The Queen's Journal, Volume 144, Issue 13

the journal Vol. 144, Issue 13

Queen’s University

F r i day , N ov e m b e r 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

since

1873

Men’s rugby one game away TRUMPED UP from fifth championship in a row THOUGHTS Preview on page 10

Conversations over the American election results page 7

Academic integrity investigation underway for Commerce professor PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

Men’s rugby won 28-24 against the Western Mustangs last weekend to advance to the OUA finals.

Student drinking culture sparks counter initiative by former professor Geoffrey Smith aims to pressure Kingston and University officials to take action Morgan Dodson Assistant News Editor “I live in the combat zone,” Geoffrey Smith, Queen’s professor emeritus, noted on Wednesday morning while walking around his block at Barrie and William Streets.

This week, Smith — who taught physical education, health education and history at Queen’s for many years — launched an initiative he calls Kingston Against Drunken Students (KADS), and intends to pressure the city and the University to take official action against binge drinking.

“We lived here for about 25 years and the people next door about 30,” he said, pointing to the houses inhabited by permanent residents rather than students.

The University District is divided, according to the Queen’s University Property Locator Map, into six zones.

The ‘Main Campus’ zone extends east to west from Albert to Barrie Street, extending to Collingwood Street south of Queen’s Crescent to encompass residence buildings.

North to south it’s bordered by Earl

and King streets.

The surrounding zones each extend further out, with one specific to West Campus.

According to the AMS, the official University District is bound by Nelson & Collingwood Street to the west, Princess Street to the north, Division & Barrie Street to the east, and King Street to the south.

Over the time he’s lived near campus, he said increased enrollment has meant a wider spread of student housing. “The democracy is moving eastward, northward, westward, and southward like a cancer on Kingston’s face, and the students are carrying their parties with them,” he said.

On main campus, the total headcount for undergraduate students rose from 16,182 in 2013-14 to 18,013 in 2015-16, according to each year’s enrollment report. However, in the City of Kingston’s neighborhood profiles from 2011, the total dwellings in the University’s zone — extending from Lake Ontario to Princess Street, and from Barrie to Albert streets — is only 580.

Included in that number are 105

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See AMS on page 3

Maureen O’Reilly Assistant News Editor A class of second-year students all received 100 per cent on their midterm exams this October.

The course’s professor is now being investigated by the Smith School of Business for a potential breach of academic integrity.

According to Commerce Society President Bhavik Vyas, Wright reused an old midterm from three years ago for his current second years. The test was open-book and many students had brought the completed 2013 midterms with them.

In a message to The Journal, one of the students in the class wrote that in preparation for the open-book midterm, he had acquired several copies of old tests from upper year students and professors within Commerce, and brought them along.

This practice isn’t unusual, as past exams are stored for student practice in a University wide Exambank.

“When I got the exam, I flipped to the first page and saw it was the exact same question as the 2013 midterm, and then the same happened for the second and third question on the exam,” he wrote.

“Throughout the exam I felt guilty for having the 2013 midterm since I knew many See Are on page 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Features

Editorials

Lifestyle

page 4

page 6

page 13

A photo journal of Queen’s during World War I

Online:

buildings with five or more stories, 45 semi-detached houses, 100 single houses, 30 row houses, 70 apartment duplexes, and 230 buildings with fewer than five stories.

This number translated to 575 ‘households’ with an average number of two people per home. The vast majority of the population ranged from 20 to 24 years of age.

In the Sydenham neighborhood — extending along from the lake to Princess Street again, this time from Barrie Street eastward — another 2,050 dwellings were accounted for, ranging in the number of persons inhabiting those. Here, the age range was more spread, but still largely concentrated between the ages of 20 and 34.

With the rising rate of enrollment and the unofficial expansion of the area students live in, Smith has noticed increasing trends of poor behaviour amongst drunk students in his neighborhood. While he says Queen’s has tried to contain the drinking and parties, he believes their efforts have done little to nothing.

Second-year commerce students receive perfect marks after writing a reused exam

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Queen’s debates response to torn or burnt degrees Following degree destroying video in April, Senate weighs potential for rescinding degrees

Members of the Queen’s and Kingston community spoke their minds at City Hall.

PHOTO BY SEBASTIEN MOLGAT

Political studies professors weigh in on Trump victory Panel at City Hall unpacks American election results Joshua Malm Staff Writer

Americans, built resentment towards establishment politics over several decades.

He concluded that Trump’s win can be seen predominantly as “a reaction of white ethnic nationalism,” connecting the event to other nationalistic events like the Brexit vote this past summer.

For Haglund, Tuesday night evoked bleak memories of the 1972 election, which saw Following Tuesday night’s incumbent Nixon beat Democrat American election results, a George McGovern in a landslide panel discussion examining the victory. The fallout from the outcome was held at Kingston City Watergate scandal ended the Hall, featuring Queen’s researchers president’s political career no and moderated by associate more than two years later. political studies professor, He also cited Ronald Jonathan Rose.

Reagan’s election in 1980 as The event, titled What Just No one in 1980 a reminder to students not Happened? provided an in-depth could’ve imagined by to feed into the “doom and analysis of the 2016 election narrative perpetuated by 1988 how Reagan was gloom” cycle as well as the factors mainstream media. reconstructed in responsible for Trump’s rise Despite mass hysteria the imagination. to power. regarding Reagan’s inexperience The invitation to speak went and policy platforms, the out days before the results, and — David Haglund, president served two terms and to Professor David Haglund, the Political Studies Professor left office with what Haglund evening’s title was “kind of banal” considers to be a moderately at the time. “Now I realize John He described Trump as respectable legacy. chose very truly indeed,” he political opportunist, exploiting “No one in 1980 could’ve said. “What the hell did happen the current political atmosphere imagined by 1988 how Reagan last night?” and using it to become a was reconstructed in the Queen’s researchers Bruce self-labelled voice of the forgotten imagination, not just of Americans, Berman, Catherine Conaghan, and disenfranchised. but of many people in the Western Jessica Merolli and David Haglund Conaghan said that Trump’s world” he said. spoke to a large audience win was a reaction to Obama’s “If 1980 is your reference including many Queen’s students. presidency, as well as what point, then we may be in for a They cited social, economic and she sees as the stagnation surprise. Donald Trump may institutional issues, societal of the Democratic Party. In not turn out to be the disaster division, party corruption in both the interim years, she said that that many people imagine he camps and irresponsible media the opposite occurred for the must be.” as catalysts for Trump’s success right-wing, with the rise of the Merolli spoke about the as president-elect. radical Tea Party. sexist narratives that played Berman said the rural-urban “The Tea Party was able a role in maligning Clinton’s divide in America, as well as to generate this grass-roots campaign. She said women are the political exclusion felt by energy, and then really affect forced to navigate the political Republican and working-class the Republican Party itself by arena differently than men, and electing candidates, but also by make certain compromises affecting the agenda of the party” to garner broad appeal Conaghan said. and succeed.

On the left, movements such as Ultimately, the panel unanimously “Agreement allows computing Occupy Wall Street, student unions agreed that Trump’s biggest students to transfer between and anti-corporate agendas obstacles as president will be Queen’s & Dubai,” published never fully integrated into his relationship with his own, Nov. 4 2016 democratic policy during the fragmented party and in the Obama years. She believed by the international arena.

A previous version of this article time Bernie Sanders’ campaign “He knows little to nothing,” stated that the agreement addressed these issues, it was Berman said. “It is not like would allow students from already too late. building a casino where you can both universities to study at the “Although garnering a lot of short contractors and investors. other. Currently, the agreement media attention in the short run, He will literally be eaten alive — does not include the transfer of the Occupy Movement was never what’s he going to do, scream Queen’s students to CUD. able to permeate the Democratic obscenities at them and threaten Party in the same way the Tea to sue?”

The Journal regrets the error. movement was able to permeate on the Republican side,” she said.

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video he posted, tearing up his master’s degree in displeasure at Dalhousie’s refusal to divest from fossil fuels.

He followed this up in April of 2016 with a similar video in which he tore his Bachelor degree on Queen’s campus and went to personally hand it back Blake Canning to Principal Daniel Woolf in a Assistant News Editor sealed envelope.

