wilson. “We’re just really mentally struggling here with the finishing,” Wilson said. “The confidence is

gone a little bit and it’s one of those things that has snowballed against us.” With wing Gemma Bullard sidelined with a severe concussion she suffered in a pre-season game, post Andrea Priamo started in her place. The second-year struggled over the weekend, shooting just 11 per cent from the floor on 18 field goal attempts. In their home opener against the Warriors (1-3), the Gaels were shaky on both offence and defence. They were able to get to the free throw line 29 times, but couldn’t punish the Warriors effectively, converting on just 16 of their charity attempts. The Warriors made a push at the end of the third quarter, closing in within six points. However, the

third- and fourth-line players extra ice time. “In this league — with the parity that there is — even with three goals in the first, you want to make sure you’re still pushing,” he said. “Once it was 5-1, 6-1, at that point I stretched the bench out, put some different people out on power play. I felt pretty comfortable, but 3-0, no, I think we still wanted to play our game at that point.” The Gaels sustained their pressure in the second period, but couldn’t net anything off their 10 shots in the frame. It wasn’t until McKellar added her second marker of the match four minutes into the third that Queen’s increased their lead. Halladay and Jessica Wakefield also scored in the final period. Goaltender Caitlyn Lahonen wasn’t tested often by the Ridgebacks, turning aside nine of the 10 shots she faced in the game. Gaels captain Shawna Griffin was one of four Gaels to PHOTO BY ALEX PICKERING The Gaels’ top two forward record three points against the UOIT Ridgebacks on Saturday. lines combined for all 16 points on the six goals. Holmberg said the scoring but I thought our other (6-3-1) tomorrow night and the while these players had their names two lines weren’t rewarded for a Waterloo Warriors (3-5-3) on on the scoresheet, the whole team few goals,” he said. “They were Sunday afternoon. The meeting played well. working hard as well, so it was a with the Golden Hawks will mark “You talk about two lines. good team effort.” the first time the two teams have Those were the two lines that did Lester said the offensive faced off since Laurier defeated explosion was something the Gaels Queen’s in last year’s OUA finals. were looking for at this point in The game will also serve as a Gaels pulled away with a 14-2 run the year. homecoming for Lester, who spent to begin the fourth. “It was really exciting to put four years at Laurier before coming Wilson said his team will be it together today,” Lester said. to Queen’s this year. particularly effective in the fourth “Lots of offence, which we’ve been “I’m excited to play them,” quarter this season, due in part to struggling a bit with in the past.” she said. “I’m sure it’ll be a great their improved depth. The Gaels head on the road to game — they’re a fast team and a “We’re pretty comfortable going face the Laurier Golden Hawks great team, as always.” pretty deep into our lineup and that allows us to outrun teams,” he said. Wing Jenny Wright looked to be MEN’S HOCKEY in mid-season form, dropping 20 points on both her opponents over the weekend. While they pulled off the win, the Gaels struggled to connect on their chances, sinking only 33.8 per cent of their shots against the Warriors. The poor shooting carried over the next night against the Golden Hawks (3-1), where Queen’s shot

Consistently inconsistent

See Shooting on page 17

Men’s hockey splits weekend results for fourth consecutive go-around B y A dam L askaris Staff Writer

The Gaels’ 32.2 shooting percentage is the fourth-lowest in the OUA. In their 56-53 loss to the Laurier Golden Hawks, the team hit only 23.6 per cent of the shots they attempted.

PHOTO BY ALEX PICKERING

It’s been win one game, lose the other for men’s hockey this season. By splitting their games last weekend, the Gaels found themselves winning one contest while failing to achieve victory in the other for the fourth weekend in a row. The Gaels fell 3-2 against the Ryerson Rams on Friday, before earning a hard fought 2-1 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues the next night. Queen’s (6-5-0) currently sits seventh in the OUA East, but is just three points removed from fourth place in the tight division. “No one’s satisfied with where we are right now,” said Gaels head coach Brett Gibson. “We need to continue to create an identity for our team.” Queen’s managed 52 shots against the Rams (8-3-1) on Friday night, but struggled to beat Ryerson goaltender Troy Passingham. Forwards Kelly Jackson and Braeden Corbeth scored in the loss

