Post-graD in focus See Pages 11-18
F r i d ay , M a r c h 8 , 2 0 1 3 — I s s u e 3 6
the journal Queen’s University — Since 1873
Ams
ASUS
Prescott censured
Petition targets Plummer and team
Alexander Prescott creates uproar with Facebook comment
Petition calls for impeachment
B y R achel H erscovici Assistant News Editor
B y Vincent M atak Assistant News Editor Following former team TNL candidate Nicola Plummer’s ratification as vice-president of operations-elect on Sunday, a petition has circulated calling to remove her, Eril Berkok and TK Pritchard from office. Plummer was ratified as the incoming vice-president of operations at a special AMS Assembly on Sunday, with 37 members in favour and three against in a roll call vote. Plummer was nominated for the position on Thursday following former BGP vice-president of operations-elect Peter Green’s resignation due to conflicts with his teammates. The application of section 2.02.03 of the AMS Constitution, which grants executive members the opportunity to appoint another executive in the case one member resigns, was granted in Plummer’s case. “In situations where we don’t have policy (this has happened repeatedly), we have to interpret the spirit of the policy,” Mira Dineen, current vice-president of university affairs, said at Sunday’s Assembly. “By interpreting everything and interpreting the fact that there is a very clear framework ... it makes the most sense for us to follow that framework.” At the Special Assembly on Sunday, Plummer’s nomination drew criticism from ASUS representatives, who referred to it as undemocratic and unconstitutional and argued for greater student consultation. “I believe that such a consideration of this magnitude without consulting students in a circumstance like this, which has never risen before, would be very detrimental to the AMS,” said Alexander Rotman, ASUS representative to the AMS, on Sunday. Rotman proposed a silent ballot, which was overturned in favour of
Photo by Sam Koebrich
ASUS Representative to the AMS Daniel Basilio, picture above, leaves the Special Assembly as Representative Alexander Prescott watches. Basilio was one of three assembly members to formally resign following the meeting.
a roll call vote, citing AMS policy. This week, referendum nomination forms circulated calling for the executive-elect - - to be impeached. The issue wasn’t addressed at last night’s Assembly. Those who signed the form supported the question posed on the petition: if “it be recommended to the Alma Mater Society Assembly that Eril Berkok, Nicola Plummer and TK Pritchard not continue to hold the offices of incoming President, incoming Vice-President (Operations) and incoming VicePresident (University Affairs), respectively, of the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University at Kingston, and a general election be called to select their replacements?” If the forms garner enough signatures, which according to the AMS Constitution is 10 per cent of Society members, the question will be placed on a referendum ballot. The Journal couldn’t confirm who put forward the question or how many students have signed the forms. It’s currently unknown how many signatures have been collected and if and when the forms will be presented to AMS Assembly. “Nicola, T.K. and I have received a lot of support from students regarding our team, the priorities we have laid out, and the progress we have made so far,” Berkok told the Journal via email Thursday night. “Students have not brought such a petition to our attention, and unless something unforeseen occurs, we will continue working tirelessly in transitioning and See It’s on page 7
Student Clubs
Model UN to stay under AMS control AMS votes down motion to remove QMUN from Campus Activities Commission B y S am K ary Contributor A motion to remove Queen’s Model United Nations (QMUN) from AMS Policy Manual and leave Queen’s International Affairs Association (QIAA) to run the only Model United Nations Conference failed with a vote of 10 for and 25 against last night at AMS assembly. QIAA, an organization with an office in the Student Life Centre, is responsible for training and fielding a Model United Nations team that competes at conferences across Canada and the US.
QIAA is a high ranking member of the MUN community in North America, having recently received second place at a conference at WestPoint, and is known as a training ground for up and coming politicians. QMUN is the official AMS run Model United Nations assembly. Occurring once a year with eight different committees, QMUN advertises itself as a no experience needed simulation of the UN which encourages students from all faculties to debate on a wide variety of topics. See QIAA on page 7
Former AMS presidential candidate and ASUS representative to the AMS Alexander Prescott was censured on Tuesday night by ASUS Assembly after he made controversial comments about rape on Facebook. Prescott was censured in a Special Assembly called to deal with the motion to reprimand him, with a vote of 17 in favour and five against. The agenda for the special meeting was set at the previous week’s regular ASUS assembly. Prescott’s Facebook comments, left on Feb. 25., suggested that a degree of the onus for rape should be on victims, based on their conduct. Despite much opposition, Prescott stood behind his comments and clarified them further at the Special Assembly, stating that he doesn’t condone rape culture. However, he stated in Assembly that “some responsibility lies with victims who put themselves in risky situations.” Censure was defined by ASUS president John Whittaker as a formal reprimand, meaning that ASUS doesn’t condone his actions. “It’s a slap on the wrist,” Whittaker said in assembly. During the assembly, a motion was brought forward by a member to impeach Prescott. The motion was deemed unconstitutional by the ASUS assembly speaker. “It did not fall in accordance with our policy, which requires a two-weeks notice of motion,” See It’s on page 7
Dialogue
arts
Sports
Lamenting the loss of student trust at the AMS special assembly. Page 8
Review of Half Moon Run’s show at the Grad Club on Tuesday. Page 19
Men’s rugby veterans make radical strength transformations. Page 23
News
2 • queensjournal.ca
Friday, March 8, 2013
Mental Health
Campus groups honoured for anti-stigma efforts Mental Health Awareness Committee, Peer Support Centre, HCDS and Residence Life receive Human Rights award B y S hannon H ill Contributor A student-run anti-stigma collaboration between several campus groups took home the Queen’s Human Rights Initiative Award last week. The Queen’s Mental Health Awareness Committee (MHAC) and Peer Support Centre — both groups under the AMS Social Issues Commission — were given the award for their organization of an Anti-Stigma Workshop. The recipients were presented with their awards at a ceremony on Feb. 28. MHAC and the Peer Support Centre shared the award with their partners on the project: Health, Counselling and Disability Services (HCDS) and Residence Life. Heidi Penning, an equity advisor with the Human Rights and Equity Offices, said the offices felt including students living with mental health issues made the group stand out to the selection committee. “They were inclusive,” she said. “Often programs that are similar to that fail to include members of the group that they’re talking about.” The workshops, geared towards first-year students, have been presented to about 14 groups in residence so far. They sought to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health by discussing proper terminology, what mental health encompasses
and by informing students of the different resources available. There are another four presentations planned for this year. This year MHAC asked volunteers living with mental illness to share their personal experiences. MHAC Co-Chairs Natalie Munn and Sebastian Gorlewski said that the personal aspect is a crucial part of the workshops. “Research shows that some of the best ways to reduce the stigma surround mental health is by actually having people share their own personal experience,” Gorlewski said. The groups behind the anti-stigma workshops were presented with their award in
Supplied by the Queen’s News Centre
a ceremony last week along with the recipients of two other Equity Office awards.
“
Often programs that are similar to that fail to include members of the group that they’re talking about.
”
— Heidi Penning, Equity Advisor
The workshop was built off of a program last year through the Mental Health Awareness Committee (MHAC), but was expanded to include the Peer Support Centre and Queen’s Peer Health Educators. “I think this is the key component because when student see another student talking to them about their experience it’s not something that’s distant or something that’s ‘othered’ it’s something that everyone
experiences,” Munn said. Munn and Gorlewski came up with the idea for the workshop when they were hired last year. In the summer, they approached HCDS to ensure they weren’t duplicating any existing programs. From there came the suggestion of including the Peer Health Educators. The involved groups and volunteers spent last term practicing the different parts of the presentation and pitching the workshop to residence dons. It wasn’t until the end of last term that the groups came together to practice their presentation as a group. Those involved hope to see the workshop continuing into the future and have a lasting impact.
“I think what is great about the collaboration is that it hopefully makes it more sustainable too, because [we] all have that same goal in mind and we can continue to work together towards it,” Munn said. The Human Rights Initiative Award is distributed by the Equity Office each year, along
with the Employment Equity Award and the Steve Cutaway Accessibility Award. The former was awarded to civil engineering professor Mark Green this year, and the latter to Kathy Jackson, undergraduate coordinator for the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies.
C o r r e c t i o n s Colin Beiswanger was taking part in the Jeux de Commerce as a delegate. American Apparel is a brand that Nude Voice Apparel has come to trust. Incorrect information appeared in the March 1 issue of the Journal. The Journal regrets these errors.
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Friday, March 8, 2013
queensjournal.ca
•3
Feature Accessibility
Living beyond their limitations Patricia Rae and Susan Croft both look to educate others about their disabilities B y R achel H erscovici Assistant News Editor In her mid-twenties, Patricia Rae’s mobility was given an expiry date. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at age 24 and admitted to a hospital for complete bed rest in an orthopedic ward. At the time, she was a serious rower at Oxford University. She said it’s important to know that disabilities aren’t always obvious at first sight. Rae recalls being the youngest patient in the wing by about 50 years. A doctor told her that she should expect to be in a wheelchair, with limited mobility, by the age of 40. While RA meant Rae had to transition from rower to coach, it didn’t mean the end of her academic career. Today, Rae works as a professor of English at Queen’s and held the position of department head between 2002-07. “It’s really hard when you’re young and you have this disease and you know that there’s no cure for it and you can be really laid low by people’s predictions,” she said. “That’s why you have to be stubborn. I’m very stubborn, you have to be.” *** One in six Canadians over the age of 15 are reported to be living with RA — a disease that causes the body to attack the healthy tissues around certain joints causing inflammation. Although it’s commonly known as an “old person’s” disease, RA
can affect anyone, at any age. While Rae’s battle with RA isn’t immediately obvious, she still must take precautions in her day-to-day life. She’s able to receive accommodations from the University to exempt her from teaching classes in the early mornings and to keep her classrooms close to the underground parking lots. She must also be careful with icy walkways and the stairs in lecture halls. Rae added that she believes Queen’s has never denied her support in terms of getting help with her illness. During her time as Department Head, Rae was granted time off when she had no choice but to take a break to have her knee replacement surgery. “High pressure professionally and RA is a pretty tough combination,” she said. Despite facing challenges with writing on the board if her hands are too painful, Rae teaches three times a week, as well as holding office hours and working from home. Some days can be harder than others for those living with RA. “I will often feel really nervous before a class, I just can’t go through with it and I can’t stand up there and do it, but the minute it gets started I lose that fear,” she said. “I find that I always end up being lifted up by the experience and I always feel better coming out than I do going in.” As with most arthritis sufferers ,pain is constant, but swelling episodes in the joints come in
supPlied
Patricia Rae (top) and Susan Croft are members of the Queen’s community living with disabilities.
photo by Charlotte gagnier
waves throughout life and cause more pain. Sometimes Rae said she waited too long before taking care of herself and asking for help when her disease reached a difficult point. “I don’t like asking for help from anybody because somehow it seems like asking for help is weakening a little bit and you’re afraid of weakening and then giving in and giving up, or something like that,” she said. *** Each morning, Rae takes the time she needs to start her day — her husband brings her lattes in bed and gets her son off to school. It’s common for those suffering with RA to experience immense pain and crippling stiffness in the mornings. Despite the everyday pain she endures, Rae said she doesn’t consider her RA a disability. “I do think it shapes those of us with it, it shapes us in a very
profound way. It’s inseparable from who we are because of that need to fight against pain and fatigue, that just becomes part of who you are,” she said. Every weekday, Rae picks up her son, who was diagnosed with ADHD from school. She does what any parent would do to make sure her son does his homework and eats dinner. “My biggest challenge has been being an arthritic mother of a hyperactive [child],” she said. “I can’t give in to arthritis, though, because what’s going to happen to him if I give up?” Educating people about invisible diseases like RA will further accommodate and help those living with these struggles, she said. “I think the solution has to lie partly in educating people and cultivating a culture where people understand that even thought they can’t see your disability, it’s real,” she said.