At the time, Principal Woolf was In April of this year, alumnus Scott unable to see him, but Vrooman Vrooman tore up his Queen’s wrote in the video he was open Commerce degree on camera, to discussing the matter further, if and brought the pieces back to Woolf unblocked him on Twitter.

Principal Daniel Woolf’s office in In an interview with The protest for the Board of Trustees Journal, Vrooman said that since decision not to divest from his direct action in April, no one fossil fuel industries. from Queen’s administration Months later, during the most had contacted him regarding the recent meeting of Queen’s Senate incident. However, after using the on Nov. 1, a report from the School of Business alumni network Senate Committee on Academic to harvest emails and send out a Procedures discussed the divestment petition, his account official administrative response was cancelled. to students tearing — or even He was clear that his burning — their degrees. intention was not to rescind his “SCAP was asked to explore a academic qualifications. possible policy to rescind a degree “I ripped it up and handed it at the request of a student,” the back to the School of Business. I report read. The intention of the didn't do any official paperwork to action and the accountability try to rescind the degree. I didn't for the action undertaken were really see a point. The idea was to discussed. It was felt that, in bring attention to an injustice, and the absence of a policy for such ripping up the degree did that,” instances, the University “could not he said. infer a reaction without risk”.

When asked about a potential The report noted that the policy to strip alumni of their matter was discussed at length. degree for similar actions, At this time, members of SCAP Vrooman was puzzled. were uncomfortable with the idea “The only motivation I can that a symbolic action could be think of for a policy like that interpreted as a request to rescind would be as a deterrent to protest, a degree. which doesn't strike me as a very Though the report didn’t list enlightened move for a school a specific instance as the catalyst that sees itself a place of open, to explore a possible policy, intellectual debate,” he said.

Vrooman’s public tearing of his In an emailed statement, degree fit with the instances they Secretary of the University and were discussing and the timeline Corporate Council, Lon Knox told of the request.

The Journal that “the Committee Vrooman, who followed his agreed that the University should Bachelor of Commerce degree not institute such a policy to allow from Queen’s with a Master’s for degrees to be rescinded at an degree from Dalhousie, is a former alumnus’ request.” economist who “quit to write jokes” “With the exception of honorary as a comedian and writer for Vice, degrees, students earn their degree.

Funny or Die, This Hour has 22 Unless due to a matter of academic Minutes and Conan. misconduct or an administrative In November of 2015 however, error, it was felt that the record Vrooman broke from satire in a should not be rewritten.”

CORRECTIONS

ILLUSTRATION BY VINCENT LIN

Friday, November 11, 2016

News

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‘Are professors and students being held to the same standard?’ Vyas asks Continued from front

of my peers had a better grasp on the material than I, but I still likely would be getting a higher mark because I got lucky and brought in the right midterm.”

After concerns about the repeated test were brought to the professors’ attention, all students enrolled in the course were given 100 per cent on the exam.

Speaking to The Journal, Vyas said the Smith School holds their professors to a higher standard than this sort of repetition.

“From the perspective of someone who is incredibly passionate about and whose role oversees academics within the Commerce program, this begs the question: are professors and students being held to the same standard when it comes to academic integrity?” he said.

Furthermore, he believes there should be more policies and procedures to prevent “very negative situations like this” from

AMS sets meeting with Smith & City

happening again.

“Is it time to rethink the base level standard of care and teaching competency that professors and educations have? The majority of students do not pay too much attention to the positional legitimacy of a professor.”

However, he believes that a greater majority of students will take a course more seriously, work harder, and have more academic integrity themselves if they see a professor “demonstrating passion and care for the course, the students, and the academic experience.”

According to Lori Garnier, Executive Director of the Commerce Program, the faculty became aware of the issue shortly after the exam was written.

“As in all such situations, we are following our standard procedures as we look into the matter,” Garnier said.

“I think the fact that the march was a peaceful one with little violence made a really big impact,” said Lauren Winkler, president of the Queen’s Native Student Association. “It confronts and shuts down the stereotypical image of Indigenous resistance being aggressive and violent.”

See our full story on the protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline at queensjournal.ca/news

Continued from front

“Queen’s had an official sanctioned party for Homecoming? Well, what happened is that parties went elsewhere,” he said.

Generally speaking, he said he makes a point to get to know his neighbours in order to get along. “99 per cent of you people are fine, and wonderful, and I love you,” he said.

However, he believes the drinking culture that appears on events like Homecoming is a different story. “Students on Homecoming were out at 7:30 a.m. making their drinks. Should I say that’s wonderful? No, I think that’s disgusting,” he said.

He believes that the University is responsible for these events, and for establishing an off-campus code of conduct for students. His goal is to see bylaws implemented in the city to counter binge drinking culture, focusing on the reduction of noise and stopping of outdoor drinking altogether.

“This is something that is going to have to be solved by a lot of people and the most important group in terms of solving the problem is students,” Smith said.

In response to a Whig-Standard article on Smith’s initiative, AMS Municipal Affairs Commissioner Francis Campbell has set up meetings with Smith as well as City Councillor Peter Stroud, to brainstorm possible solutions to the concerns brought forward by KADS. “We are aware of the concerns associated with binge drinking on university campuses and will work with residents such as professor emeritus Smith to find a solution that best represents our students’ needs,” Campbell said in an email to The Journal.

Campbell also wrote that “as the student government, we are always looking to further our relationship with the City and its residents.” To Smith, the work done by students like Campbell and the AMS is paramount.

“This is not about me. This is about Queen’s, its students, and its future,” Smith said, looking onto William Street. “Are we a binge drinking institution? If so, let’s own up to it. And if we don’t want to be, let’s do something about it.”

PHOTOS BY ANISA RAWHANI

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Features

Friday, November 11, 2016

IN-DEPTH STORIES FROM AROUND CAMPUS AND IN THE COMMUNITY

Remembering Queen’s contribution to WWI

Shivani Gonzalez Features Editor At the dawn of World War I, the European powers and their allies came together to defend themselves and their country against the threat of war.

Canada and Queen’s were no exception.

More than 1,500 Queen’s students, both men and women, served on the front. Many engineering students joined the Fifth and Sixth Field Company Engineers setting up camp on the battlefields. The 46th, 50th and 72nd Battery in France and England were all comprised of Queen’s students. Queen’s students were also responsible for setting up and running war hospitals in Cairo, England and on campus in Kingston.

Women from Queen’s won a Royal Red Cross of the First Class and a Royal Red Cross of the Second Class and men from Queen’s won seventeen different awards for distinguished service.

In total, 189 Queen’s students lost their lives overseas.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES AND JOURNAL FILE PHOTOS

Queen’s Arts students pose outside the hospital in Cairo, Egypt in 1917.

List of Science students who served in the military during 1919.

Illustration of Queen’s soldier printed in a 1915 issue of The Journal.

A Queen’s military hospital decorated for Christmas in 1918.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Grant Hall was used as a military hospital on campus in 1918.

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Two wounded soldiers return to Queen’s campus in 1916.

Front page of The Queen’s Journal on January 26, 1915.

Queen’s students outside Kingston hospital in 1914.

Queen’s medical students stationed in Cairo in 1918.

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A cartoon printed in a 1915 issue of The Queen’s Journal.

Section label of a war feature printed in the 1917 Queen’s yearbook.

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Friday, November 11, 2016

EDITORIALS

The Journal’s Perspective

Othello warrants conversation, not retaliation

Backlash over casting decision calls out Queen’s drama on lack of diversity

Q

ueen’s Vagabond’s artistic choice left students of colour in the dark and it’s a decision that can’t be ignored.

Student theatre company Queen’s Vagabond released a statement last week announcing the suspension of their production of Shakespeare’s Othello. The decision follows a torrent of backlash directed at the production team’s choice to cast a white woman as the canonically black, male protagonist.

It’s a terrible shame that members of the cast felt threatened and unsafe as a result of the production. What the production stirred up though, can’t just be ignored.

While it may be easy to label the controversial casting as just a gusty artistic choice, the “artistic” preface seems to grant free reign and dismiss the consequences of actions that hurt students of colour.

The choice was made with the intention to stir the pot — the artistic directors’ Facebook post responding to the backlash read that they “were aware of the social implications”

and “anticipated backlash” but were “very disappointed in the way this community has approached the situation.”

It’s not fair to intentionally stir the pot without understanding the consequences, both for the cast and other students.