for the Gaels. “We ran into a hot goalie,” Gibson said. “Sometimes it happens.” Queen’s put up the same two-goal total against Toronto (4-7-1) the following night, but this time on just 29 shots. Third-year forward Andrew Wiebe came through for the Gaels on Saturday, netting both goals. His first was scored on the power play, while the winning goal came shorthanded in the opening minute of the third period. “I’m so happy for the guy to score to two goals like that,” Gibson said. “He’s a guy we use defensively a lot, on the penalty kill and he’s a big part of our team. He’s one of those guys that does everything right for us.” Kevin Bailie was in net for the Gaels for both games, making 37 saves in the loss to Ryerson and 21 saves in the win over Toronto. As the reigning OUA East MVP, Gibson expects nothing less than the best of his star goalie, who’s posting the sixth-highest save See Little on page 17


Sports

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Friday, November 21, 2014

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Crumble at critical time

Blown lead against Warriors leads to winless weekend at the ARC B y S ean S utherland Sports Editor

Greg Faulkner racked up 29 points for the Gaels in a losing effort against the Waterloo Warriors last Friday.

PHOTOS BY ALEX PICKERING

Second-half struggles paved the road to a winless weekend for men’s basketball. The Gaels dropped their home opener against the Waterloo Warriors 70-66 last Friday and lost to the Laurier Golden Hawks 87-70 on Saturday night. Head coach Stephan Barrie said the Gaels (0-3) had chances to come out on top, but both games came down to his team’s struggles in crucial moments. “Every game has a key point where you have to win that two-minute part where it might go in your favour,” Barrie said. “I think we didn’t manage to do well in those specific spots. I think that hurt us.” Barrie pointed to the second half against Waterloo (1-3) as an example of those moments. After fifth-year guard Greg

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Strong, then stagnant Offence clicks in weekend’s first match, but struggles Sunday B y B rent M oore Assistant Sports Editor A promising start to men’s volleyball’s weekend was spoiled by a lackadaisical effort in their second match. The Gaels (3-4) were on fire Saturday, upsetting the Guelph Gryphons (7-2) — the OUA’s second-best team — in straight sets. The good spirits didn’t last, though, as they dropped a winnable game against the Waterloo Warriors (5-4) the next night. In the weekend’s opening match, Queen’s took two sets

before Guelph was able to mobilize any real threat, winning by a final score of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-23. Head coach Brenda Willis said her team took charge of the match. “I thought the boys followed the game plan very well,” Willis said. “It set a bar for what is a good game for Queen’s.” The Gaels started off strong, winning the first five points of the opening set before claiming the frame. Outside hitter Mike Tomlinson closed out the second set with a powerful spike assisted by setter Jamie Wright. While Guelph took an early

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

No easy win Gaels claw to victory over Waterloo B y N ick F aris Editor in Chief Facing a downtrodden opponent isn’t always easy, according to women’s volleyball head coach Michael Ling. That mantra held true for the Gaels last Friday — but it didn’t stop them from beating the Waterloo Warriors 3-1, surging ahead late in the third and fourth sets to scrape out their first road win of the season. The women improved to 4-3 with the victory, tying them with the York Lions for fourth in the seven-team OUA East. Waterloo (1-7) remains mired in a last-place deadlock in the West. After sweeping the RMC Paladins (0-7) in their season opener, they dropped six straight matches prior to their tilt with Queen’s, including

four consecutive 3-0 losses. “Teams like that are a little bit dangerous,” Ling said. “They had lots of variation in their lineups [in previous matches], which made scouting them a little bit difficult. We were going in just cautious, but knowing that we had to take care of our side in order to kind of handle them.” Waterloo initially looked destined for another quick defeat against Queen’s, as Ling’s side never trailed en route to a 25-16 first-set victory. The run didn’t last. The Warriors edged out a 25-20 advantage in the second frame, winning a set for the first time since Oct. 25. Back and forth play characterized the final two periods, which saw seven lead changes and 23 tie scores. The Gaels prevailed both times, first