The Disability Service Office • The Disability Services Office (DSO) at Queen’s is funded by the Government to support students with disabilities. • This academic year, 809 students are registered with DSO. 90 per cent have a disability that isn’t physically visible. • Advisors support students while speaking with administration, faculty and department heads and the Human Rights Office on their behalf. • The Adaptive Technology Centre (ATC) is run through DSO and works closely with students who need access to these technologies to aid their disability. — Rachel Herscovici
Susan Croft Susan Croft refused to let her grades drop after she was told as a child that her worsening eyesight would have an impact on her A’s. Today, Croft, Law’13, is completely blind, but thanks to certain technologies, she is able to take her classes in a similar way to her peers. For Croft, attending law school and becoming a lawyer had been a dream since she was in grade seven and she works tirelessly to make sure she stays on track. With the help of her guide dog, Andy, the third-year law student is able to get around campus and do her readings through software that converts her textbooks to spoken words. The iPhone is one of her favourite gadgets because it finally allows her to text. She swiftly guides her hands along the phone finding the desired application as the phone speaks to her, informing her of each one. Croft is also armed with a flashlight-like gadget that she points over certain clothing items to describe to her the colour of her shirt or pants. “You can tell whether you’ve put on the right coloured tank top under a certain sweater — you wouldn’t want to do pink under a red shirt or anything and it will tell you that which is great,” she said. For her morning coffee, Croft clips on a gadget onto the side of her mug and once the hot liquid touches the prongs on the inside, it beeps and she knows her mug is full. “Instead of sticking your fingers in the cup to find out that it’s full and burning you finger, the thing will buzz instead,” she added. *** “I don’t even remember having sight in both eyes so there was always that issue,” she said. In third grade when she was required to wear thick lens glasses, because of her worsening cataracts, she started to feel different than her peers. Professors will receive notice through HCDS that a student with vision impairment will be in their class. “Some professors are completely fantastic ... some profs keep going as if nothing is changed and that can be a little bit difficult,” Croft said. She added that to help her keep up she receives class notes through the volunteer note taker program run through HCDS. Croft said that the hardest part of living with her disability is getting to new places and navigating her way through different obstacles, but for the most part she said Queen’s has been very accommodating. Problems can arise during Frosh Week when students fill the streets and Andy becomes very confused, or times when Andy has been petted during his working time on the street. During lecture, Croft sets up her computer with her headphones to navigate her note taking program. While Andy gets comfortable under the desk, she types away on her laptop like every other student. “If I’m in a small group and we’re doing introductions and stuff I tend to say, ‘Hello, my name is Susan, the beast under the table is my guide dog Andy,’” she said. Croft is open to sharing her disability with others and remains positive about others’ reactions to her differences. “People shouldn’t be afraid to share and they shouldn’t be afraid to ask,” she said. “Asking a question never hurts. People will never know if they never ask.” — Rachel Herscovici
4 • queensjournal.ca
news
Friday, March 8, 2013
NEWS IN BRIEF Student threatened on campus
Maintaining services at the shelter was the main goal, she said, but they also wanted to make Queen’s students more aware of issues The AMS released a statement on Monday facing Kingston. condemning an “incident of intimidation” “The project showed us that it doesn’t which was said to have taken place Sunday take a lot to raise money,” she said. “We can evening, following a heated AMS Special definitely do more next year.” Assembly meeting. The fundraiser will be an annual event in The statement denounced such behaviour coming years. and asked students to take advantage of — Sebastian Leck campus safety resources and to report similar incidents. Campus Security received a call from a Celebrated actor comes person identifying them as a “victim of an act to campus of intimidation,” Director David Patterson told the Journal via email. The caller was encouraged to report Screen and stage star Paul Gross graced the incident to Kingston Police, he said, Queen’s with his presence and his take on adding that any penalty external to the fame and the entertainment industry. Student Code of Conduct would have to be Gross could best be described as a addressed by the police. multidimensional artist, involving himself Patterson couldn’t provide any additional in both acting on screen and the stage, details about the case, but noted that students producing, writing and directing. His who feel threatened are advised to stay alert big break was in the 90s television series while walking home and remain in well-lit Due South. areas. Those who believe they are being Gross visited the school to talk to students followed, he added, can go to the nearest of the Stage and Screen Special Field emergency phone or call Kingston Police or Concentration on Tuesday and Wednesday. Campus Security directly. Drama professor Craig Walker said the departments invite a different artist each year — Holly Tousignant to visit. “In the past we have had a lot of very interesting people, Daniel MacIvor, Wendy Students raise money for Crewson, Susan Coyne, Tom McCamus, homeless shelter Judith Thompson, (some of which had former ties to the school),” Walker said. “All The Queen’s University Liberal Association people who are fairly large names in the (QULA) raised over $1,200 this February Canadian industry.” Walker said Gross is the perfect example during their “Last Penny Drive Campaign” of the many Canadian actors who work in in support of the Kingston Youth Shelter. The month-long campaign encouraged both theatre and film. “[Gross] started out acting in theatre Queen’s students and the Kingston community to sponsor a bed at the shelter by and almost immediately he was writing for loose change. It costs $200 to provide a bed theatre,” he said. “Then his acting followed for homeless youth for one month, including into film. Walker added that Gross “infected a lot food and counseling. The initiative was a joint project run by the of students” with his passion for the industry, community-based Kingston and the Islands including theatre, film and writing. [He’s] somebody who is so sophisticated, Federal Liberal Association (KIFLA) and the Queen’s University Liberal Association. It who works at such a high level in the was spearheaded by the KIFLA Outreach business, you would think he would be Director Raly Chakarova, who said on a little bit more guarded about speaking Wednesday that the project is important for about his experiences. He’s not,” he said. “He gave them a really bracingly realistic preventing homeless youth from remaining look at what the business is like.” homeless in the long-term. Gabrielle Schachter, the Outreach — Emily Walker Director for QULA, said the youth shelter had lost funding prior to the campaign, which made donations even more essential.
Friday, March 8, 2013
News
queensjournal.ca
•5
Housing
New student apartment complex proposed Proposal for housing — which will feature a pool, health centre, tanning salon — approved by City Council B y J ulia Vriend Assistant News Editor
was proposed by Patry Inc. Developments, and aims to raise the quality of living for students, On Tuesday, Kingston City Jay Patry says. Council approved the building Patry said he believes the of a new apartment unit directed student ghetto isn’t an ideal place at students. for students to live especially, when The proposal, for the Princess they’re paying one of the highest and Victoria Streets complex, rents in the area. was passed with an amendment “Our general goal is to provide to increase the number of rooms accommodations over and above by four at the Kingston City what anyone one else is offering,” Council Meeting. he said, adding that rent for the The five-storey building proposed building would be
offered at a competitive rate. “That way the other attendants will have to raise the quality of what they are offering.” He added that he’s aware of the concerns over the distance from campus. “If we build a project that has more than anything else, it will draw the students there,” he said. “Everything the students want will be in [the new building] and it will be worth walking the extra three or four blocks for.”
At the council meeting, there were discussions over increasing the number of parking spots, bedrooms and bike racks for the building to make it more accessible for, but these amendments didn’t pass. Plans for the building include a health centre, pool, common room, roof top deck, underground parking, tanning salon and a place to park bicycles. Albert St. resident Joan Bowie said she thinks the proposed housing project, with some modifications, could be good for Queen’s students and the Williamsville neighbourhood. She said that if there were more housing options, the area would have to adapt to suit a broader selection of people and therefore
attract more services, like grocery stores or pubs. She added that she’d hoped the new building would be a multi-use building, but that it seems that won’t be the case as there will only be one entrance to it and all parking for vehicles and bikes are in the basement. According to the buildings proposal, the “minimum setback to a bedroom window on the first storey and facing the street shall be 1.2 metres,” which Bowie said has her concerned over parking space “There is no evidence anywhere where anyone can park, or where a friend would go if they came to pick you up.”
News happens. Cover it. Send us an email at journal_news@ams.queensu.ca
to find out more about writing for news. The proposed building would be located at the corner of Princess and Victoria Streets, about a 15 minute walk from campus.
Photo by Alex Choi
news
6 • queensjournal.ca
Friday, March 8, 2013
SCHool oF bUiSneSS
Student and industry leaders talk innovation
Fourth annual buisness summit sparks innovation B y s tyna tao Staff Writer
Photo by Peter lee
Thematic pannels at the summit included food, healthcare, leadership and venture capital.
to participant ratio. The committee wanted to recruit speakers who weren’t only experts, but approachable Organizers of this year’s Innovation Summit people who may become career mentors to aimed to push the “edge of innovation,” said the attendees, Husain noted. “Conversations were rich because of Summit Committee Co-Chair Ali Husain. A group of 11 Queen’s MBA students different perspectives,” said speaker Christina organized the fourth annual event, which Waters, MBA ’12. Waters is a senior research and was held on campus March 1 and 2. “Our goal is to bring together industry development business planner at Atomic leaders, corporate professionals, non-profits, Energy of Canada Ltd. “One thing that I love about this summit and students alike, all people from the sphere of innovation together in one place,” said is that it’s not just about business. Unlike many other conferences that are centered Husain, one of three committee co-chairs. The theme of this year’s summit on business, this one includes a variety of was “edge,” and it attracted about 190 industries … for a wonderful mixing and attendees consisting of MBA students from blending of ideas,” she said. Each panel was centered on a different across Ontario, business professionals and undergraduate students. The summit is the theme, such as food, healthcare, leadership only one of its kind in Canada, and brings and venture capital. The panels consisted together business innovators from across of three experts in the field, along with a professor as moderator. the continent. Speaker and alumnus Ron Currie, “I hope the summit generates new ideas to foster innovation in all types of industries,” MBA ’94, said he wanted to speak at the Husain, MBA ’13, said. “I hope it makes you summit as a way to give back to Queen’s. Currie is the vice-president of communication reflect on what innovation means to you.” The summit consisted of four keynote and marketing at Saint Elizabeth Health addresses and 12 panels of discussion, with Care, and he talked about new marketing attendees each participating in four. For the innovation in healthcare, like crowdsourcing first time this year, the summit was held for ideas and solutions. “It’s also a great opportunity to network entirely at Goodes Hall thanks to added and mix with people interested in business space of the new building expansion. This year’s summit included more guest innovation and sharing ideas,” he said. speakers on each panel to increase speaker
CAMPUS CALENDAR Friday, March 8 Inquiry@Queen’s Undergraduate Conference Stauffer Library, Learning Commons 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Everyone welcome Queen’s Relay for Life 12-hour overnight event in support of the Canadian Cancer Society 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday
See relayforlife.ca/queensu for more information Saturday, March 9 Golden Words’ 9th Annual Science Fair Pre-sale of tickets Thursday and Friday in the Queen’s Centre, also available at the door Clark Hall Pub 9 p.m.
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Friday, March 8, 2013
News
queensjournal.ca
•7
‘It’s a slap on the wrist’
and some members were eventually asked to that during the course of the evening ASUS leave when their behaviour was deemed had “taken actions that leave me feeling inappropriate by the Speaker. unsafe while I volunteer and are condoning a Continued from page 1 “Having an opinion that makes so many Also during the meeting, assembly discourse that I fundamentally disagree with.” people feel uncomfortable, makes me feel members Daniel Basilio, ASUS representative Whittaker said given the sensitive nature Whittaker told the Journal via email. uncomfortable, but the fact that Prescott has to the AMS, Chelsea Morphy, chair of of the topic, they were never expecting a calm When the Speaker’s decision was shown no apology towards that has made ASUS Board of Directors, and Greg Allan, assembly, but said he was very disappointed challenged, it went to a vote by assembly, me uncomfortable,” Mike Young, ArtSci ’15, ASUS representative to the AMS publicly by the “malcontent” displayed by members requiring two-thirds of votes in support told the room. announced their resignations. None of of the gallery. to pass. The motion didn’t pass and was Prescott said he believes people had the three felt comfortable working with “Above all else, we are concerned for the officially abandoned. misconstrued his comments and that he someone who holds such beliefs as Prescott’s, wellbeing of our members and we hope that Many of those present publicly expressed was stating his opinion as “Alex Prescott,” they said. any ill-will would not extend beyond the their opinions of Prescott’s comments; most not “Alex Prescott, ASUS representative to In an email to the Journal, Morphy stated confines of ASUS Assembly,” he said. believed the comments promoted rape the AMS.” culture and victim-blaming. Alexander Rotman, ArtSci ’13 and also an Jeffery Ingold ArtSci ’14, a member at ASUS representative to the AMS, defended ASUS assembly, shared a personal story of Prescott’s right to “freedom of speech.” sexual assault. “What I’m personally worried about is “It may not be the easiest thing we do, a state where I could not post anything on but it is about time to change the society Facebook for fear of it offending someone we live in,” he told the crowd, which was else,” he said. “I don’t think this is a slope standing-room only by the time the that we really want to be going down on.” to their claims. They also cited a lack of assembly began. On Tuesday night, debates became heated Continued from page 1 quality training for committee chairs as a The motion, put forward by QIAA huge problem that needed to be addressed. President Digvijay Mehra, ArtSci ’14, and Many spoke about the lack of support in Vice President Kelvin Kwak, ArtSci 13, would QMUN as having made it a very negative remove a clause from the AMS Campus experience that in the end caused them to Activities Commission (CAC) mandate, become more involved with QIAA. The AMS executive made it very clear mandating QMUN to run their conference. The removal would leave QIAA as the that as a group they were opposed to the motion and didn’t understand why two vice-president of operations Tristan Lee to only MUN-organizing group on campus. Continued from page 1 Members present claimed that QIAA model UN conferences couldn’t happen and transition into the role. “[I] have shadowed him at a number didn’t have the experience or the logistical simply be run by different organizations. enacting our platform.” “I am sad that it had to come to assembly The majority of Assembly members of meetings while also meeting with him and economic support necessary to run a present on Sunday expressed concern that separately to tackle the very complex task large conference like QMUN, citing the and we couldn’t work on it behind the a re-election would negatively affect next of transition,” she told the Journal via email. failure of the conference for high school scenes,” said Norah Elvidge, ArtSci 13, the outgoing CAC Deputy Commissioner year’s hiring process, as well as the AMS’ “I will be sitting on two hiring panels over students they attempted earlier this year. Mehra and Kwak were quick to point for Conferences whose portfolio includes relationship with Queen’s administration the weekend and have been in contact with my Directors to ensure that they are being out that the conference had been cancelled QMUN. “In the end I’m happy about how it and other external stakeholders. due to the teachers strike, and not due to any went down, but I’m also happy that there’s “I would like to say that this has been supported in their own hiring decisions.” no bad blood between our organizations.” She added that she’s most looking incompetence on the part of QIAA. extremely detrimental to us and to students ... Many spoke in support of the proposal, Mehra said he was undiscouraged. [as well as] the administration,” Philip Lloyd, forward to tackle service-related initiatives “One thing very important to note is citing the strong network of support they Con-Ed ’13 and Concurrent Education for the AMS. “Specifically, I am looking forward to had at QIAA and the thorough training they that we are very committed to ensuring a Student’s Association President, said. “We are one of the few universities with this working with our insurance provider so that received before conferences that created a unified model UN program, even if there are two conferences or a third conference, much input from students and need to prove the AMS Health & Dental Plan value can be friendly and inclusive atmosphere. Supporters of the motion also argued the regardless of what happens, our premier maximized to meet the needs of students.” that we deserve it.” CAC and QMUN didn’t provide an inclusive focus is on ensuring the success of model UN Since her ratification on Sunday, Plummer and non-competitive atmosphere, contrary at Queen’s.” said she’s worked closely with the current
QIAA hoped to run only MUN at Queen’s
Plummer ratified with 37 votes in favour
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8 • QUEENSJOURNAL.CA
FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013
DIALOGUE AMS
Editorial Board Editors in Chief
KATHERINE FERNANDEZ-BLANCE
LABIBA HAQUE
Production Manager
TRISTAN DIFRANCESCO
News Editor
HOLLY TOUSIGNANT
Assistant News Editors
RACHEL HERSCOVICI VINCENT MATAK, JULIA VRIEND
Features Editors
ROSIE HALES ALISON SHOULDICE
Editorials Editor
JOANNA PLUCINSKA
Editorial Illustrator
HENRY LIU
Opinions Editor
TERENCE WONG
Arts Editor
SAVOULA STYLIANOU
Assistant Arts Editor
ALEXANDER DOWNHAM
Sports Editor
PETER MORROW
Assistant Sports Editor
NICK FARIS
Postscript Editor
JANINA ENRILE
Photo Editor
GINA ELDER
Assistant Photo Editor
TIFFANY LAM
Multimedia Editor
COLIN TOMCHICK
Web and Graphics Editor
ALI ZAHID
Blogs Editor Copy Editors
TRILBY GOOUCH CHLOË GRANDE CARLING SPINNEY
In Focus Editors
ROSIE HALES ALISON SHOULDICE HOLLY TOUSIGNANT
Contributing Staff
Writers and Photographers JOSH BURTON CHARLOTTE GAGINER SAM KOEBRICH PETER LEE PETER REIMER SEAN SUTHERLAND STYNA TAO
Contributors
STUART CLARK MAGGIE HEATHCOTE SHANNON HILL SAM KARY SEBASTIAN LECK MEGAN SCARTH
Business Staff
Business Manager GEROLDINE ZHAO
Sales Representatives
JENNIFER CHE FANNY RABINOVICH-KUZMICKI HANK XU Friday, March 8, 2013 • Issue 36 • Volume 140
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 © 2013 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 Groupof 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 $120.00 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 37 of Volume 140 will be published on Friday, March 15, 2013
“
EDITORIALS — THE JOURNAL’S PERSPECTIVE
Students ultimately aren’t getting what they voted for.