When their crew’s safety was at risk, taking action was the right thing to do, but to label the criticism as unreasonable seems dismissive of the legitimate outrage over the casting decision.

More conversation from the directors before the decision may have lessened the aggressive response, nevertheless it may not have made the decision a good one.

To apply the play’s themes to issues of gender instead of race, Othello’s blackness didn’t have to be erased just to cast a woman.

The role could have been an opportunity for a Black female actor, but acting as if the play could only focus on one or the other erased those students.

It’s tough to escape the racial

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Tegwyn Hughes James Hynes Junaid Indawala Dana Mitchell John O’Flaherty

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Publishing since 1873

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implications of a play that focuses on race, particularly at a university with a diversity problem.

The conscious decision

Kayla Thomson

Renee Robertson

Victoria Gibson

Sales Representatives Sebastian Jaramillo

Blake Canning

Anisha Jain

Maureen O’Reilly Shivani Gonzalez

Features Editor

Mikayla Wronko Editorials Editor

Ramna Safeer

Opinions Editor

Arththy Valluvan Erika Streisfield

Arts Editor

Alex Palermo

Assistant Arts Editor

Joseph Cattana

Sports Editor Assistant Sports Editor Assistant Lifestyle Editor Photo Editors

Sarah O’Flaherty Jenna Zucker

Lifestyle Editor

Ashley Rhamey Julia Balakrishnan Auston Chhor

Video Editor Digital Manager

Ghazal Baradari-Ghiami Valentino Muiruri Rachel Liu

Graphics Editor

Vincent Lin

Editorial Illustrator Copy Editors

Zachary Chisamore Brigid Goulem Irene Liu

Contributing Staff Staff Writers and Photographers Vishmayaa Jeyamoorthy Josh Malm Sebastien Molgat Contributors

Orlaith Croke-Martin Joshua Finkelstein David Hao

It’s this larger implication that may have caused the anger-fuelled backlash.

Although criticism should never threaten someone’s safety and wellbeing, anger is valid when the incident is a reflection of a much bigger issue.

— Journal Editorial Board

In defense of small towns

Cierra Madore Office Administrator

to replace the play’s racial overtones with a white actor doesn’t seem like just an isolated artistic choice.

The artistic team’s choice may be representative of a bigger cultural issue in the Drama department and Queen’s.

Even with good intentions of portraying different themes in the play — it reflects a culture that has a long way to go to produce diverse art and accommodate diverse perspectives.

Brigid Goulem

Max Mclernon

Production Manager

Morgan Dodson

the pot without understanding the consequences, both for the cast and other students.

Business Staff

News Editor Assistant News Editors

It’s not fair to “intentionally stir

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Want to contribute?

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

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

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

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

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

Contents © 2016 by The Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of The Journal.

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There are many truths about living education and as we are so often city-raised students. It adds in a small town — McDonald’s told, this is the key to success in another challenge when other is far away, I never lock my the real world. students doubt you because of My small town education was where you’re from, and these house, Domino’s doesn’t deliver and nobody ever knows where not inadequate. Although it was doubts can seep into your a hike to get to school, students own self-perception.

I’m from.

But some myths about living who wanted to, could get out The person sitting next to me in in the country that impact the of their education the same class and I both made it here and way people think about me are value they put into it, just like I’m not the exception. outdated, unfounded and need anywhere else.

Despite others’ belief, my to go. intelligence and ambition Nothing about me aren’t rare among people There’s an assumption that rural is ever as shocking as from my community. when I tell people that communities lack quality education and It’s foolish to assume less I live on a farm, outside as we are so often told, this is the key to of anyone based on where of a tiny town, outside they’re from. success in the real world. of the smaller town that The assumption that they may have heard of city-born kids are more once. The response is usually the My school wasn’t particularly likely to be smart or successful same: “Really? But you don’t seem fantastic, but it wasn’t affected by in life than students from rural like you’re from a small town.” being in a small town. areas is an unnecessary barrier to The assumption that makes Living in a rural area doesn’t their success. them surprised is the belief that if inhibit success, but believing it you’re from a small town, you must does can. It’s demoralizing for Brigid is one of The Journal’s be disadvantaged and uneducated. people from small towns when copy editors. She’s a second-year There’s an assumption that others assume that we aren’t political studies major. rural communities lack quality as prepared for university as

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Friday, November 11, 2016

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OPINIONS

•7

Your Perspective

Reactions to the American presidential election

Ideas don’t stop at the border

What When Trump really campaigning represents goes awry

Migrating to Canada is no joke

Orlaith Croke-Martin, ArtSci ’18 Contributor

Junaid Indawala, ArtSci ’17 Contributor

Vishmayaa Jeyamoorthy, ArtSci '18 Staff Writer

Tegwyn Hughes, ArtSci ’20 Contributor

W

T

I

I

atching the final results of the American election roll in, what started as a night full of optimism quickly turned to heartbreak and disbelief.

Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump was, and still is, shocking. I can’t help but feel completely discouraged when I think about the potential of what the next four years could’ve been, if only the results had been different. But, after a couple days of bereavement, it’s time for us to ask the question: how did this happen, and what does it mean?

Hillary Clinton was, in theory, the champion that America needed. She dedicated over thirty years to public service, and spent her entire adult life fighting for some of the country’s most vulnerable peoples.

Not only did she serve as the First Lady of the United States, she was also elected to the Senate for the state of New York, and most recently served as Secretary of State under President Obama. In a typical election, one could argue that these credentials would boost her campaign and unquestionably qualify her for the White House. However, this was not a typical election, and Hillary’s valuable experience was not enough to break the final glass ceiling.

Hillary’s loss was, in conjunction with other factors, a backlash reaction to the progress embodied by the Obama administration. Put simply, the American people proved that they weren’t ready to accept the first female president on the back of the first black president.

The results of this election highlighted the power of systemic sexism and racism in America, despite false narratives of progress for women and minorities.

The proof is in the pudding: according to pollster Anna Greenberg, Hillary Clinton is most popular when she is subordinate to a man, and least popular when taking on leadership roles herself. Case and point: running for the highest office in the United States rather than serving in the cabinet of a male president.

The good news is, progress isn’t on hold for the next four years. However, for us to change, we need to face the reality of the problem — systemic oppression in the United States is alive and it’s only galvanized by ignorance.

In the next four years, Americans need to take time to reflect on what they’ve been taught, and what legacy they want to leave for future generations. Hillary Clinton may have lost this battle, but we’ll decide whether the war against systemic inequality is lost.

Orlaith Croke-Martin is a third-year health studies student. She’s the Marketing Director for QFLIP.

he 2016 presidential election has been one of the most exciting in recent history, but the excitement came at a steep price.

With the broad use of social media by both campaigns the access to information has never been easier. Increasingly, campaigns are less reliant on the traditional news media to broadcast their messages. This creates a space for campaigns where they can speak to the people about the issues that they think can optimize their chances in the election.

The same system, however, was detrimental to the broader discourse about the election because it allowed the population to underestimate the very real threats looming in its aftermath.

People were distracted by jokes and blatant unprofessionalism.

The petty back-and-forth Twitter exchanges between both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump got far more attention than they deserved. Their antics were easily transferrable into memes and viral videos, allowing for a rapid ingestion of political information in a relatively passive way for most millennials by simply scrolling through Facebook and Twitter feeds.

While domination of the Internet is something all politicians running for office strive for, the negative effect it had on the electoral process is clear. The candidates were not pressed nearly enough on a few key issues plaguing their country. Issues like the Supreme Court, the unpopularity of Congress and, most importantly, the environment were ignored, because everyone was too busy focusing on things like the Clinton email scandal, Donald Trump’s taxes, or the “delete your account” assertions and consistent referrals to “Crooked Hillary Clinton”.

Ultimately social media is a tool and its effectiveness depends on how it’s used.

Donald Trump was consistent in his gregarious attitude and penchant for offending almost everyone. He essentially turned himself into a living joke, lulling the entire world into believing that his defeat was imminent, and yet he prevailed.

Everything amounted into a contentious, anti-intellectual, mud-slinging presidential campaign fueled by Twitter feuds and Pepe the frog memes, which led to the election of a demagogue whose party also controls the congress and senate.