Faulkner put the Gaels up 12 points early in the third quarter with an alley-oop dunk, the Warriors stormed back to tie the game. Waterloo eventually held a three-point lead heading into the final quarter. “We were up 12 probably two or three minutes into the quarter, and then we had a bad stretch that allowed them to get back to down three,” Barrie said. “And then we had a second bad stretch right at the end of the quarter.” Though the Gaels kept it close in the fourth, Waterloo guard Myles Charvis silenced the crowd at the ARC by hitting five of his six free throw attempts in the game’s final minute. Queen’s leaned on Faulkner offensively, as he went off for 29 points and seven rebounds. Guard Cy Samuels and forward Ryall Stroud both contributed double-digit totals in rebounds, helping the Gaels hold a 52-37 advantage on the boards. Saturday’s game was a different story, as Queen’s couldn’t keep the game close after the first quarter. The team’s largest lead of the game was a two-point advantage late in the opening frame, while Laurier (3-1) built a 15-point lead by halftime. The Gaels struggled to avoid

turnovers, giving the ball up 17 times compared to the Golden Hawks’ nine. Barrie said the youth of his roster is part of the reason for the early-season difficulties. “Right now we’re playing seven guys in first- or second-year,” he said. “So that’s going to have an effect.” Faulkner once again led the team in scoring, racking up 26 points against the Golden Hawks, while Samuels scored 14. Despite the two losses, Barrie said he’s seen positive changes in some of his players’ performances, including sophomore post Mike Shoveller and rookie forwards Jesse Graham and Tanner Graham. “There’s a lot of individuals that are improving significantly,” he said. The Gaels travel west this weekend, taking on the Guelph Gryphons (1-3) tonight and Brock Badgers (1-3) tomorrow. Barrie said his team must execute in key moments to get a victory. “Playing on the road is a lot tougher,” he said. “We’re going to have to make sure that during the course of the game we recognize when those key moments are and we step up at those exact times in particular.”

lead in the third set, the Gaels came back strong. The set remained tight until the end, with Queen’s holding on to sweep the match. Willis said facing off against a Gryphons squad that was 6-1 heading into the weekend gave her team confidence to take chances. “It’s the kind of game where you can play freely because you’ve got nothing to lose,” she said. Willis added that she was impressed with Wright’s play. The second-year setter had 33 assists and six digs against Guelph. “I thought Jamie Wright did a really good job of running the offence,” she said. “Distribution was exactly what we hoped for.” Tomlinson recorded a team-high 15 kills in the match, adding four blocks as well. Fellow outside hitters Markus Trence and Philippe Goyer had strong matches, registering 12 and 11 kills apiece. See Comfortable on page 17

erasing a 20-20 impasse to take the third set 25-21, then tallying the match’s final four points in a 25-23 fourth-set comeback. “We were actually down in those two sets for quite a while,” Ling said. “I think it’s just that we were more stable — we didn’t get too out of control, we didn’t freak out that we were behind. We knew we could push through.” Third-year outside hitters Brett Hagarty and Shannon Neville paced Queen’s with 12 and 11 kills, respectively, while setter duo Ali Shamie and Danielle Blumentrath combined for 40 assists. Three players hit double digits in kills for the Warriors, who were hamstrung by 31 total errors. The Gaels committed 22 errors — a number that rose steadily as the match progressed, Ling said. “For us right now, it’s mostly

Cy Samuels had 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals in Saturday’s loss to the Golden Hawks.

just consistency — not getting too high, keeping the lows not too low, keeping the highs not too high,” he said. “We have been a little bit of a roller coaster team. Just trying to stabilize some of the emotion and the up and down play that

we’ve had.” Fourteen players saw court time for Queen’s, including six that appeared in all four sets. Ling, a former Alberta Pandas assistant coach, told the Journal before See Deep on page 17


Sports

Friday, November 21, 2014

queensjournal.ca

• 17

Shooting poor Continued from page 15

23.6 per cent in the game. The Gaels took an early lead against Laurier — establishing a seven-point advantage midway through the opening quarter — but couldn’t sustain it. The Golden Hawks joined Queen’s at last year’s CIS tournament, and the two teams were evenly matched throughout Saturday’s contest. Laurier’s advantage in the game never rose above four.

Gaels guard and captain Liz Boag scored seven points on 2-12 shooting, adding five rebounds against Laurier. “I think we played well tonight, but we just couldn’t finish. It’s just something we’re fighting through right now,” Boag said. “But I’m confident we’ll overcome it.” The Gaels will look to get back on track this weekend when they travel to face the Guelph Gryphons (3-1) and the Brock Badgers (1-3). Queen’s won their sole meetings with both teams last season.