Executive lacks transparency
”
I
n the past week, democracy at Queen’s has been deeply compromised. With Peter Green’s resignation from his elected position as the incoming AMS Vice-President of Operations and his swift replacement with Nicola Plummer, students’ questions have continuously remained unanswered. Whether it has to do with Green’s resignation or with his replacement, Eril Berkok and TK Pritchard have failed to give voters the full story they deserve. The entire process has proven that Berkok and Pritchard don’t in fact stand for what they promised during the election. The lack of transparency and the tone taken on by the team shows that student voices aren’t truly valued. AMS Assembly has echoed this by placing their own interests above AMS proceedings. those of students. Students were told that a new Starting with Green’s election or any other alternative resignation, Berkok and Pritchard would be more detrimental to demonstrated their lack of students than the outlined path. commitment to transparency. At the end of the day, it shouldn’t While they did release a statement be up to representatives to make on their individual Facebook that call — it should be up to accounts and vaguely explained their constituents. what happened from their The decision to vote with so perspective at AMS Assembly, little consideration for representing their side of the story still students’ voices is both patronizing contradicts Green’s. and paternalistic. The day of Green’s resignation, In an ideal world, the fairest Berkok and Pritchard repeatedly and quickest way to vote Plummer avoided requests by the Journal in would’ve been through an for an interview. They also refused online referendum. A quick vote to write a letter to the editor to from students would have given address the issue. Plummer the legitimacy to sit on While they did send in their AMS Assembly and serve students. Facebook statement, they didn’t AMS Assembly didn’t have to give the Journal the chance to vote yes to Plummer’s appointment, ask the questions necessary to they could’ve called for an election. understand the situation better. Furthermore, the decision to They’ve also failed to provide carry out the vote as a public roll students with three elected call instead of as a secret ballot was representatives in the AMS unfair to voting members who may executive office. Starting in May, have disagreed with the status quo. students won’t get the team they By forcing everyone to publicly voted for. voice whether they supported But democracy isn’t just about the motion or not, peer pressure elections; it’s also about how may have played a role in the elected representatives choose to representatives’ decision more than speak on behalf of their students. it should have. Plummer’s appointment was A closed vote would have been ultimately approved by members the fairest way to run the vote, and of the AMS Assembly — they it’s baffling why a motion was should carry part of the onus for made to make it a roll call instead. putting the interests of the AMS It’s disappointing to see that over the interests of students. many of those who spoke at the It’s true that the decision to Special Assembly put their own use section 2.02.03 of the AMS interests ahead of those of students. constitution — allowing Berkok Many of those who spoke in favour and Pritchard to nominate Plummer of this matter were personally to replace Green — follows the connected to the incoming procedures in place. executive or had a personal stake It’s also true that Plummer in the matter. was voted in to office by While it’s true that an elected representatives in a overwhelming majority of 37, constitutional manner. against 3, voted in favour of But democracy shouldn’t just Plummer taking the position, we be about following rules. What can’t help but doubt this vote’s elected representatives failed to legitimacy due to the way the do in this case was look beyond vote occurred. procedure and truly consider how As a result of the proceedings, their constituents’ voices would be Plummer still doesn’t have the best heard. democratic legitimacy that she What was shown instead by would’ve had were she directly voting representatives at AMS elected by the student body. Assembly was an almost unanimous The incoming AMS executive concern for AMS hiring and has shown a fundamental the damage a new election or disrespect for students’ voices. referendum would cause to the Moving forward, the very least
ILLUSTRATION BY OLIVIA MERSEREAU
POINT/COUNTERPOINT
Reclaiming words
The Journal’s Editors in Chief square off on the use of pejorative language
KATHERINE FERNANDEZBLANCE
T
For
he English language is constantly evolving, and with it, so should the use of our pejoratives. There’s been a recent effort to ‘take-back’ words that are usually deemed too offensive and derogatory to mention in civil conversation. It’s a good start, considering that words are power. It’s about time that historically marginalized groups reclaim a space that has been taken from them. I’ll print slut and dyke, but I won’t say the N-word. It’s a simple logic — while I might have been referred to as a slut or dyke at some point in my life, I’ve never, and likely will never be referred to as the N-word. It’s a personal choice, which is what reclamation should be about. Of course verbal harassment and labeling is never justified. But,
LABIBA HAQUE
Against
T
here’s a reason why words hurt. Words are a communal tool that can be easily used as weapons due to the power they hold. Regardless of good intentions, to try and shift that supposed power may cause more harm than good. In recent years, events such as SlutWalk have tried to reclaim the word “slut” to challenge notions of victim-blaming and sexual violence. Although I commend the effort, I don’t think the onus should be on rebranding people’s perception of what the word means. Words are so deeply entrenched in our society that it takes more than an attempt by a few to truly take away their power. My opponent states that reclaiming all pejorative words is a possibility. I suppose it is for some, but only if it becomes gradually acceptable in society and their
See the on page 9
See meaning on page 9
they can do is take steps to make constitutional changes to ensure that this sort of situation doesn’t happen again. The constitution should reinforce democracy. By engraining amendments that would allow for a quick referendum to be called in case this ever happens again, the executive can commit themselves to reinforcing democracy instead of abusing it. Much of the damage may be
irreversible at this point. Students ultimately are not getting what they voted for. How are we supposed to trust an executive that has shown such blatant disregard for keeping their word, even before their term has begun? — Journal Editorial Board
Friday, March 8, 2013
Dialogue
Opinions — Your perspective
Photo by Terence Wong
On Mar. 3, a special AMS assembly gathered in Dunning Hall Room 14 and voted 37 in favour and three against the nomination of Nicola Plummer as the incoming vice-president of operations.
Ams Assembly
A breach of students’ trust Contributor argues AMS Special Assembly placed convenience ahead of transparency for students
Stuart Clark, ArtSci ’14 Students should be saddened by the news that former AMS Vice-President of Operations-elect Peter Green has resigned, they should also be angry about the excuse for process that his former colleagues have chosen for his replacement. The AMS executive-elect’s decision to appoint Nicola Plummer as vice-president of operations in Sunday’s Special Assembly after Green’s abrupt resignation sets an alarming and undemocratic precedent for AMS executives. In the days and weeks to come, we will learn more about the conditions of Green’s departure. Presently, all we possess is Green’s brief letter of resignation and a response from former-teammates Eril Berkok and TK Pritchard. But from what little general AMS members know, one thing has become clear: the only fair course of action is to replace Green through an open and democratic process that reflects the will of students — not the whim of the current AMS Assembly. We have three reasons why.
The first is that the manner of picking Green’s replacement is utterly undemocratic. Students voted for Team BGP, not Team BP, GP or any other combination. When students participate in AMS elections they vote with the expectation that the united AMS team will serve as the next executive.
[I]f we allow the unilateral appointment of a new Vice President, we’ve breached the trust of AMS members. The idea that that executive elect then have the legitimacy to choose their own vice president of operations without first going to the student body is preposterous — elected representatives or not, Berkok and Pritchard don’t have the right to decide who makes up our AMS executive. That task falls now, and always, to Queen’s students. We have elections because we value the ability for AMS members to choose their representatives, if we allow the unilateral appointment of a new vice president, we’ve breached the trust of AMS members. Students chose Peter Green as their operations candidate and when he was unable to fill that
It’s not wrong for SlutWalk, a nation-wide event designed to the reclamation of words protest slut-shaming, or Dyke that have historically been March, a lesbian-led event, part of used to marginalize can Toronto’s Pride Parade, to name be empowering. themselves after a pejorative. In my first year at Queen’s I Rap music particularly has attended the Vagina Monologues, different variations of the N-word a feminist production that many in their lyrics. If musicians wish to know for the scene in which reclaim the word as an act of protest, audience members are encouraged they shouldn’t be condemned for to chant “cunt” along with a doing so. cast member. It’s up to the individual to I was visibly uncomfortable with self-identify and it’s important to the scene, having always thought contextualize a given situation. Of course one could argue that the word was one of the most foul expletives in the English language. a blanket ban on certain pejoratives Yet years later, when I next saw would ultimately be more fruitful, the show, I chanted alongside the but in a consistently sexist, cast. I did so because I wanted to homophobic and racist society, this be part of an action that protested a is wishful thinking. previously anti-feminist word, and We own our words; they changed its meaning. The word shouldn’t hold the power over us. was no longer scary, or rude; in that specific context, it was empowering. Katherine is one of the Editors in Social movements have been Chief at the Journal. successful in doing this exact thing.
Continued from page 8
role, the voters, who accepted the initial proposition that a Team BGP executive would include Peter Green, should get the chance to choose his replacement. To do otherwise would be like Stephen Harper appointing a new MP from a riding where one had just resigned instead of calling a by-election so that voters could choose their new representative. Students choose their AMS executives, the AMS doesn’t get to choose itself. The second reason is that the reading of AMS policy to select Green’s replacement is seriously suspect. The policy on record allows a sitting AMS executive to appoint a new person during their term should a vacancy arise. The key distinction between the policy and our current situation is that Berkok and Pritchard aren’t the AMS executive, they are executive-elects. The policy is designed for emergency circumstances where an executive member is no longer able to fulfil their duties while in the middle of their term. This isn’t the situation we are faced with today. The new executive hasn’t entered office and doesn’t have the power to evoke this replacement clause. We shouldn’t bend or revise policy to fit this situation either, for the same reasons that it would be undemocratic, not transparent
queensjournal.ca
and a breach of trust. The third reason is that the decision to replace Peter Green via Assembly, even if it’s the Assembly’s right to do so, is insulting to all Queen’s students. The AMS Assembly should have rejected any nominee brought forward at the behest of our executive heirs apparent because it offends both the trust of students in their government and the sacredness of the democratic process. It shows that the executive-elect is more concerned with expediency of process than respect for the student body that elected them. AMS Assembly may well be a representative institution but it’s nowhere near as representative or legitimate as the student body itself. This Special Assembly is the ultimate insult to Queen’s students by removing not only their agency to choose their leaders, but the ability to even provide input in Peter’s successor. It isn’t the purview of the executive-elect to decide for students the membership of the AMS executive. AMS members elect delegates and representatives, not monarchs, and it’s the membership that should have the first and last right of refusal over who is chosen to lead them.
•9
Talking heads ... around campus
Photos By Terence Wong
How’s your Roll Up The Rim season going?
“8/18 — the trick is magic, luck is irrelevant.” Derek Esau, ArtSci ’15
“1/5 — Want my pre-paid trip (Mastercard) to Africa.” Jordan Zett, MSc ’13
Students choose their AMS executives, the AMS doesn’t get to choose itself. The executive-elect’s decision to internalize the process for Green’s succession is ignorant at best and sinister at worst; it shows that, not nearly a month since they were elected, they have forgotten who elected them in the first place. As responsible citizens and concerned members of the society, we should call for a more democratic process for selecting Green’s replacement, only then can we ensure that the next executive has the legitimacy to govern. The only question that remains is if our leaders-to-be will listen. Stuart Clark is the executive director of Queen’s Students for Accountability Fairness and Equity (QSAFE).