The Internet should have made this election more informative, instead it turned the election into a joke, a running gag you could update your friends about every day in a group chat.

Junaid Indawala is a fourth-year political studies student.

fully expected for history to be made this American election season and it was, but definitely not in a way that I’d seen coming.

In a stunning upset, Donald Trump is now the President-elect of the United States of America.

I don’t understand how we live in a world where someone with such divisive, oppressive rhetoric that all mainstream media ensured us was trailing in the polls still managed to pull ahead and win this election.

‘But it’ll be fine’, I heard people say. ‘He’s the president, not the prime minister.’

This is true — Donald Trump won’t be passing laws in Canada anytime soon. But his racist, sexist and xenophobic rhetoric is already slipping into Canada. After all, ideas don’t need a passport; ideas don’t stop at borders.

After Hillary Clinton conceded and Trump was declared the new President-elect of the United States, Kellie Leitch, former Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Woman under the Harper administration, sent an email to her constituents congratulating him on his victory. Despite the irony of the former Minister for the Status of Women supporting a racist and sexist demagogue, she said that Trump was sending the kind of message that Canada needs to hear. Her latest campaign message promises to screen refugees and immigrants to make sure they follow “Canadian values”.

Does that sound familiar to you?

“Canadian values” have always been about diversity, equity, and inclusivity. They have always been about creating a cultural mosaic, not a melting pot. This idea of “Canadian values” being anything else is the by-product of Trump’s subversive, inflammatory remarks. It’s terrifying to think that one day Canadians may be faced with a similar election to this recent one in the US with the potential for someone like Trump to lead our country.

Now is the time to prove that we’ve never going to be that country. Canadian and American politics have always had strong ties to each other — but those ties don’t need to include values that invalidate the lives and identities of the millions of people proud to call Canada home.

White supremacy may be alive and well in America, but let’s not make that our story too. Canada has its issues, but we can be better — so we should rise above.

After all, when our neighbours go low, we can only respond by going high.

Vishmayaa Jeyamoorthy is a third-year stage and screen and certificate of business student.

n light of American’s electing Donald Trump as the President of the United States, talks of moving to Canada have run rampant all over social media. While these assertions are made lightheartedly, their implications are dangerous. We run the risk of making Canada seem like a place without its own share of problems and it minimizes the real fear that a lot of minority groups have to grapple with when fleeing their home countries.

Trump’s overtly racist and xenophobic ideals have gained the most attention throughout this entire election. As Canadians, we’d like to think that we’re above America when it comes to issues of the sort, however, in Canada, we are in the process of combatting many of our own racial issues.

Paying attention to these flaws and ensuring that we’re taking care of our own country is the utmost important thing to do at a time like this.

We struggle with race issues, particularly concerning Canada’s Indigenous populations.

In 2015, Maclean’s published an article that drew many parallels between the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada and the mistreatment of African Americans in the United States. In some instances, the former was articulated to be worse. This point isn’t to group all minorities’ experiences together in one issue, but rather, to call attention to the discrimination many Indigenous populations in Canada face that often get under represented.

Issues of race aren’t the only ones emerging in the last two years of Canadian history. The election of Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister seemed promising for a “greener” Canada, but Trudeau has been raising eyebrows when it comes to issues like the Keystone XL Pipeline. When Barack Obama vetoed a proposition to expand the pipeline last November, Trudeau expressed his disappointment publicly and voiced his support for increased North American oil pipelines.

All things considered, the United States is a scary place right now. However, making jokes about migrating to Canada is a dangerous thing to do when many minority families are seriously questioning their place within an America led by Trump. It’s insensitive and trivializes very valid fears that people have.

During times like these, where we’re so quick to criticize the circumstances in the United States, it’s important to remain aware that there’s still a lot of work to be done on home soil to combat bigotry and institutional mistreatment of minorities.

Tegwyn Hughes history student.

is

a

first-year

8 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 11, 2016

ARTS COMMENTARY

Live performance is being remixed How technological advancements have changed the live music experience Alex Palermo Assistant Arts Editor Consider this an obituary for live music.

The music industry has come a long way in recent history.

Technological advances within the last decade have gifted us with the ability to listen to music anytime, anywhere.

Among the many undeniable benefits of constant and reliable access to new music, there’s another side to consider. There’s an ongoing societal shift from authentic and spontaneous performance to prepackaged, pre-wrapped audio performance.

Live performance has been in the process of being replaced for a long time, but in a much more discrete way. In grade school, nobody seemed to bat an eyelash when the choir switched from having a real piano player to singing along to the sounds of pre-recorded tapes and later CDs. Professional orchestras are becoming more and more rare. All your friends are buying tickets to Digital Dreams.

I don’t mean to look at it through rose-coloured glasses,

You lose the genuine human connection, whether it was last Friday night at The Brass, at your very first concert as a kid, or on your bedroom floor as you stumbled your way through the chords to your favourite song for the first time.

As with anything, live performance must evolve or go extinct. But, there will never be a time when the music scene is at a standstill.

The music industry relies heavily on consumerism to stay alive, and as quality live performance slowly becomes more rare, the demand for remixed, reliable music increases.

We’ve come to expect a new standard for live performance, one based on pre-recorded audio projects. Artists from Adele to Drake are criticized for not having perfect voices, for missing a beat, and for making mistakes. There’s a new type of artist emerging through the rise of a new skillset: being a professional DJ. Nothing becomes popular without demand. Musical genres are also constantly evolving, and concert experiences are huge productions that add something new to the listening experience.

But there is something to be said for looking back, when seeing your VIA UNSPALSH favourite artist meant hearing their The music industry is changing, from the production to the consumption of music. voice, watching them physically but there’s something to be said onstage performance. physical effort, the human play an instrument.

Hopefully, like vinyl, we’re just for the spontaneity, the muscle When all the elements that voice and authentic sound, are memory and echoing sound of an come together to create live lost, spontaneity also takes a circling back to it. acoustic guitar chord found in an music — being present, curtain call.

BANDS

Queen’s baseball team’s spontaneous cameo in new music video New Abrams video features Kingston as a backdrop Joseph Cattana Sports Editor

A Queen’s baseball player in The Abrams’ new music video, ‘Champion’.

Want your poetry published in The Journal?

Email winter or holiday-themed poems to journal_ae@ams.queensu.ca for a chance to win.

Country rockers and Queen’s alum, The Abrams, premiered a music video for their hit single ‘Champion’ on Oct. 27, featuring a familiar backdrop.

Filmed in the brothers’ hometown of Kingston, the music video tells stories of individual hardships and heroism.

“The idea to have storylines about community ‘champions’ was largely inspired by our friend, Drew Cumpson, who in his early 20s suffered a spinal chord injury that left him quadriplegic,” John Abrams stated via email.

“Most importantly, he hasn’t let his injury stop him, because as he says, he had real champions in his life that have helped him through his own struggle.”

In addition to Cumpson’s story, the video also featured cameos of the Queen’s baseball team.

According to Abrams, the underlying baseball theme in the video was inspired by the Toronto Blue Jays’s playoff season last year, when the brothers were writing the song.

“The overarching baseball metaphor runs through the whole song, expressing a sentiment of love through struggle,” Abrams said. “The idea of being someone’s ‘Champion, when the summer ends,’ or when the days get cold and difficult, felt like a good follow-up to our fun-loving summer song ‘Fine’, which was completely optimistic.”

Tim Peters isn’t a country music fan, but the Queen’s catcher noticed a familiar face at his baseball practice this year.

“I bought a futon from John before school started this year and he delivered it to my house and we had a great conversation,” Peters said.

“So when we showed up to

practice and they were shooting a video, we recognized each other almost immediately.”

But this wasn’t supposed to happen. While the baseball team was looking to get an extra practice in, the Abrams brothers had showed up to shoot their video.

“We tried to squeeze in an extra practice when we didn’t have the field booked, as they had it booked for their video,” Peters said. Rather than push the team away, Peters said, they were invited to join.

“No one was prepared for it, but it really seemed to work out and bring some extra life to the video.”

And while it was on a whim, Peters said it will help the team in the long run.

“It’s a great feeling that the team is getting some exposure through a great video,” he said. “We are hoping to gain even more exposure through it and move into next year with some more fans with us, thanks to the Abrams.”