Little puck luck Continued from page 15

percentage in the CIS at .934. “Kevin’s numbers have been good so far, but I don’t think he’d say he’s been spectacular,” Gibson said. “There’s still another level for him to reach, and he’s a major part of how our team does going forward.” Queen’s power play has been one of its highlights this season, clicking at a 25 per cent rate, third-best in the OUA. In addition to Wiebe’s goal against Toronto, the Gaels added a marker with the man advantage against Ryerson. While the Gaels aren’t among the top teams in the East, Gibson

said he’s still impressed by the team’s performance so far. “I’d be worried if we weren’t getting chances, but we’re averaging nearly 40 shots on goal a night,” he said. “I don’t necessarily like our record, but I really like the way the team is playing.” Queen’s will finish off 2014 with four straight home games, starting with back-to-back games against the Lakehead Thunderwolves (4-7-2) this weekend. Due to the distance between the two schools, scheduling games is often an issue. This weekend’s matchups will be the first time the squads have squared off since January 2009.

Jenny Wright (second from right) tallied 20 points in both of the Gaels’ two games over the weekend. She’s averaging 17.3 points through the team’s first three contests.

PHOTO BY ALEX PICKERING

Comfortable and complacent Continued from page 16

The Gaels couldn’t maintain their momentum against a Waterloo team they had swept on the road one week prior. Queen’s lost Sunday’s match

in four sets: 15-25, 23-25, 27-25 and 26-28. Willis said her team went into the game feeling too comfortable, and lacked a sense of urgency as a result. “I think they thought, ‘as long as we show up and play we’ll be fine’, and I think we have to do more than that,” she said. “I don’t think they got fired up enough for the game on Sunday.” Waterloo overwhelmed the Gaels in the first set and closed it out with a five-point run. “Waterloo ran a very good offence, much better than they did [on Nov. 8, a 3-0 Gaels win]. They kept us off balance so it was kind of a frustrating second match,”

Willis said. The ensuing sets were much closer, with two of the final three needing extra points. “We were a little more predictable,” Willis said. “I think [Queen’s power hitters] both had a much tougher time than they did on Saturday.” Libero Ivo Dramov had 15 digs in the Guelph game and another three against Waterloo. He sits third in the OUA with 79 total digs, averaging a province-high 3.04 digs per set. Queen’s takes on the RMC Paladins (0-7) tonight at 8 p.m. The Gaels swept the Paladins both times they faced off last year.

ON DECK CIRCLE

The Waterloo Warriors established a strong blocking game to defeat the Gaels in four sets.

PHOTO BY EMILIE RABEAU

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Friday, Nov. 21, 8 p.m.: Gaels (0-3) at Guelph Gryphons (1-3).

Saturday, Nov. 22, 7:30 p.m.: Gaels (7-1-2) @ Laurier Golden Hawks (6-3-1).

Saturday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m.: Gaels @ Brock Badgers (1-3).

Sunday, Nov. 23, 2:30 p.m.: Gaels @ Waterloo Warriors (3-5-3).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Deep bench powers victory Continued from page 16

the season that he wouldn’t lack for lineup options in his debut campaign with the Gaels. “It’s still trying to find that right mix of players,” he said. “There are several first-year players that

are quite good that I do want to test out and see what they can do. I always try to give them opportunities when the timing is right.” Each of the women’s three losses to date came against teams currently above them in the OUA

Follow @QJSports.

East standings. Queen’s four wins include a home sweep of cellar-dwelling RMC and victories in all three of their matches with West opponents. They’ll face two more West squads this weekend at the ARC, welcoming the Lakehead Thunderwolves (1-7) tonight and squaring off against the Brock Badgers (5-4) tomorrow evening. Queen’s will cap off the fall portion of their season on Nov. 29 and 30, with divisional road matches against York (4-3) and the Nipissing Lakers (3-4).

Friday, Nov. 21, 6 p.m.: Gaels (1-2) at Guelph Gryphons (3-1). Saturday, Nov. 22, 6 p.m.: Gaels @ Brock Badgers (1-3).

Friday, Nov. 21, 8 p.m.: Gaels (3-4) vs. RMC Paladins (0-7). Saturday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m.: Gaels vs. Team Canada FTC (exhibition match).

MEN’S HOCKEY WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Friday, Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m.: Gaels (6-5) @ Lakehead Thunderwolves (4-7-2). Saturday, Nov. 22, 7:30 p.m.: Gaels @ Lakehead.