“0/6 — I want a doughnut!” Fiona Logue, ArtSci ’15
“Still haven’t won, maybe if I get a double-double it will double my chances.” Erica Croitor, ArtSci ’14
meanings associated with them. The N-word, like many other words in meaning is largely altered — a feat the English language, represents that’s rarely possible. years of misuse and trauma. Many supporters of It’s naïve for a younger appropriation point to “queer” as generation to attempt to embrace an example of successful word the word, especially if they’ve never “I’m trying to win a car, but all reclamation. They suggest that this been tied to it the same way the I’ve gotten is caffeine overdose.” can be done for all words, if the previous generation was. No single group reclaiming it is associated group has a direct claim over a word; Justin Wong, ArtSci ’15 with the word. they’re accessible to every member But that’s not necessarily the of society. case. If a derogatory word is said Even if an associated group with enough malicious intent, tries to take ownership of a it’s still offensive. A group of word, its potential damage won’t individuals may think writing “slut” change unless its connotation, on their body may be empowering, both historical and definitive, is in terms of regaining control, but completely removed. reshaping it doesn’t prevent the So the next time you want to damages such a word causes in call me a slut in an attempt to other situations. empower me, don’t. The focus “Holding out for a car, but I’d like Women should be able to dress should be on the issue itself, not on to think I have a fighting chance. Currently I’m I in maybe 30.” however they want, but the focus rebranding gimmicks. should be on the act of shaming not on the word. Labiba is one of the Editors in Chief at Brandon Asselbergs, ConEd ’14 Words like the N-word, also the Journal. have historical connotations and
Continued from page 8
Dialogue
10 • queensjournal.ca
Friday, March 8, 2013
Letters to the editor Prescott needs to go Re: “ASUS reps quit, Prescott censured at ASUS Special Assembly” Dear Editors, The lack of professionalism displayed at the special ASUS assembly of March 5, 2013, speaks volumes about how notably that quote stands. Student politics in recent weeks have been displaying that viciousness, over these small stakes, ranging from the AMS “VP scandal” to the ASUS assembly of that Tuesday, to an extent I never thought to see in person as a first year undergraduate. Whatever the reasoning behind the utter pettiness and disgusting behaviour, on both sides of the aisle, it should bring shame to the university I so proudly attend. As a first-year, I never took much interest in student politics. They’re not terribly important to me in the grand scheme of things; I often am preoccupied with clubs and intramurals, or personal interests in sports, etc. I made the mistake of assuming that people involved in student government would be at least moderately rational — clearly I was wrong in that regard. Tuesday night was the first ASUS assembly I attended. The impeachment of Rep. Prescott may have been somewhat harsh regarding his facebook post alone; however, his behaviour that night, in my view and the view of many others, was enough to justify impeachment, beyond any doubt I may have held prior. His comment on Facebook did indeed place blame on the victim of sexual assault, regardless of his intended message. Rep. Prescott has the right to speak his mind, and his views, he’s entirely correct in that regard; and doing so, he should also recognize that he is not properly representing the student body, and should stand down. Public figures are held to higher
standards, whether they believe they should be or not, especially when they serve in a capacity to represent a constituency. We all pay student fees to have our voices heard in a safe environment. Calling individuals “cowards” for not saying things to his face was just another example of his irrational behaviour--everyone has the right to say what they want, how they want, without him turning the environment into a hostile one. Indeed, at one point he yelled at a girl, who had been tweeting about the event from a view hostile to him, while she was in the washroom. I don’t know what to say about his so-called integrity with such reckless, weak behaviour. Finally, upon the resignation of Rep. Basilio towards the end of the meeting, it was despicable to see Rep. Prescott decide to call out “good riddance,” smirking triumphantly as Rep. Basilio exited the chamber. What followed afterwards, however, is the worst part. I’m saddened to see the state of affairs Queen’s student government has recently been in. ASUS has lost quite a bit of legitimacy as a result of this mess, and I abhor all those involved in the demeaning shouting match that occurred at the end of the assembly. Rep. Prescott will never represent my views, interests, or voice, in any capacity, or those of many others, as a member of ASUS, which I pay student fees for so that my interests may be represented in a safe environment. For these reasons, I call upon the resignation of Alexander Prescott from his position as ASUS Representative to the AMS, and should he not resign, for ASUS to grant him his two weeks notice of impeachment. Forest Edwards, ArtSci ’16 For the greater good Re: “ASUS reps quit, Prescott
censured at ASUS Special Assembly”
Dear Editors, I am a very recent Queen’s alumna. I spent four years at Queen’s pursuing an undergraduate degree in Political Studies. Reflecting upon my undergraduate years, I credit the experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve met at Queen’s for shaping the kind of young adult that I’ve become. I think (and I hope) that I’ve become a thoughtful and intelligent person capable of thinking critically about issues I hold dear. One of these issues near and dear to my heart is student politics — particularly, the politics of the AMS and ASUS, both of which represented my interests as an undergraduate student. Recently, there has been a lot of controversy, tension, and negativity in both of these student government bodies for a variety of reasons. Any casual observer of Twitter, Facebook, or the Queen’s Journal can elaborate on the details of both instances to which I’m referring. While I was admittedly obsessively refreshing my Twitter feed during the AMS election scandal and the ASUS Assembly controversy, one consistent idea pervaded my thoughts: “University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.” This thought, typically attributed to Henry Kissinger, framed my perceptions of these events as a (albeit, recent) Queen’s graduate until today. I stand by the idea that the stakes of undergraduate student politics are small relative to the issues our provincial, federal and international governing bodies address on a daily basis. However, the controversies of student politics do not feel small or insignificant in the slightest when you are experiencing them firsthand. When you live, work, and study in the same community for years, you are naturally affected by any developments that upset the
balance of your environment. As a recent Queen’s student, I understand this and have personally experienced it several times. It’s an all-consuming feeling that can bring you closer to others or create a divide between you and your friends and colleagues. What I want to impart to students is that although the recent controversies seem overwhelming and have changed the way many Queen’s students view their community and student governments, context matters. It’s natural to get caught up in issues that directly affect you and your community. It’s natural, positive and healthy to want to take a stand on those issues. But what is so hard to remember (and what I definitely wasn’t able to see as a student last year) is that we are all still growing up. We all make mistakes, whether they are on a large or small scale. We’ve all said things (sometimes publicly and sometimes for attribution) that are regrettable, even if we don’t regret the comments at the time. We’ve all firmly believed we were right when we were very, very wrong. This is part of the continual process of growing up, which I don’t believe ever fully comes to an end. My concern with recent events at Queen’s is that students are not treating each other with the fairness, empathy, and respect that we all deserve as young people growing up together and going through similar experiences. I’ve seen bullying and hateful comments thrown every which way, by current and graduated students alike, on every side of each situation. This is not to say that I condone any actions or comments made in any of these specific situations or that I disapprove of people feeling strongly or taking offense to these situations. I wholeheartedly approve of and encourage thoughtful and respectful discourse and debate in student politics. My point is that although
we are educated individuals and know a lot about a lot of things, we really don’t know as much as we think we do. This certainly includes me, and I’d wager, most self-aware adults. What we know and hold dear often comes from our own personal experiences but we usually don’t stop to consider that the knowledge and beliefs held by others stems from their own significant experiences. It’s immature and unproductive to be hateful to those who disagree with you, no matter what your personal ideals are. I won’t attempt to claim that I haven’t been guilty of this in the past, but time apart from student politics and Queen’s has helped me to see where I was wrong and try to conduct myself differently moving forward. Above all, I think it’s important to try to take a step back and see the bigger picture when faced with controversial situations in student politics and in life. Just as you are facing challenges in your life that feel insurmountable, others are as well. People who are fundamentally at odds with what you believe are students too, and experience similar or greater struggles than your own. No matter what age or stage of life, we are all constantly learning and growing up. Making (big) mistakes is a part of that process. The best way to do student politics, in my opinion? Be kind, try to learn from others, and don’t crucify each other for gaffes and missteps. University should be a safe place to make mistakes and learn from them, and university politics can provide great opportunities to grow and develop important skills. But we need each other to make that environment possible. Sincerely,
Megan Stanley ArtSci ’12
These letters have been condensed for print. For the full letters, please visit queensjournal.ca
In Focus
Friday, March 8, 2013
queensjournal.ca
• 11
Photo illustration by Alex Choi
Post-grad in focus Internships
How much is experience worth? The contentious topic of unpaid internships is under the spotlight for this generation’s graduates B y A lison S houldice Features Editor An unpaid internship may help young workers get a foot in the door, but the opportunity comes at a financial, and often legal cost for young people. Although there’s no law in Canada that prevents companies from offering unpaid internships, there are strict regulations they must follow in order to ensure placements are legal. Last year, in response to reoccurring dialogue on the topic, the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE), developed an official statement on unpaid internships. “Unpaid internships are largely unregulated in Canada,” the statement reads. The document outlines 10 criteria that internships should meet in order to be considered legitimate. These criteria are largely in line with regulations outlined in the Ontario Labour Code. “What we came up with is essentially … there is a place for unpaid internships, but don’t break the law,” said Paul Smith, the executive director of CACEE. The law, though, isn’t so clear when it comes to unpaid work. One section of the Ontario Labour Code states that for unpaid work, “the person providing the training derives little, if any, benefit
from the activity of the individual.” This means companies legally can’t make significant material gains from interns. “It should be a learning experience; it shouldn’t be work to the benefit of the employer,” Smith said.
“For me it’s quite a broad comment and if applied literally, I’d have to think there are an awful lot of internships that are not in accordance with that regulation,” he added. Those students who opt for an internship post-graduation run
the risk of getting a placement without pay. Susannah Gouinlock, ArtSci ’11, took an unpaid Embassy of Canada internship in Washington, D.C the summer after her graduation. She was able to make some money for working at reception
events at the Embassy, but this only covered a small portion of her expenses. “Washington D.C. is insanely expensive,” she said. The Embassy offers a bursary for the internship, but Gouinlock See Legality on page 18
JobS
Underemployed and underpaid Since 1992, the number of students graduating with a Bachelor’s degree has doubled B y R osie H ales Features Editor
institutions with bachelor’s degrees or equivalents has nearly doubled from approximately 89,000 to Graduating from Queen’s could approximately 160,600. D.W. Livingstone, professor mean more than a degree. It could mean a better chance emeritus for U of T’s Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and at employment. At the end of 2012, Queen’s Social Justice, said there’s no such graduates in Ontario had an thing as being overeducated. employment rate of 88.5 per “More education won’t create cent — 1 per cent higher than the decent jobs,” Livingstone said. provincial average of 87.5 per cent. For a large part, the increase in These numbers don’t take into students graduating with Bachelor’s account whether recent graduates degrees was due to Canadian are employed in their field of colleges starting to offer Bachelor’s choice, and an influx of graduates degrees in 1999, but in the has lead to an ‘educational arms 2010-11 academic year college race,’ says one University of graduates only accounted for just Toronto professor. over 3,000 of the degrees received. Since 1992, the number of Despite this, between 1992 and Canadian students graduating 2011, university enrolments for from Canadian post-secondary masters and doctorate programs
and their equivalents rose by just over 66,000. Brendan May graduated from Queen’s two years ago and joined the ranks of the 1.5 million employed 25-44 year olds in Canada with a bachelors degree almost immediately. In 2012, there were 94,200 unemployed 25-44 year olds who graduated from a post-secondary institution with a bachelors degree. “I realize how lucky I have been, that’s for sure, and anomalous to say the least,” May, ArtSci ’11, said. May has been working for the publishing company Simon and Schuster Canada as an executive assistant for the last two years. It was an unexpected move for May, who had applied to graduate schools for a Masters of
Industrial Relations. “I would never, eight months before I graduated, have considered publishing as a career,” he said, adding that he can definitely see himself staying in the business for another five to 10 years. After attending an informational interview earlier in his fourth-year, May was contacted by the company and hired prior to his graduation. “My final exam was on a Friday, I moved out Saturday and I was at work on the Monday.” May said that while he wouldn’t say that anyone is overeducated, having so many people graduate with similar degrees does make things more difficult “I think that the base currency for a professional See Employment on page 18
In Focus
12 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, March 8, 2013
medical
Imperfect process No standard assessment of academic accomplishment for medical schools B y Peter M orrow Sports Editor It’s no secret to Dr. Anthony Sanfilippo that the Canadian medical school admissions process is imperfect. The Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education said the process is fair, but inherently misaligned. A student’s marks don’t always tell the full story, hence the creation of mini-medical interviews (MMIs). Compared to other forms of assessment, Sanfilippo said the MMI process is a step forward. “It’s better because it’s more aligned with the things we think doctors need to have,” he said. “They deal with situations that are ethically conflicted; they think creatively, speak clearly … and articulate their thoughts in a short period of time.” The qualities sought in MMIs are part of a quantified numeric used to rank applicants and determine admissions. Losing ground, in Sanfilippo’s view, are the basic GPA and MCAT scores — still the base of acceptance in many schools like the University of Toronto, where MMIs
aren’t required. “Those two things are getting farther away from the criteria [at Queen’s], and the competencies I mentioned that you need to have,” Sanfilippo said. He said that GPA and MCAT scores are moving farther away from admissions criteria because there isn’t any sort of standard assessment of academic accomplishment across The creation of mini-medical interviews help medical schools with admissions. undergraduate programs. He said Queen’s and Western “A physics course at one advantage to any particular place.” Second-year medical student are schools with similar GPA university might be very different from a physics course at another James Simpson was cleaning pools allowances, but others like U of T in California before he opted for are less generous in that regard. university,” Sanfilippo said. Disparity between programs medical school. His GPA was and schools means GPA scores around 0.7 in 2000, but he got Queen’s is the only are less telling. Students can select an interview and was accepted to school in the country courses strategically, but Sanfilippo Queen’s in 2011. that doesn’t have a “I’m a non-traditional student, vies for a more insurable fairness. regional component With 3,818 applicants applying probably not like many others who to its selection process for 100 spots, Sanfilippo assures apply,” Simpson, ArtSci ’04 and the numeric is so diligent it actually ArtSci ’11 said, who bombed his ... we do not provide ranks the final applicants from BA in psychology and aced his BA advantage to any one to 100 based on quantified in Life Sciences afterward. particular place. The 30 year-old said his marks info. Personal qualities like age and were significantly different from living experience don’t apply. — Anthony Sanfilippo, associate dean of “Queen’s is the only school in 2008-11, which Queen’s noticed. Undergraduate Medical the country that doesn’t have a But the same couldn’t be said for Education regional component to its selection all schools. “There are 17 med schools and process,” he said. “We accept “I did the math — I would’ve applications from anywhere in each one has radically different Canada and we do not provide admissions criteria,” Simpson said. needed to do like 10 more years
“
”
Photo by Alex Choi
of undergrad to get [into the University of Toronto] — it just wasn’t possible.” For many of the 3,818 applicants gunning for a spot with Queen’s this year, Simpson said it can be a “crapshoot.” “Really the best way of thinking about it is just being aware that there is that perfect applicant and anytime you deviate from that, your chances drop a little bit,” Simpson said. Sometimes it just takes seven years of undergrad, and some years in between, in Simpson’s case. “But you’re not screwed — you’re never screwed in Canada.”