Arts

Friday, November 11, 2016

(Left) Rotman’s sukkah in the desert of Israel, and (right) in its current home a the Israel Museum.

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•9

SUPPLIED BY (LEFT TO RIGHT) ITAMAR MENDES-FLOHR AND DIEGO ROTMAN

THE AGNES

Diego Rotman brings art and politics to the Agnes Israeli artist and curator talks his controversial project, The Eternal Sukkah Josh Malm Staff Writer On Monday, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre hosted acclaimed Argentinian-Israeli artist Diego Rotman, as he delivered a thought-provoking presentation on his latest project, The Eternal Sukkah.

Rotman, an academic, interdisciplinary artist and curator, has a particular interest in performance practices that engage local historiography, folklore research, art politics and Jewish culture.

In 2014, Rotman and fellow Israeli artist Lea Mauas built a sukkah — a Jewish ritual and dwelling — inspired by a Bedouin tent-like home common to those who live in the desert. This became their work, entitled, The Eternal Sukkah, representing Bedouin nomadic culture in the context of modern day refugees.

The Journal sat down with Rotman to better understand his influential work and cultural influences.

reflects the political situation, the opportunity to think.

That is positive, because they social situation and how you can could reflect and reformulate their react to it. way of approaching the holiday of Q: What is the objective of The Sukkot [a Jewish holiday] and the situation of the Bedouins. It gave Eternal Sukkah project? them the possibility to deal with Rotman: The objective is to this through absorbing another explore the combination of the two perspective.

In the media and in the political realities, the Bedouin reality in the desert and the life of refugees — scene, there were many reactions. the life of not really owning, not On one side they were criticizing occupying your own space, your the museum for including this own life and not having the same political situation and some of rights, such as with the history them don’t like it in the museum. of the Jewish people when they Others criticized the fact the were refugees living in Egypt with Bedouins were not part of and didn’t have a hand in creating no land.

Through the object, those two the project.

What was good about the realities are connected in order to generate the possibility to embrace project was that it created an these two histories in the structure. opportunity for people to discuss and reflect, really starting the Q: What inspired you to explore conversation on these topics. Every concepts relating to Jewish art opinion generates more opinions and that’s wonderful. and culture such as this one?

Rotman: Yiddish was the language of my grandparents, I grew up with this language and culture and I was always attracted to it. Moreover, my studies and pursuits were a Q: How would you describe way to come back to my story, and yourself and how are your my heritage that I’ve always has a personal interests reflected in strong connection to. this project?

Q: What have been some of Rotman: I’m part of the Sala-Manca the reactions to your project, artist group, and we are a couple especially now that your piece is working together in Jerusalem. I’m in the Israel Museum? also an academic so I’m also dealing with projects from a scholarly Rotman: I think there were many approach. I think the project itself is reactions from several different a reflection of my interests; mainly positions and perspectives. Most in that it’s reflecting our approach of the reactions and the general and our way of understanding reaction of the public has been the reality of where we live. It positive, because it gave them an

Q: Can art be an effective platform to draw attention to important political issues?

Rotman: Of course, I cannot say that every art piece and every work can do that. But we can talk specifically about specific projects and this project did it and it really generated a lot of awareness and reactions in the media, and people dealing with a topic they wouldn’t give a lot of attention to if it wasn’t in the museum. *Responses have been edited for clarity

Diego Rotman delivering his talk on The Eternal Sukkah at the Agnes.

PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

10 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 11, 2016

SPORTS

The men’s rugby team beat the Western Mustangs last Saturday to move on to the OUA Championships.

Men’s rugby looking for fifth consecutive OUA title

PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

Gaels win 28-24 in a come-back victory against arch-rival Western to advance to OUA championships James Hynes Contributor With ten seconds to go in their semi final game against the Western Mustangs last weekend, the hopes for a men’s rugby “Drive For Five” — five consecutive OUA titles — looked like it was coming to an end.

With the ball just outside the Western try line, Queen’s pushed with all their might to overcome a 24-21 deficit, gaining mere inches on their opponents with each attempt to keep their season alive.

After multiple attempts thwarted, scrum-half Dylan Young picked up the ball, faked left and dropped down to his right, pushing the ball just far enough past the try line to give his team a 26-24 lead — adding a successful conversation to make it 28-24 — in the final moments of the match.

With the home crowd letting out cheers of excitement, the win advances the Gaels to the OUA championships against the undefeated Guelph Gryphons, who

WOMEN’S SOCCER

will be looking for redemption on their home field after dropping the past two championships to the Gaels.

But the Gaels matchup against Western was far from easy — compared to their 37-8 win against them in semifinals last year. The Mustangs came out looking for revenge and having tied their match earlier this season 11-11, this match-up was all the more intense going into it.

Western opened the match with a converted penalty kick from around the half way line to give them an early 3-0 lead.

Queen’s answered quickly, taking advantage of penalties against Western to score a try, and convert on the extra point to put them up 8-3. A few minutes later, Queen’s added three more points by way of a penalty kick, extending the lead to 11-3.

Before half time the Mustangs closed the scoring gap on the Gaels, with a try and an extra point to make the

game 11-10.

Soon after the second half started, the Mustangs regained the lead with a long run leading to a try and a made conversion, putting them ahead 17-11.

In typical fashion for such a back-and-forth game like this, the Gaels returned with a try from Kanoia Lloyd to put them within one point.

Just as the Gaels were starting to gain momentum on the offensive end, Western scored a try on a Queen’s turn over to give them a wide 24-16 lead midway through the second half.

Matthew Geisler was able to put Queen’s within striking distance of the victory with his late try in the dying moments of the game. With time running out, and the score at 24-21 in favour of the Mustangs, the Gaels completed the come-from-behind victory in a fairy tale fashion.

When asked about how the Gaels were able to keep composed in the final minutes of the game, Brendan Blaikie, a veteran hooker

for the Gaels squad, kept his answer short and sweet.

“Strength, and fortitude, and perseverance. That’s all it is,” he said.

With the Gaels set to take on the Guelph Gryphons this weekend, the teams’ history against each other can’t be ignored. In their match up earlier this season Queen’s lost 18-12, which might be a cause for concern for some Gaels fans. However, prior to their 24-23 victory against the Gryphons in last years OUA championship match, when the two teams met during the regular season the Gaels dropped the game 35-28.

Third-year player Alex Colborne

said that while the team dropped their game against Guelph earlier this season, they’re poised to come away victorious.

“We didn’t lose by much against them earlier and we are in the exact same position as last year,” he said.

To come out victorious, Colborne knows it will be a game of few opportunities.

“We need to be efficient and take our chances because we’re not going to get many,” he said.

And while a dynasty might be on the line, Colborne knows his team is ready.

“Just focused on the process and the result, the ‘Drive for Five’ is just motivation.”

Chasing glory out east

Gaels prepare for U Sports National Championship after winning silver medal at OUA Championship Joseph Cattana and Joshua Finkelstein Journal Staff After Thursday’s 1-0 win against St. Francis Xavier University, the women’s soccer team is within reaching distance of the U Sports National Championship.

Against their opponents from out east, Queen’s struck early.

Tara Bartram found herself on the end of a long through ball pass, leaving her one-on-one with a defender. When the Gaels forward pushed the ball to her left, the defender wen the wrong

way, leaving Bartram alone with the goalie. With her next touch, she struck the ball, curling it into the back left corner of the opposing net.

The score would be the only of the game, placing Queen’s in the final four of the U Sports National Championship tournament.

After the team booked itself into the national tournament with their silver medal at the OUA Championships last weekend, midfielder Matija Skoko spoke to The Journal. Going into the tournament, she knew the team had a different focus than last year.

“Last year, there was a lot more excitement — we were all so happy to be going. Not that we’re not excited now, but everyone seems a bit a more intense” she said.

Skoko attributes the team’s focus and drive to both missing out on the OUA title this year, and the team’s knowledge that they have a squad that can win an even bigger tournament.

“We had a better season this year than we did last year — we’re playing better more consistently,” she said.

See Two on page 12

Matija Skoko scored twice to book Queen’s spot in the U Sports National Championship.

PHOTO BY AMANDA NORRIS

Sports

Friday, November 11, 2016

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MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Trence and Hutcheson lead the drive in the OUA Sideline commentary on the team’s strong start Joseph Cattana Sports Editor Only three games into a new season, the men’s volleyball team doesn’t look phased by their veteran losses.