Friday, Nov. 21, 6 p.m.: Gaels (4-3) vs. Lakehead Thunderwolves (1-7). Saturday, Nov. 22, 6 p.m.: Gaels vs. Brock Badgers (5-4).


18 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 21, 2014

LIFESTYLE COLUMNS — QJ SCIENCE

Wake up your brain

When it comes to upping your energy, there are a variety of options beyond coffee B y R yan P ardy Staff Writer When I wake up in the morning, the first part of my routine is usually the same: I get out of bed and groggily stumble downstairs in search of the holy grail — a cup of coffee. Like most who have become dependent on a daily boost of caffeine, when I forgo my morning coffee, I typically experience headache along with a notable decrease in my concentration levels. But is caffeine really the best way to wake up your brain? I, and many other coffee drinkers, tend to agree: coffee, tea or anything caffeinated does help me feel more alert and focused. Yet that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best choice. Faced with this question, Peter Rogers, a professor at Bristol

University, tested coffee against chewing gum, sage, fudge and electric shocks. A group of 20 people, 10 who never drink caffeine and 10 regular caffeine consumers who had abstained for 12 hours, were recruited to test their concentration, dexterity and mental agility both before and after drinking a cup of coffee. As expected, the drink did give the non-users a boost in their performance. But it also made them anxious and jittery. With the regular caffeine-consuming group, coffee only boosted them to the same level the non-users were at without any caffeine. So what about other products? In a separate test, 24 volunteers were tested to measure their concentration and alertness. They were then randomly assigned to chewing gum, eating fudge,

swallowing a pill containing sage or and memory. If anything, Rogers’ study shows receiving a placebo. An hour later, In spite of this finding, it’s that coffee isn’t the be all and they did the tests again to compare unlikely popping a sage pill every end all to feeling alert. But there’s the results. morning is going to take off as a one solution that trumps any As expected, the placebo pill had replacement for coffee. Personally, natural or synthetic product, and no effect. Eating fudge also made the smell, flavour and temperature that’s getting enough sleep in the no difference on the volunteers’ of my morning coffee are all a part first place. performance. Chewing gum was of what helps me wake up. actually found to improve the volunteers’ mood, though it was suggested that simply going for a walk would have the same effect of promoting blood flow to the brain. Sage pills, surprisingly, were the only product to significantly improve the volunteers’ performance on the tests. As it turns out, sage contains a cholinesterase inhibitor, a chemical that prevents the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. By preventing acetylcholine breakdown, there’s more available for signalling in the brain, where it PHOTO BY ARWIN CHAN plays a role in improving attention Coffee isn’t the only supplement for energy.

FASHION

Blogging to success Drama student shares how her blog landed her a job

B y A licia H ai Contributor

See what Emilie has to say about her blog’s one-year history and own personal style, among a number of other topics.

What does the ‘etc’ in Emilie Etc encompass for you? How do you see it evolving?

I actually can’t afford it at all! I fashion blog? am constantly collaborating with different designers or stores that You have to really define your mesh with pieces from my own personality and stick to it because closet. I’ll go to a store and pull you don’t want to sound the the looks that I want, photograph same as everyone else. The way I them, and then give the clothes approach my blog is with a little bit back. If you would open my closet, of humor and crass; that’s how I I think people would be surprised. brand myself. My advice is to know I’m a believer of buying and then yourself and let it come through on reselling because I have a very short the blog. People appreciate you attention span for anything that being authentic and genuine. isn’t basic.