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In Focus
Friday, March 8, 2013
queensjournal.ca
• 13
International
Students head abroad to get ahead With increasing competition for medical and law schools, many are turning to international schools B y J oanna P lucinska Editorials Editor The appeal of going abroad is growing for Canadian graduate students. Students pursuing medical or law degrees are finding that they can get more of what they want from schools outside of the country. This means they could get into medical school without necessarily getting the grades needed for Canadian schools. Many British law schools don’t require the LSAT and offer one to two year programs, while Caribbean medical schools promise to accept students with lower GPAs. An article in Maclean’s outlines the rising number of foreign law graduates applying for accreditation in Canada, many of whom were Canadian students who chose to study law abroad. While the number was around 225 in 1999, it had risen to 562 by 2007, displaying a noticeable trend. The same rise can be seen with students pursuing medical degrees. According to the CBC, the number of Canadian students studying medicine abroad has more than doubled in the past five years. With over 10 schools in the Caribbean available to Canadians, and many more in Australia, Ireland and Eastern Europe, there is a wide variety from students to choose from. The Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s, Dr. Richard Reznick, believes that the rise of Canadians going abroad who intend to return to Canada results from the rising number of
students who want to become doctors. “There’s an increasing number of Canadian youth who want to become physicians and there’s a fixed envelope of spots in Canada,” he said. Going abroad doesn’t always provide a quick fix, however. Students who pursue international degrees have access to limited residency placements if they plan to return to Canada, Reznick said. “About 2,500 Canadians will apply for and get [residency] spots,” he said. “In addition to that, there’s probably another 1,500 to 2,000 international students who apply for a small pool of spots, which is probably in the 300-500 range.” They also often pay far more for their education than they would in Canada. “Canadians pay about $20,000 for fees [every year]. It varies from school-to-school and province-to-province, but it’s in that average fee. For international students it would be easily double that or more [for a four year degree],” Reznick said. Giancarlo McEvenue, who is currently a resident at the University of Toronto studying reconstructive and plastic surgery, studied abroad in the Caribbean and managed to get a residency in Canada. His dream of becoming a doctor sent him to the small island of Saba to pursue a medical degree. Upon graduating in 2010, he was recognized in Canada as an international medical graduate (IMG) — something that made it more difficult for him to secure competitive residency spots.
“When I’m accepted to residency here, I have a three month probation period. They watch me under close observation. If there are any gross errors in my medical judgment or ethics, then I will be terminated and I would lose my residency position,” he said. “As soon as a Canadian medical student gets a residence position, they have job security and benefits.” While his status as an IMG carries some consequences, he will still be able to become a practicing physician like his fellow Canadian residents. While the school gave him the chance to achieve his dreams, he said the quality of education wasn’t always comparable to what Canadian schools had to offer. He claims the program he attended leaves students with book smarts but no clinical exposure, while Canadian medical students have chances to work in the hospital and interact with research leaders. McEvenue, who got his residency by seeking out competitive programs, said he recommends trying the North American systems first, but that schools like Saba offer a second chance for students to become doctors. It’s not just medical students who are looking to go abroad for their education. As John Kelly, a former law professor who runs a program called Canada Law From Abroad, noted, some students are turning to British law schools to get a legal education. “If you look at the international legal education market, the new paradigm of professional services,
there are all kinds of opportunities for lawyers out there [outside of Canada] ... The U.K. is the centre for that,” Kelly said. Especially given the high demand for specialized work in the legal field, Kelly believes that the Masters in Law programs offered in the UK give law applicants a competitive edge internationally. Given that 25 per cent of legal graduates in Canada can’t find articling positions, Kelly believes that going abroad presents better job opportunities for students.
There’s an increasing “number of Canadian youth who want to become physicians and there’s a fixed envelope of spots in Canada.
”
— Dr. Richard Reznick, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Ana Baidoukova, ArtSci ’10, said she’s been happy with her legal education in the U.K. After completing a one-year graduate diploma in law and a six month legal practice course at The College of Law, a program that you are eligible for after completing a Bachelor’s degree, Baidoukova is COLESworking Queens U spring bw:open learning now as aadtrainee lawyerad
for an international corporate law firm based in the U.K. “I chose to do [my degree] in the UK because they have a much quicker and much more streamlined process of how you start work as a lawyer,” she said. In Canada, a JD degree takes three years and requires an LSAT. However, unlike a JD, her diploma isn’t well-recognized outside of the U.K. But, because of her job prospects, she isn’t worried. “[The lack of recognition] is mitigated by the fact that you would get a good contract with a good firm, in which case the experience of the firm is more important than where you did your law degree or what degree you have,” Baidoukova said. With job experience at a global firm, she can get a job back in Canada or elsewhere in the world if she wants, providing her with the versatility she wants as a lawyer. She added that she believes even if you don’t get a contract at a firm, you’re in no worse of a situation than Canadian law school graduates who can’t find a job. One can still pursue positions in business, teaching or go back to school and upgrade their degree. “It’s becoming a more widely known option to a lot of people … you come out with a job which you wouldn’t get in North America.”
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In Focus
14 •queensjournal.ca
Where can your degree take you?
Friday, March 8, 2013
Degree cost
$26,727.84 News Reporter
Editor (publishing)
High School Teacher Salary: $51,758 Additional Education: BEd (Queen’s) Cost: $6,589.97
Salary: $39,210 Additional Education: MJ (Carleton) Cost: $14,326.48
Salary: $47,603 Additional School: Post-grad certificate (Humber) Cost: $5,650.29
* Domestic tuition fees only, as of May 2012. ** Addition education not required for all listed careers. Degree cost
Degree cost
$26,727.84
$26,727.84 General surgeon Epidemiologist Salary: $149,601 Additional Education: MD (Queen’s) Cost: $89,741.40
X-Ray Attorney/Lawyer HR Manger Salary: $67,872 technician Salary: $76,166
Salary: $63,074 Additional Education: Salary: $53,558 MSc (Queen’s) Cost: $20,939.94
Additional School: JD (Queen’s) Cost: $49,463.46
Additional School: HR post-grad (SLC) Cost: $3,499.53
$61,199.40
$45,651.68
Salary: $58,230
Urban and Investment regional planner banker
Salary: $52, 831 Additional Education: MLA (Guelph) Cost: $16,437.96
Salary: $60,909 Additional School: M.Pl (Queen’s) Cost: $19,833.94
Salary: $50,991 Additional School: Post-grad cert. (Humber) Cost: $5,601.56
Degree cost
Degree cost
Environmental Landscape engineer architect
Public Relations Specialist
Salary: $96,561 Additional School: MBA (Queen’s) Cost: $73,000
Accountant Account manager Salary: $47,395 (advertising)
Additional School: Salary: $50,217 Grad diploma (Queen’s) Additional School: Cost: $5,700 Post-grad cert. (Centennial) Cost: $7,712
*** Salary information as of March 7, 2013 **** Salaries are dependent on location, experience and expertise — Data: payscale.com, Queen’s Career Services graphic by ali zahid and Tristan Difrancesco/compiled by holly tousignant
... around campus
Talking heads
Photos By Rosie Hales
What are your plans after graduation?
“I’m hoping to get into either the University of Victoria or the University of Waterloo for grad school. ” Caroline Crocker, ArtSci ’13
“I’m travelling, but I’m not sure where yet.” Sarah Shaikhali, ArtSci ’13
“I’m working at Telus in Toronto.” Ben Keefe, Comm ’13
“I’m working for CHUBB Insurance.” Natalie Fisher, Comm ’13
“Queen’s Summer Innovation Institute!” Michael Campbell, Sci ’13
In Focus
Friday, March 8, 2013
City of Kingston
queensjournal.ca Photo by Janina Enrile
A permanent home Only a small number of Queen’s grads remain in the city post-grad. Here are some of the reasons they chose to stay: Amy Rutherford Photo by Janina Enrile
Amanda Judd According to Amanda Judd, it’s hard to break out of the student lifestyle. “I’m pretty much the youngest person in my workplace (Oxford Seminars),” she told the Journal via email. She said many grads have stayed because of work, or to take a year off or to stay with a partner. “We feel each others’ pain,
Photo by Janina Enrile
Adam Say When Adam Say graduated in 2008, he never thought he’d be back. A brief stint at home in Mississauga made the city look more appealing, Say, ArtSci ’08, said. “Having that mental break made it seem more like a city that I could just come back and work into,” he said.
and we have pretty strong bonds because of that,” Judd, ArtSci ’11, said. Judd said she hasn’t quite separated from the “Queen’s student” label yet. “It would be pointless to do at this point — just because I look young, people will continue to assume for the next few years that I’m a student.”
A relationship kept Amy Rutherford in Kingston. Rutherford, MA ’01, finished her program just as her nowhusband, found a job, keeping the couple in Kingston. Having just completed her Photo by Alex Choi
— Janina Enrile
Say was offered a position in the Office of Advancement, somewhere he hadn’t considered working before. “At that point, I was looking through different job opportunities and I didn’t want to rule anything out,” he said. “At the end, it felt more like the job I wanted and it happened to be at Queen’s.”
Lee Wetherall
It was the Kingston weather that helped convince Lee Wetherall to not return to her hometown of Calgary. “I miss my family but I got used to the much warmer — Janina Enrile winter,” Wetherall, B.Ed ’76 and MBA ’82, said.
• 15
Masters in English, she worked at Canadian Tire until finding work as a library page. “[Students should] be open to the fact that it might take a little while to get the job that you really want,” Rutherford said. Rutherford, now a library technician at the Teacher Resource Centre on West Campus, said it took a long time to make friends in Kingston. It was only after finding a job and having kids that she created a network. “I met a lot of people going to mom and baby groups,” she said.
— Janina Enrile
After graduation, a Kingston job opening for a business analyst caught Wetherall’s attention. “I was thrilled to be able to take a job in Kingston because I love Kingston,” she said. With most of her friends leaving after graduation, Wetherall said she had to make new friends, one of which became her future husband. “I ended up doing Jesus Christ Superstar [at the Grand Theatre],” she said. “I met a whole bunch of theatre people through that.” — Janina Enrile
Money
Ontario student debt higher than ever Although debt is at an all-time high, Queen’s loan default rates are lower than the provincial average B y Vincent M atak Assistant News Editor Students who graduate from Queen’s might be more successful at paying off their loans than students at other Ontario universities. For Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), students have approximately six months after graduation until their debt repayment bills are sent. Though only around 30 per cent of Queen’s students receive financial aid of some kind, Queen’s graduates have the lowest default rate, out of any post-secondary institution in Ontario. The default rate is the rate of students who can’t repay their loans. In 2011, Queen’s had an average student loan default rate of 1.2 per cent, compared to the average default rate of 3.7 per cent at all Ontario universities. In the same year, universities such as Western University and the University of Toronto had default rates of 2.6 and 3.3 per cent respectively. At the University of Toronto, the default rate rose from 2.9 per cent in 2010. Approximately 64 per cent of Ontario students receive student loans. Income statistics for Ontario university graduates aren’t collected by OSAP, and OSAP doesn’t collect information on how long it takes to repay their loans. “What I can say is that OSAP default rates indicate that Queen’s students are demonstrating ability to repay their loans,” Teresa Alms, associate university registrar of student awards, said. For students who come
from low-income families, approximately $12,240 is given in OSAP: $1,680 from the Canada Student Grant and an additional $1,680 from the Ontario Tuition Grant, totaling $15,897. Despite this, only 46 per cent or $7,300, of this total is repayable. The additional $8,597, or 54 per cent doesn’t need to be repaid. Isabelle Duchaine, AMS academic affairs commissioner, said the amount of student debt for the average Ontario student is the highest it’s ever been.
“Students accumulated an average of $26,680 in 2009 and ever since then we’ve seen three years consecutive increases of 5 per cent, … you are going to see more students unable to pay or less able to pay or invest in the economy or other means,” Duchaine, ArtSci ’13 said. “If you are $30,000 in debt, you are less likely to own a house or you will take longer to start a family or continuing to invest in another year of post-secondary education.”
She added that these students may have less economic output than those without debt. “Those students are less likely to enter and contribute to the economy in a stronger sense, in addition to the personal stress of carrying large amounts of debt,” she said. Bryan McCann, who came to Queen’s three years ago from Vancouver, will owe approximately $25,000 in student loans after he finishes his commerce degree. “I wanted to go away to school
Queen’s average student loan default rate in 2011 was 1.2 per cent, which is below average. The average is 3.7 percent for universities in Ontario.
Photo illustration by alex choi
and if you’re going to go into business at a school where you want to meet new people, you go to Queen’s,” he said. He added he wanted to go into business specifically to get a high-paying job after graduating. McCann said he expects to be paid approximately $60,000 after receiving his degree. Queen’s Business and Commerce programs had a six-month post-graduation employment rate of 91.3 per cent and a two-year post-graduation employment rate of 94.17 per cent. In contrast, humanities programs at Queen’s, such as political studies and philosophy, have a six-month post-graduation employment rate of 91.67 per cent and a two-year post-graduation employment rate of 89.86 per cent. Engineering has 6-month rates of 88.57 per cent and two-year rates of 96.61 per cent. “Most people’s parents pay for tuition, but for me it’s coming from my income,” he said. “That way, I’ll be able to pay off my student loans in around three years.” He added that in order to avoid an 8 per cent interest accumulation on his loans, he plans to transfer his debt to his bank to reduce interest to 3.3 per cent. McCann’s student loans are also tax deductible, meaning McCann will have approximately $50-60,000 in tax credit that he said will help pay off his loans. “Right now I live pretty cheaply so I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing now for a couple of more years,” he said. “I’ll eat cheap groceries.