When Ivo Dramov, Tyler Scheerhoorn, Marko Dakic, Scott Brunet and Mike Tomlinson graduated from the program, on paper there seemed to be a lack of senior leadership on the team.

While last year was the Gaels best shot to compete for both an OUA championship and a birth into the CIS playoff tournament, this year looked like it was going to be a rebuilding year. With nine first years on the roster, the team seemed to be too young.

Through three games, the team has shown that they’re still a potential force to be reckoned with in the OUA. Last weekend, the Gaels faced off against the Ryerson Rams and the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.

Although they split the weekend against their Toronto rivals — winning against Toronto and dropping the game against Ryerson — Queen’s relied on their strengths to be competitive.

So far, the attack has leaned on outside hitter, fourth-year Markus Trence — coming off an injury that held him out of all but one game last season — and second-year Zac Hutcheson. Over the weekend, Trence recorded 40 kills over the two games, leading Queen’s with 21 kills in the loss against Ryerson.

Hutcheson wouldn’t be out done by his older teammate in their game against Toronto, leading the way with 20 kills.

Currently, Trence and Hutcheson sit third and fourth in the OUA in total kills, with 48 and 36 respectively.

Although he was only featured in five games last year, Hutcheson managed to score 22 kills. He’s already surpassed that number by 14 through three games this year, with a .476 hitting efficiently that puts him second in the province behind McMaster’s Jayson McCarthy.

The quality play has extended beyond these two players, and is apparent across the team. Queen’s currently leads the OUA in kills per set at 13.36 and is second in the OUA in points per set at 16.8.

Though their first matchup against Trent — whose team was just added to the league this season — was an absolute blowout, both Ryerson and Toronto are Markus Trence is third in the OUA with 48 kills. competitive teams in the East division — finishing third and fourth respectively last season, just behind the Gaels.

But the attacking power is only as strong as the play of their setter. Jamie Wright — the only starter left from last year’s veteran squad — has put his teammates in attacking positions. Through three games, Wright leads the OUA with 10.45 assists per set.

Having this ability to score early and often, will allow Queen’s to find themselves in close games late, no matter the situation.

And while there’s often a focus on offense in a sport like volleyball, the team’s defense is strong as well. Queen’s is second in total blocks, and third in digs per set in Ontario.

By being able to defend, head coach Brenda Willis has created a team that has few weaknesses and more strengths.

While it may be early, the men’s volleyball team has made something clear — they will contend.

In this upcoming weekend Queen’s plays against Windsor and Western at home.

Currently Windsor has yet to win a game, and Western sits at third in the OUA West with a 2-2 record.

Men’s volleyball celebrates their win against U of T.

PHOTO BY BAYLEE HENNIGAR

PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

Sports

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Friday, November 11, 2016

Two wins away from returning home with a championship Continued from page 10

The team will be focused on pushing beyond their fifth-place finish from a year ago, and ultimately take the biggest prize that they can. With the win, they are guaranteed to finish in fourth place or above.

The single-elimination tournament is being hosted by Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia for the first time since 2000. The last time the tournament took place in a Maritime city — 2011 in Charlottetown — the Gaels ended up with a national title.

Last weekend the team was in London defending their OUA title from last season against the top seeded UOIT team. The Gaels came up short in their pursuit, losing 1-0 in a hard-fought final on Sunday.

Though they were the defending OUA champions, the Gaels came into the OUA final four as the lowest ranked team and their quest for a second title wasn’t an easy one.

Their first match of playoffs against the Ottawa Gee Gees was a close one that the Gaels were able to slip out of with a 1-0 overtime win. In their semi-final match-up with Western, nothing could separate the two teams until the second half, when Matija Skoko scored two goals to clinch the team’s birth into the OUA finals and a spot in the Nova Scotia national tournament.

Speaking about the 2-0 victory that made certain her team moved on to play against

the best in the nation, Skoko mentioned that it was a “dream come true” to net such crucial goals.

During the year Skoko admitted that there were one or two chances that she should have scored. “I thought to myself often that if for whatever reason my team didn’t make it out of playoffs, it would be because I didn’t finish a chance that anybody else would have.”

Despite being in the hostile London crowd for both their semi-final and final OUA playoff games, Skoko believed Queen’s supporters changed the mood pre-game.

“Coming in at first I was intimidated,” she said, “but once we arrived and the game got going the nerves were gone.” The support for the team balanced the environment to the point, she mentioned, that it didn’t even feel like it made much of an impact playing against the hosts.

The Gaels did have one stumbling block over the weekend, conceding the OUA title Isabelle Birchall spikes the ball against U of T. to the UOIT Ridgebacks on Sunday in a 1-0 defeat. The goal the team allowed in WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL the finals was the first they had given up in nearly a month — managing shutouts against every opponent going back to the last time they played UOIT on October 14.

The team will be looking to maintain that defensive prowess and reignite their momentum with their win on Thursday as they prepare to take on UBC — who beat out the hosting Acadia team 1-0 in their Thursday match — on Friday afternoon.

PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

Young Gaels drop both home games against Toronto opponents

Takeaways from the women’s volleyball weekend John O’Flaherty Staff Writer

Last weekend, the women’s volleyball team faced off against their toughest adversaries in the East division, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the Ryerson Rams.

Last year the two Toronto based teams placed first and second respectively in the division, with Toronto going undefeated through 19 regular season matches to later take the OUA championship title as well as a national CIS title.

On Friday the Gaels met the Ryerson Rams, keeping the scores close throughout the match, but eventually fell in three straight sets.

The next evening, the Gaels took on the defending OUA and CIS champions, University of Toronto, winning the opening set and later falling to Toronto in the next three.

Here are The Journal’s takeaways from the weekend, including the strong play of outsider hitter Victoria Wensley.

Taking a set from the defending champions

One of the ways that Queen’s was able to take the first set from Toronto was their defensive control around the net.

Nicola Ros and Danielle Corrigan were a stone wall on Saturday’s game against U of T, having back-to-back blocks in the first set that helped the Gaels take it 25–19.

The passing skill demonstrated by the Gaels throughout the games last weekend demonstrated why the young team is still a force to be reckoned with this season. A prime example was a passing series executed by Queen’s that lead to Caroline Livingston being set up for consecutive points. In the loss against Toronto, Livingston registered 13 kills and two blocks.

Errors separate Queen’s from the upper tier It’s never easy to face off against two of the top teams in the OUA. For Queen’s, last weekend was no different.

While they were able to keep the sets close in score, there was one major difference — errors. In their Friday matchup against Ryerson, Queen’s committed 19 attacking errors — 11 in the game’s final set — compared to Ryerson’s 12 for the entire match.

Against U of T, Queen’s hitting percentage was only .100, which was a whole 100 points below their opponents. Currently, Queen’s ranks 10th in the OUA in hitting percentage and is tied with Western for the fourth most errors in the league with 62.

For Queen’s to make the next step going forward, they’re going to need to be more efficient on the court.

Looking ahead for positive outlook

While last weekend’s loses had their fair share of negatives, Victoria Wensley tried to look to the positive outcomes. On the weekend, she recorded collective 13 kills, three aces and one block.

“A huge positive is always taking a set off of Toronto, especially as such a young team,” Wensley said. Queen’s has nine first years on their 15 person roster.

“Every game we have a new game plan and a new attitude,” Wensley said in regards to how the team handles back-to-back games. She emphasized the learning experience that the team takes away from each game. Wensley said that the next step is simple — “back to the gym and practice.”

The Gaels have two home again this weekend, playing the Windsor Lancers on Friday and the Western Mustangs on Saturday.

Friday, November 11, 2016

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LIFE STYLE KINGSTON CORNER

The Southpaw Cat Café has arrived A small business with an animal-oriented goal

Ashley Rhamey Assistant Lifestyle Editor Walking into the Southpaw Cat Café, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

The café looks, at first glance, like any other. Main doors open to a coffee bar on the right, displaying an array of pastries and desserts as well as a typical café menu.

What isn’t typical is the lack of tables, in fact there’s only one table in the room. The rest of the seating can be seen through two large windows to the left, in the ‘cat room.’

This is where the main attractions of Southpaw sit, purr and lick themselves.