“You should never feel confined to fashion rules because last time I The etc. encompasses the human This interview has been edited for checked, there are none.” How did you come up with condition. You can never be one Do you have any tips for those length and clarity. This is the latest of quotable the idea to start a blog? More thing and you are always evolving. wanting to start their own phrases in Emilie Etc., a fashion importantly, how did you stick The etc. allows me to upload and lifestyle blog created by current with it? Was there an inspiration recipes, product reviews, and Queen’s student Emilie Nolan. behind it? interviews, without feeling untrue COLUMNS — QJ POLITICS A mixture of fashion to my brand. It allows my blog to photographs, street style profiles, There are two main reasons that be a more accurate representation personal anecdotes, product I started it. I was feeling creative, of me. reviews and even her own shop of and I wanted a passion project. personalized tees, Emilie Etc. aims Instagram had become my Who/what kind of audience do to capture all things she believes to outlet and I was becoming more you aim to gravitate towards be aesthetically pleasing to her and deliberate in what I was uploading. when you’re writing your blog? her readers. Another small contributing factor B y M ohammad K asraee environmental protection policies, Nolan, a New Jersey native, is was that I saw myself graduating in Definitely people my age. I’m Contributor which businesses often see as currently finishing up her studies in a year and didn’t see myself having not writing in a Teen Vogue impediments to profit. drama at Queen’s. She travels back a step above anybody else. I don’t voice — I’m writing in my own On Oct. 1, Prime Minister Stephen While the environment is and forth from Toronto, where do a lot of extracurriculars, so I voice about topics like sex and Harper signed a Foreign Investment mentioned in the Canada-China she’s the social media marketing wanted to make myself look more staycations. My audience is people Promotion and Protection FIPA agreement, which is available manager for clothing company marketable to companies. And it’s like me who are looking for a Agreement (FIPA) with China. It to view on the Canadian goverment Hangar 9. paid off, because it got me a job! little inspiration. allows businesses in both countries website, the wording of the sections to invest with more ease within regarding environmental protection How would you describe your each other’s borders. is so weak that it realistically does personal style? Is it hard to make A few weeks later, President nothing to protect businesses from that fit within the scope of the Barack Obama signed his own setting up harmful industries. university lifestyle? bilateral agreement with China. Critics have continually warned This one, however, regards of the dangers such FIPAs could My personal style on a daily basis a maximum capacity and a have in the long run. is laid back, a touch androgynous reduction put on greenhouse gas Chinese companies could and a little messy. I like to wear emissions. This agreement is seen potentially set-up environmentally my clothes a little oversized; that by many as a monumental step harmful industries in Canada, works fine at school day-to-day, but in the right direction between without having to follow any strict when I’m going out or blogging the two largest polluters in the regulation or policy. The same a certain type of outfit, it would international community. also goes for Canadian companies feel weird being in Kingston. For The Chinese economy, like in China. the most part, I can wear what I many others, relies on various Rather than taking a stance want and not feel like Kingston is polluting industries in order to that pressures China to reduce its holding me back. produce and sell goods. This is emissions, Canada has become a nothing new; it has been a fact partner in helping increase these Do all the pieces in your blog for years that pollution comes as emissions. This works against the come from your closet? Are they a negative side effect in a growing foundations of any environmental things you can afford on a economy. Governments have global movement, such as the SUPPLIED BY BRITTANY WHITE Nolan, ArtSci ’15, is a designer and blogger. student budget? slowly and reluctantly introduced See FIPA on page 19

Canada-China deal

Harper ratifies controversial agreement


LIFESTYLE

Friday, November 21, 2014

COLUMNS — QJ SPORTS

Toronto Raptors’ hot start Canada’s NBA franchise is looking better than ever at the season’s start B y A dam L askaris Staff Writer After an inspiring return to the playoffs last spring, it seems like everyone on this side of the U.S. border is ready to make the Toronto Raptors their new favourite team. Despite their continued strong play this fall, any hopes for the Raptors to reign supreme must be tempered by the need to see sustained success from the franchise. A deep playoff run this year would go a long way to creating more faith in the team. Starting the 2014-15 season at 9-2, the Raptors sit atop the NBA’s Eastern Conference. The Raptors look poised to build off a franchise record 48 wins last season, with early talk of them winning the conference or even a league title backed up by their hot start. In a nation of hockey-crazed fans, basketball often falls behind when there’s just one professional team compared to seven. For years, the Raptors toiled with mediocrity, failing to make the playoffs from 2008 until

just last year. Now, with a very successful “We The North” marketing campaign, coupled with an exciting young roster, an emphatic general manager in Masai Ujiri, a well-liked coach in Dwane Casey and the notoriety of having Toronto-born rapper Drake as an official team ambassador, it wouldn’t be a hard case to make that the Raptors are currently the best run all-around sporting team in the country. Within recent years, the Raptors have been capitalizing on marketing, with nearly every game played on national television. Previously, their games had taken a seat on the back burner. Without a true superstar, the Raptors have made themselves a respectable wellrounded team, with a solid starting five and a deep bench. The Raptors have used to the perfect blend of a fast-paced offence mixed with a stout defence to raise their case as one of the NBA’s best teams. Be it as a lifetime diehard or a casual