In Focus
16 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, March 8, 2013
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Growing knowledge at college University graduates are heading back to the (college) classroom to gain the practical skills necessary for entering the workplace B y n ick FARis And h olly tousiGnAnt Journal Staff With a growing number of university graduates entering the job markets, many are turning to college to give themselves an edge on the competition. Between 2007 and 2011, applications for post-graduate college programs — for which a university degree is a prerequisite — increased by 21 per cent, according to Maclean’s On Campus. “I don’t think it’s that a career benefits from college — it’s that a career benefits from any skills, education, training and experience that you have, and college is one route to getting that,” said Career Services Director Cathy Keates. In Ontario alone, students can choose from 640 graduate certificate programs at over 20 colleges. These programs average one academic year (or two semesters) in length. These programs cover fields including arts and entertainment, hospitality and tourism, business, health and social services and information technology. “There are jobs where you have to have that specific diploma to get into that field,” Keates said, adding that early childhood education is an example of this. Keates noted that colleges and universities differ in course delivery and skill requirements, and that university graduate programs are typically more research-based. However, the number of
college programs which do job market or a lucrative career is require students to possess an going to college,” Vick said. Jenna Brandon, ArtSci ’12, also undergraduate university degree decided to pursue college after are growing. These post-graduate programs completing her degree. She’s currently taking the are based at schools such as Humber and Centennial Colleges. Behavioral Science Technology Keates said human resources, (Fast-Track) Advanced Diploma public relations, communications, Program at Toronto’s George marketing and business — each of Brown College. She said it was at the start of which can be studied in Ontario colleges at the post-graduate her fourth and final year that level — are commonly asked about she began considering attending college post-graduation. by students. “I wasn’t entirely sure where I In 2011, The Globe and Mail reported that at Toronto’s wanted to apply to grad school or Humber College, 31 per cent what I would want to focus on,” of incoming students held a she told the Journal via email. “I didn’t want to apply to grad postsecondary degree. Those with college diplomas school without a solid idea of what may fare even better than I wanted to do, so I started looking university graduates when it into other options.” She said she enjoyed the comes to employment — a 2012 placement she study found that college grads seven-week were expected to take more of completed, as it allowed her to the available jobs than university link theory with practice and gave graduates in Canada during the her an idea of what to expect in an entry-level position in the field. post-2008 recession period. “I’ve found that the program is This is a route that Kayla Vick, geared towards specific jobs, so the ArtSci ’13, is considering. Vick, a gender studies and possible options after graduation sociology medial, plans to backpack are clearer than the options that are through South America next available with an undergraduate year, prior to pursuing work in degree in psychology,” she said. “The student placements are a human resources. She’s considering a really valuable part of the program post-graduate human resources as well. I’ve been able to make program at George Brown College contacts in the field I want to go in Toronto — an option she said into while gaining experience, and never came to mind when she first I think this has really helped my job prospects.” arrived at Queen’s. “It’s funny to think I came here for a four-year degree, and what I think is going to get me into the
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In Focus
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In Focus
18 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, March 8, 2013
Legality of certain placements questionable Continued from page 1
didn’t qualify. Instead, her parents were able to financially support her. Overall, she found the experience rewarding and helpful in choosing her career path. After the internship, she got hired in the Office of the Premier of Ontario, and she now works at a not-for-profit. Gouinlock thinks that internships should be equally accessible to all students, regardless of economic resources. “I think internships are really wonderful opportunities but I’m cognizant of the fact that they cater to people who are financially stable,” she said. “It’s sad because I do think the perception of some internships being elitist is true.” Some students on campus even delay getting their degree for a year in order to gain
hands-on experience. Those who participate in the Queen’s Undergraduate Internship Program (QUIP) get paid hefty salaries — an average of $45,000 per year for those starting a placement in 2012.
internships “areI think really wonderful opportunities but I’m cognizant of the fact that they cater to people who are financially stable.
”
— Susannah Gouinlock, ArtSci ’11 The program only offers paid placements, which run 12 to 16 months. It has its limitations, though — the vast majority of placements are science and engineering-based. “It’s standard across other
Students participating in QUIP are paid on average $45,000 per year.
Photo illustration by Alex Choi
similar internship programs in engineering and computing for the positions to be paid,” Cathy Keates, director of the Career Centre, said. “[QUIP] interns are contributing significantly to the organization and the pay reflects that.” Evidently, not all internships are as well paid, but data on unpaid internships is often hard to find, and its unclear whether their prevalence has changed. The topic has recently become contentious, with some labour experts coming out strongly against unpaid internships in publications such as the Toronto Star and Macleans magazine.
In 2012, Time Magazine reported that there were several pending class-action lawsuits against American media companies, filed by former unpaid interns looking for financial compensation. According to Cassandra Jowett, Content Manager at TalentEgg, an online career website for students, in certain industries unpaid internships have always been popular. “Those are in the sexy, tough to break into industries, like media and publishing and fashion.” Sometimes, unpaid internships can be the best way to get into a company — Jowett herself started
out at TalentEgg as an unsalaried summer intern, although she received an honorarium. “I learned where I wanted to go in my career, I developed a great relationship with the person who was my future boss,” she said. When applying for full-time jobs, she said, the most important thing for applicants to have is relevant experience, which is something unpaid internships can offer. “In my opinion, you have to factor [experience] into the cost of your education,” she said. “It’s potentially much more valuable than taking another class.”
Employment rate at 88.5 per cent “It’s frustrating when I know that I have the same skill set as job now is a university degree,” some of the Commerce students, but I lack the vocabulary they he said. He added that the skills he have gained through their degree,” learned concerning managing she said. After taking a three-month priorities and deadlines were just as invaluable as what he learned in marketing, advertising and film script consultation internship with the classroom. Samantha Ramsay disagrees. She a start-up company that never believes there is a prevailing theme managed to take off, Ramsay is of those looking for jobs being now working at a salon — a job she overeducated and underemployed. managed to get after doing some She’s finding that her English hair modeling for the business. “The job market right now is degree means that potential employers might not take her as bleak,” she said. “It’s difficult to break into a lot of areas unless you seriously as she would like. “I’ve found that when people have someone who can relay you meet me and find out I’m an English to [the person] who will give you major, they think I’m maybe just the job.” sort of a dumb party girl who When Ramsay graduated, her went to a good school,” Ramsay, dream was to travel and she recently ArtSci ’12, said. returned from a trip around Continued from page 1
THE
Thailand. Her current plans involve moving to Toronto for different post-graduate programs. She added that many of her friends who graduated with degrees in Commerce and Applied Sciences managed to find jobs in fields where they’re relatively happy. Her friends who graduated from Arts and Science, however, are having a harder time finding jobs in their desired fields. Ramsay said she absolutely wouldn’t change her degree, though. “I learned a lot more skills [at university] which will make me a much better candidate [for a job] once I get another piece of paper that will make people take me seriously.”
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queensjournal.ca
• 19
concert review
Just getting started Montreal band Half Moon Run’s first Kingston show had the whole crowd singing along to their uniquely catchy tunes B y S avoula S tylianou Arts Editor
Arts
Photos by Charlotte gAGNIER
The opening act on Tuesday night were rockers Folly and the Hunter (above), who had a distinct sound similar to Bon Iver.
When Grad Club Manager Virginia Clark encourages you to come see a show, you don’t say no. I’m glad I got to see them live before they become a global success. Dressed to go to a concert Tuesday night, forgetting how warm it gets within the borders of the intimate crowds at the Grad Club.
play review
Crimes and lullabies
Opening act from Montreal, Folly and the Hunter, took to the stage first to bring the crowd their brand of soft crooning rock. Reminded of Bon Iver, in instrumentation alone, I really enjoyed lead singer Nick Vallee’s unique falsetto that brought a relaxed rock vibe to every song. The last song of the group’s set, entitled “Ghost,” was a standout number. It reminded me of one of my personal favourite artists, Ben Howard, and his track “Only Love.” The members of the opening act clearly showed their humble attitude by genuinely thanking everyone for coming to the show to see them and Half Moon Run. The silky power behind the music of Folly and the Hunter transitioned perfectly into Half Moon Run’s equally haunting and throbbing set. With the main act, I may have found my new favourite band — and it’s not just because they’re opening for Mumford & Sons this summer. I’d heard of Half Moon Run before the show, but debated whether to listen to their music beforehand or go to the show with an open mind. The band has the harmonica riffs of a great country song, mixed with the dizzyingly deep guitar solos of imaginative folk music. But what makes Half Moon Run bona-fide rock stars is their on-stage presence of a pure rock band. Their singles “Full Circle,” “Call
Me in the Afternoon” and “Nerve” have been stuck in my head since I left the show and showed no signs of leaving. It’s a good thing I did listen to their debut album Dark Eyes all day on Tuesday because I, like the majority of the crowd, was singing along to the lyrics, an occurrence that happens surprisingly sporadically at indie concerts. Half Moon Run’s album is unique in that no two tracks are the same. After hearing the upbeat opening synth line of “Judgement,” one might be tempted to categorize the group as another buoyant indie group with lyrics to sing about breakups. How wrong they would be after listening to how “Fire Escape” floods into your ears, proving the group has way more substance to offer. The trio presented admirable showmanship and a sound almost like a sombre version of Fleetfoxes. As the band started their set, sweating from their sound check, they got the crowd to clap and sway along. Front man Devon Portielje embodied the power of Freddie Mercury as he controlled the stage and captivated the crowd’s attention with his gestures — from every snap of the finger to each removal of his lips from the microphone. With only one album out, this refreshing energy is synonymous with the national success they’re currently garnering.
Behind a sinister plot, The Pillowman poses questions of morality B y K atherine Fernandez -B lance Editor in Chief When you’re gone, what do you leave behind? It’s an age-old question repositioned in a gritty and intimate enactment of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman, by Queen’s Vagabond. The show has a boldly perverse plot in which Katurian — a writer of gruesome short stories, which depict the murders of children — is questioned by two sadistic policemen following the actual deaths of local children. The show’s grimy and barren set depicts the gruesome themes of the plot. Katurian’s tales act as allegories that lack the morality of traditional fables. They’re dispersed within the three-hour production, brilliantly delivered by the immediately likable Sean Meldrum. Like a suspenseful thriller or a gruesome horror movie, you can’t help but watch as the play descends further into darkness, despite how much your skin is crawling. The audience is painted an intimate portrait of the characters, with their darkest moments exposed. Reece Presley, as the torturous policeman Ariel, and Adrian Young as the smarmy detective Tupolski, start off unconvincing in their violent roles. But as their interactions with Katurian become more frenzied, their talent is
drawn out. faint-hearted, but the allegories are Yet there’s too much of the type that stay with you long a discrepancy between the after you’ve first heard them. dark subject matter and the If you could end what you knew moments posed to the audience would be a lifetime of suffering, as humourous. would you? What can be justified Tupolski’s lines often seemed in a world of wrongs? out of place. One minute Ariel is It’s these questions that I’m left about to feed Katurian a child’s toes with as the show ends. For me, and the next, Tupolski is baffled, Katurian’s stories will live on as I yelling at him to not actually do it. recall them for years to come. As we meet Michal, Katurian’s older and developmentally-delayed The Pillowman runs in the Baby brother, the audience is drawn into Grand Theatre until March 16, with a sickeningly charming plot line. performances at 8 p.m. and weekend Michal’s wiles, delivered by Pierre matinees at 2 p.m. Campbell, are more humourous than uncomfortable as the plot calls for him to be more disturbed than he seems. I wasn’t expecting to laugh at a show named after the hero of one of Katurian’s stories — the Pillowman — a villain who convinces children to kill themselves to avoid a lifetime of future suffering. When Maria, a child, enters the stage, I feel a pit grow in my stomach. My urge is to leap across the seats and scoop her up to protect her. I know she’s only an actor, but she doesn’t belong in the cruel world the play created. Whether guilty or not, Katurian faces execution and his only hope is that his stories live on. By the end of the play, the cast has convinced me that in this instance a story is more important than a human life. The show, superbly cast Reece Presley and Adrian Young play the roles of the policeman and detective, respectively, and delivered, is not for the investigating Katurian’s case with the perfect dose of inquisitiveness in their performances.
photos by Tiffany Lam
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Friday, March 8, 2013
Interview
Practice, improve, perform and repeat Folk artist Peter Katz says being nominated for a Juno award hasn’t given him a big head B y A lex D ownham Assistant Arts Editor Are you there God? It’s Peter Katz here. For Montreal folk musician Katz, sometimes writing and performing his music feels like a solitary process. “A lot of times when you’re in your bubble writing, you wonder if you’re just yelling at the air,” he said. “You have these things you’ve worked on, care so much about and put out in the world just to hope that it falls on people’s ears.” Katz is returning to Kingston next week, after previously playing
several times at Clark Hall Pub and The Mansion. He said he’s excited to come back, especially after his last visit in town. “I performed with a local 100-person choir named Open Voices. They had learned some of my songs as part of their repertoire, so it was an amazing experience,” he said. Beyond the Kingston community, Katz has become a large figure in the Canadian music scene. Throughout his career, Katz said he has gotten to play with some of his musical idols, including Glen Hansard of the popular Scottish folk groups The Frames,
and Swell Season. “That was a dream of mine for seven years ever since I saw him first play,” Katz said. In 2012, the folk artist was also nominated for a Juno Award. Katz said the nomination definitely helped him to get “his foot in a few doors.” “It’s not like all the offers in the world are coming my way and I’m driving a Lamborghini though,” he chuckled. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t change what I have to do — practice, play songs, get better and play shows.” Katz said he prefers to write new songs and tells me about the
first song he wrote which made him decide playing music was the path he wanted to follow. “For example, ‘The Fence’ is about a 19 year-old student who was a victim of a hate crime because he was gay,” Katz said. “The song had a life of its own and [it] felt like I was able to express something like I’ve never been able to before.” This simple combination of vocals and instrumentals in song writing, for Katz, is perfect for expressing his emotions to audiences. “Writing is this little thing that if you work at it you can get it right one song at a time,” he said. “Every
night the song can be what it needs to be depending on the audience.” Thankfully, Katz says this adaptive lifestyle is full of new experiences and experimentation — two things that his personality craves. “It’s fresh, fragile, vulnerable, and feels like you’re juggling plates.” Peter Katz plays Clark Hall Pub on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.
Photos Supplied
Peter Katz says the last time he played a gig in Kingston, he was supported by a 100-person choir called Open Voices who learned to sing some of his songs.
play Review
Final plays of Vogt series form enjoyable environment Vogt C, the last in the series, brings great performances to four new and different plays B y M egan S carth Contributor After Vogts A, B and C this year, it’s clear the four mini plays of Vogt aren’t meant to make sense. But they still create an enjoyable performance. In Vogt’s Characters, the dissimilar characters brought together include a Greek muse, two Taliban soldiers, a gorilla and two farmers. The first play, entitled An Argument, opens with a freshman student sitting at his desk surrounded by coffee cups and crumpled pieces of paper, struggling to write a script. Suddenly, inspiration appears in the form of a perky, Greek-toga-wearing muse, who charmingly dances around the stage and poses, soon getting on the nerves of the student. Most of the play is written in rhythm and meter and is halfsung, half-spoken, which I thought really added to the lively nature of the play. Two puppets with black beards and robes abruptly emerge from the large cardboard stand placed at the back of the stage during the
second play. They introduce themselves as two puppeteers acting out a “play-within-a-play” that would involve both the puppeteers and the puppets. Trouble soon arose for the puppeteers, however, as two Taliban soldiers object to the stereotypical puppets they were using. Despite the politicized nature of the characters, the use of puppets helps to lighten some of the more serious subject matter found in the play. Dressed head-to-toe in what appeared to be wearable brown shag carpeting, actor Patrick Downes certainly has to be commended for his hysterical performance in You and That Fucking Gorilla, the second play of the evening. I often found myself laughing out loud at his facial expressions or merely the absurdity of the situations. The lighting in this play was used to good effect as red lighting was used during an ominous moment when a character picked up a meat cleaver. The last play, however, brought back a more upbeat vibe.