In this room, cats roam freely with — and occasionally on top of — customers who frequent the café.

The cat room has every feline contraption imaginable. Toys, scratching posts, tiny hammocks and carpeted shelves galore allowing the cats to climb around the spacious room freely. For humans, there are tables, booths, chairs, a couch, and some funky pillows to make it as comfortable a space as possible for the animals and the people enjoying them.

Since an explosive Facebook post started circulating in the summer that Kingston was to have it’s very own cat café, almost everyone I knew was making plans to visit it.

After arranging to meet Scott Fardello, the founder of Southpaw Cat Café, I finally got my chance to go.

As I was waiting in line to get my drink, a woman approached Fardello and asked about adopting one of the cats. Apparently, this has been a constant occurrence at the café, and part of its purpose. Even though the café had only been open for three days, two of the five cats are already being adopted, set to leave the café for their new homes next week.

Every time a cat is adopted, a new one from Kingston Animal Rescue takes it’s place at the café. This partnership allows the cats the chance for a lot of human interaction and socialization before their adoption, and has already helped some find their new owners.

In the midst of mid-term stress, some downtime with animals can be exactly what people need to relax.

“Whenever I got stressed building up to

this, as soon as I got the cats in there and I could just walk in there and pet them, it was just like …” Fardello took a deep breath and let it out. “Alright, this is okay.”

When Fardello came up with the idea for the cat café in May of this year, student stress was a reason that he thought the idea would be well received in Kingston and he made sure to create a student discount.

Queen’s, St. Lawrence College and RMC students all get 15 per cent off their purchases. They accept student cards, or even a Queen’s jacket as proof of enrolment.

After the café gets less busy, Fardello hopes it will be a place that students and residents can come to do homework, read books from their community bookshelf, and of course, de-stress with the cats.

Walking in that day, I could see the café

PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN SMITH

meeting many different needs.

There was a family eating croissants and wiggling cat toys for two of the most energetic cats, a couple chatting while absentmindedly stroking the head of a three-month-old kitten who’d camped out under their table, and another student studying and sipping her coffee with a cat curled up nearby, watching her at perfect ease.

As Fardello and I talked, cats jumped up on the window sill regularly to greet him. He knew their personalities and greeted them, as well as many of his customers, by name.

I left thinking that the only failing of Southpaw was the distance from Queen’s campus. Despite this, I’ll be like the cat and come back, maybe just not the next day.

BUSINESS

Business Basics: Credit Cards David Hao Contributor Who doesn’t feel like a high roller with their own plastic?

Credit cards are convenient and have many uses, like online purchasing and establishing a reliable credit history. However, like Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker, “with great power, comes great responsibility,” and while a credit card might not give you web-slinging powers, it can

GRAPHIC BY RACHEL LIU

ruin your personal finances if you’re not careful.

Whether you’re a new cardholder or a veteran shopaholic, here are some tips to help you get smart with your credit card.

Choosing the right card

Before you choose a credit card, talk to someone at your bank branch. Sometimes it pays to “shop around” and check out the different options that are curren available to you. Banks love students and usually they offer a credit card designed for our benefit.

The most popular incentives include: • No annual fees • Low/no income requirements: typically, the fancier your credit card, the higher your required income level. Most students are only able to obtain the most basic cards for this reason.

• Reward points: often, you can earn points for a number of reward programs by making purchases using the card, from Aeroplan Miles to SCENE points to redeemable merchandise.

• No-fee cash back: typically, interest is incurred as soon as you use the cash back feature of your credit card, although some credit cards will waive this fee up to a limit.

• Rebates: rebates provide a percentage — usually around one per cent — of your purchase amount back as a credit.

Playing with felines at Southpaw.

Studying your monthly statement You just got your first credit card statement.

Your palms are sweaty as you open the statement and the first number you see is your balance: the amount you owe.

Keep your balance at a comfortable position. Always ensure you can pay for what you purchase, so that your balance is paid off entirely with each statement. Ideally, you haven’t hit your credit limit, because it’s always a good idea to save some credit for rainy days.

Sometimes, your balance may become negative if money is refunded to your card.

This isn’t a bad thing! Negative balances count as existing credit to automatically pay off future purchases.

Assuming you haven’t fainted yet at the balance line, the next thing you should review are the statement amounts.

Keep the receipts you get when you use your card! Make sure your purchases are listed correctly by comparing the listed amounts to your receipts. That night out couldn’t have possibly cost that much! Wait, never mind. It did.

So far so good, your finances are not yet aflame. Next, take a look at the minimum payment. This is the bare-minimum amount you must pay each month toward the outstanding balance.

Uh-oh, you didn’t take our advice and pay off every purchase. Now, you’ll be looking at interest, calculated based on your outstanding balance. If you remember anything from math class, it should be that compound interest builds up FAST! Don’t let interest consume you.

Clearly, you’re going to need a better understanding of the payment date. This is the date you must pay your entire balance by to avoid interest. Paying bills on time is critical to maintaining a good credit record, which you’ll definitely need in the future for larger purchases like a car or mortgage.

Try to pay well in advance, as it often takes a few business days for payments to process.

Proper credit card usage will help pave the way to a solid credit history. Remember — credit cards aren’t meant to finance a life you can’t afford, but help you afford a life you want.

LIFESTYLE

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Friday, November 11, 2016

CULTURE COMMENTARY

When Harry met Meghan

How far is too far when it comes to the media?

Erika Siegert Contributor

SEXUALITY

S&M: Flying Solo “Hi S&M, can you please talk about female masturbation next? I’ve never done it before and I want to try it but I’m not really sure how to go about it and it feels overwhelming.

None of my friends ever talk about it and it feels too taboo for me to just ask them. Do you have any advice for a first time masturbator… where do I even start?”

— Flying Solo Hi Flying Solo, It’s totally normal to feel a little nervous about your first time getting down solo. We get it, it feels taboo. But, know that it’s a totally normal and healthy part of the human experience and pretty much everyone does it. It’s good to want to learn about it and be open to new things.

We both wish we had discovered the magic of masturbation a long, long time ago.

We would have been way happier in high school and we probably would’ve been a lot more confident with sex later on.

The first thing to understand about masturbation is that in some ways, it’s a lot like having sex with another person. There’s no one way to have sex and the same goes for masturbation. There are lots of different toys, many positions and that one thing you’ve been wasting on different uses all along: your right hand.

A great thing about masturbation is that it can help you become more confident sexually and therefore more comfortable in your own skin. It also helps to teach you the things that you find pleasurable, which you can pass on to your partner during sex and make it a better experience for the both of you.

So, before your first solo time, do a little research. What turns you on? If you’re more of a visual person, surf the Internet for some visual aids. It could be porn, sexy clips from TV shows or movies, even an erotic book.

If you’re more of an audio learner, try playing your favourite sexy songs with a good beat. If you’re more of a romantic, set the mood. Light a few candles, play some

tunes and have a good time.

Lock your door so you don’t have any unpleasant intrusions and make sure to give yourself a quick anatomy lesson. Learn what your body looks like and what areas you should be looking out for (read: the clitoris).

Just like every vagina is different, so is what people like to do with them.

Some people find direct clitoral stimulation too intense, and some prefer internal stimulation, external or a combination. You won’t know what you like until you try it out, so don’t be worried if the first time isn’t exactly your cup of tea.

A few people in our house got some fun toys in second year and suddenly, the remotes kept mysteriously running out of batteries.

If you decide to go to a sex shop, definitely seek the help of the people working there.

From our experience they’re nice, sexpositive people and want to pass on their knowledge to you. They can help you find some great toys, from beginner items to some more adventurous purchases.

Remember during your first foray, you might not have a mind-blowing experience right away. Some people put pressure on themselves to have an orgasm, which means that it takes them out of the moment and takes away from their pleasure. Don’t let your head get in the way, this is for you and your body.

As always, practice makes perfect. What works for others might not work for you, so keep testing things out and experimenting until you’ve found your perfect combination.

Finally, just have fun with it. It’s not meant to be stressful at all. Just keep an open mind and empower yourself with knowledge about your anatomy and options and you’ll have a great time.

We’ll be rooting for you from here, baby!

— S&M ;)

Nothing inspires me to hit the gym more than watching Kourtney Kardashian’s daily Snapchat stories of her breaking a sweat.