follower, it’s clear the Raptors right now are as good as they’ve ever been. The Raptors are looking to move into the upper echelon of NBA franchises and it appears they’re definitely headed in the right direction. Winning a second straight division title in a row and competing for a top spot in the conference would help legitimize a team that’s often been in the lower half of the league, and far from the most popular team in the city. But as any knowledgeable sporting fan knows, there’s more to a season than just 11 games, and there’s more to a team than just a regular season. Since their inception in 1995, the Raptors have just one playoff series victory to their name, way back in 2001. The NBA is no doubt a very tough league to win in, and before the Raptors can prove to their fans, themselves and the league that they’re able to contend on a consistent basis, and ultimately win a league title, there’s really not much to celebrate.

queensjournal.ca

FIPA trade Continued from page 18

one that Obama has been taking steps towards. With the Canada-China FIPA, both countries can use the agreement as a scapegoat for pollution caused by the other’s investors, in saying that there’s nothing they can do about it because of the agreement’s protection. On top of all this, the Canada-China FIPA is locked in for a minimum of 31 years and little debate took place in the Parliament before signing it. Possible solutions do exist, but are far from reality. The first would be for Harper to make a second agreement with China which protects the environment from investors. But this is far too idealistic. It would drive away investors and would be seen as an extremely unpopular move by economists. A better solution is for a change in how we measure a society’s well-being. GDP can’t continue to mean everything for a society’s ability to move forward. In order to achieve this solution, there must be a change in the global mindset. Bilateral agreements such as the one between China and the United States are the first steps towards such a goal. Harper’s recent agreement with China only hinders this progress.

GRAND THEATRE and FlyiNG V PRoDucTioNs

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All shows at the Grand Theatre

ACROSS 1 Phony coin 5 Bankroll 8 “Scrabble” piece 12 Sound of contentment 13 Ostrich’s cousin 14 Elevator name 15 “No Kidding!” 17 Works with 18 Kitchen whistler 19 Wine vessel 21 “Whadja say?” 22 Female red deer 23 Mueller’s org. 26 Scarlet 28 Coral structures 31 Reply to “shall we?” 33 Massage 35 Harvard rival 36 Retract one’s words 38 Shade provider 40 Sodium hydroxide 41 Commotions 43 Galley tool 45 Lectern 47 Blurry spot 51 Historic times 52 “Don’t go in there!” 54 Riga resident 55 Excessively 56 Kachina worshipper 57 Adversaries 58 Height of fashion? 59 Detail, for short

• 19

DOWN 1 Skewer 2 Mandolinkin 3 – Major 4 Boardroom illustration 5 Meteorologist’s ken 6 Film buff’s cable choice 7 Netherlanders 8 Series of contests 9 “Agreed” 10 Willingly, old-style 11 Being, to Brutus 16 Tea time 20 Melody 23 Winter ailment 24 Stiller or Affleck 25 “Meet you then” 27 Payable 29 Aviate 30 Witness 32 Mean ones 34 Open up, as a bud 37 Thee 39 One of the Three Bears 42 Surname meaning “maker” 44 Gordon and Westheimer 45 Money 46 Sandwich cookie 48 Let gravity take over 49 State stupidly 50 Grand story 53 Pirouette pivot


LIFESTYLE

20 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 21, 2014

POSTSCRIPT

Super fandom and celebrity obsession Our fascination with fame and the relationships we form with public figures B y O livia B owden Opinions Editor “You know a lot of girls be … thinking my songs are about them.” Sometimes I’m sure Drake was thinking of me when he wrote these lyrics for his 2009 single “Best I Ever Had”. Only I know others are too. Feeling connected to a musician or celebrity is something most of us experience at some point in our lives. I follow Drake’s every move. I often scream when he posts a picture of him in Toronto. But it’s only because I love him. Drake’s music has had a great impact on my life. It’s emotionally honest and intimate. It’s as if he’s rapping and singing just for me. But he isn’t. We’ve never met. This notion of feeling a connection with celebrities appears to be a pervasive part of our culture. A lot of people follow celebrities on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. We often feel that we connect on a deeper level with musicians, celebrities and public figures. Why, though? According to Brian H. Spitzberg, a professor at the San Diego State University School of Communications, a relationship with someone you’ve never met can actually be “perfect”. “That is, you don’t have any of the actual costs associated with having to have arguments with them,” Spitzberg said. “We get to idealize our relationships with celebrity in ways that we don’t get to do with actual relationships.”