It’s performed entirely to the tune and lyrics of the classic children’s song “There’s a Hole in My Bucket.” Though the song written for “Dear Liza” is quite
repetitive, the dialogue was kept interesting — and often highly amusing — by the actors’ actions and tones of voice. It’s the subtle touches to the play
like the smell of cake batter wafting into the audience’s seats that made me feel involved in the play. Just like Vogt’s previous play, I walked out of the theatre room with a smile, though this time with the words to “There’s a Hole in My Bucket” still stuck in my head. First with Vogt’s Anomalies, then Vogt’s Behaviours and now Vogt’s Characters, it’s obvious that the shows’ lack of cohesion is exactly what makes them a Vogt show. Vogt C: Vogt’s Characters runs in the Vogt Studio tonight and tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m.
In the final addition to the Vogt series, the four plays contained zany characters ranging from a greek muse, a gorilla, to Taliban soldiers.
Photo by Peter Lee
Friday, March 8, 2013
Arts
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Arts
Friday, March 8, 2013
art review
A tale of morals and miracles Agnes exhibit gives the viewer an artistic visual representation of an old Biblical story
In the exhibit Tobit: Miracles and Morals, several 16th- and 17th- century artists provide their own individual depictions of scenes from the Biblical story of Tobit and his family. The paintings follow the time from when Tobit’s family was expelled from their country to their journey of redemption.
B y m aggie h eathcote Contributor There’s a fine line between a substantial story line and aesthetic appeal in art. Tobit: Miracles and Morals tends to drive on the narrative side of the road. The exhibit, located in the Bader Gallery of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, is a collection of various artists’ works that depict different scenes from the ancient Hebrew text The Book of Tobit. The text was the inspiration for the works of many Flemish and Dutch artists during the 16th and 17th centuries. The text narrates the story of an honourable Jewish family, including Tobit, his wife Anna and their son Tobias, who were unjustly exiled from Israel. They eventually redeem their respected
positions in society with the help of the disguised Archangel Raphael, who is also a key subject in several of the paintings in the room. This connection between an ethical lifestyle and the presence of divine miracles is prevalent throughout the exhibit, though it’s most evident in Paulus Lesire’s representational-style oil painting entitled, “Tobias Healing His Father.” It depicts the moment when Tobias, at the instruction of Raphael, miraculously restores his father’s eyesight. While Tobias and Anna are admirably focused on Tobit’s recovery, the Archangel Raphael stares directly out at the viewer, demonstrating a sense of divine authority over Tobit’s healing. What is remarkable about the exhibit is that all the works appear to be
character-driven. There’s a contemplative countenance in the subjects, displayed in their solemn facial expressions and their stooped posture. While the pieces are undoubtedly impressive in technique, the artists’ desire to convey a story overpowers their aesthetic appeal. I noted the variation in style and tone between the different mediums of the works, from the penciled sketches to the oil paintings, giving the exhibit an eclectic feel. Most of the paintings are representational in style, while the etchings and engravings appear to be somewhat mythological. The whimsical figures of the Tobit family are much more animated and wiry in form, which are distinctive traits of early Netherlandish artwork. There are multiple depictions of the incident in the story of Tobit when his daughter Anna brings home a goat she was rewarded with. The scene is depicted in several of the
Photo by sam KoebrICh
works as a moment of tension, as Tobit unreasonably accuses his wife of stealing it. However, in Jan van de Velde II’s etching and engraving entitled “Tobit and Anna with the Kid,” there’s a sense of humour taken towards the scene. The couple’s emphatic expressions demonstrate more fatigue than anger, emphasizing the ridiculousness of the incident. There’s an obvious narrative throughout the exhibit, which connects the many works and focuses the attention of the observer. The exhibit displays differing perspectives of several artists and demonstrates how the works can still remain cohesive. In fact, this strengthens the significance of the narrative as a result. Tobit: Miracles and Morals is on exhibit in the Bader Gallery of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre until Apr. 21.
Photo by sam KoebrICh
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Sports Women’s Hockey
Digging for CIS gold Gaels face St. FX today in Toronto after clinching OUA title B y S ean S utherland Staff Writer
Photos by terence wong
Queen’s survived a frantic flurry in the final seconds to clinch the OUA championship against Western last Friday.
Women’s hockey is heading back to CIS nationals. After sweeping the Western Mustangs in two games, the Gaels reclaimed their OUA title from 2011. As the final seconds ticked down in game two, the title was far from secured. With the Mustangs’ net empty, the Gaels protected their 5-4 lead from a Western onslaught in the final minute. Hundreds of fans rose to their feet — an extremely rare sight at Kingston’s Memorial Centre.
Off-season training
Rugby’s radical regimen Players climb ranks by packing on pounds, preserving speed B y Peter M orrow Sports Editor Dan Moor came a long way prior to captaining the men’s rugby team. He played on the fifth squad in 2008, but scored the opening try last November to lead Queen’s over the Western Mustangs for the OUA championship. Climbing the seven-team rugby club ranks was a long-term project. “It doesn’t just happen in three months during a rugby season. It’s really a 12-month effort,” Moor said. For a club of burgeoning rugby players striving to crack the first team, the only true designated time off is post-championship week. Moor’s path is becoming less un-travelled with year-round rugby programs designed to maximize strength. Headed by Queen’s strength and conditioning coach Rodney Wilson and fourth-year Gaels forward Doug Davidson, Moor said off-season training’s taken on a new level. “You clearly have all the support and resources you need if you want to improve as an athlete in the off-season here,” Moor said. “Guys who are really getting involved are seeing massive dividends now.” Moor estimates 40-50 lbs. in gains since his first-year — partially
“It was a tough game, for sure,” said goaltender Mel Dodd-Moher, who recorded the Game 2 victory. “We scored a lot of good goals. It’s an awesome feeling.” Her teammates were equally relieved and excited after the close finish. “Words really can’t describe it,” captain Kristin Smith said. “We’re just really excited and we got the job done tonight.” Smith was one of nine players to earn her second championship title since 2011, when the Gaels swept the Guelph Gryphons to claim OUA gold. “Winning it once was great,” she said. “Winning it again is just as good as the first time.” The Mustangs were outshot 36-27 but capitalized on three power play opportunities. A 4-1 Gaels lead turned into a 5-4 lead by the final minute, but Dodd-Moher kept her composure. “You just got to hope the puck bounces the right way at a time like that, and it did,” head coach Matt Holmberg said.
Women’s Hockey OUA Championship Results Game 1 — Feb. 27 Queen’s Gaels 4 Western Mustangs 0 Game 2 — Mar. 1 Queen’s Gaels 5 Western Mustangs 4 Gaels win series 2-0. The victory earned the Gaels a spot in the CIS national championship this weekend at the University of Toronto, where they’re ranked third of six teams. The Gaels are in Pool B, along with the second-seeded St. Francis Xavier X-Women. The Atlantic champions went 23-1-0 in the regular season, winning all three See Seeded on page 26
Athlete profile
Kingston kid galvanizes Gaels Faulkner’s transfer sparked team revival B y Peter R eimer Staff Writer
Photo by Alex choi
Third-year forward Jacob Rumball (right) will replace See Heavy on page 27 departing back Dan Moor (left) as men’s rugby captain next season.
Greg Faulkner regained his passion for basketball by returning to his roots. A Kingston native, Faulkner returned to the court in his hometown in 2012-13, leading the Gaels’ upstart men’s basketball team in points and rebounds. After playing two seasons with the powerhouse Carleton Ravens from 2009-11, Faulkner took a year off from school and basketball. “Basketball wasn’t fun for me anymore — I didn’t enjoy going to the gym everyday,” Faulkner said. “So I took some time … to figure out what I wanted to do and who I was. “It was probably the best decision that I’ve ever made, ‘cause I’m extremely happy here and
loving every minute of it.” During his year off, Faulkner returned to Kingston and spent time coaching both the senior girls and senior boys teams at Holy Cross C.H.S., his old high school. Despite a few invitations from Gaels head coach Stephan Barrie, See Breakout on page 26
Inside Track Former football players sprint for Queen’s.
Wrestling Gaels react to end of CIS season, decision to drop wrestling from Olympics. Page 24
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track
Multi-sport status impeded Football players discouraged from joining track in off-season for fear of injury B y J oSh B urton Staff Writer Queen’s athletes can’t cross over like they used to: it has to be one sport or the other. Queen’s has a rich history of football players competing in track and field with mild to exceptional success. Sheridan Baptiste, a Gaels wide receiver in the 1980s, holds the school record for both 60m dash and long jump. Receivers and defensive backs in particular are able to transition to sprint teams with relative ease. There’s little success with athletes from other sports — namely soccer — attempting middle and long
Photo sUPPlieD
Jayevan Foster played receiver for the Gaels football team for four seasons, from 2008 to 2011.
distance events. “The preparation to do the distance events is much more extensive and much [more different from what team players typically do in training,” track and field coach Steve Boyd said. “It takes weeks and months to gain [the aerobic capability necessary], and if you’re doing that you’re probably taking away from your primary sport.” Beyond athletic ability, more factors preventing athletes from competing in track have surfaced in recent years. Football commands the largest pool of scholarship money, leaving coaches reluctant to allow coveted talent to risk injury competing in track events. They’re also likely to dissuade red-shirted first- or second-years to avoid losing a year of CIS eligibility. “If you’re getting injured [in track] and the football team is paying you, then you’re not really benefitting them,” said fifth-year sprinter Jayevan Foster, a former Gaels receiver. With track and field’s recent downgrade to a varsity club, funding from Queen’s Athletics has severely decreased. Athletes now have to pay fees and transportation to and from meets. Lack of funding not only affects students, but the coaching and facilities as well. Unlike other powerhouse athletic programs like Western and Windsor, Queen’s has no indoor field house for track. Without the ability to practice on campus in winter, athletes use facilities at RMC, working around their schedule — rarely without hassle. “How do you bring kids into your program if you don’t even have your own field house?” Foster said.
Despite the setbacks, four-time OFSAA track medalist Thomas Juha participated in both football and track as a first-year in 2011-12. During recruitment, he made his intentions clear to do both sports and met little resistance from football coaches. “[The coach] made it clear I was there primarily to do football, but supported [my choice to do track],” Juha said. Juha understands the lesser funding for clubs, but warned against the detrimental effects that the cuts may have. “Volleyball does well, basketball is getting better and football won the Vanier [Cup], so I guess their plan is working,” Juha said. “But other people are suffering from it. Photo sUPPlieD “There’s really nothing to bring recruits Foster said a field house is in for track.” essential to attracting track recruits.
Wrestling
Still on the mat
Gaels enter off-season with focus on increased recruiting efforts in midst of Olympic uncertainty
Third-year wrestler Yi Quan placed fourth in the women’s 63 kg division at the OUA championships, leading Queen’s women to a seventh-place finish overall.
B y n iCK FariS Assistant Sports Editor While wrestling flounders on an international stage, Gaels athletes are trying to grow the sport at Queen’s. Last month, the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board voted to remove wrestling from the Summer Olympics, starting in 2020. The decision to drop wrestling, an original event of the modern Games, could carry severe repercussions for Canadian university wrestlers. Third-year Gaels wrestler Yi Quan said she knows several amateur wrestlers whose Olympic dreams have been put on hold. “[The Olympics are] where their motivation is — it’s what they want to do in life,” Quan said. “For people like that, who train hard their entire life, it’s kind of unfortunate.” Coordinated movements to protest the IOC’s decision are currently in motion, including a personal hunger strike from Bulgarian national coach Armen Nazaryan. One extra sport will be added to the 2020 Olympic program in May; wrestling is one of eight events on the ballot. Quan doesn’t think the IOC will be swayed, but said the uproar demonstrates the passion of the wrestling community. “It shows that people really love wrestling — people that wrestle, at least.” While Quan doesn’t have Olympic aspirations herself, she’s hoping to solidify the growth of Gaels wrestling heading forward. The team earned two fourth-place finishes at the OUA championships on
Photo by Peter lee
Feb. 16, including Quan’s performance in the women’s 63 kg division. No Gaels wrestler qualified for last weekend’s CIS national meet. “I think we started [the season] a little bit stronger than we did at the end,” Quan said. According to Quan, the team struggles to maintain consistent membership throughout the season — something she’d like to see addressed during her remaining time at Queen’s. “I really want a bigger, solid team for the entire year, instead of people coming out and they stop coming,” she said. Quan said the team plans to release an online information package to connect with high school wrestlers and recruit more effectively. Gaels head coach Gianni Vecchio said the team’s greatest challenge is attracting accomplished athletes that can meet Queen’s stringent entrance requirements. “We’re trying to go after the athletes who do have the marks and who are capable of being potential good wrestlers,” he said. Vecchio returned to the Gaels three years ago after an extended break from coaching. He said the team’s youthful crop of female wrestlers — including Quan, Kerri Malcolm and Liz Wigle — has the ability to succeed at the national level. All three represented the Gaels at last month’s OUA championships, leading the women’s side to a seventh-place result overall. “They’re definitely coming along — we’re starting to get a little closer to the medals at [the OUA championships],” Vecchio said. “In the next three years, I think we might have a [CIS] gold medalist.”
SportS
Friday, March 8, 2013
THR0W
back TONIGHT. DOORS AT 9.