While I’m not even a huge Kardashian fan, their use of social media is unlike any other. Originating directly from their hands, it allows me to feel a connection to them that’s authentic.

But how far can we blur the line between peeping and privacy?

I would say we’ve already gone too far.

I find connections like Kourtney’s Snap stories positive because they’re forged through the celebrities’ prerogative to share tidbits of their lives with the world. However, when it comes to the tabloids and other media outlets, the celebrities we claim to know and love become victims of extreme scrutiny and invasion into their private lives.

In light of the news stories discussing the love life of Prince Harry, and his newly confirmed girlfriend, actress Meghan Markle, I’m left questioning whether some will do anything to sell a story — no matter the cost.

The royal family has always had a strong presence in the tabloids over the years, especially with regards to their personal and romantic lives. As soon as rumours were sparked about the Prince and Markle’s new relationship, the news spread like wildfire.

Everywhere I looked, I could find someone’s interpretation of what this meant, regardless of the fact that they didn’t have a say in their lives.

Tabloid headlines got ugly. What’s more, reporters and photographers went as far as to break into Markle’s childhood home or even bribe sources close to the pair for information on their relationship.

Is there a line to be drawn here? How far can the paparazzi go just to get a story, and when does it become potentially dangerous and even life threatening?

As an onlooker with an outside perspective on their lives, I sometimes think that personas of such status like Markle and the Prince have tried to become accustomed to these invasions and comments being made on their private lives. However, they are still human — hurtful comments and physical invasions of privacy still take a toll on their mentality and it would take a thick skin to ignore the hurt that may come with those words.

A statement recently released by Prince Harry through Kensington Palace outlines just that. Moreover, when it comes to the Prince having to ask the press to “pause and reflect” on their actions, it indicates that significant damage has been done.

I agree with Prince Harry’s statement, but am I partially to blame for reading these outrageous stories? If it’s about making money, readers are just fuelling their fire.

Nevertheless, everyone deserves the rights of safety and privacy at any level of social status. Life isn’t a game, and while entertaining, it should come at the expense of another person’s well being.

Meghan Markle.

Prince Harry.

LIFESTYLE

Friday, November 11, 2016

queensjournal.ca

• 15

POSTSCRIPT

Behind bars

My summer as a tour guide at the Kingston Penitentiary The staircase in the Shop Dome in the Kingston Penitentiary.

Dana Mitchell Contributor When I was hired to work at Kingston Penitentiary this past summer, I entered the prison with hesitation.

As I walked through the large and looming North Gate on that first day in May, my heart pounded uncontrollably, not because of the great historical significance, but mostly because I was nervous about how I would find my place in such an unfamiliar working environment.

Looking at it now, I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t have a memorable first experience walking through its doors.

Over the summer I had the opportunity to see a wide variety of people venture through the Pen, each one with their own distinct reaction. Some were excited and joking, others seemed more serious, attentive and curious, but they all understood to some extent the significance of the place they were in.

In my case, I couldn’t connect with it right away because I had no real knowledge of the Penitentiary’s history. If anything, my first impression of the Pen was that of a sad and empty place, stripped of its furniture and intended purpose.

Although it’s role as a prison was not a happy one, the idea that it stood empty after 178 years of service was tragic in my opinion.

This summer, the Kingston Penitentiary opened its doors to the public, almost three years after its official closure in September 2013. Tickets were sold out all through the summer and fall, with approximately 600 to 700 people visiting each day.

Although this wasn’t the first time the Pen hosted tours, it had never been attempted on this large a scale.

The project, headed by St.

Lawrence Parks Commission, has given thousands of spectators the opportunity to discover what lies within Canada’s oldest and most notorious maximum-security prison.

When it was announced in May that the Pen would be hosting public tours, a sense of mystery that surrounded the historic sight escalated in mind. Even though I had heard the familiar jokes about the prison’s proximity to Queen’s, and knew small fragments of its vast history, the appeal to visit the Pen was pretty much lost on me.

It has seen such “tragedy, and yet

standing there at night after all the tours have ended, there’s a sense of peace.

”

It’s strange to think, after spending nearly six months within its walls, how much that’s changed.

It took me a while to find my bearings in the Pen. It’s deceptively small from the outside, and every one of its buildings has its own stories and unique history.

Going through training to be a tour guide, I had the sense that I could lose my way very easily and wasn’t sure how I was going to learn all of its facts and figures.

Retired correctional services staff members took us through the prison, telling us about their experiences working within its walls and giving us glimpses into the real world of Kingston Penitentiary.

Listening to them, wide-eyed and slightly anxious about the prospect of giving tours, the Pen began to come to life.

Suddenly the reality of where I would be working started to

sink in.

There’s a strange irony in my experience working at Kingston Penitentiary. While my time at the Pen was overwhelmingly positive, for many people this wouldn’t have been the case.

The Kingston Pen has had its times of horror and its times of happiness, but for those housed there prior to its closing, the confines of the walls would have been their entire existence.

There were about 30 student staff members hired to lead the tours and run admissions.

For most of us, we didn’t know anything about the Pen so all of the information was completely new.

We were essentially in the same position, none of us sure of ourselves or the way things would work in the coming weeks. It was difficult for me to find my voice in the confusion of those first few days.

Everyone seemed so excited and outgoing and I was determined to be the same.

I’ve always considered myself a relatively quiet person. I like listening, but talking in front of others has never come easily. I watched as my coworkers began giving tours and was always impressed by how effortless they made it seem. Just the idea of it was impossible to me.

was sympathetic and kind. I don’t think I did a bad job, but it was such a blur that I honestly can’t remember. When it was over I just felt a sense of relief and satisfaction. I had accomplished the “impossible” and I will always be proud of myself for taking that risk.

Suddenly I found myself regularly giving tours to groups of 20 people, taking them through 178 years of history. Tours made my days go by faster and I actually grew to enjoy them.

Eventually it became second nature and gave me the opportunity to meet thousands of people from all over the world, each with their own connection to the Pen. It never failed to surprise me how many lives the Pen had affected, whether it be directly or indirectly, and it was these connections that made the tours feel more personal and less of a tourist attraction.

With 34 tours running each day, we got into a comfortable rhythm within a short time. The staff became very familiar with the limited selection of prison jokes — yes, we will let you out at the end of the tour — and the constant questions about high profile inmates — no, we can’t tell you where his cell is. But even when the tour became repetitive, it was the people I worked with that

Fortunately, I was hired to work admissions and it wasn’t until July that I was asked to start giving solo tours.

I remember standing in front of my first tour group, hands shaking and regretting ever deciding that this would be “good for me”.

I made a big deal about it being my first tour and my group

made it enjoyable.

The entire staff became a family of sorts and working with them made the experience so much more meaningful.

I can’t believe that I was ever nervous to get to know them because I have never felt closer to a group of people in my life. As the weeks

of sold out tours passed, “ AsthethePenweeks didn’t feel empty anymore.

It became a home for us. ”

SUPPLIED BY DANA MITCHELL

of sold out tours passed, the Pen didn’t feel empty anymore. It became a home for us in those months, and despite battling heat and mild exhaustion, I had a lot of fun.

On Saturday, Oct. 29 Kingston Penitentiary closed its doors once again following five successful months of tours. Although it was a busy and tiring season, I will miss the Pen and the people I worked with even more.

Unlike the majority of offenders that spent time in Kingston Penitentiary, I was sad to say goodbye.

I don’t think I could ever forget the tour route or stop myself from working random facts into conversations, but I also wouldn’t want to. I learned so much in my time at the Pen about its history, the workings of federal corrections in Canada and also about myself.

It has been the most interesting summer job, but also the most rewarding. After a few months I had a sense of pride coming to work and I’m happy I got the chance to be a very small part of its immense history. In a way, Kingston Pen has become a part of me.

After everything I’ve learned, I have developed a deep respect for the Kingston Penitentiary.

It has seen such tragedy, and yet standing there at night after all the tours have ended, there’s a sense of peace. I don’t think these realities should be forgotten, but I do believe that there is room for growth and the foundation for something good to come in the future.

While it is still unclear what will happen to the Pen next year, I remain hopeful that it will open its doors once again for tours.

Kingston Penitentiary deserves to have its story told and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back.

In the end, it was a pleasure to spend my summer in prison.

16 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 11, 2016