Spitzberg co-authored an article and study titled “Fanning the Flames of Fandom: Celebrity Worship, Parasocial Interaction, and Stalking”. The article noted that 90 per cent of people surveyed in a 2001 study indicated they had “been attracted to a celebrity idol at some point in their lives”. Seventy-five per cent noted they’ve experienced “strong attachments to more than one celebrity”. “‘Parasocial interaction’ is the concept that, due to mass media, we become emotionally invested in characters or personalities we see online or on television,” Spitzberg said. “[Parasocial interaction is] the idea that we develop relationships with people who we experience in the media, in much the same sort of way that we experience relationships with people in real life.” Otherwise known as “fandom”, parasocial interaction can often help those experiencing loneliness or depression. It allows them to feel a sense of connection with another person. But there’s also a dark side. “The dysfunctional aspect of fan worship and celebrity parasocial relationships clearly raises its head in the form of stalking,” he said. “But most of the evidence we do have suggests that the vast majority of fans lead a relatively normal, well-adjusted life.” Following celebrities on social media platforms allows fans to feel closer to their idols, he added. “It allows people to connect

Drake’s personal and honest lyrics inspire an unusual level of passion from his fans.

more easily with celebrities and to Taylor Swift fan, said social media feel a closer engagement because has allowed fans to relate to they actually receive tweets from a celebrities more than ever. celebrity,” he said. “With things like Instagram, “But they don’t always realize it’s where [celebrities] are posting not directly to them in particular, pictures of them[selves] hanging but they can still feel more out with their friends … it’s not so connected on a real time basis to much the media’s profile of them,” that celebrity’s life.” said Cole, ArtSci ’16. Bailey Cole, a self-professed “That shows a lot more of their daily lives … it definitely does give them more of [a sense of] individuality than we would see from just reading magazine profiles or seeing them at award shows.” Cole said she’s been a fan of Swift since she was in the seventh grade. She was originally drawn to Swift’s music. “One of the reasons I’ve stuck with her for so long is she’s really someone I think I could be friends with,” she said. “[In] just the fact that I can relate to her and see a lot of myself in her, as weird as that may sound.” Mark Duffett, who teaches media and cultural studies at the University of Chester in England, said there are many reasons musicians, in particular, gain large followings. “Certain musicians are recognized as having something about them that people like … musical virtuosity, a voice, charm charisma or what ever and people take to them,” Duffett told the Journal via email. “Individuals start feeling a connection with them. “Potential fans then see [celebrities’] great popularity and understand that there is a thrill to be had if and when they find a connection,” he said. Duffett is the author of “Understanding Fandom”, a text that aims to “re-imagine” fandom through understanding its impact on culture and daily life, as well as examine fan-theory and the field itself. He said popularity is interpreted SUPPLIED BY 2.0 Swift appeals to her fans as someone they’ve grown up with, just like their old friends. as a form of success, which is seen

SUPPLIED BY 2.0

as attractive to others. “Popular music makes visible a quality common to many celebrity-following forms of fandom: that people get a buzz out of getting closer to socially-valued individuals,” Duffett said. He added that music is a vehicle for generating a greater amount of intimacy between the celebrity and fans. “A bit like close-up camera work, [music] lets us see individuals express emotions in close-up and therefore gives them an appealing quality of vulnerability,” he said. Duffett said it’s important to understand that no evidence exists that suggests fandom can lead to deviant or destructive behaviours with individuals. “We know that audiences can contain all manner of people, a tiny, tiny fraction of whom may be deeply troubled individuals,” he said. “Fandom is about maintaining a positive relationship with the object of one’s interest; anyone behaving in another way — intrusive, harassing, or threatening — is not actually a fan.” With the rise of social media, this phenomenon has affected the nature of fandom, Duffett said. “Social media is a tool that both fans and their heroes use. It has enabled celebrities more control over revealing aspects of their lives, and that has further reduced their privacy in some cases,” he said. “Social media [has] also made fan networking more rapid and public.” Following Drake on social media has allowed me to have a glimpse into his life that seemingly isn’t produced by a team of professional photographers or journalists. But we can’t truly know if the persona they project through social media is truly genuine — although for Drake, I’ll make an exception.


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