NEXT WEEK:
hoe down
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Sports
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2013 CIS Women’s Hockey Championship Pool A Schedule
Pool B Schedule
Game 1 — Mar. 7
Game 1 — Mar. 7
Montreal Carabins 1 Toronto Varsity Blues 0
Calgary Dinos 4 St. FX X-Women 0
Game 2 — Mar. 8
Game 2 — Mar. 8
Toronto Varsity Blues vs. UBC Thunderbirds, 7:30 p.m.
St. FX X-Women vs. Queen’s Gaels, 4 p.m
Game 3 — Mar. 9 Montreal Carabins vs. UBC Thunderbirds, 7:30 p.m. *All games at Varsity Arena (Toronto, Ont.)
Game 3 — Mar. 9 Calgary Dinos vs. Queen’s Gaels, 4 p.m. *All games at Varsity Arena (Toronto, Ont.)
Playoff Schedule (March 10) 5th Place Game
Championship Game
3rd Place Pool A vs. 3rd Place Pool B, noon
1st Place Pool A vs. 1st Place Pool B, 7 p.m.
Bronze Medal Game
*All games at Varsity Arena (Toronto, Ont.)
2nd Place Pool A vs. 2nd Place Pool B, 3:30 p.m.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Go to queensjournal.ca/sports throughout the weekend for live tournament updates.
Seeded third after title win Continued from page 23
of their playoff games to advance to nationals. The other team in the Gaels’ group is the defending champion Calgary Dinos. Led by four-time Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser, the fifth-ranked Dinos made it to the CIS championships as Canada West runners-up. Calgary topped St. FX 4-0 in round-robin play yesterday afternoon. The Gaels will face the X-Women today at 4 p.m. and take on the Dinos at the same time tomorrow. The winner of Pool B will advance to Sunday’s championship
game against the top team in Pool A, featuring the Quebec champion Montreal Carabins, the Canada West champion UBC Thunderbirds and the host Toronto Varsity Blues. The second-place finishers in each division will face off in the bronze medal game on Sunday, with the third-place teams playing for fifth. The Gaels will need the same strong defensive play and all-around production to contend for a medal, but the players are confident they’ll do well. “We’re really looking forward Photo by Terence wong to [nationals],” fourth-year forward Morgan Brittany McHaffie said. “We McHaffie led the OUA in postseason definitely have a chance to win.” scoring with 11 points.
CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW 1. Montreal Carabins — RSEQ Champions 15-5-0 regular season 4-1 playoffs Josianne Legault scored 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in 19 games in her
third campaign with the Carabins, tied with teammate Kim Deschênes for fourth in Quebec. Legault was named a RSEQ First-Team All-Star.
2. St. Francis Xavier X-Women — AUS Champions
Breakout season
Alex Normore led Atlantic University Sport in points, goals, assists, plus-minus,
Continued from page 23
Faulkner said he had no intentions of playing basketball throughout the bulk of last season. “By the end of the [high school season], I was getting sick of sitting on the sidelines,” Faulkner said. “Everyone who’s important in my life, in terms of family and friends, is in Kingston, so it didn’t make sense to go elsewhere.” When he started seriously considering returning to OUA basketball last March, it only took a few talks with Barrie and scrimmages with the Gaels for him to make up his mind. Last April, he told Barrie he was on board. For Faulkner, suiting up for the Gaels meant staying in familiar territory and playing in front of a supportive community. “People who haven’t got to see me play in the past few years, like high school coaches and family — my grandmother got to come to all the games,” Faulkner said. “It’s really nice seeing those people come out.” His timely return home restored life to Gaels basketball — a team that was 2-20 without Faulkner last year. “I’ve been coming to Queen’s games since grade 9, and this year was the first time that the crowd was actually excited,” Faulkner said. “That’s not [just] me — that’s everyone else on our team. We play an exciting style, so it was finally fun for people in Kingston to come watch Queen’s basketball.” The Gaels finished the 2012-13 campaign at 10-10, highlighted by two narrow victories over Laurier and Laurentian and a thrilling double overtime loss to Ryerson,
23-1-0 regular season 3-0 playoffs
powerplay goals and shots. She was named a CIS Second-Team All-Canadian and won her second consecutive AUS MVP award. 3. Queen’s Gaels — OUA Champions 20-4-2 regular season 6-1 playoffs Morgan McHaffie was named to the CIS All-Canadian Second-Team
after leading the OUA champions in scoring. Her 33 points were fourth overall in the OUA, while her 11 playoff points topped the league.
4. UBC Thunderbirds — CWUAA Champions 17-7-4 regular season 6-2 playoffs Second-year goaltender Danielle Dube’s .943 save percentage ranked
second in the CIS. UBC was 11-5 when Dube started. She was named a Second-Team All-Canadian after allowing 28 goals in 16 games. 5. Calgary Dinos — CWUAA Finalists
Photo by sam koebrich
Faulkner left the Carleton Ravens dynasty to lead the Gaels in points per game.
who were ranked in the CIS top 10. Faulkner was honoured as an OUA Second-Team All-Star, despite missing six games with a concussion. “I couldn’t have done it without the other guys on our team, so I kind of look at it as a team award,” Faulkner said. “We definitely have a solid base to keep moving forward next year, and we have a long summer of working hard to get prepared for next year.”
23-4-1 regular season 3-3 playoffs Hayley Wickenheiser is a Canadian hockey legend with four Olympic 6. Toronto Varsity Blues — Tournament Hosts 15-8-3 regular season 0-2 playoffs Second-year netminder Krista Funke only played 12 games in the 26-game
OUA campaign, but her .938 save percentage was fourth-best in the OUA, while her 1.89 GAA was fifth. — Peter Morrow
appearances, recording 68 points in 41 games for the national women’s team. Wickenheiser scored 51 points (18 goals, 33 assists) this season.
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Heavy gains for OUA champs Continued from page 23
crediting Queen’s training regimen and the flow of knowledge passed down through generations of players. With Moor set to graduate, the captaincy’s been passed on to third-year prop Jacob Rumball — a looming figure at 6’2’’, 260 lbs. It’s a 45-pound increase from 2010 — Rumball’s first Gaels season. “I was undersized — a little slower than maybe necessary and certainly physically underprepared,” Rumball said. Rumball’s size is due to a combination of Queen’s and Rugby Canada strength programs over three years. Rumball spent months training in B.C. and competed for Canada’s U-20 squad for the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in June. “Both programs really aren’t that different — that’s the funny thing,” Rumball said, adding that nutrition, speed training, strength and conditioning are equally emphasized. Former seventh-squad club player Brendan Sloan made his debut with the first squad last fall. His trick was five to six gym sessions per week over 52 weeks for three years using Queen’s off-season programs. “To finally get a start with the top team and get a few games with
JoUrnAl File Photo
Fourth-year forward Doug Davidson (above) leads the off-season training programs along with strength coach Rodney Wilson.
them, it was nice,” Sloan said.“That was a huge deal for me — that was a goal for me when I came here.” He gained 40 lbs. since 2010, gaining muscle, maintaining flexibility and transitioning from a back to a forward in the process. Sloan makes more tackles as a flanker, and has “fewer responsibilities.” The former winger claims he hasn’t lost a step, either. “My speed hasn’t really gone down at all,” Sloan said. “And it’s all just credit to the guys who’ve been training me.” Helping lead the off-season training is Doug Davidson, a starting prop alongside Rumball last fall. The fourth-year physical education student said strength is the key to any good rugby player — no matter the size. “For a lot of the
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guys — they’ve grown up playing sports, jumping, running and all that explosive stuff,” Davidson said. “Generally speaking, the best way to make someone who’s very speed-oriented faster and more athletic is just to add strength.” As a strength trainer and rugby player, Davidson issued a caution: a good weight-lifter doesn’t equate to a good rugby player. Nor is he convinced good lifters will make a good rugby team. “For the most part, the success that’s on the rugby field, you’ve got to leave that to [head coach Peter Huigenbos] and other coaches] ... and the club system — how it develops players as players.” Davidson said the hours spent training in the off-season are merely complementary at best. “If you’re 5-10 pounds heavier, a bit faster, stronger into contact, it’s going to help,” he said. “But the guys on the rugby club are rugby players, not weight lifters. That’s what it comes down to.”
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LAsT IssUe’s AnsWeRs
28 • queensjournal.ca
Friday, March 8, 2013
postscript
The Kingston Ice Boaters fleet was started about four years ago. The group of 20 ice boaters regularly take their boats to the ice for races and recreational use.
recreational sports
A season on the ice The sails fly once Kingston becomes a frozen wasteland B y J anina E nrile Postscript Editor In below-freezing temperatures, Lake Ontario is silent except for the sounds of wind and blades. When the lake ices over, a group of up to 20 Kingstonians gather to race their ice boats. If the forecast calls for wind, at a minimum of six knots or 11 km per hour, the brakes come off the boat skates, blades fixed to the boat’s bottom to help them coast on the ice, and racers head to their frozen wasteland. Standing on the lake ice 500 feet away from the Kingston Yacht Club, located on Maitland St. off of King St. E., I watched as Peter Van Rossem and Jim Foster speed their boats across their frozen arena. They were over a kilometer away from shore. I knew there were countless gallons of water churning beneath the foot of ice we stood on, but the landscape looked static as the two men’s sails caught the wind. The two boats slowly curved around a bend in the distance, moving slowly towards myself and the Journal photographer that accompanied me. “I think they’re coming towards us,” he said. I quickly moved out of the way, even though it would be about a minute before the two boats were within our vicinity. Once they got to us, they were much larger than I pictured. The DN class of iceboat, typically used for racing, is made of two intersecting planks and a main sail. At 12 feet long, the boats use three blades — two back skates and one steering skate — to coast along the ice. If the wind is minimal, a boater will stand on the cross plank that holds the two back skates. Using one leg to push the boat forward, he or she gathers momentum as the blades coast on the ice. Once the main sail begins to catch wind, the sailor lies in the boat, using one hand to steer the steering skate and the other to position the sail, using little strings attached to the sail called “telltales”
photos by alex choi
Rossem said. weren’t as ubiquitous. That’s why sailors must head According to David Page, archivist for the Kingston Yacht out over a kilometer away from Club, people built their own boats, land. Buildings along the shoreline keep the wind from reaching larger than today’s DN class. The Kingston Ice Yacht Club optimal speed. That wasn’t the case two was created in 1895, a year before the Kingston Yacht Club weekends ago, however, when the Kingston Yacht Club held the DN was established. In 1910, the Ice Yacht Club Canadian Championship regatta. With only 72 hours of notice, 17 amalgamated with the Kingston sailors from Kingston and cities like Yacht Club as it’s known today. “At the same time ice boating, Montreal and Toronto gathered like many fads ... faded a for a day of races. With seven little a bit,” he said. “People one-on-one races taking place fell through the ice and on the lake in front of the Club, scores were tallied to determine got drowned.” Nowadays, he said, the sport’s the winner. The sport, Van Rossem said, been revived through the Kingston Ice Boaters fleet, started four doesn’t depend on luck in this case. It’s a lot of the sailor’s skill, whether years ago. Van Rossem is part of this fleet, it’s from reading the wind well or a group of 20 or so people who calibrating their blades properly. “You have to spend a lot of time gather on the ice regularly. Keeping track of ice and weather making sure the blades are parallel conditions via a Google group, and … sharp,” he said. It’s something he plans to do for Van Rossem said fleet members sometimes head out for a relaxing a long time, he said. After all, the oldest ice boater he knows is over sail after work. A recent post detailed how 80 years old. Our conversation ends with the some boaters would be skipping work for a mid-day sail on the ice. wind slightly picking up. It’s a few He said it’s for the adrenaline hours from sunset at this point and Van Rossem, who’s been here since rush, after all. “It’s all about courage and getting this morning, wants to get a few more runs in. your speed up,” Van Rossem said. And even if the wind’s not so Today’s not a day for fast winds, though. The wind is faltering, the fast today, he tells me, he’ll be back ice too grainy for high speeds, Van on the ice tomorrow.
When docked near the Club, to determine which way to best boats are lifted on cement blocks pose the sail. Out of one boat steps Peter to protect their blades from Van Rossem. He’s wearing a white water damage. Once they get going, though, helmet with goggles, used to protect his eyes from the wind and sailors are warned about staying far the sun’s glare off the snow and ice. away from the shore because of the After removing one waterproof, rock wall and frozen waves. “When you’re coming in really insulated mitten, Van Rossem shakes my hand. His cheeks are really fast, there’s no place to get red from the wind and cold, but he out,” Van Rossem said. Most people wear floater suits looks happy. that act as lifejackets, he said, “You want to try?” he asks me. I was hesitant. What if I fell in? gesturing to the red and yellow one he wore. Or hit a rock wall? Sailors also scope the area Van Rossem assured me I’d be before sailing as a group, surveying okay, so I climbed in. Van Rossem, who has been for cracks or other dangers. “Once you know that the ice is sailing since he was a kid, began ice boating in the late 1980s. His good all around, then you stay in current boat, a DN class he uses for that area,” he said, pointing to the racing and recreational purposes, area between the shore and Wolfe was just bought used from Ottawa Island that we sailed on just now. “You don’t go exploring.” the other week. Before the competitive and The cheapest boats are recreational use popular today, usually $1,000, he said. “I heard of a guy who Van Rossem said ice boats were bought one for $25,000,” Van typically used for transportation. In the late 1880s, Kingstonians Rossem said. It’s difficult to position myself in were drawn to ice boats for their the boat at first. With Van Rossem speed in a time when automobiles standing beside me on the cross plank, he pushes forward. I think about how these boats can go up to 100 kilometers per hour on black ice with fast winds. I later found out we were pushing 15 km per hour but, with the rumble of the frozen snow beneath us, it felt like much more. Lying down in the boat, I was very aware of how little space was between my body and the ice. I kept my head down though, trying to keep track of where we were headed. It wasn’t like we were going to hit anything though — Van Rossem was steering us far away from shore. I asked him if he had ever fallen in a break of ice. “One year, when I was getting started, I fell into the ferry channel by accident,” he said. “I didn’t go swimming but I did get wet, so you have to be really careful.” Van Rossem said the Kingston Yacht Club holds safety seminars most years, warning ice boaters how to handle themselves on the lake. Jim Foster (left) and Peter Van Rossem (right) spent last Saturday sailing on Lake Ontario’s frozen surface.